"Christmas Is" Series Part 3 - Christmas Is the Gospel

"Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"
~John 1:29 (ESV)

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    In closing of our "Christmas Is" series, let us reflect on once again what Christmas is. It is the Gospel in that we celebrate the glorious mystery of God's coming down as man to take away our sins. Now, there was much more to come of the Gospel story following Christ's birth that we celebrate (His life, death, resurrection, and ascension), but ultimately we celebrate at Christmas time the mystery of God coming to earth as man to pay the debt for our sins and take the wrath of God. Jesus birth was the beginning of the life on earth that would change all of eternity. Let us praise Him! Let us praise Him alone!

    No one could exhort us more appropriatley than John the Baptist from Scripture's account in John 1:29 when he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" May we, this Christmas season, this year, and throughout our lives, behold our King! May we behold Him standing there before the throne pleading us clean of sin and bound for eternity with the eternal Godhead.

    What a Day that will be when we see His face! And while on this earth, we stand in gratefulness before the Father for sending His Son to make that eternal destiny possible for us. Apart from the glorious Gospel of God come down to earth, we would have been condemned to the destiny deserved by every man and woman, Hell, desolation, irreversible desertion, and the furious wrath of God.

    Want more reason to celebrate? Meditate upon this quote by Anselm:

"The glory of the Gospel is this: The One from Whom we needed to be saved is the One Who has saved us."

    Is that not the most amazing mystery ever beheld? We were under God's wrath for our many, many, many sins. Yet, it is that same God, our almighty King of Kings, Who has revealed to us that He is a just God and a God of MIND-BLOWING MERCY! And we celebrate the birth of our King and the birth of the Gospel of Christ this season and year-round. Hope is born!

    The Lord has shown mercy to us! This grace is available to all! So I bid you, if you have not yet entered the kingdom of God and accepted this forgiving King, Jesus, as your Savior, please do so! Resist Him no longer. We were created for Him, and He longs for His children to come Home. He longs to be glorified in you.

    That's why He came.

    Merry Christmas!

"Christmas Is" Series Part 2 - Christmas Is a Servant's Opportunity

"So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind."
(Philippians 2:1-2)

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    During Christmas, we continue the celebration of the Gospel and again zero in on the mystery of God become man. This is not only a time to meditate on that mystery, but to apply it! How are we emulating our Savior's example during this season?

    What makes the Gospel so amazing is the Who of the Gospel. Who came down to earth? The perfect, sinless Lamb of God, Jesus. Why did He come down? The answer may not be exactly as expected, but it was to serve! Mark 10:45 says, "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Now that's a mystery! But isn't it such a humbling picture and provoking truth from Who we are to follow? Christ is Who we are to be conformed to, and His will is for us to serve others as He served.

    Is there anyone not in a "fortunate" situation this Christmas? Anyone in need? Anyone hungry or thirsty? Anyone who could use comfort or encouragement? Is there any sympathy to give in Christ?

"So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind." (Philippians 2:1-2)

The Lord is glorified when we serve and prefer others, and is a great way to look forward to serving in this way throughout the year!

    Inviting folks into our homes etc. is more than "what we're supposed to do," it's a privilaege and a gift from the Lord to be changed into people who act out of compassion and grace toward one another, and a glorious and joyous way to prefer one another above ourselves (See Philippians 2:4). I so easily do the opposite, so I need the reminder all the time of my Savior's amazing gift of grace to me.

    So, enjoy it! If you are a Christian, love the freedom of being a child of God! Love the gift of serving one another. It is truly more of a blessing to give than to receive (See Acts 20:35). The joy cannot be described effectively by words. It is all for God's glory.

What are your thoughts on the joy and gift of serving?

"Christmas Is" Series Part 1 - Christmas is Thanksgiving

"...but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men."
~Philippians 2:7 (ESV)

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We are approaching a very special time of the year, a day set aside to specifically focus on, rejoice in, and give thanks to our God and our King for humbling Himself and becoming Man to pay all of our debt!

Is this not amazing? Consider this passage:

"...Who, though He [Jesus] was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name..." (Philippians 2:6-9)

This, the Gospel, is the center of Christmas! As Christians, we celebrate the Gospel all year round, so no less are we to celebrate it on Christmas. Amongst the busyness, the service, the joyous laughter, the blessing of family and friends, the cooking, the cleaning, the wrapping paper all over the floor, the quite rest, thank You, our LORD, for what You have done! Thank You that Hope is born in the form of Your precious Son, Jesus Christ. Thank God for this most joyous reason to celebrate!

