Merry Christmas

Luke 2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 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.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

This is why we celebrate Christmas.  It is the birth day of Jesus, the Promised Messiah, Who was born to redeem all mankind.  He was born in a place where He was a stranger, not in a palace, but in a manger.  His birth was not noted by the rich and powerful, but was announced by the angel of the Lord to a group of shepherds as they went about their everyday life.  The shepherds were told to not be afraid, because the angel brought them good news.  This good news was that unto them that day in the city of David was born to them a Savior, which was Christ the Lord.  Again, this is what we celebrate today.  The shepherds were told where they could find Jesus and how they could recognize Him.  They would find Him wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.  We today find Him as the Resurrected Lord, knocking on our hearts door as God calls us to Him.  Then, a multitude of angels appeared, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.  This is what we should be doing today as Christians while we celebrate Christmas, praising God and showing peace and good will toward all people.  Of course, it starts by accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, and if you haven't what better day to do so than on Christmas day.  My prayer is that if you haven't, that you will do so today, then you can truly celebrate Christmas. 

Deuteronomy 8:10

Deuteronomy 8:10 says, When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.  Moses said when the people of Israel ate and were full that they were to bless, or thank, the LORD.  No matter how rich or poor we may be as followers of Christ today, we should always give thanks to God, especially if we have enough to eat and a roof over our head.  Verse eleven adds, Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:  Moses warned them against forgetting God when they were full and life was going well.  Too often today, people look to God in times of need, but forget Him in times of blessings.  Verse twelve states, Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;  Verse thirteen adds, And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied;  Verses fourteen continues, Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;  This was a continuation of Moses warning the people of Israel to not forget God when He blessed them greatly with not only enough food and nice houses, but with herds and silver and gold as well, and their beginning to think that they were responsible for all the good things they had and forgetting God.  It seems today that as Christians sometimes the more God blesses us the more we take credit for it and the less the give God the credit and praise.  Verse fifteen says, Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;  Moses begins to remind the people of all thet God had done for them.  God led them through the terrible wilderness full of dangers, and even provided them water from out of a rock when there was no water.  Today, in our spiritual wilderness, God gives us Living Water if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse sixteen adds, Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;  Moses said that God also provided them with manna, bread from heaven, to eat to humble them because they had nothing to do with providing it for themselves.  We need to humbly thank God for the Bread of Life and all other riches that He brings us today.   Verse seventeen continues, And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. Moses continued to warn the people of Israel against beginning to think that they and not God were responsible for all the good things they had.  We as followers of Christ need to heed that same warning today.  Verse eighteen declares, But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.  Moses told them to remember that it was God Who blessed them with all these riches, and we need to remember that it is God Who provides us with all that we have today, whether we are rich or not.  Sometimes it seems that the less with have the easier it is to give God the glory and praise, and the more we have the easier it is to think that we are responsible and to forget God.  This should never happen though.  As Christians, we need to give God the glory for all that we have and use it for His glory.  Verse nineteen adds, And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.  Moses warned them that if they became rich in material things and forgot that God was the source of their blessings and began to worship false gods that they would perish.  We cannot serve God and material things or false idols at the same time.  Verse twenty continues,  As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God.  This was a warning to the nation of Israel that if they forgot God that they would be destroyed like the nations that God had destroyed before them because of their disobedience.  We may call ourselves a Christian nation, but if we forget God and His laws, we eventually will be destroyed just like any other nation.  We are not blessed by the fact of who we are as a nation, but are a nation because of Who God is if we are indeed a Christian nation.  We should never believe that God blesses us because of where we were born.

