Christmas + 1 Day

Bobservations Column

Pastor Bob Lawrenz

In the final days of Moses (Deuteronomy 33, 34), we learn of his blessings upon each of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. They are at the cusp of entering The Promised Land, and out of the plains of Moab, Moses went up Mt. Nebo, not far from Jericho. From that mountain top, the Lord showed him all of the land which God had sworn to Israel and his descendants.

Moses died there, seeing the Promised Land, but he was unable to enter into it with the Tribes. Moses was buried there in an unknown grave in Moab. Because Moses is iconic to the Jews, if they had been able to create shrine at his grave, it would have been a shrine to a man, and not to God.

The heart of man enshrines its leaders and places where great events occur. The Muslims are the example: if something great has occurred in their faith, a shrine is built, and the shrines of others are torn down. Medina, Mecca, and the Temple Mount at Jerusalem with the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome Of The Rock are all examples. Statues and monuments have been destroyed here too!

God buried Moses in an unknown grave because He did not want the Jews to enshrine Moses, but to worship Him. Celebrations of Moses would stand side-by-side with God’s great works, and that raises a man up much higher than he deserves. When Lucifer tried this, he was cast to the lower parts of the earth!

The location of the Garden of Eden is also unknown, and likely for the same reasons. And I believe the same reasoning is why we do not know the precise date of Jesus’ birth. God wanted Messiah’s arrival recognized, nothing more.

Garish displays in every culture proclaim Jesus’ birth according to each culture, and they do it on a day which was chosen by men, not by God. And the result is what God wanted to avoid: a party atmosphere instead of holiness.

If you are celebrating Jesus’ birth, His humble beginnings should set the atmosphere for family and friends. He Himself directed us to remember His sacrifice, rather than His birth. He knows us so well!

Praise Him for His mighty works, and not for whom He chose to bring them about.

Key passages to consider for this day:

Genesis 3:15

Isaiah 7:14

Isaiah 9:6,7

1 John 5:5-8

John 1:1-14

John 4:20-26

Matthew 16:16

Mark 8:29

John 6:69; 11:27

There are hundreds more references in scripture.  You can find them in the subject index of a good study bible. 

Today's Audio Message:

Matthew 1:18-25 - "Christmas + 1 Day"

Summary:
In the story of Jesus’ birth, we have learned about many of the fascinating people that God chose, that God used, and those who tried to thwart the plan of God.

In the gospel accounts, we learned about the prophetic ancestral lines concerning the coming Messiah. We learned about the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies concerning Jesus’ birth. We learned about the miracle birth of the forerunner of Christ, John the Baptist, and his parents, Elizabeth (the cousin of Mary) and Zacharias, a priest. We learned about the Messenger of God, Gabriel, and his announcements not only to this couple, but to Mary, chosen to give birth to the Son of God. We learned about the Magi from the East, the miraculous Star. We learned about the wicked ruler Herod and his plot to kill Jesus, who is the true King of Israel. We learned about the Shepherds keeping flock at night. And we have learned about the virgin Mary, the annunciation to Mary, the name of the coming Messiah, the Holy Spirit coming upon her, and her visit to Elizabeth. We learned about Mary’s Magnificat in response to Elizabeth which gives praise to God for the great things He has done. The Magnificat proclaims God’s intervention in authentic human existence. It is a proclamation of the divine fulfillment of God’s Word.

But what about Joseph? He doesn’t get much of the spotlight in the Christmas story. What is often overlooked is Joseph’s part in Jesus’ birth. His faith and actions play a vital role in this story, and the ultimate plan of God.

Not much is said about Joseph in the Bible, but Matthew wrote about him, shedding light on what would have been a huge trial in the lives of a young couple about to marry.

