In The Footsteps Of The Wise Men

GOG - 20 - 298: In The Footsteps Of The Wise Men

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In The Footsteps of the wise men Pastor Nkechi Ene (Mrs.) Many people are familiar with the story of the wise men from the East who visited Jesus after His birth. We are not told in the Bible that there were three wise men, but we do know that they were wise men. This means that they had some level of wisdom. In this article, we are going to look at some of the things that happened in this rst Christmas as we walk in the footsteps of the wise men.

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 6 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.' ” 7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.

11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

Matthew 2:1-12

Christmas Is For Everyone In verse 1 of our text, we saw that the wise men came from the East. This means that they were Gentiles and not Jews. Therefore, they did not belong to the commonwealth of Israel. Where they were coming from did not exclude them from hearing about the Saviour!

They called Him the King of the Jews, yet they came from the East. They may not even have known that there was a nation called Israel, but God sent a star to them to tell them about the Saviour.

Where you are coming from does not exclude you from hearing about the Saviour; no one is excluded from hearing about the Saviour.

Some Christians select whom to talk to about Christ. Some feel more comfortable to talk to Catholics about Jesus Christ and about being born again.

However, when they see someone who is a Buddhist or a Muslim, they feel that such a person is ostracized and does not need the Gospel. In cases where perhaps someone has lived a terrible life, they

conclude that the person is so far gone that he or she is beyond the reach of God's Word. Sometimes, the person may be a family member who you just have not dared to talk to about Jesus. Understand that nobody is excluded from the gift of salvation. There is no place that is too far away. God is everywhere and is eager to reach everyone. He is eagerly waiting for sinners to come to Him.

Christmas Is Not Only For Christians Christmas has been localized to Christians, and so we say Christmas is just for Christians. We forget that Jesus did not come for Christians. Jesus came into the world for the world. Christmas should be a universal celebration. We should remind ourselves that when Jesus came there were no Christians; it was His coming that brought about Christianity.

Jesus came for everybody, but we have taken Christmas and have made it something just for Christians. You might say, “We know Jesus, we worship Him, and we celebrate Him and His birth”.

Remember that the gift of Jesus, the Baby born in the manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes, came for everybody and anybody who believes in Him. The Baby, Jesus, was a gift to the whole world and is the real reason for Christmas. In the story of Cornelius, Peter speaking said: “… You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean” (Acts10:28). The Scripture above says that it is “unlawful” to exclude any man from the Gospel. God wants to get the Gospel to everybody. However, God is not going

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GOG - 20 - 298: In The Footsteps Of The Wise Men

to come down from heaven and do it. He is going to use you to do it. When the walls of China, East Germany, and Russia came down, it was so that the Gospel might enter. Thus, we must recognize that God will change laws, break laws, and create laws, if necessary, so, the whole world can partake of the gift of Jesus. Christmas is not an exclusive preserve for a group of people.

The Bible says that when they were in the East, they saw the star. This Christmas, people in darkness, in the depth of sin, and people who have been in the midst of backsliding, will see the star. They will see the star through you when you recognize that nobody is excluded from this season, notwithstanding how far away they are coming from.

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exceedingly with great joy. This season you will rejoice exceedingly with great joy because you know that you have come to the end of your search and the beginning of joy in your life.

baby”. They brought their treasures for the right King! Give your treasures to the right King. Whatsoever your treasures are, the things you think make you worth anything, bring them to the feet of Jesus.

At Christmas Be Willing To Give Up Your Treasures

At Christmas Obedience Will Preserve Your Relationship

The next thing we have to know as we follow in the footsteps of the wise men is that they willingly gave up their treasures for the Saviour. They rejoiced exceedingly when the star stopped over the stable. When they came into the stable and saw the Child in the manger, what was the rst thing they did? In my thinking today, I will probably say that

“Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way”.

(Matthew 2:12). What we see from this verse is that the wise men were teachable and obedient. Even though a star was leading them, they still stopped to ask questions. When they found Jesus, they rejoiced with great joy and had a time of fellowship and intimacy with Him. This prepared them to receive divine direction from God. God could have shown them the dream in the East before they left, but He preferred to guide them step by step progressively. This is what fellowship does for you. When you spend time in God's presence, you will have divine direction. However, divine direction will only be useful, and will only come to those who are teachable and obedient. In this season, friend, you will hear God's voice and you will obey. In your obedience, you will preserve your relationship with Jesus, the Christ, in your life. There is a plan and a purpose that God has for your life, and they can only happen if you allow them. You can preserve your relationship with God, you can be sustained and you can truly tap into what God has prepared for you when you live a teachable and obedient life.

Christmas Brings Your Search To An End; Rejoice “When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy” (Matthew 2:9-10).

Another thing the wise men did was that they received the Saviour with great joy.

Have you observed that there is always this spirit of joy during Christmas? There is just this happiness or joy that is all over the place at Christmas. Do you know why the wise men received the Saviour with great joy? They received the Saviour with joy because they had come to the end of their search. When you recognize that Jesus is the end of your search, then every day of your life you will rejoice with exceedingly great joy. When you understand that everything that you need and will ever need has been prepackaged in Jesus, then you will rejoice exceedingly, with great joy. No wonder the Bible says, “…There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents...”

(Luke 15:7). Why did Jesus say this?

When a sinner encounters Jesus, he or she has come to the end of their search.

When you come to Jesus, your search for peace, joy, money, healing, and direction has one solution packaged in Him. No wonder Jesus said, “…I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). These wise men had been searching for the King, who was born, following His star. Once they came, and the star settled over where He was, can you imagine how they would have felt? They rejoiced

they gave the best gift anybody can give.

They gave their worship. Once they came in and they saw the Baby, the Bible says, they gave what was probably the best they could give. They fell down and worshipped, in their rich array of owing robes, they worshipped.

Remember that Mary, Joseph, and the Baby were not in a ve-star hotel, but they fell down at and worshipped Him. Worship is probably the best treasure you can give to the Master. This is because when you worship God, you are telling Him that your life is in His hands and that you have surrendered your power to His will. Worship is awesome particularly when it is done in the right way: in Spirit and in truth. Friend, hunger for an experience of regular intimacy with God. Everything that is a treasure in your heart, pour it out and give it to the Master this season. Let it all out! God knows where you are coming from before He came to you. Give Him all the treasures of your heart. The wise men had the gold, frankincense, and myrrh on them because they were on their way to nd the King that has been born. No one sees a king empty-handed! They did not say, “The King we are going to see is a

In this season, as you walk in the footsteps of the wise men, you will rejoice so greatly and you will forget how long it took you to get to the end of your search. Forget all the hindrances and setbacks you have encountered, and pour all your love on Him. Celebrate with praise and joy unspeakable; recognize that the joy you have is simply because you have come to the end of your search. Offer Him your life as a living sacrice. Do not allow any pain, offence, secrets, or problems to be a hindrance.

Pour your treasures at your Master's feet.

Guidance, divine revelation, understanding, and obedience will be yours. Be exible and ready to do anything He tells you to do.

Merry Christmas!

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