Joy and Peace in Believing

Romans 15:1-13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15:13 ESV)

This verse sums up what we will be working toward today: hope!

Our God is a God of hope.

By the power of the Holy Spirit we can abound in hope.

Our hope in the Lord Jesus Christ is at the root of being filled with all joy and peace in believing.

Psalm 69 contains prophecy about our Lord Jesus. It is the Psalm most often quoted in the New Testament. John 2:17 quotes it when Jesus cleared the temple. John says that it is written about Jesus, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” In this verse, John is quoting Psalm 69:9. 

For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me. (Psalms 69:9 ESV)

Paul also quotes Psalm 69:9 in Romans 15:3, but he quotes the last half of the verse. "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me."

While these verses point to Christ, they come out of experiences in the life of David. David experienced unjustified persecution, and this Psalm speaks of both his pain and his hope in those circumstances. 

Since Paul quotes this Psalm in Romans 15, I want to look at some of the context of what is being said in the Psalm. Psalm 69 says:

More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause; mighty are those who would destroy me, those who attack me with lies. What I did not steal must I now restore? O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you. Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord God of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel. For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that dishonor has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother's sons. For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me. When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach. When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them. I am the talk of those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs about me. But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness. (Psalms 69:4-13 ESV)

David is talking about going through some deep stuff. He wept. He humbled his soul with fasting. He made sackcloth his clothing. The internal suffering in these verses is authentic, deep and personal.

Many of you have hidden pain; pain that no one else knows about, not even your family. Your spouse or your closest friend might have some idea, but you are alone in your pain. You are not alone in the sense that there are no others with similar pain, but alone in that you are not in touch with those who share your pain.

What is worse, if you share your pain in church, you will be judged.

Sometimes, even well-meaning people can make the most insensitive comments.

At times, after I have opened my mouth and spoken words that I immediately realize are insensitive, I feel like the scarecrow in the “Wizard of Oz,” “If I only had a brain...”

Romans 15:1 starts out the chapter with this statement:

We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. (Romans 15:1 ESV)

A number of questions come to my mind regarding this passage. The first of which is “What are the failings of the weak?” 

I wonder if opening my mouth and speaking incentive words is not a failing of my weakness. 

Romans 14 has just finished admonishing us not to judge our fellow believers. Romans 14:22 says:

The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God.

Heaven knows that we have a tendency to judge each other, and the Scriptures warn us quite a few times not to judge each other. In regard to judging, I have another question about Romans 15:1. 

Who are the strong that this Scripture is addressed to?

They must be the one’s who, according to Romans 14:22,  have “...no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves.” 1 John 3:21 puts it in these words:

Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God. (1 John 3:21 ESV)

So, if our heart does not condemn us and we know we are right with God, when our brother or sister condemns us, we have an obligation to bear with their weakness, and not to please ourselves. 

Romans 15:2 says:

Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. (Romans 15:2 ESV)

According to this verse, as the strong ones, it is up to us to please our neighbor. However, our English word “please” is misleading in this context. This does not mean make our neighbor happy. The word used in the original Greek means to willingly render service. 

Pleasing ourselves would be to put the offending weakling in his/her place.  Something like, “Do you know what I have been through today, and you want to quibble over drinking coffee/wearing make up/my hair style...!

People often do not understand or have any concept of what you have gone through or are going through and their insensitive words can hurt deeply. However, it is important for you, the strong one, to hold on to your hope, the hope you have in Jesus Christ. 

You know that God disciplines the child He loves. Pain does not make our faith weak. Honestly, as horrific as it sounds, if God did not love you, He would not trust you with trials. Romans 15 asks us to consider the sufferings of our Lord Jesus as our example. Verse 3 says, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” 

The weak will reproach the strong.

It is the one without understanding who says, “You must have sinned and that is why you have cancer.” 

If someone says this to you, take a deep breath and resisting the impulse to kill, gently explain the gospel of Jesus Christ and how His blood cleanses us from all unrighteousness.

Romans 15:4 gives us this encouragement:

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Romans 15:4 ESV)

This passage is why I said we who are strong must hold onto our hope. The Scriptures give us encouragement. We must endure and we find the strength to endure through the encouragement found in Scripture.

Verse 5 encourages us to live with the same mind. The ESV translates it harmony. However, in this case the NIV captures the meaning of the original much better than the ESV. The NIV says:

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had. (Romans 15:5 NIV)

As verse 5 has stated, God gives endurance and encouragement through the Scriptures. Our hope is in God and in His Son, Jesus Christ. The attitude of bearing with the failings of the weak is the attitude that Jesus lived with. He bore our sins and our sorrows. However, He bears with our weakness for a purpose - to build us up. 

