The Meaning of Christ and Christmas

last updated on 12/31/23

A Christmas Day Prayer

Merry Christmas. Here's my understanding of Christ from 14 years of Bible reading.

I really don't celebrate Christmas much anymore the way I used to because I understand how the world took away the true meaning of Christmas.  By creating a Santa Claus and the idea of giving gifts, we have lost the true understanding of what it means to be a Christian and follow the teaching of Christ. It is in this way that the world controls us and makes us covet worldly goods for the sake of profits. The word Christ means "anointed one" or "chosen one". Jesus was chosen by God to lead the Jews back to God. Because the Jews stopped following Moses teachings and were following the Talmud, which was written by exiled "false teaching" rabbis.  So Jesus had the daunting task of telling the Jews and their rabbis (who were also their judges and officials) that they were sinning and not living according to the ways of God.  When God led them out of Egypt to give them the land he promised to Abraham, He commanded them to obey his laws and ordinances and not live like the people around them. In that covenant, God tells us that He selected Israel to be a nation of priests and a holy nation to teach all nations the ways of God so that there would one day be peace on earth. Through the prosperity of Israel, we would know when they were following God and be "blessed" and through their exile and sufferings we would know when their behavior was against God and they were "cursed". In order to preserve his teaching, God commanded them not to mingle and intermarry with the nations so that his laws, commandments and traditions should remain in the heart of his people and that they wouldn't be lured away to follow other gods, "the beliefs of the people around them". He told them that if they strayed and broke the covenant, He would use foreign nations to drive them from the land and even kill off the "worldly" Jews, so that only a remnant of "holy" Israelites would remain. This cleansing would bring about a reset of the values of His people. Then He would bring them back to the land and start over so that His law would be preserved. So Jesus studied the scriptures so intensely over 18 years and by learning about God's ways directly from the scriptures, he was able to see Israel's sins and now he had the spirit of God in his heart.   According to the book of Ezekiel, Jesus knew that the "chosen one" or "son of man" or "Messiah", must speak God's words to the people or be held accountable by God for all their sins.

Ezekiel 2:7
You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious.

Ezekiel 3:10-11
And he said to me, “Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart all the words I speak to you. Go now to your people in exile and speak to them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says,’ whether they listen or fail to listen.”

Ezekiel 3:18
When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.

John 14:23-24
Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

What a difficult position the "son of man" is in. Jonah was once in this same situation and chose to run the other direction. But Jesus took on the cup the Lord had given him, even though he knew of the suffering he would endure. He had to show the Jews that they were occupied by the Romans because of their sins. A horrible position to be in and surely one that would make him a target of the priests and sinners who don't want to change their beliefs. Imagine if you had the task of telling the people today that homosexuality, sexual immorality and greed, etc are sins. The world would want to kill you too. At one point Jesus even prayed and asked the Lord if he would take this cup away from him.

Matthew 26:39
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.

So if we believe Jesus is the son of God, what that really means has nothing to do with biology but rather that we are acknowledging that Jesus is right. He is teaching the truth about his Father and the priest are blind guides. That belief allows our spirit to be "born again" or reprogrammed by truly repenting from our old ways and now living according to the way and the truth God taught Moses. If you have the law or God in your heart and walk in his ways, then you have the "life" which means you are considered by God to be his spiritual "son" or "daughter". You are now related to Jesus in spirit like he is your brother, NOT YOUR FATHER. And because Jesus taught the truth, which showed that the Pharisees as "false teachers", they wanted to kill the "tree and its fruit" or as Jesus called himself, "the vine". The vine is a symbol of a nation branching out, but still rooted in God's law.

Isaiah 5:7
The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah are the vines he delighted in. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.

But the Pharisees were offended by Jesus and wanted to stop Jesus from teaching, and we know the rest of the story of how Jesus had to suffer. Just like the Psalms and Isaiah 53 tells us. The servant of God will have to suffer first and be rejected, in order to lead people back to the truth.  But please do not believe the lie that Jesus suffering and death means that non repenting sinners can now go to heaven. If you actually read the New Testiment yourself, you will hear Jesus preach otherwise.

Matthew 7:21
True and False Disciples “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Jesue could not have made it any easier to understand. Therefore, if we believe Jesus is the "son" of God, then what that really means is that Jesus knows God like a son knows his father.  We believe Jesus is teaching us the truth and we will repent and OBEY Jesus' teachings and DO what God wants. For those who obey the teachings of  Christ "the anointed one" or Messiah, are really his disciples, "true Christians".  Jesus never said he was God but rather that he was the Messiah (teacher) the world was waiting for. That is what he meant when he said I AM He!

John 8:30-32

Even as he spoke, many believed in him.

Dispute Over Whose Children Jesus’ Opponents Are

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Matthew 16:15-17
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.

Luke 24:44-47
He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”

Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

See the Messiah must suffer because what he is saying seems at odds with the current beliefs. Jesus is not claiming to be the Creator or our heavenly Father, but rather his son through spiritual rebirth. And we can also choose to follow Jesus back to sonship.

Romans 8:15
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

So this Christmas, let us receive the gift of Christ which is sonship. Let us examine our ways to see if they align with God's ways. So that the spirit of Christ might "live in us" so we are truly "saved" from our sins.

Isaiah 55:7-9
Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Then we will be accepted by our Father in the heavens because we were tempted on earth and overcame the sins of the world. God can now trust us in the heavens not to rebel against him. Just think about a future where you can travel to all those planets up there with our Creator who lives forever.

John 14:6
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Jesus is right, I get it now! He was a human who, through studying and meditating on God's word, had the divine spirit in him.  The "word" has become flesh again. That means that God's Words and hence his spirit and truth are alive again in a human. And that human will be sent to teach the rest of us so those words can live in all who believe. That will make us like minded and lead the way to world peace. Let's pray that word can spread quickly and overcome "the world". The only way Jesus can be your "savior" is if he leads you to repentance and obedience to God.

Ephesians 4:3
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Luke 13:2-4
Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?  I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.

The Lord called Jesus to separate the true believers from the false ones.

Jeremiah 5:10
“Go through her vineyards and ravage them, but do not destroy them completely. Strip off her branches, for these people do not belong to the Lord.

John 15:6
If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

Luke 6:46-48
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.

Jeremiah 18:7-9
If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.

Before this world destroys itself let us all examine our ways. Let us once again listen to Jesus and do what he die for to teach us.

Merry Christmas

Amen and Amen

Adon

Deuteronomy 18:18
I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him.

Jeremiah 3:12
Go, proclaim this message toward the north: “‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will frown on you no longer, for I am faithful,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will not be angry forever

Romans 1:5
Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake.

Leviticus 19:18
‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself.
I am the Lord.

 

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