demon holio.ay - Samford University Library
Transcription
demon holio.ay - Samford University Library
gr o A DEMON HOLIO.AY ~ L. R. Shelton Samford University Library Samford University Library ChristmasA Demon Holiday L. R. Shelton THE OLD PURITAN PRESS (Radio Missions) 655 Seguin Street New Orleans, La. 70114 Samford University Library Th is message was de I ivered over the VO ICE O F TRUTH broadcast Samford University Library CHRISTMAS- A DEMON HOLIDAY I want to bring y ou a m es sa ge toda y on the subject, "CHRISTMAS- A DEMON HOLIDAY. 11 I want to show y o u WHAT CHRISTMAS IS AND WHERE IT ORIGINATED. Now in a few days t he world, and the churches as a whole, w ill be ce lebrating what they call the birthda y of J esus Christ. They call it 11 C h r is t m·a s , 11 or 11 Christ mass." It is a time when the world is turned over to drunkenness, revelr y , debauchery, shame, and misrule. It is a time of exchanging gifts, sing ing rei igious songs called Christmas caro ls, andat this time the whole world is o ne madho u se , re ligious and otherwise. The non-reI i g i o us world wil l cover up the ir ungodliness and wickedness with Christma s caro ls which will be played and sung in every saloo n, every sporting house, ever y gambling hell , and every brothel over the world. The rei ig ious world will give vent to the wickedness of their hearts in these days of deb a u c h e r y under the g u ise that they are celebrating the birthday of Christ. Thou sands of church members will get drunk a t C hristmas when they w o u I d not get drunk at any other time. Churches wi II turn their buildings over to Christmas pageants, Christmas programs, Christmas trees, and exchanging of gifts, with h ilarity, and frivolity, in the spirit of a festival. All of 3 Samford University Library these in the ir different spheres wi ll be lieve they a re d o ing G od's will . Christmas Da y w ill be a day of feast i ng a nd drink ing, drunkenness a nd dan c ing and frivo lity, as very se ldom w itn essed at other times of t h e year. Is this the way to ce le brate the birthday of Chr ist ? I certai nly wou ld n 't wa n t you to ce Iebrate my b i r t h day I ike that. Then how sacriligious it is to celebrate the birt hday of the Lo rd J esus Christ in such a man ner . NOW, W HAT IS BAC K O F A LL THI S? Why have c hurches swung s eeming I y a ll out a nd out a nd become a par t ner with the world in such a day of wickedness and drunke nn ess? It is be cause the church has I o s t its TESTI MONY O F CH RISTo The ch ur ch has lost its S IMPLICITY IN CH RIST . The r ei ig io us world is just ify ing itself with t he slog an, 11 Let 1s put C hrist back in Christmas ... Christ never was in Chr istmas . W hat hypocr isy, what blasphemy t hat we woul d e ven want to conne ct the Name of our b I esse d Lo rd w ith su c h a day of drunkenness! Tot hi n k of conne c t ing His Name w ith such revelry and b lasphemy and deba uchery, is tak ing His Name in vain. You cannot put Chr ist bac k in Christma s, because Christ has no f e II o ws hip with Satan or unbel ief, and Christmas is not the ce lebration of Chr ist's b irthday but the celebrat ion of t he birthda y of t he sun god, one of the m a j or idols of Baby lo n. Chr istmas originated in Baby lon, the sea t o f idolatry, 4 Samford University Library from whence it has spread over the entire world a nd has fastened itse lf upon the modern-day church , and it is a n abomination in the sight of G od . Babylon spread idolatry world - wide, and every idol ca n be traced back to Babylon o The Word of God p lain ly sets forth in the third c ha pt er of Second Timothy, a picture of THE CHURCH I N THE LAST DAYS; a nd whether you be I i e ve i t or not ,we are I iving in the last days now! Listen to God 1s Word, 11 Th is know a lso, that in the last days perilous times shall come 11 (verse l)o 11 Fo r men sha ll be lovers of their own selves 11 (verse 2 ) . 11 Lovers of p leasures more than lovers of God 11 (verse 4) . 11 Hav ing a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof 11 (verse 5). 11 Eve r le arning, and never able to come to the know le dge of the truth 11 (verse 7). 