There are. It was that silent night when the stars turned their gaze to marvel at the earth. When the heavens gathered breathless round a lowly stable. When a young mother wept. Tears of worship. Falling on the baby in her arms. And the song of the earth arose in Bethlehem. Soft as the tender beating of his heart. And all was calm. All was bright. Yet can this be the same God of Abraham, the conqueror of Israel? This baby is fragile.
Life. Is this child the one who burned his name in rapture across the gasping skies? Whose voice spoke the oceans in the crashing rhythmic. Who after the mountains into guardians of the firmament. Whose hand ignited the thirst of the desert. And the warring shards of the elemental hosts who breathe life from dust. Broke the oppressors rule, shattered the chains of his people like sand, and listened through the wilderness with the pillar of flame.
Is this child the one whose passions below thunderous sigh. Now speak. Who surrounded Joe with the roaring wind. Stood defiant in the raging furnace. Wrath. Judgment against tyrants, and blazed on the lips of the prophets, scorching his voice pages with the fury of his might. But this be the same God who chose to come at the vulnerable, shedding his throne on straw and manger, drawing forth the tears of shepherds, receiving the gifts of wandering travelers, his fame unknown in this world.
He's Jesus, the one who thunders through the heavens, yet whispers to our hearts who reigns victorious yet bound to serve the broken. He is God in the fury. God in the silence. He holds this mystery balanced in his hands. Holds our questions till they lose their means. Until all we see is him. Christmas holds so much excitement and. But it's strange because it also has the potential to hold so much disappointment.
I remember as a little boy growing up in our family, we experienced the extremes sometimes and sometimes sin. I remember as a little boy, sometimes excited about what was going to be under the Christmas tree and sometimes going to sleep on the Christmas Eve night with a great deal of frustration because I knew it wasn't going to be under the tree. And I think that's probably pretty common for most folks. Sometimes feed, sometimes famine.
I remember as a little boy wanting so badly to to be able to help my parents experience the excitement of Christmas that I felt. And I have an older brother and a younger sister, and I vividly remember a few years where we would throughout the week leading up to Christmas, secretly get together little streamers and balloons, thinking once our parents would go to sleep, we would decorate the house. Unbeknownst to the activity.
And sure enough, when we figured they were asleep, we would sneak out of our little house and we would decorate up and down the hallways and in the living room. Streamers everywhere in balloons, thinking we were going to surprise our parents. They had to know that I'm and dad to Harris. We weren't. I'm. You're not that sneaky when you're that little, but just so badly wanting my parents to be able to experience the excitement.
I remember, I remember back in 1977, I know it dates me, but Star Wars had just come out all right, and digital watches seemed like they just came out. And back in the day, if you were a Star Wars fan, you can get a digital watch with enough of a of a face that had nothing on it with little decals and put Star Wars decals on your watch. It was awesome. And there were those moments where there was so much excitement about Christmas. And as a child, you just. This is a special time of year.
However, it's also one that isn't always that exciting. I remember sometimes going to the Christmas break and dreading going back to school because the station with kids when they go back to school after Christmas centers around what would you get? I remember one year I got a pie from my grandma and an orange from my parents in our stocking. I know adults here. Sometimes it's feast or famine as well.
I remember one year with our oldest son, Joe, we had just moved to the Ranchos and we were so excited I were to get him a bike. And so I don't remember if you remember this, but we got the bike and we hit it in the backyard, in the little shed we had back there. And we ran to find this bike. And in my mind, I had just built this thing up like, this was going to be the best thing ever. And he goes on the scavenger hunt because my wife is super creative.
And we she sent him all around and he opens the little shed and he's like, a bike. I thought, boy, I'm not. We got two others, like, we're fine without you. If that's your you know, I like you. You you gotta be a little bit more excited about it, you know? I remember one time we were down in Southern California, and I don't know if any of you adults, experienced the car racing at Christmas season brings with it, especially surrounding a Christmas tree and putting up the Christmas tree.
Back in the day, we always had to, cut down the fresh tree, and and have a fresh tree in our house. But what that means is you have to set the base, and it's perfectly because if it leans one way or the other. That's who's responsible to make sure it's completely straight. We are. And can you ever get a complete me tree? I never could I remember this one I went to and I thought, well, this is Christmas gonna be good. We got our little tree and everything, and we brought it into the house.
And I start getting under with the branches, and, you know, it's poking me and the little pine needles falling down the shirt and getting everything set up. And you stand back and think, this is marvelous. And then, you know, how goes someone else in the house? Points out that it's not exactly. And so what do you do? You climb under the tree and you, you know, wiggle stuff and build spaces under the little stands, and and you stand back and think, surely that is good enough.