Romans 15:2 has said:

Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. (Romans 15:2 ESV)

Remember, to please our neighbor in this context means to willing do service. Romans 5:8-12 is an illustration of how Christ became a servant to both the Jews and the Gentiles for the glory of God. 

Romans 15:6-7 speak of how we will glorify God by following the previous instructions. In other words, by living for the building up and strengthening of others, we glorify God. Next, verses 8-12 illustrate this truth through the example of Jesus. This parallels the teaching of Philippians 2:1-11 that we should have the same attitude that Jesus had, and that as a result of what Jesus did, God has highly exalted Him.

Romans 15:8-12 speaks five times of the nations glorifying God because of Jesus Christ.

We are His Church. He commissioned us to make disciples of all nations. Nations here is the same word as Gentiles. Our whole purpose is to see the Gentiles glorify God because of Jesus Christ. What we are talking about here is a very important part of the Church fulfilling its mission.

The strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak; not to give the weak control but to help them grow.

When God does a mighty work in your life with suffering like Jesus went through, He does it for the purpose of strengthening His Body, the Church. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 says:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. (2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NIV)

2 Corinthians speaks of comfort and how we as believers receive comfort from God. Romans 15 speaks of hope. Romans 15:4 says that the Scriptures give us hope. Romans 15:12 says, “...in him will the Gentiles hope.” 

We offer hope to the world; hope that there is salvation in Jesus Christ, and hope that they can find comfort and help for their pain, lostness or suffering. What better way to offer hope than to be an example of what hope does in a person’s life!

We are not perfect, but we are being perfected in Christ. The strong ought to help the weak. I am afraid though that we mistake who is strong and who is weak. A person can be physically very strong and spiritually very weak. A person can be intellectually very strong and spiritually very weak.

Holding onto our hope in Jesus Christ and gently teaching others to do the same leads to joy and peace in believing. Romans 15:13 says:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15:13 ESV)

If we live for the building up or strengthening of others rather than to please ourselves, we will experience this joy and peace in believing. The joy of the Lord will be our strength and we will be filled with hope.

His Sheep

His Sheep

John 10:27

Many voices call out for our attention.

Many would-be shepherds call out, “Follow me!”

For example, Google, in an effort to scan every book in existence, calculated that there are 129,864,880 unique books in the world. Each of these books represents a voice calling out to be heard. Not all say, “Follow Me,” but many do.

Another example would be political campaigns. How many candidates run for office and call out “FOLLOW ME”?

Of course, I am myself a preacher and must include my voice in our considerations. Many preachers call out “Follow Me!”

Which voices do you choose to listen to?

How do we know which voices are reliable guides?

John tells us that Jesus was the Word, was with God in the beginning and He was God. He came and dwelt among us. This is found in the first chapter of John as John introduces his subject. This means that God, our creator, was living among us. John 1:14 says:

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. (John 1:14 NLT)

Jesus’ voice is unique among all the voices that call out, “Follow Me!” He also calls out, “Follow Me,” but His voice alone has the authority and power of Heaven behind it. This claim to be the only voice with the authority of heaven behind it is backed by evidence. This evidence is from a number of sources. While many sources could be listed, I will mention only four. First, history provides evidence. Second, creation provides evidence. Third, reason provides evidence. And fourth, people provide evidence.

However, even with the abundance of evidence, much confusion exists. This is explained to us in the Bible when John says:

Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this, we know that the last hour has come. (1 John 2:18 NLT)

The confusion exists because of the spirit of antichrist that is in the world. In 1 John 4:3, John repeats his warning about the antichrist and adds to it saying:

But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here. (1 John 4:3 NLT)

In this second passage about the antichrist, we see that the spirit of antichrist is “indeed already here.”

It is important to make a distinction between Antichrist, the person, and the spirit of antichrist. Let’s look at 1 John 2:18 again.

Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. (1 John 2:18 NLT)

Notice, it says, “You have heard the Antichrist is coming...” In this case, “the Antichrist” is singular and is referring to a unique individual. However, as the text continues, it says, “...many such antichrists have appeared.” In this second case, “antichrists” is plural and refers to many such or of like nature. The spirit or nature of antichrist is found in the name, antichrist. “Anti” which means “over against, opposite, instead of,” and “Christ” which means “God’s Anointed One.” The confusion exists then because many would be “instead of” Christ. In other words, many would stand in His place.

