Go with me if you would back
to Matthew chapter 2. Matthew 2. These first 12 verses that our
brother just read to us. They tell us of our Lord's birth. from the point of view of some
wise men. The story revolves around these
wise men, and I want us to look at their story this morning. There are some amazing details
that I want to bring out. But ultimately, I'd like for
us to find the answer to this question. What made them wise? What makes a man or a woman wise? Am I a wise man? I want to be a wise man. Let's look at this story here.
See if we can find the answer. Verse one says, now, when Jesus
was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod, the king,
Behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 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. Now, this
is how their story begins. These wise men, it doesn't say
how many there were. We all assume three because somebody
put that in a Christmas carol. And because they brought three
gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And we can all envision
one wise man holding, each of them holding one gift. But it
doesn't say how many there were. It does say that they were from
the east. These men were from a far country. These men in the course of their
normal lives, all it says about them is that they were wise men.
It doesn't say anything about their day-to-day living, but
at some point in the course of each of these men lives, all
of them, all of the sudden, saw something they had never seen
before. A happening happened to them. All of them saw a star. All of
them. This star that they saw was different
from every other star they had ever seen. They'd seen a bunch
of stars. These guys had seen star after
star after star. They're just completely surrounded
by stars. All of a sudden, they see a star
they've never seen before. Something different. something
so different and so captivating because it was adamantly pointing
to something. All right, this star was very
clearly to them. Pointing to something different
from all the other stars they'd ever seen. and it moved like it was alive. And all of these men, every single
one of these wise men who saw it, they could not help but lay
down everything they were doing and start following this star. I'm sure these men had a lot
of responsibility in life, but they couldn't help it. These
men left everything and they started following that star and
they followed it all the way to Jerusalem. Now I didn't realize
this until I started studying for this message but these wise
men were not just in the next country over which happened to
be a good ways off, it was truly a far country. Most of the commentators
say that these men traveled following this star for two years. I had it in my mind it was all
night long, most of the weekend. Two years. Mary was pregnant
for only nine months. Either a year and three months
before the angel even came to Mary. These men were already
traveling or however that time frame when the reason the commentary
say that is because verse 16 says. Then Herod, when he saw
that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wrath, and
sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem,
and in all the coast thereof, from two years old and under,
according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the
wise men. Herod interrogated these men
and he asked them, how long have you been traveling? When did
you see this star? And how long have you been traveling?
And they said, well, we saw the star about two years ago. And when it moved, we moved. So this was a long journey. This
star is mentioned quite a few times in the story. I want to
go ahead and show you what the spiritual significance of it
is. We're going to start intertwining
the spiritual story with the physical story. And every time
we see this, we'll understand, we'll get this part of the spiritualness
of it. Go with me if you would to Revelation chapter one. This is John on the Isle of Patmos.
He hears a voice, which is the Lord Jesus Christ, the very one
that we're talking about in Matthew 2. And here in Revelation chapter
1 verse 12, John said, and I turned to see the voice that spake with
me and being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks. Seven is
the number of perfection. It means all of them. all of
the candlesticks, not just seven. And in the midst of the seven
candlesticks, one like unto the son of man. Clothed with a garment
down to the foot and gird about the paps with a golden girdle.
