Brother Gary Sunday Morning 12/21/14

Brother Gary Sunday Morning 12/21/14

Mat 2:1  Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

Mat 2:2  Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

Mat 2:3  When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

Mat 2:4  And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

Mat 2:5  And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,

Mat 2:6  And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

Mat 2:7  Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

Mat 2:8  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.

Mat 2:9  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.

Mat 2:10  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

Mat 2:11  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 frankincense, and myrrh.

Jesus was born in a time of a very evil king.  It was a very dark season.  The people were ruthless, and lived without the fear of God. 

Right while all that was going on, there were wise men coming from the east that had come to the understanding that there would be a messiah come and a star would lead them to the messiah.

They came to the city of Jerusalem, it was on the way to Bethlehem.  They asked, “Where is the king of the Jews?  We have seen His star and have come to worship Him.” 

Num 24:17  I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.

These wise men were seeking for a messiah.  It has been real to me for a season how empty lives are.  It is not just in those that are bound by sins that we abhor.  It is everywhere in lives of men and women that do not have Jesus Christ as their personal savior.

We live in an area of religious people.  One thing I observe is that they are empty, sad, and have not found the Joy or the Kingdom of the Lord. 

There will be those among them that will desire to find the messiah.  These wise men came into Jerusalem and asked the question, “Where is the king?”  This question troubled King Herod.  He demanded for them to tell him what they knew and then called in those that should know, “In Bethlehem of Judea.” 

Bethlehem means the house of bread.  It was a small town of about 3,000 residents situated on the top of a hill.  It is written that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem.  “Out of him shall come a governor.” 

I love the thought of Jesus the ruler and the governor.  He is the king with the heart of a shepherd.  It is wonderful that we have such a one to rule over us: the king of kings and Lord of lords, with a heart as a shepherd.

When they departed, after receiving instructions from the king: they saw the star and rejoiced with exceeding joy.

Everyone in this audience needs to recognize that God is leading you.  You may be in a quandary “What is God speaking to me about, where is he leading me?”  When the wise men saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

I don’t need to tell you that life, our times, and circumstances in which you live will position you to be drained of your joy.  Everyone here has things to do in the world, and has things coming to you through newspapers, radio, internet, and all those things. 

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, we live in a media world that will fill you with discouragement.  In a world that will desire to come to you in a form of temptation to rob you of all the good things God has prepared for you.

There is an eternal God in heaven that wants to lead every one of us.  Your mind will work against you, “If I let God lead me, will I have to give up my home or my job?”  One thing I know, if you follow God, the treasure that you will find will make what you leave behind very insignificant.

There is no need to put on sackcloth.  Perhaps you will be called away from confusion into order. 

Mat 2:10  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

The devil doesn’t want people happy.  Take the hymnal and read, “The joy of God, the joy of the lord will be our strength, and happy in the savior.”  We will go through sorrows in life but remember in our sorrow, “God where do you want to lead me?”

Mat 2:11  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 frankincense, and myrrh.

They fell down, they worshipped, and they gave gifts.  They came into the house, into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.  They saw Jesus.  All the Old Testament prophecies of Christ are so beautiful.  Jesus isn’t limited to certain parts of the gospel; He is, in reality, the Word of God.

When they saw Jesus they fell down.  It is a wonderful thing to come into His presence.  They were so moved upon that they fell down, worshiped, and gave their gifts.

It is marvelous when we come to Jesus.  Many times we come needy and concerned.  There are those that have been sick and naturally we come with those requests.  But there are times we come without request: I am here to worship Christ.  I am here to be in the presence of Christ. 

We bring our thank offering but we always come away with a lot more than we give.  We came to Jesus Christ with a heavy load of sin and we left a new creature in Jesus Christ.  We came in need of Bible sanctification and when we met the conditions He cleansed us.

Three times in Isaiah 41 God said, “I will help thee.”  God knows what every one of us needs.  There would not be enough room on the walls to write all about the needs that are represented here this morning. 

