WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:10.419 Thanks very much, Beth. Good morning, everyone. Delighted to repeat, JT's welcome, whether you're with us in the church or watching the live stream or listening to the audio recording, you're very welcome. 00:00:10.419 --> 00:00:17.559 Have you ever noticed how different Matthew and Luke's accounts of the nativity are? 00:00:18.379 --> 00:00:21.800 It's not just that they record different events, although they do. 00:00:22.640 --> 00:00:29.219 It's not just that Matthew is told largely from Joseph's viewpoint and Luke from Mary's. 00:00:29.859 --> 00:00:32.979 It's in the whole tone of what they say. 00:00:33.719 --> 00:00:34.939 Luke is joyful. 00:00:35.539 --> 00:00:45.799 We've been thinking of the joy of Christmas this morning with JT and earlier at the breaking of bread, and it very much comes across in Luke's gospel. 00:00:46.700 --> 00:00:50.840 The message of the angels is don't be afraid and effectively rejoice. 00:00:51.099 --> 00:00:54.500 They bring good news of great joy. 00:00:54.500 --> 00:01:03.159 Three people, Mary, Zechariah and Simeon, break out into spontaneous songs of joy. 00:01:03.159 --> 00:01:11.719 And it seems that everyone from the unborn John the Baptist to the octogenarian Anna is rejoicing in Luke. 00:01:13.099 --> 00:01:14.200 Matthew is quite different. 00:01:14.359 --> 00:01:16.579 Matthew is a lot more gritty. 00:01:18.019 --> 00:01:22.479 Matthew addresses some issues which actually in many ways seem still quite current. 00:01:22.480 --> 00:01:27.780 A unmarried teenager is unexpectedly pregnant. 00:01:28.900 --> 00:01:36.859 A crow, jealous dictator commits genocide in an attempt to get rid of a perceived rival. 00:01:37.859 --> 00:01:43.060 A family of refugees flee for their lives to another country. 00:01:43.740 --> 00:01:46.900 It's quite tough stuff in Matthew. 00:01:46.900 --> 00:01:56.240 If Luke's message is don't be afraid, in some ways Matthew is be afraid, be very afraid at least at some points. 00:01:57.160 --> 00:02:00.960 But in the middle there's the passage that we're looking at this morning. 00:02:01.600 --> 00:02:06.080 And the one mention of joy in Matthew's account of the Nativity. 00:02:06.079 --> 00:02:20.360 But even this passage is a little bit weird, isn't it? 00:02:21.219 --> 00:02:25.819 People finding meaning in stars and in dreams. 00:02:25.900 --> 00:02:30.780 That's not the kind of thing as Christians that we would normally expect. 00:02:31.560 --> 00:02:32.780 So what's this all about? 00:02:32.780 --> 00:02:41.879 I want to, over the next few minutes, to think about Matthew's account of the journey of the Magi in three separate ways. 00:02:42.560 --> 00:02:44.259 We're going to start with an overview. 00:02:45.060 --> 00:02:49.819 What is the big picture that Matthew is presenting to us? 00:02:50.439 --> 00:02:59.120 We'll then dig a bit deeper into the narrative and ask questions about the different things which are unusual or perhaps a bit difficult for us. 00:02:59.539 --> 00:03:02.319 And then we'll end by saying, well, what's the relevance to us today? 00:03:02.319 --> 00:03:07.439 Why should we be interested in this beyond that it's a good story? 00:03:08.819 --> 00:03:16.759 So first we're going to look at two keys to understanding Matthew's Gospel and particularly in understanding this passage. 00:03:17.539 --> 00:03:24.780 The big picture of Matthew, the first key, is that the promised Messiah has come. 00:03:25.859 --> 00:03:31.039 Matthew in many ways forms a bridge between the Old Testament of the Bible and the New Testament. 00:03:31.039 --> 00:03:36.759 The Old Testament ends about 400 years before Jesus was born with the prophecy of Malachi. 00:03:37.699 --> 00:03:44.939 But as Matthew picks up the story, it's very much with the message, this is a continuation of what's gone before. 00:03:45.500 --> 00:03:49.759 What was promised in the Old Testament has now happened. 