Worship of the Magi

Introduction: The Identity and Mission of Jesus

0:13 We shall further examine the Word of God as given to us in the second chapter of Matthew's Gospel. In our study of the Scriptures this morning, our attention was directed particularly to Matthew 1, 18, to the end of the chapter, a portion which I suggested answers the two most fundamental questions which every thoughtful person ought to ask when reading of the birth of Jesus Christ. Those questions being, who is he and why did he come? And in answer to those questions, this passage tells us that the identity of his person is to be understood in the significance of the name Emmanuel. He is God with us, and the nature of his mission is to be understood in the name Jesus, the one who shall save his people from their sins. And surely the person in the full identity of this passage, and in the light of his mission, is worthy of the homage and the worship and the love and the confidence and faith and obedience of all who hear of Emmanuel,

1:37 who has come as Jesus to save. To save his people from their sins. And it is not then without reason that Matthew records for us in the second chapter this account which is primarily taken up of the, or with the, worship of these people called the Magi, or the wise men. And the entirety of the second chapter has as its major theme the recognition of the power of God.

The Magi's Worship: A Major Theme of Matthew 2

2:12 The record of how it was that these men from the east, these wise men, these Magi, found their way to the place where the infant Jesus was and there fell at his feet in worship and in tangible expressions of homage and of adoration. And then brought in incidental to the record of their finding their way to the Son of God is the contrasting attitude of Herod on the one hand and of the scribes and the chief priests on the other. And so what I purpose to do is to try to do justice to the balance of the emphasis of the chapter as given to us by the Holy Spirit through Matthew, spending the bulk of our time in a consideration of the worship of the Magi, and then only in conclusion the contrasting attitude of Herod, of the chief priests, and of the scribes. So then we begin with our consideration of the worship of the Magi, which is intruded upon our minds by the opening words of Matthew chapter 2. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king,

3:37 behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born king of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

Herod's Troubled Reaction and the Scribes' Knowledge

3:53 And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And gathering together the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem, in Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written through the prophet, And thou, Bethlehem, land of Judah, art in no wise least among the princes of Judah, for out of thee shall come forth a governor who shall be shepherd of my people Israel. Then Herod privily called the wise men and learned of them exactly what time the star appeared.

4:31 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and search out exactly concerning the young child, and when ye have found him, bring me word that I also may come and worship him. And they, having heard the king, went their way. And, lo, the star which they saw in the east went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

The Magi's Arrival and Worship

5:01 And they came into the house and saw the young child with Mary his mother. And they fell down, and worshipped him. And opening their treasures, they offered unto him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warmed of God in the dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

Who Were the Magi?

5:26 Well, the first question that rises in our minds when we read this record is, Who were these wise men? The word magi is just a transliteration, from the Greek word, which in its plural form, as we have it here, is magoi. And so we get magi. And it's a very interesting thing to read the commentators and those who have given themselves to trying to track down the historical situation in which the New Testament was written.

6:01 But when you've read all that you can read on the subject, you come up with the conclusion that we know very little about these magi. We know very, very little for certain. Now, there are many conjectures. And some would conjecture that they were astrologers and sort of semi-magicians who gave themselves to studying the heavens.

6:24 Some would say that they were people who had a smattering of biblical knowledge perhaps left behind in Babylon by Daniel or by other influences. And there are very interesting speculations. But when all is said and done, the only thing we can know for certain about these magi is what the text of Scripture tells us. And what we are told in this passage concerning these men is that they are men who were obviously, for some reason, involved in the study of the stars, who noticed an unusual configuration of stars or an unusual manifestation of a specific star.

7:07 And by means of this, came to seek the Messiah, the King of the Jews. And then about the only other thing we can say for certain is that they came from the East, because the text says that, certain magi from the East, and that they were obviously either wealthy men or someone had deposited a great deal of wealth in their hands for they presented gifts of gold, of frankincense and myrrh, and you don't get those at J.C. Penney.

7:39 These were the kind of things that would be purchased in the exclusive jewelry and gem shops on Fifth Avenue where people who of higher means than we are frequent places of business of that kind. Now that's about all we can say for certain about these magi. And God, as we saw this morning, seems to delight in bypassing all the issues that are problems to human curiosity. And in so doing, He sets in bold relief the issues that really matter.

