Young People's Group

Rejoicing with Exceedingly Great Joy

by Mitchell Tan
December 23, 2016

THE EXAMPLE OF THE WISE MEN IN HAVING EXCEEDING GREAT JOY

Christmas should be celebrated with great joy in our hearts. The wise men were able to possess a joy that was exceedingly great.

“And behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.”
Matthew 2:9-10

They were able to rejoice at an amazing level. The grace of God in itself should cause us to have joy that is unspeakable and full of glory (1 Peter 1:8). Our inability to have this kind of joy is not because it is not available to us. The wise men are our examples of those who were able to rejoice at an exceedingly great level. The wise men had found a new level of joy that they had never experienced before. How did they come to have such spontaneous and exceedingly great joy?

1. GETTING BACK ON TRACK WITH GOD’S LEADING

While the wise men had been led by the star to go to Israel, they ended up in the wrong place because they thought that the King would be born in a palace in Jerusalem. They were obviously wrong. When they saw the star again, the one that had been leading them from the East, they knew that they were back on track with reference to the Lord’s guidance. They were really happy to see the star again.

2. EXPERIENCING THE SCRIPTURES BEING CONFIRMED

When the wise men saw the star and it was over a house in Bethlehem, it was confirmed in their hearts that they had come to the right place. When King Herod asked the chief priests and scribes where the Christ would be born, they replied that it was in Bethlehem. The wise men were informed to go to this small town. When they saw the star, the Scriptures were confirmed within their hearts. They experienced the reality of the Scriptures.

3. COMING TO THE END OF A DILIGENT SEARCH FOR THE LORD JESUS

Seeing the star situated over the town where the Child Jesus was brought a tremendous sense of great joy to the heart. The wise men had diligently searched for the Lord Jesus for some time. The Lord God had revealed about the Lord Jesus being the King of the Jews through this guiding star. Based on this, they persevered in following it. And now, as they were about to come to the end of their journey, they were already rejoicing with exceedingly great joy. Tremendous great joy is a reward of faith as we diligently seek Him.

4. HAVING A PROPER REVERENCE FOR THE LORD JESUS

“And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”
Matthew 2:11

The wise men were able to rejoice with great joy because they had a proper regard for the Lord Jesus. They were seeking Him so that they may worship Him with reverence. Reverence for the Lord and great joy go together. Their reverence and great joy could be seen further by the kind of expensive gifts given to the Child Jesus. Young people, let’s seek to exceedingly rejoice in the Lord this Christmas. Let’s give Him the reverence that is due to Him.

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