Why I Don't Keep Christmas

New information. Pastor is not always the first one to know. Sometimes he's the last one. Paul and Dina, tomorrow the 17th, celebrate 17 years of marriage. So congratulations to them too. Give them a free cup of coffee or something after that. Generally, generally, people do what people want to do, don't they?

You ever notice that? How do you miss it? They generally do what they want to do. And have you ever tried to get someone not to do what they're set on doing? If they're set on doing something and you try to persuade them not to do it, well, usually it's an exercise in futility. It doesn't come to any fruition. And then too also, generally, people go along to get along. Most people are not confrontational, per se.

Most people don't like conflict. Most people don't like to rock the boat. They generally will go along to get along. And so families, friends, society exert a very strong peer pressure. Peer pressure isn't just on the very young and the young. It's not just on the kids. It's not just on the teenagers, although it's a very, very powerful force. But it's something that remains a force throughout lifetime for most people. Now, I'm aware of that.

And basically, anyone who gives it any thought is very much aware of that. So how can it be that Satan is not aware of that? Satan is extremely aware of that, and he has been able to practice on people since people have been here almost 6,000 years. Not that he didn't practice on the angels, also, and succeeded with the third of them. But Satan is very aware of these things, and he makes the most of them. And he uses them to snare and control and to manipulate.

He's an expert on it. Let me say something from my perspective. What others do is on them. I'm not accountable per se for what others do. What they do is upon them. What I do is upon me. That is what personal responsibility and personal accountability is all about. What I do is on me, so I want to be very personal with this message. And I'm going to deal again with what I dealt with a year ago.

You can call it a repeat. You can call it a reinforcement. You can call it a refreshing. Whatever term you want to use, but I'm going to deal very personally as to why I don't keep Christmas. Very personally, why I don't and won't keep Christmas. Now, all for that, you could probably have a string of questions. Why should I not keep it? If you tell somebody, and you can use this personally for yourself, yes. But I'm just speaking it through my eyes, my personal perspective of personal accountability, personal responsibility, why I don't keep Christmas. And if I was in conversation with somebody, they would probably hit me.

Not with you, of course, but we're on the same page. But someone out there who's involved in it, they would probably ask me questions like, well, why shouldn't you keep it? Why shouldn't you keep it? Why should you not keep it? Why shouldn't you keep it? What's wrong with it? What's the harm done? Because this is what you run into. I don't see any harm in it. I don't know why you have such objection to it.

I don't know why you won't go along to get along. Families do it. Friends do it. Society does it. Why does it matter? Why can't you just go along? Because look how much fun it is. And yet, when I gave Part 3 of fulfilling the Christian calling and talked about happiness and all of that, someone reminded me once again after the message that it's at this time of the year when the greatest number of suicides occur. People who are happy don't commit suicide. It's the time of the year when the greatest number of suicides occur.

So, all this promotion to be happy, all of this promotion, I mean, look how it's all played up and supposed to be such a light and happy and wonderful time and yet the depressions and the discouragements and the consequence, even to the point of suicide that occurs, the season doesn't deliver. But then again, Christ said, you shall know them by their fruits. That's even in regards to seasons and activities, yes. But what is it that draws people in?

Well, you think about it. What's the appeal? Well, the pageantry, for one thing. You know, this time of the year, the pageantry of it, the lights, the colors, the parades, the beauties, and something that I have told parents, you know, in sermons, never take your small children, put them in the vehicle and say, we are going to drive around, we're going to drive through the neighborhoods, and at this time of the year, at nighttime, and at this time of the year, at nighttime, when you drive through the neighborhood, you know what they look like, especially the more upscale ones where they really go all out, all of the colors, all of the bright lights.

Don't drive up and down those streets and say to your kids, see how ugly that is? You just lost credibility because the lights are pretty. Light is of God. Colors are pretty. All those brilliant colors. There's nothing ugly about them. The evergreen tree is not an ugly tree. It's a beautiful tree. These are things that are pretty, and the kids know that, and you just lose credibility. It's not color. It's not light. It's not creation of God like the evergreens that's ugly.

