Matthew chapter 2 is our message
as we continue in our study in the book of Matthew. Chapter
2, look at verse 1. Now when Jesus was born, he was
born we know in Bethlehem of Judea. In the days of this Herod,
Herod was the local governor or king. Behold, it says, there
came these men, wise men, from the east to Jerusalem. Now, we don't know much about
these men other than God, by his sovereign providence, moved
in such an unusual way and brought these men to the young child
to worship him. These wise men from the East
Country, they were not Jews, they were pagan Gentiles. And
if you look the word wise men up in the original, it actually
has the meaning of those who are sorcerers or magicians of
some kind. They were pagan Gentiles, and
yet God in his sovereign providence hung a star out that they might
follow the star right to the Lord Jesus Christ. Somehow, someway,
they were taught of God that they needed a king to save them
from their sin. Evidently they were taught somehow
they were sinners, because they were seeking some way the Savior,
the King, to put away their sin. That's a wise man who's taught
of God, who seeks a Savior to put away our sin. When the Lord Jesus Christ took
upon Himself our flesh, He never stopped being our eternal God
and King. He is our God. He is our King.
The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth. He became what He was not, flesh,
but He remained what He's always been, the Eternal King, God and
King. He was born King. Notice they
said, where is He, this born King? He was King when He got
here. He lived as King. He died as king. Remember what
they wrote upon his crucifixion cross? Jesus, the king of the
Jews. And those old religious Jews
got upset. Don't write that he is the king. Write that he said
he was. Pilate said, no, what I've written, I've written. He
is the king. He is the king. The Lord Jesus Christ died as
King, God our Savior. He ascended back to the throne
as our King. He's enthroned right now sitting
on the throne as our King, and He's coming back. Has He coming
back? As our King. As our King. We
studied in the Revelation, remember He's called King of Kings and
Lord of Lords. He was King when He was born
in the manger. The wise man came and worshipped
Him. Notice what it says in verse
11. And when they were coming to
the house, they saw Him. They saw the young child. Now,
not the baby in the manger. Notice it says they came into
the house. Not to the manger. They came to the house and they
saw the young child. How old he was? Maybe two years
old at this time. And Mary, his mother, they didn't
see Joseph. They didn't fall down and worship
Mary. They fell down and worshiped
him. They were seeking a king to worship
Him. Oh, may God give us grace in
our hearts to seek Him and to worship Him, to do that very
thing right now, to worship Him in our heart, to look to Him
as our God and King, as our God and Savior, and to do so in spirit
and in truth. There's no true worship. apart
from the truth of salvation revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ. He
seeketh such to worship Him in what? Spirit and in truth. If we're not seeking the truth,
we cannot worship God if we do not know and believe the truth,
the truth of God. We own Him as our King. We're
here this morning to worship Him as our King. Now look at
verse 1 and 2 again. Where is he that's born king?
The wise men came and said, where is he that's born king? And that's
the title of the message. Where is he that's born king?
And notice this, king of the Jews. King of the Jews. I remember when Pilate brought
him forth. Remember? When he was arrested
and the Jews were determined to kill him, to crucify him.
And Pilate brought him forth before all those Jews. Remember?
And Pilate said, behold your king. What did they say? Remember
what they said? We have no king but Caesar. These Jews did not own him as
king, but I tell you, Abraham's spiritual children, the elect
of God, we own him as our king. Now, the account that Matthew
gives here is the only gospel writer that gives us this story.
There is a time span from the Lord's birth When the shepherds
came to worship him, when they found that babe wrapped in those
swaddling clothes, lying in a manger, and the shepherds came there
to honor and worship the king, there is a time span between
that time and when the wise men came to the house there in Bethlehem,
and those two appearances of the wise men at the house and
the shepherds at the manger, there's a time span how much
we don't know, maybe two years, some have speculated maybe 40
days, but no account is given of both the wise men and the
shepherds being there in Bethlehem at the same time. Now why make
a big deal about that? Well, details are important.
Details are important. Here's what we do know. We do
know that the wise men, how many they were, we don't know. Some
say three. Religious tradition says three.
I know the scripture says in the mouth of two or three witnesses
shall every word be established. Maybe they were two, maybe three,
maybe a dozen. We don't know. We don't know.
