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Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Why Good Things Happen to Bad People?


 It is often asked, "Why do bad things happen to good people?"

To try and answer that question today, I'm going to talk about "Why do Good things happen to bad people".

One of the strangest lawsuits in US court history was filed on September 14, 2007.

It was filed by Nebraska Senator Ernie Chambers.

First elected to represent North Omaha's 11th District in the Nebraska State Legislature in 1970, Chambers was successfully re-elected in every ensuing election through 2004.

On April 25, 2005, Chambers became Nebraska's longest-serving state senator, having served for more than 35 years.

He was seeking to stop evil and injustice in the world, and he actually filed a lawsuit against God. The lawsuit sought a permanent injunction against God's interference in this world.

Senator Chambers said of God, "He has allowed certain harmful activities to exist that have caused grave harm to innumerable people in the world."

The lawsuit charged God with causing fearsome floods, egregious earthquakes, horrendous hurricanes, tornadoes, plagues, famines, devastating droughts, genocidal wars, birth defects, and the like.

Chambers continued in the lawsuit, saying that God has allowed "calamitous catastrophes resulting in the wide-spread death, destruction, and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants including innocent babes, infants, children, the aged, and infirm without mercy or distinction."

Eventually the lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice.

I find it interesting, as well as amusing, that the Nebraska court ruled they could not properly notify God because they did not have his address.

Senator Chambers, on the other hand, disagreed with the ruling.

He claimed that because God is omniscient and knows everything, he should have known he was being sued and appeared in court to defend himself.

While we may ridicule Senator Chambers for his ill-reasoned accusations, and claims, we might want to recognize his honesty.

At this point you may be asking me "Why would I want to recognize his honesty"?

Well, you see, Chambers is not alone in seeking to put God on trial.  For centuries, people have put God on trial.

Whenever humanity is faced with the incongruities of life—that bad things happen to good people, or worse, that good things happen to bad people—God goes on trial.

I find myself doing the same thing sometimes when I watch all the senseless killing on the evening news. 

Or the devastation and deaths wreaked by natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, eathquakes and flooding.

To get some insight on this question, let's turn in our Bibles to Psalm 73.

This is where we meet Asaph.

Asaph is identified with twelve Psalms and is said to be an ancestor of the Asaphites.

The Asaphites were one of the guilds of musicians in the First Temple. This information is clarified in the Books of Chronicles.

In Chronicles, it is said that Asaph is identified as a member of the Levites.

He is also known as one of the three Levites commissioned by David to be in charge of the singing in the house of Yahweh.

In Psalms 73, God is on trial in this lament.

The psalmist functions more as the defense attorney than the prosecuting attorney.

Psalm 73 begins the third book of the Psalter, which is the collection of some of Israel's prized hymns, ballads, and congregational hymns.

As most of us know, not every psalm was composed by David. In fact, not all of the psalms, as we have them in our English Bibles, are recorded chronologically.

They are compiled in an instructive theological order: an order that is designed to shed light on the unpredictable path of life.

That's why the psalmist can say in Psalm 119, "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path."

There are five seperate books in the Psalms.  Book three is the smallest of the five, with 17 psalms.  This is where we find Psalm 73.

Much like Leviticus, the third book of the Pentateuch, this third book of the psalms focuses acutely on the holiness of God.

That Psalms 73 opens the third book is important for our application of the holiness of God to the ugly aspects of life.

When this Psalter opens, it does so as an invitation to consider the path of wisdom.

It stands as a road sign to contrast two paths of life: one is the way of wisdom, the other the way of wickedness.

It makes no assumptions as to which way you will choose; it only invites you to pick the path of wisdom.

One might think, that those who choose wisdom—that is, those who continue as students and practitioners of the wisdom, would have lives that bleed prosperity.

In real life,this definetly is not so.

Time and time again, Psalm 73 echoes forward to us that even those who live wisely face difficultys, up to and including premature death.

Biblical wisdom is no sure prevention from trouble, but it is a cure for heartache.

