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Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
December 24, 2011
7:42 PM | 
Posted by
Randy Ross
Do you believe??
SANTA IS OMNISCIENT – He knows exactly what everyone is doing, all year long and he keeps a record of when you are good and bad. Then, at the end of every year, children, who believe, are rewarded based on their works.
Ultimately, there is one who will judge: Jesus.
Re 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Re 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
SANTA IS OMNIPOTENT – The weather doesn’t hinder Santa at all. No matter how bad the storm nor how strong the wind, Santa was able to accomplish his goals. It is almost as though Santa can control the weather.
We know there is only one who has ever calmed a storm: Jesus.
Mark 4:37-39 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. (38) And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? (39) And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
SANTA IS OMNIPRESENT – Let’s face it. The only way the fat man could make all the stops he makes, in the short amount of time he has (less than a second), he must be everywhere at once. That does not even take into account the creepy claim that he can “see you when you’re sleeping.”
Psalms 139:7-8 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? (8) If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
Proverbs 15:3 ¶ The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
SANTA IS ETERNAL – Though generations are born, age and die, Santa never ages.
Mal 3:6a For I am the LORD, I change not
Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
SANTA IS WORSHIPPED – This is, perhaps, the saddest fact of all. I received a card one day which depicted a child kneeling beside his bed as though he were praying. His hands were folded and his eyes were closed. Above his head in a cloud was a picture of Santa. To whom was the child praying? Many other children, when asked, do not know who Jesus is, but they certainly know Santa.
Ex 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
God is clear about this. We are to worship no one (or no thing) other than Jehovah.
Of course, it’s all in fun, right? After all, telling a kid to believe in something that isn’t real doesn’t really hurt anyone, does it? It isn’t like Santa is a lie or anything.
Exodus 20:16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
SANTA IS OMNISCIENT – He knows exactly what everyone is doing, all year long and he keeps a record of when you are good and bad. Then, at the end of every year, children, who believe, are rewarded based on their works.
Ultimately, there is one who will judge: Jesus.
Re 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Re 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
SANTA IS OMNIPOTENT – The weather doesn’t hinder Santa at all. No matter how bad the storm nor how strong the wind, Santa was able to accomplish his goals. It is almost as though Santa can control the weather.
We know there is only one who has ever calmed a storm: Jesus.
Mark 4:37-39 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. (38) And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? (39) And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
SANTA IS OMNIPRESENT – Let’s face it. The only way the fat man could make all the stops he makes, in the short amount of time he has (less than a second), he must be everywhere at once. That does not even take into account the creepy claim that he can “see you when you’re sleeping.”
Psalms 139:7-8 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? (8) If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
Proverbs 15:3 ¶ The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
SANTA IS ETERNAL – Though generations are born, age and die, Santa never ages.
Mal 3:6a For I am the LORD, I change not
Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
SANTA IS WORSHIPPED – This is, perhaps, the saddest fact of all. I received a card one day which depicted a child kneeling beside his bed as though he were praying. His hands were folded and his eyes were closed. Above his head in a cloud was a picture of Santa. To whom was the child praying? Many other children, when asked, do not know who Jesus is, but they certainly know Santa.
Ex 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
God is clear about this. We are to worship no one (or no thing) other than Jehovah.
Of course, it’s all in fun, right? After all, telling a kid to believe in something that isn’t real doesn’t really hurt anyone, does it? It isn’t like Santa is a lie or anything.
Exodus 20:16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
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December 20, 2010
Many of us will spend time gathered around a cake celebrating the anniversary of a loved one's birth. We will have a cake, perhaps some gifts. But all in all, someone's birthday is a special occasion.
Now, suppose today was your birthday. Everyone shows up for your party. Oh, there is a lot of food, and gifts. Oh, wow, gifts piled high almost touching the ceiling. You think, "Just look at all of this stuff. People must really love me." Then, all of a sudden, someone yells out, "Let's open presents." Your heart races. After all, it is your birthday, all of those gifts must be for you, right? Names are called and gifts are passed out. One by one, everyone gets a gift but you. "Where is my present. It's my birthday," you wonder.
What must Jesus wonder on His birthday? We spend the weeks leading up to Christmas hurrying about putting up decorations, shopping for presents for everyone on the list and going to parties. Some even deliver their child to an image of an antichrist in the form of a bearded, obese man in a red suit (that, my friend, is another article). Where is Jesus in all of this? When we take time to recall what Christmas is really about, we must remember that Christmas is not a season of gifts, it is the season where we should celebrate the greatest gift ever given - the gift of eternal life.
We would all say that Christmas is about Christ. we can see that even the atheists know this simple truth. They fight Christmas with a passion. Why? Because Christmas should be about Christ and they know it. Yet, so many of our Christian brethren take Christmas to a new commercialized depth. My friend, take time to celebrate the birth of Christ.
