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Wise Worship

Words of Faith Final

Wise Worship

Words of Faith 1-5-2021

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2020

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

www.faithfellowshipweb.com

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 Matthew 2

    [9] After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. [10] When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. [11] 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. [12] And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

 

      We can learn a great deal from those who first came to worship the Lord Jesus. Luke tells us that the very first to come and worship Jesus were simple shepherds.  Matthew now tells us that Magi came to bow before the baby who had been born to be King of kings.

      The language here tells us that some time had passed since the birth of Jesus.  He is described here with a word that means small child.  Based on the known date of Herod's death, Jesus would have been what we call a toddler—about 18 to 24 months old. This also makes sense because the journey from the east, probably Persia, would have taken this amount of time.

      These Magi are often called "Wise Men."  This is because they were learned "star-gazers" who studied the skies for signs about what God was doing.  They were perhaps wiser because of their response to the coming of Jesus.  Surely the Lord had drawn them to this place, but now they responded and were truly wise.  There are several basic things about worship that we can learn here from the wise worshippers. 

      1st Follow THE star, not a star.  We are fairly soaked in star power these days.  Conferences and concerts boast celebrity Christians and star-studded programs. There is no such thing in the Kingdom.  God is not impressed.  We are not to be enamored with star-power; we are to seek the King of kings until we find him.  Jesus is the only star in this show.  The star followed by the Magi only pointed the way and then faded away.  It no longer shines in Bethlehem.  (I went there and checked.)  Jesus is the only focus for worship.

      2nd Learn the gift of overjoy. They were overjoyed when they found Him. The joy of finding Christ is not commonplace, it is overjoy.  It is more than wonderful.  More than marvelous.  Words do not easily describe the way that God overwhelms us with His joy. We must be willing to be overjoyed by the coming of the Lord into our lives.

      3rd Learn reverence.  They came to the house, saw the child, and bowed to worship HIM.  Our joy should not be expressed in ways that are not reverent.  We know when we cross that line.  Any time we begin to draw more attention to ourselves than to Jesus, we need to step back. 

      4th Bring Treasure.  Worship has always involved offerings and sacrifice in the Old Testament.  We should not come to Him empty-handed.  God moved in the hearts of the Magi to bring these very special gifts to the Lord.  He will move in our hearts regarding His tithe to His church and special offerings for the poor and ministries to the lost.  He will give us joy in our giving.

      5th Listen.  This worship experience brought the Magi in tune with the Lord in such a way that He could warn them of the impending danger of Herod.  Do you ever wonder why you missed a warning God might have had for you?  Perhaps it is because you were not tuned in to Him.  Worship Him.  Draw near to Him. Be overjoyed in reverence.  Offer to Him from your blessings.  Listen.

        As we are beginning a new year, it is a great time to think and pray about how we worship the Lord, how we honor Him, and the degree to which we are listening.  Could next year be a more worshipful year?

 

       Lord, I want to be a wise worshiper.  I want to worship You this day with all my heart.  I seek the light of Your revelation in my life.  Overwhelm me with joy as I bow in reverence.  Show me the treasure You desire for me to offer through Your church.  I am listening.  Give me guidance and warning.  In Jesus' name. 

 

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2021

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)       

2820 Business Center Blvd.

Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.