Jesus warned us that this would happen. When speaking to the Jewish people and their leaders, Jesus used the illustration of a shepherd and said:

I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! (John 10:1 NLT)

In this passage, those who would be in the place of Christ are termed “thieves and robbers.” These are said to “sneak over the wall.”

Then Jesus gives some clarifying teaching. He says:

I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. (John 10:7-9 NLT)

As has been noted, Jesus’ is the only voice with the authority of Heaven. Now we see Jesus stating that He is the gate for the sheep. He specifies that the true sheep do not listen to the thieves and robbers. However, the thieves and robbers sneak over the wall posing as shepherds. These are voices that call for attention, but Jesus said the true sheep do not listen to them.

Jesus warns:

Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. (Matthew 7:15 NLT)

Of all the many voices calling for attention, which do you listen to?

Do you know the voice of the Savior?

The leaders of the Jews during Jesus’ time were controlled by the spirit of antichrist. They confronted Jesus on many occasions. One such incident is recorded for us in John 10:22-27.

It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication. He was in the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon’s Colonnade. The people surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus replied, “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name. But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:22-27 NLT)

In this confrontation, we get a glimpse of the conflict of voices, the voice of antichrist or the voice of Christ. We see the reference Christ makes to evidence. He says, “The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name.”

Jesus said, “Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved.” (John 10:7) He offered many convincing proofs to back up such a statement. But, there was a heart problem. He says, “But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep.”

Do you want to be one of His sheep?

A sheepfold is a place of safety. The shepherd guides and protects the sheep. In this illustration, we are all sheep. The question is who we will follow not whether or not we are sheep. The Bible tells us “All we like sheep have gone astray.” (Isaiah 53:6) The voice we choose to follow is a matter of life and death; consider that false prophets are like ravenous wolves. Jesus promises, “Those who come in through me will be saved.”

In John 10:27, Jesus gives three marks of His sheep. If we have these marks, we will know that we are His sheep, and we will also know which voices to listen to.

He says:

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

The first mark of His sheep is that they “listen to His voice.” 

In John 10:5, He says,

They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice. (John 10:5 NLT)

Do you listen to His voice? He says:

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29 NLT)

I fear lest by listening to the many voices in the world around us, we should fail to enter into His rest. There are practical steps each of us can take to listen to His voice.

First, we can spend time alone with Him each day. There are things that we make time for each day. We shower, and we eat each day. We are too busy not to make time to be alone with Jesus. Working, living and rushing about life without making time to be alone with Jesus is like working, living and rushing about without taking time to eat. Either one leads to death.

The second practical step we can take to listen to His voice is we can choose carefully both what we listen to and what we read. Books, articles, videos and music that point us to Jesus are plentiful.

The third practical step we can take to listen to His voice is we can choose to be in church, Sunday school and Bible study. 

The more we listen to His voice the more familiar it becomes. Then the more the second mark of His sheep enters into our consciousness. 

Jesus says the second mark of His sheep is “I know them.”

Do you like to be recognized? How does it make you feel when you get up each morning and your loved one, your spouse, child or parent is glad to see you and says “Good morning,” and hugs you?

Jesus tells a parable about a shepherd with 100 sheep. When the shepherd gathered his sheep at the end of the day, one of them was missing. So, the shepherd left the 99 safe in the fold and went out and searched for the one until he found it. The point of that story is that as His sheep, we are precious to Him. In John 10:11, Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” (NASB) When Jesus says, “I know them,” He is also saying that He is willing to die for them. Jesus knows His sheep. He is glad to see them in the morning and hug them. He will keep them safe.

Jesus says the third mark of His sheep is “they follow me.”

Do you follow Jesus?

Have you followed Him in baptism?

Have you followed Him in service?

When Jesus called some of His Apostles, He said:

Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. (Matthew 4:19 ESV)

This happens naturally when we follow Jesus. We are like a city set on a hill whose light cannot be hidden. When the Apostles followed Jesus, they had different roles. Peter was the spokesperson. John was the friend. Judas managed the money, and so on. When we follow Jesus, it does not mean that we all serve in the same way. Some serve by giving, some by working and others by teaching. However, everyone has a place. All Jesus’ sheep follow Him.