His head and his hairs were white like wool as white as snow. And his eyes were as a flame
of fire. and his feet like unto fine brass
as if they burned in a furnace, and his voice as the sound of
many waters. And he had in his right hand
seven, meaning all of them, that perfect exact number of his,
seven stars. And out of his mouth went a sharp
two-edged sword, his word. And his countenance was as the
sun shineth in his strength. And John said, when I saw him,
I fell at his feet as dead. That's what John did. And he laid his right hand upon
me saying unto me, fear not. I am the first and the last. I am he that liveth and was dead. And behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of
hell and death. I am holding the keys of hell
and death, life, hell, death. He said, write the things which
thou hast seen and the things which are and the things which
shall be hereafter. The mystery of the seven stars,
all the stars, which thou sawest in my right hand and the seven
golden candlesticks, the seven stars are the angels. The word angels means messengers. It means heralders, preachers. The seven stars are the angels
of the seven churches. All those perfect number of congregations
that I purpose to raise up. And the seven candlesticks which
thou sawest are the seven churches. And then in chapter two, verse
one, he said unto the angel, the messenger, the herald, or
the preacher of the church of Ephesus. Right. All right. So that's what this star represents. It represents the gospel. It
represents the messenger of the gospel. It represents the message
of the gospel. God came to every one of these
men with the message of the gospel. All of a sudden they saw and
they heard the gospel. It was a message like they had
never seen or heard before. Religion all around them. But
all of a sudden they saw something they had never seen before. It
was a message that adamantly It pointed to something. It adamantly
pointed to something. Christ Himself. They could not help but follow
it. It was a living message. And
they couldn't help but follow it. Now, go back with me to the
text. Matthew 2. So they came all the way to Jerusalem. And when they got to Jerusalem,
they asked the question in verse two, 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. We have seen his star. They knew immediately. This is
his star. This is his message. This is
his gospel. We know it is. We know this is
of him. This is of God. We're convinced
of it. Verse two, where is he that is
born king of the Jews? For we've seen his star in the
east and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had
heard these things, he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him. Herod and all Jerusalem, they
were troubled because they knew this day was coming. Look with
me if you would at Genesis 49. Genesis 49 verse 10 says, The scepter shall not depart
from Judah, meaning there's going to be king after king after king.
The scepter shall not depart from Judah nor a lawgiver from
between his feet until Shiloh comes. And at the moment that Shiloh
comes unto him shall the gathering of the people be. The same thing that God said
back then concerning Christ's birth. That same thing applies today
concerning his return. Man can keep playing his game,
and that's what he's saying. Man can keep thinking he's a
little king until Shiloh comes. But when Shiloh comes, it's all
over. It's all over. Herod and all the Jews knew this. Therefore they were his enemy.
They wanted him dead. All right. Now look with me back
in the text in Matthew two. Verse three says, when Herod,
the king had heard these things, he was troubled and all Jerusalem
with him. And when he had gathered all
the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded
of them where Christ should be born. And they say unto him in
Bethlehem of Judah, for thus it is written by the prophet.
They answered him without any hesitation. Immediately, Herod
said, where is he going to be born? They immediately said,
Bethlehem, Judah. Everybody knows that. It's what's
written in the law of the prophets. They quoted to him Micah, chapter
five, verse two. Verse six, it's written by the
prophet and thou Bethlehem in the land of Judah are not the
least among the princes of Judah for out of thee shall come a
governor that shall rule my people Israel. That's who this is. This
is the governor. This is the governor. God himself. They said it's clearly recorded
in the Word. I want to read this to you quickly. Look with me at Micah 5, page
1155. Everything about our Lord was
prophesied in the Old Testament. Everything that happened to him
all throughout his life. Everything that happened in the
events of the cross, it's as though they were reading the
Old Testament saying we have to do this and we have to do
this and we have to do this. Here's a little side note to prove that
while we're here. Our Lord, as he stood before
Pilate, one of the Roman soldiers grabbed a rod. One of the troops
grabbed a rod and Smote our Lord on the cheek. Alright? Verse
1 says, Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops. He hath laid siege against us. They shall smite the judge of
Israel with a rod upon the cheek. And that's exactly what they
did. Verse 2 says, But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though thou
be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall
he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel, whose
goings forth have been from of old from everlasting. That means
this child had no beginning. Therefore, will he give them
up until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth
Then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children
of Israel, and he shall stand and feed." You see in the margin
that means rule. He shall stand and rule in the
strength of the Lord, in the strength of Jehovah. In the majesty
of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall abide, for now
shall he be great unto the ends of the earth." That's what the
chief priest and the scribes told Herod. They said, you're
going down. That's what they said, you're
going down. And Herod thought, I have to put a stop to this.
