On this eve of Christmas, I think of the many people I have read or heard over the years since becoming an heir of God and a joint-heir with Christ who have waxed eloquently from every angle on the Christmas story that was either true to the Scriptures or secularized (commercialized, Santatized). Without appearing negative or guilty of the proverbial, “throwing a wet blanket on the fire on this festive and glorious occasion,” I want to go raw, exposing the truth without coating it over with the seasonal trappings and distractions, and focusing on “the real reason for the season” in a tasteful way but staying in touch with the truth of the Scriptures.
What
spawned this particular tack on the eve of Christmas for me is rather peculiar;
I will admit. Currently, I am visiting in northwest Florida. Since I have been here,
there are two things that caught my attention that led me down a spiritual tack:
raw bar and grills and an underground military installation with large satellites.
I
love sushi, but I cannot eat oysters raw, only baked. You know how you eat your
food visually first, yes? Well, with “raw” oysters, I cannot get past the
visual. We ate at a “killer” raw bar and grill for oysters and shrimp. They had
the best crispy crinkled sweet potato fries that I had ever eaten; they were
fried to perfection and retained the sweet potato flavor! Let me throw in their
key lime pie with a meringue that was to die for! Our waitress said they get
their key lime pie from an old lady locally. The idea of raw came from
all of the oyster bars here in Florida.
We had passed by this small military installation with its big satellite dishes several times. I was reminded (because of my imagination or the Holy Spirit, I cannot be sure) that our nation has sworn enemies from within and without; we, as believers in Jesus Christ have a more powerful enemy than all of the nations combined – Satan, a.k.a., Lucifer. Satan’s power, by the way, is derived from his Creator. As powerful as Lucifer is, he does not have the omni or all attributes as Yahweh, his Creator.
Our adversary, Satan, is not omnipotent
(all-powerful), omnipresent (everywhere present), omniscient (all knowing), omnisapient
(all wise), infinite (without limitation), eternally existent (without origin), holy, et al. Though Lucifer is unlike God, we must not underestimate this rogue angel
who is the chief demon of one-third of the angelic force in opposition to all
that is of Yahweh, not to mention the vast majority of the sons of Adam that are bent on opposing anything God.
This
military installation we keep passing by here reminds me that in the present tense
there are nations and people within our nation who want to destroy the United
States of America. I am thankful this installation is part of our national
defense, and I am very grateful that the Triune Godhead is watching over His
people.
As
we celebrate Christmas, make no mistake; we are at war with every faction in
opposition to anything and anyone related to Yahweh. Blessed [happy] are the peacemakers [creating peace, actively
pursuing common grace and peace, but not seeking peace at all cost], for they shall be called sons of God (Mt 5:9; cf. Jn 1:12; Gal
3:26; Mt 5:44, 45). It is the sons and daughters of the darkness who are going
around trying to undo or destroy everything that disagrees with them! We need
to stand our ground in the truth! Is that not a raw thing to reflect upon at
Christmas time, yes?
Now
here comes the counterintuitive thing on the part of God. He took the
initiative not only to love (agape, Jn 3:16) those who hated Him (Jn 3:19), but He
demonstrated that love by sending His only begotten Son to be lifted up as
Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness (Jn 3:14), foreshadowing a very
ugly and cruel death on a Roman cross while we were yet sinners, enemies of
God, but also providing a way of salvation,
That whoever believes in Him [the Son of Man, Jn 3:14; His only begotten Son, Jn 3:16] should not perish but have everlasting life (Jn 3:15; 16b, 17)!
But
God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us (Rom 5:8).
Imagine
yourself as one of those visiting shepherds looking at Mary’s little baby boy
wrapped in swaddling clothes (or strips of cloth) and placed in a feeding
trough used by animals and stuffed with straw (Lk 2:7). Visualize that little
precious baby would one day be marred beyond recognition by a cat-of-nine-tails
and be nailed to the vilest and violent image of His day, a Roman cross. Imagine Mary’s
heart being pierced by the suffering and death of her Son at Golgotha?
So
mistreated was Jesus during the time leading up to His crucifixion, that 700+
years prior to this horrific event, Isaiah prophesied,
(Isa
52:14) Just
as many were astonished at you, So His visage was marred more than any man, And
His form more than the sons of men.
(Isa
50:6) I
gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked
out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.
(Mar
15:15) So
Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he
delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified.
(Psa
22:16) For
dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They
pierced My hands and My feet.
(Isa
53:7) He
was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as
a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He
opened not His mouth.
(Mar
15:25) Now
it was the third hour (09:00), and they crucified Him.
(Mar
15:34) And
at the ninth hour (15:00) Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eloi,
Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is translated, MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU
FORSAKEN ME?
(Mar
15:37) And
Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.
(Isa
53:3) He
is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did
not esteem Him.
(Isa
53:4) Surely
He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
(Isa
53:5) But
He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our
iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His
stripes we are healed.
In
my humble estimation, a Christmas that only celebrates the birth of Jesus,
excluding why He left the splendor of heaven to come into a dark and sinful
world through a virgin maiden to provide a way of salvation for all is nothing
more than celebrating another holiday, not Christmas. It is merry because that
little baby you are imagining lying in an animal trough lived a life pleasing
to God the Father (Jn 8:29), died for us (Mk 10:45), and rose again on the third day (1
Cor 15:1-8) and ascended back to heaven (Acts 1:11) lives! And because He
lives; we also shall live (Jn 14:19)!
If
you do not know Jesus, you are unable to glorify God through your celebration
of Christmas! If you claim to know Jesus and are only celebrating a little baby
in an animal trough, you are not celebrating Christmas to its fullest, nor are you
glorifying Him through your celebration. He is more than a baby! He is the King
of Kings and the Lord of Lords!
Our
enemy is very motivated in taking the word Christ out of Christmas: “X-mas,”
yes? One thing I know about our adversary; he wants not only to take “Christ”
out of Christmas but out of our lives for the remaining 364 days of the year
if we let him! Make Christmas matter to all around us. It is good to exchange
gifts and to be around family, but Christmas is more than a shopping spree and
family get-togethers! Our celebration should not be limited to that which is physical in nature, but it should also be spiritual in
nature as well!
Why
does Christmas matter? Because if the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus
Christ never happened, there would be no provision for salvation, and all of us
would perish (cf. Jn 3:16; 1 Cor 15:17). Christmas is a celebration of the life
of Jesus and our salvation in Him!
The real reason for the season is the birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. Don’t leave Him in the trough for the rest of the Christmases you got in you! This way you can have the spirit of Christmas every day of the year! Now you do know, if you sing Christmas carols in the summer, people are going to think you are weird, yes?
Sing them anyway if the Spirit of the Lord so moves you! Here are some examples, “Joy to the World” in January, “[The] First Noel” in February, “Mary Did You Know” in March, “Away in a Manger” in April, “Mary’s Song” in May, “Joy Has Dawned” in June, “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” in July, “Angels We Have Heard on High” in August, “Silent Night” in September, “O Holy Night,” in October, “Oh, Come All Ye Faithful” in November, Do You Hear What I Hear in December; you get the point, yes? It’s all okay with me!
(1Jn 5:11) And this is the testimony: that God has given
us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
(1Jn 5:12) He who has the Son has [eternal] life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have [eternal] life.
Pretty straightforward, yes? Some might even say, “Raw and blunt!” Life in Christ is worth celebrating all year long, even at Christmas time! Christmas matters! Merry Christmas 2021 to all! <><
