Life Without Me!

Have you ever given any thought as to how this world would be without you? Yes, that's a crazy thought and who would think such a thing, right? Maybe some self-righteous individual? Maybe someone who is very insecure? Maybe just a plain ole Joe or Jane! How different would the life you've built be if you had never existed?

We can start with your very beginning. You would never have brought a bundle of joy to your mom and dad or to the family as a whole. If you had siblings, then they wouldn't have had an older or younger sibling and in some cases a twin. Maybe they wouldn't have had anyone to push around, look up to or praise. What about the friends you've made since you've been alive? There might be some decisions you helped them with that changed them for the good. If you were a naughty child, then the influences you had on those friends would have been avoided. How about all the lives you touched through your generosity, kindness, compassion and thoughtfulness? Just think how void their lives would have been.

In the movie “It's a Wonderful Life” there is a movie line that brings significance to this article. Clarence says this to George: “Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives and when he isn't around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he? Whether we know it or not our lives impact many people around us. In fact the ripple effect of one person's life is impossible to measure. There is no way to fully know the effect your life has on this world.

Since you are here and you are effecting lives, just how are you doing that? Only you can answer that question unless those that are being effected are willing to step up and tell you themselves. We all hope and pray our effects are positive, encouraging, and uplifting. If this be the case, then we want them to be long lasting as well. If they are just the opposite of what was listed, then we hope and pray they are short lived.

Let's take a brief look at the lives of Peter and Paul for example. We know that it was Peter that identified Jesus as the Christ, God's Son. It was Peter that Jesus gave the keys of heaven (Matt. 16:16-19). Would we even know that Jesus was the Christ if Peter had not spoke up and said so? Possibly! Possibly not! Jesus also gave the Great Commission to all the disciples and to us, but it was Peter who led the rest of the apostles when that first great sermon was preached at Pentecost in A.D. 33 (Acts 2) as to how we are to be saved. It was Paul who also spoke and explained the gospel in 1 Cor. 15:1-4. Surely we read of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ in the gospel accounts, but would we identify those events as being the gospel if it were not for Paul? We can see how significant their lives were and are to us today. We could list milestone after milestone about their lives and realize how void this world would be without either of them. They are not the only ones for sure!

We all know of individuals that have made major contributions to mankind and more personally to our own lives that could be mentioned and maybe even praised for their accomplishments. We know that Jesus did not look for praise from men but He deserves all the praise mankind can give because of what He did for all of us. This morning we are going to not only talk about how wonderful life is, but how less wonderful it would be if we never heard of the man called Jesus. Talk about a great void that would be felt since we know all that He has done and is still doing for His fellow man.

Mercy

What exactly is mercy? It can be described many ways. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary it means compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power. The following story is an excellent example of this meaning.

A mother once approached Napoleon seeking a pardon for her son. The emperor replied that the young man had committed a certain offense twice and justice demanded death. "But I don't ask for justice," the mother explained. "I plead for mercy." "But your son does not deserve mercy," Napoleon replied. "Sir," the woman cried, "it would not be mercy if he deserved it, and mercy is all I ask for." "Well, then," the emperor said, "I will have mercy." And he spared the woman's son. [Luis Palau, Experiencing God's Forgiveness, Multnomah Press, 1984.]

 

Can you think of another person that has shown this kind of mercy? If you said Jesus, then you are exactly right. God's word describes mercy these five ways. First it is great. (Isa. 54:7) Second it is sure. (Isa. 55:3) Third it is abundant. (1 Pet. 1:3) Fourth it is tender. (Ps. 25:6) and lastly it is new every morning. (Lam. 3:22, 23)

Jesus Himself taught mercy as one of the principles in life. (Matt. 5:7) Paul tells us in Rom. 12:8 that mercy is practiced as a gift. He further writes in his epistle to the Philippians that mercy is evidenced in God's provinces to himself and Epaphroditus in their times of sickness. (Phil. 2:27) If you didn't realize it, mercy can even be obtained in prayer. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb. 4:16) In Jude 21 we are even reminded that mercy is a reason for hope. Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

 

Is it possible that you require God's mercy today? If so, please do not be like the Pharisees in Matthew 9:13 who truly needed a lesson in compassion, but would not receive God's mercy if they continued in their present condition. Jesus came to save those which were lost, not the saved to repentance. It was apparent that the Pharisees still had much to learn on this subject if they wanted to have eternal rest. Hopefully we will not find ourselves in this same situation. Since God's mercy is so evident in our lives from what has already been mentioned, we should show the same mercy towards our fellow man. Mercy is something we all desire from others, therefore if we are able to receive it, then we should be able to render it as well. How is your mercy measuring up these days?

