We Have Seen His Star — David Wilkerson

Three months ago, as you know, we have over 800 closer, getting close to a million people on my mailing list that we send out our messages to. Three months ago, I sent out a notice, warning, prophesying, and I quote, I tell you, and this was written three months ago, and it was dictated on the 15th, three months to the very date of bombing of Iraq, and the next day, the impeachment process.

I tell you with a broken heart, the next three months are going to be ominous and shattering here in America. I go on to tell of the full-blown depression that we believe is coming, and you know, let me tell you from my heart.

Judgment, Innocent Blood, and National Accountability

Brother Carter, my associate, handled it very well this morning, spoke very clearly about trampling of the truth on the streets, the loss of, we're redefining truth, trying to lower truth completely. You know, if the President of the United States is impeached, if it goes on to the Senate and passes, I'm telling you now, it won't be because of Monica, not at all.

The shame that comes upon a nation and upon its leaders has to do with the bloodshed of the innocent. Period. The bloodshed of the innocent. Now, the Lord has made it so clear in his word. He made it so clear that no one mistake the difference between what we call, what is called a fetus and a live being in the womb.

Because President Clinton vetoed a bill that would have stopped abortions in the third trimester. Just as John the Baptist in the womb of Elizabeth, his mother, is about to enter the third trimester, six months with child, Mary walks in to Elizabeth's home, and what does the Bible say that the baby did?

Leaped at the sound of her voice. The little child heard the voice and leaped in the womb. God was saying once and for all, you will never have that excuse on the judgment day. He nailed it down. And folks, you watch what happens.

I wrote it in my latest book, America on Trial, America's Last Call, that it would be because of the bloodshed. The innocent bloodshed. Five thousand babies a day. Five thousand babies a day. That was told to us in a recent luncheon here two weeks ago with Dan Quayle, who's going to be running for vice president.

When a group of ministers met with us to have lunch with the gentleman, and he said to the pastors, do you know that five thousand babies a day now are being aborted? That is a river of blood. Folks, no wonder the whole world looks on us with shame.

The whole world looks upon us with shame. It's a nation out of control, a government out of control. Thank God there's one solid place, and that's the rock Christ Jesus. Unshakeable when everything around us is being shaken.

The Wise Men and the Star of Bethlehem

I want you to go to Matthew, the second chapter. I won't be preaching long. I just want to share a few things that are on my heart here. We have seen his star. I'm going to show you how you can say that with a wise man.

You have seen his star. Oh yes, you have. The second chapter of Matthew. Let's start. I want to read the first ten verses. Now, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem.

By the way, I don't know where we get the idea of three wise men. There's nothing in the Bible about three. I said, well, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Well, it could have been five wise men bring gold, five bring frankincense, and five bring myrrh.

There's nothing there about three wise men saying, where is he that is born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east. We've come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled in all Jerusalem with him.

When he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. They said unto him, in Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophets, and thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Judea, art not the least among the prince of Judea, for out of thee shall come a governor that shall rule my people Israel.

Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, go and search diligently for the young child. And when you have found him, bring me word again that I may also worship him.

When they heard the king, they departed, and lo, the star which they saw in the east went before them till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

Heavenly Father, I pray that you give us insight tonight. This is not just a Bible story. This is not just to elaborate some beautiful Christmas story. This story is pregnant with truth. This story has so many lessons for us.

God, speak to us now by the power of the Holy Ghost. Let my words find its mark in many hearts, some that have walked in here tonight, wanting you, desiring you, trying to get to Jesus but don't know how.

Oh God, let the star, let the star lead them. Let them follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and open their hearts tonight in Jesus' name, I pray. Let this be the night they kneel beside you and come into your presence and get to know you and see you face to face.

In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. This story has intrigued me for a long time because these are pagans. These are not religious men. And they're in what is called the east. Now, the east always represents farness.

In other words, we call it the far east, don't we? The far east. The furthest point. Now, this is probably months before Christ is born. Now, stop and think about this for a minute. What interest would pagan wise men, astrologers evidently, who study the stars, pagans, who have no moving of the Holy Spirit, they don't have a gospel.

