Christmas 2021 – Wise Man

Joke: What did Adam say to his wife on Christmas?

It’s finally Christmas,   Eve!

 Ok one more:

One Christmas, Joe and Peter built a skating rink in the middle of a field. A shepherd leading his flock decided to take a shortcut across the rink. The sheep, however, were afraid of the ice and wouldn’t cross it. Desperate, the shepherd began tugging them to the other side.

‘Look at that, ‘remarked Peter to Joe, ‘That guy is trying to pull the wool over our ice!’

—————————————————————————

Wiseman – Week 5

Video – Wise man www.skitguys.com

The Wise Man and his companions traveling with him followed the star, found the Messiah, and witnessed His Majesty.

Their story is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 2.  Let’s look at verses 1 through 12.

Matthew 2:1–12 (NIV): After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 “ ‘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 shepherd my people Israel.’” 7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 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, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

As we consider this part of the Christmas story, I want you to notice three elements mentioned in this text that ultimately helped lead the wise men to Jesus.

1. They asked an important question.

Matthew 2:2 (NIV): “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?

2. They searched until they found their answer.

Matthew 2:9 (NIV): After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.

3. They walked through the door that was opened to them.

Matthew 2:11 (NIV): On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.

Have you ever stopped to think that one reason the wise men ended up in the presence of Jesus, witnessing His Majesty before their very eyes, was because they did three of the very things that Jesus one day would tell people to do when they are looking for something?

We find these three wise words Jesus said in Matthews gospel account as well in Chapter 7 verse 7.

Matthew 7:7 (NIV): 7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

1. Ask
2. Seek
3. Knock

About three decades after the wise men witnessed the majesty of Jesus as a child, many other people who also were looking for something would witness Jesus as an adult sharing what has been identified as the greatest sermon in history.

This timeless teaching of Jesus, known as The Sermon on the Mount, is found just a few pages away from the account of the wisemen.

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is recorded in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7. We see those three words: “Ask, Seek, Knock,” towards the later part of Jesus’ sermon in chapter 7:7-11.

Let’s take a closer look at this part of Jesus’ teaching and notice how what the wise men did when Jesus was a child is what Jesus later taught as an adult.

We read verse 7 let me read that once again plus a few verses more.

Matthew 7:7–11 (NIV): 7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Before Jesus ever spoke these famous three words of “Ask, Seek, Knock,” the wise men were following in this way that would lead them to Him.

Wise people follow Jesus as they follow the ways and words of Jesus.

In this passage from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is giving practical advice on how to be people who are discerning and wise.

One benefit of following the ways and words of Jesus is because we all deal with people, circumstances, and options in our lives where we need to exercise good judgment and have wise discernment.

When we are searching for something such as:

• trying to understand what the wise thing to do in a certain situation might be
• what is the wise way to engage with people
• how to move forward in a decision such as where to live
• where to go to school
• who to go into business with
• who to trust
• how to invest your finances
• what to do about a family situation

You name the scenario, and Jesus gives the wise and discerning approach in verses 7-8 that can be summed up in those three little words: Ask…Seek…Knock.

Look again at what Jesus says in verses 7-8, where those words are found.

Matthew 7:7–8 (NIV): 7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Ask, Seek, Knock. These verbs are in a particularly important tense in the original language. They are in the present perfect tense. That means an action happens and keeps on happening.

What Jesus invites his followers to do is pray to God for discernment in a way that starts and does not stop.

Jesus is saying: Ask and keep on asking, seek and keep on seeking, knock and keep on knocking.

As you do this, you are positioning yourself to receive a response. That response may be YES…it may be NO…it may be NOT NOW.

Regardless, Jesus invites us to more than just an “in the moment” prayer that is passive and nonchalant.

Jesus invites us to be intentional about engaging in a process of understanding, receiving, and discernment.

It starts with intentional, active, and consistent prayer.

You may think: But what if Jesus will not answer my prayer?

That is a legitimate question that many people may have.

However, consider these words Pastor Rick Warren posted on Instagram that may help give some perspective on that question.

“If Jesus loved you enough to die for you, he loves you enough to answer your prayer.”

When I am seeking discernment in my life, I take Jesus at His words here in His sermon.

I Ask…Seek…and Knock…and keep on Asking and keep on Seeking and keep on Knocking until I have the discernment I need.

No matter if that is discernment on:

• a leadership decision
• how to move forward in a situation
• maybe it is something dealing with a family issue
• a financial issue

No matter what it is I am searching for wisdom, direction, and discernment.

We are invited by Jesus to: Ask…and keep on Asking.

Seek…and keep on Seeking. Knock…and keep on Knocking.

