 So if you have your Bibles, let us open to Matthew chapter 2 verses 1 or 2 And we're going to read and we believe us. We get into God's word. God's word will begin to change a life Amen Let us read from chapter 2 verses 1 or 2 and it says now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king behold Wisemen from the east came to Jerusalem saying where is he who has been born? King of the Jews for we have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him This morning We just want to be able to share a few lessons that we hear from the wise men that we can learn and apply into our lives We believe as the wise men came to worship Jesus to Jerusalem There's few things from their lives that we can take and apply into a life that we can see that the birth of Jesus Christ is not just a celebration for us this morning It's not just something that once a year we come and we get gifts or some of us We don't get gifts and we're depressed or for some of them who give gifts It's not just about the gifts But there's things and principles that we can learn from the story of the wise That we can apply to our lives and we believe our lives will be changed in man church. Are you ready to learn this morning? I want you to say to your neighbor the wise Still seek him tell it to your neighbor to your other neighbor the wise ask him. Are you the wise? Still seek him today One lesson that we can learn from the story of the wise men that a Relationship was born at Christmas and new relationship was born from Christmas We know as the birth of Jesus Christ We see from that story that there was a relationship that was born It wasn't a holiday. It wasn't a religion It was not a thing that we come to celebrate by a relationship was born at Christ's birth We have to understand something from the lesson of the wise men that they went to Jerusalem to worship him But they also worship Jesus outside of Jerusalem They went to Jerusalem to celebrate his birth to give him gifts to give him a duration to praise him But also they worship Jesus outside of Jerusalem because after they gave him the gifts It says that they went back and they were rejoicing and they were worshiping God What does that have to apply to our lives a relationship is born at Christmas because our life is It's not just a Wednesday service when we come to church It's not just a Sunday service that we become we we spend our two hours in church But it is a relationship that we maintain with Jesus Christ It is not that we come and we say okay as Mondays belongs to me because the work day Tuesdays belongs to me Wednesday to use service that is that is God's Thursday is my own Friday. I do whatever I want Saturday relax and Sunday is God's From the story of the wise men We know that they went to Jerusalem to give him praise and worship him, but also they worshiped him outside of Jerusalem This speaks to us about a relationship that is forever This speaks about the Monday through Sunday It is not our life, but it's the life for Jesus Christ that we live It is the relationship that we maintain on a daily basis. It's not just it's a Sunday thing It's not just it's a Wednesday thing But my whole life is given to Jesus Christ I spent my whole life in a relationship from the one that has created me a man a Relationship was born at Christmas. We have this thing. It's a Sunday sickness. It's a thing that I only give to God What belongs to him on a Sunday? I only give to God what what you know the the 10% a little bit of my You know, I'll read a little bit so I don't do bad I just give God what belongs to him and we do not understand that our God Jesus Christ was born at Christmas. He gave us a whole life So you also can give yours to him He didn't give just a Sunday to us, but he laid down his whole life at Christmas He was born the whole life were to be made as a sacrifice For our lives that we can give our lives as a sacrifice back to him He proved to us through his birth that I want a relationship with you And I just do not want just your time just a little bit of your motion just a little bit of your money But I want your whole life. I want your heart Christmas is not about just to come to celebrate It's not about just what we can give to others But it's a reminder to us that a savior was born that he was interested in your whole life and Spending it talking with you and spending it walking with you and spending it knowing how you feel where you are in your low times We are in your high times through the middle of the times whatever that you are God is passionately in love with you God was so passionate in love with you that he was willing to prove to you that I'm gonna be born in a stable I'm gonna be born at the lowest part so I can come into the lowest part of your life and give you a hope Give you a new birth give you a relationship that lasts a lifetime a man church a relationship was born at Christmas if You make your relationship with God an occasional thing Your problems will be permanent if you make your relationship your love with God a Permanent a relationship forever your problems will become as one of those things as things that come and go as things I just they spring up and quickly die out when we make our relationship with God and and just a Sunday thing our Problems will be permanent. We were never meant to do life by ourselves We were never meant to go through life just oh, I'm given this thing. I'm in control of my life I'm gonna do what I want and when there's hard times come I give it to God when there's difficult time comes I give those things to God because God is the creator of life and whenever you take the position of God You begin to fall you begin to fall apart because you can never handle life by yourself God is the creator of life and he wants to take your life And to be able to solve the problems that you're facing Is it the sickness that you're facing God wants to be that healer because he was the one that fashioned you Created he's the one that knows every cell in your body the hair that you have on your head He wants to be in control of your life, but whenever you take his