It's been 2000 years since
the glorious light of the cross
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illuminated a world veiled
in darkness and confusion about
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the character of God. And
still today the greatest need of
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mankind is a revelation of God's
love as revealed in the life of
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Christ. Amazing facts presents
the everlasting gospel with
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Pastor Doug Batchelor coming
to you each week from Sacramento
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Central Church in sunny
California. Discover hidden
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treasures in God's word today.
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We're on the threshold of a new
year and I am very excited. I am
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very excited because
I believe the Lord wants
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to continue using this
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church family in a significant
way to spread the message of
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Jesus and the good news around
the world. Now I believe there
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are many Christians in many
churches. I believe there are
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Christians in other
denominations, but I believe
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that God has called the Seventh-
day Adventist church as a
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special mission. I believe we
have a unique truth. This is the
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remnant church. I believe that
God has committed to this church
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the oracles of truth, the three
angels message, for these last
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days. So I believe that
this denomination has a special
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message. If not, I'm in the
wrong church, right? But I don't
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believe it just because I'm
in this church. I believe it
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because it's in the Bible. And
that being true I think I can
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make a strong argument that
this church family is having a
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profound impact on that message
outreach to the lost and inreach
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to the church. I believe God has
a great plan for this church.
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Now turn with me in your Bibles
to the scripture that was read.
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Meredith did a great job reading
our verse this morning. Turn to
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Matthew chapter 2 please and
I'd like to begin by reading the
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first couple of verse here.
Matthew chapter 2 verses 1 and 2
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Now after Jesus was born in
Bethlehem... this is something
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that's taking place after the
experience with the shepherds
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evidently... of Judah, in the
days of Herod the king, behold
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wise men... M-A-G-I, magi,
it's we get the word magician,
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but they're not connected.
Wise men from the east came to
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Jerusalem saying, Where is
he who is born king of the Jews?
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for we have seen His star in the
east and have come to worship
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Him. Where is He, His star,
worship Him. Why did they come?
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To see what they could get.
Why did they come? They heard
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there was a good show? Why did
they come? Did they come very
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far? There's one reason
they came. It says they came to
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worship Him. Do you think
the baby put on a show for them?
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Did He entertain them? Did they
come away from the experience
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and say, Wow, that was sure an
exciting worship service? Was it
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about what they were going to
get or what they were going to
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give. What was it about?
They came to give their worship.
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Now please don't be offended but
I need to be honest to clear my
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own soul just for your sakes. I
don't think there is one in 100,
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even within this place, who
understands what God means when
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he invites us to worship him. I
hope you're not offended by that
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but I still believe it. I'm
included in that. I think even
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I only see through a glass
darkly what privilege is ours to
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worship Him. I think the concept
that the world and the church
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have regarding what it means
to worship God has been totally
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obscured. We are so programmed
by our culture to be entertained
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We measure churches based on how
fascinating the pastor is or the
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architecture, or what
kind of music they have or the
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children's program or how close
is it to my house or how long
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does the preacher preach. We
evaluate the context of a church
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being good or bad based on so
many things other than is it a
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place where I can go and worship
Him? That's why they came.
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That's what we do on Sabbath
is we come to worship Him. That
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should be our primary goal. And
what it really means to worship
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Him I think has been largely
lost sight of. Now I'm telling
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you this not to make you
feel bad. I'm telling you this
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because I want you to feel good
about it. Keep reading with me.
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First of all, let's find out who
were these wise men, these magi.
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The word is margos. The
historian Herodotus says these
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wise men were seers or prophets
from Median, a tribe in Persia.
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You remember the Medo-Persian
kingdom. They were from a Median
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tribe. Supposedly they would
interpret dreams. They were
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devoted to astronomy,
not astrology, astronomy, to
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religion, to medicine. Isn't
that interesting? They were the
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doctors. They were from a
priestly tribe and while they're
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called kings, and we
seen that song We Three Kings.
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They weren't kings in the
technical sense of territory,
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but they were kings in the sense
that Abraham was a king. They
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were probably tribal leaders,
patriarchs. These were highly
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educated, wealthy leaders that
had large clans under them. They
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also had lived in a country that
had been influenced by the Jews.
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How long were the Jewish people
in Babylon and Mesopotamia?
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Seventy years of captivity. When
they came out of Babylon did all
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of the Jews come out of the land
of the east. No. Most of them
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stayed. Some of the remnant came
out. Did they have scriptures
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back there? Yes. Because Daniel
was in Babylon, Daniel chapter 9
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reading the prophecies of
Jeremiah. So did they have
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scriptures in the land of the
east? So these men were exposed
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to the writings and the
prophesies that the Jews had
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multiplied in the area and they
were studying them and while
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they're studying them perhaps
they read the prophecy of Jacob
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about the scepter in Judah. Or
perhaps they read the prophecy
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of Balaam where he says a
star shall come out of Jacob, a
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scepter shall rise out of Israel
and then all of a sudden while
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they are there in the east they
notice in the sky towards the
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west, which from their
perspective is toward the land
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of Jerusalem. There is this new
star and it's not just something
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they had missed before because
as the heavens roll through the
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night, you notice as you look
up at night that the stars move.
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And the way the stars move that
is why we pick out the north
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star because they rotate and the
north star is pretty close to an
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axis, it's pretty constant. So
you can navigate by it. But the
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other stars are rolling through
the heavens. This one didn't
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move. They could realize by it's
shape and it's color that it was
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a supernatural star. It wasn't
a comet. They'd probably seen
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those before. And they began to
pour over the text to find out
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what does this mean. And under
the inspiration of the Holy
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Spirit, they were guided to the
prophecies of Jacob, of Balaam
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who was a prophet of God albeit
a prophet that went bad and it
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said a star would come out of
Jacob. This was a sign that the
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King of the Jews and through the
tribe of Abraham the Savior of
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the world was going to come. The
Savior of the world was going to
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come and this star was a sign
of that. They knew that. What's
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amazing about that is they knew
that and God's people did not
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know it that had libraries full
of scriptures. So they began a
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journey, a long journey,
a journey that took months.
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It may have taken longer. And
they did not come empty handed.
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And the purpose of their journey
was to do what? To come and to
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worship Him. So, how did
these men know? They read the
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prophecies, they prayed and
God guided them. And they came
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seeking Him. The Bible promises
in Jeremiah chapter 29, it's one
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of my favorite verses. You
can read verses 11-13 but more
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specifically verse 13: You will
search for me and you will find
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me when you search for me with
all of your heart. These men
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came asking where is He.
The most important question that
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anybody could ask is, where is
He? Our sins have separated us
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from God and the gospel is
the result of our finding Him.
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He hasn't misplaced us, by the
way. He knows right where you
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are. And the first question
in the Bible that man asked, I'm
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sorry, the first question in the
Bible that God asks is where are
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you. Man ran from God. God knew
where Adam was but he was asking
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him a rhetorical question, Where
are you? Where has sin gotten
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you? The first question in
the New Testament is right here,
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Where is He? So isn't that
interesting. First question in
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Bible is the devil questioning
God's word. Hath God said?
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Then the first question God
asks is where are you? When man
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doubted God's words he got lost
so God says where are you. First
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question in the New Testament
they're saying where is He.
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We have been separated. The
purpose of the plan of salvation
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is a reunion. And so before you
can find God you must seek and
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what will happen? Seek and you
will find. Are you searching for
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God? How far are you willing
to go? These folks were willing
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to invest months if not over a
year and great wealth in finding
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him and worshipping him.
I'm glad you came to church this
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morning. I appreciate that.
I know some who have come a lot
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farther to worship Jesus right
here. Where is He? Now as they
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get to the hills above Jerusalem
they see this guiding star, the
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supernatural star and as they
get closer it's bigger. Really
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what it was was it was a
band of angels. The same way the
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heavens were filled with
angels that communicated to the
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shepherds. Sometimes in
Revelation it talks about angels
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as stars. So here's this band
of angels together. Angels can
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appear when they want to
and disappear. Remember when one
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angel first appeared to
the shepherds and then suddenly
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the heavens were full of them.
They can turn it up or down.
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Clap on, clap off, you know.
