WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:10.240 Well, today I'd like us to turn back to the passage which John read for us. 00:00:10.240 --> 00:00:15.519 We can read again the first couple of verses, but we'll be thinking in many ways about the 00:00:15.519 --> 00:00:21.179 whole of this chapter really, and I suppose in many ways the first part which focuses 00:00:21.179 --> 00:00:22.679 on the wise men. 00:00:22.679 --> 00:00:28.280 Now, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of head of the king, behold, wise 00:00:28.280 --> 00:00:34.840 men from the east came to Jerusalem saying, Where is he who has been born king of the 00:00:34.840 --> 00:00:42.320 Jews for we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him? 00:00:42.320 --> 00:00:47.799 This account is that of the wise men who came to see Jesus as a child. 00:00:47.799 --> 00:00:53.680 It's one of the most famous accounts in the Bible and one that's maybe familiar to many 00:00:53.680 --> 00:00:55.240 of us. 00:00:55.240 --> 00:01:01.760 Before we go into the story in more detail, we should probably start by saying that not 00:01:01.760 --> 00:01:07.040 everything we may be associated with the story of the wise men is maybe completely accurate. 00:01:07.040 --> 00:01:12.379 Often we have the image of baby Jesus in the stable, in the manger, and the wise men coming 00:01:12.379 --> 00:01:13.560 to meet him. 00:01:13.560 --> 00:01:19.640 That's not actually what happened because they came probably a little bit later on. 00:01:19.640 --> 00:01:25.239 In verse 11 of the chapter, there's a mention of a house and the two-year-old limit that 00:01:25.239 --> 00:01:30.599 was placed on Herod's decree would imply that Jesus would have been probably much closer 00:01:30.599 --> 00:01:33.799 to two years old at this stage. 00:01:33.799 --> 00:01:38.359 We should probably also say that we actually have no idea whether or not there were three 00:01:38.359 --> 00:01:39.960 wise men. 00:01:39.960 --> 00:01:41.519 We don't actually know. 00:01:41.519 --> 00:01:46.120 The idea of three tends to come from the fact that there was three gifts, gold, frankincense, 00:01:46.120 --> 00:01:47.120 and myrrh. 00:01:47.120 --> 00:01:48.120 There could have been two. 00:01:48.120 --> 00:01:49.219 There could have been 20. 00:01:49.219 --> 00:01:52.920 We don't actually know. 00:01:52.920 --> 00:01:57.120 But the number of wise men doesn't matter too much. 00:01:57.120 --> 00:02:04.079 The thing I want us to focus on is the fact that they were wise. 00:02:04.079 --> 00:02:06.400 So who were they? 00:02:06.400 --> 00:02:11.199 Well the word that's used to describe them in the original language is the word magi, 00:02:11.199 --> 00:02:12.199 Magi. 00:02:12.199 --> 00:02:14.120 Some of your Bible translations might say that. 00:02:14.120 --> 00:02:18.319 It might say magi came from the east. 00:02:18.319 --> 00:02:26.439 These were men who were particularly associated with Babylon, which was an ancient empire 00:02:26.439 --> 00:02:30.159 located in what to us is modern day Iraq. 00:02:30.159 --> 00:02:32.439 And these people performed various duties. 00:02:32.439 --> 00:02:36.359 So they interpreted dreams. 00:02:36.359 --> 00:02:38.400 They functioned as religious priests. 00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:41.199 They were sometimes physicians. 00:02:41.199 --> 00:02:48.599 And as in the case here, they seem to have studied the stars in some kind of astrological 00:02:48.599 --> 00:02:49.719 way. 00:02:49.719 --> 00:02:54.359 And they were a group of people who would have been respected in terms of their knowledge 00:02:54.359 --> 00:02:55.599 and understanding. 00:02:55.599 --> 00:03:00.639 So this is maybe a bit of a silly illustration, but I imagine them to be the kind of experts 00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:03.319 that we see today getting pulled in on the news. 00:03:03.319 --> 00:03:07.479 So we turn on the news and there's some story and they'll pull in some expert who'll say 00:03:07.479 --> 00:03:08.479 something about something. 00:03:08.479 --> 00:03:13.560 So if you can imagine the Babylon news at 10 from 2000 years ago, they're pulled in 00:03:13.560 --> 00:03:14.560 the magi. 00:03:14.560 --> 00:03:19.039 What do you think of Boris Johnson? 00:03:19.039 --> 00:03:23.759 They were clearly people who were respected in terms of their knowledge. 00:03:23.759 --> 00:03:25.359 They were wise. 00:03:25.359 --> 00:03:32.519 The question that I want to ask is what made them wise? 00:03:32.519 --> 00:03:36.599 And the answer to that question is extremely important. 00:03:36.599 --> 00:03:42.840 Sometimes we can think that someone who is wise is somebody who knows it all. 00:03:42.840 --> 00:03:47.000 So people who have been taught a lot, people who have got a big capacity for remembering 00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:51.799 information, people who have a wide range of experiences, it's easy to think they're 00:03:51.799 --> 00:03:55.840 the wise ones, the people who know it all. 00:03:55.840 --> 00:04:00.879 And for that reason, we're often scared to reveal out ignorance because it'll show us 00:04:00.879 --> 00:04:06.159 up if we don't know stuff. 00:04:06.159 --> 00:04:11.319 The truth is, that's not what makes someone wise at all. 00:04:11.319 --> 00:04:17.399 What made these wise men wise was not that they knew it all. 00:04:17.399 --> 00:04:20.879 It was that they were willing to inquire. 00:04:20.879 --> 00:04:23.879 And that's the great adventure that we have recorded for us here. 00:04:23.879 --> 00:04:28.079 These wise men, they saw something and they thought, what is that? 00:04:28.079 --> 00:04:30.120 What does it mean? 00:04:30.120 --> 00:04:32.480 Let's go and find out. 00:04:32.480 --> 00:04:37.960 And it's a great reminder that wisdom is not knowing it all. 00:04:37.960 --> 00:04:44.400 Wisdom is being ready to go and learn. 