00:03:50.439 --> 00:03:53.359 The Messiah has arrived. 00:03:53.360 --> 00:04:06.220 And Matthew is full of references back to the Old Testament, explaining to us how what Jesus did and who he was tied in perfectly with what had been prophesied then. 00:04:06.700 --> 00:04:10.820 It was all part of God's eternal plan. 00:04:10.819 --> 00:04:13.780 But he then goes a bit beyond that. 00:04:14.280 --> 00:04:20.699 Because Matthew says, yes, the promised Messiah has come, but he's come to be the saviour of the world. 00:04:21.819 --> 00:04:30.839 In the Old Testament, by and large, we read about how God dealt with his people, his chosen people, Israel, the Jews. 00:04:30.839 --> 00:04:42.399 But come the New Testament and the good news that God brings has been spread beyond the Jews, Jesus has come to be the saviour of the whole world. 00:04:43.299 --> 00:04:52.819 And so among the first people to greet the infant Jesus were these Gentiles, non-Jews, who travelled a long way to find him. 00:04:52.819 --> 00:04:58.120 At the end of Matthew, Jesus sends his disciples. 00:04:58.360 --> 00:05:02.439 He says, go and make disciples of all nations. 00:05:03.120 --> 00:05:06.300 So at the start, the representatives of the world come to Jesus. 00:05:07.100 --> 00:05:11.980 At the end, Jesus sends his representatives into the world. 00:05:12.759 --> 00:05:19.560 And the great truth is that the message of the Bible, the message of the gospel of Jesus is for everyone. 00:05:19.560 --> 00:05:30.300 Anyone who is willing to accept and believe is welcomed into God's family through Jesus and can have the joy of Christmas. 00:05:32.280 --> 00:05:39.779 The second key to understanding Matthew and this passage is what we got in the sketch earlier on. 00:05:40.199 --> 00:05:43.740 It is that Jesus is the real king. 00:05:44.100 --> 00:05:46.779 The young people were spot on with the drama. 00:05:46.779 --> 00:05:52.799 The word king occurs 74 times in Matthew's gospel. 00:05:52.919 --> 00:05:55.619 That's more than two and a half times per chapter. 00:05:56.619 --> 00:06:06.119 Craig explained to us a couple of weeks ago about how the genealogy in Matthew 1 points us to the fact that Jesus was the true descendant of King David, 00:06:06.219 --> 00:06:09.799 the true successor of David as king. 00:06:09.800 --> 00:06:17.439 And in our passage today, Matthew contrasts the real king, Jesus, with the upstart Herod. 00:06:18.060 --> 00:06:25.240 And he also signals that while he was recognized by these Gentiles, these non-Jews who came to him, 00:06:25.620 --> 00:06:28.180 he was rejected by the Jews. 00:06:28.280 --> 00:06:31.800 The religious leaders seem pretty apathetic about his coming. 00:06:32.319 --> 00:06:34.879 Herod is positively hostile. 00:06:34.879 --> 00:06:39.659 If we go again to the end of Matthew's gospel. 00:06:40.439 --> 00:06:43.560 When Jesus was nailed to the cross when he was crucified, 00:06:44.300 --> 00:06:48.740 the Gentile Roman soldiers put a sign above his head that says, 00:06:48.879 --> 00:06:52.540 Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews. 00:06:53.120 --> 00:06:56.379 And the Jewish religious leaders pointed at that and mocked and said, 00:06:56.439 --> 00:07:01.639 well, if you're the king of the Jews, come down from your cross and we will believe. 00:07:01.639 --> 00:07:06.899 Again, it's the Gentiles that proclaim Jesus as king. 00:07:07.560 --> 00:07:11.879 It's his own people, the Jews who reject him. 00:07:12.719 --> 00:07:20.039 So the big picture here, the big picture of this passage is that the promised Messiah has been born to be king. 00:07:20.539 --> 00:07:28.139 He's recognized by Gentiles, by non-Jews, but he's rejected by the Jewish establishment. 00:07:28.800 --> 00:07:31.199 John in his gospel puts it like this. 00:07:31.639 --> 00:07:36.439 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 00:07:37.360 --> 00:07:40.879 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, 00:07:41.339 --> 00:07:46.300 he gave the right to become children of God. 00:07:47.459 --> 00:07:48.500 So that's the big picture. 