Christmas Journeys

To you who are familiar with the blessed account of the birth of Christ I propose a question. Has it ever occurred to you how many journeys surround the story of our Lord’s birth? We are familiar with the journey that the wise men made to worship the Christ child, and we are familiar with the journey that the shepherds made to see the King of kings. But did you know that there are at least seven journeys connected with the narrative of the Saviour’s birth? I will give you each of these journeys along with a lesson we can learn from each one.

1. In Luke 1:11-20, the angel Gabriel journeyed from heaven to the temple in Jerusalem. He had a message to give to Zacharias the priest. This journey took place more than a year prior to Christ’s birth. Zacharias was told that he and his wife Elisabeth would bear a son and that his name would be John. Zacharias and his wife were old, well past child bearing age. Nevertheless, she conceived in her old age, bringing forth John the Baptist. The lesson learned from this journey is that of doubt, for Zacharias doubted the word of God. For this he struck dumb until he believed what God said.
2. In Luke 1:26-38, the angel Gabriel makes yet another journey. This time, he journeys from heaven to Nazareth to give a message to a virgin whose name was Mary. He told Mary that she would bring forth a son and that her son would be called the Son of the Highest. Mary, though a virgin, conceived and brought forth her firstborn son. Contrary to Gabriel’s journey to Zacharias, the lesson learned from Gabriel’s journey to the virgin Mary is the lesson of faith. Where Zacharias could not believe, Mary certainly believed. Though, like Zacharias, she questioned Gabriel, it must be told that she also affirmed Gabriel’s word, saying, “Be it unto me according to thy word.”
3. In Luke 1:39-56, Mary journeyed from Nazareth to the house of Zacharias and Elisabeth in the hill country of Judæa. Mary stayed with her cousin Elisabeth for three months. The lesson learned from this journey is the lesson of joy. Mary and Elisabeth rejoiced in the promise of God. God promised both Mary and Elisabeth a child. Elisabeth was seemingly too old to have a child, yet God miraculously gave her a son. Mary was seemingly too young to have a child, being a virgin. Yet when the promise of God came to them, they rejoiced together. This Christmas and every day, the saint of God has much about which to rejoice. Notice that Mary and Elisabeth did not wait until they held their babies in their arms to rejoice and praise God. They praised God at the promise alone. Just the word of God alone is sufficient for every Christian to rejoice.
4. In Luke 2:1-7, Mary and Joseph make a journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. The lesson in this journey is the message regarding the sovereignty of God. It is written in the Old Testament, in Micah 5:2, that Christ was to be born in Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph may or may not have known this. Mary and Joseph, lived in the Galilean city of Nazareth. As the time draws near for Christ to be born, the Bible reader may wonder how Jesus is going to be born in Bethlehem if Mary and Joseph abide yet in Nazareth. Have no fear; God is sovereign! God is in control! If God said it, it will happen precisely as God said! Prophecy that God writes is more accurate than history that man writes! Cæsar Augustus, under the influence of the God of heaven, issued a decree that the whole world was to be taxed. I am convinced that God put it in his heart to decree such a taxation. As the result of this decree of taxation, the whole world was traveling from one place to another. Why all the hustle and bustle? The average person of that day would have responded that the hustle and bustle was for the purpose of taxation. From the standpoint of heaven, however, the world was on the move so that one baby boy could be born in Bethlehem! Never forget that God is in control.
5. In Luke 2:8-20, shepherds were in the field, keeping watch over their sheep by night. Suddenly, a heavenly host appeared to them, bringing them good tidings of great joy – that a Saviour had been born in Bethlehem. The angels told them that they would find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. So, in reply the angelic declaration, the shepherds departed for a journey to Bethlehem. The lesson learned in this journey was comfort. “Fear not,” the angel said to the shepherds. There is much to fear outside of Christ, but with Christ, and in Christ, there is nothing for the believer to fear.
6. In Matthew 2:1-12, wise men journeyed from the east to worship the Christ child. Of course, the lesson learned here is the lesson of worship. We do not know how many wise men there were. Many assume that there were three wise men because they brought three gifts. But the Bible does not say. Also, the wise men, though they did make it to Bethlehem, they did not make it to the manger. Matthew 2:11 tells us that they were “come into the house.” Evidently, by the time the wise men arrived, Mary, Joseph, and Jesus were lodging in a house. The wise men expressed their worship to Christ in two ways. First, they worshipped by going; second, they worshipped by giving. Worship that is convenient is not really worship. Worship that costs nothing is worship that is worth nothing. If we are to truly worship, it must come from a heart that shows how much we love Him by going to the lost, and by giving to the needs of others.
7. The final journey of the Christmas story is the most important journey of all. This journey is the reason for all the other journeys that surround the Christmas story. The Saviour of the world, forsaking the ivory palaces of heaven, journeyed to this cold, dark, wicked world. Had Christ been born in a palace, He would have taken an incredible step down to do so. But He went further down than that! He was despised, rejected, and poor in this world that you and I might be rich in Him. At Christ's first coming, there were many journeys taken by men and angels. Now, Christ's second coming is near, and there is a journey that accompanies it. Only the saved by grace – the washed in the blood – the redeemed of the earth – the sanctified throng – are going. Everyone else will be left to face the wrath of God. Be ready to meet Jesus!

