Three Things the Wise Men Did AND How You Can Do Them Too

Polaris is one of the most important stars in the sky due to its consistent location. It has been famously named the Northern Star because of its position being in the direction of true north. In American history, this star played a significant role in guiding slaves from the South to find freedom in the North. However, this was not the first star that led the way for a group of people.

The Star of Bethlehem is well known for its role in the Christmas story. As many know, the star appeared when Jesus was born, and it led the way for some Wise Men to follow it. We have previously talked about the gifts the Wise Men brought to Jesus, but let’s look at their journey and see how we can do the same thing they did.

When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. -Matthew 2:9-10

When the star appeared, the Wise Men did three things: they were Guided, they Stepped, and they had Joy. The Slaves had the Northern Star, the Wise Men had the Star of Bethlehem, but today we have the Spirit to lead us. So let’s see how we can incorporate all three things the Wise Men did by following the Spirit.

1. Guide

Just like a GPS guides your way while you’re driving, the Spirit will guide our life. He will show us the way and show us when we are getting off course. There is nothing worse than getting lost, especially when our phone is dead, or we have no signal. Thankfully, however, the Spirit is never dead and never low on signal. The Spirit wants to guide us at all times. The question we have to ask is, will we listen?

2. Step

That brings us to the second thing, stepping. The Spirit will always guide us, but it is our responsibility to step. We may have all the turns mapped out, but if we never get in the car and go, we will never get anywhere. Stepping is vital to our faith. The Spirit lights our path and gives us strength to push through, but it is up to us whether we will step.

3. Joy

Lastly, we receive Joy. I think it is interesting the order in which this joy appears. If you reread the verse, you will see that the Wise Men were not filled with joy when they saw Jesus, but when they saw the star. They were filled with joy because they knew something better, something more, was on the other side of their journey. The same is true for us, God has more for all of us, and we can receive Joy when we start stepping towards it.

We want to connect with you and help you take your next steps!

1. Do you have a relationship with Jesus? This decision is the first step in receiving peace in your life. If you are ready to give your life to Jesus, we would love to celebrate with you at 3trees.com.
   

2. Do you need to rededicate your life to Jesus? If yes, please connect with us at 3trees.com.
   

3. Do you feel God prompting you to take your next steps? If yes, BEGIN is waiting for you! You can walk through our ONLINE BEGIN class at 3trees.com/begin
   

4. Would you like to make a difference in our community? Join our captivate team! Visit 3trees.com to find out how you can participate in community outreach opportunities.

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How the Gifts of the Wise Men Are Significant to Our Lives Today

Earlier this week, we talked about the wise men and the barriers they had to overcome to worship Jesus. The wise men made it through every barrier they faced, and when they got to Jesus, they fell and worshiped Him! They also gave Him the three gifts they had brought for Him. These gifts aren't just any gifts! They each had great significance and honored prophetic unction.

When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. -Matthew 2:9-11

Do you know the significance behind the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh? Let's look at what each give signifies and what it means for our relationship with Jesus Christ today.

1) Gold: A gift fit for a true king. It showed that the wise men truly believed that Jesus was a King.

GOLD signifies His DOMINION.

When was the last time you went before God and let Him know that He has dominion over your life? When was the last time you declared that Jesus is the King of your life? The wise men did this by bringing Jesus their wealth, a symbol of treasure. When we give Jesus our offerings and tithes today, we are blessing Him and aligning ourselves with actions of wise worship, just as the wise men exemplified. This action has great significance! Don't allow the barriers of discouragement, disappointment, distraction, or dismay to stop you from giving God dominion in your life.

2) FRANKINCENSE: The Old Testament reveals that God desires a sweet scent during worship.

Frankincense signifies His DEITY.

Through the gift of gold, the wise men said Jesus is King, but through the gift of frankincense, the wise men declared that Jesus is a God, and He is to be worshiped.

3) MYRRH: This gift is nothing like the other two. It conveys death, not life.

Myrrh signifies His DEATH.

The Gold signified we should give Jesus our wealth; the frankincense signified we should give Jesus our worship. But, the myrrh illustrated what Jesus would give for us -- His life!

You can't understand the cross without understanding the cradle. You can't appreciate Easter if you don't have a revelation of Christmas. The wise men had to overcome their barriers, but we also overcome modern-day obstacles. Maybe you are so discouraged that it's been a long time since you lifted your hands to worship Jesus. Perhaps you are so distracted that you can't remember opening your Bible last time. Maybe you're so dismayed by everything going on in the world that you've stopped honoring God with your treasure. I don't know what your barrier is, but it's time for you to start following the actions of wise men!

