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Gifts of the King • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Gifts of the Kings Part 2: Frankincense
How many of you have a favorite smell of Christmas? Maybe it is the cinnamon candles, or the peppermint? Grandma’s cookies?
A sweet smell brings us pleasure, but usually it takes us somewhere that we associate with that smell…it brings up memories and feelings. This is similar to what we are going to look at today…
If you weren’t here last week, I have my three gifts here, to remind us of what we are focusing on this advent season. We started last week looking at the gifts of the magi who came to visit Jesus after his birth. The account is found in Matthew 2. We often refer to these men as kings, but the Scripture tells us they were magi or wisemen from the east. We don’t know much about these men or how many there were, but it does tell us there were three gifts presented - gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Each of these gifts were highly significant in their symbolism and their relationship to various titles given to Jesus Christ.
The Greek theologian Origen (185-254 AD) wrote,
“Gold, as to a king; myrrh, as to one who was mortal; and incense, as to a God.”
Last week we took a look at the significance of Gold, as a gift fitting for a king. Today we are going to look at the second gift of Frankincense.
Frankincense is from a tree resin from a tree that grows mainly in the Arabian peninsula. It was used to mix with oils and make healing balms. It was known for its sweet and pleasant smell when burned and used in perfumes. During that time, bathing and having many changes of clothes was very uncommon, so things with good strong scents were of value. It was often seen as a symbol of deity.
So as we look at the gift of Frankincense this morning, I would like to look at how it was important to how the Israelites understood their relationship to God, how it applies to Christ and our relationship to him today, and how it should form our view of our relationship with Christ to come.
1. A God in the Midst of His People
The ancient Hebrews used Frankincense in temple worship. It was set to burn on the table with the Show bread every Sabbath. It was combined with other types of incense and burned every morning and every evening.
Exodus 30 “You shall make an altar on which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. 2 A cubit shall be its length, and a cubit its breadth. It shall be square, and two cubits shall be its height. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. 3 You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And you shall make a molding of gold around it. 4 And you shall make two golden rings for it. Under its molding on two opposite sides of it you shall make them, and they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it. 5 You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 6 And you shall put it in front of the veil that is above the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is above the testimony, where I will meet with you. 7 And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it, 8 and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations. 9 You shall not offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it. 10 Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the sin offering of atonement he shall make atonement for it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.”
Le 24:7–9
7 And you shall put pure frankincense on each pile, that it may go with the bread as a memorial portion as a food offering to the Lord. 8 Every Sabbath day Aaron shall arrange it before the Lord regularly; it is from the people of Israel as a covenant forever. 9 And it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, since it is for him a most holy portion out of the Lord’s food offerings, a perpetual due.”
This practice was symbolic of the relationship between the Lord and his people, He was there in their midst and they came before him morning and night to worship. It was a smell that was pleasing to God because it carried with it the feelings and emotions of his people, the love he had for them, and that desire he had to live in relationship with them.
We find that this morning and evening prayer became a regular part of the Hebrew lifestyle. In Luke 1:10 it says that “And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshippers were praying outside.”
In one of his psalms, David spoke of the relationship between incense and its representation of prayer
Psalm 141:2 Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Frankincense was a reminder to the Hebrew people that God dwelled in their midst and was worthy of their praise and worship.
2. A God in the Heart of His People
When Christ came, the veil that separated the presence of God from His people was torn. Incense was no longer offered daily by his followers. Christ was the final sacrifice and we can therefore come freely before the presence of God.
However, the understanding of incense as an offering suitable for a God, or deity, was still used symbolically when the New Testament writers explained the relationship we now had with God and how we were to live.
Hebrews 10:19
Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed pure with water.
Just as God wanted his people to be continually in prayer and worship before him in the Old Testament, he does so now! Paul reminds us of this in 1Thess 5:17 “Pray continually.”
This means that we are supposed to live a life characterized by prayer and communion with God.
Now, having the presence of God always accessible to us and no longer having to go before the temple, we are able to offer the aroma of our relationship with God on a daily basis by how we live our lives before him.
Eph 5:1-2 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
So the first thing that we must ask ourselves is, Are we living a life that is an aroma pleasing to God?
When our actions, words, thoughts and prayers reach his throne, do they bring him the reminder of our love for him, do they echo with our praises, do they bring up the emotions of our relationship with him?
In addition to offering our lives as an aroma pleasing to God that reaches his throne, Paul also tells us that this “aroma” also impacts those around us.
2 Cor. 2:14-16
Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and the other the aroma of life leading to life…
So what does the aroma of your life tell others about who you are? About who God is? About your relationship with God?
Frankincense is a reminder to us that God dwells with us in our hearts and he is worthy of our praise and worship.
3. A People in the Presence of their God
Although we now have access to come before God and be confident that our prayers reach his throne, we are still separated from him by the sin of this world. Frankincense can remind us that we will one day offer perfect beautiful praises before our God, without the separation of sin and death.
When Jesus Christ came to this earth, He conquered death and hell and offers us hope of spending eternity in the presence of God. The aroma of our prayers and praises will ever be before the throne.
Malachi 1:11
For from the rising of the sun, even to its going don, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, and a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations,” says the Lord of hosts.
Rev. 8:3-4 Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand.
John saw the prayers reaching the throne of God. We can be confident that our prayers today also reach the throne of God. He hears us and desires for us to come to him.
Frankincense reminds us that, through Christ, we have hope that one day we will stand before God and be in perfect relationship with Him, and give him the praise and worship He deserves.
As we close I would like to read Romans 12:1:
Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. (HCSB)
Frankincense. A gift suitable for a God.
May we be reminded to offer our lives as a sweet aroma.