Last week we began a series entitled “Keeping Christ In Christmas.” This series is based on the controversy swirling around our society concerning the word Christmas. There are some who would just as soon remove the word Christ from Christmas. They prefer to say merry Xmas. There are others who get fighting mad over such talk. Regardless of where you stand on this issue, it is real. Our text for this series is Mt. 2:1-15. In this text there are three primary characters: Herod, Mary and Joseph, and the wise men. Last week we took a look at Herod. He wanted to remove Jesus from Christmas. I realize there was no such thing as Christmas, in those days. However, for Christians, the birth of Jesus Christ spelled the beginning of Christmas. For me Jesus is Christmas. Herod wanted to remove Jesus. Mary, Joseph, and the wise men had a radically different perspective. They wanted to love and serve Him. They wanted to honor him. So, today and next Sunday we will see what we can learn from Mary, Joseph, and the wise men about Keeping Christ In Christmas.
Today we think about the wise men. The wise men are remembered for bringing three gifts and laying them before Jesus. The gifts were gold, frankincense, and myrhh. One little boy was telling his parents about his Sunday School lesson.....and shared with them the gifts that the wise men brought to baby Jesus.....he said......they brought him goats, frankenstein, and smurfs. Because there were three gifts we assume there were three wise men.
Gift giving is a big part of our Christmas celebration. I pray that we would not get caught up giving gifts to people and leave Jesus out. Gift giving is exciting, thrilling, and anticipated. Gifts are expressive. They express love, appreciation, thanks, thoughts, ideas, and the Christmas spirit. A gift is able to narrate its own unique story. It tells something about the recipient. A gift tells something about the gift itself. Finally, a gift tells something about the giver. Our text involves three gifts. Lets follow the story line.
I. A gift tells something about the recipient.
Joke: I read about three sons who left home, went out on their own and prospered. They decided they each wanted to buy their elderly mother a gift to express their appreciation. The first built a big house for the mother. The second sent her a Mercedes with a driver. The third said, "You remember how mom enjoyed reading the Bible? And you know she can’t see very well. So I sent her a remarkable parrot that recites the entire Bible. It took 12 years to teach him. He’s one of a kind. Mama can call out a chapter and verse, and the parrot recites it. Soon thereafter, mom sent out her letters of thanks: "Milton," she wrote one son, "The house you built is so huge. I live in only one room, but I have to clean the whole house." "Gerald," she wrote to another, "I am too old to travel. I stay most of the time at home, so I rarely use the Mercedes. And the driver is so rude!" "Dearest Donald," she wrote to her third son, "You have the good sense to know what your mother likes. The chicken was delicious." (Contributed to Sermon Central by Norman Lawrence)
Somehow, in the providence of God, the Magi’s gifts were a prophetic foreshadowing of Jesus later life. There were three gifts.
A. One gift was gold. Throughout history gold has been considered the most precious of metals and the universal symbol of material value and wealth. Gold has obvious worth. Ask any woman if she appreciates gold jewelry. In Biblical days it was seen as a gift fit for royalty. Gold was a gift normally given to a king. Rev. 1:5 says Jesus is the “Prince of kings.” Jesus deserves the very best we can give Him. When Adam and Eve sinned it was an act of rebellion and disloyalty. They did not give God their best. True worship will include an acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty over our lives. It has been said that Jesus Christ is called Lord 747 times in the New Testament. His Lordship deserves our loyal obedience and submission.
B. Another gift was frankincense. Frankincense was a gift used to make intercession with God. The writer of Hebrews tells us Jesus was a priest sent to make intercession with God on our behalf. Frankincense was a costly, beautiful-smelling incense that was used only for special occasions. It was used in the grain offerings at the Tabernacle and Temple, in certain royal processions and sometimes at weddings if it could be afforded.
Frankincense is mentioned 17 times in the Bible. It was used as one of four sweet scents blended together to make the ceremonial incense of the Jews. It was used in both sacrifices and prayer. Its aroma was always present in the Temple grounds. As such, frankincense is a picture of praise and worship of Christ as the Holy One of God come down in flesh among us. Praise is always appropriate on the lips of God’s people.
C. The third gift was myrrh. Myrhh was used in anointing the dead. It was also used in Egypt in the embalming of mummies. Myrrh is an aromatic gum resin obtained from several trees and shrubs found in northern Africa and the middle East. There are 22 references to myrrh in the Bible.
Presenting Jesus the gift of myrhh was a prophetic foreshadowing of his coming death. “And she shall bring forth a son, and you shall call his name JESUS: for He shall save his people from their sins.” (Mt. 1:21)
Gifts tell something of the person who is to receive them. Jesus is a king, Jesus is a priest who intercedes for His people, and Jesus died for our sins.
II. A gift tells something about the gift itself. Gifts should be carefully chosen because they do tell a story.
Joke: Someone has put together a humorous description of what NOT to Buy Your Wife. This illustrates the value of gift selection.
1. Don’t buy anything that plugs in or anything that requires electricity.
2. Don’t buy clothing that involves sizes. The chances are one in seven thousand that you will get her size right, and your wife will be offended the other 6999 times. "Do I look like a size 16?" she’ll say. Too small a size doesn’t cut it either: "I haven’t worn a size 8 in 20 years!"
