Lessons Learned From Wise Men
Matthew 2:1-23
Often you will hear me quote other men of God that I have a great deal of respect for. (Ex. Spurgeon, D.L Moody, Matthew Henry, David Jeremiah, J Vernon McGee, Charles Stanley, Alan Carr and especially Adrian Rogers) Why do I do this? Because these men have proved to be very wise men. Many of the men I have mention have spent many years studying the Word of God and I have benefited greatly from their ministry.There are also many wise men that I have met throughout my life & ministry that have invested in me and have been a great influence and example.
We can learn much from the wisdom, experience and life lessons of others. The Word of God is full of men and women that we can learn from. Tonight I want to examine the Wise men mentioned here in Matthew 2:1-12. Last week we saw where Mary & Joseph took Jesus to Jerusalem to dedicate Him to the Lord at the Temple. Afterwards they returned to Nazareth - Luke 2:39 And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. 40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
After the journey to Nazareth there is a period of time that passes before the events that are recorded in our text for today. As we arrive at Matthew chapter 2 we read of a group of men who are described as “Wise men”. Let’s look at their story and consider the thought “ Lessons Learned Form Wise Men”
Matthew 2:1 ¶Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
After the birth of Christ these “wise men” entered Jerusalem
Wise Men {G} - (Magos) (mag'-os) Oriental scientist.
Many times you will hear these men referred to a “The Three Wise Men” There is actually no evidence to support this assumption. There were 3 gifts that were offered but there could have been 2, 20 or 200 wise men. Some believe that the “Wise men” were a group of astronomers from the Mesopotamia area.They approached Herod and asked for information concerning another King …”The King of the Jews” There is another misconception about this story and it is concerning the timeline of this event. These men did not find “the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes” In these verses, Jesus is referred to as “the young child”
v9 ¶When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
V11And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child
v¶And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
v14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
There is also more evidence of the timeline found in Herod’s attempt to destroy Christ. Herod had all children in Bethlehem under 2 years old destroyed. - v16 ¶Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, 18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
Let’s transition for a moment from the seekers to the vicious King who would destroy all of these children. v3 When Herod the king had heard these things, 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 demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. 7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
We are told that after the revelation from the “wise men” that King Herod “was troubled”. He called the chief priest and scribes together and questions them about the Messiah’s birthplace.
He is told that He was to be born in Bethlehem. How did they know this? THE WORD OF GOD! - Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. It is rather interesting that the Jewish leaders knew the prophecies but cared not to go and see for themselves. Much could be said about their apathy Here were a group of Gentiles who were willing to cross a desert, to follow a star, to offer gifts, to offer worship! After conferring with the scribes and Chief Priests, Herod sent them to Bethlehem to search diligently for the child.
Herod pretends that he desires to worship the King of the Jews as well.
The “Wise men” reach the Savior - v9 ¶When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw 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 exceeding great joy. 11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
God leads these men with this star directly to the home of JesusThey fell before the King and offered Him - Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. (more on these in a moment) After the time of worship, God warns these men of Herod’s plan to destroy Jesus, As a result they and the magi depart another way - v19 ¶But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life. 21 And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: 23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.
That was just a quick overview of these men; I would like to look at some practical applications for us that are found in their story. As I mentioned earlier, we can learn much form wise men, in fact we can learn a great deal from these “Wise men”:
I. The Wise Men Show Us How To Recognize The Lord - v9-11
There are many people who just don’t recognize God! They see His work all around them but they give the credit to everything else (Mankind, mother nature, angels, etc… everything but God) God was trying to show these men something special and they were blessed to observe the Savior first hand. Today God is doing the same thing. He desires that lost man sees His son for who He is …THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD. Notice how the wise men recognized the Lord:
A. They Opened Their Eyes - v9 ¶When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw 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 exceeding great joy.
These men had opened their eyes earlier - v2 “ Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” - Now the star has appeared to guide them to the Savior. Isn’t it amazing how God will place visible signs on our path that point to the Savior. You say “I haven’t seen Him yet” …maybe you need to simply open your eyes. The eyes that I speak of are eyes of faith, Friend, OPEN YOUR EYES TODAY! Not only did these Wise men open their eyes:
B. They Opened Their Hearts -v10b they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.v11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him:
These men did not only open their eyes, they opened their heart. Surely there were some who saw the star but kept on with their daily lives and simply ignored it! These men opened their hearts to what God was trying to show them.