It Amazes Me

Thanks goes to Mike Harris Jr. for this thought provoking write up about Christmas!
 
The late Charles Spurgeon, maybe you’ve heard of him, preached in a sermon on December 24, 1871:

“We have no superstitious regard for times and seasons. Certainly we do not believe in the present ecclesiastical arrangement called Christmas. First, because we do not believe in the mass at all, but abhor it, whether it be said or sung in Latin or in English; and, secondly, because we find no Scriptural warrant whatever for observing any day as the birthday of the Savior, and, consequently, its observance is a superstition, because not of Divine authority. When it can be proved that the observance of Christmas, Whitsuntide and other Popish festivals was ever instituted by a Divine statute, we also will attend to them, but not till then,” he continued. “It is as much our duty to reject the traditions of men as to observe the ordinances of the Lord.”

It Amazes Me.

It amazes me that every birthday celebration I have ever been to has had that person there for it, but Christians claim Christmas is Christ’s.

It amazes me that at every birthday celebration I have ever been to, only the person having the birthday was brought presents, except on Christmas.

It amazes me that we want to celebrate our birthday at least in the month we were born, yet when the Bible shows Jesus was born in late August to mid-September, they ignore it and celebrate it months later.

It amazes me that people will point out scriptures in the Bible to show how they got saved, or came to know that the Bible is true, yet when shown scripture that tells us not to celebrate things like Christmas, turn their head to God’s word.

It amazes me that pastors will find scripture in the Bible to support what they give sermons on, except when it comes to Christmas, because it is not there.

It amazes me that Christians celebrate December 25 as the birth of Christ without ever knowing WHY they do it.

It amazes me that we have things like “Washington’s Birthday” on our calendars to denote his birth, yet for Christ, it is called Christmas and Christians don’t ask why. They have no clue what it means, nor care because they are going through the motions.

It amazes me that Christians who know the pagan roots of Christmas still think it is ok to celebrate it just because it is flossed with Christ’s name.

It amazes me that a Christian who would never perform a Satanic sacrifice ritual and try to make it something for Christ, take a pagan ritual of worship, which is straight from Satan, and do something of equal horror.

It amazes me that history shows the tree in the house originated in Babylon on their god Tammuz’s December 25th birthday, and Christians still bring one in their house. It represents his blood spilled on a stump which then grew into a tree, and they decorated it.

It amazes me that Jeremiah 10 teaches against the above practice, but carnal Christians choose which verses they want to follow and gloss it with “I’m not convicted of it like you are” when it is plain as day. You weren’t convicted that lying was wrong at one time either, but you were wrong then too.

It amazes me that there is no command to celebrate Christ’s birth in the Bible, only His death and resurrection, but Christians do it anyway. “This do in remembrance of Me” was before His death, not at His birth.

It amazes me that Christians blindly sing “We 3 Kings” and think it’s Biblical, when the Bible NEVER tells us there were three.

It amazes me that Christians think a fat old man in a red suit with flying deer pulling a sleigh has anything what-so-ever to do with Christ.

It amazes me that Christians never question why they kiss under mistletoe. The pagans know why. Kissing under what was to represent the genetalia of Zeus is to give them sexual prowess through the year. Isn’t that Christ-like?

It amazes me that people look at me and talk about me like I’m not a Christian because I don’t celebrate Christmas, yet they don’t do anything for Jesus except in their imagination while being a bench warmer on a church pew.

Being an outsider on the “popular” views of Christmas doesn’t bother me. Many of you will go find comfort of others who parrot non-biblical tradition and make you feel better about yourself. You won’t find that if you quit depending on man’s opinion and actually read God’s word (Hebrews 4:12). Jesus’ own words:

Matthew 15:7-9
7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.