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What if I told you that your very joy this Christmas season will be determined by how you respond to God’s gift of Jesus? Think about it. The songs we sing at Christmas are reminders that Christmastime is supposed to be happy. Songs like: It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Have a Holly Jolly Christmas, Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire, Jingle Bells, and Walking in a Winter Wonderland all communicate that Christmas time is to be a joyous, trouble-free season.
Is that what you are experiencing this season?
Or are there personal problems keeping you from experiencing the joy of Christmas? Has there been a crisis that has just overcome you to the point that it is hard to have a holly-jolly Christmas? Or are you so busy and working so hard that there is just no time for sitting around a fire roasting chestnuts? Or, maybe there's not anything really wrong, but for some reason you are just not enjoying Christmas. It's not providing the emotional lift that you expected. In fact, it is almost depressing. The world does not look like a winter wonderland. It just looks like winter.
This kind of disillusionment at Christmas is not an unusual thing. We get so hyped up with expectations about what Christmas is supposed to be that often the real thing doesn't measure up, and we are disappointed.
This kind of disillusionment at Christmas is not an unusual thing. We get so hyped up with expectations about what Christmas is supposed to be that often the real thing doesn't measure up, and we are disappointed.
This isn’t how I want to spend Christmas; how can I find the joy in Christmas?
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Our lesson this week says that we should respond like the wise men from the east. Have you ever wondered why the wise men were wise men?
I. WHAT DO YOU SEEK? – MATTHEW 2:1-6
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem, 2 saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him." 3 When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born. 5 "In Bethlehem of Judea," they told him, "because this is what was written by the prophet: 6 And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah: because out of you will come a leader who will shepherd My people Israel. "
Your level of joy at Christmas is directly related to what it is you seek.
What is it I want to get out of Christmas? What is it that would make my Christmas wonderful and satisfying?
- Is it snow, or having all the family together and happy? Is it a feeling you define as the holiday spirit? Is it finding the right present to give someone, or getting the present you have been hoping for?
- The problem with all these is that they can all leave us disappointed.
Have you ever felt this way - disappointed by Christmas because it did not deliver what you thought it would?
The problem is not Christmas, it’s our expectations. We are looking for the wrong thing.
What were the wise men looking for?
- Verse 2 tells us. They came to Jerusalem and said, "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." They were looking for Jesus. Christmas for them was an opportunity to worship Jesus.
- The wise men show us how to increase our level of joy at Christmas by looking for the right thing.
Two reasons the wise men were wise men was because:
1. They sought the Lord. "Where is he that is born King of the Jews?" (Verse 2). Wise men still seek Him. Especially with the time clock of humanity running out. Wise men will seek Him now. There will be time when He won't be able to be found Thus, the prophet Isaiah said, SEEK YE THE LORD WHILE HE MAY BE FOUND, call ye upon Him while He is near." (Isa. 55:6) Have you sought the Lord? Have you received the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior? God's gift is eternal life. What a gift to receive this Christmas. Ask Jesus to be your Savior today!
2. They worshiped Christ. "... for we have seen His star in the East, and are come to worship Him." (Verse 2). "And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary His mother, and fell down, AND WORSHIPED HIM." (Verse 11) Again, Isaiah the prophet told us that Jesus Christ is God. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: ... and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, THE MIGHTY GOD, THE EVERLASTING FATHER, the Prince of Peace," Isaiah 9:6. Only God is to be worshiped. That's why the wise men worshiped the Lord Jesus (See Luke 20:41-44.) The wise still worship the Lord.
What are we looking for this Christmas? What are we expecting?
- This is what we need to be looking for and expecting this Christmas - an experience of worship, a fresh glimpse of He who was born King of the Jews. If our goal this Christmas is to worship Jesus, then I doubt very seriously we will be dissatisfied with our experience.
What was Herod looking for? Why was Herod “deeply disturbed?” Why would “all Jerusalem” become deeply disturbed?
- Most kings would be concerned if they believed someone threatened their throne and authority over the kingdom. But King Herod was murderously selfish, ready to do battle.
- King Herod was known for paranoid and delusional rages. He had killed his favorite wife and sons to protect his rule in the past.
II. WHERE DO YOU LOOK? – MATTHEW 2:7-8, 16
7 Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the child. When you find Him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship Him."
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16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the male children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men.
Your level of joy at Christmas is directly related to where you look.
Where did the wise men look? Where do we look?
- We learn from the wise men that there are wrong and right places to look for Christmas. They started by looking in the wrong place. They looked where their own human reasoning said they should look. The star indicated the birth of a new king in Israel. The wise men went where kings should be born - to the palace of Herod the Great in the capital city of Jerusalem. But what a mistake that was! When Herod heard of the birth of a new king, his jealousy sought to destroy him.
