WEBVTT 00:00:03.439 --> 00:00:05.120 Good morning, CCW. 00:00:06.080 --> 00:00:07.360 Merry Christmas. 00:00:08.240 --> 00:00:14.160 And uh hope you will open your Bibles this morning to Matthew chapter 2 as you do. 00:00:14.560 --> 00:00:17.199 Continuing our study, searching for Christmas. 00:00:17.440 --> 00:00:23.760 And uh it's been exciting as we started last week and uh dived into the story about the shepherds this morning. 00:00:23.839 --> 00:00:30.480 We'll be looking at uh men that there's a lot of debate upon when you look in and start searching, the wise men. 00:00:30.800 --> 00:00:34.799 Before we get started, I want you um just to share a prayer request. 00:00:35.039 --> 00:00:39.119 Pray for uh Miss Susan's father, uh Mr. 00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:39.759 Burrows. 00:00:39.840 --> 00:00:42.640 They call him Daddy B, but just continue to pray for him. 00:00:42.719 --> 00:00:50.719 Uh he did update me this morning uh and asked that the church would be praying, so we want to do that and a praise this morning. 00:00:50.880 --> 00:00:59.359 I I I can't see, but somewhere in the church we have with us Araminya, who Paul and Elaine and the church has been praying for. 00:00:59.920 --> 00:01:06.799 So we're so excited about her joining us and that adoption process they've been working through and working through. 00:01:06.879 --> 00:01:08.560 So praise God for that. 00:01:08.719 --> 00:01:14.879 And uh Danny just caught me, but be in prayer uh for Justin and Snowy. 00:01:15.040 --> 00:01:19.599 I believe tomorrow they're going in and hoping to come out of the hospital with a baby. 00:01:19.920 --> 00:01:22.000 So be praying for that. 00:01:22.079 --> 00:01:24.879 Uh but, anyways, Matthew chapter 2 this morning. 00:01:25.040 --> 00:01:26.640 Uh let's jump in. 00:01:26.799 --> 00:01:29.920 And uh I want to show you some pictures as we jumped in. 00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:37.280 There's a few uh photos of some students that I have when we go out in the summertime. 00:01:37.519 --> 00:01:42.159 We go for vacation Bible school and do a lot of this. 00:01:42.400 --> 00:01:43.680 You say, what is that? 00:01:43.840 --> 00:01:45.840 You can keep scrolling through the pictures. 00:01:46.079 --> 00:01:51.359 Some of my favorite pictures are these shots that we capture, and there's three or four of them. 00:01:51.599 --> 00:01:59.840 And for all of my children's life that I know of, since they've been able to walk, they have been doing this in the summertime. 00:02:00.079 --> 00:02:07.599 They walk house to house, blitzing, giving information about our church, our vacation Bible school. 00:02:07.760 --> 00:02:25.520 But what I love about those photos is they're always carrying information and a gospel tract, and as long as I know for them to be walking, uh, at least for my children, and then the students since we've been here, we go in the summertime, we sweat, we get in a yellow van and get back in, and it's disgusting. 00:02:25.680 --> 00:02:28.319 But we go house to house for hours. 00:02:28.400 --> 00:02:33.759 And in I can say this for Chelsea, we've been in every neighborhood walking in Chelsea. 00:02:33.840 --> 00:02:39.120 We've been to every door in Chelsea walking with the good news and invitation for the gospel. 00:02:39.280 --> 00:02:52.560 What I love about those pictures is the walking, because in Matthew chapter 2, when we dig into this, the first point this morning that we see is that wise men walk towards Jesus. 00:02:52.719 --> 00:02:54.080 Let me pray. 00:02:54.400 --> 00:02:55.919 Father, we love you this morning. 00:02:56.000 --> 00:03:01.199 We thank you for your word, and we pray, God, that it would impact our hearts. 00:03:01.439 --> 00:03:04.879 Um, God, I know that there is much for us to hear. 00:03:05.039 --> 00:03:12.159 And Lord, I know that we're in the busyness of a season, but help us not to miss the most important things. 00:03:12.400 --> 00:03:22.879 And God, I pray right now that you would calm us, Lord, move uh things from our mind and let us focus for a few moments on what your word has to say to us. 00:03:23.039 --> 00:03:25.039 We love you in Jesus' name. 00:03:25.360 --> 00:03:25.840 Amen. 00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:27.599 So wise men walk towards Jesus. 00:03:27.680 --> 00:03:52.560 If you look up some statistics on walking, all of my health professionals in here would tell us that some of the statistics say that 10,000 steps a day increases heart and lung fitness, uh, reduces risk to heart disease, it will improve your blood pressure, cholesterol, it will fight against diabetes, stronger bones from walking, and um better balance from walking. 00:03:52.639 --> 00:03:58.879 But when you look at today, how many of you have turned or flipped through stations and you see these crazy medicine commercials? 