It's the purpose they're put to, but on the surface, they're very appealing, and this is what captures people's imagination. And then on top of that, if families have only one time where they really get together as a family, you know it's going to be Christmas time. I said, if there's only one time where they really get together, it's going to be Christmas time. And so, family times, and family itself is of God, but again, the occasion is what is wrong.

But the family ties and the traditions, creating memory lane and nostalgia and all of that, that's part of the appeal and the attraction. And then again, you get back into the issue of the acceptance, mainstream. It's what everybody's doing. It's what the crowd's doing. And if you step out of that, well, you not only put a target on your back, but you can watch the bullets flying at you, feel the impact sometimes.

And then you've got the cost of leaving it, for not keeping it.

Some families are practically disowning you, and some have disowned people because they would not be involved. You definitely have a bit of an impasse with friends, co-workers.

You have, it generates job situations many times. It certainly generates school situations.

And again, to come back to the question, so why should I come out of it?

If I was trying to convince somebody to come out of it, they would have that question, why should I come out of it? And they would run all this stuff by me. Like I said, this is why I don't keep Christmas, what you do and you do. Okay, I'm not going to convince you otherwise, even if I give you facts. You're still going to do what you want to do.

So what's wrong with it? What's the harm done? Let's go to Deuteronomy 12 in verse 29.

There's something here that I want to point out that maybe generally is not pointed out.

I mean, the Scripture itself speaks for itself sufficiently, but I want to connect it with something else that's involved here that doesn't necessarily show right on the surface or show from these Scriptures alone. God told through Moses, told ancient Israel, that's all 12 tribes, 13 when you want to count the tribe of Joseph divided into Ephraim and Asa. But in verse 29, Deuteronomy 12, in verse 29, When the Lord your God shall cut off the nations from before you, where you go to possess them, and you succeed them and dwell in their land, you take heed to yourself that you're not snared by following them after that they are destroyed from before you, and that you inquire not after their God saying, well, how did these nations serve their gods? What were their customs, their practices, their traditions? Even so, I'm going to do the same thing. I'm going to do it like that.

You shall not do so to the Lord your God for every abomination to the Lord which He hates have they done to their gods. Even too, see, all the way down the line, even too, their sons and their daughters, they burnt in the fire to their gods.

And we're no different today as far as burning our children in the fire of Molech, to the God Molech, when we abort all the babies we're aborting. There's no real difference.

And I won't get off into that, but I'll just say there's no real difference. And He goes on to say in verse 32, What things, for ever I command you, observe to do it, you shall not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

Okay. You don't do it. You don't do it.

How do these nations serve their gods? Okay, I am going to serve God that way. I'm going to do that. I'm going to copy their practices.

Let's add one more Scripture. Jeremiah 10 and verse 1.

And these really, by this point in time with us, they should be memory Scriptures.

Because we've gone to them so many times over the years. Jeremiah 10 and verse 1. Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. Pay attention, Israel. That says the Lord.

Learn not the way of the heathen. Don't do it.

And when He says, learn not the way of the heathen He's talking about, don't learn it as in know it and doing it.

Learn not the way of the heathen. Don't make it part of your lifestyle.

And don't be dismayed at the signs of heaven, the zodiac, for the heathen are dismayed at them. And then it goes on about the customs of the people are vain, they're empty, they're not truly productive with anything that's good and lasting. And even talks about cutting a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workmen with the axe, and a decade with children, go fastening with nails, with hammers that move not. They're upright as the palm tree, which is in evergreen, but speak not, etc.

And they've got to be born because they cannot go. Don't be afraid of them. They can't do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.

But just don't learn the way of the heathen.

Now, what is not always pulled into this instruction?

Jeremiah 3 and verse 14. Jeremiah 3 and verse 14.

Here is what is not pointed out in Deuteronomy 12, but is also part of it.

And you go to other scriptures to find out, like here.

Turn, O backsliding children, says the Lord.

Why?

