Just sharing.

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Jesus’ Most Important Holiday Wasn’t Christmas



I saw the advertisement and I just shook my head.
“Only 20 days until the Holiday.”
They capitalized “holiday” but couldn’t bring themselves to say “Christmas.”
This kind of dancing around the obvious seems silly to me. The clear majority of people celebrate Christmas. And those that don’t – primarily secularists, Jews and Muslims aren’t necessarily offended. They’ll often partake in the seasonal activities and leave Jesus out of the discussion. In fact, my time in the Middle East I saw many Christmas traditions there.

I used to be uptight about the “war on Christmas.” Every year we had fights over creches on courthouse lawns. We went to battle over elementary school programs that are are big on Rudolph and Frost but small on Joseph and Mary.
I even started a group of like-minded people, “The Society for a Merry Christmas.” I pushed back on my employer for more employee rights. I encouraged people to not shop at stores that did all they could to capitalize on the holiday and get spurned the word “Christmas”.

They can have their holiday
I’m over that. They can have their “holidays” and I’ll have my mine.
If the world wants to throw cash into the wind. If they want to have parties. If they want to gorge on cakes and sweets. If they want season feelings of goodness and joy. If the world wants a holiday, they can have it.
Christmas doesn’t find its home Bethlehem or Rome or Colorado Springs or Dallas. It’s headquartered on Wall Street and Madison Avenue.

It was when the businessmen of the 19th century turned the day into a day of consumption, only then did Christmas overtake Easter. They found a jolly man and put a bag on his back and moved him to the North Pole. Then they gave him a mission – sell!
I’ll gladly play along. I’ll drink the eggnog, hang the lights and sing along with Bing. It’s okay. If Jesus is an afterthought to the world, then I can’t fight that. He still came to earth in a miraculous birth – for me.

The most important holiday isn’t Christmas
We have valued Christmas too much. We have claimed the day as Holy. We have embraced the Season as a Christian imperative. It isn’t.
The Christmas season – at least in it’s current incarnation – is far from what previous generations of Christians imagined it to be.
For them, it was Easter that mattered – not Christmas. The early church didn’t rejoice so much in the miracle birth, rather the death and resurrection of our Savior.


The Gospels all culminate in the Resurrection. Only two of them start in the manager. The book of Acts is filled with men and women impacted by the resurrection account – even giving their lives. They constantly spoke of “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

Paul’s Christmas that never was
Paul warns that “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (15:14)? He didn’t stake out the necessity of the Bethlehem Birth story.
In fact, Paul never mentioned Christmas or the Nativity as a particular day. Come to think of, Jesus never did either. He did however, speak often of his death and his resurrection. That’s what changed the world.

The hovering angels. The cherub-faced baby in the manger. Cattle looking on while the lambs are playing. This is what we are going to war over? This is the battle we wage? We would rather fight for sentimental traditions than the truth of the Gospel.
The secular world can have Christmas as their holiday. Bring on Santa and Burl Ives and strolling choirs and chestnuts. Please pass the cookies and let’s sing Rudolf.
I do love this season.
Yes, Jesus came to earth – but it was to die and to be resurrected.
With one hand on Christmas, the other is on Easter.



Jesus never really talked about his birthday

Jeremiah 10:2-4 Thus says the Lord: “Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them, for the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move

 

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Freely you have received; freely give I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed. Psalm 37:25,26 NIV __________________ There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it. He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him. Proverbs 11:24-27 KJV __________________ It is well with the man who deals generously and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice. For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered for ever. He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever; his horn is exalted in honor. Psalm 112:5,6 & 9 RSV __________________ HOW blessed is he who considers the helpless; The LORD will deliver him in a day of trouble. The LORD will protect him and keep him alive, And he shall be called blessed upon the earth; And do not give him over to the desire of his enemies. The LORD will sustain him upon his sickbed; In his illness, You restore him to health. Psalm 41:1-3 NASB __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain.”

