The Day After Christmas
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In a little while we will be reading from the book of First John.
You know, the word Christmas is from an Old English term, ‘Christes Maesse’, which was used to identify the Festive Worship Service held on December 25th of each year commemorating the birth of Christ.
God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, Jesus the Christ, to the world, born of a virgin, wrapped in simple cloths and laid in a humble manger. Jesus was a gift from God.
Shepherds came and worshiped that gift the first Christmas.
It is in Christ’s memory, following God’s example, that we give gifts to others on this festive day.
Observed with any motive other than to commemorate this day and these acts of giving to the glory of Jesus the Christ, is not Christmas.
The spirit of Christmas is a spirit of giving and worship and not that of commercialization, partying or self indulgence.
Where there is no Christ, there can be no Christmas … there may be gift giving, family meals, festive parties and/or winter vacations … but there is no Christmas. Christmas is the worship of Christ alone without regard as to the time of year.
One of the more dangerous potential results of the current anti-Christmas groundswell we hear in the media this year is not that of replacing Christmas as the focus of this winter season’s commercial endeavors, but rather the most potential danger would be realized if the whole world embraced Christmas as their holiday without embracing Jesus as their Christ.
I say, that Jesus was given to the whole world. So let the whole world worship and celebrate the gift if they will. If some will not, it’s understandable. Why should those who do not have Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives celebrate His day of birth and worship Him?
I am quite happy, in fact a bit happier, with Christmas being set aside solely as a Christian Holy Day of worship.
This past week on Fox News I heard a young Muslim author, educated and articulate as she was, so ill-informed about the fundamentals of her own faith. She was in favor of all Muslims celebrating Christmas as a part of the broader picture of the ‘one world mindedness’ and the ‘why can’t we all just lighten up’ type of philosophy, I suppose.
She even stated that Muslims should realize that Jesus is one of the five most important prophets in Islam.
Even though she may be repeating what she has heard or read, there is no way Jesus could ever stand up to the scrutiny of any true test aimed at identifying prophets in the Muslim religion or in any other religion for that matter.
To every other religion, except that of Christianity, Jesus proves out to be a heretic, a liar, a blasphemer, a thief, a psychotic, schizophrenic, embellishing, argumentative dictator with a God complex who leads silly women, influences young children and simple minded men to leave their securities and to wander in deserts following after a mad man who teaches that He alone stands between God and mankind.
Jesus is either the One and Only Incarnate Son of the Living God and the Only Way to eternal life or else He is the number one deceiver - con artist in the history of this world. Either He deserves all praise and homage or else He deserves banishment and punishment forever apart from all sane and good souls.
Jesus cannot be just a good man or some other religion’s prophet. These people need to go back and re-survey Jesus’ claims.
Jesus is Christ and Christmas is His Day To Be Worshipped as God.
Know Christ, Know Christmas ---- No Christ, No Christmas.
Now, getting on with the message this morning:
I want to pass on an answer to a question asked me by the Holy Spirit while I was preparing for this message yesterday.
I waited until late Christmas morning, after prayer and opening up presents, doing the chores on our little farm, eating a family breakfast and spending a little time playing with my granddaughter, before I went into my office and began studying for this morning’s sermon.
I was reading scripture when my concentration was interrupted by the question: “What did you get for Christmas?” I pushed the question aside and quickly re-focused my mind on the passage I was reading from the book of Luke.
“What did you get for Christmas?” rang in my mind again. The voice so interruptive and so familiar. I recognized it was the Holy Spirit. As is my habit, I quit reading and gave Him my full attention. He has never asked me a question without also wanting to give me the answer. I figured that I was about to learn something I could share.
I asked Him, “What did I get for Christmas?”
The Holy Spirit, in less time than it takes to twinkle the eye, filled my thoughts with revelation and I understood.
What Did I Get For Christmas?
Jesus! That one was pretty easy.
What did I get when I accepted that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and gave my worship to Him?
I received Jesus.
God so loved the world that He sent Jesus into this world to save all who would accept Him. He came to:
* Save us from an eternity in hell … and to …
* Save us from the hell of this life
Jesus came to give us victory and to make us victorious.
When we accept Jesus we receive:
Victory and
A Victory Mentality
I have the Victor living in me.
Scriptures For Today: 1 John 5 NIV
1 ¶ Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.
2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.
3 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,
4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
10 ¶ Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.
11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
14 ¶ This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
Jesus came because you and I could not get the victory by ourselves
We couldn’t handle it
The deceiver was too deceptive
The demands of righteousness were too demanding
The temptations to sin were too strong
The flesh, our carnality, was too weak
The demons against us were too powerful
The punishment due us was too severe
Jesus came to give us victory over the damning power of sin, death, hell and the grave for all eternity --- and ---
To make us victorious over the governing power of sin, sickness, poverty and defeat while we walk upon this earth.
Today God wants every person on planet earth to accept His Christmas present - Jesus the Christ.
Receive eternal victory over death, hell and the grave.
Today, God wants every Christian not only to accept but also to enjoy the Christmas present He gave … to:
Live victorious over sin, sickness, poverty and defeat in this life.
There is victory over this world and then there is a victory in this world.
Stir up your victory mindedness. You are an overcomer!
Adopt a victory attitude.
Get a victory focus.
Talk a victory talk and
Walk a victory walk.
That’s what I got for Christmas … and I am going to enjoy it?
He knows I needed it. It fits me perfect.
Merry Christmas to you from God.
I hope you all enjoy what He got you.