You know, they're going after other gods, they're going after pagan customs, they're learning the way of the heathen, they're backsliding from God.

Why is it important they quit that?

Well, here's part of the answer. For I am married to you.

You're my wife.

I am your husband.

I am married to you.

So, keep your fingers here.

Isaiah 54 verse 5.

Isaiah 54 and verse 5.

It says this.

Isaiah 54 verse 5. For your Maker is your husband. God is the one that made Israel.

Brought Israel up, created them as the nation, brought them out of Egypt, made them a nation, and its Sinai entered into the Old Covenant with them, which was a marriage covenant.

For your Maker, the one who has made you, your Maker is your husband. The Lord, a host, is His name, and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of the whole earth, shall He be called. For your Maker is your husband.

Back in Jeremiah 3.

And verse 8.

And I saw when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery, see, to go after other gods, their customs, their traditions, their paganism, is the type of spiritual adultery because Israel is the wife to God. And God was their husband.

He said, I had put her away and given her a bill of divorce, yet her treacherous sister, Judah, feared not, but went and played the harlot also. And it came to pass, verse 9, through the likeness of her harem, that she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and with stalks, talking about idolatry, false guides, their ways.

And in God's sight, it's like, you're my wife, and you're being unfaithful to me.

You're committing spiritual adultery. You're breaking the covenant.

Now, on top of that, and along with that, as verse 32 of Deuteronomy 12 said, to do it as God said, not adding and subtracting and doing all that. Let's go to the very last chapter of the Bible, Revelation 22.

You know, Revelation 22, material-wise in the Bible, as far as the number of pages and all, and as far as time, is a long way from Deuteronomy 12.

But the God we serve who changes not, that is righteousness, this character doesn't change, he's always been concerned about humans adding and subtracting that which they should not add or subtract. Revelation 22 verses 18 and 19, For I testify to every man that hears the words of the prophecy of this book.

If any man shall add to these things, God shall add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life and out of the holy city from the things which are written in this book. So it's always been very important to God that we not add and subtract that which alters His Word.

I always like to throw in Ezekiel 8 and verse 16 because this season with Xmas, Christmas, this season, along with Easter, are the two biggies in the Christian world. And in Ezekiel 8 and verse 16, as I've said, every springtime on Easter, there will be a number of people that actually go out physically and do this. There's probably fewer and fewer each year because fewer and fewer people are, quote, going to church. Ezekiel said, He brought me into the inner court of the Lord's house, and behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, this is religion. This is worship. Between the porch and the altar were about 25 men with their backs toward the temple of the Lord. Their backs toward the temple and their faces toward the east, and they worshiped the sun toward the east. An early morning sunrise worship service. That's exactly and specifically what it's talking about. It comes from paganism.

I'm going to Revelation 18 and verse 4 because the physical peoples of God are caught up in Babylon. The physical peoples of God are caught up in Babylon. And sadly, we have lived to see too many of those who are once called God's church, spiritual people, also go back into Babylon. And so, in Revelation 18 and verse 4, and I heard another voice from heaven saying, come out of her, my people. There is national application to that. God's national peoples, physical peoples, but also even some of His church. Come out of her, my people.

That you be not partakers of her sins and that you receive not of her plagues.

Why don't I keep Christmas? Well, I'll give you some very good reasons.

Because for one thing, I take God's word personally. This book is not for somebody else.

It's for me. And if every person said, this book is for me, that would be a lot of collective numbers that apply it personally like they should. I take it very personally. And also because I chose God's way of life as a young man. And I lived a lifetime with God's way of life.

And also because, okay, best I can tell by nativity, bloodline, to my knowledge. I'm Scotch-Irish.

There could be some German there, I'm not sure, but I'm probably primarily Scotch-Irish.

And don't have a drop of Jewish blood in me that I'm aware of.

But one of the reasons I don't get involved in Christmas is because I am a spiritual Jew.

It's that simple. A spiritual Jew.

Romans 2, verses 28 and 29. Romans 2, verses 28 and 29.

