B It also teaches us of God's power, for an incarnation is beyond our ability even to conceive, let alone to bring into being. This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast. Wesley wrote it as follows: Apparently, some of the editors of our hymnbooks, including the one used in my own church, have been troubled by Wesley's line "Let us find that second rest," fearing that some people would think (or that Wesley himself thought) that there was a "second blessing" experience to find beyond salvation. It comes from a verb which means "to reconcile" or "to bring back into harmony." From beginning to end, God's dealings with our race are cause for amazement. 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. To ignore them is unimaginable. Since his day no one had been raised up to declare the sure word of the Lord. N I wonder if you have experienced joy at this season. That has been the cry of God's people from the beginning "How long, O Lord, how long?" The second concerns the salvation of men. Let your prayer be the cry of the publican: "God be merciful to me, a sinner!" "Good Christian Men, Rejoice" Words: Heinrich Suso (?-1366); translated from Latin to English by John M. Neale in Carols for Christmastide (London: 1853). Beyond any question, the gospel of Jesus Christ has important social implications. We need to think about each of these ways. Moreover, the Bible teaches that if you will believe that that is, if you will believe that you are not at peace with God naturally but that He has made peace through the death of His Son for your sin - then God will enter into the kind of eternal relationship with you in which you can be called His son or daughter. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Jesus is called God-man. You can tell if you do by attempting to rehearse God's attributes. He answered, "I have heard that message preached from the pulpit every Christmas since I was a little boy. Do you sometimes feel that God has forgotten you? Keiper asked, "Why do you call it a farce?" And, of course, this is the sense in which we glorify God. 6. But the angel appeared and explained to Joseph what was happening. The difficulty with this approach does not lie in the thought that the biblical view of salvation is unrelated to such themes. Though Dec. 25 is considered the birthday of Jesus by a large segment of Christendom, there is no evidence that . Then, you can think about these things and allow God to teach you more about Himself. God gave Israel many celebrations in the Old Covenant such as the Feast of Booths, year of Jubilee, etc. Of course, you can and you should! He would have simply thought her unfaithful. Dont Despair: A Reminder From Anne Graham Lotz. 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. The difficulty lies rather in the fact that today, if only because of the impressive achievements of medical science, this approach inevitably fails to distinguish between the salvation that God alone can bring and that salvation which men are apparently providing for themselves. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. The third message is of the outcome, which is joy for man and glory for God. Looking at the verse closely, we find that it uses the word "rest" twice. Many people believe that the celebration of Christmas is rooted in the pagan holiday of Saturnalia, which honored the god Saturn. It is in this emotional center of man, called by Scripture 'the heart,' that James says war begins, when the lusts within a man strive together." The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end" (Luke 1:30-33). Therefore encourage one another with these words. But I imagine that the joy of this couple on this occasion was the greatest this world has ever seen. And God has not forgotten you! She would have wondered how she could have conceived without having slept with a man. It comes from a Latin verb which means "to make a bargain" or "to make an agreement between contracting parties." Ponder the great doctrines of the Christian faith doctrines of the incarnation, atonement, grace, sanctification, heaven, perseverance, and others so that you begin to grow strong in doctrine. 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. You can remember these events. 7. Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Jehoshua, meaning "Jehovah is salvation." Continue by pondering these things. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found . And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 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. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. These words mean "a right opinion," "a wrong opinion," and "a contradictory opinion" respectively. My family likes to read these together on Christmas Eve, right before we go to bed. Come to Him now! Ecclesiastes 7:1-4 ESV / 156 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. The Bible does mention two individuals celebrating birthdays: the Egyptian Pharaoh in Joseph's time ( Genesis 40:20) and King Herod in Jesus' time ( Matthew 14:6; Mark 6:21 ). Would anyone want to say that these men were not authorized to spread such a message? It is selfishness and pride, plus the lack of individual peace and contentment. Home Gaebelein, Frank. Sol Invictus was a pagan god who was believed to be the unconquered sun. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. Long ago, when the Greek language was in its infancy, the word from which the word "glory" came meant "to have an opinion." The passage begins by speaking of the shepherds. His father went down to the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, for so the young men used to do. There is much activity but many go through these activities in a joyless way. pages 24-25. Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Our children's gift to us is their example of amazement which will lead us to recapture our own sense of amazement at the incarnation. The world won't let us miss the holiday. Let the wonder of that first Christmas fill your life todayand every day. Jesus Christ does not thus become some magical wand which causes all our troubles to disappear. Volume I, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1951), page 146. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. W Publisher: OpenBible.info. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. The Apostle James was one who knew this, and he spoke of it in a passage that is a perceptive analysis of such problems in the world and in church circles. But how should a Christian celebrate Christmas? The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He leads me beside still waters. Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? The Practical Epistle of James. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Now when you acknowledge a person's true worth or express a proper opinion of him, you may be said to be glorifying him. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Then out of the darkness we hear God speaking to call forth life and order. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Come to Him! And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! This is the perfect combination a knowledge of the Good News and men who need to hear it. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost. Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. That is good. They must learn to love Him and to serve Him more and more. All Joseph could have thought was that Mary had been unfaithful. To the choirmaster. Nor am I referring to happiness. The Wise Men Were Not There. Copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Perhaps you have prayed for something and have not received an answer, at least not the answer you were waiting for. Nothing destroys joy except sin. I bring you good news of great joy" (Luke 2:10). He trusted God and received a great revelation concerning the work of the Savior. 5. A concordance soon gives the answer. Privacy God is faithful. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 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" . It is recorded in Luke 1:26-38. Tillich, Paul. I doubt if this was what he meant. And there is peace with one another. But that is not what the Bible is talking about when it talks about salvation. If God did that, He would soon make a muddle of our Christian lives because "We do not know what we ought to pray for" (Romans 8:26), and we pray with wrong motives. The third type of peace is a peace with one another. To what did they return? Moreover, since acknowledging His true worth is the essential meaning of worship it means to acknowledge God's worth to glorify God is to worship Him by words. Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. Praise the Lord! The Truth! D When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before the Lord. Tillich, Paul. On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother's womb you have been my God. I love this word "glorify." However, by the late fourth century it was generally celebrated in churches. He would say that He was the life for a world that was dying. 4. And the herald proclaimed aloud, You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. One verse, which is often quoted by Christians who argue against celebrating Christmas, is Luke chapter 2, verse 34. Now it is true that this new line is less likely to be misinterpreted. Joy is a wonderful thing; it is an appropriate part of Christmas. Celebrating it certainly does seem and feel like the right thing to do. God has not forgotten. The Way! It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. The word "pact" also comes from it. It is a temporary fascination with something unusual. The Bible says that when Jesus was born, a multitude of angels appeared suddenly and erupted in joyful praise to God, saying: "Glory in the heights above to God, and upon earth peace among men of goodwill." ( Luke 2:13, 14) However, it is noteworthy that nowhere in the Bible is there even a suggestion that Jesus' birthday should be celebrated. Ponder on its meaning. C Will Graham Devotion: The Criminal on the Cross. 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. And God will grant your requests." In other words, peace will come when men are truly men of good will. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. He asked him to examine the last clause of the verse carefully: "good will toward men." He then assured the professor that the reason why the Christmas message was an apparent farce to him was not God's fault. Give strong drink to the one who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more. 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. Here then is the first lesson Luke teaches us on celebrating Christmas. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. It implies a diving beneath the surface. What, for instance, is the difference between that wholeness experienced by a member of the church in the course of a counseling session with his minister and the wholeness gained by an atheist as the result of his session with a reputable but non-Christian psychiatrist? 1. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. There are a few theories. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. Unless otherwise indicated, all content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. Sing God's praises. I am not referring to activity, of course. Again he sent other servants, saying, Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Behold, a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. This combination, when truly grasped, produces witnesses. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. 7. Salvus means "healthy" or "whole." The trouble lies with men. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them 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. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Topics: Jesus Christ. Crashaw, Richard (1612?-1649). The exact date of Jesus' birth is not recorded in the Scriptures. Both of these ideas are related to the idea of a mediator who brings irreconcilables together. The time of fulfillment has come! King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. Have you responded to His love by giving your life to Him? If these four means of celebrating Christmas are new to you and if you are now desiring to put them into practice, I suggest that you begin not with the first verse, verse 17 of Luke 2, but with verses 18, 19, and 20. In the birth we see God's wisdom. This is the first message that I would leave with you. 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? Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Music: In Dulci Jubilo, 14th Century German melody; harmony from Christmas Carols Old and New, 1871. This central event in history divided the calendar into BC (Before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini - "In the Year of Our Lord"). Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict yourselves. How can this be? As you pray that prayer, you will find that God has already been merciful in Jesus.
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