CHRIST’mas Eve 2023
Happy Sunday - CHRIST’mas Eve!
Today we panic because we are not ready for CHRIST’mas or we relax and enjoy the day before CHRIST’mas.
But let us who call on the Name of JESUS remember that CHRIST’mas is about GOD’s Love for us.
In the final preparations let us not forget Who CHRIST’mas is about and why the whole world celebrates it, even if they do not know.
JESUS CHRIST - The Son of GOD - Savior of humanity.
Isaiah 26:7-11
Believers See GOD (7-9)
“The way of the righteous is straight. Upright One, You make straight the path of the righteous. Yes, in the Way of Your Judgments, LORD, we have waited for You. Your Name and Your Remembrance is the desire of our soul. My soul longs for You at night, yes, my spirit within me seeks You. For when Your Judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn Righteousness.”
Unbelievers Do Not See GOD (10-11)
“Though Grace is shown to the wicked, he does not learn righteousness. Even in a land of uprightness he will act wrongly, not perceiving the Majesty of The LORD. LORD Your hand is lifted up, yet they do not see it; they will see Your Zeal for the people and be put to shame. Yes, fire will devour Your enemies.”
Isaiah 17:7-9
“In that Day a man will look to his Maker and his eyes will turn to The Holy One of Israel. He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands, nor will he look to what his fingers have made - neither the asherah poles nor the sun-images. In that day the strong cities will be like forsaken forests and treetops that were abandoned, because of The Children of Israel - they will be laid waste.”
In context this passage is part of a prophecy about Damascus, but when I see “in that day” I always think of That Day, the day JESUS returns to begin His millennial reign over the nations.
In that sense this is a true statement about That Day! On That Day many things are going to happen and all the earth will see them as they happen, there will be no darkness anywhere, everyone will see these events in real time.
https://youtu.be/XXswx37b2Mo?si=khLlfkBYkE7KHibX
JESUS’ Messages:
Love:
GOD - “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our GOD, The LORD is One! You shall Love The LORD your GOD with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these Words which I command you today shall be in your heart” Deuteronomy 6:4-6
“JESUS answered him, ‘Hear, O Israel: The LORD our GOD, The LORD is One! And you shall Love The LORD your GOD with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the First Commandment.’” Mark 12:29-30 (Study Matthew 22:37-38; Luke 10:27)
Neighbor - “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall Love your neighbor as yourself: I Am The LORD.” Leviticus 19:18
“And the second is like it: ‘You shall Love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all The Law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:39-40 (Study Proverbs 14:20-21; Mark 12:31)
Brethren - “A new Commandment I give to you, that you Love one another; as I have Loved you, that you also Love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have Love for one another.” John 13:34-35 (Study Ephesians 4:25-32; 1 Peter 3:8-12)
Enemies - “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall Love your neighbor and hate your enemy (Deuteronomy 23:3-8).’ But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” Matthew 5:43-44 (Study Psalm 35:11-14; Matthew 5:10-12)
Serve:
GOD - “For I have come down from Heaven, not to do My Own Will, but The Will of Him Who sent Me.” John 6:38 (Study Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46)
“If anyone Serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I Am, there My Servant will be also. If anyone Serves Me, him My Father will honor.” John 12:26
Each other - “And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave - just as The Son of Man did not come to be Served, but to Serve, and to give His Life a ransom for many. Matthew 20:27-28 (Study Matthew 20:20-28; Luke 12:35-48, 22:24-30; John 13:1-17)
Watch:
Be ready - “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which The Son of Man is coming.” Matthew 25:13 (Study Matthew 24:36-44, 25:1-13)
“Behold, I Am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who Watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.” Revelation 16:15
https://youtu.be/PATm0YYIwpo?si=4RBiTOZBPijYyr7n
SEEK!
2 Chronicles 7:14 “If My people who are called by My Name will humble themselves, and pray and SEEK My face, and will turn from their wicked way, THEN I Will Hear from Heaven, and Will Forgive their sin and Heal their land”
Psalm 119:2 “Blessed are those who Keep His Testimonies, who SEEK Him with the whole heart!”
Isaiah 55:6 “SEEK The LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.”
Matthew 6:33 “But you SEEK first The Kingdom of GOD and His Righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.”
Colossians 3:1 “If you then were raised with CHRIST, SEEK those things which are above, where CHRIST is sitting at the right hand of GOD.”
What do these Scriptures have in common besides the command to seek GOD?
They are all written to believers, Jews and Christians, not to the lost.
In the beginning everyone knew Who GOD was, after the flood everyone knew Who GOD was. GOD called the Children of Jacob to become a nation dedicated to Him so that those who did not know Him could see and know Him (but they failed for the most part). Now it is the Christians who are called to reveal GOD and His Salvation through JESUS The CHRIST to those who do not know Him.
If Christians are not SEEKING GOD then the lost will rarely find GOD, only those who truly seek the truth (which GOD is) and those who are desperate and in their despair call out to GOD.
