9 December 2018
I. Introduction
-- turn in
Bibles to Matthew 2:1-12
1After Jesus was
born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the
east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of
the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod
heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called
together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them
where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for
this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘But you,
Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of
Judah;
for out of you will
come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod called
the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.
8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child.
As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had
heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose
went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When
they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the
child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they
opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and
myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they
returned to their country by another route.
-- Have any of you ever been lost? -- Maybe
not in the woods, but maybe in a big city, or in a shopping mall, or even on a
highway after you made a wrong turn? -- can you remember a time when you turned
around and all of a sudden you realized you didn't know where you were -- you
didn't know where to go -- you had lost your way?
-- well,
Noel Scantillon certainly can -- in 2015, Noel gained international fame when
he got lost on a trip to Iceland and became dubbed, “The Lost Tourist” -- you
see, Noel had become fascinated with Iceland after seeing the pictures of their
volcano erupting back in 2010 -- he started reading about the country and
seeing travel photos of their famous Blue Lagoon spa, and the 28-year old Sam’s
Club Manager from New Jersey decided to do something spontaneous -- although he
had never traveled out of the country, he got on a flight all by himself and
flew into Iceland’s capitol city for the adventure of a lifetime
-- when he
got off the plane in Reykjavík, he loaded up into his rental car, dutifully
punched in the address to his motel in the English-speaking GPS, and headed off
just as the sun was rising on a new day
-- enjoying
the scenery around him and following the GPS instructions, Noel drove…and drove…and
drove…and drove -- after driving for about an hour and finding himself on a
lonely gravel road in the middle of nowhere, Noel got concerned -- he stopped
to top off the gas tank, reentered the address of his motel back into the GPS,
and saw that he still had 8 more hours of driving ahead of him
-- he thought
maybe something was off, but he decided to trust the GPS -- so, Noel continued
on, driving and driving and driving for another 8 hours -- the GPS led him up
two-lane icy paths and narrow mountain roads with steep drop-offs -- he finally
had to admit it to himself -- he was lost
-- the GPS
eventually led him to a small blue house in a tiny town in northern Iceland --
when he knocked on the door and showed the lady who answered his hotel
reservation, she just laughed -- “No, this is not it,” she said. “Your motel is in Reykjavik, 280 km (or 175
miles) south of us.”
-- when the
locals heard Noel’s story, he became an instant sensation -- news of his
getting lost became the top story in the country, and he was interviewed by TV
and the newspaper -- eventually, his fame as “The Lost Tourist” spread
internationally, and people still want to meet him and hear his story today 1
-- I can sympathize
with Noel -- I’ve been lost before -- I’ve been turned around in cities because
I was trying to follow a GPS, just like him -- and I’ve been lost in the woods
-- and, it’s not a good feeling -- when you get lost, there’s a feeling that
comes over you -- as Noel put it when he realized he was lost, he just knew something
wasn’t right -- when you don’t know where you are -- when you don’t know how to
get home or how to find your way again, it’s a scary feeling -- and it can set
you off in a panic as you blindly seek to find your way
-- but getting
lost is not just a physical experience -- there's another way of getting lost I
want to talk about today -- you can also get lost spiritually -- and that's
exactly the situation that we find ourselves in as we turn to this passage in
Matthew
-- as we
open this passage, we see a world that was spiritually lost -- most of the
people in this time had no knowledge or understanding about the true God of the
Bible -- most of them were lost in a world of spiritual idolatry and paganism
-- worshiping a pantheon of gods and even nature itself
-- but even
those who knew about God in this time -- the Jews -- God's chosen people -- they
were lost, too -- they had lost their way and they were wandering in a land of
legalism and religious tradition -- they were just as lost as the rest of the
world -- just as lost as the Magi who wandered into Jerusalem that night following
a star
II. The Magi Find The Way (Matthew 2:1-12)
-- this
morning we are continuing in our celebration of the Advent season -- last week,
we lit the first candle of Advent to symbolize Christ as our hope -- today, we
lit the second candle of Advent to symbolize Christ as the way
-- so let's
turn now to this passage in Matthew and see what we can learn about being lost
and then finding our Way through the coming of Jesus on Christmas morning
-- if you
would, look back with me here at Matthew 2, starting at verse 1
1After Jesus was
born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the
east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of
the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
-- Matthew
tells us that after Jesus had been born in Bethlehem, Magi -- or wise men -- from
the east came to Jerusalem looking for Him -- and this brings up the first
point we need to remember when it comes to being lost -- before anything else
can happen -- before you can get back on track and find your way -- you have to
realize you're lost