Isaiah 45:19

We may gain much solace by considering what God has not said. What he has said is inexpressibly full of comfort and delight; what he has not said is scarcely less rich in consolation. It was one of these “said nots” which preserved the kingdom of Israel in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, for “the Lord said not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven.” 2 Kings 14:27. In our text we have an assurance that God will answer prayer, because he hath “not said unto the seed of Israel, Seek ye me in vain.”

You who write bitter things against yourselves should remember that, let your doubts and fears say what they will, if God has not cut you off from mercy, there is no room for despair: even the voice of conscience is of little weight if it be not seconded by the voice of God. What God has said, tremble at! But suffer not your vain imaginings to overwhelm you with despondency and sinful despair. Many timid persons have been vexed by the suspicion that there may be something in God's decree which shuts them out from hope, but here is a complete refutation to that troublesome fear, for no true seeker can be decreed to wrath. “I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth; I have not said,” even in the secret of my unsearchable decree, “Seek ye me in vain.”

God has clearly revealed that he will hear the prayer of those who call upon him, and that declaration cannot be contravened. He has so firmly, so truthfully, so righteously spoken, that there can be no room for doubt. He does not reveal his mind in unintelligible words, but he speaks plainly and positively, “Ask, and ye shall receive.” Believe, O trembler, this sure truth — that prayer must and shall be heard, and that never, even in the secrets of eternity, has the Lord said unto any living soul, “Seek ye me in vain.”

 

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For To Us a Child is Born (RJS)




This time of year we can’t look at the book of Isaiah without considering the messianic prophecies in chapters 7 and 9.
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. 7:14-16
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.
…
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. 9:2, 6-7

We skip ahead a little in Ben Witherington III’s recent book Isaiah Old and New: Exegesis, Intertexutality, and Hermeneutics to consider these two passages. Matthew quotes the first, likely from a Greek version: All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). (Mt 1:22-23) There are a number of issues with this quote. First, it is likely that the Hebrew text of Isaiah referred to a young woman of child bearing age, not explicitly to a virgin, although the Septuagint does make the reference to a virgin. There is also ambiguity in the phrase “and will call him Immanuel.” The term Immanuel is not always a proper name, it can just be a reference or a throne name “God with us.” The word is used in a slightly different context in 8:8 and 8:10. Finally, it is fairly clear in context that Isaiah had in mind a contemporary (perhaps Hezekiah, Ahaz’s son) rather than a future messiah. Hezekiah was, after all, a righteous king.
So was Matthew wrong? Ben Witherington has a rather different take on the question:

Surely, Isaiah did not have a full understanding of how these prophecies would later, and legitimately, be used by Christians. A prophet, in a poetic oracle, can say more than he realizes and it be part of the original meaning of the text, even though the prophet may not have realized the full significance of what he said.
Why, did Matthew turn to a text like Isaiah 7:14 LXX to explain the special and miraculous nature of Jesus’s origins since we have no evidence that prior or even later Jewish interpretation of this text thought it referred to a virginal conception? (p. 79)

While Isaiah was probably not referring to a miraculous conception in this sign for Ahaz, Matthew certainly was. Ben continues:

Here I think we have clear evidence that it is an event in the life of Mary that prompted a searching of the Scriptures to see if such a thing was presaged in the sacred texts. Put another way, since Isaiah 7:14 in the Hebrew or even in the LXX does not necessarily imply a miraculous conception, it must have been the miraculous conception in the life of Mary that prompted the rereading of the OT text in this way. In other words, this is not an example of a fictional story about Mary generated by a previous prophecy about a miracle. To the contrary, it is a reinterpretation of a multivalent prophecy in light of what actually happened to Mary. (p. 79)

Turning to the other passage quoted above, Isaiah 9:6-7 is not much cited in the New Testament, but it clearly played an important role in the understanding of the early church. While Matthew doesn’t quote these passages he does portray Jesus applying the opening of the oracle to himself at the beginning of his ministry (Mt. 4:13-16). John prepared the way of the Lord, but Jesus is the light, the Lord.

Again, Isaiah was likely referring to contemporary events, quite likely to Hezekiah, but he was also pointing beyond Hezekiah (who was after all a righteous king, but not a perfect king, and most definitely mortal). The vision is of an eschatological ruler who will do away with oppression and warfare. He is not a movie hero who shows up to save the day, but a vulnerable child who grows into the role. It is clear, Ben argues, that this is no ordinary human ruler even if Hezekiah is a foretaste, “the actual fulfillment of the promise comes in a later divinely appointed and divinely endowed ruler.” (p. 96) It is this ruler for whom the throne names Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace will ring true.

These titles are not mere rhetorical hyperbole if they refer to the future final eschatological king of Davidic ancestry. He will be the king of all kings, and the king to end all kings bringing the kingdom that will supplant all merely earthly kingdoms. (p. 97)

The hyperbolic language is a clue that this is not simply or only a prophecy about Hezekiah, even in Isaiah’s understanding. Isaiah knew that no human king would live up to the language. Isaiah “left the door open quite deliberately to look for eschatological fulfillment later.” (p. 100) Ben quotes J. J. M. Roberts from his commentary First Isaiah:

One cannot object that the Christian claims for Jesus grew out of a misconstrual of the original meaning of such prophetic oracles, because such an objection represents a serious misapprehension of the relationship between prophecy and Christian faith. A misreading of Old Testament prophecy did not lead the early disciples to belief in Jesus; rather it was the encounter with Jesus, with his life, his teachings, his death, and his resurrection that led them to read the Old Testament prophecies in a new way. (p. 100)

The oracles of Isaiah spoke in their own day with multiple layers of meaning, many of them likely intended and anticipated by Isaiah (e.g. 9:6-7) but others less so (e.g. Isaiah 7:14-16). The church rightly understood these passages afresh in the light of Mary’s experience and of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

 

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Honor the LORD with your wealth Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. Proverbs 3:9,10 NIV __________________ And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest. Deuteronomy 14:29 KJV __________________ Bring the full tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house; and thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil; and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts. Malachi 3:10-12 RSV __________________ The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Galatians 6:6-8 NASB __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“The unsearchable riches of Christ.”

Ephesians 3:8

My Master has riches beyond the count of arithmetic, the measurement of reason, the dream of imagination, or the eloquence of words. They are unsearchable! You may look, and study, and weigh, but Jesus is a greater Savior than you think him to be when your thoughts are at the greatest. My Lord is more ready to pardon than you to sin, more able to forgive than you to transgress. My Master is more willing to supply your wants than you are to confess them. Never tolerate low thoughts of my Lord Jesus.

When you put the crown on his head, you will only crown him with silver when he deserves gold. My Master has riches of happiness to bestow upon you now. He can make you to lie down in green pastures, and lead you beside still waters. There is no music like the music of his pipe, when he is the Shepherd and you are the sheep, and you lie down at his feet. There is no love like his, neither earth nor heaven can match it. To know Christ and to be found in him — oh! this is life, this is joy, this is marrow and fatness, wine on the lees well refined.

My Master does not treat his servants churlishly; he gives to them as a king giveth to a king; he gives them two heavens — a heaven below in serving him here, and a heaven above in delighting in him for ever. His unsearchable riches will be best known in eternity. He will give you on the way to heaven all you need; your place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks, your bread shall be given you, and your waters shall be sure; but it is there, there, where you shall hear the song of them that triumph, the shout of them that feast, and shall have a face-to-face view of the glorious and beloved One. The unsearchable riches of Christ! This is the tune for the minstrels of earth, and the song for the harpers of heaven. Lord, teach us more and more of Jesus, and we will tell out the good news to others.

