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Grace Fellowship Church

Pastor/Teacher Jim Rickard. Grace Fellowship Church. Sunday, December 23, 2012. www.GraceDoctrine.org. Eph 5:18, “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is a waste of life, but be filled with the Spirit.”. Should Believers Celebrate Christmas?.

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Grace Fellowship Church

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  1. Pastor/TeacherJim Rickard Grace Fellowship Church Sunday,December 23, 2012 www.GraceDoctrine.org

  2. Eph 5:18,“Do not get drunk with wine, for that is a waste of life, but be filled with the Spirit.”

  3. Should Believers Celebrate Christmas?

  4. Some of the origins of many of the traditions we have for our Christmas celebration have come from ancient pagan celebrations.

  5. 2 Tim 2:7,“Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.”

  6. In ancient Babylon the celebration of the day commemorates either Nimrod’s (a.k.a., Adonis), birthday, or that of his wife Venus and her child. The latter is more attested to in literature.

  7. Babylonian, “Yule” is the name for an “infant” or “little child.” On either the 21st or 25th of December a celebration took place called, “Yule‑day,” “child’s‑day,” and the night before, “mother‑night.”

  8. Later the Romans, had a festival to the sun god, “Saturnalia”, a.k.a Nimrod, “hiding one,” who hid from Shem who was seeking his life.

  9. Combined with an early January celebration the whole season was called “Dies NatalisInvicti Solis”, the birthday of the “Unconquered Sun.”

  10. In 350 A.D., Pope Julius I declared that Christ’s birth would be celebrated on December 25.

  11. Some of the questioning arises from Bible verses including: Jer 3:13; 10:2-4; Isa 44:14-15.

  12. Jeremiah 3:13, “Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against the Lord your God and have scattered your favors to the strangers under every green tree, and you have not obeyed My voice, declares the Lord.”

  13. In the N.T. there is only one celebration we are commanded to partake of? The communion supper!

  14. Satan wants to discredit everything that has to do with God and He wants to tear apart Christian fellowship and he counterfeits everything.

  15. Why? So that:1) Man would misinterpret the things of Christ when they actually happened and afterwards.2) Cast doubt on the worship and celebration of Christ.

  16. Charles Stanley:1) Draw us away from God. 2) Thwart God’s purpose. 3) Deny God glory and honor. 4) Destroy us.

  17. We should never judge the believer who decides to celebrate Christmas or not.Rom 14:5-10; Col 2:16

  18. Col 2:16,“Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day.”

  19. What does the Bible say about these types of things. 1 Cor 8:1-13; Col 2:1-23

  20. Even if our Christmas celebrations originally had pagan origins, to you there are no other gods, so it is ok to partake in them because you are celebrating Christ.

  21. But if you think these things are idols and lead you to pagan worship then to you they are and you should stop partaking of them.

  22. Psa 150:6,“Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.”

  23. 1 Cor 9:23,“I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.”

  24. See also: Rom 14:14-23; 1 Cor 10:23-31; Titus 1:15-16.

  25. Titus 1:15,“To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.”

  26. Rom 14:14,“I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.”

  27. Many of the pagan associations were lost long Ago. What Satan began to counterfeit of God’s plan, God has turned the tables and has taken Satan’s symbols to now represent Christ.

  28. Gen 50:20,“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.”

  29. Grace OfferingHeb 13:15, “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

  30. Grace Fellowship ChurchSunday, December 23, 2012Tape # 12-147Christmas Special 2012Should Christian’s Celebrate Christmas? Jer 3:13; 10:2-4; Isa 44:14-17; Col 2:1-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; Rom 14:1-23: Titus 1:15-16 James H. Rickard Bible Ministries 2012

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