11 For th e t i me will come when they will not endu re sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall t hey heap to themselves teachers, having it ch ing ears 11 (I I Tim .4:3) o 11 And they shall turn away their ears from the t ruth, and shal l be turn ed unto fables" (II Tim. 4:4). ' Now, w h a t is a f a b I e? It is a ha lf-truth. In these Scriptu res t he Ho ly Spirit gives the Apostle 5 Samford University Library Paul a litt le prophetic gl impse into the presen t day church and, my frie n d, yo u a nd I ore liv ing in that time . This is an awfu I pic ture that God's Word gives us of the church in a postasy . Then in Second Cor inth ia ns, we find the Ho ly Spirit speaking through t he A postl e Pau I to t he church at Corinth in t hese wo rds, " But lfear, lestby a ny means, asthe serpent begu i I ed Eve t hrou g h his subt i lty, so you r minds shou ld be corrupte d f rom t he SIMPLICITY THAT IS IN CH R IST • For if he t hat co meth preocheth another J esus, who m w e have not preached, or if ye rece ive ano ther spir it, which ye have not received , or a no ther gospel, which ye have no t acce p t ed , ye mig ht wel l bear with h im 11 ( II Cor.ll:3, 4 ). The Apost Ie Pau I wa s Ia ment ing the fact that even the Corinth ians were beg inning to s lip a wa y from the SIMPLIC ITY that is in the Lo rd J e sus Christ . That is I a r g e I y true today . Not onl y is REPENTANC E THE MI SSING NOTE in present-day preach ing, not o nl y is THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST THE LOST DO CTRINE in the present-d a y churc h, but THE PERSON A N D WOR K OF CHRIST is t he MISS ING NO TE in our present - do y worshit' and present -day test imony . The o ld - t ime testimo n y meet ings ore a ll but gon e , just I ike the o ld-time prayer meetings ore gone. When hav e you sat in a testimony mee ting whe n men a nd wo men, both 6 Samford University Library young and o ld, have stood u p and t est i f i ed of what Christ meant to them in salvatio n, and to ld how God saved them i[1 Christ ? How I on g has it been? You just don't hear it, do you? Some few may get u p a nd tell how God an swe r ed t heir prayer s , or how He blessed them mat eriall y, or how He healed their bodies, and some wi ll get up and t e II what a great ex perience they have had; but very seldom w i II you hear anyone get up and tell how G od brou g ht t hem to repen tance, how He sa v ed them for Christ's sak e , and what the Lord J esus C h r is t means to the m a s th e Saviour of their souls. So the missing note in our present-day worship and testimo ny is THE SIMPLICITY IN CHRIST or THE PERSON AND WOR K OF THE LO RD JESUS CHRIST. God never intended for His peop le to get awa y from that simple wo r ship of Christ . Christ said, befo r e He went back to hea ven, "After that the Hol y Sp irit is come upon you; ye shall be witnesses UNTO ME ••• 11 - not of a n experience , not ofbodil y healin g, no t of a program, not of a church, not of a d o c t r i n e - but U NTO ME- witnessing of Christ. You hardl y hear His Name mentioned toda y in relig io us c ircles, and in worldly circles it is only mentioned in vu lgarity of profanity. When the church turns fro m t he SIMPLIC ITY IN CHRIST, then they must have some th ing tangi- 7 Samford University Library ble to hold to. When you only have an empty religious profession, as we have today, then the church wi II turn to a I most anything. When the Gal at ian Christians began to turn away from the SIMPLICITY INCH R IS T, they began to observe days, and months, and times, and years. Gal 4: 9 -11 brings this out, in these words, "But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afro id of you, I est I have bestowed upon you labour in vain. 11 Then we find these words in Colossians, where it says, 11 Let no man therefore j u d g e you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an hoi yday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days 11 (CoL2:16). So you see, my friend, when you turn away from the SIMPLICITYof the WORSHIP OF CHRIST as your Lord and Saviour, you have to have something tang ib I e to hold to. You have to have a church with all its social life, or a religious program, or an outward sign , or an experience, or an image, or a picture, or an altar. That•s true in salvation -when a person misses Christ, he has to have some feeling, some emotion, or some experience to base his salvation on. All I have today is Christ, and He ic: nil I ..vanto 8 Samford University Library I n Christ I h ave everything. I have gone as far as a poor sinner can go, because everything that God ever gives a poor sinner is bound up in the Lord Jesus Christ. God never gives you one thing apart from the Lord Jesus Christ, and He is all I want. I h a v e had fo Iks w r it e to me and say, "Oh, Bro. Shelton, if only you had this, or that, or had something else! We know that you are a great preacher. We know you are saved • We believe you are going to heaven when you die, but----" . Well, holden, brother, t hat 1 sthe end of it - I don't want to go any further. That 1S all I want - C H R I S T • I have Him, and He is everything. Now, my friend, do you see why the church has gone all out and out and become a partner with the w or I d in such a day of wickedness and drunkenness? Back of all this drunkenness and reve lry is the power of demons and CHRISTMAS as such is a manifestation of the powers of demons. It is a DEMON HOLIDAY. Christmas can easily be traced back, as I sa i d before, to its or i g i n in Bab y Ion, the seat of idolatry. Oh, you may want to say, "We are celebrating the birthday of Christ." But let me ask you 'a question, "WHEN WAS CHRIST B 0 R N ?" "Oh," you say, "He was born on the 25th of December. 