And we find out after a while
what creatures of habit we are. My weekend is not the same. As I said when I came in here,
let's see if we can get out of the revelry and celebration and
fellowship and worship. But my weekends, almost every
week, go something like this. is spent winding up in the office
and then studying, preparing a message for Sunday morning
and getting an outline or something, a thought for Sunday night. And
then Saturday, all day long, from Saturday morning until late
Saturday night, is spent studying my Sunday school lesson and studying
the message for Sunday morning, studying the message for Sunday
night, and dreading television Monday. Well, I don't have one
sermon to preach this weekend. I didn't have a Sunday school
class. I don't have an evening message to bring. And it hadn't
gone right or something. I came in yesterday afternoon.
I worked a little yesterday morning, Saturday morning, and about two
or three o'clock I came in and sat down in the living room and
turned on the ball game. And I told Horace, I feel plumb
useless. Plumb useless. I don't know what
to do with myself. I don't have anything to do. I told her this, I said, I'd
never be happy retired. I can tell you that. I've got
to have something to do. When I get to where I can't preach,
Richie and one of you fellas are going to have to get me a
job. Watching a ball game on Saturday
afternoon, you know, and then celebrating Christmas Saturday
night just somehow doesn't prepare you to worship God on Sunday
morning, does it? But we'll do the best we can.
Turn to Matthew 2, and I think I have some things here that
maybe the Lord will be pleased to use. The very first thing I see in
chapter 2, verse 1, Now, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem,
when you read those words, read them again carefully, when Jesus
was born in Bethlehem, I believe a triple Sela ought to be put
at the end of that phrase. We read the book of Psalms and
every once in a while you'll see this word, S-E-L-A-H, Sela,
and that's a musical term which means pause and think about this
and reflect on it, you know, it's worthy of being said again.
Well, I believe this praise, Jesus was born in Bethlehem,
deserves a triple sealer, sealer, sealer, sealer. Pause and pause
again and pause again and reflect and consider the magnitude of
these words, Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Jesus was born in
Bethlehem. Now, up to this time, this was
the greatest event in the history of the universe. I was reading
a preacher on these verses this past week, and he said this was
one of the greatest events that ever took place. I disagree with
it. I say up to this time, up to
this time right here. And the reason I say up to this
time is that I would consider his death and his resurrection
and ascension to be of equal importance. What I'm saying is
this, up to this time, this is the greatest event that ever
has taken place in the history of the universe. Our Lord's birth,
our Lord's death, our Lord's resurrection, our Lord's ascension,
and all that pertains to our Lord's redemptive work is God's
greatest glory. Now, I know the Lord created
the heavens and the earth, and the songwriters said, oh Lord,
my God, when I in awesome wonder Consider the worlds thy hand
hath made. And David said, When I consider
the stars, and the moon, and the sun, and the things which
thou hast made, O Lord, how great thou art! The heavens declare
thy glory. But I say, in comparison to the
incarnation of the Son of God, these are minor works." Turn
to Exodus 33. And the Lord tells us that Himself.
In Exodus 33, when Moses Ask God to show him his glory. Show me thy glory. Well, God
didn't take Moses back to the beginning when he laid the foundations
of the world and when he hung the stars in space and put the
sun in the center of the universe and when he made man and put
him in the garden. God didn't take Moses back to
the days of creation. He didn't take him back to the
wonders of the flood. He didn't take him back to the
riches of Egypt and the great pyramids and all of these things.
Moses said in Exodus 33, 18, show me thy glory. In other words,
Lord, show me your chief glory, show me your great glory, show
me that which pertains to thy greatest, greatest glory. Listen to what God said. And
the Lord said, I will make all my goodness, my goodness pass
before thee and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee,
and I will be gracious. I will be gracious to whom I
will be gracious, and I will show mercy on whom I will show
mercy." What is God's greatest glory? His grace and his mercy. Where is his grace and mercy?
In Christ. How did he accomplish his grace
and mercy and goodness to sinners? By the birth death and resurrection
and intercession of his Son. That's God's greatest glory.