00:04:44.400 --> 00:04:49.879 Two of the people that I admire most in my life are my father and my father-in-law. 00:04:49.879 --> 00:04:55.960 My father was a GP, my father-in-law is an engineer, and they were both hugely respected 00:04:55.960 --> 00:04:58.520 in terms of their jobs. 00:04:58.519 --> 00:05:03.359 But one of the fascinating things about both of them is that whenever they approached a 00:05:03.359 --> 00:05:09.359 patient or a project, they didn't waltz in saying, oh, I know what needs to happen here. 00:05:09.359 --> 00:05:13.639 Whenever they approached something, the first thing that they would do is ask a million 00:05:13.639 --> 00:05:14.639 questions. 00:05:14.639 --> 00:05:20.399 They were inquiring and searching and seeking to gather knowledge. 00:05:20.399 --> 00:05:24.120 And the reason they both achieved so much in their lives is not because they knew it 00:05:24.120 --> 00:05:25.799 all. 00:05:25.800 --> 00:05:30.000 It's because they were willing to inquire. 00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:32.819 That's exactly what we see in these wise men. 00:05:32.819 --> 00:05:37.120 They were wise, but they come with questions, not answers. 00:05:37.120 --> 00:05:38.960 They're inquiring, not teaching. 00:05:38.960 --> 00:05:42.240 They've come to search for truth. 00:05:42.240 --> 00:05:49.480 And their example is setting every one of us here a great challenge. 00:05:49.480 --> 00:05:55.199 As we sit here today with our Bibles open before us and with our lives lying ahead of us, 00:05:55.199 --> 00:06:05.479 the crucial question we have to ask ourselves is, am I willing to search for answers? 00:06:05.479 --> 00:06:10.259 And that's really the difference between wisdom and folly. 00:06:10.259 --> 00:06:14.279 It's not that a wise person knows a lot and a foolish person doesn't. 00:06:14.279 --> 00:06:18.639 The difference is that a wise person is ready to search for truth. 00:06:18.639 --> 00:06:30.039 The foolish person can't really be bothered when it comes to the truth about Jesus Christ. 00:06:30.039 --> 00:06:34.240 Which one are you? 00:06:34.240 --> 00:06:39.479 So these wise men embark on a great adventure to find answers. 00:06:39.479 --> 00:06:44.279 So if you want to search for something, if you want to find something out, what do you 00:06:44.279 --> 00:06:45.279 need to do? 00:06:45.279 --> 00:06:49.199 Well, the answer is that you need to follow the clues. 00:06:49.199 --> 00:06:52.959 You need to pursue the lines of inquiry. 00:06:52.959 --> 00:06:55.719 And that's exactly what we see in this passage. 00:06:55.719 --> 00:07:00.279 The wise men followed three important lines of inquiry. 00:07:00.279 --> 00:07:05.239 And I want us to just look at these three together briefly today. 00:07:05.239 --> 00:07:09.679 So the first clue they followed was the star. 00:07:09.679 --> 00:07:13.679 Their adventure began when they saw a star arise. 00:07:13.680 --> 00:07:20.280 So we have before us, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, in the days of Herod 00:07:20.280 --> 00:07:24.840 the King, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem saying, where is he who has been born king 00:07:24.840 --> 00:07:25.840 of the Jews? 00:07:25.840 --> 00:07:33.280 For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him. 00:07:33.280 --> 00:07:35.439 As we said, these wise men were magi. 00:07:35.439 --> 00:07:38.160 They studied the stars, among other things. 00:07:38.160 --> 00:07:45.120 So they would have known if something unusual appeared in their observations every night. 00:07:45.120 --> 00:07:47.439 Something different had taken place. 00:07:47.439 --> 00:07:52.880 I suppose two questions of detail arise here. 00:07:52.880 --> 00:07:56.040 Question one is, what was this star? 00:07:56.040 --> 00:07:59.320 And the answer to that is we're not entirely sure. 00:07:59.320 --> 00:08:04.240 It could have been a purely supernatural phenomenon, a light that appeared in the sky 00:08:04.240 --> 00:08:07.800 sent by God at that very moment. 00:08:07.800 --> 00:08:11.240 Perhaps even some sort of angel, maybe we don't know. 00:08:11.240 --> 00:08:17.520 Or it could have been an asteroid or some other orbiting body that appeared at this 00:08:17.520 --> 00:08:18.520 time. 00:08:18.520 --> 00:08:22.639 And various people have looked back at the orbits and the time scales and have presented 00:08:22.639 --> 00:08:25.960 various suggestions as to what this might have been. 00:08:25.960 --> 00:08:30.920 If that's the case, it's something that God had sent many, many years earlier in order 00:08:30.920 --> 00:08:33.120 to arrive at this moment. 00:08:33.120 --> 00:08:35.560 To be honest, I'm not entirely sure which one it is. 00:08:35.559 --> 00:08:38.759 And I'm quite comfortable with either explanation. 00:08:38.759 --> 00:08:42.639 The key point is that they saw something. 00:08:42.639 --> 00:08:49.000 And what they saw moved them to the extent that they felt they had to travel west. 00:08:49.000 --> 00:08:52.519 The other question is, how did they know about the potential Jewish king? 00:08:52.519 --> 00:08:57.479 Remember, these are foreigners based probably in Babylon. 00:08:57.479 --> 00:09:00.599 How would they have known about a Jewish king and why would that have been important to 00:09:00.599 --> 00:09:01.599 them? 00:09:01.599 --> 00:09:03.119 Well, again, we don't know for sure. 00:09:03.120 --> 00:09:08.919 But it's probably very likely that their knowledge and awareness of a promised king had its roots 00:09:08.919 --> 00:09:17.039 in the fact that 500 years earlier, the Israelites, the Jewish people, had been deported from Jerusalem 00:09:17.039 --> 00:09:20.480 and the surrounding area and taken to Babylon. 