00:07:48.919 --> 00:07:55.319 And let's drill down a bit into the detail and the journey of the Magi as they came to Jesus. 00:07:55.319 --> 00:08:05.339 So in verses 1 and 2, we have these men, almost certainly men, who have seen a star and have traveled to Jerusalem from the east. 00:08:06.139 --> 00:08:08.699 So who are they and what is the star? 00:08:10.159 --> 00:08:12.879 They're sometimes called wise men, which is, I think, accurate. 00:08:13.539 --> 00:08:17.420 And they're sometimes called kings, which, as we've heard earlier, is inaccurate. 00:08:17.420 --> 00:08:26.060 But it's probably best to stick with the original word, which is transliterated straight from the original language into English, magi. 00:08:26.860 --> 00:08:29.720 The Bible only tells us they came from the east. 00:08:30.420 --> 00:08:34.639 Most likely they were from modern day Iran or Iraq. 00:08:34.639 --> 00:08:46.199 Quite possibly from the area around Babylon, where the Jews had been exiled and where many stayed after Ezra, Nehemiah and others returned to Jerusalem. 00:08:47.080 --> 00:08:51.759 And in that area, there would be some knowledge of biblical prophecies. 00:08:52.399 --> 00:08:57.460 People would read accounts of the Old Testament and have some understanding of them. 00:08:58.740 --> 00:09:00.360 Magi were religious figures. 00:09:00.360 --> 00:09:04.659 We might think of them as priests rather than as kings. 00:09:05.279 --> 00:09:18.919 They used a mixture of astrology, of interpreting dreams, and of consulting scholarly research to make wise pronouncements and to some extent to seek to predict the future. 00:09:19.860 --> 00:09:29.019 Although they weren't royal, they would be people with quite a lot of prestige, probably quite wealthy, of a high social status. 00:09:29.019 --> 00:09:32.539 As a side, we don't know how many of them there were. 00:09:32.620 --> 00:09:34.419 The Bible doesn't tell us that there were three. 00:09:34.819 --> 00:09:41.559 But they actually probably came with a bit of a caravan with others alongside them as a group to Bethlehem. 00:09:42.379 --> 00:09:49.199 We might consider them in some ways to be a bit misguided in the way they sought God's truth. 00:09:49.659 --> 00:09:53.259 But they do seem to have been sincere searchers after truth. 00:09:53.259 --> 00:09:59.639 And that's evidenced by the fact that they set out on their journey measured in months rather than days. 00:10:01.100 --> 00:10:06.559 And were willing to undergo all the rigors of that to see the new king. 00:10:07.879 --> 00:10:09.480 So what do we make of the star then? 00:10:10.220 --> 00:10:18.179 There are all sorts of theories in the recession, if you want to, about known astronomical events around the time of the birth of Jesus. 00:10:18.179 --> 00:10:26.000 But it could well have been that this was a special light put in the star by God for this specific purpose. 00:10:26.859 --> 00:10:30.399 After all, it appeared in the east, seems to have then disappeared. 00:10:30.559 --> 00:10:33.399 They didn't follow the star to Jerusalem as far as we can make out. 00:10:33.819 --> 00:10:39.559 But then it reappeared and guided them very specifically from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. 00:10:39.559 --> 00:10:50.579 One thing that's worth noting about that is that there was a common understanding in the Middle East around that time that a king was due to be born in Judea. 00:10:51.439 --> 00:10:56.779 And the Magi could well have been looking for a sign of that, that expected event. 00:10:57.399 --> 00:11:05.719 And when an unexpected star appeared in the sky, they took that as a sign from God that the king had indeed come. 00:11:05.720 --> 00:11:11.759 Now in all this, God moves as he does in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform. 00:11:11.860 --> 00:11:15.899 And maybe we shouldn't ask too many questions about the detail. 