That is why JESUS said we are a city on a hill, to light (Matthew 5:13-16, John 8:12) the way (Matthew 7:13-14, John 1:6) to Salvation (John 3:16-17).
If you are not SEEKING GOD and are not doing His Will, you may not be saved (Matthew 7:21-23, Luke 9:60-62)!
https://youtu.be/maxLHLidgi8?si=rxqB3Sfc2axUyYUg
Nehemiah 8:8-12
“So they read distinctly from The Book, The Law of GOD; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading. And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the Priest and Scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, ‘This day is holy to The LORD your GOD; do not mourn nor weep.’ For all the people wept when they heard the Words of The Law. Then he said to them, ‘Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our LORD. Do not sorrow, for the Joy of The LORD is your strength.’ So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, ‘Be still for the day is holy, do not be grieved.’ And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the Words that were declared to them.”
Two things come to mind from this passage:
First, it is the leader’s responsibility to teach the people what GOD’s Word says and means. It says in verse 8 that they read distinctly from The Book.
They did not pick and choose portions of The Scriptures, they read the context of The Scriptures. Plus they explained what The Scriptures meant to the people for their daily lives. They did not leave the people having to figure out what the Law was saying and how they should live their life.
It says in verse 3 that Ezra read from first light to mid-day, about 6 hours and the people stood and listened and verses 4-7 says that the leaders taught the meaning of The Scriptures to the people.
In verse 6 the worship was short and humble!
Second the Word of GOD causes us to repent of our sin and to love our brothers and brings us joy no matter our situation.
Verse 9 says the people wept when they heard The Words of The Law; they were convicted of their sin when they heard The Law and the priests taught them repentance so that they could live in joy not despair because of The Law.
Verse 12 says they continued the day in joyful fellowship with one another.
Oswald Chambers said of this passage; “Whether or not you are exhausted will depend upon where you get your supplies. Be exhausted for GOD, but remember that your supply comes from Him.”
Study the whole chapter: verses 1-3 is what happened; verses 4-7 is how it happened and verses 8-12 is the result.
Remember today we have Salvation through JESUS CHRIST, we have The SPIRIT of GOD living in us and we have the complete Word of GOD. Why can we not spend one day a week in worship of GOD, the study of His Word and fellowship with one another? Or at least one day a month? We rush through everything in 2 hours or less, why? We have multiple services so they are short, why not have a day long service where worship, teaching, ministry and fellowship just keep happening? Why do we have multiple services happening via video at several locations, did the pastor not disciple and raise up pastors for the other locations? It is not church planting if you control everything from your base and do not release those you have discipled to do what GOD has called them to do!
https://youtu.be/ovVuoS1S234?si=OyHzGNdYUQZa6_SN
Eternal vs. Immortal
Eternal = adj. 1 existing always. 2 essentially unchanging (eternal truths).
Eternity = n. 1 infinite (esp. future) time. 2 endless life after death. 3 being eternal.
Mortal = adj. 1 subject to death. 2 causing death; fatal. 3 associated with death. 4 intense; very serious; implacable. * n. human being. * mortally adv.
Mortality = n. (pl. -ties) 1 being subject to death. 2 loss of life on a large scale. 3 death rate.
Immortal = adj. 1a living forever. b divine. 2 unfading. 3 likely or worthy to be famous for all time. * n. 1a immortal being. b (pl) gods of antiquity. 2 person (esp. an author) of enduring fame. * Immortality n. Immortalize v. tr.#
There seems to be a lot of confusion about eternity and immortality in the Church and in the world. While the definitions above may help, in the Church the problem is in not understanding Who GOD is. The number one definition for eternal is ‘existing always’ this means without a beginning and without an end - eternal. Here is the tricky part; the number one definition for immortal is ‘living forever’ and many think this is the same as ‘existing always’. It is not!
While existing always means not having a beginning or an end, living forever does not mean not having a beginning. Life always has a beginning (Except GOD’s)! Adam was created immortal and Eve being made from his rib was also immortal. From that point on every human conceived in their mother’s womb is born immortal in the sense that we will not die spiritually. GOD created Adam in His own image and GOD is a Spirit (John 4:24); when He breathed the breath (spirit) of life into Adam, Adam became a living human (flesh) being who would not die. But Adam’s sin caused him to lose his immortality and his flesh started the decay of death which every human still has. We are born a spirit being but our flesh is destined to die because of sin, that is why JESUS told us to give up our natural life for His Spiritual Life so that we could live eternally with Him and not eternally in hell (Mark 8:34-38; John 3:3-7).