00:03:59.520 --> 00:04:01.360 Y'all know, you know the ones I'm talking about? 00:04:01.520 --> 00:04:10.800 Like they start out and they're like, you know, you've had you know tendinitis in your elbow, and then they begin to tell you every reason why you wouldn't want to take the medicine. 00:04:10.960 --> 00:04:26.879 Like if you got tendonitis in the elbow, take this, and if you just if you start to experience dry sweats, cold sweats, if you start to experience uh dry mouthness, if you start to experience nausea, vomiting, if death occurs, please consult a physician. 00:04:27.920 --> 00:04:32.319 Like that's when I'm not gonna consult a physician. 00:04:32.639 --> 00:04:36.000 But but walking is the other side of all of that. 00:04:36.160 --> 00:04:41.920 If you go to the doctors, almost every time that I've ever been to a doctor, two things have been said, right? 00:04:42.240 --> 00:04:42.959 About health. 00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:45.439 One is drink plenty of fluids, right? 00:04:45.680 --> 00:04:47.680 Drink plenty of fluids, and that'll make you better. 00:04:47.759 --> 00:04:48.319 So I'm serious. 00:04:48.399 --> 00:04:50.639 When I get sick, I start just guzzling water. 00:04:50.720 --> 00:04:51.519 The doctor said it. 00:04:51.680 --> 00:04:54.639 So I'm about to drown until I get healthy. 00:04:54.800 --> 00:04:56.800 And then it says, and then they say walk. 00:04:56.959 --> 00:04:59.199 If you have some kind of health, you just gotta walk. 00:04:59.360 --> 00:05:03.920 So if you're living today, you're going to be walking. 00:05:04.079 --> 00:05:08.399 The question this morning, where is your walk taking you? 00:05:08.639 --> 00:05:11.439 In Matthew chapter 2, listen to this. 00:05:11.600 --> 00:05:25.040 It says, starting in verse 1, 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 is born, King of the Jews? 00:05:25.199 --> 00:05:29.759 For we have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him. 00:05:30.160 --> 00:05:34.959 And so you see that the wise men begin walking towards Jesus. 00:05:35.199 --> 00:05:39.199 Letter A this morning is this walking towards Jesus takes effort. 00:05:39.360 --> 00:05:40.399 It takes great effort. 00:05:40.480 --> 00:05:46.000 And there's a lot of debate throughout the scripture and throughout commentators about these wise men. 00:05:46.160 --> 00:05:49.040 We're going to learn a little bit this morning, maybe talk about the myths. 00:05:49.199 --> 00:05:52.160 But wise men, there's debate about where they came from. 00:05:52.399 --> 00:05:58.319 Probably a place that we see here, east of Bethlehem, would be a good starting place. 00:05:58.399 --> 00:06:00.160 It's east, is what we're told. 00:06:00.319 --> 00:06:09.600 Arabia, Persia, some places in Arabia, because of what they have a lot of access to, tells us some hints about the gifts that they brought. 00:06:09.759 --> 00:06:11.839 But we really don't know for sure. 00:06:12.000 --> 00:06:14.720 There's a lot of back and forth about their location. 00:06:14.959 --> 00:06:26.240 But what can be believed about their journey because of their location or the possibility of location is that most commentators believe that they traveled anywhere from one to two years. 00:06:26.480 --> 00:06:27.920 So you want to talk about effort. 00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:33.439 I don't know how many of you here have traveled one to two years to see anyone, but that's a lot of effort. 00:06:33.600 --> 00:06:39.600 And the travel in those days, there's a lot of myth about this, you'll see pictures, and it's always a camel, right? 00:06:39.839 --> 00:06:45.040 There's three wise men on a camel, and they've got gifts up over their head, and that's what you see. 00:06:45.279 --> 00:06:50.160 Um but uh what we know about travel back then, it could have been walking. 00:06:50.319 --> 00:06:53.920 Um, it could have been camel, could have been horseback. 00:06:54.480 --> 00:06:56.800 There's some some that we see about their wealth. 00:06:56.879 --> 00:06:58.160 They they may have had horses. 00:06:58.319 --> 00:07:04.160 At any rate, we know this they would have had to travel east of Bethlehem across desert. 00:07:04.639 --> 00:07:08.240 So I don't know how many of you have been running on the beach. 00:07:08.480 --> 00:07:15.519 Look, I decided one morning that that was going to be a good idea, and about a minute and 40 in, I'm like, nah, this ain't good. 00:07:15.759 --> 00:07:17.519 The pavement is much better. 00:07:17.680 --> 00:07:20.319 And so they traveled with great effort. 00:07:20.560 --> 00:07:22.319 This wasn't a simple task. 00:07:22.480 --> 00:07:29.680 I want you to understand, church, this morning that walking towards Jesus isn't the easiest option. 