WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.860 Good evening, everyone. It's great to see you. Not that I actually can see you. 00:00:07.179 --> 00:00:09.000 It's all dark out there at the moment. 00:00:09.500 --> 00:00:15.040 But it's great to be here with you in church tonight on a special occasion like Christmas Eve. 00:00:15.040 --> 00:00:23.960 If you've got kids or got grandkids or something like that, it's just that time where it's just palpable in terms of their excitement. 00:00:23.960 --> 00:00:30.300 My kids are all, last time I saw them, they're all tucked up in bed, ready for tomorrow morning. 00:00:30.359 --> 00:00:34.719 They're going to get up fairly early. They've been pretty excited for some time for Christmas. 00:00:35.039 --> 00:00:41.120 And the thing they're particularly excited for, as I suspect you're excited for, is to what am I going to get? 00:00:41.519 --> 00:00:43.740 What's my Christmas present going to be? 00:00:44.400 --> 00:00:49.179 One of the great traditions of Christmas is the giving and the receiving of gifts. 00:00:49.179 --> 00:00:55.579 And all of us hope, I think all of us hope, for something that we really want. 00:00:55.640 --> 00:01:00.700 Something that connects with who we are, with our interests and our passions. 00:01:01.500 --> 00:01:06.359 The best gifts are not necessarily the expensive ones, but the ones that are personal. 00:01:07.079 --> 00:01:10.180 My kids, for instance, were particularly excited. 00:01:10.180 --> 00:01:15.180 The thing that they stood out for them and talked all year about is that for each one of them, 00:01:15.180 --> 00:01:20.140 we got something that was unique for them and just put it in their stocking as just a joke. 00:01:20.460 --> 00:01:25.420 One of the kids in my place goes through band-aids like you would not believe. 00:01:25.600 --> 00:01:29.000 It just puts them on everything. It's sticky tape for them. 00:01:29.140 --> 00:01:35.040 So we put band-aids, several boxes of them in their stocking, and they just thought that was hilarious. 00:01:35.500 --> 00:01:40.480 One of our kids likes all things potatoes, so there was a bunch of potatoes in their stocking. 00:01:40.480 --> 00:01:46.880 Another one had a craving for avocado at that particular moment, so there was like four avocados in their stock. 00:01:46.920 --> 00:01:50.480 And they just thought it was the best thing, and they continue to talk about it. 00:01:50.740 --> 00:01:54.579 It's because those presents connected with them personally. 00:01:55.320 --> 00:01:58.740 It says something about them, something significant about them. 00:01:59.380 --> 00:02:03.939 And what we have here in this passage that Gary just read out to us 00:02:03.939 --> 00:02:08.579 is Jesus receiving some pretty strange gifts. 00:02:09.300 --> 00:02:14.859 Three gifts, really strange gifts, and yet quite significant gifts. 00:02:15.419 --> 00:02:17.520 It's there in verse 11 of Matthew 2. 00:02:17.659 --> 00:02:23.659 Jesus was presented with gifts of gold and incense or frankincense and myrrh. 00:02:24.379 --> 00:02:30.599 Now as a poor peasant girl, Mary might have been pretty pleased in this moment 00:02:30.599 --> 00:02:32.860 because these are expensive gifts. 00:02:32.860 --> 00:02:36.660 This baby comes with an extensive trust fund. 00:02:37.900 --> 00:02:42.020 But she's, I'd imagine, quite baffled by this at the same time. 00:02:42.540 --> 00:02:45.460 These gifts are deeply personal. 