One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Since his day no one had been raised up to declare the sure word of the Lord. The Greek word for peace is eirene. Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Jehoshua, meaning "Jehovah is salvation." Well, later in His life He would speak of Himself in terms that spoke to precisely the world's condition. To do this is to glorify Him, an act which is, as the Catechism states, one aspect of man's chief end. And in the center of them in the appearances of angels to Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds there are the three messages which, more than any other, perfectly explain the true, divine meaning of Christmas. And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. These celebrations are inadequate to say the least. Jesus fulfilled that promise when He died for your sin and rose again for your justification. We learn of His mercy. And there is peace with one another. For most people, the answer could be obvious. 9. Together these verses teach that men are not naturally at peace with God but that God has acted to make peace through the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's have a Christmas gift exchange this year. BGEA is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. There are two answers. And God will grant your requests." And you will enter, perhaps for the first time, into the Christmas story. And you will be at peace with God in a way that you were not at peace formerly. Why? It is in this sense a doxology, which means to express a right opinion of God verbally. In these verses the angel first greets Mary, then gives this message: "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. And, of course, this is the sense in which we glorify God. Rather, He enables us to face them with a quietness, a calmness and confidence, which makes it possible to find a solution" 10 This is the peace that Edward Bickersteth wrote about in the late nineteenth century, in a verse which has since become one of our great hymns: The first way in which we find this peace, then, is by learning of Jesus. This passage suggests four ways of celebrating Christmas: Tell others about it. Yet, Solomon was inspired to write, "A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth" . I am glad that the angel appeared to Joseph and not only to Mary. If these four means of celebrating Christmas are new to you and if you are now desiring to put them into practice, I suggest that you begin not with the first verse, verse 17 of Luke 2, but with verses 18, 19, and 20. Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! But if that is true, why do we not see peace today? One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. There are four main points to this short message: Each of these points is important, of course. First, it involved her memory; for we are told that she treasured up all these things. There is peace with God. Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. "Good Christian Men, Rejoice" Words: Heinrich Suso (?-1366); translated from Latin to English by John M. Neale in Carols for Christmastide (London: 1853). Here then is the first lesson Luke teaches us on celebrating Christmas. Just as we celebrate our children's birthdays every year, I believe it's entirely appropriate for us to celebrate the birth of God's own Son, Jesus Christ, every year. Had God forgotten His people? Looking at the verse closely, we find that it uses the word "rest" twice. But in changing the line, the editors of the hymnbooks have probably missed the main point of Wesley's thinking. I love this word "glorify." Celebrating it certainly does seem and feel like the right thing to do. Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Though you have not seen him, you love him. You can remember the moment in which they became real for you personally. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. They had heard the music of heaven. Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. In other words, the only ultimate essential for proclaiming the gospel is a knowledge of it. And God has not forgotten you! But this is all there will be - until the angels appear with their message. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. The Bible teaches that men are in revolt and rebellion against God but that God has acted to establish peace through His Son Jesus Christ, the mediator. Have you seen that truth in the story? And we need to understand exactly what the biblical meaning of these words is if we are to understand this part of the angel's announcement. We find peace by praying. Moreover, since acknowledging His true worth is the essential meaning of worship it means to acknowledge God's worth to glorify God is to worship Him by words. Joy is of God. Q This combination, when truly grasped, produces witnesses. This is why Jesus came. J The Bible says that when Jesus was born, a multitude of angels appeared suddenly and erupted in joyful praise to God, saying: "Glory in the heights above to God, and upon earth peace among men of goodwill." ( Luke 2:13, 14) However, it is noteworthy that nowhere in the Bible is there even a suggestion that Jesus' birthday should be celebrated. That is good. Will you turn your focus toward Christevery day. Of course they did! And he called out with a mighty voice, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! Music: Beecher, John Zundel, Christian Heart Songs, 1870. It is recorded in Luke 1:26-38. In fact, it . S "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling" Words: Charles Wesley, Hymns for Those That Seek and Those That Have Redemption in the Blood of Jesus Christ, 1747. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
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