Wishing you a very merry Christmas
A NOTE FROM CEO PHIL J. BAKER: It was my intention to write a follow-up column on the tactics of groups like the Freedom from Religion Foundation in denying Christians and predominantly Christian America from recognizing our dependence on God through public prayers and displays depicting our Christian heritage. However, as the Christmas season approached, I decided it would be better to just wish everyone a merry Christmas, including the atheists who want to stamp out even the celebration of Christ’s birth, which Americans have done for most of the nation’s history.
So, with good will toward ALL people in mind, I offer this as my Christmas gift to everyone. It is a chapter from my book “Lessons in the Rearview Mirror.” I hope you enjoy it.
Timing is everything, just ask God
There is an old saying: "Timing is everything."
Timing can determine the success of an idea or invention or the effect that a kind word (or unkind word) has on someone close to us. Timing is a significant factor in determining success or failure of most ventures – of dreams realized and dreams unrequited. Fortunes have been lost and gained in the stock market and lives have been lost and saved because of timing.
A series of television commercials about financial planning captures the importance of timing in an amusing but compelling way. The setting is an elegant restaurant where a man and woman are sitting across the table from each other during what is obviously supposed to be a romantic and memorable evening. The woman, her face beaming with affection and expectation, buries her gaze into the eyes of the man and declares her lov
e for him. The man responds with stone-faced silence, and one of those "eternal" moments follows.
With her hopes and expectation of a favorable response apparently going down in flames, she pushes herself up from her chair and storms toward the door. The excruciatingly awkward and disappointing moment transforms the woman from a gentle purveyor of undying love into a woman scorned, seething with disgust, frustration, and humiliation. Just seconds later, the clueless boyfriend, his face only now glowing with the light of understanding, feebly utters his reply, "I love you, too."
Timing.
In fact, timing is so important to the events in our lives, the words from our lips and the affairs of our world that we could without reservation elevate the old saying to the status of proverb. God, who is timeless and eternal Himself, understands the importance of timing more than we ever will. And no other event in the history of mankind demonstrates this more poignantly than the birth of Jesus Christ some 2,000 years ago. It was an event whose timing was foretold from the foundation of the world.
In the Garden of Eden, after Adam and Eve rebelled against God, God spoke a prophecy to the "serpent." "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed," He promised. "He shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his feet" (Genesis 3:15 KJV).
That "enmity" would become the battle of the ages, as God prepared His creation for the coming of a Savior, the Christ who would bridge the vast chasm between sinful man and a Holy God, the Light that would once and for all defeat the darkness. Through the prophet Isaiah, who lived about 600 years before Christ was born, God declared the scope of Jesus' reign: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this" (Isaiah 9:6-7, KJV).
Through Isaiah, God also outlined the suffering that Christ, the "Anointed One," would endure. The Messiah would not be welcomed into the world as one would have expected of a heavenly emissary. He would not be received as an honored guest nor a conquering hero, much less the Son of God. No, He would instead become a sacrifice for the sin debt of all men and women born into this world. "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-6 KJV).
In fact, prophetic announcements of the coming of Christ to Earth are seeded throughout the Old Testament. There are at least 130 Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah that were fulfilled through Jesus – and some estimate more than 300. But it wasn't until the time was right that Jesus would actually begin his sojourn on Earth, not as a great king, but as a child born of humble birth, the supposed son of a Jewish carpenter and his teenage wife.
God the Father, of course, could have sent His Son at any time, but only the right time would accomplish His ultimate victory. We will never understand the mystery of that timing while on Earth, but we can rejoice that the time did come, and faith in God assures us that the timing was perfect.
And it is at the time of year proclaimed by tradition as the “Christmas season,” that most Christians around the world both figuratively and literally join hands in celebration of God’s perfect timing, when "the days were accomplished that she (Mary) should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a Manger; because there was no room for them in the inn" (Luke 2:6b-7 KJV)
I have always been amazed that God didn't choose the political, religious, or financial leaders of the world to make the announcement of Christ's birth that night in Bethlehem. He chose instead "regular" people, working stiffs. Luke 2:8-14 tells the story.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto
you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
Timing is everything. Those shepherds were in that field at that time. They were not off on vacation or visiting relatives. They were performing their humble jobs when the time came for God through His angels to announce the glorious, earthshaking, history-making birth of Jesus, our Savior, into the world.
Timing.
God sent Jesus when the time was perfect, not a day early, not a day late. "Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons" (Galatians 4:4-6 KJV).
In reality, timing really might not be everything … but it is essential.
With Christianity and the celebration of Christmas under assault by a minority element within American society, perhaps we as Christians should look not so much at what some people are trying to do but at what God in His perfect plan and timing has already done for us. We celebrate not a holiday, but a Savior, born of a virgin, born to serve, die and save … born in "the fullness of time" to save mankind from the darkness of sin for the light of eternal life.
Although controversy about celebrating Christmas is a reality in this day and age, let's use this traditional time, this season of history, to celebrate the real Jesus, not just some religious concept or family tradition. And let's celebrate Him all year long!
If we do that, we will have a Merry Christmas every year, even if people in some department stores across America are prohibited from greeting us with those words, because "unto (us) is born (at the right time) in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."
Merry Christmas! And as Tiny Tim said, "God bless us, every one!"
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Learn more about Hosea 4:6 Ministries
Thank you for visiting our website. It is the mission of Hosea 4:6 Ministries to encourage the growth and development of individual Christians to prepare them to be a positive and influential force in the cultural debates of the United States in the Twenty-first Century.
We believe that the United States of America was founded upon Judeo-Christian values under God's leadership and that our Christian morals and national heritage are under assault by secular humanist proponents like never before in our history. To become an effective voice in America's cultural and political debates, it is important for each Christian to understand his or her role in the efforts of the Church to have a positive impact on America's direction for the future.
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Get a biblical and historical perspective on current events
It is important for Christians to understand their heritage. The United States of America was founded by Christians determined to provide a place to freely worship the True God, who was revealed to us in this age of grace through His Son, Jesus Christ. For most of our history that was a settled fact.
Today, however, we face an onslaught of ungodly ideologies that threaten to undermine our foundational principles and strip away our Christian heritage and even our rights to express biblical viewpoints on social issues in our nation. Through his column, "Historical Perspectives," Hosea 4:6 Ministries founder Phil Baker brings current events into the light of scripture and historical context. To see his latest entry, please click on this link.
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News reports on television, radio, magazines and newspapers point to an undeniable fact: Our country is changing daily, almost hourly. It is important, therefore, for us to keep abreast of current events. Keeping up with what is going on in government, at all levels, is difficult, and you rarely get a biblical worldview on the nightly news.
That is why we encourage you to check our News Briefs page every day. There you will find briefs on some of the top stories affecting our culture and government in America, plus the links for more detailed articles. Please click this link to go to our News Briefs page or click on the newspapers at right.
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