Of all the voices calling out, “Follow me,” which have you chosen to follow? If you have decided to follow Jesus’ voice, these three things will mark your life:

1. You will listen to His voice.
2. He knows you.
3. You will follow Him.

The Voice of the Father

Isaiah 49:6

"It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth." (Isaiah 49:6 ESV)

I frequently see a sign “John 3:16” held up at sporting events. For those of us who know John 3:16, this has some meaning, but what about those who do not know what John 3:16 says?

John 3:16 tells us of God’s love for the world, and how He demonstrated that love. However, many people have not read or heard John 3:16, and for them the sign held up with just the words “John 3:16” printed on it could be confusing. If these signs were the only testimony or voice people ever heard of God’s love, then people would be lost and without hope.

However, these signs are not the only testimony or voice that speaks to people. God has spoken and He is not silent.

We have been looking at the voices of Advent. So far, we have considered the voice of Mary, a young woman, the voice of Zechariah, an old priest, the voice of Simeon, a teacher, and the voice of a few wise men. Each of these have spoken to us giving testimony to the great salvation that God is working on our behalf. However, these are not the only voices. There are many voices that point us to the Savior.

Today, we are going to consider the voice of the Father.

Hebrews 1:1 tells us:

Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. (Hebrews 1:1 NLT)

From this passage we can understand that God has spoken in many ways over many years. I am not going to try to cover all the ways that God speaks. Rather, this being the Christmas season, I am going to consider the message of God’s love that He speaks through Christmas.

As we quoted, Hebrews 1:1 says, “Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways through the prophets.” However, God has not stopped speaking. In Hebrews 1:2, the scriptures go on to say:

And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. (Hebrews 1:2 NLT)

We can investigate what the prophets said because we have their words recorded in the Bible. We can use our minds and reason to test and see whether the things recorded in the Bible are true. The same is true of Jesus’ life and teachings. His death, burial and resurrection are well documented history. Therefore, we can be confident that we are not following cleverly devised fables (2 Peter 1:16). One of the unique things about the Bible that makes it so trustworthy is fulfilled prophecy. There are many prophecies about Jesus that were fulfilled at the time of His birth and throughout His life here among us. It is in one of these prophecies that I wanted to look today for the voice of the Father.

In Isaiah 49, God speaks to His servant and says:

And now the Lord says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him; and that Israel might be gathered to him— for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord, and my God has become my strength— he says: "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth." (Isaiah 49:5-6 ESV)

God speaks in this passage of His purpose to restore Israel, give light to the nations and to bring His salvation to the ends of the earth.

The voice of the Father says, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel.” Here He states His purpose to restore Israel and at the same time makes it clear that His purpose is much larger.

When Jesus was born and later when He preached and taught in the regions of Galilee and Judea, many expected the national restoration part of the prophecy to be fulfilled. When Jesus made it obvious that He had no intention of making Himself a temporal King, many stopped following Him. This same attitude continues to this day.

Among us Gentiles, we see those who do not get the temporal blessings they want or expect and stop following Jesus. They are nearsighted. They do not see that their vision of God and the world is too small. Many want happiness now. Many trade the kingdom of God for the riches of this world. Many want health, wealth and happiness now. God’s purpose is much larger. This is why this passage says, “It is too light a thing...” If the interests of a nation are too light a thing, how can we expect the interests of an individual to weigh heavier than the purposes of God? 

God’s promises and word are true, and these will never fail. God will not stop short of His purpose. This is why Romans 11:25-26 says:

I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ. And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say, “The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem, and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness. (Romans 11:25-26 NLT)

God’s promises and word are true, and all Israel will be saved. When we say “Merry Christmas,” we use the name “Christ.” This is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word “Messiah.” Messiah and Christ both mean “anointed one.” In our greeting and name for the season, we hear the voice of the Father echoing down through history that He has sent the promised Messiah, the anointed one, to deliver the nation of Israel.

However, as we have already noted, God’s purpose is much larger. In Isaiah 49:6 we also see that God sent the Messiah to be a light for the nations.

The light precedes salvation. This is necessary on several fronts. First, people do not know they need salvation. They do not know they are in darkness. Second, they do not understand their guilt and how to deal with their sin. Third, they do not know the truth nor do they understand the way of salvation.

Generally speaking, all people have a conscience and a standard of right and wrong. Furthermore, all people have violated the dictates of conscience and have a sense or feeling of guilt, and have dealt with that guilt in one way or another. Romans 2: says:

Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. (Romans 2:14-15 NLT)

Jesus did not come to condemn the world. However, the world does not like the light. John 3:19-20 says:

And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. (John 3:19-20 NLT)

Whenever we say Merry Christmas, the voice of the Father speaks reminding the world of its need for a Savior. The world tries to hide from this by making up stories of Santa Clause and by saying Happy Holidays to avoid being offensive. Saying Christmas is offensive, because the darkness hates the light, and in Christmas the voice of the Father speaks clearly. If there were no sin, the Savior would not need to have been born.