8:15 And as we address ourselves to this matter of understanding something of the significance of the visit of the magi, what is necessary for our instruction is indeed clear concerning the magi. Where they came from is not clear. What their precise identity is in terms of whether they were astrologers or magicians or anything else, that is not clear. But what they see in Jesus and what they do when they are guided to Jesus is fleshed out in tremendous detail in the passage that is before us.

What the Magi Saw in Jesus: King of the Jews

8:59 And so I want to consider with you, first of all, what the magi see in Jesus. According to verse 2, they see in Him the King of the Jews. Where is He that is born King of the Jews? By some means or other, they had come to a knowledge that Israel's long-promised Messiah, the Deliverer of His people who would be manifested as the Anointed One, as the Prophet, Priest, and King of His people, the One who would bring salvation as the royal seed of David, had indeed been born. There seems to be absolutely no question in their minds that the King of the Jews has been born. They did not come and say, has such a One been born? We have heard a rumor or we have some intimation.

What the Magi Saw in Jesus: Recipient of Gentiles

10:05 Their question assumes that such a One has indeed been born. come to earth? Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east and are come to worship him. There seems to be absolutely no reservation as to the fact that he has been born and that the one who is born is indeed the King of the Jews. That's the first thing they see in Jesus. They see in him the reality of his identity as King of the Jews. Secondly, they see in him the one who would be the recipient of the worship, the faith, the homage of other than Jews. These are Gentiles. These are men who come

10:59 outside the precincts of Israel. And yet there is a man who is born King of the Jews. And yet there is a man who is born King of the Jews. And yet there is a man who is born There is absolutely no question in their minds but that they will be welcomed. Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we, Gentile leaders, great men of the east, we are come to worship him. And in all of their questions, in all of their dealings with Herod and with the chief priests and the scribes, there's not the slightest intimation that they have ever had any question as to whether or not he who is born King of the Jews would welcome and receive the worship of Gentiles. For by whatever means they had received the knowledge they had concerning Israel's Messiah, they had received that which was part and parcel

What the Magi Saw in Jesus: Worthy of Highest Worship

11:54 of the prophecies of the Old Testament, that in him should the Gentiles trust. That Abraham's seed would be that seed through which blessing would be given to the Gentiles. And that seed would come to all of the nations. And then the third thing they see in Jesus is very evident from the passage. They see in Jesus the one worthy of the highest expressions of worship and of homage. This is suggested in verse 2. We saw his star in the east and are come to worship him. Now what kind of worship are they going to render? Well the commentary is given in verse 11. And they came into the house and saw the young child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him. They render the highest expression of religious veneration, that which God forbids as being proper to any other being than to the deity. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt.

13:04 Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt. And then as a tangible expression of the inward disposition of the heart, they not only fall before him, assuming the posture of humility, the posture of dependantness as they bow in his presence, but then they give these tangible expressions of their love, these tangible expressions of homage as they present to him gifts, namely gold. Now the passage sets before us these three ingredients of what they saw in Jesus. They saw in him King of the Jews, the receiver of Gentiles, and the one worthy of the highest expressions of worship and of homage. Now as we suggested in our series on the kingship of Christ, in a very real way, we see that the passage sets before us these three ingredients of what they saw in Jesus. They saw in him King of the Jews, the receiver of Gentiles, and the one worthy of the highest expressions of worship and of homage.

The Magi as First Fruits of Gentile In-gathering

13:59 Now as we suggested in our series on the kingship of Christ, in a very real way, we see that the passage sets before us these three ingredients of what they saw in Jesus. They saw in him King of the Jews, the receiver of Gentiles, and the one worthy of the highest expressions of worship and of homage. a very real sense, these magi, these wise men from the east, become the first fruits of the Redeemer's work among the Gentiles. It had been prophesied of him that in his name shall the Gentiles trust. And it's very interesting, is it not, that Matthew writing with peculiar concern to have an evangelistic tract for the Jews does not give us the record of the worship of the remnant from Israel. In point of time, the shepherds worshipped the infant Jesus before the magi. The babe was still in a manger when the shepherds come. These were Jewish shepherds. These were part of that Israel within Israel. They were

