Title: Wise Men, the King and Would-Be Kings
Text: Matthew 2: 1-3
Date: December 22, 2013
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
Matthew 2: 1: Now when Jesus was born in
Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men
from the east to Jerusalem, 2: Saying, Where is he that is born King of the
Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 3:
When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all
Jerusalem with him.
In
these three verses we have three people mentioned. They make up our title as
well as our divisions: Wise Men, the King and Would-Be Kings.
Proposition:
The only three persons that exist are wise men, THE KING and would-be kings.
·
There are wise men, made wise by God’s grace,
who bow and worship Christ Jesus the Lord.
·
There is Christ the King who rules all things
in heaven and in earth, who is King over the living and the dead.
·
There are would-be kings. These are rebels against God who are troubled
any time they hear that Christ the King reigns.
I. FIRST, WISE MEN—Matthew 2: 1: Now when
Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold,
there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2: Saying, Where is he that is
born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to
worship him.
I do
not intend to say anything about the history of these men. It will do you no eternal good for me to
speculate as to who these men were or how many there were. By the way, the scripture never says there
were three wise men. They brought three
kinds of gifts. But the scripture never says there were three wise men.
Instead,
we will use these wise men to see how God makes lost sinners to be truly wise
men by his effectual grace. We see in these wise men 4 things that are true of
every sinner that God makes wise by his grace.
God’s Wise Men Are Saved From Depravity
First, men
that God makes wise are all saved from depravity—Matthew 2: 2:…there came wise men from the east…Note they came from
the east. After Adam plunged the whole
human race into sin, he was cast out of God’s presence—the only entrance back
into God’s presence was from the east.
Genesis 3: 24: So he drove out the man; and he placed at the
east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every
way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
Every
sinner that Christ saves is a lost, ruined, utterly helpless, hell-deserving
sinner called out of depravity, from the east of our depravity outside of God’s
presence—into Christ the Door—into God’s presence.
Application: Sinner, do you know why Christ was
born into this earth? It was said, “Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he
shall save his people from their sins.” (Mt 1: 21) Are you utterly incapable of saving yourself?
“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus
came into the world to save sinners;” Can you say, “of whom I am chief.” (1 Tim
1: 15) Wise men come from the east!
God’s Wise Men are Turned from Vain Religion
to the House of Bread
Secondly,
men who God makes wise are turned from vain religion to the house of the Lord,
the house of the Bread. Notice, first, these men came Matthew 2: 2:…to Jerusalem…
Throughout
the old covenant, the earthly city of Jerusalem, was the place where God met
with his people over the mercy seat over the ark in the holy of holies. But by this time, religion in Jerusalem had
degenerated into a vain form. Paul said,
Galatians 4: 25:…Jerusalem which now is, and is in
bondage with her children.
They
had vain form and ceremony but no ark—no mercy seat—no Shekinah glory. Note:
During his earthly ministry, Christ Jesus never spent one night in Jerusalem
except the night he allowed vainly religious and political rulers to arrest
him, try him and then crucify him. What a testimony to what Jerusalem had
become without God’s presence and what
all religion is without God’s presence.
But the
wise men were turned away from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. Bethlehem signifies “house
of bread.” Christ, the Bread from heaven
was born in the “house of bread.”
Application: God’s wise men are turned by the hand of God from vain
religion—from our vain imaginations—to Christ’s own house, the house of Bread.
Those who worship God must “worship him in spirit and in truth!” (Jn 4: 23-24) Like
Bethlehem, like Christ himself, the Lord’s church and this gospel is regarded
by men as the least, as foolish, as unnecessary. But God has chosen “Foolish
things to confound the wise.” (1 Cor 1: 27) May God turn you from the vain
house to the house of Bread, to Christ in his house!
God’s Wise Men are Drawn by God
Thirdly,
men who God makes wise are drawn by God—Matthew
2: 2: Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his
star in the east…
We have
a good illustration here of how God calls his elect to Christ. The Master said,
John 6:44: No man can come to me, except the Father which
hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
First,
in this gospel age, God uses the preaching of the gospel to draw his
elect. In the Revelation of Jesus Christ
his preachers are represented by stars given to the seven churches, like as God
used a star to draw these wise men. (Rev 1: 16, 20; 2: 1; Jn 5: 32, 35 ) The star the wise men saw was Christ’s
star—HIS STAR. That star was given the charge to wait upon the Lord, to be
Christ’s herald to men afar off, to be Christ’s usher to conduct them to his
presence. That is what Christ makes his preachers. Christ’s preachers are HIS
stars. Scripture says till the last
sheep is called Christ shall never cease to give his people gospel preachers.
Isaiah 30:20: And though the Lord give you the bread of
adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed
into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers:
Jeremiah 23:4: And I will set up shepherds over them
which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither
shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.
