This week, Pastor Chris shares a powerful message about the hope of Christmas and how it leads us to worship the King. The Wise Men were among the first to encounter the newborn Jesus, and their response offers profound lessons for us today. Just as they bowed in humble worship before the Savior, we too are called to honor and glorify the Lord as we reflect on the hope and joy of the Christmas season. Their example reminds us that true worship flows from encountering the hope found in Christ’s birth.

Worship Defined…

  • To worship something because it merits your worship and is worthy of praise, adoration, and honor.
  • “To kiss toward”. Affection. 

Jeremiah 29:13–14 (ESV)

13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

Seven Characteristics of the Wise Men’s Worship

Their Worship Was…

  1. Intentional and Predetermined

Matthew 2:1–2 (ESV)

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 saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 

2. Personal

  • They came (:2). 
  • They came from a great distance (:2).
  • They came by faith (:2).
  • They rejoiced when they found Him (:10).
  • They humbled themselves before Him (:11).
  • They willingly lavished their gifts upon Him (:11).

3. Confrontational

Matthew 2:3 (ESV)

3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

John 14:6 (ESV)

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 1:29 (ESV)

 “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Matthew 10:34–35 (ESV)

34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

4. Effectual

Matthew 2:4-8 (ESV)

4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 6 “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ” 7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 

5. Relational

Matthew 2:9 (ESV)

9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 

6. Sacrificial

Luke 7:37–39 (ESV)

37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38 and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.”

John 3:1–2 (ESV)

1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night…

John 19:39 (ESV)

39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight.

7. Emotional

Matthew 2:10–11 (ESV)

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

  • Gold for a King (Royalty).
  • Frankincense for a Ministering Priest (Messiah).
  • Myrrh for an Incomparable Martyred Prophet (Humanity).

Discussion Questions:

  1. One definition of worship is “to kiss toward” implying affection in our worship. What does it look like for you to show affection and honor to God in your daily life?
  2. What does it mean that the Wise Men’s worship was intentional and predetermined? How can we make our worship more intentional, rather than reactive or passive?
  3. What does it mean for worship to be personal? How do personal experiences and emotions shape your worship of God?
  4. The Wise Men experienced “exceedingly great joy” in worship (Matthew 2:10-11). How do you experience emotions in worship? Why do you think emotions play such a significant role in true worship?

Application Questions:

  1. How do you currently prepare for worship? What changes could you make to make your worship more intentional and focused?