position Whenever you take the position of God saying God I live my own life. I do what I want That is when your life become permanent in your life Our relationship with God has to be permanent. It has to be a relationship forever And then our problems will become become occasional. They'll become as one of those things that come and go amen church Our relationship with God is permanent God God made a promise to us and he said one thing that I will never leave you And I'll never forsake you and that is his promise to us We read that in the bible that God has committed so he made a promise Look, whatever you do whatever you don't do how low you are how high you get that I make a promise that my spirit Shall never leave you He made the promise to us. We also as a church We also as believers as christian have to make the same decision that as God made a promise Not to leave us not to forsake us We make a promise to have a relationship forever We have a promise to him that I'll never leave him when I have money in my pocket I'll worship God whenever I have no food on the table. I'll still worship God whenever I am blessed I'll worship God whenever I don't have anything I'll still worship God naked. I came into this earth naked I will go but God's name will forever be glorified in my lives in my church And that is a relationship forever put your hands together for jesus christ We see that you know our life is not just about church not just coming in to give god what belongs to him But also our life is outside of church. We see it from the example of jesus christ The more miracles was done outside of the temple by jesus There was miracles done in the in the temple and but more miracles was done by jesus outside of the temple This shows to us and an example is that our life not is not just about Sunday services But it overflows outside of the church amen How many of you this morning saying that i'm gonna have a relationship with jesus forever? How many of you are saying this morning that i'm gonna love jesus through highs and low and nothing Will separate me from the love of god amen put your hands together for jesus christ We have to understand that knowing god is a lifestyle and it's not an event Knowing god is something that would do monday through sunday There is no time that we take a break a break in prayer a break in a relation with god is a break with Is is a break from living in peace and comfort and enjoy the moment you take a break from jesus christ That is the day you take a break from prosperity from healing from peace and from contentment from your life A challenge you this morning as we celebrate christmas That is a reminder to each one of us that a relationship was born at christmas not gifts not santa Not christmas she's not those lights not slippery roads and snow that we barely get but a relationship that lasts for a lifetime amen church A second thing that we can learn from the story of the wise is that those who seek him Find him not those who wait on him god did not give us A wishbone but he gave us a backbone god gave us a A life that is there to seek because in the bible it says those who seek will find those who knock will open Those who ask will receive it doesn't you know Many of us were like well, you know if god wants certain thing he will make it happen for us But god also challenges us that the shepherds did not just sit there and say oh the angels appeared Jesus is born that's awesome. You know they went and they begin to follow the star They begin to look for jesus christ. Where is he's born? This speaks to us of consistency and commitment and hard work Now if we want to see things happen in our life, we want to see god come through in our life We have to seek him We don't just sit there and begin to proclaim god's promises wishing things happen But we begin to work out and begin to cry out to you begin to walk after you if you're looking for blessing And certain things are not happening. It's not just you come one time to sunday Oh, you know i prayed one time and blessing didn't come It's maybe it's the will of god that you begin to seek you begin to work hard at it You begin to ask god you said in your word that those who seek will find and you begin to seek god You begin to pray to god you begin to ask god and then god begin to come through for our lives amen And that's something every time in our home groups. I begin to challenge the guys I begin to tell them to look you need to have a relationship with god that is consistent Not just that you take breaks off you come to church one time Then you take a whole two months off that you You go for two weeks and then you know where to be found and those people that in our home groups that i've been talking to that Six months straight that they've been just brand new christians that gave the life to jesus Start coming to god and god starts blessing them god started healing the god started giving promotion They're like wow, it's so amazing how how god can do certain things and i tell them It's the seeking god that brings fruit It's not just your one time attendance to churches to check off so pastor flat doesn't bother me So my home group leaders, you know, hey, where are you on wednesday night? How come you're not showing up god is genuinely interested in every era of your life Is it sickness that you're talking about is it the problems in your family? Is it there's a divorce that is threatening your marriage? God is genuinely interesting to take you out of your darkness and bring a hope to you and bring a joy And a peace of contentment that surpasses all understanding for your life because he wants to remind you that i am not Just interested in your attendance to church I was born in the lowest part of my life because i want to be able to come to the lowest part of your life And pick you up and to have you seated in the high places with god I want to take you to a place where everywhere that your footsteps you begin to conquer that land Wherever your hand touches will begin to prosper that whenever that you walk in you'll be blessed Whenever that you walk out you'll be blessed