Amen. The word from Matthew 2:1-2. I will read it. When King Herod heard that Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” Today's message is about the wise men from the East, a story we are all very familiar with, right? When I was preparing my first sermon as a deacon, I thought about what the star that the wise men saw might symbolize. I thought to myself, "Ah, I can explain that it symbolizes the Word," and as I prepared the sermon, everything seemed to fit perfectly. I was so excited at that time, thinking that other pastors had never seen the star as the Word, and I felt like I had discovered something significant. But later, I found out I wasn't the only one who thought that way. Yes. But anyway, it was a very exciting passage for me, and it has stuck in my mind. However, honestly, as I look at this passage about the wise men today, I see it from a new perspective. Facing death, as I read this passage, I realized that this is about how the wise men welcomed Jesus at His first coming. This is the content of that first welcome, right? But for us living today, it seems to indicate how we should welcome Jesus at His second coming. I thought this passage teaches us how to prepare for His return. Yes. Facing death, I feel like I am being shown a new angle, and I am excited to share this sermon. Although I may not seem excited on the outside, there is a part of me that sees it this way. Yes. So, when we meet the Lord directly—when we die, we will meet Him directly, right? And when the Lord returns, we will meet Him directly as well. Yes. In the last days, during the end times, we will meet the Lord directly. So, what will we be like when we meet Him? Will we be prepared? These are all intertwined in today's passage. Yes. Therefore, the title of today's sermon is To Prepare Well for the End Times. Originally, I thought about titling it "The Time of the Second Coming," but that felt a bit heretical. Then I thought about "The Time of Death," but that seemed too personal, so I thought "The End Times" would be the best title, as it encompasses everything. Death, the second coming, and the end times—what do we want to realize through today's passage?
First, Are We Actually Acting?
First, the question is, are we actually acting? Are we acting? What I mean is, if you were truly on the verge of meeting Jesus, you wouldn't just sit still, right? You would be preparing. You would be doing something and moving around, right? Yes. I am not particularly interested in cars. Why? It may sound strange to suddenly talk about cars, but people can change. I am not someone who is interested in cars, and I was always satisfied with the car my wife drove. I never cleaned it or decorated it. My wife did all that. Occasionally, I would throw away the trash in the car if it got too messy. I am someone who is not interested in cars. But this time, I bought a new car. I wanted it, yes, it’s the first time I’ve ever said I wanted to buy a car. Why? Because my daughters drive a Tesla, and they all rave about it. I tried it, and it was really nice. But I have been taking medication, and sometimes I forget while driving, so my wife doesn’t trust my driving. She always follows me, but the Tesla drives much better than my wife. Yes. If you haven’t tried it, I recommend it, especially for older people. I do everything. So, I told my wife I wanted to change cars, and I bought a Tesla. But usually, once you buy a car, that’s it. You just drive it around, but I started to think, "What if this is the last car I have while I’m on this earth?" Yes. Don’t be sad; it’s just a natural thought. So, I want to drive it comfortably. Wanting to drive comfortably means that I want to buy accessories that make the car more comfortable. So, I started buying things on Amazon, like plastic bins and trash cans. When my wife saw this, she asked, "Why are you buying these things?" She couldn’t understand. She didn’t get it. So, right from there, there’s a difference in perspective between my wife and me. Right? I think it’s my last car. But my wife doesn’t think that way, so it seems like I’m acting strangely. But the bigger problem is that I can’t even decorate the car myself. If I buy things, who has to do all the work? My wife has to lay the mats and do everything. Yes. But seeing myself like this, I think about death, and I can’t help but wonder, "God, I believe you will let me live, but if the Lord says, 'What if I come now?' Am I well prepared?" I can’t help but think about that. My perspective has changed. Yes. When the wise men came, the religious leaders all heard about it. What did they hear? The Messiah has come. They all heard about the star. But no one went out to follow the wise men. Not a single person. Why was that? Why? The first reason is that they had no interest. What I mean is, they had no longing. At first, they might have been waiting. They might have thought, "Oh Lord, come." But after 400 years passed since Malachi, their interest in the Lord’s return and the Messiah faded away. So even when the wise men came saying the Messiah had arrived, no one went out to meet them. Right? Instead, these people asked, In Matthew 2:4, the king gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Christ was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.’” This was not said by the wise men but by the religious leaders of Israel. They all knew. The wise men said that Jesus was to be born in Bethlehem. They knew it in their heads. But they had no interest. They cut off their interest, saying, "He won’t come." You see, this is important. This is our reality. This is our reality, which means we have no interest in the Lord’s second coming. We have no interest in the end times approaching. You all. But the reason we should be interested, especially at Youngnak Church, is that our life-giving Word is talking about the end times. Those of you who meditate on the Word will see that the Lord’s coming, the last days, and the end times have been the focus for a long time. You might find it boring, but the message is overlapping. It’s asking us to think about something. God is asking if you are preparing for the end times. Yes. This is what He is asking. Of course, those of you who are very knowledgeable might say, "The second coming of Jesus is different from the time of the wise men." Because at the first coming, the wise men came to see Him, but at the second coming, we will all know when He comes. We don’t know how He will come, but maybe it will be broadcast on TV, and everyone will know at once. But when the Lord returns, we will all know. He won’t come without us knowing, right? So some of the congregation might think, "Well, if I know when He comes, I’ll be ready then." They might think like that. Okay, okay. But the important thing is, will the Lord be pleased when He sees your state? The reason we are told to prepare for the Lord’s second coming is that our heart’s state should be one that is ready to welcome the bridegroom when He comes. The Lord will be pleased to see that we are truly prepared to meet Him. He is asking if we have that heart of longing and desire. Yes. It’s like when a husband goes to work, and the wife prepares food to welcome him. When he comes home, she says, "Oh, I missed you today." That’s one way. But if the wife is sleeping when the husband comes home, and he says, "I’m home," and she replies, "Just eat on your own," that’s another. When the Lord comes, will our heart be in a state of waiting for Him? Will we say, "Lord, I’m looking forward to seeing You"? Or will we think, "I believe in Jesus, so when He comes, I’ll go to heaven"? But that doesn’t seem like the right attitude. This is what He desires. You know, we are