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| Reverend Gabriel S. Adeyemo |
Text: - Matthew 2:1-2, 11 21/12/2018
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 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, frankincense and myrrh.”
Introduction
The keyword in this message is ‘worship’; there is a great importance attached to worship in the Bible. It is mentioned 8629 times in the Bible. Worship is very vital because it is our response to an awareness of the closeness and supremacy of God Exodus 34:8; Judges 7:15. As someone says, “True worship is a valuing or a treasuring of God above all things.”
True Worship
When your worship is wrongly conceived, its outward expression is nothing but vanity. Worship begins from within a man and it is expressed outwardly. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees who show off their religious piety with a reprobate mind saying, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Matthew 23:25.
In other words, their worship outward expression no matter how great it seems is vain because their inward worship was impure.
The Worship of the King by the Wise men
The Magi from the east demonstrated true worship in three dimensions
1. They recognized the authority of the King as recorded in the scripture
2. They ascribed dignity to the King that was born
3. They demonstrated their conviction by worshiping the King with substances
The Worship of the King at Christmas
If there is anything we should seek for and pursue at Christmas, it is the right attitude to worship. The Magi possessed the right and genuine attitude to worship as they set out to seek the King that was born as revealed by the star they saw from the East.
Have you discovered the reason for the season? There cannot be true joy at Christmas if you have not seen the King who is the reason for the season. When you seek Him, you will find Him and definitely you will honour and worship Him with your life and substance.
Conclusion
The wise men gave gold to acknowledge Jesus’ kingship and supremacy over their lives and the whole creation. They gave frankincense to symbolize the priesthood of Christ. That means they recognized Him as one and only person that can connect them to God. Lastly they gave Him myrrh which is a gift for the dead. They acknowledged that Jesus had come to die for the sins of the world. Seek Jesus the King at Christmas, Worship Him and give Him your best and it shall be well with you in Jesus name
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