According to 1 Chronicles 23:2-5, the 38,000 Levites were divided by David into four divisions.

To the last division of 4,000 was assigned the musical side of worship. Out of this division, a select company of 288 singers was singled out and divided into 24 courses.

These were placed under different song leaders, and of these leaders, Asaph was the chief of sacred music, 1 Chron. 16:5.

Of all people, why would Asaph—the chief worship leader—write something so indicting, scathing, and envious as this psalm?

I'll tell you why. It is because the existential experiences of life can deceive your vision and disrupt your faith.

It is the same reason many people don't pray, don't read the Word of God, and don't trust in God.

It is because a misplaced perspective is our enemy's tool to keep us away from God.

This psalm argues that if you cannot see good in your future, then the problem is not with God, but with your vision.

This text raises the question of perspective: how do we view life when good things happen to bad people?

The text is tailored to teach us that the incongruities of life will destroy your faith unless you regularly enjoy God's presence.

When the incongruities of real life and right theology trespass on the domain of your theological comfort, don't look down, around, or within, but look up.

When the harsh realities of life disrupt your neat theological categories, get to the sanctuary.

It in the sanctuary, you realize that God really is good.

As the curtain rises on Psalm 73, its premise leaps forward.

Look at verse one, it says, "Surely God is good ... to those who are pure in heart."

In other words, God is nothing but good to his covenant people.

Asaph came to realize that in spite of the incongruities of life which is described in verses 3-14, God still, is good.

Though the truth is that God is good, life has real circumstances that force doubt upon us.

When I was growing up, my parents taught us a prayer of thanksgiving that we said before every meal which started out, "God is great, God" is Good, let us thank Him for our food...".

Yet, I don't always see life match up to that proclamation.

As you read this psalm, you can feel the tension in Asaph's lament.

The good news I have for you is that the Christian has the privilege of addressing the perceived contradictions to God.

Scholars tell us that the grammatical construction of verse two intentionally disjoins the thought that "God is good".

There is a clean break at verse two. In it, Asaph sets in contrast his own thoughts and experience against verse one.

In verse two he says, "But as for me".  This is intended to suggest that his experience contradicts the declaration of verse one, where it says, "God is good".

You can feel the tension in Asaph's lament and you can see the comparison.

The good news is that the Christian has the privilege of addressing perceived contradictions to God.

Let me ask you, is this not how life sometimes goes? That there are moments when our experience doesn't line up with what the Bible says it should be.

When wickedness seems to win, when the high courts rule against the will of God, when reckless police officers shoot the unarmed, and when evil men grow in power and influence.

The experience of life does not appear perfectly aligned with the providence of God. In these moments, we can inadvertently trade what we know for what we see.

We can know truth, but experience can cause us to doubt truth. This psalm reminds us that not all truth is visible in its final application.

Some truth is like fruit, like an apple. It is there and alive in seed form, but it has not yet expanded into the final fruit that we can enjoy and eat.

One must appreciate the honest response of the psalmist to the apparent prosperity of the wicked.

You can feel the toil in his reflection?

Verse 2  says, "[M]y feet had almost slipped".

Then verses 4-12 run a list of why he almost stumbled.

These are benefits directly opposed to, or mutually incompatible to the promises made in Psalm 73 verse 1.

In verse 4 he tells us the wicked do not struggle but rather that the bodies of the wicked are "healthy and strong".

The verse suggests that the wicked are strengthened, not weakened.

Look at verses 5,6,and 7, it says,

"They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride compasseth about them as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment. Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish."

The verses say that the wicked enjoy visible happiness. Externally, they parade their pride like necklaces.

They show off their violent deeds, including those they got away with, like the clothing they wear.

The wicked enjoy internal prosperity just as much as their external happiness. What a combination! They have been so satisfied that their eyes bulge out from fatness. They want for nothing.

Look at verse 7 and 8:

 "They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily.  They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth."

