The Cure for Uncertainty

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Good morning Chapel family. And welcome to the fourth Sunday of Advent. I want to say Thank You to Nimmi for sharing her story with us—can we thank her one more time?

In the Christmas carol “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” there’s a line that goes light and life to all he brings, risen with healing in his wings. “Risen with healing in his wings.” Because when Jesus entered into this world, he brought with him the power to heal. He healed all kinds of physical sickness when he walked the earth, and he still sometimes chooses to do that. But much more importantly, he cures the deepest problems in our lives. That’s why we’re calling this year’s Advent series “Cured by Christmas.” So we’ve talked about the cure for hopelessness…the cure for insignificance…and the cure for shame. And this week we’re going to look at how Jesus can cure our uncertainty.

Nimmi talked about a time in her life when she was living with spiritual uncertainty. There were some religious traditions and expectations in her family, but it never became personal for her. It’s not that she didn’t care about spiritual things; she just wasn’t sure.

And I’m so glad she told her story, because here’s the reality: she speaks for a lot of people. In my experience, there are not a lot of true atheists out there. There are some, but it’s a small percentage of our population. But there are a lot of people who spiritually uncertain. Call them “spiritual-but-not-religious,” or agnostic, or spiritual “nones,” or religiously unaffiliated, or skeptical, or indifferent. You definitely know some of those people. Maybe you are one of those people. So instead of having a solid foundation under your feet, and clear North Star that guides your life, you feel uncertain and confused. But here’s what I’m hoping to show you today: out of all the voices and religions and philosophies out there, there is nobody quite like Jesus. There is nobody quite like Jesus. And when you realize that, your uncertainty gets replaced by a rock-solid certainty.

So let’s look at today’s Scripture—Matthew chapter 2, starting in verse 1. Let’s hear God’s Word…

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star,

they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. This is the Word of the Lord.

So how does the story of the Magi help us find spiritual certainty? I believe it teaches us to do four things.

First, Follow the Signs. Who were the Magi? Well, the Greek word is magoi—can you guess what English word we get from that? Magic. The Magi were a class of wise men who worked in the royal court of Persia. They were highly educated, especially in astrology and interpreting signs. They were interested in stars and dreams; they would study the scriptures of different religions to try to predict the future. It was sort of a combination of astronomy, astrology, and theology.

So one night they looked up in the sky, and there was this strange object. Sounds kind of familiar, doesn’t it? Anyone seeing strange objects in the sky? So they saw this unfamiliar object in the sky, and these guys knew the night sky like the back of their hands. So they immediately realized: this is new. This is not on our charts. And somehow they concluded this must be a sign intended to lead them to the newborn king of the Jews. How in the world would they know that? I have a theory.

The Magi were from the Persian Empire—modern-day Iran. If you were a Jewish person, reading this in first century, the Persian Empire would bring back bad memories. Because before Persia took over, that region used to be ruled by Babylon. And about 600 years earlier, the Babylonians, led by King Nebuchadnezzar had attacked Israel, destroyed Jerusalem; they killed countless people, and they marched the survivors 900 miles east to Babylon. So for a Jewish person, the Persian Empire represented this terrible period in their history.

But one of the bright spots in that time period was a young man named Daniel. Daniel was one of the Jewish exiles carried off to Babylon. Now—here’s where it gets interesting. Look at Daniel 2:48… Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. You know who those wise men were, right? They were Magi. So think about this: not only did Daniel join the Magi; he became their leader! Placed in charge of all the wise men!

So here’s this faithful Hebrew man, suddenly influencing all these astrologers. Doesn’t it make sense that Daniel would have taught them the prophecy of a coming Messiah? I mean, that was the great hope of every Jewish believer. How could he not tell them? So here’s my explanation: I believe that the prophecy of the coming Messiah was passed down from Daniel to the Magi to the next generation of Magi, and so on. So they knew about it and they were expecting it. So when they saw this strange star rising in the sky, they put two and two together, and they thought, “This could be it.” And they followed the sign.

Think about what they could have done. They could have had a star-viewing party, right? Invited over all their friends to stare into the sky. They could have built an altar to honor this astronomical wonder. They could have invited Persian musicians to compose songs celebrating the star. In other words, they could have stayed right where they were, and focused all their attention on the star…and if they had done that, they would have missed the main thing. And listen: any time you and I encounter God-given signs, we’re in danger of making that mistake.