And when we read this phrase over here, these words in Matthew
2, verse 2, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, up to this time
this was the greatest thing that God ever did. This was the greatest
expression of his love, the highest expression of his wisdom, and
a true expression of his glory. Now, all that God does in the
accomplishment of his glory is of major importance. But what
this is saying is this. Listen to me. God Almighty took
a human body and dwelt on this earth. Do you understand what
I'm saying? Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Jesus is God Almighty. Turn to John 1. We're not just
saying that another baby was born in Bethlehem. We're not
just saying that an unusual baby was born in Bethlehem. We're
not just saying that a mysterious baby was born in Bethlehem. We're
not just saying that a baby who is a direct ambassador from God
was born in Bethlehem. We're saying God was born in
Bethlehem. God took on himself a human body. Look at John 1. Now listen to
this. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was
in the beginning with God. Now look at verse 14. And the
Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory. We beheld his glory, the glory
as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Let's go back to Matthew chapter 1. And when Joseph found out
that Mary was with child, and Joseph being a compassionate
man, was not willing to make her a public example, but was
minded to put her away privately. And while he thought on these
things, the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said in a
dream, in verse 20 of Matthew 1, Joseph, the middle of the
verse, verse 20, Our son of David, descendant of David, Do not be
afraid to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived
in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son,
and thou shalt call his name Joshua, Jesus, Savior, or he
shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done,
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the
prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child. and shall
bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Immanuel. Listen, which being interpreted,
is God with us. When the fulness of time was
come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the
law, to redeem them born under the law. One other verse, I Timothy
3.16, Now if you'll listen carefully to this message this morning,
I'll give you the very foundations of faith. I'll give you the very
fundamentals of true saving faith. And the first one is this, the
greatest wonder of all, the greatest mystery of all, God became a
man. Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
And 1 Timothy 3.16 says, and without controversy, without
debate, without argument, this is not a subject for argument.
This is not a subject for debate. It's without controversy. Great
is the mystery of godliness. Listen, God was manifest in the
flesh. In the flesh. If you don't believe
that Jesus of Nazareth is literally Actually, God Almighty in human
flesh, you'll have to take the Bible and toss it away. You'll
have to take this book that's called the Word of God and toss
it from you, because it declares God was manifest in human flesh. That's what it says. God was
manifest in the flesh. Do you have an understanding
of the incarnation Do you have some understanding of the magnitude
of the incarnation? Turn to Hebrews 2. Now listen
to this, Hebrews 2, verse 16 and 17. Incarnation is essential
to salvation. Two races fell. The scripture
tells us that the angels fell, kept not their first estate. They fell and they were banished
to everlasting chains of darkness under the day of judgment. No
hope for the angels, no redemption for the angels, no salvation
for the angels. The other race that fell was
the race of men. In a representative atom, sin
entered the world. And it says here in Hebrews 2,
verse 16. Now listen to it. Barbarically
he took, he is Christ, the Son of God, took not on himself. took not on him the nature of
angels. He did not choose to save the
angels. He was not pleased to redeem
angels. He was not pleased to come here
as a representative of angels. He took not on him, he could
have, he didn't. But he took on him, upon him,
the seed of Abraham. Wherefore, in all things it was
necessary It behooved him, it was required of him to be made
like unto his brethren, in order that he might be a merciful and
faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation
for the sins of the people. It's not only God's way, it's
the only way. Incarnation is essential to salvation
if sinful men are to be saved. Listen to me, there are two things
that make incarnation necessary. There are two reasons why Jesus
Christ, God Almighty, had to become a man. Two reasons. One
is the holiness, the absolute, immaculate, unchanging holiness
of God. The holiness of God. God Almighty's
law is unchangeable. It is still true this do and
live. It is still true. God has not
altered his law, he has not repealed his law, he has not changed his
law. The law is just as holy as it
ever was, and we're under obligation to keep it just as much as Adam
was. Now, that's so. God's law is
unchangeable. The holiness of God, the justice
of God, the righteousness of God, absolutely requires a sacrifice,
a substitute, a sin offering, a representative before God for
you and me if we are to be saved. If sinful men are to be saved,
God's law must be obeyed. I stand before you this morning,
I claim to be a believer. I claim to be a child of God.
