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“O Holy Night!” Why we Still Celebrate the Birth of Christ

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O Holy Night! Why do we Celebrate the Birth of Christ?

© 2023  C. O, Bishop

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining, It is the night of the dear Saviour’s birth;
Long lay the world in sin and error pining, ‘Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope! The weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn;Fall on your knees, Oh hear the angel voices!
O night divine! O night when Christ was born.

Introduction:

Many people ask, “Why do we celebrate the Birth of the Messiah, when His death and resurrection are what are important?”

That is a reasonable question. Unfortunately, others question the truth of (or the relevance of) the Virgin Birth, saying “It really doesn’t matter whether that is true or not!”

Sadly, many of those people claim that all the “supernatural” occurrences in the Bible are mythological at best, and fraudulent at worst. Even worse, they usually deny the existence of true Prophecy, saying, “Daniel could not have known about these things so, obviously, the book is a much later forgery, falsely claiming Daniel as the author.”

Of course, the problem with all of these ideas is, they start with the assumption that the Bible is not the literal Word of God…and that there is no such thing as true prophecy, because “You can’t know things that have not yet happened!”

But, What Does God Say About Prophecy?

God says, in Isaiah 46:9, 10,“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,  Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:”

God demonstrates repeatedly His ability to foretell the future (with 100% accuracy.) He predicted events occurring anywhere between “the next few minutes” to thousands of years future. And, that unique ability is part of the “Credentials of the Creator.” God does not waste time convincing the Human race that He exists. But God does take the trouble to demonstrate Who He is, and What He is like.  He wants us to know Him, but on His terms.

The Earliest Promise of a Savior

God made the first promise of a Savior in Genesis 3:15, immediately after the human race fell into sin. We were spiritually separated from God, and we were dead in sin. But He promised us the Coming Redeemer. We sing a Christmas hymn, “O Holy Night.” Placide Cappeau wrote the original French words in 1843. He eventually entitled it, “Cantique de Noël.”

We sing, “O Night divine, O Night when Christ was born!” But, in the original French, it was “Noel! Noel! (He is Born!) Voici le Redempteur!” (There He is! The Redeemer!”)

The English translator chose to “skirt” the issue of our needing a redeemer. (I do not know why.) He addresses only the Holiness of the Messiah, and what effect He would have upon the World. (All of which is Good…but without specifically redeeming sinners, none of that “Good Effect” can happen!) I don’t know why he avoided that point. But, happily, the French author recognized that the Promise of the Ages, the promise of our redemption, was beginning to be fulfilled in that Holy Birth!

God promised the coming Redeemer in Genesis 3:15. But He included the fact that the Redeemer would be “The Seed of the Woman.” No one else in history has literally fulfilled that promise! Therefore, the Virgin Birth was a critical part of the fulfillment! Isaiah 7:14 confirms it, saying “The Virgin shall be with Child and shall bear a Son, and shall call His Name Emmanuel.” (“God with us!”)

Worshipping the Son of God

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming; With glowing hearts by his cradle we stand:
So, led by light of a star sweetly gleaming, Here come the wise men from Orient land,
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger, In all our trials born to be our friend;
He knows our need, To our weakness no stranger! Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend! Behold your King! your King! before him bend!

Both authors encourage us to hear the worship of the angels, and to join them in worshipping the infant Savior. Several Christian leaders have told me that “We aren’t supposed to worship Jesus.” That is very odd, because in Hebrews 1:6 it says, “…and, again, when He bringeth in the First-begotten into the World, He saith, and let all the angels of God worship Him!”

So… they are evidently saying,  “All the Angels of God are commanded to worship Jesus—God the Son—but we are not supposed to do so!” (How strange!) Jesus did receive worship from humans on several occasions during His earthly ministry… and He did not turn them away! When someone tells me to not worship Jesus, I have to wonder about their motive!

These lyrics correctly tell us to Worship the Redeemer, as did the wise men and the angels!

But, Why is His Birth so Important?

