January 8, 2012
Scripture:
John 1:29, 35-36
Revelation 5:1-5, 6-9a,9,11-14 - We have had His life and His death and now His exaltation.
Let us turn again to Revelation, this time chapter 19. We were reading earlier in chapter 5. By ch. 19, all the judgements have been executed and Babylon is gone. Everyone on earth is weeping, but it is very different in Heaven. It is important to note that up to this point we are pictured as part of the four and twenty elders. Read vv. 1 - 7. Here we are again, but we are not the four and twenty elders this time: we are the bride. The four and twenty elders are the Old Testament and New Testament saints. But only New Testament saints will be part of the bride. Read vv 8 & 9; they end with, “These are the true sayings of God.” It is all true.
The wise man built his house upon the rock
Prayer
Last time, we looked at Joseph and Mary’s travels with Jesus as a young baby. We were trying to figure out where they were when the wise men came to visit. Today, we’ll read about that visit.
Matthew 2:1-11
The wise men arrived in Jerusalem in v. 1. Do we know how many wise men were there? The Bible doesn’t tell us how many there were, only that there were more than one. The wise men came to Jerusalem looking for Jesus, but Jesus wasn’t in Jerusalem.
These men went to King Herod, thinking that he would know where Jesus was. It is interesting to note here that the second question in the Old Testament is God asking Adam, “Where art thou?” The first question in the New Testament is man asking, “Where is He?”
How did the wise men know that Jesus had been born? They had seen his star in the east. Some feel that this star was two stars coming together to form one star. Others say that it was only one star. We can’t know for sure. These wise men thought that this star meant that something special had happened, so they decided to take a trip to see what had happened. They probably traveled at night, so they could see the star, and rode on camels or horses. We don’t really know how many there were, but tradition says that there could have been from two to eighteen wise men.
So the wise men asked Herod where the new King was. This was news to King Herod; he didn’t know anything about a new king. Herod asked the scribes and priests if they had heard anything about a new King. They didn’t know very much about it either, but they were able to find some prophesies which said that He was to be born in Bethlehem. So Herod sent the wise men to Bethlehem. He told them to bring him word when they had found the new King, so that he could come and worship him too.
While the wise men were on their way to Bethlehem, the star appeared in the sky. This star seems to have been able to lead them in a specific direction: maybe it was lower in the sky than others.
When the wise men arrived, they went into the house, presented their gifts to Him, and worshiped Him. Why do you think they were called wise men? Someone who is wise has lots of knowledge. There are some people who have more knowledge than I do, but they don’t apply it. The wise men used their wisdom to find the Lord Jesus. They searched for him until they found him.
The Lord needs wise men, women, boys, and girls to follow Him today too. We can seek the Lord and find Him and make Him the center of our lives.
Luke 9:23-36
When Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?”, Peter answered, “You are the Christ of God.” He was right, Jesus was the “anointed One”, and as such He would take up His kingdom. However, Jesus told the disciples not to tell anyone of this, and instead began to talk of His suffering and death. That was His purpose for coming to Earth. His death would have to come before His kingdom.
Jesus doesn’t tell us to follow Him as He takes His kingdom; but rather to follow Him in His sufferings. This doesn’t sound appealing, but verse twenty-four tells us the consequences of our two choices: “Whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.”
We can see this illustrated very well in Genesis eighteen and nineteen. In chapter thirteen, Lot and Abraham had parted; now in chapter eighteen three men come to Abraham as he sits in the door of his tent. They were heavenly messengers, one of which was the Lord Himself. Abraham makes them a dinner, they feast, and the Lord promises to give Abraham a son.
In the next chapter, we find Lot sitting in the gate of the City of Sodom - the political center of the world. Lot is not sitting in some tent in the wilderness, but in the council of Sodom. This is where two angels find him when they come to the city at even. Only two angels - the Lord was missing. Lot compels them to stay at his house, pandemonium breaks loose in the city, the angels drag Lot and his family out, they burn the city, and Lots loses all that he had. Lot had a choice, and he chose the plains of Jordan. That had consequences. We have a choice. Will we live our way, or God’s way?
Rebekah had a similar choice. She was asked, “Will you go with Abraham’s servant?” She chose to go; even though she had only heard of Abraham and seen the gold - a picture of divine righteousness that God can give us - that the servant had given to her and her family. She saw something that attracted her, and she went. These people are our examples. Are we Abraham, or are we Lot?
Brother Norman remembers reading “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36 - Mark’s rendition of Luke 9:25) during World War II and commenting to his mother, “Mom, that’s just what Hitler’s doing.” If only he had turned to Scripture and read this verse. Occasionally, we’ll see something mentioned about the “richest man in the world”; but in reality, they only have a small portion of earth’s treasure. When we realise what riches are ours in Christ, we realise how blessed we are. Now it’s fine to be talking about suffering while we sit here in comfort, but we have to realise that some Christians - say in the Middle East or in parts of Africa - are paying a high price to follow Christ.
With suffering in mind, let’s turn to 1 Corinthians 4:16-18 and 5:1. Some of us feel the outward man perishing very much; and also very much feel the need for the renewal of the inward man. However, Paul speaks of our “light” affliction, and contrasts it with our eternal “weight” of glory. Are we looking on the things unseen? Then we’re using our eyes of faith. Vv.26-27. What a loss it will be when the Lord comes for the people who are ashamed of Him.
Those that would not taste of death before they saw the kingdom of God were Peter, James, and John. In our next section, they will get a preview of the Kingdom of God in the transfiguration.
Hymn 350 - I will make you fishers of men
Prayer