living in a good time these days. What I mean by a good time is that it used to be harder to explain the end times. To talk about the end times, the nation of Israel had to exist. Do you know when the nation of Israel came into existence? When did Israel become a nation? The nation of Israel actually came into existence in 1948. Before that, people knew about Israel, but there was no nation. There was no nation, and it was absurd to say that the end times would come when that nation was restored. But nowadays, we know exactly. The nation was established in 1948. And we cannot forget that Israel is currently at war. Yes. It’s a war between Israel and Iran. Many pastors are saying, "This is truly the time of the Lord’s coming," and they are talking about how the Bible is being fulfilled. Some confidently say that Iran cannot fall because it is necessary for the end times. They say that with confidence. I don’t know if they are saying that because they think the end times are not now, but we are living in a time when the nations mentioned in the Bible regarding the end times exist. We are living in such a time, and we are observing wars that may be related to the end times. God is making us reflect and meditate on the end times. We are living in such an era, and we should be asking ourselves, "Are we saying, 'Come, Lord'? Or are we saying, 'I believe in Jesus, so I’ll just go to heaven'?" Or are we saying, "Lord, come quickly! I’ve been waiting for You!" This is what we need to consider. Yes. But the reason we don’t do this is, to be honest, is because of spiritual laziness. In a word, it’s spiritual laziness. Yes. Because we don’t feel like we are going to die right away, we procrastinate. We procrastinate. If you were truly facing death, you would become very sensitive. I have become sensitive. Especially with these words, I become sensitive. In Matthew 25:30, it says, 'When I was hungry, you gave Me food; when I was thirsty, you gave Me drink; when I was a stranger, you took Me in; when I was naked, you clothed Me; when I was sick, you visited Me; when I was in prison, you came to Me.' When Jesus says, "You did this for Me," what do the people say? "Lord, when did we do that?" And then in verse 40, the King answers and says, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." Right? It becomes sensitive when you think about how you can say you did something for the Lord when you haven’t met Him in a long time. It becomes sensitive. In the past, I would see homeless people begging and think, "If I give them money, they’ll just buy drugs," so I wouldn’t give them money. Yes. If I could buy them food, I would, but I wouldn’t give them money. But these days, I feel like I should give. Yes. But the problem is, I don’t carry cash. I only have cards. So I’ve started thinking that I should carry some cash. But I still haven’t done it. I’m still lazy. Yes. I think, "What if I have something?" But I keep thinking about whether I will hear from the Lord, "You did that for Me" when I meet Him. So, recently, there was a businessman looking for ways to help. I connected him with a program that provides meals for children who only get one meal a day. So, many children were able to eat because of that connection. So, I asked God, "God, I have a share in this, right?" Even though I didn’t spend a dime, if I hadn’t connected them, it wouldn’t have happened. I think I have a share in that. Yes. I believe that when I go to heaven, I will hear that many children ate because of me. But we need to be mindful of these things. Yes. And looking at the leaders in Bethlehem at that time, they were indifferent and lazy. They were just lazy. Didn’t they have even a little desire to go and see? It’s not far away. They could have wanted to go and see. But no one went. They were completely lazy. Yes. But to these people, our Lord warns, In Mark 13:33, He says, 'Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.' He also told the ten virgins, In Matthew 25:13, 'Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.' Right? Our Lord keeps telling us to be alert. Why? Because He wants to meet you with joy. He wants you to meet Him with the same joy. He wants you to be excited about meeting Him. That’s why He tells us to be alert. If you are sleeping when He comes, He will wake you up. Right? It doesn’t look good for someone who is unprepared to be woken up by the Lord. He wants us to be prepared so that when He comes, we can run to Him and hug Him, saying, "Lord, I’ve been waiting for You!" This is what He desires. Right? That is preparation. But the problem is that the world is more interested. The world is more interested in meeting the Lord. That’s the third point. Why? Because they think their kingdom is better than God’s. Who was more interested? When the wise men spoke, Herod was more interested. The world was more interested. In verse 2, it says, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." King Herod and all Jerusalem heard this and were troubled. It was not the believers who were troubled; it was Herod who was troubled. Yes. And he called the wise men and asked them in detail when the star appeared. In verse 8, he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also." This was a complete lie. Yes. But why was Herod so concerned? He was afraid of losing his kingship because a king was born. Of course, Herod didn’t know that the King of kings was coming, not just the Roman king. He didn’t know. He didn’t know that he was afraid of losing his kingship. In the end, what did he do? He ordered the killing of all the boys under two years old. In verse 16, when Herod saw that he was deceived by the wise men, he was furious, and he sent and killed all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts from two years old and under. All the children died because of this. This is the world. To maintain his kingship and the kingdom he ruled, he did not hesitate to commit such acts. But the problem is that we are often the same. We call God our Lord. We call Him Lord, which means King. But we are often obsessed with establishing our own kingdoms. What is my kingdom? It is the kingdom where I want to live according to my own will. It is the kingdom where I want to live as I please. It is the kingdom where I decide according to my own desires. That is my kingdom. We are living in a world where our desire to establish our own kingdom collides with God’s kingdom. This is a spiritual battle. The world is in a battle to maintain its kingdom until death. Satan is fighting tooth and nail to keep us from being taken away. Yes, he is trying to establish his kingdom. He is in a battle. But we are living our lives without realizing this spiritual battle. We need to be alert. That’s why we need to be alert. Satan is trying to keep us from being taken away, trying to make us move according to his will, and he keeps telling us, "This is more comfortable. This is better for you. Why go that way? Why live a troublesome life? Why live a tiring life? Enjoy more money and pleasure." That is our kingdom. That is our kingdom. He keeps leading us that way. Yes. God wants to be our King and our Lord, and He wants to rule over us. But we are not alert, so we don’t even know what our kingdom is, what God’s kingdom is, and we live without any interest. We need to reflect on ourselves. Yes. We should long for the King of kings and say, "Lord, I have no kingdom. Please rule over me as a citizen of Your kingdom. And when You come, I want to live in the perfect kingdom of God." This should be our desire. This is the actual behavior of a saint preparing for that time.
mindmap
root(("To be well prepared for the end times"))
("First, are we actually acting?")
