Given at Glorious King Jesus (GKJ Christian Church)
Apex, NC
December 26, 2010
Main Sermon Text: Matthew 2:1-11
Note: This includes a teaching review on Simeon & Anna from Luke 2:22-38, followed by the sermon on Matthew 2:1-11.
Scripture Reading and Teaching: Luke 2:22-38
Luke 2:22-38
22 Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord
23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the LORD"),
24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."
25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law,
28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
29 "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word;
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation
31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel."
33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him.
34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against
35 "(yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
36 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity;
37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
Days of Purification after a birth -- done 7 + 33 days after birth. This is all outlined in Leviticus 12.
(25-35) Simeon
(25) Just
Devout
Waiting for the Messiah ("Consolation of Israel")
The Holy Spirit was upon him
(26) Had an open ear
He would see the Messiah before he died
(27) Led by the Spirit
(28-31) Recognized the provision of God
(32) …for all people
(34) Blessed the couple
(35) Knows that Jesus would reveal the intents of the hearts of many
Knew that Mary would also be in that camp
(36-38) Anna
(37) Remained a widow after her husband's death, likely for around 50-60 years.
Devoted to prayer night and day
Many see this as a special occasion, perhaps Yom Kippur (overnight prayers), though Anna seems to be the type to consistently be in prayer, so it's not a certainty that this was Yom Kippur.
(38) Recognized the provision of God
Evangelist! -- told others who Jesus was.
These were two godly figures. Perhaps they would never have known that their faithfulness to God would be recorded by the writer Luke for a remembrance through the centuries. Malachi records that the Lord writes a book of remembrance for each one of us. What are we doing with our lives? Are we godly, as Simeon or Anna? Or are we doing things that we would not want remembered?
Live your life so that you leave a legacy, and that when you remember your life, you can remember it with both joy and thankfulness.
---
Sermon: Matthew 2:1-11
In the aftermath of the humble birth of Jesus, we've discussed Simeon and Anna and their proclamations about Jesus, even at His infancy. Perhaps several months later, and many scholars suggest even years, Matthew 2 takes place, when the "wise men" come from the East to seek out the amazing King. Tonight, we will focus on the gifts given by these men from afar, both relating to significance to Jesus' life, as well as some background on how these gifts were used throughout Scripture.
Our main text comes from Matthew 2, and we will read verses 1-12.
Text:
Matthew 2:1-11
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,
2 saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."
3 When Herod the king heard this, 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 inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5 So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
6 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.' "
7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also."
9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen 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 exceedingly great joy.
11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Thanks be to God for His Word. Before we go into more depth, let's pray.
Opening Prayer
In our text, we see the three gifts given by the wise men. We know that there were at least two of them due to the plural, but as to the exact number, we are not sure. Many believe three since there were three gifts, but these gifts were used as currency in various regions, so it's possible that there were more or less and that each may have given some of each type of gift. Regardless, we have these three very precious gifts for the child -- Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh.
We will look at the significance of each gift in detail, and we will look back at the some of the uses of these items in Scripture. These gifts were also very telling as to who Jesus was -- our King of Kings, High Priest, and Ultimate Sacrifice. First, we have gold --
I. Gold: Jesus is King of Kings
A. The King, Prophesied
Gold was used quite often in extravagant buildings. For example, Solomon's Temple was characterized by gold and ornate craftsmanship in gold. Many of the items in the Tabernacle were also made of gold. Even today, we have an idea of gold as being extravagant. Does anybody have any gold on their hand? How much did that cost?
Royal courts would have a great amount of gold, as well. It was a symbol of prosperity, affluence, and extravagance. Heaven is described as having streets of gold, and having beauty beyond measure. Jesus is not limited by gold, but what we can take from this gift is that Jesus is indeed of royal and regal status -- He is our King of Kings.
Isaiah 9:6-7
6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
A child being called 'God' and 'Everlasting Father' is definitely quite an occurrence. Jesus was literally God come to us as a man.
Jeremiah 23:5-6
5 " Behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, "That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
6 In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Jesus was from the line of David -- He was a grafted-in branch on that family tree, provided by miraculous means. What else is said about this Branch?
Zechariah 3:8-9
8 Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.
9 For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
(Note: Seven "eyes" could very well be Seven "springs/fountains," essentially sources of vitality for those who would believe)
Zechariah 6:12-13
12 "Then speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, saying: "Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, And He shall build the temple of the LORD;
13 Yes, He shall build the temple of the LORD. He shall bear the glory, And shall sit and rule on His throne; So He shall be a priest on His throne, And the counsel of peace shall be between them both." '
So this BRANCH, that would ultimately be Jesus, would set up a Kingdom of peace, and would be a Priest on His Throne. Note that this shows His Kingship as well as His Priesthood, which would have much more commonly be separate.