For He is not a Jew which is one outwardly. In other words, bloodline doesn't get it.

You'd be a physical Jew, but that's not good enough. Because there's only spiritual Jews that are going to be in the Kingdom. He is not a Jew which is one outwardly.

This is the greatest reality about being Jewish. There are bloodline Jews, and there's prophecies about bloodline Jews and all that. We understand that. The house of Judah. And there'll be Jews in the millennium like the rest of the Israelite tribes as well. But we're talking about the spiritual here. Neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh. But He is a Jew, which includes me and you, which is one inwardly. And circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, and not in the latter. Whose praise in the word Judah means praise.

Whose Judah or whose praise is not of men, but of God. Because I am a spiritual Jew.

And what is the spiritual Jew required to do? Well, you find what a spiritual Jew is required to do in John 4, verses 23 and 24. John 4, verses 23 and 24.

As a spiritual Jew in Christ, I am required to be involved in true worship. John 4, 23. But the hour comes, Christ said, and now is, when the true worshipers, and He is emphasizing true, true worshipers, shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father seeks such to worship Him. God is a spirit, and they that worship Him, which is what spiritual Jews are to do, must worship Him in spirit and in truth.

And because I'm a spiritual Jew, who has been brought into the New Covenant, I am engaged to Jesus Christ. I am betrothed. 2 Corinthians 11.2. 2 Corinthians, follow the Scripture. 2 Corinthians 11.2. Paul said, For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy, for I have espoused you, betrothed you, engaged you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. We speak of the church as the bride of Christ, to be the wife of Christ, the marriage supper to take place later when we're spirit beings, and we're in a state of engagement.

We are the fiance of Christ.

I am to be faithful to God. I am to be faithful to my future husband that I'm engaged to, that the church is a body, and I'm part of it. Why? I don't keep Christmas because I am to be faithful. I'm not to be like ancient Israel who committed spiritual adultery.

And because I'm a spiritual Jew and because I am engaged, betrothed to Christ as part of the bride for him, I am not, because I've entered into that new covenant and have a spirit, I'm not my own property. 1 Corinthians 6, verses 19 and 20. 1 Corinthians 6, verses 19 and 20. Paul writes, And what? Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have of God, because you've entered into a covenant, and you are not your own.

You're not your own, for you are bought with a price. You have been bought. You have been paid with a price. And of course, we know what that price is. That's the price of the blood and death of Jesus Christ, His blood. That's the purchasing agent. For you're bought with a price. Therefore, will verify God in your body and in your spirit or your mind which are God's. And then Paul touches the poem that again in chapter 7 here. Chapter 7, verse 23. He says, You are bought with a price. Be not you the servants of men. Well, if the admonition is, as a spiritual Jew, who is not your own, you're married to Christ, not married, and not in the fullest sense yet, no, but betrothed or engaged to Christ, you're part of the bride of Christ.

And because of that, you're not to be the servants of men whenever that servitude contradicts God.

Then how much more so are you not to be a servant of Satan? Think about it.

When we read in Isaiah 14, Isaiah 14 and verses 12-14, we're given certain knowledge that we couldn't know any other way, except it's recorded for us here in God's Word. Verse 12, And we're given an inspite into Lucifer. How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning? How are you cut down to the ground which did weaken the nations? For you have set in your heart. Here is your will. Here is your motivation. This was your motive.

I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will stand also upon the mouth of the congregation in the sides of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like or I will be the most high. What was his objective? Well, you could say, well, his objective was to take the throne and run everything. Yeah, that's accurate. That's not a false statement. That's an accurate statement. He wanted to take charge, take control, and run everything. What goes along with being the supreme ruler of all existence, of everything?

Well, let's connect Matthew 4, verses 8 and 9 with that. Matthew 4, verses 8 and 9. Verse 8.

Again, the devil takes him up into an exceeding high mountain and shows him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, and says to him, All these things will I give you if you will fall down and worship me.