Jesus came to redeem us: to do so, He had to shed His Blood…to lay down His life. He had to fulfill the prophecies of His torture and the shame that was piled on Him: He had to specifically suffer death by crucifixion, as described in the Old Testament (Psalm 22, for example.) But, he couldn’t do it without having a fully human body!

Part of the “Law of the Kinsman Redeemer” was that the Redeemer had to be a near relative (we will be studying this law in the next few weeks in the Wednesday evening Bible Study, in the Book of Ruth.) If Jesus had failed to become Human and live His life out as an ordinary man, he could not be the Redeemer! He would not have been related to us!

How Did Jesus Become our “Near Relative?“

Hebrews 10:5-7 says, “5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. 7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

When did He say this? When He came into the World! The Virgin Birth was specifically how God the Father provided a fully Human but undefiled body for Jesus to offer at the Cross!

And He Was Free, Himself!

You see, the second point of the Law of the Kinsman Redeemer was that the Redeemer could not be a slave, himself. Jesus was never a slave to Sin, as all of the rest of us are, by birth! He alone had the Virgin Birth, and was born uncontaminated! (“A Body thou hast prepared for me!)

Thus, He Had the Price of Our Redemption

He chose to become a near relative; He demonstrated that He was not a slave to Sin,, Himself, and He had the price of our redemption! Therefore, when we consider that the Savior’s birth was the beginning of the ultimate fulfillment of ALL the promises regarding the redemption of Lost Sinners, then Yes, the Birth of Christ seems very important!

So, Who Is He Going To Be, As an Adult?

This Child was born in Bethlehem. (By the way, that was also spelled out, 700 years in advance! See Micah 5:2) And, he must be someone really special! But how was he to be “special?” Did He have Super-human capabilities? Or was He visibly something special?

No! Isaiah 53:2 says “…He has no form nor comeliness and when we shall see Him there is no beauty that we should desire Him.”

Those who watched him growing up were unimpressed, except on a few rare occasions when He showed His wisdom (Luke 2:46, 47.) Their conclusion was that He was “Just a man! Just a Carpenter!” (Mark 6:3)

But, What had God predicted about Him?

Isaiah 9:6, 7 says, “6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Breaking down the List:

Notice the things we are told in this passage, about the Child who would be born; the Son, who was promised to be given:

  • He is born to us as a Child, and given to us as the Son!
  • The Government shall be upon His Shoulder (He will be the ultimate Ruler!)
  • His name shall be called:
    • Wonderful, Counsellor,
    • The Mighty God!
    • The Everlasting Father!
    • The Prince of Peace!
  • There will be NO END of His Rule, nor of His Peace!
  • This Child will reestablish the throne of David in Jerusalem, and
  • He himself will reign from there!
    • He will forever reign with Judgment and Justice
  • The Zeal of the LORD of Hosts will perform this!

Who is the LORD of Hosts?

One of the Names that appears in the Old Testament is “The LORD of Hosts” (sometimes translated as “Jehovah Sabaoth,” or “Lord Sabaoth.” As many are aware, the four-consonant “tetragrammaton” in the Old Testament is the personal name of the Creator. And yet, He frequently appeared in Person. When He did so, He was recognized as God in the Flesh.

But, John 1:18 says that “No man hath seen God at any time: the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.” So, in passages like Genesis 18, who were people talking to? Abraham not only saw the LORD, but talked with Him, fed him lunch, and argued with Him face-to-face. So, who was he talking to?

By the given facts, we have to confess that the Person with whom Abraham (and others) spoke was God the Son…the only member of the Godhead who ever shows up visibly, and in Human form.

When the Lord of Hosts showed up in the Old Testament, it was Jesus! And, it says that His Zeal would be what would perform all that is in Isaiah 9:7. To me, that is Mind-boggling!

What Effect will He have on His People?

So, we move on to see what effect He has on those who place their trust in Him:

Truly He taught us to love one another; His law is Love and His gospel is Peace;
Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother, And in his name all oppression shall cease,
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful Chorus raise we; Let all within us praise his Holy name!

