12/25/11 WORSHIP KING JESUS AND REJOICE
Matthew 2:1-12                      Sunday, December 25, 2011
Key Verse: 2:11                      Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF

“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.”

Dear Lord Heavenly Father thank you for blessing this Christmas Day. It was full of the Word of God and friends and serving others. It was focused on Jesus and celebrating and worshipping Christ. Lord, thank you for blessing us with so much meaning and joy. I pray that you may bring Jesus to the students of NIU and C.O.D. through our 1:1 ministry and fellowship. I pray that you now help us to make many spiritual resolutions this New Year and to reflect on your grace. Please help mu kids to be blessed through attending the Well and the Triton JBF winter conference. May the Holy Spirit and the word of God work in their hearts. Lord, help me to hold onto through this daily bread.

1. Jesus, the Shepherd King (1-8).

Verses 1-8 read, “ 1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’[b]” 7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

Magi were truth-seekers who studied the Scriptures (Nu 24:17) and the stars. They found that God’s promised Savior, the King of the Jews, had been born. They knew that he was more than a man. They made a long and costly journey to worship him.

It is not easy to worship Jesus sometimes. Take today for example. I had to work at night, then after one hour sleep, drove one hour to a friend’s church worshipped and ate lunch and then after that drove one hour back home and sang carols at a nursing home. This was all my worship of Jesus this Christmas. It is costly. But worth it. It is because I am worshipping the my Lord and Savior and the king of the universe. I know that there will be many sacrifices involved in seeking and worshipping Jesus, but they are nothing compared to what these Magi’s were enduring. They were seeking Jesus in a country ruled by a cruel dictator. It was like venturing into North Korea to find a tiny baby in a manger. But they did it. Lord, thank you for opening my eyes to see the value of the gospel and Jesus and helping me and my family to willingly make the necessary sacrifices to seek and worship Jesus.

Their visit disturbed King Herod, who thought the baby Jesus threatened his political position (3,16). Herod tried to use both the Magi and the Bible to destroy Jesus (4,7-8). He was a typical worldly king. It is not just wicked kings like Herod who try to eliminate Jesus. There are lots of people who are threatened by the Gospel and Christ and they seek to eliminate Jesus, from their family, from their kids, from society. But like Herod, anyone who sets out to eliminate Jesus will fail. Many have tried and yet Jesus is still going strong, though the epicenters of his activities are moving around the world. Those who want to eliminate Jesus should repent and get on board with what Jesus is doing.

Jesus is a different kind of king. Jesus is the Shepherd of his people (6). Jesus does not oppress people, but protects and guides his people for their good. Jesus sacrificed his own life to save his people from their sins (Mt 20:28). I like Jesus as my humble shepherd savior. Life in Christ is pretty graceful. I would much rather be ruled by Jesus other than by my sins and this merciless world.

2. The Magi worshiped Jesus and returned (9-12).

Verses 9-12 read, “After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.”

After the Magi left King Herod, God guided them personally through the star to the place where Jesus was. The sign of God’s presence and his guidance gave them great joy. When they saw the child Jesus, they recognized God. They worshiped him with all their hearts, souls, and strength and by giving him costly gifts. They had fame, riches, power, and honor in the world, but it did not satisfy their souls. Only Jesus, the Savior King, can give us true life and joy and peace.

Wise people worship Jesus. They are not out to get things from Jesus. They want to worship and offer things to Jesus, mostly their hearts and their lives. I want to be wise. I want to offer up Jesus my life and my future and my all. I want to dedicate to Jesus all that is within me, for his worthy to be worshipped.

Those who want to get something from Jesus and not purely worship him will be easily disappointed. Some expect Jesus to give them and stable family and a great job. Jesus wants to help but he may tell people that they need to detox from their unhealthy relationships for a couple years and fellowship with believers and take out a few student loans and study hard at college. This may be too hard to accept and people may get mad at God that he doesn’t just pour out everything in their laps with no effort. But those who are simply happy to obey and worship and offer up their lives will do it and they will be blessed. All the treasures of life in Christ are their, all we need to do is worship Jesus purely, not seeking to get, but eager to give to Jesus.

Prayer: Lord, you alone can save me and satisfy me. Help me to seek and worship you alone.

One Word: Worship the Shepherd King Jesus