CHRISTmas Well tonight is Christmas. I was thinking about that old movie and song: “White Christmas.” Shoot I was even singing it in my best Bing Crosby voice. That thought got me thinking about what the Bible says about snow, and that led to the thought of how snow relates to Christmas. One Old Testament verse that mentions snow is in the Book of Isaiah; here, the Bible states, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land” (Isaiah 1:18-19). Here, snow is used as meaning purity and cleanness. Yes, there is nothing as pretty as fresh snow covering the landscape. Any and all eyesores are covered with a smooth, clean and white blanket, and the eye just sees the beauty without any distraction. Let us take a few moments and think about the relation of snow and Christmas. First, as with all of God’s Word; this is for the here and now. Notice that our verse starts with “Come now…” There should not be any hesitation in our relationship with God. When God speaks to us, we are to listen and obey right then. His word is always contemporary; it is never calling us to do it God’s way at some other day. The Bible is written for us to make a decision to place faith in Him today. Even if this call to trust Him at His word is to just continue to trust Him, it is always for right now. The Bible says, “For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, NOW is the accepted time; behold, NOW is the day of salvation” (2nd Corinthians 6:2, emphasis added). The word “succored” means to take care of a persons needs. God is saying that when we call to Him, He is there to help us; therefore, call out to Him right now. Notice, that Isaiah says that God calls us to “let us reason together.” It means to talk it out, but maybe a bit stronger. It means to bring all of our arguments to Him and allow Him, through His word, to persuade us of the truth of His promises, and this allows us the opportunity to trust Him at His promises. Paul said it this way, “…for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day” (Philippians 1:12). Paul says that he not only believed Jesus but was persuaded by Jesus to put the utmost trust in Him. It is not blind hope that shows that we trust Him, but a tried faith where we know beyond a shadow of doubt that He will do what He said He will do. This type of trust comes from letting God reason with us from His word on the issues of life. If we need this kind of faith, it is only found in the word of God. Romans 10:17 states, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Then, Isaiah presents us with a beautiful picture of forgiveness. He explains that God says, “…though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Now, Isaiah does not say that they will be covered; he says they will be white. He takes the contrasts of colors to paint the picture for us. That sins are as dark and permanent as a deep red dye for cloth, but the salvation that God offers is a pure and clean as the snow. No matter how one tries to remove a dark red dye from cloth, it will always have a tint of the color of the stain. The same is true with sin; no matter what we do, we can never make ourselves pure after sin has dyed us with its dark stain. Only God can do this work, and here He says that He will clean us up when we listen to Him. The LORD says this is a conditional promise; the Bible says, “If ye be willing and obedient…” The first point is to be willing. We must be willing to admit that we really need God in our lives, and prove it by being obedient to His word. When we are willing, He will provide the power to accomplish His will in our lives. Well, you may ask, what does that have to do with Christmas? Do you remember what the angel of the LORD said to Joseph about naming our Lord Jesus? The angel said, “And she (Mary) shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Before Jesus was born on that first Christmas, Jesus was preached as the only way to have the forgiveness of sins. Notice, Jesus will save His people from their sins, not just from the punishment of their sins. He will save from the stain and the chain of their sins. The stain will be completely removed, and purity will be given to even the most wretched sinner who was dyed with the deepest darkest sin. But not only will the stain be removed but the chain. No longer will His people be called the slaves of sins but they will be the servants of God. This too is a conditional promise. The angel said that Jesus will do this for “His people,” and only for “His people.” The question is: how do we become His people? The Bible says that we must receive Jesus; John wrote, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12). How do we receive Him? We must ask Him to save us (Romans 10:13), and we must trust that His sacrifice was for our forgiveness. In effect, we believe what He told us. That is the greatest gift that we can give and receive this Christmas is the receiving of the gift of Christ, and the giving of ourselves to Him as a gift in return. So, if you look out that window on Christmas and see snow, you will know that if you are one of His people; then, in God’s eyes, you are a pure as that snow. May God bless each of you richly! In the true Christmas Spirit, The Holy Spirit of God Chris Fisher, Pastor The Church of the New Beginning Originally written 12-24-10 12/25/14
Posted on: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 02:11:31 +0000
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