Be Wise Worship Jesus Matthew 2 1 12

The Epiphany of our Lord (Transposed)                     4-January-2026
Sermon Text: Matthew 2:1-12
Sermon Theme: “Be Wise! Worship Jesus!” I. True Wisdom Seeks The Creator!(vs.1-2) II. Jesus Is Only Found In His Word!(vs.3-6) III. Worldly Worship Seeks It’s Own Glory!(vs.7-8) IV. True Worship Humbles Itself Before The God/Man! (Vs.9-12) by Rev Nathan J. Rusert

I.N.R.I. Joh 6:44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. Over three decades after Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem, He would preach these words to the mob gathered at Capernaum. They day before His sermon on the Kingdom of God lasted an entire day. Then as even fell Jesus took five small barley loaves and two small fish, blessed, broke, and gave them to His disciples to set before the 5,000 men and their families. The meager supplies blessed by the Creator became an abundant feast in the wilderness. The mob wanted to take and make Him their Bread King - they’d never have to toil to work the weedy ground and sweat to eat their daily bread.
    Our fallen sinful flesh seeks to live by bread alone. Ever since the day that our first father rejected the Word of God to feast on the forbidden food that the fallen angel the devil promised would make us wiser than God. Forsaking God’s Word to feast on the forbidden food we walked away from life and choose death, sin, shame, guilt, hell, and enslavement to Satan. Man was created in the image of God, but in Adam’s rebellion and fall into sin we surrendered God’s image for sin, darkness, and death. All who are conceived and born in a natural way are born in the image of our fallen father Adam.
    Have you ever been in total darkness? Touring a cave inevitably there will come a point where the tour guide shuts off all the lights. Your brain may imagine it sees light but it is blind. Living in the total darkness of the cave would soon deaden your sense of sight and you’d go blind. Crayfish, and fish living deep in cave waters soon are born without eyes - they have no light to see so genetically they loose the information and devolve into blindness into darkness.
     Spiritual darkness has the same effect. Adam plunged the whole human race into spiritual darkness by listening to the devil’s lie. Now the natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God, they are foolishness to him - he cannot see - we are all born spiritually blind. This truth of God’s Word exposes the lie that we can find the True God by our own searching, feeling, seeking, or thinking. Jesus was never lost - we were and many still are chained in the deep darkness of lies, sin, guilt, and death.
    Is all hope lost? Through Isaiah, the prophet, our God preaches, Isa 60:1-2 Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. (2) For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. Repent of your foolish attempts to find God in your darkness. ““Be Wise! Worship Jesus!” I. True Wisdom Seeks The Creator!(vs.1-2) II. Jesus Is Only Found In His Word!(vs.3-6) III. Worldly Worship Seeks It’s Own Glory!(vs.7-8) IV. True Worship Humbles Itself Before The God/Man! (Vs.9-12)
I. History records: (vs.1-2) The Apostle Paul was left alone in Athens, the intellectual center of Greece. There scholars and scientists loved to hear and debate the latest discoveries and philosophies. Athens had erected statues to many gods. Here they echo the truth of the 14th & 53rd Psalm: Psa 14:1 The fool has said in his heart,"There is no God." They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good.” Only fools can look at the complexity of life on the cellular level, the exactness of the cosmos, the geological record, and all the laws of nature which uphold our human life and posit that it is all an accident of random chance processes. The myth of evolution doesn’t hold up under scientific examination.  
     The intellectuals at Athens invited Paul to speak to their assembly on the Areopagas. History records, “Act 17:22-31 Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; (23) for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: (24) God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. (25) Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. (26) And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, (27) so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; (28) for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.' (29) Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising. (30) Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, (31) because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead." Some of those wise men mocked Paul speaking of the resurrection, others hearts were opened by the Holy Spirit to hear him again.
    What’s the connection to the wise men from the east? There may have been three or perhaps twenty - Matthew doesn’t record how many - but what we do know is that these wise men, scholars who studied the stars, planets, and heavenly bodies - were looking for their Creator.  They saw His star rise in the early morning sky. Immediately they set out to worship the King of the Jews. Repent of your foolishness denying your Creator! Rom 1:18-21 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, (19) because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. (20) For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, (21) because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” Stop stumbling in spiritual darkness!
II. You cannot come to Jesus, unless God the Father draws you to Jesus by the Holy Spirit through His written Word preached! Listen! (Vs.3) Herod the Great is troubled. He was a descendant of Esau, not of Jacob. He was not of the house or lineage of King David. Herod was a master politician gaining favor with Rome and the people of Judea. He rebuilt the Temple to mirror the glory it had in Solomon’s day. He perfected cement that hardened underwater, and engineered many infrastructure improvements for the people he ruled in the name of Rome. Herod loved power. He’d already executed his beloved wife and a number of his children whom He suspected wanted his throne. For all his greatness - he was a poor miserable power hungry sinner. If Herod wasn’t happy - Jerusalem was troubled - they knew his wrath.