00:02:46.060 --> 00:02:48.980 They say something very significant about this baby. 00:02:49.840 --> 00:02:53.500 They are three gifts that reveal the significance of Jesus, 00:02:53.700 --> 00:02:59.920 of who he is, what he's come to do, and what it's going to cost him to do it. 00:02:59.919 --> 00:03:04.159 So the gold points to who Jesus is. 00:03:04.659 --> 00:03:10.719 Gold was a gift that was brought to an audience with a king in the ancient Near East. 00:03:11.339 --> 00:03:15.219 The magi were expecting to see a king. 00:03:15.799 --> 00:03:17.519 And they ask in the text, 00:03:17.799 --> 00:03:21.579 where is the one born who has been born king of the Jews? 00:03:21.580 --> 00:03:27.400 And so they brought gifts for a king because they were expecting to see a king. 00:03:28.680 --> 00:03:34.780 And what alerted them to the arrival of this new king is in the second half of verse 2 of the chapter. 00:03:35.680 --> 00:03:41.260 We saw his star in the east and we have come to worship him. 00:03:41.259 --> 00:03:48.239 You see, these magi are astrologers and magicians and interpreters of dreams. 00:03:48.759 --> 00:03:52.039 And in the ancient world, most people believed in astrology. 00:03:52.699 --> 00:03:58.219 And so the magi, these three men, are considered to be the elite. 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:01.739 They're the academics, if you like. 00:04:01.819 --> 00:04:03.919 They're the wise men of their time. 00:04:04.280 --> 00:04:04.919 They're knowledgeable. 00:04:04.919 --> 00:04:12.299 And when these guys saw a star, they immediately recognized that something special was happening. 00:04:13.599 --> 00:04:19.039 You see, a particular event happened in history that caused stars, 00:04:19.199 --> 00:04:23.719 and particularly significant stars, to be associated with kings and rulers. 00:04:24.279 --> 00:04:31.219 When Julius Caesar died in 44 BC, one of the most astonishing flukes in history took place. 00:04:31.220 --> 00:04:36.100 A nova appeared in the sky over his funeral. 00:04:36.540 --> 00:04:41.580 And so from that moment on, stars were connected with great men. 00:04:41.780 --> 00:04:43.540 It became kind of the fashion of the time. 00:04:45.040 --> 00:04:50.180 And so when these magi see this star, they put two and two together. 00:04:51.740 --> 00:04:56.020 And what would have also encouraged them to dust off their passports 00:04:56.020 --> 00:05:00.400 was that there was a very strong rumor around in the first century 00:05:00.399 --> 00:05:05.500 that world dominion is going to shift and be set in Judea. 00:05:06.479 --> 00:05:12.319 So famous first century historians like Tacitus and Josephus and Suetonius 00:05:12.319 --> 00:05:16.279 all recorded this shift in world dominion to Judea. 00:05:17.620 --> 00:05:20.779 And so it wouldn't have been elite for the magi to conclude 00:05:20.779 --> 00:05:25.139 that political changes are on their way when they saw this star. 00:05:25.139 --> 00:05:30.599 And what these stargazers saw was most likely the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. 00:05:31.180 --> 00:05:38.079 It happened three times in the year 7 BC, 29th of May, 3rd of October and the 4th of December. 00:05:38.079 --> 00:05:45.419 And the magi knew that Jupiter was regarded as the royal star, the royal planet. 00:05:45.959 --> 00:05:48.680 And Saturn had long been the symbol of Israel. 00:05:48.680 --> 00:05:57.600 And so the competent astromonor would have concluded that this new age is now beginning 00:05:57.600 --> 00:06:03.540 with a new king and the ruler of the world is about to shift to Judea. 