00:11:16.720 --> 00:11:18.560 But the men came from the east. 00:11:18.980 --> 00:11:21.060 They were searching for a king. 00:11:22.620 --> 00:11:24.920 And then they have the encounters in Jerusalem. 00:11:25.560 --> 00:11:27.519 And I've labeled these disturbing. 00:11:28.259 --> 00:11:32.519 Herod was disturbed and all Jerusalem was disturbed. 00:11:32.519 --> 00:11:39.139 Perhaps what made Jerusalem disturbed was the fact that they knew what Herod was like. 00:11:39.480 --> 00:11:47.379 And they knew what his reaction was likely to be when he was told that there was a new king that had been born for the Jews. 00:11:48.960 --> 00:11:51.699 There are several Herods mentioned in the New Testament. 00:11:52.299 --> 00:11:55.960 The one that we're looking at today is quite often called Herod the Great. 00:11:55.960 --> 00:12:04.139 Herod the Great because he ruled the whole region, Galilee, Judea, Samaria, and their surrounding parts for around 34 years. 00:12:04.660 --> 00:12:07.320 And after he died, his kingdom was split into four. 00:12:07.620 --> 00:12:13.460 So he was by far the most powerful of the several Herods that we read about in the Bible. 00:12:14.540 --> 00:12:20.100 He survived so long because he was very good at maintaining good relationships with Rome. 00:12:20.200 --> 00:12:24.780 He was put in place by the Romans and he was very careful not to upset them. 00:12:24.779 --> 00:12:26.539 He was a great builder. 00:12:27.039 --> 00:12:30.759 Among other things, he built the magnificent temple in Jerusalem. 00:12:31.860 --> 00:12:34.899 But he was of Arab rather than Jewish descent. 00:12:35.459 --> 00:12:39.620 And so he was the legitimate king in the line of David. 00:12:40.500 --> 00:12:42.919 He was also a very cruel tyrant. 00:12:43.459 --> 00:12:47.919 And he was absolutely paranoid about threats to dethrone him. 00:12:47.919 --> 00:12:56.459 So, for example, he went to the extent of killing his wife and two of his sons because he was concerned they might be plotting against him. 00:12:57.000 --> 00:13:03.979 So it's entirely predictable that this Herod would respond badly to news of a new king. 00:13:05.139 --> 00:13:08.120 Maybe that's why he speaks to the Magi privately. 00:13:08.120 --> 00:13:15.740 No one who knew him would really believe that he was going to go to Bethlehem to worship the new baby. 00:13:15.820 --> 00:13:19.019 They would understand what his intentions were. 00:13:19.960 --> 00:13:22.419 But he seems to have taken in the Magi. 00:13:22.519 --> 00:13:25.720 They believed him at that stage until later they were warned about it. 00:13:25.720 --> 00:13:30.820 And they took him at his word as they went to Bethlehem. 00:13:31.960 --> 00:13:38.440 The other thing that's quite striking here is the response of the religious leaders in Jerusalem. 00:13:39.320 --> 00:13:41.139 They're given this problem by Herod. 00:13:41.200 --> 00:13:42.540 Where is the king to be born? 00:13:43.040 --> 00:13:47.600 They come up with the answer that the Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem. 00:13:47.600 --> 00:13:49.240 Absolutely right. 00:13:49.800 --> 00:13:53.060 But it doesn't seem to have any impact on them. 00:13:53.759 --> 00:13:55.899 They're not thinking, this is magnificent. 00:13:56.500 --> 00:13:58.320 The prophecy of Micah has come about. 00:13:58.440 --> 00:14:00.740 We must go and see this new king. 00:14:01.360 --> 00:14:04.040 They appear to be unmoved by it. 00:14:04.040 --> 00:14:06.659 And we'll come back to that in a few minutes. 00:14:09.060 --> 00:14:14.560 Let's move on now to the arrival of the Magi in Jerusalem. 00:14:16.560 --> 00:14:17.340 Bethlehem, rather. 