Cornerstone Christian Center
Cornerstone Christian Center
Discover the Magi | Christmas at Cornerstone 2024
This week dives into the rich significance of the Magi's visit to Jesus and what their gifts reveal about worship and intentionality. By examining their journey and gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, we uncover profound lessons about seeking Christ and giving our best in response to His love.
Cornerstone
https://www.cornerstoneaz.org/
Follow Jesus
https://www.cornerstoneaz.org/follow-jesus
Life Groups
https://www.cornerstoneaz.org/life-groups
Giving
https://cornerstoneaz.churchcenter.com/giving
Church Center App - Download then add Cornerstone Christian Center in Avondale, AZ
iOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-church-center/id1357742931?mt=8&ls=1&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
Android
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ministrycentered.churchcenter
----
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/cornerstoneaz
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/cornerstoneaz.org
Twitter
https://twitter.com/cornerstoneaz.org
Merry Christmas. We're excited because we're in a season of discovering what it means to follow after Jesus, and our focus today is to discover the Magi of Christmas. You know so much of what we do at Christmas time. It hovers around this idea of gifts, and when we think about the Magi, so often it's correlated to gifts, and so you know it's interesting because it doesn't mean as much when you have a lot of them, but whenever you don't have any, it matters a lot. And I want to say thank you to all that helped out at Mercy House yesterday, where over 500 gifts were given out to kids who otherwise wouldn't have such a great Christmas. Thank you for serving, thank you for giving, thank you for being those that gave toys to this endeavor, and for those that serve, you are a blessing. We had people that were there, that showed up early to set things up and days in advance, and it was an amazing event. There was a lot of people from our community of faith that were there. You can see Mika here addressing the crowd and encouraging them. Mika has been 30 years of Mercy House and we give God praise for that An amazing day. I want to say thank you to Mika, to Christina, to the whole team that made it possible for all these things to happen. You know it was not just us, it was a whole community of people that came together. There's motorcycle clubs that were there, car clubs that were there, different groups that were there helping out and serving, giving of their time so that other people would know what it's like to have a Merry Christmas. We gave out over a thousand pounds of food to families in need, which was an amazing thing, and I wanna say thank you to all those that serve at Mercy House, not just at Christmas, which is awesome, but also throughout the year.
Speaker 1:Every single week we have ministry going out for Mercy House. You know that it's amazing. We have a hand for them. Amazing. We have those who are teaching the Bible study, which is something that Cornerstone is. We support is the Bible study on Tuesday for adults, the Bible study for kids on Thursdays. We have tutoring that goes for kids on Tuesday and Thursday as well. We have lots of things happening, including a reading program in the summer with some teachers that are just out of our church as well, and other places. We are helping that community because we want to be the hands and feet of Jesus extended to them. Amen. We're giving food and clothing through the pantry every other week, and so let me encourage you in this that you too would be intentional to be those that partner with things like Mercy House, that we can be a gift of love of Christ to other people. Would you say yes to that? Amen.
Speaker 1:Well, I'll tell you this. You know the gift side of Christmas. I think there's half of us that are pumped about getting a gift and half that are pumped about giving a gift. How many people are the getting a gift crew? It's all right, you guys don't want to raise your hand, but you know it's you. It's okay, it's fine. How about giving a gift crew? You guys are the giving a gift crew and you know it changes a lot depending on where you're at. You know we have a lot and I'm like a lot of December babies in the house. I'm sorry for that. You guys are like this counts for both. You're like does it really? Does it really? It better be good then.
Speaker 1:But we know that it's not just about the presents. The presents are great, the presents are fun. The reason we give gifts is because Christ is a gift to us. But it doesn't need to be the main focus of all that we do. How many people know what I'm saying? See, the presents are a good part of it. It's a giving part of it, it's the joy of being able to participate in showing somebody that love.
Speaker 1:But the real focus in the Christmas season is the arrival of Jesus. To us, is the gift for all people, for all time. That is the real reason of Christmas. So let me encourage you in this that you would focus your heart in Christmas and take a look at what Jesus wants to do in your life. Would you say amen to that? Scripture says it like this behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel. And they shall call his name Emmanuel, which means God with us, amen, amen. Hey, if we haven't met, my name is Jay and we're so excited that we have this opportunity to worship together the Lord at the Christmas time.
