작성일 : 25-12-24 13:32
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2025년12월21일 주일말씀 " Servants Directed By God" Matthew's Gospel 2:1-12
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Sermon English Text AKFPC / December 21, 2025 Rev. Yongjin Park
“Servants Directed By God” (Matrhew’s Gospel 2:1-12)
May the grace and love of God be upon you who is listening to God’s voice today in this worship.
“Christ our Lord is my Shepherd” is one of best hymn that Korean Christians have been enjoying. The conductor of this song is a Korean song writer “Soocheol Jang”. He composed Christmas carol “Christmas Bell is ring ring ring”. His son died in young age before his parent. One day his son had to sing solo in Christmas talent show in church. His father, composer Jang made a beautiful carol for his lovely son. After his son died, he made this son to be children choir music and travel worldwide to spread it. This carol has been written in 1948 and performed in the US in 1952. Many parents were impressed by this song due to the story of the song by a father who lost his son.
Today introduces a story about a child and worshipper to Him. This is the story about Magi, wisemen on the first Christmas.
Let us read together Matthew’s Gospel 2:9-12,
“After they had heard the King, they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.”
How the Magi could know the birth of Christ? It might be know from Jews in diaspora who lived in various nations after leaving home country. Through the Word the wisemen had faith to the Lord and accepted their mission to worship Christ. They started to worship son of God with treasures as gold, incense and myrrh.
Israel, the people of the law has not been in searching Christ with Word. But this wisemen in east which was in out of Isreal tradition began to search the Christ coming to earth for salvation on human being. When they found the big star which appeared suddenly, they started to travel for search Christ. They might be direction from God to go there.
The star has been ahead of them to guide from their country, but the star suddenly disappeared in land of Israel. So, they must have visited the
The palace of the King Herod in Jerusalem in asking “where is newborn King of Jews?” And this visit by Magi made a disturbance in the place.
The King Herod gathered all priests and teachers of the law together to search the place of newborn king from Bible. There happened a Bible study to search the place of birth of Christ. They found the place in Micha 5:2. It was Bethlehem.
Magi, the wisemen started to go there to worship him and to present with gifts while King Herod sent soldiers to kill the babies. The common ground that both had was to believe the word on birth of Christ. But priests and teachers of law did not care about it paradoxically.
Nobody in them went the place to search Christ and nor worship with present as Magi did.
True faith and evil power have been searching they have not been doing anything. They had lots of knowledge about Bible, but their faith died and no life. They returned to their home to sleep while Magi and soldiers ran to search for the baby.
Brothers and sisters in the Lord,
Let us have living faith before God our Lord as Magi had.
They joined in the Bible study in same place. But their reactions were so different. King Herod is evil person. He wanted to kill the baby. He could not allow political rival so that he sent soldiers to kill the baby. For him the knowledge from Bible was a clue to perform his own political affair.
There are always similar figures in church. They are working to block work of Holy Spirit and to make people scatter from grace of God.
And priests and teachers of the law worked for word of God by explaining and teaching Word to people. But they did nothing for God. They only kept word of God but did not doing anything for God because of their died faith.
There are sleeping spirit figures in church as well. Through them
Nothing happen in work of grace and miracle and power from God.
Living faith brings sacrifice and love.
Magi’s faith is hot and strong. They put their own energy to search the Christ. They did not avoid any risk as King Herod for searching the Christ. They only focused to see Christ with their own mission to worship the newborn King for salvation on all human being.
They worshiped finally the newborn King and presented with precise gifts, gold, incense, and myrrh. God protected them to lead another route to go back their home.
For God the number of people doesn’t mean. Even though one or two serve to God, He accepts joyfully. Once Abraham obeyed to God, he became the Father of all believers. Apostle Paul obeyed God made him apostle for gentile.
God prepare for them with another route to protect.
Verse 12 say,
“And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
I hope all of us can received another route from God as Magi did while walking with Lord. And go forward that way and see Christ.
A small church had plane for their own building. Many members left but a young lady prayed God to have their dream come true. One day she listened voice from God saying you have to do it. She answered God not to have anything in her. But she stayed the church with long prayer.
One day she could have a small business and earned much suddenly. She understood this is God’s hand. She tried to build the church dream and complete it. She glorified God with her love to God through work of God.
John’s Gospel 10:27 say,
“My sheep listen my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
God be with all of you, Amen.
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