Sir Lord may graciously help
me, I turn your prayerful attention to Matthew's Gospel in chapter
2 and verse 2. The Gospel according to St. Matthew
chapter 2 and verse 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. Gospel according to Matthew chapter
2 and verse 2 we've read the account of the
wise men these men who came from a far country These ones who
came a long way to find our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It's amazing really at this time
when the Lord Jesus was at Bethlehem It had been talked about, the
shepherds had talked about the coming of the Lord Jesus. They
had gone to see him but others, we don't read of others really
going to see him. And yet these came so far to
come and find the Lord Jesus. So what I really would wish to
dwell on really this evening is seeking the Lord Jesus. reading Solomon, of that one
who was seeking, the bride was seeking as it were to find her
bridegroom, seeking to find where he was, to come and be with him
whom her soul loved. And we have before us in this
account these wise men seeking to find the saviour. Others were not interested. others
took no notice and they were to have some great discouragement
in their path because they were going to come all this way from
the east to Jerusalem and they were going to have to ask saying
where is he that is born King of the Jews they didn't see any
evidence at all when they got to Jerusalem that there was a
king of the Jews that had been born there was nothing that told
them outwardly that he had come but yet because God had given
them this star that they had seen in the east therefore they
were certain that he had come so their question is not whether
he has come But where is he that is born King of the Jews? They
are convinced that he has come, but they do not know the location. So these wise men that came,
and it's true you see, we read that not many wise, not many
noble come to the Lord Jesus, but there
are some. And this shows that there are
those that are wise according to this world's wisdom and understanding,
which obviously these people were, who didn't despise or it
didn't make them think that they didn't need to come to the Lord
Jesus because they were so wise with this earth's wisdom. No,
they had that wisdom to realise that they needed such a saviour. Their earthly wisdom did not preclude them from needing
this saviour. And so it is today, there is
all walks of life, the rich, the poor, the wise, the unlearned,
all have this great need of coming to the saviour. Where is he that
is born King of the Jews? So they came all this way from
the far east to find where Jesus was and they were following this
star they had seen the star we read in the east and then they
came to Jerusalem but it seems when they end up seeing the star
once again after they had seen Herod that it was a great rejoicing
to them when they saw the star in verse 10 we read they rejoiced
with exceeding great joy. It seems that they had not constantly
had that star, as it were. It seems that the star had guided
them, as it were, in the direction of Jerusalem or where they were
coming to, but they had not always had that sight of it. And you
see that is so, isn't it, often with us. We do not always bask
in the promises that God has given us. We are given a promise
that this will happen or that they were told and given this
desire that they should go and find the newborn king. But it
seems that they did not always have that light to guide them. They did not always have it in
their view at least. And the hymn writer picks that
up. in hymn 1049 talks about the
Christian navigates a sea where various forms of death appear
nor skill alas nor power has he a right, his dangerous course
to steer. In verse 5 it says but sudden
clouds obstruct his view and he enjoys the sight no more nor
does he now believe it true that he has ever seen the shore Though
through fear his heart should overwhelm, he'll reach the port
for which he's bound, for Jesus holds and guides the helm, and
safety is where he is found. So although they had this great
blessing of a star, yet they still needed, as it were, to
trust in what God had told them when they did see the star, and
what the star was telling them. But you might say, but today
we do not have a star. And you're likening this to seeking
the Lord Jesus. But we don't have a star in the
sky. But we do have, you see, the light of the Holy Spirit
shining upon the Word of God. And we, you see, are to seek
to find the Saviour there. It's been likened really to the Queen of Sheba, I realise
you've recently had a sermon on that, how the Queen of Sheba
came such a distance to see the greatness of Solomon and behold
a greater than Solomon was here. And it was like that with these
wise men, they came a long way, through great difficulties, they
pushed through, they would not not come. They had that inclination,
they had that promise of the star that there was a newborn
king and they must find the newborn's king. And how is it with you today?