So we see Jesus as being the King of Kings, prophesied about well prior to His birth. He was also proclaimed at His birth and during His life --
B. The King, Revealed
Many attested to Jesus' Kingship. Here are a few notable ones:
Beginning of ministry --
Nathanael:
John 1:49 - Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.
End of ministry --
Pilate:
Luke 23:38 - And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Birth --
Gabriel revealed that Jesus would reign with an eternal kingdom --
Luke 1:32-33
32 "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.
33 "And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."
Matthew 2 (Magi) - Where is this "King of the Jews"?
Remember Herod the Great? As we discussed in weeks past, he was quite paranoid that anyone and everyone was a potential threat to his kingship. Herod took the title "King of the Jews" from Romans who acknowledged that he had rulership over a Jewish population. Imagine how angry Herod would have been when some men from afar came and asked him as to where the King of the Jews had just been born!
Note that Herod was so jealous and angry that he issued a decree to kill all toddlers in Bethlehem. He was indeed a very ruthless King.
Jesus, however, was not ruthless. God saw our situation, and He sent His Son, literally God in the flesh, to step in and offer a path to our recovery.
C. The King, Coming Back
Remember that Jesus promised that He would prepare a place for us in Heaven as well as come back so believers can dwell where He is. He came first as a suffering servant. He will return as King of Kings!
Revelation 17:14 - "These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful."
Revelation 19:16 - "And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."
What type of Kingdom does Jesus have?
- A Kingdom of Peace: He will wipe away every tear.
- A Kingdom of Newness and Restoration: He makes all things new.
- An Everlasting Kingdom: His reign is NOW as well as will be Restored in full. The end has already been written -- we know that He wins!
So do you know Jesus as King of Kings? If not, you need to. What about Jesus' role as High Priest in our lives? Here we have the second gift given -- Frankincense --
II. Frankincense: Jesus is High Priest and Worthy of our Worship
Uses in OT:
Exodus 30:34-36 - Used in the mixture that Moses was commanded to put before the Ark of the Covenant (the Testimony) in the Tabernacle
Leviticus 2:1-2, 2:15-16, 6:15; Numbers 5:15 - Used in Grain Offerings
Leviticus 2:1-2
1 When anyone offers a grain offering to the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour. And he shall pour oil on it, and put frankincense on it.
2 'He shall bring it to Aaron's sons, the priests, one of whom shall take from it his handful of fine flour and oil with all the frankincense. And the priest shall burn it as a memorial on the altar, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD.
Leviticus 5:11 - Replacement for Sin Offering in cases of poverty or lack
Leviticus 24:7 - Used on the Shewbread as a memorial to God as it was cooked
What was Shewbread?
Twelve loaves of unleavened bread on a table, put into two rows of six each on the Table of Shewbread in the sanctuary of the Tabernacle. These represented the Tribes of Israel. These were baked for each Sabbath, and sprinkled with incense. The old loaves would be eaten by the priests.
Nehemiah 13:5, 13:9 - Stored away with the grain offering materials in the time of Nehemiah.
Song of Solomon 3:6, 4:6, 4:14 - Used as a woman's perfume, a fragrant spice (note that Myrrh is also mentioned as a fragrance in all three of these verses)
Uses in NT:
Matthew 2:11 - Gift given to Jesus by the wise men
Revelation 18:13 - A fine product sold by rich merchants who mourned the fall of Babylon and its economy.
So frankincense was a fragrant spice that was used greatly in Temple sacrifices. Jesus is our High Priest. Note that Jesus is also worthy of our worship. The priests in the Old Testament would be taken care of by various provisions by God in the societal structure, relating to land, food, etc. They would not, however, be worshipped! Jesus was Divine, and He is the only mediator between us and God the Father. Through Him and only Him, we can have access to a personal relationship with Him.
1 Timothy 2:5-6
5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,
6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time
We don't need another person to go through to get to God. We need Jesus. As we discussed in John, Jesus very clearly claimed in John 14 that He was the only way to God. After Thomas asks for clarification on the Way, Jesus replies to Him:
John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Jesus is not only our High Priest, who compassionately intercedes for us, but He is also worthy of our worship. He is God in the Flesh. If you remember from John 1 -- He was that 'Word' who was with God in the beginning and who was God who came here in the flesh.
What about the third gift -- Myrrh? We see that Jesus is not only our King and High Priest, but also our Sacrifice.