The gospel hadn't even been introduced yet. What interest would they have in a Jewish king? A Jewish baby? And what would draw them? Now, this is very intriguing to me because they have no way of knowing.

Balaam’s Prophecy and the Life-and-Death Journey

Now, there were trade routes and the only thing that I can conceive is that in one of these trade routes that went all the way from India into China and all the way to Egypt, that the law was taken, the Pentateuch.

These wise men had to have studied the Pentateuch. They had to have studied, especially in the book of Exodus. In other words, if they saw a star, how would they know what it represents? How would they know that that's the star of a king in Israel, a baby?

They're not that wise. The wisdom of the world could never comprehend that. So, the only thing I can conceive is that the 24th chapter of Numbers, I want to begin reading at 15th verse. Now, look at me for just a moment before we begin.

This is the only way I conceive, and I believe the Holy Spirit has laid this on my heart, that these wise men could have ever set out on a long, tedious journey. It had to be a life and death journey.

It can't be out of intrigue, it can't be out of curiosity, not at all. This is an expensive expedition. And I'm going to show you that it's a life and death expedition. It's not just a matter of going to see a child.

This was life and death because they saw something here, and I want you to look at verse 15, right down through verse 23. And this is Balaam speaking against Israel. He took up his parable and said,. And Balaam, the son of Beor, has said, Now, these wise men are reading this.

And this man is saying, Now, they've just been reading that this man can prophesy, this man can see things, this man prophesies, and he's got his eyes open, verse 17, I've seen him, but not now. I shall behold him, but not nigh.

There shall come a star out of Jacob, and a scepter, or a power, shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Zed. Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be in possession for his enemies, and Israel shall do valiantly.

Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth in the city. Can you imagine these men sitting around saying, Listen, here is a prophetic word from a great prophet of Seir.

Here's a man who gets in trances like we do here in our pagan nation. They believed in trances. This man has a word, there's going to be a star rise out of Israel. And this young child, this kingdom, this scepter, this kingdom, is going to have dominion, and if you'll read on with me, in verse 23, and he took up his parable and said, Alas, who shall live when God doeth this?

Who's going to live? Folks, this became a life and death expedition. There's going to be a power rise that has, there's going to be a king that has life and death in his hands. Who's going to be able to stand?

This is exactly what Isaiah, who shall stand in that day? Who's going to be able to stand? These men see a star. Now folks, this is just my opinion. I have nothing, no way to prove it, but I don't think anybody saw that star but these men.

Because when they do get to Jerusalem, nobody sees the star, no one else sees it. The shepherds didn't see it. The shepherds were called by an angel. It's amazing the many ways the Holy Ghost calls people to Jesus.

Divine Interruptions and the Spirit’s Call

How he interrupts the lives of people. We had a man walking off the streets, he was about to commit suicide, walking down the street and say, God, I have to have a sign. You have got to show me a sign that you care for me.

And he looks up and he sees a sign, Times Square Church. And God said, that's your sign. He walked in here to get saved. He's been coming to church ever since. So, light comes from heaven. Nobody saw but him.

But it smites him. Blind. God has his ways, the Holy Ghost, to interrupt the lives of people and bring them to Jesus. But most come by the way of a star. I want to show that to you tonight the best I can.

This is my opinion. Now see, this is a star. These were stargazers. They knew that something had appeared. There was a star appeared that didn't have an orbit. It was not in the orbit. This was a strange star they saw.

And someone said, what about numbers? 24, 17. A star shall arise. Folks, the Holy Ghost put that star there. That was the spirit of the living God. That was a work, a divine work, because that star had a drawing power.

Why else would these men pick up and go for miles and miles and travel for weeks and weeks, night and day, in the burning hot sun through the desert, to find a baby child who would be a king? They start out with great anticipation.

This is delegation with a lot of protocol. And I don't know what they intended to do. I'm sure they imagined that he would be born in the great city of Jerusalem that everybody knew of. And if he's a king, he's going to be born in a very palatial residence.

From Jerusalem’s Religion to Bethlehem’s Christ

Now folks, I want to tell you something. I'm going to give you a spiritual truth right now. You can't get to Bethlehem. You can't get to Jesus until you go through Jerusalem. Jerusalem is a religious system.

There are a lot of people trying to get to Jesus, and they get as far as Jerusalem, and they get into a priesthood, they get into a religion, and that'll never get you to Jesus. That'll get you to religion and no further.

The star led them to Jerusalem, but Bethlehem was six miles on. They get to Jerusalem. The star is leading them. And this star has its own orbit. That star is in the orbit of their life. The leading of God.

Their own life. Everybody's got an orbit. Your lifestyle, everything God's doing is in orbit around you. And this star is in their orbit. And this star is leading them. Folks, you go out and look at a starry night.

And I will tell you there are millions and millions of stars, and I've never seen any of them move. That star had to be hanging right out in front of them. It's something I believe they were the only ones who could see.

Folks, let's talk about that star. In your orbit. In your life. If you are hungry for Jesus, if you've got any desire for Jesus at all, and the reason the Lord starts with this far off, how far east, because He says, He says to the uttermost, and that's for the person who's sitting here tonight saying, Well, I don't know.

I am so far out. I'm so far from God. Pastor David, if you only knew my life. If you only knew the sin in my life. I'm too far gone. You may have a lot of wisdom of this world, and you may be, you've got life pretty well figured out, but there's an emptiness in you, and there's been a drawing.

And I want to tell you, if you want to get to Jesus, the first thing you do is you get a Bible. You get into the Word and you just study it. I know a young man that was put in solitary confinement, and they allowed him to have nothing but a Bible.

He was a murderer. Never once he would have thought of Jesus. He got in there, let it sit for two weeks, and finally he decided to pick it up out of boredom. Started in the book of John, led by the Holy Ghost.

And by the time he got through John, he got so excited, he kept reading and reading. He had not only saved, but filled with the Spirit of God in that prison hole. The star in your life is that person that's ignited by Christ, who has in Him the light of the Gospel, the light of Jesus, who knows the Scripture, and so let your light shine that men may see your good works.

I ask you, sir, or ma 'am, if you're here tonight for the first time, somebody talk to you about this church, somebody told you where it's at, gave you an address, or somebody brought you. That's your star.

You're being led to Jesus. You don't know it, but the Holy Ghost is after you. He's got you appointed. I would imagine almost everybody in this building can think of somebody, somebody who lived the life, maybe on your job, and that's why it's so important to live the life of Christ before your brothers and sisters and your family and your co-workers because they're watching you and you are appointed to be somebody's star to lead them to Jesus.

That's why I said let your light so shine so men see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. A star out of Jacob. And who shall live when God does this? Who's going to be able to stand before that?

Religious Knowledge Without Knowing Christ

To get to Jerusalem by the leading of this star and they stop. Now if the star was still there, why couldn't they, when they ask Herod, they go to the one place they think would know, they go to the leadership of the nation, they go to the government leaders and say, where is this child who has been born King of the Jews?

Well, they already had a king. What a startling thing for somebody to say. Evidently, you'd send them to the priest. But if the star was there, why didn't they just go out in the open and say, look up there, see the star?

And tell them the whole story. They couldn't do it. The star was not there. Because it's very clear from the story that when they left trying to get out of Jerusalem, the star appeared again. You see, in the pursuit of Jesus, a lot of people get very hungry for Christ.

Everything's become so empty. If you've had sickness, pain, if you've ever been in a home where there's cancer, we have a brother, one of our ushers in the hospital now with brain hemorrhage. If you've ever been around life and death struggles, you begin to see the emptiness of life, the shortness of life, you begin to reach out for reality, and there are some of you here right now in that position, I believe, with everything in me, and you begin to say, Jesus, where are you?

And you start a pursuit for Christ. You start a pursuit for Jesus. I'm just talking from my heart. I'm not talking from notes. I'm talking from my heart. And you're seeking Him. You say, I'm not looking for religion.