But we do know this. They came seeking the king to
worship Him. They came as needy sinners seeking
salvation. Was salvation found, or was it
found, in the Lord Jesus Christ? Those who are made wise today
by the teaching of the Word, by the Holy Spirit revealing
the Gospel unto us, those who are made wise today are still
yet seeking the Lord Jesus Christ as our God and Savior as our
King of Righteousness, as our King of Peace. He is our King
of Peace. He is our King of Righteousness.
Notice what they said, we've seen His star. We've seen His
star. Now this star here is a messenger
of God. This star here, although it does
not speak, this star here is a messenger of God. They heard
the gospel through this star somehow. They said, we've come
to worship Him. Remember, when we studied the
Revelation, it talks about the mystery of the seven stars, which
thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks.
The seven stars were the angels or messengers to the seven churches. So stars can be used as a symbol
a messenger of God, a messenger of God. We've seen his star,
and we can say we've heard his gospel. We've seen him in the
word, and we've come to worship him. They did not ask if a king
was born, but where he is born that is king. they were sure
that he was their king without doubt. He is the bright and morning
star. Remember from our study in Revelation,
he's called the root and offspring of David. He is the bright and
morning star. This is interesting, over in
Numbers 24, There's a prophecy concerning this. There shall
come a star out of Jacob, and a scepter shall arise out of
Israel. And that's the star that identified
the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the bright and morning
star. The Lord Jesus Christ is all the revelation of God. The
glory of God shines in the face of Jesus Christ. And this same
is true of every sinner in whose heart the King of kings is born,
who is the bright and morning star, who shines in our heart,
that we might see the glory of God in the face of Christ, that
we might worship Him. God, who has commanded the light
to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give
us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ. You remember the scripture in
2 Peter 2? Have also a more sure word of
prophecy, wherein do you do well to take heed, as unto a light
that shineth in the dark place, until the day dawn and the day
star arise in your hearts." That's what God does when He reveals
the Gospel unto us. He causes that brightened morning
star of the Gospel to shine in our dead, dark heart, that we
might see the glory of God. Now you would think, look at
verse 3, Matthew 2 verse 3. You would think that Herod and
the Jews would be ecstatic and overjoyed in knowing that the
coming Messiah who they've been waiting for is here. But yet,
look what it says. When Herod the king heard these
things, he was troubled. and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all
the chief priests and scribes together, all the religious Jews,
he gathered them all together and demanded of them where the
Christ should be born. What does the Scripture teach?
Well, those religious Jews, they knew the Scripture. They knew
the fact and the history. They said, in Bethlehem of Judea,
for it's written in the prophet Micah. Thou beth on him in the
land of Judah, or at least among the princes, but out of thee
shall come a governor, a ruler who will rule my people Israel."
Now, when Herod heard about the king who is the Messiah, the
king of kings, he was troubled. All the religious people, they
weren't happy to hear the good news, glad tidings. They were
stirred up with fear, not rejoicing in the king. What did Herod do? He called the religious leaders
to find out where the Messiah, the king, would be born. What
should have been good news to them troubled them. These religious Jews knew the
letter and facts of the Scripture, but they did not know the message
of the Scriptures they read. They missed the message. They
missed the Christ of God. Their heads were full of knowledge,
but no grace in their hearts. Their hearts were empty. Hold
your place there and turn over here to John chapter 5. John
chapter 5. Remember the Lord said to these
same religious Pharisees, scribes, and Jews. John chapter 5, look
at verse 39. John 5.39, search the Scriptures,
for in them you think you have eternal life. He's saying this,
you do search the Scriptures, and in them you think you have
eternal life, but they are they which testify of Me. And you
will not come to Me that you might have life. I receive not
honor from men, but I know you. that you have not the love of
God, you have not the love of God in you. For I am come in
my Father's name, and you receive me not. If another shall come
in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe,
which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh
from God only? Do not think that I will accuse
you to the Father. There is one that accuseth you,
even Moses, in whom you trust. For had you believed Moses, you
would have believed me, for he wrote of me. But if you believe
not His writing, how shall you believe My words?" They searched
the Scripture, but they missed the message. They missed the
Lord Jesus Christ. They knew what town the expected
Messiah was to be born in, Bethlehem of Judea. They even know the
prophet. They knew the prophet. They knew
the letter of the law. It says in Micah, let me read
the exact quote from Micah 2, Though there be little among
the thousands of Judah, yet out of these shall come forth unto
me, that is, the ruler in Israel, whose going forth hath been from
old, from everlasting to everlasting, he is our king." Now, here's
the point. Many people and most religious
people know the facts of the gospel, the facts of the Bible.
