The Hope in the Star of Christmas
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Matthew 2:1-12
We have been looking at the Truth about Our Hope these last few weeks.
The Ladies just sang of that hope that had lived among the people through the ages.
We began by looking at the hope of Christ’s Second coming earlier this month.
We learned that this hope motivates us to live a life of holiness in the realization that Christ is coming again!
We looked at the truth regarding our hope motivates us toward humanitarianism.
At Christ’s coming His sheep will be known by their love and service to even the least of these.
Because we were created unto good works
We were gifted for Good works
and we have been provoked unto good works.
Last week we went back in time and saw hope through the first coming of our Savior.
We saw that Hope works through the impossible.
But because we have been chosen by God, we can see wondrous things happen in our lives if we will just yield to His leading.
Mary yielded to God choosing her to do the impossible…and now she sees that this hope from heaven was now living in her.
Today we look at a time in the Bible that the Christ child has already come.
Mary and Joseph have either come back to Bethlehem or they have decided to live there for the time being.
But they are staying in a house now, they are not in the stable any longer.
Also the word that is used for Jesus is that He was a young child, the Greek word is παιδίον (Pī-dē-ŏn) - literally a little child in training.
For this reason we believe that Jesus was possibly upwards to two years old at this time.
Wise men - The Greek word used is mågōs - coming from the Persian or Babylonian word magi.
We often think of there being three wisemen, because of the three gifts that were brought, but we don’t really know how many there were.
These Wise men arrive in Jerusalem asking about “he that is born King of the Jews.”
Notice that they say born king…not born to be king.
He is king even as a baby!
They had seen His star in the east and now they are come to worship Him.
King Herod hears about the fact that they are seeking for this king, and is troubled, so he gathers all the chief priests and all the scribes to find out what they are talking about.
Where is this Christ to be born?
They tell Herod that it has been prophesied that Christ would be born in Bethlehem.
Herod then privately calls the wise men to him and asked them questions about when the star appeared.
Then he sent them to Bethlehem and tells them to find the young child and let him know where He is so that he can worship Him also.
As the wise men leave King Herod they head toward Bethlehem and see the star.
The Bible says that the star went before them…this language is the language of something or someone leading another, actually moving.
Then it says it came and stood over where the young child was.
The word stood means to stop, so it stopped over where Jesus was.
When they saw this they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
They came into the house, saw the young child with Mary and fell and worshiped Him.
Then they presented him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
What a great story, the favorite of many during this time of hte year.
The word that is used for star is aster in the Greek, which is a heavenly body… like the stars.
However it is a star that obviously moved in a direction to lead them…and a star that stopped over one particular house.
They recognized it as being the star that they had seen in the east.
I’m amazed at how God has worked throughout this world and has given Hope for all to see, if they will just open their eyes to see it.
These wisemen are commonly thought to be from the area around Babylon or Persia since the word that is used is a description of Persian astrologers.
What would lead them to know that this star was meant to be for the King of the Jews?
God could have revealed it to them particularly, or it also may be possible that they had copies of the prophesies of the Old Testament that spoke of the coming Messiah.
The Jews for the most part returned to their home land, but there were some that stayed.
Now over 500 years later, perhaps they had found some of these old manuscripts.
Perhaps copies of the Word of God were left behind, and these few men were able to piece together these prophesies, with the recognition of this unusual star.
Either way, This star symbolized Hope.
The Hope of a Coming King.
That hope is still very alive in our hearts today this Christmas.
So let’s look at this Hope that we see in the Star of Christmas....
We see first of that This...
I. Hope Shines to All
I. Hope Shines to All
2 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.
Even early on God has hinted that His salvation was for all who would come.
There is no doubt that this hope was firstly for the...
A. Jews
A. Jews
The hope that was brought by this star was for the King of the Jews…it was his star they saw in the east.
The King was come as Messiah - the deliverer to the Jews.
He was their King.
They were His chosen people.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
But I am grateful that He did not just bring this hope and salvation to the Jews only!
It wasn’t the High Priest who saw the star.
It wasn’t King Herod who saw the star.
It wasn’t the Pharisees who saw the star.
It was the...
B. Gentiles
B. Gentiles
I am so grateful that this hope was for the Gentiles as well!
Oh what a picture of God’s love for the whole world!
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
But these gentiles had studied the stars, they possibly had studied the prophesies.
They recognized that this King was different.
It was enough to cause them
to seek Him out.
To bring Him gifts
to fall at His feet and worship Him.
Very likely these men were worldly astrologers, not men of God!
And yet when they opened their heart to God they saw the difference.
