 Jesus born in Bethlehem  Wise men came from east to Jerusalem  Herod asked leaders where Jesus was born  Prophets said it was Bethlehem  Sent wise men to search for Jesus  Then tell me so I can come worship Him  Star led them to Jesus

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. Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.“ When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON."

Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.

Isa. 55:6 “Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near” Matt. 13: the merchant man found the pearl of great price by searching Some want to find Christ but do not want to search Jn. 20:30-31 “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”

They who search will find - Matt.5:6 Acts 2:41 “gladly received” - not forced “And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.” Rev. 22:17 Matt. 11:28-30 “Come to Me…” Rev. 2:11 “He that hath an ear, let him hear…”

 Herod sent the wise men to do his searching  Each have a responsibility to do our searching  Matthew 25 - ten virgins  Acts 2:40 “save yourselves”  Gal. 6:5 “For each one shall bear his own load.”  Cannot serve God by proxy

Our guiding star is “the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ” - 2 Cor. 4:4 Ps. 119:105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” 1 Jn. 4:1 “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 Thess. 5:21 “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” Acts 17:11

- We must obey God rather than man Acts 5:29 “Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.” - When there is a conflict we must choose to obey God

- Are you willing to pay the price? - Will you count the cost and pay the price for finding Christ? Luke 14: 26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”

- There are many starters and quitters ! Mk. 12:34 “Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." But after that no one dared question Him.” Gal. 5:7 “You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?” - We must hunt until we find Him or it will not be worthwhile

They fell down and worshipped Him

 Do you love Jesus and love to come Worship Him ?  Do you look for excuses? Heb. 10:25 “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is…”  Do you search to make sure your worship is acceptable to the Lord ? - Can worship in vain - Matt. 15:9 - Can worship in ignorance - Acts 17:23 - In Spirit and in Truth - Jn. 4:24

 Giving is a necessary part of worship  True worship requires a sacrifice 2 Cor. 8:24 “the proof of your love” 2 Cor. 8:8 “the sincerity of your love” Rom. 12:1 - not just money but our life 2 Cor. 8:5 “And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.”

 To examine so you believe  To repent  Tell world of your faith  Baptized for remission of sins

HearJohn 12:48 BelieveJohn 8:24 RepentLuke 13:3 ConfessMatt. 10:32-33 BaptizedMark 16:16 FaithfulMatt. 24:13