Think about it. To be the supreme on the throne of God, to be in control of everything and everyone the way he saw it, also meant to be worshiped. And just like he did his best to get Christ to fall down before Him at His feet and worship Him, the insight is Satan wants to be worshiped. That is so important to him. He wants to be obeyed. He wants to be followed. He wants to be copied.

You know, Satan is playing two games, and they're both powerful.

He's playing a game through the front door, out front, where there are people who are Satanists, the occult, who worship Him right up front. You may have seen where there was a little, oh, what would you call it? The word escapes me. But anyway, a little setup of that representing Satan in the capital in Iowa.

Iowa. And there are Satan clubs. And there's a little lawsuit right now because a guy, Christian, went in there and tore it down, set it up beside the nativity scene.

A little, oh, can't think of the word I'm looking for, but anyway, Satan worshipers.

So, he's got two games going. One is out front, the front door, out front, bold, where people profess to worship Satan and do his bidding and all of that.

And then the subtle game, which is very powerful in its subtlety, is getting people to follow his institutions even while they are trying to be, quote, Christian. And they're against the devil, and they speak against him, and they teach against him, but they bought into his traditions and institutions even though they don't realize it. In most cases, they don't. And so, the devil has a big grin on his face when people say, I'm a Satanist. And he's got those who just very openly follow him. But he's also got a sly smile on his face for those who are cussing him and rejecting him while they're still following that which he generates, which he created.

Because both ways, he's being worshipped. One, people know they're worshiping him. The other way, people don't know they're worshiping him. They would be horrified and fright you if you told them, well, what you're practicing worships Satan. You know, and of course, I'm not advising you to do that. I'm just saying he still grins because the way he sees it, he's winning the ballgame.

Take John 8, verse 44. Look at a prime institution of his. And this isn't an institution of his because before he did it, it didn't exist. He actually is a creator of certain things.

And sin is one of them. And the various sins that there are. John 8, 44. Christ said, you are of your father, the devil, and the lusts of your father, you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, from the beginning of murder. I mean, there was no spirit of murder until he came up with it and abode not in the truth because there's no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it. The very first lie that ever crossed a set of lips came across his lips. It is interesting that God cannot lie. You know, there are some things that God cannot do. One of those, and I'll read from Titus 1, verse 2, one of those is that God cannot lie. It says right here in Titus 1 and verse 2, it says, in hope of eternal life which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.

God cannot lie.

And that's wonderful. That's wonderful. He cannot lie. Hebrews 6, 18 is another place where that's brought out. Hebrews 6 and verse 18 says that by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hopes that be forced, that by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie.

That's comforting. Lying is of the devil. All lies are of the devil. No lie is of God.

That's just like if there's a doctrinal deception, it's a lie.

And it didn't come by the Holy Spirit. It came by the lying spirit.

No lie is of God.

Now, 1 John 2, 21. 1 John 2 and verse 21.

John is that aged apostle in his 90s, said, I have not written unto you because you know not the truth. Talking to the church.

The church. You know the truth. I have not written unto you because you don't know the truth, but because you know it. He's talking to the church. You know it.

And what you know is that no lie is of the truth. No lie is of the truth.

As a spiritual Jew, I am required to worship God in spirit and in truth, as we read in John 4.

And once again, unto the God who cannot lie and the God who does not change His values, does not put compromise first or convenience, but is the Lord that we can count on forever because in His righteousness, His character, His nature, He is unchangeable. Again, the last chapter of the Bible, Revelation 22.

Well, I'm going to read chapter 21, verse 27 first. The last verse of chapter 21. It's verse 27. And there shall no wise enter into it anything that defiles, neither whatsoever works of domination. These are the things that are going to be left out of the Holy Spirit, eternal life, all of that. Or makes a lie, but they which are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Now, chapter 22, and verse 15, again, giving a list of those who are left out because they would not repent and would not change from these sins for without are dogs. And dogs usually refers to sodomites and male prostitutes and sorcerers and whoremongers and murderers and idolaters. I mean, that's a heavy-duty list, really super heavy-duty list, isn't it? But know what's included also because it's heavy duty.