00:07:30.160 --> 00:07:33.279 It's not the easiest path you're gonna come across. 00:07:33.519 --> 00:07:36.160 How much money would it take you to travel for a year? 00:07:36.319 --> 00:07:37.519 Think about this question. 00:07:37.839 --> 00:07:38.079 Right? 00:07:38.160 --> 00:07:40.319 That's the that's the great belief, right? 00:07:40.560 --> 00:07:46.720 One day I'm gonna be set in such a way financially, then I can just travel. 00:07:47.600 --> 00:07:54.879 These men put aside a year is what believe they believed, and traveled for a year, right? 00:07:54.959 --> 00:08:02.319 They would have needed food, they would have needed food for their mode of transportation, they would have needed shelter, clothing. 00:08:02.480 --> 00:08:04.319 Can you imagine some of the ladies in here? 00:08:04.480 --> 00:08:05.759 Clothing for a year. 00:08:06.160 --> 00:08:08.560 That's why I said wise men, right? 00:08:08.639 --> 00:08:14.720 And so one year off from family, and they came bringing precious gifts. 00:08:15.040 --> 00:08:19.600 You know, the men in Scripture, and they've been called the Magi. 00:08:20.079 --> 00:08:31.439 That makes sense because uh magi were considered to be astrologers, people who studied the stars, and we'll find out just a little bit about why that's important. 00:08:31.680 --> 00:08:37.360 But you know, Matthew doesn't say that they, if you read this right, it doesn't say that they followed a star. 00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:44.000 That's one of the myths that we see, that there a star popped up and they just followed it where it says that they saw a star. 00:08:44.639 --> 00:08:44.960 Okay. 00:08:45.279 --> 00:08:47.679 There's some debate about their background. 00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:53.279 Some people, and some people sing, these three kings of Orient are, right? 00:08:53.600 --> 00:08:54.879 Um there's debate about this. 00:08:55.039 --> 00:08:56.720 This we know from verse 3 and 7. 00:08:56.879 --> 00:08:57.759 Look at it. 00:08:58.000 --> 00:09:02.639 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him, verse 7. 00:09:02.720 --> 00:09:10.399 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, so we see at minimal, they had connections with royalty. 00:09:10.559 --> 00:09:14.000 Um, we're not told that there were three, right? 00:09:14.480 --> 00:09:18.159 We're told that there were three gifts gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 00:09:18.399 --> 00:09:28.639 Um, but we know this there were wise men, they were looking, from everything we can tell, they were looking for a political messiah, someone to come and fight against Rome. 00:09:28.720 --> 00:09:32.879 They were coming, they were looking for someone to save them in a political sense. 00:09:33.120 --> 00:09:36.240 And we live in a place now that that makes sense, does it not? 00:09:36.399 --> 00:09:43.759 We're looking sometimes for political saving, and what they came upon was a life savior. 00:09:44.000 --> 00:09:51.440 I don't know what brought you in today, church, but if you can take your walk towards Jesus, you'll find a savior. 00:09:51.759 --> 00:09:52.879 It took great effort. 00:09:52.960 --> 00:09:54.320 Well, that takes us to letter B. 00:09:54.399 --> 00:09:58.240 Their walking towards Jesus became an exploration. 00:09:59.279 --> 00:10:03.120 Anyone here ever spent a bit of time on an exploration? 00:10:03.360 --> 00:10:06.480 Took a few weeks, and you went on a journey somewhere. 00:10:06.639 --> 00:10:13.600 Well, one of the greatest explorations in history was taken by Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953. 00:10:13.759 --> 00:10:16.559 Some of my history people, it's it's it's starting. 00:10:16.799 --> 00:10:24.879 A New Zealand bee farmer was the first, a bee farmer, folks, the first to summit Mount Everest. 00:10:25.600 --> 00:10:27.360 The world's tallest mountain. 00:10:27.519 --> 00:10:33.200 Thirteen people died before him attempting that exploration. 00:10:33.360 --> 00:10:38.159 He would see and do and face what nobody else in history had. 00:10:38.399 --> 00:10:39.519 He paved the way. 00:10:39.679 --> 00:10:41.519 And I want you to understand something, Christian. 00:10:41.679 --> 00:10:44.559 Seeking Jesus is an exploration. 00:10:44.639 --> 00:10:46.240 It's not for the faint of heart. 00:10:46.399 --> 00:10:47.919 Church, it's not easy. 00:10:48.080 --> 00:10:55.919 It takes effort, it costs much, but let me tell you, there's some promises given for those who will seek him. 00:10:56.159 --> 00:10:57.919 I want you to hear these scriptures this morning. 00:10:58.000 --> 00:11:04.960 In Jeremiah 29, 13, it says, You will you will find me when you seek me with your whole heart. 