Also,
to draw his people, God uses his preachers to preach God’s word, the holy
scriptures, which are all about Christ. These
wise men appear to have been taught the scriptures. There is a prophecy in the scriptures which
says, Numbers 24: 17: there shall come a
star out of Jacob—The wise men saw a star out of or above or over Jacob—a
star over the land of Israel. The second
half of that scripture says, Numbers 24:
17: and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel.—a scepter holder—the King—Christ
Jesus arose out of Israel. So it appears the wise men understood Numbers to
speak of Christ for they came asking, “Where is he that is born King of the
Jews. For we have seen his star in the east.” The point is, God uses his
preachers to preach his word. And God reveals through the gospel, through his
word, that these scriptures speak of Christ.
In
addition, together with the preaching of the gospel and his word, God draws his
elect by giving a dead sinner light by a supernatural work of grace in our
hearts like as he gave this star to draw these men to Christ. The
star must have been supernatural, not an ordinary star. It moved before the wise
men and lead them to Christ—Matthew 2:…lo,
the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood
over where the young child was. Perhaps
it led them like the cloud and pillar of fire led the children of Israel
through the wilderness. At any rate, it seems to be supernatural rather than a
normal star. Certainly, it is a supernatural work of
the Holy Spirit in the heart when God draws us out of spiritual darkness into
Christ’s marvelous light. So we see
that all those who God makes wise are drawn of God.
God’s Wise Men are Brought to Worship Christ
Fourthly,
those God makes wise come bowing down, worshipping Christ—Matthew 2: 2:…and [we] are come to worship him. Those made wise by God’s grace are given
a heart and mind single toward Christ. He
is our All and in all—our fullness of righteousness and holiness, wisdom and
redemption. We are given child-like faith in Christ. So
with all love and joy we bow before King Jesus and worship him. No
distance is too far for the believer. These
men travelled very far. Christ’s sheep will travel a long
distance to rest in green pasture. When we behold what great sacrifice
Christ made for us no sacrifice is too great for him.
Application: These are 4 things that are true of all those who God
makes to be wise men: 1) They are drawn out of depravity; 2) They are turned
from vain religion to the house of the Lord, the house of Bread; 3) They are
drawn by God: through the gospel, through his word, by divine revelation in the
heart and 4) they come worshipping Christ.
Are
there any wise men here? If wise men of old came to worship him shouldn’t we? And
if so, who gets the glory? God alone.
John 6:44: No man can come to me, except the Father which
hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
II. THE KING—Christ Jesus the Son of God is
the King—Matthew 2: 2: Where is he that is born King of the Jews?
Christ
is the true King of righteousness and King of peace. He is without earthly father,
without earthly mother, without earthly descent, having neither beginning of
days, nor end of life; Christ abideth a priest continually. (Heb 7: 1-3)
Isaiah 9: 6: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son
is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be
called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The
Prince of Peace. 7: Of the increase of his government and peace there
shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it,
and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even
forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Child Born, Son Given
Christ
is Man—the child born; Christ is
God—the Son given. He is the GodMan. As Man he could be made sin and die in the room
and stead of his people; as God his work is eternal. He accomplished “eternal redemption” for all
God’s elect by his one offering on the cross.
Now he is risen and all his people are risen in him. (Heb 9: 12: Eph 2:
5-6)
Illustration of Substitution--In the French Revolution,
there was a young man condemned to the guillotine, and shut up in one of the
prisons. He was greatly loved by many, but there was one who loved him more
than all put together. It was his own father; and the love he bore his son was
proved in this way: when the lists were called, the father, whose name was
exactly the same as his son’s, answered to the name, and the father rode out to
the place of execution, and his head rolled beneath the axe instead of his
son’s—Christ laid down his life in place of his people—he answered to my name
at Calvary, he shall do so when my name is called in the day of judgment!
Government on His Shoulder
The government is on Christ’s shoulder: the government
of the universe and the government of his church and kingdom made up of the
true Jew—elect from among Jew and Gentile—over which he is King especially.
Romans
2: 28: For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that
circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29: But he is a Jew, which
is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and
not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
Philippians
3:3: For we are the circumcision, which worship God
in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the
flesh.
Matthew 5:3: Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven…10: Blessed are they which are persecuted for
righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Daniel 7:27: And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall
be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve
and obey him.
Established With Judgment and Justice
Christ
Jesus our King established his church in peace in judgment and justice by his
obedience unto death—putting away all the sin of all God’s elect by himself.
(Heb 1: 3) He is ordering and ruling the
universe, as well as his church over which he is Head, in justice because
Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords.
Matthew 28:18: And Jesus came and spake unto them,
saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Proverbs 21:1: The king’s heart is in the hand of the
LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.
Increase with No End
Of the
increase of his government and peace there shall be no end. He is increasing his government as he calles
his elect out of darkness into his kingdom and he shall call every chosen child
to faith in him by the Holy Spirit because that is the very reason for which he
redeemed us.
Galatians 3: 13: Christ hath redeemed us from the curse
of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one
that hangeth on a tree: 14: That the
blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of
the Spirit through faith.
Because
he is eternal, because the word by which we are born is eternal, his government
and our salvation is eternal.
