The Reason for the Season
It’s finally here, the holiday season. Outside of the Super Bowl, it is the biggest commercialized event of the year. The world is a wild jungle of individuals on a shopping frenzy. The Nativity scenes enlightens landscapes across the map, lights bedeck the borders of homes, garlands and wreaths of flowers hang on the entrances of many American homes, and you just have to sit back and ask yourself that all important question-Why? Someone will tell you. They probably would say, "It’s the Christmas spirit!" And, "Deck the halls with boughs of holly, tis the season to be jolly!"
I don’t know about you but for me to spend that much money on decorations would lessen the amount that I could spend on presents. Moreover, if I’m going to indulge into the gaiety and splendor of anything, I must first know if it is pleasing to God. Remember the first commandment: Thou shalt have no other gods before me,(Exodus 20:3) And "whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." (I Corinthians 10:31) God has a jealousy for us so bad, and I mean bad in a connotative matter, that according to Exodus 34:14,15 His name is Jealous:
For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a-whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice.
Is Christmas a legitimate Christian holiday? Does God have a problem with us celebrating it? Well today Church, we will have a look at the word of God, and know for sure whether or not Christmas is in harmony with the Truth. In other words we will take a look at the reason for the season.
[GIVE SERMON TITLE AND PRAY]
I have to give you some background on December the 25th. And if you are out there pondering why should I go there when you already know that Jesus wasn’t born on that day, then I say to you that you ought to know better. According to the book The Two Babylons, pages 91-103, the Christmas Day festival wasn’t celebrated until the fourth century when the Roman Catholic Church brought it into Christianity. Long before this, the ancient Babylonians celebrated the birth of the son of the queen of Heaven. Tammuz, the reincarnate of Nimrod, the sun god, was born to Semaramis, queen of Heaven, on the winter solstice of December 25th. This day was not called Christmas but "Yule’s Day" or "Child’s Day." And maybe you have been singing that carol, "The first Noel the angels did say, were to certain poor shepherds in fields where they lay!" Well let me tell you that is not the song that was sung, for it was "The first Noel Semaramis did say, Nimrod flew into the sun and left me pregnant today!" It was this Babylonian trinity that God through Jeremiah and Ezekiel warned the children of Israel not to worship during Israel’s captivity.
God in His word made this clear that we should not go after the practices of the world nor get accustomed to their customs of heathenism. In Leviticus 18:1-3, when the Lord brought Israel out of the land of heathenism he said:
I am the Lord your God. After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: And after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.
In I John 2:15, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
Then in Jeremiah 10:1-5, we read:
Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: Thus saith the Lord, LEARN not the way of the heathen, and neither be not dismayed at the signs of Heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne [carried], because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.
Sounds plain enough to me. "Hold on preacher, that text is not talking about just a tree," one might add. "That is talking about what they do to a tree after it has been cut out of the forest. They carve whatever image they want and overlay it with gold and silver." True! This text talks about the manner at which heathens go about making a false god, and what is so fascinating about it still is that they are still cutting trees out of the forest and fastening them with nails and decorating them with gold and silver ornaments or whatever color. It is not just a mold of an image. It is the Christmas tree. In verse 5, Jeremiah lets me know that the Christmas tree would be numbered with this text. You see it is no mistake that the Bible said upright as the palm-tree.
The Christmas tree, now so common among us, was equally common in Pagan Rome and Pagan Egypt. In Egypt that tree was the palm-tree; in Rome it was the fir; the palm-tree denoting the Pagan Messiah, as Baal-Tamar, the fir referring to him as Baal-Berith. Therefore, the 25th of December, the day that was observed at Rome as the day when the victorious god reappeared on earth, was held at the Natalis invicti solis, "The birth of the unconquered Sun." The Christmas-tree is "Nimrod redivivus," the slain god come to life again. The Two Babylons, page 97-98
That Christmas tree brothers and sisters that I see in our churches, homes, and institutions is none other than a symbol of Tammuz, the son of the sun god. The mixture of Sun worship and the true worship of God brought judgements from God on the Israelites during their apostasy. God since the time of the judges had to deal with this apostasy. (Judges 8:33; 9:4) Baal-berith was this tree. What I am simply trying to say is Christmas and all of its tangibles is just another attempt of Satan to claim what rightfully belongs to God and that is our worship.
