Intro: as witnesses we carry on a long tradition that goes back to the birth of Christ. God used angels to announce Jesus, He used wise men, He used the prophets of God for thousands of years to give witness to the coming of Messiah. But probably the most famous scene is our story today. It is the story of the wise men, the magi, coming from the east, announcing they have seen His star, that they had come to worship the King. Today, I would like to share four points in witnessing from the story of the wise men.
Community: The Christmas Witness
Matthew 2:1-12
background: Jerusalem had an intense excitement on this day. Three great men, kings of the east, had come into town with a strange message. They saw His star, the one to be born King of the Jews. They may have not realized the stir they would cause, but they had announced Messiah was born, and they had come to worship Him. But instead of just excitement, there was panic in Jerusalem. The king wasn’t too excited about this news, the people seemed to be in a state of shock, and the big question was how come these foreigners know something we are suppose to know? In this story we get a picture of witness, how it affects people even today. The message you think would bring only joy, shakes people up, really stirs a lot of emotion.
Our witness is the same today
I. Messiah is Born–v.2 I am sure these wise men didn’t know theologically what they were announcing to the world, but all Jerusalem did. The one who was born King of the Jews was the long anticipated one, the one who would set His people free.
Today, our witness is the same, Jesus is Messiah, The Son of God, unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. Messiah, his name shall be called Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins. His name shall be called Emmanuel, God with us. Today, in this world we proclaim the one true God, His Son, Jesus Christ, as the way, the truth and the life. Our message is that the baby in the manger is the Saviour of our soul. He took our sins away. He is exalted to the right hand of God.
There is none other name by which we must be saved. He is a Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace, Everlasting Father. He isn’t just King of the Jews, but all that call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. And the Word became flesh, and we beheld the glory.
II. We Have Come A Long Way Off–1-2 These Wise men had the message to Jerusalem, we have come a long way to get here. Our witness is the same today, we have come a long way to find Jesus. For some the story is they had run from the call of the Lord for a long time, but finally they came to Jesus. Some were a long way off, they had let the world take control, they found themselves in a terrible place, and one day decided it was time to come home. For many it took years to decide to come, but one day they said, as for me and my house we are going to serve the Lord. The Christmas Witness is our witness today, we have come from a lot of places, a lot of backgrounds, but we have all come a long way to get to Jesus. Even someone who was raised up in church, may have come a long way. Sometimes the ones that seem the closest are the ones farthest away. All heard the voice one day say, come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
III. We Have Seen the Light–v.2 for the wise men it was a spectacular star they had seen in the east that guided them to where Jesus lay. Our witness today is the same, we were in darkness, but light sprung up in our soul. We were lost, but we saw the light of His salvation. No more in darkness, no more in night, I am so happy no sorrow in sight, praise the Lord I saw the light. Our light may have been seen when we heard the gospel from a preacher one day. Or it could be as someone shared Christ to us in a personal way. It could have been riding up the rode hearing a gospel song that the light came on. Our stories are the same, once we were in darkness, but Jesus was the Light of the World, and His light overcame our darkness.
IV. We have come to Worship Him–v.2 the last part of our witness is that our lives are all about worshiping the King. Our witness is our worship and our worship is our witness. The message that impacts the world comes from worshipers. It is when people see the true intensity in our lives that they begin to desire what we possess. When these mighty kings stated they had come to worship Him, they had a powerful impact on Jerusalem. As we live surrendered lives to the King, as we offer our best to Him, our witness begins to shine light on those in darkness. As a church community, we must be a worshiping church, to be an effective church. Zeal in our lives is a fire that will spread. His message must burn in our hearts and we must share the good news that Christ is born in Bethlehem.
close: as you read the Bible you see the impact of a witness for the Lord. The lady at the well impacts her entire town. The delivered demonic has a message that touches his people. The early church had a message that turned the world upside down. And these three wise men, impacted Jerusalem with their witness. Today, our message is Jesus is King, We have come a long way in our lives to get to Him, We have seen His light, and we are here to Worship Him. This Christmas, tell His story and see it impact your world.