Merry Christmas!

The Believer’s Attitude Regarding Persecution

Having examined a few basic principles regarding Christian persecution, I wish to very briefly look at the attitude believers should have regarding persecution.

1. Pray Against It. In I Timothy 2:1-2, Paul exhorts Timothy to pray for kings, and for all that are in authority. Why? So that “we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” We should not desire that persecution come our way. We should rather pray that we continue to live peaceably with government officials, obeying the laws of the land until those laws contradict the laws of God. There is nothing wrong with hoping that persecution never comes. As a matter of fact, we are commanded to pray to that end! Of course, if persecution does indeed come our way, we should not let it deter us from serving God. But we should not wish for it.
2. Don’t Worry About It. In Matthew 10, Christ told His apostles that they would be delivered up to be persecuted. He then tells them in Matthew 10:19, “But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak.” What does “take no thought” mean? Does it mean to sit and worry about persecution until it gets here? Does it mean to tremble in your shoes because of fear? Absolutely not! I tell you what I am going to do: I am going to first pray that persecution does not come to the American church. I am going to then realize that persecution may very well come to us. Then, I am going to worry about it no further. If persecution comes our way, I have faith that God will give me grace. I am more concerned about lost people dying lost than I am about persecution coming. And that is the way it should be.
3. Glorify God in It. Should persecution come, we should seek to find a way to give God the glory in it. Believers should use persecution for the purpose of winning souls and thereby giving God the glory. May we say with Paul, “we glory in tribulations also.”
4. Benefit from It. In Romans 5:3, Paul says, “…knowing that tribulation worketh patience.” When persecution comes your way, you can allow it to make you bitter or make you better. Let us determine to glorify God in it, and let it work patience in us. We should seek to benefit from tribulation and persecution any way we can. We should use persecution as a means of drawing closer to Him.

Principles of Christian Persecution

In the late ‘90s, I ministered at a church in one of the states of the United States of America. I learned from one of the elders of that congregation that President Clinton was preparing at any time to declare martial law, and that he would round up Christians in the United States and place us in concentration camps.

Nothing of the sort ever happened.

Shortly after 9-11, I sat across the table from a minister who informed me that at any time, President Bush would send forces to “kick my door in” and haul me off, with other Christians, to concentration camps.

It never happened.

Now, we are looking into a new year, and there are many predictions as to what the new year has in store. In a most recent prediction, I heard that President Obama is ready to round up Christians and place us in FEMA camps. Because this is the story during every American presidency, I am not too worried about it, to be frank. However, it is worth noting, that even in the United States, our freedom to speak our beliefs and to practice our faith openly is slowly but surely eroding. The left-wing ideology that now rules this country promises us that we will always be permitted to speak our opinions, unless our opinions are contrary to left-wing ideology. In that case, our opinions are simply not tolerated. “Either you agree with gay marriage,” they tell us, “or you are either homophobic or full of hate.” At the same time, liberals HATE us for what we believe. That would indeed make liberals the biggest batch of hypocrites on the face of the earth. “Either you tolerate us,” they proclaim, “or you will not be tolerated!”