00:14:17.600 --> 00:14:22.180 As they leave Jerusalem, the star they'd seen in the east when it rose, 00:14:22.519 --> 00:14:29.320 it reappears to them and leads them to what is over exactly the place where Jesus is. 00:14:29.899 --> 00:14:33.139 Not now a stable or a place where animals would feed. 00:14:33.220 --> 00:14:34.620 They seem to be in a house. 00:14:34.620 --> 00:14:39.120 This is probably after a couple of years, after the birth of Jesus. 00:14:40.360 --> 00:14:46.840 So Jesus, as they meet him, would be a toddler rather than a baby lying in a crib. 00:14:46.840 --> 00:14:50.200 And when they get there, they worship him. 00:14:51.280 --> 00:14:55.259 Now we need to be careful about not reading too much into the actions of the wise men. 00:14:55.340 --> 00:15:00.600 Maybe they were worshipping him more paying homage to a king than thinking that he was God. 00:15:00.600 --> 00:15:06.460 Although if Mary and Joseph had explained some of the events leading up to the birth of Jesus and following it, 00:15:06.460 --> 00:15:11.820 then the wise men, the Magi, may have come to understand a bit more. 00:15:12.180 --> 00:15:17.200 But they give him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 00:15:17.200 --> 00:15:20.940 And they probably saw these as gifts fit for a king. 00:15:21.480 --> 00:15:25.640 We maybe shouldn't read too much more into their intentions than that. 00:15:26.259 --> 00:15:30.780 But again, I don't see anything wrong in us thinking that God may have been this, 00:15:31.020 --> 00:15:34.440 may have been directing their thoughts, guiding their decisions. 00:15:35.080 --> 00:15:39.940 And it's often commented on that gold could represent Christ's status as king. 00:15:39.940 --> 00:15:43.160 Frankincense could reflect the fact that he's God. 00:15:43.280 --> 00:15:45.640 Frankincense was burned in the temple. 00:15:46.520 --> 00:15:48.920 And the myrrh foreshadowed his death. 00:15:49.000 --> 00:15:52.020 It was a fluid used in embalming. 00:15:52.260 --> 00:15:56.080 So entirely appropriate gifts to bring Jesus. 00:15:57.620 --> 00:16:01.420 In the immediate context, though, the great value of these gifts 00:16:01.420 --> 00:16:06.320 would have been when the family flee to Egypt and they need a means of support. 00:16:06.320 --> 00:16:10.680 Well, they've got it now in the gifts of the wise men. 00:16:13.540 --> 00:16:18.640 So finally, let's have a think about what this means for us today. 00:16:19.200 --> 00:16:26.300 What's the relevance of this story from long ago and far away to us in 21st century Scotland? 00:16:26.460 --> 00:16:30.800 Is it just a nice Christmas story or does it have more to say to us? 00:16:30.800 --> 00:16:31.760 I think it does. 00:16:31.759 --> 00:16:36.919 It talks about three different reactions to Jesus. 00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:41.659 We'll find out more from Graham Dodds next week when we look at the following verses. 00:16:42.279 --> 00:16:47.080 But Herod very much sees Jesus as a threat to be eliminated. 00:16:48.080 --> 00:16:50.399 He sees a potential challenge to his authority. 00:16:50.659 --> 00:16:53.080 He knows that he is a bit of an upstart as the king, 00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:57.240 that he's not got the heritage to be the king of the Jews. 00:16:57.240 --> 00:17:04.420 But he values his status and his wealth and he doesn't want anyone to threaten it. 00:17:04.980 --> 00:17:10.339 And if there's a potential challenge to his authority, he wants to get rid of it. 00:17:11.640 --> 00:17:16.640 Now, hopefully people wouldn't commit genocide today for that reason. 00:17:17.180 --> 00:17:22.099 But there are plenty who are opposed to Jesus and to those who follow him. 00:17:22.099 --> 00:17:29.159 They see Jesus as a threat to their beliefs, their values, their lifestyles. 00:17:30.319 --> 00:17:31.279 And perhaps they're right. 00:17:32.719 --> 00:17:34.480 Jesus came to change lives. 00:17:35.419 --> 00:17:43.519 And if we owe him, if we accept him as king, we owe him our allegiance and our obedience. 