Joseph was the son of Jacob. He was from Bethlehem in Judea but lived in Nazareth in Galilee. He is from the royal line of David according to Matthew chapter 1. He was a carpenter by trade. He was a poor man. He was a devout keeper of the Law. Though we don’t know how old Joseph was, most writers agree that he was a young man, probably a teenager, which makes his role in Jesus’ birth quite remarkable. He was betrothed to Mary, an arranged marriage in ancient Jewish custom, pledged to each other by a signed contract. Their betrothal would last a year before being formally married in a public wedding ceremony. Joseph would become the stepfather of Jesus.

We have this young couple who were as good as married, and Mary turns up pregnant, but Jospeh is not the father. We can only imagine what that conversation was like, how he felt, or what was going through his mind. What a predicament! What a trial! What will people say? What will he do?

The greatness of Jospeh is this, that he loved God, he loved Mary, and his love covered what appeared to be her shame. He was an observant Jew who kept the law, and He was a righteous man, meaning he wanted to do what was right in the eyes of God. While he did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he thought about putting her away privately – a divorce, the breaking off of their agreement by legal means.

Enter the angel of the Lord. An angel of the Lord appears to Jospeh in a dream. He is told not to be afraid to take Mary home as his wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

While this might seem strange to most, it was not strange to Joseph. In the Bible, God spoke to people through dreams, Joseph knew this. To Jospeh, this was the assurance he needed. God meets Joseph in this trial, at the point of his deepest need, and precisely at the right time.

As the Lord does with all of His own, fear is replaced with confidence. Joseph doubts replaced with faith and trust in His God.

The angel tells Joseph that Mary will give birth to a son, and that he is to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.

When Jospeh woke up, he did exactly as the angel of the Lord commanded him to do. He married her quickly and protected her reputation. He kept her a virgin until Jesus was born, protecting the miracle of Jesus’ conception by the Holy Spirit, and the fulfillment of prophecy. He names the baby Jesus at His birth and raises Him as his own.

As believers we are faced with many trials in our lives. What we need to understand is that God is working in our lives, just as He did in the lives of Mary and Joseph. God has a plan for our lives as well. We may not have been chosen to bear the Son of God, but whatever He has chosen us to do, He equips us for, and enables us to do by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit in our lives.

The purpose of trials in our lives are to teach us to trust God more, that we may grow in faith. We need to know God more, and we need to know Him better, and we do this by experiencing more of His love and compassion in our lives. More of His grace and mercy. More of His forgiveness and more of His instruction, by His Word.

Those things that we learn, we are to show to others. We need to be encouragers and we need to build up the body of Christ. How can we do that unless we ourselves are first open to what He wants to do in our lives. Too many people are busy running around making their own plans for their lives. Have you considered what God wants to do in and through you? What His plans are for you?

Thankfully Joseph was a righteous man, who yielded himself to God. He loved God. He listened to God’s messenger and did precisely as he was shown. Because of this, he was blessed, Mary was blessed, as was all of mankind.

God knows what He is doing. His plans are from the beginning. He has given us His Word and every detail of every word will be fulfilled.

Celebrating Jesus!

A Christmas Bobservation –

Pastor Bob Lawrenz

Merry Christmas to all of you, as we celebrate Jesus’ birth. I read a couple of weeks ago that the Church did not celebrate Christmas until about 400 A.D. Well, it was 336 A.D in the fourth century. There are several theories as to how December 25th was identified as the date of Jesus’ birth, but none of them definitively rise to the level of being verifiably authentic.

During the first two hundred years of the Church, the Church Fathers disdained the pagan custom of celebrating birthdates, particularly those of Church Martyrs, much less that of Jesus Himself. If they were to be remembered, it would be better to acknowledge the dates of their sacrifice. But in 221 A.D. things changed.

Sextus Julius Africanus, (b. circa AD 180, Jerusalem—d. circa 250), was the first Christian historian known to produce a chronology that was universally accepted. His life is not well documented, but evidence indicates that Africanus traveled considerably in Asia, Egypt, and Italy and later lived chiefly at Emmaus, in Palestine, where he served as Prefect. He was named Regional Ambassador to Rome about 222, when Emperor Severus Alexander made him a protégé.