00:06:04.540 --> 00:06:11.360 And they set out on a long and a difficult journey to find the ruler of the world 00:06:11.360 --> 00:06:14.160 and offer this ruler gold. 00:06:14.160 --> 00:06:23.100 The second gift, frankincense or incense, was also an unexpected gift. 00:06:23.200 --> 00:06:27.020 And this gift reveals what Jesus came to do. 00:06:28.220 --> 00:06:31.680 You see, incense was used by the Jewish priests in the temple worship 00:06:31.680 --> 00:06:35.100 as they mediated between God and people. 00:06:35.700 --> 00:06:41.340 And incense was used to symbolize relationship with God. 00:06:41.339 --> 00:06:46.939 And the magi were recognizing Jesus as the ultimate priest. 00:06:47.699 --> 00:06:51.179 The one who would mediate between God and humanity. 00:06:51.799 --> 00:06:57.919 The one who would bring about complete reconciliation between God and people. 00:06:58.779 --> 00:07:01.519 Jesus is the one who would establish that relationship. 00:07:03.439 --> 00:07:08.139 But any new mother would have been thrown by the third gift, myrrh. 00:07:08.139 --> 00:07:12.819 You see, myrrh was used to embalm the dead. 00:07:13.699 --> 00:07:15.199 It was a symbol of death. 00:07:16.879 --> 00:07:22.159 So imagine tomorrow morning, one of my girls runs to the Christmas tree, 00:07:22.300 --> 00:07:25.579 grabs their present, and it's a toy coffin. 00:07:26.879 --> 00:07:28.060 It's kind of odd. 00:07:29.060 --> 00:07:30.399 What do I do with this? 00:07:30.399 --> 00:07:34.959 You see, the gift of myrrh here for Jesus was prophetic. 00:07:36.159 --> 00:07:39.939 The baby born a king was the baby born to die. 00:07:41.039 --> 00:07:46.139 And this is how Jesus was going to bring about the reconciliation between God and humanity. 00:07:46.659 --> 00:07:50.079 Jesus would die for the sins of the world. 00:07:50.599 --> 00:07:53.539 And the title of King of the Jews, quite interesting, 00:07:53.659 --> 00:07:56.679 is only used twice in all of Matthew's gospel. 00:07:56.680 --> 00:08:00.079 It's used of him here at the birth of Jesus, 00:08:00.340 --> 00:08:03.920 and it's used again at the crucifixion of Jesus. 00:08:04.860 --> 00:08:10.620 Born a king who exercises his rule by sacrificing himself for humanity 00:08:10.620 --> 00:08:13.220 to bring us back into relationship with God. 00:08:14.360 --> 00:08:15.879 So there's the three gifts. 00:08:17.600 --> 00:08:22.660 We see who he is, what he came to do, and how much it cost him to do it. 00:08:22.660 --> 00:08:32.160 Now, what's really interesting in these verses is how people respond to the who, the what, and the how of Jesus. 00:08:32.560 --> 00:08:36.940 One thing you notice throughout the historical biographies of Jesus 00:08:36.940 --> 00:08:42.600 is that whenever Jesus turns up, opinions of Jesus are divided. 00:08:44.399 --> 00:08:49.740 And here at the very start of his life, we see at least two major camps forming. 00:08:49.740 --> 00:08:55.419 One is full of praise and welcome, and the other one is full of hatred and opposition. 00:08:56.460 --> 00:09:01.960 The Magi and Herod here in this text stand as polar opposites. 00:09:04.100 --> 00:09:05.680 Herod lies through his teeth. 00:09:05.840 --> 00:09:06.539 Verse 8, he says, 00:09:06.639 --> 00:09:11.960 Go and make a careful search of this child as soon as you find him, report it to me, 00:09:12.019 --> 00:09:14.700 so that I too may go and worship him. 00:09:14.700 --> 00:09:22.800 Now, Herod has as much interest in worshiping Jesus as I have in sewing lessons, 00:09:23.160 --> 00:09:25.480 which is not much, I can tell you. 00:09:26.600 --> 00:09:30.340 And later in the chapter, we know that Herod didn't fool the Magi. 00:09:31.560 --> 00:09:35.759 They sneak off without telling Herod where Jesus is. 00:09:35.759 --> 00:09:41.080 And Herod is furious, so furious, 00:09:41.720 --> 00:09:45.860 that he orders all the boys two years old and under 00:09:45.860 --> 00:09:49.200 in the vicinity of Bethlehem to be put to death. 