 Amen. So this evening, my goal is to get you as we're about a couple days or Christmas is right around the corner. My goal is to get you all in the Christmas spirit this evening. So the kids, I might need some help from the kids at the beginning of the service. But I'm going to try to get you in the Christmas spirit this evening. As a matter of fact, I'm going to try to preach the most Christmassy sermon that you've ever heard in your life. So we're going to get real Christmassy tonight. So I've got some lights around the pulpit. Everybody likes Christmas lights, right? I mean, who likes Christmas lights? Everybody likes Christmas lights, right? The kids, you like Christmas lights, you see them on all the houses and all that. So I put Christmas lights around the pulpit so we can get really Christmassy and we can get in the Christmas spirit a couple days before Christmas. So what else could we think of that we could get up here to get more Christmassy tonight? What else would we like to see that's a Christmassy type thing? How about a Christmas tree? Does everybody like Christmas trees? Well, I happen to bring one. I brought a Christmas tree. So let's get Christmassy with a Christmas tree tonight. I brought a Christmas tree here for the service. We'll put up a Christmas tree. Let's get this thing going here. Let's see. Should work. I always test everything before I do it. So let's try this out. There we go. Well, the lights didn't work. That's no good. Anyway, while we have a Christmas tree, there's probably one burnt out. Whoever designed that, I mean, figure that one out. Anyway, so we got a Christmas tree. What else could we think of that, you know, I mean, there's still some things we could probably have, you know, for Christmas. You know what I like to do for Christmas to get myself really in the Christmas spirit? I like to shop for worthless garbage on Amazon that gets me in the Christmas spirit. And I got some right here. So actually, and the funny thing is, and it's sad, I'm sad to actually report this this evening, but none of this stuff was actually purchased for this sermon. I actually own these things. Look at this here. This is pretty Christmasy. It's got a song. I think one of the songs is actually in the hymn book. So it's got a song. It's got a train. I like trains. I really like high speed imaginary trains, especially that's an inside joke. The YouTube people aren't going to get that one. But anyway, it's looking pretty Christmasy, but I think something's missing. This is what I need the kids for. What else is missing? What is like the most exciting thing about Christmas? Think, what is it? Well, Christmas trees, but what, you know, it goes around the Christmas tree and it's super exciting about Christmas. What do you think? There we go. So I got some presents too. Let's see. All right. Got some presents. There we go. Now we're in the Christmas spirit. Right. This is the Christmas spirit. The problem is, is I can't even really find my Bible right now. So let's just go ahead and take this stuff down and then we'll go into the sermon. But I just wanted to get you all prepared to be in the Christmas spirit. Okay. So pretty Christmasy. Would you agree? All right. Okay. I need the ushers to take this stuff out of here. I should have warned you. Brother Matt, can you take this or are you handicapped? All right. You got it? Okay. Take that. All right. Thank you. Okay. So just for the purpose of the sermon, we'll take the Christmasy things down and then we can look at those things later. Okay. But anyway, you know, what do we see here? We saw a lot of stuff, right? We saw a lot of stuff that we see everywhere for Christmas. Everybody sees these things every year. You probably have a lot of these things in your house. You know, the question is this evening, you know, are these things a problem? You know, I mean, think about the day of Christmas. Is it a, you know, is it something, you know, you don't really see, you know, Jesus's birthday, you know, being celebrated in the Bible. You know, so to speak. So the point is, should we even be doing this? You know, should we even be doing this Christmas thing? This Christmas thing is something that Christians themselves debate. You know, they'll go back and forth. Some people think you should celebrate Christmas. And some Christians are like, you shouldn't celebrate Christmas. And you know, it's a pagan thing. And people have problems with Christmas trees and Christmas lights and all these different types of things. So the point is, and the point I want to focus on tonight is, is it wrong to do these things? Is it wrong to celebrate Christmas? Look at Romans chapter 14 where you started this evening. We're going to start and we're going to end in Romans chapter 14. Look at Romans chapter 14 and look at verse number five. Let's first look and see if it's wrong to celebrate Christmas. Okay. Look at Romans chapter 14 and verse number five. And of course, you know what I think already. We obviously believe that it's okay to celebrate Christmas. But let's look at some things this evening. Look at verse number five. The Bible says, One man is steameth one day above another. Another steameth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. That means right there in verse number five that every person, every Christian can decide which day he wants to celebrate or call a holy day. He can decide for himself. However, it gets into some more detail in verse number six. Look at verse number six. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord. And he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord, that he not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord. For he giveth God thanks. And he that eateth not to the Lord, he eateth not. And giveth God thanks. So the point is, is some people may not celebrate Christmas. Some people may celebrate Christmas. What the Bible here is telling us is that both are okay. Both are okay to do. So let me demonstrate Romans chapter 14 and verse number five and verse number six with four different scenarios this evening. And we'll look at how this could work out and play out in different people's opinions, different people's minds. How people might be persuaded in one way or another. So just bear with me and let's look at four different scenarios here. The first scenario is this. Someone doesn't celebrate Christmas because they feel it has lost its meaning. Look, you will find these people. You will find Christian families that don't celebrate Christmas. I'm not talking about Jehovah's Witnesses. I'm not talking about weird cults or anything. You'll find Christian people that just don't believe in it. They don't believe in it. They believe it's overcommercialized. They believe Jesus is not in it anymore. Or it's not his real birthday. We'll get into that in a little bit too. Or it's a pagan winter solstice festival. All these types of things. But the point is that this is okay if people individually make this decision. Because as verse number six says, it is to the Lord that he doth not regard it. So they are not regarding it out of respect for the Lord. So this is okay as Romans 14 points out. Even though that may not be your perspective or my perspective this evening, someone that takes that perspective for the Lord, it's okay that they take that perspective. So that's someone that just doesn't celebrate Christmas because they believe that it has become disrespectful and it's lost its meaning of being for the Lord. So they're offended, so to speak, for Jesus so they don't celebrate Christmas. That's the first scenario. Somebody that doesn't celebrate Christmas. Look at the second scenario. Let's say a Christian does celebrate Christmas. But this Christian, they do nothing but put up lights. They do nothing but put up Christmas trees. They decorate their yards with an inflatable snowman. I couldn't find one. I was going to put one up here. But they were all sold out. Imagine that. They're all out of inflatable snowmen because everybody, you know, they bought them all already. I mean, I look at that stuff in Home Depot and I'm just like, who is buying this garbage? It's all gone. That's how. And we go out soul-winning and we know who's buying it. Everybody. So we have these Christians that they go out, they put up lights. They put up the inflatable snowmen. They obsess over the trees, the food, the lights, the presents, everything. But this one, you know, he's only celebrating Christmas or he or she or they are only celebrating Christmas for themselves. This person is not celebrating Christmas unto the Lord, as Romans 14 would say. So this person is not. So you could literally have a situation where somebody is different from you and I and doesn't celebrate Christmas and then someone who does celebrate Christmas and the person that doesn't celebrate Christmas is more right than the person that does if the person that does is not celebrating it unto the Lord. Okay? Does that make sense? Now look at this. Look at the third scenario. Someone doesn't celebrate Christmas. So we had one person that didn't celebrate Christmas because they were offended for Jesus. Well, what about somebody that just doesn't celebrate Christmas because they just, they don't believe the Bible, they don't believe in Jesus, they're not religious, whatever. So this is kind of an irrelevant point because this type of person, it's irrelevant to go and say, is this person right with the Lord for not celebrating Christmas because if they don't believe in Jesus, the fact that they don't celebrate Christmas is like their smallest problem that they have. The fact that they don't believe in Jesus, look, this person has bigger issues than just not celebrating Christmas. So they're not celebrating it unto themselves, which is very dangerous for people. And we meet these types of people all the time as well. So here's the fourth scenario. Somebody does celebrate Christmas, but their focus is never taken off the Lord. Their focus is on Christ and on the birth of the Savior. Then it is okay, go back to Romans chapter 14. The problem ultimately is we make this decision ourselves. Each individual family, each individual man will make this decision for his family. Look at Romans 4, 14 and verse number 7. For none of us liveeth to himself and no man ditheth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord. Whether we die, we die unto the Lord. Whether we live therefore or die, we are the Lord. So if somebody that celebrates Christmas, this is not a problem as long as they are celebrating it unto the Lord. To this end, Christ both died and rose and revived and he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. But why dost thou judge thy brother? Or why dost thou set it not by thy brother? We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. So here Paul is addressing in the Romans. He's addressing this cultural clash between the Gentiles and the Jews. Some people had religious days, other people didn't. Then the Gentiles had religious days of other things and the Jews didn't. And he's just saying, look, as long as you're celebrating these things for the Lord, just don't judge each other over these things is what Paul is doing. And it goes down to eating and drinking and clean and unclean things