Words From The Word Of God
A topical, and expositional study from the Word of God, in order to Glorify and Exalt our Great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; that we may reach the world with the Gospel, and grow in the Grace and knowledge of Him.. Grace and Peace to all, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.(Isaiah 52:7) "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!"(Isaiah 55 10-11) 10) "For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:"11) "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."(John 3:16)“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”(John 14:1-7) 1)"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me."2)"In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."3)"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."4)And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know."5)"Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?"6)"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."7)"If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him."(Romans 10 :9-10;13) 9)"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."10)"For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."13)"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
All Done For The Glory Of God and To Exalt Jesus Christ The Lord!!!
Words From The Word Of God
A Pilgrim's Devotion: Embracing True Worship Through the Journey of the Magi
The episode explores the profound journey of the Wise Men from the Gospel of Matthew, delving into the significance of their worship of Jesus. Key topics include seeking God’s presence, the posture of humility in worship, the offering of our best, and understanding the purpose behind our worship.
• The Wise Men’s journey signifies a spiritual quest for truth and divine revelation
• Contrast between the searching Magi and the indifferent religious leaders
• Importance of actively seeking God's presence in our daily lives
• Posture of worship as humility and reverence before Christ
• Symbolism of the gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh representing His kingship, divinity, and humanity
• Purpose of worship focusing on honoring Jesus for who He is, rather than what He can provide
Embrace the call to worship Jesus with all your heart, bringing your best before Him.
John 14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
If you haven't received Jesus Christ by Faith, as your personal Lord and Savior; I strongly encourage you to do so before it is eternally too late!!!
If you need someone to pray with you please feel free to contact us here at Words From The Word Of God!!!
Via:
Email: jeffthomas4Christ@yahoo.com
Cell Phone: (864) 309-9087
Hello and welcome to this another edition of Words from the Word of God. So excited to be back with you all as we join together after so long of a time apart and sharing words from the Word of God. But I'm pleased to report that my wife is recovering well. She has not healed 100%, but definitely your prayers have been answered and I want to take a moment to thank all of my brothers and sisters in Christ, my family, my family and the Lord for your prayers, continual prayers for Teresa and me during this time. I'm pleased to report that God's grace has been amazing, sufficient and sustaining during this time and your prayers have been a source of strength and they have definitely been answered and I thank each and every one of you for that. But now, as we join together, I want you to turn, if you will, in the Word of God, to the Gospel of Matthew as we pick up our exciting journey through the Gospel of Matthew and through the other Gospels, as the Lord leads. But we want to pick up in chapter 2. We'll look at the first 12 verses today for the purpose of the message, looking at the worship of the wise men, the lessons we learn and glean from Matthew, chapter 2, verse 1 through 12. The first verse says Now, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem saying when is he that is born king of the Jews? Take note of that. Where is he that is born king of the Jews? Not born to be king, not born that he might one day be king. No, he that is born king of the Jews. The grammar here demands that we know Jesus Christ is the true king of the Jews and we know him now as king of all humanity, king of kings, lord of lords, according to Revelation, chapter 19. But we move on here, for we have seen his star in the east and are come to notice worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, the religious leaders of the Jewish nation at that time, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said I think it's very interesting five to six, maybe seven miles away from the Lord. They're in Jerusalem and he's gathered them there in Jerusalem and Jesus is in Bethlehem, and they know that their king is in Bethlehem and they're five to seven miles away.
Speaker 1:Yet they felt they were so caught up in their religiosity and their Jewish traditions and their adherence to the traditions and the law that they failed to recognize their king, much less go and worship him. But listen, verse 5, and they sent unto him in Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet. He's speaking of the prophet, referencing Matthew, he's referencing Micah, chapter 5, verse 2,. The word of God says, right here and thou, bethlehem and the land of Judah are not the least among the princes of Judah, for out of thee shall come a governor that shall rule my people, that shall shepherd my people. In translation there Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
Speaker 1:And he sent them to Bethlehem and said go and seek diligently for the young child Notice that this is mentioned three times the young child. And when ye have found him, bring me word again that I may come and worship him. Also. When they had heard the king, they departed. And lo, the star which they saw in the east went before them till it came and stood over where the young child was Second time. Then, when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child the third time. This is mentioned, the young child with Mary, his mother, and fell down and notice who they worshiped here. They did not worship Mary. Who did they worship and worshiped him? And when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts gold, frankincense and myrrh and, being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
Speaker 1:May the Lord bless the reading of his word to our hearts today, as we reflect upon the profound and awe-inspiring journey of the wise men, also known as magi. You may hear me refer to them as Magi as well, so if you hear me call them by that title, that's who I'm speaking of the wise men. They were also known as Magi, but we look at their awe-inspiring journey as they sought out and worshiped the young child, Jesus, christ Emmanuel, as he's been presented to us there in the first chapter, verses 18 through 23, specifically Jesus, who is called the Christ Emmanuel, god with us, the Son of God, the eternal Son of God. Make no mistake who they have come to worship today, who we are looking at their worship of today Jesus Christ, the Son of God. But their pilgrimage from this distant land to the humble town of Bethlehem was marked by divine guidance, their unwavering faith and an ultimate devotion. Through their story, we uncover timeless lessons that should resonate with our own call to worship the true King of Kings and Lord of Lords with all that we have and all that we are. As we delve into these 12 verses, let us glean the insights and inspirations that these wise men offer to us today and show us how it is just as relevant in our lives today as it was over 2,000 years ago, this message, that it speaks to our hearts.
