Word of Salvation – Vol. 23 No. 02 – October 1976

 

The Right Response At Christmas Time

 

Christmas Sermon by Rev. B. Gillard

Scripture Reading: Matthew 2:1-12

Psalter Hymnal: 337; 331; 339; 341; 490

 

Introduction

As we again approach this Christmas season, perhaps the question that should be foremost in our minds is this: What is the response that God requires from us to this greatest of events in history?  And surely there can be only one answer to that question.  We are called upon to worship Him in wonder, love and praise.

We notice from our text this morning how God worked with His grace outside the borders of the holy land so that this became the one overriding consideration of the wise men of the East.  Having seen His star they could not rest content until they had searched Him out, and having found Him they must fall down before Him and worship Him.

One of the most difficult problems facing the Jews, was the problem of accepting Jesus as the Messiah, the anointed King of Israel.  We see this very early in our Lords’ public ministry.  When John the Baptist came on the scene, the Jews came to him with the searching question, ‘Are you the Christ?’  To which John answered, ‘I am not.’

When Jesus appeared on the scene performing many miracles, and teaching with an authority that was different to that of the Scribes and Pharisees, the people were divided in their opinion about Him.  A few – by far the minority – came to recognize Him  as the Messiah.  The majority rejected Him, and failed to recognize Him.  Even at His death we find the religious and political authorities protesting against the inscription that Pilate had written and nailed over His cross.  And even after His resurrection and ascension, they were still divided in their opinion.  The authorities were forbidding the early disciples to teach and preach in His name.  The epistle to the Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who were having second thoughts about Him, and who were in danger of turning back.  And so it has continued down through the centuries.

Matthew, the writer of our first Gospel, has this situation in mind.  And one of the reasons why he writes this gospel is to prove to the Jews that the little babe born in the manger is indeed the King of the Jews, the promised Messiah, the Saviour of the world.

Even at his birth, while a helpless babe, born in circumstances of humility, he is acknowledged as such by representatives who come from the Gentile nations, who bow in reverence and awe before Him.

The real proof that we have come to know Him too, is, that we cannot help but worship Him, in wonder, love and praise.

Matthew’s purpose in writing this account is to set before his fellow Jews the example of the wise men of the East; as an example of the worship and devotion that is due to the babe born at Bethlehem.  And the King who sits upon the throne of His father David.

Let us then particularly at this Christmas season, learn from, and follow the example of the wise men.  There are several things about them that I would like to draw to your attention today.

1.  THEY FOLLOW THE REVELATION THAT THEY HAVE
            (God in His grace made them do this!)

First of all they are wise men because they follow the revelation that God has given to them.  It isn’t much, just a star.  It cannot speak, it cannot write.  For a time it appears in the sky and then it is gone.  How can a star proclaim the birth of the Saviour?  We do not know, we can only say that God is able, if he chooses, to speak to the hearts of men through natural revelation as well as through special revelation.  He can speak to us through the circumstances of life as well if He chooses.  It is not a complete revelation, it is not a sufficient revelation.  But sometimes it is enough to make us think, and to make us move.  I know of a backsliding Elder who once had a serious fall from a push bike.  It was the voice of God to him that brought him back into the fellowship of the church and under the preaching of God’s Word.

The wisdom of the wise men lies not in their hearing the voice of God in nature, but in acting upon the revelation that God had given them, and seeking more.

What a stinging rebuke Matthew has for his fellow Jews.  If only they would follow the revelation that they have, as the wise men of the East have done, they too would find the Saviour.  The wise men of the East have only a star.  The Jews have the whole of the Old Testament revelation, the law and the prophets.

Here then is the first example of true wisdom.  It is to forsake our own wisdom for one that is higher.  The wisdom of God that has been revealed in Jesus Christ God’s Son.

What a glorious position we are in today.  We are better off than the wise men.  We are better off than the ancient Jews.  We not only have God’s revelation of Himself in nature and the Old Testament Scriptures, but we also have the New Testament Scriptures as well.  We have the complete and final Word of God’s special revelation to man.  We have the inspired interpretation of the events of Christ’s birth, life, death and resurrection.  If the wise men had a star to guide them on their journey to the Saviour then we may come, guided by the full and complete light of the sun in comparison.

But the question is, beloved, are we as wise as the wise men, are we following the revelation that we have received?

Oh that men and nations today might follow the revelation that God has given of himself in nature and in Scripture.  Then they too would go on their way rejoicing.  Here then is the way of true wisdom, to follow without question, without complaint the revelation that God has given.  It alone will lead us to the Babe in the manger, the Saviour of the world, the King of Creation.  Let us continue our journey with the three wise men of the East.

2.  THEY ARE NOT SATISFIED WITH THE REVELATION ALONE
            (thanks to God’s grace working within them!)

The second thing we notice about these wise men is that they are not satisfied with the revelation itself.  They must have and know the one who is the object of the revelation they have received.  It is not the star that they seek.  It is not the star that they will worship.  They must worship Him who is born King of the Jews.

Those who wish to maintain the inerrancy and infallibility of Scripture today, are sometimes called bibliolaters.  That is: people who worship the book.  Well if that means that we believe that God has given to us a complete and final Word of revelation, which speaks with final authority upon all matters that it touches, then I for one am glad to be called a bibliolater.