Speaker 1:You know, here at Cornerstone we very much see ourselves as people in need of a savior. None of us is perfect we're the first to tell you so but what we are is people that are intentionally on a journey following after Jesus. We're embracing what he wants to do in our life and the work of God and our character, because we want to be more like Jesus, and that's why we do this collectively to love God and make disciples and reach the world. We wanna be intentional in our growth as a disciple ourselves. That's why we connect and we grow and reach the world. We wanna be intentional in our growth as a disciple ourselves. That's why we connect and we grow and we serve. It's who we are as the community, the body of Christ. When we talk about church, we're talking about its people, not a building or a location, and so where the church of God is is where the world is embracing and getting to experience the love of Christ working through us. So be more like Jesus wherever you go. Amen.
Speaker 1:Now, in this season, we're talking about what it means to discover the focus of Christmas and discover the meaning of Christmas and the message of Christmas, and we see the miracle of Christmas in Christ. Today we're talking about the idea of discovering the magi of Christmas, taking a look at what it means to be those of wisdom who are seeking God. We pick up here. I'm going to encourage you to open your Bible, your tablet, your phone to Matthew 2. Look at verse 11 here, starting out, it says and going into the house, they saw the child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. Let's pray, lord. We thank you so much for your word. We thank you, lord, for praying over it. Lord, by your spirit, lord, making it alive, that it would be transformative in us and Ramah God, we ask Lord for your spirit and your power in our lives. Use this word to challenge us. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.
Speaker 1:Now, as we're talking about the magi, it's directly correlated to gifts. And as we talk about gifts, we know, as we start getting to a certain age, it's really not about just what you get. It's very much about what you are giving to others, and that's what actually starts to change in your life is. It's not about what you're getting, it's about what you're giving. And I think there's a piece where you're excited about getting something. I mean, you know beyond socks, you know what I mean Like something good. But there's a piece of it that's really not about that at all. It's really about your intentionality to give to another person. And I'll say this it doesn't matter the size of the gift you get. I think whenever someone gives you something, it means that they were thinking about you and it means they had intentionality towards it. Think about, whenever someone wraps a present, they're doing so with this intentionality. They're doing something and preparing it for you to give it to you.
Speaker 1:And even if it's just a simple thing, or even a gift card, how do you say praise the Lord for gift cards? Praise the Lord, though? Gift cards cannot be turned into tamales. So this is a problem. You see the problem. You need both. Anyway, you get the idea, but the thing is like whenever you're giving a gift, even in its small nature, it's intentional, it's showing I care about you, it means I value you, I was thinking of you, and so in doing so, that's the heart that we have, because that's what Christ was doing for us is that he was coming to us as the gift for all people. He was the gift for you, he was coming for you, and so, in the same way that's the gifts that we give is the same heart is that we give those the way that Christ gave. We give because we love, we give because we care, we give because we want to show others that they have value, just the way that God came into this world to show you that you have value, amen.
Speaker 1:When we look at the magi, we start to pick up with these characters in the Bible that are a little bit. There's a concept, this question around who they are, and so we pick up here, understanding where their story begins. It's in Matthew 2, verse 1 and 2. It says 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 have come to worship him. And that's what we mean by the magi is.
Speaker 1:It goes back to this scripture, it's concept of the people who had wisdom of old, and so they talked about those people being magi or magicians and looking into the spiritual things or the ancient things. They looked about the things that they were forecasting, or the prophecy of God becoming fulfilled, and so the magi were very much that. They were someone of notoriety, of wisdom, of understanding, and not just of their own culture and their own ability to read and write, but of other cultures. They were able to look at Hebrew scripture and to look into it to see hey, this is the prophecy that was going to be fulfilled. So we talk about magi, that's what we're talking about. And very likely these people were also someone of wealth, because they had to have the ability to give the gifts they gave and to make the travels that they did in their day. So most likely, they also were considered those who ruled over others, having that ability. So they were likely kings or people who ruled in that way, someone important in a great court perhaps.
