Tomorrow,
Saturday, December 21, we will gather for our
Living Nativity at the Oakdale Mall at 4 PM. The Living Nativity will be
presented fro 4 to 7 PM. Those of you who live in the area, please join us.
We are planning for a "Flash Mob" to be singing Handel's Hallelujah Chorus at
6:30 PM. Please mark the change of time. (We were planning for this
presentation at 5:15 PM ... now it will be at 6:30 PM.) Those who have sung in
the Messiah and those who would love to sing, please join us. Yancey Moore will
be at the Grand Piano. This will be a Holy Roar. This is part of the
celebration of Christmas in the Public Square. Please be praying that the Lord
would be glorified and the people will be blessed.
In Charles Dickens' Christmas classic, "A
Christmas Carol", Mr. Scrooge says, "Humbug! Merry Christmas? What right
have you to be merry? What reason do you have to be merry?" In fact, there is
an answer for Mr. Scrooge, and there is an answer for "Scrooges" everywhere
this Holy and special season because believers, indeed, have every right to be
merry at Christmas. The reason is simply because Jesus Christ has appeared! To
those who still walk in darkness and have been blinded by the enemy, "Christ has
appeared!"
In 1 John
3, Jesus' appearing is mentioned. John
refers to the first Christmas and he does so to encourage believers, those who
have been born anew by the Spirit of God. He encourages believers to rejoice
and celebrate because of this fundamental and simple fact that Jesus Christ has
appeared. He appeared to deal with sin once
and for all. He also appeared to destroy the
devil's works. 1
John 3:8, The Son of God appeared for this
purpose that He might destroy the works of the devil. He came not only to deal
with sins and sinners, but He came to destroy the works of the devil. That word
"destroy" means "to render ineffective, to rob of power". When Jesus Christ
came He dealt Satan a death blow. Jesus came to deal with that arch enemy of
our souls, the devil who tempts, who inflames, who deceives.
Once a missionary in Africa returned to his
house. When he got inside he discovered a huge python. He quickly ran outside
to his truck, got a 45 pistol, came back in the house. He was careful, he was
quiet, but he got close enough to fire a shot and that bullet hit its mark, and
that python was dealt a mortal wound, a bullet right in its head. But the
python didn't die instantly. It began to thrash around, crashing around that
house, knocking things off of tables and counters, wreaking havoc. The
missionary had gone outside to stay away. Finally, after a while, the noise
died down and he came in and found that python dead, but in its death throes it
had done a lot of damage.
When Jesus Christ came, when He died on the
cross, He put a bullet in the head of the devil. The devil is defeated, but
he's still thrashing around. He's still wreaking havoc of one kind or another,
but the devil is defeated and there is no reason for us to accept the devil's
lies. There is no reason for us to follow Satan's agenda. He is defeated. We
are called to follow the one who is victorious, the one who came to destroy the
works of the devil.
And so to Scrooge, with his bah, humbug
attitude, with his question, "How can anyone be merry at Christmas?", we say to
him, "Jesus Christ has appeared. That's why we're merry. That's why we
rejoice! That's why we're enthused -- because of His appearing. So Scrooge,
Merry Christmas!" And Merry Christmas to you because Jesus
appeared!
"In all these things we are more than
conquerors through Him who loved us" and still loves us.
In Him,
Brown
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