("Mark 13:33")
("Second, the gifts offered by the Magi")
("Revelation 3:18")Second, The Gifts Offered by the Wise Men
Second, I want us to look at the gifts offered by the wise men. What are the gifts we should offer in the last days? Yes. I won’t read the entire Bible; you all already know. The gifts they offered were three, right? Gold, frankincense, and myrrh. You know, right? Gold symbolizes what? It symbolizes a king. It is offered to the King, the Lord. Why? Because this kingship does not change. And it is offered to the eternal King, the Lord. The wise men, at that time, offered gold to acknowledge that the one who came in the first coming is the King. But if we interpret this spiritually in front of the returning Lord, it symbolizes the gifts we should offer to the Lord. So what does it mean to offer gifts like gold? In Revelation 3:18, it says, 'I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.' This was said to the church of Laodicea. But the church of Laodicea is very similar to us. Yes. They lived without any thought, just believing in the Lord and attending church. They lived comfortably without any inconvenience. In that situation, our Lord says to them, "Buy gold refined in the fire." In other words, He is saying, "Offer refined gold to Me." So what is that refined gold? It is the holy appearance of being clothed in white garments, not revealing the shame of nakedness. And the eye salve is to see the many sins we are currently seeing in the world. Right? We see things we don’t want to see, and our eyes are filled with filth and dirt. We need to come before the Lord with holy eyes. That is the appearance of a saint offering refined gold to God. He is asking us to offer that. Yes. But why is it refined gold? Because our appearance is not beautiful in the sight of God. To be honest, when we meet the Lord, we are not beautiful. That’s why He allows us to go through suffering. Why does He give us suffering? Because that suffering melts away all the impurities in our bodies. That suffering itself is meant to leave only the pure gold and refined gold. So that when we meet the Lord, we can meet Him as the refined gold we need. That is why He allows us to go through suffering. That is what suffering is. So Job, who suffered, also confesses this. As I preached last week, suffering is meant to make us pure gold. In verse 23, he says, "But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold." Yes, you may not be refined yet. But for the holy standard of the Lord, and for Him to be pleased with our offering, and for us to live as refined gold in heaven, God allows us to go through suffering. So imagine your appearance being offered as refined gold before the King. Yes. How pleased would God be? But the important thing is that we have to go through suffering. Yes. This is the spiritual meaning of the gold offered by the wise men to the returning Lord. The second gift is the incense of prayer that we should offer as priests. Frankincense is used in sacrifices. This symbolizes the priest who offers incense in the Holy Place. In other words, the priest connects the people with God. So our Lord acted as a priest, performing the role of incense. Even when He was crucified, we crucified Him, but He prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." He interceded for us. We should follow that example and now offer our prayers as incense before God. In the end times, we are called to be alert and pray before the Lord. So this incense, ultimately, in Revelation 8:3, it says, 'Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar; he was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.' Our prayers should become this incense before God, and God should receive them as a sweet aroma. This is the gift we should offer before the Lord in the end times. Yes. We need to be alert and pray. So in 1 Peter 4:7, it says, 'But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.' Be serious and pray. Yes. Be alert and pray. Prayer is the only answer. If you don’t pray, Satan will shake you. Yes. If you don’t pray, resentment will arise in your heart, and doubts will come, and you will stumble. That’s why we need to pray. We need to pray. Yes. If I hadn’t prayed while I was sick, I would have stumbled so many times. Every time I felt like stumbling, I would cling to God and say, "Lord, please hold me." That time is so important. So in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, it says, 'Pray without ceasing.' We need to pray without ceasing, especially as the time draws near. That is the gift we should offer before the Lord. The third gift is the gift of martyrdom as missionaries. Myrrh is used in two ways. It is used for anointing and also to prevent corpses from decaying. So when Jesus was crucified, someone offered Him wine mixed with myrrh. Why? Because it was a painkiller. But the Lord refused it. He chose to suffer for us. However, another meaning of myrrh is to prevent decay. This symbolizes that when we do the Lord’s work, if we die while preaching the gospel like the prophets, God recognizes us as martyrs, and they do not decay. This is what we should offer before the Lord in the end times. Yes. Truly, preaching the gospel is not easy. It is not easy at all. Yes. But we need to remember the word martyr and be willing to die and be faithful to the Lord. This is what we need to do in the end times. Of course, no one is going to kill you for preaching Jesus. No one in our neighborhood will kill you. But don’t think of martyrdom too grandly. My second daughter is pregnant again. The first month wasn’t bad, but in the second month, she has been experiencing severe morning sickness. You know who suffers the most during morning sickness? The husband suffers the most. So while I’m trying to get her what she wants, she says, "I want this, I want that," and it’s hard to please her. I thought to myself, "That’s martyrdom." That’s martyrdom. It’s not about going somewhere else; it’s about sacrificing for the baby in her womb. It’s about sacrificing for the mother. It’s about doing things that don’t make sense but being willing to drive an hour to get what she wants. That’s true martyrdom. Don’t think of martyrdom as something grand. It’s about sacrificing in small ways. It’s about dying to your stubbornness. You might think you are right, but even if you think that, you still love them. Yes. Dying to yourself is martyrdom. If you are willing to sacrifice for the Lord and the gospel, it can grow even bigger. Right? There are so many opportunities for martyrdom. Why? Because Satan is preparing for it. In Matthew 24:9, it says, 'Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.' This is reality. This is reality. In such situations, we need to be prepared to be martyrs and say, "I will die for the Lord. I will carry my cross for the Lord." Yes. But the reason we need to die is that this is God’s law. This is God’s law. It’s also a law of the world. The world recognizes this law. It means that someone has to die. You know, there’s a movie that has been popular in Korea called "The King and the Clown." I didn’t want to watch it because the title seemed strange. But my second daughter wanted to go see it, so my wife and I went with her. When we sat down in the theater, I noticed one of our church members was watching it too. I don’t know if it’s right for a pastor to be caught watching a movie, but at least it wasn’t something inappropriate. Right? It’s a historical film, and since I know history, I know the ending. If you are planning to watch it, cover your ears because I’m going to spoil it. Yes. My daughter and wife don’t know Korean history, so they were expecting a happy ending. They thought the king would be restored. But that’s not what happened; the king dies. In some ways, it’s a tragic ending. But why does the king die? The king dies to save the people he has cared for. It was either the people or himself. So the king chooses to die to save the people. This is both a law of the world and a law of God. It means that someone has to die to save others. Yes. That’s the law. That’s the law. That’s why Jesus died for us. Someone had to die to save us, but only Jesus was qualified to die. That’s why He died, and we are saved. Our lives are the same. Do you want your family to live? Then die. Yes. If you die, your family will live. I can guarantee that. Your relationships with your children, your spouse, and your fellow believers will thrive if you die. If you die, they will live. This is a principle. If you die, you will live. But what’s even more important is that while the