Speaker 1:But they come from these other places and there's pieces of mystery around them. But all of them came with intentionality, with the worship of God, and you think about that, because as they come, they come with this thought process of hey, we're gonna show up where he leads us to go. And so they were looking with intent towards what God was leading them to do. When we think about the star, that's exactly what the star is. The star is God's direction for them. So they were think about the star. That's exactly what the star is. The star is God's direction for them. So they were looking for the star to arise because it was sparked in their heart that this is the very important thing that should be coming about right now. Let's go and worship the coming king and think about that in our own lives. That, as God is directing you and guiding you, as you're seeking him first before you make the big decision on where to go and what step to take, as you are the one who's seeking him first, that we're going after him with intentionality and following God with our heart and with our lives and with our effort.
Speaker 1:So we pick up here in this story and it says that you know, they start, they go to where the place they think it's going to be. So they see the star has appeared and they're like let's go and follow the star. Let's go to Jerusalem. That's where the king should be born. Problem Herod did not have a baby and so he has no new baby, no new heir. That's come. And they're like hey, we're here to celebrate the new king. The star is in the sky. And he's like I'm sorry, what's going on? They're like we're here. You know the star, the one from scripture, the one you guys weren't paying attention to, it's in the sky. We're here to worship. And he was perplexed. You know they go and they scramble, they're like, oh, where's it supposed to be? And they find out what's going to happen. He's like listen, if you guys find the baby, let me know about it, because I want to go worship him too. Slash, kill him and everybody around him so I can continue to be powerful.
Speaker 1:So they go and they go to worship Jesus and it says that the star directed them in where to go and they had this spark of joy when they saw it. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly, with great joy. And of course, they're known for what they give to Jesus. They give these gifts. It means that it cost them something to worship as they came, and they didn't come to worship empty handed. You know, I think about this often is that question of what would you give Jesus.
Speaker 1:If you were going to give him something, what would you give him? What would be worthy to give him as a present? Do you think like it'd be, like your house keys, your car keys? You think that'd be enough. But I wonder what it would be if it would be like, you know, draining your 401k or some other kind of thing, or what would be enough to be a gift for the living God. And I think this, friends, while all those things are good and all those things are great intentionality, I think this, friends, while all those things are good and all those things are great intentionality, I think the thing he really wants the most is not any of those things. What he wants is your heart. What he wants is your life. What he wants is an intentionality and a relationship with you. That's the reason he came.
Speaker 1:So, as we look at that setting of them coming with these gifts, they're coming to worship, so they have a heart to worship the living God, and you could see what it might be like for them to come and to start explaining why they're there. Could you imagine, if you're there and you're Joseph and Mary, you have the newborn, the one that all the angel prophesied about, and the heavens opened up and declared his glory, and these shepherds came out and they're like hey, the angels told us to come and to celebrate with you, and now you're kind of got settled a little bit. And then these rich, wealthy, wise guys out of the East show up and you're like oh, what is going on? I would have put on a better outfit. You know what I mean. I mean you think about it like you know, their lineage the lineage that you see that comes down was of David, but the power had been taken from them. There were no longer kings in that line. It had been given to Herod by the Romans, and so, though they were in that lineage, they weren't people of great means. And so these people of great wealth and these people of high status, these people with likely not just three of them, but most likely a caravan of people each they arrive and they're there to worship.
Speaker 1:You had to imagine what their hearts were like in accepting these gifts and as they each bent down to present what that would have been like. Scripture says it like this and, going into the house, they saw the child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts gold and frankincense and myrrh, and so you could see that they didn't come empty-handed, they came with worship. Of course, you wouldn't come to a king empty-handed. So they come with these gifts and intentional saying listen, this is my worship, it costs me something, it costs me the effort to come, but also from my heart, that I want to give this to you. And so they give him something that should be given to a king. They give him gold, and it represents exactly what you think. It's that it's one king giving another king gold. So they hold Jesus, as they said as they came to worship the new king, the one that's arised. They're giving him this present that costs them a great amount. It's something that befits a king, so it talks about who Jesus is as our king, the king of kings, the Lord of lords, the king forever in glory, and so he gets this present. They didn't know that it was a necessary present. They didn't know that Herod would try to kill Jesus, and so they needed to flee to Egypt, and this very gold that they just got would help them make the way to Egypt and stay there. And so they didn't understand that all these things were there. But guess who did? God knew, and he made a way for Jesus. He was the one that sparks their hearts so that they come a long distance off. So they follow the star and they come to worship him in the way he should be worshiped.
