The Joy of Christmas
Transcript
Good morning. My name is Spencer. I'm one of the pastors here with Mill City Church. This is our Christmas gathering. This is the time where we get to, it's the last Sunday of the year we get to meet, so we get to celebrate the coming of Jesus and all the joy that comes with that, all the anticipation and excitement that comes with that. It's the one Sunday I can bust out a bright red sweater, and it's okay.
It's not over the top. So we're going to be in Matthew 2 today, which is on page 471 in your blue Bibles. If you don't have a Bible at home, please take that. That's our gift to you. We want you to have a Bible that you can read at home, but we're going to be in Matthew 2. And today we're going to look at the story of the wise men, and we're going to see something a little bit different.
I think oftentimes we're very familiar with this story, but I want to expand a little bit. I want us to see a little bit how this story fits in the bigger picture of Jesus and how this story points forward. But before we do that, I want to set it up a little bit. I want to walk through a little bit of Jesus' birth story, starting in Matthew 1, verses 18 through 25. It says, Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which means God with us.
When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel the Lord commanded him. He took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son, and he called his name Jesus. In the first two chapters of Matthew, God gives us the intro story to Jesus. And good introductions that we see here, we see in the Gospels, and they point forward to the rest of the story. It's God tipping his hand a little bit of where the story is going, because good introductions do that. I think it's one of the greatest movies that's ever been made, The Dark Knight, which is Christopher Nolan's, it's his magnum opus, it's his greatest, I think his greatest achievement.
And it's brilliant. In the intro scene, there is stuff in it that points forward to the rest of the story. The first scene's a bank robbery, which is the Joker, it's his M.O., he robs banks, and in this bank robbery, each of the people who are involved in the bank robbery are wearing clown masks. It's pointing forward, this is the Joker who is involved here. And as this is happening, the music that sets the tone for this, it really sets the tone for the rest of the film, is unnerving. It's meant to put you a little bit on edge, which is pointing to the madness that is the Joker.
And as this bank robbery unfolds, each of the characters starts to build up the legend of the Joker, starts to tell more about him, you're starting to see more of who this character is going to be. And in this bank robbery, it's genius, it's a mastermind plot, but it's also chaotic. And that's because the Joker is an agent of chaos, as he is a genius. And finally, the big build-up to when you finally see the Joker, he takes off his mask, and his face is even more insane than the mask. And he says, I believe that whatever doesn't kill you makes you stranger. And that's it, like it hooks you.
This man is a madman, he is insane, and this movie is going to be just like this. And it's genius how it points forward, because that's what good introductions do. They point forward in the story, and that's what we get in the Gospels. That's what we get as we walk through Matthew 1, the birth story. It tells us that Jesus was born of a virgin, which means this baby, this son, is different than every other child that has come into this world. That he has set apart.
There's something unique about him that says he will be called Emmanuel, which means God with us. That this is the God-man. This is the God-child, God in human form, that has come to dwell amongst men. It says that he will save the people from their sins. That this is going somewhere. That he is going to save the people.
It's pointing forward to the cross. And then, and then we get to Matthew 2. When we look at Matthew 2 and this story that we're so familiar with, it's actually pointing forward to a bigger part of the story. So we're going to zoom in on this and catch a glimpse of what God is doing here in this story as the wise men come and visit Jesus. And ultimately, we're going to see this story is hope-filled. This story is joyful for all of us that follow Jesus.
And we'll get to see that in this season as well. So let me pray, and then we'll dive into the story. God, I'm so thankful that you came, that in this season we get to celebrate the joy of your coming. God, I pray that you would help us see that. You would help us feel that as we walk through this story. We ask this in Jesus' name.
Amen. Alright, starting in verse 1 and 2. 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 saying, Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose, and I've come to worship him. Now, there's a lot going on here in these first couple of verses. And a lot of it, honestly, is informed by nativity tradition.
By our understanding of the nativity. The nativity scenes, we're all very familiar with them. That tradition helps inform this. And what I want to do this morning is I want to throw a little bit of a wrench in that tradition. It's going to mess up your nativity scene just a little bit. It's going to be a little bit painful, but it'll be good.