Whosoever loves and makes a lie, or makes a lie that they love. However you want to word it, but the indictment against lying and lies loves and makes a lie.

Following lies honors Satan. God cannot lie, and he will not be served by lies. Period.

These are hard truths for people who aren't called, whose minds are not opened.

But again, remember, my approach on this is, this is why I don't and won't keep Christmas.

And of course, this season, do I need to lay out all of the lies that are involved? Number one, it's alive that December 25th is Christ's birthday because it is not.

And all knowledgeable scholars know that. And with fingertip knowledge anymore, just going to the internet and doing a, just, you know, searching, bringing up Christmas and doing historical backdrop and all of that, they know that December 25th is not Christ's birthday. And we all know, no fat man in a red suit can come down chimneys. And with reindeer that fly, go all around the world in one quick night. I mean, we understand all that. I mean, it's ludicrous.

And we don't expect adults to believe those things because we know better. Those are just some of the lies. But the question I have is this.

At what age is it okay to start lying to your children? Think about that. At what age is it okay to lie to your children? Start lying. And when you do lie, you're not following God's way, obviously, because God doesn't lie.

Why do human beings fall so prey to all of this? Again, go along to get along, stay in the mainstream, stay with the crowd. I saw a movie long ago when I was young. Kirk Douglas was in it, Lonely or the Brave. And that's a phrase that does fit God's people, because it can be a lonely situation many times because you might be the only one in your community, at your job, in your family, whatever, that steps out and does what is right.

But why does man fall so prey to it? Well, think about it. South will be his own balls, free to do his own thing, decide for himself. That always generates a certain amount of corruption and compromise. Let's look further at what's involved in the harm done.

By their fruit, you shall know them. Which spirit do you see involved and promoted? Do you really see? And again, let's focus on the kids. The Catholic Church says, give me a child to their seven years old and they will always be a Catholic. What are they referring to? They're referring to the fact that if you get the kid at birth and have him till seven, by that time, you've embedded in him that which will affect him for a lifetime. And when we take the babies, the toddlers, and we start embedding certain customs and traditions in them, by the time before and by the time certainly they get into the school system, we've got these things deeply entrenched in them. Satan knows how it works. I mean, he's very aware. The spirit that's promoted with the children, you hear it in the statements.

You're out and about. You go to the mall. You go to Walmart. You go someplace. You go any place, especially. And you don't have to go where there's the Santa and kids sitting on his knee, you know, a lion with little kids sitting on his knee, telling Santa what they want for Christmas.

You don't have to see it there. You can see it if you're standing in line to check out somewhere. And the cashier saying to the little kid with his mama in front of you, what are you getting for Christmas? What's Santa bringing you?

It's interesting. Get, get, get. It's always, what are you getting? What are you getting? What are you getting? What are you getting Christmas? Now, that just comes natural to a child. We know that.

So what you do is you magnify it. You put a magnifying glass on that, which is natural to them, and you make it a stronger force in them. When Mr. Armstrong, who had an uncanny ability with words to be able to crystallize things, to distill things down to clear and powerful and yet simple statements. And you'll remember this, how that he talked about how you could narrow the way of man, the spirit of this world, the way of life of the natural, chronic human being, and God's way down to a simple statement. The way of give, which is God's way, the way of give versus the way of get. And giving is something that requires responsibility. And I would like to do a sermon on that someday. The way of get comes very natural. We know God is a giver. James said that in James 1.17, that God is a giver, points that out. And we also know from Acts 20 and verse 35, that it's more blessed to give than to receive. That's Acts 20 verse 35, more blessed to give than to receive. So we understand that. When you were called to God's way of life, when I was called to God's way of life, whether that would be at age 20, 15, 55, whatever, what was one of the great challenges? One of the great challenges was to get off of the basis of get onto the basis of give.

Learning how to reject the entrapment of the way of get and practice the way of give.