I'm looking for Jesus. And you start on this path. You search for Christ to get close to Him. I want to be closer to Jesus. I want reality in my life. And suddenly you get stuck in some denominational gibberish.

You get stuck in some ritual in some church, and they talk about Jesus. These religious leaders knew where He was going to be born. They knew the town. They had all the knowledge in their head. They could talk about the coming Messiah, but they didn't know Him.

They were the least knowledgeable, and it was right there. Those that were closest were the blindest. And you can I think some of the blindest people to the reality of Christ, those who are most blind to His reality, are those who are full of religion.

Not Christ, but religion. Well, bless God, I'm a Catholic. I'm a Lutheran. I'm an Episcopalian. You can be a Lutheran. You can be Episcopalian. You can be the Pentecostal.

Go to hell! Because you don't know Him.

You got something in the head, but you don't have it in the heart. You really don't know Him. You've never been His presence. You've never been to Him. You don't know Him. You've not seen Him. The Holy Ghost is your star tonight, and He's leading you.

He's brought you here tonight to hear a very, very simple word. He wants to change your life. He wants you to kneel before Him. Look Him in the face and say, this is my Redeemer. This is what I've been looking for.

Folks, you're not going to find Jesus until you get out of some religious pitfall that you're in. Get away from addiction to some churchianity. I don't know what else to call it. You get away from all.

Of the... You've been born.

And raised in it. I hear people, everywhere you go, you go to church, well, I was born a Catholic. I don't know what that means, born a Catholic. I don't know what it means, born Baptist. You're born nothing.

Well, my grandma went to the Catholic Church, and all I've known is Catholicism. All I've known is this religion I have. Jettison your religion. You can't get to Christ until you throw your religion away and come simply to the manger.

I shouldn't get so excited. But now, in Christ Jesus, you who were at one time far off are brought nigh by the blood of Christ. Hallelujah. Can you imagine Herod saying, when you find Him, you come back and tell me all about it described.

Give me His address.

So I can go and worship Him. That's the same.

Thing that's going on in Washington right now. Same kind of lying. Same kind of deception. Same thing. Carry a Bible to church Sunday morning, and then put your hand on, make an oath, and lie about it.

Not just the President, but all through the way. All through Congress and everything else. Folks, we need to pray. We need to pray. God, help us. We need to pray. You say, are you a Democrat? Are you a Republican?

I told you I'm a Christocrat. You know, we need to have a Holy Ghost preacher run for President so some of us can vote for a President. I'm not a candidate. Who do you vote for? As soon as they get away from the religious headquarters and the synagogues of Jerusalem, the star appears.

The Star Leads Hungry Souls to Jesus

You know, when you look at Matthew, I'm going to close it just a moment. Back to Matthew the second chapter, verse 9. When they had heard the king, they departed, and lo, the star, when they got out, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.

Folks, look at me. The star brought them to where the child was. There's a tugging of the Holy Spirit. I can't describe it another way. When the Holy Spirit is moving, that's the Holy Spirit tugging and pulling.

There's a tug, there's a pull. I'm going to close with a simple illustration about that tug. Years ago, here in New York City, when I started Teen Challenge for drug addicts, in the first few years one of the roughest, toughest females, she was a gang leader, she was a drug addict, wild, like a wild animal, untamed wild animal.

Brought her into our girls program in Brooklyn, Cookie Rodriguez. And Cookie was hard as nails. Nothing could reach her. We were about to give up on her. In fact, we had to make a decision the following week whether or not to even try any longer.

We had tried everything. There was one staffer, a young lady, a godly young lady on our staff who had taken a special interest in Cookie. And I had to go to Pittsburgh to speak for Kathryn Kuhlman that weekend.

And I said, and I invited, I got a couple of vans and we were taking a whole group to Pittsburgh to be in my rally. And I said, make sure that Cookie's on board. Make sure she comes. She said, I'm not going.

I'm not going. She was going to leave, but you see, she had a star. There's somebody that she trusted. Somebody that took special care. Somebody that truly lived Christ. There was no phoniness or hypocrisy in the staffer.