Speaker 1:The second gift of frankincense is one of significance because it's what we see in use by those who are of the priesthood. It's those who made this declaration before God and they offered it as one of those offerings before the Lord. You'd see it in the tabernacle and in the temple and they would make incense before God, a sweet selling aroma, this anointing piece that they would use. And so often, even as we see it in the New Testament, there's this representation of the anointing of God being used by his followers, saying the anointing of God is upon you and that's what you would use this for. And so in that time, what they're doing is they're coming and saying that we hold you not just as a king, but we hold you as God's holy one, the representation for us all, as the high priest of God on high.
Speaker 1:The anointing of God is upon you and, friends, here's the thing the same way that it's the cost that costs us in the great kind of gift that we would give to the Lord, the same way that we have that anointing that comes from God, that's the same anointing he wants you to experience as well. And the same way that we give him something that's of great value, that's our heart, that it's our life, the same way that we give him also all of our obedience and that we be used by God in the anointing of God for his glory. What happens if we ask more of the Holy Spirit in our lives and we step out in faith and believe the prayer of faith and see the miracle happen? What if we experience the Holy Spirit's empowerment on us and we have a word of encouragement for our coworker or for our family member? What happens if we, by the Spirit of God, have knowledge and start praying for someone to have wisdom in their decision-making process and say God, open the doors for them? See, all these things are possible and more, made first by the high priest, jesus Christ, who opens these up for all of us. They first come and they worship him as the high priest.
Speaker 1:The last gift is that of myrrh, and myrrh was one that's used very much like frankincense, but also in preparation for burial, and it was used to prepare for burial so very much. Myrrh is a gift for the Messiah, because the purpose of the Messiah is for the Messiah to come and to make everything correct Very much, as Jesus's arrival signifies. His real meaning for us was that the end of the manger is the cross, and so the road for the Messiah is to take the place for all of us, and so this gift actually signifies his very purpose on earth as the king that God puts in place for all of us forever, as the priest, the high priest, on making prayers on behalf of us, forever, as the very Messiah, the chosen one, god, the son of man, the one who was sent for us, the only way to relationship with the father, and so, because of it, christ, he himself takes on all of our sin and lives that sinless life, and he goes to his death not for his mistakes but for ours. So as we start to embrace him and we start to discover what God has for us, then it's about those attributes that we would be those who, with our hearts, give him the best in all that we have, which is our life, that we, as we go and we present to him, we ask for his empowerment to live the things he asks us to do, and that we, like him, would take up our cross daily and follow Jesus, so that, as him is king, that we would, too, worship him with our hearts and with all that we have, the most valuable thing we have, that we too would ask for the anointing from God, as he's the one who anoints and that we too, would be those that say Lord, today I ask for your daily bread, that I would follow you. Your kingdom come, your will be done in me.
Speaker 1:Friends, it's my challenge to you, my challenge to us, that we would discover what God has for us in this season, that you would press deeply into him, not just for yourselves, not just for your family, but for what God wants to do in and through your life, in a greater level than what you even have for yourself. That the Lord can use you to bring the peace, the encouragement, even the joy of the Lord in the message of the gospel, to other people around you, in a world that so desperately needs the light of the gospel. Friends, as we discover the Magi of Christmas, we do so in echoing their worship of the Lord that we would discover all he has for us. The challenge for each one of us today is to answer that question have you embraced Jesus? See, no one can answer that question for you. It's your question to answer alone, and maybe you're here today and you never asked Jesus into your heart and life. Friends, I challenge you that today would be the day you make a commitment to follow Jesus.
Speaker 1:For us, the symbol of the cross is one of freedom and forgiveness, because the cross symbolizes where Jesus, where he took all of our pain, where he took all of our mistakes. He took all of our brokenness and he paid for it upon the cross once and for all. And so for us, the cross means freedom, because it means that Jesus, he loved me so much that he gave his life for me there. He loved you so much that he gave his life for you there too. The Apostle Paul, he writes it like this to the church at Rome, challenging us to place our faith and trust in Jesus, because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified. With the mouth one confesses and is saved.