as well. But the whole point is, if somebody doesn't celebrate it unto the Lord or does celebrate it unto the Lord, you have to leave them alone. That's not your wheelhouse. That's their personal decision. All right, so what about all the stuff though? Let's say that we celebrate, I mean, I celebrate Christmas. Obviously you all celebrate Christmas. We're having a Christmas cookie decorating craft for the kids and we're going to have Christmas cookies tonight. What about all the stuff? You saw all the stuff I had piled onto the pulpit. I mean, it's very distracting. It's very taking your mind off anything that really should be about Christmas. But the point is, the question is, are these things inherently wrong? The lights, the trees, the presents, all the gadgets and the things. I mean, are they, I mean, the tree, you could be argued as people say that it was a pagan thing back in the 4th century or whatever. I mean, decorations, cookies, are these things by themselves sinful? Turn to Matthew chapter 13. Let's look at this. Turn to Matthew chapter 13. Because, okay, we want to celebrate Christmas, but I certainly don't want to do anything that is sinful, anything that's wrong. So look at Matthew chapter 13. Let's look at this. Are these things? Are these lights that I have around the pulpit? Are these things sinful? Look at Matthew chapter 13 in verse number 22. Look what the Bible says. Now, this is the parable of the sower. We see the seed, which is the word of God. It's sowed in different types of ground. But it's interesting the ground, the thorns, the thorns in verse number 22 represent something very interesting that we'll point to tonight. He also that received the seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word. So the seed is the word of God. And the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and he becomeeth unfruitful. Now notice in this verse how it says that, so this is somebody that the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, it makes them, they receive the word of God, but they become unfruitful because of the cares of this world. Now notice how it doesn't just say this world and riches. Notice how it says the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches. It's not the point you have to understand here. And this is a tough one for Christians. This is a tough one for Christians to balance. It takes a lot of maturity in the Christian life to make this balance, not just with Christmas decorations, but just in life in general. It's not the riches that cause the trouble. It's the fact that we care about it. It's the love of money that is the root of all evil. It's not just money that's the root of all evil. It's the fact that you love it is the problem. Now this is a hard balance for people. Look at in verse number 22 it says the deceitfulness of riches. It's not the riches that you're deceived by the riches. It's not the world that you care too much about the world. I mean think about this. This is why it's such a hard balance for people. Because think about riches, just think about just money. Look you need money. You need money to survive in this world. You need money. And look, not just to eat and to clothe yourselves. Let's be real here Americans. It's nice to have things. It's nice to have a car that doesn't break every five seconds. You know how you get a car that doesn't break every five seconds? You spend more money on a car. It's nice to have nicer things. And that on its own is not inherently sinful. Turn to Matthew chapter 6. But how do we recognize the need for things in this world, but also not obsess over having them to the point where it just becomes this obsession, this love, or this care as Matthew 13.22 says. Look at Matthew chapter 6 in verse number 25. Matthew chapter 6 in verse number 25. Matthew says, therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life. So here we're going to see the other side of the coin. Here we're going to see the other side of the coin where in Matthew 13.22 it was the cares of this world that was literally choking the Word of God out of this person. They were deceived by riches. How are they deceived by riches? Being deceived by riches means I don't want riches or money to get a car that won't break down every day so I can get to work. That's not being deceived by riches. Being deceived by riches is falsely thinking that riches are what I need in my life. That's the difference. And Matthew chapter 6 is explaining this difference. It says, take no thought for your life. What you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor yet for your body what you put on is not the life more than meat and body more than raiment. Now, look, this isn't saying just lay down and just let people do stuff for you. This is saying, look, you are to in 2 Thessalonians 3.10 it says if a man doesn't work, he ought not eat. So the Bible here is assuming that you already know that you're supposed to do the things in the Word of God. You are supposed to work hard, provide for your own, all these different things. But it says, look, once you are doing what the Word of God says, don't worry about it. Don't take thought for your life what you shall eat. And then he says, behold, the fowls of the air, for they sow not, and neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are you not much better than they? It's talking about how once you're doing, I mean, it's talking about he's going to compare, you know, the flowers and the birds and how God takes care of these inanimate things to won't he take care of you too? But you must be in a good relationship with the Lord by following his Word. So