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Posts Tagged ‘Christmas’

George Whitefield on Celebrating Christmas

Posted in Christmas, George Whitefield, Uncategorized, tagged , , on December 13, 2022| 2 Comments »

It was love, mere love; it was free love that brought the Lord Jesus Christ into our world. What, shall we not remember the birth of our Jesus? Shall we yearly celebrate the birth of our temporal king, and shall that of the King of Kings be quite forgotten? Shall that only, which ought to be had chiefly in remembrance, be quite forgotten? God forbid!

No, my dear brethren, let us celebrate and keep this festival of our church with joy in our hearts: let the birth of a Redeemer, which redeemed us from sin, from wrath, from death, from hell, be always remembered; may this Savior’s love never be forgotten! But may we sing forth all his love and glory as long as life shall last here, and through an endless eternity in the world above! May we chant forth the wonders of redeeming love and the riches of free grace, amidst angels and archangels, cherubim and seraphim, without intermission, forever and ever!

And as, my brethren, the time for keeping this festival is approaching, let us consider our duty in the true observation thereof, of the right way for the glory of God, and the good of immortal souls, to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ; an event which ought to be had in eternal remembrance.

George Whitefield, Selected Sermons of George Whitefield

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It is our desire to help you grow in your knowledge of Adonai and His Word. If you are looking for additional information and/or materials, please visit our website at RootedinHisWord.org and our Facebook page. 

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Bethlehem: Do we really know her?

Posted in Israel, tagged , , on December 6, 2021|

Of all the Biblical places, I think Bethlehem was the image that I had most clear in my mind before visiting the Holy Land. After all, every Christmas, we would sing, “O Little Town of Bethlehem how still we see thee lie . . . Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light . . .” that wonderful hymn written by Phillip Brooks. In my mind’s eye, it was always dark with the moon shining down on it, buildings grey shadows against a blue-black sky. I would imagine that scene or similar ones as I practiced the song on the piano in the second grade and later as I listened to Christmas albums on the record player at home before Christmas. If there was a biblical place I thought I understood, it was Bethlehem.

But Bethlehem is so much more than that Christmas hymn. It is not Phillip’s fault that we are stuck with that imagery. Rather, we are woefully uninformed about the land of the Bible. I am including some photos of Bethlehem and surrounding regions, so you can get the feel for the geography there. It is a land of rolling rocky hills and ancient caves, of shepherds still today minding their sheep, alone out in fields and pastures largely untouched by time, weather and war. The hills of Bethlehem today are not that different from what they would have been in the days of Mary and Joseph–and Messiah Yeshua.

Bethlehem region
Bethlehem region
Bethlehem region – view from Herodian
Bethlehem region
Bethlehem field

It is our desire to help you grow in your knowledge of Adonai and His Word. If you are looking for additional information and/or materials, please visit our website at RootedinHisWord.org and our Facebook page. 

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The Coming King

Posted in Christmas, Uncategorized, tagged , , on December 14, 2016|

As we celebrate Christmas, we are celebrating the coming of Jesus. But Jesus, the child born in the manger, the man nailed to a cross and risen from the dead, already came. So whose coming are we anticipating?

What do the following scriptures tell us about the story of Jesus yet to come?
Colossians 3:4

2 Timothy 4:1

Revelation 5:5

Revelation 21:3-7

Revelation 22:12

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George Whitefield on Celebrating Christmas

Posted in Christmas, George Whitefield, Uncategorized, tagged , , on December 4, 2016|

It was love, mere love; it was free love that brought the Lord Jesus Christ into our world. What, shall we not remember the birth of our Jesus? Shall we yearly celebrate the birth of our temporal king, and shall that of the King of Kings be quite forgotten? Shall that only, which ought to be had chiefly in remembrance, be quite forgotten? God forbid!

No, my dear brethren, let us celebrate and keep this festival of our church with joy in our hearts: let the birth of a Redeemer, which redeemed us from sin, from wrath, from death, from hell, be always remembered; may this Savior’s love never be forgotten! But may we sing forth all his love and glory as long as life shall last here, and through an endless eternity in the world above! May we chant forth the wonders of redeeming love and the riches of free grace, amidst angels and archangels, cherubim and seraphim, without intermission, forever and ever!

And as, my brethren, the time for keeping this festival is approaching, let us consider our duty in the true observation thereof, of the right way for the glory of God, and the good of immortal souls, to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ; an event which ought to be had in eternal remembrance.

George Whitefield, Selected Sermons of George Whitefield

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Who is He?

Posted in Christmas, tagged , , , on December 3, 2016|

Who is He? The world has struggled with this issue since Jesus came on the scene more than 2000 years ago. Was Jesus simply a man? Was he a great prophet or teacher? Or was He the Christ–the Messiah–the Promised One, fulfilling hundreds of prophecies of the Old Testament prophets?

1. What does Isaiah 7:14 foretell about Jesus (the Messiah-the Promised One)?

2. What does Isaiah 9:6-7 tell us about the Messiah?

3. What additional information is given regarding the Messiah in Isaiah 11:1?

4. What do you learn from Isaiah 53:1-3

5. When did Isaiah live and give his prophecies?

6. What does the prophet Micah tell us about the birth place of Messiah in Micah 5:2?

7. When did the prophet Micah live and give his prophecies?

8. What does the prophet Zechariah tell us about the Promised One in Zechariah 9:9?

9. When did the prophet Zechariah live and give his prophecies?

10. When read these prophecies, given hundreds of years before the person they describe was born, by three different men, and you learn that they came true in the person of Jesus, what does that make you think about the Bible? God?