But is it ever really good enough? And this went back and forth, and in my mind it seemed like for about four hours I'm sure it was probably 20 minutes, but we had some big sliding backyard, and I got to the point where I was so frustrated and so on edge about this thing. I grab the tree, I throw the door, I grab the tree, and I just threw it in the backyard, said, I'm done. And my poor wife says, come on kids, let's just go outside, get that little bit of time. This, this the season.
It's so big and it holds with it. And in it. Grandeur and greatness and so much. That's not so. Yeah. And I've struggled for a long time thinking there's gotta be something more associated with this time of year than what we just dismiss. There's gotta be something more. The Christmas story. The first I've. We've looked at the Christmas story from two gospels, the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke. And we started in Matthew one, and then went to Luke one, and then Luke two.
And then tonight I want to ask you to kind of look chronologically through it. As a child in my home and every Christmas morning rolled around, my father would always read for us Luke chapter two, just to remind ourselves there's something more than just the tree and just the Star Wars watch, and just the bicycle and just the drum set and just the star. And we practice that in our home as well.
Just let's just take a little bit time and just read the story, because there's got to be something more. I'm thankful there's something more, but there's something more. I think sometimes gets lost in the culture of it all, and the busyness of it all. And sometimes there's something more gets lost in the hopes of it all and the excitement of all. And sometimes it's something more gets lost in the frustration of it all and the discouragement of it all. There is something more.
And just to remind ourselves of, there's something more. Matthew chapter as we jump back into the story, the true account of that first Christmas season. We've looked at Mary, we've looked at Joseph, we've looked at the shepherds. But there's another group that's part of the traditional Christmas story that we have other than Joseph and Mary and the shepherds who's left in the story. The wise men, Matthew chapter two.
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea during the time of King Herod, magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked where one who has been born King of the Jews. We saw his star in the East and have come to worship him surrounding Christmas there. So there's it's this strange tension, and there's so much expectation and there's so much wonder, but there's also a lot of, I guess, that comes along with it. These Magi come with great wonder and expectation and excitement.
Initially, and the Bible says that after Jesus was born of Bethlehem, during the time of whom King Herod. You know, if any of you are our history, King Herod was ruling in Jerusalem and ruling, is in Israel as a favor done him by the Roman government. The Roman government was the ones occupying the land, and they set up their civil system of civil obedience and expected the Jews. They sent this guy to Herod, the king of that area. Herod was a horrible man.
I'm going to ruin some of the Christmas story for you tonight. All right? Herod was a horrible man. He married a Jew. He was raised Jewish, married a Jewish woman, and eventually murdered her. He had a whole bunch of sons. Two of them have a right to his throne. And so, because they had a right to his throne, he murdered two of his own sons. There was a scene at the time of here that it was better to be Herod's dark. His son.
He was a horrible, despicable, evil man, so despised and so hated was Herod. In this time that he knew that when he died, nobody was going to be sad. And so he rounded up all of the in Jerusalem in that area, and he had them thrown in jail, and he became this command as the king. When I die, execute all of them so that someone will mourn at my death. He was a horrible man. Say, horrible like his horrible, horrible little bit more H in a horrible. He was horrible. And in the this time.
Christmas. These guys in the Bible, the called Magi. From that word Magi, we get two words magistrate and magician. Now, have ever heard that old Christmas carol? We three kings of Orient. Are you heard that cake? Great Christmas him. It's all lies. He's so. It's a terrible song as far as as far as as far as what they were and where they were from. And there weren't three of them. There were a whole bunch of them. There's probably hundreds of of guys making this trip, this journey.
But they we grew up thinking there's three of them because there's gifts. So we don't know much about these magi. We know what kind of what they did in their role. We don't know much about them. There was a lot more than three. They gave three gifts. We don't they weren't from the Orient. We three teams of Orient are they were not, as we understand, Oriental. And and and they weren't kings. There were Magi. We have no idea of their name.
Someone in the Middle Ages thought up names and gave them, like Bob feel and thought like it just doesn't mean anything. We don't know who they were. This word. Magi, this is this is this. This was their role. They were. And magicians as a magistrate. They were the ones that would confirm a key. They were the ones that would certify the votes and say, you are the rightful king. Okay, so they were the men. There were things that were said and they were magicians.
