Why Did Wise Men Come?

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Why Did Wise Men Come?
Why Did Wise Men Come?

• Wise men still seek Him

Wise men still seek Him
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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, saying, "Where
is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we
have seen His star in the East and have come to
worship Him." (Mat 21-2 NKJV)
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• Introduction
• Wise men, or Magi
• A priestly caste among the Persians and Medes,
  which occupied itself principally with the
  secrets of nature, astrology, and medicine.
  Daniel became president of such an order in
  Babylon (Dan_248).
• Then the king made Daniel great, and gave him
  many great gifts, and made him to rule over the
  whole province of Babylon, and to be chief
  governor over all the wise men of Babylon. Dan
  248

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• The word magi became transferred, without
  distinction of country, to all who had devoted
  themselves to those sciences, which were,
  however, frequently accompanied with the practice
  of magic and jugglery and, under the form
  magician, it has come to be naturalized in many
  of the languages of Europe.

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• Many traditions and guesses respecting these
  visitors to our Lord's cradle have found their
  way into popular belief and into Christian art.
• They were said to be kings, and three in number
  they were said to be representatives of the three
  families of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and therefore
  one of them is pictured as an Ethiopian.
• Their names are given as Caspar, Balthasar, and
  Melchior. (We really don't know-but maybe...)

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I. Where Did They Come From?

• A. From the east...
• there came wise men from the east to
  Jerusalem,
• B. How far east?
• Babylon (Iraq)?
• Persia (Iran)?
• Arabia?
• India?
• The important part is they came!

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• II. Why Did They Come?
• A. To come the distance time, they must have
  known there was a special event.
• B. God had prepared everything to be just right
  for this event.
• C. The Scriptures had to have some influence.
  Perhaps from Daniel's time there was interest in
  the prophecy.

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• There are people who study the holy books of
  various religions.
• The Messiah's birth and circumstances were
  prophesied...
• A Star-Num 2417 ... there shall come a Star
  out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of
  Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and
  destroy all the children of Sheth.
• A literal star/also symbolic of a Prince

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• A Birth place Mic 52
• But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be
  little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of
  you shall he come forth unto me that is to be
  ruler in Israel whose goings forth have been
  from of old, from everlasting.

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• A Child / Messiah
• Isa 714 Therefore the Lord himself shall give
  you a sign Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and
  bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
• Isa 96 For unto us a child is born, unto us a
  son is given and the government shall be upon
  his shoulder and his name shall be called
  Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The
  everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

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• III. They Came In Answer to God
• God prepared them-God's Word?
• God used them to provide for a need.
• God changed them-they went another way...
• God used them to get people's attention
• (Even today don't we wonder why they came?)

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• They came to a house to present gifts

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These items were very valuable and worth enough
to finance a cross-country trip to escape the
massacre

• Gold-for a king
• Frankincense-for a priest
• Myrrh-for burial

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...departed another way
...flee to Egypt...
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Why Should Wise Men Still Seek Him?
Act 1517 That the residue of men might seek
after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom
my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all
these things. Act 1727 That they should seek
the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and
find him, though he be not far from every one of
us Heb 116 But without faith it is
impossible to please him for he that cometh to
God must believe that he is, and that he is a
rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

• Wise men still seek Him