Things seem to go as they have been going from the beginning, and you want something better. It is one of the great words of the Greek language. When men seek to have their own way, it becomes a mighty farce. Now I am an old man, and I haven't any reason to believe that there is any truth in that text at all. The world of the shepherds' day was much like our world today, in which the lamps of knowledge and culture seem to be slowly flickering out. It looks at the fighting and the wars of history and of our own age and does not find the type of peace that it is seeking. For we quickly come upon the Lord Jesus Christ's great invitation recorded in Matthew 11:28-30: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. And when he had eaten, his spirit revived, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. We cannot understand it but it is true, and we should marvel at it. 1. The Bible tells us that the birth of Jesus was unlike all other births in that Jesus existed before birth as the second person of the Godhead and He became man, not to provide us with a sweet story to tell children each winter or even as a theme for our greatest musical compositions, but in order to grow to maturity and then to die for our sin as a means of our salvation. And God will grant your requests." One day just before Christmas vacation, the professor said, "Well, Keiper, are you going to preach that old Christmas farce again?" Mary and Joseph were far from home, in a strange town without even a room to themselves in which Mary could give birth to the Child. This has something to do with the age in which we live as well as with the general aspirations of mankind, I suppose. And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand hima threefold cord is not quickly broken. Matthew 1:18-25 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. Celebrating Jesus at Christmas! 9 Ways to Celebrate Christ at Christmas Let your prayer be the cry of the publican: "God be merciful to me, a sinner!" They must learn to love Him and to serve Him more and more. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. 5 Bible Verses That Celebrate the Birth of Jesus Health, Inspiration How often have we heard the phrase, "Christ is the reason for the season." To help remind us of why we celebrate Christmas, here are five key Bible verses that celebrate the birth of Jesus. Let the wonder of that first Christmas fill your life todayand every day. Ralph L. Keiper once said, "When we know Christ, not as a doctrine or a theory, but as Savior and Friend in our daily experience, we gain a confidence in Him which brings peace to our hearts. 13. Living a Life of Celebration | Bible.org You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. The Bible says, But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, Hallelujah! But there is a second way also. That is the question. Let's have a Christmas gift exchange this year. The birth of Jesus Christ is traditionally celebrated on December 25, although "around 37% of Orthodox Christians, mainly in Egypt and Russia, celebrate the Nativity of Christ on January 7th," owing to a difference in how their calendars were devised. We can estimate when Jesus was born by counting backward from his death on Passover, Nisan 14 in the spring of the year 33 C.E. It comes from a verb which means "to reconcile" or "to bring back into harmony." Peter tells us that God delays only long enough to call to repentance all whom He has before determined should believe ("He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" see 2 Peter 3:9). It teaches us that we will find this second rest when we take time to "figure out" the Lord Jesus Christ and attempt to walk in His way. K Tillich developed his understanding of salvation from the meaning of the Latin word salvus, which underlies it. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures" (James 4:1-3). What Every Christian Should Know about the Protestant Reformation. So, according to Tillich, who popularized this approach in his three-volume Systematic Theology and in his lectures, salvation can therefore be applied "to every act of healing: to the healing of sickness, or demonic possession, and of servitude to sin and to the ultimate power of death" 6 It means "reuniting that which is estranged, giving a center to what is split, overcoming the split between God and man, man and his world, man and himself. It is clearly God's transformation and control of the emotions. Dont Despair: A Reminder From Anne Graham Lotz. And he called out with a mighty voice, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Salvus means "healthy" or "whole." For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to celebrate. O come, let us adore Him, (Philadelphia: Evangelical Foundation), 1961, pages 12-13. Jesus is called God-man. Hopefully Christmas this year has been more than presents and parties for you, and youve taken time to focus on Jesus. Music: Pax Tecum, George T. Caldbeck and Charles J. Vincent, 1876. She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. In early fall. So do that. This is why carols are so much a rightful part of Christmas; for, when sung by those who understand them, they are a means of praise. Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths. This is the message of the angels. It is unfortunate that these great words "savior" and "salvation" have been watered down so much as they have been in our day. Keiper asked, "Why do you call it a farce?" There are many reasons why Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Therefore encourage one another with these words. There are five appearances of an angel, or angels, in the Christmas story, and another appearance of an angel to Joseph later to tell him to return to Israel from Egypt. I bring you good news of great joy" (Luke 2:10). Finally, in chapter 1, verse 7, Paul indicates that the only solution to the problem lies in receiving peace from God: "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ." And "you will find rest for your souls." Now, just as the Bible speaks of peace with God so it also speaks about a peace of God, and this is quite different. He asked him to examine the last clause of the verse carefully: "good will toward men." "The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told" (v. 20). It struck me, as I began to read this story once again, that apart from the angels, no one would have understood what the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ meant not the shepherds, not Joseph, not even Mary. On the day of the firstfruits, when you offer a grain offering of new grain to the Lord at your Feast of Weeks, you shall have a holy convocation. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Great Neck, NY: Doniger & Raughley, 1955). Many of you might have heard that the wise men did not appear during the night of Jesus' birth, no matter what nativity scenes may try to tell you. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, NC 28201 The third type of peace is a peace with one another. If we are honest, we must admit that many persons, even Christians, celebrate it most by buying presents, decorating their houses, visiting relatives and friends, or watching football games on television. Privacy So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Its genesis is not merely on the intellectual level; it goes down into the vast emotional reservoir of life and conduct that underlies the intellectual. When Was Jesus' Birth? Was Jesus Born on December 25? | What the Bible Says The professor replied that he thought he had. 12. "A Hymn to the Nativity." In this hymn, known as the "Benedictus," the aged priest exclaims: "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. Of course they did! W I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord, the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has granted us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel that he has granted them according to his compassion, according to the abundance of his steadfast love. Well, the birth of Christ itself teaches us of God's love; for God loved us so much that He became man in order to die for us. The world treats the message of Christmas as wishful thinking because the world is not right with God and it does not wish to assume its own spiritual responsibility before Him. If you and I and all others who call upon the name of our God should do it, I suppose that the whole world would then rightly resound with His praise. Finally, when you have done these things and are truly qualified to speak, go back and tell others what you know. Then take time each day to draw strength from His Word, the Bible, and to pray, and to have fellowship with other believers. Does God Really Work All Things Together for Good? How could they refuse to tell what they had seen? The question is important because of the significance of the day and because so many obviously do not know how to celebrate it. To do so is to participate in the Christmas story. If we turn back to the earliest chapters of Genesis, we discover a description of the globe before God fashioned it into the kind of world we know now; and we are told that "the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. "Peace, Perfect Peace" Words: Edward H. Bickersteth, Jr., 1875. This is connected with amazement, but it also goes beyond amazement as an attempt to understand it or figure it out. But if the second type of peace is not something automatic that is, if you have to find it how do you find it? Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. On December 25th people the world over will celebrate the birth of Lord Jesus Christ. What is more, in these verses, God promises to give us all victories for peace if we ask Him. God told us everything needed for life and godliness ( II Peter 1:2-4 ). A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. "Everything" leaves nothing out. He was to save His people. He is the Savior. What is the source of the fighting and turmoil in the world today and, unfortunately at times, within the churches? In the book of Philippians, Paul speaks of this peace when he says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. When I return to these wonderful chapters of Matthew and Luke in order to prepare my Christmas messages, I always seem to find a detail that I had overlooked before and which therefore speaks to me in a new way. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago)" (Luke 1:68-70). Second, it involved her affection, for she treasured these things in her heart. In these verses the angel first greets Mary, then gives this message: "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Here is a rest that is given and a rest that is found. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. The God who did not forget us in Christ's first coming will not forget us in His second. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. cit. M That is what Jesus Himself said: "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. There is much activity but many go through these activities in a joyless way. He was, however, making a very important point: We should never celebrate Jesus birth at Christmastimeand then forget Him the rest of the year. They had no thought about spiritual things at least we are not told that they did and they certainly didn't expect the miracle. Why? I But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. But the writer of this epistle had a deeper insight into humanity. Can you do that? When circumstances are right, there is happiness; but when the source of happiness departs, happiness goes with it. Yet, Solomon was inspired to write, "A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth" . First, it involved her memory; for we are told that she treasured up all these things. On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall keep it at its appointed time; according to all its statutes and all its rules you shall keep it. So Moses told the people of Israel that they should keep the Passover. And there, where they had first heard the angels' song, they themselves were heard to be singing God's praise. These men, poor shepherds though they were, had seen God incarnate. A concordance soon gives the answer. The first of these important appearances was to Mary. If you have, then you understand your need of a Savior and are at the place where you can receive Jesus as the One who died to save you. Quite obviously, the fact that the world often celebrates the day in non-Christian ways is no excuse for Christians to either neglect or misuse it. And the promise of the angel "for He will save His people from their sins" are the greatest words of the entire Christmas story. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord., For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.. The shepherds, wise men, and angels celebrated the birth of Jesus with gifts, songs, and prayer. But what does the Bible specifically say about your day of birth? Why We Celebrate The Birth Of Jesus | Hearinnh Before we turn to the book of Luke, I want to say first that by far the best and greatest way to celebrate Christmas is by becoming a Christian if you have never done so. No doubt, these examples of the reduction of the biblical view of salvation to human dimensions are not equally bad. Billy Graham: Would You Have Welcomed Jesus or Rejected Him? Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. What Does the Bible Say About Celebrating Jesus Birthday? And they kept the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so the people of Israel did. Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Keiper, Ralph L. op. They are: The appearance of Gabriel to Zechariah to announce the birth of John the Baptist. In other words, the best way to celebrate Christmas is by becoming a follower of Him whose birth we commemorate. Both of these ideas are related to the idea of a mediator who brings irreconcilables together. Jeremiah 10:2-4 ESV / 302 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. Let the people of Israel keep the Passover at its appointed time. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. Have you seen that truth in the story? Toll Free: 1-877-247-2426. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. S 7 This basic approach to salvation has been picked up in an avalanche of books on pastoral counseling, Christian psychiatry, and the cure of souls. You shall keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. But now, assuming that you have believed on Him and that you are a Christian, what can you add to this in order to properly celebrate Christmas? N He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? You can tell if you do by attempting to rehearse God's attributes. It is celebrated on December 25th. And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holythe Son of God. Pondering is work. So begin with amazement be amazed at the fact that you have not suffered the just punishment of your sin, that God has loved you, that Jesus came and died for you, that God called you to faith in Himself when you were yet without hope of salvation, and that you are now God's child and are secure in His love. It is based upon what God has done, and it is given to the Christian by God and is sustained by God. G No, He has not forgotten you. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Or that they had not been endorsed by the temple authorities? We see His grace. These words mean "a right opinion," "a wrong opinion," and "a contradictory opinion" respectively. Think what it involved in the case of Mary, Jesus' mother. Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals Inc, 1716 Spruce St. Philadelphia, PA 19103 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Local: 704-401-2432 Contact me: openbibleinfo (at) gmail.com. So they left their flocks and came and found Jesus, precisely as the angels had indicated. Since his day no one had been raised up to declare the sure word of the Lord. The Wise Men Were Not There. But at the same time, the one who will come to Jesus Christ will know a great peace even in a world that denies it. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. Nothing destroys joy except sin. And God has not forgotten you! . Christmas is a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, this is the day that most people, Christians and non-Christians alike, observe as His birthday, and if we are to mark it at all, this seems to be the only realistic time to do it. But she could not have known that for sure. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 8. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. But their amazement is fitting to Christmas - it's a sample of what Christmas amazement should be for those who understand the Christmas story. U Volume I, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1951), page 146. Therefore encourage one another with these words. For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living. Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. The hymn is Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, and the stanza to which I am referring is the second. Proud member Second, there is the strong possibility that the persons may not be in harmony but that they will want to make a pact between themselves in order to settle their differences. To the choirmaster. Tillich, Paul. But the circumstances were not good. Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. Like the message to Mary, this message also has four parts: Also, like the message to Mary, it has an important emphasis which, in this case, is the proclamation of joy. In the birth we see God's wisdom. Helpful Not Helpful Praise the Lord! What does the Bible say about Christmas? - Becoming Christians 1. The trouble lies with men. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. But then, suddenly, an angel appeared with the message: After the angel spoke a host of angels appeared, all praising God and saying. It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And, of course, this is the sense in which we glorify God. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. Finally, by an obvious extension, glory meant a person's true "worth." So, you see, if Christmas means anything, it at least means this that God has not forgotten His people. But the angel appeared and explained to Joseph what was happening. Happiness is related to circumstances. To him be glory forever. Shout to God with loud songs of joy! The appearance of Gabriel to Mary to announce the birth of Jesus. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. You want something but don't get it. When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us. And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Our gift to our children will be teaching them Who Jesus is and what Christmas is all about. In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. Is the Celebration of Christmas Biblical? - Owlcation In the first place, we are told that the shepherds, after they had come to Bethlehem and had seen the infant Jesus, "spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child." In other words, the shepherds became witnesses of the event. Christmas Is Rooted in Paganism In addition to Christmas having no Scriptural basis, it is important to note that the celebration of this holiday did not stem from Christian or Church-based doctrines. You do not have, because you do not ask God. B Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.
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