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February 19 and 22

What Will You Bring?

Scripture - Matthew 2:1-12

Matthew 2:1-12 (NLT)

1 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking,

2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.

4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.”

7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared.

8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.

10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!

11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

THE GIFTS

Gold = King

Gold was a gift given to kings.

Daniel 7:14 (NLT)

14 He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.

Frankincense = High Priest

-What was the job of the priest? To represent the people before God. To offer the sacrifices.

Myrrh = Savior

Two primary uses in the Bible

Painkiller (Mark 15:23)

Embalming, to prepare a body for burial (John 19:39)

The gift of myrrh reminds us that Jesus the King of Kings, our High Priest who came to offer himself as a sacrifice in our place and take our sins to the cross.

WHO IS JESUS TO YOU?

To help us answer this question, we are going to look at the three different responses to Jesus in Matthew chapter 2.

Herod missed King Jesus because of his fear.

Matthew 25 (Parable of the talents)

The first two servants invested the money entrusted to them, but the 3rd servant:

Matthew 25:25 (NLT)

25 I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’

- Fear is the opposite of faith.

The Priest and Teachers missed the Messiah because they had become comfortable.

They knew the word but missed the Word.

James 1:22 (NLT)

22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

- This describes much of the American church today, we get so comfortable and entertained, we miss Jesus.

- We've even given a name, lukewarm Christians.

Revelation 3:15-17 (NLT)

15 “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other!

16 But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!

17 You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.

The Wise Man declared Jesus as King, Priest and Savior.

- They did not let fear or comfort keep them from Jesus.

- They didn't worry about what it would cost them.

- They took great risks in traveling a great distance, a trip that would have been very costly. Both financially and the time they sacrificed.

WHAT DISTANCE WILL YOU GO & WHAT GIFTS WILL YOU BRING?

- Our answer to this question reveals who Jesus is to us.

Revelation 3:20 (NLT)

20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.

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