14:58 part of that Israel within Israel. They were part of that Israel within Israel. They were part of that Israel within Israel. They were part of that election, that remnant according to the election of grace. Luke writing not so much with the Jew in mind but with the Gentile emphasizes, you see, that he is Israel's Savior. And the first announcement of the angels recorded by Luke is, unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord. And it is the shepherds who come, as it were, the first fruits of the remnant that will come from the nation of Israel. But Matthew, you see, having given us the record of his identity, Emmanuel, his mission to save his people, then immediately records not the first fruits among the Jews

15:44 but the first fruits among the Gentiles. They show us in a very real sense what you and I ought to see in the clearer light of the subsequent gospel history and in the clearer light of the subsequent gospel history and in the clearer light of the subsequent gospel history and in the clearer light of the subsequent gospel history and in the clearer light of the preaching of the book of the Acts and in the blazing light of the epistles in which God has completed his verbal revelation to men that in Jesus of Nazareth we too ought to see the King of the Jews, the long-promised Messiah, God's only anointed prophet, priest and king sent forth for the salvation of his people. We ought to see in him the one who, though he comes through and by the earthly seed of Abraham, is indeed the Savior of the world, who delights to receive Gentile dogs, who spreads the gospel feast for all who will come. And we with them ought to see even more that he is infinitely worthy of the highest expressions of our love, our trust, our homage, and our love for him. And we ought to see in him the one who, though he comes through and by the earthly seed of Abraham, our worship, and homage and worship and trust that are not only inwardly realized but outwardly

How the Magi Were Guided to Jesus: Inward Desire

17:06 expressed in manners consistent with what God has given to us in the way of gift, of talent, of opportunity, spreading, as it were, all that we have at his feet, gladly acknowledging that we are not our own, that we've been bought with a price. Well then, having looked briefly at the account in which God has given us the gospel, we ought to see in him the one who has been blessed and who has been blessed by the Holy Spirit, which is the Holy Spirit. In terms of what it says with respect to what they saw in Jesus, now consider with me in the second place, as we think of these worshiping magi, how they are guided to Jesus. And again, the record is very careful to give us details as to precisely how they were guided to Jesus. And I would suggest that the text indicates, or at least hints, as well as clearly teaches that there were three things that guided them to the feet of the infant jesus one was inward and two were outward inwardly there was this desire created by the spirit of god to find him and to render homage to him if we interpret the natural condition of these magi

18:27 in the light of the broader teaching of the bible they with us were involved in the sin of our first father adam they with us were dead in trespasses and sins by nature they with us in the language of romans 3 were not righteous they did not seek after god for the scripture says there is none righteous no not one there is none that understandeth there is none that seeketh after God. Now, what was it that filled these Gentiles of the East with this consuming passion to find the King of the Jews and having found Him, not to rest until they worshipped Him? You see, they were not driven by an idle curiosity. They were not driven by an intellectual itch. Here was a genuine spiritual passion. Where is He that is born King of the Jews?

19:34 We have had an intimation of His birth, and we are come to worship Him. And I say when we read that state of heart in the light of the rest of Scripture, we must begin with this principle. They were guided to Jesus, first of all, by that inward pressure of the Spirit. They were guided to Jesus, first of all, by that inward pressure of the Spirit.

How the Magi Were Guided to Jesus: The Star (Providence)

19:56 desire created by the Holy Spirit they had come to the place where all of their knowledge all of their wealth all of their philosophy if indeed they were philosophers all of their influence if indeed they were men of greatness and had influence which seems to be one area of almost common consent among those who've examined these matters but be that as it may whatever they were whatever they had there was no satisfaction in any of these things if they could not find him and worship him and then there were the two things externally that guided them to the feet of Jesus number one the strange external providence that indeed was a miracle this whole matter of the star this is the thing that gives them as it were the catalyst to take over the world and to take over the world and to take over the world and to take over the Take their journey. We have seen His star and are come to worship Him. And then we read in verse 7, Herod inquires exactly what time the star appeared. Verse 10, And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

21:15 And the star came and went before them till it stood over where the young child was. Now here again, it's amazing. The commentators, some of them, write pages about all the speculations about the star. And when all the speculations are done, you come back and say the only thing we know for certain is what this passage tells us.

