Best Gift We Can Give

 Matthew 2:7-11, "Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they departed, and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 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."

Tomorrow is Christmas, our thoughts are turned toward the birth of Jesus. This story has been told for 2000 years and more, yet every time we read or hear it, there is always a freshness, and we often find something new that ministers to our hearts with each passing year. Today, I want to draw your attention to the Three Wise Men.

The time frame of their visit has always been a point of contention or confusion among Bible scholars, but nearly all of them agree on one thing: The wise men's visit to Jesus didn't happen on the same night Jesus was born. The time estimates have been anywhere from 40 days to 2 years after Jesus was born. The beautiful Nativity sets seen everywhere are great, but no such scene ever existed (The manger existed, but the Wise Men never visited it).

The birth of Jesus was a giant step forward in God's plan of salvation for lost humanity, and it marked the fulfillment of numerous prophetic scriptures throughout God's Word. But it wasn't the final step. It marked the beginning of the end for the powers of darkness and the end of the beginning for the lost souls of men who needed a Savior. 

On that very morning, while he lay in that manger as an innocent baby (The only innocent baby ever born), Jesus took his first step toward the cross. It would take him 33 ½ years to complete the journey, but he never wavered in his commitment.

I thank God for sending his only Son to that manger. I can only worship Jesus, who never turned back but kept his eyes set on that final, eternally important goal of being the perfect sacrifice that would take away the world's sins. I thank God for the Love that held Jesus to that cross for me when nails could not have done it. I thank God that Jesus laid down his life willingly, for no demons of hell nor soldiers of the mighty Roman Army could have held him if Jesus had not surrendered voluntarily.

The death of Jesus on that cross and his resurrection were planned from eternity past, fulfilled in time past, and will stand for all eternity in the future. From the moment of man's creation in the Garden to the instant in time when time shall be no more, the moment that defines our existence is all wrapped up in a beautiful gift package known as the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus instituted the idea of giving gifts, and the gifts that he gives are almost beyond comprehension. Ephesians 4:8 says, "Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men."

God's gifts are eternal and supernatural, and each is more valuable than all the world's wealth. Yet they are gifts, given freely by the hand of the Lord to us all.

But let's look at the gifts a few kings brought to Jesus. These are among the best gifts that mankind could offer to God's only Son. These wise men, astronomers and scientists, rulers with great wealth, and students of prophecy had studied the heavens and were led by the Holy Spirit to find that "star" in the sky that signaled the birth of a new king in Israel. 

But how did they even know that Jesus was born? Where would their knowledge have come from? It is quite possible that these wise men had copies of the Old Testament since Israel had been captive so many times in Babylon, Egypt, and other nations. These wise men could have been made much wiser through their knowledge of the Old Testament writings, and it is likely that they were looking for the coming of the Messiah and recognized the signs even though most of Israel did not.

The time came that the wise men reached the end of their long journey eastward and came to the very house where Jesus, Mary, and Joseph were living. The wise men came, found Jesus, and then worshipped him.

We don't know how many wise men journeyed to worship Jesus. We base the idea on three of the three gifts offered, but there could have been two or twenty. We don't know for sure. When they came to the door of the house, they stopped, dismounted from their camel caravan, and bowed their faces before Jesus. In their minds, he was already the king, even though scripture says he was a small child.

I often wonder just what capacity for understanding Jesus had at this point. I know that Jesus was endowed with far more understanding and knowledge than we are, but I still wonder what was going through his mind as those wise men knelt before him and gave him their gifts. What were those gifts, and what significance did they hold in the life of Jesus that was to come?

The first gift was that of gold. Isn't it ironic that man's best and most expensive gift that he could find on earth to give to Jesus was gold, which is used to pave the streets where this Jesus had come from? There was a significance in this gold that I want you to see. Gold represented the great riches of the world, for nothing could surpass its value in the ancient world. It was used to depict the great Babylonian Empire in the time of Nebuchadnezzar as a "Head of Gold" because of his great power and wealth.

Not only was gold given to represent the power and wealth of Jesus as the King of Glory, but I believe it also represented the fact that all of the wealth and power of this world, the dominion and dwelling place of the devil, had now been transferred to the authority of Jesus Christ and would soon be redeemed with a price that far exceeded gold, diamonds, and rubies. This gold represented Jesus' royalty as the King of Heaven and Earth, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. It also symbolized the riches of God's great gift to man as a sacrifice for our sins.

The second gift was that of frankincense. This perfume resin was imported from Arabia and was one of the ingredients of the incense used at the Altar of Incense in the Old Testament Tabernacle. It was always used in the "Meat Offering" sacrifice, and its sweet odor was an emblem of God's divine name, Yahweh, and a symbol of the prayer that rose before the throne of God in Heaven.

In giving this frankincense, the wise men were possibly aware that Jesus would be a man of prayer. They also could have recognized that this "King" was to be offered as a meat sacrifice for man's sins. They knew of his divine nature and worshipped Jesus as Lord, King, and God.

The odor of the incense filled the room, and I know that Jesus recognized that odor as the same one that he had received from the Altar of Incense as the Children of Israel worshipped God in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle. That incense would rise, causing God to know that his people were praying and worshipping him. Now, in human form, Jesus still sensed that same dedication of prayer and worship coming to him from the hearts of men who desired to know God and to worship the True God.

The third gift of the wise men was myrrh. Myrrh is first mentioned in the Old Testament as a principal ingredient of the holy anointing oil used in the Temple. It was used to anoint priests for service and kings for their office. It was also used in embalming a body in preparation for burial.

The implications of the myrrh as a gift then are clear. It was pointing to the day when Jesus would be crucified and then be prepared for burial. It also pointed to the day when he would be crowned as the eternal King of Glory and that the sting of death would be forever removed for those who accept him as Lord and Savior through his death, burial, and resurrection.

