1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:02,960 Welcome to the Illuminate Church podcast. 2 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:05,520 We hope today's message is encouraging to you. 3 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:14,040 Welcome everybody. We're in our series called Jesus 4 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:16,520 the one and Only and speaking about gifts given, there's never 5 00:00:16,520 --> 00:00:19,560 been a greater gift than the gift that we received when 6 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:22,600 Christ Jesus decided to leave the glory and the splendor of 7 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:27,040 heaven and come and make his abode here on earth with us. 8 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:28,640 We're looking at Matthew chapter 2. 9 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:31,280 If you want to open up your scriptures, that's the the text 10 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:33,720 for this entire series. If you need a Bible, you can 11 00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:36,120 raise your hand and they will bring a Bible to you. 12 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:40,440 Our wonderful ushers, Matthew the 1st of the four gospels, the 13 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:43,680 good news retelling of Jesus time here on earth. 14 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:45,640 Anyone need a Bible? They're standing by to give you 15 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:46,920 1. Matthew chapter 2. 16 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:49,840 Here we go. We're going to just read four or 17 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:52,720 five verses. Matthew chapter 2, verses one 18 00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:55,640 and two and then 9/10/11 and 12. I guess that's 6 verses. 19 00:00:56,120 --> 00:01:00,800 Verse one says after Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea 20 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:04,640 during the time of King Herod. Magi from the east. 21 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:07,120 You want to pay attention and underline these words in your 22 00:01:07,120 --> 00:01:10,160 scripture because every scripture, every word is 23 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:13,400 intended by God. Magi from the East came to 24 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:18,040 Jerusalem and asked, Where is the one who has been born king 25 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:21,560 of the Jews? Not heir apparent, not Prince of 26 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:23,000 the Jews. He's born king of the Jews. 27 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:26,600 We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him. 28 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:29,720 Skip down to verse 9. After they had heard the king, 29 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:32,400 they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose 30 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:35,120 went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the 31 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:38,000 child was. When they stall the star, they 32 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:40,280 were hyped. They were overjoyed. 33 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:43,440 On coming to the house they saw the child with his mother Mary. 34 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:47,560 They bowed down these magi from the east, these non Jews 35 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:51,440 worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures 36 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:56,560 and presented him with gifts of gold, say gold, frankincense and 37 00:01:56,560 --> 00:01:59,280 myrrh. Yeah, myrrh. 38 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:02,760 Father, use your word today to bless us with revelation. 39 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:06,520 We don't want to leave here the same as we walked in and we 40 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:12,440 believe your word God is meant for teaching and encouraging and 41 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:17,960 even rebuking, making us better to glorify your Son who gave 42 00:02:17,960 --> 00:02:21,840 himself this Christmas even unto Easter. 43 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:24,320 We praise you in Jesus name. Amen. 44 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:29,320 The text of Matthew 2 calls the Magi from the East. 45 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:32,080 I told you in week one that I wanted to talk about the Magi in 46 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:35,240 week 3. Here we are given the context of 47 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:39,600 Matthew chapter 2, specifically that there's this juxtaposition, 48 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:44,760 this battle going on between King Herod and Jesus, who is now 49 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:46,600 proclaimed as the King of the Jews. 50 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:50,840 The scholars believe that Matthew is deliberately using 51 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:53,840 the term Magi. Why? 52 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:58,680 Well because these are highly educated priestly astronomer 53 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:02,840 astrologers from Persia and Babylonia, what we kind of know 54 00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:07,240 today as modern day Iraq, part of Syria, Turkey, even a little 55 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:12,040 bit east and Iran. These are these magi still carry 56 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:16,760 this ancient title and this reputation as Persian Magi. 57 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:21,280 They were ancient even in Jesus time, meaning the magi had been 58 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:25,360 around for generations and generations doing what they do 59 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:28,680 in the book of Matthew. It's not always the case they 60 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:32,560 are portrayed positively. These are men seeking genuine 61 00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:38,480 seekers of truth who recognize the star as a divine sign from 62 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:43,600 the Lord of the birth of the quote King of the Jews. 63 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:48,080 The Magi in the Christmas store are not just wise men, as 64 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:50,400 sometimes they're referred to. Not at all. 65 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:53,320 They're not just generic. They are specifically 66 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:57,360 historical, ethnic, religious. They're holding this title that 67 00:03:57,360 --> 00:04:03,400 points to the priestly class of these famous Persian magi. 68 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:10,360 And what were they famous for? Throughout the generations on up 69 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:15,400 into Jesus time and beyond, they were known to read the stars, to 70 00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:18,399 look at them and honor newborn kings. 