I claim to be saved. I claim that my sins are forgiven,
that my name is written in the book of life. That if I dropped
dead right now, that I'd go to be with God and live eternally
with him. On what basis? On this basis,
on the basis of God's righteousness, justice, and holiness. I have
a perfect obedience before the law of God. I didn't do it, Christ
did it. That's what I'm saying. I'm saying
that God can save me and still be holy. That God can save me
and still be just. That God can save me and still
be righteous. And the only way that God can
be just and holy and righteous and save the chief of sinners
is for that chief of sinners to have a perfect standing before
his law, and that's what Christ did. Christ became a man. It
behooved him. It behooved him. It was necessary
in all things, tempted in all points. Christ had to be born
of a woman, because I was. Christ had to be born lowly and
poor, because I was. Christ had to be born and grow
up in a home subject to his parents, because I was. Christ had to
be born under the law, subject to the law, in obedience to the
law, because that was required of me. Christ had to bear the
affliction and trials and sufferings of life, because that was my
lot. The curse upon man was to earn his bread with the sweat
of his brow, and Christ had to earn his bread with the sweat
of his brow. And because God's justice says the soul that sinneth
shall die, Christ had to die. Because the wages of sin is death,
Christ had to bear those wages. And he had to lie in a tomb because
that's my lot. He had to do everything that
the law required of me, that the justice of God required of
me. If sinful men are to be saved,
every attribute of God has got to be honored and glorified. Turn to Psalm 130. Psalm 130. Listen to verse 3 and 4, Psalm
130, verse 3 and 4. Let me read the whole, the first
four verses of Psalm 130. Out of the depths have I cried
unto thee, O Lord, O Lord, hear my voice. Let thine ear be attentive
to the voice of my supplication. Now listen. If thou, Lord, shouldst
mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? Anybody here? anybody's
ever lived, the best man or woman that's ever lived. If God should
mark or charge, if God should put every creature under the
magnifying glass of his holiness, his infinite holiness, who could
stand? No one. No one could stand. If thou, Lord, shouldst mark
or charge or single out iniquities, who would stand? Now watch verse
4. That's forgiveness with thee. Now, wait a minute. You mean
God can change his character now? Here he is, just and righteous
and holy, and he looks at us in our guilt and in our sins,
and we can't stand, and God can't change. Now, does God suddenly
look at us from a different angle? Does he look at us from a different
position? Does he change his ways? Does he change his... Oh, no.
Oh, no. But there is forgiveness with
thee. How is there forgiveness with thee? Jesus was born in
Bethlehem. That's what I'm saying. God became
a man. God took on himself human flesh. God Almighty suffered in our
place and in our state. He is our righteousness in life.
He is our substitute in sin offering and death. He is our justifier
in resurrection. And he is our great high priest
and mediator in his intercession. Christ is all we need. All right,
go back to my text in Matthew 2. Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
Follow the trail of blood and sacrifice from Eden to Calvary,
and two things will stand out. God will punish sin and God will
be merciful. This is what Christ came in human
flesh to accomplish. Here is the second phrase. And
behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying,
Where is he? Where is he that is born King
of the Jews? Now, I don't know a great deal
about these men personally. I do not know their names. I
know in all of the nativity scenes and so forth they have three
wise men. We don't have any record of how many there were. Their
names are their country. I do know something about them
collectively. I don't know anything about them
personally. It may be, turn to Genesis 25, it may be, I'll say
this, it may be that they were the descendants of Abraham's
concubines. In Genesis 25, verse 6, look
over here a moment. We do have this reference. In
verse 5 of Genesis 25, it says this, And Abraham gave all that
he had unto Isaac. And Isaac shall thy seed be called,
and Isaac shall all the nations be blessed. Verse 6 says, But
unto the sons of the concubines which Abraham had, Abraham gave
gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived. He sent them eastward into the
east country. I don't get bogged down on that.
There's no problem with studying things of that nature to try
to find out who these men were, but when you get through, you'll
never know. Really, really, that's true. You'll never know how many
there were. You'll never know what country they came from.
