Tis The Season

Now, this next part may offend some people, but if it offends then that means you need to hear it. “Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some”

This includes coming to church on Christmas Day. Ever since me and Johnny have begun planning the Christmas Day service, all we`ve heard from people is “Well that doesn`t fit my schedule or that isn`t convenient for me.” Folks, I hate to burst your bubble, but I`m quite sure it wasn`t convenient for Jesus to get beat nearly to death and then have to carry a 300-pound cross to Mt. Calvary to suffocate to death to save us from Hell. I do not think that was too convenient for Him, but He did it anyway. His love for us drove Him to do it no matter how much of an inconvenience it was for Him, but the love of many Christians today can`t even drive them to get to church on Christmas Day to celebrate the very reason that we have Christmas. Don`t get me wrong, spending time with your family is important, but so is spending time with your church family and so is spending time with Jesus.

One more quick note and we will jump down to the fourth point. Look at the end of that verse 25.

“...and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

When it says, “the Day,” it`s referring to the return of Christ and the rapture of the church. I fully believe that we`re living in the end times. I believe the rapture is right around the corner. In fact, me and another coach at Beulah were talking about today`s events and how it`s lining up with the Bible, and I told him that I believe we`ll see the rapture in my lifetime. I believe everything happening in the world today points toward that. I will not talk a whole lot about this mainly because on Wednesday nights, we have this amazing class that covers end-time events and is taught by Ms. Lynda. So, if you want to hear and learn more, you will have to come on Wednesdays. The closer and closer that we approach the rapture and second coming of Christ, the more important it becomes that we do meet as a church body. Christmas is a season for being with family. This Christmas season do not make the mistake of neglecting your church family.

Tis the Season for Celebrating

Let`s look at Zechariah 9:9.

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is He, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

Christmas is a time for celebration. A time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Despite what this world may try to tell you, Christmas is about Jesus. It is not about Santa Claus. It is not about presents. Christmas is about the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. The coming king mentioned there in Zechariah was Jesus. Jesus is righteous and with Him comes salvation. We see it later in Matthew 21 of Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey. That event started the week known as Holy Week that ended with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. I preached on this a few weeks ago, but we see in Luke 1 exactly why Jesus came to be born of a virgin here on Earth. We won`t take the time to read the verses, but in verses 69-74 we see that God sent Jesus for 4 reasons.