71 00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:22,600 In fact, in Persia and Babylonia, a king was not a king 72 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:26,160 without the blessing and the conferring of kingship done by 73 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:27,960 the Magi. Even if there was a coup when 74 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:30,760 somebody took over the kingship, they weren't considered the king 75 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:33,200 by everybody until the Magi said so. 76 00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:39,080 The Magi had to speak. In other words, In short, and 77 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:42,040 you can know this for the rest of your life, the Magi were true 78 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:45,800 kingmakers. They made the decision no 79 00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:47,440 coronation was valid without them. 80 00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:50,840 They could declare A reigning king to be illegitimate. 81 00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:54,560 They could choose or approve whoever's supposed to be the 82 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:58,280 next ruler when succession was disputed amongst the people. 83 00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:02,800 They even had religious veto power to overturn certain major 84 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:04,680 royal decisions. They're kind of like the Supreme 85 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:10,400 Court in some ways. That's why when Matthew calls 86 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:15,600 them these visitors from the East Magi, he's not just saying, 87 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:18,840 oh, there's some wise astrologers who happened to stop 88 00:05:18,840 --> 00:05:23,800 by again, He is deliberately identifying these as members of 89 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:27,840 the only priestly class in the ancient world that had the 90 00:05:27,840 --> 00:05:32,360 historic and the constitutional authority to recognize and to 91 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:38,440 crown, even depose kings. And here they show up to Jesus's 92 00:05:38,440 --> 00:05:41,920 house. In coming to crown Jesus as king 93 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:44,800 of the Jews, they were doing exactly what their priestly 94 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:49,240 class had done for centuries, officially acknowledging 95 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:54,200 officially Halloween, a newborn or a newly elected king. 96 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:58,000 They're not there by accident, just some wise guy that's 97 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:01,280 happened to stop by. And if that wasn't enough, and 98 00:06:01,280 --> 00:06:04,800 this has gone wild on social media, you might have seen this. 99 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:07,800 But this is fascinating. If you look in the book of 100 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:11,360 Daniel, which is in the Old Testament, Daniel a leader of 101 00:06:11,680 --> 00:06:16,600 God's people, Daniel a prophet, that the context is the people 102 00:06:16,760 --> 00:06:19,520 of Israel and Judah. They were two separate nations 103 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:21,880 at this time. Because of warring, they both 104 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:24,680 got taken away into captivity. 1 after the other, Israel went 105 00:06:24,680 --> 00:06:30,040 first, Judah went second. Babylon king Nebuchadnezzar now 106 00:06:30,040 --> 00:06:33,800 has them as exiles. In Babylon, most of the people 107 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:36,560 are just doing regular stuff, becoming Babylonians, kind of 108 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:38,480 falling into whatever gods are there. 109 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:42,480 But Daniel says faithful to the one true God, to Yahweh, and God 110 00:06:42,480 --> 00:06:47,560 because of it favors him. Daniel stands for the Lord when 111 00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:50,520 other people are sitting down or rejecting the Lord. 112 00:06:50,840 --> 00:06:55,280 And so because God favors Daniel, Daniel gets elevated in 113 00:06:55,280 --> 00:06:58,160 the nation of Babylon. Daniel chapter 2 verse 48 look 114 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:00,120 at this. Then the king placed Daniel in a 115 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:02,760 high position and lavished many gifts on him. 116 00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:06,240 He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and 117 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:11,000 note this placed him in charge of all of its wise men. 118 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:17,160 Daniel, a Hebrew Daniel who lives for Yahweh, Daniel who 119 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:21,400 knows the Hebrew Scriptures and the Hebrew prophecies, is now in 120 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:25,680 charge of leading, teaching all the wise men of Babylon. 121 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:28,560 Well, who are the wise men? We get another descriptor of 122 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:30,480 them later in Daniel chapter 4, verse 9. 123 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:35,560 I said Beltestrazar, which is Daniel's name in Babylonian. 124 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:38,840 All right, it's the same guy, Beltrazar, however you say that 125 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:43,280 name, chief of the magicians, the Magi. 126 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:46,480 I know that the spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no 127 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:47,680 mystery is too difficult for you. 128 00:07:47,680 --> 00:07:50,120 Here is my dream. Interpret it for me. 129 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:52,520 Now, clearly there's another part of the story going on here, 130 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:55,480 but what's important for us to note today is that Daniel is the 131 00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:57,440 head of the wise men. And who are the wise men? 132 00:07:57,440 --> 00:07:59,160 They're the magician. Who are the magicians? 