00:09:50.960 --> 00:09:54.360 Herod wants Jesus dead. 00:09:56.439 --> 00:09:59.580 And he will do whatever it takes for that to happen. 00:09:59.580 --> 00:10:05.600 You see, Herod is the Roman appointed king of the Jews, 00:10:05.800 --> 00:10:09.220 and he doesn't like the news that there's a new king in town. 00:10:09.740 --> 00:10:13.400 There's a new king that's been born, and he is threatened. 00:10:13.879 --> 00:10:16.060 And Herod, when Herod is threatened, 00:10:16.340 --> 00:10:22.440 this guy is infamous for his cruelty in which he dealt with rivals to his throne. 00:10:24.520 --> 00:10:27.180 Herod's response was hatred and fear, 00:10:27.179 --> 00:10:30.039 a hatred of anything, of anyone, 00:10:30.339 --> 00:10:32.799 that threatened his self-centeredness and his autonomy. 00:10:34.579 --> 00:10:40.819 And this account of deception and fear and bloodshed and injustice and homelessness 00:10:40.819 --> 00:10:42.939 is all too familiar. 00:10:44.199 --> 00:10:48.059 As we draw close, close to the end of another year, 00:10:48.159 --> 00:10:51.699 there is a great deal that is wrong with our world. 00:10:51.700 --> 00:11:01.640 But we walk into controversy when we ask where all this evil and wrong in our world comes from. 00:11:02.160 --> 00:11:03.940 One end of the spectrum says, 00:11:04.080 --> 00:11:06.980 well, it's the fault of the rich and the powerful. 00:11:07.460 --> 00:11:08.640 They're the ones to blame. 00:11:08.740 --> 00:11:14.640 And this view of the world tends to make the poor and the minority groups 00:11:14.640 --> 00:11:15.780 the heroes of the world. 00:11:15.779 --> 00:11:23.740 At the other end of the spectrum are those who insist that immoral and irresponsible people 00:11:23.740 --> 00:11:24.839 are the main problem. 00:11:25.539 --> 00:11:30.279 And this view of the world tends to make hardworking, decent, middle-class people 00:11:30.279 --> 00:11:32.279 the heroes of the world. 00:11:34.319 --> 00:11:39.339 And at first glance, this story seems to side with the first view. 00:11:39.860 --> 00:11:41.559 Herod is an unjust ruler, 00:11:42.100 --> 00:11:43.399 abusing his power, 00:11:43.639 --> 00:11:44.720 slaughtering the innocent. 00:11:44.720 --> 00:11:50.340 However, when you take in the full teaching of the Bible, 00:11:51.220 --> 00:11:56.200 it says that the source of the world's evil is in fact every human heart. 00:11:57.720 --> 00:12:00.160 Every human heart. 00:12:01.820 --> 00:12:05.960 Herod's reaction to Jesus is in a sense a picture of us all. 00:12:07.480 --> 00:12:09.759 You see, if you want to rule your life your way, 00:12:09.820 --> 00:12:12.920 if you want to be king over your life and someone else comes along and says, 00:12:12.919 --> 00:12:14.740 no, I'm actually king, 00:12:15.539 --> 00:12:18.159 one of you's got to give way. 00:12:19.419 --> 00:12:21.139 One of you's got to give way. 00:12:22.639 --> 00:12:27.120 Only one person can sit on the absolute throne. 00:12:27.120 --> 00:12:34.620 And Jesus comes into this world claiming to be God. 00:12:34.679 --> 00:12:35.899 Even before he could speak, 00:12:36.060 --> 00:12:37.840 others were claiming that of him. 00:12:38.600 --> 00:12:41.580 To be the ultimate ruler of all things. 