Merry Christmas Dr Mohler and thank you for your Godly work throughout this year. Your morning Christian focused commentary has help frame an often bizarre world into a context that I can digest. -W
I listen most mornings to The Briefing. Thank you for your contribution to my Christian Worldview which is strengthened by your program. God Bless you now and always till He Returns again.
At 25:30 concerning whether certain traditions are pagan in their origins: If you name the days of the week, or the months of the year, you are "observing paganism". Stay true to Romans 14. If you have a tree, a mistletoe, or exchanging of gifts; as long as the Lord is central, do it!
I’m 81 and have had Christmas trees in my home most of my life. Then two or three years ago I read the passage in Deuteronomy where God says, “You shall not worship Me in that way.” Slow learner indeed, but it’s not how I perceive the Christmas tree, but how God perceives it. It does not elevate Jesus Christ, it displaces Him. Just ask your kids and the culture around you. Was it hard to turn loose of an idol? Yes it was. And if the conviction continues I might have to get rid of my Santa Claus memorabilia!
The tendency to incorporate paganism into our worship goes back a long way. However, so does the Father’s seeking those who worship Him in Spirit and in truth. And the two sort of become exclusive of one another at some point. The time of Christ’s birth has been common knowledge since Luke was written, approximately during the Feast of Tabernacles in the autumn. Definitely not on the same birthday as the Roman Sun god. But do you suppose the women and men mentioned in Ezekiel were innocent because they didn’t realize what they were doing had pagan origins? Ezekiel 8:14-16 NKJV So He brought me to the door of the north gate of the LORD's house; and to my dismay, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz. [15] Then He said to me, "Have you seen this, O son of man? Turn again, you will see greater abominations than these." [16] So He brought me into the inner court of the LORD's house; and there, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east.
If you’ve ever read how Christmas was celebrated during the time of the Puritans, you would understand why they had nothing to do with it. It was more like Mardi Gras than what we know as Christmas.
Revelation, 22:14 - Blessed are those who do his commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city. 15 - Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Thought experiment. What if Christians made every Lord's Day as special and joyous as we do Christmas? Would any other "holy days" be needed or even desired?
The fact that the shepherds were in the fields at night tells us that Christ probably wasn't born in December. More likely He was born at the feast of tabernacles.
Every day is the same. NOWHERE is "the Lord’s day" commanded. Rather it was an early tradition which has nothing to do with Shabbat. Shabbat which is not the same as Saturday as it starts and ends with sundown; was only ever commanded to national Israel. The Church calendar is a tradition of men which like Christian leaders often do; are given as if commanded by God. See Matthew 22 and 23 for what Christ thought of the religious leaders of His day. Not much has changed as they pick and choose from Moses what they want to enforce on laity. Only the law of Christ binds us, as Moses being fulfilled was set aside like an old schoolmates or a fulfilled mortgage.
@@JRRodriguez-nu7po Genesis 2:2-3 NKJV And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. [3] Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. The word rested here is “shabbated “, and here day 7 was sanctified, which really does mean that every day is not the same. One day is set apart, sanctified by God Himself. As for “the LORD’S Day,” that’s strange also. The entire book of Revelation is about that great and terrible Day of the LORD, God’s judgment being poured out on sin. It has nothing to do with Sunday of all things. You cannot even say “LORD’S Day” in Hebrew, and there are enough Hebrew-isms in Revelation to speculate that it was written in Hebrew originally and later translated into Greek. So John wasn’t snoozing on Sunday morning instead of being in Sunday school! But that appears to be the source of Sunday being known as the LORD’S Day. It was not sanctified by Christ being raised on Firstfruits, which has been on Sunday for about 3,500 years now!
There's no biblical basis for the church year. There's plenty for observing the Lord's Feasts which christendom ignores or deliberately argues against. Go figure.
Merry Christmas Dr Mohler and thank you for your Godly work throughout this year. Your morning Christian focused commentary has help frame an often bizarre world into a context that I can digest. -W
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I listen most mornings to The Briefing. Thank you for your contribution to my Christian Worldview which is strengthened by your program. God Bless you now and always till He Returns again.
