THE STAR

Sermon of the week #200850-December 21, 2008

In Matthew chapter two the Star is mentioned four times. The first time, “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.” The second time, “Then Herod called the wise men, and inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.” The third time, “When they heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.” Then the fourth time, “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.”

WE SAW HIS STAR IN THE EAST

The wise men saw the Star while they were in the east. The gospel song says it for us: Star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright. Westward leading still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light.

The wise men came to Jerusalem looking for the newborn King. It is to be remembered that the first question that God asked of the first Adam in the Old Testament in the Garden of Eden was, “Adam, where art thou?” The first question that is asked of the second Adam in the New Testament was by the wise men and they said, “Where is He? Where is He that is born King of the Jews, for we saw His star in the east, and are come to worship Him.” They called Jesus the King. He was the King. For one thing He was born a King. He is called the King while He was in the cradle. Not only was He recognized as the King in the cradle, He was also called the King on the cross. And also, King at His coming again. In the imagery of Revelation, He is seen at His return on a white horse, and on His thigh it was written ‘King of kings, and Lord of lords.’

The wise men wanted to find the King. It seems they had gotten off the track. They wound up in Jerusalem, not Bethlehem. They went to King Herod, thinking that he might know. “Where is the newborn King?” The wise men needed more light on the subject.

Herod called in the scribes and asked them about this King. The scribes knew exactly where to find the information in Micah 5:2. They quoted part of the scripture to King Herod, “In Bethlehem land of Judea for thus it is written through the prophet, And thou Bethlehem land of Judah, art in no wise least among the princes of Judah: For out of thee shall come forth a Governor, who shall be Shepherd of My people Israel.”

Herod asked a Bible question and he got a Bible answer. He did not get all the answer because the scribes knew better than to tell him the entire prophecy Micah had said. They left off the part about the Governor who would be from everlasting to everlasting. If they had referred to His divinity they might have lost their heads. Many are like the wise men today. They are seeking for Jesus sincerely, but they are looking for Him in the wrong place, they need more light. They are somewhat off the track.

Some today try to find Jesus in such places as the cross on which the thief died. They need more light. The thief lived and died before Jesus died on the cross and arose from the dead. He lived and died under the old law. The only way you could be saved like the thief would be to go back in time before Jesus died for you. You need more light.

Some try to find Him in the place of prayer. Saul of Tarsus could not find salvation by prayer even after praying three days and three nights. He needed more light. He had seen a great light and the light told him to go to Damascus and there it would be told him what to do. There was something he needed to do. Not until Ananias came and told this believing, repentant man to arise, and be baptized and wash away his sins did he find salvation. Many like the wise men are looking for Jesus in the wrong place.

Herod was troubled and all Jerusalem with him. Herod was all shook-up. Shook-up by a baby! Jesus had not yet worked one single miracle and Herod was all shook-up. He had not yet raised the dead, or preached a single sermon, and Herod was all shook-up. No word had been spoken to a lost and dying world, and Herod was all shook-up. Herod was all shook-up by the Lord in His cradle. What will it be like when he sees Him as Paul tells it in Second Thessalonians chapter one? “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished, with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power; when He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe because our testimony among you was believed in that day.”

When Jesus came the first time, aside from a very few—Joseph, Mary, the shepherds, the wise men, Anna and Simeon—most  everyone else was troubled at His arrival. How would it be with you if He would return today? If He should come today would I be glad, real glad, knowing that He died for all and none through me had heard His call? What would He say?

WHAT TIME THE STAR APPEARED

The second mention of the Star is when Herod called unto him the wise men privately, and asked them what time the Star appeared. Herod obviously believed the scripture. He believed that the Christ had come, but believing it he had no intention of accepting the truth, and applying it to his life. What the Lord wanted did not fit his lifestyle, and there is many a ‘Herod’ today. He inquired what time the Star appeared and sent them to find out exactly concerning the young Child. Neither Herod, nor the scribes went with the wise men. They knew and believed the scripture, but there was a gap between their knowledge and their performance. The prophecy said that the newborn King would be a Governor of His people. That was the breakdown between their knowledge and their performance. Herod did not want a governor over him. It is the same problem now. In the first gospel sermon on the Day of Pentecost, Peter laid it on the line when he said in the thirty-sixth verse of the second chapter of Acts, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

People today want a Savior, they want a Messiah, but they don’t want a Lord. Jesus not only wants to be your Savior, He wants to be your Lord as well. He wants to be able to tell you what to do, what to say, and how to live. He wants to give thrust to your life.

If we tell the world we believe the scriptures, teach the observance of the Lord’s Supper on the Lord’s Day, may there be no gap in our belief, and our performance. Though Christ a thousand times in Bethlehem is born, if He is not born in thee, thy soul is still forlorn.

THE STAR WENT BEFORE THEM

And now the third mention of the Star was, “Having heard the king, went their way and lo the star, which they saw in the east, went before them and came and stood over the place where the young child was.”