21:37 That here was a star that God Himself either created or adjusted or fixed in the heavens. Whatever it was, and it should be no concern to us to make any precise scientific identity. That's none of our business. This was a miracle.

21:54 This was God operating in His own world. And once you see you've embraced the miracle of chapter 1, that a virgin conceives in her womb, and that that womb contains nothing less than the enfleshment of deity, chapter 2 is no stumbling block. You see, if you stumble at chapter 1, you'll stumble at chapter 2, and then you'll stumble at chapter 3, and you'll go stumbling all the way through. Bible until you stumble into hell.

22:27 If you want a Christianity stripped of the supernatural, you'll have to create your own. That's not the Christian faith revealed in the scriptures. Supernaturalism oozes from all of its pores.

How the Magi Were Guided to Jesus: The Word of God

22:41 And so here's a miracle. But notice a miracle in the external world of what we would call God's control of the created order. But then there was a second external factor, that guided them to Jesus, and it was the specific, objective word of God. Notice, verse 4.

23:03 Herod gathers together the chief priests and scribes of the people, and inquires of them where the Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written through the prophet, and here is a quotation from Micah, chapter 5 and verse 2, indicating the precise town out of which the shepherd and the governor of Israel shall come forth. And so now they know the general direction to which they must go, because they have a specific, objective word from the living God. Now do you see some principles in this passage? How are men guided to the feet of Jesus? In this very day?

23:59 If tonight, your posture is the posture of the Magi, in the presence of the Lord of Glory, you too are bent in spirit and in attitude. You too pour out the gold and the frankincense and the myrrh of trust and love and homage and obedience. What is it that has brought you to His feet? If you are not at His feet, if you stand at a distance, unbent and unbroken, not humbled in the presence of the Lord of Glory, what is it that will ever bring you to that posture?

The Necessity of Inward Operation of the Spirit

24:39 May I suggest it will be precisely what was operative in these men. There must first of all be that inward factor, or you will never be brought to the feet of Jesus. As these Magi, by what means we do not know, whether fragments of truth passed on by oral tradition from the days of Daniel, by whatever means the Spirit of God brought them to the place where they were consumed with a passion that could not be quenched anywhere but in loving, trustful submission at the feet of the King of the Jews. As long as they were satisfied with their philosophy, with their knowledge, with their influence, they never would have set out on this land, long and dangerous journey. They never would have brought themselves to a place where their very lives were jeopardized by Herod. No, no. They were brought to that place because of the inward operation of the Spirit of God. And my friend, you will never come to the

25:45 feet of the Savior until you too are brought by the Spirit of God to the place where nothing, nothing in life matters but coming into a vital relationship to Him who was born to be the Savior of sinners. As long as you are content and smug with whatever it is that fills your life, it may not, as in the case of these men, be knowledge or influence. Whatever it is, if you can get along without the Son of God, you will get along without Him. He knows that. He knows that. He knows that. He knows that. He knows that. He knows that.

26:24 He knows that. He knows that. He knows that. He knows that. He knows that. He knows that.

26:24 He never comes to men as an unsought luxury. Do you hear me? He never comes to men as an unsought luxury. And men never come to Him as some kind of an extra commodity. Jesus Himself said, they that are well have no need of a doctor, but they that are sick. I am like that. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden. There are few things more destructive to the souls of men than smug, carnal contentment with what we are.

27:17 My friend, you do not need to be a thief, a lecher. You do not need to be a man or a the Sabbath and the outward religion of the living God. No, all you need do is rock along in carnal, smug self-contentment. That's all, and you will never come to the Son of God.

27:50 Don't pride yourself if you feel no pangs of yearning for Christ. Pity yourself and cry to God that He would break through the bewitching power of sin that has dulled your senses. You see, conviction of sin is not something in which God adds something or some conditions that were never there before. He just enables us by His grace and Spirit to own the condition that is there all along. We are guilty. We are under condemnation.

28:29 We are bereft of spirit. In spiritual life, we are incompetent to live and die and go to judgment. That's our true condition. But sin has numbed our spiritual senses. And what is conviction of sin but God bringing us to face soberly and realistically what we really are? And somehow God was pleased to do this with these magi. My friend, don't resist any influence that is ordained of God to bring you to the Son of God. Amen.

