WHEN YOU FOLLOW A STAR
AND FIND A STABLE
Matthew 2:1-12

     Our expectations definitely control our conduct! We conduct our life and our daily affairs based on what we expect from them.

I. Sometimes when you follow the star, it doesn't lead you where you want to go.

II. When Wise Men Find A Stable, They Look For God.

A. When handed a difficult situation, wise men don't panic about the problem, because they know that God can be found in the stable somewhere.
B. The difference between a weak Christian and a strong Christian is:

1. Weak Christians see God only in the good.
2. Strong Christians see God in both the good and the bad.

III. When Wise Men Find A Stable, They Offer Their Best To God.

A. It isn't our natural instinct; our temptation is to hold back.
B. The difference between average and above average lies in just three words: "And Then Some."
C. The mark of a Christian is that s/he will walk the extra mile and turn the other cheek.

IV. When Wise Men Find A Stable, They Change Their Direction.

A. Stable experiences can change our lives forever.
B. Christmas is the story of God changing worlds and putting limitations upon Himself.
C. We fancy that God can only manage His world through the big battalions of life, when all the while He is doing it through the beautiful babies that are being born into the world.
D. If Christmas is about anything, it is about a child - God's child, born in a stable, who changed the world forever.

     When we come to the stables in our lives, let us be wise and remember
  1. To look for God.
  2. Let us bring Him the best we have to offer.
  3. And let us allow Him to change the direction of our lives.

"And they ... saw the child with Mary his mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him" (Matt. 2:11).