Fighting for Worship.

Jake Morris

[0:09] I’m going to go ahead and have a seat. [0:10] Merry Christmas, everyone. [0:12] For those that do not know me, my name is Jake and I serve on staff here at Village [0:16] as one of the pastors. [0:17] And I am so thankful to be able to open up God’s Word with you all, especially at Christmastime. [0:24] Real quick, if you are a sixth to 12th grade student or the parent of a sixth to 12th grade

[0:27] student, I want to quickly invite you out tonight, 630 to 9. [0:31] We have our annual Village Students Christmas party. [0:34] The theme is tacky Christmas and it is going to be tacky and it’s going to be gross, especially [0:39] whatever I am wearing. [0:41] I don’t even know how to describe it, but I can show you pictures later. [0:44] It is disgusting and wonderful and Christmassy.

[0:47] But if you don’t want to see that, I have other things that will get you there, which [0:50] is we’re going to have tons of food. [0:51] We have a Christmas cookie bar. [0:53] We’re going to have tons of prizes, tons of games, giveaways. [0:56] And we do all this to celebrate the fact that King Jesus was born into the world and [1:00] we get to do that every single year.

[1:02] So if you want to come to that, students, make sure to come see me after the services. [1:05] I’d love to give you information on that. [1:08] But for the rest of you, I hope by now you are in full Christmas mode and you should [1:13] be in full Christmas mode. [1:15] This means that I hope that you’ve been to Christmastown or other Christmas events like [1:20] what Kings of Minion has or other Christmas shows, anything like that.

[1:23] I hope that you’ve watched your favorite Christmas movie a minimum of five times. [1:28] I’m going to lower it from the first service. [1:29] Some people gave me, I said a dozen, and people gave me a look. [1:32] So I’m going to lower it to five, but you should be at a dozen by the end of this week. [1:36] OK, so that’s the minimum there. [1:38] So you should be there.

[1:39] I hope that you’ve seen the Christmas lights that we have here because a lot of work went [1:43] into this. And I hope that you’ve also seen the other Christmas lights all around the [1:47] Richmond area. We live in one of the coolest areas for that. [1:49] It’s literally one of the capitals of the U.S. for Christmas lights. [1:52] But on top of that, I hope that you’ve put Christmas lights on your own house. [1:57] And what that means is that you give your house what I like to call the LED glow.

[2:02] OK, so it’s where everybody knows that you celebrate Christmas and you may be saying, [2:06] Jake, I haven’t done that. [2:08] And to you, I say, what are you doing?

[2:12] But the fact that you were here and breathing means that God’s not done with you yet. [2:17] And so you can repent. [2:18] And the way that you can repent is that after service today, you can go to Lowe’s or Home [2:23] Depot and you can go and buy some lights. [2:25] And here’s what I want you to do, though, when you buy the lights, you’re going to be [2:29] tempted to stop at a certain point.

[2:31] You’re going to say, that’s enough lights. [2:33] I want you to hear me in your head at that moment and say, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. [2:37] Take six more boxes, throw them in the cart. [2:39] And then you’ve hit the right amount of lights so that nobody in your neighborhood [2:43] questions that you follow Jesus and that you love Christmas and you can make your [2:48] neighbors love you too. But I hope that you are celebrating Christmas because we

[2:54] have something to celebrate as Christians this time of year. [2:57] Of all the times of year, this is a reason to celebrate. [3:00] It’s a reason to truly worship Jesus for the gift that he has and the gift that God [3:05] gave us in him. [3:06] You know, I think many times we can be so consumed by the season and even really good [3:11] parts of the season.

[3:12] And we get so busy that we never take a moment to do what the whole season really is [3:17] about, that the whole season of Christmas is about worshiping King Jesus for the [3:22] miracle of the incarnation. [3:24] And so our worship or our lack thereof shows something about our hearts. [3:28] And so this Christmas, we should look to God’s word and see what proper worship [3:32] looks like and how we can turn that into truly worshiping Jesus this Christmas

[3:37] season. And so if you have your Bibles, we’re going to be mainly in Matthew chapter [3:41] two this morning. And so I want to begin there with a text that many of you will [3:45] recognize if you’ve been at church for any amount of time. [3:48] Matthew two, starting in verse one, says, Now, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem [3:53] of Judea, the days of Herod, the king, behold, wise men from the east came to [3:57] Jerusalem, saying, Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?

