Tim Timberlake - The Night Before (01/03/2026)
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Summary:
In this Christmas Eve message from Matthew 2:11, the preacher emphasizes that the King Jesus has already arrived and is present right now in our lives, even in the midst of messiness and difficulty. The key idea is that the wise men’s encounter with Jesus models the ultimate gift exchange: they brought treasures to worship Him, but Jesus offers us a far greater exchange, taking our worries, hurts, grief, fears, and sins in return for His peace, healing, joy, love, and forgiveness. The call is to recognize that the King is here today and to surrender our burdens to Him for this transformative exchange.
Grateful for the Gift of Jesus
I love this scripture that says at the very mention of that name, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall proclaim that Jesus is Lord. How many of you are grateful for the gift of Jesus? Oh, come on, whether you’re at home or in this room, amen! I want us to go to our Bibles to Matthew chapter 2, verse 11. We’ve been in a series entitled «The Night Before.» It’s been leading up to this night right here, the Night Before Christmas, and our hope, our prayer, our desire is that in this series, our expectation and our faith would be stretched so that Jesus could do the unthinkable in our lives. Amen.
The Scripture: Matthew 2:11
Tonight, we want to finish this series with the message that we’re about to unpack—Matthew chapter 2, verse 11. The scripture reads, «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.» 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.
Searching for the King
I love the beginning of this passage of scripture because it says when they got to the house, they were in search of a king, but they went to a house. This is the second place that they stopped because the first place they stopped was the castle, as they heard a king was coming, and the king in the castle at the time told them that the king they were looking for was not there. This king, Herod, put out a decree and a declaration that every male that was born two years or younger should be eliminated. But no matter what he had put in place, there was no stopping our King from coming, and I want you to know that no matter what the situation may look like, there is no stopping your King from coming.
The King Is Here
I believe as the wise men were traveling, their narrative changed from «the king is coming» to «the king is here.» I came to tell you right now that no matter what your situation is, the King is here. No matter what the circumstances are, the King is here. No matter what trials or tribulations you may be facing, the King is here. It says that they came to the house. This wasn’t the ideal place for a king to be born, but they came to the house. This wasn’t the ideal location they were anticipating or expecting, but they still came to the house. In this house, or what we know to be a manger, it was not what they had expected; as a matter of fact, it was a messy place. But they were looking for a miracle, and oftentimes, I have found that the miracle I am in search of is often found in the messy place.
God wants you to know tonight that no matter how messy 2020 has been, the King is here. And no matter how long of a year you think it has been, there’s still time left in this year for the King of Kings to show up in your situation, your circumstances, and reveal Himself to be mighty and strong. No matter what it may look like or how it may seem, the King is here. So I want us to change the narrative from «the king is coming» to «the king is here.» Is there anybody grateful that we no longer have to wait on the King of Kings, that we no longer have to wait on the Lord of Lords? He declared, «I am here, and I am with you, and I am for you. And if I am for you, who or what can stand against you?» Somebody shout, «The King is here!» Come on, someone watching me online right now, put that in the chat: «The King is here!»
When the King Shows Up
And when the King is here, everything changes. Everything changes. Every sickness dries up, every infirmity is healed, every place of lack is prosperous. Everything changes when the King shows up. The wise men came into the presence of the King, and it says that as they entered the presence of the King, they bowed down on their knees, lowered their faces to the ground, and began to worship King Jesus. Tomorrow, we’re going to exchange gifts, and we’re going to write down who the gift is for, and we’re going to give gifts and receive gifts. But I want you to know the first gift exchange happened right here in Matthew chapter 2, verse 11, when the wise men bowed to their knees and lowered their faces to the ground and worshiped Jesus.
The Greatest Gift Exchange
It says they presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But what they did not understand was that the Jesus they were searching for would search for all of humanity and exchange the greatest gift that we could ever receive. They had in their minds to exchange what they had with the King of Kings, not knowing that at that very moment, Jesus was setting them up to exchange something that was of greater value than what they were presenting. They could account for how much the gold cost, but they couldn’t account for the salvation they would receive because of the sacrifice of Jesus. They could go through the days and count how many days it took to earn the frankincense, but they could not understand or fathom how great a sacrifice it would be 33 years later for Jesus to make for the same people who came and searched for him; He, in return, searched for them.
They couldn’t fathom that the myrrh they possessed would pale in comparison to the blood He would pour out for them. What we see here is the first exchange for Christmas, and unlike the wise men who brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh, Jesus is asking us to exchange some things with Him tonight.
First Exchange: Worry for Peace
I just want us to look at some of the things He desires for us to exchange. If you’re writing notes here or online, I want you to write this down: the first exchange is this: when we give God our worry, God gives us His peace. When we exchange our worry for God’s peace, He reminds us of how great a Savior He is. I love the passage of scripture found in 1 Peter chapter 5, verse 7. The New Living Translation reads, «Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you.»
I know you may think you care a lot about what happens to you, and I know you may care a lot about what happens to your family, but I want you to know, listening to me right now, that there’s no one who cares about you more than Jesus. He’s asking you, «Can you hand me your worries? Can you hand me what it is that you’re worried about? Can you hand me what it is that you’re carrying? Because I actually care more than you.» He says in John chapter 14, verse 27, «I’m leaving you with a gift, not just any gift, but this gift is peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t fragile like the peace this world gives, so don’t be troubled or afraid.» I understand what you’re going through; it’s very real. And I understand that what you’re going through is very painful. I know it seems like there’s pressure coming in on every side, but you have to give that to Jesus because He desires the gift that you carry, not the luggage you’ve been dragging behind you, not the baggage you’ve been strapping on your back.
