Christmas Through God's Eyes

Everyone feasted. They feasted and they rejoiced and work and business ceased for a while. The fact was entirely suspended and the houses were decked with laurel and evergreen and holly and visits and presents were exchanged between friends and business owners gave their customers and clients gifts. And the whole season was one of rejoicing and goodwill and all kinds of amusements were indulged in by the people. What does that sound like? You know, if you think that it sounds like a description of Christmas, you'd be wrong.

You know, this is a quote from the book, Paganism in Christian Festivals by J. M. Scheler. It's a description of an ancient, week-long, pagan, Roman, winter solstice festival that's centered around December 25th known as Saturnalia. You know, the message today is going to tie in pretty closely with what we heard, but hopefully there's some additional information that will be helpful to you. We're coming into a time of a season, aren't we? Tis the season. You know, you probably noticed it here, a time of the year when you hear Christmas music in all different places, on the radio station, in supermarkets, at convenience stores. You have media ads. You've got Christmas movie specials that are going on on some of the cable television networks, and sometimes they don't even mention the word God in the Christmas movie special. You know, people want to spend time with family and friends. Why is it that some people keep Christmas? Why is it that many do? Well, there's probably different reasons. Some will say it's a time of goodwill towards men. Some would say we have love towards Jesus Christ. We're celebrating His birthday, some people will say. Some people quote Mark 12, verse 30, which is the first and greatest commandment, that you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind, and that this is the first commandment. And so that's the thought by a number of people. We're simply showing respect. We're simply showing love to Jesus Christ by honoring His birthday. We honor our own birthdays, or people honor our birthday. Why shouldn't we honor His? So the thinking goes. Some who used to be part of the Church of God say, well, we are now New Covenant Christians, and as New Covenant Christians, it is proper for us to worship Christ in this way. It is proper for us. It is we have the right to do so that we can choose the way we worship God. And this is how we view it. They will say that we can worship Christ in the way we choose, in the way that we see it. Some say that Christmas is a harmless holiday. It's just harmless. But is that true? Is it true? Early Christmas is not something that's harmless. In fact, it is actually very harmful, because it goes against some of the clear Scripture that we see in the Bible. It goes directly against some of the clear commandments that God gives to us in the Scriptures.

So today, with the time that we've got left on this particular topic, I'm going to approach it from a little bit of a different angle. The title of the message today is Christmas Through God's Eyes. Christmas Through God's Eyes. Rather than looking at this subject through our own eyes or how we view it, let's look at it how God views it. Let's look at it through God's eyes. I think as we begin to go through some of the Scriptures, we'll begin to see over time, as we cover some of the principles of God, that we'll see that Christmas is in no way a harmless celebration. But it's actually something that's pretty serious, pretty seriously wrong, and actually a direct transgression of the law of God. Now, this may sound pretty strong, so hang on to your hats and buckle in your seat belt a little bit, but I hope I'm going to show this point as we go along. But actually, the observance of Christmas, if unrepentant of, if people don't actually change and repent of observing it, that they could actually find themselves in hellfire someday. It may seem like a strong statement. Now, we know people are blind, that they don't necessarily understand, and the accountability doesn't begin until there is an understanding. But once God begins to open up the understanding for people, if they would continue to observe this, that is a transgression of God's law.

A couple of scriptures here that I'll refer to. 1 John 3 and 4 says, Whoever commits sin transgresses also the law, for sin is the transgression of the law. So we know that sin is the breaking of God's law. And Romans 6 and 23 says, For the wages of sin is death. And I think the context there is talking about eternal death. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. So we know that the wages of sin is death. So hang on with me here as we go through. We're going to take a few moments to show that Christmas transgresses God's laws and commandments that are clearly found in Scripture. Let's cover a few of those basic principles right now. Let's turn to John 4 and verse 23. John 4 and verse 23. What does God have to say? What does Jesus have to say about worshipping Him? You know, the gripe among many today is that we need to put Christ back into Christmas. You know, let's get Him back into Christmas, which suggests that there's something going on already, some unnatural mixture. But let's look at what Jesus Christ actually said about how He wants us to worship Him. If we're really truly concerned about putting Christ back into something, should we not see what Jesus really wants? You know, are we really honoring Christ? If we don't worship not as He suggested, but as He commands, are we really honoring Christ if we don't worship Him the way that He commands? So there's some principles we want to go through. John 4 and verse 23. He says, but the hour is coming, and now is when the true worshippers... Now that suggests that there could be false worshippers of God. And so Christ is beginning to share some things with us. But the hour is coming, and now is when the true worshippers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth, because the Father is seeking such to worship Him. So this is what Jesus wants. This is what God wants. They want His worshippers to be those that only embrace the truth. They only embrace the truth. You know, is it truth, brethren, to worship Christ's birthday on a day that is not actually His birthday? You know, most biblical scholars admit, as we saw in the program today, most biblical scholars admit that Jesus Christ was not born in the third week of December.