[4:01] For we saw a star when it rose and have come to worship him. [4:05] When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him and [4:10] assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people he inquired of them [4:13] where the Christ was to be born. [4:15] They told him in Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet and you [4:21] Bethlehem in the land of Judah, or by no means least among the rulers of Judah.

[4:26] For from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. [4:29] Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the [4:33] star had appeared. [4:34] And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, Go and search diligently for the child. [4:38] And when you have found him, bring me word that I too may come and worship him. [4:45] Point number one this morning, worship reveals the condition of your heart.

[4:51] Worship reveals the condition of your heart. [4:54] Our text begins here with a group of people most of us are familiar with at [4:57] Christmastime, and this is the wise men that we even have songs talking about the [5:01] wise men, we three kings. [5:03] Now you’re going to be singing that in your head the rest of the day. [5:05] You’re welcome.

[5:05] But although we actually the funny part about the whole three kings is that we [5:10] don’t actually know if there was three kings. [5:12] The text actually is never clear how many wise men there were. [5:15] It could have been more than that. [5:17] We just think that because of the three gifts that they were brought. [5:20] But these men were not Jewish believers, but they were a group of really magicians

[5:24] from Babylonia or the East who were known in the world at that time for being able [5:28] to interpret dreams. [5:30] They specialized in astrology and even some would practice magic itself. [5:34] And so they were known as wise men because they really did serve in their land [5:38] as some of the wisest men there were. [5:40] They were they were appointed to serve alongside the king to give wisdom to him.

[5:46] And so this group of wise men came before King Herod after seeing a star appear [5:51] in the sky, which they ascertained to be for the king of the Jews. [5:55] And this is something that they would have actually been familiar with, that they [5:58] would have been studying not just their culture, but other cultures around them. [6:02] And so they were familiar with the Jewish scriptures and that there was a prophecy [6:06] that a messiah was to come.

[6:08] And so they mixed that with the star that they saw and they put those two things [6:11] together. And you may say, well, what was the importance of the star? [6:15] You see, back in those days that the stars were seen, a special star was seen [6:20] as a sign of a famous person being born or of a miraculous event taking place. [6:25] And so they’re kind of piecing together all of these things. [6:28] And they’re saying something is happening in Jerusalem, in Judea.

[6:31] And so we need to go there and see what is happening. [6:34] And so the wise men go. [6:37] And if you notice in the text, the first place they go is where? [6:40] Go to King Herod’s palace. Why? [6:42] Because they believe that a king has been born. [6:44] So where are you going to find a king in the king’s palace where the king lives?

[6:48] And so they go before King Herod. [6:50] And so then we get to the person of King Herod. [6:54] Who was this man? [6:55] And I think he was a very interesting person in Jewish history, that King Herod [6:59] was actually only a half Jew, and he had a very contentious relationship [7:03] with the people of Israel.

[7:05] They didn’t like him because they didn’t think that it was supposed to be his throne [7:08] because it wasn’t he wasn’t actually Jewish. [7:10] And so they fought over that. [7:13] And he never was fully accepted as their king. [7:17] And so when we look at the history, we see that he was a very brutal man [7:22] who later in life, he became so paranoid of losing his power and his authority

[7:27] that he actually killed some of his own wives and some of his own children [7:31] to keep that authority. [7:34] And so he was willing to do whatever he could do to keep power. [7:37] And so these wise men tell King Herod that they have come to worship [7:40] the king of the Jews who’s been born. [7:42] And what this does is it terrifies King Herod

[7:45] because King Herod realizes that the true king has been born. [7:51] He realizes that he could lose everything that he has. [7:54] He loses his power, that he loses everything [7:58] because there was a rightful person to the throne. [8:01] But I want you to notice in the text that Herod has to call other people [8:05] in to tell them about the prophecies of his own people.

[8:08] He didn’t even know that Herod didn’t know. [8:10] So he had to call in other people and say, hey, oh, so what is [8:13] what does it say about the prophecies of this messiah? [8:16] And then when he does that, that they actually come in, [8:19] those priests and the scribes come in and they tell him that this child [8:22] was going to be born in Bethlehem, according to the book of Micah.