00:12:42.379 --> 00:12:46.039 And as he grew and as his ministry developed, 00:12:46.200 --> 00:12:48.379 he called for allegiance to himself, 00:12:48.740 --> 00:12:50.659 so supreme, 00:12:50.659 --> 00:12:56.319 that it makes all other commitments look weak in comparison. 00:12:58.319 --> 00:13:00.919 It is a claim to absolute authority, 00:13:01.079 --> 00:13:03.199 a summons to unconditional loyalty, 00:13:03.199 --> 00:13:07.899 and it inevitably triggers deep resistance in our hearts. 00:13:07.899 --> 00:13:11.199 Where's the true king? 00:13:12.379 --> 00:13:17.879 This is the most disturbing question possible for the human heart. 00:13:19.059 --> 00:13:21.240 Who is in charge of my life? 00:13:23.439 --> 00:13:26.620 We want to remain on the throne of our lives at all cost. 00:13:27.199 --> 00:13:30.199 For some of us, we use religion to stay on the throne. 00:13:30.200 --> 00:13:35.820 Trying to put God into a position where he has to do our bidding. 00:13:36.640 --> 00:13:40.200 Because we're so righteous rather than serving him unconditionally. 00:13:40.940 --> 00:13:41.480 Alternatively, 00:13:42.800 --> 00:13:45.120 others flee from religion, 00:13:45.680 --> 00:13:49.560 becoming atheists and loudly claiming that there is no God. 00:13:50.280 --> 00:13:51.200 Either way, 00:13:51.800 --> 00:13:57.759 we're expressing a natural hostility to the true rule of the true king. 00:13:57.759 --> 00:14:02.100 Herod couldn't get rid of Jesus, 00:14:02.799 --> 00:14:05.919 even with an army at his disposal. 00:14:06.740 --> 00:14:08.319 In fact, as the text said, 00:14:09.500 --> 00:14:10.319 he died, 00:14:11.139 --> 00:14:12.220 but Jesus didn't. 00:14:14.519 --> 00:14:15.860 Jesus still rules, 00:14:16.019 --> 00:14:17.879 and he still calls people to follow him. 00:14:19.480 --> 00:14:24.379 When Queen Victoria ruled as the British monarch in the 1800s, 00:14:24.379 --> 00:14:27.639 she controlled a third of the world. 00:14:28.700 --> 00:14:32.919 And she said one day that she couldn't wait to meet Jesus. 00:14:34.259 --> 00:14:35.519 And she was asked, 00:14:35.679 --> 00:14:35.980 why? 00:14:36.120 --> 00:14:37.120 Why do you want to meet Jesus? 00:14:38.039 --> 00:14:39.639 And her reply was, 00:14:39.960 --> 00:14:42.879 so that I can cast my crown before him. 00:14:44.399 --> 00:14:49.439 She recognized that even as one of the most powerful people in the world, 00:14:50.220 --> 00:14:51.539 she too had a ruler. 00:14:51.539 --> 00:14:54.580 A ruler who deserved her everything, 00:14:55.179 --> 00:14:56.120 even her crown. 00:14:57.759 --> 00:15:02.879 Now what's interesting here is that Herod isn't the only negative reaction to Jesus that's recorded. 00:15:03.319 --> 00:15:05.519 There's another negative reaction. 00:15:05.679 --> 00:15:07.120 It's not as strong as Herod's, 00:15:07.259 --> 00:15:09.000 but it's just as negative. 00:15:09.779 --> 00:15:14.500 They're the ones who are simply doing nothing with Jesus. 00:15:14.500 --> 00:15:17.179 That is, 00:15:17.220 --> 00:15:19.080 he's a non-entity in their life. 00:15:20.059 --> 00:15:21.200 And this group, 00:15:21.700 --> 00:15:22.259 ironically, 00:15:22.600 --> 00:15:27.279 is the chief priests and the scribes who have been waiting for the Messiah to come. 00:15:27.279 --> 00:15:29.459 Verse 4, 00:15:29.600 --> 00:15:30.120 it says, 00:15:30.120 --> 00:15:33.639 gathering together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, 00:15:33.779 --> 00:15:33.919 he, 00:15:34.039 --> 00:15:34.659 that's Herod, 00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:38.360 inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 00:15:39.379 --> 00:15:40.539 They told him 00:15:40.539 --> 00:15:42.879 where to go, 00:15:43.019 --> 00:15:43.759 where to look. 00:15:43.759 --> 00:15:46.159 And then that was it. 00:15:47.419 --> 00:15:49.840 Back to business as usual for these guys. 00:15:51.120 --> 00:16:01.500 The sheer silence and inactivity of the religious leaders is remarkable in view of the magnitude of what has just happened. 