Matthew 2:11 - Christmas Present for Jesus.
Matthew 2:11 (NKJV) And when they had come
into the house, they saw the young Child with
Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him.
And when they had opened their treasures, they
presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Matthew 2:11 (NIV) On coming to the house,
they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they
bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened
their treasures and presented him with gifts of
gold and of incense and of myrrh.
Matthew 2:11 (NLT) They entered the house
and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and
they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they
opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of
gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
INTRODUCTION
The wise men brought gifts and worshiped
Jesus for who he was. This is the essence of true
worship - honoring Christ for who he is and being
willing to give him what is valuable to you. Worship
God because he is the perfect, just, and
almighty Creator of the universe, worthy of the best
you have to give. [Life Application SB]
COMMENTARY PEARL
Christmas is almost here. Many of us are
spending time shopping for gifts for loved ones. Some
are baking, some are volunteering, and some are
decorating. That's what I'm doing this week. As my
husband and I set up our white porcelain nativity
set, my hand rests on one of the wise men. He's
traveled a long way and is tired, but he's kneeling
before the infant King, a look of deep reverence on
his face. He's holding an urn, stretching his
arms toward Jesus. The other wise men seem
expectant, eager as children to present Him with their
treasures. In his bed of straw, Jesus is napping. I
sigh as I rearrange a few of the animals and push
the wise men closer. This is peace.
Soon we'll begin our family traditions.
Baking day is important. As all of us crowd the
kitchen, scooping flour and adding extracts, laughter
draws us closer. Then we'll handstamp our wrapping
paper and tags, stealing an opportunity to slow
down and be creative. We'll attend the Christmas
Eve candlelight service and share a German apple
puff pancake on Christmas morning.
But this year, I want to give Jesus
something. Something precious and irreplaceable,
something worth more than gold, frankincense, and
myrrh. Something beyond tithing and even
volunteering. I'm anticipating how much this gift will
please Him. Because I plan to give Him everything
this season. All my hopes, dreams, talents, and
trust. All my love. All of me. Every single bit.
Just like He did for me. Heidi Gaul
Faith Step: You can give everything to
Jesus. What have you held back? Give Him every bit
of you. That's exactly what He wants! [Mornings
With Jesus 2021 Devotional by Guideposts and
Zondervan]
COMMENTARY
Why do we celebrate Jesus' birth with
gifts? We do it because He is the greatest gift
that has ever been given to mankind. When the
wise men heard of Jesus birth, they went to
worship Him with gifts, and it is our privilege to
do the same.
I urge you not to lose sight today and
tomorrow of what the holiday is truly about as you
celebrate this blessed season. Don't get so busy
cooking, preparing, shopping, and giving gifts to
others that you forget the reason for the season.
Thank God for the gift of Jesus and take
time to thank Him for all He has done and
continues to do in your life. As you give gifts to
others, keep in mind that you are celebrating the
greatest gift of all - Jesus!
Father, thank You for the gift of Jesus.
We celebrate today as a way of saying Thank
You" for giving us the greatest gift ever given.
[My Time with God by Joyce Meyer]
Suppose you could give a gift to Christ,
what would it be? How could you possibly select a
gift for the One who not only has everything, but
who made everything?
The Wise Men did. They can be an example
to us. In addition to the gold, frankincense,
and myrrh, they gave the Savior some gifts we
can give him today: their hope, their time, and
their worship.
The wandering wise men gave Jesus their
hope. When everyone else saw a night sky, this
small band of men saw the light. The sight of the
star sparked a desire in their hearts that send
them packing. They went, seeking Jesus.
When night comes to your world, what do
you see? The darkness or the stars? Hopelessness
or hopefulness? Sometimes, just as he did so
long ago, God uses the darkness to reveal his
stars - The light shines in the darkness
(John 1:5). Give God your hope for Christmas.
While youre giving, give God your
time. The wise men did. Before they gave God their
presents, they gave their presence. Its likely that
these men traveled as long as two years before
locating the prince of heaven. Before that one
incredible moment when they knelt before Jesus, the
wise men spent many moments, months, perhaps
years searching, in anticipation of that meeting.
Just as the wise men devoted themselves to
seeking the Savior, so can you: You will seek him
and find him when you seek him with all your
heart (Duet. 4:29).
And when they did find him, the wise men
gave Jesus another gift: their worship. Men of
wealth, influence, and intellect: what did they do
when they saw Jesus? they fell down and
worshiped him (Matt. 2:11)
Worship. Its a gift that extends to
the giver as well. Through worship, we come to
see God more clearly. God invites us, through
worship, to see his face so he can change ours. In
worship, we simply stand before God with a prepared
and willing heart and let God do his work. And
he does. He wipes away the tears. He mops away
the perspiration. He softens our furrowed brows.
He touches our cheeks. He changes our faces as
we worship. The wise men sought the child of
God, just as God seeks his children. The
Father is actively seeking such people to worship
him (John 4:23).
The gifts of hope, time, and worship.
Three gifts the wise still give. From One
Incredible Moment: Celebrating the Majesty of the
Manger [Max Lucado Daily Devotional at
maxlucado.com]
CLOSING PEARL
The wise men, these followers of the
stars, met the Lord Jesus Christ who created the
stars. They were occultists, yet God reached into
their dark world with a star to bring them to
their Creator.
Matthews Gospel tells us, They
entered the house and saw the child with his mother,
Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then
they opened their treasure chests and gave him
gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (2:11).
Everyone worships at Christmas. There are
no exceptions to this. Christians worship.
Atheists worship. Skeptics worship. Republicans
worship. Democrats worship. Independents worship.
Everyone worships at Christmas, but not everyone
worships God at Christmas. Some worship material
things, which they never seem to have enough of.
Others worship their bodies. Others worship their
families. But everyone worships something or someone.
The wise men worshipped Jesus. And what
does it mean to worship? Our modern word worship
comes from the old English word worthship. We
worship the One who is worthy. A god of our own
making isnt worthy of our worship, but the true
God is worthy of our praise.
Two words often are used in the
Scriptures to define worship. One word means to bow
down and do homage, which speaks of reverence and
respect. The other means to kiss toward, which speaks
of intimacy and friendship. So when we put
these two words together, we get an idea of what
worship actually is. To worship is to bow down and
have reverence, and it is also to have tender
intimacy.
Jesus was born, He died, and He rose from
the dead so that you and I could come into a
relationship with Him and become Gods adopted
children. Simply put, we should worship the Lord
because He deserves it - every day of the year. [By
Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
SONG OF APPEAL
Just As I Am
Sep 18, 2017
Ps Fred Evans
This iconic song was sung at every Billy
Graham Crusade to invite people to receive Christ.
It was written by Charlotte Elliott in
1834 expresses the struggle people have in coming
to Christ It was written after she
confessed to the Swiss evangelist Henri A. Cesar Malan
that she did not know how to come to Christ.
He answered, "Come to him just as you
are." Thinking back on that experience twelve
years later, in 1834, she wrote Just as I Am"
as a statement of her faith.
Many millions of people have found great
comfort in this hymn and hundreds of thousands have
surrendered their life to Jesus Christ during the
singing of this hymn during the appeal at Billy
Graham crusades around the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuNFAB4mTn8
Just As I Am by Elliott, Charlotte /
Bradbury, William B. / Travis Cottrell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXFxUaKWquI
Just as I Am, Without One Plea by FWUMC
Virtual Choir (Premiered at Ash Wednesday Service
2021)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWADmRPfOvQ
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS TOPIC
Luke 9:23 - FOLLOWING JESUS.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210410-0922.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study
Guides:
https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