133 00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:04,400 They're the magi. Daniel, 600 years before Jesus 134 00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:07,960 is born, is leading the very people who will be the first to 135 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:10,440 recognize Jesus as the king of the Jews. 136 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:15,280 And Daniel being a good Hebrew with the best Hebrew, he's the, 137 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:17,760 he's the one standing for God when everyone else is kind of 138 00:08:17,760 --> 00:08:21,520 sitting down. Daniel leading these magi 139 00:08:21,880 --> 00:08:25,320 assuredly as they are astronomer astrologers would have said to 140 00:08:25,320 --> 00:08:29,000 them, you know, there's prophesied in my faith tradition 141 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:32,960 that a star will rise in the East and you will note it. 142 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:36,679 And when you see that star rise, it'll be because the king of the 143 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:44,080 Jews have arrived 600 years later, passed down from magi to 144 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:47,280 magi to magi, generation, generation, generation. 145 00:08:47,520 --> 00:08:52,520 These magi today's like, oh, the stars rising that that guy 600 146 00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:54,240 years told our forefathers about. 147 00:08:55,080 --> 00:08:59,400 We finally see it and they follow the star and the rest is 148 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:01,560 history. I'm telling you folks, it is a 149 00:09:01,560 --> 00:09:05,200 sovereignty, the creativity, the divinity of God, that it's no 150 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:10,240 accident that it's these magi, these kingmakers, these holders 151 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:13,600 of the biblical prophecy taught to them by Daniel, that they are 152 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:17,880 the ones who come to acknowledge Jesus as King of the Jews. 153 00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:21,680 It's mind blowing to me. It's fascinating to me that the 154 00:09:21,680 --> 00:09:25,240 Lord sets us all up. Just them being there should 155 00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:28,800 have been enough for people. The magi have arrived. 156 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:32,080 The magi have spoken. He is king of the Jews. 157 00:09:32,080 --> 00:09:37,440 But to double down, if you will, the Magi bring these gifts that 158 00:09:37,440 --> 00:09:41,080 we've been reading about, these prophetic gifts, these symbolic 159 00:09:41,080 --> 00:09:44,720 gifts that overwhelmingly make this declaration for the magi. 160 00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:49,680 This Jesus is God Incarnate. This Jesus is the king of the 161 00:09:49,680 --> 00:09:52,000 Jews. This Jesus is the one that the 162 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:56,000 world has been waiting for. We've been waiting 600 years and 163 00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:57,360 the Jews have been waiting longer. 164 00:09:58,760 --> 00:10:04,040 So as we are coming to the close of this short series, Jesus the 165 00:10:04,040 --> 00:10:08,240 one and only. The entire point of it was for 166 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:12,960 us to consider the gifts of the Magi and bring those gifts 167 00:10:12,960 --> 00:10:16,440 ourselves so that as we bring them, we make the same 168 00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:20,320 declaration that the Magi made. When I bring the gift of gold or 169 00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:23,240 the gift of frankincense, or today the gift of myrrh, I want 170 00:10:23,240 --> 00:10:26,400 my life to say the same thing, that there's that He is God 171 00:10:26,400 --> 00:10:30,720 Incarnate, God in the flesh. He is royalty. 172 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:35,680 And today, as we'll see with the final gift, He is God also as a 173 00:10:35,680 --> 00:10:40,160 human God also who will die for our sins. 174 00:10:40,680 --> 00:10:42,880 Let's just refresh today with gold. 175 00:10:42,880 --> 00:10:45,800 We said in week 1, the magi said, and we get to say along 176 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:49,840 with them that this is a king. He is royalty. 177 00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:52,960 Our goal to bring to him means that we're going to off our 178 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:55,800 lives in holiness. I'm going to live according to 179 00:10:55,800 --> 00:10:57,720 His word. I'm going to get a live 180 00:10:57,720 --> 00:11:01,360 according to the Kingdom culture so that my life glorifies him. 181 00:11:01,480 --> 00:11:04,200 My life is gold to him and to the world. 182 00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:07,640 Wow, look at that shiny beautiful thing and remember the 183 00:11:07,640 --> 00:11:09,760 Scripture. They will see your good deeds 184 00:11:09,760 --> 00:11:12,160 and glorify your Father in heaven. 185 00:11:12,520 --> 00:11:15,880 Also to bring our treasure, our physical treasure, and bring it 186 00:11:15,880 --> 00:11:19,480 to the Lord as an offering, just as these wise men did. 187 00:11:19,480 --> 00:11:22,640 They brought millions of dollars worth of gold to Jesus, to a 188 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:24,600 baby. Who does that? 189 00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:29,080 Then we have frankincense, and with the frankincense, the Magi 190 00:11:29,120 --> 00:11:32,560 said, and we get to say as well that the baby is divine God in 191 00:11:32,560 --> 00:11:34,720 the flesh. He is the high priest who 192 00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:39,040 forever removes the distance between US and God by his own 193 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:41,560 sacrifice. If you missed last week, the 194 00:11:41,560 --> 00:11:44,280 shed blood of Jesus is the covering that we need to stand 195 00:11:44,440 --> 00:11:47,480 in front of a holy God. There's no way to stand in front 196 00:11:47,480 --> 00:11:48,680 of a holy God without a covering. 197 00:11:48,680 --> 00:11:50,600 And Jesus has become that covering. 198 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:54,880 He's become the veil. He's become our frankincense and 199 00:11:54,880 --> 00:11:58,360 because of it we get to enter into His presence and pray unto 200 00:11:58,360 --> 00:12:02,080 Him and spend time with Him. Prayer is communion and prayer 201 00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:05,640 is the exchange of wills. Father, not my will be done, but 202 00:12:05,640 --> 00:12:07,360 my, Your will be done. Amen. 203 00:12:08,160 --> 00:12:12,440 Amen. 9:00 AM Hallelujah. And today we have one final 204 00:12:12,440 --> 00:12:15,520 gift, the gift of myrrh. And as I briefly said, myrrh 205 00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:18,480 signifies Jesus's humanity and death. 206 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:23,440 As Isaiah chapter 53 says, as we just sung in this last song, he 207 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:29,000 is the suffering servant, and the myrrh is the what represents 208 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:33,080 that myrrh. This myrrh is miraculous. 