“And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary his mother; and they fell down and worshipped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.” Matthew 2:11, New American Standard Bible.
I have always loved the story of the Wiseman often told and/or displayed at Christmas time. The Scriptures do not tell us how many Wiseman traveled westwardly following the star they first saw as it appeared in the east, but tradition tells us they were three. Let us look closely at three truths found in the Holy Scriptures regarding these Wiseman; these “magi.”
First, the word of God tells us that upon arrival, the magi worshipped the child. The root of this original word found in the Scriptures means “to kiss” or “to bow down by pressing one’s head to the ground and then, raising it only long enough to blow kisses at the one worshipped.”
To experience the love of Christ now and eternally, one must surrender by bowing his or her heart to Him as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This baby in the manger would suffer and die as full payment for our sins on a rugged Roman Cross at the age of thirty-three! Christ loves you with and unconditional and undying love! The greatest gift you can offer Him is yourself both sinful and in full need of the loving Savior’s unconditional pardon and love!
Second, upon opening their precious earthly treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh unto Him, the Wiseman were in essence, offering the Christ-child the best they had to offer. They knew they were bowing on Holy ground, and they were pledging their hearts in full allegiance to the Lamb of God who would taketh away the sins of the world.
Third, these magi left with a renewed and profound sense of worship! I attended Asbury Theological Seminary from 1985-1989. While there, I had the wonderful opportunity of taking Dr. Boyd’s worship class which I enjoyed very much. I also learned of a preaching class he offered on “Inductive Preaching” which unfortunately I never took. However, I did learn something fascinating and revealing from a classmate who took the course. A major part of your grade was to take a passage of Scripture and to work and rework that passage again and again until you came up with one word that defined the Biblical text you were assigned. Then, you submitted your word to Dr. Boyd who issued your grade bad on that one word.
Would “Hallelujah” be the word we see imprinted on our hearts when we, like the Wiseman, bow before the Lord in prayer, praise, surrender, and service in His kingdom? The thing about “Hallelujah” is that it points to Jesus as the lover and Savior of our souls while it rejects our drawing attention to ourselves which is most grievous to the purest praise due Him!
Where does your heart place its allegiance? “…westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light.” (Source: “We Three Kings.” Words and music by John H. Hopkins, Jr., 1857).
Pastor Louie
Sand Mountain Sermonette 34
Hebrews 13:5; Matthew 6:31-34; I Timothy 6:8
Sand Mountain Sermonette 34
“Mother, I Want to Ride the Airplanes!”
“Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU.’”
Hebrews 13: 5, New American Standard Bible (1995). Note: All caps refer to Old Testament
My mother told me once of something I would do as a little boy that has been a struggle for me all my life, but one God has helped me with since I became a Christian. Mother said when she would take me to the little carnival that would come once a year and set up in a big vacant lot next to the High School, that I was never satisfied on the kiddie ride I was on because I wanted to be on another kiddie ride at the same time. For example, she would put me on the little cars that simply went around in a circle at low speed, but mom said I could not enjoy that ride because I had my eyes set on the little airplane ride that was moving in the distance while all the while saying, “I want to ride that one!” “I want to ride that one.”
Aren’t we like that in our spiritual walk with the Lord? The writer of the Book of Hebrews instructs Christians living in the first century to steer clear of a “love” for money which is a key to being content with what you have so that your heart will not be prone to chase after material possessions. The Message paraphrase of Hebrews 13:5 reads, “Don’t be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed (content) with what you have.”
Often, we Christians are not “relaxed” because we are so anxious over our possessions.
Hebrews 13:5 literally reads, “Let your way of life be without love of money, being satisfied with what you have.” In other words, be happy you’re on the kiddie cars and enjoy them, instead of being so stressed that you’re not on the kiddie planes. Oh! To be happy and content with Christ and Christ alone, and wherever God has positioned us to be at the present!
One Christian mom has said, “Life is precious; our days are numbered…the choice to love life is ours, and our peace, joy, contentment, fulfillment, and overall happiness depend on the choice we make.” Choose Christ-centered contentment! He will never leave or forsake you! He is understanding and patient with you. Bloom where you are appointed and be thankful! (See Matthew 6:31-34 and I Timothy 6:8).
I am so grateful to God for mom’s lesson!