 

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The Genealogies of Christmas



As a boy, if it was my turn to do the Bible reading in devotions, I dreaded the “son of” sections. There were names I did not know that are challenging to sound out for anyone, but given my difficulty pronouncing vowels, a constant embarrassment, the reading was hard. This is not, perhaps, the most serious childhood problem, but it was not fun, at all.

All evils produce goods, given the deep beauty of God’s cosmos, and one good that came of my difficulty reading all those “son of” passages was being forced to think about them. I could not breeze along, as I did with most reading, so I had to stop, think about it, and consider what it all meant.
Jesus was born of a family that stretched into antiquity. Obviously this is true for all of us: nobody is born without ancestry. We forget this at times, since we tend to think about ourselves, easy enough to forget that we exist only because of those who came before us.
When we ignore the past, we ignore what created us.
When we ignore the past, we are ignorant of what made us.

So sometimes we must pause and consider our genealogy. This matters. My family chose to come to Jamestown in the early colonial period, leaving England for America. Unlike some Reynolds folk, we chose to keep moving and eschew slaves and tobacco. We kept moving until we reached western Virginia. There we stayed and the lesson of those choices has helped me all my life. My ancestors chose righteousness over the world, the flesh, and devils. I have not done so well as they did, but the voice of those men and women kept rising up and rebuking wrong choices and bringing me back to a better way. The household ancestors, the genealogy that created me, also educates me. One of the great evils of slavery and modernity is that the enslaved and the moderns are cut off from other generations.


Being connected is better. . .

Such deep roots taught me some simple truths. We are the product of a genealogy that makes all of us siblings. Jesus is related to everyone! There is more as Jesus is also Jewish: the product of generations of God’s education of the Chosen People. We have basic humanity in common, but diversity in the particulars of how God deals with our folk. This glorious diversity in commonality is what the world desperately needs.

A genealogy reminds us of the obvious: the young will soon be the old. I recall defending what I now defend when BBS atheists (now Internet atheists!) would dismiss me as old and out of touch. I would reply: “I am 27.” They would fall silent. Now I am 56 and so old, therefore my opinions have caught up with my age. So?
The young man becomes the old man. Truth does not age. Indeed, there is a genealogy of truth: David to Joseph to Jesus. I aspire to be in such a royal line: my Papaw loved truth, my dad loves truth, may I love truth!

Best of all is this reality: if we are adopted, becoming the brothers and sisters of Jesus, then His genealogy is our genealogy! We are sons of Adam, King David, and God.
That is good news indeed, good enough that all the hard names are worth while.

 

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He who is generous will be blessed "And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward." Matthew 10:42 NIV __________________ Is this not the fast that I have chosen? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy reward. Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day: And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. Isaiah 58:7-11 KJV __________________ He who is generous will be blessed, For he gives some of his food to the poor. Proverbs 22:9 NASB __________________ He who augments his wealth by interest and increase gathers it for him who is kind to the poor. He who gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse. Proverbs 28:8,27 RSV __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.”

Ephesians 3:17

Beyond measure it is desirable that we, as believers, should have the person of Jesus constantly before us, to inflame our love towards him, and to increase our knowledge of him. I would to God that my readers were all entered as diligent scholars in Jesus’ college, students of Corpus Christi, or the body of Christ, resolved to attain unto a good degree in the learning of the cross.

But to have Jesus ever near, the heart must be full of him, welling up with his love, even to overrunning; hence the apostle prays “that Christ may dwell in your hearts.” See how near he would have Jesus to be! You cannot get a subject closer to you than to have it in the heart itself. “That he may dwell”; not that he may call upon you sometimes, as a casual visitor enters into a house and tarries for a night, but that he may dwell; that Jesus may become the Lord and Tenant of your inmost being, never more to go out.

Observe the words—that he may dwell in your heart, that best room of the house of manhood; not in your thoughts alone, but in your affections; not merely in the mind's meditations, but in the heart's emotions. We should pant after love to Christ of a most abiding character, not a love that flames up and then dies out into the darkness of a few embers, but a constant flame, fed by sacred fuel, like the fire upon the altar which never went out.

