By Sammie James.,
Praise the Lord – Amen – Praise God
What is The Reason For The Season? “Christmas”
So what? So what friends? So what? ? ? ? ? ? ? Let me tell U’ll this, “Christmas without the cross is not Christmas”. Itz just another birthday. Ye aur ek junm din hai. Eidhu inni oru perundha naal. Eddhu mathe ondhu uttidha dhina. Just as U were Born & just as I was born & just as any other human being was born. But let me tell U, dear people of God, Christmas & the Cross is what makes Christmas so special., is what makes Christmas so unique., is what makes Christmas so one of its kind. Christmas culminated on the cross at Golgotta & climaxed in ascension on the Mount of Transfiguration & thatz what makes Paul acclaim with such audacity, with such acridity, with such imperativeness, with such assertion, with such confidence & boldness., that if Christ had not to come & die on the cross & rise up again then our hope, our belief & our faith in Him would have been in vain.
Well, that’s my introduction! Now let’s move on 2 the main message.
Bible in the gospel of Luke sayz, the shepherds kept watch over their flock in their fields at night when Jesus our Savior was born.
At that instance, an angel of God appeared & stood ere them. The glory of God circum-spread them & they were totally enraptured with this resplendent experience.
When they spectacled & witnessed all this, they were
stalked with astounding awe & engulfed & engrossed
with spell-bound fear.
Immediately, at-once – in a jiffy, we see, the angel of the
Lord addresses their apprehension & heralds the news,
“Fear not, 4 behold, I bring glad tidings, I bring glad
tidings of immense & great joy 2 all.
For unto U is born this day in Bethlehem, in the city of
David, “The Savior – who is Christ – The Lord”.
And abruptly, all of a sudden, together with the angel was a multitudinous host of heavenly spirits praising God & crooning (singing) with ecstatic joy.
“Glory, glory, glory to God in the Highest”.
This is my text 4 the seasons message., Luke-2 : 14,
“Glory to God in the Highest, & on earth-peace, &
good-will toward all men”.
Yes, People, this is my text 4 this seasons study. Amen! Praise God.
And so, let us regurgitate, let us ruminate, let us meditate, let us ponder, let us muse & C as to how the heavenly host, the angels of God praised the Baby Lord Jesus.
And if U carefully examine their praiseology, U’ll notice, that it is segmented into two overwhelming phraseology.
No.1 “Glory 2 God in the Highest”.
When Jesus was incarnated as a man, when He was endowed as a man, when He was indued, when He was imbued as a man in this world, the angels streaked & emblazoned the heavens, singing, crooning & shouting & harbingering & heralding & praising & exulting, “Glory, glory, glory, glory 2 God in the Highest”.
Their joy & mirth was apparently & obviously darted with no bounds.
During this Christmas fete, don’t U think it is as much an immense pleasure & joy 4 us too, 2 join the angels of God & sing out joyfully.
Well, why did the angels of God appear in the Heavens & praise God?
Job-38 : 4 & 7 sayz, “Where were U when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if U have understanding. When the morning stars sang together, & all the sons of God shouted 4 joy?”
According to these two verses, when God Almighty laid the foundations of the earth, & created the morning stars, they all gathered together & sang 2 the Lord with great joy. Why? Becoz God had created the earth. The sons of God (i.e., the angels of God) were also beaming with great joy & joined them in praising God.
After that God Almighty was incarnated & come into this world as a man., the angels of God, they reminisced, they reckoned, they recalled oh! They remembered how they sang & praised God when He created this world, & so in the same way began 2 praise God 4 coming into this world – singing & shouting, “Glory 2 God in the Highest”.
For the 1st time in history, on the 20th of July 1967, man foot his sole on the moon. An Appolo-Satellite was sent 2 the moon from the U.S.. At that time, Neil Armstrong the astronaut was exuding with exceeding joy becoz’ he had completely de-tached himself from the earthly realm & was now immensely enthused to be the 1st man 2 set his feet on the moon.
The Cardiologists, the scientists were meticulously monitoring his heart-beat. And when they were certain that everything was O.K., they finally sanctioned him permission saying, “Go ahead, Neil ! U can make-it ! U can do-it ! U can now be the 1st man 2 step-on into the moon”.
And, when these words were promulgated by way of radio & T.V., the whole world was filled with great ecstasy & they rejoiced over it.
If such be the case 4 a man who set foot on moon, when God Almighty placed His feet on this earth, how much, much more would the heavens have rejoiced & how much, much, much oh! How much more must we joinin.
Dear people of God, 2000 years ago there was this man who came seeking 4 us, con-descending into this earth. He was far more than an ordinary man, He was & He is the Almighty God. He was & He is God Himself.
Now He is seeking and He loves to be born into our hearts.
Luke 9:58 sayz, “Foxes have holes & the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has no-where to lay His head upon.”
Christmas is not, just that, in a remote sense, that Christ was born in a manger out there in Bethlehem, some 2000 years ago, but, but I tell U…..
A sweet Christmas is something more than that. It is the birth of our Lord with-in our hearts daily. Glory to God in the Highest. The glory comes from our Lord being birthed within our hearts on a daily basis.