00:16:01.500 --> 00:16:03.960 They didn't lift the sandal. 00:16:06.019 --> 00:16:08.440 Why not at least go with the Magi? 00:16:11.639 --> 00:16:12.340 You see, 00:16:12.399 --> 00:16:13.159 they knew it all. 00:16:14.600 --> 00:16:15.860 But they did nothing. 00:16:17.740 --> 00:16:19.539 They knew their Bible. 00:16:21.120 --> 00:16:24.200 They had no problem in giving Herod the answers. 00:16:25.740 --> 00:16:27.639 But they missed God. 00:16:29.519 --> 00:16:31.120 They didn't go to greet him. 00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:36.679 Their apathy eventually hardened into an outright opposition of Jesus. 00:16:37.279 --> 00:16:40.799 And their knowledge of Jesus was no substitute for obedience to him. 00:16:42.399 --> 00:16:46.600 And so it's astonishing that the positive reaction of Jesus comes from the Magi. 00:16:47.179 --> 00:16:48.360 The rest of the Bible, 00:16:49.879 --> 00:16:53.320 these guys are viewed quite negatively. 00:16:54.159 --> 00:16:58.299 Only Matthew talks about these guys in positive terms. 00:16:59.159 --> 00:17:00.799 Impressed by what they saw, 00:17:00.799 --> 00:17:02.699 in the sky that night, 00:17:02.859 --> 00:17:06.960 they journeyed west to Judea to find out what it all meant. 00:17:06.960 --> 00:17:16.120 It is astonishing that these men who had so little to go by should venture so far, 00:17:16.759 --> 00:17:19.240 endure such hardship in travel, 00:17:19.240 --> 00:17:25.539 and face such uncertainty of actually finding the one to whom the star was pointing. 00:17:25.620 --> 00:17:28.359 And what's more, 00:17:28.440 --> 00:17:32.779 they gave him costly gifts and the worship and the honor of their hearts. 00:17:32.779 --> 00:17:36.079 Where the religious leaders expended no time, 00:17:36.079 --> 00:17:37.299 no energy, 00:17:37.680 --> 00:17:41.359 no expense or inconvenience. 00:17:41.680 --> 00:17:47.660 Where Herod expended a great deal of time and energy and expense and inconvenience 00:17:47.660 --> 00:17:49.819 in order to try and kill Jesus. 00:17:49.819 --> 00:17:55.659 The Magi expend a great deal of time and energy and expense and the reason to try and find Jesus 00:17:55.659 --> 00:17:59.019 so that they can worship and honor him as God. 00:18:00.619 --> 00:18:02.279 The Magi are the worshipers. 00:18:02.279 --> 00:18:05.920 Those who joyfully ascribe the dignity, 00:18:06.059 --> 00:18:07.879 the authority and honor to King Jesus. 00:18:12.440 --> 00:18:12.920 Indifference, 00:18:15.139 --> 00:18:15.799 hostility, 00:18:15.799 --> 00:18:18.180 or worship. 00:18:19.779 --> 00:18:21.480 They're the responses to Jesus. 00:18:22.500 --> 00:18:26.220 So let me just take a pun here and I want to speak to two broad groups here tonight. 00:18:26.940 --> 00:18:29.919 There are those who are gathered here tonight who are the worshipers. 00:18:31.519 --> 00:18:33.119 Those who accept Jesus, 00:18:34.059 --> 00:18:35.500 accept the claims of Christmas, 00:18:35.759 --> 00:18:36.740 accept Christianity, 00:18:37.039 --> 00:18:38.220 and you follow Jesus. 