You'll never know their names, and you'll never know their heritage
or background, except maybe this will give you some hint. But
I know two or three things about them collectively. First of all,
I know this, they were wise men, wise men. When I read that, I
thought the first thing you thought. These men were very intelligent,
well-read and well-educated, wise men probably wearing pointed
hats with spires on it, and long gowns and sitting around with
big, thick books with dust all over them. I don't know, but
I do know this. These men were wise in that they
were seeking the Lord's Christ. They were wise men, that's what
I'm saying. They were wise men in that they sought the kingdom
of God. I know this, the wisdom of this
world is foolishness with God. And I know the man or woman,
now listen, I admire people who have education, I admire people
who look into the sciences and into energy and into all, I admire
people who are smart, who are intelligent, who have accomplished
things through their intelligence. But I'm telling you this, The
beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. The beginning of
wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Paul thought so. Paul said, take
everything that I am or everything I have, everything I've ever
accomplished, my heritage, background, everything, and I count it but
done that I may win Christ and be found in him. These were wise
men. These were wise men. They were
seeking the Lord's Christ. They were seeking the things
of the kingdom of God. I believe the Ethiopian eunuch
was a wise man. You say the Ethiopian eunuch
had to be a wise man. He was in charge of the treasury
of the whole country of Ethiopia. He was a right-hand man to the
Queen of Ethiopia. No, he was wise in that he was
seeking the Lord. He was seeking the Lord. Our
Lord Jesus Christ said, There was a rich young man whose fields
yielded abundantly. He was wealthy and prosperous
and influential and a great power in the community. And he was
lying on his bed one night and couldn't sleep. He wasn't worried
about his soul. He was worried about where he
was going to put all the things that he had out there in the
rain, you know. He didn't have any silos big enough to hold
it all. He was lying there concerned about finances and concerned
about investments and concerned about his barns and concerned
about his lands and concerned about all these things. And he
was lying there thinking, now if I tear down these barns over
here, I can build bigger barns. And if I make an investment here,
I'll get a return on my money. If I do this, that, and the other.
He was real concerned about these things. And our Lord spoke to
him that night and said, Thou fool. Now the whole world was
talking about his wisdom. The whole community was talking
about his shrewdness. The whole community was talking
about his prosperity. There was a wife saying to her
husband that night, they were also lying awake, and she said
to him, if you're as smart as Joe Brown over there, you'd have
to build a bigger silo. Why didn't you do what he did?
Why didn't you accomplish what he accomplished? But God said,
Thou fool! Thou fool! A man's a fool to
live for this life alone. A man's a fool to live for riches
that'll perish. A man's a fool to live for human
wisdom that's foolishness with God. Thou fool, this night thy
soul shall be required of thee, and then who shall all these
things be that you've acquired?" These were wise men, wise men,
in that they were seeking the Lord. All right, here's the second
thing about them. They were wise men. And secondly, now watch,
stay with me here. I know what I'm doing. It says
that these wise men from the East came to Jerusalem. They came to Jerusalem. They
were wise men. They were seeking the Lord Christ.
They were seeking knowledge of the kingdom of God. And they
came to Jerusalem. Why? Why did they come to Jerusalem? They came to Jerusalem asking,
Where is he that is born King of the Jews? I'll tell you why
they came to Jerusalem. They came where Christ was revealed. Now, listen to me. They came
where Christ was revealed. At this time it was Jerusalem.
At Jerusalem was the Temple. Oh, I know it had been Temple
worship, it had been poverty. Our Lord even went into the Temple
with a whip, drove out the money changers and drove out the crooks
and drove out the con men. Let me tell you something. Even
though it was full of con men and crooks, it's still his temple.
That's right, it's still his temple. Now stay with me. In Jerusalem, the sacrifices
were observed. I know they were perverted. I
know they were twisted. I know that men had made an end
of the means, but still, these things were associated with God. These things were associated
with God. These things were the things
of God, and though men had perverted them, nevertheless God is revealed
in those things designated by him and associated with him.
These men off in the east, there's Jerusalem. For all these years
since David, Jerusalem had been the capital of religion, literally. In Jerusalem was the temple,
in Jerusalem were the priests, in Jerusalem was the law, in
Jerusalem were the sacrifices, in Jerusalem were all the types,
in Jerusalem God was revealed. It was to Jerusalem that the
Jews came on every special occasion. And when they wanted to find
the Messiah, they went to Jerusalem. For there's where God was revealed,
there were the things associated with God. And what I'm, well
you say, what are you saying to us? I'm saying this. I know
the church. of the Lord Jesus Christ, like
the temple of old, is full of con men and crooks. I'm sorry,
but that's just so. But it's still his Church, and
he's still revealed in the Church. And it's still true, upon this
rock I'll build my Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail
against it. And I hear men today saying, God will bless outside
the sanctuary. I don't believe a word of it.
I don't believe a word of it. Christ loved the Church and gave
himself up. I don't believe a word of it.
You say, well, get us an organization out here and we won't fool with
the Church, we won't be called a Church, we won't be associated
with the Church. You won't be associated with
God either. It's his Church, that's right. It's his Church. And where is Christ to be found?
