Celebrating Birthdays

I. EXORDIUM:

Are you pleasing the LORD?

Yes. all by faith. Hebrews 11:6

Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified Bible)

But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].

II. AUDIENCE PROFILE:

Believers/unbelievers

III. OBJECTIVES:

To show that unbelievers even in their birthdays, that they should be pleasing the LORD instead of themselves are clearly, pleasing, fascinating and enjoying themselves and not the LORD GOD who gave them their lives.

IV. TEXT:

Matthew 14:6 (Amplified Bible)

But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst [before the company] and pleased and fascinated Herod,

V. THESIS:

Praise, worship and thank You very much LORD JESUS for You never gave thought about Your own interests but all my reproaches, and abuses that was supposed to be on me, it fell on You.

Romans 15:3 (Amplified Bible)

For Christ did not please Himself [gave no thought to His own interests]; but, as it is written, The reproaches and abuses of those who reproached and abused you fell on Me.

VI. TITLE:

Celebrating birthdays

VII. EXPLICATION:

A. Author: Apostle Matthew

B. Keyword: Fulfilled

C. Emphatic Thought: Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy

D. Audience: Jews

E. Apparent Purpose: To show that JESUS of Nazareth was the kingly Messiah of Jewish prophecy.

VIII. MAIN BODY:

Matthew 14:6 (Amplified Bible)

But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst [before the company] and pleased and fascinated Herod,

Matthew 14:6 (The Message)

But at his birthday celebration, he got his chance. Herodias's daughter provided the entertainment, dancing for the guests. She swept Herod away.

A. When the heathen's birthday came

"But when Herod’s birthday came,"

Herod or "herodes" in Greek meaning: "heroic". Birthday or "genesia" a word derived from genesis, which means nativity, birthday ceremonies.

The focus and major part or character in the birthday ceremonies or birthday celebrations of the heathens are the birthday celebrants, while in the believer's birthday celebration, the focus, major, one we please, one we enjoy, one we praise, worship and exalt is still JESUS CHRIST Himself who is in the Center of us, in the midst of us, in our insides.

Colossians 1:27 (Amplified Bible)

To whom God was pleased to make known how great for the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ within and among you, the Hope of [realizing the] glory.

Jeremiah 8:22 (Amplified Bible)

Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people restored? [Because Zion no longer enjoyed the presence of the Great Physician!]

Exodus 15:26 (Amplified Bible)

Saying, If you will diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord your God and will do what is right in His sight, and will listen to and obey His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon you which I brought upon the Egyptians, for I am the Lord Who heals you.

Therefore it is wrong and contrary to the WORD of GOD, to enjoy your birthday, enjoy the LORD JESUS CHRIST in your birthdays and birthday celebrations and birthday ceremonies, the Center MUST be the LORD JESUS CHRIST, not yourself. Yes you owe it to the LORD JESUS your whole life, and we will return it to Him without spot or blemish.

ILLUSTRATION: The heathen of this world borrowed their lives and bodies from the LORD, of course, the Creator is the Owner, something that the unbelievers can't understand, they thought their bodies are owned by themselves, so they expose their bodies to tattoos, sexual immoralities, homosexualities and lesbianism, but when it's time to return the body to the LORD, they already made it a canvass, it's already vandalized with tattoos, the male body is already converted to female, and female body is already converted to male. What do you think the owner will feel if he lends you his black volvo and you returned it a white volvo? If we can understand this on borrowed things, how come we can't understand it in our borrowed bodies?

It's alright to enhance the beauty and handsomeness of the body that the LORD lent you, but don't change the sexuality of it.

B. Their daughters danced, pleased, and fascinated the birthday celebrant, not JESUS

"the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst [before the company] and pleased and fascinated Herod,"

Take a look and notice carefully, the center of the heathen's birthday celebrations/ceremonies or the center of the unbeliever's birthday is themselves, the birthday celebrant which is idolatry itself. Idolatry is anything, anyone or any event that stands between you and GOD. If yourself is the problem, then you are the idol, GOD will destroy you, if your career or job/profession hinders you from attending a Sunday worship service, then change jobs/profession, your profession is the idol.