Christ is the Lord, O praise His Name Forever! His pow’r and glory, evermore proclaim!
His pow’r and glory, evermore proclaim!

Don’t Circumvent the Cross!

In the English lyrics the fact of the Redemption is passed over and the effect is stressed. Many world religions seek the effect of thepresence of God, without coming to Him on His terms. Cain wanted to bring a worship offering, in Genesis 4, without bringing the sin-offering first. He saw no need for the Blood! He was circumventing the Cross, as so many religions do today.

Jesus became our Redeemer by willingly bringing the required Price of our redemption. The Kinsman Redeemer had to have the “price of redemption (in our case, it was Jesus’s sinless life, laid down for our redemption.) And he had to be willing to pay that price. In the Book of Ruth, we saw that the nearest relative (who was unnamed) had the first three requirements:

  • Whoever he was, he was a near relative,
  • He was free, himself,
  • He had the price of redemption (money, in that example,)

But he was not willing! Boaz had all three of the first requirements, and he also had the fourth: He was willing! So, Boaz stands as an Old Testament figure of the Messiah…our Redeemer!

Jesus came to die! He willingly laid down His life for our redemption! In John 10:17, 18, He says, “No man takes my life from me: I lay it down of my own will, and I will take it up again!”

The Effects are still valid!

  • He taught us to Love One another!
  • His Law is Love.
  • His Gospel is Peace
  • He sets the Prisoners free…we are no longer slaves to Sin.
  • He frees us from the tyranny and oppression of satanic attack in our lives as believers.
  • And, yes, we sing songs of grateful praise!

Fortunately, despite the lack of the doctrine of Redemption in the English lyrics, this hymn still is teaching good doctrine, and it thrills our hearts to sing it. But it is especially good to know that the original French writer understood the core issue: This Child is the Redeemer!

Lord Jesus, awaken in us the Spirit of Worship and Praise. Raise us up as Your servants, and let us Praise Your Name, as the song says! Make us fearless witnesses for your Glory, to proclaim your salvation and redemption to those You came to save.

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Gifts and Goals

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Gifts and Goals

© 2021 C. O. Bishop

2nd Peter 1:1-15

1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:

2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

Introduction:

We completed our study of 1st Peter, and we are moving on into 2md Peter. I always enjoy reading what the apostles say about themselves, in the epistles. Usually it is very straightforward: none of them claim to be anything special, though once in a while they may refer to something special that happened in their walk with Jesus.

Peter, the “famous fisherman apostle” simply introduces himself as “Simon Peter, a servant.”(This is a combination of the name he had before he met Jesus, and the name Jesus gave him.) He also introduces himself as an apostle, but it is secondary to the fact that he is a servant. Perhaps we should also notice that he is simply a servant and an apostle: he is just one of many. He does not remind us of his fame, or his attempted heroics, or his earlier desire for preeminence, either. He’s simply a servant and an apostle (a “sent one”) of Jesus Christ.

Grace and Peace

He addresses himself to all other believers: those who have obtained “like precious faith”—the same trust in Jesus as savior, resulting in the same eternal life and the same permanent position in Christ. (That includes us!)

He says that we all have obtained that faith and that position in Christ through the righteousness of God and of our Savior Jesus Christ. That is an interesting idea, because we always think of it as having been conferred upon us by Grace (which it was), but we forget that the holiness and righteousness of God is what oversees the application of His Grace and Love. They are all one package. If God is involved, then His righteousness is involved, and His holiness. If we are involved with God, then His Grace has to be involved, because, on our own, we do not have and cannot produce the righteousness of God or the holiness of God. God demands that holiness and righteousness in any relationship with Him; so He has to offer it to us by Grace. We never will have it by any other means. So, the very next verse addresses how we are involved with His righteous holiness: By Grace, resulting in Peace.