00:11:05.200 --> 00:11:07.120 You'll find him when you're looking for now. 00:11:07.279 --> 00:11:09.279 Look, understand what it's what it's saying. 00:11:09.519 --> 00:11:11.600 This is this is not nonchalant. 00:11:11.759 --> 00:11:13.840 If I find him, I find him. 00:11:14.080 --> 00:11:14.399 Right? 00:11:14.639 --> 00:11:16.399 It says, with your whole heart. 00:11:16.559 --> 00:11:20.000 You can't be like half in in Christianity. 00:11:20.159 --> 00:11:22.480 To be a Christian is radical. 00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:23.919 Hear me, church. 00:11:24.080 --> 00:11:27.759 You're either radical or maybe not a Christian. 00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:32.240 Like saying Sir Edmund Hillary was a radical climber. 00:11:32.639 --> 00:11:36.720 Like if you're going to Everest, duh, are you with me? 00:11:36.879 --> 00:11:38.159 You you need to be a radical. 00:11:38.240 --> 00:11:45.279 You wouldn't say, I'm going to take a trek to Everest and I'm looking for an intermediate tour guide. 00:11:46.000 --> 00:11:46.399 Right? 00:11:46.480 --> 00:11:50.799 Like, I'm looking for somebody, you know, just semi-intuit. 00:11:51.120 --> 00:11:53.919 No, I want the expert, right? 00:11:54.240 --> 00:11:59.120 And so he says, if you will seek me with your whole heart, you'll find me. 00:11:59.360 --> 00:12:05.759 Psalms 34, 4 says, When I sought the Lord, he heard me and delivered me from my fear. 00:12:06.080 --> 00:12:11.600 It says, You'll be heard, and your fears will be erased when we seek after him. 00:12:11.919 --> 00:12:22.879 Hebrews 11, 6 says, Without faith it is impossible to please God, and that we should believe that he is, and he is a rewarder for those that diligently seek him. 00:12:23.360 --> 00:12:25.279 There's a reward for seeking him. 00:12:25.759 --> 00:12:37.679 2 Chronicles 7.14 says, If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land. 00:12:37.919 --> 00:12:40.879 But it says they have to seek my face. 00:12:42.240 --> 00:12:44.799 If we seek him, there will be forgiveness and revival. 00:12:44.960 --> 00:12:50.159 James 4.8 says, Draw nigh unto God, and he'll draw nigh unto us. 00:12:50.720 --> 00:12:57.120 And so we see that walking towards Jesus brings him closer to us. 00:12:57.279 --> 00:13:00.080 And that brings us to the idea of how they got to Jesus. 00:13:00.240 --> 00:13:03.679 Verse 2, 7, 9, and 10. 00:13:03.919 --> 00:13:05.360 I want you to look at these. 00:13:05.679 --> 00:13:08.639 It says, saying, Where is he who was born king of the Jews? 00:13:08.799 --> 00:13:13.279 For we have seen, listen to this, his star in the east. 00:13:13.600 --> 00:13:15.200 Go to verse 7. 00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:21.919 It says, Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from what time the star appeared. 00:13:22.080 --> 00:13:25.440 If it appeared, it must not have always been there. 00:13:26.080 --> 00:13:33.200 Verse 9, when they heard the king, they departed, and behold, the star which they had seen in the east again went before them. 00:13:33.840 --> 00:13:38.159 Verse 10, when they saw the star, they rejoiced again. 00:13:38.480 --> 00:13:42.559 So you wouldn't rejoice for something that you have been seeing, correct? 00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:46.240 So the star had to appear and then move away. 00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:58.480 And you can look at and hear John MacArthur preach an amazing message on this, and he goes into great depth to give a beautiful argument why this star is the actual Shekinah glory of God. 00:13:58.639 --> 00:14:07.200 He believes that in this star, like in the Old Testament, the Old Testament showed it as a pillar of fire for the Israelites as they traveled. 00:14:07.519 --> 00:14:12.480 God showed himself and showed them where to go based on this pillar of fire. 00:14:12.639 --> 00:14:14.480 And so it was a sign like this. 00:14:14.639 --> 00:14:18.080 I want you to see a scripture so you can understand the picture. 00:14:18.159 --> 00:14:19.840 Because my thought went to this. 00:14:20.879 --> 00:14:24.720 How come the wise men were the only ones to discover Jesus? 00:14:24.960 --> 00:14:27.279 Herod was in hot pursuit. 00:14:27.600 --> 00:14:30.240 Why is it that the wise men found Jesus? 00:14:30.480 --> 00:14:36.960 If the star was guiding and everyone was able to see it, then wouldn't they all go to see Jesus? 00:14:37.279 --> 00:14:39.759 Go to Exodus chapter 14. 00:14:39.840 --> 00:14:42.720 I want you to see something I found interesting this week. 00:14:43.919 --> 00:14:45.360 Exodus 14. 00:14:45.759 --> 00:14:48.559 I want you to see verse 19 and 20. 