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 article may not be reproduced in any other fashion without the expressed written permission of the Alliance. Music: Adeste Fideles, attributed variously to John Wade, John Reading or Simao Portogallo. Many people believe that the celebration of Christmas is rooted in the pagan holiday of Saturnalia, which honored the god Saturn. May God give you grace to do that. In these verses the angel first greets Mary, then gives this message: "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. But what does the Bible specifically say about your day of birth? 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. Together these verses teach that men are not naturally at peace with God but that God has acted to make peace through the Lord Jesus Christ. When the angels had departed, the shepherds decided to go to Bethlehem. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. Jesus answered him, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him, How can a man be born when he is old? To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. December 26, 2015 He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 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. This is the first message that I would leave with you. Nothing destroys joy except sin. Christ was born to save! 8 Interesting Facts about the Birth of Jesus - Crosswalk.com 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. Third, there is the suggestion of the work of a mediator who makes the reconciliation possible. you are asking. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. There are four main points to this short message: Each of these points is important, of course. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. However, by the late fourth century it was generally celebrated in churches. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. But she could not have known that for sure. How do you celebrate Christmas? One verse, which is often quoted by Christians who argue against celebrating Christmas, is Luke chapter 2, verse 34. 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. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. As you pray that prayer, you will find that God has already been merciful in Jesus. Each year when I read the Christmas story, I am impressed with the role that the angels play in it. This is the peace spoken of by the Apostle Paul in the first verse of the fifth chapter of Romans: "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." It says, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men the testimony given in its proper time" (1 Timothy 2:5,6). A complete edition was edited in 1904 for the Cambridge University Press as Richard Crashaw: Steps To The Temple, Delights of the Muses and Other Poems by A. R. Waller. Where Does The Bible Say Not To Celebrate Christmas Nor am I referring to happiness. King Solomon offered as a sacrifice 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. M Did Jesus Celebrate His Birthday?. Jesus is eternal Son of God 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. 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. We see the force of this verb when we recognize that it was used of persons who were becoming engaged, hence, of the engagement contract. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 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. Love never ends. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. The difficulty with this approach does not lie in the thought that the biblical view of salvation is unrelated to such themes. Christmas is not Christian because it is associated with many pagan birth mythsand Dec. 25 was not the date of Christ's birth. 7. Geocoding It is selfishness and pride, plus the lack of individual peace and contentment. And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? Arrangement: William H. Cummings, Congregational Hymn and Tune Book, 1857. Come to Him! First, you need to learn about Jesus. It is a result of the Christian's first having entered into a relationship of peace with God. But if the second type of peace is not something automatic that is, if you have to find it how do you find it? But our time is poorly spent if we allow the bustle of Christmas to eclipse our times of Bible study and of pondering upon God's Word. One theory is that the early church decided to celebrate Christmas on December 25th in order to oppose the pagan celebration of Sol Invictus. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. Let Us Celebrate Jesus Christ's Death Not His Birth 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 is the source of the fighting and turmoil in the world today and, unfortunately at times, within the churches? I bring you good news of great joy" (Luke 2:10). Finally, our text suggests that we can celebrate Christmas by glorifying God and by praising Him. 1. The word "pact" also comes from it. It is clearly God's transformation and control of the emotions. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. 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. Helpful Not Helpful Praise the Lord! 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. Answer: Your question is backward. After all, just because we celebrate our childrens birthdays doesnt mean we forget them or ignore them the rest of the year! Did Jesus Say Not To Celebrate His Birth | Hearinnh Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. I would like you to have the experience of entering into the kind of joy that Mary and Joseph and the shepherds had on that first Christmas morning. What we sow we shall reap." Nor would Joseph have known. In the birth we see God's wisdom. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. Does the Bible Condemn Using Tarot Cards? Tillich, Paul. Toll Free: 1-877-247-2426. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. And David said to him, To whom do you belong? Or that they had not been endorsed by the temple authorities? Let me illustrate this by a story from the life of Dr. Ralph L. Keiper, who was a professor of English Bible at Conservative Baptist Theological Seminary in Denver, Colorado, and who was for many years associated with Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse in his ministry. If man could save himself, then there would have been no need for Jesus Christ to be born. It was a sad world in their time. Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. The meaning of His name is "He will save His people from their sins" Moreover, if you will permit me to apply it in this way, it seems to me that apart from the truths which the angels revealed to Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds two thousand years ago concerning the birth of Christ apart from really understanding what they said and meant undoubtedly, this Christmas, the real meaning of the birth of Christ will pass us by also. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. In fact, the Bible would not even support the view that the world is capable of being redeemed socially apart from the supernatural intervention of God in history. The Scriptures say, "And let him who hears say, Come!" Billy Graham: Would You Have Welcomed Jesus or Rejected Him? And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord's house. 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? The Bible teaches that men are in revolt and rebellion against God but that God has acted to establish peace through His Son Jesus Christ, the mediator. But then, suddenly, an angel appeared with the message: After the angel spoke a host of angels appeared, all praising God and saying. 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. Z. 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). 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. One day just before Christmas vacation, the professor said, "Well, Keiper, are you going to preach that old Christmas farce again?" It is the way mentioned in the book of Philippians. Come to the wedding feast. But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. Well, later in His life He would speak of Himself in terms that spoke to precisely the world's condition. Four Reasons Christmas Is Not a Christian Holiday - Life, Hope & Truth And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. 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. I am glad that the angel appeared to Joseph and not only to Mary. You shall observe the Feast of Weeks, the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year's end. Anybody who knows good news is authorized to tell it, particularly when it is news that will be the means of salvation of others. "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). When a person is at peace with God judicially and is experiencing increasingly in his own life that peace of God which transforms him and gives him tranquility even in the midst of great emotional turmoil and misunderstanding, then there is a firm foundation on which to overcome those interpersonal tensions that upset families, churches, cities, governments and the world. Why Do We Celebrate Jesus Birthday On Christmas | Hearinnh So he told them this parable: What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? Perhaps you have prayed for something and have not received an answer, at least not the answer you were waiting for. 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. 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 Life! By Billy Graham 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. But the angel appeared and explained to Joseph what was happening. Salem Media Group. Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. Born the King of angels; 9. 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. And he called out with a mighty voice, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! 10. 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. 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. But their amazement is fitting to Christmas - it's a sample of what Christmas amazement should be for those who understand the Christmas story. But how? And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7). A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. We see His grace. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Of course they did! Will you turn your focus toward Christevery day. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found . Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. And we need to understand exactly what the biblical meaning of these words is if we are to understand this part of the angel's announcement. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. Publication date: Apr 30, 2023. Of course, you can and you should! So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. It is important because man's problems stem from the fact that in his natural state, he is not at peace with God. It is unfortunate that these great words "savior" and "salvation" have been watered down so much as they have been in our day. So they have changed the line to read "Let us find that promised rest.". You do not have, because you do not ask God. Third, it involved her intellect; for she treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. Another example of modern tendencies to reduce biblical salvation to human dimensions is the increasing emphasis upon the social aspects of the Christian gospel conceived in opposition to evangelism as traditionally understood. (Luke 18:13). Unless otherwise indicated, all content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. 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. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to celebrate. Then glorify and praise God for what you know. The angel said, "Do not be afraid. Though Dec. 25 is considered the birthday of Jesus by a large segment of Christendom, there is no evidence that . Easter Easter is another holiday that is celebrated by Christians. Had He forgotten His promises? I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. Bible Verses About Celebrating Birthdays - KING JAMES BIBLE ONLINE So he was told, "you are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). The Herald Angels Sing" Words: Charles Wesley, Hymns and Sacred Poems, 1739. Topics: Jesus Christ. In other words, the only ultimate essential for proclaiming the gospel is a knowledge of it. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. Although there is no mention of Jesus specifically mentioning to celebrate Christmas, the Bible does say that he was born on December 25th. Ecclesiastes 7:1-4 ESV / 156 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. On December 25th people the world over will celebrate the birth of Lord Jesus Christ. It is based upon what God has done, and it is given to the Christian by God and is sustained by God. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. But now, for over four hundred years, the prophetic voice had been silent. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Gaebelein, Frank. And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. Also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toilthis is God's gift to man. It comes from a verb which means "to reconcile" or "to bring back into harmony." W You want something but don't get it. Others celebrate it by getting drunk, some beginning at the office party on the last working day before Christmas and not sobering up until sometime after the twenty-fifth or even after New Year's. Well, they had been out in the fields of Bethlehem in the middle of the night, watching over their sheep as they had for many hundreds of nights previously and as their fathers undoubtedly had before them. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. Home Moreover, you can do it in song.