You see they had this knowledge and a lot of people in Herod's
palace also had the knowledge that there would be a coming
Messiah. They knew where he would be born,
he would be born in Bethlehem Micah, the prophet Micah had
prophesied that but they weren't interested in finding that newborn
king for themselves they were not interested really in knowing
personally what he'd come for and why he'd come but these wise
men you see And it's been said that wise men still come to the
Lord Jesus. If we've been made wise unto
salvation, wise to realise our great need of a saviour, the
Lord has given us true wisdom to seek first the Kingdom of
God. And that's what these men did.
They left where they came from on a long journey. It seemed
it would have taken them a long time to come a long way. following
the star, and to try and find this one who was the King. But
what a disappointment then, when they come to Jerusalem. They say these words, 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. This was their purpose.
You see they were not so wrapped up in the star that they were
going to glorify that. That was a means to an end. You
see you do get idol worship and worship of the sun and the moon
and the stars and so on. But the Lord used the star not
for worship but to guide these wise men to where worship should
be placed. Indeed the King of Kings and
Lord of Lords. When Herod the King had heard
these things he was travelled in all Jerusalem with him. So
he obviously was concerned that this newborn king would be a
threat to him and therefore he was concerned where Jesus would
be not that he would come and worship him not that he would
need this child himself. And when he gathered all the
chief priests and scribes of the people together he demanded
of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him
in Bethlehem of Judea And then they quote from Micah's prophecy
that it would be Bethlehem where this one would be born. And then Herod then tells them,
then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired
of them diligently, what time the star appeared. We are not
told what they told him. We are not told what answer they
gave him as to how long they had been following this star
or how long ago it was that they saw the star. But no doubt they
communicated that to Herod. And he sent them to Bethlehem
and said go and search diligently for the young child and when
you have found him bring me word again that I may come and worship
him also. So these wise men, they came. They came to Jerusalem, found
out that the city was moved and troubled by what they had been
saying. They found a city that was not
really worshipping God at all. They'd come as it were to the
pinnacle of the religious centre of the Jews. They'd come to the
most religious place, with the most learned people, The place
where you'd expect there to be an appreciation of the Lord Jesus
Christ or the Messiah. But they found no appreciation.
Indeed, they found no interest. We don't realise that there was
a great entourage of people that followed them to Bethlehem. Indeed, it doesn't seem that
even one person followed them. Because if they did, they would
have been able to tell Herod where the baby was. No, they
went alone. And you see, wouldn't that be
a discouragement to them? If you think you've come all
this distance, you've, as it were, put aside all your normal
business, all your normal prospects and projects, and you've left
all to come and find this saviour, wouldn't you think it would be
disappointing if you come and find that nobody else seems to
care less? would that not be a great temptation
to say well I've left everything and other people couldn't even
be bothered to walk six miles down the road to come and find
this holy child but you see this one that seeks by night on my
bed I sought him whom my soul loveth they had a need And God
you see in a true seeker puts a need, a need to have this saviour
for themselves. A need to realise that this one
can do them real good. This one, thou hast the words
of eternal life. This one is able to deal with
their greatest problem of sin. This one is able to stand in
their wretched place as a substitute. this one who was son of God,
this one who was from all eternity. His divinity was eternal although
his human nature was born at Bethlehem. So they come and they are told
by Herod to go and search diligently and 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 child was. So just how much of the journey
they were able to see that star is not clear. But when they saw
the star they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. It seemed that it
was a great strengthened into their faith as that star once
again appeared and now guided them not hundreds of miles from
where they were to where it was going but guided them very precisely
the six miles or so that it was from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. And when they saw the star they
rejoiced with exceeding great joy. We have this then with one
who is seeking the Lord. One who is truly desiring to
find him. A true seeker is one who is to
be a finder. And he's not to give up. And
the obstacles that come in the way, they're not to cause them
to give up. There are many reasons why they
could have turned back and gone home. Well, if nobody else is
interested, why should we bother? No, but you see, living faith
has an object. Living faith has an object of
the Lord Jesus Christ. And you see, later on Jesus said,
close before his crucifixion, he said, I, if I be lifted up,
will draw all men unto me. Well really at his early days
this was something similar wasn't it? He had drawn these wise men
from afar. So many miles they had come indicating
how great he was and that drawing power that he was able to draw
from the ends of the earth to make himself precious in the
hearts of his people. So when they 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. So
it guided them to the exact place and when they saw the star they
rejoiced with exceeding great joy. What a comfort it was to
them to once again see that evidence, that guidance. The mist had been
cleared. Their sight had once again been
granted to be able to understand and behold this star. You see,
when we come to the Lord Jesus there are those trials. It is
not just all plain sailing. Think of it in the analogy of
Pilgrim's Progress. Evangelist said to Christian,
do you see yon shining light? To which he replies, methinks
I do. There is not always a clarity.