In every epistle except Hebrews, James, 1st John, 3rd John and Jude, the apostles open with the need for Grace and Peace in our lives as believers, in that order. Jude replaces “Grace” with “Mercy.” Which is simply the “flip-side” of Grace. (Grace is unmerited favor—God giving us what we have not earned and do not deserve. Mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve and have earned: He has transferred that judgment to Jesus at the Cross.) Paul’s epistles to Timothy and Titus include Mercy as well as the usual Grace and Peace: “Grace, Mercy and Peace to you…”

There is no room left for us to doubt our need for the Grace of God in order to experience His Peace. In the few epistles which do not begin with that phrase, the principle is strongly taught, later on. Every true follower of God has come to grips with this truth. I need God’s constant grace in my life if I am to function at all, in a manner that is to His glory. I simply don’t have the wherewithal to produce such a life on my own. This is why Jesus taught in John 15:5, “Apart from Me ye can do nothing.” There is no arrogance or condescension in that remark: it is the simple truth. That is why the entire context of that passage is surrounded by the idea that the branches of a vine are unable to produce the fruit of that vine without the sustenance of that vine flowing through them. That is true of us as well.

The Gifts and the Goals

3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

God has already given us a number of gifts: some He gave to the whole human race, whether believers or unbelievers. Some He gives specifically to believers, irrespective of whether they are actually walking in obedience…all the gifts are theirs because they are in Christ, and, whether they are aware of them or not.

But there are some gifts He wants to “add to the mix,” which must be diligently pursued by a believer, in order to appropriate them. They are still gifts, but in a matter of practical application, they are goals. So… What is the difference?

Verse three says that God has already given us all things that pertain to life and Godliness. No believer is re-born a “spiritual cripple,” who is “lame from re-birth.” In your new self, you have been given the ability to choose to walk with Jesus. Because you have come to know Him, you have access to all the rest.

How? Verse four tells us how we are to see these realities worked out in our lives: “Exceeding Great and Precious Promises!” Peter says that by means of those promises in God’s Word, we have the privilege of beginning to partake in the character, and nature of God, Himself…and that in so doing, we escape the corruption that is in the World through the ungodly desires of our old natures. In reality, this is part of our inheritance in Christ: we are His real children, and we should expect to grow into His likeness.

Collectively, the desires of the World and those of our old natures are completely in opposition to all that God is. His Righteousness and Holiness are utterly repugnant to them. We escape the corruption of the world and the flesh through the application of God’s Word to our lives. Diligent application of His Word produces further results: We could think of them as goals.

The Goals

Diligence in applying the “exceeding great and precious promises” as well as the rest of the admonition and correction and encouragement in God’s Word will produce the following things:

5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

So there are seven things to look for:

  1. Virtue
  2. Knowledge
  3. Temperance
  4. Patience
  5. Godliness
  6. Brotherly kindness
  7. Charity (Agapé love)

Please note that all of these things are still under the condition Jesus spelled out in John 15:5, saying “apart from me ye can do nothing.” Is it possible to produce a “cheap imitation” of each of these things by our own efforts? Certainly it is! But all these things, if produced by the flesh, (our old sin nature) are contaminated by the flesh. The Old Self is not only corrupt, but is continually being corrupted. So, for the realities of each of these values to be born in us, they have to be coming from an ongoing walk with Jesus, in full fellowship with Him. Let’s look at each of them individually:

  • Virtue: (Greek: arête…force or strength) It is strange: all my life, I thought that the word “virtue” meant something similar to “piety.” But it does not: it means “strength of character.” God wants to produce that strength of character in each of our lives.
  • Knowledge: (Greek: gnosis…experiential knowledge: not just “stuff to know and tell.” This comes from an ongoing relationship with Christ, on a daily, moment by moment basis.)
  • Temperance: (Greek: ephrateia…self-control, or continence. We are not to just be tossed around, by every thought, or circumstance, but we are to be controlled by our new nature.)
  • Patience: (Greek: hupomonē… endurance…pressing on. It doesn’t mean just “waiting,” but rather, persevering, in the face of hardships and disappointments.)
  • Godliness: (Greek: Eusebia…piety or reverence. This is the person and character of Christ “seeping out” all over the life of the believer, so that we literally “smell like Jesus.”)
  • Brotherly kindness: (Greek: Philadelphian…actually, this is the “brotherly love” word. This is the general friendliness and kindness and care that we are to have toward others.)
  • Charity: (Greek: agapé…Agapé love…the unconditional, committed love expounded upon, in 1st Corinthians 13:1-8.) Not feelings, but actions, in every case.