Asaph is telling us their wicked imaginations come to life. Not only are they free from external threats, but they even enjoy peace of mind, completely untroubled by a good conscience.

The wicked strut through the streets and have taken the place of God in this world.

You can sense that the psalmist is haunted by this. He is tempted to believe that his dedication to God is for nothing.

Do not, for one moment, think these sentiments are unreal to us today.

Look at certain parts of the world to see just how real this is, where injustice rides the coattails of the wicked.

North Korea, the middle east, parts of Africa are just some of the places that come immediately to mind.

What are we to do with this blatant success of the wicked?

But wait, a shift in Asaph's language is coming up.

You see he based this assessment on what some people believe goodness to be. He argued that the goodness of God is demonstrated in a person's life by their material possessions and their physical health.

But, in Psalms 73, Asaph then begins to reckon that the proper criterion for understanding the goodness of God is not health or wealth, but rather the character of God.

To know God is to know that He is good. Conversly, to know that God is good, you have to know God.

I can identify from my past, in a lesser, lighter way.

In the seventh grade, I asked my parents for a particular brand of cologne for Christmas.  The brand I wanted was quite expensive for someone my age.  I needed it to make the right impression on a particular girl I liked.

We were not poor, but there were six of us in the family and money was tight.  My dad worked hard, sometimes two jobs, to to ensure that we had a home, food to eat, and cloths on our backs.  There was little money left over for frivolous things.

They could not afford to buy me the brand of cologne that I wanted, so they purchased one of the imitation brands.

Needless to say I was disappointment in the gift and also blamed the cologne and my parents when it didn't impress the girl of my affection in the least.

Anyone could see that my parents were good parents, but, if you were to ask me the question—"Robert, are your parents good to you?", my response on that Christmas season would not have been very positive.

It is not that my parents were not good to me; it was that I was not looking in the right place for a demonstration of their goodness.

After a while, Asaph was able to say that God is good because he started looking in the right place to see God's goodness.

He looked at God's abiding character and faithfulness.

Life needs upward perspective

All of life is lived from a chosen point of view.

That is not to say reality is determined by perspective, but it is to say that reality is shaded by perspective.

Asaph examined his personal sacrifice for God and counted it wasted.

In vain he kept his life from the stain of vice. His faith seemed worthless. In honest reflection, he came close to resignation; the burden of the wicked enjoying mass prosperity was too much for him.

In verse 16 he makes a personal confession: "When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me".  After lengthy contemplation, God's way still seemed tainted by iniquity.

What do we do with good things happening to bad people and bad things happening to good people?

I don't know if this is a fair question, as it assumes some people are always good.

Whether it is fair, the idea is clear.

There is a proper expectation that as people of God, we have his faithfulness in us, and his consequent rejection of the wicked.

But life still happens. In this world, we do not always see the righteous on top and the wicked at the bottom.

This is an implication of the problem of evil. Trying to unravel the perplexity of the problem of evil can often result in unresolved disappointments.

There is one solution to the problem of evil: get to the sanctuary of God. Go to the place of God's presence. You will see something there that you will not see in the courts of Justice.

You can hear Asaph lamenting in Psalm 73, verses 16-17:

"When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me;  Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end."

The word "untill" is the point of contrast and change.

"Untill" points to a break in the proceedings.

The sanctuary is the place of equilibrium. It is the place where the topsy-turvy nature of life - sets itself on the solid rock.

The contrast between verse two and verse 18 could not be more vivid.

In verse two, Asaph says he almost slipped because he saw how carefree the wicked lived.

Now, in verse 18, he sees that the ground on which the wicked walk provides no sure footing.

It may seem that the wicked are riding high, but give it time. After a while, those who disregard God will come crashing to the ground.

The converse is our blessed assurance. We do not merely rejoice at the rejection of the wicked: we celebrate that their rejection indicates the eventual prosperity of the righteous.