People say, well, I know my Bible. They missed the message. They
miss the Christ of the gospel, heads full of knowledge, full
of doctrine, but no true faith in the true and living God, or
trust the Christ of God, who is God our Savior. Therefore,
they're going about to establish a righteousness of their own
by their religious morality, instead of submitting to the
righteousness of God revealed in the gospel. What is the righteousness
of God revealed in the gospel? Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Lord, our righteousness. Now here again is a good example
of God's sovereign grace. He'll have mercy on whom he will
have mercy. The Lord passed by these most
religious Jews and saved some pagan idolaters these men from
the east, Gentiles. Why did the Lord do that? Because
it pleased Him to do so. He'll have mercy on whom He will
have mercy. It's not of Him that willeth
nor of Him that runneth, but of God that shows mercy. The Lord's doing the same thing
today. The Lord does not change. He's still sovereignly calling
out sinners to Himself in mercy and in grace and revealing to
them the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And He does it with the
preaching of a truth. God doesn't use the lies of men
to reveal the truth. He uses the truth of the Word
of God to teach the truth. not by works of righteousness,
which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us. Now, look at verse seven, verse
seven and eight. Then Herod, when he had frivolously
called the wise men, inquired of them diligently, what time
did that star appear? When did this happen to you?
Now, some think that these wise men have been following this
star for two years. That star probably appeared when
the shepherds had that revelation of the angels praising God, saying,
glory to God in the highest. When did this star appear? Maybe
at that time, and they'd been following this star for two years.
And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, go and search diligently
for the young child. And when you found him, bring
me word again that I may come and worship him. Now, did he
have any intentions to worship this one who was the Messiah,
the King? Well, as we read down in verse
16, he had all the children from two years of age and under, he
had all them children. How many? Hundreds, maybe thousands
of children, he had them slaughtered. Now, in Herod, what do we see
in Herod? You say, well, he was a wicked,
ungodly man. He was. But you know what I see
in Him? I see me. I see you. In Herod, we see a picture of
our sinful, wicked, guilty nature. There is none righteous, no,
not one. I've heard people say, well,
if I had been at the cross, I would have stopped that crucifixion.
No, you wouldn't have. You'd have been right with them.
You see, there's none righteous, no, not one. That includes you.
I heard a preacher on the radio this morning make this terrible
statement talking about Peter's sin. And he said that Peter was
a good man, but he did a bad thing. There's a big problem
with that. If you don't see it, you're in
trouble. Peter wasn't a good man. He was
a bad man who was made good by the grace of God. You see the
difference? We've just turned this thing backwards. He was
a sinner who was made righteous in Christ. He wasn't a good man
that did a bad thing. That just shows you that they
think that salvation is in what people do rather than by the
grace of God. Herod's intentions were not to
worship the Lord Jesus Christ, but to murder him. He gave lip
service, but his heart was full of anger. His heart was full
of murder. He had murder in his heart, didn't
he? Oh, just tell me where he is and I want to come and worship
him. Turn over here to Matthew 15. You remember our Lord said,
the Lord had such scathing words to those Pharisees who were going
about to establish their own righteousness. He said, it's
filthy rags in my sight. Look over here at Matthew 15.