Angels can set some see them and
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others not see them. Isn't that
right? Sure there are examples
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of that in the Bible. The wise
men could see the star. They
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could see the angels guiding
them. And when suddenly they saw
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the angel star settling above
the temple in Jerusalem and they
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were praising God. But then
it began to fade. So they went
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running to the temple and they
expected the words about the
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Messiah, they expected the city
to be in great jubilation and
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rejoicing and everyone to be
talking about the advent of the
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Messiah. And they got into town
and nobody's talking about it.
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The church is oblivious. Here's
what I want you to think about.
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When Jesus came the first time
did his people, the church, have
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the Bible? Did they have
the prophecies that the wise men
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had? Yeah, they did. Did they
have more than the wise men had?
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Much, much more. Should they
have known when their Messiah
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was coming the first time. At
least approximately. Were they
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ready when he came? Could
that happen again? Did they
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misunderstand the nature of his
coming. Yeah, you know the devil
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has got everything swapped. The
Jews back in the time of Christ
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thought the Messiah was coming
the first time like a lion.
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He was going to overthrow
the Romans. Messiah was going to
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set up his earthly kingdom.
And there are so many prophecies
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talking about him coming as a
lamb and they got them mixed up.
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He comes as a lamb the first
time, he comes as a lion the
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second time. Now the church in
our day, they're saying Jesus is
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coming quietly, secret rapture.
They've got it spun around again
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and they're not going to be
ready because he's coming this
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time like a lion. He will roar.
Everyone will know it when he
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comes. I'd like to read
something to you from the book
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Desire of Ages. You know, I
was telling Karen last night...
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I've been studying for this
message all week and I try to
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do my homework, I read
the Bible, sometimes several
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versions, I read a number of
commentators, I've selected ones
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I trust and I read 15, 20
minutes. I like to do all this
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study, read the Bible, then I go
to the Spirit of Prophecy and I
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like to compare. In 20 minutes
of reading Desire of Ages I
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learned more and I got
more inspiration than all week
00:13:58.62\00:14:02.27
reading the commentators. That's
what I told Karen last night.
00:14:02.31\00:14:05.98
I hope you folks are reading
those books. Let me read you a
00:14:06.01\00:14:10.06
quote from page 60 of Desire
of Ages. "When they reached the
00:14:10.10\00:14:13.37
land of Israel and they were
descending the Mount of Olives,
00:14:13.40\00:14:16.91
with Jerusalem in sight when,
Lo, the star that had guided
00:14:16.94\00:14:20.61
them all the weary way rests
above the temple and after a
00:14:20.65\00:14:24.39
season it fades from their view.
With eager steps they press
00:14:24.42\00:14:28.22
onward confidently expecting
the Messiah's birth to be the
00:14:28.26\00:14:31.91
joyful burden of every tongue,
but inquiries are in vain.
00:14:31.95\00:14:35.45
Entering the holy city, they
repair to the temple. To their
00:14:35.49\00:14:39.03
amazement, they find none who
seem to have a knowledge of the
00:14:39.07\00:14:42.76
newborn king. They questions
call forth no expressions of joy
00:14:42.80\00:14:47.15
but rather surprise and fear not
unmingled with contempt. " The
00:14:47.18\00:14:51.63
religious leaders hearing these
foreigners say where is your
00:14:51.66\00:14:54.89
Messiah the King. We've seen the
sign he's supposed to be here?
00:14:54.92\00:14:58.22
They're thinking well we're the
priests, you know. If we don't
00:14:58.26\00:15:01.33
know, you don't know. God would
certainly not reveal this to you
00:15:01.37\00:15:04.79
without telling us first because
you're uncircumcised pagans.
00:15:04.82\00:15:08.79
How would you know these things?
Might I submit to you, that
00:15:08.83\00:15:12.73
could happen again. I've already
seen samples and signs of people
00:15:12.77\00:15:18.11
who are in the world that are
discovering the truths of our
00:15:18.14\00:15:21.23
message that we take for granted
and they are on fire about what
00:15:21.27\00:15:24.71
we know and we seem to
be indifferent about it.
00:15:24.74\00:15:28.68
Could happen again; it's human
nature. When Jesus came the
00:15:28.72\00:15:33.99
first time there was an
appalling indifference and
00:15:34.02\00:15:36.05
ignorance regarding his first
coming. I think that the church
00:15:36.09\00:15:40.48
at large may have the
same problem the second time.
00:15:40.51\00:15:45.43
Now you remember after this,
finally there's such a stir,
00:15:45.47\00:15:48.75
everybody sees these... We
don't know how many there were.
00:15:48.78\00:15:51.78
A little later in the service
we're going to be singing
00:15:51.82\00:15:55.41
We Three Kings and it might
have been three. They say three
00:15:55.45\00:15:59.01
because there were three
different kinds of gifts that
00:15:59.04\00:16:01.80
they brought, the gold, the
frankincense, the myrrh, but it
00:16:01.84\00:16:04.66
might have been five that
brought three different kinds of
00:16:04.70\00:16:07.54
gifts. It might have been two.
It must have been at least two
00:16:07.57\00:16:10.59
because it says plural who
brought three different kinds of
00:16:10.63\00:16:14.69
gifts. We really have no idea
how many there were. I've got
00:16:14.72\00:16:18.28
one painting that I saw than
an artist did where he's got a
00:16:18.32\00:16:22.28
caravan that came and that's
very likely because when the
00:16:22.32\00:16:25.87
Queen of Sheba came with her
gifts she had a great retinue.
00:16:25.91\00:16:29.48
When you traveled with all
that money back then you didn't
00:16:29.52\00:16:32.43
travel alone because there were
bandits on the road. I'm sure
00:16:32.46\00:16:35.33
that there were several camels
even if there were only three
00:16:35.37\00:16:38.04
kings. And they probably had
some guards and servants that
00:16:38.08\00:16:42.93
went with them. These were
wealthy men. When Eliezer went
00:16:42.97\00:16:50.39
to get a wife for Isaac he
had camels and servants just to
00:16:50.42\00:16:55.94
bring the dowry. And so I'm
quite certain that there was a
00:16:55.98\00:17:01.06
pretty good train. So you can
understand; it was like three
00:17:01.10\00:17:05.33
guys show up in Jerusalem, big
city. It was this caravan came
00:17:05.37\00:17:09.30
looking for the king. Eventually
everyone began to talk about
00:17:09.33\00:17:14.44
and word reached Herod the
Great Now enter one of the most
00:17:14.48\00:17:19.22
interesting, infamous despots
of history. Herod the Great was
00:17:19.26\00:17:23.97
an Edomite. They were
enemies of Israel. But he had
00:17:24.00\00:17:28.42
ingratiated himself to Augustus
Caesar and Augustus said I will
00:17:28.46\00:17:32.02
make you a vassal king over
the land of Judah and Jerusalem.
00:17:32.06\00:17:36.39
He ruled 38 years. He was a
bright guy, so is the devil.
00:17:36.42\00:17:40.68
He was evil. Matter of fact,
he killed a number of his family
00:17:40.72\00:17:44.70
members, killed several wives.
He was worse than Henry VIII.
00:17:44.73\00:17:49.14
He had 10 wives. Dispatched
several of his children because
00:17:49.17\00:17:53.04
thought they might want to be
king in his place. Jealous, so
00:17:53.07\00:17:56.86
power hungry. Great builder.
I mean, he renovated the temple
00:17:56.90\00:18:00.66
and he did a lot of building
projects you can still see
00:18:00.69\00:18:06.34
today. But he was a very sick
man, very insecure about his
00:18:06.38\00:18:11.96
power and especially as he was
getting older and weaker. Matter
00:18:12.00\00:18:15.02
of fact, a week before his
death he killed one of his sons
00:18:15.05\00:18:17.14
because he was afraid that his
son would kill him preemptively
00:18:17.17\00:18:20.79
to take the throne. Augustus
Caesar said, You're better off
00:18:20.82\00:18:24.91
being one of Herod's enemies
than his family or something
00:18:24.94\00:18:28.96
like that. He said it's safer to
be one of Herod's enemies than
00:18:29.00\00:18:32.73
one of his family. I mean, that
was his reputation. So he was
00:18:32.76\00:18:36.46
brutal. He was heartless.
