THE WORSHIP OF JESUS
Matthew 2:1-12
A REMINDER OF CHRISTMAS
V:1-2. \”After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem.
2 and asked, \”Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.\”
A. You should never take the Word of God lightly.
1. The Jews who had been given the Word of God and made responsible
for teaching the Word paid little attention to the Word.
2. Two years earlier (according to verse 16) shepherds had been informed
that a king of the Jews were born by angels.
3. The shepherds immediately went to the place where the baby Jesus was
born.
4. The shepherds made it known to the city that Jesus , the long awaited Messiah
was born (Luke 2:17).
5. The Jews who knew the scripture, did not make effort to see the baby Jesus.
6. They had the testimony of Anna and Simeon in temple when Jesus was
dedicated at eight days of age.
7. The ruling Jews had no interest in this life changing information.
B. Gentiles ( the Magi) from another nation took note of the star that marked
His birth and perhaps confirmed its significant with the Word of God.
1. The Magi were astronomers and religious men
2. By their calculations the star they saw in the sky pointed to Bethlehem.
THE BIRTH CONFIRMED BY SCRIPTURE
V:3-5. \” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 When he had called together all the people\’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.
5 \”In Bethlehem in Judea,\” they replied, \”for this is what the prophet has written:
6 \”\’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 be the shepherd of my people Israel.\’\”
A. For those who study the Word, God has a way of reminding us of the Word.
1. God has a way of making us research the Word.
2. Two years after the Jews heard the news of Jesus birth, God used strangers from
foreign country to remind them.
B. 1. When Magi came looking for the new born king of the Jews, King Herod
got upset.
2. Herod forced the leading Jews to research the scriptures to confirm
the Magi\’s conclusion.
3. By searching the scripture leading Jews determine that the king would be
born in Bethlehem. (Micah 5:2, Nu 24:17)
4. By searching the scripture they determined the time of His birth to
near the time the Magi saw the star. (Daniel 9:24).
JESUS THE SUPER STAR
V:7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. \”
A. Having searched the scriptures, and knowing the truth about the Messiah,
the experts on the Old Testament, the Jews, were still unaffected by the
knowledge of their new king.
1. Herod was upset about the new king.
a. Herod made plans to get rid of any opposition to him.
b. To make sure his plan was not broadcast, he met with the Magi
in secret.
2. The Magi were excited to hear about the new King.
a. Upon first sight of the star, they made plans to visit the king.
b. They traveled a long distant to get to Bethlehem.
B. The birth of Jesus was the fulfillment of a promise to the Jews.
1.The Jewish leaders saw the baby as no threat to them and nothing to
be concerned about.
2. Because the religious leaders showed no excitement about the Christ,
the community, showed no interest.
SEARCHING FOR JESUS
V:8. \” He sent them to Bethlehem and said, \”Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.\”
A. Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
1. To appear as if he wanted to worship, Herod ask the Magi to
come back and tell the location of the child once they found Him.
2. It would be strange for current king to worship his successor.
B. Without the Word of God guiding your life, your environment becomes
your norm.
1. The Roman government was corrupt., therefore the Jewish government
of religious affairs was corrupt.
2. The life of a man was only worth what you could gain from it.
a. John the Baptist was beheaded for dance of a young girl.
b. The life of a Jewish citizen was only worth what the Jewish
leaders could gain from it.
c. Jesus, a Jewish King was a threat to the Jewish leaders corrupt
authority.
C. Herod intended to kill Jesus, a baby of two years or less to protect
his position.
1. His position of king was not in jeopardy.
2. Jesus did not come to be a physical king but He came to
to the spiritual king of all believers.
THE LORDS GUIDANCE
V:9-10. \” After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.
10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. \”
A. Notice, God did not light up the guiding star until after the Magi had left Herod.
1. God used the Magi to announce to Herod that a king was born and to
remind the Jewish leaders of the prophecy of Jesus birth.
2. The Magi was never lost because they had the spirit of God guiding them.
a. God does not tell us what full story of our life is.
b. If we trust Him, He will guide us in the right direction.
c. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.
B. The Magi\’s first stop was Jerusalem.
1. They knew this because of the position of star when they first
saw it\’s appearance.
2. Their next stop was Bethlehem because the guiding star reappeared
in the sky.
3. When God is directing our path, we are never walking in the dark.
C. When God gives us evidence of His presence in our lives, we ought
to rejoice.
1. God is always presence in the life of a believer.
2. Sometime God has to remind us when we are looking to the
wrong people for directions.
3. Herod and the Jewish experts had no idea where to find Jesus.
4. But God who is omniscience, knew the exact location of the child.
WORSHIP FROM THE HEART WITH GIFTS
V:11-12. \” 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 and of incense and of myrrh.
12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. \”
A. One of the things we need to do is correct our normal nativity scene.
1. The Magi or the wise men never saw Jesus in the manager at His birth.
2. The Magi saw Jesus as a child, one to two years old.
3. The Magi saw Jesus in a house, not a manager for animals.
B. The Magi did come to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the king of the Jews.
1. The Magi came bearing gifts.
2. We really don\’t know how many Magi were traveling together.
3. What we know is they brought three types of gifts.
4. The three types of gifts may be symbolic of the characteristics of Jesus.
a. The gold may represent his kingship.
b. The incense may represent the mercy seat, the atonement of our sins.
c. The myrrh may represent His death.
C. What God has for us, no one can take.
1. Herod intended to kill Jesus once the Magi told him the location.
2. But God directed the Magi not to go back to Herod, but to go in a
different direction.
3. No one can stop you from getting to Jesus.
4. No one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him/her.
5. On our journey through this life, we must be in constant
communication with the Father.
6. God has places for us to go that He does not always tell us
beforehand.
THANK GOD FOR JESUS
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Rev M. Mitchell
Asst Pastor of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church
5510 West Sam Houston Parkway North
Houston, Texas 77041
For more lessons, follow me on facebook or
visit my blogs, revmmitchell.com and goodnewsrevmmitc.blogspot.com
