Matthew 2:1-12
When the wise men came to visit Jesus they
presented Him with gold and frankincense, before
Joseph and Mary finished opening those, the magi
said, but wait, there’s Myrrh.
This morning we are going to examine Matthew 2 which
talks about the wise men coming to visit Jesus.
Let’s start by reading the entire passage. Follow along as
I read Matthew 2:1-12.
We have seen God’s Providence throughout the Scripture
as we have studied the Birth of Christ these past few
weeks. We saw Him send an angel to both Joseph and
Mary to let them know He was at work and how He
wanted to use them in His story.
Today’s passage also shows:
God’s Providence at Christmas
The first display of God’s providence is found when He:
● Prepared a Star to guide the Magi – verse 2 tells
us that they saw His star when it rose in the sky.
God put it there. He wanted them to see it. He
wanted them to come visit Jesus.
The magi were astrologers who knew the stars and
this new star was mysterious to them so they
wanted to find out where it came from.
The second display of God’s providence is seen as He:
● Predicted the Birth of Christ in Bethlehem –
verse 6 is a quote from Micah 5:2. Neither Herod or
the wise men knew the Scripture, but God used the
priests and the scribes to help them get the
information. God was already working long before
Jesus was even born to get the magi there that first
Christmas night.
The third display of God’s providence is evidenced as
God:
● Positioned the Star above the Christ Child –
verse 9 explains that God not only raised the star in
the sky, He moved it to guide them from Jerusalem
to Bethlehem and placed it right above the place
where Jesus was. This also shows us the power that
God has over all of His creation. With the exception
of shooting stars, stars are stationary, but not this
one. God put it in the sky and then moved it as His
discretion to accomplish His purpose.
The final piece of God’s providence is seen as He:
● Provided Instructions to the Magi – verse 12 tells
us that God came to them in a dream telling them
not to return to Herod, but to go back to their
country another way. God orchestrated this visit by
the magi exactly how He wanted it to happen.
God is in control that very first Christmas and He
continues to be in control of our lives. Are we listening for
His voice and watching for His guidance every day?
The second truth we should consider about our text this
morning is that the magi came with one expectation, but
God showed them something different.
God’s Perfect Plan at Christmas
God’s plans are always greater than our plans.
I titled this message seeking a king, finding a Savior
because the wise men came to find the King of the Jews.
They were searching for a king, but they found the
savior of the world. God helped them find what they
weren’t even looking for.
They came to Jerusalem, but God directed them to
Bethlehem. God has a way of getting us right where He
wants us to be. Even if we make a few wrong turns. God
is still sovereign and is still able to get us where He wants
us.
They brought gifts for the child, but received the
greatest gift of all. Salvation at Christmas. Isn’t it
interesting that they brought gifts to the One who was
the gift? God is so generous and loving towards His
children.
Sometimes we can get distracted by the gift giving at
Christmas. Even though it is nice to show someone you
care about them by thinking about them and giving them
a gift, this Christmas we should remember that Jesus
gave the gift of his presence. He is God with us.
Emmanuel.
Are you being present this Christmas as you spend time
with family and friends? Or are you just concerned about
the presents you are giving and receiving?
Be present this Christmas!
The final truth from our Scripture this morning is that
Jesus is worthy of our worship. The magi did just that.
God’s Purpose for Worship at Christmas
The magi came from the east to worship the newborn
king.
Our purpose as Christians is to worship Jesus and to
glorify Him in our lives.
The magi came to give Jesus
Sacrificial Worship
They traveled approximately 400 miles from Persia to
Jerusalem and then on to Bethlehem. This would have
taken them a long time to travel by camel or by foot.
Either way it was a great sacrifice for them to come all
this way to worship Christ.
They not only gave up their time to come on that long
journey, they gave of their wealth to offer gifts to king
Jesus.
The expensive gifts they brought to give to the new king
showed the great sacrifice they were making. The magi
must have been very wealthy to afford the extravagant
gifts they presented to Jesus. They gave sacrificially to
the king of kings.
Not only did the magi give Jesus Sacrificial worship, they
gave Him:
Sincere Worship
When the magi arrived at Bethlehem and found Jesus,
they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. They also
assumed a posture of worship by falling down as they
worshiped the Christ child.
This is directly opposed to Herod who deceitfully said he
wanted to go and worship Jesus.
He had no plan to worship Jesus, he only wanted to know
His location so he could kill Him. Herod was a terribly
jealous king and the thought of another taking his
position was more than he could bear. He was so jealous
that he later declared that every male born among the
Jews should be killed. He was doing everything he could
to attempt to keep his position as king. But he had no
intention of worshiping Jesus.
The magi came to worship the new king of the Jews with
sincerity.
APPLICATION
As I was thinking and praying about the message this
week, God brought my attention to the fact that He has
given us spiritual gifts in addition to the gift of Jesus.
The magi brought gifts to Jesus on that very first
Christmas.
What gifts can we bring to Jesus as we attempt to honor
him 2000 years later?
We should be using the spiritual gifts He has given us to;
Share the Gift of Jesus this Christmas.
Let’s consider how you might do that.
If your gift is teaching, you might take time to teach
someone the story of the very first Christmas and share
the miracle of His birth and the other details that show
how Christmas is more than a holiday about lights and
presents. It’s about the birth of a savior!!
If your gift is giving, you might give of your time by
volunteering at the Community Care Center or other
community outreach place.
Or you might purchase a gift for someone on an angel
tree.
No matter what your gift is, the most amazing part about
spiritual gifts is that when you use them you don’t lose
them. You can keep giving the same gift over and over
again and by God’s generosity, you don’t lose it.
We can share the gift of Jesus with whoever God tells us
to and they can receive the gift too.
What an amazing gift!
How will you share Jesus this Christmas?