00:09:20.480 --> 00:09:25.519 That's back in the days of Daniel and Ezekiel, big figures in the Old Testament. 00:09:25.519 --> 00:09:30.919 In fact, Daniel was made chief overall of the Magi of Babylon. 00:09:30.919 --> 00:09:37.360 So it's very likely that some knowledge and awareness of this coming king would have come 00:09:37.360 --> 00:09:40.519 through that influence. 00:09:40.519 --> 00:09:46.240 Whatever the explanation, when these men saw the star, they connected its appearing with 00:09:46.240 --> 00:09:55.639 a coming king and they thought, we need to go and find out more. 00:09:55.639 --> 00:10:00.279 And so they followed the first clue, the star. 00:10:00.279 --> 00:10:07.039 And I want to just to mention what I think are two really important points in relation 00:10:07.039 --> 00:10:10.759 to this before we go on to the next clue. 00:10:10.759 --> 00:10:16.519 First thing I want us to notice here is that here in this passage, we have an account of 00:10:16.519 --> 00:10:21.919 the physical created world pointing to the fact that Jesus has come. 00:10:21.919 --> 00:10:25.919 It's as though the universe itself is seeing look. 00:10:25.919 --> 00:10:31.639 And that's a great reminder that the Bible doesn't just treat the universe as the stage 00:10:31.639 --> 00:10:35.000 on which God plays out the drama of His saving work. 00:10:35.000 --> 00:10:38.679 The universe is not just the stage. 00:10:38.679 --> 00:10:43.439 The universe has its own part in that story. 00:10:43.439 --> 00:10:45.639 The Bible doesn't just tell the story of God. 00:10:45.639 --> 00:10:47.319 It doesn't just tell humanity's story. 00:10:47.319 --> 00:10:50.240 The Bible also tells the universe's story. 00:10:50.240 --> 00:10:53.279 And the story of the universe is the same as our story. 00:10:53.279 --> 00:10:55.759 God created it good. 00:10:55.759 --> 00:11:00.319 But when humanity rebelled against God and sinned, it wasn't just humanity that became 00:11:00.319 --> 00:11:01.319 broken. 00:11:01.319 --> 00:11:03.399 The universe became broken as well. 00:11:03.399 --> 00:11:08.720 And as a result of that, the universe needs rescuing and restoring. 00:11:08.720 --> 00:11:20.039 That's why we look at the world and we see so much that's broken and hostile and uninhabitable. 00:11:20.039 --> 00:11:25.720 And that's why in the future, when Jesus returns, the created universe is not going to be destroyed. 00:11:25.720 --> 00:11:29.759 It's going to be regenerated. 00:11:29.759 --> 00:11:34.240 That means heaven's not going to be some kind of floaty existence in the clouds. 00:11:34.240 --> 00:11:41.240 It will be a beautifully restored universe, a new heavens and a new earth. 00:11:41.240 --> 00:11:46.360 And I think the great anticipation of that restoration is reflected in the fact that 00:11:46.360 --> 00:11:55.000 when Jesus, the Savior, was born, the universe is saying, look, here he is. 00:11:55.000 --> 00:12:00.000 And it's reminding us of the fact that when it comes to the coming of Jesus Christ, we're 00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:03.120 not simply saying that that's an important moment in history. 00:12:03.120 --> 00:12:06.679 We're saying that that is actually the very center point of history. 00:12:06.679 --> 00:12:09.639 It's the whole point of history. 00:12:09.639 --> 00:12:12.840 Everything centers on Jesus. 00:12:12.840 --> 00:12:18.919 And His first coming, His second coming, these are all, these are what history is all about, 00:12:18.919 --> 00:12:23.279 all of space, time and history centers upon Him. 00:12:23.279 --> 00:12:27.759 That's described brilliantly for us in Colossians chapter one. 00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:33.000 In speaking about Jesus, it says, for by Him all things were created in heaven and on earth, 00:12:33.000 --> 00:12:38.079 visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things 00:12:38.079 --> 00:12:40.759 were created through Him and for Him. 00:12:40.759 --> 00:12:46.360 He is before all things and in Him all things hold together. 00:12:46.360 --> 00:12:52.559 This star is pointing us to the fact that Jesus is Lord of all creation. 00:12:52.559 --> 00:12:57.799 And that of course is why when this child Jesus grew up, He was able to command wind 00:12:57.799 --> 00:13:01.919 and waves and they obeyed Him. 00:13:01.919 --> 00:13:06.479 And all of that's a great reminder that whether you're a total skeptic or whether you're 00:13:06.479 --> 00:13:11.239 a committed follower of Jesus or whether you're somewhere in between, whoever you are, I think 00:13:11.240 --> 00:13:23.200 it is absolutely guaranteed that your view of Jesus is going to be far, far too small. 00:13:23.200 --> 00:13:27.639 Everything centers on Him. 00:13:27.639 --> 00:13:33.039 The second important thing I want us to notice about this whole incident is that here in 00:13:33.039 --> 00:13:38.799 this passage, we have the stars telling us something. 00:13:38.799 --> 00:13:42.859 Now that's been a subject of interest to humanity for a long, long time. 00:13:42.859 --> 00:13:46.799 People have looked to the stars as a source of answers. 00:13:46.799 --> 00:13:52.199 Many ancient religions did that, but it's something that's still very much alive and 00:13:52.199 --> 00:13:53.839 well today. 00:13:53.839 --> 00:13:58.839 I remember when I was a child, you'd get up in the morning and you'd turn the telly 00:13:58.839 --> 00:14:04.319 on and this is long before the wonderful days now where you could pick whatever programs 00:14:04.319 --> 00:14:05.979 you wanted. 00:14:05.980 --> 00:14:09.279 Back in our day, we didn't have that luxury. 