Articles
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First we want to address the fact that Christmas itself is a Pagan Holiday!
Jesus was NOT born on December 25th, but instead was born sometime in the fall of the year.
We acknowledge this fact. This is not necessarily an article about celebrating Christmas,
nor do we encourage you to do so. This in instead about Celebrating the fact that Jesus
came into the world to live and die for us, that we might come to know Him, love Him,
follow Him and gain Eternal life. This a paper centered on His birth, who the Bible says
Jesus is, and the fact that He is the only way to Eternal life. It points the way to Heaven,
and also gives us a Historical view of that time.
- The Meaning of Christmas!
- An Examination of Christmas from a Biblical point of View!
- Jesus is the Reason for the Season!
- He is the Greatest Gift of Christmas!
In this Beautiful Christmas Season, a time of the Celebration of Life, His
Life and our Life, lets take a moment to reflect on Jesus and who He is!
he is the gift of life, the giver of life and the giver of His own life.
This is the only time of year, when for one month, you can turn on any radio station, go into any store
and Hear hymns about Jesus being sung around the world... and its OK. Come all ye Faithful -
Hark the Harold Angels Sing - Joy to the World - Oh Holy Night - Silent Night - Hallelujah Chorus -
Away in the Manger - Angels we Have Heard on High - Oh little town of Bethlehem - Do You Hear What I Hear -
What Child is this? - The First Noel - God Rest ye Merry Gentleman.
Have you listened to the words?
Do you Hear them in your Heart?
They are Words of His Birth, His Deity!
They are songs of Worship to the Majestic, Holiness of the King!
Songs of Angels Rejoicing!
Good news of Glad tidings!
(Words to these songs can be found on google under Christmas Carols)
In the Bible at John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the
Father except through me.
It is not only a time to recognize His birth, and that He is Savior, but His Deity, and the He is in
fact God! Our human minds cannot really fathom what it means for God to be born in a manger.
How does one explain the Almighty stooping to become a tiny infant and grow up as one of us? We cannot
comprehend why He who was so infinitely rich in the Heavens, would become poor, assume a human form and
enter into a world He knew would reject Him and kill Him. Yet He did it all for us!
There are over 350 prophecies foretelling the coming messiah in the Bible. Jesus fulfills these
prophesies in Scripture. here are just a few. Prophesied some 600 years before His Birth the
Prophet Isaiah says....
Isaiah 9:6
- 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.
Isaiah 7:14
- "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and
bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.
Matthew 1:23
- "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME
IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US".
The Bible tells us He is God. That all things were created by Him, for Him and threw Him. That nothing
came into being except by Him.
John 1: 1-4 The Deity of Jesus Christ
- In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- He was in the beginning with God.
- All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him
nothing came into being that has come into being.
- In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.
John 1:14 - The Word became flesh and made His dwelt among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the
One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Heb 1:1-3
- In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various
ways,
- but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed Heir of all things, and
through whom He made the universe.
- The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation
of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins,
he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in Heaven.
Note that it is Jesus that sustains all things in the universe by His power.
Colossians 2:9 - For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form
Colossians 1:13-20 The Incomparable Christ
- For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved
Son,
- in whom we have redemption, and the forgiveness of sins.
- He is the image of the invisible
God, the firstborn of all creation.
- For by Him all things were created, both in the Heavens and on
earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been
created through Him and for Him.
- He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
- he is also Head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that
he Himself will come to have first place in everything.
- For it was the Father's good pleasure for
all the fullness to dwell in Him,
( When it says firstborn of all creation, it does not mean He was created or born, as He has no beginning
and no end, because He always was... but instead meaning He is the origin of all creation, and is Heir of all
things, all which was the custom in that day for the firstborn to have the birthright of inheritance.)
Christ is the One who inherits all creation and has the right to rule over it, as He is the Creator of it!
Philippians 2:5-7
- Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
- who, although
he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
- but emptied
Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
Luke 1:26-38 The Birth of Jesus Foretold
- In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town
in Galilee,
- to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary.
- The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
- Mary was greatly troubled at His words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
- But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.
- You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus.
- He will be great and will be called
the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David,
- and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end."
- "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
- The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the
power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
- Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be
barren is in her sixth month.
- For nothing is impossible with God."
- "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said."
Then the angel left her
Matthew 1:21 - She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He
will save His people from their sins."
Matthew 1:17-24
- Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David,
fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.
- This is how the
birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before
they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.
- Because Joseph her
husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, He had in mind to
divorce her quietly.
- But after He had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to Him in
a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because
what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
- 1 She will give birth to a son, and you are to
give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins."
- All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
- "The virgin will be with child and
will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel" - which means, "God with us."
- When Joseph woke up, He did what the angel of the Lord had commanded Him and took
Mary home
Micah 5:2 Old Testament - A Promised Ruler From Bethlehem
- "But you, Bethlehem, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will
come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.