Someone was arguing this week
00:18:36.49\00:18:41.53
on one of these history channels
talking about well we're not
00:18:41.57\00:18:44.58
sure if this slaughter of the
innocents in Bethlehem actually
00:18:44.62\00:18:48.05
every did happen because there's
no other historical record aside
00:18:48.09\00:18:51.42
from the Bible. Well all they've
got to do is read the record of
00:18:51.46\00:18:54.76
Herod's life and he did so
much brutality that it wouldn't
00:18:54.79\00:18:58.51
surprise us if this one did
not stand out. So pretty soon he
00:18:58.55\00:19:02.43
brings in the priests. He said
what's this stir and they said
00:19:02.46\00:19:06.17
well they're saying that the
king, the Messiah, has been born
00:19:06.20\00:19:09.45
And he said, search for me and
find out what do the prophecies
00:19:09.49\00:19:12.31
say. Well they didn't trust
Herod. They didn't like the fact
00:19:12.35\00:19:15.52
that they had a Gentile reigning
over them and so they were sort
00:19:15.55\00:19:18.75
of stalling and he said, I want
to know right now where does it
00:19:18.78\00:19:21.72
say your Messiah is going to
be born? Well they couldn't hold
00:19:21.76\00:19:25.50
back. They said in Bethlehem of
Ephratha. Now there are several
00:19:25.54\00:19:29.64
Bethlehem's. Bethlehem means
house of bread. I always thought
00:19:29.67\00:19:33.70
it was phenomenal that Jesus who
is the bread of life was born in
00:19:33.74\00:19:37.48
a town called house of bread and
then they placed him in a manger
00:19:37.52\00:19:41.96
which is where you put bread for
animals. Isn't that something?
00:19:42.00\00:19:46.41
And so they said not just
Bethlehem, Bethlehem Ephratha
00:19:46.44\00:19:49.95
Ephratha means fertile. It
was the fertile house of bread.
00:19:49.98\00:19:53.38
That's the one right by
Jerusalem where David was born,
00:19:53.41\00:19:56.74
the city of David. So pretty
soon he brings in the wise men.
00:19:56.78\00:20:03.20
And he says to them...
You know, you've got a little
00:20:03.23\00:20:07.02
rehearsal of what the sign was,
what was the star. They seemed
00:20:07.06\00:20:10.77
like they are authentic and he
is shaking inside because these
00:20:10.81\00:20:14.49
men's faces are shining. They
are on a mission. They have seen
00:20:14.52\00:20:16.52
something and he thinks maybe
this king really is coming.
00:20:16.55\00:20:20.35
So instead of submitting
and saying this is wonderful the
00:20:20.39\00:20:23.91
kniving Herod says, Tell
you what. Well let me read it to
00:20:23.94\00:20:27.39
you. Going to talk about false
worship here. Matthew 2 verse 8:
00:20:27.43\00:20:31.78
And he (Herod) sent them to
Bethlehem (the wise men) and he
00:20:31.81\00:20:35.70
said, Go search carefully
for the young child and when you
00:20:35.74\00:20:39.74
have found him, bring back
word to me that I might come and
00:20:39.77\00:20:44.08
worship him also. Under the
pretense of wanting to worship
00:20:44.12\00:20:47.79
him what does he really want
to do? He wants to kill him.
00:20:47.83\00:20:52.05
Now friends please if there's
one word upon which this message
00:20:52.08\00:20:55.93
revolves, that word is worship.
The Bible begins with two
00:20:55.96\00:20:59.78
brothers that both
claimed to worship the same God.
00:20:59.81\00:21:04.89
They claimed to. One was false
worship. Cain was worshiping God
00:21:04.93\00:21:10.60
his own way but claiming to want
to worship the true God and he
00:21:10.64\00:21:15.46
kills his brother. Then you get
to Revelation and you've got two
00:21:15.50\00:21:19.87
groups at war. One is worshiping
God according to the Bible and
00:21:19.90\00:21:23.51
one is worshiping the beast and
his image under the pretense of
00:21:23.55\00:21:27.18
worshiping God. Jesus said the
hour is coming when those who
00:21:27.21\00:21:31.17
kill you will say they're
worshiping God, John chapter 16.
00:21:31.21\00:21:34.99
And so this is happening right
at the beginning of the gospel
00:21:35.02\00:21:39.51
story. Counterfeit worship. Does
he really want to worship Jesus?
00:21:39.55\00:21:44.01
No. It's a trick so he can
destroy him. The counterfeit
00:21:44.04\00:21:50.66
worship. What does Satan want?
He doesn't want to worship Jesus
00:21:50.70\00:21:53.47
Satan said to him, All these
things I'll give you, Matthew
00:21:53.50\00:21:57.80
chapter 4 if you will fall down
and worship me. Herod didn't
00:21:57.83\00:22:01.42
want to share his worship
with anybody. He didn't want to
00:22:01.45\00:22:04.73
share his throne with anybody
and the only reason that he
00:22:04.76\00:22:07.97
feigned that he would worship
this new king is so he could
00:22:08.01\00:22:11.04
kill him, to
find out where he was.
00:22:11.08\00:22:13.90
And Jesus said, Away with you,
00:22:13.93\00:22:16.78
for it is written, you shall
worship the Lord God and Him
00:22:16.81\00:22:19.99
only shall you serve. Revelation
13 verse 8 tells us that in the
00:22:20.03\00:22:24.20
last days, and by the way, we're
there friends... Ooo I watch
00:22:24.23\00:22:28.32
the news and I see things
happening so fast. All who dwell
00:22:28.36\00:22:32.32
on the earth will worship him
whose names are not written in
00:22:32.36\00:22:36.25
the Lamb's Book of Life. They're
going to be worshiping the wrong
00:22:36.29\00:22:41.08
way, on the wrong day and the
wrong object, thinking they're
00:22:41.11\00:22:45.34
worshiping the true God. It's
false or counterfeit worship.
00:22:45.38\00:22:49.46
You know, they're innocent, they
don't know. The wise men think
00:22:49.49\00:22:53.37
he's sincere. They're probably
talking through a translator.
00:22:53.40\00:22:57.28
So they leave and resume their
search. They don't know where to
00:22:57.32\00:23:01.17
go next and so they kind
of go out of the city gates of
00:23:01.20\00:23:03.74
Jerusalem and no sooner have
they gone out, it's at night now
00:23:03.78\00:23:09.55
that the star reappears. Matthew
2 verse 9: When they heard the
00:23:09.59\00:23:15.20
king they departed and behold
the star that they had seen in
00:23:15.23\00:23:20.45
the east went before them. It
appeared again. Now why did it
00:23:20.48\00:23:25.29
first appear over Jerusalem and
then it later goes to Bethlehem?
00:23:25.32\00:23:30.91
You know why? God wanted to
honor the position of his temple
00:23:30.95\00:23:35.80
and his priests because it was
to be the work and the job of
00:23:35.83\00:23:40.18
the Jewish nation to proclaim
the king when he came the first
00:23:40.22\00:23:44.83
time. They should have been on
the forefront of proclaiming his
00:23:44.87\00:23:49.45
first advent. He wanted
to respect their positions.
00:23:49.48\00:23:52.45
He wanted to respect the temple
and its purpose. But when the
00:23:52.49\00:23:56.41
Gentiles came searching for the
Savior of the world, he wasn't
00:23:56.44\00:23:59.76
just the Savior of the Jews,
he was the Savior of the world.
00:23:59.80\00:24:03.24
The prophecies had always said
that. That those that should
00:24:03.28\00:24:06.65
have known didn't know, but God
gave them the opportunity first.
00:24:06.69\00:24:09.10
And so when they leave
and haven't heard anything...
00:24:09.13\00:24:10.83
Oh God forgive us. God have
mercy on us. If people come to
00:24:10.87\00:24:15.06
our church and they don't hear
about Jesus. Can you imagine
00:24:15.10\00:24:18.52
that these people crossed the
desert to find out about Jesus.
00:24:18.56\00:24:21.82
They went to church and those
that were there going through
00:24:21.86\00:24:25.51
all their rituals, they
didn't know anything about him.
00:24:25.55\00:24:28.96
I wonder if that's still
possible today that people come
00:24:28.99\00:24:32.42
to visit those who have the
truth, but the people don't have
00:24:32.46\00:24:36.35
Jesus. In the libraries of
the temple they had the scrolls,
00:24:36.38\00:24:40.04
they had the truth but when
foreigners came and said where
00:24:40.08\00:24:43.67
is he, they said Huh, what? like
they'd misplaced their Messiah.
