Illustrated Message Overview With Marjorie

Christmas or x-mas? We see in stores, cards, social gathering throughout Christmas, Christ being taken out of this great celebration and replacing it with an ‘x’. Why does the world want to take Christ out of Christmas? When Christ is taken out you just have ‘mas’ left and what is mass? It’s a religious traditional event and time of year, but void of Jesus. Today we’ll see why the world wants to take Christ out of Christmas.

Let’s read in Matthew 11:5-6 about an average day for Jesus when John the Baptists followers were sent to ask Him if He was the Messiah and Jesus replies saying this; “5 The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

It’s the religious system that wants to take Jesus out of Christmas, not the poor, blind, naked or lame. The religious system could not control Jesus when He walked the earth over 2000 years ago and they can’t control the work of the Holy Spirit today.

Jesus operated in power of His Father, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Have you had an average day like this with these signs, wonders and miracles happening? Have you preached to the poor lately leading them to Christ? As Christians, this aught to be an active part of our life. It’s interesting how Jesus ends that verse when He says; “blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” Why did He say that? What did He mean? 

Matthew Henry’s Commentary says this about that verse; “2. He pronounces a blessing on those that were not offended in him, Matt. 11:6. So clear are these evidences of Christ’s mission, that they who are not wilfully prejudicedagainst him, and scandalized in him (so the word is), cannot but receive his doctrine, and so be blessed in him. Note, (1.) There are many things in Christ which they who are ignorant and unthinking are apt to be offended at, some circumstances for the sake of which they reject the substance of his gospel. The meanness of his appearance, his education at Nazareth, the poverty of his life, the despicableness of his followers, the slights which the great men put upon him, the strictness of his doctrine, the contradiction it gives to flesh and blood, and the sufferings that attend the profession of his name; these are things that keep many from him, who otherwise cannot but see much of God in him. Thus he is set for the fall of many, even in Israel (Luke 2:34), a Rock of offence, 1 Pet. 2:8. (2.) They are happy who get over these offences. Blessed are they. The expression intimates, that it is a difficult thing to conquer these prejudices, and a dangerous thing not to conquer them; but as to those, who, notwithstanding this opposition, to believe in Christ, their faith will be found so much the more, to praise, and honour, and glory.”

It's interesting to see the word, ‘prejudice’ used. If you’re prejudiced against Jesus, you will not receive nor be blessed by what He says. You can be:

· Offended at what He looked like; a rough and tough carpenter with no stately form or majestic appearance, neither polished or pristine looking. Isaiah 53:2

· Offended that He was from Nazareth which as Nathanael said; ‘can anything good come out of Nazareth?”. John 1:46

· Offended at His poverty, no place to lay his head, relying on what His disciples provided for Him. The one who saved your soul was homeless for His three years of ministry after His baptism. He was born in a manger, raised by a carpenter step-father, living with his parents until He was 30 years old. Luke 9:58

· Offended at His disciples and followers, poor humble men and women. Today it’s the same, they appear to be the foolish ones of the world (1 Corinthians 1:26-28). But when you know Jesus, you know how rich in the Spirit you are! You’re not laying up for yourself treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal, but your mind is set on things above, on eternity as we can take nothing with us to heaven.

All of these things keep men and women from giving their lives to Jesus, because they’re offended with His prerequisites to follow Him. Many Jews today are still prejudice against Jesus, He is a rock of offence to them and others who do not believe in Him.

Christmas is a time of declaring the signs, wonders and miracles that surround the virgin birth found in Luke 2, but the salvation message is at the center of it all. After Jesus’ birth, He is then circumcised and presented at the temple and it was there that a man by the name of Simeon saw God’s salvation.

We read this in Luke 2:25-35; “25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, 28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: 29 “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; 30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation 31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, 32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.” 33 [a]And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. 

It's interesting to see that even though both Joseph and Mary knew Jesus was the son of God, they’re still marveling at what is being said. They were still very much walking by faith themselves in what they were living. They’re seeing right at this time, that Jesus is THE SALVATION of the whole world.

Notice that in the midst of all the wonderful proclamation of Gods salvation plan, what Simeons final words were to Mary.  “34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

It was a reality check to Mary particularly that her son would cause many in Israel, then and now, to fall and rise, or believe and not believe, that He would be spoken against and that even a sword (figuratively) would pierce her soul. But remember what we just read in Matthew 11:5-6; “And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” Simeon was prophesying about the life of Jesus that he would be a rock of offence. 

Let me poise a question to you; are you offended with Jesus also? Search your heart today if you’re operating in prejudice or offence toward Christ Jesus.

