Everyone knows of the wise men that are connected with the birth of Jesus. Most manger scenes at Christmas time have the wise men positioned somewhere near the manger. Traditionally they are kneeling beside the manger worshipping the Baby Jesus. If in reality they were there the night of the birth they had jet-powered camels. They came from afar off.
They did not arrive until sometime later, perhaps as long as two years later. Many scholors believe that it was two years before they arrived in Bethlehem. Matt. 2:16 suggests this time frame. In 2:11 we do find that the Baby Jesus was in a house and not a manger. The announcement that Christ was born brought interest from all over the world. The same is true today. There is more interest in and about the birth of Christ than any other person.
The message for today is not when did the wise men arrive, but rather why they sought Him. According to our text, they came to worship Him. Vs. 2&11.
I. WISE MEN STILL SEEK HIM TODAY
A. The effort they exerted to find Him.
1. They came from afar off. Vs. 1.
a. From Mesopotamia.
b. Babylon.
c. Daniel had been a slave in that land many years earlier.
d. Perhaps he had been such an influence that the hope and desire for the coming Messiah has carried down through the years and the men knew that someday there would be One born who would save His people.
e. We do not know how many men there were.
1) Tradition has it that there were three.
2) The songs say that there were three.
3) But the Bible does not say.
2. They travelled a long time.
a. The only mode of travel was to walk or ride on a certain type of animal.
b. They would have travelled by one of these modes.
c. They travelled across the great desert.
d. They were in the East when they saw the star.
e. The shepherds were abiding in the hills of the near country, but not the wise men.
f. According to Ezra 7:9, it took at least four months to travel from Babylon to Jerusalem, "For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem,.."
3. They probably went to a great expense to make the journey.
a. They brought gold, frankincense and myrrh.
b. We are in a time of history when most people don't have time for the birth of Jesus, or even His death or resurrection.
c. Yet wise men still seek for the truth of Him.
d. Any person who has any wisdom of any sort knows that there is a God in heaven and that He requires an accountibility of mankind.
e. Wise men look for God's way of redemption.
Dan. 12:3, "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever."
f. Wise men still know that Jesus is the answer to the sin problem in the world today.
g. They seek Jesus for their lost and unsaved family and friends.
Prov. 11:30, "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise." Wise men seek Christ for others.
Prov. 3:35, "The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools."
II. WISE MEN STILL WORSHIP HIM Vs. 2, "...and are come to worship him."
A. Worship requires giving.
1. Note: v11
2. They would not have had a complete worship without having given of their treasure.
3. Do you suppose that this is true today?
4. Can we worship Christ today when we are stingy with God?
5. They gave in great quality, as well as quantity.
6. Too many today give God the leftovers.
a. That which we don't need we bring it to the Lord's house and give to Him.
b. Don't give it to the Lord if it is not of any value.
c. These men opened their treasures and gave gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
B. Worship requires giving freely.
1. That which they gave was of great value.
2. What have we given God that is of great value.
3. To give to God means that we give Him all there is of us - All that we have, all that we are, our time, our talent, our treasure.
III. WISE MEN STILL LISTEN TO GOD'S WARNING cf v9-12
A. God's warning of coming wrath.
B. God's warning of condemnation.
C. God's warning of procrastination.
IV. WISE MEN STILL DEPART FROM JESUS AS CHANGED PEOPLE
Vs. 12, "...they departed into their own country another way."
A. That speaks of conversion.
1. When a person comes in direct contact with Jesus, face to face conversion will happen.
2. These men were changed that day.
3. They left different than they came.
B. The reason we have so much failure in the churches of America today is people don't get converted when they come to the altar.
1. These men met Jesus, and He changed their life.
2. When people meet Jesus they leave Him differently than they came.
3. When we observe people who have supposedly met Christ but there is no change in them, you can mark it down they met the wrong person.
4. You can't come in contact with Jesus and remain the same as before.
5. There will be a change.
Do you know Christ this morning? Have you met Him personally? Has He changed your life? Why not come today and allow us to introduce you to the Savior?
Christian, are we worshiping Christ as we should? Does He have His rightful place in our lives? Do we offer to Him that which is worthy of the King of Kings?
Why not come today?