[8:27] And now, knowing where he was to be born, [8:30] he secretly meets with the wise men that gather some intel. [8:33] And once he does that, he says, look, guys, what I want you to do [8:35] is I want you to go find this child. [8:38] But then you have to come back and report to me [8:40] so that I too can go and worship this new king with you.

[8:46] But what I want you to notice here. [8:49] Is what is at the front and center of the story? [8:52] Look past the wise men, past the prophecies, past the kings. [8:57] What’s the overarching theme of this passage? [9:00] And I would argue that the overarching theme of this passage is worship. [9:04] That worship is at the center of this account.

[9:06] What was the purpose of the wise men? [9:09] The wise men had come to worship the new king of the Jews. [9:12] But here it says he wants to know where the child is so that he could worship him. [9:16] In both of these examples, we see the truth that our worship [9:20] truly does reveal the condition of our hearts. [9:24] You see, these wise men who were not followers of God, they were not Jewish.

[9:28] They saw a star of a prophecy being fulfilled. [9:31] They saw a star. [9:32] They remembered the prophecies. [9:33] And so they went to worship the king. [9:37] Now, remember, they’re from a faraway land. [9:39] This was not a simple journey for them to take.

[9:42] But they thought that it was that important of an event [9:44] that they would travel to bow down before this new king, [9:49] that this new king was deserving of their worship. [9:52] So they may not have been followers of God, but they worship. [9:56] And their worship was oriented towards the proper person. [9:59] But then you look at Herod Herod, on the other hand, is terrified by this news

[10:04] that he realizes everything he has is in jeopardy. [10:07] All that he’s built, all that his family has, his family name, [10:11] his legacy is all at dangerous levels [10:15] because of this new child that was being born. [10:18] Now, you may say, Jake, how do you know that Herod did not really want [10:23] to worship Jesus? After all, what does Herod say to the wise men?

[10:26] He says, let me know where he is so that I can worship him. [10:31] And this is one of those cases [10:32] where you have to keep reading in scripture a little bit, [10:34] because it can get somewhat confusing if you don’t. [10:38] Because what you see is that actions speak louder than words. [10:41] And so what we see here in Matthew two, verse 16,

[10:44] this is after the wise men have found Jesus. [10:47] Since then, Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, [10:51] became furious and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem [10:55] and in that region who were two years old and under, [10:59] according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. [11:04] So Herod, overcome by anger and disgust for this new king,

[11:07] demands for all male children under the age of two in Bethlehem to be executed. [11:12] And friends, what I want you to see this morning [11:14] is something that’s vitally important to your life. [11:17] Which is Herod was worshipping, [11:20] but he was not worshipping this new king of the Jews. [11:24] Herod was worshipping,

[11:25] but he was worshipping the one who he gave all the glory to. [11:29] He was worshipping the one that he thought deserved his respect and his authority. [11:33] He was worshipping the one who he thought deserved glory and honor and power. [11:39] And that was himself. [11:42] And this is where we find a great biblical truth, [11:44] that we are all worshipping something.

[11:47] Did you know that every single second of every single day, [11:49] you live a life of worship? [11:51] It may not be of Jesus, but you live a life of worship [11:54] every moment of every single day of your life, [11:57] that there is a king who sits on the throne of your heart, [12:00] that there is someone or something that receives your worship and adoration.

[12:06] For many of us, if we’re being honest, it may be a material thing, [12:11] that it may be your job. [12:13] It may be your 401K. [12:16] It may be a car, it may be a house, it may be a boat. [12:19] For others, it may be a person, it may be your spouse, it may be a child, [12:22] it may be your boss at work.

[12:25] But for many of us, if we’re being honest, [12:28] the one that we worship the most, the one that we desire to please the most [12:32] is the one that we see every morning when we go into the bathroom [12:35] and we turn on the light and look in the mirror. [12:38] That in the end, we really worship ourself. [12:42] And so what passages like this reveal for us is that there’s one

[12:45] correct answer for who to worship, and there’s a lot of terrible answers. [12:49] But my fear for many of you [12:52] is that you know enough about the Bible to convince yourself [12:55] that you are a worshiper of God [12:57] while you leave this place and for the rest of your week, [13:00] all of the worship that you sang up here pointed towards God

[13:03] quickly changes to all worship about you.