you have to understand that as well. It says, why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they toil not, neither do they spin. Yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field which to this day and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? This is telling people that once you are doing what God has commanded you to do, don't worry about God taking care of you. God will do his part. Have faith in the Lord. It doesn't say lay down and sin and just fall into all kinds of sin. Because look, then you're going to starve, as Paul says. Or you should starve. But look, it's saying to not obsess over riches. Don't worry about these things. You need them. If you do what the word of God says, you will have the money that you need and God will provide for you. But it's not the price. It's not the price. And look, that's a tough balance for people. And it gets tougher to balance that the more, it's ironic, but it gets tough to balance it, the better at it you get. Maybe you get better at working hard and you get better. Look, it becomes a risk. If you get better at working hard and you get better at making money and providing for your family, but you also don't mature as a Christian at the same time, you can fall into these thorns. You can fall into these thorns. So look, it's the same with Christmas and all the everything and all the Christmassy stuff that I showed you up here at the pulpit. Look, the lights, the presents, the commercial aspect of it. Look, it's not sinful by itself. It's those things but taken together. Look, I couldn't even find my Bible in this mess, which is a good analogy because Jesus was lost on the pulpit. Jesus was lost in the pulpit. Look, the problem with all these things is by themselves, the lights, the presents, the trees, the decorations, the parties, the food, the feasts, all these things is that the problem is they're not sinful by themselves, but what's happening today is taken together. Christ is lost in all of it. I mean, many people today celebrate Christmas just on a traditional level. Many people today, they celebrate Christmas. They have no beliefs. They don't go to church. They don't know what the Bible says. They're not saved. They're probably never going to get saved but they celebrate Christmas because it's fun. It's fun getting presents and putting up lights and going to candy cane lane or Christmas tree lane or whatever it is, getting time off of work, seeing friends and family that maybe you haven't seen for a long time. You know, the holidays! People do it just on a traditional basis at this point and look, all of these things have become a replacement for Christ and that's the problem with all these things. So only when it becomes a replacement for Christ which for many people is the case. But look, that is also what can happen to us. Especially our kids with all the flash and just the candy and everything about it, Christ can be lost. So the things by themselves are not sinful. It's the care of it that's sinful. Just like Matthew 13.22 says they become thorns. They become thorns that choke Christ out of Christmas, so to speak. It's kind of strange. I was thinking about this when I was writing this sermon but it is a little weird. Just think about it from the perspective of it's a birthday. It's a birthday of the Messiah. So let's think about a birthday. Kids, think about this. Think about a birthday party. Hannah has a birthday and she has a big party and she has all the kids over from the church and all the kids just like give themselves presents in hand that doesn't get anything. Wouldn't that be weird? Wouldn't that be strange? Turn to 1 Corinthians 11. I was thinking about this. Does Jesus even want a birthday party? I was thinking about this. Does Jesus want a birthday party? I think I know the answer. Look at what the Bible says. Look at 1 Corinthians 11. He never tells us in the Bible to celebrate my birthday. He never commands us in the Bible. You better not forget my birthday. I'm going to be upset. You better get together, celebrate my birthday and get yourself a bunch of presents and I get nothing. That's a weird birthday. I do think that in certain cases it may be okay. Look at 1 Corinthians 11 in verse 24. It's all how we celebrate it, folks. It's all whether or not it's unto the Lord or not. Look at 1 Corinthians 11 in verse 24. And we had given thanks. He break it and said, take, eat. This is my body which is broken for you. This do in remembrance of me. This is Jesus at the Last Supper. This simple two verses right here has caused more confusing doctrine than maybe any other two verses in the Bible. This is Jesus at the dinner table. He literally takes bread and says, take, eat. This is my body which is broken for you. And then he explains it right after this. He doesn't say, this is my physical body. This is going to turn into my body and you're going to be eating me. He's saying this symbolizes my body which is broken for me. Why in the world would I do this? He doesn't even command him to do it yet. You notice that? You notice in verse 24, he's just doing it himself. If it just stopped and says, this is my body which is broken for you, that would be the end of it. It would just be something that Jesus did. But then he commands them to do it. Look, Jesus never commanded us to celebrate his birthday. There's no verse in the Bible like this saying December 25th, you better not forget my birthday and give yourself a bunch of presents that have nothing to do with me. He never said that, but look what he said at the end of verse 24. He says this is my body which is broken for you. He takes the bread