Bible Study - Christmas (6) - The Wise Men's Worship - Matthew 2:1-11 - January 6, 2019

Bible Study – Christmas (6) – The Wise Men’s Worship – January 6, 2019

This is lesson six (6) and our final lesson in our series entitled “The Full Picture of Christmas.”

Our focus scripture is Matthew 2:1-11.

JESUS is LORD and HE deserves our worship.

What does worship mean to us? If we attend a church service, have we worshipped? Why do we, as Christians, worship?

Often, when we go to church and listen to the music, give some money and listen to the sermon, we feel good and consider that we have worshipped. But have we worshipped?

As a Christian, is worship a time to confess our sins and seek to build an intimate loving relationship with GOD through our faith in JESUS? Do Christians need to go to church to confess our sins? No!

Certainly, Christians sin. Christians commit sins. They have sins of commission, sins that they do or think and sins of omission. These are sins of failing to be obedient to GOD’S Word. But Christians do not have to wait to confess these sins. They can confess them every moment of the day. But such confession can be part of worship and certainly before we take the “LORD’S Supper” Christians need to ask the Holy Spirit to examine their lives and for them to confess any sin GOD brings to our mind. Why is this necessary?

If Christians are sinners saved by GOD’S Grace, why do they have to confess their sins? The simple answer is to maintain the right relationship with GOD and maintain the right fellowship with HIM. Having the right relationship with GOD through faith in JESUS is vital to our Spiritual growth, development and obedient service.

Keep in mind that once a person is Spiritually born into GOD’S Family, he or she is always GOD’S Son or Daughter through the miracle of Spiritual rebirth. As GOD’S Son or Daughter, HE did not make us robots. Christians maintain their will and their right to choose. The question is, “Who rules our lives?” Is it self/the flesh or GOD/The Holy Spirit?

In our lesson today, we read about some wise men who were led by GOD to witness the coming of GOD’S Promised Messiah to earth.

There are a couple of things we need to know:

-         They did not arrive to pay homage to JESUS until JESUS was possibly two-years old.

-         We are not certain of the number of wise men who visited JESUS. Christmas pageants depict three wise men because of the three gifts – gold, frankincense and myrrh. But that is an assumption.

Let’s explore further!

What do we need to take away from this study?

Wise men and women still seek HIM! Just know if you seek HIM, HE will reveal Himself to you. It may take time but HE will lead you to a saving knowledge of JESUS and having the right relationship with HIM through faith in JESUS. Why JESUS? JESUS stated it best in John 14:6:

6 Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Let’s read Matthew 2:1-6:

Wise Men Seek the King

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem,

2 saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him."

3 When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.

4 So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born.

5 "In Bethlehem of Judea," they told him, "because this is what was written by the prophet:

6 And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah: because out of you will come a leader who will shepherd My people Israel. "

JESUS was born during the reign of King Herod. This gives us a timeline so to speak. King Herod was half Jewish. He had risen to the throne of Israel in 37 BC through an alliance with Rome. He died in the spring of 4 BC. He was noted to be an excellent politician and a visionary. He made improvements in the area and to the temple. This pleased the Jewish people. But he also had an evil side. He was oppressive and cruel.

King Herod was paranoid. He was self-obsessed and jealous. He had members of his family executed. He had his favorite wife, her mother, his high priest brother-in-law, some of his sons and many others executed. Just before he died, he ordered the slaughter of people to ensure and to give the illusion that people were mourning his death.

This gives us a picture of why in verse 3, “When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.” All of Jerusalem was disturbed with him because if the king was not happy, no body was happy.

The king called “the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born.” They gave him the answer:

"In Bethlehem of Judea," they told him, "because this is what was written by the prophet: And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah: because out of you will come a leader who will shepherd My people Israel. "

The prophet was Micah who recorded this prophesy about 700 BC as recorded in Micah 5:2:

2 Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; One will come from you to be ruler over Israel for Me. His origin is from antiquity, from eternity.

GOD’S Word, the Bible, is the best commentary we have to verify Christian theology.

This news resulted in Herod swinging into action as we read on ----

Let’s read Matthew 2:7-8:

7 Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared.

8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the child. When you find Him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship Him."

King Herod “secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared.” The king did not want to let the word to get out that his replacement just might have been born. He was a conniver. He would let these wisemen find this person and get them to report back to him, so he could worship HIM? Really???

We need to keep in mind that these were wise men being led by GOD.

