For our Scripture reading this morning, turn with me to Matthew 2. Matthew 2 as we read together the first 12 verses of the account which Matthew places before us there. The text for our consideration this morning is verse 11. Verse 11 of Matthew chapter 2. Hear now the Word of God. After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him. When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. In Bethlehem in Judea, they replied, for this is what the prophet has written, 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 be the shepherd of my people Israel. Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and make a careful search for the child as soon as you find him. Report to me, so that I too may go and worship him. After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. Verse 11 again. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, as we are gathered together here on this Tuesday morning, this morning which we call Christmas morning, I have a question for you. Why do you celebrate Christmas? Now, boys and girls, you are very much an important part of this congregation. And this question is just as much for you. Why do you celebrate Christmas? Now, of course, we all know what the theoretical or the expected answer is. We celebrate Christmas because that's when we celebrate Christ's birth. And of course, we all know what we are gathered for here this morning as a congregation in church. we're gathered here for worship. But I want to make this extremely personal this morning. Why do you, not your family, not the congregation gathered here, but why do you celebrate Christmas? What is it that you celebrate today? Is the essence of this holiday for you the decorations, the food, the presents, the family gatherings? Now, you may be aware of the Toys for Tots program that goes on throughout at least the United States where we are encouraged to buy toys to give to those less fortunate, those whose parents will not have the money to buy them gifts. And I do not want to in any way minimize the good in giving. Not at all. But at one time I saw a news interview with a woman who was benefiting from this particular program and she talked about how nice this program was because it brings an extra smile to the face of her children and one more gift under the tree on Christmas Day makes that day so much better. One more gift under the tree makes Christmas Day that much better. The problem is, a toy without the truth is absolutely meaningless. Congregation, what brings a smile to your face this morning? What is it for you that makes this day a little more special? Yes, we know that what we call Christmas is about the birth of our Savior. But really, what part does Christ play in your celebration, that is, beyond the worship service of this morning? Will He be the focus of your day? Will His name be exalted by you in your festivities and in your conversations? Or will His name be left out? Will it be completely forgotten? Now, the answer to these questions depends upon who Jesus Christ is for you and me. And beloved, let us take our cue from the Magi or the wise men as we consider the preaching of this Word of God. The wise men celebrate the infant King. As we notice their prosperous search. Also their proper homage. And then finally, their appropriate offerings. And as we consider this episode in the life of Christ, namely His birth, it's a good time for us to check the accuracy of our knowledge of the events surrounding the birth of Christ. Is our understanding of these events informed by Scripture? Or is our understanding of these events informed by the ideas that are popular in society today? and have been for quite some time. First of all, we're familiar with the song, We Three Kings of Orient Are. But most likely, these magi were not kings at all. Indeed, they had an important place in their country, an important position. They held it, as believed, both priestly and governmental roles. They were astrologers, those who studied the stars. They were diviners, those who studied dreams. They indeed had much wisdom. And you may recall that after Daniel interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar's dream, that he was promoted to the position of chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon, and these magi that came to find the Christ child were thought to be in that line of work. As well, it is believed by many, probably the majority, that they were from either Babylon or Persia, both of which had been influenced by Israel and the religion of the true God through Israel's captivity in those places. As far as the number of magi, we don't know. Three gifts, some say, therefore three magi, three wise men. But the Bible doesn't tell us. But what is known about these men and their times is that there was most likely more than three, maybe a great deal more than three, But these are some of the details that the Bible is silent about. But what about when they showed up? When was that? Well, again, many in the nativity scene have the wise men looking down on the baby Jesus, lying in a manger with hay and all the animals looking on fondly. Now, boys and