He couldn't always see it and he sometimes went off track,
sometimes went in other ways. He lost sight of it at times.
But oh, when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding
great joy. And when the Spirit comes and
guides us again and the Bible as it were becomes alive to us
and we see the preciousness of the Lord Jesus once again and
his suitability in the Word of God. then there is a rejoicing
as one that has got much spoil. When they saw the star they rejoiced
with exceeding joy. So they are now to come and find. And when they were come into
the house they saw the young child with Mary his mother and
fell down and worshipped him. They worshipped the Lord Jesus
Christ, not Mary. They worshipped him, this object
of their faith. This is amazing really, isn't
it? They had come all this way, they had first of all gone to
the palace of Herod to find out where there was this newborn
king, to see if it was there. So they'd come then to this house,
it seems that Joseph and Mary are now living in a house at
this time, not in the stable. They'd come to this house, which
And as far as we know, Joseph and Mary were not rich in earthly
terms and so they had nothing outwardly to show that he was
the king of the Jews. He didn't have any of the outward
pomp and ceremony that would go with being a prince, the king
of the Jews. But you see Without faith it's
impossible to please God. Without faith it's impossible
to worship God. These men, these wise men, were
blessed with living faith. And therefore, with their natural
senses, everything telling them that this is not really consistent
with what you'd have for a king. This is not what they were expecting,
to have just an ordinary child as it were in poor circumstances. And yet we read, they fell down
and worshipped him. It's interesting, this is obviously
close to the beginning of the Lord Jesus' life. But Jesus had
a similar experience in a sense at the end of his life, didn't
he? There was another who was not known to be at all religious
or a follower of the Lord Jesus, who came to see Jesus for who
he was, in the midst of circumstances which were completely opposite
to making him think that he was the King of the Jews. And the
one I'm thinking of is the dying thief. The end of Jesus' life,
there was this one who who was next to the Lord Jesus
and Jesus was being ridiculed and made a laughing stock by
all around he was the one that was receiving all of the ignominy
and shame and reproach and yet this dying thief speaks and says
Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom He didn't look
like a king. He didn't look as if he had a
kingdom. There was nothing for outward sense that made it seem
that that was true. We sung that in our opening hymn,
Bow Down, Sense and Reason. Faith only reign here. Without faith it's impossible
to please God. Without faith it's impossible
to realise that this was indeed the Lord, the Almighty God. Nothing
pointed to that outwardly. And yet, we read these lovely
words, they fell down and worshipped him. They had got to the object
of their faith. The object of their faith was
not to go around telling everybody about the greatness of the star.
That was not their object. The star was a means to an end. It was used of God to bring them
to himself. And the whole of creation you
see, that is the purpose really of creation, is it speaks, the
heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth
its handiworks. The whole of creation speaks
of a God. And you see that is what we are
to worship, the God of the creation, not the creation itself. It is
but one that points us to Him, who is to be worshipped, that
they worshipped Him. And when they had opened their
treasures, so they came with treasures. So if we think of
this pattern, and this lovely illustration of coming to the
Lord Jesus, I've been trying to picture it as seeking the
Lord. There is a seeking of the Lord.
There is then to be a finding of the Lord. Seek and ye shall
find. That's what it says in the Bible.
It doesn't say, seek and ye shall never find. God has said, I have
not said to the seed of Jacob, seek ye me in vain. No, the Lord
has said in his word, those that seek me early shall find me.