And all she had to do was put her arms around her and said, Cookie, I'll go with you. I'll stand with you. I'll sit with you. I'll go the whole trip. You are my guest. And Cookie said, I'll go. And Cookie came and sat in a balcony up on this side at our youth rally on a Saturday night in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in Kathryn Kuhlman's meeting.

Sister Kuhlman was behind me and I was preaching. And I didn't know anything about Cookie except she was the hardest one I think I could ever see. And that young staffer was beside her. And believe me, she was a star.

She was leading her. And that star came and sat right over where Jesus was in that meeting. And Cookie sat there with her hands folded chewing gum. And halfway through my message the Spirit of God began to reveal Christ.

And she had not shed a tear in her lifetime. She never ever remembered shedding a tear. She never cried in her life. Full of hate and bitterness. And I had been preaching about how God can do anything, break any barrier.

If you want Jesus he'll break through every barrier. And she grit her teeth and said, God if you're real if you really exist if you love me like Pastor Dave is saying, you've got to make me cry. I want to cry.

I don't know what it is to cry. And she sat there waiting. And nothing happened for a while. And all of a sudden when she was just about discouraged, she felt a hot tear run down her cheek. And then another.

And she grabbed her star. And it just broke. And it fobbed like a baby. And she grabbed her star and said, I'm crying! I'm crying! Well she didn't know she hadn't cried. There's nothing unusual about that.

Everybody was crying. She said, I'm crying! Don't you understand? I'm crying! He's real! God's real! Jesus loves me! Cookie Rodriguez founded New Life for Girls. It's a thriving program that saved hundreds of women from drugs and alcohol.

And Cookie today is in the ministry. Still going strong for God. Listen to me, please. Listen to me. Holy Spirit's dealing with you in great love and compassion. This is the night for you to come to the full reality.

Some of you say, Brother Dave, I've come so far, but I have not really gotten to Jesus the way I want to get to Him. Something seems to block me. I go so far and I get stuck. Listen to me, clearly. The last thing I want to say to you before I give an invitation, up on the balcony or on the main floor.

The Invitation: Confessing Christ and Coming to Him

The Holy Spirit is leading you now. He's going to tug at you. We're going to stand in just a moment. We're going to just sing an invitation. It's not mood music. It's just to give the Holy Ghost some time to tug and pull at your heart.

Don't come unless the Spirit calls you. But if you have something in your heart saying there's got to be more than I've found. I want Jesus Christ in my life. Not just my head. I want Him in my heart.

I want to experience Jesus. I want to be as close to Him as these wise men were that knelt before Him and were able to touch Him. I want to touch my Jesus. I want you to stand, please. Up on the balcony and here on the main floor.

Would you look this way for a minute? Beloved, please listen. Just a moment before this service is history. This is life and death for some of you now. This is life and death. I don't know if these wise men had hoped they could have made some kind of a covenant or an agreement so that lives would be spared.

I don't know. We do know that the shepherds went away worshipping. We know these men worshipped. We don't know how deep the work was. We don't know anything about that. But I do know right now that they were able to fulfill their mission.

They were led to Christ. You are being led by the Holy Ghost tonight. If you feel that tug, you feel that pull, up on the balcony, go to the stairs on either side and come and stand here. Jesus said, the Bible said, if you'll confess me before men, I'll confess you before my Father and all the angels of heaven.

I want you to come and say, Pastor Dave, I have not found what I'm looking for. I want Jesus. I want a manifestation of Him in my life and my heart. Let the Holy Ghost be your star and lead you now. Draw you and come to Him.

Just a few words I want to share with you. You have got to allow Jesus to fill every empty spot in your heart and to heal every wound in you at this Christmas season. There was a gentleman that came forward just like you did in this church.

He's received Christ. But allowed this season to get to him and some other problems in his life to get to him. A few days ago, he took his life. I remember another young lady that came and stood at an altar here, a beautiful young lady, a young model.

