But it does not mean that God has forgotten. Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? These words mean "a right opinion," "a wrong opinion," and "a contradictory opinion" respectively. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? The words of the angel to Joseph confirmed Joseph's authority and responsibility in the naming of Mary's child. It was lost because it lacked direction, primarily spiritual direction. The Bible does mention two individuals celebrating birthdays: the Egyptian Pharaoh in Joseph's time ( Genesis 40:20) and King Herod in Jesus' time ( Matthew 14:6; Mark 6:21 ). But that is not what the Bible is talking about when it talks about salvation. Perhaps you are anxious to be delivered from some tenacious sin, but you do not seem to have deliverance. We also can celebrate Christmas by being amazed at it "And all who heard it were amazed" (Luke 2:18). Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. In this verse the word "learn" is a Greek word from which we have derived our word mathematics. So everyone who knows of Christ and has become a Christian can tell others of Him. Now when you acknowledge a person's true worth or express a proper opinion of him, you may be said to be glorifying him. Jesus was born to be our Savior as the carol says: Christ was born to save! He restores my soul. That is the question. It is important because man's problems stem from the fact that in his natural state, he is not at peace with God. 8. For from him and through him and to him are all things. 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. 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. They aren't all thinking of God or Jesus as they stand spellbound at the presents and tree on Christmas morning. "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. It is the way mentioned in the book of Philippians. 52 Bible Verses about Celebration Verse Concepts They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness. The Wise Men Were Not There. It comes from a Latin verb which means "to make a bargain" or "to make an agreement between contracting parties." We had made a raid against the Negeb of the Cherethites and against that which belongs to Judah and against the Negeb of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire. And David said to him, Will you take me down to this band? And he said, Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this band. And when he had taken him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. 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. Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. However, there is no evidence that Christmas was originally . 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. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. Many people believe that the celebration of Christmas is rooted in the pagan holiday of Saturnalia, which honored the god Saturn. The messages of the angels do not reinforce our secular views of Christmas. The birth of Jesus Christ is traditionally celebrated on December 25, although "around 37% of Orthodox Christians, mainly in Egypt and Russia, celebrate the Nativity of Christ on January 7th," owing to a difference in how their calendars were devised. Moreover, you can do it in song. 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. King Solomon offered as a sacrifice 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. 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. There is one kind of amazement which is merely a tickling of the fancy. (Great Neck, NY: Doniger & Raughley, 1955). Again he sent other servants, saying, Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. 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. Come to the wedding feast. But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. He answered, "I have heard that message preached from the pulpit every Christmas since I was a little boy. No, He has not forgotten you. The Greek word for peace is eirene. For you see, Joseph was in a difficult position. He asked him to examine the last clause of the verse carefully: "good will toward men." 'From whence,' he asks, 'come wars and fighting among you?' Keiper concluded, "When men are truly men of good will seeking to do God's will this text becomes a mighty force. 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. Be patient! And David said to him, To whom do you belong? So he was told, "you are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). The Apostle James was one who knew this, and he spoke of it in a passage that is a perceptive analysis of such problems in the world and in church circles. What is the genuinely Christian way to observe Christ's nativity? Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 8. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Christmas is not Christian because it is associated with many pagan birth mythsand Dec. 25 was not the date of Christ's birth. First, you need to learn about Jesus. It was dying because it had no adequate cause for which to live. 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 a means of our salvation. The hymn is Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, and the stanza to which I am referring is the second. Gaebelein, Frank. 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. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. 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. W It is in this emotional center of man, called by Scripture 'the heart,' that James says war begins, when the lusts within a man strive together." Thus, the message to Joseph centers primarily on that great work which Jesus, the Messiah, was to do. And in the center of them in the appearances of angels to Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds there are the three messages which, more than any other, perfectly explain the true, divine meaning of Christmas. Would she have guessed what was happening because of her familiarity with the Old Testament prophecies, such as Isaiah's prophecy that "the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son" (Isaiah 7:14)? "He was born like us as well as died like us. The answer is in chapter 3, verse 17: "And the way of peace they do not know." There are five appearances of an angel, or angels, in the Christmas story, and another appearance of an angel to Joseph later to tell him to return to Israel from Egypt. And God will grant your requests." Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 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. Because it came from God and was centered in the birth of the Savior. And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. After this type of amazement has run its course nobody gives the cause of it a second thought. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. Answer: Your question is backward. Then take time each day to draw strength from His Word, the Bible, and to pray, and to have fellowship with other believers. Topics: Jesus Christ. They are: The appearance of Gabriel to Zechariah to announce the birth of John the Baptist. "Peace, Perfect Peace" Words: Edward H. Bickersteth, Jr., 1875. We are told of them that they "returned glorifying and praising God." Rather, He enables us to face them with a quietness, a calmness and confidence, which makes it possible to find a solution" 10 This is the peace that Edward Bickersteth wrote about in the late nineteenth century, in a verse which has since become one of our great hymns: The first way in which we find this peace, then, is by learning of Jesus. Dont Despair: A Reminder From Anne Graham Lotz. God told us everything needed for life and godliness ( II Peter 1:2-4 ). What are they? We turn from that picture to the final pages of the Bible, and in those pages we find the Lord Jesus Christ high and lifted up, and all of creation is paying homage to Him. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. They are an important part of our lives, and our relationship with them should continue to grow every day. In other words, the best way to celebrate Christmas is by becoming a follower of Him whose birth we commemorate. Happiness is related to circumstances. Christmas is a very important holiday for Christians because it celebrates the birth of their savior. Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. Oh, it would have been quite a puzzle to Mary! "Everything" leaves nothing out. Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. 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. 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? Before we turn to the book of Luke, I want to say first that by far the best and greatest way to celebrate Christmas is by becoming a Christian if you have never done so. First, it involved her memory; for we are told that she treasured up all these things. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. Perhaps you have prayed for something and have not received an answer, at least not the answer you were waiting for. 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. Psalms 118:24 - This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Taken together, therefore, the Greek and Latin definitions imply, first, that peace is not primarily a state of mind or an individual virtue but rather a state existing between two or more persons. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. Helpful Not Helpful Praise the Lord! We cannot understand it but it is true, and we should marvel at it. Of course they did! After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. Z. Jesus fulfilled that promise when He died for your sin and rose again for your justification. 7. But the writer of this epistle had a deeper insight into humanity. But the circumstances were not good. As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. His birthday was celebrated on December 25th. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures" (James 4:1-3). But their amazement is fitting to Christmas - it's a sample of what Christmas amazement should be for those who understand the Christmas story. Come to Him! Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. Further light is shed upon these verses by the meaning of the words for peace in the original Greek and Latin. J The verse quoted was translated from Latin to English by Frederick Oakeley, 1841. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. Ralph L. Keiper once said, "When we know Christ, not as a doctrine or a theory, but as Savior and Friend in our daily experience, we gain a confidence in Him which brings peace to our hearts. Music: Mendelssohn, Felix in his cantata Festgesang an die Kunstler, 1840. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Keiper then took his Bible from his briefcase and turned to Luke 2:14, to the verse that is our text, and then read with his professor, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (KJV). ( Egypt Today .) Arrangement: William H. Cummings, Congregational Hymn and Tune Book, 1857. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. We see His disposition to use little things, to exalt the humble and to subdue the proud. How could they refuse to tell what they had seen? And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. To the choirmaster. Does God Really Work All Things Together for Good? It is the kind of amazement we associate with special effects in a movie or with an Olympic gold medal winner. Hopefully Christmas this year has been more than presents and parties for you, and youve taken time to focus on Jesus. There is a clue to what peace means in this verse in the way the word is used in the earlier chapters of Romans. To do so is to participate in the Christmas story. 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. G Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And God has not forgotten you! That has been the cry of God's people from the beginning "How long, O Lord, how long?" That is the Christmas story God became man! And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7). How Should We Celebrate the Birth of Christ. There will always be wars and rumors of wars. We find peace by praying. Now I am an old man, and I haven't any reason to believe that there is any truth in that text at all. 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. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. Does the Bible Condemn Using Tarot Cards? Tillich, Paul. 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. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. All rights reserved. The professor replied that he thought he had. Unless our way of talking about salvation makes distinctions here, our interpretations inevitably fall short of the biblical conceptions. Second, there is the strong possibility that the persons may not be in harmony but that they will want to make a pact between themselves in order to settle their differences. This has something to do with the age in which we live as well as with the general aspirations of mankind, I suppose. 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. 10. What we sow we shall reap." And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And where are you from? He said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, and my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago. There are two answers. Then glorify and praise God for what you know. Let the wonder of that first Christmas fill your life todayand every day. Amen. You can remember the moment in which they became real for you personally. R This, of course, is monstrous. It is recorded in Luke 1:26-38. Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. It is in this sense a doxology, which means to express a right opinion of God verbally. The question is important because of the significance of the day and because so many obviously do not know how to celebrate it. The other kind of amazement is a holy wonder in response to those acts of God which are beyond human comprehension. You quarrel and fight. Music: Pax Tecum, George T. Caldbeck and Charles J. Vincent, 1876. 7. Let's consider four reasons why Christmas doesn't meet the criteria of being "Christian.". Long ago, when the Greek language was in its infancy, the word from which the word "glory" came meant "to have an opinion." Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. A Psalm of David. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. And he called out with a mighty voice, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. But this is all there will be - until the angels appear with their message. Its genesis is not merely on the intellectual level; it goes down into the vast emotional reservoir of life and conduct that underlies the intellectual. P He became a man in His incarnation. Frank E. Gaebelein writes about this passage in The Practical Epistle of James, "A few years ago, former Chancellor Hutchins of the University of Chicago said war begins in the minds of men. This combination, when truly grasped, produces witnesses. Although there is no mention of Jesus specifically mentioning to celebrate Christmas, the Bible does say that he was born on December 25th. Scripturally speaking, a Christian's celebrating a birthday is a non-issue. At best she might have guessed that the child that was born to her might possibly be the Messiah. Music: In Dulci Jubilo, 14th Century German melody; harmony from Christmas Carols Old and New, 1871. Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! The meaning of His name is "He will save His people from their sins" And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 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? 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. Joy is a wonderful thing; it is an appropriate part of Christmas. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Keiper, Ralph L. op. Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. Privacy We see His grace.
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