Part of the way I ask…seek…and knock…is by inviting trusted advisors (wise men and women if you will) into my life who I am confident are walking with Jesus.

These are the people I know who are trying to follow Jesus by following the ways and words of Jesus.

That means these are wise men and women who read the Scriptures and pray as they desire to follow Jesus in every area of their lives.

I want! I need, those kinds of wise people asking…seeking…and knocking with me.

Trying to follow Jesus by following the ways and words of Jesus is not a passive process; it’s an active process that needs the help of wise people walking with you.

This leads us back to doing the same thing the wise men did that we observed earlier in their story, and that is to:

Ask an important question.

An important question we must ask ourselves today if we want to find what we are looking for is this:

Who are you inviting into your process of asking, seeking, and knocking?

The reason I am asking you about who you are inviting into the process with you is because, in Jesus’ words that we have been examining from His Sermon on the Mount, He is talking to the people before Him within the context of community, the context of relationships, and the context of family.

Maybe you didn’t notice that?

None of what Jesus has been talking about is meant to be solely in the context of isolation.

Jesus is talking about doing life together with other people in the context of a healthy, God-honoring, family relationships.

Right after Jesus tells people to Ask, Seek, and Knock, notice how Jesus goes on to situate and emphasize the family context of these wise words in verses 9-11.

Matthew 7:9–11 (NIV): Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Jesus is emphasizing the importance of relationships in our discernment process. He is highlighting the importance of family in our process of asking…seeking…and knocking

Perhaps you have a Nativity display to help celebrate and remind you and others of the significance of the Christmas season.

Many Nativity sets and scenes show not only Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, but also may include the wise men bringing gifts to honor the newborn King.

While the wise men likely were witnessing His Majesty sometime after that Holy Night when Christ was born, their presence in the Nativity scene can be a great reminder to invite wise people into our process of asking, seeking, and knocking.

The wise relationships in our life will bring us great gifts if we will open ourselves up to how God may want to use such people in our lives.

When we find ourselves looking at a Nativity scene this Christmas season, may it be a catalyst to ask that important question again and again:

Who are you inviting into your process of asking, seeking, and knocking?

Solomon said it like this:

Proverbs 11:14 (NIV): For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers.

Proverbs 15:22 (NIV): Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.

Proverbs 19:20–21 (NIV): Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. 21 Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

David knew when he wrote:

Psalm 119:105 (NIV): Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

Paul warned:

1 Corinthians 15:33 (NIV): Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

And if all else fails James tells us. . .

James 1:5 (NIV): 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

And I think I would not being doing Justice in this message if I didn’t tell you that God desires for us to seek out a relationship with Him as well.

Acts 17:27 (NIV): God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.

Did what?  Came as a baby, lived amount us, died for us, rose again so that we do can arise in newness of life.

Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV): You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Psalm 14:2 (NIV): The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.

Pray

Now as we get ready for communion and candlelight service I want to share with you a story.

Of the 65 million people who fought in WW1 around 9 million never made it home, but. . .

On Christmas Eve night 1914 something amazing happened. Something that still has the world scratching its head. It was at the beginning of WWI and there was a fierce battle going on in Belgium between the French and the English on one side and the Germans on the other. The battle had reached a stalemate, and each side had bunkered down and dug trenches. They were about 60-80 yards apart from one another and the space between was called No Man’s Land because no one could venture there and survive. It’s estimated that over 100,000 troops were involved in this battle and these trenches went on for miles. The conditions were horrible, and both sides had lost thousands of lives. There were bodies scattered all over No Man’s Land because if someone tried to retrieve them, they would be shot.

As Christmas approached, the Germans started decorating some of the trees around their bunkers with candles. On Christmas Eve both sides were settled down on their respective sides and some of the British were playing their bagpipes and singing some of their favorite pub songs, which no doubt brought them some sense of comfort being so far away from home and in the middle of war on Christmas Eve. Meanwhile, on the other side, some of the Germans began to sing one of their country’s most beloved Christmas carols, Silent Night, and after singing it through several times, something incredible happened. The French and British joined in on the familiar tune. Unbelievably, that night led to a ceasefire that lasted until New Year’s Day. On Christmas Day, each side helped the other bury their dead and over that next week they celebrated Christmas together, they played soccer together; they gathered around the same campfires and told stories and laughed long into the night.

It was a holy night. Neither side could have seen a week of peace being born out of the singing of a Christmas carol, and yet, that is exactly what happened. A song about the birth of a baby in Bethlehem who would bring peace on earth, brought peace to a war torn battlefield and, for a handful of hours, turned enemies into friends.

And so tonight as we play that very same song I want us to share in communion together, lighting our candles together.  Singing together.

Do communion and candles.

 Matthew 26:26–28 (NIV): While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.