Deuteronomy 8:1

Deuteronomy 8:1 says, All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers.  Moses told the people of Israel that they were to observe, or obey, all the commandments of God that He commanded them to do that day, so that they might live, multiply and possess the land that God had promised to their fathers.  Verse two adds, And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.  Moses also told them to remember the wilderness wanderings when God had humbled them and learned what was in their hearts, whether they would obey Him by faith or not.  As Christians, we need to humble ourselves before God today so He will know what is in our hearts, and that is that we put our faith in Him alone.  Verse three continues, And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.  Moses said God allowed them to hunger in the wilderness until He fed them with manna, which they knew nothing about.  Moses said God did this to teach them that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of God's mouth.  We still need to put faith in God above physical needs and desires.  Verse four states, Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.  Moses reminded them that their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet swell during all their movements.  God will still meet the needs of His people today and enable them to physically do what He calls them to do.  Verse five adds, Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.  Moses told them that they were to understand that as a father chastised his son when he did something wrong, so would God chastise them.  If God is not chastising us today, we must be either living perfect lives in His sight, or we are not really His child.  Verse six continues, Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.  Just as Moses told the people of Israel, we as followers of Christ are to walk in His ways and obey His commandments.  Verse seven declares, For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;  Moses said the people of Israel were to keep God's commandments and walk in His ways because of all that He had given them.  God has given us something even greater, and that is everlasting life through faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, and for that reason we are to obey His commandments and walk in His ways.  Verse eight adds, A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of olive oil, and honey;  Verse nine continues, A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.  Moses said that the land God was giving them was a land that would more than meet their needs.  One day, as followers of Christ,  we will be called home to heaven, a place that will more than meet all our needs.  Most importantly though, as with the people of Israel, it will be where God is.

Deuteronomy 7:17

Deuteronomy 7:17 says, If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them? Moses said that they might question their ability to defeat these nations that were greater than they were.  We today may sometimes feel that the world is too powerful for us to overcome as followers of Christ when we see how powerful it is.  Verse eighteen adds, Thou shalt not be afraid of them: but shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt;  Moses said if they began to feel this way that they were to remember what God did to Pharaoh and all of Egypt, which had definitely been more powerful than the people of Israel, but could not come close to standing up to God.  God is still that same powerful God.  Verse nineteen continues, The great temptations which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched out arm, whereby the LORD thy God brought thee out: so shall the LORD thy God do unto all the people of whom thou art afraid.  Moses told them that just as God had defeated Egypt, He would defeat all their enemies in the Promised Land.  Their might was not in their own abilities, but was in their faith in God, just as ours must be today.  Verse twenty states, Moreover the LORD thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed.  Moses said that God would cause their enemies to try to hide from them and be destroyed.  Verse twenty-one adds, Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the LORD thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible.  Just like the people of Israel, we must not be afraid of the people of this world, because we serve a mighty God that nothing or no one can ever stand up to.  Verse twenty-two continues, And the LORD thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee.  Moses said that instead of defeating the people of the land all at once that He would do it little by little.  Though Jesus Christ has insured the everlasting victory over sin and death, in our own life our progress to victory through our faith in Him may be slow.  Verse twenty-three declares, But the LORD thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed.  Moses told the people of Israel that even if their progress was slow that God would be with them until all their enemies were destroyed, and He is with us the same way today.  Victory over the world does not come by our power, but by the power of God.  Verse twenty-four adds, And he shall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have destroyed them.  Moses said God would deliver the kings into the hand of the people of Israel until they were destroyed.  Though we may not physically destroy all our enemies today, if we put our faith in Jesus Christ, they have already been destroyed spiritually.  Verse twenty-five continues, The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God.  Moses told them that they were to destroy the graven images with fire, and warned them to not begin to desire the silver and gold that these idols were made of.  As Christians, we must never be tempted by the things of this world that would lead us away from God, no matter how valuable they may seem.  Verse twenty-six concludes, Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.  Just as the people of Israel were warned to not bring a cursed thing into their midst but were to totally detest it, so must we today. 

Deuteronomy 7:11

Deuteronomy 7:11 says, Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them.  Moses told the people of Israel, God's chosen people, that they were to keep God's commandments, statutes and judgments.  They were to keep them by doing them.  We todays as followers of Christ, God's people today, are to do the same.  Verse twelve adds, Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers: Moses said that if they would listen to and keep God's judgments, or laws, that God would keep His covenant with them, but they didn't.   This is why it was necessary for Jesus Christ to come and fulfill it for  them, and us.  We are all guilty of sin at some point in our life, but by faith in Jesus Christ we can have the covenant relationship with God restored.  Verse thirteen continues, And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.  Moses said that if they kept God's laws that He would bless and multiply them.  It was by their obeying God's laws that the people of Israel received His blessings and benefitted from His love, and it is by putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord and living by the leadership of the Holy Spirit that we do today.  Verse fourteen states, Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.  Moses said the people of Israel were blessed above all people,  and so are we as Christians today.  Still, this is not manifested by any material thing, but simply by the fact that through faith in Jesus Christ we have everlasting life with God.  Verse fifteen adds, And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.  Moses said that if the people of Israel kept God's commandments that He they would not suffer from any of the evil diseases that He sent on the people of Egypt.  These were sent on the people of Egypt for their being unwilling to listen God.  We are not exempt from diseases as followers of Christ today, but if we suffer them, they will never be a punishment from God.  Verse sixteen continues, And thou shalt consume all the people which the LORD thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them: neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee.  Though we are not to destroy all the people who do not put their faith in Jesus Christ, as the people of Israel were told to destroy all the people that did not obey God, we are not to follow after any of their gods.  As followers of Christ, we are to reach out to them with the gospel instead. 