The king was wise enough to know that they were being led, possibly by GOD. So, he would let them do their thing. He must have thought, “Oh, how brilliant I am.” “I have matters under my control, so no need to get upset.”

Let’s read Matthew 2:9-11:

9 After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was-the star they had seen in the east! It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was.

10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed beyond measure.

11 Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.

The wise men continued their mission. And as they continued “there it was-the star they had seen in the east! It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was.”

Sometimes, as we are following the calling of GOD, we have a pause for a purpose and possibly a course correction or to gather additional information. The wise men continued to follow their calling and when they began again, they saw the “Star and they were overjoyed beyond measure.” WOW! They knew they were on the right track and that GOD was leading them in the right direction.

But notice in verse 11, they did not go to a stable but they went to “the house.” It is believed that JESUS was between one and two years old, likely a toddler.

They entered the house and when they saw mother and child “they worshipped HIM.” Notice, they did NOT worship them but HIM.

Certainly, Mary was obedient to her calling but she is not to be worshipped above other Christians who are called to obediently serve GOD. She found “favor with GOD” but so do Christians when they obediently respond to GOD’S call to accept JESUS as his or her Savior and to obediently serve HIM.

The wise men worshipped HIM and then:

“Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

Notice that worship came before they opened their treasures which were gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Many have assigned meanings to each of these gifts:

-         God was a gift fit for a King

-         Frankincense is an aromatic and used in worship to produce a sweet smell.

-         Myrrh is a spice used in embalming.

Notice in verse 10, the desire of the wise men was to find the promised Messiah sent by GOD:

-         There was an interruption in their journey but when the pause in their journey had ended, they continued their quest to find this promised Messiah.

-         What had the pause in their journey produced? The King called in the Jewish experts who provided not only the king with information but also the wise men.

-         Now, they knew the general location of the Promised Messiah, Bethlehem, but where?

-         When they continued their quest, behold HIS Star appeared and they followed it.

-         They were overjoyed with excitement because they knew they were on the right track.

-         HIS Star, a special Star, led them to where JESUS was.

-         When they met HIM, they Immediately fell to their knees in honor, respect and in an act of worship. They had found that for which they had been searching. The treasure of great price.

-         They acknowledged their discovery by the giving HIM three precious gifts. (Some speculate that these valuable gifts were used by Mary and Joseph to fund and sustain their journey to Egypt to protect JESUS from the king’s orders to kill all boy babies age two and under.)

-         Once the wise men found JESUS, GOD warned them not to go back to report to King Herod. GOD warned them, (notice THEM) in a dream to take another route back home. The wise men were obedient to the prompting of GOD.

What can we learn from this? Many of us search for GOD and the Promised Messiah, JESUS. GOD’S desire is that all who search for HIM will find HIM. JESUS is the flesh manifestation of GOD. GOD sent JESUS and JESUS chose to come for the express purpose of giving HIS sinless life to pay for all of our sin – past, present and future – in full the instant we place our faith in JESUS.

All humans are on a quest to find truth. But every person has an adversary, Satan. Satan’s desire is for a person not to discover the truth of salvation, which results from the consequence of sin, which is eternal death. Faith in JESUS results in eternal life and a person being born-again into the family of GOD through faith in JESUS.

What does John 3:16-18 reveal to us?

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

GOD loves everyone of us. You never become unloved by GOD. HE desires for you to be honest in your search for truth, which is found in JESUS, the Promised Messiah.

Be honest with GOD and tell HIM, what you honestly feel toward HIM. It could be, “I hate you for ----;” and fill in the blank. Or “It is hard for me to believe in you because of all the tragedy in the world!” Lay it out to HIM. Then ask GOD to help you find truth by leading you to the Promised Messiah, JESUS. When you do and you are honest, then begin your journey to find HIM. Follow the promptings of GOD. Ask HIM to give you something to follow. It could be to get a Christian Bible and read it or any number of ways HE leads.

When you find JESUS, worship HIM. GOD warned the wise men not to return by the same route they had taken to find the Promised Messiah but to take a different route. Once a person discovers truth, through faith in JESUS he or she has a new guiding Star and that is the indwelling Holy Spirit. Allow the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, direct, enlighten, assure, confirm, instruct, guarantee, reveal truth and so much more to you as you obediently serve GOD through faith in JESUS.

If you have never asked JESUS to forgive you for your sins and for HIM to come into your life, do so now. If you have asked JESUS into your life but have not been living for HIM, confess it and ask HIM to restore the joy of your salvation. GOD never leaves us or abandons us. Blessings!!!