Where was he standing? In the middle of the seven candlesticks,
the Church. And he had the stars in his right
hand, that's his ministers. That's so. And I'll tell you
this, he's revealed in his word, and he's revealed in the preaching
of the gospel. And I know there are not a lot
of people who preach the gospel. I know there are a lot of men
who are not defining the gospel, but I'm still saying that without
the preaching of the gospel, men are not going to be saved.
Turn to 1 Corinthians 1. Now listen to me, this is so
vital, and I've had people ask Folks that come to church here,
they come all the way from Paceville, they come from Milton, West Virginia,
they come from Huntington, they come from Grayson, they come
from all different places. Why do you go so far to church?
Well, I go to worship God. I was glad when they said unto
me, let us go unto the house of the Lord. It's the Lord's
day. It's the day for worship. It's
the day to meet with God's people, it's the day of fellowship, it's
the day for hearts to be lifted in praise and worship and thanksgiving
to God. But why go so far? You pass a
dozen churches or twenty churches to get there. I go to the church
where the gospel of Jesus Christ is clearly preached and defined,
where the word of God is read. I go because there it's not fun
and games, it's truth and gospel. And that's the reason. And you're
wise to do it. You're wise to do it. In 1 Corinthians 1.21, listen.
For after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew
not God. It pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believed. That's still so. Willie,
that's still so. By the foolishness of preaching,
God saves people. And if men do not hear the truth
of the gospel, they're not going to be saved. Turn, if you will, to Romans
10. I listen to this, Romans 10,
verse 13. Suppose these so-called wise
men had said, well, you know, what's Jerusalem or any other
place? We're thinking about the King,
we're desirous to know the King, we're desirous to know the Lord's
Christ, we're desirous to know the kingdom of God, to enter
into the kingdom of God. Well, we can find the kingdom
of God anywhere. The kingdom of God is everywhere, that's
true. But these men went to Jerusalem. For it's there where God is revealed.
It's in the things of God that you find God, that you find Christ.
And this is what the scripture is saying here in verse 13 of
Romans 10. Whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him,
that is, the name of the Lord, the true name of the Lord? His
name is his character, his name is his attributes. It's not just
the name Jesus, it's Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesus, his humanity,
Christ, his priesthood, the Son of God, his deity. The Lord Jesus
Christ, that's the name. And in that name are all his
attributes, all his offices and all his work. And it says, how
shall they call on him in whom they've not believed? You're
not going to call, you're not going to lean, you're not going
to trust in him unless you believe him. You're not going to cast
yourself upon him unless you're confident and persuaded he's
able to do all that his name reveals. And how shall they believe
that in him of whom they haven't heard? And how shall they hear
without a preacher, a true preacher? And how shall they preach except
they be sent? There were some wise men in the
East, and they made a long, somebody says they might have been on
the road for weeks, but they made a long and perilous journey,
a difficult journey to get to Jerusalem. For there were the
things of God, there was a revelation of God. There were the things
identified with God, and there they came to find the Lord's
Christ. No matter what you think of his
church, his word, or the preaching of the gospel, without the preaching
of the gospel there is no salvation. And I'll tell you this, it would
be wise if you had some inkling, some sign, either outwardly or
inwardly, that there is a God. And his law is holy and his justice
has a claim on you. And if there is a death to die
and a judgment to face and an eternity to spend, there is an
eternal life in glory and eternal condemnation in hell. That there
are the glories of God to be enjoyed and the wrath of God
to avoid. It would be wise if you had to
journey or travel a long way. If you had to sacrifice a lot
of things, but to put yourself in a position for the sun of
God's glory to shine upon you and bring forth flowers to his
glory, it would be worthwhile, whatever you had to give up,
whatever sacrifice you had to make. That's what these men did.
They came all the way to Jerusalem, they said, we're looking for
him who was born king. Now, let me show you this. What
did they ask? They said this, where is he?
