CRCF””12/6/09
Responding to God”™s Word
This Christmas
Matthew 2:1-12
ME:
Yesterday, my family spent about 9 hours in a gym in Cartersville watching Jonas wrestle. It was the Super 16 Hurricane Duals””a big tournament where 16 teams compete as teams to determine who is number one. Jonas went 4-1 for the day””and our Gilmer Bobcats took first place! ☺ Early in the day, I spoke with a mother of a Darlington wrestler and she asked me if I had a son wrestling for “that team” and I said yes. She asked where we were from and I told her Gilmer Co., to which she replied, “That”™s the best team I”™ve seen here””but they really don”™t look like it at first glance.” You see, our boys are the finest physical specimens, nor or they all “naturals” on the mat. What sets our boys apart is that they have the best coaches in the area and they listen to their coaches and do what they”™re told to do! Now I”™ve seen wrestlers that either have coaches that don”™t know any more than I do, or that just don”™t listen to their coaches, or that hear what their coach says but simply don”™t do it. A little later in the day, as we were whipping Cassville, one of their parents asked one of our parents, “Who are these people? Where did they come from?” ☺ I”™m convinced that the key to our wrestling program”™s success is the quality of coaches we have””men that know wrestling and love kids and have gained the respect of the boys so that they will listen, trust and obey what they”™re told to do!
WE:
Do you ever struggle when it comes to listening to God, really believing what He says””but most importantly, ACTING like God said it by simply DOING it?
GOD:
Christmas is a great time to be reminded that . . .
Real faith is hearing what God says, believing it because God said it and then acting like God said it!
The story of the wise men who came to worship the Baby King Jesus teaches us this.
Matthew 2:1-12 (NLT)
1 Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem,
These guys had real faith that moved them to make a several-hundred-mile trip, not knowing exactly where they were going!
If you don”™t find your schedule shaken up, your priorities challenged, your “comfort zone” in relationships stretched, your spending habits altered and God”™s grace in Jesus becoming your passion, then it”™s probably not real faith!
asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We have seen his star as it arose and we have come to worship him.”
These men from, probably the area of Babylon, had heard God”™s Word, believed it because God said it, and then acted like God said it””they took a major trip to find God”™s King! Where had they heard it? Remember the Babylonian Exile? God”™s Word went with His people and God was spreading the news of His grace and a Savior even while disciplining His stubborn people!
Numbers 24:17
I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a Star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and batter the brow of Moab, and destroy all the sons of tumult.”
What is it that you need to hear God saying today? His primary message to every person is this:
John 3:16-18 (NLT)
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it. 18 There is no judgment awaiting those who trust him. But those who do not trust him have already been judged for not believing in the only Son of God.
3 Herod was deeply disturbed by their question, as was all of Jerusalem.
When you hear what God says, believe it because God said it, and then act like God said it””and actually do what He says””you can expect folks to get riled up!
First, folks who just simply hate God and have no use for Him won”™t want anything to do with you. But maybe more frequent and more intense in their opposition are religious people””church-going people who look real good on the outside but are really full of self-righteous hypocrisy and don”™t really trust what God says because their lives aren”™t changed!
4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law. “Where did the prophets say the Messiah would be born?” he asked them. 5 “In Bethlehem,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote: 6 ”˜O Bethlehem of Judah, you are not just a lowly village of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.”™”
These leaders knew the specifics of what God had said about Christ”™s first coming in a manger””but just knowing what God says isn”™t real faith!
Real faith is hearing what God says, believing it because God said it and then acting like God said it!
The priests and teachers of the law had religion but no real relationship with God!
7 Then Herod sent a private message to the wise men, asking them to come and see him. At this meeting he learned the exact time when they first saw the star. 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!”
Herod was lying””he simply wanted to know where Jesus was so he could kill off what he thought would be the competition for his throne (proof is seen verses 13-18).
9 After this interview the wise men went their way. Once again the star appeared to them, guiding 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 where the child and his mother, Mary, were, and they fell down before him and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
The gifts:
1) Gold””signifies royalty
2) Frankincense””signifies deity
3) Myrrh””a burial spice, foreshadowing Jesus”™ death as Savior of the world!
12 But when it was time to leave, they went home another way, because God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.”
Real faith is hearing what God says, believing it because God said it and then acting like God said it!
Psalm 72:10-11
The kings of Tarshish and of the isles will bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts. Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; all nations shall serve Him.
Isaiah 60:5-6
Then you shall see and become radiant, and your heart shall swell with joy; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you. The multitude of camels shall cover your land, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and incense, and they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord.
YOU:
Real faith is hearing what God says, believing it because God said it and then acting like God said it!
Isn”™t that what we”™ve been learning from the book of James?
James 2:17
So you see, it isn”™t enough to just have faith. Faith that doesn”™t show itself by good deeds is no faith at all””it is dead and useless.
WE:
Real faith is hearing what God says, believing it because God said it and then acting like God said it!
Do you know what will make or break Christmas for you this year?
Whether or not you have real faith in the One who was born in manger.
Whether or not you hear what God says about Jesus, believe it because God said it and then act like God said it by trusting Jesus as your only hope/Savior and then, out of love/gratitude, living in obedience to Him, loving others with His love!
Celebration of the Lord”™s Supper
Warning, Examination/Prayer