Africanus’ greatest work in chronologies was Chronographiai (221), a treatise of five volumes on sacred and profane history from the Creation (which he placed at 5499 BC) to AD 221. Relying on the Bible as the basis of his calculations, he incorporated and synchronized Egyptian and Chaldaean chronologies, Greek mythology, and Judaic history with Christianity. His work raised the prestige of early Christianity by placing it within a historical context. He also developed the critical work on Jesus’ genealogies we now find in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.

It is most likely Africanus’ work that convinced many to use December 25th as Jesus’’ birthdate. But there still remains an absence of scriptural authentication, in spite of Africanus’ work. But all his work centered around God’s Word, and His Word-Made-Flesh, who dwelled among us, Jesus the Christ, Messiah and Redeemer.

Other lesser-known theories likewise lack scriptural proof, and but as the Gospel spread around the world from that first Pentecost after the Resurrection, Christmas has been celebrated in as many different ways as there are nations and cultures where Christianity gained a foothold. Each adapted the celebration according to their own cultures.

Today in 2021, here in the United States, the celebration of Christmas is so far from being a celebration of Jesus’ birth as to be unrecognizable to the early Church Fathers as a holy religious celebration, except in some churches.

Flashing lights, parties, and gifts for all the kiddies give the day the atmosphere of secular Reno, or Las Vegas, Nevada. Our nation’s roots in Judeo-Christian principles have come further and further away from those principles over the decades as God and His Commandments have been barred from the schools of our children, as well as the halls of government.

As we do celebrate Christmas this year, many of our neighbors will merely be exchanging presents without necessarily being believers. Of twenty houses on my street, I know of only two others besides mine whose owners attend church every week.

Growing up in the 40’s and 50’s, I recall 60% or more of those on my street attended a church or synagogue of some kind. Religion is in decline. Churches are on a decline. Faith itself is in decline. Yet Christ Jesus still reigns and rules on His throne in heaven. How do I know this?

I know this because His prophecies are still coming true, and all will be fulfilled in His time. Even this temporary decline is prophesied!

Keep Jesus at the core of this celebration. And as for December 25th? Celebrate Jesus every day!

“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” 

Matthew 24:35 / Mark 13:31 / Luke 21:33

On this Christmas Eve,

Let this be a silent night.

Let this be a Holy Night.

Jesus has already been born!

Ref. Encyclopedia Britanica

The Spirit Of God In Action

Bobservations Column

Pastor Bob Lawrenz

In the Book of Esther, God is not mentioned a single time. The Holy Spirit of God is, however, clearly evident in that Book of the Bible as He works silently behind the scenes, orchestrating the events from chapter to chapter.

In stark contrast, these initial chapters of the Gospel of Luke, reveals several fillings of the Holy Spirit, God’s presence being palpable right off the pages as God sends His Angel to so many of the characters of the Gospels. The Angel Gabriel is mentioned four times in the Scriptures, and two of those times are here in Luke. (He is mentioned two other times in Daniel.)

He is the Angel for announcements, learning, and understanding. His ministry to mankind is not to be taken lightly. It is surely God who dispatches Gabriel to where he is needed. He identifies himself as “the Angel who stands in God’s presence!” And when Gabriel arrives, people are filled with the Holy Spirit. Spiritual Revelations take place and are recorded for posterity in fulfillment of God’s Prophecies.

What privilege this angel holds, to stand continually in the presence of God! I am reminded of how the face of Moses shined after being on Mt. Sinai of Arabia. His face shined so brightly that the Israelites could not bear to look directly on his face. So, a covering was draped across the face of Moses when he spoke to them in the days following his time on the mountain with God. This is what standing in the presence of God does. All uncleanness is removed and the true reflection of God’s brightness shines through.

And because of this day of Christ’s First Advent that we celebrate, we can expect the same. Sin and uncleanness are washed away, and His brightness will shine through; the darkness of sin shall be vanquished, and though “it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.” (1 John 3:2)

Sin will have been dealt with, ...

“And God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...’ 