11 Are you sure? Where in the Bible will you find that? And where 9 Samford University Library w ill you f ind in the Scriptures that we are commanded , or even ins tru c te d , to c e lebrate t he b irthday of Christ? Can you find it? My f riend , there is no t o ne word in t he Bib le a bout t he exact day of the b irth of C hrist , or even the t ime of the year whe n He wa s bo rn . It is a know n fact t hat He cou ld not h a ve been born o n the 25th of De cember . Whe n t he ang el an nounced His birth to t he shepherds of Be thlehem, they were F EEDIN G THEI R FLOC KS BY N IGHT IN THE OPEN FIELDS; therefore , IT COULD NOT HAVE BEEN W INTER. It was no t the custom for the shephe rds of J udea to watch th e ir fl ocks in the open field s late r tha n the month of 0 c t o be r . So, the b irt h of Christ could not have ta ken place at the end of December. Then , if you w ill turn to the seco nd c hapter of L uke, you w il l find that a t the birth of Chr ist every woma n and child was to go to be taxed at the city where to they belonged. Th is co u I d not have been in the w inter • Augustus, the k ing of Rome, WOU LD NOT HA VE CALLED FOR SUCH A TAX ING IN THE DEPTH O F 'vV INT ER. Therefore , C hrist cou ld no t have been born in December. It is a dmitte d by the most learned write rs of a ll re lig ions that the da y of our Lo rd ' s birth cannot be determ in ed . SO C HRIST WAS NOT BOR N ON THE 25TH O F DECEMBER . That much settled, t h e n why c e I e br at e the 10 Samford University Library 25th of D ecemb e r? Long before the Christian era, that is, before C h r i st came, A FESTIVAL WAS CELEBRATE D AMONG THE HEATHEN ON THE 2 5TH O F DECE M BE R IN HONOR OF THE BIRTH OF THE SON O F THE BABY L ON I AN QUEEN OF HEAV EN. On t he 25t h of December the sun reaches its fa rthes t p o i n t south, that is, the earth is farthest from the sun , and on this day, the 2 5th o f De cembe r, the sun seems to rest in its c ou r se before it t urn s ba ck and the da ys beg in to grow Io n g e r • Therefore , t he worshippers of the sun god in their Pagan worsh ip, set Decemb e r 2 5t h as the b i r th d a y of t he SON OF THE QUEEN OF HE AV EN • This worsh ipping o f the queen o f h eaven, G od dec lares in His Word, is an a bom in at ion unto Him and s h a II be punished w ith judgment (J e r .44:16, 17, 18,23). Dur ing t hese fest ivals cel ebrating the birth of the son of the q ue e n of h eaven, in Babylon , gifts w ere carried to and fro , banquets were celebrated wit h all t he ir fr ivo lity and uproar and drunken n ess . The burning of can dles, the burning of the Yule Lo g, the exchang ing of g ifts, the putting up of the Christmas tr ee (J er . 10:3- 4), and the m istl e to e were al l connecte d w i th t his celebration . It may su r p r is e you to know t hat e a ch one of t hese t h in g s represented somet h ing in this r itua l and ce lebrat ion o To them, t he burn in g of the candles was in honor of t he Babylon ian god, the 11 Samford University Library burning of the Y u I e Log was to rem em be r the death of Nimrod, the putting up of the Christmas tree was to remember that Nimrod came back to I if e again, the mistletoe represented a divine b ranch come from heaven, and the kissing under t he mistletoe bough represented the token of reconciliation to man by the divine branch. These c ustoms at Christmas still exist today and show the e fforts made by Satan and his emissaries to b I ind the hearts of man. Then in the third century, to more easily win the heathen to Christianity, the church adopted the 25th of December as the Birthday of C h r is t • They took a heathen B,a bylonian festival, celebrating the birthday of the son of the Pagan queen of heaven, and gave it a Christian coloring and covering to satisfy unregenerate human hearts and minds that they may accept in t e I I e c t u a I I y at Ieast, the doc t r in e of the Christ ian fa it h and bring their lusts on into their Christian profession! WHAT AN ABOMINATION! This was a move on the part of the church to mee t Pagan ism ha lfway. A COMPROMISE. In itseffort to convert the Pagans to Christianity, the church began drifting away from the simplicity in Christ and conforming to the Pagan world. lndoingsotheyadopted