     Perhaps it wasn’t only Herod the Great who loved the power and prestige of his office. (Vs.4) The chief priests and scribes loved their authority and power over the religious life of the Jews. They withheld preaching the full counsel of God to Herod to garner his favor. When the king asks them they respond immediately (vs.5-6). Psa 119:46 I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings, And will not be ashamed. Is what the priests and scribes had been taught to sing from their childhood catechesis, but it isn’t until king Herod ask, do they finally start speaking to him of the Messiah - the Christ.
    Where is Jesus found? In God’s written Word. St. Peter testified, 2Pe 1:20-21 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, (21) for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” St. Paul echos, 2Ti 3:16-17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, (17) that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 100% of the Holy Bible is the Word of God. The Holy Spirit verbally inspired it from God the Father testifying of the Christ - the Messiah - Jesus of Nazareth. What is the heart and center of the Holy Bible? Jesus preached to the Bible scholars in the Temple: Joh 5:39-40 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. (40) But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.
    Be wise! Listen to Jesus speak to you in the written Word of God the Father as the Holy Spirit leads you from darkness to the Light of Life! 2Pe 1:19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;
III. Have you heard of worship wars? The battles for how a congregation worships aren’t new. They are not just fought among Lutherans who argue if the pipe organ is superior to the praise band. They began in Eden when Satan promised a new more exciting way to come to our God outside of His Word and Gift of the Tree of Life. They were echoed down through the idolatry that gripped Israel building a golden calf to follow their own feelings and go back to comfortable slavery in Egypt. Charles Finney’s sales techniques in America to build a congregation, to Peter Drucker’s business principles, to the marketing of flesh appealing songs performed for the congregation who no longer sings hymns.
     All worship wars really boil down to whose glory are you seeking? Your own glory? The glory of King Jesus? Listen! (Vs.7-8) King Herod the Great is shrewd. He plays the part of a new convert. He holds a secret counsel with the wise men. When did the star appear? How old is this King of the Jews that they are seeking? “Go, search, find the young Child.” “Give me His location!” “I too want to worship Him!” If Herod was really sincere, he could’ve humble himself to journey with the wise men. Bethlehem is only about five miles from Jerusalem. The proud king didn’t have time for true worship.
   His worship is revealed when he sends the sword to destroy all toddler boys two years old and under in Bethlehem and its surrounding region. He only wanted to stay in control, in power of his own life - he sought his own glory. Beware of following your own emotions to seek a spiritual high making you feel good about yourself. Paul warned the congregation at Corinth, 1Co 5:6-7 Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? (7) Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.  Repent! Turn from your foolish pride. Be honest! Confess your sin - your inner darkness! IV. Humbly from the darkness of your sin look to Jesus! With Him alone is forgiveness - fear Him! (Vs.9) The wisemen leave Jerusalem in the darkness, but enlightened with the Word of the prophet Micah they journey to Jerusalem. They seek the Good Shepherd who will lay down His life for their sins.
    The Lord doesn’t leave them on their own. The star reappears to lead them to the exact house in which the family of Joseph now lives. (Vs.10) They rejoice with exceeding joy - the star leads them alone to Jesus. This heaven sent messenger doesn’t seek his own glory, but is only called and sent to lead the humble wisemen to Jesus.
      Behold true worship. (Vs.11) They come into the house where the toddler Jesus and His Virgin Mother are present. The wise men now confess that Jesus is not only the Son and Descendant of David - He is the eternally begotten Son of God. Falling down they worship Him. Returning to their Creator the gifts He has given them. They fulfill the prophesy of Isaiah that Jesus is the Savior of all nations - all sinners. They give Him their best. Gold for He is the King of Creation! Frankincense - for He is the God/Man who alone deserves our worship and through whom our prayers rise as a sweet smelling sacrifice to our Father in heaven. Myrrh - for He comes to undo death and its stench by His sacrifice on Calvary for us - His rest and sanctifying of our tombs - His resurrection to gift us victory over death - His ascension to prepare a place for us in His Father’s House - His return in glory to bring us Home!
     Humble yourself to find Jesus in His House held by your Mother - the Church. Lay all your gifts before Him - He is God the Father’s gift to you! Joh 3:16-21 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (17) For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (18) "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (19) And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (20) For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. (21) But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
     Be wise! Humbly receive Jesus’ gifts in His Church. Walk in His Light! (Vs12) The wise men don’t return to receive glory from Herod, they follow God’s direction going home to spread the good news that the Savior of us Gentiles is born. He is Jesus! Worship Him! Amen.