05 December 1999

CAPTAIN ALISTAIR VENTER

Reading: MATTHEW 2:1-12

INTRODUCTION:

Many years ago I saw a Bumper sticker on a car that has stayed with me ever since, and that simply said; "Wise men still seek Him". According to the world, that is an untrue statement – an unrealistic suggestion. Yet, for those of us who have been on the Christian road for some years, I guess we can vouch for the fact that this is true!

Our text today tells us about these wise men who came seeking for Jesus. They were men of science, students of astronomy, students of the body of knowledge of their day. They were seekers of the truth and they had come upon some very important knowledge. But that knowledge alone is not what made them wise. It is what they did with that knowledge. You see, these wise men knew how to apply the truth they had. And that is what made them wise.

What can these wise men teach us today? What example do they give us to live by? We are going to look at just 5 characteristics of their wisdom, I trust that we will endeavor to follow their example.

We see firstly that they had:

1. An Attitude of Expectancy

Expectancy motivated them to seek out the child. Certainly they had knowledge that the King of the Jews would be born. They told Herod they had seen His star while they were still in the east. But merely the having of the knowledge was not enough. I’m sure they could have made note of the sighting of His star in their journal, but they wanted to see for themselves. They were filled with anticipation of what they might discover. So, they became men on a mission. But it was a mission full of hope. They expected to find what they were looking for. In fact, they were so sure they would find Him that they brought the gifts with them. This was no academic endeavor. This had to do with life itself.

Have you ever noticed how children have this attitude of anticipation, this attitude of expectancy? Christmas is coming! My birthday is coming! Boy, I can’t wait till the weekend! When I grow up, I’m going to be a fireman, doctor, athlete, or scientist. Little children are always looking, with eager anticipation, toward the future. And Jesus said we must be just like that in order to enter the Kingdom of God

You see, expectancy makes all the difference. Expectancy can put one into the Kingdom, or the lack of it can keep one out. In order to come into the Kingdom, you must look to the Lord with hope. You must believe that He can do something in your life. Expectancy says that Christ can make a difference.

I was challenged as I listened on the radio this week to the news bulletin that spoke about the fact that the National Council for the Blind have a project where they have made candles, and they are calling it the candle of Hope – a candle of expectancy! Ten minutes before midnight on the 31^st December, they have asked that people light this candle. I thought about who it was that was making these candles – people who are blind. People who perhaps will never see the light – and yet they enter the new year with hope, with expectancy.

On the other hand, if you look to life with a negative, cynical attitude, you never check out the possibilities. If that’s you’re attitude, then you’re doomed to live life in the realm of the "what has been" instead of the "what can be." Things are not always what they seem, and if we look at life through cynical eyes, we will never be privileged to see what might have been if we had only dared to hope against hope.

May I say that as we face various situations every day, let us have an attitude of expectancy. A number of folk have been fasting this week as we have been praying for the parliament of World Religions. I trust that we have been praying and fasting with an attitude of expectancy. Perhaps there have been other things we have been praying for – but we have had a negative attitude – no real expectation that God can or will do anything about it. Take a page out of the lives of those first wise men who came seeking for Jesus with an attitude of expectancy.

Secondly, these wise men displayed:

2. A Willingness to Take the Risk

Not only did they exhibit a certain expectancy, but they also were willing to risk that they were right. We’ve all heard the little cliche, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." There is truth to that statement. Jesus said it another way. He said, "Seek and ye shall find." In other words, we must step out on our expectation if we would find what we are seeking. The wise men were willing to put their faith to the test of action.

And when you think about it, risk can be faith in action. Risk is what puts the works to faith. It is the wise men hitching up to the camels and starting out across the desert following the star. It is Peter stepping out of the boat to walk on the water. It is Moses being pursued by Pharaoh, stretching out his rod to part the Red Sea. It is Abraham lifting the knife to sacrifice his son, Isaac, believing that God knew what He was doing. It is Joshua marching around the walled city of Jericho, trusting that God would bring the walls down, It is David going forth to face a mighty giant, armed only with a sling and some rocks. It is Nehemiah and his men with a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other, rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. It is Daniel walking into the lion’s den, refusing to leave off his devotion to God. It is the three Hebrew children being willing to be thrown into the fiery furnace rather than disavow their faith in God. It is Paul putting his life on the line in city after city for the cause of Christ.

You see, risk is precisely what we need. Risk is faith in action, and faith in action causes us to grow. Being willing to risk causes our faith to be stretched. It increases our capacity for being used of God. And ultimately, risk brings those things to pass which we seek. In the book of James it says that faith without works is dead. The kind of faith some people say they have is lifeless and dull. But the kind of faith that will venture forth and act becomes exciting and alive. Venture becomes adventure. Be willing to take the risk.