manyPagan customs and practices, one of w h i c h was the celebration of the birthday of the sun god and 12 Samford University Library C hrist ianizing it by cal ling it the birthday of Chr ist, o r Chr ist mas . It did not change the hearts of th e Pag ans or heathens, who were converted, so-called, but it brought a n end to the Christian church with its simplic ity of worship until today the average c hurch is no thing more than a Pagan templ e . My fri e nd, Chr istmas was a Pagan hoi iday back w hen t hey worsh ipped the sun god, and that is what you a re o b s e r v i n g today, a Pagan f e stival, w hic h is still a Pag an festival though it wears a Christian na me. D u r in g that t ime , men of G od st rove to st em the tide , but in spite of a II t he ir efforts the apostasy went o n until t he c hur c h, with the exception of a s m a II remnan t , was submerged under Pagan superstition . CHRI STMAS WAS A PAGAN FESTIVAL, AND IS STILL A PA G AN FESTIVA L. 11 Well, 11 yo u sa y, 11 Bro. She lton, you a re •agin 1 everything, oren •t you ? 11 I a m ••ag in 11 everything that is not for my Lord. I a m p lowing and putting all the trash a s ide - b I a z i ng the path, the old path, back to Christ t ha t you may come to know Him as your Lo rd and you r Sav iour. The old path of REPENTANCE has g rown up with briers and thorns. The o ld path of t he PERSO N AND WORK OF CHRIST or the SIMPLICITY IN CHRIST, has grown up. I am try ing to b ra ze t hem aga in, t hat you ma y come to know C h r i s t a s your Lo rd and your Sa v iour. If you a re not for my Lord, 11 m 13 Samford University Library "ag in" you. I am taking my stand with Christ, and I am against everything that is against my Lord Jesus Christ, and, my fr ien d, CHRISTMAS D I SH 0 N 0 R S MY LORD. It may not dishonor yours, but it dishonors mine. Let 1sturntoRev.18:4, wherewehave a picture of the last form of apostate Christianity and God 1s warning to His peop I e. I wish you would read that entire eighteenth chapte r of Revelation. In that fourth verse we find these words, "And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, COME OUT of her, my p eo p I e , that ye be not p a r t a k e r s of her sins, and that ye receive not of her pI agues. 11 In this eighteenth chapter of Revelation, the Lord is t a I k ing about the city of Babylon, the harlot Babylon, o ut of which has come all the idolatry, all the Pagan worship of the world. As salvation was from the Jewish nation, and from Jerusalem came our Bible, and the Messiah, our Redeemerthe K in g of k i n g s and Lord of lords, so out of Baby Ion from Nimrod, the 11 m ighty hunter 11 (or rebel), has come all the Pagan idolatrous worship that the world has known through the centudes until the present day . As our Lord wi ll cry to His people in the Tribulation Period, so He cries to us today, 11 Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the un14 Samford University Library I ,. cl ean t hing; and I w i I I receive you, and wi ll be a Fathe r un to you, a nd ye shall be my sons and daughters, s a it h the Lord A I mighty'' (II Cor . 6:17 -1 8) . pl ead wit h e very one who reads this message to d e c lare you r se l f on the s i de of Christ and His Word. Come out fro mthis Paganism and this idol atrous worshi p, because there is no agreement between t he templ e o f G od and idols . You cannot have fellowsh ip with God and with Satan. It is Chr ist o r Be lia l. ( II Cor .6:14 - 18). The v ery nome b y w hich Christmas is popularly known among us today - tha t is, Yule Day - proves t hat it is Pagan and c ame from Baby Ion • The word " Yul e ," is the Chaldaean name for 11 infant '' o r "little c hild." Do you know what t hey called this week of festiv ity in Baby lon ? They cal led it, "THE DRUNKEN FESTIVAL, 11 or, the Day of Misrule . Those ore t he e xact wo rds th ey used - the drunken festival. They me t toget her to celebrate the birthday of the son of t he q uee n mother, wh ich was the worship of the sun god . We have t h is same thing enacted to day . Chr ist mas wee k is nothing but a week o f reve lry and d runkenness and the meeting togethe r to celeb rate the, b irthday of t he son of the queen mother . Therefore, Christe ndom today is just a s Pagan as Baby lon ever dared to be. Listen a gain to Rev. 18:4, " COME OUT OF HER , MY 15 Samford University Library PEO PLE . " Now where do you stand? Are you a worship per of C h r is t or a worsh ipper of t h e sun god? Do you see, my fri e nds, how our churc hes to day are Pagan, because t hey a re taken up with Chr istmas - lo ck, s t o ck, and barre l ? I am g lad the Lord has open e d my e yes to see t his Pagan worsh ip a nd has separa ted me from it . I a m draw