The fact of the matter is that Christians in the United States may not always have the freedom to worship and express our beliefs as we do today. Our nation currently has leaders in power who stand for every rotten thing under the sun. I am optimistic in hoping that the freedoms we enjoy today will always be enjoyed, but I am realistic in admitting that our enjoyment of such freedoms may not always be the case. Understanding that Christians may not always have the freedoms we enjoy today, let me give a few principles regarding persecution given to us by the word of God.

1. Christian Persecution is a Fact. In John 15:18, Jesus said to His disciples, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.” In John 15:20, Jesus stated further, “If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” Jesus stated plainly that the world would hate and persecute us, and we should therefore expect it. As a matter of fact, Christian persecution exists throughout the world today. Many of my American readers do not understand this. We think that if it is not happening in the United States, then it is not happening. But there is no Muslim nation where Christians enjoy freedom, the most hostile of those nations being Iran, Pakistan, Sudan, and others. In China, the true Christian church meets underground, in opposition to the Chinese government. Christian persecution is a fact – Jesus said it would happen, and throughout the world, it is happening.
2. The Church is Appointed to Tribulation. I Thessalonians 3:3 makes this very clear. Now, some assume that because the church is appointed to suffer tribulation, the church is therefore appointed to suffer in the Great Tribulation. While I Thessalonians makes it clear that the church is appointed to suffer affliction, I Thessalonians also makes it clear that the church is not appointed to wrath (I Thessalonians 5:9). Jesus identified the Great Tribulation as a time of wrath in Luke 21:23. In I Thessalonians 1:10, Paul states that we have been delivered from the wrath to come. We are certainly delivered from hell, which is the wrath of God according to Revelation 14:10, but the wrath of which is speaking is not hell. Paul is rather speaking of the day of the Lord (I Thessalonians 5), which includes the Great Tribulation. So, while we are delivered from the wrath to come in the Great Tribulation, the church is not delivered from suffering in general, but is rather appointed to it. However, the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church. The church is a gospel ship that was designed for troubled waters! Some worry when waves of persecution beat against the ship. Do not worry – the church was built for persecution. The church grows in persecution.
3. Persecution Accompanies Revival. Every pastor would like to see revival. But remember – after 5,000 souls were added to the church in Jerusalem, the apostles stood before the council. Evangelism and revival run parallel to persecution.
4. One Man’s Persecution is Another Man’s Strength. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul writes in Philippians 1:14, “And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.” Let me paint a picture of the scene. It is New Testament times. Young preachers are tip-toeing around, trying not to arouse the Roman government for fear of persecution. But one day, these young preachers hear that Paul, the old man, had been imprisoned for the sake of the gospel. When these young preachers heard that, they decided that if Paul, the old man, wasn’t afraid to do time in a dirty dungeon for the gospel, then they could preach regardless of consequences! Paul’s persecutions gave them boldness!
5. The Presence of False Prophets Accelerates Persecution. Jeremiah the prophet preached that Judah was to go into Babylonian captivity. This landed him in prison in Jeremiah 20. The reason for their persecution against Jeremiah was because Jeremiah’s message sounded extreme. Why did Jeremiah’s message sound so extreme to them? It is because there were false prophets who were preaching that Judah would NOT go into captivity. As more and more churches accept the gross sin of homosexuality, you can expect the message of the Bible to sound more extreme to those in authority. Persecution is sure to follow.
6. The Religious Leaders are Usually the Persecutors. There are exceptions to this generalization, but it is often the case that the religious people are the ones who do the persecuting. Religious Cain killed Abel; Pashur the false prophet placed Jeremiah in the prison; the Pharisees delivered Jesus to Pilate to be crucified; and the Pharisees and Sadducees persecuted the early church in the book of Acts. When persecution arises, do not look for religious lost people to come to your aid; they will be doing the persecuting!
7. The Persecuted Enjoy a Degree of Fellowship Unknown to Others. Few men suffered like Paul the apostle suffered. Yet few men enjoyed the fellowship of the Son of God as Paul did. If those who are persecuted will allow it to be so, the Son of God will be closer to them in persecution than at other times. Paul, who tells of his sufferings in II Corinthians 11, also gives us his heart’s cry in Philippians 3:10 – “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings.”
8. God Gives “Great Grace” to the Persecuted. In Acts 4, persecution heated up against the church. Yet Acts 4:33 tells us, “Great grace was upon them all.” Many of us Americans allow the thought of persecution to worry us. Know this – should that hour come, God will give us the grace to stand for Him no matter the cost.
9. Persecutors are Usually under Conviction. In Acts 7, when Stephen was stoned, those who cast the stones were “cut to the heart.” One of the men present at Stephen’s stoning was Saul of Tarsus. He was eventually saved. Always remember that those doing the persecuting are wrong, and they usually know it! They can’t stand the thought of it! We should pray for the salvation of persecutors.
10. The Persecuted Have a Great Reward. In Matthew 5:12, Jesus said, “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” When you are persecuted for the sake of the gospel, great is your reward in heaven!
11. Persecution Tests what is in the Heart. How serious am I about serving God? Let persecution come and everyone around me will find out! What if our freedoms were suddenly taken away? Would that change your determination to serve God? As for many Christians, I need not wait until persecution comes to find out how serious they are about their service to God; I just wait until midweek service. Some of the same Christians who assure me that they would stand firm in the midst of heavy persecution cannot attend midweek service because they are “too tired.”
12. The Footmen and the Horses. In Jeremiah 12:5, God says to Jeremiah, “If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied, then how canst thou contend with horses?” The illustration is a war-time illustration. The footmen are the soldiers on foot. When the battle intensifies, then the horsemen come. God says to Jeremiah, “If you cannot survive the foot soldiers, what will you do when the battle grows hotter, and the horsemen come?” That is a good question for many of our churches today. If we cannot stand what little pressure we have now, what are we going to do when the pressure intensifies?