3. Avoid all things useful. The new silver polish advertised to save hundreds of hours is not going to win you any brownie points.
4. Don’t buy anything that involves weight loss or self-improvement. She’ll perceive a six-month membership to a diet center as a suggestion that’s she’s overweight.
5. Don’t buy jewelry. The jewelry your wife wants, you can’t afford. And the jewelry you can afford, she doesn’t want.
6. And, guys, do not fall into the traditional trap of buying her frilly underwear. Your idea of the kind your wife should wear and what she actually wears are light years apart.
7. Finally, don’t spend too much. "How do you think we’re going to afford that?" she’ll ask. But don’t spend too little. She won’t say anything, but she’ll think, "Is that all I’m worth?" (SOURCE: Herb Forst in Cross River, NY, Patent Trader, in Reader’s Digest, Page 69. Contributed by Sermon Central)
You can look at a Christmas gift and tell something of its value. The gold, frankincense, and myrrh were expensive gifts. The Magi’s gifts tell their relationship to Jesus. Had they known Jesus to be a typical baby they would have brought toys and play things. However, they knew him to be a king. They knew he was to be a spiritual king. He was to reign and rule in people’s lives. Their gift told the story of their relationship to Jesus. They loved Him and He was valuable in their sight.
I picked up a Christmas poem years ago that illustrates this point.
HIS NAME AT THE TOP
I had the nicest Christmas list, the longest one in town,
Till daddy looked at it and said, ‘You’ll have to cut it down.’
I knew that what he said was true beyond the faintest doubt,
But was amazed to hear him say, ‘You’ve left your best Friend out.’
And so I scanned my list again, And said, ‘Oh, that’s not true!’
But daddy said, ‘His name’s not there, that friend who died for you.’
And then I clearly understood, ‘Twas Jesus that he meant:
For Him who should come first of all I hadn’t planned a cent!
I’d made a Christmas birthday list, and left the Savior out!
But, oh, it didn’t’ take me long to change the list about,
My Lord must have the most- because HIS NAME IS AT THE TOP!
III. A gift tells us something about the giver. As Joseph and Mary looked at these three gifts they noticed the gift tag to read, from the Magi. Their gift and their actions tell us much about them. Few biblical stories are as well known, yet so clouded by myth and tradition, as that of the magi, or wise men, mentioned by Matthew. During the Middle Ages legend developed that they were kings, that they were three in number, and that their names were Casper, Balthazar, and Melchior. The fact is, we know nothing more of them than what we find in this text.
A. Their gift tells us the reason they came. They came to worship. They came to worship Jesus. In verse 10 of TLB it says “their joy knew no bounds.” The NIV says they were overjoyed. The Bible says “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”
Some anonymous poet said “Love seeks not limits but outlets.”
The spirit of Christmas should be more than a once a year event. It should be a daily event. For you see, we were made for the purpose of worshipping Jesus. Every aspect of our lives should be spent worshipping the Christ. We, like the Magi, may offer gifts to Jesus. We do not offer gold, frankincense, or myrhh. Rather we give our hearts and lives to him. We commit ourselves to Him and the work He has started.
B. The Magi came to worship Jesus. Think about the difficulty they overcame. They came from the east The geographical area east of Palestine was considered the east. The Magi had travelled a considerable distance to worship Jesus and bring their gifts. Some people have estimated they may have travelled as far as 500 miles. How would you like to ride 500 miles on the back of a camel? Their worship was not limited by distance.
They came to Jerusalem and asked “where is the one who has been born king of the Jews.” They, no doubt, had heard of the wicked King Herod. Yet they still came to town asking where they might find “the born king.” Herod secured his power by trickery, treachery, and fraud. Jesus would be king by birth-right. Herod was jealous of anyone who threatened his rule. He did not know that Jesus was born to be a spiritual king. He thought Jesus was born to be a political king. Herod went to any lengths to squash opposition. He was a cruel man. Historians tell us he murdered one of his wives, his brother in law, and some of his own children. Therefore, when the Magi inquired concerning Jesus Herod was “troubled”. When Herod was troubled everybody else was troubled. This is similar to that old statement, “when momma ain’t happy there ain’t nobody happy.” Asking Herod the whereabouts of Jesus would be similar to asking a wife (who has been cheated on) the whereabouts of her husbands girl friend. Thus, the wise men overcame the threat of danger.
The wise men overcame distance, danger, and difficulty with directions. In some miraculous fashion God placed a special star in the sky. We do not know the full story behind the star. Even so, we do not understand the full story behind the lights God places in our path. However, God gives people direction. That direction may come from a star, a preacher, a friend, circumstances, or a gentle tug in your heart. God spoke to Moses threw a burning bush. The point I want you to see is that the Magi followed God’s leading to the best of their ability. Did they have all the answers? No! They came to Jerusalem and asked for direction-----which is not your typical man’s way of doing things. In admitting they needed help they reflected their humility and willingness to follow directions. They did not let the things, which they did not understand, hinder them. They were not perfect. They did not have all the answers. They overcame all of these challenges and came to Jesus.
They kept Christ at the center of their focus. They found Him and they worshipped Him. I hope you will do the same.