Thank you for this years news and updates, dear brother
Merry Christmas and a blessing filled New Year to you and your family, Dr. Mohler! Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us all year through!
Loved this video and the background. Went way towards the Puritan's on Christmas, which was needed, but I still love a star over a tree.
Love these morning studies...Merry Christmas
Been reading your new Christmas devotional and am getting a lot out of it.
I will miss your briefings sir. MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR. ❤
love the history.
At 25:30 concerning whether certain traditions are pagan in their origins: If you name the days of the week, or the months of the year, you are "observing paganism". Stay true to Romans 14. If you have a tree, a mistletoe, or exchanging of gifts; as long as the Lord is central, do it!
Merry Christmas and happy new year! Dr Mohler, are you taking a break for the morning briefing? I missed these week :)
Good morning!
I’m 81 and have had Christmas trees in my home most of my life. Then two or three years ago I read the passage in Deuteronomy where God says, “You shall not worship Me in that way.” Slow learner indeed, but it’s not how I perceive the Christmas tree, but how God perceives it. It does not elevate Jesus Christ, it displaces Him. Just ask your kids and the culture around you.
Was it hard to turn loose of an idol? Yes it was. And if the conviction continues I might have to get rid of my Santa Claus memorabilia!
The tendency to incorporate paganism into our worship goes back a long way. However, so does the Father’s seeking those who worship Him in Spirit and in truth. And the two sort of become exclusive of one another at some point. The time of Christ’s birth has been common knowledge since Luke was written, approximately during the Feast of Tabernacles in the autumn. Definitely not on the same birthday as the Roman Sun god. But do you suppose the women and men mentioned in Ezekiel were innocent because they didn’t realize what they were doing had pagan origins?
Ezekiel 8:14-16 NKJV
So He brought me to the door of the north gate of the LORD's house; and to my dismay, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz. [15] Then He said to me, "Have you seen this, O son of man? Turn again, you will see greater abominations than these." [16] So He brought me into the inner court of the LORD's house; and there, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east.
If you’ve ever read how Christmas was celebrated during the time of the Puritans, you would understand why they had nothing to do with it. It was more like Mardi Gras than what we know as Christmas.
Revelation, 22:14 - Blessed are those who do his commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city.
15 - Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Gm
Thought experiment. What if Christians made every Lord's Day as special and joyous as we do Christmas? Would any other "holy days" be needed or even desired?
The fact that the shepherds were in the fields at night tells us that Christ probably wasn't born in December. More likely He was born at the feast of tabernacles.
Every day is the same. NOWHERE is "the Lord’s day" commanded. Rather it was an early tradition which has nothing to do with Shabbat. Shabbat which is not the same as Saturday as it starts and ends with sundown; was only ever commanded to national Israel.
The Church calendar is a tradition of men which like Christian leaders often do; are given as if commanded by God. See Matthew 22 and 23 for what Christ thought of the religious leaders of His day.
Not much has changed as they pick and choose from Moses what they want to enforce on laity. Only the law of Christ binds us, as Moses being fulfilled was set aside like an old schoolmates or a fulfilled mortgage.
@@JRRodriguez-nu7po Genesis 2:2-3 NKJV
And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. [3] Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
The word rested here is “shabbated “, and here day 7 was sanctified, which really does mean that every day is not the same. One day is set apart, sanctified by God Himself.
As for “the LORD’S Day,” that’s strange also. The entire book of Revelation is about that great and terrible Day of the LORD, God’s judgment being poured out on sin. It has nothing to do with Sunday of all things. You cannot even say “LORD’S Day” in Hebrew, and there are enough Hebrew-isms in Revelation to speculate that it was written in Hebrew originally and later translated into Greek. So John wasn’t snoozing on Sunday morning instead of being in Sunday school! But that appears to be the source of Sunday being known as the LORD’S Day. It was not sanctified by Christ being raised on Firstfruits, which has been on Sunday for about 3,500 years now!
There's no biblical basis for the church year. There's plenty for observing the Lord's Feasts which christendom ignores or deliberately argues against. Go figure.