And especially for those who didn't grow up in the church, if you were 55, just use that as an age, you could look back and realize that the earliest years of your life, the way of get was very much embedded in you. It comes natural.

We all have to deal with it. It comes natural. But how it was magnified and promoted by this season.

Satan is a getter. He's a taker. Now it is interesting, and we all are very familiar with the account of Job.

Satan, where have you been? There in Job 1.

Mocking up and down, to and fro on the earth. Well then, surely you have noticed my servant Job, haven't you? Oh yeah, oh yeah, I've circled around him. I can't get to him. You've built a hedge around him.

Yeah, he's got a lot of cattle and kids. Things are going very well for him.

Oh yeah, yeah, he's obeying you. But you know, God, he's only doing it because of what he gets.

He's in it for what he can get. It's all about get for him. And that's his motivation.

Now God knew better, but God doesn't always share with the devil what he knows.

And the devil thinks that he's getting the upper hand on God, and he comes to find out when a situation is over with that he's been had again, so to speak. You let me get to him, God. You just let him remove some of that hedge, and I'll prove it to you that he just did it for what he can get.

And we know the whole account. We know the story. But what's interesting is that Satan thought that that basis of get, which is 100% in Satan, and he knows there's some of it in all of us, but he really trusts in that to get his way with folks.

And he believes that anyone can be manipulated and controlled, influenced through that particular getting mentality. And he does what he can to stimulate it.

I'm not going to turn to John 6. You might just want to write this down. John 6 verses 22 through 26. You know the remultitudes that followed Christ. And they were more on the get basis than they realized many times. And sometimes, maybe they did realize it, but maybe they didn't.

But it's interesting what he told them. He tells a particular multitude this and that account there in John 6. He says, because you did eat of the loaves, you seek Me. It wasn't a spiritual seeking.

It was to fill their belly. They were on a get basis. And they weren't converted.

And Christ knew that, but He just pointed out a truth, because you did eat of the loaves.

It's what's in it for you, what you can get, that you seek Me. People prove that to Him. And people prove to Satan that get is such a motivating force in them. So, He starts in on early, doing what He can to help that be a very powerful motivating basis. And again, isn't it ironic and significant that the very approach and a basic motivation that you and I and that every human is going to have to fight and overcome in order to be in the kingdom of God is the very spirit and attitude that isn't filled or, let's say, magnified at a very early age. And I haven't even touched upon the extortion of trick-or-treating and all the get of Halloween. Okay, the relevance. And I have talked about a lot of the relevance.

So, I won't hit this too heavy, but when people say, well, you know, it's not relevant, I think I've shown relevance. It doesn't matter. I think I've shown it matters. It's no big deal. I think I've shown that it is a big deal and that they're totally wrong. And then when they say, well, God doesn't mind because we're using it to worship Him. I think I've shown that it does matter because they're choosing for God what He has to accept when He's already determined what He will accept and what He will not accept. And then when they say, well, and these are things I've run into over the years, Christ has conquered it. Well, Christ has redeemed it. Christ has even baptized it, I think. Well, how do you baptize a pagan custom? But all these terms that you will hear, they're playing with words and twisting things, and every part of God's great law, way of life, is violated. But I think one of the things that is also so very relevant to you and me, is operational behavior. Do you really believe that only God the Father calls?

If you do, then you're going to operate according to that conviction. You're going to realize that for one thing, God has to call. God has to open the eyes. Just like He opened yours, He has opened theirs. And if He's not choosing to open theirs at the time, you may have the cleverest argument in the world, but you're not going to get anywhere with it. But people live behind a veil. There's a blindness there, and it's going to be there unless or until God Himself specifically lifts that blindness. But then on top of that, there may be academic knowledge, and they may be able to academically know and tell you the history of Christmas, for instance.

But then there's that other aspect of human makeup, weakness. They don't have the strength to go against family. They don't have the strength to do what they've got to do.