In other words, they they practice two arts, astronomy, which is a science, and astrology, which is magic. So, so they were these magistrates and they was these magicians, and they were very intelligent and very superstitious. Roughly six centuries before these guys in the lawn, there was a king named Nebuchadnezzar. And six centuries before these guys, Nebuchadnezzar came down from Babylon and invaded Israel and took captive the best and the brightest back to Babylon.
And as part of that deportation back, there was a young man named. And Daniel lived in Babylon, raised as a Babylonian, and served King Nebuchadnezzar and a bunch of other kings. God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret dreams. And Daniel did that for King Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel. So did himself amongst the other rulers that were serving the king, that King Nebuchadnezzar made Daniel the ruler over all of the Magi. Daniel was a magi. They came from Babylon. That area.
It's very intelligent. Astronomers. And during Daniel's time, there's no doubt if you read the Book of Daniel, it's full of prophecies of the Messiah, the coming Messiah, full of them. And there's no question for that study these things that Daniel as the the man of God in Babylon, ruling over the Magi, that he told them the prophecies in ancient Scripture about the coming Messiah down through the generations, the Magi knew that there was one who was coming.
If there's no doubt that they knew the prophecies that Daniel told them that Daniel knew, as recorded in numbers, chapter 24, I see him, but not now. He's coming. I hear he's far off a star. A star will come out of Jacob. A scepter will rise out of Israel. So Daniel, a Hebrew who knows the scriptures, is ruling in Babylon over all the Magi, telling them the prophecy of his coming King trees. Later, when the astronomers, the Magi see the star. Do you see how it starts coming together? So they.
There are. They're watching. The stars are watching the skies. They. It's been passed down from generation to generation through the Magi because of his men in the right place at the right time. They know the prophecy. They know this scripture. And all of a sudden they see the star. And so they make their way to Jerusalem, to Israel. And they say to King Herod, what are the words they say? Do you remember? We're on what? Or born King of the Jews? This was a really important thing.
Where's the one born king of the Jews? King of the Jews was something Herod called himself. He took that title upon himself. He said, I am the king of the Jews. Herod didn't get his throne. The kid was born into it. He got it as a favor from Rome, and he kept it by the sword. So when these Magi who were magistrates, who set up kings, say, where's the one, O King Herod, who was born king of the Jews? Now there was you.
And I both know that I am here to disrupt your life, because there is one who's supposed to be on the throne, and it's not you. You understand? This is what Jesus says. Jesus always threatens our control. This is what he always does. The presence of Jesus always threatens anything that takes. And I just want you to understand this. God desires not because he's arrogant or egocentric. God desires because. Because he's God to be first foremost in our lives.
And anything that is first place in our lives that is not him. Guess what? He's going to spread. He's my friend. And he's say, where's the one born king of the Jews? Because we have come for one thing. We have come to worship him. Now, let me show you this. This. We've come. We've come for one, one part to worship this king. Because they knew that this one who was born this little was of so importance was a of such great that that he was the one that generations had been waiting for.
He was the one that was of utmost importance. C.S. Lewis said this Christianity is false, is of no importance. It doesn't matter. But if true, of infinite importance, the only thing that cannot be is moderately important. If it's true, it's of utmost importance. If it's true, there was one who was born to be king. If it's true, there's one who's supposed to be of paramount and utmost priority in life. If it's true, there's one that's to be worshiped and honored as the one.
If it's not true, don't even mess around. It doesn't matter. But if it's true, the only thing crucially cannot. The only thing Jesus cannot be is moderately important. You follow me. The wise men knew that it was true, and it was of utmost importance. Honestly, there's only two responses that any person can have to Jesus. It's either hatred or homage. There's only two responses. Herod hated him because he threatened him. The wise men paid him homage and worship, but there's no middle ground.
The only thing it can't be, the only thing we can't be the first. Jesus is indifferent. And Jesus said, as much as Jesus. No one can serve two masters either you're going to hate the one and love the other, or are you going to love the one and hate the other? Despise the other? You can't. The only thing Jesus can't be is moderately important. And. To be an add on. He can't be worshiped. And when Herod heard these words. Where is the one born king of the Jews?
We've come to worship him. The Bible says, look at what? Look at what? Matthew two three says, When King Herod heard this, he was what? Disturbed Jerusalem with him. No, no. Listen, if you got a guy who's in charge of everything, who's threatened by his wife and kills her and threatened by his sons, and kills him if he feels disturbed. Isn't that going to be? There's no wonder they were disturbed. The guy's a nut job. And so Herod.
Herod, when he had called together all the peoples, chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where, what were the it was to be born. That word Christ in Greek means anointed one. It's the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Messiah. Herod grew up understanding the who I was supposed to be. He grew up with this knowledge. We would say that he was indoctrinated with the church.