whenever you are in your storms the deep inside of your heart You will have peace because a hope was born at christmas man and church That is what our god wants to show us and remind us that at christmas a relationship was born that when we seek God you will find him those who walk with god are never left on the side Even davin the bible says i've been young and i've been old but never one time seen a righteous forsaken Or his descendants has begging for bread many times we i hear this thing. Oh i have You know i have school i can't give my life to god, you know i'm so busy here Sometimes there's work sometimes there's things and they said i need to you know if if i don't take care of my family Who will you know i how do i have enough time for god? But david in the scripture has proven that if you trust god with your whole life You will never be in lack you will never be on the sidelines You'll never come to a point and says god has betrayed me because god says Test me and see if i will not open up the windows of heaven that there'll be so much blessing that you say I cannot handle it. There's too much for me That's one thing that i always challenge the young people and i tell them to look give your life to god Now that is one thing that you'll never regret that is one thing that you'll never say Man i give my whole life to god and i'm broke and i am i am sick My life is in is broken into pieces But every single person that took that challenge with god said god You have my heart had came up to say man. How can i how can i even right now? Just recently i've been hearing some people you know God they've been given money they've been given you know sacrifices to god given bringing that tithe to church And god started blessing them so much that i remember one guy came up to you said dude I want to give my car away And i'm like it took me like eight to ten years to come to a point where i can give my car and you just came to church God started blessing and you're ready to give a car i'm like this is unheard of Where do you hear young people single people? Who are who not even married yet already want to give the cars away because god has blessed them so much That is shows to you that when you give your full life to jesus When you are have that relationship with jesus christ god will never leave you on the side of the road God will never leave you to a point where you're in lack when a point where you don't have enough and you're like God what happened but you'll always be a place of overflow you always be a place of health You'll always be a place in abundance in jesus name amen church But there's another side to this there's another side to this many times we come to church We receive our blessing and then we begin to leave god after received our blessing So there's two coins to two two side of the story to this coin that Those who looking for god come to god But those sometimes when they receive god they begin to fade away And this is a reminder that a relationship was born a relationship not for a part time But a relationship forever sometimes people begin to god starts blessing them give them a job You know we see them in church and it's like man You know or sometimes somebody gets a a large sum of gift from somebody from the church And then that was the last time you ever seen them and that is just to challenge you that Don't be after the blessing but be after the giver of blessings amen Be after the one that holds your life the one that holds the heartbeat in your hand the one that Fashioned you the one that created your man church How many of you people hear this morning are reminded that a hope was born at christmas amen Put your hands together for jesus A third thing that we're reminded from the story of the wise men is that you can't find jesus without following the star You cannot find jesus without following the star The star that you follow will determine the place that you will end up With the star that you follow will determine the place that you will end up This is it reminds us to us is God's word is the standard for our lives every single person in this place. We're not following You know idols we're not following you know some you know men of god or hollywood stars or things like that But our standard is the word of god We see what the word of god teaches what the word of god begins to challenge us with and we know that is Our standard that is what we follow. We're not follow We show in church and men of god that the god uses to this day But still we are reminded of the promise that That the last day is god will sprout a spirit upon all flesh that means it is available to us We are following ministry where god moves god's healing does there's prophecies There's healing but we also reminded that the standard is the word of god What we see god do mighty miracles in the book of vax where god uses apostles who were murders God was using people who were shaky who did not know left from right But god began to use their life and this encouragement to us that god can do it for our lives. Amen God's word is our standard If you keep your bible shut god cannot offer scriptural solution for our lives If you do not know the word of god, how will you know god's voice? It's many times people say oh god spoke to me god spoke to me and they don't read their bible So how do you know god spoke to you god speaks to you through his word and by his spirit And that's when you know god begin to direct you begin to lead you begin to guide you begin to You know, wherever that you do you begin to prosper that because god and the word are one Jesus and the word of god are one and that's what it says in john that god And the word are one amen church and we challenge this morning that Following the star is making god's word a standard for your life That you have to give quality time for god's word that you begin to give god's word the best time of your life You know in in in this church we offer Monday through Friday to be able to come at five in the morning With the church doors are open you can come and spend your quality time with Jesus christ If in the morning