Psalm 145:13: Thy kingdom
is an everlasting kingdom,
and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
Application: This is why scripture says, to us who believe Christ is
worthy and receives all praise and honor because Christ is King and Savior—1 Peter 2:7: Unto you therefore which
believe he is precious. The word “precious” means honorable. Unto you which
believe Christ is worthy of all honor because Christ is our King and our
Savior. This is why his name is: Wonderful,
Counsellor, The mighty God, The
everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace
Matthew 6: 13:…Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and
the glory, for ever. Amen.
What do
God’s wise men say since we are saved by Christ our King?
Hebrew 12:28
Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have
grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
III. THIRDLY, WOULD BE KINGS—Matthew 2: 3:
When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all
Jerusalem with him.
Why
would a man be troubled at hearing these things? Men, dead in sins, would be
the king themselves. Therefore, they are troubled when they hear Christ is
King.
John 14:6: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth,
and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
So
would-be kings do as Herod and all Jerusalem did—they seek to take Christ off
his throne!
Application:
What is going on in our day? Why do mean usurp God from the pulpit? Why do lawmakers usurp God’s law in the
legislator? Why do men hold their word to be true and God’s word to be a
lie?—they are all would-be kings!
Reprobation
When a
nation reaches a point—determined by God—of rejecting the truth of God and exalting
man, God will turn men over to just reprobation. And the sure indication of reprobation in scripture
is sodomy. Sodomy in a land—received and
defended by the people—is a sign of just reprobation given from God because men
would not receive the love of the truth but changed the glory of God and worshipped
and served the creature more than the Creator.
The office of preacher is the chief office in the land. When ecclesiastical leaders preach the wisdom
of man, the will of man, the works of man rather than Christ they are to blame
for the reprobation.
Romans 1: 21: Because that, when they
knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but
became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became
fools, 23 And changed the glory of the
uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and
fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness
through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between
themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of
God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator,
who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For
this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did
change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural
use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working
that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their
error which was meet. 28 And even as
they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over
to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.”
Furthermore, when a nation is so delusional
that they consider their own word to be truth and God’s word to be a lie it is
greater indication that God has turned them over to just reprobation and sent
them strong delusion to believe such absurdity.
2 Thessalonians 2: 10:…because they received not the love
of the truth, that they might be saved. 11: And for this cause God shall send
them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12: That they all might
be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Illustration: Consider the delusional absurdity and ungodliness of
what our rulers and the majority in our nation are now promoting and defending.
Sodomy, like all sin, is clearly a violation of the law of God. Sin is not a civil right! Now to discriminate
based on race, gender, and class is an infringement upon civil rights. In Christ, there is neither Jew nor Gentile,
male or female, bond nor free but we are all one. Yet, imagine if a group of men said, “We were
born murderers. We have no choice but to
murder. It turns our stomach not to
murder. It is our civil right to murder.” Would we then pass a law in the land making
it legal to murder? And if so, when
someone spoke the truth of God, declaring murder is sin according to God’s law,
would we then call them bigoted, narrow-minded, full of fear and hate and so on
as men are being reviled for speaking out against sodomy? But to make sodomy a
civil rights issue and to legalize it even though God declares it is sin is the
same as making murder legal—sodomy being far worse than even murder. Men will say that you cannot compare sodomy
to murder. Whatsoever God says is sin is
sin—sodomy is sin just as murder is sin—but worse. But to break one law is to break the whole
law of God. (James 2: 10) But God says
that when men are that delusional so as to believe a lie such as sodomy not
being sin but being a moral, civil rights issue, it is because they are reprobate. God has sent “them strong delusion that they
should believe a lie, that they all might be damned who believed not the truth,
but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2 Thess 2: 10-12)
Psalm 2: 1: Why do the heathen rage, and the people
imagine a vain thing? 2 The kings of the
earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD,
and against his anointed, saying, 3
Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. 4: He
that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. 5:
Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore
displeasure. 6: Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
Revelation 17:14: These shall make war with the Lamb, and
the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and
they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
Enemies Made His Footstool
All his
enemies shall be made the footstool of Christ our King. Many a would-be king—enemies in their minds
by wicked works—shall be made his footstool by his omnipotent grace! But make no mistake—all would-be kings who
pass from this life raging in enmity against Christ shall also bow.
Philippians 2: 9: Wherefore God also hath highly exalted
him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things
under the earth; 11 And that
every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of
God the Father.
Here is
his word to all would-be kings.
Psalm 2: 10: Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed,
ye judges of the earth. 11 Serve the
LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his
wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in
him.
These
wise men came naturally, from the east—let us come spiritually, leaving our
sins. These were guided by the sight of a star; let us be guided by faith in
the divine Spirit, by the teaching of his word. These came to worship him that
was born King of the Jews—you shall find it ever so blessed now that he is
exalted in the highest heavens, and by his own light reveals his own perfect
glory. Delay not, for this day he cries,
“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and
I will give you rest.”
Amen!