One thing about the myrrh that also strikes me is that it was made from the gum of the Acacia tree found in Africa and Arabia. Do you remember where Acacia wood was used in vast quantities? It was in the construction of the Tabernacle of Moses. Acacia wood, covered in gold, was used to make the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies walls. It was used in the Table of Showbread and the Ark of the Covenant.

In a fashion, the gift of myrrh represented the earthly side of Jesus' existence as a man, born of a woman, while the gold represented his heavenly origin.

The gold, frankincense, and myrrh brought to Jesus by the wise men carried a lot of symbolism, but there were more important gifts they brought that day. The most important gift that they brought nearly goes unnoticed by most people. What was that gift? It was the gift of their submission to his rule over them and their worship of Him as King of Kings. The gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh were gifts of sacrifice; they cost the wise men something. But the gift of obedience and worship were much more valuable to God.

In 1 Samuel 15:22, Samuel spoke to a backslidden King of Israel named Saul. Saul and the armies of Israel had disobeyed the Lord and taken the spoils of their enemies when God had said to destroy it all. Saul wanted to offer God his gifts, but God would not accept them. That's when Samuel said, "Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams."

What gifts will you offer the King this Christmas? Will you offer him only those gifts that are temporary? God loves a cheerful giver but not just a giver of our finances; he wants our gift of commitment and worship. Jesus already has all of the wealth of Heaven, yet he accepts our offerings and blesses us for giving him a portion of our wealth through tithes and offerings. But what Jesus wants is your heart, your worship, and your praise of him.

Will you give God the gifts that count? Will you give him yourself in complete obedience? Will you give yourself willingly and wholeheartedly? That's the gift that Jesus wants more than anything this world offers.

Join the ranks of those who are called wise. Come and worship the Lord, bearing your gifts, your praise, and your worship, and lay them at the feet of Jesus.

The Midnight Hour

 It has been cold this past week here in southern Mississippi. It feels like winter, like Christmas time. This morning, I was reading the passage in Luke about Jesus' birth. I was reminded that on a hillside outside the little town of Bethlehem, shepherds gathered around a campfire, yearning to drive away the cold. It was, as the song proclaims, "a midnight clear." Midnight was just a symbol of the condition, the darkness, that engulfed humanity that night.

A religious spirit and a supernatural darkness covered the land. It was a darkness that a campfire could not drive away. It was Israel's midnight hour – the darkest hour it had ever known, and the atmosphere was ripe for the coming of Messiah to bring light into the world once again. While the rest of the world slept in darkness that night, something incredible happened on that hillside where those shepherds lay.

Suddenly, the angels appeared with their voices ringing to announce that the light had come because a Savoir had been born in Bethlehem. The glorious light of Heaven broke the darkness of the midnight hour. Sin was about to be conquered forever because God had robed himself in flesh; a baby named Jesus was lying in a manger!

It wasn't the first time God brought deliverance in the midnight hour. God called Moses and anointed him as the Deliverer of Israel and sent him to speak to Pharaoh as God's voice saying, "Let My People Go"! Six times, Moses went before Pharaoh, but God hardened Pharoah's heart, and he wouldn't admit that Israel's God was the only true God. But God was not giving up – God had already won the battle of the wills. God brought one more plague upon Egypt to convince Pharaoh that He was greater than Pharaoh was.

Exodus 11:4-6

"And Moses said, thus saith the LORD, about midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it anymore."

Here again, we see the Lord performing a miracle at the "midnight hour" to bring about deliverance. I don't know why God chooses the midnight hour, but He often does so.

Perhaps it's the midnight hour because God must allow man to sink to the very depths of despair before man will turn to Him. Maybe it has to do with the fact that God will not share His Glory with any man. When man is locked into the hopelessness of the midnight hour, that's when God knows that no man can say God didn't bring about a miracle. Whatever the reason, God chose to bring about the final plague upon Egypt at the midnight hour.

Another time we see something happening in the midnight hour is found in Psalms 119:62, "At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments."

King David knew what it was to be locked in the midnight hour of sin and despair. He knew what it was to feel the pain of sin and the agony of defeat at the hands of the devil. But he also learned how to pray in the midnight hour.

It's often those prayers when we cry out to God when we have come to the end of our rope that touch the heart of God. All of us have prayed, at times, when we were going through the motions, but when you get down to business – when your grandchild is sick, and medicine won't help when death is knocking at the door, the doctors have said there is nothing that they can do when all hope of deliverance is gone unless God performs a miracle – that's when we really pray, and that's when God really begins to move.

James 5:16, "… The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

Those midnight cries, those wee hours of the morning prayers, when the Holy Spirit brings you to your knees before God. You feel the heaviness of the burden are the prayers that get the quickest answers.

Paul and Silas had done nothing deserving of the place where they found themselves on this night. They were chained to the wall in the depths of a prison under Roman guard just because they had cast the devil out of a young girl.

You won't always find yourself in the depths of darkness at midnight because of some dark sin in your life. Sometimes, it's just a trap that the devil lays for you and that God allows you to go through for His name's sake.

I am confident that Paul and Silas wondered why it was happening to them, but they didn't blame God, get mad, quit the ministry, or curse the guards. They didn't complain over their cold bread and water if they even had that. They didn't murmur because the air-conditioning was just right, the heater wasn't right, or the lights were too dim. They just started praising God in the darkness and waited for God's will.

Acts 16:25-26

"And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed."

Psalms 22:3, "But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel."

When the praises go up, the Holy Spirit comes down.

2 Corinthians 3:17, "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."

Paul and Silas already had liberty in their hearts. Still, now, they would experience the freedom God gives in a very tangible way.

Another time we see God working in the midnight hour is found in the Parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew chapter 25.

Matthew 25:1-13

"Then shall the kingdom of Heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh."