Luke 2:4-7 - So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem
the town of David, because He belonged to the house and line of David.
- He went there to register
with Mary, who was pledged to be married to Him and was expecting a child.
- While they were there,
the time came for the baby to be born,
- and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped Him
in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Luke 2:8-11 - The Shepherds and the Angels
- And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping
watch over their flocks at night.
- An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were terrified.
- But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that
will be for all the people.
- Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.
- This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
- Suddenly a great company of the Heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
- "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests."
- When the angels had left them and gone into Heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see
this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
- So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in
the manger.
- When they had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them
about this child,
- and all who Heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
- But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her Heart.
- The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they
had Heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
The Visit of the Magi or Wise men Wise men still seek Him!
Who were the Wise Men or Magi! The ancient Greek Historian Herodotus records that the magi were
priests of the Medes and Persians, a people who occupied the land where Iran is today. They lived
in Babylon and Mesopotamia during much of the Old Testament Bible era. The magi were experts in
Astronomy. They were considered scholars of their time. They served as scientist, mathematicians,
philosophers, doctors, and legal authorities of their culture. Our word Magistrate comes from the
word Magi. They also were in the Bible called Magic practicing priests, the ones who interpret
dreams. This brings us then to the book of Daniel. (Remember Daniel and the Lion Den, that Daniel )
Daniel was a Jew, taken captive by the Babylonians and the King set Him in charge of all the magi.
Daniel would have taught them the Scriptures of the coming Messiah.
Daniel 2: 46-49
- Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid Him honor and ordered that an
offering and incense be presented to Him.
- The king said to Daniel, "Surely your God is the God
of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery."
- Then the king placed Daniel in a high position. He made Him ruler over the entire province of
Babylon and placed Him in charge of all its wise men.
- Moreover, at Daniel's request the king
appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego of the Jewish Nation, administrators over the province of
Babylon, while Daniel Himself remained at the royal court.
Matthew 2:1-12 - New Testament reference of the Magi
- After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east
came to Jerusalem
- and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His
star in the east and have come to worship Him."
- When King herod Heard this He was disturbed,
and all Jerusalem with Him.
- When He had called together all the people's chief priests and
teachers of the law, He asked them where the Christ was to be born.
- "In Bethlehem in Judea,"
they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:
- " 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of
Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will
be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"
- Then herod called the Magi secretly and found out from
them the exact time the star had appeared.
- He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a
careful search for the child. As soon as you find Him, report to me, so that I too may go and
worship Him."
- After they had Heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had
seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.
- When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
- On coming to the house, they saw the child
with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and
presented Him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.
- And having been warned in a dream
not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Significance of the Gifts!
Gold has been a symbol of Royalty from earliest times. Frankincense was
expensive fragrant oil used with special significance in Old Testament worship; it was often
sprinkled on the lambs offered at the temple. Myrrh (an unusual gift for a newborn king as it
was a substance used in embalming the dead or mixed with wine had an anesthetic effect.
John 19:39
- When Jesus hung on the cross He was offered Myrrh and wine mixture to drink, but
refused.
Mark 15:23
- It is likely that just as God guided the magi to Jesus, He also guided
them in the selection of gifts. So that the gifts they brought would testify to the new King’s
Royalty, His Deity, and His death on behalf of humanity.
Will you worship Him as God, Creator and Giver of Life?
Only God can be worshiped!
Angels cannot receive worship and men cannot receive worship.
At Act 10: 25 man refuses worship!
Rev. 19:8 and Rev. 22:7 Angels refuse worship! But Jesus accepts
and receives Worship in these verses.
See
* Matthew 2:2;
* Matt 2:11;
* Matt:14:29-36;
* Matt. 28:9;
* Matt. 28:16-18;
* John 9:32-40;
* Rev 5:10-14;
* Rev.11:12-17;
* Rev. 7:8-12;
* Hebrews 1:1-6;
let all the angels worship Him
In the Bible Jesus tells us at
John 6: 25-58
He is The Bread of Life, the Manna from Heaven
Without eating this bread of life, you have no life within yourselves. (Manna was the food that
fell from the sky everyday to feed the Jewish Nation of Israelites after they left Egypt with
Moses after the parting of the Red Sea and their time in the wilderness before entering the promise
land of Canaan.
Phillipians 2:5-12 - About the Name of Jesus!
- Have this attitude in yourselves which was also
in Christ Jesus,
- who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a
thing to be grasped,
- but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in t
he likeness of men.
- Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death, even death on a cross.
- For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and
bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
- so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW,
of those who are in Heaven and on earth and under the earth,
- and that every tongue will confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
- So then, my beloved, just as you have
always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation
with fear and trembling;
At Exodus 3:13-14 God tells Moses He is the great I AM! Jesus also reveals Himself as the I AM at
John 8:58-59 other references
John 8:23 & 28 John 13:19 John 18:3-5
Jesus says to the Roman soldiers I AM and they all fall to the ground!