She said, I want Jesus, but she had a hard time allowing Christ and His Word to become life to her and to have meaning to her. It can't just be a head thing. It has to be God. You come into my heart and your Holy Spirit just fill me up and drive out of me every thought.

I've got to bring it all into captivity. I've got to allow the Holy Spirit to comfort me. I've got to allow Him to come and drive out all those thoughts the enemy tries to infuse into my mind, inject into my mind.

And she leaped out of an eighth floor building and took her life. I'm asking, I honestly believe, I'm saying this because I feel it's life and death for some of you here that are standing here right now.

There have been a lot of people brought to Jesus today in the last two services and again here tonight. And the Lord knows exactly what you're going through. There's nothing that's going on that God can't solve and make a way that you don't know anything about.

He can make a way, look at me now. You may have been trying to figure it out and figuring it out now for days. You say there's no way out, brother. I'm in a mess. I've got trouble in my life. I'm confused and I don't know any way out.

My Bible says very clearly that He knows the way out. A way that you can't even think about. He's a miracle working God. You've got to believe that and trust that now. Trust that. Say, Jesus, I'm going to commit my life to you.

I'm going to give you my heart. Jesus, I'm going to draw nigh to you. And you said if I draw nigh to you, you will draw nigh to me. You believe that and He'll keep His Word. I promise you. He will keep His Word.

You came here to draw nigh to Him now. You're being led to Him by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit stirred your heart. You didn't walk down here just out of habit. You came down here now because the Spirit of the Lord is at work in you.

Hallelujah. Glory be to God. Will you pray this prayer with me? Now look at me please. The prayer doesn't save you. It's the Word that comes out of the abundance of the heart. Words that come out of the abundance of the heart.

Faith, Repentance, and Dependence on the Holy Spirit

And He that's begun a good work in you will finish it, the Bible says. He'll complete it until the day of the coming of the Lord. All He wants out of you is a sincere heart. He'll even help you repent.

He'll even give you faith if you just start. Amen. I've always pictured faith as standing on the mountain. The Lord showed me this when I was a kid. Standing on the mountain. I was trying to figure out faith.

And the Lord, in this little thought, He said, just make a big snowball, big as you can. Pack it and push it. And start rolling it down the hill. And He said, after a while it'll go momentum. It'll pick up itself and carry it on.

It gets bigger and bigger. You just start the little snowball. Give Him snowball faith if you can. Just give Him that little seed faith. And say, here I give you Lord the best I have. I give you my confidence.

I give you my faith. Pray this prayer with me, will you? Jesus, I don't know how to believe. I don't even know how to confess. I'm in a mess. I have trouble in my life. And I need a miracle. I'm coming to you, Jesus, like a little child.

I'm asking you to forgive me and cleanse me. I give you my little seed faith. And the best I know how, I invite you into my heart. Not just my head, but into my heart that I may serve you. And that you would be the Lord in my life.

To rule and reign in my life. Holy Spirit, come and fill my vessel and help me to be obedient to everything you whisper in my heart. I love you, Jesus. I come to you now. I've obeyed you. Here I am, Jesus.

Take me as I am. Now will you thank him for doing just that? Give him thanks, Lord. I give you thanks. I give you praise. Lord, you're good. Hallelujah. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Glory be to God.

Hallelujah. Amen. Lord, I pray for this congregation now. The balcony here in the main floor and behind me, wherever sound of my voice will be heard. I pray, Lord Jesus, that we will become totally dependent on the Holy Ghost.

We can't run our own lives. We just mess up. We sin and confess, and sin and confess, and we don't know what to do. So, Lord, we're just going to come now and surrender to you and become wholly dependent on the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Lord, that's where I'm at. After all these years, I just say, Lord, hear my life. Whisper, Lord. Speak. I'll obey you. I'll do whatever you tell me. You just have to speak to my heart. Lord, if we'll wait on you and believe you and spend time in prayer and in this word, you're going to lead us right.

You'll not let us go astray. Glory be to God. I want you to turn around and shake hands with at least five or six around you and say, God is good. God is good. God is faithful. God is good and God is faithful.

Hallelujah. Blessed be the name of the Lord.