ing t he I ine . I want yo u to be A SEPARATE PEO PLE . Someo ne has said, "Bro. She lton, do you expect to ste m the tide? 11 No o It w iII grow fro m bad to worse on the w h o I e • The o nl y hope I have is to reach o ne here, and one there . Now we ask t he qu estion, "S H 0 U L D BOR N A G A IN BELIEV ERS CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS?" Let me put it like this: Shou I d born a gain bel ievers celebrate the b irt h of the Lord J e sus w ith m i II io ns who make no p rofession of faith in the b lood of the Lamb, and who desp i se and re ject Him, and who know no th i n g abo ut t he blood of the Son of God, and care less! Should born a g ain be l ievers ce le brate Ch ristmas w ith mill ions who cla im to be Christians, yet deny Him in works and test imony ! Is it fittin g that born aga in believers shou ld unite with the enemies of Christ in a world ly ro und of fleshly grat if ication ! W ill yo u let me g ive this word of testimon y? When I gre w up a s a chi I d , the on ly time I eve r saw whiske y in my h o m e was a t C hristmas time. 16 Samford University Library I I I l I That's r ight ! The only time l eve r sawdrunkenn ess was a t Christmas t ime, celebrating the so- called b irthday of Jesus ! Shou ld we jo in those who ca st o ur Lo rd ou t in drun kenness and r ev e I r y in the ce le bratio n of the birthdayof the Lo rd Jesus? The answer is found in G od's Word, 11 TH O U SHALT NOT FOLLOW A MU LTIT UDE T0 D 0 EV I L" (Ex • 2 3 :2 ) • 11 Th at which is high ly esteemed a mong men is abom ina t ion in thesight ofGod 11 (Luke 16:15) o 11 Absta in f rom all appearance of e v il 11 (I Thess . 5: 22). 11 And have no fe llowship w ith the unfrui tful works of da rkness, but rather reprove t hem" (Eph . 5 :1 1) . See a lso I Pe t. 2: 11 ; Ja mes 4:4; I John 2: 15-1 7; II Cor . 6 :1 4 - 18; Rom . 12:9 . "He t hat is of G od he a reth God's words: ye the refore hear them not, bec ause ye a re not of G od" (John 8 :47). 11 AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, W E W ILL SERVE THE LORD 11 (J osh u a 24 :1 5). That' s my stand. What are you going to do about it? Some w iI I ra ise this ques t ion, " DON'T YO U THINK WE OUGHT TO G IV E THE CHIL DR EN A GOOD TIME? They don ' t und e rstand ." Let me ask you th is question, 11 ls it necessary to drag t he ho ly Name of our b I esse d Lord down to the low I ev e I of fl eshl y grat ifica t ion a nd drun kenn ess to show t he k idd ies a good time? 11 A thousand times, No ! Le t 's tea ch our c h i I d r en the trut h a bout Chr is tm as . God's Word t e ll s us in Eph . 6 :4 to 17 Samford University Library bring our children up in the NURTURE AND ADMONITION OF THE LORD, and why shou ld we dishonor the Name of Christ in such manner under the pretense of showing the children a good time? There are 364 more days in the year during which we can give gifts to our chi I d r en if we want to give them gifts. New, let's look at this Pagan fest ival of demon worship from another angle, and that is THE EXCHANGING OF GIFTS. In exchang ing gifts wearenotbringing gifts toChrist. No! Who ever heard tell of anybody giving a gift to Christ! Very seldom do you give any more to your church at this time. Many times during the C hris tmas hoi idays, you give I e s s to your church, because you spend more on yourse If and on others. Now, isn't that so? A list is kept, and each year those from whom gifts were received, g ifts will be sent to. This w iII become an expensive affair over a periodoftime. Thusaburde n is laid upon the should~rs of many of you, which you find hard to bear. I departed from t h is custom years ago. "Oh,"yousay, "If I don 't send gifts,myfriends wii l think hard of me. They'll call me stingy and miserly; what must I do?" I'd say frankly to you that you shou I d notify your friends byword of mouth or by Ietter that you are through. Tell them that you have come to see there is NO SCRIPTURE FOR O BSERVING CHRIST MAS; it is Pagan wor18 Samford University Library ship, it is a demon hoi iday, and you cannot disho n o r your Lord any Ion g e r. Now, that's my stand o I don 1t get angry with fo Iks who observe it - that•s up to yo u. You have to make your own d ec is ion . My decision has been made . Let•s look at ano t her side of Christmas, and that is, THE SEN D! NG OF SO- CALLED CHRISTMAS CARDS W ITH A VERS E OF SCRIPTURE ON THEM. Mill ions of re i ig ious people who want to be ho ne st won 1t se n d out a Christmas card witho ut a verse of Scrip ture o n ito This is s imp I y a comprom ise with Satan. Let me say, my friend, this is an abomination in t he sight of God. You may ask, 11 Wel l, Bro. Shelton, why? 11 You see, Chri s tm as is a Pagan hoi ida y that came out of Baby lon , the city of ido Ia try o Christmas original ly was the ce lebration of t he birthday of the sun god. It isdemonworship. TheBiblesays, 11 Beye separate; have no fel lowship w i t h the unfru itfu I works of darkness... He a lso says, 11 Be ye not un equall y yoked togethe r with unbe l ievers. 