by Terry Laughlin | Apr 30, 2016 | Christmas
“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born… She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in the manger…” (Luke 2:6-7) The irony of the most important event in history taking place in a stable should not be lost. There are some significance’s worth noting because it reveals how God resides in the lowliest of hearts.
Just as Christ was born in a stinky stable, the Holy Spirit of Christ is born in the man or woman who, in repentance, turns to Christ for forgiveness. The heart of man is often chasing after self-will and the things of this world as he amazingly listens to the lies of the devil. All this is an unpleasing aroma to the Lord.
The love of God is expressed as He sends the Holy Spirit of Christ into the spiritual hearts of Christians. In Romans 8:9 the Holy Spirit is referred to as the Spirit of Christ. The Bible says Christians will know Him and that He lives in them. (John 14:17) God’s amazing love is always demonstrated by action. It is never complacent but continually working in Christians. The Spirit of Christ dwelling within the spiritual heart of Christians cleans them up and makes new people out of them. Romans 8:9-11 says, “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the [Holy] Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ… And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.”
The true mark of a born-again believer and a genuine Christian is that he has the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The child of God who knows the love of God, sent into their lives by Christ says as the Apostle Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) If you are not conscious of the presence of the Spirit of God in your life and there is not a heartfelt desire to exercise your Spiritual gifts, talents, and abilities for the glory of God, then grasp Christ this Christmas and receive Him as personal Savior and Lord. Is the Christ of Christmas in You?
by Terry Laughlin | Apr 30, 2016 | Christmas
1 John 4:9-12 says, “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.” (1 John 4:9-12)
In Christ there is reconciliation between God and those who truly have Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. This peace comes to us not because we showed love to God, but because God loved us first. This is a truth that must be grasped this Christmas season if we are going to walk in a joyous Christmas spirit.
1 John 2:2 in the New American Standard Bible tells that Jesus “…is the propitiation of our sins, and not just ours, but also for those of the whole world.” Propitiation is something God does to make it possible for men to be forgiven.
God’s Word is revelation and His holiness requires Him to uphold that law of God. He is also love and therefore He forgives sinners. He sent His Son to make a way for mankind to receive forgiveness of sin. God did this because He is love. We did not or can not do anything to cause Him to love us.
God did not give us His Son because we were attractive, or because we were good or because we make promises to do things for Him. He does not give us eternal life because He can gain something from us. Romans 5:8 proclaims a powerful truth, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Anyone who has ever had children knows that sometimes an expression of love is what is needed even when the feeling of love is not present. Children at times make poor decisions when they are engaging in sin that hurts themselves, others and the God who created them. People sin and Christians slip into sin which grieves the heart of the Lord, yet while that act of sin is bringing about its consequences, Jesus paid the way for repentant sinners to be forgiven and enjoy His love as they trust in Christ for forgiveness and direction. Live in Christ and rejoice over His sending!
by Terry Laughlin | Apr 30, 2016 | Christmas
Many do not know the “Relevance of Christmas.” “Relevant,” means having to do with the case at hand. The Apostle Paul writes about the case at hand, Jesus Christ, “…being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:6-8)
Let the Holy Spirit place this deep within your heart, the Lord of the universe – He who existed in eternity and perfection, in glory and majesty, in dominion and power stepped down and came to walk this guilty sod, which is so full of sin, so He could take on the humiliation of sin. Christ coming is relevant for at three reasons.
One, the Lord, whom we are to serve for eternity came to serve us. As a matter of fact, one of His purposes in coming was to show all what God is like. He taught that Christians are to become His disciples and He said, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.” (Luke 22:25-27) We can serve others because Jesus serves us.
Two, the Lord, whom we are to love, came and showed the ultimate love for us. Jesus said, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:12-13) There is a truth proclaimed often this time of the year, “Christ was born to die” and He commands us to have the same measure of love for our brothers in Christ as He showed for us.
Three, the Lord, whom we are to seek with all our hearts so that He may be found, came to seek that which was lost. While in the home of the tax collector, Zacchaeus, the Lord said, “Today salvation has come to this house… For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” (Luke 19:9-10) Grasp the relevance of Christ!
by Terry Laughlin | Apr 30, 2016 | Christmas
“Many people and church attendees today form their views of the true God much as the pagan mythologist did. Their view of God is the product of their own experiences or the experiences they have heard recounted by others and is not formed by seeing God’s inerrant revelation of Himself in the Scriptures.” (Jim Berg, Created for His Glory)
Jesus came for a specific reason, He said, “… Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9) William Barclay wrote in regards to the incarnation, “In Jesus we see the creating Word of God, …we see God living life as He would live it, thus, showing us how we should live on earth.” The Bible says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning… The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1-2,14) This is the basic statement of the Incarnation, for Jesus entered into this earth through the gateway of childbirth and took up residence among men. His incarnation was the full manifestation of grace and truth because it was the greatest possible expression of God’s compassion for people and the most perfect way of conveying truth to their understanding. God’s personal revelation of Himself in Christ has no parallel elsewhere, nor has it ever been repeated.
By inviting the Holy Spirit to bring revelation and illumination to the human mind and spiritual heart, mankind may understand who Christ is. Through prayerful study of God’s Word about Jesus Christ you have the opportunity to learn what real love is, communicate with God in prayer, how to live a life in obedience to God’s commands and decrees. You may learn how to defeat the attacks of Satan, overcome the sinful flesh and escape the lures of this world’s view.
Because of everything Jesus did upon this earth and His going to the Father and the sending the Holy Spirit to us, we can behold the presence of Christ living in us through the Spirit of Christ. (Romans 8:9-11) There is no greater Christmas present than having, experiencing and enjoying the life changing presence of Jesus Christ in our lives. And that is a treasure worth pondering. Grasp the true Christmas, Christ!
by Terry Laughlin | Apr 30, 2016 | Christmas
“On coming to the house, they saw the child with His mother Mary, and the [Magi] bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11)
God, through these Magi is showing the attitude of the heart He longs to see in those who approach Christ. All who have hope in Christ will fall before Him in their hearts, they adore Him and submit to His authority.
Gold is the gift for a king – Seneca tells us that in Parthia it was a custom that no one entered into the king’s presence without a gift. Gold at that time period was considered to be a metal of kings. Jesus is the King of kings who serves and reigns through sacrificial love and full authority over everything in heaven and earth.
Frankincense is the gift for a priest – It was in the Temple worship and during Temple sacrifices frankincense was the sweet perfume used. The function of a priest is to open the way to God for man through the sacrifice being offered. The Latin word for priest (pontifex) means bridge builder.
This is what Christ did for us. His sacrificial death on the cross built a bridge so repentant mankind can have a way for getting back to God, have fellowship with God, know God’s will, and be empowered for service to the King of kings.
Myrrh is the gift for one who is to die – Myrrh was used to embalm the bodies of the dead. Jesus came to reveal God to man and He came to die. Holman Hunt has a famous picture of Jesus. It shows Jesus at the door of the carpenter shop in Nazareth. He is still only a boy and had come to the door to stretch out his arms so to give them a break from working over a bench. In this picture He stands at the doorway with arms outstretched and on the wall behind him, the setting sun throws his shadow in the form of a cross. In the background there stands Mary, and as she sees the shadow there is concern on her face of the coming tragedy that awaits the sinless Christ, all because of the wickedness of man’s heart.
All three gifts honor Christ, thus Christians will worship Him in spirit and truth!
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