209 00:12:33,680 --> 00:12:37,400 It is beyond fascinating what myrrh is. 210 00:12:37,400 --> 00:12:42,160 Myrrh is used, was used and is still used I guess today in some 211 00:12:42,160 --> 00:12:46,480 traditions for healing and also embalming. 212 00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:50,040 Why? Because of how God created 213 00:12:50,040 --> 00:12:51,440 myrrh. It is amazing. 214 00:12:51,440 --> 00:12:54,040 This myrrh stuff. Myrrh first of all kills germs. 215 00:12:54,040 --> 00:12:57,120 It has antiseptic power. How does myrrh do this? 216 00:12:57,160 --> 00:12:58,920 I researched it. This is so fascinating. 217 00:12:59,440 --> 00:13:03,000 You're like, well, tell us. OK, Myrrh is like soap. 218 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:06,840 In fact, some people call it soaps when they speak, speak 219 00:13:06,840 --> 00:13:08,160 about myrrh. I don't know why how it 220 00:13:08,160 --> 00:13:09,600 translates, but myrrh is like a soap. 221 00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:13,800 What myrrh and soap both do is they have these spikes in its 222 00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:16,960 chemical makeup that you can see under microscopes. 223 00:13:17,120 --> 00:13:22,320 And these spikes drill into the membrane of bacteria and fungi, 224 00:13:22,320 --> 00:13:26,320 and only bacteria and fungi, your healthy cells, They're all 225 00:13:26,320 --> 00:13:29,040 right. But bacteria and fungi, when 226 00:13:29,040 --> 00:13:31,560 myrrh comes to him, has all these spikes and it drills into 227 00:13:31,560 --> 00:13:35,960 the membrane and separates the membrane, and the innards of the 228 00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:39,520 bacteria and fungi spill out and it dies. 229 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:44,520 It kills bacteria and fungi just in the way that is designed, 230 00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:46,720 with all these spikes on it to destroy it. 231 00:13:46,800 --> 00:13:51,560 Not only that, myrrh also helps reduce swelling and pain. 232 00:13:51,560 --> 00:13:53,000 You all know this. When your body gets hurt, it 233 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:55,360 gets infected, it sends out these alarm chemicals called 234 00:13:55,360 --> 00:13:57,440 cytokines. They they go rushing out and 235 00:13:57,440 --> 00:14:01,760 they say, hey, repair crew, ambulances, paramedics, all 236 00:14:01,760 --> 00:14:04,240 rushed to the spot and inflammation happens. 237 00:14:04,240 --> 00:14:05,240 You all know this. So yes. 238 00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:07,400 And there's some swelling in redness. 239 00:14:07,400 --> 00:14:10,200 Yes, it's doing its job in there, yes. 240 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:15,080 But sometimes it's overdoing it. Too much pain, too much 241 00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:16,960 swelling. And so you want to get the 242 00:14:16,960 --> 00:14:18,840 swelling down. Well, Mer does that. 243 00:14:18,840 --> 00:14:23,120 It's chemical properties block the production and the release 244 00:14:23,280 --> 00:14:26,200 of these messengers that go out and say, everybody come and help 245 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:28,600 right here. It sends us out so that swelling 246 00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:31,360 goes down. In other words, it's like Mer 247 00:14:31,360 --> 00:14:34,120 brings peace to the situation and says the paramedics, like, 248 00:14:34,120 --> 00:14:37,400 we have enough here, turns off the fire alarm. 249 00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:42,120 It's OK everyone, calm down. This is what myrrh does. 250 00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:45,640 And because of this, because it kills germs and reduces swelling 251 00:14:45,640 --> 00:14:49,360 and pain, myrrh actually helps wounds to heal faster than if 252 00:14:49,360 --> 00:14:51,000 they were just left to themselves. 253 00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:53,880 You all know the process. Healing a cut happens in stages. 254 00:14:53,880 --> 00:14:56,760 First we got to stop the blood, then we got to clean up the dead 255 00:14:56,760 --> 00:14:59,440 stuff, Then we got to build new skin, and finally we got to 256 00:14:59,440 --> 00:15:01,680 strengthen it. That's how a heal gets a wound 257 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:04,120 gets healed. Myrh helps by keeping germs away 258 00:15:05,520 --> 00:15:09,200 more, helps by reducing extra swelling, and then it encourages 259 00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:12,360 skin cells to multiply and make new tissue faster. 260 00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:16,480 It's like giving your body's repair crew a boost while at the 261 00:15:16,480 --> 00:15:19,080 same time protecting them while they do their work. 262 00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:22,000 It's fascinating, don't you think? 263 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:25,600 Am I the only one? It's incredible. 264 00:15:26,840 --> 00:15:29,440 Yeah. So it makes sense that when 265 00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:33,320 somebody in Jesus time and even before Jesus died and since he's 266 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:39,000 passed, that myrrh was used on the body of a dead person to 267 00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:42,280 slow down the decay, the decomposition and deterioration 268 00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:45,840 of the body. It's put in place when Jesus 269 00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:48,360 dies upon the cross. It should be no surprise to us 270 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:51,440 that myrrh is also used upon his body. 271 00:15:51,440 --> 00:15:56,320 John chapter 19, verse 38. Later Joseph of Arimathea asked 272 00:15:56,320 --> 00:16:00,360 Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of 273 00:16:00,360 --> 00:16:04,560 Jesus, but secretly, because he feared the Jewish leaders, with 274 00:16:04,560 --> 00:16:07,600 pilots permission he came and took the body away. 275 00:16:08,160 --> 00:16:11,360 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited 276 00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:13,600 Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of 277 00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:19,160 look at this, myrrh and aloes, about £75. 278 00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:25,200 That's a lot. Taking Jesus body, the two of 279 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:29,120 them wrapped it with the spices, that's myrrh in strips of linen. 280 00:16:29,480 --> 00:16:33,440 This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 281 00:16:36,080 --> 00:16:41,640 Jesus is dead, body smeared, covered in myrrh. 282 00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:44,560 Let's talk about myrrh just a little bit more. 283 00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:47,600 Myrrh comes from a tree. It's a funny name. 284 00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:50,520 It's called Comaphora mura. Kamaphora. 