00:14:09.279 --> 00:14:10.840 And I remember watching TV AM. 00:14:10.840 --> 00:14:13.960 Can you remember TV AM? 00:14:13.960 --> 00:14:16.200 So that's before, I don't even know what it is now. 00:14:16.200 --> 00:14:17.759 Good morning Britain is it now? 00:14:17.759 --> 00:14:23.000 Before Good Morning Britain was GMTV and way, way, way back before that was TV AM. 00:14:23.000 --> 00:14:30.120 And about 20 past seven, 25 past seven, you would get cartoons coming on TV AM. 00:14:30.120 --> 00:14:33.840 I think it was things like Mask and Captain Planet and stuff like that. 00:14:33.840 --> 00:14:37.120 I don't know if anyone can remember that. 00:14:37.120 --> 00:14:40.720 People in your mid to late 30s will remember that maybe. 00:14:40.720 --> 00:14:44.960 And so you had to wait and you had to endure all the kind of boring grown up stuff before 00:14:44.960 --> 00:14:48.720 the cartoon came on because you couldn't go to iPlayer or anything like that because none 00:14:48.720 --> 00:14:50.360 of these things existed. 00:14:50.360 --> 00:14:52.600 You had to sit through what was on the program. 00:14:52.600 --> 00:14:58.360 And one of the things that you had to endure was Russell Grant, the astrologer, who would 00:14:58.360 --> 00:15:05.279 come on and talk about all this kind of stuff and we had to sit through this whilst we waited 00:15:05.279 --> 00:15:06.279 for the cartoons. 00:15:06.279 --> 00:15:08.720 And that's something that still goes on today. 00:15:08.720 --> 00:15:12.879 People who look to the stars to find answers. 00:15:12.879 --> 00:15:17.639 And there's a huge business and a huge interest in all of that. 00:15:17.639 --> 00:15:20.840 At one level as Christians, we wouldn't endorse that. 00:15:20.840 --> 00:15:24.639 The idea that the stars are going to tell you about your career or your relationships. 00:15:24.639 --> 00:15:27.879 It's not something that we would be comfortable with. 00:15:27.879 --> 00:15:33.559 But having said that, we are not totally opposed to the idea that the stars can tell you something. 00:15:33.559 --> 00:15:38.919 Now, what I mean by that is the fact that the Bible says that if you look at the stars, 00:15:38.919 --> 00:15:41.240 it's going to tell you something. 00:15:41.240 --> 00:15:45.840 Not in the sense that they're kind of sort of demigods that can talk to us, but in the 00:15:45.840 --> 00:15:50.799 sense that if you look at the stars, you are going to learn important things. 00:15:50.799 --> 00:15:54.840 And in particular, there are two incredibly important things that we are going to learn 00:15:54.840 --> 00:15:56.039 as we look at the stars. 00:15:56.039 --> 00:16:02.159 The first is that if you look at the stars, you are going to learn about God's glory. 00:16:02.159 --> 00:16:03.879 Sam 19 expresses that brilliantly. 00:16:03.879 --> 00:16:06.000 The heavens declare the glory of God. 00:16:06.000 --> 00:16:12.319 The sky above proclaims his handiwork day to day, pours out speech and night to night 00:16:12.319 --> 00:16:13.639 reveals knowledge. 00:16:13.639 --> 00:16:19.799 So every night as the stars glisten across the night sky, as the vast galaxies stretch 00:16:19.799 --> 00:16:29.799 out above us, as we try to grasp the unsearchable magnitude of space, when we look at that, 00:16:29.799 --> 00:16:33.399 we get a glimpse of the glory of God. 00:16:33.399 --> 00:16:37.719 Now, the fascinating thing is that for the person who lived in Bible times way, way, 00:16:37.719 --> 00:16:42.599 way long ago, when they looked up at the stars, they thought, well, that declares the glory 00:16:42.599 --> 00:16:47.359 of God, but they didn't really know what they were looking at. 00:16:47.360 --> 00:16:52.600 They just knew that something of God's glory was being declared to them. 00:16:52.600 --> 00:17:00.639 For us, the discoveries of physics and astronomy have added so much amazing detail to this truth. 00:17:00.639 --> 00:17:05.759 So we look up at the stars and we know that we're not just seeing millions upon millions 00:17:05.759 --> 00:17:07.039 of twinkling lights. 00:17:07.039 --> 00:17:09.559 We know that we are seeing even more. 00:17:09.559 --> 00:17:16.599 So we are seeing colossal burning balls of fire, echoing the Bible's imagery of God 00:17:16.599 --> 00:17:20.319 as a holy, pure, consuming fire. 00:17:20.319 --> 00:17:25.879 We see the astonishing order of the planets and solar systems and galaxies orbiting in 00:17:25.879 --> 00:17:32.199 this fascinating system, teaching us about the God who puts things in order and sustains 00:17:32.199 --> 00:17:33.639 the universe. 00:17:33.639 --> 00:17:38.399 We look up to the heavens and we see mind blowing gravitational strength pointing us 00:17:38.399 --> 00:17:42.699 to the almighty God who is strong and powerful. 00:17:42.700 --> 00:17:47.080 We see distances, billions of light years, so big that we can't even remotely get our 00:17:47.080 --> 00:17:48.400 head rounded. 00:17:48.400 --> 00:17:52.799 And we are being told about the God who is infinite and immeasurable. 00:17:52.799 --> 00:18:00.000 We see astounding images produced by Hubble and other telescopes of colors, flares, lights, 00:18:00.000 --> 00:18:07.759 flames, constellations, and in it all we get a greater glimpse of the glory of God. 00:18:07.759 --> 00:18:12.400 All of that discovery is amazing for us as Christians because everything we see is showing 00:18:12.400 --> 00:18:15.840 us more and more about the glory of God. 00:18:15.840 --> 00:18:23.240 The stars are telling us something amazing when we look at them. 00:18:23.240 --> 00:18:26.519 But the second way that the stars speak to us, not just showing us the glory of God, 00:18:26.519 --> 00:18:31.040 there's another thing that the stars says which I think is even more astonishing. 