The voice of the Father is not one of condemnation. The message of Christmas is a message of joy. This is the third point the voice of the Father tells us in Isaiah 49:6. He says:

... that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth. (Isaiah 49:6 ESV)

Christmas is Merry because God is spreading His salvation to the end of the earth. The farthest reaches of the globe have heard the message of Christmas. Through the baby in the manger, the voice of the Father speaks to us and says:

For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 NLT)

The voice of the Father tells us of the great purpose of God to save us all, and all who respond to His voice are welcome to His salvation. However, God does not save us against our will, but He does hold us responsible for ignoring His voice. We hear His voice in creation as night after night the stars proclaim His  handiwork. We hear His voice in our conscience as day after day our hearts remind us that we need a Savior. We hear His voice in history as we consider both the life of Jesus and the nation of Israel.

As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we of all people rejoice in Christmas because in Christmas we hear the voice of the Father and see His great purpose for all people.

The Voice of a Few Wise Men

Matthew 2:1-12

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:1-2 NLT)

Allow me to once again speculate as to who these wise men were. I wrote about these wise men in 2015 in a message titled “Wise Men,” and then again in 2017 in a message titled “Truth Made Clear.” For those of you with exceptionally good memories, some of this material will be a repeat of those articles.

Matthew tells us these men came from “eastern lands.” We have often heard these wise men called “magi.” This is because Matthew wrote in Greek, and the Greek word is “μάγοι” (magoi). This was the title used for the priests and sages of the Babylonians and the Persians. Since they brought gifts consistent with the region of Arabia, we assume they were from that area.

We are certain that they were Gentiles and also that they did not belong to the nation of Israel. We see in this the beginnings of Jesus’ victory over darkness. The devil worked for many years and in many ways to blind the hearts and minds of the Gentiles. The world was filled with many religions and philosophies that ran contrary to Scriptural teachings. However, in spite of these obstacles, magi from the east were among the first to recognize the Lord’s Messiah. They traveled far to see the One born King of the Jews.

They did not know where to go, so they went to Jerusalem and made inquiry. If you are looking for the One born King of the Jews, what better place to start than in the capital city of the Jewish nation. In Jerusalem, they found the people ignorant and unprepared for the birth of their king.

The magi stated their purpose in traveling and inquiring. They said, “We have come to worship him.”

Their purpose was so clear that when Herod wanted to use them to find the child, Herod said, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!” (Matthew 2:8, NLT) The magi had come to worship so Herod pretended that he wanted to worship also.

The text tells us:

When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:10-11 NLT)

When they entered the house they bowed down and worshipped. 

They traveled far. They made inquiry. They brought gifts. They did it all so that they could worship Him.

God prepared these wise men in advance for this day, and in their voice, we continue to learn an important lesson. In their worship, we learn that we must worship also.

The Jews who had the temple and the rituals of worship did not recognize the time of their visitation. The Jews had the Law of Moses that spoke of the Messiah to come and was written to prepare hearts for His coming. The Jews had the temple, which was the house of God and provided a picture of heavenly things. The Jews had the ritual sacrifices which prefigured the sacrifice God would make in order to save His people from their sins. The Jews had the Passover and the festivals, all of which pointed to the coming Messiah. They had practices and forms that had been handed down to them from Moses and the prophets. However, although they had the practice or form of worship, they did not have a heart of worship. Their worship was proper in form and practice, but it did not reach as far as their hearts.  As John 4:23 tells us:

But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. (John 4:23 NLT)

The Father is looking for those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. He is not looking for rituals, sacrifices and the ceremonies of the law. He says He is looking for those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. Today, from the wise men, we will learn a few lessons about worship

First, we learn that we must adjust our lives to worship God. 

There is no worship without some cost.

The wise men traveled far to worship Jesus. They had to make arrangements with their jobs back home. They had to make arrangements to have their affairs looked after. They had to prepare for the journey. They had to prepare camels, donkeys, food, routes for travel, finances and all that goes into both a prolonged absence and a long journey.

There is no worship without cost. King David expressed this principle when he was offered the means to give a sacrifice that would have cost him nothing.