So, the idea is that by diligently applying God’s Word to our lives, these changes should be the result: and that all of them (the real thing) are from God, not “drummed up” by self-effort or self-improvement schemes.

The Results

8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. The idea behind all of these virtues in a believer’s life is to make us fruitful. Orthodoxy only means “having right opinions.” If these character traits are missing, then the “correct opinions” have never gotten out of the “library” into the “living room.” They have not become a practical, living reality. A person may have strict adherence to a creed of some sort, and even a form of godliness, but Jesus warned that this can be counterfeit. The Pharisees had all of that and they hated Jesus. James pointed out that the demons are “monotheistic,” too! They know there is “only one God!” They have seen Him face-to-face! As we can see, then, “having all your doctrinal ducks in a line” is not the real issue: Having an ongoing, faith-based, obedient walk with Jesus is always the issue, and it is evidenced by the fruit of that relationship: the agapé love coating all aspects of our lives.

So, while we can see two possible extremes (one who is not a believer at all, but whose opinions and behavior patterns are pretty good, versus one who actually does know Jesus as his Savior, but whose life does not reflect that reality, nor is he well-schooled in theology) we need to see that Peter is addressing those who definitely are believers, and who have begun to grow in their faith: He exhorts them to press on and grow more! He also gives them things to look for in their own lives to see whether the “growth” is genuine.

[Remember, James did much the same, giving us clues by which to recognize Godly wisdom, as opposed to the wisdom of the world, the flesh, or the devil. (James 3:13-18. “13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. 14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. 15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.”)]

These fruits are what we should look for to see how we are progressing. He also warns that a believer who lacks these attributes has forgotten that Jesus purged him of his old, sinful way of life, and has become judicially blind, through the willful disregard for God’s Word.

9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

We really do not want to be blind to God’s Word, or deaf to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

So…if we know that we have received the Lord, then we need to give diligence to be “digging in” and growing in Him. God’s Word is what will make us grow: remember 1st Peter 2:2 “…desire the sincere milk of the Word that ye may grow thereby.”

This is the constant invitation (and command) from God: that we draw near to Him in Bible-study and prayer, so that He can draw near to us, by His indwelling Holy Spirit, and help us to walk with Him in obedience. We know that. As believers, we will eventually be in the new heaven and earth with Jesus. But He asks that we enter in now: not being lax, and just figuring that all of it will eventually happen. Hebrews 10:19 calls us to enter into the holy place now, by faith, through the person and work of Christ. This is not about Salvation: it is an invitation (and command) to believers: people who are already saved.

12 Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.

Peter shows that he knew these people were already believers: he says that he is reminding them of something they already knew.

13 Yea, I think it meet, (fitting) as long as I am in this tabernacle (physical body), to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; 14 Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. 15 Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.

Peter is especially concerned for their well-being, because the Lord had revealed to him that he was soon going to die (He was to be executed, tradition tells us.) so he wanted to be sure they understood and would be able to remember the central truths of their relationship with Jesus. He was going to give them a “review lesson,” specifically so that after his death they would be able to remember these things. That’s what the book of 2nd Peter is: a review lesson. (The first point in that review, actually, is the manner by which God’s revelation is given to Man: And we will look at that next, in our study of second Peter.)

Lord Jesus, teach us to look to you for all things, and not to depend upon our own wisdom but to look to you for godly wisdom to guide our lives. Raise us up as your servants and allow us to shine in this dark world.

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