In fact, there are actually many lay members of churches that understand that as well, that it is not and cannot be the date of His birth. And every year at this time, you may have seen things too. You see magazine articles, you'll see newspaper articles, you can see stories on the Internet. There's all different types of sources that bring that out. So many understand that. So is it truth when we say we're going to be honoring Christ when we celebrate His birthday on December 25th? Is it truth to worship with lies about Santa and about His elves? You know, and all of the trimmings that go along with that. Is it truth to worship Christ with religious worship origins that Christ does not want attached or associated to His name? We want to be people who worship God, and we do it in spirit and in truth. Now, people may argue, what's truth? They may ask that question. What's truth to you? You know, I don't think you and I need to come up with our own definition of truth. I think God has a definition here in Scripture. Let's go to John chapter 17 and verse number 17. John chapter 17 and verse number 17. The Bible gives us the definition of what truth is. Jesus is speaking. He's praying, actually, to His Father. And He says this in John chapter 17 verse 17. He says, sanctify them. The them is referring to the disciples, to the people of God. Sanctify them, or those people that are set apart, which means sanctify, means to set apart. Set them apart. Sanctify them by your truth. They're going to be set apart by the truth of God. And it says, your word is truth. So there's another definition of what truth is. It's the word of God. So if we're to worship God in spirit and in truth, we need to worship God, the Father, and Jesus Christ according to what the Bible has to say. So these are important principles that we're looking at. Now, the Bible does tell us very succinctly that there is a system of worshiping God, the Father, and Jesus Christ. You know, we see that, don't we, throughout the Scriptures. And particularly, we see that in Leviticus chapter 23, don't we? Because we see all of the seven festivals there. We see the weekly Sabbath there. We see Passover. You know, we see all of the other annual holy days that God ordained a system of worshiping Him. So the Bible sets apart how we are to worship God. We don't have to make up things for ourselves. And we'll see in a moment that God does not want us to do that.

But there is a system of worship established by God Himself. Let's go over to Isaiah chapter 55 in verse number 8. Isaiah chapter 55 in verse number 8. Now, again, some people will say, well, okay, I understand that some of the things that you're saying that Christmas is pagan and it's non-Christian and it has origins of other religions that are false that precede the time that Jesus Christ walked the earth. I understand some of those things, but that's not how I view it. You ever heard that? You know, I understand what you're saying, but that's not what I'm doing. That's not how I view it. Well, does it make a difference how you and I view it? Well, let's look at Isaiah chapter 55 in verse 8. God says, my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. You know, God says we can't just rely on our own way of thinking. We can't rely on our own ways of doing things.

You know, I'll just refer to Proverbs chapter 14 in verse 12.

You can write that down or even turn to it if you'd like. It says, there is a way that seems right to a man. Well, you couldn't talk me out of it. It makes perfect sense to me. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. That's a caution, isn't it, to us, to you and me, to not necessarily go along with our first thoughts of a way of doing things. Our thoughts are not God's thoughts. Our ways are not His ways. He's trying to bring us along, as a father does with his children, to train them to teach them. But He says here that there is a way that seems right to us, but it actually can end up in death. So we can't just say, well, this is how I think about it. Or this is how I view it. Because that's not what God says. That's not what Scripture says. That's not how we should see things. We should see things through the eyes of God and through His Son, Jesus Christ. Hence the title of the message today, Christmas Through God's Eyes. So we're going to cover some of these principles here. And I think they're eternal. God says, I don't change. I change not. And so we're going to cover some eternal principles in Scripture here. That we want to worship God in truth. That God's Word is truth. The Bible is truth. And that we must look to God and the Bible only. And we must, in a sense, look through things through God's eyes and His ways and not our own eyes, in our own ways. So Leviticus chapter 23, which I've referenced, does show the days that we should be keeping. We shouldn't be thinking our own thoughts or our own ways because that leads to a direction that God says actually leads to death. And He doesn't want us to die.

He wants us to live. Let's go over to Mark chapter 7. Mark chapter 7. This is an important chapter here, so let's take a look at that. I believe this is an eternal principle as well, whether it be Old or New Testament here. Mark chapter 7.