III. Myrrh: Jesus is our Sacrifice
Uses in OT:
Genesis 37:25 - With other goods to be sold in Egypt (carried by Ishmaelites)
Genesis 43:11 - Of the best products in the land
Exodus 30:23 - "Quality spices"
Esther 2:12 - Used as a type of beautifying cream for SIX MONTHS on prospective brides for the Persian King (Ahasuerus/Greek name Xerxes)
Psalm 45:8 - Used in the 'wedding Psalm' as a garment scent -- "myrrh and aloes and cassia"
Proverbs 7:17 - Used by the immoral woman as a lure to lust
Song of Solomon 1:13, 3:6, 4:6, 4:14, 5:1, 5:5, 5:13 - Fragrant and sometimes seductive spices
Uses in NT:
Matthew 2:11 - Gift given to Jesus by the wise men
Mark 15:23 - Part of the drink offered to Jesus on the Cross (which He chose not to take)
John 19:39 - Embalming spices given by Nicodemus (100 pounds worth!)
Myrrh was an embalming spice, as well as a spice that gave a sweet-smelling savor to God. Jesus' life was offered up as a sacrifice to us, as He lived a sinless life and died as a sacrifice for our sins. His life was indeed a sweet-smelling fragrance to God. The Resurrection is a tangible showing of that truth, as well. The Father showed His approval of the Son, raising Him from the dead. The grave could not hold Jesus. He was not guilty of sin, which leads to death. He was God in the flesh, coming as a humble servant, and now exalted to the highest place.
He is our King of Kings, our High Priest, and our Ultimate Sacrifice.
Application
How can you respond today?
(1) King of Kings
Bring your life under the authority of Jesus, the King of Kings. The end is already written -- He wins! If we decide to reject Him and harden our hearts against Him, then many woes will be to our account. No matter what's happening in your life, God has plans to bring about all things for our good. Jesus suffered, and yet He persevered through it all. We are encouraged by the writer of Hebrews to run the long marathon-like race that is the Christian walk. Let's keep our eyes focused on Him and rely on Him for healing and not as a complaint service in times of struggle.
Key point: We need to focus on the LINE and not the POINT. Eternity is much more important than what is fleeting here. Invest in serving the King of Kings, and you will see Him do mighty things, both now and in eternity to come.
(2) High Priest
Let's come to Jesus for forgiveness of sins. We are consistently making mistakes, as well as acting disobediently to God's standards. The Law shows us various ways in which we sin, and yet we are in an age in which we can go to our compassionate High Priest Jesus for Grace (cf. Hebrews 4:14-16)! We have been given the Gospel -- we are called to respond.
(3) Ultimate Sacrifice
So we have the Gospel message -- this baby came to earth under humble circumstances, was given to us by God Himself, and yet His significance is nowhere near of humble status. He came to live a sinless life, and to offer Himself as a sacrifice for us so that we could be restored to His Father.
So whatever is in the way, get rid of it! Jesus did the same thing. What was in the way? Our sin. What did He do? He provided a way to get rid of it -- forgiveness and life through faith in Him. Choose Jesus today! Follow Him! Grow! If you're coming to church this Christmas just because you want to check it off your bucket list this year, then add to your bucket list, 'Have your life transformed.'
So if this is you, now is your time to repent of any sin and choose to follow Jesus. Let's pray and do so.
Prayer & Invitation
Father, thank You for Your Word, and bless everyone who has come today, and also bless those who could not make it due to the weather. We come to You today asking that You would forgive us of our sins and cleanse us as we approach this New Year. Thank You for the promise of newness of life through Your Son Jesus. We praise You for being a wonderful God who has compassion on us, even though we are frail and sinful. Help us live holy, pure, and joyful lives before you. We pray all this in Jesus' Name, Amen.
And if you have not come to know Jesus, I invite you to make this the prayer of your heart. You can follow along and pray with me.
God, I have disobeyed Your commands. I have sinned and fallen short of Your standards for me. I confess them and I turn from them. I accept for my life that Jesus died for me, and that He gave His life so that I can be forgiven. I accept this forgiveness, and I thank You for it. Thank You for sending your Son Jesus to conquer the grave, Resurrecting on the third day. From this day, I am choosing to follow Jesus. Jesus, be my Savior. Help me grow as Your disciple, and bring me into more and more maturity in knowing You. In Jesus' Name, I pray, Amen.
And if you have prayed to God to follow His Son Jesus with your life, please do come see one of us after the service. We would love to help get you started on your journey in following our King of Kings, High Priest, and Ultimate Sacrifice, Jesus Christ. God bless you today and this season.
Benediction
Bibliography
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