The spiritual altitude of the sanctuary is the perch from which we see life as it actually is. It is as if you can hear Asaph saying in postmodern vernacular,

"When I walked in and the choir was singing 'How Great is our God,' my vision started to even up with God's vision like the lense of a camera.  What was fuzzy became clearer."

It takes what we see and hear in the sanctuary to help straighten life out. We all need a "Untill" moment.

Traffic can be the most difficult part of any trip. Every time Sue and I leave on a trip, I have Sue turn on the radio hoping to hear local traffic reports.

We tune in and if we are lucky, we get pertinent information relative to out trip.

Periodically, while listening to the radio, we can hear the helicopters moving in the background.

The person giving the traffic report is flying in a helicopter, which gives them to a larger vantage point.

The traffic report doesn't change the congestion; it just tells us what we can expect up ahead.

The traffic report doesn't move the accidents; it just tells us how to avoid them.

The traffic report doesn't eliminate our problematic trip; it just tells us how to navigate through it.

I may not be in the helicopter, but the station pays a reporter to get in there for me and stream back down to pavement level what's going on ahead of us.

The Bible and the sanctuary every Sabbath is our helicopter.

We come to the sanctuary every Saturday to worship and see things as they really are.

We get to see that every valley will be exalted, and every mountain will be made low.

We get to see that every rough place will be made plain, and every crooked place will be made straight.

We get to see that the workers of iniquity will soon be cut down and that they will wither like cut grass.

We get to see that one day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.

We get to see that the wicked—though on top now—will soon be cut down, and we will be done with the trouble of the world.

God alone satisfies.  Psalm 73 gives us the blessed assurance that the faith of believers will one day be vindicated.

Our faith is confirmed when we realize the hope of glory. The future discloses the activity of God: he will expose the wicked as fantasies.

Allen Ross, who taught at the Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry and at the Dallas Theological Seminary, and served as director of the Christian Leadership Center, in Tallahassee, Florida.  says it this way:

"Those who rebel against God will perish, but believers will find joy and safety in God's presence. We will know that the prosperity of the wicked was a sham. It was form without substance. When the wicked awake, they will see their prosperity was a dream."

My conclusion is this: God is our strength and our portion. This is why this psalm is in the Bible. We cannot give up on God.

The solution to Asaph's dilemma is the cure for our own. The nearness of God is our good. Ps. 73:28 says:

"But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works."

Theologians call this the transcendence and immanence of God. Though God is so high that you cannot touch him, he has come so near that he touches you.

You can encourage the nearness of God. In the New Testament, James 4:8 says that if we draw near to God, he will draw near to us.

Those who reject God will face the force of spiritual gravity. Those who cling to God—though, at times, life seems to contradict the promise of his Word—eventually they will find a victorious outcome.

In Conclusion I want to leave you with this.

A couple of years back I was watching a college basketball game in the living room. It was a game charged with excitement and intensity: my favorite team was fighting to stay in the NCAA tournament.   They were losing by one point with less than a minute to play.

I was watching every play with scrutiny and intensity. I wanted my team to win. I sat there in my teams jersey, pretending as though I were sitting in the stands.

As the camera panned the crowd, you could see the people in the stands visibly moved. They were jumping, leaping, pounding on the bleachers, and screaming. I didn't move a muscle.

In fact, I sat and watched calmly. Given my passion for my team and how much I wanted them to win, anyone who knew me would wonder how I could sit so cool and collected with my team losing and less than a minute to go.

At that moment my wife walked into the living room and said to me, "Why are you're watching that game again, we saw them win last night?"

You see, I was watching a replay. I there was no need to get stressed, to sit on pins and needles. It was not because I did not care, it was because I already knew the outcome of the game.

Through the Word of God, we can see the future, too.  We live life knowing the outcome.

God judges the wicked because he is good.

Most of all never forget that God also rewards the righteous, ... because he is good.



 

Tuesday, December 26, 2023

Should Christians Celebrate CHRISTMAS?