Many today see God at work and actually DO know that it is God who is working. They just don’t care.There are many who really do believe that Jesus is Savior and the ONLY way to heaven… THEY JUST DON’T CARE! They refuse to open their hearts - Friend, open you eyes and your heart before it is too late!!
We also see that:
C. They Opened Their Treasures - and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
I am no scholar or a Theologian but here is what I see in this verse. These men came prepared to find the Lord! How did they offer Him gifts? Because they packed them…. THEY WERE PREPARED TO MEEET THE KING! They made it to where Jesus was because they followed the direction that God had given them.
If we are to make it to where Jesus is, it is because we have followed the direction given to us by the Holy Spirit of God. There are some treasures that we need to open and present to the Lord today:
Present To Him The Treasure Of Love
Present To Him The Treasure Of Honor
Present To Him The Obedience
Present To Him The Devotion
Present To Him The Sacrifice
Present To Him The Service
But before you can open your treasure you must recognize the Lord….. How do we recognize the Lord? 1. Open Your Eyes 2. Open Your Heart. 3. Open Your Treasures.
Not only do the wise men show us how to recognize the Lord, they show us:
II. The Wise Men Show Us How To Reverence The Lord v11b and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
There is a picture of humbleness in these men. - “they fell down, and worshipped him” There is something that is special about humbling yourself and bowing before the almighty, Holy God! The Bible says much about humbleness:
James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
Psalms 10:17 LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:
Proverbs 16:19 ¶Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.
Proverbs 29:23 ¶A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.
These men humbly bowed and offered valuable precious gifts. Jesus was worthy to receive these gifts. There is great significance in the specific gifts that were offered:
1. They gave him gold, which represents His deity.
2. They gave him frankincense, which represented His humanity.
3. They gave him myrrh, which represented His future sufferings.
They gave Him “gold, frankincense and myrrh”. All three were costly gifts, yet they willingly gave them to Jesus,It was not just about what they gave, but also how they gave.They gave willingly, humbly, gratefully and it was an act of faith! They showed great reverence for the Lord. So, these men have shown us How To Recognize The Lord and How To Reverence The Lord. Finally we will see:
III. The Wise Men Show Us How To Rely On The Lord v12
It is believed that these men followed this star for approximately 2 years.What a picture of faith. They followed a light in the sky. They didn’t know how long the journey would be. They didn’t know what they would encounter along the way. They didn’t know exactly what they would find when they reached their destination. Regardless of what the journey held, they followed God. THEY RELYED ON THE LORD! That is exactly what we must do! WE MUST RELY ON GOD! We are following a God given direction. We don’t know how long the journey will be. We don’t know what we will encounter along the way. We don’t know exactly what we will encounter when we reach out destination but we go because we trust God! How should we rely on God? We see it in the lives of these men:
A. We Must Fear - v12a And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod,
God warned them not to return to Herod. These men feared God and obeyed. When we are told that we should fear God that does mean that we are to REVERENCE HIM. But it is also exactly what it say we must FEAR GOD!
These men had a reverential fear of God and they obeyed Him as a result.Why did they fear Him? Because they knew that HE WAS REAL!! Why should we fear God? FOR THE EXACT SAME REASON! When you fear God, you will follow God.
B. We Must Follow -12b they departed into their own country another way.
They listened, obeyed and went home another way.We must listen to the direction God has given us. We must follow him! Sometimes when He gives us direction it may not be easy to listen, trust and obey. But we must do like these very wise men did and RELY ON THE LORD!
Trust Him when dark doubts assail thee,
Trust Him when thy strength is small,
Trust Him when to simply trust Him
Seems the hardest thing of all.
Trust Him, He is ever faithful,
Trust Him, for his will is best,
Trust Him, for the heart of Jesus
Is the only place of rest.
Conclusion: Will you listen and learn from these wise men today?
1) Will You Recognize The Lord?
2) Will Your Reverence The Lord?
3) Will Your Rely on The Lord?
