(adapted from a series from Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, KY)
SERIES: “IMAGES OF CHRISTMAS”
TEXT: MATTHEW 2:1-12
TITLE: “THE STAR: IMAGE OF GOD’S GUIDANCE”
OPEN: A. You may or may not now that I belong to a sermon study group
--We’re a group of preachers who get together once a week and discuss what we’ll be doing from
the pulpit in our congregations. Sometimes we do the same series’ and share research,
illustrations, and applications with each other.
1. Out of this sermon group came the idea to do this series on the images of Christmas.
2. Preachers will tell you that Christmas is their hardest time of year to preach
--You seem to be telling the same basic story over and over again to people who think they know
all about it in the first place
3. This year when we were planning our Christmas series we got really excited about looking at the
images we read about in the Christmas story.
1. Lo, all those months ago, we established the star as an important symbol of Christmas
--It seemed like a great idea at the time
2. However, as we began to do the necessary study to put this series together, it dawned on us
that the Bible has very little to say about the star
--My good preacher friend, Darrel Land, even asked, ““How can you preach an entire sermon
on an image that the Bible only has a few words about?”
3. Have you ever seen the movie, “Christmas Vacation”? Do you remember at the end of the
movie when the entire family is outside and Cousin Eddy’s children look at the sky and say,
“It’s the Christmas Star.”
--It actually turns out to be a warning light from the sewage plant
4. I thought our star had turned into the disappointing warning light at the end of “Christmas
Vacation”
5. But the more study I did, the better I understood the lessons of the star: an image of God’s
guidance
B. Mt. 2:1-12 – “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 worshiped him.
Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.
to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.”
D. Just like the Magi were searching for the Christ-child, many of us have searched for God’s will for
our lives.
1. And oftentimes we want God to guide us, just like he guided the Magi.
2. The most important thing is following God’s guidance
--When we follow God’s will for our lives, we learn a couple things:
I. INSTEAD OF BEING SAFE, FOLLOWNG GOD IS OFTEN DANGEROUS
A. We think that following God is safe.
--It’s even one of the ways we know we haven’t missed God’s will—if we are living a safe and secure
life, then we assume that we must be living in the middle of God’s will.
1. The Magi set out to discover what God was trying to tell them
--Their sign was the star
2. How did they know what the star signified?
a. The Magi were an elite class of Eastern scholar-priests.
--they studied astronomy, astrology, philosophy, and religion
b. Some Magi (also known as “magicians” and “astrologers”) had been advisers to Babylonian and
Persian kings.
c. In fact, Daniel, the Old Testament prophet, was taken from his home in Judah to Babylon while a
young man
--There in Babylon he was considered one of the magi, even a leader of the magi, although Daniel
relied on God, not magic for his wisdom.
d. Most likely, these men were from that area
1). They probably knew about Daniel since Daniel had been one of their number about 600 years
earlier
2). They probably also knew that in Daniel chapter 9 an angel tells Daniel about the timing of
Jesus’ coming, about the Anointed One.
--Do you know who the angel was? The same angel that appeared to Mary—it was Gabriel.
3). Since these men were religious scholar, they were probably familiar with the Hebrew scriptures
--Especially since the Jews had been in captivity in the area where these men lived and also had
Jewish people who lived in that area in the 1st Century
4). Perhaps they had read Balaam’s prophecy in Num. 24:17 – “A star will come out of Jacob; a
scepter will rise out of Israel.”
3. The Bible doesn’t give us the specifics
--We just know that these men reported seeing a special star, considered its meaning, and sought to
find the Christ child because of it
4. The star led them to the vicinity of Jerusalem
a. King Herod had a palace in Jerusalem
b. Logic would say that if a king was going to be born, he would probably be born in a palace
c. So, the Magi went to the palace
5. When the Magi shared their search, it angered King Herod
a. He was a very jealous and paranoid man
--He had already killed a wife, two sons, and a number of folks because he was afraid they were out
to depose him
b. Instead of being offered safe haven, King Herod had determined that he would let them find this
“new king” and he would then dispose of the new king and these Magi
B. Many of the characters of the Bible who followed God’s will experienced a dangerous adventure.
1. Daniel, mentioned earlier, found himself in a lion’s den
2. Peter was imprisoned and chained to two Roman soldiers
3. Paul describes his experiences this way
--2 Cor. 5:24-28 – “Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was
beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the
open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from
bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger
in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have
often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have
been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the
churches.”
