EPIPHANY
January 3/4, 2010
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: Matthew 2:1-12

"LESSONS LEARNED FROM WISE MEN!"
1. Seek the Lord.
2. Find the Lord.
3. Worship the Lord.
4. Obey the Lord.

Matthew 2:1-12 (NIV) "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem {2} and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." {3} When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. {4} When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. {5} "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: {6} "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.' " {7} Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. {8} He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him." {9} After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. {10} When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. {11} On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. {12} And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route."

There are several different ways to define wisdom or smarts. Those who know how to get things done legally or illegally, to survive in a dog eat dog environment are known as being street smart. Several outwardly successful businessmen like Michael Dell, Paul Allen and Bill Gates never went to college but they are obviously business smart. Then there are the book smart people, intellectuals who prosper in the academic fields. Then there is good old common sense which often seems to be uncommon but is most often displayed by those who have lived a while. Wise is the child who learns sooner rather than later that the older you get the smarter your parents become. In the Bible it God says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Since that’s true we get to turn to the account of some men who demonstrated that kind of wisdom and are aptly named “The Wise Men.” Let’s learn from them.
If we do the first thing we’ll learn is that it is wise to seek the Lord. The wise men did. "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem {2} and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." The actual origin of these wise men is unknown. Best guess is they came from what had been Babylon and that they had heard about the Lord and the coming Messiah from what had been passed down from Daniel the wise man whom God used as a prophet in that land. Whatever their origin, their title, Magi, indicates they were smart men, excelling in mathematics and astronomy and probably many other things too. But that’s not what made them wise. This did. They came seeking the Lord, the one born, king of the Jews. How long did they travel? Months? A year? How much did it cost them? No matter. They were seeking the Lord.
We join the ranks of the wise men when we do too. I’m not talking about showing up at church occasionally or even weekly as long as it’s convenient. I’m talking about putting some work, some time, some effort, like the wise men. Praying on a daily basis, “Show me your will, O Lord, teach me what you want me to do. Tell me what you want me to believe.” Make it your goal to know Him more clearly, love Him more dearly and follow Him more nearly this year. Wise men seek the Lord.
If you do, you will find the Lord, as they did. “When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. {4} When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. {5} "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: {6} "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.” These wise men showed they had more than Godly wisdom. They actually stopped to ask for directions. They knew a king had been born so they naturally came to the capital city. The not so wise King Herod asked some not so wise chief priests and teachers of the law where to find the newborn king. They found out where in the Bible. Now even though the chief priests and teachers of the law knew where to find the Lord, they didn’t go there. That’s not very smart, is it?
If you know where the Lord is to be found why wouldn’t you go see Him? Are you smart? Do you know where to find the Lord? Sure you do! He’s there for you every day, in the Word. Please, people of God, follow through on that desire you have to be someone with a daily devotional habit, reading your Bible or a good Bible based devotional book. You will find your Lord there waiting to speak to you, waiting to talk with you. It’s a wise thing to do for wise men find the Lord.
Wise men worship the Lord. “Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. {8} He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him." {9} After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. {10} When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. {11} On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.” When these wise men found the Lord they worshipped Him. They used what was at their disposal to show others that this baby was their number one. They used gold, incense and myrrh.
What can you use to worship the Lord? What has God put at your disposal? I’m reminded of the Christmas song, “The Little Drummer Boy.” Do you know it? Did you see the claymation version of DVD or TV? “I played my drum for him, I played my best for him.” There it is, there’s worship. Not the best. No one can give God the best. My best for Him. There’s worship. Devoting yourself to the Lord. He gets my best time. My best effort. My best of what God has put into my hands to give for Him. Wise men worship the Lord.
Wise men obey the Lord. “And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route." You heard before the command from Herod. The wise men were to return to Herod and let him know where they found the newborn king. The wise men did not obey Herod. They obeyed the Lord not King Herod. Why? Because they were wise men and the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. They respected the Lord more than King Herod. They feared more the punishment of God than the mistreatment of man. Wise men obeyed the Lord.
Let’s obey Him too. Brothers and sisters, we have the blessing of true teaching in this church. We got it right that our God is so wonderful forgiveness is free. God’s grace is astounding, how He keeps forgiving us. But what does it say to others when we are careless in our obedience to this wonderful Lord? What does it say when we zealously obey His commands? Wise men, those with God’s wisdom living in them, obey the Lord. They care more about what He thinks than what anybody else does.
They know they are dealing with their Lord. The wise men, what did they see when they got to Bethlehem? They saw just a little boy, a baby no more than 2 years old. He didn’t do any tricks for them, no levitation, no glow around his head. But that didn’t make them stumble. This was the Lord. So you too, don’t stumble over your Lord. While He could make all your illnesses go away and give you great wealth, while He could perform miracle upon miracle, what He’s most concerned with is that you are with Him now and in heaven. So that could be He gladly was punished for your sin. He is first and foremost your Savior. Wise men, women and children know this so they seek Him, find Him, worship Him and obey Him. Amen.