We have to end this quickly. Go back to our text, Matthew
2. Verse 7, Then Herod, when he
had privately called the wise men, inquired of them diligently
what time the star appeared. He interrogated these men. He
tried to get everything he could use against the Christ out of
them. One of the commentators said
he sifted them. And that's what the adversary
does to all of God's people. He sifts them. Verse 7, Then
Herod, when he had privately called the wise men, inquired
of them diligently what time the star appeared. 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. Now verse 12 tells us that they
were warned of God in a dream that they should not return to
Herod. deceivingly, lyingly said, you
go find him and then you come tell me where he is so I can
come worship him too. And that's how the adversary
works. He works through the lies of religion. A wolf in sheep's
clothing, Herod told them the same thing that men and women
are being told this morning. Concerning this child. amid all
the show and the pageants and the nativity scenes and the,
you know, little baby, little baby, all about the little baby,
isn't it? That little baby. And here's what you need to do
now. You need to go see if you can find that little baby. That's
what you need to do. See if you can go find, you need
to search diligently. I want you to go house to house.
He said, you go to Bethlehem and you start knocking on doors
and you see if you can find this little baby. You go to work for
Jesus. You do everything you can do. They did not have to do any of
that. Everything Herod told them to
do. Verse 9 says, When they had heard the king, that's Herod,
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. messenger, this message was provided
for them. This messenger and message was
sent directly to them and it stayed right with them all the way until all of them,
the messenger and the wise man, it stayed right with them until
all of them came to Christ. When they got to Christ, the
star stood still. No more moving that God sent
message. And that God sent messenger became
fixed on Christ. And that star said, I'm not moving
one more inch. Here he is. This is him. This is the one. This is the
deliverer. This is the redeemer. This is
redemption. Come straight to this man. Man, child, God. This is the savior of his people.
This is the savior of sinners right here. And they didn't have
to inquire in one house. Not one work was performed by
them. They came seeking him, but they
never conducted a search. And do you know what our Lord
said in Isaiah 65 verse one? He said, I am sought of them
that asked not for me. Those men were over in the East
doing whatever it is they were doing. They were not asking for
him. The Lord said, I'm sought of them that asked not for me.
I'm found of them that sought me not. I said, behold me, behold
me unto a nation that was not called by my name, a far country. These men were led right to him.
brought right to him. And that's what happened to every
single one of us, isn't it? We were going about our business,
going about our life, and all of a sudden, God sent a message. All of a sudden, God sent a messenger. It was different from every other
messenger we had ever heard. And God said, behold me. And we were drawn, drawn right
to him. Verse 10 says, and when they
saw the star. Stop. When they saw that star
stop, they'd been seeing that star for two years, following
that star for two years. When they saw that the star got
to Christ and stopped right there. It says their hearts were fully
blessed. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding
great joy. Have you ever rejoiced? You know,
sometimes you just rejoice. Sometimes you rejoice. It's wonderful
to rejoice. And it is wonderful to exceedingly
rejoice. But it's just amazing whenever
this heart rejoices with exceeding great joy. That's what will happen
to every sinner who sees Christ. They're about to see Christ. They heard the message. Here
he is. You go inside this holy place,
holy because that's where he is, and you're going to see Christ. You're going to see him as he
is. If we ever see the Savior, the one who came to die, that
we might live. Our Lord said, for this cause
came I into the world. One reason this child was born,
to die. I came to die. These men, they're
about to see Christ and it says they were so happy. You know,
it's probable that just before that star stopped, I would imagine
these men were pretty beat down. I would imagine they were pretty
discouraged, pretty sad. They have been following this
star for two years. I'm sure when they set out, they
had no idea it was going to take this long. two years. They finally come. They don't
know where the stars go and they're just following it. It finally
comes to Jerusalem, the big city of Jerusalem. And they think. Surely this is it, this is the
place he he has to be in this big city of Jerusalem, he was
not there. They were gruelingly interrogated
by Herod. persecuted for Christ's sake.