Romans 6:23b ... the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
I must also ask if you have accepted that gift. There is no better time than the Christmas season to accept the free gift of eternal life and there is no better gift you can give Jesus than to allow Him to save you.
Now, suppose today was your birthday. Everyone shows up for your party. Oh, there is a lot of food, and gifts. Oh, wow, gifts piled high almost touching the ceiling. You think, "Just look at all of this stuff. People must really love me." Then, all of a sudden, someone yells out, "Let's open presents." Your heart races. After all, it is your birthday, all of those gifts must be for you, right? Names are called and gifts are passed out. One by one, everyone gets a gift but you. "Where is my present. It's my birthday," you wonder.
What must Jesus wonder on His birthday? We spend the weeks leading up to Christmas hurrying about putting up decorations, shopping for presents for everyone on the list and going to parties. Some even deliver their child to an image of an antichrist in the form of a bearded, obese man in a red suit (that, my friend, is another article). Where is Jesus in all of this? When we take time to recall what Christmas is really about, we must remember that Christmas is not a season of gifts, it is the season where we should celebrate the greatest gift ever given - the gift of eternal life.
We would all say that Christmas is about Christ. we can see that even the atheists know this simple truth. They fight Christmas with a passion. Why? Because Christmas should be about Christ and they know it. Yet, so many of our Christian brethren take Christmas to a new commercialized depth. My friend, take time to celebrate the birth of Christ.
Romans 6:23b ... the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
I must also ask if you have accepted that gift. There is no better time than the Christmas season to accept the free gift of eternal life and there is no better gift you can give Jesus than to allow Him to save you.
December 10, 2009
It is amazing how, as we grow and mature in Christ, we see things differently. Day by day, the Lord illuminates different things to us. He shows us how we should grow in His likeness.
Shortly after I was saved, I played the role of Santa at a company Christmas party. At first, I was quite excited about it, looking forward to in, in fact. But as the time drew near, I had an uneasy feeling in me which I did not understand. As the party went on, that uneasy feeling grew and I recognized it as the grieving of the Holy Spirit. I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I did not understand why. However, at the conclusion of that night, I knew I would never dress as Santa again.
The years passed, and I really didn’t think about it again until we had children. Really, I didn’t think about it until our kids were old enough to talk and start to understand things. As I thought about the subject, I remembered dressing as Santa and my spirit being grieved. I started to look at why. Why would the Lord be upset with me over this? After all, it’s really all just in fun, right? Let’s just look at that. Is it really all in fun? Does that make it ok?
Suppose I told my kids, like so many parents do, that they need to be good for Santa, that Santa could see them when they sleep and know if they were being good or bad. The first question is wouldn’t that be a lie? Wouldn’t I be lying to my children?
But lying is just one aspect. Think about the attributes of Santa.
Really, though, it’s all harmless since it is all in fun, right? It’s all done with a smile and a wink, right? Speaking of the fool:
Shortly after I was saved, I played the role of Santa at a company Christmas party. At first, I was quite excited about it, looking forward to in, in fact. But as the time drew near, I had an uneasy feeling in me which I did not understand. As the party went on, that uneasy feeling grew and I recognized it as the grieving of the Holy Spirit. I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I did not understand why. However, at the conclusion of that night, I knew I would never dress as Santa again.
The years passed, and I really didn’t think about it again until we had children. Really, I didn’t think about it until our kids were old enough to talk and start to understand things. As I thought about the subject, I remembered dressing as Santa and my spirit being grieved. I started to look at why. Why would the Lord be upset with me over this? After all, it’s really all just in fun, right? Let’s just look at that. Is it really all in fun? Does that make it ok?
Suppose I told my kids, like so many parents do, that they need to be good for Santa, that Santa could see them when they sleep and know if they were being good or bad. The first question is wouldn’t that be a lie? Wouldn’t I be lying to my children?
Mat 19:18-19 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, (19) Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.What exactly does it mean to ‘bear false witness’? Isn’t that a lie? Are there degrees to lies? Is a lie ok as long as it is just in fun? Of course not. There were no conditions set on lying. A lie is a lie, pure and simple. So, what if you don’t have kids, but you promote Santa to others? Wouldn’t you be promoting the same lie in someone else’s kid’s minds?
But lying is just one aspect. Think about the attributes of Santa.
- He can see you wherever you are and he knows if you have been bad or good: he is all knowing. Jehovah God is omniscient. No one else is. To claim that someone else can ‘know’ if you have been bad or good is a lie and it is assigning attributes of God to another.
- To deliver presents as he does, Santa must be able to transcend time and space in ways no one else can, or he is not subject to time. God is timeless.
Exo 20:3-5 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (4) Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: (5) Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.Do you get this? God is proclaiming that He is a jealous God and that he will not hold him blameless who puts another god before him. Clearly, God is commanding us to put no other god before him, yet as a society, we are holding Santa up as an alternative god for children. The card was an image of a child praying to Santa Claus. I met a young boy a few years ago who did not even know who Jesus was, but he quickly told me that Christmas was about Santa Claus.
