Category Archives: Christmas

Only A Fool Would Cancel Christmas

We live in a “feelings” day. I heard someone say something the other day that made so much sense. I never thought of it this way until I heard Tyler Zed, who has a program called Zeducation on Youtube, say this:

“Liberals and Progressives attack people, because they rely not on facts but on feelings. Conservatives attack ideologies or thoughts, not people, because they focus on what they believe are facts”.

You may not agree with that statement, but if you’ll honestly watch those who are Liberal and Progressive protest you’ll realize this is a true statement. People marching at a “No Kings” protest rally makes no sense. You can do it – this is America – but if there was a king over this country you wouldn’t be able to protest. Historically those who protested a monarch were executed, imprisoned, exiled, tortured, and lost their property. DID YOU EVER SEE BRAVEHEART? Then there are those who claim that our government is fascist. Those who protested fascist regimes like Nazi Germany were arrested and imprisoned, tortured and interrogated, executed or just “disappeared”, were placed in forced labor or concentration camps, and whole families were brutally disciplined. There is no way in which our country is like Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Francoist Spain (under Francisco Franco), or Imperial Japan.

Fascist regimes were much harsher in retaliation
than monarchs. Religious Fascist regimes were horrible.

When the national Church was Catholic, those who rejected Catholic teachings were considered threats to the state. This was indeed fascism. Those who were “Protestants” were considered heretics, and were executed, imprisoned, exiled, lost their property, and their worship attacked. Queen Mary I of England (called Bloody Mary) had around 300 Protestants burned at the stake just because they were Protestants. The Muslim Timur (Tamerlane) [14th Century] ruled Central Asia and the Middle East. He was responsible for killing hundreds of thousands during his reign.

Illustrate: You cannot live your life based on “feelings”. I got in my shower the other day, and nearly fell down. I had cleaned the shower with some “scrubbing bubbles” stuff, and the floor of the shower was slick. But I’ve learned to hold on to the hand rail when I get in the tub. I have hand rails all around my tub. My feelings tell me that I’m a man, and I don’t need handrails! But the facts are that gravity is real, and a real enemy if it has control or your body. That’s a fact. Period. If I fall in the shower at my age, there may be broken bones. Gravity real. Feelings poo!… Continue reading

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The Word Was Made Flesh And Dwelt Amongst Us

Every year we come to December 25th, a time and a celebration we call “Christmas”. We talk about the Wise Men who came from the east to see the Baby Jesus (Matthew 2:1-12). Or we turn to the Book of Luke, and read how Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem to have the Baby Jesus in a manger (Luke 2:1-7). We talk about the Shepherds watching their flocks by night (Luke 2:8-17) who were told by the angel of the Lord:

Luke 2:10-12 (KJV) .. Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this [shall be] a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

We celebrate Jesus and His birth at Christmas. But why is His birth so very important? There is a verse in the Gospel of John that is rarely mentioned at Christmas time. That verse is:
John 1:14 (KJV) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only Begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Who Is “The Word”?

The Bible tells us that “The Word” was in the beginning with God, and is, in fact, God. We read:

John 1:1-4 (KJV) In the beginning was THE WORD, and THE WORD was with God, and THE WORD was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men…. Continue reading

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And It Came To Pass: A Christmas Sermon

Luke 2:1-5 (KJV) And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

I Love Those Words, “It Came To Pass”

“it came to pass”. The greatest event in human history begins with these four words, “it came to pass”. That phrase “it came to pass” is in the Bible (the King James Version) 2,204 times in 457 verses of the Holy Scriptures.

“it came to pass” is found in front of the most horrific things in the Bible. Mankind, created in the image of God, has the ability to design and make fantastic things. We have creative power, and free will to do with it as we will. God gave us dominion over the planet, granting to us what He did not give the angels nor the animals. In a perfect environment we were given all things, and forbidden the one thing that could hurt us. Continue reading

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A Little Child Shall Save Them

Luke 2:1-7 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

In order to please God, we are told, we are to become like a little child. Jesus said:… Continue reading

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God’s Blessings Come Through Little Things

Luke 1:39-46 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; 40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. 41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: 42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. 46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord ..

I have a video from Homicide Detective J. Warner Wallace. He is a Senior Fellow at the Colson Center and an Adjunct Professor of Apologetics at the Talbot School of Theology. It’s only about three minutes – but it answers the question “Are there many ways to God?”

What makes Christianity unique is Christ Jesus Himself.