The story of the Messiah wasn't news to him, and that's why he says he questions where the Christ on, because he knew. He knew. And he knew that he was going to have to make a decision about the Christ, the Anointed One. He knew. That, well, he may have been in point from now on. He couldn't be indifferent. It was hatred or homage. He knew. And so they tell him, in Bethlehem of Judea they reply, for this is what the prophet has written.
But the Judah are by no means least among the rulers of Judah. For out of you will come a ruler of all who are shepherd. My people Israel. Now I love the fact that when these guys were asked a Bible question, they didn't have to Google it. They didn't have to, you know, go to encyclopedia like they knew it. And the cities in Bethlehem. They knew where it's from. And it was coming. And here's why. Because they knew what the Bible said in Micah five two.
See, they knew the prophecies because Daniel had been there six centuries earlier and told them back in five, two what they do. They quote this. They they know what Micah five two says, but you, Bethlehem, a prophet, though you're small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come to me. One a ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of all from ancient times they knew was coming. He would be a special one.
When they, when they this, this, this, this Old Testament, generations before the man ever showed up, they knew. And they were waiting for this right here. Whose origins for are from of old, whose origins are from ancient times. What they're seeing is this baby that's born has always existed. This little baby that's born is not just a baby. This little baby, this born is the ancient one. They knew what John would write in John one one.
In the beginning was the word is Jesus, and the word was with God, and the word what was God? He was getting? The Bible says that everything that has been made was made through Christ. This is not just a baby. They knew. And they they couldn't be indifferent. Hatred or homage? This is the one who has always existed. And in his eternal existence, he showed up in human flesh. They knew. Christianity, which is this uniqueness about God.
Christianity teaches that that God is singular, but God expresses God's self in three personalities father, son, and spirit. That the father is the expression of the and the son is the expression of the eternal God. And the Holy Spirit is the expression the eternal God. And it's so unique. It is what makes Christianity Christianity. And so this little baby that was born is not just one who was born to rule. It's one who was born into human flesh, who's always existed. And because Jesus is God.
He cannot be minimally or nominally important. They knew. They knew that it was the highest of heights, become the lowest of lows. They knew because prophecy said that it was the God of the highest of heights. Jesus eternal had become the lowest of lows of baby. For the lowest of lows. You understand? I'm saying. They knew and they knew it mattered. And in Matthew two seven and eight, then Herod called the Magi secretly, and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said, go make a careful search for this child. As soon as you find him, report to me. So lie to me. Go worship him now. John, you said no. You don't think you want to worship him. You know, Sean's read the Bible before he knows. Heaven like you wanted to know. Jesus. Have you ever pretended. Like he was really important? Herod's pretending he was to say he knows what people want to hear. He. He knows what the right thing to say in the moment is. He's pretending.
Here. Doesn't want to worship him. Herod wants to destroy him. Do you know what the sole purpose of the devil is? To destroy is to kill? John 1010 says, Jesus said, you know, I've come to you might have life and life in all its fullness. But he also said, but the devil comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. That's the sole purpose of the evil. Devil is not neutral. The devil is hell bent on death.
And this is why we approach Christmas differently with all the excitement and wonder of the baby being born, but with an eye to what he came to do. Because he's the only one who could way for us to go to the father. And so the wisemen go out and they see the stars over this house, and they approach this house and look at verse 11 says, 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. They got the manger. You know that right? They weren't at the manger. The wise men were not at the manger. So all of you need to go home and get your nativities and break off the wise man. Like that's not biblical. Put them in the other room a couple days after Christmas, bring them out and he sees. Yeah, I mean, it says in coming to the house, right. They saw Jesus at the house. He wasn't at.
The house was born. He's born in a manger and field. So we don't know exactly when they showed up or a somewhere between eight months to 24 months later that they showed up. And as one of two things. What do they do? And worshiped. And they gave Christmas. They did two things. They worshiped Jesus for who he is, and they gave for two. What they give. Gold. What else? Frankenstein. Or what else? Myrrh. They worshiped. We've come to worship him. And then they gave gifts.
Gifts of what? Gold. Why gold? Why gold? Because it's gold. They gave because gold? Because it's gold. I don't want you to read that verse yet. There was going to come a time when Joseph has to take Mary and baby Jesus and go to Egypt, because Herod, finding out that this baby was born, made an edict that all the little boys two years old and under should be killed. Could you imagine? And so Joseph was warm to a dream, and and let's go to Egypt. So he goes to Egypt.
