Joy To The World Advent Series; wk. 1 - Matthew 2 Messiah for the Magi 12.7.25

Title: Messiah for the Magi
Key Verses: Matthew 2
Link to full Sermon: (click here)

Matthew 2 Messiah for the Magi

Every December the world begins to search. Some search for the perfect gift. Others search for the perfect moment. Still others search for a little peace in a season that feels loud and chaotic. We all know this feeling because at one time or another we have all been searchers.

I think about the night I proposed to Emily. It was Christmas Eve. I was dressed as Santa, surrounded by a cheap snow scene made from a baseball pop up chair, and I nervously sang her the song I promised I would write for the woman I would marry. It was embarrassing and beautiful all at the same time. She cried. I asked. She said yes through prayer and fasting. And then her grandmother looked at me and said, “Isn’t that telling you something.” I was searching for something that night, something that would change my life forever.

Matthew 2 tells us about another group of searchers. The magi traveled hundreds of miles across kingdoms and deserts because they believed a King had been born. Their journey reminds us that nothing we search for in this world compares to the life changing truth of the gospel. Nothing transforms the heart like a relationship with Jesus.

Advent is the story of a God who draws seekers. Jesus did not come only for shepherds or for Israel. He came for the nations. He came for anyone who would call on his name. And through the magi, Matthew shows us what a real search for Jesus looks like.

A Hunger the World Cannot Satisfy

Matthew begins with an unexpected detail. The first people to look for Israel’s Messiah were Gentile scholars from the east. They were not priests. They were not scribes. They were not rulers. They were pagan sages who recognized the king of kings while the religious leaders of Israel stayed home.

They had knowledge but no truth. They had wisdom but no peace. They had wealth but no savior.

The magi show us something important. God awakens a hunger in people that the world can never satisfy. Many people search for success, comfort, healing, or answers. But every true search for God begins with a hunger for God himself. Not for his blessings. Not for what he can give. For God alone.

If we are honest, the reason many believers never fully fall in love with Jesus is because we are still hungry for the things of the world. We cannot be filled with Christ when we are full of everything else. Advent asks a question: what are you hungry for?

And Advent gives good news. God still draws seekers. For the friend who is uninterested in faith, God draws near. For the one who has drifted, God draws near. For the person you have prayed for year after year, God draws near. Do not stop praying. Do not stop seeking. When we search for God with all our heart, Scripture says we will find him.

A World Opposed to God’s King

Verses 3 through 8 give us another picture. Herod panics at the announcement of a newborn king. Jerusalem trembles. The religious leaders quote Micah 5 through 2 yet refuse to move six miles to Bethlehem.

They know the Scriptures, but they will not bow before the Savior.

Herod represents hostility to Jesus. He fears losing control. Many people today resist Christ not because they doubt his truth but because they are afraid of surrender.

The religious leaders represent indifference. They know the right answers. They can quote the right verses. But knowledge without movement is truth without response. They know the Messiah has come, but they do not seek him.

The magi, on the other hand, remind us that the only correct response to Jesus is movement. Faith moves. Obedience moves. Worship moves. Advent invites us not just to admire the story, but to enter it, to follow Jesus wherever he leads.

So the questions come to us.
Are you seeking Jesus or only learning about him?
Are you moving toward Christ or simply talking about him?
Does your heart need revival?
Do you need a fresh hunger for the things of God?
If you seek his face, he will bring healing. Revival begins not outside the church but within the hearts of God’s people.

A Joy That Cannot Be Contained
When the magi leave Herod, the star appears again. Matthew says they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. Four different expressions for joy. It is as if words cannot capture the celebration happening in their hearts.

Why such joy? Because God himself was guiding them. They followed the light they had. They kept moving even when the path was dim. And when God lit the star again, their worship exploded.

We have all had moments like that. Times when we seek God in the dark, when the answer is unclear, when the sign is not visible. Then suddenly the light comes on. Strength returns. Joy rises. Hope wakes up again. That is what God does for those who seek him.
God is not playing hide and seek with his people. If anything, we are the ones who hide. But God guides through Scripture, through circumstances, through providence, and through the quiet leading of his Spirit. Sometimes the light is bright. Sometimes it feels dim. But if we stay faithful, he will lead us to Jesus every time.

The Invitation of Advent

As we enter this season, the magi remind us of three simple truths.

Seek Jesus with real hunger.
Not for what he gives, but for who he is.

Move toward Jesus with real obedience.
Knowledge becomes power only when it becomes action.

Rejoice in Jesus with real worship.
Let joy overflow as you follow the light he gives.

Advent is not just a season to admire the Christmas story. Advent invites us to step into the story, to rise, and to pursue the King who still draws all people to himself.

May we be a people who seek, who move, and who rejoice in the presence of Jesus. May our hearts be awakened with a hunger that only he can satisfy. And may we, like the magi, follow the light until we find the King.