Many explanations have been given regarding the Star. One of the most popular is that there was a conjunction of planets about that time of the planets Mars, Jupiter and Venus. They supposedly were lined up in such a way as to look like one gigantic star. This explanation just won’t work. Suppose that all the planets in our solar system were lined up in such a way as to form one gigantic super star. Think of Mercury and Venus and Mars and Jupiter and Saturn and Uranus and Neptune and Pluto so arranged in the heavens that they looked like one glorious celestial light. There would be one glaring reason why even such a sight as this could not have guided the wise men. Even such a star would not stand over any particular house. It would stand over every house in Bethlehem and Jerusalem and over every house in all the area. There is no way that such a heavenly sight could fit the scriptural account of the Star that they had seen in the east that went before them and stood over the place where the young child was. There is no way that astronomers today can find the Star that guided the wise men. It was a special Star used of God for the great event of the birth of Jesus.

Not even could the Star be found with the Hubbell telescope that was first used in 1996. By using this telescope, the astronomers were astonished to see stars they had never seen before; but they never saw the Star that guided the wise men.

They used to say there were about ten billion galaxies; now they have upped the ante and are saying, “Make it fifty billion.”  Each galaxy they say has fifty billion to a hundred billion stars.

We have come to the conclusion that we need to think of the Bible and the Church in a similar way. By looking through the telescope of faith we can see the Bright and Morning Star. We can see that the importance of the Bible and the Church far greater, wider, deeper, richer, than we ever dreamed, thought, or surmised before. It reaches up to the highest point of the third Heaven, it reaches down to the lowest point of Hell, it reaches out to the east and the west and that distance is immeasurable because never the twain shall meet. The Hubbell telescope cannot see that far.

Then too, we have to admit we have been shortsighted regarding this radio broadcast. In the United States it is heard from sea to shining sea. In addition to this it is heard in many parts of Africa, Europe, and Asia. But by taking another look through the telescope of faith we now know that it is heard in the third Heaven. Think of it. It is heard by an innumerable host of angels, not to mention the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Then too, turn the telescope of faith in another direction and you can see that the spiritual host of wickedness in the heavenly places hears it. The Devil himself hears it every week. If he is too busy to listen, he gets a full report every Monday morning from whatever demon has been assigned to ride herd on me.

Now at this point the wise men had a problem. Some great mystery they could not understand. It must have baffled them no end. I refer to the statement that the Star stood over the place where the young child was. Think of their amazement as they knocked on the door. Joseph opens and welcomes them. The wise men say, “Is this it? Is this the place?” Joseph says, “You have come to the right place.” One of the wise men, I have forgotten which one, said, “This doesn’t look like the right place. On all the Christmas cards I have received there should be a manger and some cattle, and some shepherds. Why isn’t the choir singing ‘Silent Night Holy Night’?”

It was at this point that Joseph told them, “If you gentlemen want to get your spiritual guidance from Christmas cards, no wonder you had a hard time finding us. The shepherds have been here and are long gone, maybe a couple of years ago. We moved out of the stable, and have been at this house for some time now.”

The Star went before them and stood over the place where the young child was. The Star did not go past Bethlehem, nor did it fall short of Bethlehem, nor did it go to the right of, or the left of Bethlehem; it came to the place smack dab on the spot over the house where the young child was. And that brings us to the fourth mention of the Star.

WHEN THEY SAW THE STAR THEY REJOICED

The fourth mention of the Star was when they saw it with exceeding great joy, “And they came into the house and saw the young child with Mary His mother and they fell down and worshipped Him. And they offered unto Him gifts: a rattle, a pacifier and a teddy bear.” Who in their right mind would give any child gold and frankincense and myrrh? What could a young child, as Jesus is called here, do with gifts like that? Do you really believe they gave Him stuff like that? Perhaps as we read what they really gave we ought to revamp our giving ideas. The reason they gave what they gave was because they really were wise men. Unknown to them the gold would be used to finance a hurried trip to Egypt to escape the wrath of King Herod.

How about giving young people a good example? One high school student who came to school drunk, when asked how she got booze to get drunk at seven o'clock in the morning, said she got it out of the refrigerator at home. That may be the best gift some of you could give to your kids, pour your booze down the drain. How about giving yourself something as a stocking-stuffer, some self-respect?

The greatest gift of all is the gift of yourself. An example of the kind of giving that counts is found in Second Corinthians chapter eight, “And this they did, regarding the poor Churches of Macedonia, who gave beyond their means.” Some today live beyond their means, but these gave beyond their means.

The secret of their generosity was, they first gave their own selves to the Lord and unto us by the will of God. The greatest gift you can give is to give of yourself.

And those are the four times the Star is mentioned in Matthew chapter two: We saw His Star in the east, what time the Star appeared? The Star went before them, and when they saw the Star they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

The star road is the fairest road that ever you will follow.

It winds as sweetly as a song through desert, and through hollow.

It leads up high mountain peaks and into promised lands,

And at the end a baby waits with tiny out flung hands.

The star road is the straightest road although it climbs and dips,

But always there’s a garden spot, a spring for parching lips.

There always is a bit of shade, when midday gilds the skies,

And at the end a mother waits with wonder in her eyes.

O you who travel on the road the star light has made bright;

Need never fear the crash of storms, the tumult of the night;

For through the crowding centuries, the angel voices call,

And at the end the Savior waits a haven for us all.