• God still guides those who genuinely seek Him. 
• Divine direction often becomes clearer after we step away from worldly voices. 
• Obedience positions us to see God’s next move. 

Illustration: Like a GPS recalculating after a wrong turn, God redirects those whose hearts are fixed on the right destination—even when they pass through confusion. 

Jeremiah 29:13 NIV 

13  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 

Psalm 25:9 NIV 

9  He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. 

Quote: “God reveals Himself to those who truly desire to know Him.” — D.A. Carson 

 2. The SATISFACTION that Overflows in Joy (v. 10) 

Matthew describes their joy as “exceedingly great joy”—a doubled expression in Greek emphasizing intensity. Their joy erupts before they see the child, simply because they know they are close. 

Exhortation:

• Joy is the fruit of assurance, not possession. 
• Spiritual joy grows as we draw nearer to Christ. 
• True joy is independent of circumstances. 

Illustration: Think of a traveler who sees the lights of home after a long journey—the joy comes before stepping inside. 

Psalm 16:11 NIV 

11  You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. 

John 15:11 NIV 

11  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 

 Quote: “Joy is the serious business of heaven.” — C.S. Lewis 

3. The SURRENDER that Falls at His Feet (v. 11a) 

The magi enter the house, see the child with Mary, and fall down to worship Him. No throne. No palace. Just a child—yet they recognize His worth. 

Exhortation: 

• Worship begins with humility. 
• True faith bows before it understands. 
• Encountering Christ demands surrender, not evaluation. 

Illustration: When Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up, his immediate response was humility and repentance (Isaiah 6). 

Philippians 2:10-11 NIV 

10  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 

11  and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

Psalm 95:6 NIV 

6  Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; 

Quote: “The essence of worship is valuing Christ above all.” — John Piper 

4. The SACRIFICE that Honors the King (v. 11b) 

The gifts—gold, frankincense, and myrrh—were costly and symbolic:

• Gold for royalty 
• Frankincense for deity  
• Myrrh for suffering and burial 

 Exhortation: 

• Worship always involves giving. 
• We honor Christ not with leftovers, but with what is costly. 
• Our gifts reflect what we believe Christ is worth. 

Illustration: Like David refusing to offer a sacrifice that cost him nothing (2 Samuel 24:24), the magi gave generously. 

Romans 12:1 NIV 

12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 

Proverbs 3:9 NIV 

9  Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; 

Quote: “Where Christ is truly honored, self is gladly surrendered.” — Matthew Henry 

5. The SEPARATION that Marks True Wisdom (v. 12) 

After worshiping Jesus, the magi are warned in a dream and return home by another route. An encounter with Christ always changes our direction. 

Exhortation: 

• Worship leads to transformation. 
• Obedience often requires a new path. 
• True wisdom listens to God above human authority. 

Illustration: Meeting Christ is like reaching a crossroads—you never leave the same way you came. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV 

5  Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 

6  in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. 

Quote: “To worship Christ and then ignore His voice is a contradiction.” — N.T. Wright 

Conclusion: 

The wise men teach us that wisdom is not about intellect, culture, or status—it is about response. They sought diligently, rejoiced deeply, surrendered humbly, sacrificed generously, and separated obediently. Wise Men still seek Him. Wise Hearts still bow before Him. Wise Lives are still changed by Him.

• Christmas reveals our brokenness: sin is real, painful, and costly. 
• We often want to celebrate the Savior without confronting our spiritual condition. 
• God is truthful about sin because He desires to be merciful toward sinners. 
• Christmas is not merely about joy; it is about judgment being interrupted by mercy. 

Romans 3:23 NIV 

23  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 

 John Stott writes, “We cannot see the beauty of the cross until we first see the ugliness of sin.” 

II. The PROMISE That CHRISTMAS Declares (Matthew 1:20–21) 

Matthew 1:20-21 NIV 

20  But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  

21  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 

Joseph’s life plan was interrupted — but God’s interruption was an invitation to salvation’s story. The promise is not comfort, but Christ.

• Don’t fear God’s calling, even when it disrupts your plans. 
• God’s promises often come wrapped in uncomfortable assignments. 
• Jesus is not one of many options — He is the promised Savior. 
• Embrace God’s promises even when they require courage, obedience, and surrender. 

Isaiah 7:14 NIV 

14  Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. 

Charles Spurgeon: “The birth of Jesus is God’s pledge that every promise will be kept.” 

III. The PRESENCE That CHRISTMAS Provides (Matthew 1:22–23) 

Matthew 1:22-23 NIV 

22  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:  

23  “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). 

Matthew connects Jesus’ birth to Isaiah’s prophecy — God Himself enters humanity. Not a distant deity, but dwelling among sinners. 

• God is not far from your pain, confusion, or failure. 
• Christmas means God steps into your reality, not waiting for you to fix yourself. 
• Jesus did not come to make us nicer; He came to make us new. 
• If Jesus is not your Savior, then Christmas is merely tradition. 

 Hebrews 4:15-16 NIV 

15  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.  

16  Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. 

“God with us — not against us, not far from us, but with us.” — Charles Spurgeon 

IV. The PURPOSE For Which CHRISTMAS Happened (Matthew 1:21) 

Matthew 1:21 NIV 

21  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 

The angel does not say Jesus came to: 

– Improve your mood 

– Create a holiday 

– Make life comfortable 

He came because humanity was perishing under sin. 

• Christmas is not merely about joy, but justification. 
• Jesus came to deal with sin’s penalty, power, and presence. 
• Don’t reduce Christmas to decorations when its core is deliverance. 
• Receive Christ’s salvation personally, not culturally. 
• Move from admiring Jesus to following Jesus. 

1 Timothy 1:15 NIV 

15  Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 

J.I. Packer: “The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity—hope of pardon, hope of peace—because God has taken the initiative.” 

V. The PEACE That CHRISTMAS Offers (Matthew 1:24–25) 

Matthew 1:24-25 NIV 

24  When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.  

25  But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. 

Joseph obeys immediately and completely — costly obedience brings divine peace. Naming the child “Jesus” was Joseph’s act of submission to God’s plan. 

• Peace comes not from control, but from surrender. 
• Obedience may feel costly, but disobedience is always costlier. 
• God’s peace flows where God’s will is embraced. 
• True Christmas peace is not circumstantial but Christ-centered. 

Philippians 4:7 NIV 

7  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

“Obedience is the Christian’s pathway to peace.” — Warren Wiersbe 

CONCLUSION: Christ Came For The Lost 

As the Message unfolds, we stand before a staggering truth: Christmas is not the celebration of human goodness but the declaration of divine rescue. It is not the story of people finding God, but of God coming down to seek and save those who had wandered far from Him. 

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). That is the mission. That is the miracle. That is the message of Christmas. Christmas confronts us with the uncomfortable but glorious truth: we needed a Savior, not a Seasonal escape; we needed Deliverance, not Decorations; we needed Forgiveness, not Festivities. 

No matter how far you’ve wandered, no matter what sin has marked your past, no matter what shame whispers in your ear — Jesus came for you. He came to seek you. He came to save you. Christmas announces that you are not too lost to be found and not too broken to be restored. 

So today, let Christmas call you back to the Savior who came for the lost. Let His Grace soften what sin has hardened. Let His Presence enter what fear has closed. Let His Salvation redeem what shame has stained. Let His Love rewrite your story from the inside out.