4. No one was more obedient to God than Jesus
--Being in the center of God’s will nailed Him to a cross
5. In fact, I believe it would be hard to think of an exception to this rule
--If you want to follow God, it will lead you through some places of danger
6. Yet, like David we are able to say: “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, God is
with me
II INSTEAD OF BEING CLEAR, FOLLOWING GOD IS OFTEN MYSTERIOUS
A. We have no idea how long these men followed that star
--All we know is that they faithfully followed it
1. They were convinced that they would be blessed if they followed it
2. However, they didn’t get pay homage to a king in a palace but worshipped before a child in some sort
of house
a. We picture the wise men as being at the stable with the parents, the baby, the shepherds and the
farm animals
b. The scripture tells us that “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary,
and they bowed down and worshiped him.”
c. Enough time had passed where Joseph and Mary had secured some type of housing
3. Since King Herod wanted to kill all the male babies age 2 and under, it might be that it had been two
full years since the Magi had seen the star
4. The Magi weren’t quite sure where the star was leading
a. They didn’t have specific written directions
b. They didn’t have a computer to look at Mapquest or Yahoo! Maps
c. However, they did have the world’s first GPS guidance system!
d. If these men were from Babylon, the trip would have taken a several full months
--they lived about 600 miles away!
e. They simply followed the star
B. When God’s will isn’t as clear as we want, we often do 3 things:
1. Look for a feeling.
a. But the Bible tells us that feelings are deceptive.
b. Prov. 14:12 – “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”
2. Look for a formula.
a. We think there is some easy to follow recipe to get us through
b. Although we want God to fit in our box, following God is an adventure.
3. Freeze
a. Ps. 37:23-24 – “If the LORD delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble,
he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.
b. When we’re tempted to freeze, we should trust God and keep moving forward.
III. INSTEAD OF BEING EASY, FOLLOWING GOD IS OFTEN DEMANDING
A. The Magi made a long and dangerous trip
1. Traveling a long distance meant that it was likely you would encounter dangerous people and
situations
2. When they got to where they were going, to they had to change travel plans to return home
3. Traveling a long distance also meant they would be away from their families and the comfort of their
homes
--they had to pitch tents in strange places, eat strange foods, and deal with strange people
4. It cost a good sum of money to procure the gifts, to make the trip, and purchase the necessities of
travel
B. Sometimes Christians make following God sound like a walk in the park.
1. We pretend that if someone will just make Jesus their Lord and Savior, everything in their life will be
sunshine and roses
2. In our zeal to win someone to Christ, we make following God sound easy.
C. We know the Bible tells us something different
1. Jesus said in Jn. 16 – “In this world you will have trouble.”
2. In Mk 8:34, He says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross
and follow me.”
3. It’s not always easy to follow God.
--Oftentimes following God is the more difficult thing to do.
CLOSE: A. Two important things I want us to take away today:
1. God loves lost people
a. The Magi were not Christians or even Jews
--They were pagan Gentiles
b. In fact, they were involved in practices that God had forbidden
--Dt. 18:10-12 – “Do not let your people practice fortune-telling or sorcery, or allow them
to interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or call forth the spirits of the
dead. Anyone who does these things is an object of horror and disgust to the Lord.”
c. Yet, God cared enough about these men that He sent them a special invitation to meet the
Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world
d. The message is not about family, good times, presents, snow men, Santa Claus, trees,
lights, candles, or even songs
--The message is still Jn. 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only
Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
2. God’s guidance will always lead us to a closer relationship with Jesus
a. The star led them to Jesus
b. There are all kinds of things we use to guide our way but the most important thing we can
do is get into closer relationship with Jesus
c. It doesn’t matter how far away you are, you can always find Jesus
B. Following God’s will is not always easy, safe, or even clear
1. The star led the Magi down a dangerous, mysterious, and demanding path.
2. But when they arrived at the end of the path, they found Jesus and they were filled with joy
--Not only did they find Him, they worshipped Him.
3. That’s God’s will for our lives, too—that we find Jesus, and we use our lives to worship Him.