Midnight is when we least expect anything to happen when most of the world is asleep or trying to rest to forget the things of the day that have passed and not to worry over the things of tomorrow. It's the midnight hour, not just midnight by the clock, but midnight because of the powers of darkness that seem to engulf the whole world. As our world grows darker and deeper into the darkness of sin, I can't help but believe that we are approaching the midnight hour for humanity.

Christians understand that Jesus, the Messiah and Deliverer, has already come. He was born in that manger over 2000 years ago; he died, rose again, and is alive forever. Though the world grows darker, we see the light. We can hear the angel choirs singing in the realm of the Spirit, and we understand what they mean when they sing, "Glory to God in the Highest and peace, goodwill to all men."

We hear the Lord saying, "Come unto me and I will give you rest." We see the "Star of Bethlehem" as a light in our hearts, for Jesus is that star, the Bright and the Morning Star, that has risen in us to give us the light of the gospel.

But I found myself weeping this morning, my heart breaking this Christmas for those who are still trapped in the darkness of sin and bound by chains that Jesus could so easily break. We are approaching the midnight hour. Soon, we will hear the trumpet sound and the midnight cry will go forth. Where will they be when it sounds?

It won't be only those who have never known Jesus who will remain in this world during its darkest hour. There will be 'church people' who will remain who had the religious Spirit of the Pharisees but who didn't know Jesus at all.

I weep for those who once were on fire for God, but they have allowed the darkness to kill the fire and destroy the light in their souls, and if they do not repent, they will be trapped in that darkness forever.

There will be those who have ceased to pray, ceased to serve God, and ceased to read His Word who will suddenly, and without warning, find that they can no longer pray, serve, or read because Satan will complete the blinding process in their heart and mind. There will be those who were once delivered by the power of God as the light of the gospel shone in them, but now they are locked down again, forever chained to the blackness of sin and despair.

There is a midnight cry coming. We are approaching the midnight hour!

Children across the land are being lied to about a fat, red-suited elf riding a sleigh pulled by eight miniature flying reindeer. They are being ordered to sleep before midnight so he can pass by their house. They are being told that he will give them what they desire.

But I wonder how many of those children are told that Jesus is coming soon, at midnight. I wonder if they are taught that Jesus is riding on the clouds of Glory, seated upon the Throne of God, or that The Seraphim of Glory carries him about?

We are approaching the midnight hour! Who are you looking for – an elf in a sleigh – or Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords? Don't let the devil lull you to sleep now. The hour is growing late; the midnight hour is approaching; don't let the fire die, don't let the anointing die, don't be caught unaware or unprepared. Friends, I hope you all will be found watching and waiting, when Jesus comes in the midnight hour!

He Came, He's Coming Again

 We have entered a time of the year when everyday life's usual hustle and bustle ramps up a notch on the "Rat Race Scale." People who were already stressed about time suddenly must find more time to do things they don't normally do.

It's the Christmas Season; for most of us, it is anything but a holiday. Lest I be accused of being a "Grinch," let me also say I still love Christmas. It is a time when people are more cordial and friendlier. I have noticed that if you say hello, at least you will get a grunt in return rather than the usual deaf ear. And you will really get them to speak to you if you get in their way or pick up something they wanted first.

Everywhere you turn, people prepare for the time that is undoubtedly coming. There is an air of expectancy; for many, their life has taken on a new purpose, at least for a while. They will lay aside a lot of the things that seemed so important just a few weeks ago because now their whole focus is shifted to preparing for the coming of a little, short, red-faced demon that rides around in a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer, or nine, depending on which version of the lie you want to propagate.

Christmas is upon us, and there are only six days left to get out there and fight the traffic, spend your money, and get those special gifts for the special people in our lives. So, hurry up so you can wait in lines for hours to get that new Barbie for the little girl in your life, that X Box Game for the boys, or whatever it is on your list this year.

You will need to check your list and then check it twice – you have to make sure that no one is left out, whether they have been naughty or nice. After all, if you don't get something for everyone, their feelings might be hurt, and they won't give you anything next year.

But wait! That's not even the tip of the iceberg! Not only do you have to rearrange your schedule to spend endless hours at the mall or fight the traffic, but you also must find time to check out the lights that adorn so many homes in our area.

Then you must sit down long to plan your Christmas dinner and ensure there is enough food to feed the multitudes. God forbid anyone would want their 40th cookie or piece of fudge and find the tray empty. Oh, Horror of Horrors – Uncle Jimmy wanted a 6th piece of lemon pie, and it was all gone. I should have bought 13 instead of 12. I just knew that 12 pies were not going to be enough.

Next year, that won't happen. I'll buy enough for a hundred people and ensure no one goes hungry. We can lose that extra 20 pounds that we will gain just by making a New Year's Resolution to go on an extreme diet that will last about two days.

Then, there are the preparations for exchanging gifts with the family. Oh, what a time that will be. Let's buy a few extra gifts to ensure everyone gets something; we might have Jill's boyfriend or Jack's girlfriend, and we would want them to feel included. We might have to add a room onto the house to hold the toys our children get - toys that won't last through Christmas Day and, even if they do, the kids will lose interest in them and go back to playing with sticks and cardboard boxes in less than a week.

Preparations, preparations, preparations – we must make our preparations – nothing can be left to chance – nothing can be overlooked – no one can be left out – the rest of our year will be ruined if Christmas isn't perfect.

"My family won't love me if everything isn't perfect. My kids will hate me if they don't have that new Hummer under the tree. My wife or husband will doubt my love if there isn't a diamond ring or a new hunting rifle there."

What are you waiting for? Why are you still sitting there? There are only six days left to get all this done and more. Don't you love your family enough? I am confident that not all of you are prepared!

Now I realize that most of you don't act like what I have just described; at least, I hope not. You don't go to these extremes in your preparations for Christmas. But I also know that everyone can relate to what I have said and that there is a measure of truth that we all identify with.

Preparations are necessary if we are to have a successful Holiday Season. We make those preparations because we love our families and want to do everything we can to make this a special time for them. We want to show them our love through our actions, and nothing is wrong with that.