And the difference no doubt changed them.
I’m so grateful that God’s plan all along was to include us!
It wasn’t just a last minute thought, “Oh…OK you can come too I guess.”
The Hope was for the Gentiles.
This hope stirred these wise men to come from far away...
There was a art contest held in a local school one Christmas season a few years ago in East Texas. One of the prize winners was a picture drawn by a nine year old boy showing three men, offering gifts to the baby Jesus in his manger. What made the picture unique is how the three gift presenters arrived—there was fire truck on the side of the picture.
The principal asked the boy about his decision to draw the truck and the boy, in his heavy East-Texas accent, was quick to reply: “Well, the Bible says the wise men came from a-far.”
But also... this Hope was not just for the Jews and Gentiles more than 2000 years ago…but the hope that this star represented is for...
C. Us Today
C. Us Today
Once again realizing that the Biblical word hope is not wishful thinking…but an expectation with certainty that God will do what he has said.
The hope that this King is not just anther king, but the King of Kings
Paul encourages Timothy to keep the faith in 1 Timothy and he told him...
14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:
15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
This hope shines bright throughout the course of time to bring us to Christ.
Oh how we need to be busy sharing the light of Hope to the world around us.
It’s not ours to keep, but ours to share!
This Hope Shines to All
Secondly this...
II. Hope Solicits Response
II. Hope Solicits Response
Everyone in this story responded to the Hope of the Christmas Star.
Some responded not by seeing it, but by hearing about it.
Some saw and responded.
Some responded positively, some responded negatively.
What will your response be today?
The first response was...
A. To Receive
A. To Receive
Some received the hope.
The wisemen saw the star, and recognized it as a symbol of the hope of a King who had come.
A special King.
Then they acted upon that hope, and received a blessing because of it.
By the way, They did not just greet a king, but they worshipped Him.
11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
It was recognized that this child was not their equal or even just slightly better, but far superior to them.
The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament 4352. προσκυνέω proskunéō
The ancient oriental (especially Persian) mode of salutation between persons of equal ranks was to kiss each other on the lips; when the difference of rank was slight, they kissed each other on the cheek; when one was much inferior, he fell upon his knees and touched his forehead to the ground or prostrated himself, throwing kisses at the same time toward the superior.
This is the meaning and sense behind this Greek word worship.
They knew He was special.
They received leading of God
They received joy.
They even received God’s protection because they acted upon this hope.
12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
Hope Solicits a Response, and the wise men’s response was to Receive Him.
If you do not know Jesus as your Savior and as your King, there is no better Birthday gift you can give Him than to receive Him today!
Evangelist John R. Rice said, “You can never truly enjoy Christmas until you can look up into the Father’s face and tell him you have received his Christmas gift.”
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
But another in this story responded as well, but He did not receive the Hope, instead He chose
B. To Reject
B. To Reject
He chose to reject the hope of the star.
The hope that Christ brought to the Jews.
Herod reacted out of fear of losing his position as King.
he was agitated
He was troubled
He sought out the truth, but when He heard the truth…he rejected him.
The Hope of that this star represented still solicited a response, but it was far different than the worship that the wise men brought.
Verse 16 tells us Herods true colors…he was not wanting to worship Christ, like he said.
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Beth-lehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.
17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,
It is obvious by Herod’s response that He never intended to receive the Hope that Christ brought.
I hope that everyone hearing my voice today will receive the hope of Christmas today.
Don’t reject Him…receive Him while you can.
This Hope of the Christmas star Shines to All - Jew, Gentile, Male or female, bond or free, during the time of Christ, and today.
Don’t miss the message this hope brings!
It was in December of 1903, that after many attempts, the Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, were successful in getting their “flying machine” off the ground and into the air at Kitty Hawk. Thrilled over the accomplishment, they telegraphed this message to their sister Katherine: “We have actually flown 120 feet. Will be home for Christmas.” Katherine hurried to the editor of the local newspaper and showed him the message. He glanced at it and said, “How nice. The boys will be home for Christmas.” He totally missed the big news-for the first time in human history, man had flown!
This Hope of the Christmas star Solicits a Response
Will you receive Him or reject Him?
Then Lastly this morning we see when we have responded by receiving Him, this ...
III. Hope Stirs Our Giving
III. Hope Stirs Our Giving
11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
When they came in and saw Him…The Hope of all the Ages…they fell down and worshipped, and then they gave of what they had.
A lot of symbolism can be found within the gifts that they gave.
There is the symbolism representing the three offices held by Christ as Prophet, Priest and King.