Deuteronomy 7:1

Deuteronomy 7:1 says, When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;  Moses told the people of Israel that there were seven nations mightier than they were in the Promised Land.  Though we as followers of Christ are promised an everlasting home in heaven, we may encounter many people who are physically stronger than us who oppose us on our way there.  Verse two adds, And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:  Moses didn't say if, but when, God delivered their enemies before them that they were to utterly destroy them.  When God gives us victory over anything that stands between Him and us today, we should completely remove it from our life.  Verse three continues, Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.  Moses warned the people of Israel to not marry any of these people that stood between God and them.  We as Christians are likewise warned to not marry nonbelievers.  Verse four concludes, For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.  Moses said if they allowed their sons, or daughters for that matter, to marry any of these people that the son or daughter would be turned away from Him and worship false gods.  Though if their faith is strong enough this will not happen when a Christian marries a non Christian, it happens very often.  Verse five states, But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.  Moses told the people of Israel that they were to destroy everything associated with the worship of false gods that they found in the Promised Land.  We as followers of Christ need to do likewise in our life, and if we are to be a Christian nation, we must also do this throughout the country.  Verse six adds, For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.  Moses told the people of Israel they were to be a holy nation, one set aside from the gods of this world, because God had chosen them above all other people to be His representatives in the world.  This was not based on their superiority to other people, but simply on God's choosing to work through them.  We as Christians today are to be a holy people, set aside to follow Christ in all things, not because of we are morally superior to anyone else, but because God has called us to come to Him through putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  Verse seven continues, The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:  Moses said God did not choose the people of Israel because they were the biggest nation, but because they were the smallest.  Whenever they were victorious, it would not be attributed to them, but to God.  We may feel small and unimportant in the world today, but if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ, then our victory is assured because of Who God is.  Verse eight declares, But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.  Moses told the people of Israel because of the promise God had made to their fathers that He had brought them out of the land of Egypt.  Because of the promise that God made to all who will put their faith in Jesus Christ, He still delivers us from any and all powers in the world today.  Verse nine adds, Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;   Moses called on them to know that God is the only God Who could deliver them, and not to just think maybe He might be able to.  We have to have absolute faith that Jesus Christ can deliver us from death into everlasting life spiritually and not just hope that He might be able to.  Verse ten continues, And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.  Moses also said that God would destroy those that hated Him, and this has not changed.

Deuteronomy 6:20

Deuteronomy 6:20 says, And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our God hath commanded you?  Moses said that the next generation would ask them what the testimonies, statutes, and judgments of God meant.  Even if they don't ask us, we need to make sure that the next generation always knows Who God is and what His laws are and we need to especially teach them about Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty-one adds, Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh’s bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand:  Moses said they were to tell their children, the next generation, about being in bondage in Egypt until God delivered them out of Egypt.  This was to be done in each coming generation.  We are to tell our children about how we were in bondage to sin until Jesus Christ delivered us from this bondage and set us free from its power.  We are to tell each coming generation the Gospel or it will not be known.  Verse twenty-two continues, And the LORD shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes:  Moses said they were to tell the coming generations about what God did to Pharaoh in Egypt, and we are to tell the coming generations about what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross.  This is an even mightier work than what God did for the people of Israel in Egypt.  Verse twenty-three states, And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers.  Moses said that they were also to tell the coming generations how God had not only brought them out of bondage in Egypt, but He had brought them into the Promised Land, just as He will one day bring us into the Promised Land called Heaven if we are followers of Christ.  Verse twenty-four adds, And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.. Moses said that they were to tell them that God commanded them to follow His statutes for their own good.  When we follow God's laws, we are not being kept from anything good, but are being guided to the best life possible.  Verse twenty-five continues, And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.  Moses said that if they obeyed all God's laws it would be counted for their righteousness, but they never could keep them all.  This is why Jesus Christ had to come and die for our sins, because He is the only One Who is righteous.  Now, we need to tell the coming generation that putting our faith in Him is the only way to be made righteous before God.  As Christians, we must never fail in this responsibility.