11 Should Chr ist have fellowship with Be I i a I ? Then, why sho uld you w ant to take God 1s Word and I ink it togethe r wi th de mon worship ? G o d forbid ! Suppose you shou ld rece ive an invitation to a big dance with Jo hn 3: 16 written at the bottom of that card: 11 For God so loved the wo r ld, t hat he gave his on I y begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not pe rish, but have ever19 Samford University Library lasting Iife. 11 What would yo u think? You would 11 soy, 11 Whot socril ige ! W ho t profon ity! What woul d you think of o moving picture show using I Pet .1 :18-19 in their advertisements? You would 1 cry, 11 Whot blasphemy !" wouldn t you? But, my friend, Christmas is o demon holiday, and a Christmas cord with averse of Scripture on it is on obom inot ion in the sight of God. I cry out in the some horror at THE MIXTURE OF THE WORD OF GOD AND DEMON GREETINGS. Ma y the Hol y Spirit be pleased to open your eyes, as He has mine, and let you see this growing evil, this dishonoring the Name of our blessed Lord by connecting His Nome, the Man of Sorrows, with "MERRY CHRISTMAS." Moy there be o true confess ion of our sin to God . May there be o crying unto Him for a deliverance from this Pagan worship .. Why? Becausethe comingofour Lord draws near, and it won 1 t be long until we 11 sha ll heorthe cry, "Go ye out to meet Him! Are you ready to meet. Him? How would you like for ou r Lordto come and findyou at atypicoi"Christmos party, 11 feasting and d r in k in g and mok ing merry, giving rein to the fleshly desires of the old I ife? We con be in the world, but not of the world. "COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM," is the cry. "BE Y E SEPARATE, .. is the clarion coli to everyone who professes the Nome of Christ. When you 20 Samford University Library stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, what wi ll be your answer? How are you going to answer the Lord Jesus? I wish every preacher I is ten in g to me today wou I d set an example before your people at this time. "Be thou an EXAMPLE of the believers, m word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, 1n faith, in purity" (I Tim.4:12). I plead with you preachers, let's set the EXAMPLE. Let's reject the traditions of men and every demon holiday, and let'swalk with our Lord according to His Word. Let's live for Christ. Let the world say what they please, and think what they pi ease, but let this be our motto, 11AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD, 11 and "FOR TO ME TO LIVE IS CHRIST... LET'S NOT DISHONOR HIS NAME. There is no place in God's Word where we are ever commanded to celebrate the birthday of Christ, but I'l l tell you what He does command us to do. He commands us to remember His death: The Scripture says, 11 This cup is the new testament in my blood: t h is do ye, as oft as ye drink it, IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME. For as often as ye~at this bread, andd r ink this cup, yedosh.ewthe Lord's death til l he come 11 ( I Cor .11 :25-26) . The Apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthians, 21 Samford University Library r 0 said, "For I dete rmined no t to k n ow an y thing among you, save JESUS CH RIST, and h im CRUC IFIED" (I Cor . 2:2) . Th en ag ain he said, " We preach CH RIST CRUCIFIED, unto the Jews a stumb l ingblock, a nd unto t he Greeks foolishness; but unto them w h i c h are c a I I e d , both Jews and G ree ks, Christ the power of God , and the w isdom of G od (I Cor .1 :23- 24) . Then, wr iting to the G a latians he said, " But God fo rbid that I should glory, save in t he cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the wor ld is crucified unto me, and I unto the wo rld" (Gal.6: 14). I wonder what the d eath of Chr ist means to you, my fr iend. I wonde r if you have eve r thought ser io usl y about your soul 's conditio n. Have yo u a s a lost, condemned s inn er ever been made to I ie at the feet of Christ, who was cruc ified, buried, and risen as your Subst itute, as your Sin-Offering, and cry for mercy? Can you look up and say, "He was cruc ified for me, He d ied for me: He is mine He is my Sin- Offer ing. He d ied my d eath; He too k the stroke intended for me"? My f r iend, do you know that pardon ing g r a c e ? Do you know that the shed blood of the Lord J e sus has been app I ied to the doorpost of your heart ? I