This cannot be accomplished except by faith. Faith must be strong, or love will not be fervent; the root of the flower must be healthy, or we cannot expect the bloom to be sweet. Faith is the lily's root, and love is the lily's bloom. Now, reader, Jesus cannot be in your heart's love except you have a firm hold of him by your heart's faith; and, therefore, pray that you may always trust Christ in order that you may always love him. If love be cold, be sure that faith is drooping.

 

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Christmas Eve Or Christmas Day Bible Verses



There are some Bible verses that clearly stand out around Christmas time, but a few are often excluded, so here are some of the most widely used Bible verses for Christmas with our wishes for you and yours to have a Merry Christmas.

Matthew 1:18-25
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 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.

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
Baby Jesus by Gerard Van Honthorst, 1622.
(which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.”

Isaiah 9:6
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Micah 5:2
“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”

Luke 2:11-12
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

Isaiah 7:14
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Luke 1:43
“And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? “

Matthew 1:23
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).”
Adoration of the Magi by Giotto Scrovegni 1301.Galatians 4:4-5
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”
Matthew 2:2


“Saying, Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

Luke 2:8
“And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.”

Isaiah 53:1-2
“Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground.”

Luke 2:14
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Isaiah 11:1
“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.”

Luke 1:46-47
“And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

John 1:14
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Luke 2:15-16
“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.”

Conclusion
Merry Christmas to you and yours from Christian Crier and it is our prayer that God richly blesses you in the coming New Year. If you liked these Christmas Bible verses, please feel free to share them with someone else, so why not share them right now? If you have a favorite Christmas Bible verse that we excluded, please add it here by commenting.

 

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Come, you who are blessed by my Father "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Matthew 25:34-36; 40 NIV __________________ But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. Luke 14:13,14 KJV __________________ And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings. Luke 16:9 NASB __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“If fire break out, and catch in thorns, so that the stacks of corn, or the standing corn, or the field, be consumed therewith; he that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.”

Exodus 22:6

But what restitution can he make who casts abroad the fire-brands of error, or the coals of lasciviousness, and sets men's souls on a blaze with the fire of hell? The guilt is beyond estimate, and the result is irretrievable. If such an offender be forgiven, what grief it will cause him in the retrospect, since he cannot undo the mischief which he has done!

An ill example may kindle a flame which years of amended character cannot quench. To burn the food of man is bad enough, but how much worse to destroy the soul! It may be useful to us to reflect how far we may have been guilty in the past, and to inquire whether, even in the present, there may not be evil in us which has a tendency to bring damage to the souls of our relatives, friends, or neighbors.

The fire of strife is a terrible evil when it breaks out in a Christian church. Where converts were multiplied, and God was glorified, jealousy and envy do the devil's work most effectually. Where the golden grain was being housed, to reward the toil of the great Boaz, the fire of enmity comes in and leaves little else but smoke and a heap of blackness. Woe unto those by whom offences come. May they never come through us, for although we cannot make restitution, we shall certainly be the chief sufferers if we are the chief offenders.

Those who feed the fire deserve just censure, but he who first kindles it is most to blame. Discord usually takes first hold upon the thorns; it is nurtured among the hypocrites and base professors in the church, and away it goes among the righteous, blown by the winds of hell, and no one knows where it may end. O thou Lord and giver of peace, make us peacemakers, and never let us aid and abet the men of strife, or even unintentionally cause the least division among thy people.

 

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Have a Blessed Christmas everyone.

 

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Be kind and merciful Be kind to one another... A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself. Proverbs 11:17 NIV __________________ Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7 KJV __________________ If he is a poor man, you shall not sleep with his pledge. When the sun goes down you shall surely return the pledge to him, that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you; and it will be righteousness for you before the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 24:12,13 NASB __________________ With the merciful, thou wilt show thyself merciful. Psalm 18:25 KJV __________________ Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:3-6 KJV __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.”

