Sermon Tone Analysis

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*Imagine Christmas: Knowing Truth*
Matthew 2:1-12
 
*Intro:*
#.
You know that Christmas song – Do You Hear What I Hear?
It asks three questions.
You may have noticed that we’ve been following those questions each week:
    
Said the night wind to the little lamb,
"Do you see what I see? …
Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy,
"Do you hear what I hear?
Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king,
"Do you know what I know?
 
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So now we have a third question: Do you know what I know?
I.e.
Do you have the same facts as I do?
God asked those same questions through the prophet Isaiah:
 
Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
Isaiah 40:28 ESV
 
*What I want to say:*  Truth is being challenged in our day.
Yet when truth is known it has a powerful effect on the soul.
The Magi endured much hardship in order to pursue the truth.
Without truth, there is nothing compelling in life.
With truth, life is an adventure of faith.
! I.      Seekers of truth find the truth (Matthew 7:7-8)
 
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
Matthew 7:7-8 ESV
 
!! A.    The great question of our day is “Does truth exist?”
!!! 1.
Why did not Herod go with them?
!!!! a)    He did not even send spies
!!!! b)    What could have been simpler?
Follow the Magi; find the child; kill the child
!!!! c)    He did not believe the report or he was being deceitful
!!!! d)    Or he was not a seeker of truth and God prevented him
!!! 2.    We feel that truth is malleable and personal
!!! 3.    “What is true for you is not necessarily true for another”
!!! 4.    You will not know truth if you do not seek it.
!!! 5.    Truth exists and it is most clearly demonstrated in Jesus Christ.
!! B.    If truth does exist can you know it?
!!! 1.    God seemed to think so.
“truth” appears 34 times in the Gospels.
28 of them in John.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14 ESV
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:32 ESV
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
John 4:24 ESV
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6 ESV
 
!!! 2.    Yes!
Truth can be known – it is embodied in Jesus Christ
 
!! C.   If you can know truth it compels you to action
!!! 1.
The Magi came seeking the One of whom they had heard.
!!!! a)    We do not know how they heard of the king to be born
!!! 2.    Herod gave a pretense of valuing truth but he never sought it.
!!! 3.    Are you seeking the truth or just pretending?
Going through the motions of spirituality is not seeking.
It is hoping that by doing some ritual, something magical will occur and your heart will be changed.
There were people in Jesus’ day who lived like that – they were called Pharisees.
Pharisees are good people but they are spiritually shallow.
!!! 4.    The Magi laid it all on the line.
If God was real, then He would communicate.
If God communicated, it was to be obeyed.
When you obey God, you are changed.
When you are changed, you understand more about God.
!!! 5.    Christianity in our day is too much “show” and no “go”.
!!! 6.    Truth requires going
 
! II.
When your priority is seeking truth you will be moved to action (:1)
!! A.    Truth moves those who believe it
Some basic Magi questions answered:
!!! 1.    Who were they?
!!!! a)    “from the East”
!!!! b)    They evidently had exposure to what we call the Old Testament for they came looking for the “king of the Jews”
 
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6 (NASB95)
 
!!!! c)    Their familiarity with the Hebrew Scriptures should not surprise us because from about 120 BC to the rise of Islam in the 7th century many of the leaders in Arabia were followers of the Jewish faith.
(Edersheim)
!!!! d)    The king that they sought was “born king” – from birth as opposed to Herod who had murderously clawed his way to the throne.
!!!! e)    They were not literal kings but of a priestly tribe that for generations influenced the making of kings.
!!! 2.    How many were there?
!!!! a)    It is impossible to know.
!!!! b)    We only know that they brought 3 gifts.
There could have been 2 or 20.
!!! 3.
Where were they from?
!!!! a)    The only clue we have is that their name, Magi, is a Persian (modern Iran) or Chaldean word.
!!!! b)    They came “from the East” when they saw the star.
* *
!! B.    Your obedience may disturb those who are not truth seekers (:2)
!!! 1.    Their coming disturbed Jerusalem (:2)
!!! 2.    How?
The word of their presence as foreigners would have caused a stir.
But it was not their presence as much as their mission that disturbed the peace.
!!! 3.    Also, if Herod was troubled, everyone around him was troubled.
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