world dies to save the people, that’s where it ends. They don’t know that their name will be remembered, but in our lives, if we die, we will live, and that’s resurrection. That’s resurrection. Yes. That’s martyrdom. Yes. That’s the gift our Lord desires from us in the end times. And how do we do this? Third, it should be a joyful journey. It should not be forced but a joyful journey. When we look at the wise men today, in verse 10, it says they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy when they saw the star. Okay. They could rejoice because they received what they aimed for. But the journey of these wise men was not a joyful journey. It was a long journey. Interestingly, who is currently at war? Iran and Israel, right? Where did the wise men come from? They came from Iran. They were on a journey to meet the King of kings in Israel. Yes. Even though they were traveling through a war zone, they were on a journey to meet the king, and they rejoiced. But that journey could not have been joyful at that time because it was a road filled with robbers. It was a dangerous road where they could die at any moment. Yet they walked that road joyfully. This is a sermon directed at me. Today’s message is asking me, "Since the day to meet the Lord is approaching, have you prepared everything? Are you ready?" But it also asks, "Is there joy in your heart?" Am I walking this journey joyfully, not in the sorrow of death, but joyfully? Yes. How about you? Are you excited and looking forward to meeting the Lord? There were several reasons why they could rejoice. First, it was because of the hope given to them. Yes. They realized that the star indicated the birth of the King of kings through the Word. Why? Because Daniel knew this from the past. It is mentioned in the Book of Numbers, where it says a star will rise out of Jacob. It says, "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a star shall come out of Jacob; a scepter shall rise out of Israel." Here, a star is mentioned that will defeat the whole world. They must have taught all the wise men that this star indicates the coming of the King. They saw the star and recognized it as a sign of hope. Because of this hope, they could rejoice. They rejoiced in the fulfillment of the Word. They could rejoice in the joy of the Word being fulfilled. And they could rejoice because the path they were taking was a path of salvation. Why? Because they went and proclaimed, "The Messiah has come! The Christ has come! Where is He?" Yes. Although they didn’t know exactly, they were proclaiming the good news that the Lord had come. Of course, you might say, "They were ignorant; they didn’t know that all the boys under two years old would be killed." But that was prophesied. The prophecy said that the Christ would come only after the boys under two years old were killed. Yes. And through their deaths, they realized that the King had come. Yes. It became an opportunity for the gospel to be proclaimed, and that’s why they could rejoice. The same goes for us. If we have opportunities to proclaim the gospel in our lives, we should be grateful and share it. The third reason they could rejoice was that they could meet the King and worship Him. In verse 2, it says, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." They had the joy of being able to worship the true King, the One who is worthy of all worship and praise. How about you? Is it a joy for you to worship? Are you looking forward to it? Yes. The Lord desires that joy from you. Yes. And He wants it to be a joyful journey, not a forced one. It should be a joyful journey. When we look at the wise men today, in verse 10, it says they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy when they saw the star. Okay. They could rejoice because they received what they aimed for. But the journey of these wise men was not a joyful journey. It was a long journey. Interestingly, who is currently at war? Iran and Israel, right? Where did the wise men come from? They came from Iran. They were on a journey to meet the King of kings in Israel. Yes. Even though they were traveling through a war zone, they were on a journey to meet the king, and they rejoiced. But that journey could not have been joyful at that time because it was a road filled with robbers. It was a dangerous road where they could die at any moment. Yet they walked that road joyfully. This is a sermon directed at me. Today’s message is asking me, "Since the day to meet the Lord is approaching, have you prepared everything? Are you ready?" But it also asks, "Is there joy in your heart?" Am I walking this journey joyfully, not in the sorrow of death, but joyfully? Yes. How about you? Are you excited and looking forward to meeting the Lord? There were several reasons why they could rejoice. First, it was because of the hope given to them. Yes. They realized that the star indicated the birth of the King of kings through the Word. Why? Because Daniel knew this from the past. It is mentioned in the Book of Numbers, where it says a star will rise out of Jacob. It says, "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a star shall come out of Jacob; a scepter shall rise out of Israel." Here, a star is mentioned that will defeat the whole world. They must have taught all the wise men that this star indicates the coming of the King. They saw the star and recognized it as a sign of hope. Because of this hope, they could rejoice. They rejoiced in the fulfillment of the Word. They could rejoice in the joy of the Word being fulfilled. And they could rejoice because the path they were taking was a path of salvation. Why? Because they went and proclaimed, "The Messiah has come! The Christ has come! Where is He?" Yes. Although they didn’t know exactly, they were proclaiming the good news that the Lord had come. Of course, you might say, "They were ignorant; they didn’t know that all the boys under two years old would be killed." But that was prophesied. The prophecy said that the Christ would come only after the boys under two years old were killed. Yes. And through their deaths, they realized that the King had come. Yes. It became an opportunity for the gospel to be proclaimed, and that’s why they could rejoice. The same goes for us. If we have opportunities to proclaim the gospel in our lives, we should be grateful and share it. The third reason they could rejoice was that they could meet the King and worship Him. In verse 2, it says, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." They had the joy of being able to worship the true King, the One who is worthy of all worship and praise. How about you? Is it a joy for you to worship? Are you looking forward to it? Yes. The Lord desires that joy from you. Yes. And He wants it to be a joyful journey, not a forced one. It should be a joyful journey. When we look at the wise men today, in verse 10, it says they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy when they saw the star. Okay. They could rejoice because they received what they aimed for. But the journey of these wise men was not a joyful journey. It was a long journey. Interestingly, who is currently at war? Iran and Israel, right? Where did the wise men come from? They came from Iran. They were on a journey to meet the King of kings in Israel. Yes. Even though they were traveling through a war zone, they were on a journey to meet the king, and they rejoiced. But that journey could not have been joyful at that time because it was a road filled with robbers. It was a dangerous road where they could die at any moment. Yet they walked that road joyfully. This is a sermon directed at me. Today’s message is asking me, "Since the day to meet the Lord is approaching, have you prepared everything? Are you ready?" But it also asks, "Is there joy in your heart?" Am I walking this journey joyfully, not in the sorrow of death, but joyfully? Yes. How about you? Are you excited and looking forward to meeting the Lord? There were several reasons why they could rejoice. First, it was because of the hope given to them. Yes. They realized that the star indicated the birth of the King of kings through the Word. Why? Because Daniel knew this from the past. It is mentioned in the Book of Numbers, where it says a star will rise out of Jacob. It says, "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a star shall come out of Jacob; a scepter shall rise out of Israel." Here, a star is mentioned that will defeat the whole world. They must have taught all the wise men that this star indicates the coming of the King. They saw the star and recognized it as a sign