The Glorious Liberty of the Children of God - Part 3

Christian Liberty – Using It, Not Abusing It

Having clearly seen the liberty that is afforded the children of God, it is now necessary to warn against the danger of abusing this liberty. While the God of heaven has meant for us to use this glorious liberty, He never intended us to abuse it. With liberty comes responsibility. Let us see, from a Biblical perspective, how this liberty may be abused, and let us purpose to only use it and never abuse it.

Using Liberty as a License to Sin

I believe, as much as anyone believes, that the Christian possesses a glorious liberty. Many who are ignorant concerning the Biblical teaching of Christian liberty immediately assume that proponents of Christian liberty are proponents of sin. While I am not authorized to speak on behalf of every proponent of Christian liberty, I will speak for myself. Nothing could be further from the truth! No one preaches Christian liberty with more fervor than I do; and no one preaches concerning the destruction of sin with more urgency than I do. When a believer sins, his fellowship with the Father is severed (I John 1:6); his prayers are hindered (Psalm 66:18; Isaiah 59:1-2); and if the believer does not deal with his sin by judging himself, the Father will chastise him (I Corinthians 11:31-32). And, oh how severe the chastening hand of God can be! Just ask King David as he comes back from his baby’s funeral how severe the chastening hand of God can be! Just ask the nation of Israel, who beheld their children become slaves in Babylon, how high the cost of sin really is!

As stated in the first part of this series, Christian liberty is a freedom from sin, not a freedom to sin. To sin under the guise of Christian liberty is to abuse Christian liberty. And to sin in this fashion is a double-sin. The actual sin is the first sin; using Christian liberty as the justification of the deed is the second sin. Using Christian liberty to commit sin is a sin in itself. Look at the warnings against such behavior:

Galatians 5:13 – “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”

I Peter 2:16 – “As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.”