 


I am aware of the fact that officially the Seventh-day Adventist church does not observe Christmas as a religious event. This is mostly because of the Pagan and commercial influences on the holiday.

Individual churches however may have Christmas themed sermons around this time.

That is my only objective today.

Through the centuries some have argued for doing away with the observance of Christmas completely.

Oliver Cromwell tried to ban Christmas in Britain after the beheading of King Charles the First.

That attempt to abolish Christmas didn’t last long.

My question I want to propose to you today is rhetorical.

I am not looking for an answer, but the question I do have is,

“Since the majority of the civilized Christian world today recognizes Christmas, why not use it as an evangelical tool?”

I personally do not and never did buy into the commercialism of the Holiday. 

Even as a young child, I found it disconcerting that many people didn’t attend church at any time of the year but did celebrate Christmas!

Today, I find it just as disconcerting that many people in the Seventh Day Adventist denomination go to church on the true Sabbath, Saturday, but refuse to celebrate the birth of Christ when the rest of the world does.

Many iconoclasts, people who attack cherished religious beliefs or institutions, point to the fact that Saturnalia, an ancient Roman festival to honor the god Saturn, is the pagan origins of Christmas.

I will agree that there are certain pagan elements associated with Christmas, such as yule logs, that I do reject.

The reason for rejecting the yule log is that the custom of burning the Yule Log is rooted only in pagan rituals.

The Yule Log is traditionally thought to determine a person's good or bad luck in the coming year.

Based on the Bible, I do not think that is where our good or bad luck comes from, but that is another sermon for another time.

For me, celebrating the Lord’s wonderful birth, and the mysterious circumstances surrounding it, isn’t pagan.

The reason for this is because his origins is heavenly, and this is pointed out in the word of God, the Bible.

God’s loving acts including the mystery of the Incarnation are the true origins of “Christmas.”

The Hebrew name for “Christmas”, is interpreted in English as, “Holiday of The Birth”.

So, what are some of these loving acts that are pointed out in the Bible:

·        First, the announcement of the Incarnation by the angel Gabriel to Mary instructing Mary to name her son Yehoshua which means. “Jesus is salvation”.

 

o   Turn to Luke 1:26–31,

 

§  And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.  And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.  And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.  And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.  And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.

 

·        Second, the providential circumstances of the census in Bethlehem,

o   Turn to Luke 2:

 

§  And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed....And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.  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; to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.  And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.  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.

 

·        Third, the heavenly host in Shepherds’ Fields,

 

o   Turn to Luke 2:8-14

 

§  And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  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.  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

 

 

 

 

·        Fourth, the Baby Jesus presented in the Temple and Simeon’s sweeping prophecy,

 

o   Turn to Luke 2:25-32

 

§   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.  And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.  And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:  For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

 

·        Fifth, the visit of the majestic Magi from the East with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, the Holy Family’s escape into Egypt.

 

o   Turn to Matthew 2:9-11

 

§  When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.  And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.

 

All these Loving acts of God as documented in His Word captured my attention even as a young child and are worthy of adoration and contemplation and should be celebrated. 

That is what the Christmas holiday is all about.  That is why, as a Christian we need to recognize this season and tell the world the truth about what this season is about.

We are missing one of the greatest evangelical gifts given to us by God, as is clearly documented in the Bible.

So, what are the problems that some people have with celebrating Christmas.

The debate about whether Christians should celebrate Christmas has been raging for centuries.

There are equally sincere and committed Christians on both sides of the issue, each with multiple reasons why or why not to celebrate Christmas.

One argument against Christmas is that the traditions surrounding the holiday do have origins in paganism.

Searching for reliable information on this topic is difficult because the origins of many of the Christmas traditions are so obscure that sources often contradict one another.

Bells, candles, holly, and yule logs are mentioned in the history of pagan worship, but the use of these in one’s home certainly does not indicate a return to paganism.

My family celebrated Christmas ever since I can remember.  

From my earliest years, the birth of Jesus was at the center of everything we did during the Christmas season. 