Really, though, it’s all harmless since it is all in fun, right? It’s all done with a smile and a wink, right? Speaking of the fool:
Prov 10:10 He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall.Whether it is with a wink, or in fun, playing or promoting Santa Claus is still a clear violation of one of the commandments of the Word of God, and likely two.
December 6, 2009
‘Tis the season. Everywhere we look there are sales, trees, shoppers, parties and fat men in red suits. Does your kid sit on the fat guy’s lap? Yes, in most people’s mind, ‘tis the season for Santa Claus. Every year, I say something about Santa Claus. Usually, I illustrate some way that people are making a god out of Santa. This year, I am only going to look at one simple thought. The lie.
We know one family where the parents make it quite clear that the kids must “believe” if they are going to get any kind of gift. Is Santa Claus real? Of course not. So, if you are telling your kids he is real, and they must believe in him, what are you doing? You are lying to them. I know, many people think it is harmless. Is there a harmless lie? Is there some time when it is okay to break one of the ten commandments? No.
Pr 6:16-19 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: (17) A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, (18) An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, (19) A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
Did you notice in that passage that one of the things the Lord hates, that are an abomination, is a “lying tongue.” That was not qualified. God hates it when we lie. Whether it is a little white lie or a giant whopper, a lie is a lie. Telling your kids they must believe is a lie.
Not only is it a lie to tell your kids they must believe in a man that does not exist, you are teaching them to lie. The family I mentioned has a seventeen year old son who tells you he believes. I have met the boy, he is fairly bright! Does he really believe in Santa Claus? No, but his parents have taught him that it is okay to lie about this. So, since he has been taught that it is okay to lie about believing in Santa Claus, why should we believe him when he says he believes in Christ?
The worst aspect of this is the lie perpetuated in some churches. When someone brings the lie of Santa Claus into their home, it is their decision. However, there are pastors out there who do not have the backbone to stand up to their congregation and remove this blight from their church. They allow Santa Claus in their churches. Some even make Santa Claus the centerpiece of their Christmas celebrations. This is simply perverse. I cannot imagine it being anymore than an abomination.
Christmas is not about Santa Claus. Those who make Santa their god and deceive little children into a false hope will stand before God with the blood of children on their hands. I cannot imagine being a pastor who participates in this lie and standing before God. Christmas is about the birth of Christ. Jesus, God in the flesh, came to earth and was born in the form of a man for one reason: to give us the gift of salvation. Because Jesus was willing to come and die on the cross, and pay the debt for our sins, we do not have to face the penalty of death and hell. We can accept the gift of salvation Jesus offers us.
Do you teach your children to believe a lie? More importantly, what do you believe? Jesus is ready and willing to come into your heart and save you. Will you ask HIM in to your heart today?
We know one family where the parents make it quite clear that the kids must “believe” if they are going to get any kind of gift. Is Santa Claus real? Of course not. So, if you are telling your kids he is real, and they must believe in him, what are you doing? You are lying to them. I know, many people think it is harmless. Is there a harmless lie? Is there some time when it is okay to break one of the ten commandments? No.
Pr 6:16-19 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: (17) A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, (18) An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, (19) A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
Did you notice in that passage that one of the things the Lord hates, that are an abomination, is a “lying tongue.” That was not qualified. God hates it when we lie. Whether it is a little white lie or a giant whopper, a lie is a lie. Telling your kids they must believe is a lie.
Not only is it a lie to tell your kids they must believe in a man that does not exist, you are teaching them to lie. The family I mentioned has a seventeen year old son who tells you he believes. I have met the boy, he is fairly bright! Does he really believe in Santa Claus? No, but his parents have taught him that it is okay to lie about this. So, since he has been taught that it is okay to lie about believing in Santa Claus, why should we believe him when he says he believes in Christ?
The worst aspect of this is the lie perpetuated in some churches. When someone brings the lie of Santa Claus into their home, it is their decision. However, there are pastors out there who do not have the backbone to stand up to their congregation and remove this blight from their church. They allow Santa Claus in their churches. Some even make Santa Claus the centerpiece of their Christmas celebrations. This is simply perverse. I cannot imagine it being anymore than an abomination.
Christmas is not about Santa Claus. Those who make Santa their god and deceive little children into a false hope will stand before God with the blood of children on their hands. I cannot imagine being a pastor who participates in this lie and standing before God. Christmas is about the birth of Christ. Jesus, God in the flesh, came to earth and was born in the form of a man for one reason: to give us the gift of salvation. Because Jesus was willing to come and die on the cross, and pay the debt for our sins, we do not have to face the penalty of death and hell. We can accept the gift of salvation Jesus offers us.
Do you teach your children to believe a lie? More importantly, what do you believe? Jesus is ready and willing to come into your heart and save you. Will you ask HIM in to your heart today?
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