00:17:43.519 --> 00:17:52.180 But first of all, he offers us forgiveness for all the wrong in our lives and assurance of our eternal security, 00:17:52.180 --> 00:17:56.180 not because of any good things that we are or that we have done, 00:17:56.639 --> 00:18:02.000 but simply through faith in him and the fact that he died for us on the cross. 00:18:02.920 --> 00:18:07.200 If you've been resisting Jesus, perhaps hostile to him, 00:18:07.200 --> 00:18:12.980 please consider what we learned from the Christmas story and indeed the rest of the life of Jesus 00:18:12.980 --> 00:18:17.200 and the opportunity he gives you to change your life, 00:18:17.600 --> 00:18:21.700 to make it so much better and give you real hope for the future. 00:18:24.700 --> 00:18:30.580 The second reaction seems to be that Jesus was an irrelevance to be ignored. 00:18:30.579 --> 00:18:34.319 The chief priests and teachers of the law, as I said, 00:18:34.359 --> 00:18:40.339 you'd expect them to be excited about the Messiah that had arrived on this wonderful fulfillment of prophecy. 00:18:41.019 --> 00:18:43.740 But they just seem to have been indifferent. 00:18:44.859 --> 00:18:52.519 There's no evidence that anyone else was interested in making the journey along with the Magi to Bethlehem. 00:18:52.519 --> 00:19:03.119 This may be a little unfair, but they appear to have about as much emotion as a chatbot using AI to answer a difficult question. 00:19:04.240 --> 00:19:08.299 We've examined our sources and they say the answer is Bethlehem. 00:19:08.920 --> 00:19:09.579 And that's it. 00:19:10.279 --> 00:19:15.920 No evidence that they wanted to do anything except give Herod the right answer. 00:19:15.920 --> 00:19:22.560 Now, later on, the religious leaders would very much be opposed to Jesus and would turn against him. 00:19:23.300 --> 00:19:28.680 But to begin with, they seem to have been indifferent, perhaps partly out of fear of Herod, 00:19:28.900 --> 00:19:32.640 but perhaps also they just weren't that interested. 00:19:33.920 --> 00:19:36.259 I guess that's like a lot of people today. 00:19:37.080 --> 00:19:39.360 They're not opposed to Christianity. 00:19:39.359 --> 00:19:47.399 They perhaps believe in Jesus as a real historical person who made some great pronouncements, 00:19:47.699 --> 00:19:50.279 but he doesn't mean anything to them. 00:19:50.939 --> 00:19:55.659 He is someone who lived in a faraway country over 2,000 years ago, 00:19:56.099 --> 00:20:00.779 and they don't see how he can make any difference in their lives. 00:20:02.639 --> 00:20:09.000 Perhaps I could also say that there can be a lot of indifference among those who would call themselves Christians. 00:20:09.359 --> 00:20:14.679 Like the Jewish religious leaders, we would say we have faith in God, 00:20:14.919 --> 00:20:20.879 we know the Bible, we do our religious duty, but does it really move us? 00:20:21.599 --> 00:20:26.359 Have we lost, if we ever had it, the excitement of knowing Jesus 00:20:26.359 --> 00:20:31.159 and coming into a relationship with the creator of the universe? 00:20:32.359 --> 00:20:35.079 Maybe we don't rejoice in him particularly. 00:20:35.199 --> 00:20:37.939 We see all the trappings of Christmas and we enjoy that, 00:20:37.940 --> 00:20:42.140 but our joy isn't really in the coming of the Messiah. 00:20:43.220 --> 00:20:47.360 Maybe we no longer truly worship him with our lives. 00:20:48.460 --> 00:20:52.440 And maybe it's time for us to return again to the baby of Bethlehem 00:20:52.440 --> 00:20:56.840 and marvel at the mystery of God with us. 00:20:58.279 --> 00:21:02.200 Indifference to Jesus is an illogical reaction. 00:21:03.080 --> 00:21:04.539 He doesn't give us that option. 00:21:04.539 --> 00:21:08.440 Either we believe in him and allow him to change our lives, 00:21:08.819 --> 00:21:13.259 or we reject him and face the consequences of that. 00:21:14.460 --> 00:21:15.399 C.S. Lewis said, 00:21:15.480 --> 00:21:17.200 you can shut him up for a fool. 00:21:18.039 --> 00:21:20.579 You can spit at him and kill him as a demon. 