Causing a Brother to Stumble While Using Christian Liberty

A second way to abuse Christian liberty is by using Christian liberty to cause your brother or sister in Christ to stumble. Three verses in I Corinthians 8 describe this abuse of Christian liberty:

I Corinthians 8:9 – “But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak” (italics mine; added for emphasis).

I Corinthians 8:12 – “But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ” (italics mine; added for emphasis).

I Corinthians 8:13 – “Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend” (italics mine; added for emphasis).

Notice the emphasized words in the above three verses: “stumblingblock” in verse 9; “wound” in verse 12; and “offend” in verse 13.

These verses plainly teach that I should forfeit any liberty I have Christ if that liberty becomes a stumblingblock to my brother in Christ; or wounds my brother’s weak conscience; or offends my brother. Let us look at these words carefully to determine when a Christian should forfeit his liberty in Christ.

The words “stumblingblock” in verse 9 and “offend” in verse 13 are connected. In modern English usage, we often use the word “offend” to mean “to hurt one’s feelings.” When a person says, “I am offended,” what they generally mean is, “My feelings are hurt.” In modern English usage, the word “offend” can mean “to hurt one’s feelings.” As a matter of fact, some teach that, based upon I Corinthians 8:13, a Christian should forfeit his Christian liberty if another Christian simply disagrees with his usage of liberty. Some teachers teach that we should forfeit our liberty in Christ if another Christian is “offended,” which they define as “in disagreement with.” But this is not what the word “offend” means. Think about it. If I can only use my Christian liberty until someone disagrees with my usage of Christian liberty, then technically, Christian liberty is non-existent. It is a myth. If the Lord tells me that I have great liberty, but I can only use it until someone is “offended,” or as some define it, until someone “disagrees with” my usage of such liberty, then really, I have no liberty at all.

For example, consider a necktie. This will shock some readers, but there are places throughout the United States where pastors teach that wearing a necktie is sinful; that wearing a necktie is connected with pride. I am convinced that I have the liberty to either wear a necktie or remove my necktie. I have the understanding that, like the meat sacrificed to idols, wearing a necktie won’t make me any less spiritual, and removing my necktie won’t make me any more spiritual (I Corinthians 8:8). So, if I, while wearing a necktie, find myself among brothers who disagree with the act of wearing a necktie, what should I do? Should I forfeit my Christian liberty and remove my necktie? In the vast majority of cases, ABSOLUTELY NOT! “But your necktie offends those brothers,” you say. Actually, my necktie does NOT offend those brothers. Those brothers disagree with my wearing of a necktie, but “disagreement with” my necktie is not the same as being “offended” because of my necktie. People define the word “offended” in the modern sense, but the word “offended” is not used in the modern sense in scripture.

In our current 1769 edition of the King James Bible, the word “offend” does not mean “to hurt one’s feelings”; and “offended” does not mean “in disagreement with.” In Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary of American English, he gives several definitions of the word “offend.” In one particular definition, Webster defines “offend” as “to be scandalized; to be stumbled.” He then cites I Corinthians 8:13 as an example, which reads, “…if I make my brother to offend.” The definition of “offend” that is associated with I Corinthians 8 is “to be stumbled.” Thus, to “offend” is to “cause to stumble.” James Strong, in his Greek and Hebrew dictionaries, identifies the Greek word translated “offend” as “skandalizo,” which he defines as “to scandalize; to entrap; to trip up; to stumble, or entice to sin.” The word “offend” in the Biblical sense means “to cause to stumble; to cause to sin.”

In I Corinthians 8:13, Paul says that if meat makes his brother to offend, he will eat no meat while the world stands. Paul is clearly stating that if his liberty to eat meat causes his brother to stumble into sin, he will eat no meat while the world stands. The context of this passage bears this out further. Four verses prior, in verse 9, Paul says, “But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.” A stumblingblock is “that which causes one to stumble.” In order for my Christian liberty to offend someone in the Biblical sense, it must be a stumblingblock to them. It must cause them to stumble into sin.

