(Using the print feature in your browser will print the sermon without the navigation menu on the left.)
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, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 'And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'” Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 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.” 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. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 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. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.(Matthew 2:1–12)
How did the Magi from the East know that the King of the Jews was born? They knew it from the Scriptures. Numbers 24:17 says that “a Star shall come out of Jacob” when the Messiah is born. The Magi's ancestors were taught the Scriptures from Daniel when Israel was captive in Babylon.
After Jesus was born a star rose. The wise men from the East saw the star. They packed their bags and traveled to Jerusalem. What guided them? The star guided them. They would not have know where to go unless the star guided them.
If you have a GPS system in your car, you can plug in the address of your destination, and it will tell you how and where to go. The star was kind of like their GPS system, but they had no address to plug in. The star simply guided them.
When Herod the king in Jerusalem heard that the King of the Jews was born, he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him. He assembled the chief priests and scribes of the people, and he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told Herod that the Christ was to be born in Bethlehem. How did the chief priests and scribes know where the Christ was to be born? They knew it from the Scriptures. Micah 5:1 gave them the answer.
The wise men left Jerusalem and 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. What guided the wise men to Jesus? The star guided them.
We learn that the Scriptures and the star guided the wise men to Jesus.
How did you come to know that Jesus is the Christ, your Savior? What caused you to have saving faith in Christ?
Saving faith in Christ was not something that you produced on your own. The knowledge of Christ as your Savior was not given to you mystically out of nowhere. A voice did not speak to you from the heart.
You came to know that Jesus is the Christ, your Savior, from the Scriptures. Faith comes by hearing. You heard the Gospel when you were in your mother's womb while she worshiped. You heard the Gospel spoken and given to you when you were baptized. You heard and continue to hear the Gospel when it is preached and taught. In other words, your salvation was given to you from outside of yourself. You did not produce faith — you were, as Ephesians 2:1 says, by nature dead in your trespasses and sins. You did not come to Jesus — you were, spiritually speaking, lame and crippled with sin. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, came to you, a lost lamb. He picked you up and brought you into His fold. Therefore, all credit and glory be to God alone for the gift of faith in Christ and the salvation which He has provided.
After Adam was formed out of the dust of the earth, he could not breath into himself the breath of life. God did, and he became a living being. The Israelites could not rescue themselves from Pharaoh in Egypt. God did, and rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Lazarus could not put life back into himself. Jesus did. He spoke, and Lazarus came alive.
The wise men would not have known where to go unless guided by the Scriptures and the star.
You — lost in sin and death having a sinful nature and stripped of your righteousness — cannot find God on your own. You cannot come to him. You cannot make a decision for Him on your own. Martin Luther says in the explanation of the Third Article of the Apostles Creed, “I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to Him, but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel.”
Who brought you to faith in Christ? The Holy Spirit brought you to faith in Christ by means of the Gospel. How do you know that Jesus is the Christ your Savior? The Holy Spirit gave you the knowledge of Christ your Savior through the Word.
The Scriptures, the Word of God, the Gospel preached, is your star. It is your light, and it is your only source of life. You cannot survive without it. It is the one thing needful.
Ephesians 2:8 says, “By grace you have been saved through faith and this is not of yourselves it is the gift of God not by works, lest anyone should boast.” God gets all the credit and glory, not you.
Jesus was the center of worship for the wise men, and Jesus is the center of worship today. The wise men rightly honored Jesus by giving him gifts fit for a King, and so also, Jesus receives all honor and glory because of the salvation that He has provided for us.
Jesus is our light in a world of darkness. He is our life in the midst of death. He is our comfort and peace in the midst of problems and accidents. He is our source of forgiveness in the midst of sin.
On Good Friday, He took upon Himself the darkness of the world. He took upon Himself your sin, my sin, and the sin of the whole world. He bore the wrath of God against sin.
On Good Friday, a sign was posted above Jesus' head which read, “King of the Jews.” He truly was and is our King and deserves gifts of gold. On the cross Jesus prays, “Father, forgive them.” The incense of His prayers rise to the Father. Jesus is the real High Priest praying for you and on your behalf. He truly was worthy of receiving frankincense. Myrrh was a burial ointment. Jesus truly died and was buried.
2 Corinthians 5:15, 19 says that He died for all — Magi, Gentiles, Jew or Greek — and that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. 1 John 2:2 says that Christ is the “atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” John 3:16 says that God did not love only a select group but that He loved the whole world by giving His only begotten Son
Jesus died for the sin of the whole world, no matter what a person's skin color or economic situation or social status or age. He died for all and wants all to be saved. And so, we have the privilege and the opportunity to invite those who do not yet know about Jesus to worship with us.
If you were to make a list of people you think should be included in our church and those who should be excluded, what would be on our list? It would be nice if they were economically well–to–do. It would be nice if they were morally clean and just. Sometimes God puts at our doorstep, the poor, the crippled, the lame, or the blind. Sometimes the so–called sinners of our day come to hear and believe in the Gospel message.
Yes, invite the bad and the good; the Jew and the Gentile; Democrats and Republicans; blacks and whites; the rich and the poor; every neighbor and friend; every color and race. All those in Plano or Allen; in Africa or Russia are invited to believe in Christ as their Savior. God wants all to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
Jesus sacrificed Himself on your behalf and for the sake of your salvation. This morning, we don't sacrifice Jesus all over again, but we receive the sacrament — the blessings of the cross and resurrection. His body and blood come to us for the forgiveness of all our sin. Isaiah 60 says that Gentiles shall come to your light. This is being fulfilled when you come to this altar where Jesus is present.
He gives, and we receive. He speaks, and we listen. This is the flow of worship. The giving of gold, frankincense, and myrrh was a response of faith. So also, our listening, our singing, our eating, our offerings, our service, our love to the neighbor are all a response of faith. Jesus sacrificed Himself for you, and you, as a response, sacrificially give to Him.
So, who is Jesus? He is our King, our Savior, and our Epiphany light. How do you know this? The Scriptures have revealed this to you. Just as God led the Israelites through the wilderness to the promised land and just as He led the wise men to Jesus, so also may God's Word continue to be your guiding light all the way to heaven. Amen.
( TOP )