Sand Mountain Sermonette No. 33
Matthew 2:11
Sand Mountain Sermonette No. 33
Hallelujah!
“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