00:24:43.71\00:24:48.86
You know, I think that still
happens in churches. God forbid
00:24:48.90\00:24:53.12
it happens in our church. I hope
when people come here saying
00:24:53.16\00:24:57.12
where is he that they find him.
Amen? They can find him here.
00:24:57.16\00:25:01.58
I hope when people come to
your home and say where is he...
00:25:01.61\00:25:07.30
I don't know if a dare tell
you this. I'm going to tell you.
00:25:07.33\00:25:12.53
I think it'll be okay. I didn't
hear Karen tell me not to.
00:25:12.57\00:25:17.42
This week some people knocked
on our door and they offered to
00:25:17.45\00:25:21.86
give us Bible studies and
Karen invited them in enough to
00:25:21.89\00:25:25.31
conversate with them a little
bit. Is there such a word,
00:25:25.35\00:25:28.70
conversate? Write it down. Send
it to Wikipedia. It's a new word
00:25:28.74\00:25:32.48
Pastor Doug coined. You
know what it means don't you?
00:25:32.51\00:25:35.52
Okay. So in their conversation
they mentioned that they were
00:25:35.56\00:25:39.93
studying with some neighbors,
and these people I believe
00:25:39.97\00:25:43.64
belong to a cult, they were
studying with some neighbors up
00:25:43.67\00:25:47.36
the street that we know fairly
well. And it broke our hearts
00:25:47.39\00:25:51.05
that we weren't studying
with the neighbors yet. And we
00:25:51.08\00:25:53.77
thought, you're studying with
them. And we're thinking man we
00:25:53.81\00:25:57.47
better get ahead of the curve
here. They're open to study. We
00:25:57.51\00:26:00.95
had no idea because they always
seemed read indifferent to us.
00:26:00.98\00:26:05.31
And I thought to myself, Oh God
have mercy on us. They'd been in
00:26:05.34\00:26:09.23
our home before. They didn't see
Jesus. They're taking studies
00:26:09.26\00:26:14.38
from someone else! If people
come saying where is he, are you
00:26:14.41\00:26:18.58
going to have the answer? Are
you going to say, well he's here
00:26:18.61\00:26:22.11
he's in my house, he's in our
church. We know exactly where
00:26:22.14\00:26:26.34
he is. Sometimes we, like the
Jews, can get so involved in our
00:26:26.37\00:26:30.28
religion that we've lost the
purpose of our religion which is
00:26:30.31\00:26:34.37
to worship Him. They came
to worship Him. Do we have Him?
00:26:34.41\00:26:38.01
If you don't have Jesus and
you've got all the trappings
00:26:38.05\00:26:41.58
we've got all the decorations,
but if you don't have Jesus...
00:26:41.62\00:26:46.14
I heard this last week some man
had this family tradition for 30
00:26:46.18\00:26:49.45
years. They'd put one of these
little manger scenes on their
00:26:49.48\00:26:53.45
front lawn and some vandals
came by and stole Baby Jesus.
00:26:53.49\00:26:57.09
How many of you heard about
this? And they left a beer can
00:26:57.13\00:27:00.93
in the manger. Isn't that
sacrilegious? Even though it
00:27:00.96\00:27:04.76
was just a plastic Jesus.
You just think about that. They
00:27:04.79\00:27:08.52
stole the Baby Jesus. What's the
manger scene without the Baby
00:27:08.56\00:27:13.70
Jesus, right? And left a beer
can. You know it had been their
00:27:13.73\00:27:17.85
family tradition. This had been
in their family for years. But I
00:27:17.89\00:27:21.55
wonder how many churches there
are around the world and around
00:27:21.59\00:27:24.81
the country that they got all
the trappings but the Baby Jesus
00:27:24.85\00:27:28.04
is missing. When they saw
the star... Here's the part I
00:27:28.07\00:27:35.58
wanted to especially
tell you. How did they react?
00:27:35.61\00:27:39.12
They rejoiced. How many want
to rejoice. God wants you to
00:27:39.16\00:27:44.06
rejoice. They rejoiced
exceedingly. Now that's not just
00:27:44.10\00:27:47.70
rejoicing. Rejoicing is
good when it's just rejoicing.
00:27:47.74\00:27:51.27
Rejoicing exceedingly, that's
better still. But we're not done
00:27:51.31\00:27:55.14
yet. They rejoiced exceedingly
with great joy! Now you
00:27:55.17\00:28:01.01
realize in the Hebrew, I'm sorry
in the Greek, the way this is
00:28:01.05\00:28:03.62
structured there is no bigger
way to say it. When you say
00:28:03.65\00:28:09.86
exceedingly great joy. You
can find Paul using phrases like
00:28:09.90\00:28:16.04
in other places. That means it's
as good as it gets. Well can you
00:28:16.08\00:28:19.49
imagine how dejected these wise
men felt when they got to their
00:28:19.52\00:28:22.90
destination, the star has
faded, they were all prepared to
00:28:22.93\00:28:26.60
worship, the religious leaders
say we don't know what you're
00:28:26.64\00:28:30.31
talking about. You don't know
anything. You're pagans. You're
00:28:30.34\00:28:33.93
Gentiles. They walk out of the
city. They're so discouraged.
00:28:33.96\00:28:37.84
Were we misled, was it an
illusion, was it a mirage, what
00:28:37.87\00:28:40.78
happened? And the all of a
sudden the star appears again
00:28:40.81\00:28:45.26
and directs them to the very
house. Were they happy? They
00:28:45.30\00:28:48.83
rejoiced and they haven't even
seen Jesus yet. But you know
00:28:48.87\00:28:52.62
what they have seen? They've
seen the light. The light that
00:28:52.66\00:28:56.18
had been guiding them. They
saw the light again and they're
00:28:56.21\00:28:59.68
rejoicing. Does the light make
you rejoice? Does the truth make
00:28:59.72\00:29:05.43
you rejoice? Is heaven a place
of joy? Sure it is. Eternal joy.
00:29:05.47\00:29:11.15
It is right hand of pleasures
forevermore. I like what
00:29:11.18\00:29:14.43
C.S. Lewis said; it's a
nice pun. Joy is the serious
00:29:14.46\00:29:18.84
business of heaven. Joy is
serious business in heaven.
00:29:18.87\00:29:23.18
That's their job description
up there. There's always joy in
00:29:23.22\00:29:29.38
heaven. The guiding light
led them to rejoice and worship
00:29:29.41\00:29:35.10
and give. Notice here. Jesus
said, John chapter verses 23 and
00:29:35.13\00:29:38.46
Jesus said, The hour is
coming and now is when the true
00:29:38.49\00:29:45.24
worshipers will worship the
Father in Spirit and in truth.
00:29:45.28\00:29:52.00
That's what I want in my life.
I want real worship. I am tired
00:29:52.04\00:29:56.57
of the canned, artificial,
packaged idea the world has of
00:29:56.60\00:30:00.73
what Christian worship is as
some kind of hootenanny and they
00:30:00.76\00:30:05.17
say wow what a worship service.
That's not worship. The worship
00:30:05.20\00:30:09.43
is not about entertaining us
so we go away feeling gooey. The
00:30:09.47\00:30:14.14
great joy is a recognition of
the light. Worship him in Spirit
00:30:14.18\00:30:18.82
and in truth. For the Father
wants us to worship Him in
00:30:18.85\00:30:23.23
Spirit and in truth for
the Father is seeking such to
00:30:23.26\00:30:27.38
worship Him. The Father is
seeking those that are seeking
00:30:27.42\00:30:31.98
Him. That's what worship is.
Did you hear me? These wise men
00:30:32.02\00:30:36.55
came to worship and what does
it say, They were seeking Him
00:30:36.59\00:30:40.19
to worship him. I'd like to
submit to you that one of the
00:30:40.22\00:30:43.65
first steps in real worship
is a seeking after God. It's not
00:30:43.69\00:30:47.64
what's in it for me. It's you
are seeking after God. That's
00:30:47.68\00:30:51.82
what worship is. You're seeking
his face, you're seeking his
00:30:51.86\00:30:55.97
will, you're seeking his
truth. It's not about us being
00:30:56.00\00:31:00.06
entertained and massaged. It's
about Him. Seeing after God.