-- the
people who lived in the world when Jesus was born were lost -- they just didn't
know it -- for the most part, they were happy wandering around and following
their myriad of gods and their religious traditions without a care in the world
-- but it didn't change the fact they were lost and headed in the wrong
direction
-- I went
to a backpacking seminar one time where they talked about what happens when
people get lost in the wilderness -- every year, thousands of people get lost
or hurt in the backcountry -- and every year, many people lose their lives
because they are never found or never find their way back out
-- the
leaders of the seminar told us that the difference in survival and death is
realizing quickly that you are lost -- it sounds counter-intuitive, but when
people realize something is not right, they tend to start moving in random
directions at a quicker pace, evidently to try to get out of trouble as fast as
possible -- and this usually ends up with them getting farther off the path and
farther into trouble
-- the best
thing you can do when you are lost is to stop, think about where you are, and
take some time to reconsider your path and how you got there -- and take some
time to think about where you should be headed
-- that's
exactly what was going on with the Magi here in this passage -- these were wise
men -- learned in religion and astronomy and science -- these were the scholars
of the ancient world -- and through their studies, they came to realize they
were lost -- they came to the understanding that the path they had been
following was wrong -- and so they stopped what they were doing -- they took a
look around to see where they were and where they should be headed -- and God
showed them a new path by leading them to Israel with the star of Christmas
before them
-- there's
a lot of people in our world today who are lost -- they're wandering around
following all kinds of paths -- looking for peace -- looking for happiness and
satisfaction -- but, despite all their movement -- despite all their frantic
activity -- they're just as lost as the people in the ancient world were on that
first Christmas morning
-- as C.S.
Lewis pointed out, sometimes the first step in evangelism is helping people see
their need for a Savior -- we have an opportunity this time of the year to help
people realize their lostness -- to help people realize this season is about
more than just opening presents under a tree or gathering with loved ones for a
celebration on Christmas Day -- what better time of the year to point out the
Savior to people than during Christmas, when everyone already has the baby Jesus
on their mind?
-- verse 3
3 When King Herod
heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called
together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them
where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for
this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘But you,
Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of
Judah;
for out of you will
come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
-- how sad
it is when people who should know where they are find themselves lost
-- when I
worked at Fort Benning, I got stopped one day by a couple of soldiers who were
doing a land navigation course -- they were standing in the road holding a map
and they motioned for me to stop -- I rolled down the window and they said,
"Where are we?" -- so I showed on the map where they were and then
they started arguing with me -- "That's not where we are -- we're right
here" -- and they pointed to another spot on the map -- I said, "Fine
-- I'm not the one lost here -- you are -- either believe what I say or don't"
-- and I drove off
-- that's
kind of what happened with the Magi -- they followed the star to Jerusalem
looking for the King of the Jews -- so when they got to Jerusalem, they
immediately went to the people who should know where they were -- the Magi turned
to the Jewish King and his advisors and said, "Where are we? -- Where do
we go to find the newborn king?"
-- the
chief priests and the king's advisors all knew where the Messiah was going to
be born -- they knew the town -- they knew the location -- surely, they had
seen the star appear just like the Magi did -- but they thought they knew
better -- they thought they knew where they were in relation to God and
couldn't accept the truth they were lost when the Magi showed up -- "Yeah,
the Messiah is going to be born in Bethlehem, but not right now -- not this
year -- not today -- that's not where we are"
-- there's
a warning there for us -- something I've been trying to work through myself
over the last few years -- where are we in our journey with Christ?
-- although
we are Christians -- although we should know where we are -- we can find
ourselves lost just like Herod's advisors and the chief priests in this passage
-- how many times do we blindly follow tradition in our spiritual lives without
stopping to see what the Bible truly says? -- how often do we just listen to
what a spiritual teacher says without checking to see if what they are saying
lines up with Scripture?
-- for
instance, I always like to point out to people this time of the year that a lot
of the facts we know about Christmas just aren't true -- for instance, we all
know that Mary rode a donkey into Bethlehem, right? -- no, that's not in the
Bible -- it doesn't say how she got there -- we just assume she rode a donkey
-- and we
all know there were three wise men, right? -- that's what we see in our
nativity sets -- no, the Bible doesn't tell us how many there were -- we assume
three based on the gifts they gave the baby Jesus
-- and we
always picture them going to the manger and giving the gifts to the baby Jesus
while He's laying in a crib -- but the Bible teaches they actually showed up in
Bethlehem at least a year or more after He was born
-- so, if
we've got this wrong, what else do we have wrong? -- what other teachings and
traditions have we been blindly following without checking to see if they are
true? -- how lost are we in our own spiritual lives because we haven't sought
out the Scriptures ourselves for the truth?