00:18:31.040 --> 00:18:33.920 If you look up at the stars at night, if you had a nice clear night, not that you can really 00:18:33.920 --> 00:18:39.960 get that in the city, but if you can go out where there's no street lights and see just 00:18:39.960 --> 00:18:48.799 immeasurable numbers of stars above us, the one thing that's really clear is that it's 00:18:48.799 --> 00:18:50.440 impossible to number them. 00:18:50.440 --> 00:18:53.120 It's just billions. 00:18:53.120 --> 00:19:00.039 But that vast number of stars is being used by God to tell us something very important. 00:19:00.039 --> 00:19:06.680 It's telling us about the number of people that God intends to save. 00:19:06.680 --> 00:19:10.799 It was all the way back near the start of the Bible, God made a promise to a man called 00:19:10.799 --> 00:19:11.880 Abraham. 00:19:11.880 --> 00:19:17.120 It was through this man's family that God's plan of salvation would be achieved, and everyone 00:19:17.120 --> 00:19:23.360 who trusts in Jesus is brought into that family line and made heirs to that same promise of 00:19:23.360 --> 00:19:24.360 salvation. 00:19:24.360 --> 00:19:30.360 And when God made that promise to Abraham, he said this, he took him outside and he said, 00:19:30.359 --> 00:19:36.639 look towards heaven and number the stars if you are able to number them. 00:19:36.639 --> 00:19:43.519 Then he said to them, so shall your offspring be, and Abraham believed the Lord, and God 00:19:43.519 --> 00:19:47.559 counted it to him as righteousness. 00:19:47.559 --> 00:19:53.879 It's telling us that God's plan to save people is not just for a tiny select few. 00:19:53.879 --> 00:19:56.799 God's plan is to save a vast number. 00:19:56.799 --> 00:20:01.039 And for us as a church, that should give us so much confidence and encouragement to go 00:20:01.039 --> 00:20:05.039 out with the gospel in terms of mission work. 00:20:05.039 --> 00:20:09.680 And for you as an individual, the amazing thing is that that means that there is room 00:20:09.680 --> 00:20:12.879 for you too. 00:20:12.879 --> 00:20:16.319 It's an amazing reminder of how inclusive the gospel message is. 00:20:16.319 --> 00:20:18.079 It's a call to everyone. 00:20:18.079 --> 00:20:19.720 It's a message for the masses. 00:20:19.720 --> 00:20:22.639 It's an invitation to all humanity. 00:20:22.640 --> 00:20:29.720 But ever think that God does not have room for you. 00:20:29.720 --> 00:20:36.080 The stars themselves are telling us about how many people God wants to save. 00:20:36.080 --> 00:20:44.120 And maybe it should be no surprise to us that when the promised Savior finally came, it 00:20:44.120 --> 00:20:51.440 was one of the stars that was being used to make the announcement. 00:20:51.440 --> 00:20:54.000 So the wise men followed the star. 00:20:54.000 --> 00:21:00.759 The universe was pointing them to the coming to God's plan of salvation. 00:21:00.759 --> 00:21:04.240 And the universe is pointing us to it as well. 00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:08.360 So I guess we have to ask the question, when you look up at the stars, what are they saying 00:21:08.360 --> 00:21:10.160 to you? 00:21:10.160 --> 00:21:15.840 Are they saying, we stars, we are vast, and you are utterly tiny. 00:21:15.840 --> 00:21:18.519 We are mind-blowingly big. 00:21:18.519 --> 00:21:20.880 You are a pointless little speck. 00:21:20.880 --> 00:21:22.880 What are the stars saying to you? 00:21:22.880 --> 00:21:32.880 We are here to display the glory of God, the God who knows you, the God who loves you, 00:21:32.880 --> 00:21:37.920 and the God who is promising to save you. 00:21:37.920 --> 00:21:46.520 For us as Christians, it's amazing what the stars are saying. 00:21:46.520 --> 00:21:49.040 But the star alone wasn't enough for these wise men. 00:21:49.039 --> 00:21:51.440 In order to find the truth, they needed more. 00:21:51.440 --> 00:21:56.559 That brings us to our second clue, and that's the Scriptures. 00:21:56.559 --> 00:22:00.039 When the wise men arrived at Jerusalem, they needed to find out more information. 00:22:00.039 --> 00:22:03.680 So they were asking people, where is he who's born, King of the Jews? 00:22:03.680 --> 00:22:08.799 They must have asked quite a few people because the whole of Jerusalem was alarmed, especially 00:22:08.799 --> 00:22:09.799 the King. 00:22:09.799 --> 00:22:13.759 When King Herod heard this, he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him, and assembling 00:22:13.759 --> 00:22:16.519 all the chief priests and scribes of the people. 00:22:16.519 --> 00:22:19.639 He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 00:22:19.639 --> 00:22:24.440 They told him, in Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet, and you O 00:22:24.440 --> 00:22:29.359 Bethlehem in the land of Judah are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for from 00:22:29.359 --> 00:22:33.079 you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. 00:22:33.079 --> 00:22:36.839 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star 00:22:36.839 --> 00:22:41.879 had appeared, and he sent them to Bethlehem saying, go and search diligently for the child, 00:22:41.880 --> 00:22:48.760 and when you found him bring me word that I too may come and worship him. 00:22:48.760 --> 00:22:54.080 In order for them to find out where to go, the wise men needed more information, and 00:22:54.080 --> 00:22:57.040 that information came from Scripture. 00:22:57.040 --> 00:23:00.760 We don't know if Herod actually showed them the Scriptures himself, or whether he just 00:23:00.760 --> 00:23:05.600 explained to them what it was that the scribes and teachers had told him. 00:23:05.600 --> 00:23:11.360 Either way, the result was that the wise men were sent to Bethlehem because that was where 00:23:11.359 --> 00:23:13.879 the Scriptures were pointing. 