Rethinking “Twas the Night before Christmas”

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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?

 

He is the Gift of Christmas

It has been said that we should never judge a book by its cover. During this gift giving season I want to remind us that we should never judge a gift by its wrappings! The most expensive, the most planned and thoughtful gift ever offered to this world was placed in an old unclean manger for a box and wrapped in lowly swaddling clothes but as we start to unwrap this precious gift we find it is tied with red ribbons dipped in the blood of the greatest love mankind has ever known.

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John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life

As Isaac Newton writes

“Were the whole realm of nature mine,

That were a present far too small;

Love so amazing, so divine,

Demands my soul, my life, my all.”

The Birth of the Lamb of God

Have you ever wondered why the King of Kings was not born in a palace but rather in a lowly stable? It may surprise us but it was no surprise to God that there was no room in the inn. It was planned in the mind of God from eternity for He was born not only as the Son of God but the LAMB of God. Lambs are not born in palaces or hotels but in stables and surrounding fields like all other lambs. The place of His birth in a stable defined His purpose to be the Sacrificial Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

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Don’t let anyone steal your Christmas Joy

May we all like the Grinch in the children’s book “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” eventually gain some insight and wisdom into the real meaning of the Christmas season

“He puzzled and puzzled till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. Maybe Christmas, he thought… doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps… means a little bit more!

How could it be so? It came without ribbons!… it came without tags!… it came without packages, boxes, or bags!

But this… this sound wasn’t sad. Why… this sound sounded glad. Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small, was singing, without *any* presents at all! He hadn’t stopped Christmas from coming, it *came*! Somehow or other… it came just the same.”

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Galatians 4:4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

The Vital Truth of the New Birth

 

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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.