But today, I want to remind you not to forget to make some preparations for an even greater time that is coming.

Isaiah 40:3-5, "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it."

Hundreds of years before Jesus would be born in that manger in Bethlehem, God had prepared one of his prophets named Isaiah to bring forth this word, foretelling the coming of His Son. In fact, in eternity past, God had already made his plans and prepared a way that man could be redeemed from sin. In Genesis 1:2, God spoke light into a dark and void emptiness and began the creation we all enjoy today. In bringing forth light, we can already see a picture of the coming Light of the World, Jesus Christ.

Then, in Genesis 3:15, we read where God speaks directly to Satan and reveals his ultimate plan for the coming of Christ when he says, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

Our God is a God of order and preparation. He leaves nothing to chance, so his plans always succeed.

And so, we read in Matthew 3:1-3, "In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight."

There were preparations that our Father in Heaven decreed should be completed before his Son, the Light of the World, would be presented unto a dark and dying world. So we find that John the Baptist, a man filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother's womb, was sent to make those preparations. What was John's message? What was necessary for men to do to be ready to receive Jesus? John's entire message can be found in one word – REPENT!

The coming of the Son of God and the revelation of the Gospel to this world had to be preceded by a time of preparation. Israel had fallen from its place of prominence in the world through its idolatry. The prophets had been silent for about 400 years. There was no vision in the land. There was no hope, and the light of God in Israel had all but gone out.

So, John came preaching repentance. He came to tell Israel where they were in their relationship with God. They were a lost and dying people. They were a people who were the "apple of God's eye," and yet they knew not God at all. They had a form of worship, a form of rituals, but all their laws and rituals only served to condemn them more. They were spiritually blind, morally corrupt, and physically impoverished. They were caught in Satan's trap of sin, and there was no way out.

Israel needed to turn away from their form of worship and their religious traditions and turn their hearts toward God. John came to lift their vision off of the shadows of the tabernacle or temple worship, to lift their hearts out of the miry clay that held them in such deep despair, and to lift their thoughts higher than they had been as they looked upon their nation as a slave to Rome. John preached so that Israel could see that there was hope – their Deliverer was coming! One who was much more significant than John, whose sandals John would not be worthy to unlatch.

But what did it take for Israel to be prepared for Jesus coming? It took true repentance. They needed to turn away from their sins of idolatry. They needed to turn away from their sins of doubt and fear. Not only did they need to turn away from their sin, but they also had to make a conscious choice to turn toward God, to lift their eyes to behold His Son, and then choose to accept Jesus. Their Messiah was coming, but they were so blind in their sin and self-righteousness that they could not see him.

In like fashion, we see the Word of God going forth today in our own dark and dying world. Jesus is coming again, but before he comes, there is a time of preparation. Before he can come into this world, sin must be judged. Before he can enter your heart, your sin must be judged. The righteous, holy Son of God cannot enter the heart of a sinner until the Blood of the Lamb removes that sin.

That heart must be prepared. We must break up that fallow ground of a life and a heart that is hardened by sin. We must allow the Word of God to plow deep into our hearts and lives and break those chains that bind us. We must prepare ourselves for His coming.

It is a sad thing when we realize that most people will spend more time preparing for the coming of Satan Claus than for the coming of Jesus Christ. We will spend more time cooking pies than reading God's Word. We will spend hours in the stores, but we don't have time to be in God's House when it comes time for worship. We will spend hours hanging out lights, wrapping gifts, and doing a hundred other things, but how much time will we have for talking to God in prayer?

Friends, we need to realize that Jesus came the first time as the Savior of the World, but the next time he comes, it will be as the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and the Righteous Judge of all the earth. We need to remember that it's vastly more important to prepare for the coming of the Lord than for the arrival of Christmas. Instead of being overly concerned with making this Holiday Season a joyous time of the year for our families, we should double our efforts to reach them with a message of repentance.

Jesus may come before we can celebrate Christmas this year, and where will that leave us then? Are we preparing for Christmas and forgetting to prepare for the coming of the Lord? Are we focused solely on enjoying the holidays and forgetting about the pain and suffering that is coming upon the earth? Are we more concerned about the comfort and fulfillment of the needs of the flesh and unconcerned about the condition of the hearts of our loved ones?

Let us remember the real reason for Christmas. Amid all the hustle and bustle of the malls, the glitz and glamour of the decorations, and the excitement of parades and family gatherings, let us never forget that Jesus is standing there, with tears in his eyes, with his hands outstretched, begging and pleading for people to turn away from their sin in repentance and to turn to Him as their Savior.

The greatest gift we can give anyone is to tell them about Jesus' love. Tell them that he is no longer a baby in a manger but the risen Son of God and the Savior of the World. The greatest gift anyone can receive is the gift of Salvation and eternal life in Christ.

But before they can receive it, we must prepare. We must tell them of God's love, mercy, and grace. We must preach repentance unto them. We must not fail in our duty as Christians to spread the message of the Gospel because the souls of our families and our friends are hanging in the balance.

Are you preparing for Christmas in your home? I'm sure most of us are, and there's nothing wrong with that. But while you are preparing for Christmas, remember to prepare for the Coming of the Lord. Those who aren't prepared won't be watching and waiting, won't be found faithful, and will be left behind. Get prepared and stay prepared. Jesus is coming soon!

Turn On the Light

 Isaiah 9:2, "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined."

 

I love the Christmas Season more than any other time of the year. It's the only time of the year when some people try to act like they should always act. Of course, not everyone gets the "holiday spirit". Some people want to be hateful and obnoxious no matter the time of year. But many people are transformed just a little at this time of the year. Most of them get a little more courteous and patient and allow their "better side," if there is such a thing, to shine forth.