285 00:16:50,760 --> 00:16:53,240 That's the first word mura. You want to say it's a kamaphora 286 00:16:54,160 --> 00:16:55,680 mura. It looks like this, another 287 00:16:55,680 --> 00:16:58,920 beautiful tree, kind of like frankincense last week, this 288 00:16:58,920 --> 00:17:03,840 beautiful tree. But I want to show you a close 289 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:07,040 up of the limbs of myrrh and see what you see. 290 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:12,480 Y'all, When I saw this picture, I'm my hair standing up in my 291 00:17:12,480 --> 00:17:14,200 arms, my heart started beating faster. 292 00:17:15,839 --> 00:17:21,560 The myrrh tree is covered in thorns. 293 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:24,480 Your brain starting to go somewhere. 294 00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:28,040 You start the spirit starting to speak to you and connect the 295 00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:32,440 dots. Thorns are actually present on 296 00:17:32,440 --> 00:17:42,720 the earth only because of sin. Exactly part of the curse of 297 00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:44,360 turning from a loving God in the garden. 298 00:17:44,360 --> 00:17:46,720 Genesis chapter 1-2 and three. Go read it for yourself. 299 00:17:46,720 --> 00:17:49,240 Adam and Eve are given the beauty of the garden that God 300 00:17:49,240 --> 00:17:51,440 says eat from any tree except for one. 301 00:17:51,440 --> 00:17:53,160 Don't eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 302 00:17:53,160 --> 00:17:56,280 For when you do that, you're trying to become God and that 303 00:17:56,280 --> 00:18:00,120 will not go well for you. Let me be God, you be humans. 304 00:18:00,120 --> 00:18:03,080 I'm giving you one command. Don't eat from this tree. 305 00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:06,000 Of course, if you know the story, Adam and Eve eat from the 306 00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:08,720 tree, and because of it, God pronounces a curse on both the 307 00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:11,480 woman and the man. To the woman's, she's going to 308 00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:16,320 toil and labor, physical pain and labor and for the man, this 309 00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:19,640 working of the land to produce the food, you're going to have 310 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:22,920 to work the dirt in order for food to be produced. 311 00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:26,800 Genesis chapter 3, verse 17 to Adam, God said because you 312 00:18:26,800 --> 00:18:29,320 listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which 313 00:18:29,320 --> 00:18:31,600 I commanded you, you must not eat from it. 314 00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:35,040 Cursed as the ground because of you through painful toil. 315 00:18:35,240 --> 00:18:37,600 You will eat food from it all the days of your life. 316 00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:40,920 It will produce thorns and thistles for you. 317 00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:44,560 You will eat the plants of the field that by the sweat of your 318 00:18:44,560 --> 00:18:46,480 bow brow. You will eat your food until you 319 00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:48,480 return to the ground, since from it you were taken. 320 00:18:48,680 --> 00:18:52,320 For dust you are, and to dust you will return. 321 00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:59,680 Part of the curse is the thorns and the thistles, and your mind 322 00:18:59,680 --> 00:19:06,240 is already jumping to the crucifixion of Jesus our Savior. 323 00:19:06,760 --> 00:19:10,840 Matthew 27 Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the 324 00:19:10,840 --> 00:19:14,440 praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around 325 00:19:14,440 --> 00:19:16,720 him. They stripped him and put a 326 00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:20,320 scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of 327 00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:23,880 thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right 328 00:19:23,880 --> 00:19:25,720 hand. They then they knelt in front of 329 00:19:25,720 --> 00:19:28,400 him and mocked him. Hail, King of the Jews. 330 00:19:28,400 --> 00:19:32,920 Have we heard this words before? These words the Magi declare it 331 00:19:32,920 --> 00:19:35,800 first, saying this is the king of the Jews. 332 00:19:35,800 --> 00:19:39,560 And now here the Roman soldiers are mocking him, saying King of 333 00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:45,200 the Jews. They spit on him and took the 334 00:19:45,200 --> 00:19:48,120 staff and struck him on the head again and again. 335 00:19:49,080 --> 00:19:52,080 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put on his 336 00:19:52,240 --> 00:19:55,000 own clothes on him. Then they led him away to 337 00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:56,800 crucify him. Notice they never took off the 338 00:19:56,800 --> 00:20:02,560 crown of thorns. So the soldiers intended this to 339 00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:07,240 be pure mockery. Jesus, by wearing the crown of 340 00:20:07,240 --> 00:20:11,360 thorns, symbolically takes on the curse of humanity, said 341 00:20:13,280 --> 00:20:18,520 suffering in our place to redeem us for the penalty of sin. 342 00:20:18,520 --> 00:20:22,080 What was meant for humiliation by these Roman soldiers has 343 00:20:22,080 --> 00:20:27,200 become a powerful image of His sacrificial kingship for all 344 00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:33,600 time. And now consider the mercury 345 00:20:33,600 --> 00:20:38,720 again covered in thorns, the tree of thorns itself 346 00:20:38,720 --> 00:20:42,280 symbolizing the crown of thorns, and Christ's own passion, which 347 00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:46,240 is as love poured out for us on the cross of Calvary. 348 00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:49,360 And now here's the even more crazy part. 349 00:20:50,680 --> 00:20:57,200 In order to get this wonderfully powerful healing resin from the 350 00:20:57,200 --> 00:21:01,400 tree, the tree bark has to be cut. 351 00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:08,320 Myrrh does not seep out of the tree unless the skin of the tree 352 00:21:08,520 --> 00:21:16,280 is pierced. Oh my word, this is what it 353 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:18,800 looks like when you Pierce the tree. 354 00:21:20,920 --> 00:21:23,880 When you research the word myrrh, it talks about the myrrh 355 00:21:23,880 --> 00:21:28,800 coming out of the tree like tears in the world. 356 00:21:28,800 --> 00:21:37,640 God, you designed all of this. The piercing of the tree crowned 357 00:21:37,640 --> 00:21:45,400 in thorns in order to release healing parallels Jesus's wounds 358 00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:50,760 that yield redemption. And the fragrance, this 359 00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:53,560 spiritual sweetness that comes from his suffering. 360 00:21:55,240 --> 00:21:58,840 Wow, Isaiah 53, five. Now we understand. 361 00:21:58,840 --> 00:22:01,960 But He was pierced for our transgressions. 