Don’t Pack Him Away with the Christmas Decor

January 7, 2015 by 1 Comment

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This week we will all be packing away our Christmas tree decor for another year and discarding all that torn wrapping paper and empty gift boxes. We will be stripping our homes of the symbols of Christmas but don’t let us strip our hearts of love, expectation of hope, joy and peace and the sentiment of the season. We don’t have to pack away the Christmas spirit. We can pack away the symbolic babe of the nativity scene but don’t pack away the living Christ for He lives in us ! Lift Him high for the world to see all year long not only in a manger during the Christmas Season.

Galatians 2:20 It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. 

Don’t store away the light of the world with your Christmas lights.

Matthew 5:13 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Don’t discard Him as you discard the dying Christmas tree losing the glory of its pines for He ever lives in all His glory.

Revelation 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore.

1 Peter 5:11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen

CHALLENGE: Pray for grace to live the Christmas message of love, peace and hope throughout the coming year.

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The Eternal Word Became Flesh 

December 21, 2014 by Leave a Comment

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The pre-incarnated Christ existed long before His birth in Bethlehem.

John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made.

In the Old Testament there are several manifestations of His existence which are known as THEOPHANIES literally “The appearance of God”.

It is a visible manifestation of God to humankind.

One of these appearances is recorded in:

Daniel 3:25 Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

These are very different from His appearance as a babe in Bethlehem which is known as His INCARNATION literally “God in the flesh”.

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.

The Incarnation of the Son of God is the terminology used to describe what happened when the second person of the Trinity, the eternal Son of God, “became flesh” as he was miraculously conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary. In the incarnation, the divine nature of the Son was perfectly united with human nature in one divine Person. This person, Jesus Christ, was both “truly God and truly man.”

Charles Wesley penned it so well in his Christmas carol

“Hark the Herald Angels Sing”

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King!
Philippians 3:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King!

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Rethinking “Twas the Night before Christmas”

December 17, 2014 by Leave a Comment

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Twas the night before Jesus came and all through the house.

Not a creature was praying, not one in the house

Their Bibles were lain on the shelf without care

In hope that Jesus would not come there.

The children were dressing to crawl into bed

Not once ever knelling or bowing a head.

And Mum in her rocker with baby on her lap

Was watching the Late Show while I took a nap.

When out of the East there arose such a clatter.

I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open  the shutters and threw up the sash!

When what to my wondering eyes should appear

But angels proclaiming that Jesus was here.

With a light like the sun sending forth a ray

I knew in a moment this must  be THE DAY!

The light of His face made me cover my head

It was Jesus returning just like He had said.

And though I possessed wisdom and wealth,

I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself.

In the Book of Life which He held in His Hand

Was written the name of every saved man,

He spoke not a word as He searched for my name;

When He said “Its not here” my head hung in shame.

The people whose names had been written with love

He gathered to take to His Father above.

With those who were ready He rose without a sound.

While all the rest were left standing around.

I feel to my knees but it was too late;

I had waited too long and this sealed my fate,

I stood and I cried as they rose out of sight;

Oh! If only I had been ready tonight.

In the words of this poem the meaning is clear;

The coming of Jesus is drawing near.

There’s only one way life and when comes the call

We’ll find that the Bible was true after all!

CHALLENGE: Since there are approximately 300 prophecies about His first coming and over 1500 prophesying He will come again, His second advent is imminent. In the middle of all the hustle and bustle in preparing to celebrate His Birth do we even give it a thought to prepare for His second coming?

 

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Gifts with a Prophetic Meaning

December 12, 2014 by Leave a Comment

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Matthew 2:11  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.

Over two thousand years ago wise men offered Him gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.

This Christmas we can also offer Him gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. But these gifts have much more than monetary value for they cost us the treasures of our hearts.

GOLD prophesied His royalty as King of Kings

And he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. Revelation 19:16

Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, [be] honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. I Timothy 1:17

We present unto Him the Gift of Gold out of the treasure of our hearts when we submit to his Kingship and Lordship in our lives.

FRANKINCENSE prophesied of His everlasting priesthood after the order of Melchizedek

Whither the forerunner is for us entered, [even] Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek Hebrews 6:20

But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;  Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption [for us]. Hebrews 9:11

We present unto Him the gift of Frankincense as we daily offer Him our thanksgiving, prayers and praise at the Golden Altar of Incense where we present ourselves as living sacrifices holy and acceptable. It will be a sweet incense to Him.

MYRRH prophesied His suffering as the Lamb of God.

The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. John 1:29

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. I Peter 2:24

We present Him the gift of myrrh as as we willingly identify with His suffering and take up our cross daily and follow Him.

CHALLENGE: Make the Christmas pageant come alive this year in your heart as you present unto Him, gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. As you confirm that He is your King, great High Priest and the Lamb of God that takes away your sin.

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The Vital Truth of the New Birth

December 8, 2014 by Leave a Comment

 

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Since we are all born with an Adam nature and born as sinners separated from God, where could we ever find someone who was sinless, who could take the penalty for our sin by taking our place of judgement? It had to be someone who did not inherit the Adam nature. The only way this could possibly happen was to have someone born physically without an earthly father since sin is inherited through our fathers’ bloodline not our mothers’. But everyone male or female inherits that Adam nature since we all have earthly fathers.

There was only one born who did not have an earthly father, that one was the babe in the manger in Bethlehem. Yes, even He did have an earthly mother who had been born of an earthly father, but biologically the blood of the mother never intermingles with the blood of the fetus, thus He could be born without a sinful nature. The chemistry is in the blood, sin is in the blood, and life is in the blood.

If this babe had an earthly father He would have been paying for the penalty of His own sin.

He had to be the perfect Lamb to be found worthy to take away the sin of the world.

If He wasn’t born of a virgin we are still in our sins for His sacrificial death would not have been an acceptable sacrifice when He presented His blood in the Holy of Holies in the heavens.

When the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit plants His seed in our spiritual wombs we are “born again” of a different bloodline through the New Birth as we now can become the children of God.

Surely the Christmas story is The Son of God becoming a man to enable men to become the sons of God.

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

CHALLENGE:

Except we become as little children we cannot see the Kingdom of God.

Celebrate the miracle of the Virgin Birth this season with childlike wonder and faith.

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