do. Are you s he I t.e r ed beneath the b lood of the Son of G od? I am . Do you know Him? I do . Can you sa y, 11 Liv ing, He loved me; dy ing, He saved me; bur ied, He carried my s ins far away; r i s ing, He 22 Samford University Library justified me, and I am waiting for His coming one day"? Do you know Him? CHRIST WAS B 0 R N TO DIE . He didn't talk about His birthday; never did He point His disciples back to the day He was born, but He was always telling them that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer and be put to death, and the third day He would rise ago in . How many commemorate His death? The w o r I d never commemorates His death. No, sir! The world never put its stamp of approval upon His crucifixion, His burial, or His resurrection. On the contrary, it does everything to ridicule and minimize the Person and Work of Christ. Onlybornagain bel ievers commemorate the death ofour Blessed Lord and Hisresurrection. Every time they come to worship they sing about His death, the y speak about His dying, they glory in His resurrection, they look for His coming. Born ago in be I ievers p r a is e the Lord that He was born in order to die for their s ins, but you never hearthem talking about c e I ebrat ing His birthday. Th ey do not minimize, or cast a slur, upon His birth, but the y glory in the fact that He was Virgin-born . You may hear them speak much about their spiritual birthday, the new b irth, when they were born again and translated into the kingdom of the Son of God . They love to sing of His birth and of His I ife, but the old songs of the cross I ike, 23 Samford University Library "There is a Fountain filled with b lood Drawn from Immanue l 's ve ins; And sinners plunged beneath t hat f lood, Lose all t heir gu ilty stains . " stir their hearts to the depths. Al so, songs of how God dealt with them, such as, "Amazing grace! how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch Iike me! I once was lost, but now I'm fou nd; Was blind, but now I see . 11 flows from their heart. The born again believe r knows t hat e v e rything he has, or ever will have, is tied up in the death, burial, and resurrection of t h e Lord J esus Christ. As the Apostle Paul said in writing to t he c hurch a t Corinth, "I determined not to know a nything among you, save Jesus C h rist, and him cruc ified! 11 Do you know Him? Do you know Christ ? Have you been was h e d in His b I o o d ? Do you know what His death me an s ? If not, ma y the Lord God of Heaven have m e r cy upon your poor soull Jehovah God's co m man d to you to da y is, "COME OUT FROM AMO NG THEM, AND BE YE SEPARATE . 11 My man, my woman, my boy, my girl, my preache r fr iend, "Come o ut fro m among them, and be ye separ ate , saith th e Lord, and touch not the unc l ea n t h ing; a nd I w ill receive you, and will be a Father unto you, a nd ye shal l L4 Samford University Library be my son s and daughters, saith the Lord A lmighty." (II Cor.6:17-18). You might be saying in y our heart r ight now, "Pastor, t h is message has op.ened my eyes to t he truth of this Pagan, idolatrous holiday. Wi ll G od have mercy o n me? W ill He receive me? '' Yes, my friend, He says, 11 lf we confess our sins, he is faith f u I and just to forgiv e us o u r sins, a nd to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1 :9) . In the verses quoted above, He said if you wou ld come out, He would receive you . Remember, 11 He that covereth his sins sha II not prospe r: but whoso confesseth and FORSAKETH them sha l l have me rcy" (Prov .28: 13). I leave GOD'S MESSAGE with you. 25 Samford University Library 26 Samford University Library PERTINENT QUESTIONS 1 o If you are a Christian how can you teach your I ittle ones to delight in and love a Christmas tree which actually is a Pagan symbol of sun and serpent worship? 2. How can you before the a 11-see ing eye of God tell your children the I ie about Santa Claus and his reindeer? You should read Rev .21 -2.7. Do you think that the God who ho Ids our destiny in His hand w iII preserve the freedoms of our future generations if we make them a nation of liars? 3. How con you hove the brazen boldness to tell your children you are a Christian, and then connect Pagan i do I at r y to the story of the birth of Christ? 4. How can you help a bewhiskered clown dressed I ike a dunce, who ish ired by some commercial establishment to lie to children all day long, betray your own trusting child into a maze of falsehood to save your face before the Christmas idolaters? 5o How can you expect your children to have any confidence in whateveryou teach them, when 27 Samford University Library they find you have I i e d de Iiberately to them for years about Christmas and Santa Claus and during those years you pun ish THEM for telling untruths? 