362 00:22:03,120 --> 00:22:04,640 He was crushed for our iniquities. 363 00:22:04,640 --> 00:22:08,600 The punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by his 364 00:22:08,600 --> 00:22:16,040 wounds we are healed. Glory to God in the highest. 365 00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:24,760 Like wow, wow, wow. Go with me back to Bethlehem. 366 00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:29,960 About a year, year and a half after Jesus birth, we moved from 367 00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:32,120 the Manger and now Jesus is in a home. 368 00:22:33,760 --> 00:22:41,560 Joseph and Mary are there, right Open the door. 369 00:22:42,520 --> 00:22:45,480 Joseph standing there, he's like Mary. 370 00:22:47,640 --> 00:22:53,360 It's the Magi, foreign to us, but known in their area of the 371 00:22:53,360 --> 00:22:55,720 world for centuries upon centuries. 372 00:22:56,280 --> 00:22:58,240 When the magi showed up, you were like, I wonder who these 373 00:22:58,240 --> 00:23:02,400 guys are? Mary, It's the magi. 374 00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:10,680 It's the kingmakers. Now, of course, they believe the 375 00:23:10,680 --> 00:23:12,920 Angel that came and said that this would be the son of God. 376 00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:16,200 But every time there's affirmation and confirmation. 377 00:23:16,200 --> 00:23:20,320 It must have felt really assuring to Joseph and Mary. 378 00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:27,720 Yeah, he is who we heard he is. And here are the magi, the 379 00:23:27,720 --> 00:23:31,480 kingmakers, Mary. And look, they have gold. 380 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:36,160 Gold is reserved for royalty. It's true. 381 00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:40,320 He's the king. And frankincense. 382 00:23:41,320 --> 00:23:43,880 Wow. Frankincense is reserved for the 383 00:23:43,880 --> 00:23:44,800 high priest. Mary's. 384 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:46,400 Like, I know, Joseph, you don't need a mansplain. 385 00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:50,040 Everything to me. But it works for the story, 386 00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:50,520 right? OK. 387 00:23:53,560 --> 00:23:56,040 And Mary, they have one more gift. 388 00:23:57,000 --> 00:24:02,320 What is it? Mary's like, what is it? 389 00:24:03,880 --> 00:24:06,240 It's like it's the spice that we wrapped the dead in. 390 00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:13,840 The 1st 2 can't be true and then the third one be false. 391 00:24:16,840 --> 00:24:18,920 It answers the question of the song. 392 00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:24,960 Mary, did you know? She sure did. 393 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:30,480 Mary, did you know? Could you comprehend the cost? 394 00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:34,640 Could you bear to understand that your sweet baby boy came to 395 00:24:34,640 --> 00:24:38,680 give life to anyone who to receive him but look at on a 396 00:24:38,680 --> 00:24:40,840 screen. The only way for him to give 397 00:24:40,840 --> 00:24:44,960 life to us was to give his life for us. 398 00:24:48,400 --> 00:24:52,480 This child was bound and swaddling clothes. 399 00:24:54,480 --> 00:24:59,200 This child would be bound to the cross and one day with myrrh be 400 00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:04,320 bound in burial, all so that we could be unbound from sin. 401 00:25:07,560 --> 00:25:10,520 Somebody say Hallelujah, what a savior. 402 00:25:10,520 --> 00:25:12,520 Yes, I've been asking this question. 403 00:25:12,520 --> 00:25:14,400 It might have been the title, should have been the title of 404 00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:17,120 the series. But is he your king? 405 00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:20,440 And the way that you answer the question is by the way that you 406 00:25:20,440 --> 00:25:22,280 live and you give the way that you pray. 407 00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:25,040 And today it's by bringing him your myrrh. 408 00:25:26,440 --> 00:25:28,440 Bring him your myrrh. What does that mean? 409 00:25:29,120 --> 00:25:32,760 I'm glad you asked. To bring myrrh to Jesus means to 410 00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:38,320 bring him your sacrifice. And you are that sacrifice. 411 00:25:43,570 --> 00:25:49,040 I am that sacrifice, as myrrh was a representation of Jesus's 412 00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:52,600 impending sacrifice. Our response is to consider how 413 00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:56,320 great a sacrifice that Jesus made for us and then compare it 414 00:25:56,440 --> 00:25:59,080 to the sacrifice that I'm willing to make for him. 415 00:26:00,880 --> 00:26:03,760 Do they even come close? I mean, is it even like in the 416 00:26:03,760 --> 00:26:06,600 same neighborhood? The sacrifice he made for me 417 00:26:06,600 --> 00:26:10,400 compared to the sacrifice that I'm willing to make for him? 418 00:26:10,840 --> 00:26:14,280 He suffered for us. Are you suffering for Him? 419 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:19,080 In the giving of our gold, we're giving our lives in holiness. 420 00:26:19,720 --> 00:26:22,560 In the giving of the myrrh, we're giving of our lives in 421 00:26:22,560 --> 00:26:31,000 sacrifice. You're going to suffer when you 422 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:35,760 sacrifice. Jesus suffered when he 423 00:26:35,760 --> 00:26:42,320 sacrifice. Your pride may suffer if you 424 00:26:42,320 --> 00:26:47,440 become bold for Jesus. What will people think of you if 425 00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:53,320 you actually speak his name at your workplace or don't imbibe 426 00:26:53,320 --> 00:26:55,960 on what they imbibe on when you're out of the business trip 427 00:26:55,960 --> 00:26:59,120 or you're in a circle of friends and they're all doing something 428 00:26:59,120 --> 00:27:01,720 like this isn't representative of Jesus, but I really want to 429 00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:03,320 fit in. So I'm I'm going to do this 430 00:27:03,320 --> 00:27:05,560 instead of standing up and saying, you know, the most 431 00:27:05,560 --> 00:27:08,360 important thing to me is Christ Jesus my king. 432 00:27:08,360 --> 00:27:10,800 You're going to suffer when you make that sacrifice. 433 00:27:11,640 --> 00:27:15,920 People will look at you funny. People don't want to be near the 434 00:27:15,920 --> 00:27:18,080 light because then it reveals the darkness within them, and 435 00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:25,480 they'd rather you not see that. So your pride's going to suffer. 436 00:27:27,680 --> 00:27:31,360 Matthew chapter 5, by the way, says blessed are you when they 437 00:27:31,360 --> 00:27:36,240 revile you because of me, For in the same way they reviled me. 438 00:27:37,640 --> 00:27:41,920 Blessed are the persecuted, blessed are those whose pride 439 00:27:41,920 --> 00:27:49,080 suffers because you make a stand for the One He made more than a 440 00:27:49,080 --> 00:27:50,280 stand. It feels like such an 441 00:27:50,280 --> 00:27:52,080 underselling to say He made a stand for you. 442 00:27:52,080 --> 00:27:54,760 He gave his life. He took on the weight of all sin 443 00:27:55,160 --> 00:28:00,560 and all darkness and opposed every demonic agency of Satan. 