Speaker 1:I want you to imagine with me, if you will, our hearts. I want you to imagine with me, if you will, the ancient Near East and, as far as I know, they came from Persia. A lot of scholars believe they came from Persia. That is my belief. You may have another interpretation, you may have another belief, but let that not separate our hearts from the true meaning of what we're looking at today.
Speaker 1:But they came from the East, where you know they were scholars and astrologers and known as, as I said earlier, magi, which diligently studied the stars and ancient writings, ancient texts, I believe that's where, if they came from Persia, they would have probably known of the writings of Daniel in chapter 7, where he spoke of the ancient of days that would rise and come from Jerusalem. You know, in their secular history it is documented that there would one day come a Savior or one who would save the Savior of the Jews and of the world. It is written down in those ancient texts. Now, I haven't read that myself. I've read and I've heard other scholars refer to that, but we're not saying that's a fact Either way. It's not a fact of Scripture. But what we're saying is they had to know something, something had to come into their heart that this star, this star, represented the divine birth of Jesus Christ, that the child, the true king of the Jews, had been born and was now alive and was now had stepped into the reality of our humanity, as we read there in the first chapter.
Speaker 1:But listen, I want you to imagine these men as they diligently studied the stars and the ancient text they likely came from Persia, and if so, that is modern-day Iran and as they embarked on this arduous journey, and it was about 800 to 900 miles from Jerusalem. They were driven by divine revelation of the presence of the King of the Jews. They were guided by God the Father to God the Son, the true King of the Jews. Their quest was not for personal gain, as we notice here in Scripture. It was not for personal gain. They did not come to worship him for what he could do for them or what he had done for them. They came to worship him for who he is, who he was and who he'll always be, and that being of himself. They came to worship the true king from glory, the young king from glory. Folks, as we envision the dedication and faith of these wise men, it must have taken a great deal of dedication and it took a high cost of time to make this journey. You're talking about a journey of a caravan of camels and walking through the desert, the scorching heat during the day, the biting cold at night, the dedication and faith of these men that it must have taken to come so far to see the true king of the Jews.
Speaker 1:It is now time for us to turn our attention to the specific lessons their journey imparts to our hearts. As we look at these 12 verses, we can identify four profound aspects of their worship that hold significant and should hold significant relevance for us today. As we explore these points in detail, may it deepen our understanding and inspire our own devotion to worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, none other than Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior of the world. First of all, we want to look at the place of their worship. In verses 1 and 2, in his presence, the Word of God says Now, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem saying where is he that is born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and are come to worship him.
Speaker 1:The Magi's journey from the east to Jerusalem and eventually to Bethlehem was driven by a heart's desire, a heart's desire to be in the very presence of this true king. Notice who they went to the earthly king. They were seeking truth and light from the true king. The true king that possibly and I want to say it was Daniel's writings that they read and the prophecies of the Old Testament they had read throughout time and through their documented history and their verbal history. Possibly they had a purpose. The purpose came, they came to be in his presence. They, like, I said, an arduous journey, difficult journey, a costly journey as far as time and what it would have cost for this big entourage. I know we often say there was three wise men because there were three gifts given, but it could have possibly more, but either way it was big enough group that came into his presence that it stirred the whole nation of Jerusalem. It stirred the king in his heart. They came to the earthly king seeking to find the true heavenly king, the eternal king, jesus Christ. They were guided by a star which represents, as we should recognize it, the divine sign from the Lord leading them to the King.
Speaker 1:It is the Holy Spirit today that takes a hold of our hearts by the preaching of the gospel, by the light of the word of God, by the light that's given and the love that's given from Jesus Christ. It is by that light that we are led by the Holy Spirit to him today, to the saving knowledge of his gospel. Just as they came to be in his presence, we need to seek to be in the presence of our Lord and Savior today. We need to have that kind of dedication. We need to have that kind of faith.