of hope. Because of this hope, they could rejoice. They rejoiced in the fulfillment of the Word. They could rejoice in the joy of the Word being fulfilled. And they could rejoice because the path they were taking was a path of salvation. Why? Because they went and proclaimed, "The Messiah has come! The Christ has come! Where is He?" Yes. Although they didn’t know exactly, they were proclaiming the good news that the Lord had come. Of course, you might say, "They were ignorant; they didn’t know that all the boys under two years old would be killed." But that was prophesied. The prophecy said that the Christ would come only after the boys under two years old were killed. Yes. And through their deaths, they realized that the King had come. Yes. It became an opportunity for the gospel to be proclaimed, and that’s why they could rejoice. The same goes for us. If we have opportunities to proclaim the gospel in our lives, we should be grateful and share it. The third reason they could rejoice was that they could meet the King and worship Him. In verse 2, it says, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." They had the joy of being able to worship the true King, the One who is worthy of all worship and praise. How about you? Is it a joy for you to worship? Are you looking forward to it? Yes. The Lord desires that joy from you. Yes. And He wants it to be a joyful journey, not a forced one. It should be a joyful journey. When we look at the wise men today, in verse 10, it says they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy when they saw the star. Okay. They could rejoice because they received what they aimed for. But the journey of these wise men was not a joyful journey. It was a long journey. Interestingly, who is currently at war? Iran and Israel, right? Where did the wise men come from? They came from Iran. They were on a journey to meet the King of kings in Israel. Yes. Even though they were traveling through a war zone, they were on a journey to meet the king, and they rejoiced. But that journey could not have been joyful at that time because it was a road filled with robbers. It was a dangerous road where they could die at any moment. Yet they walked that road joyfully. This is a sermon directed at me. Today’s message is asking me, "Since the day to meet the Lord is approaching, have you prepared everything? Are you ready?" But it also asks, "Is there joy in your heart?" Am I walking this journey joyfully, not in the sorrow of death, but joyfully? Yes. How about you? Are you excited and looking forward to meeting the Lord? There were several reasons why they could rejoice. First, it was because of the hope given to them. Yes. They realized that the star indicated the birth of the King of kings through the Word. Why? Because Daniel knew this from the past. It is mentioned in the Book of Numbers, where it says a star will rise out of Jacob. It says, "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a star shall come out of Jacob; a scepter shall rise out of Israel." Here, a star is mentioned that will defeat the whole world. They must have taught all the wise men that this star indicates the coming of the King. They saw the star and recognized it as a sign of hope. Because of this hope, they could rejoice. They rejoiced in the fulfillment of the Word. They could rejoice in the joy of the Word being fulfilled. And they could rejoice because the path they were taking was a path of salvation. Why? Because they went and proclaimed, "The Messiah has come! The Christ has come! Where is He?" Yes. Although they didn’t know exactly, they were proclaiming the good news that the Lord had come. Of course, you might say, "They were ignorant; they didn’t know that all the boys under two years old would be killed." But that was prophesied. The prophecy said that the Christ would come only after the boys under two years old were killed. Yes. And through their deaths, they realized that the King had come. Yes. It became an opportunity for the gospel to be proclaimed, and that’s why they could rejoice. The same goes for us. If we have opportunities to proclaim the gospel in our lives, we should be grateful and share it. The third reason they could rejoice was that they could meet the King and worship Him. In verse 2, it says, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." They had the joy of being able to worship the true King, the One who is worthy of all worship and praise. How about you? Is it a joy for you to worship? Are you looking forward to it? Yes. The Lord desires that joy from you. Yes. And He wants it to be a joyful journey, not a forced one. It should be a joyful journey. When we look at the wise men today, in verse 10, it says they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy when they saw the star. Okay. They could rejoice because they received what they aimed for. But the journey of these wise men was not a joyful journey. It was a long journey. Interestingly, who is currently at war? Iran and Israel, right? Where did the wise men come from? They came from Iran. They were on a journey to meet the King of kings in Israel. Yes. Even though they were traveling through a war zone, they were on a journey to meet the king, and they rejoiced. But that journey could not have been joyful at that time because it was a road filled with robbers. It was a dangerous road where they could die at any moment. Yet they walked that road joyfully. This is a sermon directed at me. Today’s message is asking me, "Since the day to meet the Lord is approaching, have you prepared everything? Are you ready?" But it also asks, "Is there joy in your heart?" Am I walking this journey joyfully, not in the sorrow of death, but joyfully? Yes. How about you? Are you excited and looking forward to meeting the Lord? There were several reasons why they could rejoice. First, it was because of the hope given to them. Yes. They realized that the star indicated the birth of the King of kings through the Word. Why? Because Daniel knew this from the past. It is mentioned in the Book of Numbers, where it says a star will rise out of Jacob. It says, "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a star shall come out of Jacob; a scepter shall rise out of Israel." Here, a star is mentioned that will defeat the whole world. They must have taught all the wise men that this star indicates the coming of the King. They saw the star and recognized it as a sign of hope. Because of this hope, they could rejoice. They rejoiced in the fulfillment of the Word. They could rejoice in the joy of the Word being fulfilled. And they could rejoice because the path they were taking was a path of salvation. Why? Because they went and proclaimed, "The Messiah has come! The Christ has come! Where is He?" Yes. Although they didn’t know exactly, they were proclaiming the good news that the Lord had come. Of course, you might say, "They were ignorant; they didn’t know that all the boys under two years old would be killed." But that was prophesied. The prophecy said that the Christ would come only after the boys under two years old were killed. Yes. And through their deaths, they realized that the King had come. Yes. It became an opportunity for the gospel to be proclaimed, and that’s why they could rejoice. The same goes for us. If we have opportunities to proclaim the gospel in our lives, we should be grateful and share it. The third reason they could rejoice was that they could meet the King and worship Him. In verse 2, it says, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." They had the joy of being able to worship the true King, the One who is worthy of all worship and praise. How about you? Is it a joy for you to worship? Are you looking forward to it? Yes. The Lord desires that joy from you. Yes. And He wants it to be a joyful journey, not a forced one. It should be a joyful journey. When we look at the wise men today, in verse 10, it says they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy when they saw the star. Okay. They could rejoice because they received what they aimed for. But the journey of these wise men was not a joyful journey. It was a long journey. Interestingly, who is currently at war? Iran and Israel, right? Where did the wise men come from? They came from Iran. They were on a journey to meet the King of kings in Israel. Yes. Even though they were traveling through a war zone, they were on a journey to meet the king, and they rejoiced. But that journey could not have been joyful at that time because it was a road filled with robbers. It was a dangerous road where they could die