Because it's helpful to know things even if we don't understand them. Recently, this happened to me. For 20 years, I have worn contacts. And then recently, a few weeks ago, I had one of those days that it just wasn't fitting right, and I was messing with it, and I was trying to get it to submit to my eye, and finally, and you know how that, even if you don't wear contacts, you know having something on your eye, it drives you insane. But I was like, I've had days like this.
This happens. I'm going to make it work. Came into the office here, and then Chet goes, hey man, I see that you've been struggling this morning. Maybe, maybe you put it in backwards. To which I said, no Chet, you can put contacts in any way you want. They're reversible.
And he said, no. They're really not. There's only one way to put it in. I was like, no, I've worn contacts for 20 years, Chet. I think I know how to put a contact. He's like, I don't think you really do.
I'm like, says who? He says everyone. Optometrists, the internet. So finally, we went to Google. And I learned a thing. Contacts are not reversible.
That for 20 years, I've been putting, I've been forcing them on my eye. I know that some of you are thinking, man, bless his heart. What an idiot. To which I say, slow your roll, okay? First, I blame, I was 10 when I started. I blame the optometrist for not teaching me.
Secondly, what you should be thinking is, is how amazing are his eyes? I have superhuman eyes. They could force contacts in the submission for 20 years, and I can still see. So, it's impressive, but it's helpful to actually know the truth, to actually know how to do that. And I just want to correct a little bit, the nativity scene for you, starting in the first part, when it says, now after Jesus was born. That is an indefinite period of time.
Directly after this passage, which we won't get into today, King Herod feels threatened by Jesus, and his kingship. So he has all males under the age of two, he orders them to be killed. Which begs the question, why under the age of two? And the reason is, is that he has figured out, that sometime in the last two years, sometime in the last two years, Jesus, this Messiah, was born. Which means, he could have been two, when the Magi, when the wise men visited. He could have been one.
He could have been 18 months. We don't really know, but it's, it's pretty clear from the text, that the wise men, were not at the birth, of Jesus. So, you can do what my son does, every morning, when he comes down to, his little people nativity set. You can come down, it's all nicely put together, you can grab the wise men, and you can throw them under the couch. Just kidding, if you like the wise men, we have another one that's wooden, the kids aren't supposed to touch. Keep them, they're nice.
Just know, what's actually going on here. The second part of the nativity change, that may be helpful for some of us, is the text says, that wise men from the east, came to Jerusalem. They were wise men, not kings. I know we three kings, is special to some of you, but that kind of messes up your brain, a little bit. The word that more accurately, reflects what's happening here, the wise men, is the word magi. That's what the text is getting at.
Magi were priests. They were magicians. They were astrologists. They were dream interpreters. They were alchemists. They dealt in the mysterious.
We see this in the Old Testament, when Pharaoh is going, when Moses is going toe-to-toe with Pharaoh, and Moses does a miracle, and the Pharaoh, his wise men, his magi, come out, and they start doing magic tricks, to answer Moses. We see this in the book of Daniel. In the book of Daniel, in chapter 2, he becomes head of the magi, head of the wise men, and Daniel is a dream interpreter. So, by the time we get to the New Testament, it's still, that is true, and they serve specifically in royal courts. They serve kings. They're a part of royalty.
They use their gifts of looking at the stars, and the planets, and studying all of this, which means, when a star appears in the sky, that was not there, when creation itself, bends to something, that catches, people like the magi's attention. And then, we don't get this from the text, but we can tell, by the time they show up to Jerusalem, that God has come to them, and said, that there is a king of the Jews, that has been born, that this star, is shining upon. Now, I want to pause for a second. I know that some of you, that may like the mysterious, will go, cool, so like tarot cards, and horoscopes, and all that, that's, that's, no.
Let me pause for a second. We can have a separate conversation after this, if you want to. We don't deal in that anymore. We don't deal in the mysterious, because Jesus is the mystery of the universe, that has been revealed. And that in Christ, all of that, is gone and put away. We don't need that.
We have Jesus. If you want to come and talk to me later, we can have a conversation, about that. But these are magi. They are from the east. The, the original hearers of this, of this gospel, would have understood the east, to be Persia, Assyria, Babylon. All people that, that traditionally, the Jews do not mix with.
