"The Glory of God and the King of Kings"

Daniel 7:13-14; Matthew 2:1-12 This week, we're going to consider the glory of God and the King of Kings. Specifically, we'll talk about anticipating the king, seeking the king, and worshipping the king. 1) Anticipating the King When the "wise men" departed Persia, what did they know? We know from history that they  knew these things: (1) This king would be a human—he was called "the son of man," (2) he would be appointed by God himself ("the Ancient of Days"), (3) he would have glory and dominion given to him by God, (4) he would rule over all peoples, nations, and languages, (5) he would rule forever and forever in an indestructible kingdom, and (6) a star in the west (relative to their location) would announce his arrival. The remaining questions were WHEN and precisely WHERE? 2) Seeking the King There's lots we could say about the details of their 6-month journey, but the bottom line is that—in spite of the many challenges they faced—these travelers personally, persistently, and passionately sought the king . . . and when they found him, they were filled with "exceedingly great joy." 3) Seeking the King Personally. Let me ask you a question. What percent of the time are you seeking God's face in prayer and what percent of the time are you seeking God's hand? 50-50? 60-40? 80-20? I would guess that for most people, 90% of the time they're seeking God's hand. After all, seeking God's face is not easy. It requires concentration. It requires dedication. It requires time that you don't THINK you have. 4) Seeking the King Persistently. These wise men didn't let anything get in their way—day and weeks and months of travel over difficult terrain, and when they arrived in Jerusalem they encountered a political swamp that would make Washington, D.C. seem like Disney Land. And yet they continued to press on and press in, seeking the king. 5) Seeking the King Passionately. There was nothing casual about the search for the king—these guys were all in. And when they found what they were seeking, they were filled with "exceedingly great joy." 6)  Worshiping the King The best part of this story took place after they found the king they had sought so earnestly—they fell down and worshiped him! How and why were these guys so fired up about worshipping Jesus? I would argue that it was because of what they brought—that is, they came hungry to find the object of these prophecies and for whatever reason God would move heaven and earth to guide them there. Conclusion: In every church—Crossgate is no exception—there will generally be two kinds of people: (1) those who come hungry for worship and (2) those who don't. And ultimately those who come hungry will get engaged. So my question to you this morning is which camp are you in?