Tuesday, December 7, 2010

I'm A Sucker For Christmas Movies

I love Christmas movies.  Now I'm not a follower of old St. Nick, but I do love a good fictitious story, with a little romance, and a happy ending.  I think it's inherent in all of us to enjoy a good, happy ending.  You know...boy gets girl...girl gets boy...it snows in Southern Cal the last 15 seconds of the movie.  Even though 9 out of 10 Christmas movies are predictable and the story-lines are almost identical, I still love them.  I love the sounds of jingle bells and little hometowns all decked out in Christmas decorations.  I love movies about saving Christmas, getting second chances, angels, and sharing hot chocolate in a cozy little hometown cafe.  I especially love Christian Christmas movies!  Connie and I just watched one.  The story was not too bad.  It was a story about an attack on a Christian Christmas tradition in a small Alaskan town.  Good story with a happy ending!

And then there are those Christmas movies that premiered last year, and the year before that, and the year before.  No problem. Another year has passed so why not watch them again?  They seem fresh and new all over again.  It's like a snowball.  Each year the wealth of Christmas movies gets even larger!  Tonight I think we'll turn from DVR to DVD.  Will it be "White Christmas"?  Or perhaps "It's A Wonderful Life".  Now there's a real classic.  It gets pretty rough for George Bailey for a while.  But his experience with an angel awakens him as to how blessed he really is to have a wonderful family and friends.  Now there's a good ending.  A dude who's bored and dissatisfied with his life.  He even tries to end it.  He awakens to the fact that he's about the most blessed man on the planet!  Good movie.  It's time to watch that one.  In fact, I'm sometimes tempted to watch that one in the middle of the summer.  After all... it IS a wonderful life!

Enjoy the Christmas movies.  Many of them take the pressure off the hustle and bustle of the commercial Christmas season.  And most of them have great lessons in them about what's really important in life.  Well...that's about it.  That's right, that's right.  Attaboy Clarence!  God bless us everyone and to everyone a good night!

Monday, December 6, 2010

God & Man - A Miracle Birth

I love this time of year when we celebrate Jesus' birth.  Even though the exact month and date of His birth is unknown, it is still a very special time of the year because most of the world (even other religions) at least acknowledge His coming.  But of course, to followers of Christ, one of the greatest attributes of His coming is the miracle of His birth!  I want to encourage you to focus on that more this year.  Because if you do, the significance of His coming and His sacrifice will mean more to you.

The Book of Hebrews is full of powerful encouragement to remain true to our calling.  But Hebrews also explains to us why Jesus' birth was miraculous.  In Chapter One the writer calls Jesus the "Firstborn".  Jesus was the First One, to be born of the Holy Spirit on the earth.  (See Luke Ch. 1)  Hebrews 2: 14 says, "Therefore, since the children (mankind) share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same..."  (Hebrews 2: 17), "Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation (satisfaction) for the sins of the people."  Jesus was God, the Son, but in order to be touched by our humanity, He had to become one of us.  In  order for Him to be an effective high priest...He had to "be made like us".  For this to happen...He had to be born of a woman.

So how could Jesus be born of a woman and still be God?  The answer lies in the Chapter One of Luke where the angel Gabriel explains how Jesus would be conceived of the Holy Spirit in the virgin Mary.  (See Abstinence and the Supernatural.)  In Isaiah 7:14 this is prophesied many years earlier, "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel (God with us)."  When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce the news, Mary reminds Gabriel that she was a virgin and wanted an explanation.  Gabriel said the the Holy Spirit would come upon her, and the power of the Most High would overshadow her.  And for that reason, the Holy Child would be called the Son of God.  Amazing!  Jesus' father could not be of the earth, because all flesh had been tainted since the fall of Adam and Eve in the beginning.  The truth is, Jesus was born of a woman and He was born of the Holy Spirit.  That's why Hebrews calls Him the "Firstborn among many brothers."

Jesus came to be the sacrifice for our sins.  However, the sacrifice had to be sinless...without spot, blemish, or sin.  No animal or human being could come close to qualifying.  But...if our sinless God became one of us He could!  Listen to the words of Hebrews 4:14 - 15,  "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.  Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."  Jesus, our High Priest can sympathize with us because He became one of us.  This year as we celebrate His birth and His coming to the earth, let's focus a little more on the miracle of His birth.  No other religion came lay claim to the truth that their god was born of man and god.  Only those who follow after Jesus Christ can do so!  What a substantial, faith-building miracle!  The miracle of His birth!

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Abstinence and the Supernatural

I have about a 40 minute commute to work each day so I love to pray during that time.  Yesterday as I was praying during my commute, the Holy Spirit began speaking some really cool stuff to me.  It had to do with the birth of Jesus and how supernatural it was.  Lately I've been pondering the coming of Jesus and how He became one of us to save us.

I began to ponder Luke Chapter 1 when Gabriel, the messenger of God appears to Mary with an astonishing announcement.  "And coming in, he said to her, 'Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you'.  But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.  The angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus."  I'm not sure about you, but if I were a young teenage woman and an angel appeared to me with this news I would be a little taken back!  Listen to how she responds.  "How can this be, since I am a virgin?"  (Luke 1: 34).  Here's the key.  Mary was not questioning the validity of Gabriel's message.  Her question had nothing to do with unbelief.  Mary, a virgin, was honestly asking how it would be accomplished through abstinence.  Something unique and out of the ordinary, something supernatural would have to take place and she honestly wanted to know what it was!  Obviously Gabriel considered her question legitimate.  Listen to his answer.  "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God."  (Luke 1: 35)

Earlier in the book of Luke there is a similar incident in that the angel of the Lord appears to Zacharias and announces the birth of John the Baptist.  Zacharias questioned the angel.  "How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years."  (Luke 1: 18)  This seems like a perfectly legitimate question, but Zacharias lost his ability to speak (until the child was born) because he doubted the message from God.  In this case Zacharias had been praying for a child...even though he and his wife were beyond child-bearing years.  (See Luke 1: 13)  When the message came...he doubted it.

In Mary's case it is clear she had no problem with unbelief.  After receiving the explanation of how she as a virgin would give birth to the Savior, here's what she said.  "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word."  (Luke 1: 38)  In other words, when Mary heard the explanation, she received the message which was the Word of God!

As you probably know, the Word of God is seed.  We can read it and study it.  But we must receive it through faith into our spirit.  This causes the seed of the Word to sprout and bear fruit in our lives.  The Word mixed with faith causes fruit to be born.  In Mary's case she, as a servant of God, received the message which was God's Word.  As a result, the Holy Spirit came upon her and the power of God, the Most High overshadowed her.  Nothing freakish happened.  She was supernaturally touched by the presence and power of God!  What a miracle!  What a supernatural occurrence...and it was through abstinence!  The Child that was born was the Son of God!  (In my next post I will talk more about how this Child, who was born of a woman was also born of God.)