Why the Gifts of the Wisemen - Part 2

This podcast is made available by this increasing media as to the generosity of our support is your donation today means great podcast ideas remain available to help people look to God daily presentation at our nation today send out all day energy presented by Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh because they carried great value because they carried great meaning that I am Turning Point. Jeremiah considers what each gift conveys about the nature of Christ, we can respond to him as king priest inside the conclusion of his message why the gifts of the wise men is driving well, you know, Christmas and giving go together. Don't they so interesting how everything is changed for so many will you stick in our cars and go to the shopping center and pour through the merchandise at the stores now we sit in a chair and look at a computer that we find so much stuff on the computer and if you haven't realized it just be observant today.

As you drive around and how many delivery trucks there are bringing packages to homes so that those can be wrapped in and given to those that they love. However, you do it. However, it happens.

Christmas is a time of giving and in the New Testament story of the coming of Christ. Several months after the birth of Jesus. The wise men came to what the Bible says was a house and they brought gifts to honor the coming Messiah.

Those gifts are interesting and they are filled with all kinds of meaningful messages for us. So whatever you do, make sure you listen carefully as we finish up our discussion of why the gifts of the Wiseman and then tomorrow to talk about music and how restrain myself today and not get started on that because it's one of my favorite subjects during the season.

Let's go ahead and get started with this question and let's finish it today why the gifts of the Wiseman in the Old Testament, the incense offerings were never associated in any way with the sin offering.

Never was an incense offering offered with meat offerings or with wine offerings in atonement for sin. The incense was always a thanksgiving and praise offering. It was always an act of worship to bring incense to God, almost as if to say, as they presented this gift to the Christ child. Here is the gift that is fitting for a priest yes fitting for a sinless priest who himself will become sin for us, that we might know his forgiveness and his righteousness gold was given, because Jesus was dictating an incense was given, because Jesus was a priest the high priest over us all. And finally there is the third gift in Matthew 211 says they presented to him gold and frankincense and myrrh. Say the word out loud murder. It is a word which comes from the Hebrew word tomorrow which means to be better in Jesus day was the ingredient that was used to embalm a dead body was an external embalming as you remember, in those days they did not have the procedures that we have today, but when they prepared a body for burial. They would wrap the body in layers of cloth and then he would place their embalming spices in between the layers and then wrap the body some more, and continue to do that, we are told in the Scripture that when Joseph of Arimathea came to prepare Jesus body for burial that he brought with him 100 pounds of murder for the burial to be wrapped within the cloth that was used to bury our Savior. One of the churches of Asia minor that we read about in the book of Revelation is the church of Smyrna. That sounds a little bit like Mary doesn't in this should sound like Mary because that's where murder was manufactured. Smyrna got its name from the manufacturing of murder. Interestingly enough in the seven churches of Revelation. Smyrna is the church which is associated with suffering is the suffering church now, ladies, if you were invited to a baby shower to honor a new baby and you are asked to bring a gift. What even cross your mind to bring a case of embalming fluid, I doubt it. But indeed that's what these men brought murder had a value, it could have been sold for money, but the significance of the gift of murder is that it was given to someone who was born for the particular purpose of dying just as Mary of Bethany over in John 12 anointed Jesus body for burial before he had even died.

Remember when she poured all of her expensive ointment on them and washed his feet with her hair and it says in the Scripture that she anointed his body for burial in advance long before Mary ever did this the Wiseman did the very same thing and the one who brought that gift to Jesus was say this one we have come to worship as not only are taking and are priest but we worship him as our Savior, for he is come to die for us and the gift of murder signifies his death.

Other many interesting things in the Bible about murder. I always wonder when I read the New Testament stories of people like the Wiseman wonder how much they knew about the Old Testament we don't have any way of knowing that we can make some assumptions about what we do know is this. Had they been students of the Old Testament, they could've learned a great deal about the life of Christ. Even before he was born.

It is been said that there is enough information in the Old Testament about Christ to reconstruct a accurate Christology on the life of Christ before the New Testament is even written in the Old Testament Psalms. For instance, there are a number of Psalms that are referred to by the scholars as messianic Psalms that means there Psalms about the Messiah before the Messiah is even born. And it is so unbelievable to see how accurate they are in describing events that would take place many hundreds of years in the future. For instance, one such illustration is Psalm 22 were in verses 16 through 18 we read these words. This is a messianic Psalm, and this is what it says. They pierced my hands and my feet. I can count on my bones.

They look and stare at me. They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots know if I didn't tell you where that was found in the Bible. You would think I was reading from the New Testament, but I am not I am reading from a messianic Psalm in the Old Testament. Perhaps the Wiseman had studied the Psalm and were giving recognition to Jesus who would fulfill these prophecies. Psalm writes about now in the New Testament when Jesus is dying. Murder once again comes into play.

