WISE MEN

“And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh!" (Matt. 2:11 NKJV).

The Magi who came to visit the Christ child are often called “wise men.” It is a fitting title because they were indeed wise men in their worship. Our verse speaks of the place of their worship, the person of their worship, the prostration in their worship, and the price of their worship.

Place of their worship - “When they had come into the house, they saw the young Child.” The Magi worshiped where Christ was loved and honored. Today, the Lord Jesus is not loved and honored as much in all churches. You will have trouble worshiping if you are not in a place where Christ is loved and honored.

Person of their worship - “Worshiped him.” The Magi worshiped the Lord Jesus Christ. It is very instructive that they did not worship Mary though she was right there. Neither did they worship Joseph. That is the practice of cults. There are folks who are always honoring some man above the Lord Jesus. However, the Bible teaches us to worship no one but God, and Jesus Christ is Lord and God. He deserves our worship.

Prostration in their worship - “Fell down and worshiped him.” Prostration involves at least two important things. First, it involves humility. The only way we can stand before God is on our knees in humble adoration. Worship is not the exalting of self but the exalting of God above all. Second, it involves helping (service). Those who attend church but do not want to serve are not truly worshiping.

Price of their worship - “When they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him.” Worship involves giving. These magi gave of their treasures to the Lord Jesus; and they gave the best they had. They were not stingy, but generous. True worship has a high price. True worshipers will give liberally and enthusiastically. There is no begging and pleading for true worshipers to give.

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“To give meaning to Christmas, give Christ first place!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Fell down

In Matt. 2:11we read, “And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (NKJV).

Fell down is the Greek word piptō (πίπτω = pip'-to). It means to fall, fall down, fall in ruins, fail, go astray, sin, be ruined, and perish. In classical Greek, piptō carries a range of meaning which includes a simple falling down and falling over of an inanimate object. In addition the term can mean to be slain in battle and to fall under in a financial or legal obligation.

In the Septuagint piptō means to fall. Literally, it was used of Abraham falling upon his face (Gen. 17:3); figuratively, it was used to describe “fallen” Babylon (Isa. 21:9). In the New Testament piptō is most commonly used in its literal sense denoting an unintentional fall. However, it is also used of falling down intentionally, such as persons who throw themselves prostrate in an act of worship before God.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah would be Counselor (Isa. 9:6)

New Testament Fulfillment – Matt. 13:54

Did You Know…

In the Old Testament, Joseph was forced to go to Egypt in (Gen. 37:28); God’s purpose was that Joseph, later on, would befriend the King (Pharaoh) and save Israel. Joseph received messages in dreams, and his father’s was named Jacob. Joseph, Mary’s betrothed, was forced to go to Egypt to avoid King Herod (Matt. 2:14). God’s purpose was that Joseph would save the King (Jesus) as well as Israel. In Matt. 2:13, Joseph receives his message to go to Egypt in a dream and his father’s was named Jacob.

Bible Quiz

What sign were the shepherds supposed to look for in searching for the baby Jesus?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: According to Matthew 1, who was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary? Jacob (Matt. 1:16).

Stories of Favorite Christmas Carols

O come, O come, Emmanuel

The song is ancient and the author is unknown. All we know is that some monk wrote it sometime before 800 A.D. Although this was the ‘Dark Ages,’ the song displays a wealth of theology and phrases from Old Testament prophecies that speak of the coming of the Messiah. The words were later discovered in the early 19th century by an Anglican priest named John Mason Neale who came across this hymn of faith in a Latin text while reading through an ancient book of hymns. Rev. Neale was a brilliant, but frail gentleman. He could write and speak over twenty languages. He easily translated the Latin into English and gave the world a song. Soon his translation made it to England, and from there ‘across the pond’ to America and around the world.

Did You Know – Christian History

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones was born December 20, 1899 in Cardiff, Wales. He was a Welsh Protestant minister and medical doctor who was influential in the Reformed wing of the British evangelical movement in the 20th century.

On January, 1910, Martyn’s home caught on fire while he and his brothers were sleeping. The family did lose almost everything they owned and their shaky finances never recovered. As a result, Martyn set out with real determination to succeed.

He entered a London medical school, completing all his exams at such a young age that he had to wait for his age to catch up with his education, before receiving his degree. He became the chief clinical assistant of a leading physician, who describe described Martyn as “the most acute thinker that I ever knew.” Martyn now faced the prospect of a brilliant and financially rewarding career. But something happened to change that.

After seriously considering his spiritual condition, in 1924 Martyn asked Christ to become master of his life. As soon as he had made that decision, he was overwhelmed with a longing to return to Wales to share his new-found faith with the folks back home.

He took a small church in Aberavon, Wales. However, Local doctors snubbed him, thinking he was going to steal their patients. But Martyn wanted instead to win souls. He preached clear, analytical messages. Working men and women came to know Christ. Notorious alcoholics converted to Christ. Other churches invited him to speak.

A few years after Martyn came to Aberavon, a local doctor asked for help with a difficult medical case. Martyn diagnosed the problem at once and proved completely right. After that, demands for his medical assistance increased to the point that they almost threatened his pastoral work. His name became increasingly well-known. G. Campbell Morgan, another pastor with a powerful ministry, invited him to come to Westminster Chapel. Martyn accepted the Westminster invitation in 1938. Publication of his powerful sermons made him internationally famous. Martyn Lloyd-Jones died in 1981.

A Little Humor

A man sent his friend a cryptic Christmas card. It said: A B C D E F G H I J K M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z. The recipient puzzled over it for weeks, finally gave up and wrote asking for an explanation. In July he received the explanation on a postcard: “No L.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Christ’s birth brought the infinite God to finite man!”