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Home Sermons 2010 Ali the Wise: Be ready (Part 3 of 'Advent through 5 different eyes')
 
Ali the Wise: Be ready (Part 3 of 'Advent through 5 different eyes') PDF Print E-mail
Written by David Charlton   

Scripture

Matthew 2:1-12

Summary and Purpose

Summary : The Magi (wise men) from the east came to visit, honor and worship the new-born king. We don’t know much about these wise-men. The Bible simply says, ‘…magi from the east came to Jerusalem…’. That’s all we really know for sure. They could have been members of a priestly class who served in the eastern Parthean Empire. They most likely would have been very adept at astrology and Hebrew Scripture. By studying Scripture and noticing a change in the night sky, they would have concluded the Messiah had come and set out to meet him. At any rate, they were ready for the arrival of the Messiah.

Will we follow their example and be ready for the 2nd coming of Christ? The wise-men were ready for the 1st arrival, will we be ready for the 2nd arrival? Advent is not only about celebrating the first arrival of Jesus as a baby. It is also about being ready for his 2nd coming as king and judge. 

We don’t know when Jesus is coming back. Jesus said, “Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the householder had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:42-44)

We become ready through repentance and faith (trust) in Jesus. This is demonstrated by how we live our lives. Let’s repent of our sins and trust Jesus so that when He returns, we can be ready to join him in His kingdom.

Purpose: To help the congregation to understand the importance of not only celebrating Jesus’ first arrival but also being prepared for his 2nd coming.

 Sermon

 I. Introduction: Hello, I’m Ali the Wise, one of the wise-men who visited Jesus when he
    was a tiny boy.

     1. Not much is known about us….

  • Scripture simply says: ‘…magi from the east came to Jerusalem…”
  • We don’t know how many of us there was (Although many people say 3 because we brought 3 gifts)
  • We don’t know where we came from
  • We don’t know how we knew the Messiah, King of the Jews, had been born. We don’t know how we knew to follow a particular star.
  • A likely explanation, however, would be that we are of the priestly class in the Parthean Empire

     2. The wise-men as members of the priestly class in the Parthean Empire

  • Parthean Empire is descended from the old Medo-Persian Empire - :ies just east of the Arabian desrt in what today is Iraq and Iran – Posed a threat to Rome’s eastern borders
  • Within the Parthean Empire was a priestly class that was very astute when it came to astrology.
  • This priestly class would have also have had access to Hebrew Scripture due to the Babylonians exiling the Jewish population when they conquered Jerusalem in 586 BC. This resulted in the Jewish diaspora (Jewish people being spread out throughout the known world.)
  • So, it’s not inconceivable that the wise-men were members of the priestly class in the Parthean Empire who studied Hebrew Scripture, learned the prophecies concerning the Messiah and noticed a significant change in the stars. They put two and two together and followed the new star. (http://www.biblebb.com/files/MAC/sg2182.htm)
     3. Exactly who we are and where we come from is not that important. What is
         important is that we were ready when the Messiah, Jesus Christ, came

II. We wise –men were ready for the Messiah…no one else seemed to be ready

     1. Herod wasn’t ready…neither were his ‘wise’advisors (chief priests and teacher’s of
         the Law) They seemed surprised by our announcement.  Theye were, however,
         able to look into their Scriptures and direct us to Bethlehem.
  • King Herod told us to come back to him once we find the new born king.
  • The star directed us to the house of Joseph and Mary. That’s where we found Jesus and worshipped Him. Yes, we worshipped Him. We knew he deserved this honor.
  • How come we, a bunch of gentiles, recognized Jesus as divine but many Jews didn’t?
  • We presented our gifts of Gold, frankincense and myrrh.
  • God warned us in a dream not to report back to Herod. Evidently, Herod was an evil tyrant who felt threatened by a new born king.
    2. The Roman authorities and Jewish leaders never recognized who Jesus is. They
         eventually murdered Him on a cross.

     3. Will the same thing happen at His 2nd coming?

III. Will we be like the wise-men and be ready for the 2nd coming of Jesus?

     1. Jesus is coming back

  • Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins.
  • On the third day He rose from the dead, conquering sin, death and evil on our behalf.
  • After 40 days, He ascended into heaven to be at the right hand of God the Father.
  • Prior to ascending to heaven, he promised to return to judge and rule the world. Won’t come again as a baby but as a ruler.
  • Those who are ready would rule with Christ.

     2. We don’t know when Christ will return

  • We must always be ready
  • “Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the householder had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:42-44)
  • So, how do we get ready?

IV. Being ready for the 2nd coming of Christ

     1. Repentance: Having a sincere desire to change. Sincere desire to stop sinning
         and live a holy life characterized by love.

     2. Trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord
 
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