Look at verse 7. You hypocrites, well did Isaiah
prophesy of you. Matthew 15, 7. These people draw
nigh to me with their mouth, and they honor me with their
lips, but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do
worship me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men." Herod
had no intention, although he said he had intention to worship,
because his heart was full of enmity against God. He wanted
to murder God's Christ. The carnal mind is yet enmity
against God. In verse 8, He sent them to Bethlehem
and said, Go and search the young child. And when you find him,
bring me word that I may come and worship with him. Do you
know something's missing there? Why didn't all these religious
scribes and Pharisees, why didn't they go too? Why didn't they
go with the wise men and seeking the King, the Messiah? They did
not believe their report, did they? Even the religious Jews
did not go with the wise men to seek the Lord. They had no
real interest in knowing the true Messiah. They were only
interested in their religious tradition. They didn't believe
them. They thought these men are magicians
from the East and they've come to deceive us and to trick us. You know that's what they were
thinking. Isn't that a picture of all of
us apart from God's sovereign grace? having no interest in
the true Christ of God. Now, verse 9 and 10 and verse
11 is good news here. And when they heard the king,
they departed. When they heard what Herod had
said, they departed. And lo! Which means, behold,
there's that star again. Now, this is an unusual star. This is not something that occurs
by Mother Nature. This is something supernatural
that God brings to pass. This particular star, it led
them to Jerusalem, and then when they're on the way to Bethlehem,
here's this star again. It's God's providential timing
that this star would come, and that star is a symbol of God's
gospel, God's messenger. And when they saw that star,
which the same star they saw in the east that went before
them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
That star from Jerusalem, Bethlehem's about six miles south of Jerusalem,
and here's this star. This star is leading them right
over to the house that Mary and the young child, and it stops
right over that house. That star is pointing right to
that house. The gospel messenger points to
the Lord Jesus Christ as everything in salvation. These wise men
acted in faith, believing God, and the Lord blessed them and
led them to worship the Savior as their God, as their King. What a miracle of God's grace.
The same star, the same messenger they saw in the east, showed
them the way to Jerusalem to inquire, and now the same star
in this country of Judea is revealing the way to the house, to the
Lord. God rules the heavens and the
earth to bring His people to seek the Lord Jesus Christ. He'll move heaven and earth to
get one of His sheep, His elect, to hear the gospel of the grace
of God. I know that personally. I've
experienced that personally in my own heart, my own life. Now, something interesting here. The Lord, you remember, 40 years
in the wilderness, Israel traveled around in that desert land, 40
years, and they were led by that pillar of fire at night and that
cloud by day that led them to the promised land. Well, that
was supernatural, wasn't it? That rock, the water out of that
rock, it said that rock followed them. Well, that's supernatural,
isn't it? And all that led them to the
promised land, which is a picture and type of the gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ. And the Lord used a star to guide
these wise men to the promised son, the Lord Jesus Christ. God will use what means he is
pleased to use to bring his people to him to hear the gospel. Now it's no accident that any
of us are here. God on purpose crossed our path
with the gospel and called us out of darkness into his marvelous
light. Our Lord tells us over here Look
over here at Matthew chapter 7. These men were seeking the
Lord, weren't they? These wise men were made wise
by the Spirit of God, wise unto salvation. They were walking
in what light they had. They were seeking the King that
they might worship Him. Look at Matthew 7. Our Lord said,
Ask, and it shall be given you. Seek, and you shall find. Knock,
and it shall be opened unto you. And the tense of the verb is,
keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking, and the Lord will be
pleased to open the gospel unto you. Jeremiah wrote this. The Lord writes this and gives
this to Jeremiah. He said, you shall seek me and
find me when you search for me with all your heart. I'll be
found of you. Seek ye the Lord. Seek the Lord
where He's found. Now, look at verse 11. I'll wind
this up here in a minute. When they saw the star, verse
10, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy, verse 11, when they
were coming to the house. Here's this star hung over this
house. I don't think anybody else saw
that star but these men. It was hidden to everybody else,
but it was revealed to them. Right there! There he is. He's
in the house. When they were coming to the
house, they saw, or they perceived, or it was revealed to them, that
this young child is the king they were seeking. And was Mary
his mother. And they fell down and worshipped
him. Now, they didn't worship the
mother, did they? There's no Mary worship here.
They worshiped Him. And when they had opened their
treasures, they presented unto Him gifts, gold, frankincense,
and myrrh. Verse 12, And being warned of
God in a dream, they should not return to Herod. They departed
back into their own country. You reckon when they went back
to their own country, You reckon they went back preaching the
gospel of the king? You know they did. Remember our
Lord healed that wild man in the tomb and said, go home and
tell how great things the Lord has done for you. You know those
wise men did that. Now, a couple of things here.