Speaker 1:Friends, today is your day. It's your day to invite Jesus into your heart and life, to say Jesus, I believe you are who you say you are and, lord, I ask you to forgive me. I want you to be the Lord of my life. I want to start a new life with you. I'm going to ask everyone in the room if you'd stand right where you're at, just bow your head. If you're online, prepare your heart for what God wants to do.
Speaker 1:Friends, if that's you, you wanna make a decision to follow Jesus. You're ready to make that commitment to him and you never made that decision ever before. Today's your opportunity. Or maybe you're here and you have made the decision in the past, but you haven't been committed to living it. But today you make a decision to recommitting your heart and life to Christ as heads are bowed here in the room. If that's you and you want to make a decision to follow Jesus today, if you just raise your hand right where you're at, say, pastor, remember me in that prayer that I would make a decision to follow Jesus today. Thank you Lord, thank you Lord. Thank you Lord, as people are making decisions for Christ online as well. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Lord.
Speaker 1:Friends, I'm gonna ask you if everyone would just repeat this prayer after me Lord, thank you for loving me. Thank you for sending Jesus. I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sins. I believe he rose again. Forgive me of my sins. I surrender my life to you. In Christ's name, I pray Amen, amen. Friends, we rejoice in you making a decision to follow Jesus today. Praise the Lord. If that was you, we encourage you to connect with us back by the prayer banners or even at the cafe. We want to put some materials into your hands so you can be successful living this life after Christ. If you're online, message us. We'll be able to connect with you so that you don't live this life alone.
Speaker 1:Friends, before we go, we want to come to this opportunity of worshiping the Lord and coming to this altar. We do so with that intentionality that we just were challenged with from the Magi, that we give our very best, which is our heart, our life, to God. That we do so asking for his impartation of the Holy Spirit, anointing to live for him and to do the things he's called us to do in obedience. And the third thing is that we would daily make the decision to pick up our cross and follow him. Lord, we thank you so much for your word. We thank you, lord, for the challenge that you bring to us today through your scripture, lord.
Speaker 1:I thank you, lord, for these magi, lord, that were seeking to know where you were leading them. Lord, they were seeking first where you were to guide them, and so, lord, in the same way, impart to us your direction and your wisdom. Lord, we lack wisdom. We ask for your wisdom and, lord, that you would guide and open doors in front of us that we need to go through. Lord, at the same time, we pray you would close doors that need to be closed and, lord, I pray that you would break off the chains of addiction and other bad perspectives from the past. Lord, we would no longer walk in those things but instead be free.
Speaker 1:In the name of Jesus Christ. Lord, we ask for an anointing, an impartation of your spirit, lord, to live obedient to what you've called us to do, lord, that we would say yes to where you're guiding us to go, lord, and that you would use us as a mouthpiece of your love to other people. Lord, at the same time, we ask, lord, that you would help us, lord, to deny ourselves. It is our prayer your kingdom come, your will be done in us. Lord, as we come to this altar, we do so with our hearts towards you. We do so asking, lord, for your impartation in our lives. Lord, we're asking for a blessing in our family's life, asking, lord, for a blessing in our community that you've placed us in. As we come to this altar, we do so with a heart after you. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.
Speaker 2:Well, we are so glad you joined us today. I want to let you know that this week of Christmas we have some special services taking place. Tomorrow night and Tuesday night. It's going to start at six o'clock. It's the same service two nights in a row. We'd love for you to join us. It's a candlelight service. It's very special. It's one of my most favorite times of the year. So come, plan a night that you can join us, and we are going to lift up the name of Jesus and just go into Christmas full of joy.
Speaker 1:Amen Before you go as well. We also have some cookies and some hot chocolate for you out in the courtyard, so that's something to celebrate together, and Celeste prayed over it, so it has no calories. So praise God Before we go. I want to pray this blessing over us today the Lord bless you and keep you. Lord, make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. Lord, lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Lord, I pray a blessing upon your church, your people. You would empower us by your spirit to live your love out to those around us. We pray this in the powerful name that is Jesus Christ. Amen, amen. Know this. We love you very much here at Cornerstone. God bless you and Merry Christmas.