6. Does not you r heart smite you as you think of them growing up in s e r vi tude to the Pagan observances and celebrations of Rome, instead of the real truth of the Gospel of Christ? 7. How can you have the shameless boldness before God, to teach yourchildren Paganismand theWordofGodatthesame time? Doyou expect that God w i I I spare a people, whose chief delight is to make a mock of the birth of His Son? 8. Does not your conscience accuse you as you combine the storyof our adorable Saviourwith the R:::>man heathen idol, the Christmas tree of Baai-Berith? 9. How can you expect your children to believe you, that they must worship Christ alone, if they see you in d u I g e in an annual festival which had its beginn ing among the devil worshippers of ancient Chaldea? 10. How can you expect your child to believe 28 Samford University Library your witnessing to him ab ou t Christ when he finds out you have been lying to him about Santa Claus and his reindeer, e tc. ? 11. Do y o u believe that a festive season t hat not on Iy came to us th ro ugh Rome f r o m Baby Ion, but in itself is a system of pe rpetua l lying to little children, is o f God? 12 . Can you teach your children to honor the Lord and the Lord•s Day and then hel p t hem enga ge in h o no r ing a heathen god, Baa i-Berith , a Christmas tree, and all the Go d -d ishonor ing observances connected with it? 13. How can you t e II your children with a clear conscience that you ore a ch ild of God yourself when they annuall y watch you celebrate a Rom ish Christmas, and I ie to them I ike a child of the devil? - copied / 29 Samford University Library THE WINE OF OLD BABYLON Excerpt from 'The Apocalypse 'by J. A. Seiss The wine of o ld Baby lon 's fornica tio n was a debau ching system of ido l worship a nd carnal se lf exa ltation, over against the revelat ions and institutes of Jehovah o It was alrea dy bottl ed and labe lled before the first d ispersion. It went with that dispersion (Confusion of Tongues at t he Tower of Babel). It went with that d ispers io n into every country and nation under heaven . As a ma tter of fact , we find it to th is da y a mong al l the nations of the earth, affect in g if not contro l! ing their thinking, their po l icies, t he ir fait h, and their worship . Not less than t wo- thirds of the population of the earth a t t h is hour are Paga n idolaters, dr ive II ing under the same old intox icatio n which came forth from Nimrod a nd Baby lon; whilst the great body of the other third is e ithe r tv\ohammedan, (athol ic, J ew ish , inf ide l, o r a dherents of some tainted and ontichr ist ia n fait h and worship. Nor is there a ki ngdom or govern ment on the face of the whole earth at this hour which does not embody and exhibit mo re of the spirit a nd rebe II ion of Nimrod than of the spirit, co mmand ments, and incu lcations of God .. All the k in g s of the €"r:rt h and all the govern ments under he aven have more or less joined in t he u nclea nn ess and fo rnication 30 Samford University Library of that same old Babylon ian Harlo t, who has de filed every spot and nook of the whole in hob ited world, notwithstanding that G od from the beginning set the seal of His wrath upon it . The J ewish whoredoms, and the Papa l whoredoms, and the Mohammedan whoredoms, a nd the whoredoms of all perverted Christian religionists, though not entirely I e t tin g go the confession of the one only God, are still in essence the sa me old harlotry which first found place a nd embodiment on the banks of the Euphrates. It is the same old Babylon, and her harlot daught ers, bearing rule or kingdom upon the dominions of the earth, and intoxicating the in hob itants thereof out of the wine of her fornication. True rei igion and an uncorru pted Church have never s u it e d the representa t ives of power, or pleased them long. Dragon age nc ies a re ill at ease without some form of Dragon worship. On Iy what will dignify, if not deify, I u s t and selfishness, is in accord with their spirit . They s:mp!y favour and honour their own when they favour and cherish the base Woman. Her gaudiness and pomp, her go iety and ready compliances, her en nob Ie ment of "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of I ife," enamour them, and ma ke them glad to bear her on their shoulders . It is a sad commentary on humanity, but it is the truth, that all the great world-powers, from first to last, 31 Samford University Library are t he paramours and props of t he Harlot Woman ••• God help us all to keep ourse lves from ido ls! 32 Samford University Library Samford University Library Samford University Library