I believe God sends us signs all the time. Little pointers that direct us to Christ. But very often we don’t follow the signs.

That’s especially true at Christmas. We love the traditions of Christmas. So this year, we have to make sure we make a lot of cookies, and put lots of lights on the house—maybe with the help of a professional house-decorating service; we have to drink eggnog and have Advent calendars and do the Elf on the Shelf and sing Christmas carols and give great gifts, and watch Rudolph, Frosty, the Grinch, Charlie Brown, It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Story, Elf…am I missing any? Not to mention all the Hallmark ones which are all exactly the same. But mommy, I don’t want to watch all those. You have to watch them! It’s Christmas! Have another cookie.

You see my point, right? Christmas traditions are great, but they are meant to be a sign, pointing beyond themselves.

There’s another interesting sign I’ve seen recently. Through the end of October of this year, Bible sales in the U.S. are up 22% over that same period in 2023. 22%! That’s not a minor uptick—that’s a huge increase. And market experts are saying it’s being fueled by mostly first-time Bible buyers. So what do you do with information like that? Do you just say, “Oh, that’s interesting,” and go on with life? Or do you stop and say, “Maybe that’s a sign of something?” Maybe it’s a sign that more and more people are dissatisfied with the spiritual answers that our culture is offering, and something tells them the truth they need is in the Bible.

When the Wise Men saw the star, somehow, they knew it was a sign to be followed. How about you—have you been following the signs? Because when you do, you’re going to realize there is nobody quite like Jesus.

To do that—to follow the signs, you have to do this next thing: Act with Courage. They follow the star all the way to Jerusalem, and they come right to King Herod himself. Herod was a character. He was feared, because he was brutal, like most Roman rulers. But he was also admired, because he was clever, and he had political savvy. He arranged some famine relief projects. He was well-known for his building projects…including rebuilding the Jewish Temple, which earned him some points with the Jewish population. So he had an illustrious career. But toward the end of his life, he became ill. And his illness made him paranoid. He was known to fly into fits of rage.

So picture this: the Magi show up in Jerusalem; they come to Herod—who called himself the “King of the Jews”—and they said, “Hey—we heard there’s a new king of the Jews!” Uh-oh. And it says, “King Herod was disturbed.”

So he begins formulating a plan. He calls together the Jewish priests and scribes, and he asks them where this Messiah is supposed to show up. They quote from the Old Testament book of Micah, which says the Messiah will be born in this obscure little town called Bethlehem. Herod sends the Magi off to Bethlehem to find the child, with strict instructions to report back to him and let him know exactly where this baby is living. So the Magi go and find Jesus, but then they have a dream that warns them not to go back to Herod. So here’s their dilemma: do we obey Herod—who probably has his spies everywhere—or do we obey God? And they decide to defy the order of Herod and do what God told them to do. That took courage.

For you to find spiritual certainty, it will require courage. Maybe there is some powerful person in your life—a King Herod-like figure—and when you start talking about Jesus, they don’t like it. If they knew you were at this weird church called The Chapel today, they wouldn’t like it. They think religion in general is stupid, or they think Christianity is dangerous. And you have to decide if you’re going to please that person or truly seek truth.

I have noticed something recently. When people who have grown up in a Christian family get a little older—maybe they go to college or move out of the family house—and they walk away from their faith, here’s what I often here, “I’ve realized that I was always trying to please my family and win the approval of my family. And now, finally—for the first time—I’m finally thinking for myself, and I’m done with all this religious stuff.” Have you heard people say that? Maybe you’ve said that. But when you look a little closer, so many times here’s the reality: they’re not truly thinking for themselves; they have simply taken their desire to please their parents and switched that to a new group of people. So they’re no longer giving into family pressure; now they’re giving in to social pressure and peer pressure and the desire to look cool or smart or enlightened or whatever else.

Here’s the point: there will always be pressure and expectations on you, from all different directions. Be aware of that, and don’t choose spiritual truth based on pressure; choose it because you believe it’s true.