The Necessity of External Guides: Providence and the Word

29:04 I want to bring you to that inward place or that place of inward yearning for that which only Christ can give. But then there must be the external guides. Here it was a strange external providence, actually a miracle. Now am I saying we must have a miracle to guide us to Christ? No. But often God does use strange providences to guide us to the Son of God. He hedges us up by trial, by disappointment. By suffering. By frustration. He can use a person that He puts in our path who speaks a word. Another who puts a piece of literature in our hands. God has the entire creation at His disposal to hedge men up till they seek His Son. And they find Him as He's presented in the Gospel. And then there must be that objective word of God. And ultimately this

30:04 is how we come to the Savior. We are led to Him as the path is marked by Holy Scripture. The Word which tells us who He was. The Word which tells us what He did for sinners. The Word which assures us that He welcomes every sinner who comes to Him. That all who believe are saved. All who are impenitent shall be damned. And my friend, if you will not be led to Christ, you will be led to Christ by those means that God Himself has ordained and you will not be led to Christ.

30:47 Could it be that on this very Christmas Eve, God in a most wonderful way is repeating the history of the Magi? They are set before us as a specimen of the in-gathering of the Gentiles. Could it be that this very night God has brought you here, your very presence, your very presence, is witness to the fact that God is creating within you a thirst and a hunger for something real in the realm of the spiritual dimension that hitherto you've never known? That's why you couldn't be content to stay at home and just sit in front of your television or open your presents and find contentment in the fellowship and warmth of loved ones and friends and children and relatives. Could it be that you are here tonight, a twentieth-century Magi? One in whose heart God has created that yearning, that longing, that passion. Oh my friend, what a kind mercy that God has created that pain within. What is it that will bring you to

31:55 the feet of Christ? Well, think of the way God has hedged you up. Think of the kind providences placing you in that Christian family, placing you in that close proximity to that Christian wife, that Christian husband. You do not need an external star. God has given you the perpetual star of a providence

32:17 that is continually pointing you, pointing you, pointing you to the Son of God. And then I say above all else you have His word. This word which calls upon you to behold the Lamb of God. This word which calls upon you to repent and to believe the gospel. This word which promises you, believe, on the Lord God. It calls upon you to be faithful in Christ, faithful to your love, faithful to God, faithful to all you are really, faithful to love and to love, faithful to all your iniquities, filled by grace, filled with love, faithful to all your faith, faithful to all your glory and faithful to your faith. It calls upon you to trust in me and faith and if you don't keep, do you believe. The Jesus Christ is bringing you grace to all your life.

The Magi as a Specimen of Gentile In-gathering

32:38 Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved oh my friends God does not give us the record of the worship of the magi simply that we might draw pretty little postcards and have wonderful little manger scenes and little house scenes in which why they say three I don't know you'll notice I've not said three it just tells us plural magi had to be at least two could have been 20 but we don't know but however and how many there were this much we know that they were the first fruits among the gentiles but God's word makes plain that there shall be more than a first fruits there shall be a great multitude out of every kindred tribe and tongue and nation and my friends sitting here tonight there's not a verse in the bible that says you are not one of them there's not a verse in the bible that says as you are not one of them. No living man has any grounds to put himself outside the circle of those who will comprise that great multitude. You have no desire for him, then he's not yours. If you have insensitive and insensitive heart to his word and to his providences

34:03 that heads you up to him, then he's not yours. But my friend, if you desire him, if you're at the place where you know there is no fulfillment in life, no certainty in death, and nothing but foreboding shadows in judgment without him, and if you will have him as he's revealed in the scriptures, then he is yours, if you will have him. Well, this I say is the account that is given to us of the response of these magi. And then briefly in closing, notice the stark...

Contrast: Herod's Fearful Opposition

34:41 The stark contrast with the actions of Herod and these chief priests and scribes. Look at the record with respect to Herod, the Roman ruler over the Jews. What does he see in Jesus? We considered what the magi saw in Jesus, king of the Jews, receiver of the Gentiles, the one worthy of homage and worship. What does he see? He sees one thing. He sees the arrival to his throne, and he feels threatened. The moment he hears the report, where is he that is born king of the Jews, verse 3 says, Herod, the king heard, he was troubled. And that word troubled is a strong word. He was deeply agitated. Why? He heard these words.