444 00:28:02,240 --> 00:28:08,280 Your money's going to suffer when you bring your treasure to 445 00:28:08,280 --> 00:28:11,160 the Lord. People will scoff at your 446 00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:13,320 generosity to the Lord. You gave what? 447 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:17,680 And you say, listen, I'm not motivated by your opinion. 448 00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:20,440 I'm motivated by the generosity of my Savior. 449 00:28:20,920 --> 00:28:22,880 I'm trying to match what He's given to me. 450 00:28:22,880 --> 00:28:25,080 You cannot give God, by the way, you can try. 451 00:28:27,360 --> 00:28:31,320 Your time is going to suffer when you give it to the Lord. 452 00:28:31,320 --> 00:28:35,400 Sacrifice it to the Lord. Taking time to help a neighbor 453 00:28:35,400 --> 00:28:39,040 when you could have just been doing whatever you wanted to do. 454 00:28:40,040 --> 00:28:42,760 Taking time to serve in kids ministry when everyone else is 455 00:28:42,760 --> 00:28:47,760 in the big church suffering over there with snotty nosed 456 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:54,400 beautiful children. I drove in this morning early, 457 00:28:54,400 --> 00:28:58,080 as I often do on Sundays, and there's other people here before 458 00:28:58,080 --> 00:29:01,120 I am. In fact, one guy was out on the 459 00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:05,680 median out there on Sinclair Rd. putting out parking signs all by 460 00:29:05,680 --> 00:29:08,880 himself. And he does this all the time. 461 00:29:09,800 --> 00:29:12,400 I rolled down my window. I said good morning, Alex. 462 00:29:16,080 --> 00:29:17,640 He said morning. It's like, how are you? 463 00:29:17,640 --> 00:29:22,320 He says I'm tired because it's early. 464 00:29:22,320 --> 00:29:25,920 You know what time you had to get up to get here, to get the 465 00:29:25,920 --> 00:29:28,920 pickup truck to go load it with all the stuff from the trailer 466 00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:31,640 over there, and then to drive around the property putting up 467 00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:35,400 cones and signs so that you and I can move orderly about our 468 00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:39,440 parking lot. It's a sacrifice. 469 00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:43,000 When his alarm went off this morning, he suffered. 470 00:29:45,920 --> 00:29:49,360 Our worship team, I'm looking here at Wayne, our AVL team, 471 00:29:49,360 --> 00:29:50,480 They're all part of the worship team. 472 00:29:50,480 --> 00:29:51,960 You know what time they get here. 473 00:29:52,280 --> 00:29:55,200 What time is it, Wayne? 6:00 AM. 474 00:29:55,200 --> 00:30:02,960 They get here when their alarm goes off at 4:30 for Wayne 555. 475 00:30:05,920 --> 00:30:08,640 He just out the door right here is like I'm here on time. 476 00:30:10,800 --> 00:30:21,060 They're suffering and the enemy wants to tell you this lie that 477 00:30:21,060 --> 00:30:22,620 the suffering is the end of the story. 478 00:30:23,900 --> 00:30:26,700 So that all that you do when you consider the cost of following 479 00:30:26,740 --> 00:30:32,180 Jesus is just consider the cost. The enemy does not want you to 480 00:30:32,180 --> 00:30:33,900 think about what you're suffering. 481 00:30:33,900 --> 00:30:39,080 What Jesus is suffering produces because his suffering produced 482 00:30:39,240 --> 00:30:43,680 salvation. His suffering was not wasted and 483 00:30:43,680 --> 00:30:46,880 neither will your suffering be. When you bring your sacrifice, 484 00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:49,560 it will produce something, but the enemy is just going to have 485 00:30:49,560 --> 00:30:55,880 you focus on the sacrifice. The Lord your God today, via me, 486 00:30:56,480 --> 00:31:00,200 wants you to think about what suffering produces, what a 487 00:31:00,200 --> 00:31:03,720 produce for Jesus, and what it can produce for us. 488 00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:07,480 The tree was cut. The tree was suffering, but it 489 00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:11,640 produced healing. The tree of life was pierced and 490 00:31:11,640 --> 00:31:14,080 it is suffering produced healing. 491 00:31:14,160 --> 00:31:15,640 What could your suffering produce? 492 00:31:17,880 --> 00:31:21,480 Romans chapter 5. Therefore, since we have been 493 00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:25,680 justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord 494 00:31:25,680 --> 00:31:29,400 Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into 495 00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:33,640 this grace in which we now stand, and we boast in the hope 496 00:31:33,640 --> 00:31:38,200 of the glory of our God. Not only so, but we also glory 497 00:31:38,480 --> 00:31:41,480 in our sufferings. This is the mark of a mature 498 00:31:41,480 --> 00:31:48,520 believer because we know that suffering produces something. 499 00:31:50,200 --> 00:31:53,520 Perseverance. Perseverance is your ability to 500 00:31:53,520 --> 00:31:57,080 stand up under it. Whatever it is, whatever comes 501 00:31:57,080 --> 00:31:59,920 crashing down, whatever the cost, the sacrifice, you're able 502 00:31:59,920 --> 00:32:02,520 to stand up under it. And then perseverance produces 503 00:32:02,520 --> 00:32:05,760 character. Yeah, come on, say it. 504 00:32:09,600 --> 00:32:12,040 What is character? Character is the integrity of 505 00:32:12,040 --> 00:32:14,880 your heart, knowing that when I stand up under it, God meets me 506 00:32:15,960 --> 00:32:20,680 and I'm able then to walk in the ability of what He has in me, 507 00:32:21,600 --> 00:32:24,560 which eventually produces hope. And hope is this. 508 00:32:24,680 --> 00:32:27,760 No, not a notion. It is a knowing in your spirit 509 00:32:28,240 --> 00:32:31,800 that whatever comes next I can face because of what happened 510 00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:35,840 before and who He is and what He's done and what He said He 511 00:32:35,840 --> 00:32:37,560 will do. I have persevered. 512 00:32:37,720 --> 00:32:40,320 It has grown my character. Now no matter what comes, I have 513 00:32:40,320 --> 00:32:43,920 hope, which I didn't read the scripture, I just started 514 00:32:43,920 --> 00:32:46,240 talking. And hope does not put us to 515 00:32:46,240 --> 00:32:49,720 shame because God's love has been poured out into our hearts 516 00:32:49,720 --> 00:32:53,080 to the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 517 00:32:56,760 --> 00:32:58,920 To bring your myrrh is to sacrifice. 518 00:33:00,400 --> 00:33:03,240 Be willing to pay the price to suffer. 519 00:33:03,920 --> 00:33:08,640 Air quotes for Jesus. Yes, you will feel pain, you 520 00:33:08,640 --> 00:33:11,920 will experience it, but what it produces is worth it. 521 00:33:11,920 --> 00:33:14,240 Here's the last way I want to tell you that you can suffer. 522 00:33:14,480 --> 00:33:17,040 And maybe today you came just to hear this. 523 00:33:17,440 --> 00:33:20,960 Somebody in here. This is this part God put on me 524 00:33:20,960 --> 00:33:25,920 last minute for you. Here's another way to suffer. 