In fact, there is a supposed controversy about it in the New Testament that I want to show this to you just as an incidental part of this message in Mark 1523 we are told that when Jesus was on the cross. They gave him why tangled with murder drink, but he did not take it. That's what it says. That's what the Scripture says you can read it there now in John's Gospel we have another statement concerning this and in John 1930 we read so when Jesus had received the sour wine he said it is finished and bowing his head. He gave up his spirit.

Now in one place. The Scripture says they offered Jesus wine mixed with murder, and he would not receive it, and in another place.

It says that they offered him something to drink. Also use for wine and he received it, and the scholarly critics come along and they say there you have it. Jeremiah there you have it. There is a contradiction in the Bible. The Bible has errors in it. Here it says he drank it and Derek says he didn't drink and I want you to note that when anybody says that you need to ask them if they read the text carefully when Jesus was offered wine mixed with murder. He refused. So you see one of the properties of Merck. Not only was it useful embalming, but it was used to deaden the pain of suffering and when my Lord was offered the opportunity to find relief from the suffering he was going through on the cross for you and for me when they gave him a painkiller to lessen the pain of his agony for me and for you.

He turned it away because the Scripture said he would feel every ounce of suffering for sin that was due us but when in John.

He was offered wine without murder. He received you see in John it is says he was offered sour wine, some kind of vinegar wine but it didn't have murder and it so he received. There's no contradiction here. These two passages are perfectly in harmony with one another and they teach an important lesson. A lesson that tells us that even given the opportunity for the pain to be deadened in his death, Jesus refused it because he was called to suffer it all for us one more verse about murder that I want you to see this one from the Old Testament that is even more exciting to me as I see it in Isaiah chapter 60 and verse six. There is a prophecy concerning the second coming of Christ Jesus at Bethlehem is the first coming and there's another time when he's going to come again to set up his kingdom on this earth to rule and terrain and we will all be subjects with him. If we are Christian.

The prophecy of Isaiah chapter 60 has to do with the second coming of Christ, and I want to read it to you from the sixth verse you listen to the prophecy carefully.

The multitude of camels shall cover your land. Dromedary's of media in an effort all those from Sherry shall come, they shall bring gold and incense and they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord. Now when you read the prophecy there something missing. Is there what's missing same with missing her. The writer must've forgotten. No, he did not forget because you see the gifts you bring to Jesus in his second coming, don't have any were in them because his death is already past when he comes. The next time it will be for the gold and frankincense of praise and worship, and murder will be absent hallelujah he died once for all, and he will never die again. Murder is associated only with his first coming and how accurate is the Scripture. Even so many years in advance that when speaking of his second coming. The third gift is omitted because it doesn't fit with the worship and praise of Almighty God, our King when he sets up his reign upon this earth, so there's a lot more in the gifts than you thought gold, frankincense and myrrh goal for attaining incense for a priest and murder for the Savior. Now the question I want to ask as we close our time together is this week.

Talk first about what the wisemen gave to Jesus and I want to talk for just a moment about what Wiseman still give the Jesus and I want to complement all of you here today using man in the generic term you are all very wise men and women here. How many do you know who don't have that wisdom so I speak to you as to wise men and women. What do wise men and women still give to Jesus. Well, let's go back to the gifts once more and notice that first of all we give to Jesus gold responding to him as our King. Gold is the gift for King and his Christ followers. This Christmas gift we can bring to Jesus is our absolute total submission to him in the kingship of our life. We can say Lord God, I bring to you the gift, which is yours is my King. I bow my knees before you, as the Lord of my life and I am confident that what God wants from his people more than the great treasures that we have even more than the money which we give representing our sacrifice is he wants our obedience.

In fact, in the Old Testament.

It says straight out to obey is better than sacrifice. God wants the gold of our willingness to come before RT and really make him king of our life is not enough that he be resident. He wants to be president when we become Christians, we invite him into our heart and he forgives our sin, but along the way we began to realize that he wants more than just the opportunity to forgive our sin he wants to govern our lives as the king over us and when we yield to him as the sovereign of our being.

We begin to understand the purpose of being a Christ follower, you can become a Christian and just sort of slip inside the door give lip service. Sometimes not total commitment to him. What greater gift could you give to Jesus this Christmas season, then your total absolute devotion to him and willingness to let him govern your life if you look back over your life.