The third thing we notice about the wise men was:

3. An Openness to Discovery

The wise men began in expectation and risk. Now, their expectation and risk became discovery. The Scripture says, "And they came into the house and saw the child." They had taken the risk and now they had arrived. Jesus said very clearly that they that seek will find – and the joy of discovering the Christ child must have made their efforts all so worthwhile. But what I want to say to you is that their discovery took them to the most unlikely of places. They did not find Jesus in Jerusalem where one might have expected to find a king being born. They did not find Jesus in a palace which would have been the obvious place to seek. But they found him in the place where God, through the star, had guided them. Yes, they had to go past Jerusalem, past Herod the King, until they eventually discovered His whereabouts.

Just as the wise men found what they were looking for, so can you. If you are willing to take a step of faith, if you are willing to venture forth, based on the expectation that God will meet you there, then you will discover the God who can change your life.

Fourthly, we see in these wise men:

4. A Heart to Worship

They didn’t stop with discovery. The wise men were wise because they had a heart to worship Jesus. When they found Jesus, they bowed down and presented the gifts they had brought. This was the fulfillment of their journey and it reveals the wisdom of the wise. The Scripture says, "The fool has said in his heart, there is no God." Far from being foolish, these wise men knew the truth, and I suspect that the truth set them free. They bowed before the King of Kings, who, at that time, was only a baby.

Herod was not so wise. Our text says that he was troubled. In other words, he was threatened. He wanted no part of Jesus. He was threatened because he had chosen the evil way. And sadly, many are in that place today, and they take the same course that Herod did, trying to destroy the source of the threat. Perhaps they do not try to literally destroy, like Herod did in having the infants slaughtered, but through mocking words many of them try to destroy the credibility of the Church or of Christians. But it is a futile endeavor. You cannot fight against God and win. You will find yourself beating the air. Herod’s efforts were in vain, and he was swept off the face of history into hell, condemned, not by Jesus, but by his own evil choices. You see, it is not enough to know about Jesus. We must bow before Him in surrender of our very lives.

We see by the wise men’s actions what worship truly means. They not only bowed before Him, but they gave out of their treasure to Him. They gave gold, which is the gift for a king; frankincense, which is the gift for a priest; and myrrh, which is the gift for one who was to die. They acknowledged Jesus for who He was, and they exhibited, by their actions, their allegiance to Him. True worship is giving — yourself — all you are and all you have.

Lastly, the wise men displayed:

5. A Determination to Obey

The wise men were warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod. It seems that as a result of their worship, that God was with them! Here He gave them some direct instructions. By obeying what God said, they were proving that they were wise men!

The choice of obedience is the natural result of coming into contact with God’s truth. God’s truth always presents us with a clear choice. The choice is whether to obey or to simply ignore it. There are really no other choices. Some people know clearly what God wants them to do, they take note of it, and do their own thing. When they do it, they say: "God will understand!" We’ve all been guilty of doing this, I’m sure. But to treat God’s truth in that manner is to treat it with disrespect.

The only choice which honors God, that we who would be wise have, is to obey. We must put God’s truth into practice. We must apply it to our lives. The wise men did. We can infer this because of their actions. When God spoke to them, they obeyed. They risked incurring Herod’s anger rather than incurring God’s wrath. I think they made a good choice. Coming into contact with Jesus, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords meant that there was no choice between obedience or disobedience..

The wise men still preach to us the virtues by which they lived: Expectancy, Risk, Discovery, Worship and Obedience. They speak to us about the possibilities in God for all of us. They speak to us about what can happen when you put your faith into action. They speak to us about an encounter with Jesus that can change a life.

You know, the wise men were serious about finding Christ. They were serious about wanting to worship Him. We must mean business with God, and He will do business with us.

Perhaps God is speaking to you today about the need to venture forth in faith. Perhaps you need to take a few risks to see your faith put into action. That friend at work who needs to hear the Gospel may be the challenge which is before you. That unpopular stand which you really should take based on Christian principles may be a risk God is calling you to take. That uncharted territory into which you sense God calling you may be the adventure which will open greater doors of ministry to you. If we would discover God’s best for us, we must take the risks necessary to venture forth at His command.

Perhaps God has spoken to you about both the quality and the quantity of your worship. Maybe you haven’t been spending the kind of time you need to spend in Bible reading and prayer and devotion. Be a wise man, a wise woman, and don’t unplug yourself from the source of power for living.

And finally, God may have been speaking to you about the level of your obedience. It is simply not enough to hear God’s word and understand it. True life and joy comes from obedience. Only as you obey the commands of Jesus will you receive the benefits and blessings which are yours in Christ.