35:35 Where is he that is born king of the Jews? You see, he was a Roman king. In a very real sense, he was a usurper. He had no native rights to be sitting upon a throne there in Jerusalem.

35:56 Herod was very conscious that as a usurper king, anyone who was the rightful heir to the throne was a threat to his government. So all he sees in Jesus is a threat to his own usurped kingship. Now what does he do? He seeks to kill him. First by subtlety and then by open cruelty. By subtlety in verse 8. He calls the wise men and says you are going to worship king of the Jews. That is wonderful. When you have found out where he is, come and tell me. And I will come with all my royal entourage and I will join you in your worship. Liar. Hypocrite. He had nothing but murder in his heart. And had he been led with them while they nachled of their knowledge of God,

36:44 they or work were not right so to judge or punish would seem wrong but so to command and Mills appeals to both of them and let it go out of their hearts to the whole sartorium. out in prostration, he would have risen up and plunged a knife into that one who was a threat to his own throne. But then you see the real attitude comes to the surface in verse 16, when his design of subtlety is frustrated by the Lord visiting the Magi in a dream. Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth and sent forth and slew all the male children that were in Bethlehem, and all in the borders thereof from two years old and under. Whether there were twenty or thirty, forty, fifty infants, we do not know, but one thing we know, this man's cruelty expressed itself in this heartless slaughter of these, not innocents, but infants. They too were of Adam's seed. And so it's more accurate to call them the slaughter of the infants. Why? Again I come

37:51 back to the fundamental point, because he sees a rival to his own throne. That's what he sees in Jesus. What does he do? Attempts to kill him. Now what is the end of this man?

38:05 Well, instead of being found at the feet of Jesus, the Bible is very careful to tell us in verse 19, but when Herod was dead. And then, verse 20, arise, take the young child and his mother, go into the land of Israel, for they are dead that sought the young child's life. Oh, what a vivid picture of what we are by nature. For in reality, all of us is a Herod.

38:39 By nature, what do we see in Jesus Christ? We see nothing but a rival to the throne that we have chosen. We see nothing but a rival to the throne that we have chosen. We see nothing but a rival to the throne that we have wickedly usurped. For the throne of your heart does not belong to you, my friend. You did not create yourself. You do not sustain yourself. You were created by the living God. Your life is sustained by God, and he has every right to govern you, the right of creation. And the disposition of every human heart by nature is the disposition of Romans 8, 9. The carnal mind is enmity against God. It is not subject to the law of God. The language of every human heart by nature is the language

39:29 of Luke 19, 14. We will not have this man to reign over us. Isn't that a description of some of you sitting here tonight? You see, the presence of Jesus always exposes the Herods for what they really are. No sooner is Jesus born than Herod's fangs are bared, and he would seek the Lord. This is the life of the Son of God. But his end was death, as will be the end of every man, woman, boy, or girl who seeks to oppose the rule and the reign of Jesus Christ the Lord. My friend, listen. Either Christ will conquer you in grace, or he'll crush you in

40:18 judgment. It's just that simple. He'll conquer you in grace so that you will gladly abdicate the throne and say in the language of that well-known hymn, Oh, come to my heart, Lord Jesus. There is room in my heart for thee. Welcome, King of glory. Come, take the throne that is rightfully yours. Or in defiance of that throne, he will crush you. For the scripture says he will come in flaming fire, taking vengeance on all who obey not the gospel. My friend, listen. You're going to have dealings with the

41:03 Christ of this Christmas story. Well, I haven't chosen to. That's not your business to choose. He made you. He governs you. He will summon you from the grave. He will present you before him in the day of judgment. And if he's not conquered you in grace, he'll crush you in judgment. They that sought the child's life are dead. And my friend, that will be recorded with you.

Contrast: The Chief Priests' Religious Indifference

41:37 Sink into the pit of eternal death, forever separated from the Lord of glory. But then there is finally this brief record of the religious ones, the chief priests and the scribes. This was probably a plenary meeting, a full meeting of the Jewish Sanhedrin, the highest court of Jewish law with all the doctors of the law and all the great scholars. And when Herod said, Where is this king born? They are very conversant with the scriptures. And they are able to say with absolute accuracy, in Bethlehem of Judah, because the scriptures tell us that's precisely the point from which the governor and the shepherd of my people will come. Now notice, they are acquainted with the scriptures. They are able to point others to the Savior.