 

At this time of year, the world, in our culture, comes alive more. We see colorful light displays on many homes, the season's music fills the air, and the hearts of men are lifted with anticipation of celebrating some holidays with family and friends. Parties are everywhere. Special feasts are planned.

 

In short, a whole different feeling comes over the land for a while until the holidays are past, and we fall back into our daily routine once more.

 

As I considered all of this, I was reminded that we only have this season because of Jesus. I know this is often said in a trite little saying, "Jesus is the reason for the season," that's true, but let us not just say it and forget it. We need to take this occasion to celebrate and spread the news of the birth of Jesus.

 

It's only because God robed himself in flesh, came down to us, and gave himself for us that we have the desire and the will to give gifts to other people. Only because of the Risen Savior who grants us eternal life can we celebrate that eternal life in the symbol of an evergreen tree. Only because of the Light of the gospel can we give true meaning to the lights strung everywhere.

 

The lights, the cheerful hearts, and the season's joy are beautiful. Still, I want us to remember that, amid all the colored lights, parties, and celebrating, most of those caught up in the festivities do not know the Lord as their Savior. They are still walking in the gross darkness of sin.

 

We can light up the exterior, but only Jesus can illuminate the heart. The wonderful thing is that when Jesus lights up your heart and soul, everything seems brighter outside. The world is brighter, the way is clearer, and the understanding is enlightened, and you can walk in a whole new awareness of what God is doing in the earth and in the hearts of men. That's the result of that spiritual light that only Jesus can give.

 

People can celebrate by eating a turkey feast and dressing with all the trimmings. Still, unless they feast upon the Word of God and allow the Holy Spirit to fill their souls, they will die in their sins.

 

People can drink themselves into an alcoholic stupor so that they can forget their troubles and feel the euphoria of a few moments of peace. Still, they will never truly know peace unless they drink the water of life and allow the Love of God to flood their souls.

 

People can laugh at jokes, sing happy songs, and enjoy the company of family and friends; they really can't know true Joy without the joy of first knowing the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.

 

There is simply no greater peace, joy, or happiness than knowing that all is well with your soul. When your sins are forgiven, and you have surrendered your life to Christ, you can experience that "great light" that Isaiah spoke of.

 

Is the light switched on in your heart and soul today? Do you know Jesus as the Light of your Soul and the Light of your life? Then, thank God you know the true reason for all the celebrating and the joy of this holiday season.

 

Isaiah 60:1-3, "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising."

 

Arise and shine – that is what my grandma used to say to me when it was time to get up. I didn't know that she was quoting scripture.

 

As Christians, we should take the opportunity of the season ahead to rise out of lethargy, spiritual slumber, and our daily routine and take our witness of Christ to a new level. Jesus will give us untold numbers of opportunities to pray, to witness, to show love, and to really tell the world about Him. What a great time to allow our "light" to shine and to show people the "True Light."

 

While gross darkness of sin and evil reign over the whole of humanity and the world, we are blessed people because we have the "Light of the world" in us, and with the presence of the Holy Ghost in us, we have become the "light of the world."

 

Matthew 5:13-16, "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an 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."

 

If Jesus is in you, the whole world should be able to see that light. Even though Jesus is the "Bright and morning star" and "the great light," many Christians just don't reflect His light very brightly. The amount of light that shines from us is directly relative to the closeness of our relationship with Jesus on a personal level.

 

The good news is that it doesn't take much light to dispel the darkness. If you are saved, and the light of God is shining in you, even if you aren't where you should be with the Lord, there will be some light in your life.

 

How do I know that's true? Have you ever seen a worldly Christian whose light is dim because of his speech or how he behaves around others? That man or woman has a dim light because their relationship with Jesus is weak. Yet when they get around people who don't know Jesus at all and who are still in the gross darkness of sin, those sinners will know that there's something different about that weak Christian. Something about them will make them uneasy.

 

Quite often, this uneasiness results in either the sinners shying away from the worldly Christian, or else they will develop an attitude of contempt for him because he is not a part of their crowd and yet won't stand up for his own beliefs.

 

No matter how it goes, it's all a result of that dim light of the Lord in his heart that causes it.

 

You may as well let your light shine brightly and live for the Lord with all your heart; get completely sold out to Jesus because the world doesn't accept you either way, and you can enjoy being a Christian instead of walking the fence.

 

Salt has the power to flavor whatever it touches. It has the power to preserve food. It has the power to make a difference in the world where it is used. Even salt that is losing its flavor still has some effect. That effect doesn't just stop at a moment's notice. It keeps going and going. It may grow weaker over time and eventually become unusable as a seasoning.

 

That's the way your walk with the Lord is, too. Even when you are on your way backward, allowing the devil to drag you back into that life of sin, your life is still able to touch other people.

 

I've seen Christians who were getting close to a backslidden condition influence a lost person to go to church with them. That lost person then would get saved while their Christian witness friend finally backslid. The dim light of that worldly Christian was still bright enough to lead someone to Christ. The saved sinner came to the "great light," and God received the glory for his salvation despite the weak Christian.

 

I think of some Christians as "Cell Phone Christians." Most of you have a cell phone. Sometimes, you have a crystal clear connection, and at other times, you can barely understand what's being said; there are times when there's no connection because we are out of range of the tower.

 

That's the way that we are, too. Sometimes, we are so close to God that our light shines bright. Then there are times when we allow the cares of life to separate us from our prayer life, from studying the Word, from going to church, and from hearing the voice of the Lord, and light grows dim. Then, sometimes, we lose contact with the Lord because we have strayed too far into sin, and that's when the light can go out entirely.

 

All of us are in one of those three conditions. How bright is your light right now? Are you shining forth in the brightness that Jesus wants you to? Is there something there that is blocking that light from coming forth? Have clouds of sin, disobedience, lethargy, and neglect come between you and your source of light? Have those clouds become storm clouds that eclipse the Light of God so that you no longer shine? We need to remove the clouds and shine brightly once again.