00:14:49.759 --> 00:14:56.480 If you remember in the Old Testament, before the Israelites, there was a pillar of fire that went before them. 00:14:56.639 --> 00:15:00.320 And God did a lot of work for the Israelites through this pillar of fire. 00:15:00.399 --> 00:15:02.000 But look at what it says. 00:15:03.039 --> 00:15:14.159 And the angel of God, verse 19, who went before the camp of Israel, so the light, the angel was a light that went before them, moved now, and went behind them. 00:15:14.320 --> 00:15:19.519 And the pillar of cloud went from before them, which was in front of them, and stood behind them. 00:15:19.679 --> 00:15:23.360 So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. 00:15:23.519 --> 00:15:34.720 Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by the night to the other, so that the one did not come near to the other all the night. 00:15:34.879 --> 00:15:44.159 And so what it's saying is this God can brighten the eyes of those who seek him, and he can darken the enemy's eyes at the same time. 00:15:44.399 --> 00:15:51.679 So Herod, who wanted to kill Jesus, could not see this light, but yet the wise men could. 00:15:51.840 --> 00:15:55.919 And he would bring out that light when it was needed and take it away. 00:15:56.159 --> 00:16:05.440 These men were seeking Jesus, so God allowed them to be a part of our history because they were walking towards Jesus. 00:16:05.759 --> 00:16:08.799 Are you walking towards Jesus this morning, church? 00:16:09.919 --> 00:16:15.039 Are you getting special revelation from Jesus because of your walk? 00:16:16.399 --> 00:16:21.840 Or can I ask you this morning, is it real quiet when it comes to Jesus in your life? 00:16:22.320 --> 00:16:26.320 I hope today that you'll hear from Jesus during this message. 00:16:26.399 --> 00:16:28.080 That takes us to the second point. 00:16:28.399 --> 00:16:31.919 Wise men leave a different way. 00:16:32.240 --> 00:16:38.960 So what we're doing here, you see, sometimes in a in a movie, we're going to the end of the story, and at the end, we're going to go to the middle. 00:16:39.200 --> 00:16:41.840 And so this is the end of the story, verse 12. 00:16:42.159 --> 00:16:44.960 It says that the wise men leave a different way. 00:16:45.039 --> 00:16:45.759 Look at what it says. 00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:54.960 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. 00:16:55.200 --> 00:17:04.640 Um, I just recently turned 40, and Heather uh surprised me, shocked me, and took me on a trip to Gatlinburg. 00:17:04.799 --> 00:17:05.839 I had no idea. 00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:08.640 In fact, I preached, I got in the car, she had a note. 00:17:08.799 --> 00:17:10.480 I read the note and didn't even get it. 00:17:10.640 --> 00:17:12.559 Like, that's how dense I was about it. 00:17:12.720 --> 00:17:13.839 I was like, for real? 00:17:14.000 --> 00:17:16.880 Like, people at the church are aware that I'm gonna be good. 00:17:17.119 --> 00:17:17.920 This is okay. 00:17:18.160 --> 00:17:23.200 And so she had all this planned, and um, by the way, somebody else's birthday just happened here. 00:17:23.359 --> 00:17:24.880 Amanda Roper turned 31. 00:17:24.960 --> 00:17:26.160 Happy birthday, Amanda. 00:17:27.519 --> 00:17:37.680 And so um, but she had the surprise, and we got in the car, and something that I love and have learned from, and maybe you have too, is GPS. 00:17:37.839 --> 00:17:38.720 Y'all with me? 00:17:38.960 --> 00:17:40.400 Isn't GPS great? 00:17:40.480 --> 00:17:44.000 Some of you in here remember old school, you know, printing out. 00:17:44.079 --> 00:17:46.160 That was one step back, even further back. 00:17:46.319 --> 00:17:49.519 Anybody piece together two different places of a map, right? 00:17:49.680 --> 00:18:00.559 And so anyway, we get going, but GPS has this feature in it where they know before you know if bad traffic is up ahead. 00:18:00.799 --> 00:18:08.319 And I have learned if my wife is tracking this and she says, Rick, there's bad traffic up ahead, we've got to reroute. 00:18:08.480 --> 00:18:09.759 You know what I do? 00:18:10.319 --> 00:18:23.519 I listen as fast as possible because sometimes I haven't listened as fast as possible, and I've learned a lesson that I didn't take the exit, and now I am in bad traffic, and my wife is mad at me for not listening to her. 00:18:23.680 --> 00:18:25.599 And so I reroute as quick as possible. 00:18:25.759 --> 00:18:28.480 I don't care where it is, I don't care what it looks like that we're going up. 00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:31.279 She says there's bad traffic, I am pulling them off. 00:18:31.359 --> 00:18:33.200 It doesn't matter how podunk, right? 00:18:33.279 --> 00:18:40.160 So we're heading to Gatlinburg, and I'm telling you, I do not know what roads we were on, roads that I'm not sure they were roads. 