December 2000

[Part 60]

“Christmas- what is it?”

“This is the day that the Lord has made, we will be glad and rejoice in it!” (Ps 118:24) These words might seem especially appropriate for today’s celebration of “Christmas”, but in fact the Spirit of God did not pen these beautiful thoughts for the benefit of any one calendar day, but for every day of the year! God derives no pleasure from men’s soulish, commercial traditions that offer Him a token annuity every Dec. 25th. Carnal minded men have attached the Name of Christ to their worldly pursuits of extending presents and pleasures to themselves at this holiday time and deceive themselves that they are doing it for His honor and glory! But “The Lord does not see as men see; for men look at outward appearances, but God looks on the heart!” (1 Sam 16:7)
                The Dict. says that “Christmas” is actually a contraction of two words, “Christ’s Mass”, which refers to an annual Catholic liturgy held in observance of the birth of Christ. But, of course, Christ never instituted any such religious ritual. God intended the actual birth of Christ in the earth to serve as a type for the BIRTHING OF CHRIST IN EVERY MAN’S EARTHEN VESSEL!
                Virgin Mary represents our “virgin” hearts cleansed and made pure by the Blood of the Lamb; and the “stable” that housed beasts and hay for the beasts’ food, where Christ was born, symbolizes our bestial nature with its carnal works amidst which His Divine Nature is birthed. The “manger” (beasts’ feeding trough) wherein Jesus was laid typifies our “mouths” in which the Word of God is first spoken. [The Dict. root for “manger”means: “To chew, eat, devour, glutton and mouth.”] But though Christ was born in a place of poverty and squalor, it was there He was presented with gifts of inestimable value- gold, myrrh, and frankincense- so He left that place in a state of wealth! Likewise Christ enters our lives when we are spiritually impoverished, but then He emerges from that secret place in our hearts as a manifested Son of God, King, and High Priest, in possession of all the riches of glory!!
                 In the days of Isaiah, the Lord told Ahaz (lit. “Possessor”) King of Judah (lit. “Praise”) to ask for a heavenly sign to prove He would honor His promise of protection to him, but faithless Ahaz deferred saying, ”I will not ask nor test the Lord!” But God said, “The Lord God, Himself, shall give you a sign anyway: BEHOLD A VIRGIN SHALL CONCEIVE AND BEAR A SON WHOSE NAME SHALL BE CALLED IMMANUEL (“God with us”)!” (Is 7:10-14) But wait! Jesus Christ was not born of the virgin, Mary till 800 years later! How could this be a sign to Ahaz?
                God’s omniscient vision views things afar off just the same as if they were now in the present so this sign was actually being extended to the entire House (family) of David (lit. “Love”) all the way from that distant day of Ahaz through all future time! God was declaring that from that day forward, He would be with His people as their Messiah! Here He is establishing the “family tree” of which His Son would be born as “The Branch” to grow and fill the earth with precious Fruit of the Spirit, and Healing Leaves for all sin-sick nations of the world!
                Several more times the Book of Isaiah [please see for yourselves: 8:6-18; 9:6-7; 11:1-10] is used to foretell of the Birth of Christ, but beloveds, if all we keep seeing is ONE NATURAL BABY born of ONE NATURAL VIRGIN in ONE NATURAL STABLE in the ancient city of Bethlehem [lit. “House of Bread”] we are missing the whole point of Christ’s glorious birth! For everything that transpired in the Life of this special, solitary Man of Spirit was intended to serve as a TYPE for that which God has purposed to accomplish in the lives of ALL MANKIND! From Christ’s birth to His sacrificial death, resurrection and ascension back to a state of spiritual glory, these events will be manifested in the lives of ALL MEN! Very soon the birth of the NEW SONS OF GOD shall take place, at which time, the earth shall see “greater works than those” accomplished by one Man possessed by the Christ of God, (Jn 14:12) as this Corporate Christed Manchild comes forth! Let all these new sons rejoice for this TRUE MEANING OF THE BIRTH OF CHRIST- forsaking all carnal, worldly celebrations of SELF by soulish men with their commercial trappings and traditions!

[TO BE CONTINUED]