Scripture
Matthew 2:1-10 NIV After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
Text:
Matthew 2:10 NIV When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
Introduction
Most people think that when Peter went to share the gospel with Cornelius, the first Gentiles were converted to Christianity.
Acts 10:34-38, 44-48 NIV Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
44-48 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.
However the very first Gentiles to acknowledge Christ were some other Gentile men. We don't know much about these men, but many fables and myths have been written and told about them. The Eastern church in the fourth century gave names to them and declared that there were three of them. The Bible doesn’t tell us who they were. Undoubtedly they were students of the stars and some of the wisest men of their time. The Bible says they saw a star in the East, which they knew to be the star of Christ. Upon seeing that star, they became excited and made the journey to Jerusalem so they might inquire about the birth of the Messiah.
The first Gentiles to be converted were these wise men who came when Christ was born. They fell before him and worshiped him.
Matthew 2:11 NIV On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
There are two lessons I would like us to learn this morning. I would like for us to get light from the star and wisdom from the wise men.
I. The light of the star.
A. This particular star was an unusual creation.
It may have been a comet, as many have claimed or, it may have been a special creation. Whatever it was, it revealed to the wise men, the magi, that the Jewish Messiah was born. God had told Israel to be ready for the coming of the Messiah. However, they were ready neither to receive him or to share his message, so God revealed the coming of the Messiah through creation, a special star to special people these wise men.
B. A leading light.
This star led to Christ. It told the wise men that the Christ had been born. So they went to Jerusalem. They traveled through an arid desert country to get there. No doubt it was a difficult trip, but they would not be stopped. When they got to Jerusalem They asked where the Messiah has been born because they came to worship Him .
Matthew 2:1-2 NIV After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
They were taken to the scribes and they told them that the Christ would be born in Bethlehem.
Matthew 2:4-6 NIV When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
As they traveled toward Bethlehem, the star appeared again, leading the way to Christ.
The star attracted their attention, but it was The Word of God that gave them the exact details.
Micah 5:2 NIV “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
The light, of the star led them to the Christ and stopped there.
Matthew 2:9 NIV After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.
The light of every Christian needs to lead others to Christ. Don't lead people to church buildings or programs and leave them there; lead them to Christ.
Matthew 5:14-16 NIV “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
The star became a witness. It told those wise men that the Messiah was born. Then it led them to the Messiah. That is the kind of light we the church must have in the world today.
II. The wisdom of the wise men. Why were these wise men wise?
Here’s why they were wise:
They were seeking God and they found Him through the stars in the astronomical heaven. Think about it how could anyone, anywhere in the earth, look up into the glory of the heavens above us and not feel in their heart a conviction that some glorious Somebody created it?
A scholar said, and I quote him, “I have heard many of the world’s famous astronomers speak, yet I never heard one claim to be an atheist. There is too much order in the universe for an astronomer to be an atheist.”
Romans 1:18-20 NLT But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
God spoke to the shepherds by the angels and God spoke to the magi astronomers by the stars.
Luke 2:8-12 NLT That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
Why were the wise men wise? Because they saw the hand of God in the endlessness of the universe around them. They recognized God in the revelation of Himself, in the marvelous creation, the work of His hands.
Matthew 2:2 NIV …. “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
Why were the wise men wise?
Seeing the stars, they heard the call of God and followed Him.
Revelation from God often calls people in the Bible to move. Abraham was not born where he lived his life, but he lived his life in a foreign country that would afterward become an inheritance to his descendants. God called Abraham to move, and he left his native country.
Hebrews 11:8-10 NLT It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.
Moses was born in Egypt but he lived much of his life in the Midian desert, and finally, in the wilderness.
Acts of the Apostles 7:35-36 NLT “So God sent back the same man his people had previously rejected when they demanded, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?’ Through the angel who appeared to him in the burning bush, God sent Moses to be their ruler and savior. And by means of many wonders and miraculous signs, he led them out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and through the wilderness for forty years.
Daniel was born in Jerusalem but lived his life in Babylon and in Susa, the capital of Persia. Take some time and read the book of Daniel it’s fascinating.