He was uniquely born into this world, unlike anyone who has ever been born. It was prophesied of God in the Old Testament that the Messiah or the Christ was going to come into this world uniquely through the Prophet Isaiah. Of all the Prophets of the Old Covenant, ALL heard the Voice of God but very few looked into Heaven. Ezekiel saw into Heaven, … Continue reading

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Wise Men Look For The True King

Matthew 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem

WHEN was Jesus born? When we celebrate the holiday we call “Christmas”, we are celebrating the unique birth of the Son of God. First off, we do not know exactly when Jesus Christ was born. The Christian History Institute notes:

“{Church Pastor} Hippolytus, writing around 200, set 25 December AD 8 as Christ’s birthday, but he mentioned no celebration. Early in the third century, {Pastors} Africanus and Evodius both gave 25 December {as His birthday}. Apparently the date {of December 25th} was already an old tradition … Around AD 350, {Roman Catholic} Pope Julius I declared December 25 the official date for Christmas.”

December 25th is a tradition the that most of the Church follows. I believe this is a good tradition. America needs more of Jesus, not less. When we celebrate Christmas as Christians, we are not celebrating the birth of Jesus as we might celebrate your birthday or my birthday.

What we are celebrating at Christ is called “The Incarnation”

The word “Incarnation” speaks to “when the Holy Son of God became Perfect Human”. Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, is like no other Man who has ever lived. The Apostles believed that Jesus was – prior to His birth – co-equal and co-eternal with the Godhead. The Scripture says:… Continue reading

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Behold Simeon (After Christmas Message)

Luke 2:25-26 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. (26) And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

Throughout the Scripture there are times when God gives us a STOP sign. He puts a “behold” (the Greek ἰδού idoú, [pronounced id-oo’]) in the text. When Joseph discovered Mary was with Child, he slept, and

Matthew 1:20 … behold (idoú) the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost…. Continue reading

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You Have Free Will (A Christmas Message)

Adam and Eve have both free will and the image of God. God told Adam that he was free to choose to eat of any tree in the Garden BUT the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17). Someone asked me once, “Why did Adam have ONE tree that he could not eat of? Why did God even put that tree there?” Again, this is a fair question.

Free will assumes a person has a choice.

If I went to the market to buy bread, but say, only one type of bread – white Wonder Bread – was the only bread available. If that’s all you can get, there is no free will. Free will means a choice. If you had a Garden where absolutely everything is edible, you have no opportunity to exercise your free will. Free will would just be a blank concept, but would never be practically expressed. God gave man free will, then gave humanity a choice. Choose to do your job, and never suffer. Choose to disobey God and do the forbidden, then choose death over life (Genesis 2:17).

You know the story. Adam chose to disobey God. When you disobey God you lose His blessing. God has free will too. Humanity could enjoy the Garden while they obeyed the Owner of the Garden. But once they chose to reject God’s directive, they lost God’s blessing. God said to Adam:

Genesis 2:17-19 … cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground…

Man was creation’s caregiver. Because Adam fell into sin, creation fell into sin. The ground previously brought forth only fruit bearing plants. Now the ground is cursed – thorns and thistles along with other weeds come up. Man never had to use his sweat glands…. Continue reading

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Mary said …

We have always lived in a world that has two views of God. The first view is the Subjective View of God. This is the most popular concept of God. In the Subjective View we believe that God exists for our benefit. This view creeps into the pulpits of many different Churches, even Baptist Churches. I have heard preachers say,

“God created Adam because God was lonely and needed a companion. After creating Adam, God saw that “it is not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18), so he made Adam a helper called Eve.”

What is foolish about this statement is that God has never been alone. In Genesis 1:26 God – the Hebrew Elohim – said “Let US make humanity in OUR image, after OUR likeness”. God has never been alone. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is complete in Himself. God created angels. He did not create out of a need for us. God created us for another reason, a reason the antichrists hate. God did not create us because He somehow had to do so or else He would suffer.

The Second View of God is the Objective View. In the Subjective View we say that God created us because He somehow needed us. In short, God exists because we exist. But the Objective View of God is that God created us because we need Him. We are incomplete without God. God made us in His image and in His likeness so that we could worship Him as God, and glorify Him for Who He is.

When we walk away from God we rip a hole in our very lives. We are made in the likeness, the image of God. We are not gods, but we were made to imitate and glorify Him.

Humans were created by Grace and Love flowing from God – but God does not need us to complete Himself. God lacks nothing. Our creation is an extension of God’s goodness…. Continue reading

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A Virgin Named Mary

“Behold, Thou Shalt Conceive In Thy Womb, And Bring Forth A Son”. Jesus will come into the world through Mary as a boy, a man. Mary would conceive Jesus totally apart from any man’s intervention. This will be a fulfillment of the first prophecy of the Messiah. God told Satan in the Garden of Eden:

Genesis 3:15 (NASB) And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.

A woman does not produce SEED, but the EGG that the man fertilizes. Yet God said that the Avenger that would one day come and destroy Satan – that Old Serpent (Revelation 12:9) will be the “Seed of the Woman”. Later on in Scripture the Prophet would tell us in:

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel…. Continue reading

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