Guess what funded that whole trip while they were gone? All the gold that was given. Here's what I know about my God. He's going to take care of you. He's already in it before you get to it. Don't take care of you. You can trust him. He might wait till the 11th hour just to make sure that you know that he's the one coming through and it's not you. They give him gold roses. They give them frankincense. You know, frankincense was used for it was a fragrant ship.
And they gave it to him because he was a king worthy of worship. Gold, frankincense. And what? Myrrh. You know, it was used for embalming. The thing about myrrh is that it's useless until it's crushed. Jesus was crushed for our sin. And the fragrance of forgiveness and eternity came out. They worshiped and they gave. And they gave according to what God would rule as king and give his life as a ransom for us. And so, like the wise men, this is. This is when it finally hit home for me.
All this other stuff about Christmas, the frustration of the joys, the watches, the the tree. I'm in all this, this is going to hit home for me. That the point at Christmas was the gift. And so this evening, friends. I invite you with me to worship and gifts. Worship him just means that you honor him for who he is. The eternal God who deserves first priority, highest of heights, who became the lowest of lows for the lowest, the low. He deserves our thanks and our worship.
He deserves to be elevated. We worship and give. And the primary thing we. To give my life, my future life. My present life. Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, wholly pleasing to God. This is how you worship. Give your life, your present life, your future life. You know it matters. You know it's not moderately important. You know. That the highest, the highest has become the lowest of lows. For the lowest, a low.
This is Christmas, and this is why I to do. But I will say this to. And I want to invite you into something special tonight. To give your life. To the highest of heights. Who became the lowest lows. But I want to invite you also. That's really special. That is the heart of God. The heart of God is to take this message of Jesus around the world. And the best way that God has determined to do that is by planting a. Not by building bigger ones, but by planting other ones.
This is the and the reason why we do this is because it is important and we can't be indifferent towards it. This is the heart of the father that we give our lives and lives in the purpose of spreading churches. And so we have a goal this coming year in 2025 to plant 100 churches around the world all over the states Guatemala, Cuba, Mexico, Ukraine. That's where God's called us. And so I want to this into the reason why Jesus came to give your life.
And to give your life and what God has given you to the purpose of planting churches. This is the heart of God. If you've never given your life to Jesus first, first, the first opportunity I want to give you and we're going to pray in a minute. Now, I want to encourage you to admit that it matters and to admit that it cannot be moderately important and you can't remain indifferent anymore. And if you are, is I want to invite you into this purpose.
Along with us as a church, of planting churches and to give. Entrepreneurs. Father, we recognize that the birth of Jesus matters and that it's important. And we recognize that we can't be indifferent towards it. Because it matters. And that in Jesus the highest, the heights became the lowest of lows. For me and for us, the lowest of low. God, I pray that you would hear the hearts this evening. Who are willing to admit that it matters, and that it's important.
And friends, I want to invite you in this moment of worship to give first your life. And I invite you in this moment, in your own words, in your heart, and say to God, God, I recognize that this matters. And Jesus, I agree that I cannot remain indifferent. And I agree that you deserve first place in my present life and my future life. And so this evening, I accept you as the father of my life. I accept your forgiveness through Jesus. You matter to me. And tonight, I choose to be yours.
And just sit here in this moment. Because I. If there's anyone here who has not done that yet. This is. This is Christmas. To realize that the highest of heights or lowest of lows. Because you matter that much. And he must matter that much to you. Would you allow him that place in that priority in your life? Would you allow him the opportunity to infuse you with both his love and his mercy? With his grace and his peace? Just stay in this for a second long. Just stay in this moment, please.
Just for a second or. If you've not done that, I. All of my heart desires you to say. God, I am yours. You matter. And so you're going to be first place. But for those of you who who have made that decision, I want to invite you into something that is far bigger than you and go far. Outlive yourself. I want to invite you into this partnership of planting churches. And I'm certainly not asking all, but I am asking you.
To jump in with this part of God's heart so that this story, the story of the highest highs becoming the lowest of lows, is told in every corner of this. It matters. Father, I thank you for this time that we've had to be together. Thank you. Thank you for the truth of your word. Thank you for those who have taught you. Thank you for those who have come before us, who have worshiped you. Thank you for those who have come before us, who have given to the work of your kingdom in this world.
And thank you that we get a part, be a part of all of that in our time, in our place, through our lives. Father, I thank you that in your son, the highest of heights has become the lowest of lows. We remember that this evening. We praise you and we give ourselves to you. In your name I pray.