When we fall down before God the Father and worship Him, He gives us something that is of a great value for us personally in our soul.  “Yes Jesus took my burden I could no longer bear… and left me with a song.”

Paul knew how to tremble before almighty God.  We never get too old to tremble in His presence.  It is marvelous that God teaches us at a young age.  We are so privileged.  In the eyes of God no one is inferior.  May God help us to be so tender.

Php 2:9  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

Php 2:10  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

Php 2:11  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus is not only the savior, He is Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One.  This morning when you bow your knee to Jesus, the savior, worship Him.  I think of how lost I was.  I think of what it means to be lost and to be lost for time is a consideration, but to be lost for eternity is a much greater consideration.

We can position ourselves bowing down before Jesus acknowledging that He is the savior, the messiah, the anointed one.  My life would be empty without Christ.  Without Jesus and the anointing we are empty, as sounding brass and tinkling cymbal.

We can humble ourselves as the wise men and bring our gifts whatever they might be.  “Oh Jesus you are my governor; I want you to control my life.  I want before any conversations are made, or contracts signed, I want my life under your control.”

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Paul, a very gifted man, wrote in such depth with such love.  Oh for a filter like that that our words, which are given, would be so full of the love of God and penetration of the Spirit of God.

It is God’s design that every knee bow, and that you and I know: This not as a ritual that we do every day, but as a reality.  “Oh God, it is your design that we labor to be accepted in the beloved and have the thought: We are working out our salvation with fear and trembling.”

“God before you, I want to humble and feel my desperate need of your help so much that I shake and tremble.”  As saints of God we want to feel our need of God so much.  God help this preacher to shake and tremble that I have the right message.

God help the choir, the director, the piano player and the organ player to realize, “I really need God.”  It is not entertainment that we are looking for.  You can buy a CD or go on the internet for that.  Even if you are gifted to sing like Jim Reeves, it is God, who comes by men and women falling down before Him as the wise men did, that makes the difference.

I thought of Simeon, when he took that babe in his arms, that he shook and trembled.  I believe that he saw what he had waited so long to see, was so moved upon. 

When I think of souls this morning, family or not family, it doesn’t matter who you speak of as a soul, when they are lost without God and you realize what the results are of being lost.  Their life may be terrible but it won’t compare with eternity.

We have the opportunity of realizing, “God I need you so much; I need your presence so much.”

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, godly fear.  Realizing, “Oh God How much I need you!”

Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

It is so wonderful for God to ignite that hunger in you.  It is wonderful to say, “God more than anything else, I want to do the will of the father and what is in your good pleasure.”

Isa 66:1  Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?

Isa 66:2  For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

Let us remember the wise men.  They studied the Word of God.  God sent the star at just the right time.  They began the journey just at the right time.  They worshipped.  Worship is a wonderful thing.

They gave their gifts.  Dear ones this morning.  I covet your prayers that I will study the Word of God.  As I told you, I have no hesitation, God is leading.  You may ask, “Who all do you think God is leading?”  I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt, God is leading all souls.  That is how God is.

As we end 2014, in the midst of all the distractions and the things that will take you astray, I believe there will be the Word of God, Jesus the Son, the Star if I may use the term to lead you on the journey.

Mary and Joseph journeyed about 100 miles and it was a rough journey.  Sometimes we look at the journey and think it is rough.  If you would have asked Mary and Joseph after everything had transpired and Jesus was born, they wouldn’t have remembered the journey; they were in the perfect will of God.

There isn’t anyone here that worship comes easy to.  It doesn’t come easy to the retired, the one that works for themselves, that work together, that travel, it is the same everywhere.  Worship doesn’t come easy.  God looks to the one that is poor, contrite, broken – “I need you God.”

We read the Word of God and enjoy it.  Yet there is a time that when we hold it in our hand it causes us to shake and tremble in our heart and in our spirit for we know that he that came from eternity is the Christ.  Jesus the savior, the Christ, the messiah, the Lord, the governor.

Those wise men came with gifts, they studied the Word of God.  They were lead with a divine institution, the star.  They took the journey, when they found the house and Christ in it, they came in and they worshipped.