Worship The King

WORSHIP THE KING

An Exposition of Matthew 2:1-12

By Pastor Brian Wilbur

Date: December 31, 2017

Series: Christmastide

Note: Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard   Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

INTRODUCTION

The Call to Worship

The greatest mandate upon us as human creatures who have been fashioned by the hand of Almighty God, is to worship the Lord with hearts full of praise:

“Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;

bring an offering, and come into his courts!

Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness;

Tremble before him, all the earth!” (Psalm 96:8-9)

“Exalt the LORD our God;

worship at his footstool!

Holy is he!” (Psalm 99:5)

To truly worship the Lord is to acknowledge that He alone is great and holy and sovereign over this universe, and therefore to joyfully draw near to Him and bow down before Him with humble reverence.

The reality, of course, is that true worship is a scarcity in the land. Ever since the fall into sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve, the world has been full of false worship. False worship is placing the highest value on something other than God; false worship is letting your life be shaped by something that is not God. Just about anything can become the object of false worship: it could be another person, or it could be the person we see in the mirror; it could be our resume or our reputation, family or a social club, our work or our play, a hobby or source of entertainment, our expertise in a particular area or an experience that we try to hold onto and reproduce over and over again; t could be food or drink or pleasure. Whatever we get most excited about, whatever most captures our imagination and holds our attention, whatever has the greatest gravitation pull on our thoughts and emotions, that is our god. If our ‘god’ is not the true God of heaven and earth, then we have a false god and we are false worshipers who have turned a thing into an idol.

It is highly probable that in this small gathering of people today, there are at least a few people who are right now caught in the deceptive and destructive power of false worship. Your ultimate allegiance and devotion is off the mark, and you are marching down the wrong track. This sermon is especially for you, that you might recover before it is too late. And yet, this sermon is also for those who are genuinely seeking to worship the Lord, that you might be encouraged to keep going and keep growing in your devotion to King Jesus.

The Aim of Matthew’s Gospel

Indeed, the aim of Matthew’s Gospel is to so present the glory and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, that everyone everywhere might become a glad-hearted servant of the Lord. Matthew 1 has a Jewish flavor, doesn’t it? The very first verse says:

“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." (Matthew 1:1)

Jesus is the Jewish Messiah, the descendant of King David who shepherded God’s people Israel, and the descendant of Abraham who was the great patriarch of the Hebrew people. Likewise in Luke 1, the angel told Mary that Jesus would “reign over the house of Jacob forever” (Luke 1:33).

Since Jesus is the Jewish Messiah who sits on David’s throne as the King of Israel, we might conclude that His kingship is irrelevant to Gentiles (non-Jews), to Africans and Arabs and Asians and Europeans and Americans.

But how does Matthew’s Gospel end?

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”” (Matthew 28:18)

Just ponder this: the King of Israel is the Lord of heaven and earth – He is the true sovereign over all nations, and all people groups everywhere owe obedience to their rightful King. Therefore King Jesus commits to His disciples the Great Commission:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Jesus ought to be honored and obeyed everywhere, by everyone, including all of us who are gathered here on this final day of 2017.

But we don’t have to wait until Matthew 28 to understand that the King of Israel is due worship from all peoples, for we see it all the way back in Matthew 2, sometime “after Jesus was born in Bethlehem,” when He was still a young child. During this time there were certain “wise men” or magi who showed up in Jerusalem. These men were not necessarily kings, as the song “We Three Kings” would lead us to believe, nor were there necessarily three of them. It is always important to read the words of Scripture closely: there were three gifts, but the number of the wise men themselves is not given.

THE SCRIPTURAL TEXT

So then, let us listen to the words of Holy Scripture as they are written in Matthew 2:1-12.

¹ Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, ² saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” ³ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴ and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵ They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

⁶ “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

⁷ Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. ⁸ And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” ⁹ After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ¹¹ And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. (Matthew 2:1-12)

PART 1: WISE MEN FROM THE EAST COME AND WORSHIP KING JESUS

In any case, these wise men or magi were learned men, presumably astrologers or students of the stars, who had an openness to divinely revealed truth. They were “from the east,” perhaps from Arabia or Persia. They may have been exposed to portions of the Old Testament through the Jewish people who lived or traveled in these eastern lands, and that possible awareness combined with their observation of the heavens, led them to the very specific expectation that the promised King of Israel had recently been born. So what you have here is Almighty God reaching out to non-Jews, overwhelming their pagan astrology and leading them through a God-appointed star all the way to the land of Israel where the Savior had been born.

Once the wise men have arrived in Jerusalem, they inquired as to the specific whereabouts of the newly born King – and their very question sets the whole city on edge, starting with Herod:

“When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled…” (v. 3)

Of course he was troubled: if you were an earthly king and thought highly of yourself and would do just about anything to maintain your grip on power, and you get wind that another king of the land has been born, then you would be troubled too! “Herod the king” has no place for Jesus the King; Herod’s little kingdom has no room God’s big kingdom; Herod is accustomed to looking down on his subjects, and he isn’t about to start looking up to One greater than he. So as Matthew 2 unfolds, Herod eventually orders the slaughter of all the male children, aged two years or less, in Bethlehem in an effort to snuff out the newborn King. But he did not succeed.

As Herod and “all Jerusalem” were stirred up by the wise men’s visit, Herod assembled a religious council in order to determine “where the Christ was to be born.” So the religious bigwigs gathered around Herod and told him about the Old Testament prophecy that foretold the place of Messiah’s birth. Long ago the Lord had revealed this to the prophet Micah, namely, that the Messiah, the ultimate ruler and shepherd-king of God’s people, would be born in Bethlehem.

But note well: the religious scholars knew the right answer, but they weren’t the ones going to Bethlehem to offer worship. It was instead the pagans, the magi, who were outsiders to God’s covenant people and who had less exposure to divine truth – it was they who would render worship to Israel’s true king. In a church like South Paris Baptist Church that rightly values sound doctrine, it is necessary that we remind ourselves over and over again the very real danger to possess theological information in the head (and think that’s sufficient) but not possess spiritual transformation in the heart and life. Scripture demands both: doctrine and doxology, the word of truth leading to the worship of God in accordance with that truth.

Once Herod acquired the requested information from the priests and scribes, he called the wise men into a private meeting, drew out a little more information from them about the timing of the star’s appearance, then sent them to Bethlehem with these instructions:

“Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come to worship him.” (v. 8)

Herod, of course, had no interest whatsoever in worshiping the Holy Child of Bethlehem. But he pretended to show interest in hopes that the wise men would prove to be reliable informants, letting him know where to send his soldiers so that they could kill Jesus. But God intervened, and after the wise men found and worshiped Jesus, they were

“warned in a dream not to return to Herod, [and] they departed to their own country by another way.” (v. 12)

The wise men thus began their journey home.

What about you? Are you like these wise men, eager to honor the King? Or are you like Herod who didn’t have room for the true King? Or are you like the clerics who knew the Bible but were apparently indifferent to rendering worship to the newborn King?

PART 2: SIX PRINCIPLES OF TRUE WORSHIP

The account of the wise men’s visit to Bethlehem and of their subsequent worship of the Lord Jesus shows us six important principles of worship. Since God’s will for us as a church family is that we be increasingly faithful worshipers who are eagerly devoted to Jesus, we would do well to learn from the wise men and imitate their example. So let these principles be set forth for you as a standard, and consider how God might be calling you to grow up in the grace of true worship.

Principle #1: Resolute Determination

First, true worship involves a resolute determination to worship the King. It has been well said that if you aim at nothing, you are sure to hit it. Notice that the wise men were not aiming at something vague or unclear. They had within their hearts a clear purpose:

“For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” (v. 2)

Theirs was not a fleeting desire that quickly evaporates in the face of other more pressing matters. At times people say things like, ‘Someday I’ll get a better filing system’ or ‘Someday I’ll finish the basement’ or ‘Someday I’ll visit Prince Edward Island,’ but that someday never comes. There is no determined resolve to do it. By contrast, the wise men not only desired and intended to worship the King, but also put legs on their intention and actually “[came] to worship him.” They made travel plans, packed up their bags, and journeyed to the holy place.

The fact that so many of us have gathered together on Sunday morning is no guarantee that we have gathered for the express purpose of worshiping King Jesus. It is possible to gather together on Sunday morning for the sake of tradition (this is just what we do) or for the sake of our children (our kids need church) or for the sake of fellowship (we enjoy being together as a social group) or for the sake of learning (we want to learn more about the Bible). Tradition and children and fellowship and learning are all good things and they may legitimately be part of our overall motivation for participating in the life of the church. But brothers and sisters, those good things are not the main thing. The main thing is the King of glory and the tremendous privilege that we have to draw near to Him and delight in Him and declare His excellence.

Psalm 95 expresses this holy resolve:

“Oh come, let us sing to the LORD;

let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;

let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!" (Psalm 95:1-2)

“Oh come, let us worship and bow down;

let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!" (Psalm 95:6)

When we gather together on the Lord’s Day, or when we gather together as smaller fellowship groups, or when a father and mother and children come together for a time of family worship, and even in our personal devotions, let it be our intention – our determined resolve – to honor the Lord and ascribe glory to His Name.

Principle #2: Theological Understanding

Second, true worship involves theological understanding about the King. Our calling is not to worship some vague higher power, some undefined source of all being, some unclear transcendent center of the universe. There are religious people and religious groups out there that do not care about the careful reception and stewardship of sound doctrine. But Christianity places a premium on good theology – on faithful teaching from God, on faithful teaching about God and His ways. 

When the apostle Paul evangelized the city of Athens, he told the Athenians:

“Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.” (Acts 17:22-23)

The Athenians needed to learn about the true God so that they could repent of their sinful ways and receive His gracious salvation. And if we ourselves are going to be increasingly faithful worshipers of God Most High, then we need to know Him better – we need to behold His character and glory, we need to learn His words and deeds, we need to understand His principles and purposes.

The wise men probably did not have extensive theological education from the Old Testament, but they knew a couple things. First, they knew that there was a newly born “king of the Jews” and second, they knew that this newborn King was worthy of their worship. That wasn’t a lot of information, but it was a good starting place. There were certainly many things they didn’t know, including the whereabouts of the Holy Child. That’s why they inquired: “Where is he…?” in verse 2 and subsequently learned that he had been born in Bethlehem. All of this information fueled their journey to find the King and worship Him. In other words, their worship was informed – informed by knowledge about Jesus.

We have been favored with much more information than that which was available to the wise men, although that fact alone doesn’t make us better worshipers. We might be like Herod who knew the truth but dismissed it, or we might be like the religious leaders who knew the truth but seemed clueless as to its present significance. But if our disposition is like that of the wise men and our heart is open to divine revelation and we are inclined to worship the Lord, then we will welcome sound teaching to build us up and strengthen us.

• Do you know that God is utterly and absolutely holy?
• Do you know that He loves righteousness and hates wickedness?
• Do you know that His just wrath abides on everyone who persists in disobedience and unbelief?
• Do you know that He is a perfect Judge who will condemn the wicked on the last day?
• Do you know that the Holy One is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness?
• Do you know that God has made a way for sinful people to be restored to fellowship and peace with Him?
• Do you know what this way is – or rather who this way is?
• Do you know that God sent His beloved and eternal Son into our world in order to die on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for sins, so that we might receive a full pardon and enter into a personal relationship with the Father?
• Do you know that the only way for a helpless and condemned sinner to be saved is by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone?
• Do you know that the Holy Spirit indwells God’s believing people – that He energizes us for worship, strengthens us for obedience, and binds the hearts of true Christians together in the unbreakable bond of peace and love?

Do you know such things as these? To the degree that you know and cherish the precious truth of the Bible, to that same degree you will stand in awe of the King and worship Him with the reverence that is due Him.

Brothers and sisters, our worship must be informed by all that God has revealed to us in the pages of sacred Scripture.

Principle #3: Great Joy

Third, true worship is accompanied by great joy. The remarkable language of verse 10 conveys the emotional disposition of the wise men: 

“After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” (Matthew 2:9-10)

Notice that verse 10 doesn’t say that they rejoiced or that they rejoiced exceedingly or that they rejoiced with joy or that they rejoiced with great joy. Matthew goes out of his way and piles up one word upon another in order to make it clear that the wise men experienced an overflowing and unspeakable kind of joy: “they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” This is the same joy of which the angel spoke when he heralded the good news of the Savior’s birth to the shepherds in the field:

“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy…” (Luke 2:10)

This is the same joy of the which the apostle Peter spoke when he reflected on our relationship with Jesus:

“Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and full of glory.” (1 Peter 1:8)

We don’t see Him right now, because He has ascended into heaven and is seated at the Father’s right hand. But in Matthew 2 the wise men were on the cusp of seeing the King with their very own eyes, and their cup overflowed with joy.

There can be no doubt from these and other passages that true worship is typically accompanied by great joy. This doesn’t mean that we don’t have sorrows and disappointments; this doesn’t mean that we don’t heartaches and griefs; this doesn’t mean that we don’t lament and weep before the Lord. But what it does mean is that if we are faithfully engaging with our God and bringing our hearts before Him, then He is faithful to supply us with a joy that this world cannot take away from us, a joy that runs deep into the heart and is built upon the rock solid truth of God’s character and promise.

Consider these words from Psalm 30:

“I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up

and have not let my foes rejoice over me.

O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.

O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;

you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.

Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints,

and give thanks to his holy name.

For his anger is but for a moment,

and his favor is for a lifetime.

Weeping may tarry for the night,

but joy comes with the morning.” (Psalm 30:1-5)

Be assured that there is no greater indication of His favor than the sending forth of His Son into this world. The God-anointed King has come! He has come to save His people from their sins! He has come to triumph over the dark night of sin and bring us into the dawn of a new day of everlasting light that shall endure forever! God’s people shall be delivered from all of their foes, their brokenness shall be healed, their death shall be undone in the glorious resurrection of the body, their weeping shall be comforted with everlasting joy – and all this through Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who brings all of God’s gracious promises to their wonderful fulfillment. This good news fills us with joy today even as we await that glorious day when the Lord returns and we are able to marvel at Him as we see Him in the splendor of His holiness.

Principle #4: Humble Admiration

Fourth, true worship is characterized by humble admiration for the King. This is the heart of true worship. The wise men had come with determined resolve to worship the King; they had been informed about the King; and they were full of joy as they anticipated their entrance into the King’s presence. Finally that sacred moment arrives when they enter the house and see the Holy Child.

“And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him.” (v. 11)

Although Jesus was a child, they knew that He was King. Although they were much older than He, they knew that He was much greater than them. So they “fell down”, perhaps they knelt on their knees, and in so doing they willingly occupied a lowly place in His presence, in order to praise the greatness of the high King and exalt Him as One who is worthy of their admiration and devotion. 

Have you been brought to this place of true worship in which you gladly acknowledge that this world is not mainly about you, that even your own existence is not mainly about you, but that you exist for King Jesus? Have you come to this place of true worship in which you understand that He is center stage with the lead role and you are supporting cast, that He is the Creator of all things and that you are a faithful creature precisely when you bow down before Him and gratefully acknowledge His preeminence, that He is the mighty and merciful Savior of His people and that you are a faithful disciple precisely when you stand in awe of His grace? Have you been humbled, overwhelmed, and quieted by the King’s majesty and royal splendor? This portrait of these wise men bowed low before the Christ Child is a picture of what our entire life ought to be about: humble admiration for Christ the King.

Principle #5: The Offering of Gifts

Fifth, true worship is accompanied by the offering of gifts to the King. The order here is very important. Some people may have a tragically distorted view of religious worship in which they bypass humble and joyful admiration for the King, and instead they just think about performing their religious duty. Here is the duty checklist:

• I am resolved to attend worship – check.

• Biblical instruction tells me this is the right thing to do – check.

• True worship is accompanied by great joy – well, not so much.

• True worship is characterized by humble admiration – that’s just for the really pious; next item please.

• True worship is accompanied by the offering of gifts – oh, I get that – check. I show up to church – that’s the gift of my time. I write a check every week – that’s the gift of my treasure. I deploy my much-needed skills on a couple of committees – that the gift of my talents. Check, check, check. I’m good, right?

No, that’s not good. The cranking out of will-driven duty-bound worship, devoid of humble and joyful admiration, is not true worship. It is a religious production, but no more.

However – and this is why I direct your attention to the order of things – when people gladly and humbly exalt the Lord Jesus Christ, they will inevitably open their treasures and offer Him gifts. First we give ourselves to the Lord; then we proceed to give our treasures (for another example, see 2 Corinthians 8:5 and the surrounding verses).

“Then [that is, after they fell down and worshiped him], opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.” (v. 11)

It can be no other way. Our treasures are important to us; we value them and they occupy a special place in our affections. We value our money and possessions; we value our time and energy; we value our ability to do certain things. When we realize that King Jesus is the greatest treasure of all and He becomes the joy of our heart, then we cannot help but place our lesser treasures at His disposal; we cannot help but give tangible and visible expression to our inward love for Him.

Therefore the true worshiper offers gifts – and not meagre gifts like copper coins or last week’s leftovers if you have at your disposal the better gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. We open up our treasures – however modest they may be – and we generously give Him our best gifts, not because He needs them, but because they communicate love and devotion. It is easy to say that you love someone, but true love demonstrates itself in giving good gifts to your beloved.

Principle #6: Obedience

Sixth, true worship extends into obedience – obedience to God’s instruction. What would you think if verse 12 said something quite different than what it actually says: And despite being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they did so anyway, insisting they depart to their own county by the same way. How would you evaluate the quality of their worship if immediately afterward they disobeyed God’s instruction? Friends, this is no small point.

It is entirely possible to gather together for worship and presume that our worship is pleasing to the Lord, but then we return home and immediately disregard God’s ways. After the hour of worship we return to our unmarried live-in partner or to pornography or to our preoccupation with money or to our habitual anger and mean-spirited words or to our constant state of anxiety or to our shady dealings or to our self-absorbed mindset with no interest in serving others or to our endless devotion to trivial diversions and entertainments. What does that say about our worship? Do you think God is pleased with an hour or two of playing the part of the worshiper when the rest of life is devoted to our own little twisted kingdoms? What good are gold, frankincense, and myrrh in the offering plate if greed, selfishness, and malice are in our hearts throughout the week?

So consider this: even though it is very true that times of formal worship are an important and indispensable part of the Christian life, true worship cannot be reduced to these isolated moments. We cannot worship the King for an hour here or an hour there, but then disregard and dishonor the King by the way that we live throughout the week. The heart of true worship is equally a heart of obedience to the King, pursuing holiness and seeking to honor Him in all things at all times.

CONCLUSION

William Temple offers a wonderful description of true worship:

“Worship is the submission of all of our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness, nourishment of mind by His truth, purifying of imagination by His beauty, opening of the heart to His love, and submission of will to His purpose. All this gathered up in adoration is the greatest of all expressions of which we are capable.”[1]

The whole person – do you see? The conscience, the mind, the imagination, the heart, and the will – all alive to the worship of God!

Do you discern any disconnects or gaps within you?

• Is your will resolved to worship the King?
• Is your mind well-instructed in the worth of the King?
• Is your heart full of joy in the presence of the King?
• Is your soul bowed low before the King in humble admiration?
• Is your earthly treasure surrendered to the superior value of the King, so that you gladly open your treasure and offer Him gifts?
• Is your life – your whole life – submitted to God as a living sacrifice, so that you are eager to obey His instruction and serve Him with gladness at all times?

Are there any disconnects or gaps in your worship? 

Let us pray.

FOOTNOTES

[1] Quoted in Ravi Zacharias, Cries of the Heart: Bringing God Near When He Feels So Far. Nashville: Word Publishing, 1998: p. 207.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Morris, Leon. The Gospel according to Matthew (Pillar New Testament Commentary). Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1992: p. 33-42.

Sproul, R. C. Matthew (St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary). Wheaton: Crossway, 2013: p. 27-32.