at any moment. Yet they walked that road joyfully. This is a sermon directed at me. Today’s message is asking me, "Since the day to meet the Lord is approaching, have you prepared everything? Are you ready?" But it also asks, "Is there joy in your heart?" Am I walking this journey joyfully, not in the sorrow of death, but joyfully? Yes. How about you? Are you excited and looking forward to meeting the Lord? There were several reasons why they could rejoice. First, it was because of the hope given to them. Yes. They realized that the star indicated the birth of the King of kings through the Word. Why? Because Daniel knew this from the past. It is mentioned in the Book of Numbers, where it says a star will rise out of Jacob. It says, "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a star shall come out of Jacob; a scepter shall rise out of Israel." Here, a star is mentioned that will defeat the whole world. They must have taught all the wise men that this star indicates the coming of the King. They saw the star and recognized it as a sign of hope. Because of this hope, they could rejoice. They rejoiced in the fulfillment of the Word. They could rejoice in the joy of the Word being fulfilled. And they could rejoice because the path they were taking was a path of salvation. Why? Because they went and proclaimed, "The Messiah has come! The Christ has come! Where is He?" Yes. Although they didn’t know exactly, they were proclaiming the good news that the Lord had come. Of course, you might say, "They were ignorant; they didn’t know that all the boys under two years old would be killed." But that was prophesied. The prophecy said that the Christ would come only after the boys under two years old were killed. Yes. And through their deaths, they realized that the King had come. Yes. It became an opportunity for the gospel to be proclaimed, and that’s why they could rejoice. The same goes for us. If we have opportunities to proclaim the gospel in our lives, we should be grateful and share it. The third reason they could rejoice was that they could meet the King and worship Him. In verse 2, it says, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." They had the joy of being able to worship the true King, the One who is worthy of all worship and praise. How about you? Is it a joy for you to worship? Are you looking forward to it? Yes. The Lord desires that joy from you. Yes. And He wants it to be a joyful journey, not a forced one. It should be a joyful journey. When we look at the wise men today, in verse 10, it says they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy when they saw the star. Okay. They could rejoice because they received what they aimed for. But the journey of these wise men was not a joyful journey. It was a long journey. Interestingly, who is currently at war? Iran and Israel, right? Where did the wise men come from? They came from Iran. They were on a journey to meet the King of kings in Israel. Yes. Even though they were traveling through a war zone, they were on a journey to meet the king, and they rejoiced. But that journey could not have been joyful at that time because it was a road filled with robbers. It was a dangerous road where they could die at any moment. Yet they walked that road joyfully. This is a sermon directed at me. Today’s message is asking me, "Since the day to meet the Lord is approaching, have you prepared everything? Are you ready?" But it also asks, "Is there joy in your heart?" Am I walking this journey joyfully, not in the sorrow of death, but joyfully? Yes. How about you? Are you excited and looking forward to meeting the Lord? There were several reasons why they could rejoice. First, it was because of the hope given to them. Yes. They realized that the star indicated the birth of the King of kings through the Word. Why? Because Daniel knew this from the past. It is mentioned in the Book of Numbers, where it says a star will rise out of Jacob. It says, "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a star shall come out of Jacob; a scepter shall rise out of Israel." Here, a star is mentioned that will defeat the whole world. They must have taught all the wise men that this star indicates the coming of the King. They saw the star and recognized it as a sign of hope. Because of this hope, they could rejoice. They rejoiced in the fulfillment of the Word. They could rejoice in the joy of the Word being fulfilled. And they could rejoice because the path they were taking was a path of salvation. Why? Because they went and proclaimed, "The Messiah has come! The Christ has come! Where is He?" Yes. Although they didn’t know exactly, they were proclaiming the good news that the Lord had come. Of course, you might say, "They were ignorant; they didn’t know that all the boys under two years old would be killed." But that was prophesied. The prophecy said that the Christ would come only after the boys under two years old were killed. Yes. And through their deaths, they realized that the King had come. Yes. It became an opportunity for the gospel to be proclaimed, and that’s why they could rejoice. The same goes for us. If we have opportunities to proclaim the gospel in our lives, we should be grateful and share it. The third reason they could rejoice was that they could meet the King and worship Him. In verse 2, it says, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." They had the joy of being able to worship the true King, the One who is worthy of all worship and praise. How about you? Is it a joy for you to worship? Are you looking forward to it? Yes. The Lord desires that joy from you. Yes. And He wants it to be a joyful journey, not a forced one. It should be a joyful journey. When we look at the wise men today, in verse 10, it says they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy when they saw the star. Okay. They could rejoice because they received what they aimed for. But the journey of these wise men was not a joyful journey. It was a long journey. Interestingly, who is currently at war? Iran and Israel, right? Where did the wise men come from? They came from Iran. They were on a journey to meet the King of kings in Israel. Yes. Even though they were traveling through a war zone, they were on a journey to meet the king, and they rejoiced. But that journey could not have been joyful at that time because it was a road filled with robbers. It was a dangerous road where they could die at any moment. Yet they walked that road joyfully. This is a sermon directed at me. Today’s message is asking me, "Since the day to meet the Lord is approaching, have you prepared everything? Are you ready?" But it also asks, "Is there joy in your heart?" Am I walking this journey joyfully, not in the sorrow of death, but joyfully? Yes. How about you? Are you excited and looking forward to meeting the Lord? There were several reasons why they could rejoice. First, it was because of the hope given to them. Yes. They realized that the star indicated the birth of the King of kings through the Word. Why? Because Daniel knew this from the past. It is mentioned in the Book of Numbers, where it says a star will rise out of Jacob. It says, "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a star shall come out of Jacob; a scepter shall rise out of Israel." Here, a star is mentioned that will defeat the whole world. They must have taught all the wise men that this star indicates the coming of the King. They saw the star and recognized it as a sign of hope. Because of this hope, they could rejoice. They rejoiced in the fulfillment of the Word. They could rejoice in the joy of the Word being fulfilled. And they could rejoice because the path they were taking was a path of salvation. Why? Because they went and proclaimed, "The Messiah has come! The Christ has come! Where is He?" Yes. Although they didn’t know exactly, they were proclaiming the good news that the Lord had come. Of course, you might say, "They were ignorant; they didn’t know that all the boys under two years old would be killed." But that was prophesied. The prophecy said that the Christ would come only after the boys under two years old were killed. Yes. And through their deaths, they realized that the King had come. Yes. It became an opportunity for the gospel to be proclaimed, and that’s why they could rejoice. The same goes for us. If we have opportunities to proclaim the gospel in our lives, we should be grateful and share it. The third reason they could rejoice was that they could meet the King and worship Him. In verse 2, it says, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." They