and he breaks it and he says this do. He's telling him, you guys do this now. He's like, you guys do this. He doesn't tell me how often to do it. He says, you should do this. Why in remembrance of me? He says, do this to remember what I've done for you. Look, Jesus wants let's get crazy. He does it again. Look at verse 25. After the same manner also he took the cup and when he stopped saying this cup is the New Testament in my blood. He's saying, this cup represents the promise of God that I will cleanse you through what? Through my blood which he was about to do. And he says this is what this represents. And then he says, do this. He said, this do. Why? Why do it? As often as he drinking it in remembrance of me. Look, he told them to do this symbolic exercise of the Last Supper with the bread and the wine to remember him. To remember the sacrifice of Christ. So yes, I believe that if we choose to celebrate a day as Christians to remember the entrance of our Savior into the world I believe that if we do that just to remember Jesus to remember his birth I believe it's a good thing and that would be pleasing to God. Because God shows us right here in 1 Corinthians chapter 11 that he would like us to remember him from time to time. As we walk through this world that's why he told them to do it in 1 Corinthians chapter 11. Because if you have to remind somebody to remember, what does that mean? They forget God. That's what people do in the Bible. That's like people's number one goal in the Bible is to forget the Lord. I mean in Joshua, we just finished Joshua, God just got done fighting all these battles for him and they forgot the Lord. So Jesus is just saying hey remember this please would you remember what I'm about to do? But the point is, who throws a birthday party for someone who really forgets the person celebrates someone's birthday doesn't acknowledge that we go to Hannah's birthday party we lock Hannah in the closet and we open all her presents nobody even got her any presents we just demand that people give us presents we go to her parents and say give me my presents Hannah's locked in the closet she's like hey it's my birthday quiet give me presents that's how silly it is especially as a Christian to celebrate Christmas and to forget Christ but it's easy to do it's easy to do with all this stuff that can become thorns that we wrap around our heads it's a simple message it's what Charlie Brown was upset about keep Christ in Christmas say Merry Christmas to people someone's going to put a gun to my head and pull the trigger before I say happy holidays to somebody it's like this thing now we're going to offend somebody by saying Merry Christmas never going to happen with me I don't care who you are Merry Christmas if that offends you move somewhere else I mean say Merry Christmas to people and celebrate Christmas if you're going to celebrate it celebrate it unto the Lord if you're not going to celebrate it don't celebrate it for the Lord turn to 1 Kings chapter 19 1 Kings chapter 19 and keep your place in Romans chapter 14 we'll end there 1 Kings chapter 19 just a thought to leave you with tonight look at 1 Kings chapter 19 and he said this is Elijah and he's running away as everyone's trying to kill him 1 Kings chapter 19 he said go forth and stand upon the mount before the Lord and behold the Lord passed by and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and break in pieces the rocks before the Lord so we have this huge wind you know this big event that God is showing to Elijah and he's breaking the mountain with an earthquake and he's breaking the mountain with a wind and the Bible says and it break in pieces the rocks before the Lord but the Lord was not in the wind and after the wind an earthquake so now a big earthquake happens but the Lord was not in the earthquake and after the earthquake a fire but the Lord was not in the fire so here you have all these just amazing events that Elijah is seeing he's seeing earthquakes and fire he's seeing mountains torn apart but the Lord wasn't there and after the fire a still small voice look here's the point I'm trying to make here put up lights if you want open presents if you want decorate decorate a Christmas tree if you want but remember that all these flashy things have the ability to take your focus off of the Lord always remember that don't create these large events and activities like the earthquake and the wind and the fire and the flashing lights and the parties and the feasts where the Lord is not don't create these things keep the Lord where he needs to be and don't let all these major things distract you from the Lord go back to Romans chapter 14 go back to Romans chapter 14 Romans chapter 14 look at verse number 17 these things all these things it just we live in a world that is just it's trying to grab our attention away everywhere it's not just Christmas everything that we deal with is trying to grab our attention away look at verse number 17 the Bible says this it says for the kingdom of God is not meat and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost let me relate that to Christmas the kingdom of God Christmas is not meat and drink Christmas is not meat and drink and parties but look at the last part of the verse Christmas is righteousness through Christ it is peace through Christ it is joy in the Holy Ghost through Christ that is what Christmas is don't let these things take your mind and your focus off of the Lord Merry Christmas let's have a great night and let's keep our focus always on the Lord Jesus Christ and be thankful for that let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer