John 1:1-5, 9-14 “In the beginning was the Word [Jesus Christ], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Pastor Herk continues, that Jesus Christ is the gift above all gifts. There is no greater gift than the giving of self for others. 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 [God with us].” Jesus is the reason for the season and therefore Christmas is a joyful season. Joyful songs are sung in jubilant delight of the true light of the world, from Heaven to earth, God incarnate dwelling among us, come to forgive and save all who receive Him as Savior and Lord. O’ Holy Night, the enlightened world rejoices in glory.
America is a Christian nation because the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world, but is being dismantled by increasing darkness of sin and unbelief. Jesus said in John 3:19-20 “this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.” The [secular humanist] world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. In hate of the light of truth, they legally ban the true meaning of Christmas, refining it and the celebration of Christ’s arrival. Jesus Christ is offensive to those condemned, who live in darkness of sin and unbelief. But sinful man cannot take away that which sovereign God gave the world. In God We Trust.
Proverbs 14:34 “Godliness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. Jesus is the gift from above that is above all gifts, encapsulated in God’s love. Love is the foundation of any family, community, society, nation or religion. Love binds us together. Love is all round us, and it started with reconciliation, forgiveness, the outing aside of offenses, and looking forward to joyful godliness and holiness in the future. God gave His Son, to be born as we are born and to live as we live, to suffer as we suffer and tempted as we are tempted, and die as we die in order to experience life as we experience life. Ephesians 5:2 tells us, “walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” Love is the only way to reconciliation. 1 John 4:7says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”
Ephesians 1:3-10 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.”
In John 3:3 Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. To know Him is to love Him. Love is the only way to forgiveness. Why did Jesus come and die? Jesus came to die for our sins, that we may be “born again” and see the kingdom of God. Christmas is just the beginning of things come. God reveals His love for us in the birth of Jesus and the proof of that love comes on Resurrection Sunday at Easter. Romans 4:24-25 “It [Righteousness] shall be imputed to us who believe in Him [God] who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our [sinful] offenses, and was raised because of our justification.” Glory to God in the highest!
Merry Christmas, In Christ, Brian
No comments:
Post a Comment