We read in 1 Peter 2:4-8 about Jesus being the chosen stone and we being His chosen people; “4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” 7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who [a]are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,” 8 and “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.”

They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. Let’s read again what Matthew Henry’s Commentary says; “Note, (1.) There are many things in Christ which they who are ignorant and unthinking are apt to be offended at, some circumstances for the sake of which they reject the substance of his gospel. The meanness of his appearance, his education at Nazareth, the poverty of his life, the despicableness of his followers, the slights which the great men put upon him, the strictness of his doctrine, the contradictionit gives to flesh and blood, and the sufferings that attend the profession of his name; these are things that keep many from him, who otherwise cannot but see much of God in him.”

The prejudice against Jesus goes beyond skin colour, it’s everything about Him that people are offended at. Who’s following Him, where He lives, where He’s from, the substance of His message claiming to be the only way, truth and life; that He died and rose again, that He ascended to heaven, that He sent the Holy Spirit to you so you wouldn’t be an orphan. Offended at everything, that He is the Messiah.

Again we read in Matthew 11:5-6; “5 The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

Here’s what Matthew Henry’s Commentary says about 1 Peter 2:7-9; “Those who reject him as a Saviour will split upon him as a Rock. (3.) God himself hath appointed everlasting destruction to all those who stumble at the word, being disobedient. All those who go on resolutely in their infidelity and contempt of the gospel are appointed to eternal destruction; and God from eternity knows who they are. (4.) To see the Jews generally rejecting Christ, and multitudes in all ages slighting him, ought not to discourage us in our love and duty to him; for this had been foretold by the prophets long ago, and is a confirmation of our faith both in the scriptures and in the Messiah.”

As a Christian, you’ve been appointed to be obedient to the Word of God, not disobedient. At the same time, don’t think you’re so strong that you won’t fall. Each person, by their decision making, can make or break their salvation. Take heed lest you fall, I Corinthians 10:12; “Now these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12So the one who thinks he is standing firm should be careful not to fall”.

Nothing can separate you from the love of God, as Romans 8:5 says, except yourself; by the way you’re obedient or disobedient to His Word, by the offence that you’re walking in towards Jesus and what He’s requiring of you, by not prioritizing the things in your heart that are to be a priority as a Christian, by allowing the little foxes to come in a nip at the vine and eventually cut off the life of your soul.

It’s common in our day to remove Christ out of Christmas and say Merry x-mas instead. I’m convinced that those who do this are operating in offence to the gospel, an antichrist spirit has overtaken them and the God of this world has blinded them. Is that you today? Didn’t the Apostle Peter and the rest of the disciples, except John, flee when Jesus was arrested and crucified. They thought they never would deny Him but they did. We’re not exempt from the devil’s temptations. 

But all it took was for the disciples to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit in the upper room where they were given power to be able to live in the authority that Jesus had commanded them to live in. That’s when the signs, wonders and miracles manifested in them. But still, don’t think you’re so strong that the devil won’t try to take you down, even if you are baptized in the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues. Stay humble and don’t let pride get in to let down your guard. 

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 says; “3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”

How many people have had the gospel preached to them, they’ve seen the power of the Holy Spirit, they’ve seen the miraculous but they still don’t comprehend it? It’s because the devil has blinded their minds.

Those offended by Christ that are saying Merry x-mas instead of Merry Christmas, have exchanged; blindness for sight, sickness for healing, deafness for hearing, death for resurrection, salvation for damnation. This is not a great exchange, and the blessing from Jesus is withheld because of their offence (prejudice) towards Him.

1 Corinthians 1:18 says; “18 For the [a]message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

This scripture ties in with what Jesus said about offence with Him, because people claim the cross is foolishness. The god of this world has blinded their minds and they refuse to submit to the Word of God.

For the Christian, we read in 1 Peter 2:9-10; “9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.”

You see, there is no middle ground to get comfortable in. Either you’re a child of God or a child of the devil, because that’s whose camp you’re in if you’re not born again. Many don’t see it as that though. Deep inside people refuse to see the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness, but until a person is born again, you’re of the kingdom of darkness whose god is the devil. A person in the kingdom of darkness may not be bowing down in veneration to the devil, but their life and lifestyle reflect who their god is, their heart is not right.

Jesus says this in Matthew 5:14-16; “14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

As a Christian today, are you offended with Christ in any area of your life that He’s asking you to be obedient in? Now is not the time to be lazy about the things of the Lord. Keep vigilant in the Word of God, in prayer, in humility and in obedience to all that Jesus is asking of you to do.