 

First, we must remain plugged into the power source of our light and life. The power is not in us without Jesus. He is the only source of light and power in your life. You can't generate it yourself. It must come from the Lord and the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life.

 

Secondly, if you are connected to that power source in Jesus, flip on the switch and let your light shine so the world knows you belong to Him.

 

Perhaps someone reading this does not know Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Maybe you are still groping in the darkness of sin, trying to find your way but stumbling over every obstacle in life and falling flat on your face all the time. Have you wondered why you can't answer your questions correctly? Have you wondered why life seems to knock you down at every turn? Have you tried to find a meaning for your life, and there doesn't seem to be any? Have you tripped over things in your life that you didn't see in your path? Have you considered your life and wondered, "Is there a better way?"

 

My friend, you need to get connected, turn on the switch, and let the light of God shine in your heart. Jesus can give it all meaning. He can show you the path. He can provide you peace, joy, and happiness like you've never known. Most importantly, He will give you eternal life and lift you out of the darkness of sin.

 

Those who refuse to accept the light Jesus offers will burn for eternity in the gross darkness of the lake of fire.

 

Those who accept His light right now will walk in the brightness of His Light for eternity.

The gift

 What would that Gift be if you could have anything you want this Christmas?

 

This is the time of year when our materialistic society becomes more materialistic than ever. Across the nation, people have spent money they don't have, using easy credit cards already overloaded with high-interest rates attached, some as high as 36%. That means they will still be paying for this year's gifts 5 or even 10 years from now if they make minimum payments.

 

Gift-giving is a beautiful thing. And I don't think that anyone would refuse a gift either. But let us remember the most important Gift of all. With all the hype and glitz of the season, getting distracted from what is happening behind the scenes is easy. The age-old struggle for men's souls continues, and the greatest Gift is often forgotten or overlooked.

 

In 1809, Europe was locked in struggles for power and territory. Napoleon was sweeping through Austria; blood was flowing freely as soldiers and civilians alike were killed by the thousands. No one was concerned about the birth of a few babies. Their focus on world politics and man's inhumanity to man overshadowed everything else, and the birth of some significant babies went unnoticed.

 

Among those born that year were William Gladstone, destined to become one of England's finest statesmen. Alfred Tennyson was born to a little-known minister and his wife. The child would become a prolific writer and affect the literary world as few had before. Oliver Wendell Holmes was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the newly established American nation. Not far away in Boston, a child was born whose name was Edgar Allan Poe, who would live a tragic life but leave the world with poems and stories that are still popular to this day. 1809 was also the year that a young physician and his wife named their newborn son Charles Robert. The doctor's last name was Darwin, and that child would bring the teachings of evolution that would rock the scientific world and shake the very foundation of Christianity. Also, that same year, the cries of a newborn infant were heard in a rugged, one-room log cabin in the backwoods of Hardin County, Kentucky. The baby was named Abraham Lincoln.

 

If there had been news broadcasts then, I'm confident these words would have been heard: "The destiny of the world is being shaped on an Austrian battlefield today." But history was being shaped in the cradles of England and America.

 

All around the cities and towns of Israel, in the time of the Roman occupation, the concern on everyone's mind was taxation and the Jewish revolution. The big news was focused on the political scene. Man's focus has always been on the wrong thing because all we can see is the physical realm. The Jews missed the most significant news of all time.

 

In a little hamlet called Bethlehem, in a dirty stable, their Messiah was born, and Jesus was given. This was the greatest Gift of all, the Gift of a savior.

 

The most detailed account of the birth of Jesus Christ is given to us in the Book of Luke. Luke was a physician by trade before he became a disciple. History tells us that Luke was a Christian already when he met Paul the Apostle and became Paul's companion in his missionary journeys.

 

Luke didn't understand all of the events of the early years of the church but was taught by Paul. It is said that Luke learned most of the things that he wrote about in the first few chapters of the Book of Luke after listening to Paul, talking with some of the original disciples, and sitting down with Mary, the mother of Jesus, for lengthy interviews. It wasn't until 60 AD, nearly 30 years after the resurrection, that Luke, a gentile doctor, sat down and wrote his book, giving us the story of the Gospel. Three years later, he would begin to write another book. That would be called the Book of Acts of the Apostles.

 

Luke wasn't there to see it all happen firsthand, but he learned from those who had seen it with their own eyes and held the hand of Jesus while he walked this earth. Some historians say that Luke was practicing medicine in Tarsus, where he probably met Paul for the first time. However, it came about; I am glad that the Holy Spirit put them together so that we could have the account of the Gift of the Savior that Luke has given to us.

 

Luke was more than a disciple; he was a great teacher. He took a young man named Theophilus under his wing and began teaching him the gospel's foundational truths. We don't know much about Theophilus, but from how Luke addressed him, many people believe he was a person of rank, perhaps even a converted Roman officer.

 

Luke 1:1-4, "Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed."

 

The greatest Gift mankind could ever receive was the Gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. But what good does that Gift do if we don't believe it or won't accept it?

 

If we reap the benefits of salvation, we must first be convinced in our hearts that the gospel message is true. That's why God gives us the 5-fold ministry of the church.

 

Ephesians 4:11, "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;"

 

All these gifts are in the church to teach us about Jesus.

 

Apostles are there to preach the gospel to the nations and found churches worldwide so that the Gift may be received in the hearts of men.

 

Prophets are there to teach us and to give us visions of futuristic events so that the hearts of men can be prepared for the day when the Gift of eternal life and salvation will be realized to its fullest extent.

 

Evangelists are there to turn the hearts of men toward the Gift and to remind the church that they have a Gift that is far too valuable to set aside for anything in this world.

 

Pastors are there to keep us close to that Gift and, in some small way, to represent that Gift of a shepherd that would lead the flock of God into that eternal place of safety and rest.

 

Teachers are there to expound the Word of God, going deeper and higher into the Gift than ever before, revealing things about God's Gift of a Savior that we have never seen before.