00:18:40.319 --> 00:18:51.519 There was a road called River Road, there was a road called Holler Hill, there was a road that was uh two creek something, and I'm like, we were surely coming up on Dolly Parton's childhood home. 00:18:51.680 --> 00:18:54.559 Like we were just weaving and going, right? 00:18:55.119 --> 00:18:56.720 But I learned this. 00:18:56.880 --> 00:19:01.599 I've been face to face with bad traffic and an angry wife. 00:19:01.920 --> 00:19:07.920 And because of my learning, I do not go that way anymore if I can help it. 00:19:08.559 --> 00:19:11.279 Wise men leave a different way. 00:19:11.680 --> 00:19:14.000 Are you hearing me, husbands? 00:19:14.960 --> 00:19:19.440 Don't go that way, and so this, but this is what we know about the scripture. 00:19:19.759 --> 00:19:25.359 Letter A is this an encounter with Jesus changes the heart. 00:19:27.039 --> 00:19:36.079 Church, you cannot encounter Jesus, you cannot truly encounter the Son of God and your heart be unmoved. 00:19:37.519 --> 00:19:41.440 They departed into their country, their own country another way. 00:19:41.599 --> 00:19:49.759 When these men came in direct contact with Jesus, I mean they had a direct meeting with the face of salvation. 00:19:50.400 --> 00:19:52.000 They were instantly changed. 00:19:52.079 --> 00:19:53.759 And isn't that your story? 00:19:54.400 --> 00:19:56.559 Man, if you know them, isn't that your story? 00:19:56.799 --> 00:20:06.000 Man, the whole trajectory of my life changed because as a nine-year-old boy, I knelt down next to my mother's bedside and I asked Jesus to be my savior. 00:20:06.160 --> 00:20:11.359 Everything that would happen thereafter changed because I met Jesus. 00:20:11.519 --> 00:20:15.519 You can't come face to face with Jesus and stay the same way. 00:20:16.000 --> 00:20:20.559 Your way changes, and that's what happened for these wise men. 00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:24.079 They had a meeting with Jesus, and he said, Go another way. 00:20:24.160 --> 00:20:29.200 And when you meet with Jesus and He tells you to go another way, if you really met Him, you'll go another way. 00:20:29.359 --> 00:20:32.960 Now, some people, you haven't really met Him. 00:20:33.440 --> 00:20:37.759 When I look at Scripture, the New Testament evidence of this truth is so overwhelming. 00:20:37.920 --> 00:20:41.119 The Samaritan woman sat down and she met face to face with Jesus. 00:20:41.200 --> 00:20:44.400 He said, This man tells me everything that has ever happened in my life. 00:20:44.480 --> 00:20:49.519 And he she went back testifying of Jesus because she met face to face with him. 00:20:49.680 --> 00:20:54.240 A leper came face to face with Jesus and he said, He touched me. 00:20:54.799 --> 00:20:59.039 For the first time, somebody touched me and it changed me. 00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:00.480 And the leper was changed. 00:21:00.640 --> 00:21:10.559 Scripture talks about a demoniac, and Jesus came approaching the demoniac, and the demons inside of the demoniac said, Oh, thou son of God, what have you to do with us? 00:21:10.720 --> 00:21:15.839 And they ran and fled and got out of the man into pigs, and he was forever changed. 00:21:16.000 --> 00:21:18.960 Remember Darius, the daughter who died? 00:21:19.759 --> 00:21:22.240 She went to bed, fell asleep dead. 00:21:22.319 --> 00:21:28.319 And when she woke up, there was face to face with her salvation, and her life forever had been changed. 00:21:28.480 --> 00:21:34.079 The woman with the blood issue, she thought, if I just get close enough to touch his thread. 00:21:35.039 --> 00:21:36.880 And she was healed and changed. 00:21:37.039 --> 00:21:44.640 Forty-six people in the New Testament saw Jesus face to face, and they all left with a changed heart. 00:21:45.519 --> 00:21:46.880 Church, listen to me. 00:21:47.519 --> 00:21:53.519 You can't stay the same, old you if you've met face to face with Jesus. 00:21:54.559 --> 00:21:55.759 You can't stay the same. 00:21:55.920 --> 00:21:58.000 Not only heart, but also let her be. 00:21:58.160 --> 00:22:03.519 An encounter with Jesus changes the Direction changes the direction. 00:22:03.680 --> 00:22:06.640 I've got a picture of my dog that I want y'all to see. 00:22:06.880 --> 00:22:08.640 I think they got it back there. 00:22:08.880 --> 00:22:11.680 So this is uh Charlotte. 00:22:11.839 --> 00:22:12.640 That's better. 00:22:12.880 --> 00:22:14.400 This is Charlotte, right? 00:22:14.720 --> 00:22:16.400 Ferocious, isn't she? 00:22:18.240 --> 00:22:25.440 When I take Charlotte out for a walk, if there are other animals, she's the sweetest little thing. 00:22:25.519 --> 00:22:26.559 She'll come love you. 00:22:26.720 --> 00:22:33.200 She'll she can't, she won't even like she'll play, bite you, but she just set her teeth on your finger and will not chomp, right? 