had the joy of being able to worship the true King, the One who is worthy of all worship and praise. How about you? Is it a joy for you to worship? Are you looking forward to it? Yes. The Lord desires that joy from you. Yes. And He wants it to be a joyful journey, not a forced one. It should be a joyful journey. When we look at the wise men today, in verse 10, it says they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy when they saw the star. Okay. They could rejoice because they received what they aimed for. But the journey of these wise men was not a joyful journey. It was a long journey. Interestingly, who is currently at war? Iran and Israel, right? Where did the wise men come from? They came from Iran. They were on a journey to meet the King of kings in Israel. Yes. Even though they were traveling through a war zone, they were on a journey to meet the king, and they rejoiced. But that journey could not have been joyful at that time because it was a road filled with robbers. It was a dangerous road where they could die at any moment. Yet they walked that road joyfully. This is a sermon directed at me. Today’s message is asking me, "Since the day to meet the Lord is approaching, have you prepared everything? Are you ready?" But it also asks, "Is there joy in your heart?" Am I walking this journey joyfully, not in the sorrow of death, but joyfully? Yes. How about you? Are you excited and looking forward to meeting the Lord? There were several reasons why they could rejoice. First, it was because of the hope given to them. Yes. They realized that the star indicated the birth of the King of kings through the Word. Why? Because Daniel knew this from the past. It is mentioned in the Book of Numbers, where it says a star will rise out of Jacob. It says, "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a star shall come out of Jacob; a scepter shall rise out of Israel." Here, a star is mentioned that will defeat the whole world. They must have taught all the wise men that this star indicates the coming of the King. They saw the star and recognized it as a sign of hope. Because of this hope, they could rejoice. They rejoiced in the fulfillment of the Word. They could rejoice in the joy of the Word being fulfilled. And they could rejoice because the path they were taking was a path of salvation. Why? Because they went and proclaimed, "The Messiah has come! The Christ has come! Where is He?" Yes. Although they didn’t know exactly, they were proclaiming the good news that the Lord had come. Of course, you might say, "They were ignorant; they didn’t know that all the boys under two years old would be killed." But that was prophesied. The prophecy said that the Christ would come only after the boys under two years old were killed. Yes. And through their deaths, they realized that the King had come. Yes. It became an opportunity for the gospel to be proclaimed, and that’s why they could rejoice. The same goes for us. If we have opportunities to proclaim the gospel in our lives, we should be grateful and share it. The third reason they could rejoice was that they could meet the King and worship Him. In verse 2, it says, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." They had the joy of being able to worship the true King, the One who is worthy of all worship and praise. How about you? Is it a joy for you to worship? Are you looking forward to it? Yes. The Lord desires that joy from you. Yes. And He wants it to be a joyful journey, not a forced one. It should be a joyful journey. When we look at the wise men today, in verse 10, it says they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy when they saw the star. Okay. They could rejoice because they received what they aimed for. But the journey of these wise men was not a joyful journey. It was a long journey. Interestingly, who is currently at war? Iran and Israel, right? Where did the wise men come from? They came from Iran. They were on a journey to meet the King of kings in Israel. Yes. Even though they were traveling through a war zone, they were on a journey to meet the king, and they rejoiced. But that journey could not have been joyful at that time because it was a road filled with robbers. It was a dangerous road where they could die at any moment. Yet they walked that road joyfully. This is a sermon directed at me. Today’s message is asking me, "Since the day to meet the Lord is approaching, have you prepared everything? Are you ready?" But it also asks, "Is there joy in your heart?" Am I walking this journey joyfully, not in the sorrow of death, but joyfully? Yes. How about you? Are you excited and looking forward to meeting the Lord? There were several reasons why they could rejoice. First, it was because of the hope given to them. Yes. They realized that the star indicated the birth of the King of kings through the Word. Why? Because Daniel knew this from the past. It is mentioned in the Book of Numbers, where it says a star will rise out of Jacob. It says, "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a star shall come out of Jacob; a scepter shall rise out of Israel." Here, a star is mentioned that will defeat the whole world. They must have taught all the wise men that this star indicates the coming of the King. They saw the star and recognized it as a sign of hope. Because of this hope, they could rejoice. They rejoiced in the fulfillment of the Word. They could rejoice in the joy of the Word being fulfilled. And they could rejoice because the path they were taking was a path of salvation. Why? Because they went and proclaimed, "The Messiah has come! The Christ has come! Where is He?" Yes. Although they didn’t know exactly, they were proclaiming the good news that the Lord had come. Of course, you might say, "They were ignorant; they didn’t know that all the boys under two years old would be killed." But that was prophesied. The prophecy said that the Christ would come only after the boys under two years old were killed. Yes. And through their deaths, they realized that the King had come. Yes. It became an opportunity for the gospel to be proclaimed, and that’s why they could rejoice. The same goes for us. If we have opportunities to proclaim the gospel in our lives, we should be grateful and share it. The third reason they could rejoice was that they could meet the King and worship Him. In verse 2, it says, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." They had the joy of being able to worship the true King, the One who is worthy of all worship and praise. How about you? Is it a joy for you to worship? Are you looking forward to it? Yes. The Lord desires that joy from you. Yes. And He wants it to be a joyful journey, not a forced one. It should be a joyful journey. When we look at the wise men today, in verse 10, it says they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy when they saw the star. Okay. They could rejoice because they received what they aimed for. But the journey of these wise men was not a joyful journey. It was a long journey. Interestingly, who is currently at war? Iran and Israel, right? Where did the wise men come from? They came from Iran. They were on a journey to meet the King of kings in Israel. Yes. Even though they were traveling through a war zone, they were on a journey to meet the king, and they rejoiced. But that journey could not have been joyful at that time because it was a road filled with robbers. It was a dangerous road where they could die at any moment. Yet they walked that road joyfully. This is a sermon directed at me. Today’s message is asking me, "Since the day to meet the Lord is approaching, have you prepared everything? Are you ready?" But it also asks, "Is there joy in your heart?" Am I walking this journey joyfully, not in the sorrow of death, but joyfully? Yes. How about you? Are you excited and looking forward to meeting the Lord? There were several reasons why they could rejoice. First, it was because of the hope given to them. Yes. They realized that the star indicated the birth of the King of kings through the Word. Why? Because Daniel knew this from the past. It is mentioned in the Book of Numbers, where it says a star will rise out of Jacob. It says, "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a star shall come out of Jacob; a scepter shall rise out of Israel." Here, a star is mentioned that will defeat the whole world. They must have taught all the wise men that this star indicates the coming of the King. They saw the star and recognized it as a sign of hope. Because of this hope, they could rejoice. They