00:18:39.659 --> 00:18:42.799 It's really important for you if you're a Christian to know 00:18:42.799 --> 00:18:49.680 that every Christian still has a heart with residual anger and hostility towards God. 00:18:52.319 --> 00:18:54.740 And it will always be there until the end. 00:18:55.659 --> 00:18:57.119 It will always be there. 00:18:58.259 --> 00:19:00.500 And that's why it's so hard for us to pray. 00:19:00.639 --> 00:19:02.480 It's so hard for us to be generous. 00:19:02.740 --> 00:19:04.119 It's so hard for us to obey. 00:19:04.579 --> 00:19:06.000 It's so hard for us to grow. 00:19:06.879 --> 00:19:09.899 There is still a bit of Herod in all of us. 00:19:09.900 --> 00:19:16.380 There is still something in us that fights God every day. 00:19:18.360 --> 00:19:21.400 And so you cannot just glide through the Christian life. 00:19:22.759 --> 00:19:27.880 We've got to be far more intentional about following Jesus 00:19:27.880 --> 00:19:29.780 and treasuring Him above everything. 00:19:29.900 --> 00:19:32.820 Far more intentional about our Christian growth and about prayer 00:19:32.820 --> 00:19:35.160 and about our accountability to other people 00:19:35.160 --> 00:19:37.580 in overcoming our bad habits. 00:19:37.579 --> 00:19:40.439 And so take the opportunity this Christmas 00:19:40.439 --> 00:19:47.460 to renew the commitment to move forward following Jesus into 2018. 00:19:49.199 --> 00:19:51.399 If, however, you're here tonight 00:19:51.399 --> 00:19:56.519 and your response is maybe an indifference or even a hostility, 00:19:57.079 --> 00:20:00.460 I'd like to give you some respectful advice. 00:20:00.460 --> 00:20:06.860 For those who are unsure about Christmas and Christianity 00:20:06.860 --> 00:20:09.620 or perhaps even the existence of God, 00:20:10.039 --> 00:20:11.840 that's okay, wherever you are. 00:20:13.720 --> 00:20:18.440 Just know that you are not objective in your view of Jesus 00:20:18.440 --> 00:20:22.940 or of God or of Christmas or of Christianity. 00:20:24.319 --> 00:20:27.079 The philosopher Thomas Nagel is an atheist 00:20:27.079 --> 00:20:29.399 who's very candid about this. 00:20:30.039 --> 00:20:31.399 And he wrote this. 00:20:32.500 --> 00:20:32.859 He says, 00:20:32.919 --> 00:20:35.460 I'm talking about the fear of religion itself. 00:20:36.259 --> 00:20:38.240 I'm speaking from experience, 00:20:38.379 --> 00:20:43.399 being strongly subject to this fear myself. 00:20:43.400 --> 00:20:46.880 I want atheism to be true. 00:20:47.259 --> 00:20:50.460 And I'm made uneasy by the fact 00:20:50.460 --> 00:20:53.960 that some of the most intelligent and well-informed people I know 00:20:53.960 --> 00:20:55.420 are religious believers. 00:20:56.900 --> 00:20:59.519 It isn't just that I don't believe in God. 00:20:59.720 --> 00:21:01.940 And naturally, I hope that my belief is right. 00:21:03.000 --> 00:21:04.960 I hope that there is no God. 00:21:05.500 --> 00:21:07.519 I don't want there to be a God. 00:21:08.280 --> 00:21:10.519 I don't want the universe to be like that. 00:21:10.519 --> 00:21:16.259 My guess is that this cosmic authority problem is not rare. 00:21:18.740 --> 00:21:22.000 His point is that nobody is really neutral 00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:23.920 about whether Christmas is true or not. 00:21:25.900 --> 00:21:28.639 If the Son of God was really born in a manger, 00:21:29.639 --> 00:21:31.660 then we, by that moment, 00:21:31.759 --> 00:21:34.200 have automatically lost our rights 00:21:34.200 --> 00:21:36.319 to be in charge of our lives. 00:21:40.519 --> 00:21:43.259 Who can be objective about the claim like that? 00:21:44.940 --> 00:21:47.359 Keep that in mind if you don't believe in Christianity. 