The Bible teaches us that In the beginning GOD created everything in the heavens,1 earth and seas; Genesis chapter 1, John 1:1-5, Revelation 4:11 are just three of the many Scriptures that reveal that GOD preexisted creation and created everything. For GOD to create everything in the beginning means that He already existed, so we know that GOD has always existed for the Bible teaches that everything that exists, exists in Him. (For more study on creation study Job 38 and 39; Proverbs 8:22-31)
So at this point you should know that only GOD is eternal (no beginning and no end) and that everything we see in the natural heavens (sky, space, universe), the earth and the seas exist because GOD made them, and He made them for His own good pleasure (Proverbs 8:30-31; Revelation 4:11 KJV)
What about the heavenly host (which includes the devil and the fallen angels)? They are all created beings, created before the earth and humans! They are created immortal but they have no salvation from their sin.2 (Job 38:4-7; Proverbs 8:22-31; Isaiah 14:12-15; Revelation 12:7-12)
So humans were created immortal in Adam (Genesis 2:7-17; 5:1-2), he was given responsibility to rule over and care for all of GOD’s earthly creation. He was also told not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He was told that if he did he would die that very day! But Eve was deceived (Genesis 3:13; 2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Timothy 2:15) and Adam chose to disobey GOD (sin) and they died that day - they lost their physical immortality (Romans 5:12; 1 Corinthians 15:22).3 Now instead of having natural life without death (immortality) they were destined to live a life of dying with judgment (Hebrew 9:27). As their heirs we have lost our natural immortality and gained their life of death and judgment because the sins of the fathers are passed down to the third and fourth generation, Exodus 20:5, 3:6-7.
So what does all this mean to Christians? It means that we need to believe that GOD is Who The Bible tells us He is: The One True GOD Who created everything that exists, that He sent His only begotten Son JESUS4 to become sin so that all who believe in Him and confess Him and repent of their sinful life can be saved, that He gave us The Bible so that we could learn and understand Who He is, what He has done and what He is doing; and He gives us His SPIRIT to live in us at the moment we are “born again”5
Notes:
1 Here is the first distracting fact: humans call the place where GOD lives by many names but Heaven is the most common English word used. The problem with all the names humans use for where GOD lives is that it is also what The Bible and humans call the atmosphere that surrounds the earth, ‘the heavens’. In The Bible there is reference to three levels of heaven, the first is our atmosphere - the air that we breath and the skies above us and all of outer space (Genesis 1:1, 7-10); second is the spiritual realm that exists unseen all around the earth where supernatural beings (angels) exist (2 Kings 6:8-17), though they are always active in our realm of mortal existence; third is the realm where humans meet GOD in visions, dreams and near death experiences. I do not believe that this third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:1-6 and Revelation 4:1-2) is where GOD lives. One reason is that in 2 Peter 3:10-13 and Revelation 21:1 the earth and the ‘heavens’ are destroyed by fire, the final judgment of GOD on the mortal realm, and a new Heaven and earth are created.
2 Here is the second distracting fact: The devil hates humans because humans are made in the image of GOD (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7, 20-25; 3:1-7) Also, humans have salvation from sin but the fallen angels do not (Genesis 3:14-15; Matthew 25:41; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:29-34; 1 Corinthians 15:20-26 ; 2 Peter 2:4-11; Revelation 5; 20:7-15) Since the beginning of creation the devil has been trying to destroy the human race, Genesis3.
3 The third distracting fact: Adam lived for 930 years of the 1000 year day of his life, he was actually the fourth longest living man (Jared lived 962 years, Genesis 5:20; Methuselah lived 969 years, Genesis 5:27; Noah lived 950 years, Genesis 10:28-29) Since Adam’s sin no man has lived a full 1000 year day. The 1000 year day is noted in Psalm 90:4 and 2 Peter 3:8.
Another distracting fact is the length of mortal life promised to humans, it is not 70 to 80 years as noted in Psalm 90:10, this is a comment by Moses is his Psalm of how long the Hebrews have been living during the trying 40 years in the wilderness. In Genesis 6:1-3, before the flood when people were living 777 to 969 years, GOD determined that due to the evilness of the human heart that man’s life span would be 120 years. GOD has never rescinded that statement, in fact after the flood men still lived to 400 years until the time of Abraham. Even Moses lived 120 years (Deuteronomy 34:7) and Joshua lived 110 years (Joshua 24:29).
4 The fourth distracting fact: “Only begotten Son” That means that GOD created JESUS’ life in the womb of Mary, a virgin by The Power of His SPIRIT. JESUS is the only human (Son of Man) to not have a physical, biological human father! GOD is His Father and the virgin Mary is His mother. (Matthew 1; Luke 1:1-56, 2:1-20; John 1:1-5, 29-34)
Another issue from this is those who worship Mary as an eternal virgin, she is not. Mary and Joseph, her human husband, had at least six children after JESUS. “‘Is this not the carpenter, Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?’ So they were offended at Him.” Mark 6:3 (Matthew 1:25; Mark 3:31-35; 6:1-6; Luke 8:19-21; John 7:1-9; Acts 1:14)
5 The fifth distracting fact: “Born again”, JESUS told the Pharisee, Nickodemus, that we must be “Born again” to enter into The Kingdom of GOD (John 3:1-21). JESUS told the Samaritan woman at the well that GOD is “SPIRIT” and must be worshiped in Spirit and Truth (John 4:21-26). JESUS told the disciples that The Father was going to send The SPIRIT to them after He went to be with The Father. (John 14:15-18, 16:5-15; Acts 1:-8, 2:1-4; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17)
# The Oxford American Desk Dictionary, Oxford University Press, 1998
