[Faith-talk] FW: [thefamilyoffaith] Larry Ollison - The Reason for Christmas

[Eric Calhoun]

Original Message: 
From: "TONY_at_FloridaHealth" <FloridaHealth21 at verizon.net>
To: <thefamilyoffaith at yahoogroups.com>, <CcHhEeSsTtEeRr at yahoogroups.com>,
<INTERCESSORS-ALLNATIONS at yahoogroups.com>, "Donna Mae"
<btlg1370 at gmail.com>, <walkwithchrist at tampabay.rr.com>
Subject: [thefamilyoffaith] Larry Ollison - The Reason for Christmas
Date: 
Fri, 25 Dec 2009 16:40:21 -0500



     
              www.cfaith.com   
     
            
              The Reason for Christmas 
            By Larry Ollison, Ph.D. 
             
            Regardless of what the modern news media may tell you,
Christmas is about Jesus. Of course, it is the season of love and joy. Of
course, it is the season of giving. But all of the love, all of the joy,
and all of the giving is because of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Without Jesus
there would be no Christmas season. Let me explain. 

            It may come as a shock to some people, but before Jesus was
born there was no Christmas. Although it is a known fact that Jesus was not
born on December 25, 0000, the Julian and Gregorian calendars use this date
as the anchor for all dates. For example, this year is 2008 AD (Anno
Domini) or "2008 In the Year of Our Lord." The birth of Jesus is the basis
for the (AD) system of dating. 

            However, the value and purpose of Christmas is much deeper
that just a dating system of time. The birth of Jesus marks the beginning
of a new phase of God's plan for mankind. It has been said that when Jesus
came to earth, it was the greatest chapter in the Story of the Glory. Here
is what that means. 

            In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. On
the sixth day He created man in His own image and likeness. God did not do
this in secret. The entire universe watched as He stepped to center stage
and made a proclamation that reverberated throughout the regions of heaven
and hell. God said, "Let Us make man in our image, according to Our
likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds
of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping
thing that creeps on the earth." (Gen. 1:26). 

            In Psalm 8 the Bible records how one angel, who apparently
didn't understand, asked the Creator about what was happening. He asked
God, "What is a man, and why is he so important to you? Who is the son of
man that you visit him?" Up until this time angels had never heard of a
man, but God had created him and made him like Himself and placed him in a
beautiful garden and spent intimate time with him. 

            The Bible tells us in that same passage that God made man a
little lower than Elohim. Elohim is the Hebrew plural word for God the
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. But now, just a little below
God, and above the angels, man was given this new position. Then the Bible
says that God crowned him. He didn't ask Gabriel or Michael to do it. God,
Himself, crowned man with the glory and established man's place in God's
heart for eternity. 

            Man was crowned with glory and honor for every creature in
the universe to see. Although this concept may be difficult to grasp, this
crown was made of the most valuable substance in the universe. The glory of
God is God Himself and He covered man in His glory. Man was then prepared
for eternal fellowship with His Creator. 

            Then God placed man in a garden east of Eden. The
relationship between God and man was very intimate. God gave man authority
over the garden. Like today, there were things he was to do and there were
some things he was not supposed to do. 

            When man was disobedient, the glory that had been his
covering was gone. He lost the ability to fellowship with his Creator. He
fell from that glorious position where God had placed him. He realized he
was naked and he was afraid. It looked like he was doomed to an eternal
existence alone without the closeness of the presence of God (the glory). 

            But God had a plan. Oh, what a plan! God loved His creation
so much that after 4,000 years He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to the
earth in the form of a man. He was a part of the wonderful plan to break
down the wall that separated man from God. Jesus lived a perfect life as a
man. He was the Son of God, but He set all of that aside and lived for 33
years as a sinless man. He laid down His life on the cross and became the
perfect sacrifice. 

            After three days, God resurrected Jesus and He came back to
life. He taught His disciples for forty days and then was taken into heaven
to be with His Father, God. And today, He is waiting to return to the earth
to collect His church. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Son of God,
that God raised Him from the dead, and does not deny Jesus, is a part of
the church and has eternal life. Life is always better than death. 

            Christmas is the celebration of the birth of a little boy in
Bethlehem. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of a Savior who laid
down His life so we could have life. Christmas is the celebration of the
Light entering the world so that we do not have to live in darkness. 

            Celebrating Christmas is the celebration of Jesus and without
Jesus there is no reason to celebrate. We show our love for Him by loving,
forgiving, and giving to others. Jesus said, they (non-Christians) will
know we are Christians by the way we love each other. 

            This is the Story of the Glory-God created man in the Glory.
Man fell from the Glory. God made a way for man to come back to Him and the
Glory. This is the reason we celebrate Christmas. 


            Larry Ollison Ministries 
            All rights reserved. Used by permission.   
              

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