1

The Magi worshiped the King

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[Matthew 2:11]

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 and of incense and of myrrh.

3

When Jesus came to earth, Judea was ruling by Herod the king.

One day there were people who came to King Herod.

4

These were the wise men from far away countries. They told King Herod.

"Where is the baby born to the King of the Jews?

We saw the star of the baby from the east and came to worship the baby."

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Herod who heard these words was surprised.

And others who were there were surprised.

Because they heard a shocking word that a new king was born

instead of the present Jew King Herod.

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Herod summoned the chief priests and the teachers of the law to find out exactly

who the new-born king was.

"Please answer where the new king, the Messiah, is born."

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The chief priests and the law teachers answered King Herod's question.

"It is a town of Bethlehem in Judea."

They replied based on the prophecy of the prophet Micah.

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A long time ago the prophet Micah prophesied:

"You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,

from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel."

9

Herod heard these words and called the wise men quietly.

And he found out when the stars first appeared through them.

10

And Herod asked the wise men a favor.

"Go and look for your baby. And if you find a baby, please let me know.

And I will go and worship the baby."

But Herod's words were a lie to find and kill a new king.

11

The wise men set out for a place called Bethlehem.

Just then, the star that led them to this place came back to the wise men

and showed them the way.

The wise men followed the star with joy.

12

The star that led the wise men stopped somewhere.

When they came to a halt, there was a mother and a child.

The wise men kneeled and worshiped the baby,

knowing that the child was the new born king.

13

And they gave the treasures they brought to the baby Jesus.

The gift of the wise men was gold, frankincense and myrrh.

These gifts teach us that Jesus is the very Messiah who was predicted to come.

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Gold indicates Jesus is king.

Since frankincense is used to sacrifice to God, this means that Jesus is God.

Finally, myrrh is a fragrance used in funerals,

symbolizing the suffering and death Jesus will face in the future.

15

On the night of searching for the baby Jesus, the wise men became dreams.

They hear the voice of someone who says in their dreams,

"Do not go back to Herod."

This is what God told them dreams to protect Jesus.

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The wise men obeyed the command and did not go to where Herod the king was,

but went back to their country in another way

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Jesus was born in Bethlehem, prophesied by the prophets

of the Old Testament Micah, and proved himself a Messiah sent by God.

He also made us aware of the wise men of the East

that Jesus came not only to the people of Judah, but also to those far away.

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Jesus, prophesied to come from ancient times through the Old Testament,

came to this earth as God's time.

And the light of life that shines through Judah and Israel beyond the world.

We, the children of God, must know and observe the true meaning of Christmas.

On Christmas, we must remember that Jesus came

as 'the king who ruled over all things'.

We must also confess that Jesus is the "true God from God."

and we must remember

that Jesus came to this earth to suffer Himself

and die for us to save us from eternal death.

I hope that this marvelous grace will be redeemed

and Christmas will be to praise God with joy.

(This is the sample conclusion provided by CTM. Please feel free to change the conclusion to best suit the listeners of your sermon.)