girls, no doubt the star appeared when Jesus was born, but it is believed that the wise men traveled up to a thousand miles from their home country to find Him. And by camel or by donkey or by foot, that would take a while. And of course, we have the testimony of Scripture that we know that Herod killed all the baby boys in Bethlehem from two years old and under according to the time which he had ascertained from the Magi. And as well, the text tells us, on coming to the house, they saw the child. By the time the wise men arrived, Joseph had found a house to live in. That could have been a matter of a couple of weeks after his birth, but it could have been a lot longer than that. We don't know. But very possibly for more than a year, the wise men traveled to find the King of the Jews. And what's amazing is that they knew a king had been born and that he was the King of the Jews. How did they know that? We don't know for sure. But whether they were possibly from Persia or Babylon, then it's possible that some of the Israelite captives who remained in those places had talked about the promised Messiah and therefore the teaching of the Messiah had become known. But God, through His Spirit, had led these wise men to search for the newborn king. And obviously, they did not follow the star the whole way. It appears that the star that had appeared possibly went away for a time. Because in the first place, they came to Jerusalem. Why? Well, because it was the Jewish capital city. They knew that the King of the Jews was born. They saw an unordinary star, which they interpreted to mean that a king was born, so it made sense then to go to the Jewish capital. Where else would the King of the Jews be born? As well, regarding the star, verse 9 teaches us that after Herod had the chief priests and teachers searched the Scriptures to find out where the Christ was to be born, He sent the Magi to Bethlehem. And verse 9 says, After they had heard the King, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. And then verse 10 says, When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. Now, was this a star star? Was it a comet? Was it the lining up of a couple of planets? in order to make this star stand out. You see, all of these different things are suggested and many have gone through great lengths to prove any one of these things, but we don't know. All we need to know is that it was a miracle of God's hand. All creation is at His disposal for His use. So how well have you done with your knowledge of the trivia of the events of Christ's birth? Beloved, the wise men went on quite a search for the King of the Jews. but it turned out to be a prosperous search. God led them to the Christ child. Yet these guys were Gentiles. They were not a part of God's chosen people, Old Testament Israel. Yet they were more faithful than Israel. Notice the reaction of the Jerusalemites when the Magi roll into town with their piercing question, where is the one who has been born? King of the Jews. What's the reaction? Verse 3 says, when King Herod heard this, he was disturbed. And all Jerusalem with him as if to say, what are these guys talking about? Herod, you see, saw a threat to his throne. A throne which he had gotten by way of a combination of bribery and appointment being appointed by the Roman emperor. If there was a legitimate heir to the throne, that could mean his neck. And the people were troubled because what would the Romans do to them? You see, they were under Roman control. Caesar was emperor. Caesar was a god. But a real Jewish king could look like rebellion on their part and that was no good. We simply can't have that. The truth is congregation. The Jews of that day missed the birth of the Messiah they had waited for for so long. Today, so many celebrate Christmas without Christ. Without believing that Jesus Christ was born. That is, that God became flesh. That the Savior has come. But really, that's no different than the Jews back then who didn't celebrate at all because they really weren't even looking for the Messiah. At least not in that way. But beloved, we must not miss the truth of that which we celebrate today, that the Savior was born. That He came as God promised. That He came to save His people from their sins. And our celebration must be modeled after the celebration of the Magi. You see, these Gentiles were unclean and not fit for God's presence, but they come with hearts ready to worship the King, which meant shame on the Jews, and they come with offerings fit for a king. First, we need to notice their proper homage. The text says, they bowed down and worshipped Him. Now, we must notice that Matthew, the writer of this Gospel, doesn't romanticize the physical or the external details and the surrounding of this episode unlike Hallmark does. Matthew doesn't romanticize it. You see, nothing really fit here, did it? These wise men were important men. They were used to being in the presence of royalty and even being treated like royal guests at times. But they found the Christ child in a little village, not in the capital city of Jerusalem. He was in a humble house, not in a palace. His mother was a woman of a low degree, not an exalted queen or an important heiress to the throne. You may remember Naaman. Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army, and you may remember that he goes to Elisha on the advice of the little Israelite servant girl, hoping to be cured of his leprosy. And Elisha tells him to go and wash himself seven times in the dirty, muddy Jordan River. What did Naaman do? Well, first of all, he became angry because the rivers of his home country were much cleaner and much nicer. Certainly, they would do much better, especially for cleansing unto healing. But at first, beloved, he was stuck on externals. Much like we have seen around us the last few weeks. He was stuck on externals. But later he learned that it was all a matter of faith. When the Magi find the Christ child, what do they do? They bowed down and worshipped Him. You see, the focus here is on the action of the Magi. Action rooted in the heart. They literally prostrated themselves on the ground before this child. Beloved, we don't know. We don't know exactly what their faith level was. But I do believe that this is proof of the God-given faith of these magi, even as tiny as a mustard seed. We don't know how much they understood, but they reverenced Christ as the Messiah, the King of the Jews. Their homage was proper. It was true worship to the one true God. We know this because they were not rebuked for false or proper worship like Cornelius was in Acts 10 when he fell down at Peter's feet to worship Him. As well, Revelation 22, there the Apostle John is rebuked as he fell down to worship the angel. But these wise men, beloved, represent the Gentile world that would come to the light of Jesus Christ. In Haggai 2, verse 7, the Lord says, I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the desire of all nations, and I will fill this temple with glory. And Philippians 2 tells us that every knee shall bow before Him, and congregation believers will bow in faith and reverence, while unbelievers will bow in fear and trembling. We know that Matthew wrote his Gospel, first of all, for the Jews. The Jews were his audience. And this very portion of Scripture which we have read together was meant to cast shame on the Jews as they weren't looking for the Messiah while the Gentiles searched for Him. As well, the Jews were being taught here that salvation, although beginning with the Jews, would not end there. the Gentiles would also be one for Christ. And these magi did what the Old Testament saints called believers to do. And especially the Psalms are beautiful calls to God's people for worship. One of the most familiar ones, familiar, is Psalm 95. Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord. Let us shout aloud to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song. Come, let us bow down in worship. Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker, for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care. And another familiar one is Psalm 96. And notice in Psalm 96, as I read a couple of verses, that the psalmist clearly tells us, clearly tells God's people not to come with empty hands or empty hearts. Sing to the Lord a new song. Sing to the Lord all the earth. Sing to the Lord. Praise His name. Proclaim His salvation day after day. Declare His glory among the nations. His marvelous deeds among all peoples. Ascribe to the Lord, O families of nations. Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name. Bring an offering and come into His courts. Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness. Tremble before Him all the earth. Not only did the Magi come with the proper attitude of worship, but they came with the appropriate offerings of worship. The text says, Then they opened their treasures. This means containers. They opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and incense and myrrh. Frankincense as we know it as well. It's interesting that the Magi, as was customary, didn't pay homage or give gifts to Herod, the false king, but only to the Christ child, the true king. Their worship and their gifts were out of faith and not fear for what Herod might do to them. And these gifts were indeed precious and costly gifts worthy for a king. And these offerings given by these Gentile leaders pointed to the fulfillment of Old Testament Scriptures which foretold of the wealth of the nations being given to the Messiah. Psalm 72 talks about the universal reign of the Messiah, and verse 10 of that psalm says, The kings of Tarshish and of the Isles will bring presents. The kings of Sheba and Sheba will offer gifts. Isaiah 60 verse 5 speaks of the wealth of nations coming to Him. Zephaniah 3 verse 10 says, From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, My worshippers, the daughter of My dispersed ones shall bring My offering. One of the early church fathers, I believe it was Origen, saw a special significance in the three gifts with regard to the Christ. Of course, this is Origen's idea, but I think they might have a little value. Gold is the most precious medal and we know that throughout Scripture it has a special meaning, significance