They've had a bad history with. But they're from the east, and they're not kings. So, we get to, verse 2, and it says, Where is he, who has been born, king of the Jews? This is the magi talking. For we saw his star, when it rose, and have come to worship him. When Herod heard, Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
So after they get, giddy, after they're excited, the star in the sky, has led them, to Jerusalem. We're getting closer, closer and closer, to where this star is. They land in Jerusalem, and they start asking around. And they're going to stand out. These are foreigners, a part of royal courts. Like, they're going to stand out.
And it says that when, where, when they ask this, that, that, that, that, that both Herod, and all of Jerusalem, they were all, uh, troubled. Which means, they weren't just going to Herod, and asking, where is this king? They were talking to anybody, that would listen. Where's this king, who was born? Who, you mean, King Herod? No, no, no, smaller, baby king.
Where is he? Uh, how, how did you know to come here? We followed a star. This starts to get the whole city stirred up. Jerusalem's a, it's a big city, but this is the kind of city, where buzz is going to circulate. And they start to get, uh, stirred up, and Herod is trying to figure out what's going on.
It says, verse three, when Herod, the king heard this, he was troubled. And all Jerusalem with him, and assembling all the chief priests, and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them, where the Christ was to be born. So Herod, he believes this, and he wants to find out what's going on. So he goes to, uh, the scribes, and the chief, and the chief priests, to the religious leaders, who know the Old Testament, to try to figure out, uh, where this Messiah, is coming from. It picks up in verse five, it says, they told him, in Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet, and you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least, among the rulers of Judah.
For from you shall come a ruler, who will shepherd my people, Israel. So they reveal to Herod, yes, the Messiah, from the prophets, uh, Ezekiel, from the prophet Micah, in the Old Testament, the Messiah is going to be born, in Bethlehem, this is true. So then Herod responds, and he says, then, uh, verse seven, then Herod summoned the wise men secretly, and ascertained from them, what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, go, and search diligently for the child, and when you found him, bring me word, that I too may come, and worship him. So Herod, he doesn't have, good intentions.
He wants to find out, where this child was born, where Jesus was born, because he feels threatened. His earthly kingship, is threatened. He has a plot, that he's going to try, to kill Jesus, in order to protect, his earthly kingship. So, he tells him, go, find him. When you come back through here, tell me where he is, so I can come, and worship him too. And we're not going to get into this today, but that plot is full.
God has a plan here. They go back a different way. It picks up in verse 9, it says, after listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star which they had seen, when it rose, went before them, until it came to rest, over the place, where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced, exceedingly, with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child, with Mary his mother, and they fell down, and worshipped him.
Then opening their treasures, they offered him, gifts, gold, and frankincense, and Mary. And being warned in the dream, not to return to Herod, they departed, to their own country, by another way. So, they leave Jerusalem, and they know they're close. Bethlehem, geographically, even today, is not that far from Jerusalem. So they know, they're getting close.
And you have to remember, these are, these are men, that have devoted, their lives, to the study of the stars, and the planet. And God has come to them, told them about the, king of the Jews, and the star, is shining over the city, there, this town, Bethlehem, they're getting closer. And as they come up, over the hill, into Bethlehem, they see, where it is shining. And they're getting closer, to the house. And there's this, anticipation, that is building up. And finally, they knock on the door.
And when the door is open, and Mary and the child, are there, the text tells us, they rejoiced. They rejoiced exceedingly, with great joy. Which is just, they lost it. They were so excited, they had stumbled, they came and found, this child, that God had led them to. This baby king. And they fell down, and they worshipped him.
They said, ma'am, we came all this way. We followed this star, for your son, he is a king. And we didn't come, empty handed. We brought gifts. They bust them out. We brought gifts of gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
Now, there's been a lot of people, over the years, that have tried to figure out, the meaning of these gifts. There's a lot of different things, that can be a little bit confusing, and trying to pinpoint that. There is something, that is a common thread, in each of these gifts. These gifts, are meant for a king. These are royal gifts. Gold, frankincense, which is an incense, myrrh.
These are expensive gifts, that you would bestow, on a king. And they come, and say, here are the gifts. Here they are. Here, and another thing, with the tippy tradition, we don't know actually, if there were three magi. We do know, that there are three gifts, and I like to think, that it makes sense, each of them, would be bringing, a gift, to the king. So they, bestow these gifts, they lay them at their feet, and they rejoice, and they are, worshipful.