No, He doesn’t desire that you live your life with luggage and baggage. He desires that you live your life with the gift that He wants to give. So I want you to be intentional in this moment about giving your worry to God because He cares, and it says when you give your worry to Him, He exchanges your worry for His peace.
Second Exchange: Hurts for Healing
The second exchange is this: when we give our hurts to God, God gives us His healing. When we give our hurts to God, He exchanges the pain, discomfort, and disappointments for His healing. I love what scripture says in Psalms chapter 147, verse 3. It says, «He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.» Second Corinthians chapter 1, verse 4 says, «He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, He brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us.»
If we were to pass this microphone around to you who are watching online and to those in this room and take the opportunity to talk about some of the pain and some of the hurt that this year has caused, I’m sure that the pain and hurt would be great. But this is what I want you to know: His healing power is greater. You may not decide how or when you were wounded, but you can decide how you heal. The quickest way to start the healing process is to exchange your wounds and hurts for what He has. If you can release the hurt in your hands, God will release the healing in His heart.
Third Exchange: Grief for Joy
We see in the second exchange: I give God my hurts; in return, God gives me healing. The third exchange is this: when I give God my grief, God gives me His joy. When I give God my grief, in return, He gives me His joy. He desires to exchange the heaviness that we wear for a garment of praise. The scripture says in John chapter 16, verse 20, «You will grieve.» That’s very encouraging, but the gospel states that your grief will turn to joy. We see this modeled in the life of Jesus some years later when His friend Lazarus dies, and He comforts Martha and Mary. The Word of God says that Jesus began to cry, and Jesus wept. But the thing I love is that the story didn’t end there; it says that Jesus stopped crying, went to where Lazarus was, and called out his name, and Lazarus came forth.
This is what I want you to know: when you allow God to handle the situation and release it into His hands, He can make a miracle out of what looks like a mess. I want you to know that no matter how messy it looks, there’s still time, and there’s still a chance for a miracle to manifest.
The third exchange is when we give God our grief; He gives us His joy. In Luke chapter 2, verse 10, it says, «But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you.' Everyone say, 'For me! ' He is Christ the Lord.» This is what I want you to understand: He was born for you, and the worry, the guilt, the grief that you carry, He went to the cross so that you don’t have to carry it because it belongs to Him. He says, «Give me your grief; give me your worry; give me your hurt because I care more about it than you do.»
Fourth Exchange: Fears for Love
I know you feel alone, but you have to know that I’m with you, and I’m for you. No matter how lonely you feel, and no matter how separated you seem, nothing can separate you from the love of those who love the Lord.
The fourth exchange is this: when we give God our fears, God gives us His love. In Zephaniah chapter 3, verse 17, it says, «With His love, He will calm all of your fears.» It’s with His love that He calms all of your fears. It’s not in your efforts; it’s not in your ability; it’s not in your power; it’s through His love that our fears are calmed. It’s only through the grace of Jesus that we can live a fearless life when everything around us is telling us to be fearful. Almost every channel you turn on right now invokes fear, and depending on who you talk to, the conversation tends to go in the direction of fear.
But I want you to be reminded of this truth: where the King is, He drives out all fear because He provides perfect love. The scripture says in 1 John chapter 4, verse 18, «There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.» You can live fearlessly because you serve a perfect Savior, and because He is perfect, He provides and is perfect love. Where there is love, He drives out fear.
Fifth Exchange: Sin for Forgiveness
For a moment, I want you to get at the forefront of your mind what it is that you’ve been fearful of, what it is that you’ve been holding on to—the luggage, the baggage that you’ve been carrying that Jesus never intended for you to carry. He intended for you to cast it. His Word says, «Cast your cares on Him because He cares.» See, Jesus was not just born in a manger and in a messy place because it made a good story; He was born into a messy place as a declaration to you and me that no matter how messy your life gets, I’m still able to perform a miracle.
And the fear that you’re carrying, He desires that you would exchange it for the love that He has. The fifth and final exchange that He desires from us is this: when we give God our sin, God gives us His forgiveness. I know each and every one of us has that one thing that we’ve wrapped and tucked away, that we’ve hidden, that we even lied to ourselves about—that one piece of dirty luggage we’ve been carrying that Jesus is asking you to give to Him tonight because He desires to take your sin and exchange it for His forgiveness.
The scripture says in Romans chapter 6, verse 23, «When people sin, they earn what sin pays: death. But God gives us a free gift—life forever in Christ Jesus our Lord.» The luggage of sin that you may be carrying leads to death, but the salvation and forgiveness Jesus wants to exchange with you as a free gift leads to eternal life with Him.
Jesus Throughout Scripture
So I want you to get on your mind what it is that you need to exchange with Jesus because Jesus desires to take it from you and exchange it with what He has. The great thing about Jesus is He’s the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. He’s been with us throughout our whole lives; He’s been with us throughout all of history. When we look in Genesis, we find Jesus, and I like to remind myself of how Jesus was incorporated into the Bible from the very beginning.
In Genesis, Jesus Christ was the breath of life. In Exodus, He is the Passover lamb. In Leviticus, He is our high priest, and in Numbers, He is a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. In Deuteronomy, He is a prophet like unto Moses, and in Joshua, He is the captain of our salvation.