if in the morning it's hard for you to pray at home You can come here and you know, you can find a pew you can find a place in the sanctuary It can spend time with god and those who see god Find them and when you find god you will find solution to every problem that you face in your life Amen church And that is why we have to take time to read god's word With consistency begin to give read god's word not Occasionally but give god's word the best time of our day when you wake up in the morning begin to give god that time Begin to spend time with god's word begin to splash around god's word to understand What is god's word saying to you to be able to know that god's word? It has healing power for your life that em Psalms it talks about that he sent forth his word And he healed them all that when you take god's word into your heart and make it a part of you The bite's very nature god's word will begin to change your life begin to make you talk differently Begin to walk differently that even when they came to his disciple to jesus's disciples They said your speech betrays you the way you speak it betrays you because you've been spending time with jesus And jew and peter was like what are you talking about just trying to toss in a cost word or two Yeah, man, you know But says your speech betrays you because you've been hanging out with jesus You've been spending time too much time with jesus and that's what happens when you walk with god Your speech begin to change your actions begin to change anything that you do anything that you touch will begin to prosper You take a broken thing and and it begins to work You take a job opportunity as soon you become a manager Then a ceo you begin to come into your family and your family begins to come together Whenever there's darkness when you come that they'll become light because you've been spending time with jesus christ And that is the word of god God's word has enduring power through the good times through the hard times. It makes you walk through Through the hell that you have in your life and through the highs and the lows god's word gives you endurance and man church When the bible is given to us in the first place It is simply to invite us to make ourselves at home in the word of god in the world of god And also it is to become familiar with the way god speaks to our lives God speaks but he speaks through his word and by his spirit Challenge you this morning take the time as this new this year is coming to an end to be able to take time god I'll spend time with your word god my relationship with you is forever It is never ending and nothing will ever to separate me from the love of god amen church And the last thing that we can learn from the story of the wise is the messiah is born to you The shepherds understood that That messiah was born a saviour was born to jerusalem to marry But they also understood that a messiah was born unto them and that is why they seek him You know we celebrate christmas to remind ourselves that not just messiah is born to the world for the salvation Of people's sins, but also he's born unto you the hell that you have in your life That god is concerned to save you even from that It's not just to save you from hell in eternity, but it's to save you from hell on this earth What is hell on this earth? Sickness is hell to your body Divorce is hell to your marriage Curse and depression is hell for your soul Poverty is hell to your finances and jesus came and jesus was born on this earth because He wanted to save you from the hell not just in eternity, but also the hell on this earth If this morning you are facing this sickness remember this one thing a saviour is born To save you from hell on this earth If you are in poverty this morning that you're working and you don't have enough money from if you live from paycheck to paycheck from hand to mouth This is to remind you at christmas as saviour is born to save you from the poverty To make you to a place of abundance We have so much money these have so much financing that you're blessing people that you're sponsoring Colleges that you are taking people off the streets and putting them to colleges that you give enough away cars That you are able to sponsor people's rent to do all that as saviour is born also in your marriage You're facing crisis in your marriage. There's hell in your marriage Just remember that this thing is morning messiah a saviour and a hope is born for your marriage if you are cursed If you're in depression if you are in torment if if you cannot sleep at night Remember that as saviour is born for that too and he wants to take the hell away from your life this morning If this morning you're saying I you know, you don't know my life. You don't know how bad I am. You don't know how Hello, I've gotten if you don't know that how how deep Things I've committed how low that that I've gotten and how many times I betrayed Jesus You know how many I am a hypocrite. I am a nobody. I just want to just go over the list real fast and remind you Of the messiah who was born to these people. Noah was a drunk Abraham was too old Isaac was a daydreamer Jacob was a liar Leah was ugly Joseph was abused moses had a stuttering problem Getting was afraid samson had long hair and was a womanizer rehab was a prostitute Jeremiah and timothy were too young david was an adulterer and a murderer Elijah was suicidal Isaiah preach naked Jonah ran from god. Naomi was a widow. Joe went bankrupt John the best John the baptist eight bugs. Peter denied Jesus disciples fell asleep while praying Martha worried about everything The samaritan woman was the worst more than five times Zakeel was too small. Paul was too religious Timothy had an ulcer and Lazarus was dead But each and one of them they realized that messiah was born for their life And their lives became The champions of faith that we read about today in the word of god Their lives became heroes of faith that we stand upon and know that the wise men still seek him today They know that messiah and a savior was born amen church And this is why we celebrate christmas because a hope was born amen