Acts 8:37

These words may answer your scruples, devout reader, concerning the ordinances. Perhaps you say, “I should be afraid to be baptized; it is such a solemn thing to avow myself to be dead with Christ, and buried with him. I should not feel at liberty to come to the Master's table; I should be afraid of eating and drinking damnation unto myself, not discerning the Lord's body.” Ah! poor trembler, Jesus has given you liberty, be not afraid.

If a stranger came to your house, he would stand at the door, or wait in the hall; he would not dream of intruding unbidden into your parlor — he is not at home: but your child makes himself very free about the house; and so is it with the child of God. A stranger may not intrude where a child may venture. When the Holy Ghost has given you to feel the spirit of adoption, you may come to Christian ordinances without fear.

The same rule holds good of the Christian's inward privileges. You think, poor seeker, that you are not allowed to rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory; if you are permitted to get inside Christ's door, or sit at the bottom of his table, you will be well content. Ah! but you shall not have less privileges than the very greatest. God makes no difference in his love to his children. A child is a child to him; he will not make him a hired servant; but he shall feast upon the fatted calf, and shall have the music and the dancing as much as if he had never gone astray.

When Jesus comes into the heart, he issues a general license to be glad in the Lord. No chains are worn in the court of King Jesus. Our admission into full privileges may be gradual, but it is sure. Perhaps our reader is saying, “I wish I could enjoy the promises, and walk at liberty in my Lord's commands.” “If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.” Loose the chains of thy neck, O captive daughter, for Jesus makes thee free.

 

[beensetfree]

5 Things About The Grace of God



We are saved by the grace of God, but what are different facets of God’s grace?
God’s Seeking Grace
Jesus said that God seeks those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), but no one can even come to Christ unless the Father first draws them (John 6:44), so the first thing about grace is, God draws us to Himself by His Spirit, and His Spirit reveals Who Jesus is and why we need Him. We weren’t saved because of anything we did or because we were special. When God called Abram (Later, named Abraham), there is no evidence that Abraham was seeking after God. Rather, it came suddenly. It says “Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you” (Gen 12:1).

Abraham wasn’t expecting it or seeking God at all. It was the other way around. Then there is Paul’s conversion on the Damascus Road. Saul, who was later named Paul, was not seeking God at all. In fact, he was seeking to destroy the people of God (Acts 9), so God made the first move. The Apostle John wrote, “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19), so God made the first move. Just a quick reading of Ephesians 1 should convince you that it is God’s seeking grace that found us and brought us to Christ. I was lost but then I was found. I never found God because He was never lost. He sought me and caught me and them bought me by the precious blood of the Lamb of God.

God’s Saving Grace
Obviously, the Bible teaches that it is “by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9), and “since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1). It is only through Jesus Christ that “we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Rom5:2). Prior to this, we were dead in our sins (Eph 2:1-5), but when we heard the gospel, we found that “it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom 1:16b), however we can’t argue with the fact that “the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor 1:18). That power in the gospel brings us to God’s saving grace.

God’s Securing Grace
Next is God’s securing grace, which Jesus speaks of in John 5:24, telling the disciples that “whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life,” and speaking of death, even that cannot separate us from God. In fact, nothing or no one can do that (Rom 8:38-39). Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this” (John 11:25-26)?

I pray you do. Jesus promised that “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:38), and that “whoever believes has eternal life” (John 6:47). One of the greatest testimonies of God’s securing grace is Jesus saying, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29). Think anyone can snatch us from God’s hand? Not sure? One thing I’m sure of is “that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6).

God’s Satisfying Grace
God’s grace is satisfying, perhaps in part because we know we’re secure in Him (John 10:28-29; Rom 8), but there is another touch of grace found in Psalm 4:7 where David wrote, “You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.” David also writes, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11). David had confidence in knowing that “goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Psalm 23:6). After his days on earth, David knew he would “dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” How satisfying is that!? Very, I would say.