00:21:21.500 --> 00:21:26.680 Or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. 00:21:26.680 --> 00:21:32.860 But let us not come out with any patronizing nonsense about him being a great human teacher. 00:21:33.539 --> 00:21:36.740 He's not left that open to us. 00:21:37.740 --> 00:21:40.100 So if today you're indifferent to Jesus, 00:21:40.220 --> 00:21:43.840 if you just see him as some kind of historical character of some interest, 00:21:44.220 --> 00:21:46.039 but not really relevant today, 00:21:46.900 --> 00:21:47.860 consider these words. 00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:50.279 Consider what the Bible tells us about him. 00:21:50.279 --> 00:21:54.359 And recognize you either have to choose to accept him, 00:21:54.599 --> 00:21:57.240 or effectively you're rejecting him. 00:21:57.359 --> 00:21:59.500 If we reject him, there are eternal consequences. 00:21:59.639 --> 00:22:03.680 If we accept him, we will have eternal salvation. 00:22:06.240 --> 00:22:10.579 And then finally, there's the response of the Magi. 00:22:11.119 --> 00:22:15.579 They see him as a saviour, as a king to be worshipped. 00:22:15.579 --> 00:22:19.199 What they did, I think, is quite remarkable. 00:22:20.439 --> 00:22:22.839 Based only on their sighting of a star, 00:22:23.399 --> 00:22:27.419 they trekked hundreds of miles through difficult and dangerous terrain 00:22:27.419 --> 00:22:30.199 to see a new king. 00:22:31.139 --> 00:22:32.019 And what did they see? 00:22:32.679 --> 00:22:35.619 They saw a toddler, a young child. 00:22:36.480 --> 00:22:38.379 They didn't witness Jesus' miracles. 00:22:39.279 --> 00:22:41.460 They didn't hear his teaching. 00:22:41.460 --> 00:22:44.660 And yet they were filled with joy 00:22:44.660 --> 00:22:48.539 that they had seen the one who had come from God. 00:22:49.259 --> 00:22:52.819 They presented to him wonderful gifts. 00:22:53.779 --> 00:22:54.920 They worshipped him. 00:22:56.019 --> 00:22:58.440 That's a great response for us too, isn't it? 00:22:58.480 --> 00:23:00.480 To rejoice in Jesus. 00:23:01.460 --> 00:23:04.220 To give him the best that we have. 00:23:04.799 --> 00:23:06.460 To worship him. 00:23:06.460 --> 00:23:11.819 And how much more reason do we have than the Magi to do that? 00:23:12.740 --> 00:23:15.360 We know so much more about Jesus 00:23:15.360 --> 00:23:18.500 and why he came into the world. 00:23:19.240 --> 00:23:21.460 We know about his amazing miracles, 00:23:22.240 --> 00:23:26.340 about the godly power that he showed throughout his life. 00:23:27.079 --> 00:23:29.360 We can read his marvellous teaching 00:23:29.360 --> 00:23:32.160 and see in it God speaking to us 00:23:32.160 --> 00:23:33.460 and addressing us in our situations 00:23:33.460 --> 00:23:38.779 and challenging us about our thoughts and our actions 00:23:38.779 --> 00:23:42.180 as well as encouraging us in times of difficulty. 00:23:43.539 --> 00:23:44.240 And above all, 00:23:44.980 --> 00:23:48.279 if we've accepted Jesus as our saviour, 00:23:48.960 --> 00:23:51.480 we have forgiveness for all the wrong we've done. 00:23:51.620 --> 00:23:55.740 We have new life through his death and his resurrection. 00:23:55.740 --> 00:24:00.859 How can we not join the Magi, the wise men, 00:24:01.380 --> 00:24:04.539 in falling down and worshipping him? 00:24:05.339 --> 00:24:06.400 As hymn writer says, 00:24:06.519 --> 00:24:09.779 Jesus is king and I will extol him. 00:24:10.519 --> 00:24:13.559 Give him the glory and honour his name. 00:24:14.700 --> 00:24:17.279 He reigns on high and throned in the heavens. 00:24:18.180 --> 00:24:22.200 Word of the Father, exalted for us. 00:24:22.200 --> 00:24:26.519 I started by saying that Matthew's account of the nativity is gritty. 00:24:27.200 --> 00:24:29.539 And in many ways, it is. 00:24:30.259 --> 00:24:32.440 But it's also wonderful. 