12/21/2021: “The Wise Men” – Alistair Begg with comments from both Alistair and John’s sermons.
Fascinating, how the Lord chooses to reveal His son. “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit — fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” John 15:16 So indeed, Alistair winsomely notes for “the magi”, or “the wise men”: “So, they came with physical gifts, treasure in their hands. But the key question for them personally was: Did they leave Bethlehem with an eternal treasure in their hearts?” As noted, yes they did, for Matthew 2:11 notes : “… they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him.” Hallelujah.
Some other key fulcrums of signficance from this sermon:
- For the wise men, it was not casual speculation but sincere investigation that brought them to their destination from a long and arduous 800 mile journey.
- As mere messengers, we are called by the Great Commission to witness the good news of the Gospel to lost souls. If we do not know Yeshua (Jesus) the Christ personally, we do not know how to introduce Him to fellow souls. And interesting, how we are invariably led by the Holy Spirit to His Word, the Bible, in order that we might meet His son, the Living Word!
Grab onto Yeshua, the Christ, our Savior and don’t let go!
I encourage y’all to follow the connecting scriptures noted by Alistair and John including but not limited to: Matthew 2 of course; Micah 5 – “A Promised Ruler of Bethlehem”; Jeremiah 29; Numbers 24 (Alistair); and of course, the book of Daniel , chapters 2 and 7. (not an all inclusive list I suspect)
Of lesser significance, some would say “down the daisy trail”, but we can just stand in awe and wonder of our amazing God:
- So, from the 2 sermons we have “the Magi” , from the center of the Medo Persian Parthian Empire , conquerors of the Babylonians and the time period of the Jewish captivity in Babylon with Daniel and Ezekiel. John in particular, points out that Daniel becomes head of “the Magi”, so there is obviously a connection to Daniel’s prophecies of the coming of our Lord and Saviour. So Babylon translates to modern day Iran. John points out similarities between Judiasm and Zoroastrianism, a religion that still actively exists within Iran. sidebar to the following link: https://spiritualgrowthguide.com/judaism-and-zoroastrianism-similarities/
So, here is the mystery of faith to modern day, the daisy trail observation: As I have pointed out on previous posts, a case can be made that Iran is the fastest growing Christian church in the world today, starting from near -0- to perhaps nearing a million souls in a very short time frame. Guess what, these fanatical “ragamuffin” Christians, in the face of persecution threatening life and limb, not only have a foundational love for Jesus, but they also have a love for the Jews and the nation of Israel. Just consider that for a moment, given the hate environment that they grew up in.
I just saw in a quick glance, that WIkipedia notes there are around 25,000 adherents to Zoroastrianism still today, roots that go back 3,500 years or so.
I continue to recommend for us , the remnant Church here in American, the FAI produced documentary of our Iranian brothers and sisters in Christ: “Sheep Among Wolves – Part II”. It is free on youtube:
Why? For me, not only was I overwhemingly inspiring, but also convicting: “What am I doing ?” And that is a very significant note for us I submit , within this “daily trail”.
- And if you are still with me on this daisy trail… haha: Alistair has a very humourous analogy from the story of “the Magi” to the old Eagles song – “Take it Easy”. lyrics: “…. Well, I’m a-standing on a corner In Winslow, Arizona, such a fine sight to see……” I can picture him randomly going up to people in Winslow: “Where is the corner !?!” Hilarious…
Merry Christmas! ; Soli Deo Gloria!