FOLLOWING THE BRIGHT MORNING STAR, PART 2: PERSEVERING

If you have never met Jesus Christ in a personal way, how do you actually find him in the middle of so many confused opinions about who he is? And if you have met him, how do you follow an invisible leader who dwells in eternity while you live in space and time? To put it another way, what does God want from us? This message is part two of a series on following Christ as our Bright Morning Star, which he calls himself in Revelation 22:16b: "I am the self-existent God, the promised root and offspring of David; the star, the brilliant, the morning one" (paraphrased and amplified, DBL).

One of the great stories surrounding Christmas is about how scholar/scientist/astronomers from some nation to the east of Israel made the connection between the star concept and the birth of the Deliverer in Israel. Matthew tells us how they came to follow him: "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.' When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: 'AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL'"" (Matthew 2:1-6).

Most people have trouble figuring out where these magi were coming from in their personal journey toward God. I see them as men in process, en route to finding out about the greatest thing that has ever happened on the earth. I used to be frustrated by how much I did not know about them, but the Lord, inspiring the Scriptures by his sovereign wisdom, has told us just what we need to know. Those of you who have not heard or read the first part in this series should do so to get the full picture, but we will forge onward to learn dramatic things about our own lives by observing the magi.

FOLLOWING CHRIST IS THE WAY TO JOY IN OUR LIVES

There are many things which bring joy into our lives on a temporary basis. I believe these are little flashes of the character and goodness of God which he gives to lead us to himself. Of all the pursuits of life upon which we spend our energies, only one of them is a consistent source of joy which trumps everything else, and that is following Jesus Christ, our Bright Morning Star. Listen to how the magi were affected by their own quest to follow the star: "Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, 'Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.' After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy" (Matthew 2:7-10). The magi reveal their overflowing joy at following the miraculous star of Jesus Christ and finally, after a very long journey, finding the One whom they sought.

I am now old enough to experience what I sometimes see in older people. The joy of life starts to fade. For example, the first part of my life I was fascinated and excited by motorcycles. I never thought the sheer joy of flying down the road would fade. Then my first son was born, and a whole new, better set of joys overrode the old. I sold my motorcycle, used the money to buy my first real computer for ministry, and never looked back.

For the next nineteen years I thought occasionally about buying another motorcycle, but the intense desire was gone. I kid you not, one of the main reasons I did not was that there is no good place to take a nap on a motorcycle. That's how many middle-aged guys think. Finally I concluded that it might be fun even without the chance for a good nap, and the Lord gave me the freedom to buy one. As a young guy I used to ride even in the freezing cold, through rain and sleet, but the bike I own now has never been wet! And I watch some older folks become so blasé about things which used to excite them that they hardly leave their recliners.

If you have not yet experienced this disillusionment with the excitements of life, you will. But what the magi found is my story. I have found an energizing joy in following the Bright Morning Star which does not waver because it is spiritual, not emotional. I have seen older folks who, with many malfunctions in their bodies, worship Christ joyfully, follow him intently, and serve him sacrificially. I have seen older folks with minds as sharp as razors because they never stop learning about God and growing to know him personally. I remember the last time our esteemed former pastor, Virgil Brisco, spoke to our church as a visiting speaker in his retirement. He walked with difficulty up the steps of the platform to get to the pulpit, seemingly very frail, and then he transformed into a fiery and intense proclaimer of gospel truth. When he was done he limped down off the platform. Without any sense of disrespect we began calling him "Ol' Machine Gun Brisco."

He had found the key to a life of great joy and energy which does not dim with age the way all other joys do. Have you? The angel who announced the birth of Christ to the shepherds focused on the joy of his coming: "But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord'" (Luke 2:10-11). This joy can be yours.

FOLLOWING THE BRIGHT MORNING STAR IS ALL ABOUT WORSHIP

Sometimes all of the unanswered questions about the magi cause us to think that they could not have been very clear in their thinking about Messiah Jesus. We dismiss them as people lost in a syncretistic confusion about a promised but vaguely understood Deliverer. On the contrary, their purpose--if perhaps not fully understood at that moment in redemptive history--rebukes us all for its intensity. They told Herod that they had traveled all that distance for one purpose, namely, to worship him. And so they did upon finally finding him: "After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh" (Matthew 2:11).

We cannot be certain that they knew the truth contained in the famous hymn line by Charles Wesley: "Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; /Hail the Incarnate Deity." What we observe by their words and actions is that they did exactly the right thing with what they did know: "they fell to the ground and worshiped Him." Some of this was cultural, but it was still the right thing. Falling to the ground is the outward action of those who have submitted to Christ's lordship in their hearts. They placed themselves under him so far as it was possible at that moment.