I invite you to view this message in its entirety at this link: https://youtu.be/WSQtN6GI4iU

We want to connect with you and help you take your next steps!

1. Do you have a relationship with Jesus? This decision is the first step in receiving peace in your life. If you are ready to give your life to Jesus, we would love to celebrate with you at 3trees.com.
   

2. Do you need to rededicate your life to Jesus? If yes, please connect with us at 3trees.com.
   

3. Do you feel God prompting you to take your next steps? If yes, BEGIN is waiting for you! You can walk through our ONLINE BEGIN class at 3trees.com/begin
   

4. Would you like to make a difference in our community? Join our captivate team! Visit 3trees.com to find out how you can participate in community outreach opportunities.

WATCH IT | DISCUSSION GUIDE| MESSAGE NOTES

Four Barriers We Must Overcome

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." -Matthew 2:1-2

Take a minute to envision the nativity scene. I'm sure you see baby Jesus in the manger, surrounded lovingly by Mary and Joseph. And I'm sure you also imagine the three wise men and their gifts. Yet, Scripture does not explicitly list three wise men.

Because there were only three gifts, we naturally conclude that there must have been three wise men. Three contributions, however, do not equal three wise men. Therefore, the truth is there could have been any number of wise men present.

We know the wise men came from the far East, and they were men who spent their whole lives studying the stars. Some people believe that Daniel, from the Book of Daniel, Chapter 7, left behind the understanding that a divine king would be born in his homeland. This prophecy may have been what provoked the wise men to go on their journey when they saw the star. We know for sure that the wise men do get to Jerusalem, and there they encounter an unbelievably wicked man named King Herod, who tries to knock the wise men off course.

King Herod wasn't the only adversity the wise men faced trying to get to Jesus. They had to overcome many barriers to worship Jesus. One of these barriers was distance. They may have spent years traveling and traveled hundreds if not thousands of miles to get to Jesus. This trek wasn't easy to travel by any means; it was challenging. They also had to overcome a barrier of danger. The road they traveled was known for occupying men who were thieves and murders. And they were traveling with precious gifts.

We want to worship Jesus, too, just like the wise men, but we face modern-day barriers in our own lives. They don't look the same as the wise men's barriers. It isn't necessarily problematic for us to find a Church where we can worship freely without danger. One barrier we face is discouragement. So many people in this season have their heads down with the weight of everything going on in our world. We are walking through tough times, and it's hard to process all the negativity we face. Discouragement sources itself by any number of things, a surging global pandemic, natural disasters, a family member fighting a life-threatening illness, the loss of a job, or a financial crisis. There is no shortage of discouragement -- and it beats us down! That's why our church focuses so hard on encouraging the discouraged! God still intends to be God in your life! Wise men keep seeking him!

Another modern-day barrier we face is "distraction." Can you relate to this? Every time you sit down to read the Bible, something distracts you. Every time you log on to church online to worship, something distracts you. Even sitting in church, you're distracted by the things around you. Distraction is a tactic of the enemy. He wants you to lose your focus. He wants you to become dismayed by everything coming at you. He knows that if he can distract you enough, your life will become Spiritually paralyzed.

What kind of barrier are you facing?

The wise men made it through their barriers, and I believe you will too! Do not let any barrier: discouragement, disappointment, distraction, or dismay keep you from arriving at the feet of Jesus. Give him your whole heart and your complete worship as you go all in and surrender to the Lord!

Take a look at your heart this Christmas. Inspect your heart to find the barrier you're facing. What is hindering your worship? Everyone faces these barriers, and it's easy for us to make excuses, but don't give up! Leave those excuses in 2021, and enter 2022 at the feet of Jesus Christ, fighting every barrier that comes against you!

I invite you to view this message in its entirety at this link: https://youtu.be/WSQtN6GI4iU

We want to connect with you and help you take your next steps!

1. Do you have a relationship with Jesus? This decision is the first step in receiving peace in your life. If you are ready to give your life to Jesus, we would love to celebrate with you at 3trees.com.
   

2. Do you need to rededicate your life to Jesus? If yes, please connect with us at 3trees.com.
   

3. Do you feel God prompting you to take your next steps? If yes, BEGIN is waiting for you! You can walk through our ONLINE BEGIN class at 3trees.com/begin
   

4. Would you like to make a difference in our community? Join our captivate team! Visit 3trees.com to find out how you can participate in community outreach opportunities.

WATCH IT | DISCUSSION GUIDE| MESSAGE NOTES