What To Give For Christmas
Richard Nunez
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Introduction
Introduction
Good Morning! It’s great to see everyone again on this fine Sunday morning. Now that Thanksgiving is in the rear view mirror, who is already finished doing their Christmas shopping? Have any of you even begun? If you haven’t don’t worry about it, many others have not yet started either. Christmas in this country is a significant billion dollar event with somewhere around $720 billion spent. Now that is a lot of cash and a lot of stuff. Are you ever faced with the question, perhaps from year to year, what to give a loved one for Christmas? I mean, some us really struggle with the question of what to get. The question could be even harder if they are the type of person who might have “everything” already. But the question and struggle remains, what could I give to this person, perhaps something that they don’t already have or what I am thinking - would they like? Have you ever noticed how it’s almost like winning the lottery, when that person give us an idea or two? We’re like - YES! I better get logged onto Amazon, eBay or Cabela’s and get that item ordered before it gets sold out!
Our passage this morning comes to us from the 2nd Chapter of Matthew. This is where we pickup about the visit of the wise men at Jesus’ birth. If you have your Bible’s with you this morning, please turn with me to Matthew Chapter 2. If you need a Bible, there is one located on the pew in front of you. Let’s turn our attention to verses 7 through 12.
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
Pastoral Prayer
Pastoral Prayer
The three wise men are world famous. Many of us have either heard or known of the wise men, perhaps from a very young age. We do not know a whole lot about these men, specifically. Most likely these would have been astrologers. It’s important to grasp that their mention here in the biblical record does not men God is endorsing astrology. What God did was, He provided a very special sign that acted as an announcement for the birth of Jesus.
King Herod summoned the wise men in secret and sent them the city Bethlehem. These guys were to go there in search of baby Jesus . The king gave this summon secretly, because he did not want the other religious leaders asking questions as why these three guys were in town. He wanted to keep them under the radar. The commandment Herod gave was to “search diligently.” This meant Herod wanted to these guys to be searching high and low, to be searching in every cubby and under every mattress. He wanted this baby found! After all, who doesn't like hold and cuddle a brand new baby? We all love to snuggle up to a baby. I don’t know what it is, they are all just too cute! Especially, when they have gotten a little older and start making those baby sounds. You all know those sounds that ups their cuteness by a factor of ten.
Our passage this morning tells us that the king said, “that I too may come and worship him.” If this is the first time you’ve heard this story. You might be thinking - Aaawww that’s awesome! Herod feels the same way everyone else does, we love babies! When children are still within their first one-to-two years, they are really starting to come into their cuteness. Friends, I want you to know there is more than meets the eye. There’s a whole other story behind the words on the page or the screen!
The fact is, King Herod was not a nice man. The king was being sly, very sly. The king did not want to worship Jesus. The king wanted to get rid of Jesus; he wanted him dead. If king Herod would have said something like, hey “there’s king born some where around here, and I’m going to get rid of him;” learning the location of Jesus would have been impossible. King Herod was using the wise men to find the Jesus to report on His whereabouts.
So the star in the sky appears guiding the wise men “like the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night.” When we read this piece of scripture, things happen in lightning speed. It does not take long for us to cover 153 words. The wise men traveled by camel and with a sizeable party. It was not only the three men making the trip, it was many. And, traveling by camel took time, these guys did not arrive in jet speed time. The star was there, and all they had to was navigate the terrain with one step at a time. Could you imagine how these guys felt?!? I can tell you EXACTLY how they felt! “They rejoiced exceedingly with great joy!!!” If these guys knew what cart-wheels and high-fives were, we could have seen cart-wheels and high-fives going on. It was YES! WE FOUND HIM!! There he is The King of the World.