Let us go back to my “necktie” illustration. I stated earlier that should I, while wearing a necktie, find myself among brothers who disagree with the act of wearing a necktie, I should NOT remove my necktie. Those brothers, though they disagree with my wearing of a necktie, are not Biblically “offended” by it. They disagree with it, but they are not, in the Biblical sense, “offended.” My necktie, though they hate the sight of it, is not causing them to stumble into sin. My necktie is not a stumblingblock. As for those brothers who despise my necktie, their walk with God will not be affected in any way because of my necktie. As soon as I see that my necktie is offensive in the Biblical definition of the word – as soon as I see that my necktie causes a brother to stumble in his walk with God – as soon as I see that my brother stumbles into sin because of my necktie, I will, in the spirit of New Testament brotherly love, make sure that these precious brothers never see me in a necktie again. I will refrain from neckties before the conscience of my weak brother is wounded (I Corinthians 8:12). While my Christian liberty means much, my brother in Christ means more. And if using my Christian liberty may cause my brother to stumble, I will forfeit that liberty in a moment!

Making it Practical

Is there a way to make the teaching of I Corinthians 8 practical for today? Yes, there certainly is, and it would behoove us to do so. In making this doctrine practical, let me first address those who realize their liberty in Christ; then, let me address those who are bothered by those who enjoy their Christian liberty.

TO THOSE WHO REALIZE THEIR CHRISTIAN LIBERTY

As for those of us who realize our Christian liberty, we must remember that Paul gives us a strong warning that we not “wound our brother’s weak conscience” in allowing our freedom to be a “stumblingblock.” Let us remember that if our brother falls into sin because of our liberty, we will be held accountable. Because the privilege of Christian liberty is great, the responsibility that accompanies it is equally great.

If you realize your Christian liberty, I think that is great. But it is your obligation to be mindful of others. Suppose you meet up with a Christian friend whom you have not seen in a great while. Suppose you offer to buy his or her lunch. If you know that your Christian friend does not like to eat at places that serve alcohol, can’t you forfeit your Christian liberty for a meal in order to have fellowship with a Christian brother or sister? Why demand that the two of you eat lunch at Tumbleweed if you know it bothers them? Why not eat somewhere you know they will enjoy? Isn’t that the Christian thing to do? While we value our Christian liberty, we should value our brothers and sisters in Christ far more.

TO THOSE WHO ARE BOTHERED BY US WHO ENJOY OUR CHRISTIAN LIBERTY

Now, I want to give a closing word to those who are bothered by us who enjoy our Christian liberty. I have the liberty to eat at a restaurant that serves alcohol; to wear a necktie; to have a Facebook account; and to access the internet. If you are bothered by any of these, then I am talking to you.

First, if you claim to offended by someone using such liberties as I mentioned, then you should be aware of the Biblical term “offend.” If you claim to be offended by my necktie, then you are claiming that my necktie is causing you to stumble into sin. You should know that, if this is the case, you hold a good deal of responsibility for your stumbling into sin. We should never let anything cause us to sin. “If your right eye offend thee, pluck it out.” We should never let anything come between us and God.

Second, if you are bothered by the above-mentioned liberties of mine, let me say that the Bible says you are weak, and you have an obligation to become strong (Ephesians 6:10). I can be patient with someone who thinks that wearing a necktie is a sin, if they were converted in the last three months. But if you have been saved for over five years, and you still think that taking a necktie off makes a person more spiritual, then you are extremely malnourished. Spiritually speaking, you are “skin and bones.”

Third, let me make a statement that I made in my previous post. If you wish to forfeit your Christian liberty, please note two things. First, be aware that “stricter” does not mean “more spiritual.” As a matter of fact, the Corinthians who could eat meat sacrificed to idols were the strong Christians, while the Corinthians who abstained from meat were the weak ones. Also, keep in mind that no sect anywhere is as strict as the Pharisees of Christ’s day. Yet no sect anywhere is as hell-bound as the Pharisees were (Matthew 23:33). Second, when you forfeit your Christian liberty in order to be stricter, do not become angry with other Christians who choose to enjoy their Christian liberty.