A surprising visit
Matthew 2:1-12
Slides from John Percival’s sermon at the
Christmas morning service
Wednesday 25th December 2024
1. The Star
Matthew 2v2
Where is the one who has been born king of the
Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have
come to worship him.
2. The Scriptures
Micah 5v2
But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.
“The spiritual state of the priests and scribes is a
sobering reminder that knowledge of the Scriptures is
never enough. You can know the text and still miss the
point. May God keep us from this kind of deceptive
rebellion in our own lives and churches. What is
startling is that these religious men who knew of
Messiah’s birthplace did absolutely nothing about it. It
is a dangerous thing to know the Word and fail to
respond.”
David Platt
3. The Saviour
Matthew 2v11
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, frankincense
and myrrh.
“God invites the magi and he invites you to see his Son
and to joyfully offer your life as a worshipper. The
people of God should smile and sing and lift up their
hands. They should get excited for the King has come!
Worship involves joyful, affectionate, uninhibited
praise. Like these powerful, influential men in
Matthew 2, we should be overwhelmed, bowing down
in homage and humble worship.”
“We give to Christ the extravagant offering of our lives,
everything we have and everything we are. We lay it
down before Jesus, and we do it joyfully. He is the King
and we’re compelled to shout and sing about his great
worth.”
David Platt
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