43 THE WISDOM OF SEEKING JESUS Matthew 2;1-2.

Wise men… came to Jerusalem saying “Where is he who has been born King of the Jews?’ Why would someone leave the comfort of their home, travel thousands of kilometres by camel, brave blistering deserts fraught with robbers and hazards to follow a star to an unfamiliar destination? There’s only one explanation. Wise men and women have always hungered for God. It is said that the three most sough-out words on the internet today are Work, Sex and God. Work address our need for security, Sex addresses our need for relationships and God our need of forgiveness, so that we can legitimately experience peace and joy, and understand our life’s purpose on earth. It’s why primitive tribes who don’t know God, make gods out of mountains, trees, rocks etc. Deep down we all have a need to experience something bigger than ourselves; Someone capable of loving us, protecting and directing us. When his life fell apart Job cried, “Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come to his seat.”(Job 23;3). The ancient Greeks had an altar on Mars Hill with the inscription, ‘To the unknown God.’ Then Paul told them (Acts 17;23) ‘What you proclaim as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you’. The Good News for Christians is, You can Seek God and Find Him, by coming to know Jesus as your own personal Saviour. Hosea called Israel back to God with these words; “Oh! That we might know The Lord! Let us press on to know Him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of the dawn...(Hosea 6;3) And Jeremiah (29;13) says, “You will seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart.” It’s interesting to note that, the Wise men didn’t find Christ in the business area of Bethlehem. Every Motel had a “No Vacancy” sign on it, Not much has changed has it? I was reading the other day that thirty percent of annual retail sales of department stores take place over the Christmas period, fifty percent of parties are held over the Christmas and New Year period. One out of every ten litres of Alcohol is sold at that time too. Clearly Jesus is good for business. The trouble is, we prefer the Myth to the Master. We want the Santa, but not the Saviour. We want the fairy tale, but not the fact that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. (1Timothy, 1;15). (Acts 17;27) puts it this way That they should seek The Lord, in the hope that they might find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. When Jesus was born the biggest issue of the day was wanting lower taxes and a different government. Doesn’t that sound familiar!! However, We read in Jerusalem at that time King Herod became troubled (about Jesus) and all Jerusalem with him (Matthew 2;3) As a result he committed one of history’s greatest atrocities the world has ever known, by ki8lling every Jewish baby boy under the age of two years old, in order to get rid of Jesus the Christ child. Today, that same Jesus still forces a reaction from the hearts of men and women! That’s why some people want to take Him out of the classroom, the courtroom and the government. The forces of darkness are set on a course of trying to remove His name, His influence and His authority from all public life. Why? Because when you do away with God, there’s no higher power than yourself, so you get to play God. Lenin, the father of Russian Communism, is reputedly said of Christ, “His Kingdom is invisible, His Rule is in the hearts of man, so He can’t be tolerated.” As a result over 20 million people died during the Russian Revolution in an attempt to build an Atheistic state. But, fighting God is futile, it’s a battle you can’t hope to win, because (Philippians 2;10-11) tells us ultimately every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” Every prophecy concerning Christ’s first coming was fulfilled to the letter, and every prophecy concerning His second coming will be as well. So if you want to meet Him in peace, surrender your life to Him today and accept Him as your Saviour. The Gospel of John tells us in (5;39)/. Jesus speaking)“Search the Scriptures,… foe these are they which testify of me.” The berth of Jesus divides history in to two parts; The laten translated means -- (B.C.) Before Christ and (A.D.) After Christ, even the word “History is regarded as “His Story” Let’s look at where else the Wise men didn’t find Christ; In the church; Amazing isn’t it? Teachers and Theologians poured over their dusty parchments as they had done for generations. They taught their Congregations the Messiah was coming, but they failed to recognise or acknowledge Him when He arrived. Yet, the Old Testament Scriptures they read were filled with it. They described His Ancestry; God told Abraham, in ( Genesis 28;14)‘...All people on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. They identified the Tribe from which He would be born; The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between His feet until Shiloh (The Prince of peace come) and to Him shall be the obedience of the people.”(Genesis 49;10). And in (Isaiah 11:1-2) They described His family of origin ; A shoot will come up from the stump of Jessie (Father of David); From his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of The Lord will rest on Him. Again in (Isaiah 7;14) we can read the virgin berth foretold “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel (God is with us) And the Prophet Daniel in (Daniel 9;25) actually declared the time of His birth. It is this God of precision and forethought who has a plan for your life too –the only plan that can satisfy bring you happiness. And the Good News is; He comes by invitation. So invite Him in to your life today. The Hymnist wrote, “Room for pleasure, room for business, but for Christ the crucified, not a place that He can enter, in the heart for which He died.” So before we enter another “Commercially driven Christmas Season” I would like to remind people to think about the true meaning of Christmas. “Who it was that came into this world and WHY? Then instead of ending this Christmas exhausted, disappointed and in debt, Invite Jesus in to your life. You may be looking back with regret on some bad decisions you’ve made this year, but making Jesus your Lord and Saviour this Christmas will be the best decision you will ever make. Thank you for reading my take on “The Wisdom Of Seeking Jesus.” He is The only Truth Life and Way to eternal happiness. Blessings, Phaline