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C.S. Lewis on Christmas (the incarnation)

Posted in C.S. Lewis, Christmas, tagged , , on December 1, 2016|

We catch sight of a new key principle–the power of the Higher, just in so far as it is truly Higher, to come down, the power of the greater to include the less . . . Everywhere the great enters the little–its power to do so is almost the test of its greatness. In the Christian story God . . . comes down; down from the heights of absolute being into time and space, down into humanity; . . . down to the very roots and seabed of the Nature He has created. But he goes down to come up again and bring the whole ruined world up with Him . . . [O]ne may think of a diver, first reducing himself to nakedness, then glancing in mid-air, then gone with a splash, vanished, rushing down through green and warm water into black and cold water, down through increasing pressure into the death-like region of ooze and slime and old decay; then up again, back to color and light, his lungs almost bursting, till suddenly he breaks surface again, holding in his hand the dripping, precious thing that he went down to recover.”

C.S. Lewis, Miracles

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Baby Jesus Born to Die

Posted in Christmas, Resurrection Sunday, Uncategorized, tagged , , , on March 24, 2016|

Baby Jesus, small and soft
born that star-filled night
for ages prophets had foretold
Light to pierce the night

Your heavenly home You left behind
put eternal things aside
to enter human time and space
and temporarily abide.

why would You,
Almighty King
Lord of all the Lords
come down to earth to be with us
so far below Your throne

the cross it is the centerpiece
instrument of pain
see where blood was flowing down
the lamb on it was slain

the living, it was needful
without blemish You were found
yet dying was the pinnacle
my sins they stained the ground

in dying You gave your life for me
propitiatory substitute
in rising You opened eternity
rendered the accuser mute

a baby born to humble means
lain in a manger bare
is only part the story told
look further if you dare

the only true and living God
the one they call “I AM”
He kept His promise in the child
He sent His Son, the Lamb

Copyright M.E. Mullin Bush

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Building Biblical literacy at Christmas (Part 3)

Posted in Bible Study, Biblical Literacy, Christmas, Jesus, Uncategorized, tagged , , , on December 16, 2015|

Who is He?
The world has struggled with this issue since Jesus came on the scene more than 2000 years ago. Was Jesus simply a man? Was he a great prophet or teacher? Or was He the Christ–the Messiah–the Promised One, fulfilling hundreds of prophecies of the Old Testament prophets?

1. What does Isaiah 7:14 foretell about Jesus (the Messiah-the Promised One)?

2. What does Isaiah 9:6-7 tell us about the Messiah?

3. What additional information is given regarding the Messiah in Isaiah 11:1?

4. What do you learn from Isaiah 53:1-3

5. When did Isaiah live and give his prophecies?

6. What does the prophet Micah tell us about the birth place of Messiah in Micah 5:2?

7. When did the prophet Micah live and give his prophecies?

8. What does the prophet Zechariah tell us about the Promised One in Zechariah 9:9?

9. When did the prophet Zechariah live and give his prophecies?

10. When read these prophecies, given hundreds of years before the person they describe was born, by three different men, and you learn that they came true in the person of Jesus, what does that make you think about the Bible? God?

Closer to the birth of Jesus, months before, we are given additional information about Jesus.
Read Luke 1
11. What has Mary been chosen to do? Why?

12. What prophetic information is given about the child in this chapter? Provide a verse reference.

13. What happens when Mary goes to visit Elizabeth? What prophetic information does Elizabeth speak about the child Mary is carrying?

After Jesus was born, people were still speaking about His future and who He was.
Read Luke 2:8-15
14. What was spoken about the Messiah to the shepherds? Who delivered the message?

Read John 1
15. What do you learn about Jesus from this chapter? On what did John base his knowledge about Jesus?

16. What does Peter say about Jesus in Matthew 16:13-17? Who does Jesus say gave him that information?

17. What does Jesus say about who He is in the following verses?
▸ Matthew 9:6

▸ Matthew 26:63-64

▸ Mark 8:31

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Building Biblical Literacy – Christmas Part 2

Posted in Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Literacy, Christmas, Uncategorized, tagged , , on December 5, 2015|

Going to be counted
1. Why did Mary and Joseph have to go to Bethlehem?

2. Where was Jesus born? Why?

3. What did Mary do with Jesus after He was born?

4. What happened out on the plains outside of Bethlehem that night?

5. To whom was the first recorded announcement of the birth of the Christ Child made according to Luke 2:8-14?

6. What does Luke 2:15-16 tell us was the shepherd’s response?

7. What was the response of the shepherds to seeing Jesus in the manager? (Hint: Luke 2:17-20)

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Building Biblical Literacy – Christmas (Part 1)

Posted in Bible Study, Christmas, Uncategorized, tagged , on December 2, 2015|

The Announcement

1. According to Luke 1:26, who came as a messenger from God to Mary?

2. Where was Mary living at the time?

3. To whom was Mary betrothed? Of what lineage was Joseph?

4. How does Gabriel greet Mary in verse 28?

5. What is her reaction in verse 29?

6. What does Gabriel say to comfort her?

7. For what job has Mary been chosen according to verse 31?

8. How does Gabriel describe Jesus in verse 32?

9. What does Gabriel say that Jesus will do in verse 33?

10. What is Mary’s very practical question in verse 34?

11. What is Gabriel’s response in verse 35?

12. What does Isaiah 7:14 foretell about the Messiah (promised one)?

13. What is Mary’s response to the message from God through Gabriel in verse 38?

14. Who does Mary go to visit during her pregnancy according to Luke 1:36-41. Why?

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