Let us lift our eyes above the “most wonderful time of the year” and the “blue Christmas” and set them upon Christ. For He was born, died and rose again to show us He is the Mighty God! - Clint Decker
This was the case during history’s first Christmas. There were the poor shepherds. An angel appeared to them in the sky while they were watching their sheep and said, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11) As the Christmas carol says, “The first Noel the angel did say, Was to certain poor shepherds, In fields as they lay.” These shepherds were poor, nomadic, and looked down upon in society. They were outcasts. Yet, they were given the news of Jesus’ birth then rushed to see Him in Bethlehem. And they were forever changed by it, “And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” (Lk. 2:20)
Then there were the rich wise men. They lived nearly 1,000 miles east of Bethlehem in the location of modern-day Iran. Upon the birth of Christ, they spotted a star in the sky, then travelled in a caravan (not just three of them) on the backs of animals, following the star, to see the Christ child. The journey took around two years, so Jesus would have been toddler age when they came. The wise men were educated, skilled, influential, wealthy and well respected. When they came to Jerusalem they met with King Herod and asked, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:2) They continued on toward Bethlehem until they came to Jesus, “And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11-12) When the wise men returned to their land of Persia, they were forever changed.
There are six things that Christmas reveals through the shepherds and wise men. 1) God is real. When they went to see baby Jesus, they understood there was something unique about Him, that He was not just an ordinary little baby. 2) The supernatural. Rather than denying or resisting the supernatural, they saw God in it and embraced it. 3) The necessity to respond in faith. The shepherds and wise men’s money, knowledge or reputation was of no concern. It was their response of obedience and worship toward Jesus that brought them blessing. 4) There is good and evil. They saw the good in Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus. But they also saw great evil in King Herod bringing death, sorrow and pain to many. Christmas showed them the realities of life in a fallen world. 5) There is true peace. Upon hearing the message of good news, then going to worship baby Jesus, they experienced a joy and happiness unlike anything the world could ever buy.
We must resist the pressure to feel Christmas is about the gifts, how many, how nice or how expensive they are. We must resist letting conflict and the heartache of loss or tragedy to define Christmas. Let us lift our eyes above the “most wonderful time of the year” and the “blue Christmas” and set them upon Christ. For He was born, died and rose again to show us He is the Prince of Peace, the Mighty God and Wonderful Counselor. Christmas reveals that knowing and living for Christ is what is most important in life and what makes life good, regardless of being on the mountain tops or walking through valleys.
A prayer for you – Lord God, I pray you will fix our eyes above the worldly messages of Christmas. Help us to find joy, happiness and peace in you and not in the Christmas trappings that surround us. And bring new life to those who have never trusted in Jesus. In His name. Amen.
Emmanuel extends forgiveness for all the wrongs you have ever done. Let this Christmas be one you will never forget. Place your trust in Jesus. - Clint Decker
In the 1980s, Michael W. Smith wrote the lyrics to the Christmas song, Emmanuel. His friend and fellow musical artist, Amy Grant, recorded the song in 1983, leading to over 1-million album sales, making it a fan favorite for many years. The lyrics say, “Emmanuel, Emmanuel, Wonderful, Counselor, Lord of life, Lord of all, He is the Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Holy One.” (Image from Pixabay)
Emmanuel or Immanuel refers to baby Jesus born on Christmas Day, but what does it mean? The Old Testament part of the Bible was originally written in Hebrew. Immanuel comes from two Hebrew words. “Immanu”, meaning “with us”, and “El” meaning “God”, so Emmanuel means “God with us.” Across the 66 books of the Bible, Immanuel is only used three times. One of those is found in Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” It is a prophecy written about Jesus, given over 700 years before His birth.
When it was originally given around the year 735 B.C (not BCE by the way), it was spoken to King Ahaz and was not good news for him. God meant it as a word of judgment for his defiance in refusing to place His trust in the Lord God for the defense and perseveration of the Kingdom of Judah. God was in essence telling Ahaz, “There is coming the birth of a baby boy, and he will be given the name Immanuel, and that boy will be sign from me to you.” In light of King Ahaz’s defiance, it meant something dramatic. It meant the boy would be a continual reminder to Ahaz that God is present and against Him. Ahaz had made Immanuel his enemy!