Speaker 1:And I'm not preaching just to you, I'm preaching to my heart today. I'm speaking to my heart today because it's just up to recently I have felt so distant from the Lord. It has made me uncomfortable, but it is by a time of refreshing in the word of God, it is a time of renewal from the word of God that I have truly come into that light yet again and I am drawn into his presence. And I'm here to tell you that my heart is overjoyed today. Like it says right there, when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. When we come into his presence, it should bring joy into our life, exceeding great joy for who he is, not just for what he's done.
Speaker 1:Yes, he has done so much for us in healing us from the greatest disease of all mankind, and it was the disease unto death, which is sin and the power of sin and the darkness of sin. He has brought us from that into his glorious light. We've been translated from that death, that death sentence, to being translated into the glorious kingdom of the Son of God. We've been translated from that to where we are now and sinner friend, if you have not yet come to him, if you've not yet invited him into your heart and to be present in your life, I encourage you, by the end of this message, to repent of your sin, turn from those sins that you're in, turn from the world and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, before it's eternally too late.
Speaker 1:But we must look at their determination to find and worship Jesus and how it reflects the importance of seeking his presence in our life. It's essential to understand that God's presence is not confined to a church building or religious ritual. May I repeat that again the worship of God in Christ is not confined to a church building or religious rituals. I want to be very careful here. That is the place to go and worship, but that should not be the only place of our worship. We should not worship him only with our lips and with our mouth. Jesus would be recorded as saying in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 15, verses 8 and 9, this people draweth nines to me with their mouth and honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
Speaker 1:Folks, the Jewish people that quoted, quoted prophecy from Micah, chapter 5, verse 2. Now, in the original transcripts. There was no chapter break, but when Herod had called them, the chief priests, the scribes of the people together, the religious leaders of that day that knew the law of Moses, that probably knew it beyond anybody else. If it was said in that time that if anybody was going to make it to heaven it would be a scribe or a Pharisee, that was their belief. But they were so caught up in that religiosity and their traditions and all the other precepts that they had added unto the law that they had become stagnant in their hearts.
Speaker 1:Their hearts were deadened to the truth. Their hearts and lives were deadened to the light that was shining into their dark world after 400 years of silence from the last prophet. They were deadened to his presence. They were five to seven miles away from Bethlehem. They knew where the king was, they knew where he was to be born, yet yet they had not recognized him, much less made that small journey that would have just steps away, steps away from his presence. Yet they did not take the initiative. They did not have the faith, they did not diligently search out the true king from glory. But these wise men did. They in their heart. They said it in their hearts. The Lord said it in their hearts, by his divine guidance, that this is the star, the child of the king.
Speaker 1:The king of the Jews, the king of glory was present and they determined in their heart that they were coming to see and to worship. It didn't say we just come to see. We have seen his star in the east and are come to worship him. They came with purpose, but they came to be in his presence. You know, in our busy lives we must prioritize spending time in the presence of Jesus. This can be through prayer, through worship and studying the Word of God. Just as the magi follow the star, we too must follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who leads us into deeper fellowship. I ask you and I challenge you to reflect on times when you have felt distant from God and consider how you can intentionally seek his presence from now on.
Speaker 1:Remember that true worship is not about attending church on Sundays, wednesday night and Sunday night or performing religious rituals, but it is about a heartfelt relationship with God and Jesus Christ. Worship him with genuine love and devotion. I challenge all of us to do that. Today. Not only do we see their place of worship, but we see the posture of their worship, they fell down. Verse 11, the first part of that verse, says and when they were coming to the house, they saw the young child and Mary's mother and fell down and worshiped him.
Speaker 1:The Magi's act of falling down before Jesus signifies humility and reverence In the presence of the divine king. They recognized their own unworthiness and responded with a posture of worship. And it's not just about falling prostrate on the ground, it is about falling prostrate in our heart, realizing and understanding the part from him we have nothing but the pits of hell to look forward to. Understanding that salvation came through his blood, comes through his cross, comes through his sacrifice, took his place in death, that we might have our place in life. And understanding that and understanding how unlovable we were when he loved us says that in while god so loved us and that while we were yet sinners, christ died for us. It did not matter where we came from, what we did, what we was in. He saved my soul. I can testify to this. I was running in the, looking for the things in the world to fill the void. Nothing would help, nothing would fill that void. But one day I heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. I learned of the love of Jesus Christ. I learned of the love of God for me. He came into my heart and that light shined in, and my heart has been prostrate ever since. It has been humbled before the Lord of lords and king of kings from glory.