Paul is not noted for having been born in Tarsus the Roman capital of Cilicia, but he is known for his missionary journeys throughout the Roman Empire. Read about those journeys in Acts 13-28.
The wise men saw and heard the call of God in the star, and they followed after it. They moved.
The ancient Via Maris Road, the route they would have taken, circled the most desolate parts of the Arabian deserts, over mountain passes infested with bandits. The wise men were not called to travel an easy road. But they moved.
Why were the wise men wise? Because of their remarkable willingness to go, to move, to follow the star. Have you ever wondered, were the wise men the only men who saw this star? Were they the only ones that God called to worship His Son? I don’t know, I just know they were the only ones that the Bible says saw the star and followed it.
Why were the wise men wise?
They sought guidance. They didn’t claim to know it all. They went to Herod.
Matthew 2:2 NLT “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”
God doesn’t tell us everything that will go on in our lives. He leads us on, step by step, mile by mile, day by day.
Proverbs 20:24 NLT The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?
Psalms 37:23-24 NLT The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.
We must have a willingness to go, to do, to move.
These wise men began their journey guided by a star. When they reached Jerusalem, they received further guidance through wicked Herod. They learned where the Messiah was to be born through the scribes. But do you notice nobody moved but the wise men? None of the scribes or the Pharisees, the religious leaders moved. Herod didn’t move, he only said if you find him come back and let me know and then and only then will I get up and move.
Matthew 2:8 NIV He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
Then after they found the Messiah and they when they were ready to go home they again listened to God’s guidance.
Matthew 2:12 NLT When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.
The wise men were wise because of their willingness to learn, and to be guided by God.
The application for us today is that no one can see the end from the beginning only God knows that, so we must look to Him for guidance.
Isaiah 46:8-10 NIV “Remember this, keep it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’
Day by day God will guide us if we are willing to listen and follow.
Why were the wise men wise?
After finding the Christ Child, they worshiped Him.
Matthew 2:11 NIV On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
I wonder what they expected? They went to the capital city of Jerusalem first because evidently, they expected to find the King of the Jews there. They went looking in the royal household so they went to Herod the king.
But where did they end up?
They found a stable for a palace; they found cows and sheep and horses and donkeys for attendants. They found a humble peasant woman. They found straw for a bed. They found an obscure village, in the boondocks, for a capital. They found nobody for an army of protectors and worshipers, yet, this Child is the Prince, the King, the Savior, the Lord.
Matthew 1:23 NIV “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
When they found Him they were filled with joy, they humbly knelt before the Child.
Matthew 2:11 NIV On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
They gave Him gifts: gold, the gift for kings; frankincense, the gift for priests; myrrh, the gift for the suffering and the dead.
So, who were the wise men back then?
Not Herod, who was afraid he would lose his throne;
Not the Pharisees, who were too proud to claim their own Messiah;
Not the priests and scribes who knew the ancient scriptures
No, the wise men were those who followed the star that led them to Bethlehem.
Who are the wise men and women today?
Not the men and women of the world. Not the great and strong;
Not the wealthy.
But those who even in the midst of all the stuff that is going on around them in this world, find and worship the Child of Bethlehem. These are the wise men and women today.
Conclusion
If there is anybody listening to me today who has never worshiped the Christ, I urge, no beg your to do it now. He is God over all, creation, but He became a human being born as a baby in very humble surroundings in order to become you brother born for your salvation.
Like the angels, shepherds and wise men let's worship Him.
If you look to this culture or this world to find answers or fulfillment, you will come up empty. But Jesus is sufficient to meet whatever need you have in your life.
Isaiah 9:6 NIV For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
“His name will be called Wonderful.” That takes care of the dullness of life. The word wonderful comes from the root word wonder.
Jesus is wonderful, amazing, astonishing, bewildering, and beyond our human comprehension. Going back to the root word wonder, the best way to describe Him is “awesome.” We hear that word a lot, which people use to describe all sorts of things, from cars to tacos.
Yet it’s really a word that we should reserve for God alone. He’s awe inspiring. He’s wonderful and for all of us, His name can be Wonderful, and when you have a relationship with Him, He will add meaning and purpose to your life.
How do you start that special relationship?
Romans 10:9-10, 13 NIV If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
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