Giving Directions

There are so many lessons to learn from the nativity. The mystery of God unfolded. All the people from both sides show us some practical lessons. The instructions in our serving the Lord is shown by the giving of directions.

Matthew 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. 7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

How good are you at giving directions without GPS or mapquest? It’s amazing how many people can’t read a map. Here we see the story of the wise men. They traveled a long time, possibly up to two years to get to Jesus. When they got to Israel they went to the capitol city. They assumed the king would know where the new King had been born. They went to the palace and asked Where is he that is born King of the Jews? What would this new King have to do with the wise men? Something told them he was more than just King of the Jews. They knew there was something supernatural. They knew he had been born but exactly where was the question they posed.

In Luke 2 the shepherds were told about the King of Glory. They got news that he had been born very close to them. The angel said For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. They got the news with where:  Bethlehem. The directions: And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

Angels didn’t speak to the wise men. A star guided them. Since the star didn’t “talk” to them they needed a little help. The star would get them there but they wanted some human directions. Surely the king would knew. This new King was King of the Hebrews. They knew the God who made the star had given them the knowledge that the King had been born. It led them out of their country. You can’t stay in sin. The Lord will lead you out. We would never have been saved if no one had given us directions. The Holy Spirit worked but someone down here told us. When we humbled our heart and believed what the Bible says, we found Jesus just like the shepherds and wise men.

Shepherds received directions from angels. The wise men followed directions of human beings and followed the star. No one can be saved apart from the Spirit and by following the Word of God. Herod didn’t know where. He had to call for the scribes and chief priests. He demanded to know where he would be born. When someone curses God, whose name do they use? They use God or  Jesus. The devil knows God is who he says he is but he’s fooled people into not believing and laughs at them all the way. Herod demanded to know where. The scribes had to tell him; they had no choice but to tell him where. Micah 2 gives clear direction: in Bethlehem of Judea. Not another Bethlehem but the one in Judea.

Herod wanted to manipulate the wise men. They left and knew to go south. When they were given direction by the scripture, the star too followed those directions. Humans gave directions from the scriptures, the witness they needed as they followed the star. It guided them to the house where Jesus was. They knocked on the door and it was opened to them.

This is a picture of soul winning. How good are you at giving directions to God? Dig into the Bible to find out how to win a person to the Lord. God will endorse his Word. The Holy Spirit will bless. Think of the star as the Spirit who leads. You can bring a lost person right to the door. It’s up to them to knock and go in. Many have got that close and stopped, never knocking on the door. God had moved Jesus from the manger to this house. Later they moved to Egypt. If the wise men had waited they would have missed Jesus for he would not have been there.

We can’t save people. We give directions to the door. When we knocked, Jesus came to the door and welcomed us in. He’ll welcome any sinner. We need to do our part. The star is still shining. Directions are still there. The lost need a witness, directions to the door. Don’t give up. Sooner or later someone will knock and you’ll see someone saved.