00:23:13.879 --> 00:23:18.079 These Scriptures had promised that a king was going to come. 00:23:18.079 --> 00:23:24.359 That king would be a descendant of Israel's greatest king, King David, and to reinforce 00:23:24.359 --> 00:23:29.799 that, it would be in David's hometown of Bethlehem that the promised king would be born. 00:23:29.799 --> 00:23:35.599 This king is the one who would come, and he is the one who would be savior to God's people, 00:23:35.599 --> 00:23:40.039 and who would establish God's kingdom forever. 00:23:40.039 --> 00:23:46.639 The star in creation and the promises in Scripture are working together to point these 00:23:46.639 --> 00:23:49.680 men in the right direction. 00:23:49.680 --> 00:23:55.159 If you think about it in their search for truth, the wise men got general information 00:23:55.159 --> 00:23:56.159 from the creation. 00:23:56.159 --> 00:24:02.839 They'd been sent roughly in the right direction by the star, but now they got special details 00:24:02.839 --> 00:24:05.480 from God's Word. 00:24:05.480 --> 00:24:08.200 That is such an important lesson for us. 00:24:08.200 --> 00:24:11.640 The universe around us can point us in the right direction. 00:24:11.640 --> 00:24:17.080 The creation testifies to the reality of God, but in order for us to have a full and real 00:24:17.080 --> 00:24:20.039 relationship with God, we need more. 00:24:20.039 --> 00:24:25.759 We need the details that the Bible provides, because the Bible tells us who God really 00:24:25.759 --> 00:24:26.759 is. 00:24:26.759 --> 00:24:29.559 The Bible tells us why the world and humanity are broken. 00:24:29.559 --> 00:24:32.440 The Bible tells us about God's plan to save us. 00:24:32.440 --> 00:24:34.559 The Bible tells us what Jesus has done. 00:24:34.559 --> 00:24:41.559 The Bible tells us how we need to respond, and the Bible tells us of all the amazing 00:24:41.559 --> 00:24:48.839 blessings and privileges that are ours if we respond in faith and put our trust in Jesus. 00:24:48.839 --> 00:24:53.759 In other words, it's the Bible that is telling us the truth. 00:24:53.759 --> 00:25:04.279 The truth about God, the truth about us, the truth about life, and the truth about death. 00:25:04.279 --> 00:25:10.440 So if we are searching for truth today, the only place that we're going to find the details 00:25:10.440 --> 00:25:14.480 that we need is in the Bible. 00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:22.079 But you might be very well thinking, well, Thomas, that sounds great, but how do we know 00:25:22.079 --> 00:25:27.119 the Bible's right, and how can we trust it? 00:25:27.119 --> 00:25:34.479 Well, one of the reasons that you can trust the Bible is because all the predictions that 00:25:34.479 --> 00:25:37.919 the Bible has made are coming true. 00:25:37.919 --> 00:25:42.359 And that's one of the great emphasis that Matthew makes in this passage. 00:25:42.359 --> 00:25:47.799 He's emphasizing the fact that the prophecies of the Old Testament, the clues that these 00:25:47.799 --> 00:25:52.119 Old Scriptures contained are now all falling into place. 00:25:52.119 --> 00:25:56.479 The promised king would be born in Bethlehem, and that's exactly what happened. 00:25:56.480 --> 00:26:01.599 As John read for us later on, Matthew says how other prophecies about the children of 00:26:01.599 --> 00:26:08.279 Bethlehem and about Jesus being in Egypt, all of these are being fulfilled. 00:26:08.279 --> 00:26:15.279 The wise men followed the clues of the Old Testament prophecies to see their fulfillment. 00:26:15.279 --> 00:26:21.759 But what the wise men probably didn't know was that they themselves were fulfilling prophecy 00:26:21.759 --> 00:26:22.759 too. 00:26:22.759 --> 00:26:27.759 So now look at these verses from Isaiah, which is a prophecy way back in the Old Testament, 00:26:27.759 --> 00:26:33.319 probably about 730 or years before the wise men came to Bethlehem. 00:26:33.319 --> 00:26:38.039 It says, all nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. 00:26:38.039 --> 00:26:40.039 Lift up your eyes all around and see. 00:26:40.039 --> 00:26:41.119 They all gather together. 00:26:41.119 --> 00:26:42.200 They come to you. 00:26:42.200 --> 00:26:45.879 Your son shall come from afar, and your daughter shall be carried on the hip. 00:26:45.879 --> 00:26:47.359 Then you shall see and be radiant. 00:26:47.359 --> 00:26:51.039 Your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to 00:26:51.039 --> 00:26:52.039 you. 00:26:52.039 --> 00:26:53.399 The blessings shall come to you. 00:26:53.399 --> 00:26:55.599 A multitude of camels shall come to you. 00:26:55.599 --> 00:27:00.000 The young camels of Midian and Ephah, all those from Sheba shall come. 00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:07.079 They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news to the praises of the 00:27:07.079 --> 00:27:08.079 Lord. 00:27:08.079 --> 00:27:14.399 The wise men themselves fulfilled this prophecy as they came bearing gifts. 00:27:14.399 --> 00:27:19.319 And their journey from a foreign land points to the fact that God's original promise to 00:27:19.319 --> 00:27:22.240 Abraham was a promise for all nations. 00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:24.319 It's all falling into place. 00:27:24.319 --> 00:27:26.399 The promised king has come. 00:27:26.399 --> 00:27:32.319 The prophecies are being fulfilled, and all the nations of the world are being blessed. 00:27:32.319 --> 00:27:42.639 And all of that should reinforce our confidence in the Bible. 00:27:42.639 --> 00:27:45.000 Some people think the Bible is irrelevant. 00:27:45.000 --> 00:27:49.200 Maybe once it was useful, it's out of date now. 00:27:49.200 --> 00:27:50.840 Some people think the Bible is interesting. 00:27:50.840 --> 00:27:54.680 It's maybe got a few things to teach us. 00:27:54.680 --> 00:27:57.360 Some people think the Bible is helpful. 