The Magi were under a lot of pressure to make King Herod happy. But after encountering Jesus, they realized there was nobody quite like him. And that gave them the courage to defy King Herod and follow God. Maybe that’s really important for you to hear today. Finding spiritual certainty takes courage.

Third, you have to Recognize Grace. There are lots of theories about the symbolic meaning of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. People say that gold symbolized Jesus being a king, and frankincense was an oil used by priests, so it symbolizes the priesthood of Jesus, and myrrh was a burial spice, anticipating his death. All those things might be possible. But I believe the main point is this: the Magi gave valuable gifts, because they realized God had given them something of immense value. It’s a beautiful picture of grace. See, grace is when you receive something good—not because you deserve it, but simply out of love. And the Magi sensed that the arrival of Jesus was God’s grace to them—they didn’t deserve this, but here he was. And they responded to that grace by giving back to him.

And I’m telling you, if you’re looking for spiritual certainty, look for grace.

Years ago, there was a conference in England about comparative religions. At one point, religious experts from around the world were sitting in a room, debating if there’s anything truly unique about the Christian faith. And they couldn’t agree. So after a while, the story goes, C.S. Lewis wandered into the room, and he said, “What’s everybody arguing about?” They said, “We’re trying to decide if there’s anything that Christianity uniquely contributes to world religions.” And without any hesitation, C.S. Lewis said, “Oh, that’s easy. It’s grace.”

The author Philip Yancey describes the moment like this:

After some discussion, the conference attendees had to agree. The notion of God's love coming to us free of charge, no strings attached, seems to go against every instinct of humanity. The Buddhist eight-fold path, the Hindu doctrine of karma…the Muslim code of law—each of these offers a way to earn approval. Only Christianity dares to make God's love unconditional.

Have you truly encountered the grace of Jesus Christ? It’s such a powerful force.

Years ago, Norma Jean and I were at a stressful point in life. We had recently had our fourth child; we were going through a nightmare experience renovating our home, we ran out of money and had bills we literally couldn’t pay. We weren’t sleeping well; I was developing stomach problems from the stress—just one of those seasons of life. And out of the blue, someone from The Chapel contacted us. She said, “Hey—I just sold a vacation home, and I’m trying to figure out what to do with all the

money. I heard you were having some troubles with your house renovation. So…I can help if you’d like.” (Oh, I’d like). But of course I said all the polite things, like, “No, no, I can’t accept that. You don’t have to do that.” And she said, “Why not? I don’t need it. Seriously, how much do you need?” So finally I sort of awkwardly told her an amount—and I won’t say the amount, but it was a substantial amount of money—and she literally dropped a check off at our house the next day for that amount.

And I have to be honest, it was a strange, unsettling feeling! I mean, I got over it. But it was a strange feeling. Because I hadn’t done anything really exceptional for her. I hadn’t officiated an important funeral or helped her family through a crisis. I felt like I didn’t deserve that generosity. And that was just the point! It was grace! And it was wonderful. It was fueled by her having received God’s grace—that’s what she was all about. And now, just like the Magi, she was responding to God’s grace by being generous herself. Those are the kinds of things you don’t forget. Because grace makes an impression on people.

So here’s the point—don’t miss this sign: I believe that all of us know, deep in our hearts, that we need grace. We might put up a good exterior and try to act like we’ve got it all together. But deep inside we know we need grace. If it’s left up to Karma—if I’m going to get paid back for everything I’ve done—I’m in trouble. I need grace. And Christmas is the sign pointing us to the source of true grace. God came to us not because we deserved it, but simply because he loves us. If you’ve been wrestling with spiritual uncertainty, let your heart be won over by the grace of Christ. There’s nobody quite like him.

So…how do we gain spiritual certainty? Follow the signs, act with courage, recognize grace, and—last thing—Respond with Worship. It’s clear that the Magi followed this star, and took this journey, not just out of curiosity or academic interest. They say to Herod, “We saw his star in the east, and we’ve come to worship him!” They had seen a lot of things through their lives, but they’d never encountered anything like Jesus…so they bowed down and worshiped him. (This is a famous painting of that moment by a Dutch painter named Matthias Stom, from the 1630s).This was an amazing moment! Because remember: six centuries earlier, armies from the East had traveled 900 miles to attack and conquer. Now, they traveled those same 900 miles…but instead of swords, they brought gifts. And instead of forcing the Jews to bow down before them, they were the ones bowing down before the king of the Jews. Isn’t that awesome? When they saw Jesus they were so overcome with reverence, they just fell down and worshiped.