They came to Jerusalem and they said, where is he? Where is he,
watch it, that is born King? Now, what it meant, they were
looking for a King. They weren't looking for a doormat
named Jesus. They weren't looking for a fire
escape named Jesus. They weren't looking for an insurance
policy or Social Security for their old age. They were looking
for a King. Now, get that. And here's another
fundamental of our faith. Jesus Christ is God. Jesus Christ
came into this world in the flesh. Jesus Christ came for the purpose
of fulfilling every requirement of God's holy law and satisfying
through his suffering and death the justice and wrath of God
against our sin. And Jesus Christ has been given
a name which is above every name. He's King of kings and Lord of
lords. He's the sovereign, almighty
authority in heaven and earth. He has all authority in heaven
and earth. All flesh is in his hand to give
eternal life to whom he will. He's a king! And I'm saying this
to you as kindly, but as forcefully as I can, I'm not trying to push
Jesus off on anybody. I'm calling for wise men. to
bow to the crown rights of King Jesus. I'm calling for men and
women to submit to the sovereign rule of the King of Kings and
Lord of Lords. I would be ashamed of the so-called
Savior that most people preach. I wouldn't bow to him. I wouldn't
bow to him who has no power to accomplish his will. I'm calling
for you to bow to the King. Look for a If you're looking
for a mealy-mouthed, defeated, frustrated, confused Reformer
who didn't know where he came from or why he came or what he
came to do or where he was going, you're wasting your time. Look
for the King. They said, where is he? What's
this? You don't make him King. God did. They said, where is
he who's what? Born King. He's born King. He always has been king. He was
king lying in the manger. He was king walking the streets
of Jerusalem and the shores of the Galilee. He was king hanging
on that cross. He was holding the keys of hell
and death. He opened the kingdom of God
for a thief even in his weakest hour. He's a king. He's born
king. There never has been but one
king. I know the premillennialists say that one day Christ will
be king. They're dead wrong. He always
has been, is now, and always will be. We're not living in
a parenthesis. We're not living in a vacuum.
Jesus Christ was king and someday will be king. Right now Satan's
king. Oh no, he's king. He's born king. They said we want to know him.
We want to find him. Where is he who's born king? Who's born king? King of whom? King of the Jews. Now, immediately
people think, well, that's that little country over there that's
whipping up on everybody over there in the Mideast. No, sir.
I beg your pardon. Turn to Romans 2. You're looking
at a Jew standing right here in front of you. You're looking
right at a Jew. My name's not Rubenstein. My
name's not Isaac. My name's Henry. Good old Scotch-Irish
name, Mahan, Mac Mahan. with red hair and freckles and
a tempered image. But I'm a Jew, full-blooded,
100 percent Jew. That's right. Romans 2, verse
28. Listen to it. He's not a Jew,
which is one outwardly. Not because he's a part of the
Twelve Tribes, not because he's got black hair, not because he's
a shrewd businessman, not because he's got the prominent features
of a Jew. He's not a Jew which is one outwardly. Not because
he keeps Saturday as a Sabbath day and tries to keep a law or
feast days. He's not a Jew which is one outwardly. Neither is circumcision which
is outward in the flesh. You don't make a man a Jew by
baptizing him or circumcising him or catechizing him. That
don't make him a Jew. you'll make him a hypocrite,
you'll make him a phony professor of Judaism. I read where Sammy
Davis, Jr. decided he'd be a Jew. Well,
he could be, if God made him one, but he can't make himself
a Jew. Verse 29, But, listen, he is
a Jew, which is one inwardly by faith in Christ. And circumcision
is of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter, whose praise
is not of men, but of God. Turn over to Philippians. Philippians,
Paul in one of his present epistles in Philippians 3, verse 3. He
tells you who the circumcision is. He tells you who the Jews
are. He tells you who true Israel
is. Philippians 3, 3. We are the circumcision. We are
Israel, king of the Jews. Where is he who is born, who
has always had a kingdom? That kingdom given him in God's
everlasting covenant of grace. That kingdom of which he is the
eternal shepherd in the great shepherd. that everlasting kingdom
that he came to purchase, that kingdom which he bought through
his blood. We are the circumcision, listen,
verse 3, Philippians 3, which worship God in the spirit, not
in the form, in the letter, in the ceremony, in the tradition,
in the custom or the holy day, but who worship God in the spirit.
Not just on Sunday morning, but 365 days a year, worship God. Worship God in the spirit. Listen,
and we rejoice in Christ Jesus. He is all in all. He is our wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification and redemption. He is everything
that God requires and everything the sinner needs. Jesus Christ.
We rejoice in Christ. We love Christ. We approve of
Christ. We receive Christ. We embrace
Christ. We are called by the name of
Christ. We bow to Christ. We worship Christ. We adore Christ. And we have no confidence in
the flesh. in our ancestry, in our heritage, in our deeds, we
have absolutely no confidence in the flesh. He's the king.
