BIBLES * Bulldogs * & Beards

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Wise Men from the East

Matthew 2:1-2 - Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

Who were these “wise men”?

How did they know that a king of the Jews had been born and why did they go to worship Him?

What possessed them to make the wearisome journey?

How did this star make such an impact on their lives?

Numbers 24:17 - I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob,

and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.

Daniel 7:13-14 - “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.

And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

Could the “wise men” been able to put these verses together?

Listening to some TV preachers, I must ask, Is Christ’s role to give us all our wants and desires?

“Something compelled them. Or Someone. John Calvin called it “a secret instinct of the Holy Spirit”.

Knowing parts of the Bible is one thing; responding to them is another.”

Should Christians be able to look back and see God’s hand at work in their lives?

A Dangerous Turning

Verse 1 tells us Jesus was born in Bethlehem, was the wise men’s final destination the palace of Herod the Great?

Sometimes we seek God’s will and make wise decisions, but is it easy for Christians to stumble off God’s path?

Matthew 2:3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;.

Who was Herod the Great?

Why was all of Jerusalem trouble by the news of the wise men?

Human wisdom tells us a king should be born in a palace, but what does divine wisdom tell us?

Will God’s plans ever be dis-railed by our missteps?

1 Corinthians 1:18-21 - For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.

Do we sometimes confuse our self-assurance with God’s wisdom?

Are we prone to forget that our Saviour was poor and lowly, meek and gentle?

Knowing Without Going

Matthew 2:3-4 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

Herod and these men possessed something that the wise men lacked, what was it?

Matthew 2:5-6

They had the scriptures but, “They lacked what the wise men had - the desire to find Him”.

John 5:39-40

Is it possible to know the Bible well and yet be deaf to it’s message?

“During this season we are perhaps in more danger than other times of saying the right things with our lips without really engaging our hearts.”

Herod’s reaction was to destroy Him.

“There are 3 responses to the good news of Jesus Christ.

1.A hunger to hear more; Learn about Him and seek Him - as the wise men.

2.An indifference that passes itself off as sophistication; Know about Him but be indifferent to Him - like the Jewish scholars.

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