rejoiced in the fulfillment of the Word. They could rejoice in the joy of the Word being fulfilled. And they could rejoice because the path they were taking was a path of salvation. Why? Because they went and proclaimed, "The Messiah has come! The Christ has come! Where is He?" Yes. Although they didn’t know exactly, they were proclaiming the good news that the Lord had come. Of course, you might say, "They were ignorant; they didn’t know that all the boys under two years old would be killed." But that was prophesied. The prophecy said that the Christ would come only after the boys under two years old were killed. Yes. And through their deaths, they realized that the King had come. Yes. It became an opportunity for the gospel to be proclaimed, and that’s why they could rejoice. The same goes for us. If we have opportunities to proclaim the gospel in our lives, we should be grateful and share it. The third reason they could rejoice was that they could meet the King and worship Him. In verse 2, it says, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." They had the joy of being able to worship the true King, the One who is worthy of all worship and praise. How about you? Is it a joy for you to worship? Are you looking forward to it? Yes. The Lord desires that joy from you. Yes. And He wants it to be a joyful journey, not a forced one. It should be a joyful journey. When we look at the wise men today, in verse 10, it says they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy when they saw the star. Okay. They could rejoice because they received what they aimed for. But the journey of these wise men was not a joyful journey. It was a long journey. Interestingly, who is currently at war? Iran and Israel, right? Where did the wise men come from? They came from Iran. They were on a journey to meet the King of kings in Israel. Yes. Even though they were traveling through a war zone, they were on a journey to meet the king, and they rejoiced. But that journey could not have been joyful at that time because it was a road filled with robbers. It was a dangerous road where they could die at any moment. Yet they walked that road joyfully. This is a sermon directed at me. Today’s message is asking me, "Since the day to meet the Lord is approaching, have you prepared everything? Are you ready?" But it also asks, "Is there joy in your heart?" Am I walking this journey joyfully, not in the sorrow of death, but joyfully? Yes. How about you? Are you excited and looking forward to meeting the Lord? There were several reasons why they could rejoice. First, it was because of the hope given to them. Yes. They realized that the star indicated the birth of the King of kings through the Word. Why? Because Daniel knew this from the past. It is mentioned in the Book of Numbers, where it says a star will rise out of Jacob. It says, "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a star shall come out of Jacob; a scepter shall rise out of Israel." Here, a star is mentioned that will defeat the whole world. They must have taught all the wise men that this star indicates the coming of the King. They saw the star and recognized it as a sign of hope. Because of this hope, they could rejoice. They rejoiced in the fulfillment of the Word. They could rejoice in the joy of the Word being fulfilled. And they could rejoice because the path they were taking was a path of salvation. Why? Because they went and proclaimed, "The Messiah has come! The Christ has come! Where is He?" Yes. Although they didn’t know exactly, they were proclaiming the good news that the Lord had come. Of course, you might say, "They were ignorant; they didn’t know that all the boys under two years old would be killed." But that was prophesied. The prophecy said that the Christ would come only after the boys under two years old were killed. Yes. And through their deaths, they realized that the King had come. Yes. It became an opportunity for the gospel to be proclaimed, and that’s why they could rejoice. The same goes for us. If we have opportunities to proclaim the gospel in our lives, we should be grateful and share it. The third reason they could rejoice was that they could meet the King and worship Him. In verse 2, it says, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." They had the joy of being able to worship the true King, the One who is worthy of all worship and praise. How about you? Is it a joy for you to worship? Are you looking forward to it? Yes. The Lord desires that joy from you. Yes. And He wants it to be a joyful journey, not a forced one. It should be a joyful journey. When we look at the wise men today, in verse 10, it says they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy when they saw the star. Okay. They could rejoice because they received what they aimed for. But the journey of these wise men was not a joyful journey. It was a long journey. Interestingly, who is currently at war? Iran and Israel, right? Where did the wise men come from? They came from Iran. They were on a journey to meet the King of kings in Israel. Yes. Even though they were traveling through a war zone, they were on a journey to meet the king, and they rejoiced. But that journey could not have been joyful at that time because it was a road filled with robbers. It was a dangerous road where they could die at any moment. Yet they walked that road joyfully. This is a sermon directed at me. Today’s message is asking me, "Since the day to meet the Lord is approaching, have you prepared everything? Are you ready?" But it also asks, "Is there joy in your heart?" Am I walking this journey joyfully, not in the sorrow of death, but joyfully? Yes. How about you? Are you excited and looking forward to meeting the Lord? There were several reasons why they could rejoice. First, it was because of the hope given to them. Yes. They realized that the star indicated the birth of the King of kings through the Word. Why? Because Daniel knew this from the past. It is mentioned in the Book of Numbers, where it says a star will rise out of Jacob. It says, "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a star shall come out of Jacob; a scepter shall rise out of Israel." Here, a star is mentioned that will defeat the whole world. They must have taught all the wise men that this star indicates the coming of the King. They saw the star and recognized it as a sign of hope. Because of this hope, they could rejoice. They rejoiced in the fulfillment of the Word. They could rejoice in the joy of the Word being fulfilled. And they could rejoice because the path they were taking was a path of salvation. Why? Because they went and proclaimed, "The Messiah has come! The Christ has come! Where is He?" Yes. Although they didn’t know exactly, they were proclaiming the good news that the Lord had come. Of course, you might say, "They were ignorant; they didn’t know that all the boys under two years old would be killed." But that was prophesied. The prophecy said that the Christ would come only after the boys under two years old were killed. Yes. And through their deaths, they realized that the King had come. Yes. It became an opportunity for the gospel to be proclaimed, and that’s why they could rejoice. The same goes for us. If we have opportunities to proclaim the gospel in our lives, we should be grateful and share it. The third reason they could rejoice was that they could meet the King and worship Him. In verse 2, it says, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." They had the joy of being able to worship the true King, the One who is worthy of all worship and praise. How about you? Is it a joy for you to worship? Are you looking forward to it? Yes. The Lord desires that joy from you. Yes. And He wants it to be a joyful journey, not a forced one. It should be a joyful journey. When we look at the wise men today, in verse 10, it says they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy when they saw the star. Okay. They could rejoice because they received what they aimed for. But the journey of these wise men was not a joyful journey. It was a long journey. Interestingly, who is currently at war? Iran and Israel, right? Where did the wise men come from? They came from Iran. They were on a journey to meet the King of kings in Israel. Yes. Even though they were traveling through a war zone, they were on a journey to meet the king, and they rejoiced. But that journey could not have been joyful at that time because it was a road filled with robbers. It was a dangerous road where they could die at any moment. Yet they walked that road joyfully. This is