Let me show you something in the book of Psalms. I'll hurry
on this. Turn to Psalm 22. This is the
message throughout the word of God. He's king. He's king. I know he came and died as a
lamb, but he's no longer on a cross and he's not in a tomb. He's
at the right hand of God. And if you come to him, you'll
come to him as he is, not as he was. You'll believe on him
as he is. You'll receive him as he is,
not as you want him to be or as your preacher says he is,
or you think he ought to be. You'll bow to him as he is. He's
King! Kiss the sun! That's to be anointed. Now, Psalm 22, you have the cross.
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? The whole 22nd Psalm
is the cross. They cast garments for my vesture,
verse 18, my robe. They pierced my hands and feet.
There you have the cross. Chapter 23, Psalm 23, you have
the comfort, you have the consolation, you have the application of the
blood. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He restored
my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's
sake. Verse 24, you have the crown.
The earth is the Lord. and the fullness thereof, the
world and all that dwell therein. It is. He founded it upon the
seas and established it upon the floods. Who shall ascend
into the hill of the Lord? Who shall stand in his holy presence?
Who? He that hath clean hands and
a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor
sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing
from the Lord and the righteousness from the God of his salvation.
This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy
face, O Jacob." Read it again. Pause. Think on it. Lift up your
heads, O ye gates, and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors.
And who's coming in? Poor little Jesus. No sin. The King of glory. That's who's
coming in. Lift up your head! Who is this
King of Glory? It's the Lord! Weak and defeated,
no such, strong and mighty. It's the Lord! Who couldn't get
the job done, no, mighty in battle. Lift up your head! O ye gates,
lift them up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory
shall come in. Who is this King of Glory? It's the Lord of Hosts. He is
the King of Glory. I tell you, these are wise men.
It came from the East. They said, Where is the King?
Where is the King? Where is he, this born King of
the Jews, King of the Jews, King of true Israel, King of Israel
in glory, and Israel on earth, King of Israel, King of his church,
King and Sovereign and Lord of his people. Watch it, they said,
we've seen his star in the East, we've seen the sign. Will you
tarry with me just a moment? God was pleased to give these
men a sign of Christ coming into the world. And these men saw
that sign. They saw that sign. What a blessing
to have revealed to them God's way and God's will. They saw
it. They saw it. Now listen to me. The chief priest
and the lesser priest were down there in the temple. And they
were going over the sacrifices and the holy days and the ceremonies
of religion, and they were busy about what they called the Lord's
work. And Tom, they didn't see it. They didn't see the sign. And then the Pharisees were studying
the law and the rules for daily living and forming discipline
committees and out looking for folks who violated their rules,
and they didn't see the sign. They didn't see it. And the scribes
and the lawyers were arguing doctrine. and the finer points
of scripture. And they were looking into eschatology,
and they were looking into church history, and they were looking
into the traditions, and they were looking into all the doctrines
held by the old great fathers, and they didn't see it. And the
Sadducees were outwitting converts. They were compassing sea and
land to make a proselyte to their religion, and they didn't see
it. But you know who saw it? There were some poor old shepherds
out there on the side of a hill, busy about their earthly labors. Nobody knew them or recognized
them. They weren't very influential. But God Almighty sent them a
special messenger and said, Under you is born a Savior, Christ
the Lord. They saw his sign. And these
men over there in the east, they were renegades. That's what they
were, renegades, renegade children of Abraham. They weren't down
here in office. None of them could have held
an office in the temple. Not a one of them qualified.
But God showed them his sign. God showed them. And I'll tell
you this. God has given many signs right
here in this book of the coming of Christ. He's the seed of woman. He's the seed of Abraham. He's
the seed of Isaac. He's the seed of Jesse, Judah. He's the household of David.
He shall come as the Lamb. He's the fulfillment of every
temple sacrifice and every piece of furniture. He's the fulfillment
of every day of atonement. He's the fulfillment of Levi
and Ava and those men. And I'll tell you this, wise
men are looking at those signs. Wise men are. And wise men, made
wise by God's grace, see those signs. They see him, Jesus Christ,
to him give all the prophets witness, and they come with these
wise men of old, and they say, listen, look at Matthew 2 again.