00:22:33.359 --> 00:22:35.039 Like, and I'll be trying to make her mad. 00:22:35.119 --> 00:22:37.359 And that's all she'll she kind of low growl. 00:22:38.400 --> 00:22:40.640 Her low growl is my favorite thing about her. 00:22:40.799 --> 00:22:45.920 So we get outside, and if there's another dog, I'm like, oh, here we go. 00:22:46.160 --> 00:22:49.039 Because everybody, she thinks she's a pit bull. 00:22:49.359 --> 00:22:58.640 She sees another dog and she's like, she's pulling on the thing, and I'm like, dude, we get down there, they're going to eat you. 00:22:58.799 --> 00:23:00.480 And I'm going to be in big trouble. 00:23:00.559 --> 00:23:03.440 So as soon as I see other dogs, you know what I got to do? 00:23:03.599 --> 00:23:05.200 I gotta change my path. 00:23:05.359 --> 00:23:08.880 And some people like they're following me, and I'm like, please just leave. 00:23:09.119 --> 00:23:10.000 Go the other way. 00:23:10.160 --> 00:23:12.480 She's gonna start coming after you. 00:23:12.640 --> 00:23:13.039 You know? 00:23:13.200 --> 00:23:14.480 Like she's not gonna do anything. 00:23:14.559 --> 00:23:17.359 She's just gonna get up there and go, Yeah. 00:23:19.039 --> 00:23:20.880 Some people, I just gotta let them deal with it. 00:23:20.960 --> 00:23:23.039 I just okay, you wanna keep following me. 00:23:23.119 --> 00:23:26.559 I'm gonna stop until you get here and let the dog growl you to death. 00:23:26.720 --> 00:23:33.680 And so, but what I have learned, listen, is because of this, I gotta change my direction. 00:23:33.839 --> 00:23:36.079 I gotta change my path, right? 00:23:36.720 --> 00:23:42.160 There's evidence this that the wise men went a different path. 00:23:42.400 --> 00:23:42.960 Why? 00:23:43.200 --> 00:23:45.039 Look at what some of the scripture says. 00:23:45.119 --> 00:23:47.839 Remember what Herod said secretly in verse 7? 00:23:48.079 --> 00:23:52.400 They seek, he secretly called the wise men to determine from them what time the star would appear. 00:23:52.559 --> 00:23:56.720 And he said, Go and search carefully for the young child. 00:23:56.960 --> 00:24:03.839 And when you have found him, bring back word to me that I, he's lying here, that I may come and worship him also. 00:24:04.960 --> 00:24:11.519 Verse 12, it says, They being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed another way. 00:24:11.759 --> 00:24:12.960 This tells us some things. 00:24:13.119 --> 00:24:26.000 They no longer cared about the royal connections that they had with Herod, or the clout that their connections brought them, or what it meant to disobey an earthly king. 00:24:26.319 --> 00:24:26.799 Right? 00:24:27.039 --> 00:24:31.039 This is pretty, this is a pretty serious business what they're doing here. 00:24:31.279 --> 00:24:41.599 They no longer cared about earthly power, possessions, the pleasure it might bring to please an earthly king because they met face to face with Jesus. 00:24:41.759 --> 00:24:45.200 They no longer cared about what the world had to offer. 00:24:45.839 --> 00:24:49.599 They encountered Jesus and their direction changed. 00:24:50.319 --> 00:24:51.200 Y'all seeing that? 00:24:51.359 --> 00:24:55.759 2 Corinthians 5, 17 says this if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. 00:24:56.000 --> 00:24:59.200 Old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new. 00:24:59.359 --> 00:25:04.240 You can't have a face-to-face encounter with Jesus and stay the same. 00:25:04.640 --> 00:25:06.240 Your direction changes. 00:25:06.480 --> 00:25:10.559 Psalms 37 says, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. 00:25:10.880 --> 00:25:16.079 My steps changed because I came face to face with Jesus. 00:25:16.319 --> 00:25:18.079 Listen, maybe this is your testimony. 00:25:18.240 --> 00:25:20.559 Psalms 41 and 2. 00:25:20.640 --> 00:25:22.960 It says, I waited patiently for the Lord. 00:25:23.119 --> 00:25:25.519 He inclined unto me and he heard my cry. 00:25:25.680 --> 00:25:33.920 He brought me out of a horrible pit, out of my reclay, set my feet upon a rock, established my goings, and he put a new song in my mouth. 00:25:34.400 --> 00:25:37.519 Were you changed when you met with Jesus? 00:25:38.720 --> 00:25:44.480 Listen, there's some people who think it sounds like a good thing or think it sounds like a good rally. 00:25:44.799 --> 00:25:50.160 Yeah, I'll say team Jesus, but their life has not reflected change. 00:25:51.359 --> 00:26:04.640 If there's been no change in your life, if he didn't put a new song in your mouth and you're still desiring those old things, those last things, those former temptations, I'm sad to say maybe you haven't been changed. 00:26:05.200 --> 00:26:09.039 Because an encounter with Jesus changes the direction. 