[13:08] And that’s a dangerous place to be. [13:11] And here’s how you can know what you worship. [13:13] You can always determine what you worship by answering this question. [13:17] What determines my joy, my emotions and my future? [13:22] When you say that again, what determines my joy, [13:26] my emotions and my future?

[13:29] You see, friend, that’s who or what you worship. [13:32] And here in this passage, we see the wise men chose correctly. [13:35] They had come to worship the true king. [13:38] Herod chose poorly. [13:39] He chose not to worship the true king, but instead he worshiped himself. [13:42] And in doing so, he didn’t only reap condemnation on himself,

[13:46] but he destroys the lives of countless families [13:48] that he is supposed to be the king over.

[13:53] See, improper worship not only leads to condemnation, [13:55] but consequences beyond what we may even grasp in the moment. [13:59] And that leads to the second point this morning, point number two. [14:02] True worship always carries a cost. [14:05] True worship always carries a cost. [14:10] And so I want to jump to the end of the account here

[14:11] before we talk about the actual visit of the wise men. [14:15] So a passage you may quickly jump over, but I do think it is important. [14:18] Matthew 212, this is talking about the wise men, says, [14:21] and being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, [14:25] they departed to their own country by another way. [14:29] And I love this passage because it is really the true king of all.

[14:34] God himself versus the false kings of the world. [14:37] Because what’s happening in the passage? [14:39] You have you have the king of Israel at this point. [14:42] Herod is scheming up this whole plan in his head [14:44] of how he was going to destroy this child. [14:46] He says, if I can just get the wise men to tell me where he is,

[14:49] I can go and take care of them myself. [14:52] And so he has this whole plan in place. [14:54] But what he doesn’t realize is there’s a God that’s actually king over top of him. [14:58] And God’s playing four D chess by using people who are not even Jews [15:03] to fulfill his mission. [15:04] He speaks to him in a dream to tell them no longer to go back to Herod.

[15:10] And so God uses a group of astrologers from a land far away, [15:13] not only to worship Jesus, but to save the life of the child. [15:18] And what I think can be lost in this account is the choice of the wise [15:21] men not to return to Herod came at a cost. [15:24] Now, you what they did not know was what this cost was. [15:28] But their worship of Jesus as the true king

[15:31] meant that they were rejecting Herod’s authority as king. [15:34] That’s a vital part of that passage. [15:36] When they said no to Herod, they were saying, you are not King Herod. [15:41] There is somebody who has more authority than you. [15:45] And so when they rejected King Herod, they made the choice [15:47] to not go back and tell him.

[15:49] And they did not know what if any ramifications [15:51] this may have on their lives, their credibility or even their homeland. [15:55] But the text clearly tells us that they listen to the warning of God [15:58] over the fear of King Herod. [16:00] But in both cases, however, worship came with the costs. [16:04] Flip it to the other side of the story with King Herod.

[16:07] When Herod realized that the wise men had worshiped this child as king, [16:11] what does his worship lead him to do? [16:15] See, Herod’s worship was of himself, [16:17] and therefore his acts of worship will always be in service to his king. [16:22] And since his kingdom was being threatened, he decided to neutralize that threat. [16:26] Herod worshiped himself by slaughtering innocent newborn

[16:29] to two year old children in church. [16:32] Don’t look past this. [16:34] What was the result of Herod’s worship?

[16:38] Murder, but not just any murder. [16:41] He killed children, innocent infants and newborns [16:47] so that he could keep his glory.

[16:50] I cannot look at this passage and see anything else [16:53] than that worship always comes with a cost. [16:58] And I’m so thankful that Jesus doesn’t leave us without warning us of this as well. [17:03] You see, there’s many passages in scripture where Jesus looks at us [17:06] and he and the disciples and he tells them, he says, what is the cost of following me? [17:11] And he tells you to count the cost.

[17:13] No one to read one of those passages for you today. [17:15] Luke 14, starting in verse 28, says, for which of you [17:19] desiring to build a tower does not first sit down and count the cost [17:23] whether he has enough to complete it. [17:25] Otherwise, when he is laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it [17:29] begin to mock him, saying this man began to build and was not able to finish.