Speaker 1:In our own worship, we must approach God in humility. We have nothing to be prideful about. Not only that, scripture tells us that pride leadeth to destruction, as Solomon would tell us. Our worship should be marked by a heart that bows down before him in reverence. In reverence in all of his divinity, in all of who he is, of all of what he's doing and going to do, in all of his glory. Glory, praise and honor that he is so deserving of. Not only that, but we must consider the preeminence of their worship.
Speaker 1:They gave their best the second part of verse 11 and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts gold and frankincense and myrrh. The Magi offered the finest gifts to Jesus, symbolizing their recognition of his worthiness and preeminence. Gold, frankincense and myrrh were very valuable and significant gifts. Now scholars will tell you this has a representation or a foreshadowing of the things of Christ, the identity of Christ and his mission Gold symbolizing his kingship. Frankincense symbolizing his divinity and priesthood, and myrrh symbolizing his suffering and death on the cross, his atoning sacrifice and his humanity in his sacrifice. That is what it represents, but that some will tell you that. But that's not said here in scripture. That's just what some scholars say, and I think there's some validity to it, as we can support each of those with scripture which we don't have time to look at today. Maybe that's for another message, as the Lord leads.
Speaker 1:Finally, we look at the purpose of their worship for who he is, the divine, eternal king. They said here. He says where is he? And verse two says where is he that is born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and are come to worship him. They didn't say where is he that's going to do all this for us? Where is he that can do this or that and this and that for us? They didn't say that. They said we have come to worship him. They came to worship the person of Christ for who he is in himself, who he is and who he is alone.
Speaker 1:The Magi's journey was driven by a desire to worship Jesus for who he is, desire to worship Jesus for who he is King of Kings, king of the Jews, lord of Lords, the divine, eternal King. Their worship was focused on his identity and majesty, on nothing else but that they recognized that Jesus was more than just a human king. He was, is and will always be the promised Messiah and Savior of the world. Folks, as we close today, I invite you to reflect on this journey of the wise men. Let us be inspired to seek God's presence, approaching him in humility and offering him our best worship, and come to him and give him praise, honor and glory for just who he is, not a laundry list of what he can do for us. Come to him in thanksgiving, come to him with a prostrate heart and come to him giving your best of your time, your talents and especially your time, especially your time. That's what we need to give him is our time in worship, not our time in asking, not our time in demanding things. That's fragile, not in our act of just coming to him just to get something.
Speaker 1:I've heard people pull up in the parking lot of churches and say, man, I hope I get a blessing today. That's the wrong way, that is the wrong heart's attitude to enter in church. We should be walking in there saying oh, I am here to praise my Lord, my Savior, my Redeemer, today, for who he is and who he is alone. Oh, the Savior of the world, jesus, who will save his people from their sin? If you have not received Jesus Christ, your personal Lord and Savior, I invite you to open up your heart to him today. The Magi traveled a great distance to find and worship the King of Kings. Jesus stands at the door of your heart. You don't have to go anywhere, you don't have to get up out of your chair, you don't have to do anything but speak his name.
Speaker 1:Repent of your sins, repent and turn from the world, turn from those sins you're in. Call upon the name of Jesus. Believe in him as the risen son of God and have placed all your faith and trust in him, and you shall be saved. Romans, chapter 10, verses 9 and 10, says that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God has raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Take a moment to pray today. If you've never acknowledged Christ, if you've never received him as your Lord and Savior. Confess your sins, it says right here. Confess your sins, that's repentance. Turn from those sins. Believe in his resurrection, believe in his death, his burial and resurrection.
Speaker 1:Embrace the gift of salvation, the gift of God's grace, the free gift of grace. You can't earn it, you can't buy it, you can't work enough to have it. It is freely by the grace of God. The grace of God which bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men and his name is Jesus Christ. We beheld his glory as the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and full of truth. Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh to the Father but by me.
Speaker 1:Folks, it's about true worship. But you must first receive him in your heart. You must first come into his presence by inviting him to be present in your heart. Once you do that, you're born from above, born of the Spirit, born again into the family of God, truly saved, believing and repenting. That's as simple as it is so simple a child can grasp it.
Speaker 1:I pray that our hearts are transformed today and that we will look more and more at the journey of the wise men and their worship of the Savior, look at the place of their worship, look at the posture of their worship, look at the preeminence of their worship, look at the posture of their worship, look at the preeminence of their worship and, finally, looking at the purpose of their worship. Today, and may our hearts be drawn more and more, each and every second of every day, into true worship of the true King from glory, jesus Christ. Emmanuel, god with us, thank you so much for joining us today. I look forward to the next time that we can share in a word from the word of God. God bless you all.