And we'll pick it up here in verse number 6. Jesus is speaking here and He says in Mark chapter 7 verse 6, He answered and said, Well, did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, this people honors Me with their lips. And you know so much about Christmas in a sense and its worship and its observance is really external, brethren. This people honors Me with their lips. They give Me lip service, if you will, but it says, But their heart is far from Me. In a sense, they were paying lip service to the true God, but their heart was far from the true God.

And so how do we know they were paying lip service and their heart was far from God? Well, let's look at the next verse. He tells us. Notice the very next verse, verse number 7. He says, In vain they are worshiping Me. They're worshiping Me, but they're not doing it correctly.

It's in vain. And it goes on to say, part of the slip service, they teach as doctrines the commandments of men. Now, as a group, and I know I'm speaking to the choir here, but you're well aware that there's no scripture that tells us that we should be keeping Christmas. They covered that, I think, pretty well in the Beyond Today program. There is no command in the Bible that tells us to keep Christmas. As a matter of fact, as it mentioned, if you look through the annals of history, you will see that it wasn't observed by the New Testament Church, by the apostles.

It wasn't until over 350 years after Christ's birth that the New Testament Church beyond that, it became an apostate church, and then it began to observe Christmas 350 years after the day of Pentecost. It wasn't until the church became an apostate church that it began to be observed.

That's a fancy word, apostate. Let's talk about what that means. Apostate or apostasy comes from the Greek word, apostasia. It means, and I quote, a defiance of an established system or authority. It's a defiance of something that has been established, a system of worship or authority referring to God. It's a rebellion. It's an abandonment, an abandonment. It's a breach of faith. That's what apostate means. Brethren, if Christmas was such a wonderful thing, why weren't the apostles proclaiming it?

Why wasn't Peter proclaiming the virtues of Christmas? Why didn't Paul say anything about it, or any of the other apostles, Barnabas, not one of them? Verse number seven of Mark chapter seven, in vain they worship me, teaching us doctrines of the commandments of men. Notice verse number eight, for laying aside the commandment of God, we are putting aside a commandment of God in order to do what we want to do.

You can imagine that, taking one of God's commandments, and you know, I think I'm just going to put that over on the side, so I can do what I want to do. That's a big thing, and as I think as we go through this, we're going to see some specific commandments of God that people have laid aside in order to observe Christmas, so they can keep it.

Verse number eight, for laying aside the commandment of God, you hold on to something else. You hold on to your own tradition, traditions of men, the washing of pitchers and cups, and many such other things you do. There were several things that were being done at that time. Verse number nine, he said to them, all too well you reject the commandment of God that you can keep your tradition. You know, he emphasizes this over and over in verses eight and nine, you lay aside the commandment of God, you reject the commandment of God so that you can do what you want to do, your own tradition.

You can hold on to your own tradition, you can keep your own tradition. Let's look at another verse here in Deuteronomy chapter five and verse number 32. Deuteronomy chapter five and verse 32. And this is in the context where God begins to rehearse his commandments, his holy and righteous law.

This is one of the two places in Scripture that we find the 10 commandments listed, as well as other commandments, but Exodus 20 being the other. But Deuteronomy chapter five is also another one. And so this is, it's important, I think, to look at the context. And the context here is speaking about God's holy and righteous law. So let's pick it up in Deuteronomy chapter five and verse number 32.

It says, therefore you shall be careful. So God is telling his people, the children of Israel, to be careful. I think most of us know what being careful means. I got the dictionary definition of the word careful. It means to be cautious in one's actions, to be cautious in one's actions. So God says, therefore you shall be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you. Now that alone should give us pause to just stop and think about what God is saying. I want you to be cautious about your actions, and I want you to be careful to do as I have commanded you.

So we we don't want to do as we want to do. We do as God commands. He commands and gives instruction. He goes on in verse number 32, you shall not turn aside to the right hand, and you shall not turn aside to the left. I think we can imagine going down a narrow path. God says, don't turn aside to the right, don't turn aside to the left. I don't think God could be any more clear of what He's trying to tell us. God says, I don't necessarily want you to just hide for yourselves.

I want you to stay and do what I tell you to do. Now, granted, we are free moral agents, so I suppose we can worship God, in a sense, worship God any way that we choose, because God allows us to have free moral agency. We could decide, I suppose, how we want to worship God, but there's only one way to worship Him the right way, and that's in the way that He commands, in the way that He instructs, in the way that He teaches. We want to do it the right way. We have to do it the way the Bible says. So He goes on to say, you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you. That word all is pretty inclusive, isn't it? You shall walk, and that's the way we live our life. It's the choices we make. It's the way that we worship. You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you. Why? That you may live. God wants us to be in His family. He wants us to have everlasting life. He says that you may live, and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land, the promised land, that you're going to possess, which of course pictures in the kingdom of God. God knows the end from the beginning, and that's why He says don't turn to the left or to the right, because He knows where that will lead. And He loves us enough to know that it leads to death, and He doesn't want us to die. He wants us to live.