Our Sharing Grace
Finally we see that we are to share God’s grace. The Apostle Paul had no choice but to preach. He was compelled by God to do so, and said that “necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Cor 9:16b). When warned about mentioning Jesus’ name in public, the disciples told the Jewish religious leaders, “we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). That should be us! We should not be able to keep our mouth shut! It’s greater than a cure for cancer; it’s the double-quick cure for eternal death. How can we ever be silent about such good news…the best of news! Paul said, “I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish” to preach the gospel (Rom 1:14). Jeremiah was no better at containing Word of God than the disciples were. Jeremiah wrote, “If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot” (Jer 20:9). Does that describe you? Does it feel like a fire you cannot contain, or has the fire burn low into embers?

Conclusion
Sometimes, grace is abused or taken for granted, but that’s not going to turn out well, at least in the long run. God will chasten us because He loves us, “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives” (Heb 12:6), so “It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline” (Heb 12:8), but we must share the good news about God’s grace. Tell them about God’s seeking grace; about God’s saving grace; about God’s securing grace; about God’s satisfying grace; and about sharing grace. Jesus said the gospel includes repentance and faith (Mark 1:14-15); that He is the one and only way (John 6:44, 14:6; Acts 4:12), and that God loved the world enough that whoever believes in the Son of God will not perish but receive eternal life (John 3:16). God’s grace is totally free (Eph 2:8-9), and yet it is the most priceless thing there is. That’s why grace is so amazing.

 

[beensetfree]

Whoever heeds correction is honored. He that saith unto the wicked, Thou are righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him: But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them. Proverbs 24:24,25 KJV __________________ He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored. Proverbs 13:18 NIV __________________ He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor than he who has a flattering tongue. Proverbs 28:23 NIV __________________ He whose ear listens to the life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. He who neglects discipline despises himself, But he who listens to reproof acquires understanding. Proverbs 15:31,32 NASB __________________ Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear. Proverbs 25:12 RSV __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

[beensetfree]

“Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.”

Psalm 31:5

These words have been frequently used by holy men in their hour of departure. We may profitably consider them this evening. The object of the faithful man's solicitude in life and death is not his body or his estate, but his spirit; this is his choice treasure—if this be safe, all is well. What is this mortal state compared with the soul? The believer commits his soul to the hand of his God; it came from him, it is his own, he has aforetime sustained it, he is able to keep it, and it is most fit that he should receive it.

All things are safe in Jehovah's hands; what we entrust to the Lord will be secure, both now and in that day of days towards which we are hastening. It is peaceful living, and glorious dying, to repose in the care of heaven. At all times we should commit our all to Jesus’ faithful hand; then, though life may hang on a thread, and adversities may multiply as the sands of the sea, our soul shall dwell at ease, and delight itself in quiet resting places.

“Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.” Redemption is a solid basis for confidence. David had not known Calvary as we have done, but temporal redemption cheered him; and shall not eternal redemption yet more sweetly console us? Past deliverances are strong pleas for present assistance. What the Lord has done he will do again, for he changes not. He is faithful to his promises, and gracious to his saints; he will not turn away from his people.

“Though thou slay me I will trust,
Praise thee even from the dust,
Prove, and tell it as I prove,
Thine unutterable love.
Thou mayst chasten and correct,
But thou never canst neglect;
Since the ransom price is paid,
On thy love my hope is stay'd.”

 

[beensetfree]

5 Lessons About Jesus Sending Out The Seventy-Two



How does Jesus’ sending out the 72 apply to Christians today? Are there lessons we can gain from their experience and Jesus’ instructions?
Two by Two
I remember one old preacher telling the church that they either evangelize or fossilize. They had no outreach. They had no mission’s board. In fact, they expected the pastor to do all the evangelizing, sending him out instead of going out themselves, but he’s not supposed to do it alone. It says that “the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go” (Luke 10:1). To see exactly what we can learn from Jesus’ sending out the 72 to preach the gospel and the practical application for believers today, we’ll go verse by verse, so first of all, in verse one, Jesus sends them out “two by two,” not one by one.