00:26:12.880 --> 00:26:14.480 You know what Proverbs said. 00:26:22.720 --> 00:26:25.920 My path changes, my direction changes. 00:26:27.680 --> 00:26:30.640 We could wrap it up right here because it's so good. 00:26:31.839 --> 00:26:36.480 But you've got to see the climactic point of the story, and that's the third point is this. 00:26:36.720 --> 00:26:39.039 Go to verse 10 and 11. 00:26:42.160 --> 00:26:45.839 Point number three is this wise men worship Jesus. 00:26:47.279 --> 00:26:51.359 They worshiped him when they saw the star, they rejoiced. 00:26:51.599 --> 00:26:52.880 How did they rejoice? 00:26:53.119 --> 00:26:55.440 With exceeding great joy. 00:26:55.680 --> 00:26:57.039 We're gonna come back to that in a minute. 00:26:57.200 --> 00:27:01.519 And they saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and fell down and worshipped him. 00:27:01.680 --> 00:27:08.000 And when they had opened their treasures, they presented him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 00:27:08.160 --> 00:27:14.400 So it says in verse 10 that they see the star and they rejoice with exceeding great joy. 00:27:14.559 --> 00:27:16.480 They say, We've been on this journey. 00:27:16.720 --> 00:27:17.920 There it is again. 00:27:18.160 --> 00:27:22.880 And they see the star again, and I believe they said to each other, I can't believe it. 00:27:22.960 --> 00:27:25.440 There it is, the Shekinah glory star. 00:27:25.839 --> 00:27:28.319 And they're looking at each other, this thing is real. 00:27:28.880 --> 00:27:29.920 This thing is real. 00:27:30.079 --> 00:27:30.960 Can you believe this? 00:27:31.119 --> 00:27:34.640 And they had an exceeding great joy, rejoice. 00:27:34.880 --> 00:27:36.640 That's more than a Baptist clap. 00:27:37.359 --> 00:27:39.920 They had a real rejoice, okay? 00:27:40.079 --> 00:27:42.240 They shouted, they did a touchdown dance. 00:27:42.319 --> 00:27:45.839 I don't know, but they had an exceeding joy party. 00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:48.720 I'm gonna bet that's the party you want to go to. 00:27:49.119 --> 00:27:51.519 An exceeding rejoicing party. 00:27:51.759 --> 00:27:55.200 We had a staff Christmas party at my house this past Sunday. 00:27:55.279 --> 00:28:05.920 And I'm gonna tell you, I walked out of the room for a second, and I was entering back toward the room, and what a great feeling it was in my home to hear a party roar. 00:28:06.160 --> 00:28:12.799 Like the roar of laughter was, I won't say the word deafening, but there was so much laughter and conversation happening. 00:28:12.880 --> 00:28:23.039 I could not understand one conversation for the other over the laughter and all that was going on, but I looked around for a second in my home and I went, This is amazing. 00:28:23.359 --> 00:28:28.240 I love this moment being in my house because there was a lot of rejoicing. 00:28:28.400 --> 00:28:32.640 There was an exceeding joyful party, and nobody was trying to be quiet. 00:28:35.839 --> 00:28:38.319 Everybody wanted a piece of the roar. 00:28:39.599 --> 00:28:51.440 And so when they got to this star and they got to the house, it says they walked in the house, saw the child straight to their faces. 00:28:53.119 --> 00:28:55.920 They just worshiped. 00:28:56.880 --> 00:29:02.960 Church, I don't know when the last time you've been so close to the face of Jesus that you just had to hit your face. 00:29:03.759 --> 00:29:05.759 Oh God, you've been so good. 00:29:05.920 --> 00:29:07.680 Oh God, I can feel your presence. 00:29:07.759 --> 00:29:08.720 We've been through this stuff. 00:29:08.880 --> 00:29:11.359 Oh God, it's so good to be in your presence. 00:29:11.519 --> 00:29:13.839 Oh, God is so good to worship you. 00:29:13.920 --> 00:29:14.640 Oh God. 00:29:14.960 --> 00:29:18.640 And this is what the wise men came to do. 00:29:19.759 --> 00:29:25.839 You know, they say part of their jobs for the wise men, their actual job was to be king revealers. 00:29:26.079 --> 00:29:30.880 They were king revealers and say, well, they were coming to crown a new king. 00:29:31.119 --> 00:29:33.119 And so the wise men just worship Jesus. 00:29:33.279 --> 00:29:34.400 Letter A is that. 00:29:34.640 --> 00:29:38.160 Worshiping Jesus requires a gift. 00:29:39.039 --> 00:29:40.319 What's that mean, Pastor? 00:29:40.480 --> 00:29:42.720 Worshiping Jesus requires a gift. 00:29:43.680 --> 00:29:52.000 You see, after you study the Corinthians, they got to thinking somehow that they were super saints because they had gifts. 00:29:52.240 --> 00:29:53.279 I want you to hear me. 00:29:53.359 --> 00:29:56.400 The mark of a spiritual person is not a spiritual gift. 00:29:56.559 --> 00:30:00.799 A spiritual baby receives a spiritual gift. 00:30:01.359 --> 00:30:03.119 But hear me, church. 00:30:03.440 --> 00:30:06.400