00:31:00.10\00:31:04.36
God is looking for such to
worship Him, for God is a Spirit
00:31:04.40\00:31:08.68
and those who worship Him must
worship Him in Spirit and truth.
00:31:08.72\00:31:12.20
You know, notice what Jesus says
here: Worship, worship, worship,
00:31:12.23\00:31:15.68
worship. And it says truth,
truth. They saw the light. They
00:31:15.71\00:31:20.86
rejoiced with exceeding great
joy. Have you met people before
00:31:20.90\00:31:24.97
and you see that joy. They've
been living in darkness and they
00:31:25.01\00:31:29.54
see the light of the... By the
way, Jesus is the Word, Jesus
00:31:29.58\00:31:35.16
is the light, Jesus is the truth
so all that they saw was Jesus.
00:31:35.19\00:31:40.74
When they saw that light
and they saw the truth they
00:31:40.77\00:31:46.25
found... Was there a place for
them to go to worship? Did they
00:31:46.29\00:31:50.36
go to a place to worship. Yeah.
They went to a house where Jesus
00:31:50.40\00:31:54.26
was. Now friends you know I
like to sometimes take what is a
00:31:54.29\00:31:59.91
simple principle and hit it
out of the park. They crossed a
00:31:59.94\00:32:05.76
desert. It took them months
simply to get to a place to
00:32:05.80\00:32:10.78
worship Him. And there held
forth is the first example in
00:32:10.82\00:32:15.65
the Bible of those who come
to worship Jesus. It took them
00:32:15.68\00:32:19.91
months, maybe a year. And we
don't know what they got out of
00:32:19.95\00:32:25.12
it except the joy of worshiping
Him and yet we roll over in bed
00:32:25.15\00:32:30.29
and say you know I've had a
tough week. I don't think that
00:32:30.32\00:32:33.26
I can take this hour and get in
my car and drive up the street
00:32:33.30\00:32:37.23
to worship Him. God wants us to
come to a place to worship Him.
00:32:37.27\00:32:42.43
Amen? The house where Jesus is.
Translation. You need to come to
00:32:42.47\00:32:47.60
church and worship him. Did
I make that plain enough? Okay.
00:32:47.63\00:32:50.87
In case you missed all the
little backwards ways I was
00:32:50.90\00:32:54.25
trying to get that in. III John
there's one chapter, verse 4,
00:32:54.29\00:32:59.92
he says, I have no greater joy
than these things to hear that
00:32:59.95\00:33:06.60
my children walk in truth.
Joy and truth go together. Some
00:33:06.64\00:33:11.71
misworship the Lord because
they don't have truth. Matthew
00:33:11.74\00:33:15.86
chapter 15, here's what Jesus
says, In vain they worship me
00:33:15.90\00:33:19.99
teaching for doctrines the
commandments of men. If you
00:33:20.02\00:33:23.14
don't have the truth it is
not possible to worship Him
00:33:23.18\00:33:26.23
correctly. Jesus said some are
worshiping him in vain because
00:33:26.27\00:33:32.39
they're teaching manmade
doctrines. Real worship is
00:33:32.42\00:33:36.27
connected with light and truth
and that's where the joy comes
00:33:36.31\00:33:40.43
from. Some dear souls, millions
of them around the world, come.
00:33:40.46\00:33:44.05
They want to worship God but
because they're in darkness they
00:33:44.08\00:33:46.82
can't really worship Him in
Spirit and truth because they
00:33:46.86\00:33:49.83
don't know the truth. But
they have this craving inside to
00:33:49.87\00:33:53.58
worship God as we all have.
We're often around the world
00:33:53.61\00:33:57.25
trying to fill that vacuum with
other things that will only be
00:33:57.29\00:34:00.70
satisfied by worshiping Him.
Matthew 2 verse 11: And when
00:34:00.73\00:34:06.75
they came into the house, you
notice it doesn't say the barn
00:34:06.79\00:34:13.37
or the stable, they saw the
young child. That word young
00:34:13.40\00:34:18.38
child there is a different
word than a newborn baby. He's a
00:34:18.41\00:34:22.36
little older at this point. We
don't know how old. We do know
00:34:22.40\00:34:26.01
that when Herod interviewed them
he got the impression it would
00:34:26.04\00:34:29.52
be important to exterminate all
the baby boys in Bethlehem two
00:34:29.55\00:34:33.59
years old and under. So we don't
know what the age of Jesus was
00:34:33.62\00:34:37.66
at this point. It may have been
shortly after the shepherds but
00:34:37.69\00:34:40.67
they came into the house. The
word house there is never used
00:34:40.70\00:34:45.55
for a barn... to worship
Him and they saw the young child
00:34:45.58\00:34:50.20
with Mary his mother and they
fell down and worshiped Mary?
00:34:50.24\00:34:55.50
Wait, whoa. They missed a good
place to talk about worshiping
00:34:55.53\00:35:00.19
Mary. I mean, whose going to
have the better conversation,
00:35:00.22\00:35:04.97
the young child or Mary? But
they don't worship Mary. Did you
00:35:05.00\00:35:10.37
get that? You know, as I look
for graphics for my programs
00:35:10.41\00:35:15.34
when I look for the wise men
scenes all these pictures deify
00:35:15.38\00:35:19.13
Mary. It's almost like they're
worshiping Mary and the Baby
00:35:19.16\00:35:22.77
is sort of off to the side.
You know what I'm talking about?
00:35:22.81\00:35:26.29
Mary's got the halo and she's
glowing and all the wise men are
00:35:26.32\00:35:29.77
there and it's like you're
not sure which one they're
00:35:29.80\00:35:31.38
worshiping. Nowhere in the text
does it say they worshiped Mary.
00:35:31.42\00:35:35.23
The emphasis is, notice here.
They came into the house where
00:35:35.26\00:35:38.97
the Child was with Mary His
mother. It doesn't say Joseph
00:35:39.00\00:35:42.65
was there and they fell down
and worshiped HIM and when they
00:35:42.69\00:35:46.19
opened their treasures they
presented gifts to HIM. Oh I
00:35:46.22\00:35:49.76
mean, did he have a bit wallet?
I mean what's he going to do
00:35:49.79\00:35:54.18
with it. They may have given the
power of attorney to Mary and
00:35:54.22\00:35:58.05
Joseph, but those gifts were
not for Mary and Joseph. Are you
00:35:58.09\00:36:01.89
with me? I mean, in a lot
of churches they're worshiping
00:36:01.92\00:36:04.18
everything but the Child. I want
to read something from Desire of
00:36:04.22\00:36:10.84
Ages, page 64. If you don't know
what book I'm talking about, ask
00:36:10.88\00:36:15.93
somebody. You'll find it online.
It's a classic on the life of
00:36:15.97\00:36:21.19
Christ. Beneath the lowly guise
of Jesus they recognized the
00:36:21.22\00:36:26.70
presence of Divinity. They gave
their hearts to Him as their
00:36:26.74\00:36:32.19
Savior and when they
poured out their gifts, gold and
00:36:32.22\00:36:35.63
frankincense and myrrh what
a fate was theirs. They saw in
00:36:35.67\00:36:40.45
this Child the incarnation. They
worshiped God in this Child.
00:36:40.48\00:36:46.66
They were worshiping Him. Now
I want to talk about the Word
00:36:46.69\00:36:52.84
and worship. Part of true
worship is the Word of God.
00:36:52.87\00:36:58.93
Part of true worship is hearing
the proclamation of the Word.
00:36:58.97\00:37:03.92
Keep in mind when they
came to worship Jesus they were
00:37:03.95\00:37:07.24
beholding Him. What is
happening when we open the Word
00:37:07.27\00:37:10.81
such as right now. Are we
getting a better picture of
00:37:10.85\00:37:14.32
Jesus? This is part of worship.
Prayer is communion with Him.
00:37:14.36\00:37:18.97
Prayer is part of that worship
experience. I want to turn your
00:37:19.00\00:37:22.38
attention to something in
the Bible that will help explain
00:37:22.42\00:37:27.06
this. Acts chapter 8 verses
27 and 28: And behold a man of
00:37:27.09\00:37:31.72
Ethiopia, again a foreigner, a
eunuch of great authority under
00:37:31.75\00:37:36.35
Candice the queen of the
Ethiopians, who had charge over
00:37:36.38\00:37:39.79
all of her treasury. He had come
to Jerusalem, for what purpose,
00:37:39.83\00:37:46.80
to worship. He came a long way
and since he is a treasurer do
00:37:46.83\00:37:53.77
you think he brought any
treasure with him? Probably.