KING OF KINGS & LORD OF LORDS
Revelation 19:13-16
- He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and
His name is the Word of God.
- The armies of Heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and
dressed in fine linen, white and clean.
- On His robe and on His thigh, He has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. And He shall reign forever and ever!
Revelation 1:17-18
- When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. Then He placed His right
hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.
- I am the Living One;
I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End
Revelation 1:8
- "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and
who is to come, the Almighty."
Revelation 21:6
- He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and
the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To Him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from
the spring of the water of life.
Revelation 22:12-13
- "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is
with me, and I will give to everyone according to what He has done.
- I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
The Bible promises that all who Believe in Jesus and follow Him will be part of God's Kingdom. Jesus
is God and lives in Heaven, He made Heaven. That is where He rules as King. To enter the Kingdom
of Heaven you have to know the King! Do you know the King, the One who holds the keys of death in
His hands, to open the door to Heaven and eternal life for you with Him? Do you want to know the King?
Christmas is a celebration of God's Love toward mankind. God loves you, individually. He knows you
better than you know yourself, and He loves YOU! He entered this world, took on a body of human
flesh, and died on a cross to bear your sins, to pay the penalty for your iniquity and remove your
guilt. He died that you might be able to enter His Presence. To enter Heaven. The prophetic
message of Christmas is Jesus, Father of all Eternity. He is an innocent child, yet He is a Wise
Counselor, Mighty King. He is God with us. Immanuel!
Have you missed the real meaning of Christmas? Perhaps you’ve been missing Christmas. You may
receive presents, eat large dinners, decorate a tree, but do you know in your Heart the real meaning
of what we are celebrating? We are in fact celebrating the chance for life eternal in Heaven with
the new Born King! We are also celebrating the fact that we can have a relationship with Him right
here and now. He made us to be in relationship to Him, to be our Heavenly father. He longs for us
to talk to Him, to have fellowship with Him, to need Him, to cast our cares and burdens on Him, so
he can sustain us. So, we know He is our God and we are His children. How would you feel if you
had children and they never talked to you, never invited you into their lives and Hearts. Well
that’s how God feels. He longs for your love. Will you love Him?
Maybe you are no different from Herod, the religious leaders of Jesus day, or anyone else who has
rejected Christ. Then you are missing the real meaning of Christmas. The Good News is You don’t
have to miss another one. Christmas is personal, the invitation to ask Jesus into your Heart can
only be done by you. Jesus loves you!
Confess to Jesus your unbelief, that you did not know who He really was, ask Him to forgive you
of all your sins, known and unknown, tell Him you want to know Him, and ask Him to come into your
heart. Receive Christ as your Lord, God, and Savior. He will forgive your sin, change your life,
and give you the greatest Christmas gift anyone can receive. Himself. Don’t miss another Christmas!
When you ask Jesus in your Heart, you are born again! Born by the Spirit!
John 3:1-8; 3:13-18
- Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling
council.
- He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come
from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with Him."
- In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless He
is born again. "
- "How can a man be born when He is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely He cannot
enter a second time into His mother's womb to be born!"
- Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth,
no one can enter the kingdom of God unless He is born of water and the Spirit.
- Flesh gives birth
to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
- You should not be surprised at my saying,
'You must be born again.'
- The wind blows wherever it pleases. You Hear its sound, but you
cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
- No one has ever gone into Heaven except the one who came from
Heaven-the Son of Man.
- Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
- that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.
- "For God so loved the world that He gave
His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
- For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
- Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already
because He has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
Being born again in the Greek means you are generated and regenerated by the Holy Spirit at work in you.
Once you ask Jesus in your Heart the Holy Spirit dwells in you.
John 14:16-17
- Then I will ask My Father and He will give you another Helper. He will be with
you forever.
- He is the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot receive Him. It does not see Him or
know Him. You know Him because He lives with you and will be in you.
Romans 8:11
- And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised
Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.
1 Corinthians 3:16
- Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives
in you?
1 Corinthians 6:19
- Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you,
whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
2 Timothy 1:14
- Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted
to you.
Acts 4: 8-12
- Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, Rulers and elders of the people,
- if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well,
- let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ
the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead--by this name this man stands here
before you in good Health.
- "He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH
BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER STONE.
- " And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name
under Heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."
Get Saved Today! Ask Jesus into your life and Heart! It will be one of the most thrilling relationships
you will have.
"Based on the book "Gods Gift of Christmas" by John MacArthur, Pastor-Teacher of Grace Community Church,
Sun Valley, California - excerpted and compiled by Gloria Muscarella
To grow in your knowledge of Jesus, read your Bible, listen to Christian radio sermons, watch Sunday
morning Bible messages on TV or find a good Church! Calvary Chapels are good. True Christianity
always points you to Jesus! He is the Way, the Truth, and the life!
What YOU do with the person
of Jesus Christ in this life,
Determines where you spend Eternity!
Don’t put God off, time is of the essence!
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