525 00:33:27,040 --> 00:33:29,600 You see, myrrh was not just for embalming the dead. 526 00:33:30,320 --> 00:33:32,640 It was more often used for healing the living. 527 00:33:34,880 --> 00:33:37,080 Rub it on a wound, swish it in your mouth. 528 00:33:38,800 --> 00:33:41,560 It's used for healing. It's almost as if the Magi knew 529 00:33:41,560 --> 00:33:42,840 Jesus. You're going to need this. 530 00:33:42,960 --> 00:33:46,240 You will be wounded yourself, yet you will bring healing to so 531 00:33:46,240 --> 00:33:48,080 many. This is what myrrh represents, 532 00:33:48,080 --> 00:33:52,040 not the death, but the healing. So to bring your myrrh is to 533 00:33:52,040 --> 00:33:54,800 partner with Jesus and become a healer. 534 00:33:59,400 --> 00:34:03,120 The healing is first for you because there's a wound in your 535 00:34:03,120 --> 00:34:06,840 heart because of sin. And God said, let me rush some 536 00:34:06,840 --> 00:34:13,880 myrrh on it, the blood of my Jesus, and I will heal you of 537 00:34:13,880 --> 00:34:19,400 the wound of sin, the penalty of sin, the price of sin, which is 538 00:34:19,400 --> 00:34:21,639 death. Let me rub some myrrh on it. 539 00:34:24,840 --> 00:34:27,800 I'm asking you to think of any wound that is currently going on 540 00:34:27,800 --> 00:34:31,360 in your life. It's usually because we're 541 00:34:31,360 --> 00:34:37,440 humans in relationship to another human, and there's a 542 00:34:37,440 --> 00:34:39,159 wound between you and another person. 543 00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:42,159 Or maybe there's a wound between you and the person in the 544 00:34:42,159 --> 00:34:46,239 mirror. Either way, the solution is the 545 00:34:46,239 --> 00:34:49,000 same. Wherever there's a wound, rub 546 00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:52,600 some mirror on it. Rub the healing blood of Jesus 547 00:34:52,600 --> 00:34:55,040 on it. Be a forgiver. 548 00:34:55,920 --> 00:34:58,400 Be a peacemaker, not a peacekeeper. 549 00:35:01,160 --> 00:35:03,000 Is there somebody you need to rub some mirror on? 550 00:35:06,800 --> 00:35:10,200 Here's the last little part. You don't have any myrrh 551 00:35:11,240 --> 00:35:16,200 yourself. We are smeared, covered in the 552 00:35:16,200 --> 00:35:19,560 blood of the Lamb. So when you're rubbing myrrh on 553 00:35:19,560 --> 00:35:21,040 somebody else, this is what you're doing. 554 00:35:23,680 --> 00:35:26,920 What has been given to me, I give to you. 555 00:35:28,880 --> 00:35:33,120 In the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. 556 00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:43,200 Let's pray. God, what you have done in myrrh 557 00:35:44,560 --> 00:35:50,480 is stunning. It's not just some throwaway 558 00:35:50,480 --> 00:35:55,840 gift at the end of a sentence. It is spectacular and what you 559 00:35:55,840 --> 00:35:59,760 have created, it is astonishing. And the parallels between that 560 00:35:59,760 --> 00:36:03,200 and your son Jesus, who is far more astonishing than myrrh, 561 00:36:07,080 --> 00:36:12,560 pierced for our transgressions and by his wounds we are healed. 562 00:36:12,560 --> 00:36:19,200 For that we say thank you to the extent that the audacious 563 00:36:19,200 --> 00:36:23,720 forgiveness you've given us in Jesus, we are commanded, 564 00:36:24,240 --> 00:36:33,280 inspired to extend to another. And just now in your heart, in 565 00:36:33,280 --> 00:36:38,560 your, in your mind where you can see mentally another face, 566 00:36:38,560 --> 00:36:41,280 another person that there is distance between you and them, 567 00:36:41,600 --> 00:36:48,840 would you just reach out and smear them with myrrh, smear it 568 00:36:48,840 --> 00:36:51,840 right on them? You got to take what Jesus has 569 00:36:51,840 --> 00:36:56,920 given you, the forgiveness that he's given you, and offer it to 570 00:36:56,920 --> 00:37:01,000 them. Father, forgive us our 571 00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:05,680 trespasses as we forgive those who trespassed against us. 572 00:37:09,680 --> 00:37:12,280 And finally, know this church, if you have never received the 573 00:37:12,280 --> 00:37:15,640 forgiveness of Jesus, never been smeared in the blood of Jesus, 574 00:37:15,640 --> 00:37:19,880 the myrrh, the healing, the forgiveness of God, you can do 575 00:37:19,880 --> 00:37:23,640 that right here, right now. He went to the cross for you. 576 00:37:24,240 --> 00:37:28,240 The myrrh was for you, the piercing was for you, the blood 577 00:37:28,880 --> 00:37:31,880 of healing and redemption shed for you. 578 00:37:31,880 --> 00:37:36,040 Don't let it go to waste. Receive it into your heart today 579 00:37:36,040 --> 00:37:39,520 by just repeating this prayer. In fact, everybody together 580 00:37:39,760 --> 00:37:44,000 would you pray with me saying, Father, in the name of Jesus, I 581 00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:50,840 recognize that I am a Sinner in need of the blood of Jesus, the 582 00:37:50,840 --> 00:37:57,080 healing blood of Jesus. So I confess and I believe that 583 00:37:57,160 --> 00:38:03,520 Jesus is Lord and I receive you, Jesus as my Savior now and 584 00:38:03,520 --> 00:38:07,560 forevermore. Hallelujah. 585 00:38:09,440 --> 00:38:10,920 Just pray that in your heart for a second. 586 00:38:10,920 --> 00:38:15,360 If that's you today making a decision to receive Jesus by 587 00:38:15,360 --> 00:38:18,840 faith, I'm going to ask you to do 1 bold thing in the same way 588 00:38:18,840 --> 00:38:21,440 that Jesus love was bold for you on the count of three. 589 00:38:21,560 --> 00:38:23,840 I'm going to ask you if you've believed this for the first time 590 00:38:23,840 --> 00:38:27,200 today to raise your hand as high as it will go because I have 591 00:38:27,200 --> 00:38:30,960 something I need to put in your hands here and now, something so 592 00:38:30,960 --> 00:38:33,720 crucial and important that you would just raise your hand if 593 00:38:33,720 --> 00:38:37,920 you believe for the first time today. 123, any believers today, 594 00:38:37,920 --> 00:38:40,720 any new believers, come on, praise God. 595 00:38:41,160 --> 00:38:43,600 Any others, we're coming to you. Keep your hands up. 596 00:38:44,080 --> 00:38:46,400 Well done. You made the most important, 597 00:38:46,400 --> 00:38:49,960 best decision of your life. Church is already celebrating. 598 00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:53,600 Heaven is celebrating with you. Anyone else, praise God. 599 00:38:53,600 --> 00:38:55,760 If you're making that decision online, just type in the 600 00:38:55,760 --> 00:38:58,080 comments. I believe in Jesus. 601 00:38:58,080 --> 00:39:00,880 We want to connect with you church. 602 00:39:00,880 --> 00:39:02,440 I'm going to say Amen. And you know what to do, 603 00:39:02,480 --> 00:39:03,960 Celebrate. His heaven is celebrating 604 00:39:03,960 --> 00:39:07,040 because God is good and he just saved some people from hell in 605 00:39:07,120 --> 00:39:11,520 Jesus name, Amen. Thanks for joining us today. 606 00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:14,560 We hope God is speaking to your heart through this message. 607 00:39:14,920 --> 00:39:17,560 If you'd like to connect with us, you can text connect to 608 00:39:17,560 --> 00:39:24,080 407-588-0115 or visit Illuminate dot church. 609 00:39:24,560 --> 00:39:25,760 Have a great week.