00:37:53.80\00:37:56.85
You don't come that far. When
the Queen of Sheba came did she
00:37:56.89\00:38:01.47
bring any treasure with her?
And he came to worship. And it
00:38:01.51\00:38:06.15
says that on his way home he
was sitting in his chariot and
00:38:06.18\00:38:11.12
reading Isaiah the prophet. So
part and parcel of his coming to
00:38:11.16\00:38:16.07
worship was reading the
word. I believe God might have a
00:38:16.10\00:38:21.18
special time and a place for
worship. Matter of fact, that's
00:38:21.22\00:38:26.23
the next point I'm going to talk
about. God has a time, God has a
00:38:26.27\00:38:30.45
place for worship. How many
of you have heard this uttered
00:38:30.48\00:38:33.81
before sort of sarcastically?
Well you know Seventh-day
00:38:33.84\00:38:36.79
Adventists, you worship God
one day a week, we worship God
00:38:36.82\00:38:40.54
seven days a week. And
that sounds very pious but it's
00:38:40.57\00:38:44.33
really a bogus argument because
while it is true we should
00:38:44.36\00:38:49.35
worship God always, whenever
you pray, if you say the Lord's
00:38:49.39\00:38:53.83
prayer, how does it begin?
Hallowed be thy name. It begins
00:38:53.86\00:38:58.23
with a sentence of worship. The
angels in His presence, what do
00:38:58.27\00:39:01.64
they say? Holy, Holy, Holy.
It's worshiping God. But does
00:39:01.67\00:39:05.50
God also have a designated time
and place to come before Him and
00:39:05.54\00:39:09.82
worship? Yes, every Sabbath day.
So those who say I worship God
00:39:09.86\00:39:14.11
seven days a week, that
sounds pious but if you keep the
00:39:14.14\00:39:16.57
Sabbath seven days a week you're
not holy, your lazy because it
00:39:16.61\00:39:20.75
says you don't do work on that
day. It's a day of setting aside
00:39:20.79\00:39:24.76
everything else. It sounds
very spiritual but it is true we
00:39:24.80\00:39:27.99
should worship God. You
should have devotions every day,
00:39:28.02\00:39:31.80
several times a day. Daniel
- morning, evening and at noon.
00:39:31.84\00:39:35.57
King David said Psalm 55, Daniel
chapter 6, three times a day
00:39:35.61\00:39:39.07
was his custom. We ought to
have regular times set aside to
00:39:39.11\00:39:43.42
worship the King and that would
be including prayer, listening
00:39:43.45\00:39:47.73
to, meditating upon the word
and just simply adoring Him,
00:39:47.76\00:39:53.35
worshiping Him, looking to
Him, seeking Him. That's what it
00:39:53.39\00:39:58.91
means. But he also has a special
time and a place. Matter of fact
00:39:58.95\00:40:02.94
it's so important to God that
even in heaven, you'd think well
00:40:02.97\00:40:06.93
we don't need to go to church
in heaven. Have you read in
00:40:06.96\00:40:10.40
Isaiah 66 verse 23: It will come
to pass that from one new moon
00:40:10.44\00:40:15.19
to another and from one Sabbath
to another, listen carefully,
00:40:15.22\00:40:19.72
all flesh, Jew and Gentile,
shall come to worship, they come
00:40:19.76\00:40:25.01
to worship before
me. On a certain time
00:40:25.05\00:40:27.90
they come to a certain
00:40:27.93\00:40:29.64
place to worship Him. Are we
still going to have a time and a
00:40:29.68\00:40:33.02
place set aside to worship
God in heaven? Yes. That's what
00:40:33.05\00:40:35.99
makes it so special. It's also
something we do collectively.
00:40:36.03\00:40:40.44
You know, when you get people
who really love a common object
00:40:40.48\00:40:44.60
together there's an energy there
One of the things I do when I
00:40:44.64\00:40:48.05
try to strike up a conversation
with a stranger to hopefully
00:40:48.08\00:40:52.03
share my faith, I find out what
their interests are. And it's
00:40:52.07\00:40:55.99
amazing. I'll be sitting on
a plane and I might engage a
00:40:56.02\00:40:59.76
person and you always say stuff
like so what do you do and I'm
00:40:59.80\00:41:02.89
always listening carefully for
what their areas of interest are
00:41:02.93\00:41:05.99
and I've done so many different
things I can often find
00:41:06.02\00:41:08.00
something in common to talk to
them about. And when I find out
00:41:08.04\00:41:12.31
what their interests are and
they say well yeah I like to go
00:41:12.34\00:41:15.35
out and I actually do a little
hang gliding. And I say oh
00:41:15.39\00:41:17.88
really. Yeah I've done some hang
gliding. Oh, all of a sudden
00:41:17.92\00:41:20.42
they light up. What kind
and where do you go. Blah, Blah.
00:41:20.46\00:41:23.01
You find a common interest and
they just come alive. Have you
00:41:23.05\00:41:25.57
noticed that. People have a
hobby, they've got a special
00:41:25.60\00:41:29.54
interest. If you get a room full
of people that all are in love
00:41:29.58\00:41:33.16
with Jesus, that really
love Jesus, then you really see
00:41:33.19\00:41:37.26
worship starting to happen
and you'll see a fellowship.
00:41:37.30\00:41:41.30
You know, they're not bickering
with each other because they've
00:41:41.34\00:41:44.62
got such a common love for Jesus
I still think there are so many
00:41:44.65\00:41:47.54
people who go to church out of
a sense of guilt or obligation.
00:41:47.57\00:41:50.43
Now I'm glad you're here.
If you're here because you feel
00:41:50.46\00:41:53.12
guilty and that's the only
reason, keep coming. It's still
00:41:53.15\00:41:55.74
better because you'll come and
you'll hear the right reasons to
00:41:55.78\00:41:59.47
be here right? But so many come
for other reasons. They've got
00:41:59.50\00:42:02.98
this sense of obligation or it's
a habit; they grew up this way
00:42:03.01\00:42:05.95
and they're watching the clock.
How long is Pastor Doug going to
00:42:05.99\00:42:08.90
go today. Some people I think
set off their cell phones on
00:42:08.93\00:42:12.51
purpose, especially right around
when they think the sermon
00:42:12.54\00:42:16.05
ought to end. It's an obligation
But when we love the Lord we're
00:42:16.09\00:42:20.53
not thinking that way are
we? That's where you see real
00:42:20.56\00:42:23.98
worship beginning to happen.
The other point that I want to
00:42:24.01\00:42:27.74
especially focus on as we wind
up here. You know what the wise
00:42:27.78\00:42:31.48
men did? They came, they
rejoiced, they gave, they
00:42:31.51\00:42:39.61
worshiped. That's what's we
should do. You can read that
00:42:39.65\00:42:43.64
back in Matthew. Turn with me in
your Bibles again. I want you to
00:42:43.68\00:42:48.40
notice the sequence of this.
Verse 11: When they came into
00:42:48.43\00:42:55.07
the house and saw the young
Child with Mary His mother they
00:42:55.11\00:43:00.33
fell down. Now what else does
that tell us about their worship
00:43:00.37\00:43:05.56
Did they stand up and wave? Did
they salute? Or did they kneel?
00:43:05.59\00:43:11.26
They might have even prostrated
themselves before a Baby, but he
00:43:11.29\00:43:16.93
wasn't just a Baby was he?
He was the fulfillment of the
00:43:16.96\00:43:20.80
desire of ages. God came to
earth in the form of a man. What
00:43:20.83\00:43:24.64
a mystery! And they fell
down, they knelt. There was a
00:43:24.67\00:43:28.37
reverence happening here.
There is a generosity, there's a
00:43:28.40\00:43:31.82
commitment, there's a surrender.
