Category Archives: Christmas

Christmas

Celebrate the Birth of Christ Not a Day of the Year

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The 25th of December is probably not Jesus’ birthday.

Christmas is most likely celebrated at the wrong time of year if you were trying to align with the date of Jesus birth.

Yet it is as good a time as any to do it.

Just remember why you celebrate Christmas.

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and He came full of grace and truth.

He is the promised Redeemer. He was crucified and arose from the dead. And He will come again to make all things new.

So when you get to grandma’s house on the 26th, you didn’t miss Christmas. You just didn’t get to overeat. So, don’t let anyone send you on a guilt trip.

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14 NASB
https://bible.com/bible/100/jhn.1.14.NASB

Christmas, Faith

Joseph, son of David

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What a perplexing story. The God of creation coming as a baby to a betrothed virgin mother.

Yet on the other side of that coin is Joseph. I’ve been thinking about Joseph and what emotions and thoughts he must have had.

After the initial feelings of heart break or anger he may have felt for having lost the love of someone who was such a great woman that God chose her as the mother of Jesus, and who now had seemingly cheated on him, Joseph now has to deal with the feelings of an expectant father.

Joseph is now the guy who has to keep the baby savior of the world alive. If I were Joseph I would be wanting to rewind that dream and hear that one more time. “Say what now?”

Do you think Joseph was a bit worried? Or did he just know God had this and not worry?

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:18‭-‬21 NASB

Christmas, Faith

The Night is Almost Gone #OverDarkness

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We have a propensity to sin. It is now in our nature. The sin of one man infects us all.

Then Jesus came, born in Bethlehem as prophesied. The Light has come into the world. #Christmas

Eye witness accounts are recorded. Creation stands as His evidence. But darkness is blinding.

Lives are changed every day by the Light who is Jesus Christ.

Is the darkness smothering you? Is it heavy on your chest? Does it feel like it is choking you from the burden and weight of it?

Do you want the darkness to go away?

Put on the armor of light, put on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Call out to Jesus and He will come to you. Believe in Him and receive His forgiveness. His light will destroy the darkness that overcomes you.

There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.
John 1:9 NASB

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned- For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.
Romans 5:12‭, ‬19 NASB

The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Romans 13:12‭ NASB

Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. Romans 13:13‭-‬14 NASB

The darkness can not comprehend the Light or overcome it.

In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
John 1:4‭-‬5 NASB

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”
John 3:16‭-‬21 NASB

Christmas, Faith

Jesus The Great Light #Christmas

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Isaiah prophesied it, John witnessed it. The Light came into the world and it was/is Jesus.

With zeal God accomplished His plan. The Lord of hosts could not be stopped from completing his plan to bring a redeemer into the world.

The Redeemer that he had promised since the time Adam and Eve failed in the garden.

Will you step out of darkness today? Believe in Jesus and know that He is the Light of this world.

The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them. You shall multiply the nation, You shall increase their gladness; They will be glad in Your presence As with the gladness of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian. For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult, And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire. For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
Isaiah 9:2‭-‬7 NASB
https://bible.com/bible/100/isa.9.2-7.NASB

Christmas, Faith

The Attempted Murder of Baby Jesus

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Jesus survived an assassination attempt as a baby.

Power corrupts and Herod was influenced by Satan to try and destroy the Messiah.

Look it up, its historical.

Satan will do all that he can to try and thwart God’s plan. Yet at every turn he fails and he will continue to fail without success. I know because I read it in the Bible.

Jesus had to deal with Satan just as we do. He survived the assassination attempt, He was tempted and did not sin and He was crucified then rose from the dead.

These are the situations we know Jesus lived through to fulfill His purpose. But there were surely other life circumstances He endured.

As you think about your life struggles don’t lose faith that God has a plan. Keep on keeping on. Jesus told us that the world would hate us (John 15), consider it all joy (James 1).

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: ‘ and you , bethlehem , land of judah , are by no means least among the leaders of judah ; for out of you shall come forth a ruler who will shepherd my people israel .'” Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way. Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.” So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ” out of egypt I called my son .” Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi. Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “A voice was heard in ramah , weeping and great mourning , rachel weeping for her children ; and she refused to be comforted , because they were no more .” But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said, “Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.” So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee, and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”
Matthew 2:1‭-‬23 NASB
https://bible.com/bible/100/mat.2.1-23.NASB

Just a history reminder here, Egypt was at this time also part of the Roman empire just like the area of Palestine.