Those who continue seeking, even though Herod has disappointed
us. Herod has And the people of Israel have shown so little
concern for these things. They perhaps thought we were
strange to go to such lengths. Seek and you shall find. So there
should be a seeking. Seeking in the Word of God with
the light of the Holy Spirit. As that star guided those wise
men, we need the Holy Spirit to shine on the pages of the
Word of God, that we may find the Saviour there. And in the
preaching of the Gospel, that that may be made a blessing.
We are to find him. And they were not content. until
they had. They could have turned around
and said well we've been close enough, we've been near enough
to Jerusalem now, we've been near enough to Bethlehem, must
get back now. No, they wanted to go to Bethlehem. They needed to find the Saviour
and you see one who seeks the Saviour must find. But then we
have the wise men you see seeking but then finding and then worshipping. And you see that is the true
nature of living faith, it worships God. It goes out in adoration
to God. We see him to be an object of
our honour and glory. We see him as being so precious
and so suitable and so glorious. And that's why the hymn writer
said, had I a glance of thee my God, kingdoms and men would
vanish soon, vanish as though I saw them not, as a dim candle
dies at noon. You see the world say, well you
can't have all your pleasures or you're all taken up with the
things of God and you can't have all your pleasures. But the child
of God says, we have these pleasures to be found at his right hand.
The worship of God is something that is substantial. The world
worships the things that are passing and fleeting. The world
worships things which are not worthy of worship. But if we
come and worship this One, we are worshipping One who is King
of Kings and Lord of Lords. The One who only is able to deliver
us from the powers of Satan. The only One who is able to free
us from the captivity and slavery of sin. This One who was sent
by the Father to this earth to do this great
work of redemption. So, and then we have when they
opened their treasures, so they had gifts. So they sought the
Lord, they found the Lord, they worshipped the Lord. But that's
not the end. They then give gifts. They then
give of their, what they have to the Lord. They presented him
gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. Types of gifts. Speaking of the different aspects
of who he was. Gold. They were coming to a king. They brought him gold. They brought
him frankincense which is what was a type of incense which was
used in the worship of God in the temple. And myrrh. I looked it up. There's only
three places in the New Testament that the word myrrh is used.
Once is here. Another time is when the Lord
Jesus was on the cross, he'd just been nailed to the cross
and they offered him wine mingled with myrrh. And the other time,
the third time, is what Joseph of Arimathea brought, two with
myrrh and aloes to anoint the Lord Jesus' body after his death. So myrrh was very much speaking
of that work that he'd come to do. Yes, he was a king, and we
should, as it were, give him that gold. He was to be worshipped
as God, so he was a king, but he was also God. So therefore,
frankincense worship was right, but he was also come to lay down
his life, to make his life a ransom for many. he'd come to lay down
his life. And so in these three gifts we
see something of the great work of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ and what he was to do. He was indeed to be a king. He
was to be worshipped. And you see when the wise men
worshipped this babe, we never read that they were rebuked for
doing this. We never read that they were told don't worship
him. You see in the revelation when
John on the isle of Patmos had that revelation given to him
he was shown by the angel great things and wonderful things and
a few times he fell down at the angels feet and started worshipping
the angel and both times he was told stand up worship God. He is only to be worshipped.
