I
was reading the story of Jesus' birth to my day-care children one morning.
As usual, I stopped to see if they understood.
"What
do we call the three wise men?" I asked.
"The
three maggots," replied a bright 5-year-old.
"What
gift did the Magi bring baby Jesus?" I corrected.
"Gold,
Frankensteins and smurfs!" the same 5-year-old replied.
--
Sent in to Christian Herald by Brenda Roberts, Stone Mountain, GA
Scripture Text:
Matt 2:1 (KJS) Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in
the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to
Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we
have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 3 When Herod
the king had heard [these things], he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with
him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the
people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And
they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the
prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, [in] the land of Juda, art not the least
among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that
shall rule my people Israel. {rule: or, feed} 7 Then Herod, when he had
privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the
star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search
diligently for the young child; and when ye have found [him], bring me
word again, that I may come and worship him also. 9 When they had heard
the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east,
went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 11 And
when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his
mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their
treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and
myrrh. {presented: or, offered} 12 And being warned of God in a dream that
they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country
another way.
1.
When God came He announced his
coming by a star. God’s
billboard is the heavenly body. He
is the creator of the entire universe. How
does God announce the coming of his Son today?
Will we be the shining stars of the Lord today?
Phil 2:14 (NIV) Do everything
without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure,
children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which
you shine like stars in the universe.
If
we shine like stars in a dark world people will see and know that there is a
living God. When people see the
star they will ask where is He that is born in the Fayetteville Baptist
Church? When we lift him up as
the Lord then they will come. Who
are God’s Stars today? Those
who point others to Jesus are God’s Stars.
2.
When God came He came to all
people, including the gentiles. Even the magi from the east probably Persia would be told
about the coming of the king. Are
we going to all people? He came
to all. Will we?
3.
When God came He brought
trouble to the powers that be. He poses a threat to all that would pursue evil.
To all those that would go against him he is a threat to their
existence. He is the child of the
woman in Gen. 3:15 that would crush the head of the serpent.
Herod was distressed to the point of outrage, so he called for the
murder of all the male babies of 2 years of age.
The coming of the magi made quit a stir among the people.
4.
When God came He fulfilled his
promises. When
the priests search the scriptures for the place of the birth see that
Bethlehem is the town.
5.
When God came He came to the common folks in a common town.
Who are the folks in our town
who need to hear the message? Will
they see the stars?
6.
When God came He revealed
himself to all who would seek him.
Rev. 3:20 The wise men rejoiced
because the star appeared give them direction to the Savior. When God came he
brought Joy.
7.
When God came the wise men or
magi worshipped Him. They gave him gifts. How
would you worship him today? What
will you bring to him to honor him? They
were kings in the view of the people. Wise
men still seek the Lord. Remember
it is Jesus’ birthday.
John 4:23 (NIV) Yet a time is
coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in
spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God
is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
8.
When God came He protected His
worshipers.
We will be persecuted, but protected.
We may be pursued, but He is still watching for us.
He warned the magi and the parents of the danger of Herod’s anger.