[17:34] A wet king going out to encounter another king in war [17:37] will not sit down first and deliberate whether he’s able with ten thousand [17:41] to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand. [17:44] And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, [17:47] he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. [17:50] So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce

[17:54] all that he has. [17:57] Cannot be my disciple. [18:00] See, friends, what Jesus is saying, there is only a fool [18:02] would attempt to build a tower or a house without first counting the costs [18:07] that you have to know what you’re getting into before you purchase something. [18:10] If you don’t, you may not finish it or worse, you may finish it

[18:14] and then not be able to pay for it. [18:15] And you have to give it up anyway. [18:17] That’s an embarrassing thing. [18:19] And so Jesus says you have to count the cost when it comes to being his disciple. [18:24] You see, what Jesus gives us is a free gift. [18:27] Absolutely. Is it of grace?

[18:29] A hundred percent. It’s not of anything I can do. [18:32] It’s by Jesus’s mercy that he saves and redeems me. [18:35] Yet this means that if I’m going to follow Jesus as king, [18:39] things cannot stay the same in my life or your life. [18:42] You see, for Jesus to take the throne of our worship, [18:46] that means something very radical for your life.

[18:48] When you choose to say, I am going to worship Jesus Christ and no one else. [18:52] You place Jesus on that throne. [18:55] But friend, let me tell you what Jesus says here about counting [18:59] the cost applies there as well, because it radically changes your life. [19:03] This means that your job now is under the lordship of Jesus. [19:08] This means that your spouse is under the lordship of Jesus.

[19:11] This means that your kids are under the lordship of Jesus. [19:14] This means your possessions are under the lordship of Jesus. [19:17] And friend, here’s the truth. [19:18] If it’s under his lordship, guess who has the final say on any of it? [19:24] He does. You gave up the right when you gave up the throne. [19:30] And so Jesus here is warning us, count the cost of following him.

[19:35] This is not something to take lightly because you are giving up your right [19:40] to be king over everything so that he can be king over all of your life. [19:45] The day that you gave your life to Jesus is the day [19:48] you rejected the worship of anything or anyone else. [19:51] But Frank, can I tell you? [19:54] Although that is a difficult decision when it comes to the power

[19:57] and impact it has on your life, it is still knowing and worshiping. [20:01] Jesus is the greatest joy anyone could ever have. [20:05] But we have to count that cost. [20:07] We must remember that our worship always cost us something. [20:11] You see, when one decides to follow Jesus, one counts the costs, [20:14] then their worship is true, that they’ve chosen to truly worship

[20:18] the one and only king who is deserving of their worship, King Jesus. [20:23] And so that leads me to point number three this morning. [20:26] Worship the eternal king this Christmas. [20:30] Worship the eternal king this Christmas. [20:33] I want to pick back up in the account of the wise men here, [20:35] starting in Matthew two, verse nine

[20:38] says, after listening to the king, they went on their way. [20:41] And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose before them [20:45] until it came to rest over the place where the child was. [20:48] When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. [20:51] And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary, his mother, [20:54] and they fell down and worshiped him.

[20:57] Then opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold [21:01] and frankincense and myrrh. [21:04] I want you to notice first that the joy that the wise men had [21:07] for seeing the star rest over the house, that the the words that Jews [21:11] there is actually of extreme joy, that they were so excited. [21:15] And that makes sense for us, right?

[21:17] Because they were coming from a far away land. [21:19] They had been through all of this and they finally get to the place [21:22] where they get to see this king. [21:25] And this is where I think it’s important to keep the timeline in mind [21:28] that we typically have the wise men present at the manger scene [21:31] and most of the presentations that we see it in our world today.

[21:35] But in actuality, the wise men were not there on the same night as Christ’s birth. [21:38] That most likely Jesus was at least six months old, all the way up to two years [21:42] old, based on what Herod does when he kills all the children under the age of two. [21:49] But I can just imagine what this scene would have looked like. [21:53] And this is one of the things I tell my students at multiple occasions. [21:56] And I think it’s helpful for us as adults, too,

[21:58] which is sometimes when you’re reading scripture, putting yourself there [22:02] and thinking through the mind of the people there can be helpful. [22:05] And this is one of the cases where I want us to do that with Mary. [22:08] So I want you to think about being Mary in this moment. [22:11] OK, so way back where it starts. [22:14] She’s a girl about to be married.