They followed this star and then all of a sudden they're persecuted
for following this star, for Christ's sake. The priests, the
scribes, they thought these men surely know something. They didn't
have any information on it. Nobody offered to go with them.
Isn't that funny? Don't you think somebody would
say, why don't we go with them? Bethlehem is only six miles down
the road. And now everything's crushed.
He's not here and the star starts heading out of town again. I
would imagine those last six miles were the hardest six miles
of the whole two-year journey. All of a sudden the star stops. That messenger that's pointing
and pointing and pointing and pointing cries, Behold the Lamb
of God which taketh away the sins. I've thought so many times, every
preacher thinks that the Lord might return in his lifetime.
The Lord is going to return in some preacher's lifetime, I tell
you that. And I thought, how amazing would it be if our Lord
and all of his great wisdom and power laid it on the hearts of
every one of his messengers on that day, Sunday, To bring a message from John
1.29, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the... Can
you imagine preaching, pointing, pointing, pointing, pointing,
and all of a sudden, all that stops. And all the stars, all
those God sent stars cry, this is really Him. Behold the Lamb
of God, which taketh away the sins of the world. Can you imagine
the amount of exceeding great joy that would take us at that
moment? This flesh in all of its weakness
and weariness and sadness and sin, all of a sudden, all that
is just obliterated. And we see Him and we're changed
in the twinkling of an eye. Exceeding great joy. Here he is. Here he is. This is the moment that this
star stopped at the house where he was. And they said, this is
it. Their hearts started burning
within them. Now, what they did next is what
made them wise. All right, and I'm not going
to drag this out. But what they did next is what
made them wise. I want to be a wise man. I pray
the Lord will open our eyes to this. We need wisdom. Wisdom,
Solomon said, with all thy getting get wisdom. That's the principle
thing. Wisdom is what brings the fear
of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is what
leads a sinner to cry out for mercy. Crying out for mercy is
what leads a sinner to the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is what leads men to eternal
life. All right, wisdom. It actually
started the moment that star appeared. Verse one says, When
Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the
king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem. Here's the first thing that made
him wise. These men saw that star. And they were not content
to just see the star. They had to see him. They came. They came. They were following
the star, but they were following for one reason. They had to see
him. Had to. If they were just looking
to the star, if they were just looking to the messenger, they
could have turned around a long time ago. Just turn around and
go home. We've seen him. But they didn't stop. It's because
they had to see the one the star was pointing to. They were wise
because it was all about him, all about him. They came to him. They kept coming. They kept coming. That's what coming to Christ
is. It's a continual coming. A wise man will not stop until
he reaches Christ. Here's the next thing that made
him wise. Verse two says, saying, where is he that is born king? They acknowledged him as their
king. Not just as that sweet, innocent
baby. Not just as the most moral person
on this earth. Not just as a great example,
not just as a martyr for his cause. King. King. Most people on this earth are
saying, there's my co-pilot. These men said, there's my king. When we see that little child,
we acknowledge him to be our king. Our king, king of kings. Where is he that's born king?
That's the only way to approach the Christ. Verse 11 says, and
when they were come into the house, they saw the young child
with Mary, his mother, and they fell down. Oh, how wise this is. When they
saw him, they fell down. One of the most foolish things
I've ever heard in my life. One of the most unwise things
I've ever heard in my life is when people make this statement.
When I get to heaven, I'm going to walk straight up to God and
I'm going to ask Him. They fell down. They fell down. They bowed down. Jacob saw Him. Jacob saw the very one who was
in this house. Thousands of years before it,
he fell down. He said, I've seen God. Isaiah saw him. He fell down. Peter saw him when he called
him. Peter said, I'm a sinful man. Lord, depart from me. He
fell down. Saul of Tarsus saw him. He fell down. A moment ago,
we read John on the Isle of Patmos saw him. He fell down. He fell
down. Over in Luke 18 is where the
Pharisee and the publican went into the temple. That Pharisee
was so proud, that publican said he smote upon his breast, crying,
God be merciful to me, the sinner. He fell down. And God said he
was justified, and then the Lord said, everyone that exalts himself
is going to be abased. But he that humbleth himself.