So we are to be people of the truth. People who look to the truth of God's word, not our own thinking, not relying on our own tradition, not looking at things and viewing things through our own eyes, not deviating from the Bible what it has to say, not turning to the left or turning to the right.

Brethren, in God's view now, does He have anything to say about using pagan ways, which is false ways, to worship? Does God have anything to say about using pagan ways to worship Him, the true God? Is there anything to tell us in Scripture? Let's go over to Leviticus chapter 18 and verse number one. Leviticus chapter 18, and we'll pick it up here in verse one. Now, a long time ago, God began to work with the children of Israel. He was going to begin a family. Israel was His son, as He says in Scripture, even my firstborn. And He brought His son out of Egypt. And the people there had been immersed in a culture, they'd been immersed in a false religious culture, that they had false gods that they worshiped, and they worshiped them in very attractive ways. And Israel was leaving that culture, and they were going to a new land. But in the new land where they were going, the inhabitants there, they also had false gods, different gods in the Egyptians. Some of them are the same, some of them are different. But they also had false gods, and they also had a culture of worshiping those gods in very attractive ways. So let's pick it up here in Leviticus chapter 18, verse number one. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, and He said, I want you to speak to the children of Israel and say to them, I am the Lord your God. I am your God, and I've got something to teach you.

As a father. Verse number three, according to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do. I don't want you to do what they did, and where you've been, where you've come from. Now, they haven't yet gone into the Promised Land when He's telling this. They're in the wilderness. They haven't yet gone to the Promised Land. And He says, and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do. Nor shall you walk in their ordinances.

What's God teach us to do? How does He look at it? Verse number four, you shall observe my judgments and keep my ordinances to walk in them, because I am God.

I am the Lord. I am your God. Verse five, you shall therefore keep my statutes, knowing that I am God. And He says in other places in the book of Isaiah, chapter 45, and there is no other, because I am the Lord your God, then you shall therefore, it's a transitional statement or word there, you shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, which if a man does, he shall live and live by them, because I am God. I am the Lord.

So God's people left Egypt, and they're false gods there, and they were on their way to the Promised Land, and they were false gods that had been there, where they were going. And they're in between, aren't they? They're in the wilderness, and that's when God begins to teach them. There was a time that they took a rest, and Moses went up to the mountain to begin to receive the commandments of God. They were going to enter into a covenant. They've been taught certain things, and now they were going to enter into a covenant that they'd be obedient to some of the things that God taught, that they would be a blessed people. So Moses goes up on the mountain, and then he's gone a little bit longer than they're comfortable with, and the people begin to get nervous. So remember what happened? There's the story of the golden calf. Let's go over to Exodus, chapter 32. Exodus, chapter 32. Remember when the Israelites set up an image of God that they wanted to see? They were calling the golden calf Jehovah. They were saying, tomorrow is a feast to Jehovah. They weren't saying this was a false god. They were going to worship the true God, but they were going to decide to worship Him in their own way. They were going to set up an image here. They regarded this as a sort of supplement to their worship of the invisible and eternal God, and they even claimed that they were going to have a feast to Jehovah. You know, it was the beginning of syncretism, and that's a fancy word. I don't know if we've talked about that in the past. Syncretism is an unnatural mixture of truth and error, and God knows where it leads. That's why He says, don't go to the left, go to the right, don't mix, don't worship me the way they worship them, don't syncretize. And so there was a syncretistic mixture attempt by God's people here to merge some of the heathenistic rites from Egypt into their worship of Jehovah, and they even called it a feast of Jehovah. And we know that God didn't approve of this method of worship, and He didn't approve. Many of us know the answer of what happened, so 3,000 people died. God was not happy. Let's pick it up in Exodus chapter 32 and verse number 31. Exodus 32 verse 31.

Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, oh, these people have committed a great sin. So this was a sin to worship God with false heathen practices. Let's call a spade a spade. God wasn't honored by this. Moses returned to the Lord. Verse 31 said, these people have committed a great sin and they've made for themselves a God of gold. God doesn't say they're worshiping me. They can call that calf Jehovah if they want, but it's not me. It's a small gee God of gold. He goes on to say in verse 32, yet now if you will forgive their sin, but if not, I pray blot me out of your book, which you have written. We're talking about the book of life, aren't we? Moses is in the inner scene. He says, God, please forgive them. And, you know, if not, then blot me out of your book of life. And God says in verse number 33 to Moses, he said, whoever has sinned against me, I will blot him out of my book. We're talking about eternal life. When we worship God in false ways and we apply it to his name, God does not say, I don't feel you're worshiping me. You're worshiping the calf.