And then there's the other aspect with a lot of people is their sincerity. And of course, on the one hand, we've always said, and it's true, that the very first three letters in sincerity spell sin. And there is a lot of sin in sincerity, but that still doesn't take away from the fact that so many people are sincere. And what they're sincere about, you're not going to talk them out of it. The most you get out of some of these exercises, if you push things, is broken relationships, or broken noses, or black eyes. And so, the children of light are supposed to exercise wisdom.

At this time of the year, I mean, there's business that will tell their employees, tell everybody, Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday, whatever. You know, they instruct them that they've got to greet everybody that way. And some people don't have to be instructed to, they just feel the Christmas spirit, as they would put it, and they want to wish you well.

So many times, I just let it be like, water off the duck's back. I let things just wash off my back because I realize, some of it's just rote. They just say it to everybody, and after a while, it's like if you say a word over and over and over and over after a while, it doesn't sound right to your own ears. They just do it. Don't call attention to it. Don't worry about it.

And I've used the example before about how that, if you, you know, I've made a practice to go into the lobby over the years at the bank and do my banking business with a teller. I mean, I just like that personal contact. And, you know, over time, it doesn't take long, and they realize I'm a minister. And I've had tellers say, are you ready for Christmas? And my comeback is, as ready as I'm going to be, which is not a lie, because I'm not getting any readier than I am. I'm fully ready for it, but not in the way that they think, you know. And it's like one teller one year said to me, she said, your pastor, aren't you? And I said, yeah. She said, is your church doing anything different this year for Christmas than last year? She gave me an easy one. I said, no, we're doing the same thing. Which, again, is no lie. And as I've said, they're just making conversation. They're being friendly, and you've got four people standing behind you in line, hoping that you'll hurry up so they can get up there and do their business.

I never see it as, oh, God is presenting me an opportunity to give them the truth.

Nope. But now I have to tell her what to say. Hey, real quick, I know there's people waiting, but you're a pastor, right? Yeah. You keep Christmas? No, I don't. Well, I've got some serious doubts about it. Could I talk with you sometime about it? Oh, yeah. And I'd arranged a meter at a McDonald's or someplace, you know, public like that, and I'd answer whatever questions. But, again, is just the thing to do? Or are they curious? Or is there true interest? You have to make some judgment calls. Proverbs 2.11 says this. Proverbs 2 verse 11 says, discretion shall preserve you. Understanding shall keep you. That's very important. Discretion shall preserve you. Understanding shall keep you. You want to deal with love and discretion.

The Scripture in Ephesians 4.15, this says this, and this particular phrase I want to emphasize, but speaking the truth in love. To me, that means we have to be careful not to use the truth as a battering ram. You try to batter somebody's door down with a battering ram, what do they do on the other side? They try to beef up the door on the other side so you can't knock it down. You don't get anywhere using the truth as a battering ram or as a war club to beat people over the head with. And I think in conjunction with speaking the truth in love, I think of Colossians 4, verses 5 and 6. Verse 4 says that I may make it manifest or obvious as I ought to speak. And he says in verse 5, "...walk in wisdom toward them that are without." That's the uncalled. Walk in wisdom toward the uncalled, them that are without. Someday they will be within, but right now they're not. Redeeming the timer, that is using it wisely and properly, productively. And in verse 6, "...let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, flavored, flavorful, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." And in so doing, according to those instructions, you're not defensive. You're not angry. You're not self-righteous. You don't let yourself be hurt over the situation, so to speak, or feel rejected.

And you certainly don't feel superior. They will see it in due time. And if you do what you should, and I do what I should, and we're faithful to our future husband that we are engaged to, we will have the wonderful opportunity to deal with our loved ones at a time when they'll be on the same page as we are, and have a wonderful relationship and depth of relationship with them. So, in some ways, this season tests our wisdom and our love, how we deal in wisdom and love more than probably any other time of the year, obviously. But it also puts us on the line to once again show God that we will honor Him with our practices and our attitudes, and also the season helps us to realize once again that we need to be prepared to help with answers, where there is truly the opportunity to help with answers, and to know the difference about when there is and when there isn't. But this, these are reasons why I don't and won't keep Christmas.