[22:16] An angel appears to her and says, you are going to be the mother [22:20] of the Immanuel, of the Messiah, of God with us. [22:26] And she’s like, all right, let it be according to your word. [22:30] And she goes through that process and she’s about to have the child. [22:33] So they go to Bethlehem. [22:34] Surely there will be a place for her to give birth, right?

[22:37] Surely Joseph is use Expedia.

[22:41] But now there’s nothing, no room for them. [22:44] And so she has to have her son in what was most likely a cave in Bethlehem. [22:50] She finally gives birth to her son and she doesn’t have a crib to lay him in. [22:54] So she has to lay him in a feeding trough for horses. [22:57] Sure, she felt like mother of the year after that. [23:00] And then all of a sudden, a bunch of criminals who were shepherds

[23:06] come over with their sheep and they’re like, hey, we’re here to see this king. [23:10] And she’s like, what? [23:13] She’s like, please don’t rob me. [23:14] That’s what she’s thinking. [23:16] But no, they say an angel appeared to us, but not just one. [23:19] The whole sky filled with angels and they were singing the praise of this baby.

[23:23] So we had to come see what this was. [23:25] And once again, Mary’s like, all right. [23:28] But then what happens a couple of days later when she’s at the temple, [23:31] Mary brings in her baby boy to be dedicated at the temple. [23:34] And all of a sudden, an old man comes and takes him out of her arms [23:37] and claims he can die now.

[23:40] Because he’s seen the Messiah and then he prophesies over her. [23:45] Now, you may say that’s a lot, and it was. [23:49] So imagine having a newborn and going through all of that. [23:53] The next six months must have been peace in comparison. [23:57] But she’s finally at home, finally at peace, [24:00] finally getting to the rhythm of being a mother.

[24:02] Every mom and dad in the room knows what that’s like. [24:05] When all of a sudden.

[24:08] She gets a knock at the door. [24:11] And what she sees is wise men from the East [24:14] bringing gifts to her child. [24:17] But then they do something incredible that all of these kings [24:21] come and bow down before her infant son. [24:24] And they worship him.

[24:27] I have a two year old son. [24:29] I can’t tell you how much that would wake me out. [24:32] Crazy. [24:33] Bowing before a toddler to worship him. [24:38] But friends, what a sight. [24:40] What a scene that must have been.

[24:42] You see these wise men when they bring gifts to the child, [24:45] which many have speculated exactly what these gifts truly represent. [24:48] I’m not going to deep dive into that this morning, but I do want to say, [24:51] what do these gifts represent in total? [24:54] You see that he was given three gifts. [24:55] The first was gold, which, of course, is one of the most expensive

[24:58] and desirable items in the world. [25:00] It was things that filled a king’s palace. [25:03] It was things that were deserving of a king. [25:05] Frankincense was a very expensive perfume, [25:07] and it was burned not only during worship, but also for special occasions. [25:12] Myrrh was also an expensive perfume that was used primarily

[25:15] to make people smell good. [25:17] But also it was to place on the dead at their burial. [25:22] And so all three of these gifts have a common theme [25:24] and a common thread throughout them, that these are gifts that are fit [25:28] for a king. [25:30] They’re gifts that have a purpose.

[25:33] Many of us, when you give gifts, maybe you’ve been here [25:35] and you’re about to go to a Christmas party and you forgot to get somebody [25:38] a Christmas gift. [25:39] And so you go to a Walmart and you go to the gift card section [25:43] and you find the one that takes the most stores because you’re like, surely [25:46] it will. They’ll hit one of the hundred that are on this list.

[25:50] And you get them that and pray that it works. [25:53] And you feel bad because you got them a bad gift. [25:54] Is that what the wise men do here? [25:56] No, it’s a very targeted gift. [25:59] All the gifts are targeted at Jesus being king. [26:03] It was the best of the best for the wise men to travel for months

[26:06] to come to bow before the child, the king of the Jews.

[26:12] But can I tell you something cool this morning, Church? [26:15] Is that this didn’t catch God by surprise. [26:19] That actually, if you go back to Isaiah 60, [26:21] which was hundreds of years before Jesus came on the scene. [26:24] Let me read this passage for you, starting in verse one. [26:28] Arise, shine, for your light has come.