There is the symbolism of His death and burial in the Myrrh, as this is a spice used in burial preparation.
There is the symbolism of Truth within the frankincense as it is one of the spices set before the Testimony of God in the temple.
Often symbolic of His resurrection as well.
But mostly we see it as a strong symbol of Christ the...
A. King
A. King
There is the symbolism of his future reign in the gold.
Gold ever since ancient times has used to honor kings.
This gold pointed to the only begotten Son of God being given by God to be the King of Jews.
It reminds us of the Love of God.
The wise men no doubt were proclaiming Him to be King…they were seeking the King of the Jews.
We three kings verse 2 says...
Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain
Gold I bring to crown Him again,
King forever, ceasing never,
Over us all to reign.
The Gold represents the gift to a king
we may not have gold to lay before him now, but He would much rather just have you bow before Him now as your King.
Will you lay before him your life as your king?
The second gift Frankincense is very symbolic of His...
B. Deity
B. Deity
Frankincense is an aromatic clear resin obtained from trees in Northern India and Arabia.
It is used in incense and perfumes and was treasured for its aroma and healing properties.
Frankincense was a key ingredient used in the temple, and is often a symbol of prayer.
As used in the temple it pointed to the Truth of God, as it was placed before the testimony of God.
But giving frankincense to this baby was a recognition of him being the Son of God.
The third verse of We Three Kings says,
Frankincense to offer have I;
Incense owns a Deity nigh;
Prayer and praising, voices raising,
Worshiping God on high.
We may not be able to lay before our God frankincense today, but we can lift up our prayers to Him a beautiful fragrance to our Lord and our God.
Revelation gives us a view into heaven, and we see
4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.
Will you lay before Him your entire life as your Lord and your God?
The third gift Myrrh as I mentioned before was used in preparation for burial.
As such it points to Christ as our...
C. Savior
C. Savior
This pointed to the reason that Jesus came.
He was born to die at Calvary.
Myrrh was also used for medicine, and anointing oil.
It was mixed along with other spices into the oil that was used to anoint prophets and priests.
We are told in Deut 18:15
15 The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;
Christ is that Prophet, which He confirmed when he was on earth.
57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.
The myrrh given to him at His birth not only pointed to Him being that prophet, but it also pointed to the work of salvation that He would do a few decades later as our Savior.
The fourth verse of We Three Kings says,
Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume
Breathes a life of gathering gloom;
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
Sealed in the stone cold tomb.
Jesus came as King of Israel the Messiah
He came as the Priest of God to atone for man’s sins
And He came a the Prophet of God speaking God’s words, and fulfilling God’s plan.
We too need to honor Christ this Christmas as our King, as our God and As our Savior.
Conclusion
Conclusion
These wisemen presented their gifts before the Savior.
What can you give Him today?
The wise men gave of their time, they travelled from a far, they took the time to seek Him.
You can bring to Christ your time this next year.
The wise men gave of their talents.
They were truth seekers, and talented at that.
What talents has God given you that you can bring to Him this next year?
The wise men gave of their treasures.
They sacrificed and gave Him costly treasures.
Will you sacrifice for Christ from your treasures?
Another Christmas carol says...
What can I give Him
Poor as I am
If I were a shepherd,
I would bring Him a Lamb
If I were a wise man,
I would do my part
So what can I give Him
I'll give Him my heart.
The story is told of a bell ringer many years ago for the Salvation Army who stood outside a store ringing a bell with a sign propped against the change bucket that sat on the floor ...that read, “What will you give to Jesus for Christmas?”
A poor young boy walked by and stopped to read the sign and he reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin and placed into the bucket.
The Bell ringer thought to himself, “Hmm... that was probably quite a sacrifice for that young man.”
The boy walked away only to come back a few moments later and stopped and looked at the sign again. The boy dug into his pocket again, and this time turned them out grabbing all of the few coins that He had and he put them into the bucket.
The Bell ringer thought to himself, “Wow that is quite a sacrifice, he gave all that He had.”
The boy left and a man came up and the Bell ringer was busy talking the gentleman when he heard a jostling of the coins in the bucket. He turned around ready to defend the money from a thief when he was shocked to find the little boy sitting in the bucket.
What will you give Jesus this Christmas?
This young boy was willing to sacrifice, in fact he was willing to give all that he had. But ultimately he knew that wasn’t enough and decided to give God all that he was.
We have a Christmas box on the back table, where if the Lord leads you you can give a Christmas offering to God.
But I would much rather see, and I know that God would much rather see you not just give of your treasure to Him…but give Him Your whole life.