We, too, are tempted to look for joy at Christmas in the wrong places.
- We think by getting or giving the right gift we will be satisfied.
- We imagine that being with family will be joyful. All these can easily disappoint us. You may not be able to afford the right gift for a loved one. Family members may be missing from your holiday celebration. If you are looking to these things for joy, you may be left with a feeling of disillusionment.
A third reason the wise men were wise men was because:
3. They were directed by the Bible. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path," Psalms 119:105. The Bible is for direction in life. In this story, the wise men followed the direction of the prophet Micah, who told them that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. It's amazing to think that Micah would write about the little town of Bethlehem as the birth place of Christ 500 years before Christ. He didn't know, but God knew and told him what to write. The Bible is the Word of God, and not the word of man. You can trust your life with it. Be sure to read it and study it.
The wise men looked in the right place when they looked to God.
III. WHAT DO YOU GIVE? – MATTHEW 2:9-12
9 After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was—the star they had seen in the east! It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed beyond measure. 11 Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.
Read between the lines and really think about what were the gifts of the wise men.
- The wise men gave the tangible gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
- But they also gave two years of their lives traveling to seek Jesus.
Your level of joy at Christmas is directly related to what you give.
What do you know about the gifts the wise men gave?
- The wise men came to Jesus' house bearing gifts. The gifts they gave were entirely appropriate. They gave gold, gift for a king. By giving it they acknowledged that Jesus was and is the King. They gave frankincense, a gift for a priest. This was incense the priests used in Temple. By giving it they acknowledged that Jesus was a priest - the One who would bring us to God. They gave myrrh, gift for the dead. This was a fragrant ointment used to anoint a body before burial. By giving it they acknowledged that Jesus had come to die for the sins of the world.
- They gave appropriate gifts to the Christ child.
We ought to give appropriate gifts this Christmas as well. I'm not talking about material gifts. I am talking about more important things.
- We ought to give the gift of our love and kindness to our friends and family.
- We ought to give the gift of our help to those who are hurting.
- We ought to give the gift of forgiveness to those who have hurt us. Giving these kinds of gifts will result in a joyous and meaningful Christmas.
Two more reasons why the wise men were wise men, because:
4. They gave what they had to give. "... and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts gold, frankincense and myrrh." (Verse 11) in a day of selfishness and greed, it is still "More blessed to give than to receive," Acts 20:35. The Christian will be wise to be a giver, for "God loveth a cheerful giver," 2 Corinthians 9:7. A wise lady once said to me, "The first thing to put in the offering plate at church is yourself: God wants us. When He has us, everything we have will be His also."
5. They followed God’s leadership. "And being warned of God ... they departed into their own country another way." (Verse 12) God has something to say about everything. It is always best for the individual and the human race. Men's troubles today stem from his NOT following God's Word. "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord ..." Psalms 37:23.
So, how have the wise men responded to God’s gift of Jesus?
- The wise men embody those who receive the gospel and embrace Jesus as Savior and Lord. Their responses demonstrate the authentic impact Christ had on their lives.
- They responded by leaving everything behind in pursuit of Jesus by following a star.
- When they found the Child, they worshiped Him by falling to their knees giving Him their very best.
- They willingly changed their plans in favor of God’s new direction.
How did King Herod respond to God’s gift of Jesus?
- King Herod depicts those who reject the gospel and deny Christ. His response demonstrates that the Gift of Jesus had no impact on his life. The news of Jesus was a disturbance that threatened Herod’s own position, comforts and control.
- He also responded with deception. He gave the outward impression of a desire to worship but with no authenticity in his heart.
- God revealed that Herod’s ultimate intent was to respond with destruction in hopes that the Messiah would be eliminated.
What does our response to God’s gift of Jesus really mean?
- Two thousand years later our response to the Gift of Jesus still authenticates the real impact He has had on our life.
- Christ followers give sacrificially, are humble in their worship and make necessary adjustments to obey the Lord’s direction.
- While others may say they are worshipers of Jesus, their efforts to protect their own interests, preserve their own position and prevent the advance of the gospel prove differently.
This Christmas let us examine our own response to the Gift of Jesus and give clear proof of His impact on our lives. I promise you, when you look for the right thing, look in the right places, and give the right gift; you will have the joy at Christmas you seek.
Well, we come to end of our Christmas series and we want to wish everyone a warm and very special Christmas this year! God has called you this Christmas, O favored one, to see Him as more than a baby in a manger; to receive Him despite your fears and concerns; and to respond to Him in worship and service - O the joy of Christmas!
In His Love,
David & Susan
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