Every Christmas Eve we went to the Church to honor Christ’s birth.

It was always pointed out why we gave each other gifts, it was a way to honor His birth, the way the Magi did.  

In the spirit of giving a gift to someone else, we bring joy into their lives, the same way the gift God gave us on Christmas day, His only begotten Son, brings joy into our lives. 

This was a gift to us directly from God’s hand, and some Christians refuse to honor this Gift?

Traditions of Christmas are Biblically factual.

A star is placed on the top of a Christmas tree to remember the Star of Bethlehem that led the Magi to Jesus.

The gifts that are exchanged remind us of the gifts the Magi gave to Mary and Joseph to honor Jesus, the greatest gift of God to mankind.

There are many more traditions associated with the true meaning of Christmas which is the birth of the Savior of the world in the city of Bethlehem.

Bells are played to ring out the joyous news.

Candles are lit to remind us that Christ is the Light of the world:

Turn to John 1:4-9,

In him was life; and the life was the light of men.  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.  There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

Another argument against Christmas is the Christmas tree, and the false belief that the Bible forbids bringing trees into our homes and decorating them.

The passage often cited is Jeremiah 10:1-16, but this passage refers to cutting down trees, chiseling the wood to make an idol, and then decorating the idol with silver and gold for the purpose of bowing down before it to worship it.

The passage in Jeremiah cannot be taken out of its context and used to make a legitimate argument against Christmas trees.

My family had a Christmas tree in our house ever since I can remember and I never remember my parents, or any friends or relatives ever bowing down to the tree and worshipping it. 

Usually by New Year’s Day my dad was happy to unceremoniously take it down and get rid of it by putting it is the trash!

Does this sound like something anyone would do to something they worshipped?

Christians who choose to ignore Christmas point to the fact that the Bible doesn’t give us the date of Christ’s birth, which is certainly true.

December 25 is not the time Jesus was born, and arguments for this idea are legion.

Some relating to the climate in Israel at that time of the year, the practices of shepherds in winter, and the dates of Roman census-taking.

Some see this as proof positive that God didn’t want us to celebrate the birth.

But that is the same argument made by false religions that deny Christ altogether, as well as religions such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses who deny His deity altogether.

If any of this made any type of practical sense’ then we should not celebrate Thanksgiving either.

The event that Americans commonly call the "First Thanksgiving" was celebrated by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World in October of 1621. 

We celebrate it on November 25.

Christians who do celebrate Christmas, use this opportunity as an evangelical tool to proclaim Jesus Christ as “the reason for the season” to all nations and to those trapped in false religions.

There just is no legitimate scriptural reason not to celebrate Christmas unless you take scripture out of context and use it to promote your own agenda.

At the same time, I will say that there is no biblical mandate to celebrate it, either.

In the end, whether to celebrate Christmas is a personal decision.

Whatever Christians decide to do regarding Christmas, their views should not be used as a club with which to beat down or denigrate those with opposing views, nor should either view be used as a badge of honor inducing pride over celebrating or not celebrating.

James 1:5 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally…”.

So, before you start to cast stones at those who do not share your views on Christmas, consider an important instruction given by the Apostle Paul in Colossians 2: 16:

“Do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, or a Sabbath day.” 

Colossians 2:16 is such an important verse to hang onto when people start to bully you because you worship the Lord on a Saturday instead of a Sunday, or if you eat non-kosher food, or meat, or if you celebrate the Lord’s birth on a certain date. 

Paul assures us of the liberty we have in the Messiah, and so we can celebrate the Lord’s birth any time and how we seem fit.

I also like Colossians 2:17 concludes the thought:

“So don’t put up with anyone pressuring you in details of diet, worship services, or holy days. All those things are mere shadows cast before what was to come; the substance is Christ……”

But, you might ask…. what about Santa Claus?

Although St. Nicholas was an historical figure with a reputation for secret gift-giving, the “Santa Claus” and Father Christmas narratives of today are stretching the truth to say the least.