When these kings came to Jesus, they did not cuddle him. They did not come to play gooo-gooo-gaaaga with him! These wise men came on bended knee . In verse 11 says:
11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
There is a popular belief out there when the wise men are also on bended knee worshiping Mary his mother. This is not the case. The wise men are not worshiping Mary. Mary is simply just holding Jesus. Just like any other mom holding their child. The wise men are on bended knee because they are worshiping Jesus! Jesus is the King of kings. He is the Lord of lords. And one day, people like Alex Morgan, Taylor Swift, The Rock, Madonna, Bob Barker and Richard Nunez, and every human being, will bow to their knee confessing that Jesus Christ is King! WOW!
What a beautiful name - The Name of Jesus - The Name of Jesus Christ my King! Isn’t your heart just singing right now with the words - The Name of Jesus Christ my King!?! This joy you have right now in your heart, the stir of the Holy Spirit in your soul all packaged with excitement. This could have been a similar feeling the wise men might have felt when they first laid eyes on Jesus. The feeling of “great joy” that drips from every pour causes many of us of bow in worship. For the wise men, they did exactly that, and came bearing gifts to the new born King.
They brought gifts of “gold and frankincense and myrrh.” Bringing gifts was important during this time when approaching a superior. We see something very similar happening over in 1 Kings Chapter 10 with the Queen of Sheba. When the Queen of Sheba came to visit the son of David in Jerusalem, she came “with camels bearing spices … gold and precious stones.” All three gifts honor Jesus as King. Gold, then as now, was a precious metal prized for its beauty and value (Psalm 72:15). Frankincense and myrrh are resins from trees. And when either used by themselves or combined, they create some wonderful aromas. These three gifts that were brought to Jesus are all considered to be luxury gifts.
The role of the wise men is now complete. Just as they were divinely guided to the place where Jesus was, they set off for home.
12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
Before they could unwittingly participate in Herod’s scheme, these guys were warned “not to return to Herod.” The wise men returned by another route, and from the looks of it bypassing Jerusalem all together. We can call this a strategic withdrawal in terms of safety. If the wise men ignored the warning in the dream, we don’t know if Herod could have come unhinged if the wise men chose not to give up the location of Jesus as he requested, causing harm to the wise men. Or, through persuasive techniques, Herod could have learned the exact location putting Jesus in harm’s way. The wise men turned their ear to heaven and responded in obedience.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The birth of Jesus is very important as we enter and celebrate the Christmas season. It’s a special time and opportunity to preach, teach and to worship. This is a cause for great praise because Jesus is among the people of the world. The Christmas season is one of those special times of the year. As we get closer to December 25th, people hearts are softer. Many across this great nation know why we celebrate the birth of Jesus! And, it not just us. Millions join in celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. There is just something about the Christmas season. It’s a time we get together with family and friends. Think back to a question I asked earlier: Are you ever faced with the question, perhaps from year to year, what to give a loved one for Christmas? This can be a tough question.
The best gift we can give for and during the Christmas season is the gospel of Jesus Christ. We can give the good news to those who might not yet know about the good news of forgiveness and salvation through Christ Jesus. I know many of you on your way in this morning picked up a bulletin. And inside that bulletin is a page for note. Would you write down the name of a person you know that you could share the gospel with? After you have done that, write down “to be done by December 25th.” If the person is already Christian and perhaps hasn’t been to worship in a while, share with them. Share the Christmas with them.
As a Christian, have you ever been asked what would you give Jesus during the Christmas season. I was asked that once. Richard what would you give Jesus this Christmas season. I thought WOW - great question. I shared because of His sovereign dominion, I’ll give Him my wealth: all I have belongs to Him. Because of His sinless deity, I’ll give Him my worship: I’ll fall on my face before him — just like the twenty-four elders in heaven who “fall down before him who is seated on the throne (Rev. 4:10).” And, because of His sacrificial death, I’ll give Him my witness: I can share what is meant by “He died for me.” The way I see it - everything I have, my worship, my witness all belongs to Jesus!
Perhaps you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. You could have been right here in this very worship center, and heard those very words, or you could have been listening to the radio hearing those words. You might have been thinking about this decision all year. Today can be the day you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. Jesus will accept you right where you are.
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer