I draw your attention to the verse number two that we just read together. The wise men who have come to Herod come asking a question, where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his store in the east and are come to worship him. Now for this afternoon, for a few moments, I'd like to speak upon the subject of walking with the wise men. Now some clever wit has asked the question as to what might have happened if it had been wise women instead of wise men. He says they would have stopped and asked for direction sooner, and they would have arrived on time to help deliver the baby. They would have cleaned the stable, cooked a casserole, and brought some practical gifts rather than frankincense and myrrh. That may well be the case, but we have wise men that have come to find the Lord Jesus Christ. And the coming of our Savior into the world is one of the greatest events of all time. And yet his coming was announced only to a select few. To Mary and to Joseph, they received the news that the Messiah would be born through Mary giving birth, The angels would go to pronounce the birth of our savior to some shepherds that are out in the Judean hillside looking after their flocks. And then somehow around the same time, some men from the east recognized that something significant was happening. Someone special was about to be born. They have noticed an unusual star in the west. out in the direction of Israel and they have determined to follow that star to find out the source of this birth of this special person. What's interesting when we look at it is that the rich and the powerful of Israel did not receive first-hand news of the Savior's birth. Only some poor, humble Jews and some foreign dignitaries received this message. I suspect that that's a foretelling of the type of people that will be most willing to hear the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ, the common people of Israel, and some of the Gentile nations. Now, the wise men in this chapter or sometimes referred to as Magi. In Persia, in modern day Iran, the Magi were a prominent class of royal advisors. They were gifted and intelligent men. They studied astronomy and astrology, science and religious matters. In the book of Daniel, we find the word used to describe a class of men that interpreted dreams and gave divine messages to the king. And here are the first of the Gentile nations that have been brought to bow before the Lord Jesus Christ. And I think it's quite telling that there were both Gentiles at his cradle as well as at his cross. I hope you're glad this afternoon that the message of the Savior's birth is good news for each and every one of us, that the Lord God of heaven was willing to save us from our sins, and no matter what the cost may be, that he was willing to give his son to die upon a cross of Calvary that we might be saved. and that this is good news for us, no matter what our national heritage might be. Now, we say that we want to consider the walk of the wise men and to walk with them. We're reminded of what Paul said in Ephesians chapter five. He says, see then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. That's what I want to encourage you to do this afternoon, to walk wisely, to follow in the steps of these wise men, to make that important choice for your life. You can decide whether to live foolishly or live wisely. And I fear that all too many people have decided to live foolish lives. They live lives that are filled with self-destruction, filled with sin, They're on that broad road that will lead to a lost eternity. I want to challenge you this afternoon to walk wisely in the light of what God has said and to follow in the steps of these wise men that brings you them to the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. So if you are wise, you like them will search for the Savior. Now, when I say that you search for the Savior, I want you to understand something that's very important, that it's God and not man that begins the seeking process. The wise men are coming to seek the Christ because God has first come to seek them. We would be greatly mistaken both historically and theologically, if we thought that these wise men were wise in and off themselves, and that it was their own wisdom and reasoning that caused them to seek out this newborn king. I say that because the book of Romans reminds us in Romans 3 in verse 11, there is none that seeketh after God. No, not one. Not one of us born with a desire to know more about God or to seek after him. No one ever comes to God because they've reasoned everything out and decide that this is the best course of action to follow. No, God chooses the foolish things of this world in order to confound the wise and the mighty and the strong, and he does it for one very simple purpose. that no flesh should glory in his presence, that we might recognize that salvation is all of grace and all of God and not of works lest any man should boast. And the reason these wise men are seeking out this newborn king is because God has taken the initiative and revealing to them the supernatural sign in the heavens that they have connected with the birth of the Messiah to come. So Matthew's showing us that though the Jews had the newborn Messiah right under their noses, due to the hardness of their hearts, they missed it. They didn't care. No one took any notice of Joseph and Mary there in Bethlehem and the little babe that was born to them. They never recognized for one moment that the one who was born in that stable that night was none other than the king who had been promised to them. Of course, that's what what we call the Christmas story is all about. that the eternal God took to himself human flesh to be born as we are born so that he might save his people from their sins. Now you're maybe thinking, well, if that's true, as you say, that we do not and cannot seek after God until he first seeks after us, what if he hasn't sought for me yet? What am I supposed to do in the meantime? Am I to sit and wait for a special star in the heavens that will lead me somewhere that I'll discover these truths? I would suggest to you that the fact that you're here this afternoon, that you're sitting in a church service listening to the gospel being preached, is a sign that God is seeking for you. The Lord doesn't put stars in the sky for us to follow in order for us to find him today. The more common means that he uses to seek out those that are lost is the preaching of his word. And since you are here this afternoon and under the preaching of the gospel, I suggest to you, if you haven't already sought and found the Lord, that he's seeking for you today. The crucial question is, what are you going to do in response to the Lord seeking you out? You should respond as the wise men responded, by seeking the Lord Jesus Christ as the great King. So God has sought out these wise men. They respond then by seeking out the King who has been given. None of this will be an easy process for them. There are a number of things that have hindered them and slowed them down in their search for the Savior. They sought the Lord Jesus in spite of the difficulties that they encountered. This was not an easy journey that they've undertaken. They've had to go on a very long and treacherous journey. We're rather spoiled today We can travel by car or bus or train, or if it's any further, we can hop on an aeroplane, though maybe not in 2020. But this was a difficult journey that they've undertaken. This is a journey that would have taken them weeks, perhaps months. These men, these Magi, we might look upon them as well-to-do. These are men that are familiar with comfortable surroundings. They're found in the palaces and the courts of their day. And now they're being asked to give up those creature comforts and undertake a long and difficult journey. Remember, there were no highways for them to follow, no cars for them to use, no hotels or motels for them to stop at. There's no drive-through McDonald's where you can stop and get something to eat. night after night, out in the desert, under the constant threat and danger of robbers. And finally, when they get to Jerusalem, they can't even find someone who can direct them as to where they might find this King who has come. Why go through all of this hassle? What's in it for them? Were they looking for someone to help them with their personal problems? Maybe they hope to gain a position of influence in this new king's court. But you see, he's just been born. They can't even talk with this king. At most, he's probably two years of age when they arrive. It'll be another 30 years before he begins his public ministry. There wasn't really anything in this trip for them from a human point of view. They didn't say we have seen his store in the east and we have come to get something from him. The point is when God seeks you, you must do all that you can to seek him. And those that seek for him with all of their hearts will find him. Whatever the difficulties, And we seek Him for one reason only, that He is the true and living God, and He is worth all the troubles that it takes for us to find Him. You see, if you're only seeking after God because you have the attitude or the belief that if I follow Him, then all my life will go better, you're not looking for God, you're looking for Aladdin's genie in three magic wishes. I've no doubt that the lives of these wise men became increasingly difficult because they sought the Lord Jesus Christ. And I don't want to alarm you, but so might yours if you become a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is not a promise of a life of ease or free from difficulty. The Lord Jesus promises his disciples that each day they're to take up their cross and follow him. Follow him in spite of the difficulties. Seek him out in spite of the disinterest of others. Can you imagine how they felt? They've traveled for weeks, maybe months to arrive in Jerusalem. They've come desiring to worship the king of the Jews who's been born. They arrive in the Jewish capital where they expect this newborn king to one day reign. And I've no doubt they're expecting the city to be alive with news of his birth. And they arrive in Jerusalem asking the question, where is he? Where is he that is born king of the Jews? We have seen his store on the east and we have come to worship him. And the market trader in Jerusalem looks at them and says, I haven't heard any news of a newborn king. Would you like to buy some of my goods and wares? They stopped with others, where is the newborn king? I don't know. Are you sure there is a newborn king? And they think perhaps we're asking the wrong people. And they rush over to the temple precincts, and they ask the scribes and the rabbis, where is your king? They haven't heard anything either of a newborn king. And they point him to Herod's Palace, perhaps that's the best place to look for a king. Now when Herod hears that there might be a newborn king of the Jews, unlike the others, he is not disinterested, he is very interested. In fact, verse three tells us that when Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. The reason that Herod is troubled because he's a very suspicious tyrant of a man who was known to eliminate anyone who had even a remote chance of challenging him for his rule. By the time Herod dies himself, he will have murdered his own brother-in-law, his mother-in-law, his wife, and three of his sons. not to mention all the male babies in Bethlehem, plus a whole lot of other people beside. So you can see why the scriptures tell us that Herod was troubled and all Jerusalem with him, because when Herod was troubled, then everyone was in trouble. When Herod hears the news, he's interested in finding the answer to their question, because he doesn't want any rivals for his throne. He sees this as a plot to overthrow him, and he is intending to snuff it out before it becomes a problem. So he sends for the scribes and the priests, and he asks them, is there any word of where Christ should be born? And they said unto him in Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet, and they quote the prophet Micah. There's a prophecy concerning his birth. Bethlehem of Judea is the place where the Messiah is to be born. And the news is passed on then to these wise men. What's interesting is that none of the religious leaders were troubled enough to go and follow these wise men to Bethlehem. You'll forgive me of talking in miles, but that's what I'm more accustomed to. Five miles from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. How long would that take? An hour and a half to walk if you had to. These were the religious men who should have been looking for the birth of Messiah. They could tell you what the scripture said. They knew it all intellectually, but their hearts, their hearts are far from God and they're not really that concerned. And though they tell the news that Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem, but don't ask us to go and see for ourselves. They probably thought these wise men were just a bunch of fanatics, traveling all this way just to see a baby. There were difficulties in their journey. And there were those who were disinterested And yet in spite of the indifference of those who should have been most excited, the Magi traveled on to Bethlehem to worship the newborn King. Don't allow the difficulties of following Christ from stopping you. Don't allow the disinterest of others to stop you from seeking out the Savior as your King. And know that sometimes the worst kind of disinterest comes from the religious crowd who know about the king, but refuse to submit themselves to him. They only look at it as an academic exercise to study the Bible, but they don't allow it to penetrate their hearts or change their lives. No doubt, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ or determined to follow him, There'll be those that will look upon you as some kind of religious fanatic. Don't allow their disinterest to put you off. Let me suggest another thing, what it means to follow in the steps of the wise men. We follow and seek our Christ in spite of the difficulties, in spite of the disinterest of others, even in spite of the disappointments. And again, put yourself in the wise men's sandals for a moment. These are men that have advised the kings of Persia. They're accustomed to living in a royal setting. They've seen the store of the newborn king of the Jews and undertaken a long treacherous journey. And I suspect they have some expectation of what it is they're going to see when they get there. After all, not every king has a store announcing his birth. They've traveled to Herod's palace, but the newborn king is not there. Maybe he's in one of his vacation homes. No doubt he's surrounded by gold and silver. He's waited upon by many attendants. Perhaps we might be able to stay in one of the king's guest houses on his grounds. But what did they find? when they got to Bethlehem. Verse 11 tells us that when they come to the house, they saw the young child with Mary, his mother. It seems that Joseph and Mary have moved into a more permanent setting out of the stable where the Savior was born, but it's just a common house in Bethlehem, lived in and worked on by common working class parents. And the child is not wearing fancy robes. And there's no attendance or servants. There's no palace. There's no hint of royalty. There's none of the trappings that one might expect of a newborn king. And yet we find that as soon as they come to the house and they saw the young child and Mary, his mother, they fell down and worshiped him. That takes faith to be able to look beyond those awkward circumstances and to see the King of Glory there in his crib. They had seen Herod's palace. They've seen the splendor. But they didn't bow and worship Herod. But here in this common house in Bethlehem, They find this poor working class couple and a little babe. He hasn't performed