Truly, Christmas is Thanksgiving as we give thanks to God for sending His only Son, Jesus.

How do you continue to celebrate the Gospel during the Christmas season?

In our Savior,
-Franz

A Hopeful Word in a Fallen World

"No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God."

~I John 3:9 (ESV)

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Recently Revised Article!

This article is a revised version of the original article from 12/09/2006 titled, "Sin: A Sober View of a Fallen World."

Revised on 06/29/2011

Introduction

Guess what! We're not in Heaven yet!

By default, that might just sound discouraging. But think again. That's actually a great reminder when battling our every day struggles and temptations! Is it a ticket to sin? Of course not. If we know God's Word even a little, we probably know that God doesn't have "tickets to sin." But the fact that we are not in Heaven yet is a reminder draws our attention away from arrogance. It might just make us less likely to make statements that sound humble but aren't--such as, "I should be better" or "I / they should have grown by now!"

Nonexistent Locations 

Is it not easy at times to become anxious about where you are in the sanctification process? I have often found myself immersed in thoughts such as, "I'm here when I should be way further down this sanctification road" and "Why am I not growing?" I've thought in frustration, "I'm here when I should have been out there!" The truth is, there is no "out there." God has each of us where we are for His sovereign purpose.

Statements with Holes In Them

Now again, let us caution against using any of these things as excuses for sin. The following statements are ones we could be tempted to use as license to sin:

• "We live in a fallen world; sin is inevitable."
• "I'm going to sin again anyway."
• "I have grace; God will forgive me."
• "God understands that I'm having a hard time and need this comfort."

But God's Word says, "You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).

As we just observed in Matthew, God's Word nullifies the list of statement preceding. Yes, sin will happen. But even so, we are called to and equipped for high standards that we can joyfully seek. We are free to run! God's holiness is our one standard as Christians. We live a new, purchased life now. Though I do not agree with a lot of what this individual teaches, but this is a credible, provoking statement by Josh Harris:

"May we not use the freedom, purchased by Christ's blood, to celebrate the sin that He died for."

New Creations

Hallelujah! God has shown us that our sin grieves Him and so mercifully purchased us so that we might now live uniquely for His glory. God's new-found solution for our difficult lives is to use every circumstance to lead us toward satisfaction in Him and in His ways. It's not always what we want to hear in times of practical want--but He will provide for your every need.

Friend, He has begun a good work in us, and He has promised to finish it! Philippians 1:6 says, "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."

God bless you, my friends! It is a pleasure to walk out this adventure of God's merciful grace with you.

-Franz

Satisfied in God: A Burning Heart

"They said to each other, 'Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?'"
~Luke 24:32 (ESV)

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Introduction

    This post was inspired by a song from Loui Giglio's Passion Conferences website. You can hear it by clicking here and then clicking the play button at the bottom and going to the song, "Bravery."

    Oh the strange satisfaction that Christ brings to a soul! "Strange" meaning a passionate burning that is foreign to this world. The disciples in Luke 24:32 were unaware that they were talking to the Savior face to face. Yet, their hearts burned within them. Do you find satisfaction in Christ? As the Lord opens His Word to you in your quiet times, are you affected that Christ Himself is opening the Scriptures to you? Does this bring you to a place of burning satisfaction?

    This burning is not a mere feeling. This burning is a burning passion of satisfaction, speechlessness, and crying out of our very being for more of God and more of God to be known!

    Christian, be not caught up in chasing what the world from which we have been rescued seeks for satisfaction. Passion is spilled by the second by the world on worthless things! Yes, we once lived for worthlessness too, and still would be were it not for God's great mercy on our pitiful souls! But now, O now my fellow Christ follower, our passion is for our King! Our King!

He is breathtaking.
He is lovely.
He is the only Awesome One.
He is the only worthy One of all creation's praise.

Do you hear me now? Oh how He satisfies like no other!

He is the flame of our everlasting passion.
He is the reason we live.
He is the One Who carries us through this life.
He is the light on our circumstances.
He is the SOURCE of our HOPE!

Does your heart not burn within you?