It is clearly God's transformation and control of the emotions. Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! So the question is not "where did God say not to ." It is always the question "where did God say to ." See: Holiday Observances. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to celebrate. Malachi, who lived in the fifth century before Christ, was the last of the prophets. 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.. Shout to God with loud songs of joy! 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. And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Looking at the verse closely, we find that it uses the word "rest" twice. Systematic Theology. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. And when he had eaten, his spirit revived, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. He became a man in His incarnation. Now when you acknowledge a person's true worth or express a proper opinion of him, you may be said to be glorifying him. Celebrating Christmas can also take the form of pondering it, for Mary "treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2:19). I wonder if you have experienced joy at this season. TopicalBible When men seek to have their own way, it becomes a mighty farce. Because man is at odds with God, there cannot be peace on earth. The first message is a message of the faithfulness of God. I covet that kind of joy for you. I am convinced that this thought was uppermost in Luke's mind as he set about to write this opening section of his gospel. His birthday was celebrated on December 25th. It was lost, confused, dying. But how? 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 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. So he was told, "you are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). 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. 7. Jesus Christ is that Savior. For most people, the answer could be obvious. Christ was born to save! Trust Him! Keiper, Ralph L. Peace in Storm. Or, in other words, there is a peace with God that we receive freely at the moment of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and there is another peace that we are able to enter into increasingly as we learn to know and trust Him. Labs All rights reserved. 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). God is "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20). And "you will find rest for your souls." The smoke from her goes up forever and ever. And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, Amen. It also teaches us of God's power, for an incarnation is beyond our ability even to conceive, let alone to bring into being. I 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. "O Come, All Ye Faithful" Words: John F. Wade, circa 1743. Just as we celebrate our children's birthdays every year, I believe it's entirely appropriate for us to celebrate the birth of God's own Son, Jesus Christ, every year. 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). To the choirmaster. In other words, the best way to celebrate Christmas is by becoming a follower of Him whose birth we commemorate. But she could not have known that for sure. (Revelation 22:17). The verse quoted was translated from Latin to English by Frederick Oakeley, 1841. How can this be? What is the solution? Psalms 118:24 - This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. It implies a diving beneath the surface. For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life. Tillich, Paul. 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. But the circumstances were not good. Both of these ideas are related to the idea of a mediator who brings irreconcilables together. Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. We also can celebrate Christmas by being amazed at it "And all who heard it were amazed" (Luke 2:18). And you will be at peace with God in a way that you were not at peace formerly. So they have changed the line to read "Let us find that promised rest.". But over against this dying world was Jesus. 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" . However, by the late fourth century it was generally celebrated in churches. In fact, it . This is the first message that I would leave with you. O Celebrating it certainly does seem and feel like the right thing to do. 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. 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. Do you do that? God has not forgotten. Further light is shed upon these verses by the meaning of the words for peace in the original Greek and Latin. 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. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The time of fulfillment has come! This, of course, is monstrous. Blog, A 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. He loves you so much that He gave His life for your salvation. The exact date of Jesus' birth is not recorded in the Scriptures. Have you seen those things? 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. God told us everything needed for life and godliness ( II Peter 1:2-4 ). We need to think about each of these ways. What is more, in these verses, God promises to give us all victories for peace if we ask Him. Christmas is a very important holiday for Christians because it celebrates the birth of their savior. Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man in his incarnation. O come, all ye faithful, That is the Christmas story God became man! Of course, you can and you should! Colossians 2:16 Verse Concepts Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day Psalm 95:2 Verse Concepts The question is important because of the significance of the day and because so many obviously do not know how to celebrate it. And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it? And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. The first of these important appearances was to Mary. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 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. The Bible says, But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). King Solomon offered as a sacrifice 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. Anyone can understand Christmas in just three sentences: I am a sinner. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Contact me: openbibleinfo (at) gmail.com. The third type of peace is a peace with one another. It is a temporary fascination with something unusual. 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. Christians celebrate Christmas, or the birth of Jesus Christ, on December 25th. For you see, Joseph was in a difficult position. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. Later it came to mean only "a good opinion." Music: Antioch, arranged by Lowell Mason, 1836. Volume I, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1951), page 146. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. But the significance of it would have passed her by. And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. Be patient! The Life! 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. What we sow we shall reap." The angel said, "Do not be afraid. Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants. Once more they cried out, Hallelujah! In early fall. 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. You can remember the moment in which they became real for you personally. Glorify and praise God for what was done that first Christmas. What are they? Nothing destroys joy except sin. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 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. This holy amazement is closely melded to adoration. 