And so I think we're talking about eternal life here, aren't we? We talk about the word of life. So I talked earlier about the fact that if we understand that and if we continue to do that after God has opened up our minds and our eyes and we begin to not repent of keeping Christmas, that could affect our eternal life. So God took this very seriously. He was not happy with what was happening there. And God did not accept such worship then, even though they said it was a feast at Jehovah and they were applying his name to that feast. Is it any different today?

I don't think so. I don't think God has changed. At least this is what he tells us.

So if he felt the same way then, even though they said it was a feast to God, why should we suppose that he accepts worship today regarding Christmas that is likewise a mixture of hedonistic and pagan practices with the worship of the true God? Let's go to Exodus chapter 20, verse 3. I mentioned earlier that Exodus 20 is the other chapter where the Ten Commandments are listed. I said earlier that the observance of Christmas was a transgression against some of God's clear commands. Well, let's take a look at the first command that we see here in Exodus chapter 20. It begins in verse number 3. Exodus chapter 20, verse 3, said, You shall have no other gods before me. How can Christmas observance be breaking this command? Let me read here from the Christmas Almanac on page number 17. It says, The tradition of celebrating December 25th as Christ's birthday came to the Romans from Persia. Didn't come from Christianity. Came to the Romans from Persia. This is before Christ was born.

Mithra, the Persian God of light, was born out of a rock on December 25th.

Rome is famous for its flirtations with strange gods and cults. And in the third century, in 274 AD, the Un-Christian Emperor Constantine was the first, quote-unquote, Christian emperor. So this is the Un-Christian Emperor Aurelius in 274 AD, established the festival of Dvicti Solos, which is the day of the invincible sun, S-U-N, on December 25th.

Mithra was the embodiment of the sun, so this period of its rebirth was a major day in Mithraism, which had become Rome's latest official religion with the patronage of Aurelian. So Aurelian began to observe Mithraism. It is believed that the Emperor Constantine adhered to Mithraism up to the time of his conversion to Christianity. He was probably instrumental in seeing that this major feast of the old religion was carried over to his new faith. So basically, if you want to go back and look at Christmas, it was being kept literally thousands of years before Christ. You see that it was in December 25th, it was the honor of a pagan god. So this breaks this commandment found in Exodus chapter 20 verse 3.

Let's turn over to Deuteronomy chapter 12 and verse 28. This was a scripture that they also referred to in the Beyond Today section, but I want to bring out maybe a few little different parts of this verse, some of the same, but some a little bit different.

Deuteronomy chapter 12 and verse 28. Again, in God's view, is he happy for us to use pagan false gods and godly ways and customs to worship him, the true God? Well, let's see what he says here in Deuteronomy chapter 12 and verse number 28.

He says that, observe and obey all of these words. Again, he uses that word all, which I have commanded you. Why? Again, that it may well go well with you and also with your children.

And also with your children. And for how long?

Forever. God's got eternity in mind here, doesn't he? He's got eternity in mind.

When you do what is good and right in your own sight.

Are you following? That's not what it says, is it? He says, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God. God says, look at it through my eyes, not your own.

Verse 29, when the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations, which you're going to go to dispossess, and you displace them and you dwell in their land, so they hadn't got there yet, they're still in the wilderness, take heed to yourself. Now before he said to be careful, now he's using a little different verbiage, he says, take heed, pay attention to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them. And snared means to be trapped. We know what a snare is.

Be careful that you're not, or take heed, that you're not ensnared to follow them after they are destroyed from before you. There's a reason why God destroyed them, because they were doing the very same things. They were worshiping false gods.

Don't do what they did. And don't inquire after their gods, saying, how did these nations serve their gods? I'm going to do in the same way. I'm going to do likewise. Further, that is exactly what takes place with Christmas. We ask, how did these nations serve their gods? You know, Christmas is nothing more than other peoples and other times in history and antiquity worshiping their false gods.