If it means, however, that our worship terminates at the book, and not at the one who is revealed to us therein, then it is a serious charge.  It is not the book or the doctrine as such that we must worship, but the One whom it reveals: The King of kings and Lord of lords.

It is possible, I believe for a person to become book-or-doctrine-centred, and not Christ-centred.  Such people know all the doctrines, and they know all the answers, but somehow or other they don’t seem to know Him of Whom the Book speaks.  They have seen the star and they think that is enough.  They have not gone any further, they have not yet seen that the star was given to lead them to the Person.  As a matter of fact this is a charge that I have had put to me by outsiders concerning many people in our churches.  They say that there is plenty in the head, but little in the heart.

Let us make sure beloved congregation, that this is not true of any of us.

Let us make sure that we know Him, and that the power of His resurrection is at work in us.  We will not be satisfied just to have the star, we will have no substitutes, crosses or relics, or crucifixes or any such thing.  It is Jesus and Jesus alone that we must have.  And the wise men have pointed us in the right direction, because they are not content to remain with the star itself.  No, they must follow it until it has led them all the way to Him.

3.  THEY WILL NOT GIVE IN TO DISCOURAGEMENTS.
            (Thanks to God’s gracious preservation!)

The third and final thing that I would draw to your attention, is their determination to find Him and to overcome all obstacles and discouragements.

Not only will they follow the revelation that they have.  And not only will they be content with nothing less than the One Who is revealed.  But, they will allow nothing to deter them in their efforts to come to Him.

We do not know what difficulties they may have encountered in their travels.  Were they married?  Did they leave families behind?  What did friends and relatives think of them going off on a journey like this?  How far did they have to travel?  What dangers did they face along the way?  Whatever the obstacles they met with they laid them all aside.  The King of the Jews has been born, the Saviour of the world.  There is one response that can be made to an event like that.  They must forsake everything else and find Him.  And when they have found Him they must worship Him.

Consider for a moment the disappointing response they met with in the holy city.  Imagine the surprised and horror-stricken looks on the faces of the people as they went from street to street asking, where is He that is born King of the Jews?  King of the Jews they would say?  What King?  There is only one king around here, and that is Herod.  But undaunted they go on.  Right to the palace of the King.  And to Herod himself the question is put.  Where is he that is born king of the Jews?  A shiver of fear pierces Herod’s heart, a look of anxiety shoots across his face.  The wise men are ushered into the palace and told to wait as Herod rushes off to consult with the Jewish scholars.  The question is put.  Where is the Christ to be born?  They turn to the Old Testament Scriptures, and there the answer is found in the book of Micah chapter 5 and verse two.  “And you Bethlehem, land of Judah; are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; for out of you shall come forth a Ruler Who will shepherd my people Israel.”

Finally after a period of waiting the message is communicated to the wise men.  What strange behaviour they must have thought.  The king of the Jews is born, but not in the palace of the king.  The King of the Jews is born, and with what apathy and indifference is his birth being greeted.  How incredible it must have seemed, but still they continued undaunted in their determination to find Him.

Who knows whether there was a question of doubt in their minds when they were dismissed from the palace?  If there was, however, it was soon dispersed.  For there once again, shining in the sky was the same star that they had seen in the East.  With what rejoicing did they receive it, and with what joy did they now set out to cover the remaining distance to Bethlehem, just six Roman miles to the south of Jerusalem.

Many are turned away from seeking Him through this circumstance and that.  Many are discouraged by the scepticism and unbelief of others.  Some are turned aside by the apathy and indifference of professing Christians.  But in the midst of it all, the three wise men from the East, the first fruits from the Gentile nations, remind us again, that those who seek Him with all their hearts will find Him.

CONCLUSION AND APPLICATION

We have followed the three wise men in their journey now, and we must briefly note in conclusion the place where the star stops, and the place where the journey comes to an end.  “The star which they had seen in the East went on before them, until it came and stood over where the Child was”.  That’s the place where God’s revelation comes to an end for us.  It terminates in the Lord Jesus Christ.  There is nothing beyond Him.  In Him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily.  The wise men can go no further, the star has reached the end of the road.

There is only one thing left for them to do now.  They have followed the revelation to the end.  They have persevered in their search.  Now they must enter into the place where the young Child is with Mary His mother, and seeing Him they must fall down before Him and worship Him.

That’s the response that God requires of us, beloved congregation, to this greatest of all events.  The birth and incarnation of His Son.  He is no ordinary babe.  He is the King of kings, The Lord of lords.  He is the One before Whom every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess Him to be the King of glory.

What is the response of your heart today, beloved, to the birth of this Child?  Have you acknowledged Him not only as the king of the Jews, but also as the King of your heart and life?  Is He the King over your time, your talents and your possessions?  For this is what it means to fall down and worship Him.  Can you say with the Hymn writer, “All to Jesus I surrender…, I surrender all”?

May God grant that it is the true response of our hearts to the Saviour who was born on Christmas Day.  Not only at this special season of the year, but now and for ever.  Amen.