00:27:57.360 --> 00:28:00.640 There's a lot to learn from it. 00:28:00.640 --> 00:28:04.240 We don't think any of those things. 00:28:04.240 --> 00:28:08.920 We think that the Bible is infallible. 00:28:08.920 --> 00:28:18.080 And as the infallible, authoritative word of God, it is the key to discovering the truth. 00:28:18.079 --> 00:28:23.799 And after 2,000 years of generation after generation of people trying to prove the Bible wrong, 00:28:23.799 --> 00:28:30.199 it is still today standing as strong as ever. 00:28:30.199 --> 00:28:36.679 And this Bible testifies to the fact that Jesus is the king. 00:28:36.679 --> 00:28:42.240 It was the Bible that showed the wise men the truth about where they needed to go. 00:28:42.240 --> 00:28:45.599 And the Bible is saying exactly the same thing to us. 00:28:45.599 --> 00:28:56.240 If you want to know the truth, then you need to listen to what the Bible is saying. 00:28:56.240 --> 00:28:58.919 So the wise men followed the clues. 00:28:58.919 --> 00:29:01.359 They followed the star. 00:29:01.359 --> 00:29:04.079 Then they followed the scriptures. 00:29:04.079 --> 00:29:09.519 But there's one final source of information that they followed. 00:29:09.519 --> 00:29:15.159 It's not completely obvious from the passage, but I think it is immensely important. 00:29:15.160 --> 00:29:23.800 The third clue is that the wise men followed their hearts. 00:29:23.800 --> 00:29:26.000 They came to Jerusalem. 00:29:26.000 --> 00:29:28.160 They were instructed to go to Bethlehem. 00:29:28.160 --> 00:29:30.680 And then something remarkable happened. 00:29:30.680 --> 00:29:33.600 After listening to the king, they went in their way and behold, the star that they'd 00:29:33.600 --> 00:29:38.440 seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child 00:29:38.440 --> 00:29:39.440 was. 00:29:39.440 --> 00:29:44.400 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 00:29:44.400 --> 00:29:47.080 And going to the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother. 00:29:47.080 --> 00:29:48.840 And they fell down and worshiped him. 00:29:48.840 --> 00:29:53.440 Then opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh. 00:29:53.440 --> 00:29:56.200 And been warned in a dream not to return to Herod. 00:29:56.200 --> 00:29:59.840 They departed to their own country by another way. 00:29:59.840 --> 00:30:03.759 Now, the English translation that's in bold there, they rejoiced exceedingly with great 00:30:03.759 --> 00:30:04.759 joy. 00:30:04.759 --> 00:30:05.920 That's in very strong terms. 00:30:05.920 --> 00:30:10.240 But even then, I think that's a big understatement. 00:30:10.240 --> 00:30:13.960 Because literally the original Greek that the New Testament was written in, it says 00:30:13.960 --> 00:30:19.640 that they rejoiced with mega joy very, very much. 00:30:19.640 --> 00:30:23.840 In other words, they were just bursting with joy. 00:30:23.840 --> 00:30:29.759 Now, I know that it doesn't actually mention their hearts in that verse. 00:30:29.759 --> 00:30:34.759 But the place where an explosion of joy takes place, well, where is it? 00:30:34.759 --> 00:30:37.120 It's in your heart. 00:30:37.120 --> 00:30:43.680 And all of that means that this quest for truth that the wise men went on was not 00:30:43.680 --> 00:30:47.240 just another intellectual exercise for them. 00:30:47.240 --> 00:30:52.240 They weren't often a magi research trip where they would go and then report back and give 00:30:52.240 --> 00:30:53.920 a paper to their colleagues. 00:30:53.920 --> 00:30:58.920 They weren't looking just to find out the latest development in Middle Eastern astronomy. 00:30:58.920 --> 00:31:01.759 They weren't just going to learn more information. 00:31:01.759 --> 00:31:06.080 They were on a quest to find the truth. 00:31:06.080 --> 00:31:11.080 And ultimately, the quest for truth is not about what we know in our heads. 00:31:11.079 --> 00:31:15.679 It is surely about what we know in our hearts. 00:31:15.679 --> 00:31:19.960 It must have been a massive undertaking for these men to leave Babylon. 00:31:19.960 --> 00:31:26.079 But that desire to find answers, that need to know the truth, that determination to 00:31:26.079 --> 00:31:30.599 find the king showed that this is something that they really cared about. 00:31:30.599 --> 00:31:35.079 Ultimately, they weren't looking for something that would just fill their heads with more 00:31:35.079 --> 00:31:36.079 knowledge. 00:31:36.079 --> 00:31:42.799 They were looking for something that would make their hearts burst with joy. 00:31:42.799 --> 00:31:47.159 So when they set off for Bethlehem, when they saw the star again which confirmed to them 00:31:47.159 --> 00:31:51.159 that they were on the right track, they were utterly overjoyed. 00:31:51.159 --> 00:31:54.759 And when they finally found this young toddler, they didn't care about the fact that he would 00:31:54.759 --> 00:31:58.279 have been in a very ordinary house with very ordinary looking parents. 00:31:58.279 --> 00:32:05.759 They fell down and worshiped him and presented him with gifts for a king. 00:32:05.759 --> 00:32:09.440 And I don't think for one minute they then thought, oh well, great, that's our research 00:32:09.440 --> 00:32:10.440 project complete. 00:32:10.440 --> 00:32:14.400 We can go back to work in Babylon. 00:32:14.400 --> 00:32:18.960 I think they went back to Babylon changed forever. 00:32:18.960 --> 00:32:25.079 And as we see, they made sure that their return travel plans were altered to make sure that 00:32:25.079 --> 00:32:29.119 this king would be kept safe. 00:32:29.119 --> 00:32:35.200 And all of this is teaching us, well I think it's maybe teaching us the most important lesson 00:32:35.200 --> 00:32:39.600 that we can ever learn in life. 00:32:39.600 --> 00:32:46.840 Because when it comes to discovering the truth, we need to follow the same clues that the wise 00:32:46.840 --> 00:32:49.480 men followed. 