So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created
He him; male and female created He them.” ~ Genesis 1:26,27

Today's Audio Message:

Luke 1:46-80 - "The Spirit Of God In Action"

Summary:

In the past couple of weeks, we have been studying about two births that were foretold. One would prepare the way of the Lord, and the other is the promised Messiah.

As we finish up chapter one of Luke's Gospel, these are the events that occur just before the birth of Jesus, and after the birth of, John the Baptist.

In Luke 1:46–55 Mary responds to Elizabeth’s blessing with what is now commonly called the Magnificat. The Magnificat is a poem of praise to God. Mary is praising Him for His blessing to her and His faithfulness to Israel. The Magnificat also highlights a series of reversals in which the proud are humbled and the humble are exalted—not the least being a poor young girl who will be the mother of the Messiah. Some Bibles will label this passage the “Song of Mary,” although the Bible does not report that she sang it. “My soul doth magnify the Lord.”

Mary’s song, is full of quotations of and allusions to passages in the Old Testament, very similar to Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 1-10. The Magnificat also foreshadows many these that are addressed later in book of Luke and in the ministry of Jesus.

First Mary expresses her joy in the source of that joy which is God. We too should recognize that our true joy is not in ourselves but in our Savior who is the fountain of joy.

She recognizes God's Favor. That He has provided her salvation. That He has done everything necessary to keep us from going to Hell. That He is mindful of hers and our condition. That we have all gone astray, yet God has chosen the lowly to exalt Himself. That it is not those the world would select as instruments, yet God has chosen us, not the rich and powerful, but the poor in spirit who are rich in faith. Mary recognizes her low estate and magnifies God's love. Rather than exalt herself by the honor of being chosen to bear God's Son, she praises God for coming down, stooping to one like her. Rather than basking in fame, she chooses to exalt God.

The next time Zechariah is mentioned is after the birth of his son. At the child’s circumcision, Elizabeth’s family and friends wanted to name the baby after Zechariah, but Elizabeth insisted that his name should be John (Luke 1:59–60). When they consulted Zechariah, he asked for a writing tablet and “to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, ‘His name is John’” (verse 63). Immediately, Zechariah was able to speak and began at once to praise the Lord. Luke 1:67–79 records the prophetic words that Zechariah proclaimed, which may have been in the form of a song. His words indicate the change of heart and the faith that had grown during his nine months of muteness.

Zechariah is holding his newborn son and utters promises inspired by the Holy Spirit. He answers the question, how can we be sure of Jesus' ability to save us from our sins? We can trust in Jesus because God says we can. His Word is enough, because His promise will always come true. What He says, He will do.

From Zechariah we learn that, when we faithfully follow the Lord and continue to lift up our prayers to Him, He hears us and answers according to His will for our lives (Luke 1:13; 18:1; 1 John 5:14–15). There is nothing too hard for the Lord. God’s plan may look very different from what we think we want, but His way is always the best. Zechariah may have thought he only wanted a son; God gave him a prophet whose name is forever linked with the story of Jesus Christ.

Zechariah's son would be "the prophet of the Most High." Prophets always pointed to something greater. The angel told Mary her child would be "the Son of the Most High." John the Baptist's task was to remind people that they were in need of the coming One who would forgive sins. Jesus is the reason for the Christmas season, and forgiveness of our sins is the reason for His coming. Outside of Christ, we sit in death and darkness.

Zechariah's words help us see the unrivaled glory of our Savior. Christ is the Light and a Hero who sacrifices Himself for His people. He visits us in mercy. One day, His light will shine and never be hidden. His reign will be unchallenged and unending.

God's continued relationship with humanity demonstrates His mercy. He visited us with a purpose, to give us the help we need. His promise is abiding. He personally identifies with His people. The blatancy of our failure is overridden by the relentlessness of God's mercy and faithfulness. He provides for us a "horn of salvation."

God's mercy and love are demonstrated by action. He is the one who works our salvation. He is Emmanuel, God is with us!