Here's what we do see. When they saw him, it was revealed
to them that this is the king. This is the King. The King of
kings and Lord of lords. Turn over here to Matthew chapter
11. How did they know this? By revelation. Look at Matthew
11 verse 25. Matthew 11 verse 25. Jesus answered and said, I thank
thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast
hid these things from the wise and prudent, and revealed them
unto babes, even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy
sight. All things are delivered unto me and my Father, and no
man knoweth the Son, but the Father, neither knoweth any man
the Father save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will
reveal him." Those who have a revelation of the glory of God in the face
of the Lord Jesus Christ, they rejoice in Him and they worship
Him. What is true spiritual worship?
Worship is the true response of a revelation of a living God
into our heart. the glory of God revealed in
the face of the Lord Jesus Christ. The only place a sinner will
truly worship is at the throne of an absolute sovereign God. The only place a sinner will
truly worship is God on the throne. True knowledge of the holy and
sovereign God to our heart causes us to worship Him in spirit and
in truth. He turns us to himself from our
idols to serve the living and true God. I'll give you several
examples of that. When Isaiah saw the Lord high
and lifted up, He said, woe is me, I'm a man of unclean lips,
and I dwell among a people of unclean lips. We studied in the
Revelation chapter 1, remember when John had a revelation of
the glorified Lord Jesus Christ, you remember what happened? John
fell at his feet as a dead man, and the Lord laid his hand upon
him and said, fear not. I'm the first, I'm the last.
When Saul of Tarsus met the Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus,
he was laid out in the dust. Remember, he said, Lord, what
would you have me to do? The leper turned to Matthew chapter
8. That leper that was healed, when
he came to the Lord Jesus Christ, what did he do? He worshipped
him. Matthew chapter 8, look at verse
1. And when he was come down from
the mountain, great multitudes followed him. And behold, there
came a leopard and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if you will,
you can make me clean. And the Lord Jesus put forth
his hand and touched him, saying, I will be thou clean. And immediately
his leprosy was cleansed. What did he do? He came and worshipped
him. Those who have seen the Lord,
they worship him as the King of kings and Lord of lords, as
the King of all the earth. It says in verse 10, they also
rejoiced with exceeding joy. That's what true worship does.
It causes us to rejoice in the Lord. We are the true Israel,
the apostle Paul writes in Philippians 3. We are the true Israel which
worship God in the Spirit, that rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ,
and we have no confidence in the flesh. None at all. Therefore,
being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into
this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in the hope of the glory
of God. So when they saw Him, they worshipped
the true and living God. When they saw Him, they rejoiced
in Him, and that's what true worship does. The third thing
we see here, they opened their treasures and presented unto
him gifts. Gold? Now did the God, our king
and our God, he owns all things, right? Everything is his. Did
he need their gold? No. He didn't need their gifts. But out of love to these men,
out of love in their heart, When they saw their Savior and
King, and they opened their treasure because God had opened their
heart, and they presented these gifts unto the Lord. They presented their gifts to
Him as acts of worship out of love. When God gives a new heart,
To worship a true and living God, He gives us a generous heart,
a loving spirit, a forgiving spirit. You see, the love of
Christ constrains us. Why do we give as unto the Lord? Because He's given us everything.
We give out our thanksgiving and gratitude and love, don't
we? Now, in closing, wise men still seek the Lord. They still
seek the King to worship Him and love Him and bow to Him.
Only a fool will say, no God for me. The fool has said in
his heart, no God for me. Those who are made wise by God
the Holy Spirit with the Word of God, they seek salvation where
it's found, in Christ. May the Lord be pleased to give
us wisdom to seek and find salvation where it is revealed. And we
can say with Paul, I know whom I have believed and I'm persuaded
that he's able to keep that which I've committed unto him against
that day. Salvation in our exalted, victorious Lord Jesus Christ.
To believe Him, to worship Him, and to rejoice in Him. He is
the Lord our Christ. We don't make Him Lord, do we?
We bow to Him as our King. We bow to Him and submit and
worship Him as our God and King, as our God and Savior. One old
preacher years ago, when he came to Ashland in 1950, by the name
of Roth Barnard, he made this statement that shook everybody
up. He said, don't tell me who your Savior is. Tell me who your
Lord is. If the Lord Jesus Christ is not
your Lord, God, and King, He's not your Savior. He's not your
Savior. And those folks got so upset
and got so mad at him.