 

Whether you realize it or not, the church is God's Gift to you. We are to love and appreciate the church but not worship it. It's not about the gifts of the ministry; it's all about the Gift. It's all about Jesus! It's not about the apostle, pastor, prophet, evangelist, or teacher. If we follow the preacher, then we lose sight of the Gift. Follow the Lord, not a man. When you go to church, men of God want to give you the Gift. When you read my words, I want to give you Jesus, not me. Don't follow me. I will inevitably fail your expectations. Follow Jesus – HE IS THE GIFT!

 

Everyone who gives you the Word of the Lord, who looks over you and prays for you, is doing that for one purpose: We want you to have a perfect understanding of all things from the very first, not just when Christ was born, but from the beginning of creation, that you may know and understand, why we need the Gift of a Savior, and what the coming of Jesus in that manger really means to your eternal soul. We want you to be certain that it is all the truth and to be instructed so that you can receive that Gift of a Savior! We want you to have an excellent spirit like Luke said that Theophilus had.

 

Luke 1:13-16, "But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God."

 

Much like John was sent as the forerunner of Christ, ministers are sent as forerunners to the second coming of Christ. My mission is to give you the message of repentance from sin and to point you to the Gift, that One who is greater than I, that One whose shoes I am unable to fill, that One who is the Greatest Gift of all – the Messiah, the Savior, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, God in the flesh – the Lord Jesus who reigns eternal and who gave himself for your sin upon the cross.

 

Luke 2:8-11, "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

 

And like the angelic host that appeared above the hillsides of Israel on that dark night, when at midnight, it seemed that Israel would never see a Messiah, my purpose today is to shout the victory to you and let you know that The Gift has come. Through the darkness of sin that has shrouded this world, the shout goes forth – the Gift has come – the Messiah is born – the Son is Given – and Jesus is His name! He is come that you might receive the gifts of joy, gladness, and eternal life! Oh, what a wonderful Savior! What a wonderful Lord! What a wonderful promise! What an incredible love! What an excellent Gift Jesus is, my Lord!

 

In that little town of Bethlehem, in the middle of the hilly country of Israel, on a dark night, in the stable of an inn where there was no room for people, a young woman gave birth to her firstborn son. The world didn't herald him as a newborn king. His birth went unnoticed by most of the world. But all of Heaven rejoiced on that night. The Heavenly choirs of angels burst forth in glorious praise.

 

In that straw, lying in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lay THE GIFT, the greatest Gift this world will ever receive. On that night, Jesus Christ was born.

 

But that Gift doesn't mean anything to you if you don't know Him today. Have you received the Gift? Have you given your heart and life to Jesus and allowed Him to come into your life? Why not receive the greatest Gift you will ever receive? You don't have to wait until Christmas morning. Today, right now, can be your Christmas. Accept the Gift right now!

A Baby and A Sword

 Matthew 2:1-3, “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

 

We have all seen a newborn baby lying in its crib or mother’s arms. I don’t ever remember looking into the face of one of those babies and thinking, “What a great threat to the peace and prosperity of the world this baby is!”

 

No, we all look into those faces of our newborn children and grandchildren and think to ourselves, “What a beautiful child, and oh, how proud we are that they are now and forever, a part of our family!”

 

Any normal human would gaze upon that baby and think, “Here is a new and precious life. Here is a child with all of the potential in the world to do great things and become someone who will make a difference in this world.”

 

We look at that baby, realizing that within each one that comes into this world, there is a seed of greatness, for it is Almighty God in Heaven who has given a new life, created another human being in His own image, and blessed us all with the chance to expand the love in our hearts to include someone new.

 

How anyone could ever cast aside a baby as though it means nothing or how anyone could ever purposely harm a precious child is beyond me. All of us know that this is not normal, but those who would do such things are under the influence of Satan.

 

It is the power of sinful nature and the overcoming powers of darkness that would cause anyone to do such things. The murder of innocents, whether in the womb of their mother or after it has been born into this world, is the result of sin in the heart of man, sin and evil that the devil himself inspires.

 

Over 2000 years ago, a baby boy was born in a stable and laid down in a manger. His birth had been foretold for thousands of years, and the circumstances had been prophesied to the smallest detail. This little baby, lying in a manger of hay and wrapped in swaddling clothes, carried a greater significance than any other baby that would ever come into this world.

 

Jesus came as a perfect, holy, innocent child and would never sin during his entire life. No other child has ever, or will ever, come into this world with those qualifications. No other human being could ever be offered the perfect sacrifice to take away every sin of everyone who would believe in him. This single child, Jesus, that innocent baby lying in a manger, brought with him the power to bring the greatest hope the world has ever had. Along with that great hope, Jesus brought with him the greatest division that would ever enter the hearts of men.

 

Jesus confessed later, when he entered his earthly ministry, what his coming would bring to this world in Matthew 10:34-36: "Think not that I come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household."

 

We, as Christians, love to look at the Christmas Story, with all its wonder and beauty, seeing the events that unfold through the eyes of faith and hope, knowing that the birth of Jesus meant the coming of our Savior. The scene of the peaceful hillsides of Bethlehem with its shepherds watching their flocks at night, and the appearance of the angels of Heaven singing, “Glory to God and Peace on Earth,” and the Star that shone in the sky that brought such “Exceeding Great Joy,” is a scene that we picture again and again.

 

But the rest of the world did not, and still does not, see that night's peace, joy, and wonder. To the world, this is a night of terror and something to be hated and stopped at all costs. From the beginning, right here in these first few verses of Matthew 2, we can already see the reaction of sinful man against the coming of Jesus into the world. The great division that the birth of this one single little baby, lying in that manger, would bring begins with all the powers of hell aligned against him.