These are kings, these are
00:43:31.86\00:43:35.80
patriarchs of tribes. They are
wealthy leaders. They've come a
00:43:35.83\00:43:40.16
long way. What do they get from
the Baby. Does it say he gave
00:43:40.19\00:43:44.38
them a good sermon. But they
still worshiped him. Some people
00:43:44.42\00:43:48.58
leave church; they say ah I
didn't enjoy church today. I
00:43:48.61\00:43:50.78
didn't get anything, I didn't
get anything out of church
00:43:50.82\00:43:52.92
today. Pastor was firing blanks
today. I know sometimes I fire
00:43:52.96\00:43:57.99
blanks and we've all been
to churches where it's hard to
00:43:58.02\00:44:00.47
stay awake and that might be
partly your fault. Could be your
00:44:00.51\00:44:03.74
fault if you're having trouble
staying awake because you're
00:44:03.77\00:44:07.07
working too late and too long
through the week. Not staying
00:44:07.11\00:44:11.15
up too late Friday night. You
never say amen and the pastor
00:44:11.18\00:44:14.62
preaches a boring sermon
when he's got a boring audience.
00:44:14.65\00:44:17.92
That's right. I preach a
lot better if you're a better
00:44:17.96\00:44:21.15
audience. It's true. Amen? Yeah.
And so part of the reason the
00:44:21.19\00:44:24.81
sermon's going downhill is
because you are too at the same
00:44:24.84\00:44:28.39
time; we go together. It's true.
I think my associates here will
00:44:28.43\00:44:33.54
agree with that fully. Sometimes
it's hard to preach an exciting
00:44:33.58\00:44:38.66
to a boring audience. Do
you mind? It works both ways.
00:44:38.70\00:44:43.35
But they don't come away saying
you know I didn't get anything
00:44:43.39\00:44:48.97
out of what the Baby said. Are
they saying that? No, because
00:44:49.00\00:44:53.48
it's not about what they're
going to get. They haven't come
00:44:53.51\00:44:58.96
expecting to get anything.
They've come to give. You see
00:44:59.00\00:45:02.66
what I mean when I say I don't
think there's one in 100 that
00:45:02.69\00:45:06.04
really understands what worship
is. And we'd be a lot happier if
00:45:06.07\00:45:09.37
we came with the right attitude
to worship Him because of who He
00:45:09.41\00:45:13.28
is. And if you get something out
of the sermon, that's a bonus.
00:45:13.31\00:45:18.70
Amen? Just one more reason to
praise the Lord. Verse 11: They
00:45:18.74\00:45:23.54
fell down and they worshiped
Him and then they opened their
00:45:23.58\00:45:28.56
treasures and presented to Him
gold and frankincense and myrrh
00:45:28.60\00:45:34.22
They worshiped and they gave
their treasure. In order to give
00:45:34.26\00:45:40.09
they opened to give. What is it
that we must open to really give
00:45:40.13\00:45:45.93
the way God wants us to
give? When we open our hearts.
00:45:45.96\00:45:50.38
God wants cheerful giving. Now
I want you to notice the many
00:45:50.41\00:45:54.92
scriptures and I'm not going to
even read them all because there
00:45:54.95\00:45:59.32
are so many. This is a Bible
principle, friends. We're doing
00:45:59.36\00:46:02.62
something a little different
today than we normally do with
00:46:02.65\00:46:05.54
our offering. Some of you are
thinking, Oh hey they forgot the
00:46:05.58\00:46:08.43
offering. Good we're going
to get out today without an
00:46:08.47\00:46:10.46
offering. No, no, no, the
offering is part of the service
00:46:10.49\00:46:12.41
today. We want it to be part of
the worship service. We want it
00:46:12.45\00:46:17.02
to be part and parcel
organically connected with the
00:46:17.05\00:46:20.17
message. And it's biblical.
They worshiped him and then they
00:46:20.21\00:46:24.37
gave their treasures.
They brought their treasures.
00:46:24.41\00:46:28.72
Genesis 22 verses 5 and 6,
Abraham brings Isaac up the
00:46:28.75\00:46:32.99
mountain. Notice what he says
to his servants. Stay here with
00:46:33.03\00:46:37.36
the donkey. The lad and I will
go yonder and worship and will
00:46:37.39\00:46:41.69
come back to you. So
Abraham took the wood, the burnt
00:46:41.72\00:46:45.20
offering and laid it on Isaac.
He took the fire in his hand and
00:46:45.23\00:46:48.83
his son and they went together.
They went to a place to worship
00:46:48.87\00:46:52.41
and sacrifice. And you know
what sacrifice means, it means
00:46:52.44\00:46:55.92
something is given. They went to
a place to worship and sacrifice
00:46:55.95\00:47:02.52
Psalm 72, this is a prophecy. If
you doubt the power of the Old
00:47:02.55\00:47:07.83
Testament prophecies listen
to this. Psalm 72 verse 10: The
00:47:07.87\00:47:12.28
kings of Tarshish and the isles.
I always like to remind people
00:47:12.31\00:47:16.58
that was my mother's maiden name
Tarshish. The kings of Tarshish
00:47:16.62\00:47:20.85
and the isles will bring
presents. The kings of Sheba and
00:47:20.89\00:47:24.13
Seba will offer gifts. Yes, all
the kings shall fall down before
00:47:24.17\00:47:28.20
him, all nations will serve him.
The prophecies, this messianic
00:47:28.24\00:47:32.23
prophecy of David said that
these foreign kings would come
00:47:32.27\00:47:35.21
and fall before him and bring
their gifts and that literally
00:47:35.24\00:47:38.35
happened didn't it. And if
that's not enough for you listen
00:47:38.38\00:47:42.14
to how precise Isaiah makes it.
They came to the place to give
00:47:42.18\00:47:46.08
and worship. Did you catch the
point. Listen to Isaiah chapter
00:47:46.11\00:47:50.54
60 verse 1: The Gentiles will
come to your light. Were they
00:47:50.58\00:47:54.69
following a light? And kings to
the brightness of your rising.
00:47:54.72\00:47:58.89
These were kings in that respect
The wealth of the Gentiles shall
00:47:58.92\00:48:03.05
come to you. The multitude
of camels shall cover your land;
00:48:03.09\00:48:07.07
dromedaries of Midian and Ephah.
All those from Sheba shall come.
00:48:07.11\00:48:11.39
They will bring gold and incense
they will proclaim the praises
00:48:11.43\00:48:16.15
of the Lord. That's exactly what
happened. Deuteronomy 26 verses
00:48:16.19\00:48:20.88
10 and 11, part of the
instructions for the children of
00:48:20.92\00:48:25.04
Israel about how to worship God.
And now behold I have brought
00:48:25.08\00:48:28.87
the first fruits of the land
which you, Lord, have given me.
00:48:28.91\00:48:32.72
Then you will set it before the
Lord your God and worship before
00:48:32.76\00:48:36.49
the Lord your God. So you shall
rejoice. Notice that. That's
00:48:36.52\00:48:40.41
what our sermon's all about.
Did these wise men rejoice? Did
00:48:40.45\00:48:44.31
they worship? Did they
bring their offerings? This is a
00:48:44.34\00:48:48.83
privilege and I think we
need all three. Then you shall
00:48:48.87\00:48:52.68
rejoice. You noticed it says
they brought their offerings
00:48:52.71\00:48:56.45
and then it says they rejoiced.
I think that when we give the
00:48:56.49\00:48:59.73
way God wants us to give it
ought to bring rejoicing that
00:48:59.77\00:49:02.97
we've been able to worship Him
by opening our hearts. Then you
00:49:03.01\00:49:08.11
shall rejoice in every good
thing. You know the last one
00:49:08.14\00:49:10.95
I'll give you, I could give you
dozens of verses. Some of you
00:49:10.99\00:49:14.74
remember the father and mother
of Samuel. This man, I Samuel
00:49:14.78\00:49:18.82
chapter 1 verse 3: This man
went up from his city yearly to
00:49:18.85\00:49:22.96
worship and sacrifice to the
Lord of hosts in Shiloh. These
00:49:22.99\00:49:27.00
two things went together
all through the Bible. They came
00:49:27.04\00:49:30.98
to a place to worship and give.
