INTRO
Long Road Trips – What slows you down?
- Bathroom
- Food
- Shopping
- Got Lost
TENSION
Fake News: Last week, the Barn. Tonight, the Kings.
What slows you down in your spiritual road trip? Discouragement, distraction?
After all is said and done, pursuing Jesus is worth it.
TRUTH
The Fake News: Jesus was visited by three kings on the night he was born.
Grandma’s nativity scene:
- Three kings meet up with the shepherds
- A star over top of a barn
- Little jewelry boxes of gifts for newborn Jesus
The Real News: Wise men worshipped Jesus as King.
These were historical people who met a historical king (v.1)
- Magos – Hard term to translate (Think emo)
The wise men were not kings, but king-makers.
- Spiritual men who studied stars in the East.
- Hereditary priesthood
- To be king, one must:
- Master the scientific & religious discipline of the Magi
- Be approved by the Magi
- Daniel 2:11 (Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream)
- Daniel was made the “Master of the Magi” (Dan. 5:11)
- They survived 4 empires: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Roman
- Under Darius – converted to Zoroastrianism (astrology)
- Some followed Darius, but some apparently were God-fearing.
- Acts 8 (Simon)
- Acts 13:6 (Bar-Jesus)
600 years B.C., the Magi said “gods don’t dwell with flesh.” 600 years later, their direct descendants bowed to God dwelling with flesh, God in the flesh.
The theme of Matthew: Jesus is King!
The Good News: Everyone is invited to pursue Jesus as King.
The Magi were graciously invited to be with the King.
- Gentiles
- Family history of paganism/unbelief
- Ignorance of many important prophecies about the coming Messiah
The fake king couldn’t get over his pride.
- Herod
- “King of the Jews” – title given to him by Caesar
- The big caravan from the East was a threat to his rule
The Jewish leaders had the answers, but not the faith.
- They knew exactly where to find the King, but never sought him personally.
- The people who should have recognized God’s plan totally missed it.
- When Jesus was crucified, they placed a sign over him that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”
God orchestrated events over 100’s of years to bring the Magi to Jesus.
- The exile
- Daniel’s teaching
- The star
- God has done the same for you.
The Hard News: Pursuing Jesus ain’t easy.
Better a wise man who follows Jesus than a scholar who studies him.
They traveled far.
- A long obedience in the same direction.
- Probably would have been a 12-18 month long journey after Jesus was born.
They traveled one step(star) at a time.
- We realize, in verse 2, they had no idea where God was leading them, but they followed.
They had to say “NO” to a lot of things to say “YES” to the journey.
- FOMO
- What did they miss in the 2-3 years it took to find Jesus?
They faced dangers and hardships.
- Travel was dangerous.
- They ticked-off the king.
They gave their best to the King.
- Gold – his royalty
- Frankincense – worship
- Myrrh – Death/burial
- First fruits, sloppy seconds, or leftovers?
They humbled themselves.
- This is what sets them apart.
- Not everyone will understand your journey.
- It may appear that everyone is getting ahead of you, until you realize they’re going the wrong direction.
After all was said and done, they determined that the journey was worth it.
APPLICATION
Passion – Are you in this for the long haul?
Priorities – What does saying “YES” to Jesus cost?
Plans – Do you trust that his plan is better?
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