 

Immediately, the power of mankind to be a god was threatened. King Herod, appointed king by the power of Rome, felt threatened by the presence of a baby who was born as the true king and one who would become the King of Kings. Jesus' crown was given not by man but by Almighty God. Jesus’ kingship superseded the titles given by man and gave him authority over every king and ruler upon the earth.

 

From the beginning, the very presence of Jesus and His very existence upon the earth became the single greatest threat against the power of man and the power of Satan to rule in the affairs of men. He immediately became the greatest enemy of sinful man, and plans sprang into action to eliminate him. It started with the murder of every child in the little town of Bethlehem and the areas around it. Every child, two years old and under, was murdered. The great sword, the great division, and the absolute determination of both sinful man and Satan to rid the world of any knowledge of Jesus had begun, and it continues to this very day.

 

With every passing generation, humanity has tried to eliminate Jesus and remove the knowledge of Him from the consciousness of man. Man refuses to acknowledge that there is a God and that man is not that God, but that all men will be held accountable to the One True God.

 

We know that Jesus came to save the world and all who would accept him as Savior, but I want to speak to those who have already chosen to follow Jesus. This is a message to the Church, the saints of God, and those who have already been adopted into the family of God. This is a message to each of us.

 

In writing to the Church, the Apostle James says, "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."

 

James isn’t speaking to the world but to those who know Jesus. He says, in effect, you cannot have a love affair with the things of this world, enjoy all that it offers, receive the accolades and praises of the world, hold the friendship of the world in high regard, and still consider yourself as a faithful child of God!

 

If a born-again child of God is going to have a love affair with the world, then you will become an enemy of God. Sooner or later, the love affair with the world will directly conflict with your love for Jesus; at that point, a division will come. The affair may last for a while, but it must end if you are to remain faithful to the call of God on your life.

 

The sword Jesus promised would come has swung again, and now the division must come. You cannot be a friend of the world and a friend of Jesus for very long.

 

The sword of division that Jesus brought to this world swings today in our national conscience as Congress, the courts of our land, and many of our godless leaders continue to attempt to eradicate the name of Jesus from our public schools and buildings. The name of Jesus stirs the sinful hearts of men who refuse to acknowledge the existence of an Almighty God more than anything else.

 

Our nation, born upon the Word of God and known as a Christian nation, has decided that the things of the world are more important than serving God. As a result, the Sword that Jesus brought is swinging furiously throughout the land, dividing sharply that which is godly from that which is not. The division becomes more significant with each passing day.

 

The love affair that the Church has had with the fame and fortune of the world and the praises of men must end, or the Church will be no more. We, the true Church of Jesus Christ, cannot be friends with the world, and therefore, the world will continue to hate us as its enemy more and more. The sword will not stop swinging, and the divisions will become greater.

 

We must be aware that the sword still swings, even in the Church and among those who call on the name of Jesus and are a part of the family of God. Even in our families and lives, the sword is swinging, bringing division.

 

Where is your first love? Do you still have Jesus and his kingdom as the first place in your life, or has this world's fame, fortune, glitz, glamour, and popularity begun to draw you aside? Is a love affair with this world a part of your life, or is there a part of you that wants the life that the world offers more than the life of service to Jesus? Christians are not immune to becoming involved in a love affair with the world. In fact, you are the devil's primary target, and he will promise you almost anything you want.

 

Christian young people are confronted with “peer pressure,” the need to be accepted by friends, and to have those who are popular in school allow them into their circle. How often do they choose friendships and popularity over standing firm for their belief in Jesus? You see, even in school, there is a sword swinging, separating the things of Christ from those of the world.

 

There are things that the world offers in our public schools that we cannot partake of and maintain the right relationship with Jesus! So, you must decide, will you serve the Lord or have a love affair with the things of the world!

 

Christians, in churches everywhere, have begun to be more and more accepting of the things of this world, not only in the Church but also in their homes. Often, it's caused by a desire to be at peace with the kids who want to be accepted.

 

The standards that once held a great separation of Christian kids and worldly kids have been relaxed to the point that we allow our kids to take part in everything offered, even if partaking in those things violates the law of God and grieves the Spirit. Parents would rather be friends with their kids than train them in the way they should go. They fear the sword of division more than the judgment of God against sin in the camp, not realizing that, in the end, the souls of their kids are at stake, not just their popularity and acceptance.

 

Finally, what about your own life? What place does Jesus have in your heart? Is the chance for promotion on the job more important than being faithful in serving Jesus? Do you hide your faith because you don’t want to make waves or take the chance of being passed over? When you’re around friends and co-workers, are you keeping your faith to yourself to avoid conflict? Those are the first signs of the beginning of a love affair with the world!

 

What a difference the birth of one baby boy in a manger in Bethlehem has made! The entire history of man centers on that one little baby! The eternal destiny of every soul of man hinges upon what we will believe and do about that one little baby! That little baby, Jesus, brought a sword that swings to create a separation between those who will serve him and those who won’t.

 

The sword is swinging! Jesus brought the opportunity to decide in your own life. Which side are you on? Which side will you choose today, tomorrow, and forever? Every day that you live, the sword will be swinging! Which side will you be on when the sword is done?

 

As you observe the rituals and traditions of Christmas, and you look upon Jesus in that manger scene, remember that He is no longer that baby in the manger. Jesus is Lord! He is the King of Kings! He is the God and Savior of the World to those who will choose to serve him. To everyone else, He is the Great Divider, the One who separates light from darkness and sin from righteousness! Are you on the Lord’s side?

 

Christmas brings joy, peace, and glory to those who serve the Lord. But to everyone else, Christmas is a sword, a thorn in the side of the ungodly, and an ever-present reminder that there is a God and that there will be a day of accountability as we all stand before him.

 

I pray that Christmas is a joyful time for you. Enjoy your time with family and friends. But most importantly, make Christmas a time of renewing your relationship with Jesus and ensuring that you love Him more than the things of the world. Make sure that Jesus is your life and that his presence with and in you matters more than anything else.