Gifts For A King: Myrrh 12/29/2019
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Promote Champions Week: 12th Rev. Jeremy Mills, 19th Vision Sunday.
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 have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”
7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”
9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
Just like the wisemen experienced. There is a battle between two Kings in our lives. One king must die for the other King to reign.
We don’t know how many wise men there were. We do know how many gifts they brought.
A few weeks ago I preached the first portion of this two part series. I preached about Gold and Frankincense. Gifts that are perfect for a King and quit commonly presented to King’s in history.
Gold represents our treasure. When we give our earthly treasure, we put Jesus upon the throne that materialism and possessions try to occupy in our life.
Frankincense represents our worship. It was used in the incense burned upon the altar in the temple. It was placed on the loaves of the Table of Shewbread. One of our great gifts fit for Jesus is our worship in prayer, and spending time in the word of God. Frankincense came from cuts made in a tree where the white sap would flow, after it hardened it would be sold in the form of tears. Hardened clumps of resin. Worship comes out of sacrifices made in life. Life involves wounds and tears, these wounds can be allowed to go unhealed or they can be turned into worship.
MYRRH was an aromatic gum produced from a thorny tree that grew in the Middle East and Africa, and was obtained from the tree in the same manner as frankincense. When the sap oozed from a cut in the shrub, it was a pale yellow color at first, but as it hardened, it changed to dark red or even a black color. Myrrh was so valuable in ancient times that it could have the same “weight worth” as gold! It had medicinal properties, and could be ingested.
Myrrh was an ingredient of the anointing oil in worship. God instructed His people to anoint every thing in the temple that was to be used. It was anointed because it was chosen. Jesus was anointed as the chosen one.
It was used in perfumes and incense, and as an embalming compound for dead bodies (i.e. Egyptian mummies). Just like frankincense was known for its sweet smell, myrrh was known for its bitter taste. In fact, the name itself means great bitterness – and that’s why myrrh came to be associated with DEATH.
Myrrh is the only one of the three gifts given to Jesus at the beginning of His life and at the end of His life.
On the cross.
22 And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. 23 Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it.
In the grave.
39 And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. 40 Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.
Jesus took the bitterness of the cross and the grave so that we would not have to die in our own sins.
The gifts of Gold and Frankincense seem fitting for a King. We should give our treasure to the Lord. It is fitting that we give our worship to the Lord. But Myrrh? We can see the types…anointed, born to die, etc.
It’s deeper than that…Jesus is still receiving these gifts.
We see Him taking the bitterness of death, the cross, our sin. But what about the bitterness of life?
23 Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. 24 And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet.
There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them,
In their first experience after passing through the Red Sea, the Israelites encounter waters that are bitter (“mar”) at a place called Marah. It was a TREE cast into the bitter waters that made them sweet. It was Calvary, thrust into the bitterness of our lives, that changed everything!
When Naomi returns to Bethlehem after a long time in Moab, she says “Don’t call me Naomi (‘pleasant’) – call me Mara (‘bitter’)!” She left the “House of Bread” because there was a famine in Israel (Ruth 1:1), but she ended up trading a famine for three funerals (her husband and two sons)! She blames God for her heartache, but it was it was her family’s own decision to leave Bethlehem.
19 Now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was excited because of them; and the women said, “Is this Naomi?”
20 But she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?”
Life hurts… can leave us bitter.
22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. Now they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.
Naomi and Ruth arrived back home at the perfect time – it was the beginning of barley harvest, when food was plentiful. No more famine!
The end of the year is the perfect time to leave the past in the past, and step forward into a brand new future in God. It doesn’t matter what mistakes you’ve made, it only matters what decision you will make.
Jesus will take the bitterness of your life, year...
5 Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, 6 and Jesse begot David the king.
David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.
Look at the dysfunction in the lineage of Jesus! Rahab, the harlot. Ruth, the Moabitess. Bathsheba, the adulteress. David, the murderer. Solomon, the adulterer. His family tree is full of failures, bitter, but that didn’t prevent the SAVIOR from being born!
8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write,
‘These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life: 9 “I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
11 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.” ’