00:21:49.019 --> 00:21:50.000 Question your doubts. 00:21:52.559 --> 00:21:53.059 I've got to know, 00:21:53.180 --> 00:21:54.619 I just imagine that, you know, 00:21:54.639 --> 00:21:55.319 in the next couple of days, 00:21:55.359 --> 00:21:57.079 you've got a number of things on your plate 00:21:57.079 --> 00:22:01.379 in the next week even. 00:22:01.380 --> 00:22:03.760 But maybe in the very near future, 00:22:03.880 --> 00:22:05.560 you might want to take a look 00:22:05.560 --> 00:22:07.280 at the issue of who Jesus is, 00:22:07.700 --> 00:22:09.480 what he came to do, 00:22:09.960 --> 00:22:11.820 and what it cost him to do it. 00:22:13.080 --> 00:22:15.480 The Magi were the knowledgeable men of the East. 00:22:15.960 --> 00:22:17.600 They were the academic elite. 00:22:18.100 --> 00:22:20.640 But their knowledge about the events of Jesus 00:22:20.640 --> 00:22:21.860 and his first Christmas 00:22:21.860 --> 00:22:23.740 took them only a certain point. 00:22:24.500 --> 00:22:26.080 Their observation of the star 00:22:26.080 --> 00:22:27.220 took them to Jerusalem. 00:22:28.220 --> 00:22:29.040 Wrong town. 00:22:29.780 --> 00:22:30.820 Took them to Jerusalem. 00:22:31.419 --> 00:22:33.079 That's as far as they got. 00:22:34.240 --> 00:22:34.819 In the end, 00:22:34.859 --> 00:22:39.279 they had to go to God's revelation of himself 00:22:39.279 --> 00:22:41.179 in the Bible to find Jesus. 00:22:42.019 --> 00:22:43.119 And in finding Jesus, 00:22:43.279 --> 00:22:45.500 they found what they've been looking for 00:22:45.500 --> 00:22:47.019 all of their life. 00:22:47.359 --> 00:22:48.439 He is the wisdom 00:22:48.439 --> 00:22:51.359 that these wise men were looking for. 00:22:52.619 --> 00:22:54.960 And I want to say it without explaining it. 00:22:56.399 --> 00:22:59.000 Jesus is the answer to everything 00:22:59.000 --> 00:23:00.700 that you are searching for in life. 00:23:00.819 --> 00:23:03.399 He is the goal. 00:23:03.919 --> 00:23:05.039 He is the destination. 00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:08.240 And so I encourage you 00:23:08.240 --> 00:23:10.439 to be like these wise men, 00:23:10.500 --> 00:23:11.799 to search for Jesus, 00:23:11.799 --> 00:23:14.899 but go to the source. 00:23:15.480 --> 00:23:17.519 The evidence for him 00:23:17.519 --> 00:23:19.299 is overwhelming 00:23:19.299 --> 00:23:20.940 and it is compelling. 00:23:20.940 --> 00:23:24.120 In fact, 00:23:24.120 --> 00:23:25.400 on the way out tonight, 00:23:25.400 --> 00:23:26.480 out there in the atrium 00:23:26.480 --> 00:23:27.539 on the Connect desk 00:23:27.539 --> 00:23:28.700 is a little book called 00:23:28.700 --> 00:23:29.740 Christmas Uncut. 00:23:30.120 --> 00:23:31.059 Just grab one. 00:23:31.420 --> 00:23:32.299 Take it with you. 00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:34.539 Grab it and take it with you. 00:23:34.940 --> 00:23:36.120 Read one of the biographies 00:23:36.120 --> 00:23:36.940 as we're doing tonight 00:23:36.940 --> 00:23:37.460 in Matthew's God. 00:23:37.580 --> 00:23:38.920 Read one of the biographies of Jesus. 00:23:39.460 --> 00:23:40.779 Consider Jesus 00:23:40.779 --> 00:23:42.740 and ponder who he is, 00:23:43.740 --> 00:23:45.400 what he came to do 00:23:45.400 --> 00:23:47.540 and what it cost him to do it 00:23:47.540 --> 00:23:49.040 and what it means 00:23:49.040 --> 00:23:50.040 to bow down 00:23:50.040 --> 00:23:51.180 and worship him 00:23:51.180 --> 00:23:52.900 2,000 years later. 00:23:53.820 --> 00:23:54.259 Amen.