Proverbs 23:26 sayz, “My son / My daughter, give me U’r heart…”
Revelation 3:20 sayz, “Behold, I stand at the door & knock. If anyone hears my voice & opens the door, I will come into Him & dine with him”.
The Lord is standing & knocking at U’r hearts door & U’ll be able to join the angels & sing glory 2 God in the Highest only & if only when U open U’r heart 2 Him.
When we commit & admit, when we concur & comply, when V confess & confide, when we acknowledge & agree saying , “Oh Lord, You left heaven & came 2 earth, just 2 save a sinner like me. You paid my debt in full”. Why don’t V try & put these words into music.
“You came from heaven 2 earth 2 show the way. From the earth 2 the cross my debt to pay. From the cross 2 the grave 2 the sky…- Lord I lift Your name on High”.
We sing & give glory 2 God in the Highest & the entire heaven is replete with resplendent joy. Joy unspoken off & joy unspeakable about!
This is the only typology of savory Christmas that all of us can jubilate, celebrate, revel, enjoy & sing with the heavenlies,
“Glory, glory, glory, glory to God in the Highest”.
No.2 “Peace on earth”.
Heb. 13:20; Rom. 15:33; Rom. 16:20; Eph. 2:16 – All these references alludes in a definite way 2 our God as, “The Lord of Peace”.
In all of these references, V can see the same fact, infact more than the fact. – The Truth., the truth that our God is the Lord of Peace.
The word of God in Eph. 2:14 & 17 exegesis that, “He who was incarnated 4 us was the Lord & He Himself b- came our peace, bridging the breach, reconciling us 2 God in one body & propagating, promulgating, proliferating & proclaiming the Good-News of Peace”.
The English Bible acclaims, affirms & asserts that, “that peace is Jesus”. Jesus is our Peace. He is Jesus. He is Jesus, I said He is Jesus. Amen, Hallelujah !
Well ! now between whom is this peace?
The Almighty God con-descended into this earth in-order 2 bring peace between God & man.
Now, let us stall-in 4 a moment & zero-in on at the nature of man.
The Bible in Psalm 51:5 tells us, “Behold I was brought forth in iniquity, & in sin my mother conceived me”.
Genesis 6:5 sayz, “And that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was shear evil continually”.
Jeremiah 17:9 tells, “The heart of man is desperately wicked who can know it?”
Due to all this, there was an enmity between God & man. And in-order 2 re-move this enmity, this constant battle & bring about peace, Phil. 2:6-8 sayz, “The Lord Jesus deplored Himself, He shred Himself, He shed Himself, He striped Himself of His Heavenly grandeur & descended into this earth”.
Well ! How did the Lord Jesus solve, how did He undo
the enmity between God & man & how did He bring
about this peace to us?
Many, many years ago, there was a family ( Father, mother & son) these three went scot-free & lived a rather happy life. Now listen! This is a true life story of the 70’s.
The father was a stickler, a very strict man & an avid disciplinarian. However, his son as he grew-up was altogether the other way round & a wayward. The father couldn’t put-up with his son’s lifestyle any-sooner. And so he drove him away out of the house.
And as a repercussion 2 this, the mother took very ill. Her mortal body was deteriorating rapidly & finally she was on the verge, the very brink of death.
And somehow when the son heard how bad his mother was at health, he sprints back home-ward. And when he saw how miserable his mother looked, he sobbed & sobbed & sobbed saying, “How am I going to live on this earth without U Ma?” Immediately his mother broke down & began 2 sob with him.
The mother, who was on the verge of death, took each of both of the hands of her husband & her son & joined them both together. And then she said in a very bleak, feeble voice, “I am leaving now, but ere I go U must both make me a promise.
Son, U must repent & give-up U’r old life-style & come back & honor & obey U’r father. I want U to make an oath & promise me this ere I die”. She then turned 2 her husband & said, “Look after my son & do not recall the past & nag & provoke him in any way, just be a good father 2 him”.
And just as she finished mumbling these words, she closed her eyes & passed away, with both their hands joined together in hers.
Her son’s life (I must say, her faithful son’s life) was transformed & both of them had a new found love 4 each other & as a consequence of this, they both got blessed!
They experienced joy 4 the rest of their lives.
My dear people of God, our Lord Jesus came 2 this world in search of us so that we could obtain the blessings of God & experience the peace of God.
The Lord gave Himself as a living sacrifice so that He could open-up the way 4 us & take away all our sins, sickness, diseases, infirmities, curses, bondages, poverty, family problems, demonic influences, so on & so forth…
He helps us today, 2 experience perfect peace (In Hebrew it is Peace-peace) & obtain the blessings of the Almighty God.
The Prince of Peace condescended from heaven into this earth, in-order 2 bring peace.
And so, don’t give-up… – Even though U face many struggles, sins, weaknesses & losses which come 2 threaten U’r peace…, Hold-on 2 that faith (that cliff- hanger) that U can still have peace with God !
That is Christmas! – Amen – That is Christmas!
Praise God – Amen – Praise the Lord