Perhaps it’s best that one person witness while the other prays, plus there are two as a witness, and it’s safer with two than with one. The Bible also speaks that two are better than one (Eccl 4:9), and that by two witnesses, a thing is established (2 Cor 13:1; Deut 19:15). What I find interesting is Jesus sends these men out to go ahead of Him to places that He will later go. The point is, Jesus is responsible for what happens after the gospel has been proclaimed because God gives the increase (1 Cor 3:6), not us.

Pray for Laborers
Chip Ingram (Living on the Edge Ministries) once said that only 1 in 10 is an active witness for Christ, and had lead at least one person to faith in Christ. That means 9 out of 10 believers don’t’ share their faith actively. Apparently, that was a problem in Jesus’ day too because “he said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest’” (Luke 10:2).

Most of the time, believers don’t witness because of the fear of man over the fear God, but by our silence, we can actually deny Christ by refusing to share the gospel. We are sometimes more concerned about our being rejected or ridiculed than we are about the eternal state of the person’s soul. Jesus says the solution is to pray for more laborers, but also to enter into the labor, because the harvest is so huge and the laborers are so few. It can be discouraging.

Trust in God
Next, Jesus tells the seventy-two to “Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves” (Luke 10:3). He wants them to learn to trust God, even though He is sending them in harm’s way. Jesus wants them to be dependent upon God for their safety and provision, and so He tells them, “Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road” (Heb 10:4). The seventy-two must not only be aware that they’re going into enemy territory (Satan’s world), but they must trust God with providing for their needs and not be depending upon their own resources. We also note that Jesus told them to not get engaged in conversations along the way because they’re on a mission…a great commission from Jesus Himself and He didn’t want them to get distracted.

Acceptance
Jesus tells them that “Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’” (Luke 10:5), and then “remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house” (Luke 10:7). They are then to say, “Peace be to this house.” By Jesus saying, “if a son of peace is there,” it may mean that there is someone who is open to the gospel, and if so, that would be the best place to stay, because “the laborer deserves his wages” (Luke 10:7).

Rejection
In Luke 10:10-12, Jesus tells them that “whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.” Why would it be more tolerable for Sodom than for those who reject Jesus Christ? It’s because we have more light today. More people have heard the gospel than ever before, but the Jews had heard and seen Jesus and seen His miracles, so they had no excuse.

Sodom never had that great of a witness. Many have heard the gospel explained and know what’s required and yet still reject it, over and over again. They are more accountable for their rejection of Christ because Jesus was not able to preach in Sodom, but almost everyone on earth has at least heard of His name today. Besides, mankind is without excuse, because in his heart, he knows that God exists. They simply suppress this knowledge (Rom 1:18-20).

Conclusion
Jesus is still sending out men and women today. He often does so two by two, but He knows the laborers are still few that we need to continue to pray for more laborers. And then we need to take the gospel into the whole world (or at least next door), knowing that some will reject it, but some will accept it. One thing we must recognize is that God is the true evangelist (John 6:44). God alone saves, and He only saves only through Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12), so salvation cannot be earned (Eph 2:8-9), but we must also recognize the fact that God gives the increase to the church. I believe that takes the pressure off of our witnessing. We are not responsible for saving anyone; we are responsible for telling everyone. It’s not their response to our ability; it is their response to His ability, even though it’s our responsibility to tell them.

 

[beensetfree]

Love your enemies and do good But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Matthew 5:44,45 NIV __________________ Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee. Proverbs 20:22 KJV __________________ But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven... Luke 6:35-37 RSV __________________ For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. Matthew 6:14 NASB __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.