[26:31] And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. [26:34] For behold, darkness shall cover the earth and thick darkness the peoples. [26:39] But the Lord will arise upon you and his glory will be seen upon you. [26:43] And nations shall come to your light and kings to the brightness of your rising. [26:47] Lift up your eyes all around and see they all gathered together. [26:50] They come to you. Your son shall come from afar.

[26:53] And your daughters shall be carried on the hip. [26:56] Then you shall see and be radiant. [26:57] Your heart shall thrill and exalt because of the abundance of the sea [27:00] shall be turned to you. [27:02] The wealth of the nation shall come to you. [27:05] A multitude of camels shall cover you.

[27:07] The young camels of Midian and Foff and all those from Sheba shall come. [27:12] They shall bring gold and frankincense [27:15] and shall bring good news. [27:17] The praise of the Lord. Church, do you see it? [27:21] Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, [27:25] God had ordained all of it.

[27:29] Even the wise men and the gifts that they would bring to King Jesus. [27:34] But did you notice what else the passage says? [27:36] It says that people would come from the nations, which they do. [27:39] Says that they would praise the Lord [27:41] and that they would bring gifts of gold and frankincense. Why? [27:45] Back to verse one, because the light has come.

[27:49] The glory of the Lord is here and the Lord has risen. [27:54] And he is with his people. [27:56] See, the wise men were really a sign of what the mission of Jesus really was. [28:00] Jesus, yes, is king of the Jews, but it wasn’t just the Jews [28:03] that Jesus’s mission was a global mission. [28:06] And that’s what Isaiah 60 is getting at,

[28:09] that it wasn’t just for one group of people, it was for all peoples. [28:12] And that’s good news for you in the room today, because that means that it’s for you. [28:17] And so here we see this prophet is prophecy comes to fruition.

[28:22] And so, friends, after looking at all of this, [28:26] I just ask you, what are we to do with the good news [28:28] of the birth of the King of Kings, Jesus Christ? [28:32] And I think for that, we look at the example of the wise men [28:36] and we simply do one thing, and that’s we worship him. [28:41] Hebrews 12, 28 says, therefore,

[28:43] let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. [28:48] And thus let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe. [28:53] For our God is a consuming fire.

[28:59] Church, the Christmas story should always drive us to worship, [29:02] should always drive us to the throne of King Jesus [29:07] and marvel at what he accomplished on our behalf. [29:10] Every Christmas serves as a yearly reminder to us of the truth [29:13] that we serve the one true eternal king. [29:17] And he’s the only one of dessert that deserves your worship.

[29:21] So, friend, let me encourage you, if you worship anything else this morning, [29:25] get that thing or for most of you, you need to get off the throne. [29:30] Put Jesus on the throne and worship him because he is the king of all kings. [29:36] Couple application points this morning. [29:39] First, I want you to ask yourself a question. [29:42] What or who do you worship?

[29:45] Don’t give me the Sunday school answer unless it’s true. [29:47] OK, don’t just say Jesus. [29:50] Really ask yourself that question because it’s important. [29:53] You can’t worship Jesus truly if you don’t actually know what you worship. [29:58] Second, receive the consequences of worship with joy. [30:01] The yes, following Jesus has a cost, but that cost is worth it.

[30:05] That it’s a joyful thing that we get to follow after King Jesus. [30:09] So receive it with joy. [30:12] Third, rejoice that Jesus is the king for all people, [30:15] that, yes, Jesus is the king of kings, but that he came to save everyone. [30:18] And that includes you and every single person in the room [30:21] this morning has that opportunity.

[30:24] And then lastly, worship Jesus as the eternal king. [30:28] That for most of us, the best thing we could do this Christmas season is take [30:32] just a couple of moments, do everything else that you do with Christmas and more. [30:35] I hope that you celebrate it like you never have before. [30:39] But take some moments away. [30:40] Maybe it’s just even you and Jesus.

[30:43] And do what the wise men did. [30:45] Bow before King Jesus and say, Jesus, thank you [30:48] for becoming like me to redeem me and save me. [30:54] And that’s the gift of Christmas. [30:56] Worship King Jesus this morning.