You know, this ought to be enough for us to close the book and say, this is enough. God has given us enough to know that we shouldn't observe this, but let's, we've got a little more time, so let's go on. Further, in modern times, really, that's all we've done is we've dressed this up. This observance of Christmas goes back a long time ago, thousands of years before Jesus Christ. And God says, I, yeah, you didn't know this, but I need to tell you. And even history begins to bear it out. Verse number 31, you shall not worship the Lord your God in that way. Don't use their ways to worship me. For every abomination to the Lord that he hates, they have done to their gods. That's how God views it. It's an abomination. He calls it a sin. He can't use much further, a strong language than abomination. And it can even lead to some crazy stuff of even burning your own sons and daughters in fire to their gods. And the children of Israel eventually did that very thing after they got into the Promised Land, after they had been warned, after they've been told to be careful and take heed, they eventually killed their own children to Molech, a false god.

Verse 32, whatever I command you, be careful so there he uses that verbiage again to observe it. You shall not add to it nor take away from it. It's another way of saying before, he said, don't turn to the left, don't turn to the right. Now he says, don't add, don't take away.

Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it. So that's the way God looks at it.

If he is God, that's his teaching. Of course, we understand that the God who's relaying all this information through Moses was Jesus Christ. We understand, don't we, that that was Christ. So Christ is saying, if you worship me on December 25th, if you keep Christmas, you're having another God before me.

You are really worshiping that God, and you're not worshiping me.

Now I know that goes against the grain of most of the Christianity that's out there, the denominations that are out there. I know we are in a big minority. Here, I know that.

But God says, you're having another God before me, and that's pretty serious stuff.

It's a sin. God calls an abomination in verse number 31. That's how he sees it.

Let's go back to Exodus 20.

You know, God's got them here in between these two cultures. He's brought them out of Egypt. They haven't yet gone to the Promised Land, and he's teaching them his ways and his commandments. We've covered the first command. Let's look at the second. Back to Exodus chapter 20.

And we'll pick it up here in verse 4. This is another command of the one who made us, who created us, who calls us his father, who's our deliverer, who's our father.

Who wants us to be in his family. He says in verse 4, You shall not make for yourself a carved image, any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth we need, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them. You shall not serve them. For I, the Lord, your God, I'm a jealous God, and I will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me. God says, if you bow down in a false way to me, even though you're using false worship ways to me, that's wrong, and it's going to mean you really don't love me. And there's going to be a... it's not going to go well with you. There's going to be an effect down the road for generations. As he says in verse 5, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me.

You know, paying lip service to God is not enough. It's got what God is telling us. It's not enough. Our heart has to be there. He is our Father. So how does Christmas break this command?

Again, from the Christmas almanac.

The Romans combined the worship of the deity of Mithra with a midwinter celebration of the God Saturn, known as Saturnalia, which began a few days before December 25th.

The festival was characterized by gift giving. Again, this is a long time before Christ walked the earth in the flesh. Characterized by gift giving, feasting, and singing, as well as downright debauchery. As the priests of Saturn carried wreaths of evergreen vows and processions throughout the Roman Empire. Other historians placed the worship of these trees thousands of years ago in ancient Babylon and Egypt, as well as elsewhere. Now, the Bible even mentions the use of these trees as pagan symbols of ancient worship. Let's take a look at that here, because God forbids their worship in the worship of him. So let's take a look at a couple of scriptures that talk about that. Let's go over to Deuteronomy chapter 16. Deuteronomy chapter 16 and verse number 21.

Deuteronomy chapter 16 and verse number 21. You shall not plant for yourself any tree, as a wooden image near the altar which you build for yourself to the Lord your God. God says, don't use trees in the worship of me. Why?

Because in history and in antiquity, people were using trees to worship false gods. And so God is distinguishing himself from them and saying, specifically, don't use trees in the worship of me.

Let's go over to Jeremiah chapter 3 and verse 13. Jeremiah chapter 3 and verse number 13.

Brother, can you find any scripture? Any scripture come to mind? For God says to use trees in your worship of him. Can you find one?

I don't believe the Bible says anything. It says, in fact, it says the opposite. Don't use trees. Jeremiah chapter 3 and verse number 13.

Jeremiah, of course, was a prophet of God. God sent because God's people were beginning to slide. They were beginning to turn to the left and beginning to turn to the right.