When Christ was born on the first Christmas day and celebrated as Immanuel, God with us, immediately He had enemies. His most ruthless, was King Herod. For he attempted to hunt down baby Jesus and slaughter Him. Instead, Jesus and His family fled, but other baby boys were killed in what historians labeled as the Massacre of the Innocents. Over the centuries many have lined up behind Herod, defiantly refusing to come and worship the Christ. We see this in the refusal of some businesses to say, “Merry Christmas”, schools in allowing valedictorians to acknowledge “Jesus” in their speeches and in the persecution of Christians in atheistic and Islamic nations around the world.
But there is another side to Immanuel, one that inspires divine Christmas hope. When God made the prophecy to Ahaz, it was a sign to the remnant of Judah who trusted in God and His promises. A sign that one day a Messiah would rise up from the tribe of Judah and be a Savior to the world. On that first Christmas in Bethlehem, between 6 and 4 B.C., Immanuel was miraculously born of a virgin and fulfilled that prophecy. And to all who trusted in Him, like Joseph, Mary, the Shepherds and the wise men, there was abounding joy and celebration! It was a day that forever changed the future of humanity.
The birth of Immanuel, the Christ-child, is a sign that God is not far off. He is near. He has come to live among us and bring His life transforming message of repentance, faith and obedience to Him.
Who is Immanuel to you this Christmas? Are you holding your fist in the face of Jesus, defiantly refusing to come and worship Him? Do not make Emmanuel your enemy. It is a dangerous path to walk.
Today, come and worship Immanuel! The Creator of heaven and earth came to live with us and preached a message of life and hope. Then He died as a sacrifice for your sins, and three days later rose again from the dead. Immanuel extends forgiveness for all the wrongs you have ever done. Let this Christmas be one you will never forget. Place your trust in Immanuel!
A prayer for you – Lord God, thank you for leaving heaven and coming to earth. I pray you will become the Savior to many this Christmas, and may your forgiveness become someone’s greatest gift. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Why do we do it? We always want to have it both ways. - Clint Decker
Why do we do it? We always want to have it both ways. Someone like this we might call, “two-faced.” In the bestselling book, Pilgrims Progress, there was a character called, “Mr. Facing-Both Ways.” This speaks of a person’s character, where they refuse to fully commit in one direction, instead they always play both sides. Regarding someone’s Christian faith, such a person is described like this, “They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.” (Titus 1:16)
The strong statement comes in response to a problem in the human heart, which causes one’s words and actions not to align with each other. This type of living is a lie. It is deceptive and manipulative. It leads to a lack of personal trust and integrity and is a spiritually dangerous way to live.
Jesus addressed this when He asked a rhetorical question to His listeners, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46) To put this in other terms, Jesus was asking, “Why do you say you believe in me, but do not obey my commands?” The same issue was dealt with centuries earlier through the prophet Jeremiah, “Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely… then come and stand before me…?” (Jeremiah 7:9-10)
All this is a life of contradictions, where people profess to know God through their words or Christian activities, but deny that profession in how they live. What they do on Sunday and how they live Monday through Saturday does not match up. Because of this, they give ample reason for others to question the genuineness of their faith – including God.
They say with confidence, “I pray”, “I believe”, or even “I have asked Jesus to forgive my sins.” Yet, their life is a walking paradox when they engage in drunkenness, sexual immorality, anger, bitterness, profanity or other evil. How can such a contradiction be? They may respond with, “No one is perfect.” That is true, but it is no excuse for continuing to do what one knows is flat wrong. It is hypocritical, which means that someone is a religious actor. It is written, “Therefore you have no excuse, O man…” (Romans 2:1)
Why have so many chosen to live this way? Simple. There is no cost to it. It is a vain attempt to have two kingdoms without paying a price. God’s kingdom and their kingdom.
This way of living provides the benefits of religion like engaging in prayer, belief in God, experiencing His blessings, or even enjoying worship and taking the Lord’s Supper. But it also allows their conscience to permit them to live however they choose.
Those who teach or believe this are embracing a dangerous lie. For God strongly condemns it and will not be deceived or mocked. Jesus will one day say to them, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” (Matthew 7:23)
To enter God’s kingdom, you must walk away from your kingdom, and yes, there is a cost. There might be relationships that need to be broken or places you need to stop going. This is repentance and is costly, because it means you are turning away from someone (you) and turning toward Jesus by faith.
If God were to examine your life, what would He see? A two-faced life of empty religion, or a life that is passionately headed in one direction and totally sold out to Christ?
A prayer for you – Lord God, examine our lives. Help us to see what you see. If we have been living for two kingdoms, show us. From this day forward help us to live fully for Christ, the One who suffered, died and rose again that we might truly live for Him. In His name. Amen.