00:24:33.580 --> 00:24:36.340 Wonderful that Joseph received the message 00:24:36.340 --> 00:24:38.360 that the child that was being born 00:24:38.360 --> 00:24:42.380 was the Son of God conceived by the Holy Spirit. 00:24:43.440 --> 00:24:46.519 Wonderful that we are presented with the real king 00:24:46.519 --> 00:24:49.340 and with those who travel a great distance 00:24:49.339 --> 00:24:51.779 to come and to worship him. 00:24:52.740 --> 00:24:54.259 Wonderful, as we'll see next week, 00:24:54.639 --> 00:24:58.439 in the way that God preserved the life of his son 00:24:58.439 --> 00:25:00.019 and of Mary and Joseph 00:25:00.019 --> 00:25:03.619 as they were under threat through Herod. 00:25:04.500 --> 00:25:07.259 It's the story of the real king 00:25:07.259 --> 00:25:09.779 and its hope for the world. 00:25:10.500 --> 00:25:11.439 It's God with us. 00:25:12.259 --> 00:25:13.459 God living our life. 00:25:13.619 --> 00:25:15.619 God dying at our death 00:25:15.619 --> 00:25:17.639 and rising from the dead 00:25:17.639 --> 00:25:22.919 so that we too can one day be raised to be with him. 00:25:23.519 --> 00:25:25.679 And that's the great hope that Christmas gives us. 00:25:25.779 --> 00:25:27.719 That's the great joy that we should have. 00:25:28.099 --> 00:25:31.579 That because a saviour came on that first Christmas, 00:25:32.279 --> 00:25:35.079 we have a real hope for the future, 00:25:35.179 --> 00:25:38.279 a knowledge that one day we will go to be with him 00:25:38.279 --> 00:25:40.559 and our joy will be complete 00:25:40.559 --> 00:25:44.460 as we spend eternity worshipping him. 00:25:45.399 --> 00:25:46.799 And let's do that this Christmas. 00:25:47.460 --> 00:25:51.220 Let's worship the baby who came to Bethlehem, 00:25:51.819 --> 00:25:54.339 the one who is now seated at God's right hand, 00:25:54.440 --> 00:25:56.859 having finished the work that he came to earth to do, 00:25:57.339 --> 00:25:59.160 having completely done everything, 00:25:59.619 --> 00:26:02.079 we need to be restored to God. 00:26:02.660 --> 00:26:03.460 Let me pray. 00:26:03.460 --> 00:26:09.340 Father, we thank you for the wonder of Christmas, 00:26:09.480 --> 00:26:13.440 the wonder that God himself came into the world 00:26:13.440 --> 00:26:16.940 through your son to be our saviour. 00:26:17.579 --> 00:26:19.980 We thank you that that is a source of great joy, 00:26:20.400 --> 00:26:22.880 even amid all the difficult events 00:26:22.880 --> 00:26:25.440 that we read about in Matthew. 00:26:26.240 --> 00:26:27.279 And we thank you that for us 00:26:27.279 --> 00:26:29.640 it can be a source of great joy this Christmas 00:26:29.640 --> 00:26:34.100 as we reflect on all that the Lord Jesus has done 00:26:34.100 --> 00:26:36.640 and all that we have in him. 00:26:37.620 --> 00:26:38.560 If we have doubts, 00:26:38.880 --> 00:26:40.759 we pray that you will remove these doubts 00:26:40.759 --> 00:26:44.680 and help us to understand exactly who Jesus is. 00:26:45.640 --> 00:26:47.520 If we have been opposed to him, 00:26:48.020 --> 00:26:50.540 please remove that and through your spirit 00:26:50.540 --> 00:26:53.600 draw us to know and to love him. 00:26:54.240 --> 00:26:55.400 And if we've been indifferent, 00:26:55.880 --> 00:26:57.420 please help us to understand 00:26:57.420 --> 00:27:00.360 that that's not the right way to be, 00:27:00.460 --> 00:27:02.200 that we need to seriously consider 00:27:02.200 --> 00:27:05.620 the claims of Jesus and who he is. 00:27:06.180 --> 00:27:07.779 We thank you for this time this morning. 00:27:08.200 --> 00:27:10.060 We thank you for the privilege of meeting, 00:27:10.560 --> 00:27:12.380 to think about you, 00:27:12.560 --> 00:27:13.360 to worship, 00:27:13.759 --> 00:27:14.980 to learn from you. 00:27:15.380 --> 00:27:17.000 And we now commit ourselves to you 00:27:17.000 --> 00:27:18.500 in the name of the Lord Jesus. 00:27:19.279 --> 00:27:19.539 Amen.