Pastor Louie
Sand Mountain Sermonette 35
Matthew 18:1-2; Matthew 6:15; Isaiah 53:5
“Forgiving and Forgetting”
“Then Peter came and said to Him, ‘’Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” Matthew 18:1-2
Peter thought he was being generous when he suggested “up to seven times” in his question put forth to Jesus. The Jewish rabbis of Jesus day said to forgive three times. But Jesus instructed Peter to forgive a person who had wronged him four-hundred and ninety times.
In essence, Jesus is saying there is no limit to forgiveness for the “norm” in God’s kingdom is to forgive as God has forgiven us. Jesus paid our sin-debt in full on the cross. His blood was and is the cleansing agent from all sin and it is via His blood that we are reconciled to God. Have you repented of your sin and by faith trusted in Jesus’ death and resurrection for the forgiveness of your sin-disease and your being made right with God now and forever?
The beautiful thing is, God forgives us so we, in turn can forgive others. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions” (Matthew 6:15). And the rest of the story? It is not only an act of grace to be forgiven of the Lord, but one’s forgiving and forgetting an offense committed against them by another is also an act of God’s grace as well.
When I was in the first grade, I still remember my teacher, Mrs. Justice inviting me to take several of her chalkboard erasers and dust them off against a wall located in the middle courtyard of the school during recess. I just loved doing that! I hit those erasers over and over against that wall until they were perfectly clean! Jesus erased our sin-disease completely on the cross at Calvary. The prophet Isaiah says we are healed by the stripes he bore on His body (Isaiah 53:5). And, by His compassion living in us through the Holy Spirit, we Christians are called to erase the debt of the wrong committed against us through our having forgiven the one who has wronged us. And, in doing so, we are the ones who are released from the hurt, pain, and anger of holding onto that debt.
Forgive and be set free!
Pastor Louie
Sand Mountain Sermonette 36
Psalm 46:1, King James Version, Psalm 46:11-12, Matthew 5:9
Hungry-Hungry Hippos!
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Psalm 46:1, King James Version
When I was four years old, my mother and her mom, my grandmother Iris, loaded us onto a train which took us from Albertville, Alabama, to Chula Vista, California, where we would spend some time with my grandmother’s brother and his family. While there, my mom and grandmother took me to Disneyland located in Anaheim, California. Disneyland had recently opened in 1955, and there we were standing in one of the neatest places you could find, anywhere. But the morning we stepped onto the Disney pavement, and for the rest of the day, we were headed for troubled waters.
Mother told me later that I cried and cried as we entered the park; so much so that a kind gentleman who was passing by handed my mom a book of tickets that would allow us to ride anything we wanted to ride that day! I guess he was hoping this would quieten me down and bring some relief to my mom and grandmother. However, that did not seem to work for when we rode the Jungle Cruise ride, I let the screams fly! Although our Disneyland experience took place sixty plus years ago, I still vividly remember two things about that ride: the jungle natives (simulated) who sprang up with spears in hand directed toward our boat and the hippos! I can still remember clinging to my mom as we approached their site for their ears were wiggling in the water, which really got to me, and then having them rise up out of the water and roar sealed the deal!
Sometimes we are in desperate need of a calming presence whether we are four or eighty-four years of age and although I didn’t realize it at the time, my mother and grandmother were there for me! The psalmist was calling God’s people, the Israelites, to not fear when facing any crisis. He goes on to say that although earthquakes come, mountains crumble into the sea, oceans get rough, and mountains tremble as the waters surge (see verses 2-3), God is our shelter and strength; a very present help (attainable Helper) in times of distress. The psalmist could have been writing of the Mount St. Helen’s cataclysmic eruption of 1980 as well as the explosive anger, hatred, and violence we are currently witnessing in many of our major cities and other areas across the United States.
But Christian, allow me to encourage you that God is our refuge and strength and very present help in trouble when fears come, problems in life appear to be insurmountable, and we fret over tomorrow’s spears and hippo’s ears! So, what do we do? Psalm 46:11-12 reads, “Cease striving (which in Hebrew means “to let down the arms”) and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold,” New American Standard Bible. And, having received God’s calming presence through Christ, go be His presence to others who are troubled!
(See Matthew 5:9)
Pastor Louie