This is a, joyous occasion. They have, they have come, and they have seen, the child that is going to change, the course, of history. And they're doing this, and I want you to picture this. They are, joyous. They are, celebrating. They are, high-fiving.
They are, worshiping. They are, so excited. And Mary, and Joseph, are standing here, and they are watching this, and there's a part of me, that thinks, that in their head, they had to be thinking, this is great. Why are you here? Like we, like they've seen a lot, at this point. They've, they remember when Jesus was born.
They remember, uh, the angels, that were bursting forth, in praise. They remember the shepherds, who came, and, and, and worshipped, Jesus. They remember when they, presented Jesus, at the temple, at the temple, when the prophet, and the prophetess, were prophesying, that he was the Messiah. They remember, all these things. They were treasuring, these things, in their hearts. But all that, was inside the house.
All that, was amongst Jews. So there had to be, a thought, why are you here? Foreigners, magi, from distant lands. Why have you come here? And that, is the part, of the story, that points forward. That's the part, of the story, where God is, tipping his hand.
God calls, magi, wise men, from the east, to show you, who he was coming for. To show that, these were the very, kind of people, that Jesus was coming for. They represented, the very people, that Jesus was going, to reach. This baby king, was not just going, to be king of the Jews. He was going to be, king of the nations. And this story, is tipping its hand.
It's not an accident, that God calls, magi outsiders, to worship the baby king. He's telling us, where the story is going. That Jesus is coming, for the outsiders, for the lost. And that means, me, and you, and everyone, that wasn't a part of, the Jewish people. This is a, hope filled, story, for the world. That the light, that lit up Bethlehem, is going to light up, the world.
It's going to light up, the nations. That's how, I love the gospel of Matthew. It starts with a picture, of God tipping his hand, that God is coming, for everybody. And it ends with, go therefore, make disciples, of all nations. This story, is the first glimmer of hope, for all of us, who are outsiders. This is why, we sing songs, in this season, that are joy, to the world.
Because God is coming, for all of us. It is a, hope filled story, that we get to, pause every year, and remember, and be joyous, and be glad. But I get it. I understand that, for some of you, that is hard to do, in this season. For some of you, this season brings up, really difficult memories. For some of you, this has been, a really difficult year.
And it has been hard, to be joyous, and to remember the gospel, to remember that, glimmer of light, that was shining, in the desert. It's hard. Because some of you, have had a rough year, you've experienced, real loss. And preaching the gospel, to yourself, in this season, has been difficult. It's lost its flavor. Some of you, have gone through, real temptations, you've gone through, real trials, this year.
And it's, you are just tired, and it is hard, for you to be joyous. Some of you, have wrestled with, with sickness, with physical suffering, with mental illness. There's been, all kinds of suffering, that you can feel deep, in your bones, that you can feel deep, in your soul, and the cynic in you, wants to post a meme, that just destroys, the holly jolliness, of everybody around you. Because it's been hard, and it's been rough. And I want to say to you, specifically, I know it is difficult, but I want you to pause, in this season, and join the chorus. I want you to fight through, and I want you to see, the light that lit up, the darkness.
I want you to feel, the hope that came. Because that hope, that came for you, is the hope, that secured a place for you, that one day, you will be in the presence, of Jesus, for eternity. And that day, there will be, no more tears, there will be, no more pain, there will be, no more suffering. That's the joy, that we get to celebrate, that came to this world. And I know, that you felt alone. I want to say very clearly, for those of you in Christ, you were not alone.
Jesus did not abandon you. And I want you to, to fight through, and remember, that he is going to carry you home. He has put you on his back. This is a real, and actualized, and vivid, and joyous hope, that I want us to pause, in this season, and see. I want us to feel, and I want us to remember. That's why this Friday, we get to do a worship night.
Because I want us to pause, as a church family, and remember, the Jesus that came, the humble babe, that came in this world, to rescue each of us. I want us to pause, like the Magi, and celebrate, and be glad, and be joyous, and remember. That's the hope, that we remember at Christmas. So as the band, comes up, and as we celebrate, communion, I want us to remember, this. As we approach the table, I want us to remember, the way that Jesus, came into this world. He came in naked, and humble, in the form of a babe.
Because it helps us, remember the way that He died, naked, and humble, on a cross.