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). Oh, it would have been quite a puzzle to Mary! On the ninth day of the month beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you keep your Sabbath.. B It is recorded in Luke 1:26-38. Had God forgotten His people? Though you have not seen him, you love him. Taken together, therefore, the Greek and Latin definitions imply, first, that peace is not primarily a state of mind or an individual virtue but rather a state existing between two or more persons. In Luke 2:8-20, it says: "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. Hopefully Christmas this year has been more than presents and parties for you, and youve taken time to focus on Jesus. Finally, there is the appearance of first one angel, than a multitude of angels to the shepherds as they were in the fields around Bethlehem. Well, peace with one another results from having peace with God and with finding the peace of God personally. In the New Covenant, he has given us the Lord's Supper and baptism. Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they know that as a result of this faith, they are at peace with one another. Crashaw wrote of this wonder: This is why the wonder of children seems so appropriate at Christmastime. 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 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. It was confused because it lacked revelation and, therefore, also an awareness of truth. 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? 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 yet this is what we often do with Jesus. "A Hymn to the Nativity." There are two kinds of amazement. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. First, it involved her memory; for we are told that she treasured up all these things. You say, "How does this come about?" The second message brought by the angels concerning the birth of Christ is the message to Joseph. We only understand the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ by revelation. To what did they return? We see His grace. Here then is the first lesson Luke teaches us on celebrating Christmas. And you will enter, perhaps for the first time, into the Christmas story. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. Jesus is coming! 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. 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. Ecclesiastes 7:1-4 ESV / 156 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. Spend some time at Christmas thinking over what you do know of God and trying to understand the ways of God more fully. Just as we celebrate our childrens birthdays every year, I believe its entirely appropriate for us to celebrate the birth of Gods own Son, Jesus Christ, every year. Publication date: Apr 30, 2023. If you have never done that, then this is a great season in which to believe on Him. Well, later in His life He would speak of Himself in terms that spoke to precisely the world's condition. But if that is true, why do we not see peace today? Geocoding 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. We find peace by praying. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Have you responded to His love by giving your life to Him? The third message is of the outcome, which is joy for man and glory for God. Have you confessed them to God and to others? 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. Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! - Sort By Book Order. 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. Systematic Theology Volume 2: Existence and the Christ. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! It is not just brooding or getting into a pious frame of mind. "Peace, Perfect Peace" Words: Edward H. Bickersteth, Jr., 1875. But not once in the Bible does God tell us to celebrate Christmas" (1). They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with . Permissions Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 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. He answered, "I have heard that message preached from the pulpit every Christmas since I was a little boy. Anybody who knows good news is authorized to tell it, particularly when it is news that will be the means of salvation of others. These celebrations are inadequate to say the least. His father went down to the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, for so the young men used to do. Do you do it? Why not join every year with the shepherds on that first Christmas, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen (Luke 2:20)? 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. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. Sol Invictus was a pagan god who was believed to be the unconquered sun. J S It is not this way with joy. A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth. 1. Let the people of Israel keep the Passover at its appointed time. That is the question. 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. Suddenly the angels appear, first to Zechariah and then to Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds, and the word is out: God has not forgotten! For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. 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. Why? 1. Clap your hands, all peoples! Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to celebrate. As a sinner I need a Savior. 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. James means that the lack of peace between men has its true source in men's emotions. On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother's womb you have been my God. Keiper asked what he meant. They must learn to love Him and to serve Him more and more. Can we doubt that the shepherds had something worth telling? And then this is what is so wonderful Joseph believed him. 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. If anyone would argue in this way, he should notice that the shepherds had the most important authorization of all possession of good news which had been revealed to them by God. 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. D Then take time each day to draw strength from His Word, the Bible, and to pray, and to have fellowship with other believers. Here is a rest that is given and a rest that is found. Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals Inc, 1716 Spruce St. Philadelphia, PA 19103 Now I am an old man, and I haven't any reason to believe that there is any truth in that text at all. Have you seen that truth in the story? 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 ). "Everything" leaves nothing out. But the writer of this epistle had a deeper insight into humanity. Will Graham Devotion: The Criminal on the Cross. And, of course, this is the sense in which we glorify God. Furthermore, do not think that you need to go back to church in order to do these things, but learn rather to do them wherever God sends you in your home, school, or business. It was lost because it lacked direction, primarily spiritual direction. Or that they had not been endorsed by the temple authorities? While a lot of well-meaning, devoted, and sincere Christians celebrate Christmas, we need to think if this celebration does really glorify . I am glad that the angel appeared to Joseph and not only to Mary. He explained the full force of the original language which literally means "Glory to God in the highest and peace among men of peace." 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. So do that. This is why Jesus came. Things seem to go as they have been going from the beginning, and you want something better. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. 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. For from him and through him and to him are all things. Christmas time is a few days away. Then, you can think about these things and allow God to teach you more about Himself. 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. Tillich developed his understanding of salvation from the meaning of the Latin word salvus, which underlies it. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 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. 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. He makes me lie down in green pastures. In these verses the angel first greets Mary, then gives this message: "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. But the problem is that what God means by the phrase is not what men generally mean when they use it.
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