At one point in his reign, King David sinned against God. When David was getting right with God and repenting, he wanted to offer a sacrifice. He wanted to offer an ox, and a farmer had some. So, David said, “Sell me your ox if you would please.” And the farmer told David, “Oh no, I will gladly give it to you. David then told the farmer:

No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing. (2 Samuel 24:24 NLT)

Worshipping God and receiving His Messiah requires that we make some adjustments in our lives. It might mean one has to give up sleeping in on Sunday, partying late on Saturday or watching television shows on Wednesday. One cannot expect to accept Jesus and not have to make any adjustments in his or her life. It just does not work that way. Acknowledging Jesus as Lord is very inconvenient for the flesh. In fact, the flesh and its lusts must die. The Christian life has been likened to a journey. John Bunyan wrote a book called “Pilgrim’s Progress” that uses an allegory of a journey to depict the Christian’s life. Like the wise men’s journey, our own journey is not undertaken without some adjustments, work and changes.

The wise men teach us that true worship requires some adjusting of our lives.

When we have made adjustments, we will find that we  also must use our resources to honor Him.

The wise men offered gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. These are not cheap gifts. Far from it, these are the most costly gifts they could give. Admittedly, we do not know in what measure they gave these gifts. However, these gifts were of such value that even the transporting of these gifts posed a danger. Even today, it is not generally safe to walk around with a box of gold or, at least, to let it be known that you are walking around with a box of gold.

Our resources are where the rubber meets the road when it comes to our worship. Those who truly believe, give of their resources; God promises to bless those who give. The Scriptures tell us:

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7 ESV)

God loves a cheerful giver! This is consistent with what we learned from John 4:23 that God is looking for those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. A true heart of worship is marked by using one’s resources to honor God. I said we must use our resources to honor God, but for the believer this is a cause for joy, not compulsion. For the heart full of love for God, giving is a privilege. Through our giving, we get to participate in what God is doing in the world.

The wise men participated in welcoming the Savior to the world and in announcing His arrival. We get to participate in both the spread of that good news and in the encouragement and building up of our fellow believers. For the eye of faith, God is doing great and mighty things in this world~things that are exciting to be a part of.

For those of us here in Clearwater, I can think of nothing more exciting than being a part of what God is doing right here in our midst. There are exciting little children growing up here that thrill me to no end. Oh the mighty work God is doing in our midst! Not too many years ago, our youth were the little children, now look at what they are becoming! Speaking of children, some of these wonderful little children that we are blessed with today are the children of those that grew up here in this very church. The miracle of God’s work among us is seen in families that love Jesus, children that love Jesus and a Church that bows continually before God and gives of its resources to glorify Him who was born King of the Jews. This is especially exciting and gratifying for those who have a stake in it, for those who have given of their resources to make it happen.

So far, we have seen from the wise men that true worshippers will adjust their lives to God’s presence and honor Him with their resources. In the wise men, we also see that true worshippers will humble themselves in His presence.

Matthew 2:11 tells us:

They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:11 NLT)

It is easy to pass over the fact that the first thing they did when they saw the child was to bow down. The Greek words Matthew used to say “bowed down and worship” were “πεσόντες προσεκύνησαν.” (pesontes prosekynesan) The idea behind these words is to fall down or prostrate one’s self and kiss the ground before a superior.

Although Jesus was only a baby, these men humbled themselves before Him. Being rich, educated and powerful men, this would have been one of the most difficult things they did. Sometimes it is easier to make adjustments in our lives and to give of our resources than to humble ourselves.

Do not think to yourself “Oh, I have got this one down.”

Have you humbled yourself before your wife or husband?

Have you humbled yourself before your children, your parents, your siblings?

The reason I ask these questions is because of what the Lord says in 1 John 4:20. It says there:

If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? (1 John 4:20 NLT)

Of course, we do not humble ourselves before our fellow believer the same way we do before God, but love requires that we give up our pride in order to do what is best for the other person. When you or I have difficulty saying we are sorry, we demonstrate just how resistant we are to truly humbling ourselves.

We are to subject ourselves to God, and our will to His will. However, the New Testament makes it clear that our subjection does not end there. Ephesians 5:21 tells us:

And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Ephesians 5:21 NLT)

I know of no better test to tell me whether I am humbling myself before God than to check my heart in relation to other people.

We have said:

We must worship Him:                                               

•    by adjusting our lives to His presence.                           

•    by using our resources to honor Him.  

•    by humbling ourselves before Him.

After learning from the voice of the wise men, can we say of ourselves that we are wise?