42:40 But they themselves do not come. There's no record that they came to the Magi and said, If you have reason to believe he's born, and we know from the scriptures where he shall be born, let us join you in your pilgrimage. No, no. You see, they're content to know where he's born and let someone else go and worship him. Now that seems to be a rather neutral position in contrast to Herod's attitude, doesn't it? We're neither for it nor against it. But you see, the record of the chief priests and the scribes doesn't stop with Matthew 2. It reaches its tragic climax in Matthew chapter 26. And it is standing before this

43:26 same crowd who engineer his death. Could it be that I speak tonight to some who are typified in this segment of these? You have a working knowledge of the scriptures? You can quote them? You know enough of them that you could even point someone else to him? But you yourself have not come. You yourself have not taken the posture of dependantness. You yourself have not taken the posture of worship and love and homage in the presence of the Son of God.

44:12 My friend, it will only be a time, only a matter of time, if you do not join the Magi in worship. That you'll join the chief priests who say, liters of allows me to be wonderful, the true meaning of much more than I visit fold this growingico, I and everyone and all their descendants. Crucify him. Crucify him.

44:31 As we said this morning, some might object and say, well why in the world do we have to bring in all of these things of sin and repentance and faith and all of that in the simple Christmas story? My friends it's there. The simple Christmas story is the story of the worship of the Magi. Dearly started andieur.

The True Response to Christ: Worship

44:54 我 flashed a commentary on the worship of the Magi. It involves understanding who Christ is and being led to him by the inward operation of the Spirit and by the external dealings of God and above all by his word until you fall at his feet and cry, my Lord and my God. Or you take the posture of a herald, seeing in Christ a rival to the self-imposed government that operates in your own life, or taking the apparently neutral stance of the chief priest and the scribes that has in it the very seeds of open denial and utter rejection of the Son of God. Well, what is it that God seeks from us? At this season, at any season, my friend, he doesn't seek from us a little bit of a pawn thrown in his direction of a few Christmas carols, a little extra church attendance.

45:58 No, no. Jesus Christ is worthy of nothing less than the posture, the disposition, the attitude of the Magi to be found at his feet, lost in wonder, love, and praise. Isn't it? Is that the posture that you assume this very night?

46:19 Not the posture of a perfect person who can strut up and down before the living God as the Pharisees saying, I thank thee, I'm not his other man. No, no. One who owns his leanness, one who acknowledges his barrenness, but one who gladly confesses in Jesus Christ his life and light and salvation, even for Gentile gods. Who can come?

46:44 Who can come and find in Israel's Messiah all that they need? May God grant that we shall be found with them as they come before us in this narrative, and then we shall join them in that great multitude whom no man can number, who will surround the throne and praise him and serve him and render homage and worship in loving obedience. World. Without end.

Prayer and Benediction

47:17 Let us pray.

47:29 Our Father, we give you thanks for your holy word. We give you praise for its constant and ever-present pressure upon our consciences when we read and examine its content. And we pray that the portion of your word that we've examined tonight may be written upon our hearts by the power of your spirit. And oh, that it may be written upon our hearts by the power of your spirit.

47:58 And oh, that it may prove effectual to bring some who entered this room with the spirit of a Herod to join those magi at the feet of Jesus. Oh, Lord, grant that the sight of his condescending love in coming from heaven to earth, that love manifested in his dying upon the cross for rebel sinners. Oh, God, grant. Oh, God, grant, we pray.

48:27 We pray that that love, by the operation of the spirit, may conquer all of the rebellion and pride and smugness and bring some this night to bow at the feet of Jesus. Oh, Lord, we thank you, those of us who join the magi this night and there in the presence of your dear Son express our love and homage and worship. Present unto him. Not gold and frankincense and myrrh, but the love of our hearts and the full intent of our hearts to serve and honor him.

49:07 We thank you that he receives us in all of our sin and uncleanness. We thank you. We praise you. And we ask now that your mercy will attend this assembly of your people, that you would be our portion, granting us grace.

49:26 We thank you. And we thank the Lord that, in the midst all of the festivity of the coming days, we may not be unhinged spiritually. That we may not lose .