"Hark! Finally, our text suggests that we can celebrate Christmas by glorifying God and by praising Him. At this point our Bible text comes in, for it is a report of how those who witnessed the first Christmas observed it. Therefore encourage one another with these words. What Does the Bible Say About Celebrating Jesus Birthday? If we turn back to the earliest chapters of Genesis, we discover a description of the globe before God fashioned it into the kind of world we know now; and we are told that "the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." To me it is a farce! Of course they did! 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. When the angels had departed, the shepherds decided to go to Bethlehem. He then assured the professor that the reason why the Christmas message was an apparent farce to him was not God's fault. The time of fulfillment has come! Does God Really Work All Things Together for Good? 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. However, there is no evidence that Christmas was originally . Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. Gaebelein, Frank. Moreover, you can do it in song. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. On the ninth day of the month beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you keep your Sabbath.. Music: Antioch, arranged by Lowell Mason, 1836. Billy Graham: Would You Have Welcomed Jesus or Rejected Him? Can you do that? In chapter 2, verse 10, Paul writes of God's fairness in granting "glory, honor and peace, for everyone who does good.". December 26, 2015 Finally, by an obvious extension, glory meant a person's true "worth." There is the peace of God, which is personal. 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. How Should We Celebrate the Birth of Christ. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. You shall observe the Feast of Weeks, the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year's end. You can remember these events. He makes me lie down in green pastures. You shall keep the Feast of Harvest, of the firstfruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. Let Us Celebrate Jesus Christ's Death Not His Birth If man could save himself, then there would have been no need for Jesus Christ to be born. A concordance soon gives the answer. This is the perfect combination a knowledge of the Good News and men who need to hear it. 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. In other words, the best way to celebrate Christmas is by becoming a follower of Him whose birth we commemorate. 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. 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. 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. From beginning to end, God's dealings with our race are cause for amazement. But what does the Bible specifically say about your day of birth? He explained the full force of the original language which literally means "Glory to God in the highest and peace among men of peace." The exact date of Jesus' birth is not recorded in the Scriptures. Music: Adeste Fideles, attributed variously to John Wade, John Reading or Simao Portogallo. Have you seen those things? Q Will anyone argue that they were uneducated? And there is peace with one another. Both of these ideas are related to the idea of a mediator who brings irreconcilables together. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. Music: Pax Tecum, George T. Caldbeck and Charles J. Vincent, 1876. The Bible says, But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). "Peace, Perfect Peace" Words: Edward H. Bickersteth, Jr., 1875. Anyone can understand Christmas in just three sentences: I am a sinner. Praise the Lord! For if their story was not worth telling, then no story that has ever been told is worth telling and life has no joy or meaning. Notice that this verse does not say, "In everything present your requests to God. And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Verse 17 suggests that we are to tell others what we have seen and heard; but we can hardly do that effectively until we have first been amazed at Christ's birth, pondered its meaning, and glorified and praised God for it. Some even contain good emphases. On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother's womb you have been my God. There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. Labs 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. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to celebrate. If you have never done that, then this is a great season in which to believe on Him. Perhaps you are one who longs for the Lord's return. 5 Bible Verses That Celebrate the Birth of Jesus - Mamiverse Have you recognized yourself as a sinner? My family likes to read these together on Christmas Eve, right before we go to bed. 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. 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. Visit the Bible online to search for words if you dont know the specific passage yourre looking for. 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. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Though Dec. 25 is considered the birthday of Jesus by a large segment of Christendom, there is no evidence that . He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. How can this be? There are plenty of decorations to buy and parties to attend during this season but how should we really celebrate Christmas? What are we to say to such theories? J We need to think about each of these ways. This central event in history divided the calendar into BC (Before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini - "In the Year of Our Lord"). Or that they had not been endorsed by the temple authorities? After all, just because we celebrate our childrens birthdays doesnt mean we forget them or ignore them the rest of the year! And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand hima threefold cord is not quickly broken. Proud member Observe the month of Abib and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night. 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. 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). There are many reasons why Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. 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. In other words, what they had been told coincided with their own experience, and they could not resist speaking of such things. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 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. (Luke 18:13). Thus, the message to Joseph centers primarily on that great work which Jesus, the Messiah, was to do. As you pray that prayer, you will find that God has already been merciful in Jesus. Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! In fact, the opposite is the case. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. We only understand the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ by revelation. But now, assuming that you have believed on Him and that you are a Christian, what can you add to this in order to properly celebrate Christmas? Perhaps you have prayed for something and have not received an answer, at least not the answer you were waiting for. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Allow it to stretch your mind, and learn that there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamed of in any human philosophy. "Everything" leaves nothing out. He was to save His people. Had God forgotten His people? It is based upon what God has done, and it is given to the Christian by God and is sustained by God. This is why Jesus came. Sol Invictus was a pagan god who was believed to be the unconquered sun. Grosart. You want something but don't get it. 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. Unless our way of talking about salvation makes distinctions here, our interpretations inevitably fall short of the biblical conceptions. 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? The first message is a message of the faithfulness of God. What is more, in these verses, God promises to give us all victories for peace if we ask Him. His works were first collected in one volume in 1858, by William Barclay Turnbull. Bible Verses About Celebrating Birthdays - KING JAMES BIBLE ONLINE 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. (Revelation 22:17). Come to Him now! Would anyone want to say that these men were not authorized to spread such a message? "Joy to the World" Words: Isaac Watts, The Psalms of David, 1719. Christmas is always a special time for most everyone but especially followers of Jesus. 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. 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. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. "The Evangelical Dictionary of Theology" explains that the earliest Christians did not have a time when they regularly observed Christ's birth. What Does the Bible Say About Celebration? 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. "Come unto me and I will give you rest." Sing God's praises. 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 how? We are told of them that they "returned glorifying and praising God."

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