for royalty. Therefore, it is especially fit for a king. And therefore, Origen says that here, It points to Christ's royalty or kingship. Frankincense is an incense, of course, with a major use in burnt offerings. And Origen says it pointed to Christ's divinity and His self-sacrifice for His people. And then finally, myrrh is a perfume which is often used to anoint the bodies of those who died. And therefore, myrrh, he says, points to Christ's humanity and death. Now, beloved, a survey of Scripture shows various uses for each of these three things, but the majority of the references point to a connection between gold and royalty, frankincense or incense, and the worship of God, and myrrh in the use of human needs. And therefore, maybe it isn't quite so strange that these offerings point to the significance of the person and work of the Christ child. these magi had found the Messiah not only for Israel, but for all who believe on Him by grace through faith, and they brought Him gifts, offerings worthy of a king. And while His own received Him not, these outsiders, these strangers, came to find the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Jerusalem was troubled at the thought of this king, But these magi who themselves had wisdom and wealth were humbled as they adored Christ the Lord. These magi had first-hand experience of Christ's promise. Ask, and it will be given unto you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you. Their thousand-mile trip was no doubt a test of faith. But they didn't weary. They didn't give up. They didn't reconsider. And God gave them the reason to celebrate. Beloved, how often when our faith is tested, how often when God gives to us something to do in His church or in His kingdom, don't we weary or give up or reconsider before we have even gone the first mile? These wise men didn't have much to go on. maybe a little prophecy, and a star. But what a wondrous journey that God led them on. Beloved, we have been given so much more. We can look back with the Bible in our hands and see with the eye of faith not only His birth, but His saving sacrifice, His death, His resurrection, His ascension, and have the assurance that from God's own Word that He rules and reigns on our behalf today. We have the testimony of eyewitnesses to Christ the King. And we who were previously unfit to stand before the King have been made fit by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. God with us, our Emmanuel, has made it, secured it, so that we are now with Him forever and ever. So what's that worth to you? What kind of celebration for Christ does this bring from you? The Magi show their proper submission to this King. And this is to be the natural response for all who find Christ the King by the grace of God through faith. We are to come to Him with hearts fit for and offerings fit for this King. We are called to give up our all for Christ Jesus, to give of our best to Him. Jesus Christ told the rich young ruler to go and sell all that He had and give to the poor. You see, beloved, if He is truly our King, then it won't bother us to give to Him and to give up for Him that which is nearest and dearest and most valuable to our hearts, whether it be our person or our possessions. Because the riches that He came to bring to His people far surpassed anything that we could give to Him. The question of the Magi when they entered Jerusalem was, where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him. Beloved, do we treat Him as the King? Especially on this day in which we celebrate His birth? Or do we use His day to satisfy ourselves? Actually, every day is to be a celebration of the person and work of Jesus Christ, of God with us. Again, so many miss the truth of this day. They are clueless. And congregation, those who miss the joy of His first coming will miss the eternal blessing of His second coming. Yet today, even this morning, as we gather here to celebrate Christ the Lord, this is still the day of God's grace. It is still the day of God's salvation. And for those who turn to Him in repentance and faith, Our assurance is that you will be saved. Those who celebrate the first coming of Christ today will rejoice to see Him come again in glory. How will you celebrate today? What do you have to give Him? Beloved, come, worship, and adore your King. Amen. Shall we pray? heavenly father indeed oh lord our heart's desire is to give to you the worship and the praise and the honor and glory that you deserve to come to you with hearts fit for and to bring to you offerings fit for the king of kings and the lord of lords we fail miserably so often yet father our assurance is that you will complete that good and perfect work which you have begun with in the hearts and lives of Your people. And we thank You and praise You, O Lord, that someday when we see You as You are, then we will praise You as we ought. Until that day, we pray, O Lord, that You will continue to fill us with Your Spirit, occupy our hearts and lives, take up residence in us that we might enjoy in Jesus Christ, God with us, with the comfort that we are with Him. with you forever and ever. Amen.