Grapes, Cherries, and Pineapples
Preached on December 4th, 2005 at 11:00AM by Bishop Brian Greene - 00:45:57
Part of the "Prayer" series
Listen to the sermon: Grapes, Cherries, and Pineapples
by Bishop Brian C. Greene
Let’s first begin by noting the fact that the Bible never calls these wise men “kings” nor says that the total number of them is “three.” It could be that the Christmas carol, We Three Kings, got its total number of wise men from the three gifts presented in the Bible. The reference of the term “king” might be due to the fact that these men were actually key advisors to Persian kings.
I. Wisemen. These wise men were actually called “Magi” from which derives our word “magic.” Both words are derived from the Persian/Greek word “magus.” The word “magus” means “powerful, rich, sacrificer.” The word “sacrificer” resonates in that they were priests.
II. Priests. “The Magi were a tribe of priests. They became in Persia almost exactly what the Levites were in Israel (1 Peter 2:9; Exodus 19:1-6). They became the teachers and instructors of the Persian Kings. In Persia no sacrifice could be offered unless one of the Magi was present. They were men of holiness and wisdom. These Magi were men, who were skilled in philosophy, medicine, and natural science (including astrology).” - William Barclay
III. The Progression of Worship.
- They entered the house.
- They fell down and worshipped.
- They opened their treasure.
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They gave gifts to Jesus.
Three ways the Bible teaches us to worship God:
- With our wealth (1 Chronicles 16:28-29; 2 Samuel 24:24).
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With our words (Isaiah 57:19; Hebrews 13:15).
Imagine someone giving you pieces of fruit as an hors d’oeuvre. Imagine that they are serving these pieces of fruit to you with tooth picks attached to each piece so that you can cleanly take as many as you desire. Most people like Grapes, Cherries, and Pineapples. So imagine yourself eating this deliciously sweet, water-filled fruit. MMMMmmmmmmm!
The Bible tells us that God considers praise to be fruit from our lips. Like a waiter serving hors d’oeuvres, God desires that we voluntarily serve him fruit (praises) from our lips. We can offer words of praise in the following manner:
- “Say” the words. “Thank you!” “Hallelujah!” “God You’re Awesome!”
- “Sing” the words. “Our God is an awesome God!” “Here I am to worship!”
- “Scripture” the words. Read words of praise such as Psalms 145-150.
- Finally, we worship God with our works. (Romans 12:1; Deuteronomy 8:19). They traveled 800 miles to worship Him. (From Boston to Detroit, Michigan). No matter our profession (student, medicine, customer service, blue collar) we worship Him with our work.