-- verse 7
7 Then Herod called
the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.
8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child.
As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had
heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose
went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When
they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the
child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they
opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and
myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they
returned to their country by another route.
-- the Magi
left Herod and made their way to Bethlehem -- when I read this passage, I find
it interesting that the Magi didn't follow the directions of the chief priests
and the teachers of the law -- instead they followed the star and the star led them
to the place where Jesus was -- it just goes to prove you can't get to Heaven
by following men
-- if you
are spiritually lost, there is only one Way you can go -- only one Way you can
follow -- that's exactly what we see in John 14:6 when Jesus said, "I am
the Way and the Truth and the Life. No
one comes to the Father apart from Me."
-- we've
all heard this verse before, but it means so much more in context -- if you
would, hold your place here and flip over real quick to John 14 and let's read
verses 1-6
-- we're
not going to go into a lot of detail, but I want you to see why Jesus said what
He did in this passage
John 14:1-6
1“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also
in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have
told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you
also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” 5
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we
know the way?” 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No
one comes to the Father except through me.
--
this conversation takes place in the Upper Room -- Jesus is fixing to go to the
Garden of Gethsemane where He is going to be arrested and taken before the High
Priest and eventually crucified on Calvary -- He's taking this moment to
prepare His disciples for what is about to happen and He tells them,
"Don't worry -- just believe -- just trust in God the Father and trust in
Me -- believe in what I have told you and don't worry about tomorrow -- you
know where the way to where I am going"
-- and then Thomas -- doubting
Thomas -- says the words that are on everyone's mind -- "We don't know
where you are going -- so how can we know the way?"
-- and Jesus replies to Thomas,
"Via, Veritas, Vita -- "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life --
there is only one Way, and I am it -- do you want to know what the road is,
Thomas? -- I am the road -- I am the Way"
-- kind of like the guy who went to
Egypt to see the pyramids -- when he got there, he hired a guide and the guide
led him down this road to the desert -- when they got to the desert, the road
ended -- there was nothing but wind-swept sand for as far as the eye could see
-- the man asked the guide,
"where's the road?" -- the guide looked at him and said, "I'm
the road" -- the guide knew the way -- if this man wanted to see the
pyramids, all he had to do was follow the guide and the guide would show him
the way
-- that's the same message we see
in John 14 and in Matthew 2 -- Jesus is our road -- Jesus is our Way -- He will
show us how to get to the Father's house
-- if we want to go to Heaven,
there is only one way to go -- and that's through Jesus -- that's why it says here,
"No one comes to the Father except through me"
-- it says the same thing in Acts
4:12, " Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name
under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
-- the Magi got it -- they
understood -- go back to Matthew 2 -- look at the last verse in this passage --
verse 12 [read Matthew 2:12]
-- don't miss what this verse is
saying -- "the Magi returned to their country by another route"
-- the Magi had journeyed to Israel
as lost wanderers -- they had sought direction from the king and the chief
priests -- they had followed the star of Christmas to the place where Jesus was
-- they had been lost in their journeys -- but now they were found -- now they
were on another route -- now they followed The Way
-- when you find Jesus, He changes
you -- you will always return differently after you have been in the presence
of the Savior -- you will always be on the right path, when you follow the Son
III. Closing
-- I saw a bumper
sticker on a car at Walmart one day that I would to have -- it read, "Lost?
Follow Me. I know the Way."
-- Advent
is about finding the Way -- in a world that was lost -- in a world that
wandered aimlessly looking for salvation -- God sent a baby to be born in a
manger who would become the Way for salvation and the forgiveness of sin
-- it was
through the baby Jesus the Magi found their path home -- and it is through the
baby Jesus that we, too, find our path home
-- so, as
we leave here today and continue on in our celebration of Advent, may we take a
moment to stop and look around -- to make sure we're not lost -- to make sure
that we haven't wandered away into tradition or legalism or religiousity -- to
make sure we are still on The Way
-- and, let
us open our eyes to those around us who are lost today -- to those who seem so
confident -- who seem to have it all together -- but, who are on a wrong path
and are lost spiritually
-- be their
map -- be their road -- show them the Way -- tell them about Jesus -- and point
them to the star of Christmas that shines brightly with the promise of new life
and salvation and the forgiveness of sins
-- let us
pray
--------------------------------
1 David Kushner, “Is Your GPS Scrambling Your Brain?”, Outside
Magazine, 15 November 2016
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