You know why? Because they were natural-born worshipers, just like we are. Unfortunately, many times, we direct that desire to something other than God. We worship a politician or a sports hero or a music star or a boyfriend or girlfriend. I think that’s probably the most common one today—we worship romantic love. But that never ends well. Because one of two things will happen: that person will either disappoint you deeply, or die (unless you die first). (This is not what I say at weddings, by the way—“You will deeply disappoint one another, and then die. You may now kiss the bride.”) But it’s true. As wonderful as that special person might be, they’re not God, and they were never meant to play that role in your life. So the point is, just like the Magi, we are all natural-born worshipers, and we are searching for something worth worshiping.

So here’s my question: has God been sending you signs that you’ve been worshiping the wrong thing? Maybe there was a special person in your life, and you built your world around this person, and now they’re gone. Are you reading the sign, and re-directing your worship to God…or are you just doubling down and looking for the next romantic partner?

See, anytime we get disappointed by someone or something in this life, it’s a sign to us that there’s only one thing that will never disappoint, and that’s Jesus. Somehow, the Magi knew that, so they bowed down and worshiped.

And it’s interesting, because this scene takes place at the beginning of Matthew’s Gospel. If you go all the way to the end of Matthew, Jesus is a full-grown man, and he has lived the most remarkable life that anyone has ever lived. He has gone to the cross to pay for the sins of the world, he’s been buried in a tomb, and three days later he has risen again. And now it’s about forty days later, and at the very end of Matthew we find this: 16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him… Just like the Magi had, years earlier…they worshiped. Because they realized they were in the presence of royalty and deity, and nothing else made sense, except to worship.

So how about you? Have you been trying to satisfy your soul by worshiping a lesser god? See, it’s not a question of if we worship; it’s always a question of what or whom we worship. And if you’re worshiping anything or anyone other than Jesus, it won’t work. It won’t last. Whatever that thing is—whatever that substitute god is—maybe this Christmas, it’s time to let that thing go. Or just hold it much more loosely.

I want to say one more thing about certainty. I have come to believe that some people are very black-and-white thinkers. Do you know people like that? They make decisions easily. They never question. They never second guess. I’m not one of those people. I’ve never been one of those people. I like to analyze things and challenge things and see both sides of an argument.

I can remember, as a kid, asking my mom: “Mom, how do you know if you’ve found the right person to marry.” And my mom gave the classic answer—you know what she said, right? “You just know.” And as a kid, I thought, “Well that will be great! I’ll just know! I look forward to that!” But as the years went by, you know what I discovered? I didn’t just know. In fact, I’ve never “just known” anything. In fact, when I decided to propose to Norma Jean, I’d say I was about 90% confident she was the one. And I know what you’re thinking, “That’s so unromantic!” But the fact is, 90% is actually really good for me! That’s actually really romantic! And you know what? Looking back, marrying her was one of the best decisions of my life. I am certain it was the right decision.

So let’s bring it back to spiritual things. Here we are, living in this highly pluralistic culture, with a million spiritual options and lots of pressure to say there’s not really one right way. And if you’re wired like me, it would be so easy to spend the rest of your life in perpetual uncertainty. I almost did that—when I was in college, I almost threw up my hands and said, “There’s no way you can be sure.” And I’m so glad God kept sending me signs and sending me people. I didn’t get every single question answered, but I realized there’s nobody quite like Jesus. I realized that there are elements of truth in every major world religion; there are elements of truth in every philosophical system; but there is only one who is the Truth…and that’s Jesus. So I went all in. And that was the single best decision of my life.

So let me say it again: if you’re wired like me, it would be so easy to spend the rest of your life in perpetual uncertainty. And I’m telling you on the final Sunday of Advent 2024: don’t settle for that. You will miss out on so much. .

Follow the signs. Act with courage. Recognize grace. And respond with worship.

I’m going to ask you to rise for a closing prayer, and as we do, I’m going to invite Litthya to come and lead a final song of Christmas worship.