We all recognize that lying is a sin.

I’m grateful that I was brought up in a Christian home by parents who didn’t lie to us.

But, let me ask you this, when a four-year-old asks you where babies come from do you give him or her all the clinical details on how a baby is conceived, or do you give them information that a four year old can understand and handle without traumatizing them for life.

With my children, I chose the latter, and I DID THE SAME with the idea of Santa Clause.

When I read them the poem, “The Night before Christmas,”, it was not to lie to them, it was to protect their innocence.

When they grew older, they knew it was just a story, and Santa wasn’t a real person and reindeer really can’t fly, just like they knew in cartoons, that Donald Duck or Bugs bunny were not actually depicting real animals that could talk.

Through the years we made good use of Christmas celebrations as opportunities to share Jesus, the Gospel and God with our kids.

We also used it as a time to teach our kids of the idea of reaching out to the poor and needy and to share.

Whenever Christians focus on the manger scene, we have to take this opportunity to share the bigger picture.

Christmas celebrates God giving us a gift and that gift is His son who died for our sins.  

Jesus is coming a second time, not as a meek and mild lamb but as the roaring lion of the tribe of Judah! 

In the Book of Revelation we’re permitted to see the high court of heaven, and in Revelation 5:5 Jesus is called the lion of the tribe of Judah.

The first time Jesus came: his glory and majesty were veiled in the form of a helpless child.

Turn to Luke 2:7

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.

Only a few attended His arrival.  Turn to Luke 2:15-18:

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.   And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.  And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.  And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

Jesus came as a sacrificial lamb. But make no mistake about it, the next time Jesus comes, He will be recognized by all.

The Bible says every eye will behold Him and every knee will bow.

If there were wonders when Messiah first came, there will be greater wonders when He comes the second time!

During the Christmas season, I encourage you to marvel at the incarnation of Messiah in the virgin’s womb but also remember that He’s alive and he’s getting ready to return.

Along with His birth we do need to preach what was the purpose of the Lord’s first coming?

Hebrews 9:28 says that He “was once offered to bear the sins of many.”

This is the foundation of the Gospel.

Messiah was born as a gift to die for our sins.  God’s holy law has been violated by humans and death is required as a penalty.  But the Messiah died in our stead.  

That is our true Christmas gift and Christmas is the perfect time of the year to spread this news.

That’s the doctrine of the Atonement.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “There’s nothing certain but death and taxes.”

But, I say there’s one thing even more certain—and that’s the gift of Jesus Christ and His Second Coming.

1 Thessalonians 4:16;

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

He will gather those of us who wait for him unto salvation.

His promise in John 14 is,

“if I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again to receive you unto myself, that where I am you may be also.”

This is what we should use the Christmas season to proclaim.

The baby in the manger is a very important part of the picture, because God become flesh and dwelt amongst us, but the baby in the manger is not the final picture.

In Acts 1, the disciples asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the Davidic kingdom to Israel?”

His answer startled them. He said that before he returns and sets up rule in Jerusalem, FIRST his disciples must preach the Gospel to all nations!

Yes, all this is part of the Gospel message and we should spend the lions share of our evangelical efforts to proclaim this message, but Christmas day, today, is the perfect time of the year to get the message of the birth of Jesus across to the entire world, because the entire rest of the world is tuned in on this single day in the year. 

Maybe this day is when we could hold their attention the other fifty two weeks of the year.

There’s a Christmas carol called titled:  “I’ll Give him my heart, it goes like this;

What can I give Him poor as I am

If I were a shepherd, I would bring Him a Lamb

If I were a wise man, I’d sure do my part

So what can I give Him?

I’ll give Him my heart!

Spend this time of the year doing that.

Remember:

This is Christ the King,

Whom Shepherds guard and Angels sing.

Hast, haste to bring Him Laud,

The Babe, the Son of Mary.

We need to do this on Christmas day.

Oh come let us adore Him,

Christ the Lord.

 

BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY.


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