any miracles. and he doesn't have a halo surrounding his head, and there's no angels hovering around him, and yet they're able to see beyond all of these outward circumstances that the one before them is none other than the King of glory. And they fall to their knees and they worship him, and they present to him all their treasures. If they were disappointed, they didn't let it stop them from worshiping Jesus as King. I say that because undoubtedly, if you follow after the Lord Jesus Christ, you will have disappointments. Perhaps your life won't be easy the way you thought it would be. I know that there are some that promise that if you become a follower of Jesus that you'll have health and wealth and abundance and everything will be fine. Yet my Bible tells me that those that follow after Christ are promised only trials and tribulations in this world. You come expecting the Savior to solve all of your problems and make everything fine. You're going to be disappointed. If you're expecting an abundant life that doesn't include suffering, look away now. But if we learn something from these wise men, look beyond our seeming disappointments and recognize that the one before whom we come is none other than the King of glory. And we come and we bow and we worship Him in spite of the difficulties, in spite of the disinterest, in spite of the disappointment, and even in spite of our own dignity. These were important men back in Persia. These would have been the equivalent of cabinet ministers in positions of power in the governments of their day. They had wealth and they had influence and power. They had clout. And here they are bowing in the dirt of a modest home in Bethlehem before a little Jewish baby proclaiming him to be the sovereign king. I love what Matthew tells us there in verse 10, that when they saw the storm, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. Matthew piles up the superlatives. They didn't just rejoice, and they didn't just rejoice with joy or rejoice with great joy, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. They're really excited. and they're so excited that they have left all of their pride and their dignity behind and they bow before this little babe. We don't find them bowing before Herod or before Caesar or before the scribes and the priests. We find them bowing before the sea. They unashamedly worship this little infant and confess him as their king. He is not a disappointment. He's altogether lovely. And for those that know him as their savior, he is precious. Now we no longer worship him as the babe of Bethlehem. and we worship Him as the risen sovereign Lord of heaven and earth, who is found today at His Father's right hand in glory, who is returning one day in glory and power and might and majesty, and every eye will see Him, and every knee will bow before Him, and every tongue shall confess unto Him that He is Lord, I love what one of the old Puritans said. Speaking about this day of grace in which we live, he says, it's better to bow before the scepter of Christ than wait to be broken by it. Oh, may we come and bow before the great King. Herod, the scribes, the people, they missed it all. These wise men gained everything in finding the Lord Jesus Christ. We're told in verse 12, they gave gifts. Sorry, verse 11, they gave gifts unto him. And then verse 12 tells us that they returned to their own country. They didn't set up a shrine and charge admission to see the Christ child. They didn't write a book about their trip. or make a screenplay and turn it into a movie. They returned to their home and they went about their lives. But they were different men now than what they were previously. They were men of faith who had seen the king and have worshipped him. And I believe that's what the Lord would have us to do at this Christmas season, respond to his initiative in sending his son to be our saviour, to seek out the lost for salvation and having been found of God, to come and worship him and then return to our homes and to our world as different people under the rule and the authority of a new king. There are three types of people in this story. There are those like Herod, who when they hear of Jesus the King, are hostile towards him and want to eliminate him from their lives because he threatens the rule that they want for themselves. There are those like the priests and the scribes who know about Jesus, are able to quote Bible references concerning him, but ultimately they are indifferent towards him. They don't go out of their way to seek him. And then there are those like the wise men who respond to the light that they have been given. They overcome the obstacles and the hindrances, the disappointments, discouragements, and disinterests all around them, and having found the Savior, they fall before Him and worship Him. You fall into one of those three categories, each and every one of us. I simply ask you to consider this afternoon which category you belong to. You're hostile towards the Savior, you're indifferent towards the Savior, or you're a worshiper of the Savior. I encourage you this afternoon to walk with the wise man, to come to worship him that is born the King, not only of the Jews, the King, the Lord of all. I encourage you to worship him. May the Lord bless these few thoughts to our hearts this afternoon.