You know, here we are at the end
00:49:31.02\00:49:36.77
of the year and I want us, as we
enter this new year, I know we
00:49:36.80\00:49:41.33
have one more Sabbath left
but I thought I wanted you to be
00:49:41.37\00:49:45.62
thinking about this now. As we
enter this new year I would like
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to be a place where people come
and they really see Him. Where
00:49:49.89\00:49:53.24
people are going to say where is
He and we're going to say, you
00:49:53.28\00:49:56.97
came to the right place. We're
looking for Him. We're looking
00:49:57.00\00:50:00.95
for Him too. We know where
he is. A place where people can
00:50:00.99\00:50:05.26
come and see the light and
rejoice. A place where we can
00:50:05.30\00:50:10.56
come and worship Him and give
just because He is God and a
00:50:10.59\00:50:15.78
place where we will rejoice with
exceeding great joy because of
00:50:15.82\00:50:19.14
that privilege, because we have
seen the light. Friends I really
00:50:19.17\00:50:22.47
mean this from the bottom
of my heart. I believe God has
00:50:22.51\00:50:25.50
committed to this church the
oracles of truth for the last
00:50:25.53\00:50:29.24
days. We don't know everything
but oh God's given us so much.
00:50:29.27\00:50:33.97
And that ought to cause us great
rejoicing. And I don't believe
00:50:34.01\00:50:37.67
there's anything you can give
the Lord that he... You can't
00:50:37.70\00:50:41.23
out give God. When you think
about what God gave when God
00:50:41.27\00:50:45.04
came to this earth. Think about
the faith of these men. Like
00:50:45.07\00:50:48.07
Abraham. They went, they didn't
know where they were going but
00:50:48.10\00:50:51.38
they were following the light
and when they found Him they
00:50:51.41\00:50:54.30
rejoiced. Friends the Lord, I
believe, has brought you here,
00:50:54.33\00:50:57.90
even those who are watching and
He wants us to worship God. Our
00:50:57.93\00:51:01.46
worship must be God-centered.
You know, I thought that it
00:51:01.50\00:51:05.31
would be appropriate once a
year we do this here at Central
00:51:05.35\00:51:09.09
Church, if you're visiting this
is a custom, that we reserve the
00:51:09.13\00:51:12.77
offering towards the end of
the service and instead of us
00:51:12.80\00:51:16.27
collecting it, it almost makes
us feel like Christian IRS when
00:51:16.30\00:51:21.74
you do it that way. Instead of
us collecting it, we bring it.
00:51:21.77\00:51:26.16
I'd like to ask if our ushers or
deacons will bring out a basket.
00:51:26.19\00:51:30.54
We're going to have a basket
here at the front. We'll have
00:51:30.58\00:51:33.98
one also upstairs in the center
of the top balcony. Those who
00:51:34.02\00:51:36.69
in the pie in the middle, I
don't know what arrangements we
00:51:36.73\00:51:39.86
have for you. You'll have to
go either up or down. But we're
00:51:39.89\00:51:42.75
going to stand together and
we're going to sing that song
00:51:42.78\00:51:45.56
We Three Kings. Keep in mind it
could have been four of them or
00:51:45.60\00:51:49.83
five. Number 137. I like this
song because it talks about our
00:51:49.87\00:51:54.39
coming to bring our gifts. We
trust that you've come to church
00:51:54.42\00:51:59.02
today prepared to worship and to
give. We're also hoping you will
00:51:59.06\00:52:03.62
do it with rejoicing with
exceeding great joy. We're going
00:52:03.66\00:52:06.88
to bring our gifts to the Lord
today and thank Him and praise
00:52:06.92\00:52:10.11
Him for his goodness and
just rejoice and worship Him
00:52:10.14\00:52:13.21
together. Is that your desire
friends? Let's stand together as
00:52:13.25\00:52:16.76
we sing this and as we sing we
will give the opportunity as the
00:52:16.79\00:52:20.23
Spirit moves, we don't have
a line that we follow, to bring
00:52:20.27\00:52:23.67
your offerings and place
them in the basket before us.
00:52:23.71\00:52:27.36
¤ ¤
00:52:27.39\00:52:39.31
We three kings of orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar.
00:52:39.35\00:52:48.76
Field and
fountain, Moor and mountain,
00:52:48.79\00:52:54.74
Following yonder star.
00:52:54.78\00:52:58.06
O star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright,
00:52:58.10\00:53:11.58
Westward
leading, still proceeding
00:53:11.62\00:53:17.54
Guide us to Thy perfect light.
00:53:17.58\00:53:23.08
Born a King on
Bethlehem's plain,
00:53:23.12\00:53:28.57
Gold I bring to crown Him again,
00:53:28.61\00:53:33.99
King forever, ceasing
never Over us all to reign.
00:53:34.02\00:53:44.83
O star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright,
00:53:44.87\00:53:56.91
Westward
leading, still proceeding,
00:53:56.94\00:54:03.09
Guide us to Thy perfect light.
00:54:03.13\00:54:09.58
Frankincense to offer have
I; Incense owns a Deity nigh;
00:54:09.62\00:54:19.14
Prayer and
praising all men raising
00:54:19.18\00:54:25.19
Worship Him, God on high.
00:54:25.23\00:54:30.15
O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright,
00:54:30.18\00:54:42.52
Westward
leading, Still proceeding,
00:54:42.55\00:54:48.21
Guide us to Thy perfect light.
00:54:48.25\00:54:53.86
Myrrh is mine;
its bitter perfume
00:54:53.90\00:54:59.52
Breaths a life
of gathering gloom:
00:54:59.55\00:55:05.09
Sorrowing,
sighing, bleeding, dying,
00:55:05.12\00:55:10.62
Sealed in the stone cold tomb.
00:55:10.65\00:55:15.27
O star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright,
00:55:15.31\00:55:28.72
Westward
leading, Still proceeding,
00:55:28.75\00:55:33.92
Guide us to Thy perfect light.
00:55:33.95\00:55:40.45
Amen. Can you say praise the
Lord? Looks like we had just the
00:55:40.48\00:55:44.52
right number of verses there.
What were the three gifts that
00:55:44.56\00:55:50.47
they brought? Gold, frankincense
and myrrh. The gold represents
00:55:50.50\00:55:56.38
love. The frankincense
represents prayer. It was
00:55:56.41\00:55:59.83
something that they put in the
altar to rise up in the temple.
00:55:59.87\00:56:04.60
It represented the prayers.
Myrrh is what they anointed
00:56:04.64\00:56:08.64
someone with when they died.
It was even in the words of the
00:56:08.67\00:56:12.21
song. It represented a personal
sacrifice that we are buried
00:56:12.25\00:56:16.48
with Christ. I want my home,
I want my church to be a place
00:56:16.52\00:56:20.35
when people come saying
where is He, they find him here.
00:56:20.39\00:56:24.16
They find Him in our lives, they
find Him in our church. Is that
00:56:24.19\00:56:27.12
your desire friends? And
now that we might have that joy,
00:56:27.16\00:56:30.75
exceeding great joy that comes
from seeing the light that sets
00:56:30.78\00:56:37.31
us free. Shall we pray together?
Loving Father, Lord we pray that
00:56:37.35\00:56:43.85
today our study and our time,
our worship, our gifts will be
00:56:43.88\00:56:49.28
acceptable in your sight. Lord
it has brought joy to our hearts
00:56:49.31\00:56:54.90
to be in this place and simply
say holy, holy, holy. We thank
00:56:54.94\00:57:00.10
you and praise you for the truth
that we remember that you came
00:57:00.13\00:57:05.21
into this world, you took on the
garb of humanity that you might
00:57:05.25\00:57:10.56
relate with us, that you might
be an example for us, that you
00:57:10.59\00:57:15.32
might reveal the Father and
ultimately die as our substitute
00:57:15.35\00:57:20.39
and sacrifice. For this Lord
we worship you. We thank you for
00:57:20.42\00:57:25.42
your goodness. We praise
you for your patience and your
00:57:25.45\00:57:30.40
everlasting mercy. Please
protect this church as a group.
00:57:30.43\00:57:34.36
Protect every family that is
represented here. We pray the
00:57:34.40\00:57:38.05
blessings that are in this place
will go from this place into
00:57:38.09\00:57:41.71
every home that we can take
those blessings with us. The
00:57:41.75\00:57:46.39
Bible tells us that when
the wise men left they left a
00:57:46.43\00:57:50.41
different way than when they
came. We pray Lord that as we
00:57:50.45\00:57:54.69
leave this place we can leave
different people because we've
00:57:54.72\00:57:58.99
been here to worship the King.
Thank you Lord and we are asking
00:57:59.03\00:58:03.26
this in Christ's name, Amen.
00:58:03.29\00:58:06.46