Why celebrate Christmas?

God the Father has a purpose for every person ever born, He created each of us individually and He alone knows our hearts desires, our thoughts, our fears and our future. 

We are created for more than this, we are created for an eternal loving God, who wants to be with us.

We can’t get to the Father though unless we come through Christ.

God the Son came because the Father sent Him for this purpose:

““This is my servant; I strengthen him, this is my chosen one; I delight in him. I have put my Spirit on him; he will bring justice to the nations. He will not cry out or shout or make his voice heard in the streets. He will not break a bruised reed, and he will not put out a smoldering wick; he will faithfully bring justice. He will not grow weak or be discouraged until he has established justice on earth. The coasts and islands will wait for his instruction.” This is what God, the Lord, says — who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk on it — “I am the Lord. I have called you for a righteous purpose, and I will hold you by your hand. I will watch over you, and I will appoint you to be a covenant for the people and a light to the nations, in order to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon, and those sitting in darkness from the prison house. I am the Lord. That is my name, and I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. The past events have indeed happened. Now I declare new events; I announce them to you before they occur.””

Isaiah 42:1-9 CSB

The purpose of Christmas is not too just celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus, the purpose is to celebrate that God loves us so much, that He sent His one and only Son to mankind to save us from our sins, from the beginning God had a purpose for everything and everyone, He desires to have a relationship with you and I.

Let us desire too have a relationship with Him through Christ Jesus, God is love, and He wants to give that love too you.

God’s gift of love is freely given, if you haven’t received it yet, why not? 

Why would you turn down the greatest gift of all?

This Christmas receive the love of God, ask Him and He will give too you freely.

“For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. “ John 3:16-18 CSB

Will you let Him in?

We are living in a world that rejects Jesus Christ, we are seeing the result of this in our community's. We have gender confusion, good is now evil, truth is hate speech, and the government fears the influence of Christ in our culture.

While this can be upsetting God's word says that it must happen, and it is.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 HCSB 1 About the times and the seasons: Brothers, you do not need anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3 When they say, "Peace and security," then sudden destruction comes on them, like labor pains come on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brothers, are not in the dark, for this day to overtake you like a thief. 5 For you are all sons of light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or the darkness. 6 So then, we must not sleep, like the rest, but we must stay awake and be serious. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, we must be serious and put the armor of faith and love on our chests, and put on a helmet of the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing. 

2 Thessalonians  2:1-4 HCSB 1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him: We ask you, brothers, 2 not to be easily upset in mind or troubled, either by a spirit or by a message or by a letter as if from us, alleging that the Day of the Lord has come. 3 Don't let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. 4 He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits in God's sanctuary, publicizing that he himself is God. 

Even in the Church they reject the one they say they love, Jesus Christ.

When Jesus spoke to John in revelation 3, He was not standing outside the capital building knocking to allow Him in, He was standing outside the Church to let Him in because they practiced Christless Christianity.

Rev 3:14-22 HCSB 14 "Write to the angel of the church in Laodicea: "The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Originator of God's creation says: 15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, 'I'm rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,' and you don't know that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked, 18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed, and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be committed and repent. 20 Listen! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and have dinner with him, and he with Me. 21 The victor: I will give him the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I also won the victory and sat down with My Father on His throne.  22 "Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches." 

But what is truly fearful is this, that one day soon God will pour out His wrath on those who reject Him, and when that day comes there will be no turning back for in that moment when God says enough, the end has come and there will be no more hope.

Romans 2:4-9 HCSB 4 Or do you despise the riches of His kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hardness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath, when God's righteous judgment is revealed. 6 He will repay each one according to his works: 7 eternal life to those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but wrath and indignation to those who are self-seeking and disobey the truth but are obeying unrighteousness; 9 affliction and distress for every human being who does evil, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek;

When we read God's word, let us take serious the end times, let us remember that Christ died for all, that Christ love is given to all, and let us share the hope we have in Christ that those around us may not perish.

Romans 12:9-18 HCSB 9 Love must be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good. 10 Show family affection to one another with brotherly love. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not lack diligence; be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer. 13 Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. 16 Be in agreement with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Try to do what is honorable in everyone's eyes. 18 If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone.

Time is short the days are growing shorter, if you do not know what it means to have a relationship with Jesus Christ, He is knocking at the door now wanting to start the relationship with Him. 

Will you let Him in?

Prayer: What we must do!

When we come to God in prayer there are conditions that God has put on our prayers, yet we seem to come to God in our prayer lives on our terms, and then wonder why God does not answer us. To receive an answer to prayer as the Bible uses the term, 2 elements must take place.

" (1) We must pray in the will of God and (2) we must be on what old-fashioned Christians often call "praying ground"; that is, we must be living lives pleasing to God. It is futile to beg God to act contrary to His revealed purposes." ( A.W.Tozer)

 We seem to forget what the Bible says when we pray, we must align our will with the will of God, not the other way around which is what we usually do, and second we can in no way live our lives on our terms and then seek favor with God, living in a sinful lifestyle and defying God and His ways is an act of rebellion which the Bible calls witchcraft.

1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king."

God has not placed Himself under obligation to honor the requests of worldly, carnal or disobedient Christians. He hears and answers the prayers only of those who walk in His way. "Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight . . . . If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you" (I John 3:21, 22; John 15:7).

God wants us to pray and He wants to answer our prayers, but we as His children must come before Him with clean hands and hearts and a willingness to submit to His authority.

There are consequences for disobedient and rebellion.