00:32:49.480 --> 00:32:55.400 We need to follow the universe, pointing us to a glorious creator. 00:32:55.400 --> 00:33:01.759 I find it, I was an engineer before I became a minister so I like to see how things fit 00:33:01.759 --> 00:33:04.840 together. 00:33:04.839 --> 00:33:10.599 Not just as an minister, as an engineer, I find it utterly impossible to believe that 00:33:10.599 --> 00:33:13.399 the universe could come from nothing. 00:33:13.399 --> 00:33:21.639 From an engineer's point of view, that is just the most unbelievable thing I could imagine. 00:33:21.639 --> 00:33:25.319 The universe is pointing us to a creator. 00:33:25.319 --> 00:33:27.339 But we need more than that. 00:33:27.339 --> 00:33:30.019 So we need to follow the Bible. 00:33:30.019 --> 00:33:35.559 It's telling us the detailed truth about who God is and about what he requires of us. 00:33:35.559 --> 00:33:39.000 But we still need more than that. 00:33:39.000 --> 00:33:43.119 It's not enough to just learn Bible knowledge and theological truth. 00:33:43.119 --> 00:33:49.200 You could memorize the whole Bible and still not be saved. 00:33:49.200 --> 00:33:54.519 Because you also need to follow your heart. 00:33:54.519 --> 00:33:59.319 Now when I say that, I don't mean follow your heart in a kind of Disney movie sense. 00:33:59.319 --> 00:34:04.000 You know we can watch films like these films and they'll sort of say follow your heart, 00:34:04.000 --> 00:34:06.879 be who you want to be and we'll all live happily ever after. 00:34:06.879 --> 00:34:09.239 I don't mean it in that way. 00:34:09.239 --> 00:34:14.039 You can't be whoever you want to be and bypass everything that the Bible says. 00:34:14.039 --> 00:34:18.159 We can't make up our own truth. 00:34:18.159 --> 00:34:25.480 And nor do I mean that to be a Christian you have to be joyful forever, happy all the time. 00:34:25.480 --> 00:34:27.719 That's not what being a Christian is like. 00:34:27.719 --> 00:34:35.279 What I mean is that if you are to really discover the truth about Jesus, then it is not going 00:34:35.279 --> 00:34:41.199 to be simply something that you know in your mind. 00:34:41.199 --> 00:34:48.359 It is something that has to be absolutely real in your heart. 00:34:48.359 --> 00:34:53.119 Now I wish I could describe that. 00:34:53.119 --> 00:34:58.039 I don't think I can fully, but the Bible speaks of it. 00:34:58.039 --> 00:35:02.319 On the day when Jesus rose from the dead, two men walked with him and after they had 00:35:02.319 --> 00:35:08.039 finished speaking to him, they said to each other, did not our hearts burn within us while 00:35:08.039 --> 00:35:13.079 he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures. 00:35:13.079 --> 00:35:15.000 History speaks of it. 00:35:15.000 --> 00:35:20.960 So John Wesley, a famous preacher in the 18th century said that when he came to faith in 00:35:20.960 --> 00:35:27.159 Jesus his heart was strangely warmed. 00:35:27.159 --> 00:35:33.079 And I can speak of it and so can every Christian in here because when you come to faith in 00:35:33.079 --> 00:35:41.199 Jesus there's a something in your heart, a completeness, a fullness, a peace, a joy, 00:35:41.199 --> 00:35:47.559 a thrill that is the final confirmation that you've found the truth. 00:35:47.559 --> 00:35:50.280 Now that is not always there to the same degree. 00:35:50.280 --> 00:35:53.360 It doesn't mean that we don't ever have doubts or struggles. 00:35:53.360 --> 00:36:02.440 Every Christian does, but what it does mean is that the quest for truth is over. 00:36:02.440 --> 00:36:06.820 The search is finished. 00:36:06.820 --> 00:36:15.880 The question has been answered because when you find Jesus, one thing for sure is that 00:36:15.880 --> 00:36:22.960 you don't need to search anymore. 00:36:22.960 --> 00:36:29.240 As Paul says later on in the New Testament, for God who said, let light shine out of darkness 00:36:29.240 --> 00:36:37.519 has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the 00:36:37.519 --> 00:36:43.559 face of Jesus Christ. 00:36:43.559 --> 00:36:53.599 So these wise men went searching for the king and to find him they followed the clues. 00:36:53.599 --> 00:36:59.960 And I guess the question we have to ask is, will you follow them too? 00:36:59.960 --> 00:37:04.360 Will you listen to what the clues are saying? 00:37:04.360 --> 00:37:07.639 So what is the universe saying to you? 00:37:07.639 --> 00:37:14.679 Is it saying you're just a tiny speck in a massive machine that will end up as nothing? 00:37:14.679 --> 00:37:21.879 Or is the universe saying to you there has got to be something more? 00:37:21.879 --> 00:37:24.679 What's the Bible saying to you? 00:37:24.679 --> 00:37:30.839 Is it an old book from an old world with nothing to tell you? 00:37:30.840 --> 00:37:43.120 Or is it a living word that's prodding you, challenging you, and calling you? 00:37:43.120 --> 00:37:46.840 And what's your heart saying to you? 00:37:46.840 --> 00:37:55.680 Is it saying harden up and don't think about this? 00:37:55.679 --> 00:38:12.199 Or is it saying I need answers, I need the truth, I think I need Jesus? 00:38:12.199 --> 00:38:20.159 Let's pray. 00:38:20.159 --> 00:38:32.559 Father we thank you for the way in which all of space, time, history and scripture is pointing 00:38:32.559 --> 00:38:35.679 us to Jesus. 00:38:35.679 --> 00:38:42.000 And we pray that for every one of us here that our hearts would be pointing us to him 00:38:42.000 --> 00:38:44.879 as well. 00:38:44.880 --> 00:38:54.039 And we thank you, we thank you so much that when we find you we don't need to search anymore. 00:38:54.039 --> 00:39:15.519 Amen.