Idolatry, Church, did not dissipate with the ancient civilizations but as with all things, it has simply been modified. Idolatry is one of the things listed that will keep us out of the kingdom. (I Corinthians 6:9, Galatians 5:20, Colossians 3:5,6 & Revelation 22:15) Just because there are no little statues and ornaments that we do not have in our possessions does not mean that Satan has given up his trickery and deception of idolatry.
Christmas is not what one makes of it. It has its origin. You can’t perceive something that is corrupt as being just. There is no justice in a Christmas tree, ornaments, lights, wreaths, Santa Claus, mistletoe boughs, and etc. Jesus said that "God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." Of a truth, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life, but the lie is he didn’t give him on December 25th but the scriptures said in the fullness of time, God sent forth His son born of a virgin. We don’t know when the fullness of time expired. All I know is that Christ came because I have been redeemed by His blood, Amen!
Every year around this time the Devil sidetracks us from our commission which is declaring the Three Angels’ messages, and we can’t even declare the first angel’s message because we are to busy decorating Tammuz. "Fear God and give glory to Him; for the hour of his judgment is come and WORSHIP him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." (Revelation 14:7)
And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication with her, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. (Revelation 18:2-4)
The message is some of us are still trapped in Babylon. Well I thought that text was referring to people who worship on the first day of the week, Sunday. No it does not just refer to people who worship on Sunday. It refers to anyone who continues to indulge in pagan practices and carnal customs. December 25th is just as abominable as Sunday. Satan has set snares of idolatry all around it.
The scripture also points out that the "merchants of the earth wax rich through the abundance of her delicacies." In other words, businesses get paid when Christmas rolls around. They report record gains during the last quarter of the year because everyone crashes the stores and leave them almost desolate of clothing, toys, and other items. Let me say one more thing, why do we have to be like the world when God has provided our every need. Lets turn that thing around and get the world to start acting like us or shall I say like Christ. We, Seventh-Day Adventists, are the peculiar people, the modern day Israel, and if we don’t get our act together we will end up just like ancient Israel.
The essence of this holiday is centered on worship. [READ JOHN 4:21-24] Christ has come to the earth that he may reconcile God to man. It is the gift of the ages, eternal life that he gives us not to do as we please but to worship God and God alone. In I John 5:20 the bible says, "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God, eternal life." I can just imagine how Jealous feels when He hears His children singing "You better watch out, you better not sigh, you better not cry I’m tellin’ you why, Santa Claus is coming to town! He knows when you’ve been sleeping, he knows when you’re awake. He knows when you’ve been bad or good so be good for goodness sake. He’s making a list he’s checking it twice he’s gonna find out whose naughty or nice. Santa Claus is coming to town." God feels the same way He did when back at Mt. Sinai when Aaron made the children of Israel a golden calf and claim that this be the god that brought us out of the land of Egypt. It sickens him. We have all but deified old St. Nicholas. He knows when we’ve been bad or good renders him omniscient, all knowing, he’s making a list and checking it twice renders him omnipotent, all-powerful, and since he is coming to town he isn’t just coming to this town but to all of our towns so that renders him omnipresent, everywhere at the same time. The Lord told the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 46:5 and 42:8:
To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like? I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
In the book Counsels on Sabbath School Work, page 144, the servant of the Lord writes:
Our birthday anniversaries, and Christmas and Thanksgiving festivals, are to often devoted to selfish gratification, when the mind should be directed to the mercy and loving-kindness of God. God is displeased that his goodness, His constant care, His unceasing love, are not brought to mind on these anniversary occasions.