The second part of their worship was to give him treasures which they had brought with them from the east. The fact that there were three categories--gold, frankincense, and myrrh--has led to the idea that there were three of them, but Scripture does not say that. Commentators have also theorized that the gifts had specific meanings, namely, gold for a king, incense for a mortal, and myrrh for a god. Again, Scripture does not say.

What is crystal clear is that they gave him their treasures! This is a crucial part of worship. If you think you are following Christ, but you are retaining personal possession and control of every good thing God has given you, you are not yet following because you are not yet worshiping. This is a deed which reveals and purifies the mixed motives for following Christ which we all have. Until you give God your treasures and let him decide what shall be done with them you are still following your own star. He'll let you do that, but it won't be good for you!

The example of the magi is a challenge to seek Christ for the right reason, to worship him, to exalt him as supreme, and to honor him above all others. That is what Scripture means by a pure heart, and a great promise is made to those who follow Christ like that: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8).

FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST MUST ALWAYS OVERCOME RESISTANCE

Notice how much resistance the magi had to overcome. They walked their camels right into the spiritual war of the ages! Herod was infuriated that there might be born someone with the title "King of the Jews." He was a jealous and neurotic king, and was already a known killer before the magi arrived. He immediately went to work to subvert the worship of the magi. From his point of view, he was the one who should be worshiped.

So the magi had to face a powerful influence of someone who claimed to want to worship Christ but who was actually seeking a selfish end. It may be that the reputation of Herod's violent nature had preceded him. The magi may already have been on their guard. But they had to overcome Herod's resistance in order to worship Christ, and we will all have to do the same thing. The world system, our sinful natures, and the Evil One are all arrayed to hinder the worship of Christ in our lives. How strong will this resistance be? Matthew 2:16 tells us: "Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi." It's a fight to the death!

We worship the things in which we perceive surpassing worth. If we do not appreciate the worth of something or someone, we will put something above it in our thoughts, hearts, and decisions. The resistance will win unless we fight the battle to appreciate the worth of Christ.

First, we must know that God himself has mobilized to help us, just as he helped the magi to worship Christ and defeat the resistance of Herod: "And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way" (Matthew 2:12). I cannot promise that God will give you dreams and visions to help you worship Christ and follow him as your Bright Morning Star, but my personal experience is that God has done so at crucial pivot points in my walk with him. The direct work of the Holy Spirit within us helps us follow him and overcome the resistance we face. I believe Herod was a little antichrist, motivated by the Evil One himself. There are such people alive today.

God also helps us appreciate Christ by giving us his word, the Bible. This is the normal way he builds our capacity for worship. We must embrace this means by reading the Bible on a regular basis, by studying it for the answers to our questions. It is the primary way we get to know him. Then when our hearts resist, sometimes simply by apathy, we can rise up by faith and rebuke our own hearts by saying: "No! He is the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords! I have seen his star in the word of God, and I have come to worship him!" When we take what we are learning of Christ in the Bible into our prayer life, we are entering worship.

Another resistance is that the world system is full of people proclaiming the way to follow Christ, but they are actually seeking some selfish purpose. There are many Christians who, instead of following Christ into sacrificial service, are simply seeking to be entertained. They will tell you to quit your boring church and go to theirs, which is so much more...entertaining! There are cults which use the same exact words the Bible uses to honor Christ but they give those words different definitions which diminish Christ, making him less than the eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing God. These folks sound good but are not following the real Christ. God will help you resist these as well.

The biggest resistance to following Christ will come from your own sinful heart. God will help you come clean, confess all your sins, and be forgiven--if you are willing! But it will take an act of faith to overcome all these things, because true followers of Christ must overcome many kinds of resistance, and the Apostle John warned: "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world-- our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1 John 5:4-5). If you have never believed in Christ so as to overcome all the resistance to worshiping him, you are not yet one of his children. You can remedy this by saddling up your camel and heading across the desert to Bethlehem. The word of the God of Israel to his straying nation can be applied to us as well: "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13).

Jesus Christ, born of a virgin in a manger, is our Bright Morning Star. Following him above all others is what leads us into a future filled with joy and life. The magi challenge us to rejoice as much and worship as well as they did. We have much more knowledge of God and Christ than they did when they followed the star to the Christ child. Let nothing stand in your way in the quest to follow him with all your heart.