In this past year and noticed how easy it is to do foolish things make stupid mistakes go ways that now looking back you say how did I ever miss that sometimes when we do our own thing we have to pay a penalty for it, Almighty God wants to spare so that he just simply says if you'll just come, I will be the Lord of your life and I will guide and direct you in every step, and secondly, not only give him gold responding to him as king. But we give him frankincense reaching out to him as our priest is there ever such a timelessness that is more wonderful to be a preacher of the gospel that Christmas time for Christmas says basically, this that Almighty God did not stay in heaven to say I love you from a distance, but he came to earth to draw near to us so that he could be touchable and knowable and put his arms around us and love and say not just I love you in words but I love you, indeed. And in action and he comes not only to be our Savior. But to be our priest. We look at the passage in Hebrews chapter 4 that says that we have a high priest who has sympathized with our weaknesses, who understands the hurts in our life is come down here to be one of us so we could experience it all. Not even sparing all of the anxiousness of a child being born into the womb of Mary and growing up to be full aged 33, and throughout all his life he felt the pain that you feel than that I feel and frankincense reminds us that he is our priest is the one who has come to draw near to us and we offer him now, our hurts and our hangups and our problems and or issues have ever thought of that. Remember the story about Jerome who said he had a dream and God said Jerome just give me your sins. That's why came did you ever stop to think about the fact that one of the gifts you can give to Jesus at the season of the year or all of the things that have so troubled you and you can offer them to him for his help and his encouragement and he reaches out to grab hold of them as he grabs hold of you offer him the frankincense of responding to his high priestly ministry and then finally and most important of all murder tells us you can receive a measure Savior. That's the thing that you need to do most of all, somebody said what gift should I give the Lord Jesus first given your heart. If you haven't given your heart, there's nothing you can do receive any gift from you to first of all, you give them your heart murder tells us that he's a Savior, who was born to die. And when you think of murder to ask yourself this question, so he died for me.

Have I received his gift, and have I given him my heart. That's the most fundamental truth of Christmas is a preacher of the gospel. I love more than anything else to remind you at Christmas time.

Even though I know you are so preoccupied with everything else that God loves you and Christ came here to be your Savior and if you don't know him in a personal way as Savior of your life.

You cannot fully comprehend the true meaning of Christmas. 40 wants to be born in your heart as he was one day born in Bethlehem when they after service. A preacher had a young man come up to him who was very upset with him.

He said I don't know why you have to preach on the cross what you have to talk about the blood. When enough to say something about Jesus dying, especially at Christmas time, it doesn't fit and I don't like it, why can't you just talk about Jesus as the great example we would all deal with that so much better and I have a lot of friends who told me that if you wouldn't talk so much about the blood of Jesus and the death of Jesus.

If you would more talk about him being a great example that they would be much more favorable toward the church and probably been supported more financially. The pastor who received these compliments was much wiser than your pastor more knowledgeable about how to deal with these things and he said to the stranger.

He said Sir would you be willing to follow Christ. If I preached Christ as an example, would you do if I preached Christ just as an example, would you be willing to follow. He said absolutely I would. And so would many others in the preacher said Jesus Christ did not sin. Can you take that step in the stranger synopsis know I can I do sin, sort of confused you know what to do with most of the preacher.

Your first lead of Christ and is not as an example, your first leader Christ is as a Savior. If you try to follow him as an example.

Without his redemptive work in your life.

He will set an example you cannot follow for he is sinless and you sin you see the problem when he told him this little parable, he said, son, suppose you were sinking in quicksand and a man on firm ground nearby calls out to you rock like I do lift your feet like I do follow my example is advice.

What do you absolutely no good is advice do you no good because you have to get your feet planted on solid ground before you can walk like he does what you need is someone to come and take you out of the quicksand and lift you up and place your feet on solid ground. What is that sound like last that's what it means to be safe to be brought out of the sandpit of sin by the miracle of God's grace lifted up out of all that we have been set over here on the solid ground of faith and then as you watch the Lord Jesus in the New Testament, you can begin to emulate his life because he gives you a new power in the person of his Holy Spirit who comes to live within you. So my friends today. There are many in our pulpits were preaching that Jesus is a great example.

Like other great teachers who lived when he did, but if all our Savior is is a great example we are in worse shape than we would ever be. If we've never heard of him because he sets a standard none of us can follow. And that's the beauty of the gospel. While we cannot reach up to him. He has reached down to us and when he came he came that we might be ready. What can you give Jesus a Christmas give him the submission of your heart.

Overall of your life. Give him the praise and worship and acknowledge his priestly ministry is a comfort you in your sorrow and sickness, but most of all your heart, because that's where it starts to you given him your heart you don't have a relationship with God. He came here so that if you would believe in him would not perish everlasting life will thank you so much for listening today and thank you for being interested in the real story of Christmas, which is been our passion for the month of December and don't forget, tomorrow we talk about music and I hope you been listening at the beginning of each broadcast because we been telling you a lot about a very special music channel a Christmas channel if you will and you can enjoy that during all these days. If you haven't been listening for that at the beginning of each broadcast will play again tomorrow, so be sure and listen carefully and let's celebrate Christmas together. I'm David Jeremiah.

What a privilege to be with you today will see you next time right here on this crustacean that his message came through from Shadow Mountain Community Church insignia pasta Dr. David Jeremiah would love to hear your story of Turning Point impact on your life.

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