We are too busy and caught up into the pandemonium that is so prevalent during this time that as Christ told the woman at the well "you worship what ye know not." We waste so much time spending money needlessly on gifts for people who don’t need them. [READ A LITTLE FROM ADVENTIST HOME, PAGES 480,481] I am not saying that it is wrong to exchange gifts as a matter of fact, I would welcome it if someone thought of me enough to express it in something worth while. I am saying that we are so hypocritical about giving gifts. It ought to be frequent among us as Christians. The Bible says in I John 3:13-18 [READ]. This is not the time to esteem ourselves and show display. [READ INSERT SECOND ADVENT REVIEW AND SABBATH HERALD]
Jesus said, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (John 13:35) It is love that requires us to do what we do for one another. Just as God initiated His love to us in sending His own dear Son. Romans 5:8 states:
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
And Jesus also lets us know that what reward is it if we only do for people who are able to return the favor. It should be this time of year that we heighten our ministries when everyone’s heart is turned to the Lord vainly. I say vainly because the tradition of Christmas and its sophistries is breaking the commandments of God. (Matthew 15)
What is the reason for the season, there isn’t one! Jesus was never involved with the concept of Christmas. Satan is masquerading his program behind the gift to the world. Just like you can’t set aside Sunday to commemorate his resurrection, you can’t set aside December 25th as his birthday, why because God never told us to do that. Satan wants the tree to appear innocent, he wants you to believe that there is nothing wrong with old St. Nicholas. God’s word stands. LEARN NOT the way of the heathen. In the book Evangelism, page 271, the servant of the Lord writes:
God’s Word is plain. Its teachings cannot be mistaken. Shall we obey it, just as He has given it to us, or shall we seek to find how far we can digress and yet be saved? Conformity to the world is a sin which is sapping the spirituality of our people, and seriously interfering with their usefulness. It is idle to proclaim the warning message to the world, while we deny it in the transactions of daily life.
Finally brethren let us not be consumed with the pageantry of Christmas but with the passion of the Suffering Servant. Our Christmas tree isn’t so glamorous. You know that tree that was talked about in Acts 5:30: The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom we slew and hanged on a tree a tree that was equipped and cut for the express purpose of decorating with the ornaments of the works of the flesh. The Romans cut the tree out of the forest of rebellion and darkness and laid it on the bleeding back of the true Son. And in our home, planet Earth, where he carried that tree, the first Christian tree was fastened. He was fastened to the tree with nail pierced hands and feet. There was no child putting an angel atop this tree, but merely the sign placed by a Roman soldier that stated "JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS." Then instead of the family gathering around the tree singing Christmas carols, we got around and hurled insults and mocked the tree. We hung on its timbers the sins of our lives and well what about the presents. Well they were there too. Because you see as that sap which ran from the tree was the blood and the water which cleansed and purged us from ours sins, it gift wrapped forgiveness for all. Yes there was a gift for you and a gift for me the Bible says that the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is life eternal.
But it just doesn’t stop there because there are some gifts that we have not opened. Christ said if you want it you’ve got to take up your trees, and deny yourself and follow him daily. The gifts we have not opened are the Holy Spirit, love, and faith. We quickly tore the wrapping off of forgiveness with our prayers of confession. We knew that by shaking the box it was in that we could hear the Saviour say thy sins be forgiven thee. But when we shook the other gifts the sound of them did not meet our expectations. The clothing of righteousness and the armor of God are still waiting to be opened. We like the clothing that the devil tries to put under the Christian tree. We always open those. We need to stop decorating Christmas trees and start carrying Christian trees, Church. This is what the season is about. The angel said, "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from theirs sins." (Matthew 1:21) And let us not get caught up into the spirit of Christmas but the Spirit of God and as John said in I John 5:21, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen."
[LET US PRAY]