And so he sent prophets and Jeremiah was one of them. Jeremiah chapter 3 verse 13. He's saying, only acknowledge your iniquity. God is saying to his people, acknowledge what you're doing is wrong. Just simply acknowledge your iniquity that you have transgressed against your creator, against your God, the one who made you, formed you, fashioned you. How did they transgress against their God? It says right here in the verse, you've scattered your charms to alien deities under every green tree and you have not obeyed me. You haven't obeyed my voice, God said. You're listening to something else. You're doing your own thing your own way. Notice what God says about the sins of his people, of Judah. We're in Jeremiah chapter 3. Let's go to Jeremiah chapter 17. Just a few chapters over. Jeremiah chapter 17. How does God view this? If he is God, then we need to take into consideration how he sees it. Jeremiah chapter 17 verse 1. The sin of Judah. He's talking about a sin here. The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron. With the point of a diamond, it is engraved on the heart, the tablet of their heart. We talked about the hearts earlier, the lip service, but their heart is far from God. It's engraved like a diamond, a point of a diamond on their heart and on the horns of your altars. You know, in other words, whatever these people were doing, it was they were sinning big time. It goes deep. It goes very deep. In what ways was this sin so deep? Let's notice the very next verse. Verse number two. While their children remember their altars and their wooden images by the green trees on the high hills. If we did some research, brethren, you'll find these images are speaking about the goddess Astarte. She was worshiped at times with a figurine or a statue, but also she was worshiped with trees. And there were other false gods that were worshiped with trees, evergreen trees. So when God says don't use trees, there's a reason why he tells us not to use trees. He doesn't just say it to say it.

He knows where it leads. So here we have idolatry in the sense that people use Christmas trees in the worship of him. And God says don't use trees in the worship of me. So it's idolatrous.

For a moment, let's pause for a little bit. Let's take a little trip down history lane.

Some of this may be review for others. It may be something they never heard before.

This is from the Roman Catholic Encyclopedia, and they admit something astounding. Christmas is not biblical. Christmas is not biblical. The Catholic Encyclopedia under the heading of Natal Day quotes Origen. Origen was an early Catholic theologian as saying, quote, in the scriptures no one is recorded to have a kept a feast or held a banquet on his birthday.

No one. It is only sinners who make great rejoicing over the day in which they were born into this world. Christmas was not among the early festivals of the church. The first evidence of the feast is from Egypt. Egypt. Pagan customs. Of course, pagan, what does that mean? We throw that word around. I think a lot of us know, but some of us maybe don't. Pagan or heathen or Gentile was basically any nation that did not worship the true God. They had their own gods. They had their own ways of worshiping. The Encyclopedia Britannica says this about the origins of Christmas. Historians are unsure exactly when Christians first began celebrating the Nativity of Christ. We know that. There's nothing in the Bible that tells us, so even historians don't know. However, most scholars believe that Christmas originated in the 4th century as a Christian substitute for pagan celebrations of the Winter Solstice.

Wow! Okay. It's called the Spade of Spade. Scholars believe that Christmas originated in the 4th century as a Christian substitute for pagan celebrations of the Winter Solstice. Before the introduction of Christmas each year, beginning on December 17th, the Romans honored Saturn, the ancient god of agriculture, in a festival called Saturnalia. Although the Gospels describe Jesus' birth in detail, they never mention the date, do they? They never mention the exact date. So historians do not know on what day he was born. The Roman Catholic Church chose December 25th as the day for the Feast of the Nativity in order to give Christian meaning to existing pagan rituals. For example, the Church replaced festivities honoring the birth of Mithra, the god of light, with festivities to commemorate the birth of Jesus, whom the Bible calls the light of the world. The Catholic Church hoped to draw pagans into its religion by allowing them to continue their revelry while simultaneously honoring the birthday of Jesus. Well, even the historians begin to see what was happening here. There's a mixture here. When did Christmas become syncretized into a worldly false Christianity? When did this all happen? This is from a book Four Thousand Years of Christmas by Earl Wendell Count. He says Christmas was first proclaimed and kept as a Christian church festival by Pope Liberius in 354 A.D. under the reign of Emperor Constantine. This was more than 350 years after the birth of Christ. In our nation, it's only 239 years. A whole worth over 350 years after Christ. And this is the first time it's finally observed.

At first he ordered that old pagan Roman... at first he ordered that the old Roman pagan Saturnalian not be observed, but the people refused. The people refused. You know, in a sense, Constantine can say now that Christianity is the official religion of our empire, but we still want to keep doing what we've done with Saturnalia. Emperor Constantine's advice for the church leaders was to meet the heathen halfway.

Meet him halfway. So much for don't add and don't take away and don't veer to the left and don't veer to the right. There could be little doubt that the church was anxious to distract the attention of the Christians from the old heathen feast days by celebrating the Christian festivals on the same day as the false gods will worship.

Brother, does it make any difference if we keep God's holy days listed in Leviticus 23 or Christmas and other pagan days? Does it make a difference? To use pagan practices to worship God makes no difference if there is no God. To worship God, pagan worship makes no difference if there is no God. But if there is a true God, then it makes a difference because he says it makes a difference.

