Second, it involved her affection, for she treasured these things in her heart. Grosart. Music: Mendelssohn, Felix in his cantata Festgesang an die Kunstler, 1840. 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. Nevertheless, each of them fails at the most important point the great fact that salvation in the biblical sense is by God alone and tries to encourage the age-old desire of man to save himself, which is impossible. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. Music: Adeste Fideles, attributed variously to John Wade, John Reading or Simao Portogallo. Our gift to our children will be teaching them Who Jesus is and what Christmas is all about. On the other hand, if man cannot save himself spiritually if he is headed for an eternity without God and is unable to reverse his condition then Jesus Christ had to come. Now when you acknowledge a person's true worth or express a proper opinion of him, you may be said to be glorifying him. "Hark! The first message is a message of the faithfulness of God. 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. Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 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. 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. You can sharpen up your affections; indeed, you must, for it is a terrible thing to have your love for the One who is the Lord of love grow cold. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Psalms 118:24 - This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. pages 24-25. As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. Do you know that you have fallen short of God's standards and that nothing within you will ever be able to move up to the fulfilling of them? 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? Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. She would have wondered how she could have conceived without having slept with a man. He came to earth and became a man but kept fully the divine nature in Himself. For we quickly come upon the Lord Jesus Christ's great invitation recorded in Matthew 11:28-30: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. So he was told, "you are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). And the promise of the angel "for He will save His people from their sins" are the greatest words of the entire Christmas story. The other kind of amazement is a holy wonder in response to those acts of God which are beyond human comprehension. Be patient! We can estimate when Jesus was born by counting backward from his death on Passover, Nisan 14 in the spring of the year 33 C.E. Perhaps you are one who longs for the Lord's return. And the herald proclaimed aloud, You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. You shall not do any ordinary work. And the shepherds would not have come to the manger in the little town of Bethlehem if the angels had not conveyed their message. Had God forgotten His people? Christ was born to save! For praising God is essentially an act of glorifying God with the whole being and, in this, music quite naturally takes a part. Because it came from God and was centered in the birth of the Savior. So they have changed the line to read "Let us find that promised rest.". 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. On December 25th people the world over will celebrate the birth of Lord Jesus Christ. Here are five great appearances of angels. It is the message of Christmas. Looking at the verse closely, we find that it uses the word "rest" twice. 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. It is not this way with joy. Behold, a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. Bible verses related to Celebrating Birthdays from the King James Version (KJV) by Relevance. I know, of course, that Jesus was probably not born on December 25 at least there is no real evidence that He was. These words mean "a right opinion," "a wrong opinion," and "a contradictory opinion" respectively. Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man in his incarnation. Let the wonder of that first Christmas fill your life todayand every day. It is one of the great words of the Greek language. Is there such a verse? V For you see, Joseph was in a difficult position. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. 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: For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. F So, the best way to celebrate Christmas is to believe on Jesus as your Savior. The professor replied that he thought he had. His works were first collected in one volume in 1858, by William Barclay Turnbull. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The Truth! And then this is what is so wonderful Joseph believed him. Trust Him! Easter Easter is another holiday that is celebrated by Christians. Wesley was praying for the second of these rests, the peace of God that Paul was writing about to the Philippians. God did not forget! Did they have joy? When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found . And God will grant your requests." He would say that He was the truth for a world that was dreadfully confused. 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 J Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? Luke 1:35 ESV / 25 helpful votesHelpfulNot Helpful. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Now it is true that this new line is less likely to be misinterpreted. (Philadelphia: Evangelical Foundation), 1961, pages 12-13. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well. No, He has not forgotten you. 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 It is a temporary fascination with something unusual. It also teaches us of God's power, for an incarnation is beyond our ability even to conceive, let alone to bring into being. Then glorify and praise God for what you know. God gave Israel many celebrations in the Old Covenant such as the Feast of Booths, year of Jubilee, etc. Z. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. And they kept the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so the people of Israel did. They had no thought about spiritual things at least we are not told that they did and they certainly didn't expect the miracle. Nevertheless, this is the day that most people, Christians and non-Christians alike, observe as His birthday, and if we are to mark it at all, this seems to be the only realistic time to do it. What is the solution? To ignore them is unimaginable. The words of the angel to Joseph confirmed Joseph's authority and responsibility in the naming of Mary's child. One verse, which is often quoted by Christians who argue against celebrating Christmas, is Luke chapter 2, verse 34. Cite this page: Editor: Stephen Smith. So, you see, if Christmas means anything, it at least means this that God has not forgotten His people. Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? B What Does the Bible Say About Celebration? 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)? Why? Christmas time is a few days away. Jesus was born to be our Savior as the carol says: Christ was born to save! 5 Bible Verses That Celebrate the Birth of Jesus Health, Inspiration How often have we heard the phrase, "Christ is the reason for the season." To help remind us of why we celebrate Christmas, here are five key Bible verses that celebrate the birth of Jesus. Labs Moreover, the Bible teaches that if you will believe that that is, if you will believe that you are not at peace with God naturally but that He has made peace through the death of His Son for your sin - then God will enter into the kind of eternal relationship with you in which you can be called His son or daughter. Now this is what the shepherds did. First, you need to learn about Jesus. (Luke 18:13). I 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" . Keiper, Ralph L. op. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. This is connected with amazement, but it also goes beyond amazement as an attempt to understand it or figure it out. The second message brought by the angels concerning the birth of Christ is the message to Joseph. There would have been no need for His life, His death on the cross, or His resurrection. And they know that as a result of this faith, they are at peace with one another. Three sentences! O come, all ye faithful, May God give you grace to do that. 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. But what does the Bible specifically say about your day of birth? Answer: Your question is backward. But the angel appeared and explained to Joseph what was happening. The Scriptures say, "And let him who hears say, Come!" And David said to him, To whom do you belong? So everyone who knows of Christ and has become a Christian can tell others of Him. Not only did these men have something to tell, as we do, they also knew of a world that needed desperately to hear their message. While a lot of well-meaning, devoted, and sincere Christians celebrate Christmas, we need to think if this celebration does really glorify . 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. When the angels had departed, the shepherds decided to go to Bethlehem. 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. Let the people of Israel keep the Passover at its appointed time. 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. To do so is to worship God both by words and in song. If you know this joy, then you can go on, as the angels did, to give glory to God; and you can possess that peace of heart and soul which transcends understanding. It involves an effort to enter into the heart and counsels of God. But the writer of this epistle had a deeper insight into humanity. If man could save himself, then there would have been no need for Jesus Christ to be born. There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. In early fall. The Life! So the question is not "where did God say not to ." It is always the question "where did God say to ." See: Holiday Observances. Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. This article may be printed and distributed with this notice attached for personal use such as small groups and local Bible study groups. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. 'From whence,' he asks, 'come wars and fighting among you?' What we sow we shall reap." Q What Every Christian Should Know about the Protestant Reformation. "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling" Words: Charles Wesley, Hymns for Those That Seek and Those That Have Redemption in the Blood of Jesus Christ, 1747. 7. After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, Hallelujah! Here is a rest that is given and a rest that is found. P "Come unto me and I will give you rest." It is a time where they remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Greet also the church in their house. Ponder the great doctrines of the Christian faith doctrines of the incarnation, atonement, grace, sanctification, heaven, perseverance, and others so that you begin to grow strong in doctrine. Joyful and triumphant, The noun form of the word is doxa, which we have in our words "orthodox," "heterodox," and "paradox." One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. He would say that He was the way for a world that was lost. Will anyone argue that they were uneducated? "He was born like us as well as died like us. Finally, in chapter 1, verse 7, Paul indicates that the only solution to the problem lies in receiving peace from God: "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ." We are told of them that they "returned glorifying and praising God." The world won't let us miss the holiday. Continue by pondering these things. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. But in the message itself, as well as in the context, the emphasis is upon the fulfillment of prophecy and upon the underlying truth that God is faithful. G And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. Because of the gospel, Christians understand that the peace of God is only for those who acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. 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. Thus, the message to Joseph centers primarily on that great work which Jesus, the Messiah, was to do. If these four means of celebrating Christmas are new to you and if you are now desiring to put them into practice, I suggest that you begin not with the first verse, verse 17 of Luke 2, but with verses 18, 19, and 20. The appearance of Gabriel to Mary to announce the birth of Jesus. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. For, since Wesley had filled his mind with Scripture and since he used references to it extensively in his verses, it is likely that he was thinking of a verse of the Bible that speaks of two kinds of peace, two kinds of rest, and was saying that he wished to enter into the second as he had once entered into the first. One person who has been responsible for watering down the biblical meaning of the word "salvation" is Paul Tillich, the German-born American theologian. Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. Do you sometimes feel that God has forgotten you? Crashaw, Richard (1612?-1649). First, it involved her memory; for we are told that she treasured up all these things. So begin with amazement be amazed at the fact that you have not suffered the just punishment of your sin, that God has loved you, that Jesus came and died for you, that God called you to faith in Himself when you were yet without hope of salvation, and that you are now God's child and are secure in His love. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. He was born to die. How could they refuse to tell what they had seen? 6. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! May he grant you your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans! His father went down to the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, for so the young men used to do. And there, where they had first heard the angels' song, they themselves were heard to be singing God's praise. The appearance of an unnamed angel to Joseph to explain the virgin birth and to name the Child. So they left their flocks and came and found Jesus, precisely as the angels had indicated. Salvus means "healthy" or "whole." However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. Therefore encourage one another with these words. 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. You say, "How does this come about?" Together these verses teach that men are not naturally at peace with God but that God has acted to make peace through the Lord Jesus Christ. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Nothing destroys joy except sin. Does God Really Work All Things Together for Good? In the book of Philippians, Paul speaks of this peace when he says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? 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. So he told them this parable: What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And, of course, this is the sense in which we glorify God. That is the question. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. How could their tongues be silent when they had heard such music? Although there is no mention of Jesus specifically mentioning to celebrate Christmas, the Bible does say that he was born on December 25th. I bring you good news of great joy" (Luke 2:10). And it is this in which we are to imitate them. But the problem is that what God means by the phrase is not what men generally mean when they use it. This combination, when truly grasped, produces witnesses. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, This man receives sinners and eats with them. So he told them this parable: What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. Well, peace with one another results from having peace with God and with finding the peace of God personally. The third message is of the outcome, which is joy for man and glory for God. A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth. It is the kind of amazement we associate with special effects in a movie or with an Olympic gold medal winner. 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. 2023 BGEA But if the second type of peace is not something automatic that is, if you have to find it how do you find it? They are an important part of our lives, and our relationship with them should continue to grow every day. M Well, they had been out in the fields of Bethlehem in the middle of the night, watching over their sheep as they had for many hundreds of nights previously and as their fathers undoubtedly had before them. What is the genuinely Christian way to observe Christ's nativity? And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. The development of Christmas was a kind of affirmation of God's interest in the world and in human lifebirth as well as death." He added this. E "Peace, Perfect Peace" Words: Edward H. Bickersteth, Jr., 1875. 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. Publication date: Apr 30, 2023. However, by the late fourth century it was generally celebrated in churches. Suddenly the angels appear, first to Zechariah and then to Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds, and the word is out: God has not forgotten! Finally, when you have done these things and are truly qualified to speak, go back and tell others what you know. Can we doubt that the shepherds had something worth telling? I know that Christmas is a busy time. This is what theologians call, "Hypostatic union." It explains how God, the Son of God, took human nature but He remained God at the same time. Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Christ the Lord. Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 7 This basic approach to salvation has been picked up in an avalanche of books on pastoral counseling, Christian psychiatry, and the cure of souls. This can be a very trying experience. For there are many references to salvation as deliverance from disease (Matthew 9:21; Luke 6:19; 18:42; James 5:15), captivity (Philippians 1:13,19), or physical death (Mark 13:20; John 12:27; Hebrews 5:7). (Great Neck, NY: Doniger & Raughley, 1955). Blog, A The shepherds, wise men, and angels celebrated the birth of Jesus with gifts, songs, and prayer. Christmas is a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. 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. Like the message to Mary, this message also has four parts: Also, like the message to Mary, it has an important emphasis which, in this case, is the proclamation of joy. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. It is important because man's problems stem from the fact that in his natural state, he is not at peace with God. This is why carols are so much a rightful part of Christmas; for, when sung by those who understand them, they are a means of praise. There are two answers. In 1872 an edition in 2 volumes was printed for private subscription by A.B. It is recorded in Luke 1:26-38.
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