He that falls down in the end is going to be exalted. They
fell down. Verse 11 says, and when they
were coming to the house, they saw the young child with Mary,
his mother, and fell down and worshiped him. My prayer, when I come here,
my personal prayer is that I might worship him. That's my prayer. I want to do a wonderful job
of delivering the message to you. I really do. But more so
than that, I desire to worship him. And I pray that for us. I pray God might move on our
hearts. I pray God might bless us. That's a wonderful thing.
But more importantly than that, I pray God might allow us to
worship him. Lord, let us fall down at your
feet and just worship you. Worship. The Lord told that woman
in Samaria, you don't know what you worship. And that's a sad
case for this flesh. Men and women have no idea that
they worship themselves. They worship their own self. They worship their own decision.
They worship their own works. They worship their own baptism.
They worship everything they are doing. Some people worship
Mary. They didn't worship Mary. These
men didn't worship anyone but him. That's what a wise man will
do. His works, His decision, His purpose, every work He came
into this world to accomplish, all the way to the grave. Call
this Child's, the Father, God Himself. Call Him Jesus, He's going to
save. Through His birth into life, through His baptism into
death, immersion into our sins, immersion into God's wrath, our
immersion into Him, through that He's going to save His people
from their sins. And that's what a wise man will
worship. That's all a wise man will worship, Him, everything
that pertains to Him, who He is and what He's done. Verse
11 says, and when they were coming to the house, they saw the young
child with Mary, his mother, and fell down and worshiped him.
And when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto
him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. What that means is
they cast their all. They cast it all on him. Everything
they are, everything they have, that's what wise men and women
do. They cast it all. Just like when
Mary Magdalene took that box of precious, costly ointment
and broke it and poured every drop on his head, his precious
head. They were saying, you are of
more value to us than anything in this earth. Anything in this
life. You're my treasure. You're my
all. That's a wise man. Well, to end
out their story, here's one more wise thing. One more extremely
wise thing. Verse 12 says, and being warned
of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed
into their own country another way. God warned them and they
heeded the warning. I'm sure they planned to go back
the way they came. They thought this has got to
be the best way. This is the fastest way. This
is the easiest way. This, this is the way we're going
to go. God said, that's not the way I want you to go. We're going
to hear that a lot in life. It's not the way I want you to
go. He, I'm sure the Lord told them to go a much longer way,
a much harder way. But they heeded the warning of
God. And in the process, it says they avoided the adversary. It
went another way. Let's remember that for the rest
of our days on this earth, wise men heed God's word. They heed God's word. They heed
his warning. They listen to his warning in
the word and they follow it. They obey it. They obey it. Well, now leave us with this
thought. Can you imagine how much more
pep in their step they had going home than when they came? Can you imagine them going home,
talking about him, recalling everything that they
could to their memory concerning him, talking about him, exactly
what he looked like, exactly what he smelled like? I would also imagine them on
their way home thinking about every loved one, every family
member. You know, our Lord was on the
earth for 33 and a half years. Do you think they told anybody
just like that woman at the well did? You have to come see a man. You think they told anybody that?
Everybody they cared for at all. Come see a man. Messiah is come. Messiah is come. I am quite positive
they did that, and the reason is because they were wise men.
That's what wise men and women do. They point sinners to Christ. They point sinners to Christ.
They tell everyone they can about the Christ, the Christ who came
to save sinners like them. May the Lord make us wise men
and women. open our eyes, draw us to come, cause us to bow,
cause us to worship our Lord and our King. All right, let's
all stand together.