In God's eyes and in his view, it is not for you and I to decide how we will worship him. Some today believe erroneously that even though a right or a custom was originally paganistic, that if it is applied to Christ, then it is acceptable to him. Even if there is no scriptural basis, that that's okay as long as they apply it to Christ. But you know what?

That's human reasoning, isn't it? That's human reasoning. Because it's conscious because it's contrary to God's commands in Scripture.

Let's turn over to one more command, the third one in Exodus chapter 20, verse number seven.

How does Christmas observance break this command? Exodus chapter 20 and verse number seven.

We've seen it breaks the first two commands of the Ten Commandments.

Exodus chapter 20, verse seven.

For the Lord is not going to hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Brethren, a name means everything. People want to protect their names. Respect is given to a name, and that is certainly true of the name of God.

And the quality of our relationship with God depends on how we view that name because God's name stands for something. It stands for what he teaches. It stands for who he is. It stands for his way of life. And that being the case, if we use God's name in a flippant way or a demeaning way, then we are breaking his commandment.

How is associating Christ's name with a sinful, pagan festival proper? How is it honorable?

The Christ's Mass. We know it's Catholic Masses, and we know that's where it originated. And we say, Merry Christmas. We associate Christ's name with a pagan festival. This shouldn't be. We're breaking his commandment by putting his name in association with that holiday.

We name the name of Christ, don't we? We're Christians. We're disciples of his. And when we keep Christmas, we're breaking this commandment because we're dishonoring his name. You know, it's been a while here ago, a few years ago, that we had a Sabbath school with a teen class. And we asked them to list all the things that came to mind when it came to the topic of Christmas. When it came to the size, what is it you see? You've got a few things in this room.

What do you see? And they listed about 40 things. But I want you to think about as I list some of these off, do you see Christ in some of these things? Should Christ be associated with this? They said the Christmas tree, evergreen, holly, lights, wreath, poinsettia flower, St. Nicholas, Santa Claus, Santa sleigh, sleigh bells, reindeer, elves, Santa's helpers, stockings, drinking, Yule log, little drummer boy, nutcracker sweet, frosty the snowman, the North Pole, mistletoe. You know how many that had to do with Christ?

No, there were a couple. Somebody said zero. Jesus Christ and his birth, and Mary and Joseph.

So, of all the things that they could think of, how many really had to do with Christ? When you look at a Christmas tree, do you see Christ?

You know, when it came to that in the fourth century, Christians were trying to Christianize the pagans by compromising. But it ended up that the pagans were paganizing the Christians.

Since God knows the end from the beginning, he knew that that would happen.

And he called it, didn't he? He called it. And now people are trying to get Christ back into Christmas, but Christ was never there to begin with. And that's why the fruit hasn't been good.

So we're Christ's. We are His disciples. We are Christians. We shouldn't be dishonoring His name by associating them with false ways of worship. Second Peter chapter 2 verse 19. We're going to wrap it up here. This will be the second to the last verse. Second Peter chapter 2 and verse number 19.

Did I say Peter? Or did I say Timothy? Second Timothy chapter 2, verse 19. Talking about honoring the name of God and of Christ. Second Timothy chapter 2 and verse 19.

Nevertheless, the solid foundation of God stands. God is building a foundation, and it stands, having the seal that the Lord knows those that are His. And it goes on to say, and let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity, depart from sin.

And we name the name of Christ. We call ourselves Christians. We are to walk away from sin. Christmas is a sin, and as Christians we need to walk away from it.

Let's go back to Mark chapter 7. This is, we were here earlier, this is where we'll conclude.

Mark chapter 7 and verse number 7.

In vain they worship Me. Vain is a strong word. It means totally worthless. It means it has no good fruit at all. That they're worshiping Me, but they're doing it in vain. Mark chapter 7 and verse 7. And how are they doing it? By teaching as doctrine. Doctrines means truth.

Teaching as doctrines, commandments of men. And laying aside the commandment of God, they hold to traditions of men. Brethren, this is still an unchanging message from God today.

Christ was never in Christmas. It's a counterfeit. It's not harmless. On the contrary, it's harmful.

God says worship and serve Me and Christ only with no mixture of paganism or heathenism or any of the doctrines or any of the rites whose roots are in the false worship of false gods. Do not apply them to Me. God commanded. He said, don't add to what I have commanded. Christmas isn't in Scripture.

We've added it. The world is added. And He says, don't take away. The seven festivals in Leviticus 23 have been taken away. They're not observed by many people. We do just the opposite of what God tells us to do. The world has added Christmas and has taken away the festivals of Leviticus chapter 23. That's how God views Christmas through His eyes.