Sound The Trumpet : Matthew 2:1-12 Pt. 3

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“Matthew 2:1-12 Pt. 3”
by Art Sadlier
April 18th, 2010

We have been looking at the Magi coming to Jerusalem. There are five acts in this drama, last week we looked at two.

! - The Arrival, 2 - The Agitation, now we see the remaining three.

3 - The Acting

"Then Herod when he privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared." verse 7. The first meeting was public. Now this is a private meeting and Herod puts on an act! He desperately wants to get to this baby and kill him! "What time the star appeared", he plays up to their knowledge of astronomy, gets them talking and loosens them up, as if he was interested in astronomy.

"He enquired of them diligently (exactly)," I want to know when this baby was born. The Bible doesn't give their answer, but it appears that vague in their response. verse 16, indicates this vague response. "According to the time which he diligently enquired of them," he evidently added some extra time to be sure the Christ child would be killed when he gave the order to kill all the babies of Bethlehem.

"And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also." verse 8. What an actor! What a hypocrite! What a fool! Matthew drives home his point again that Christ is a king! If Christ wasn't a king Herod would not have reacted so violently.

4 - The Adoration

"When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was." verse 9. The star appears again! They hadn't seen it since they left home, now they see it again!

"When they came and saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy." verse 10. They had left Jerusalem and they didn't know where the king was, now God begins to guide them again. I do not believe that it was a real star, a real star couldn't get right down over a house. I believe that it was the "Shekinah Glory" of God.

"And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankencense, and myrrh." Verse 11. "When they were come into the house", It is now sometime after the baby had been born. "They saw the young child with Mary his mother," Notice; that whenever the child is mentioned with Mary, Jesus is always mentioned first and Mary second. See that in verse 11, 13, 14, 20, 21. The baby is always mentioned first and Mary second!

"They saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshipped him." Notice they worshipped Him, not Mary. They did what you do only to God, they fell on their faces and worshipped him. Worship belongs only to God. When men sought to worship Paul and Barnabus, Paul said, no! no! When they sought to worship Peter, Peter said, no! no! When John sought to worship an angel, the angel said, no! no! They worshipped him and there was no rebuke! They were doing what all men ought to do! Worship Christ. They worshipped Him not them, not Mary, but Him.

A group of Evangelical African pastors visited America. Someone asked what they thought of the church in America? They said, First - They don`t know what they believe, they have no theology. Second - They don`t know the meaning of worship. The only way you can serve the Lord is out of the overflow of worship!

And so the Magi came and said by the Gold, he is king. They said by the Myrrh, he is man, They said by the Frankencense, he is God.

5 - The Avoidance

"And being warned by God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way." Verse 12.

God takes care of those who worship Him, so He took care of the Magi. God sends them safely home another way. The way to avoid grief and disaster is to crown Christ King of your life and worship Him and trust Him.

Which category are you in? 1 - Are you fearful of Christ? 2 - Are you indifferent to Christ? 3 - Or are you as the Magi? Do you recognize Christ as Man, as King, and as God? Have you yielded to Him to worship Him?

Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13