Of course this was God. This was God and therefore their
worship was right. It was God honouring. It was consistent with who he
was and what his work was. So we have then this account
of the wise men. Where is he that is born King
of the Jews? the concern that they had, the
desire that they had. They wanted to find the saviour. They wanted to find this king
of the Jews. It didn't matter that others
were unconcerned. They would press on. They would
have this saviour. They would have this one who
was born king of the Jews. They were not content with just
a knowledge of it. They had, it seems, less knowledge
than the scribes and the pharisees who knew for sure that Jesus
was to be born at Bethlehem. But they didn't go. They didn't
come and worship. They weren't interested in this
saviour. And as we think then of the seeking
soul, the seeking soul is seeking one who is able to deal with
their greatest problem, able to deal with sin, and able to
set them free and give them life by his death, able to say unto
them, son or daughter, thy sins which are many are all forgiven. And therefore that one that seeks
is desirous to find because he realises, just like Christian
did in the Pilgrim's Progress, He had to put his fingers in
his ears and say, life, life, eternal life. And there was others
that were crying out, come back, come back, stay with us, don't
get so worried about what the Bible says, don't worry the city
of destruction has been alright so far and no doubt it will be
alright for some time to come. But no, the Christian had to
say, life, life, eternal life. and you see it's eternal life
to know this one as our saviour, to know that he has come for
us, that he has come to work out a righteousness on behalf
of us. Have we a concern then to be
part of this, so that this account We are like the wise men rather
than like all the people or the majority of the people that were
living in Jerusalem. Living so close to the Saviour
and yet so unconcerned. So unconcerned about his birth.
So unconcerned about his claims. So not looking for a Saviour
at all. Although of course the Jews claimed
that they were looking for a Messiah. They claimed that they did want
to have a Messiah. But it was one that would deliver
them. from the Roman Empire is what they wanted. They wanted
one on earthly terms. You see the Lord Jesus had a
much greater work to do. He was going to free them from
a more formidable enemy, from Satan. He was going to bind Satan
and therefore be able to spoil his house. This is the one that
we have presented to us in this this account, this one who came,
and we are so thankful that he did come. So those that are seeking,
do not stop because of some difficulties in your way. There will be, if
unto Jesus thou art bound, a crowd about him will be found attending
day and night, a worldly crowd to din thine ears And crowds
of unbelieving fears to keep him from your sight. There is
many things that will stop. Many things, but many people
that will say, oh just be like one of us. Everybody else is
living in Jerusalem. What's the problem? Keep going. Keep seeking. Because seekers
will be finders. Finders will be worshippers. Worshippers will be those who
give. unto the Lord, everything that
they have. You see, in Romans, it says these
beautiful words, Romans chapter 12. We don't need to come and,
as it were, naturally give the gold, frankincense and myrrh,
but this is what it says in Romans chapter 12 verse 1. I beseech
you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which
is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this
world. You see, the wise men could have
been conformed to the world of Jerusalem, the religious world,
the centre of the religious world, they could have been conformed
to that. be not conformed to this world,
but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye
may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of
God. And it is the will of God that
this is my beloved son, hear ye him. This is the will of God. But the world ignore him, and
our hearts by nature want none of his ways. You see this is
so true. John's Gospel opens with that.
He came unto his own and his own received him not. Though
he had made everything, yet they came and they did not receive
him. But unto them that did receive
him, unto them gave he power to become the sons of God who
walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. Well may we
be amongst those like these wise men that seek the Saviour that
keep on seeking the Saviour through even though the star at times
it seems to not be visible in our sight even though at times
we have to trust in the promises that God has given us we cannot
see them as it were all the time but we need to embrace them by
faith you see you can't always see that which we're looking
for we can't always have that sight, but we are to be amongst
those who are looking for that blessed hope, looking for the
star, seeking for it, seeking and loving his appearing, then
it will be well with us. Well, may we then find the star,
find the Lord Jesus, come and worship him, Give him of our
best affection. You see if you worship somebody,
you just want to be in their presence. You want to adore them
and you don't want to adore everything else. No, that becomes the centre
stage in your affections. And then, there is an effect. Having worshipped him, then There's
a hymn that picks that up, doesn't it? When I survey the wondrous
cross, on which the Prince of Glory died, my riches gain I
count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride. Then there was
a giving where the whole realm of nature mine, that were an
offering far too small. Love so amazing, so divine, demands
my life, my soul, my all. Just this last point, think of
that as the wise men went away, they were enriched. by having
seen the Lord Jesus. Yes, he had received this gold,
frankincense and myrrh, but how were they enriched? By having
worshipped and having come and found the Saviour. And you see,
if we come and worship and give of our all to him, we are the
richer. We have had union with the Church's
living head. We have everything. If he is
ours, we have everything. by the Lord at his blessing.
Amen.