And they came to Jerusalem, they came to where the things of Christ
were revealed. And they said, where is he? It's
born King of the Jews, we've seen his sign, we've seen it
undeniably, we've seen We've seen all of these precious signs
and pictures, we've seen them! He is here! He has come! We know it! Now watch it. And we've come to debate with
him. No. No. We've come to match wits with
him. Well, I don't quite agree with
what you say. My Bible says this, you know.
No, we haven't come for that. We haven't come, well, we've
come to let Jesus have his way. No. No. Well, we've come to accept
him. And we've thought it over and
we've debated it and we believe we're going to accept him. No.
We've come to worship him. And you think I'm making fun,
but I'm as serious as I can be. Whatever he's pleased to do with
us, we make no claims on him. We make no claims on him. These
men didn't bring, they didn't bring any, they didn't bring
any requirements from their government with them. They didn't bring
any petitions for him to sign. They didn't bring anything for
him to fulfill. They said, we've come to worship
him. Where is he? We've come to worship him. We've
come to bow down. We've come to fall at his feet
with Thomas and proclaim, my Lord and my God, whatever he's
pleased to do with me, with my world, with my family, whatever
he's pleased to do with me, I've come to worship him and I'll
worship him. I'll worship him here or in heaven
or I'll worship him in hell, but I'll worship him because
he's worthy. Huh? That's what it says. We've come to worship him. There's
no claims on him. We've come to bargain with him. We've come
to offer him ourselves if he'll save us. No, we've come to worship
him. I close with verse 11. And when
they were coming to the house, when they came into his presence,
they saw him. They saw him. He that seeth the
sun, and believeth on him, shall be saved. They saw him, and they
fell down, and they fell down and worshipped him. I can tell
you this with all the sincerity of my soul, that no man has ever
willingly, lovingly, obediently, in truth, in spirit, fallen down
at the feet of Christ in worship and adoration that has not risen
in a state of grace. I'm just confident of that. whatever his background, whatever
his name, whatever his age. But I'll tell you, a lot of folks
came like Nicodemus, and they argued. And a lot of folks came
like the rich young ruler, and they offered to do certain things.
But the leper fell at his feet and went away clean. Mary sat
at his feet and went away blessed. The thief on the cross fell at
his feet and went to glory. Go on through the Scripture.
Thomas fell at his feet, my Lord and my God. The place for a sinner
is not kissing the cheek of Jesus in fellowship like Judas. Judas
kissed his cheek, Mary kissed his feet. Huh? That's right. Well, he's my friend. He's your
Lord first. If he's not your Lord, he's not
on friendly terms with you. That's right. They worshipped
him. They fell at his feet and worshipped him. And that's where
I'd be found if I were you, at his feet. Now, what's the next
line? And they opened their treasures. Every time God opens a man's
heart, he'll open his pocketbook. I guarantee you. Every time. When God opens his heart and
brings him in love with Christ, he'll open everything else. Everything. And they opened their treasures.
And did what? And gave him gifts. They didn't
turn to one or the same and say, how much am I supposed to give?
Is that 10% still in effect? No, sir. They fell down and worshipped
him, and then they opened their treasures. Here it is, Lord. It's not mine, it's yours. Here's
my home, here's my heart, here's my family, here's my children,
here's my past, present, and future. Here am I. Do with me
what you will. But you're Lord. Now, you see,
that's not what's being preached today. We're being told to let
Jesus have his way. No, he's going to have his way.
It's got nothing to do with what you do. He's going to have his
way. His will shall be done. He worketh his will in the armies
of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. He doeth all things
according to the good pleasure of his own will. Where you need
to be is find yourself in his will, subject to his will, submitted
to his will. That's it. And you know the way
that's done? By falling at his feet, worshipping
him. Worshipping him. That's it. I
am merciful, Master. Because of Thy mercy we call
upon Thee. Because of Thy mercy we look
to Thee. Because of Thy mercy to the miserable
we live. Thank You for Your Word. Apply
it to whom You will for Your glory. We cannot open men's hearts,
nor their eyes, nor their ears. We cannot give them an interest
We cannot give them that alertness or enthusiasm for Thy grace.
Only the Holy Spirit can do for sinners what needs to be done.
We are thankful that You've been pleased to quicken our hearts
and give us a love for Him. We pray for others that they
might have a love for Him. O Lord, God, Thou knowest every
heart. We're not interested in building a name for ourselves,
nor a kingdom, nor a following, so that someone somewhere might
as a result of these messages come to love Christ and raise
their hearts and their faith and their eyes to him.