“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace to men on whom his favour rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has told us about.”
Luke 2:13-15 NIV.
This great company of heavenly host dispatched to earth was to intimate earth and grant mankind a foretaste of the great celebration of Christmas taking place in heaven. This means when Jesus was born, there was Christmas in heaven. It also means heaven came down to celebrate with earth. Heaven not only planned the first Christmas. Heaven not only sent the reason for the celebration to earth. Heaven practically shared its celebration of the first Christmas with earth. And from then till date earth has celebrated more than two thousand Christmases. But the million dollar question is: How many of these Christmases has earth shared with heaven? Please, don’t be quick to answer: All. Because until you know what gives heaven joy and causes heaven to celebrate, you can’t answer, All.
In the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin, the master Jesus tells us what gives heaven joy and causes it to celebrate when he declares that, “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7 NKJV) and “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10 NKJV). From both declarations, it is glaring that what gives heaven joy and causes it to celebrate is the repentance of a sinner. It’ll amaze you to realize that the repentance of just one sinner (I say just one, not two or three) is enough to make heaven rejoice and celebrate. I know someone might be asking within himself/herself now, How is the repentance of a sinner connected to the celebration of Christmas?
I must remark that there is a great connection between the sinner’s repentance and the celebration of Christmas. The connection is in the purpose of Jesus’ birth and his mission as a Savior. The angel who appeared to the shepherds declared to them that, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10 NIV). And this good news is that, “Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11 emphasis mine, NIV). So heaven celebrated Christmas because the Saviour of mankind, Jesus whose name means “he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21c NIV) has been born. This implies heaven celebrated Christmas because of this reason, not necessarily because someone great or as the world acknowledges a great leader/prophet has been born. If celebration of Christmas is predicated on the birth of a great leader or a great prophet, then the world will have several Christmases to celebrate. This is because our world has never lacked great leaders or great prophets at anytime. What the world lacks is not great leaders or great prophets, but a Saviour. And only Jesus fits that designation. In birth, Jesus is designated a Saviour (Luke 2:11; Matthew 1:21). In his mission statement, Jesus clearly declared himself a Saviour when he states that, “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10 NKJV) and that, “the Son of Man did not come to be served {as a great leader/a great prophet}, but to serve {as a servant leader}, and to give His life a ransom for many {as the Saviour}” (Mark 10:45 emphasis mine, NKJV) and “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17 emphasis mine, NKJV). In his interaction with people while on earth, they recognized and acknowledged him as the Saviour when they declared that, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world” (John 4:42 emphasis mine, NKJV). In his death, the Scripture declares that, “since the children have flesh and blood, he {Jesus} too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Hebrews 2:14-15 NIV) and “He {Jesus} was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Romans 4:25 NIV). And in his resurrection and glorification, Jesus is declared Saviour when the Scripture unequivocally affirms that, “Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12 NIV). The good news of Christmas that is for all the people is that salvation for mankind has come because the Saviour Jesus Christ has been born. And this is the good news of great joy for the lost. So when heaven celebrated Christmas and gave earth a foretaste of how to celebrate Christmas, it sets a precedence for earth to follow. The angels shared the good news of Christmas with the shepherds and celebrate it before their eyes. The shepherds in turn, after confirming the words of the angel, shared the good news with others.
Heaven began the celebration of the first Christmas by first sharing the good news. The shepherds equally did the same so that a lost world can be saved. And right from then, heaven has been waiting anxiously for earth to give it a reason to celebrate. When a lost sheep is found, heaven celebrates. When a lost coin is found, heaven celebrates. When a lost son is found, heaven celebrates. When a sinner who is symbolized by a lost sheep and a lost coin is saved, heaven celebrates. When a lost son who symbolizes a backslider is restored, heaven celebrates. Every lost sinner saved and every backslider restored is our Christmas gift to God that triggers great rejoicing in heaven (Luke 15:7), great joy in the presence of the angels of God (Luke 15:10) and causes our heavenly Father to celebrate. The Scripture declares that when the lost son returned to the father, he declared: “‘For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they {the father and his entire household} began to celebrate” (Luke 15:24 NIV). Every time you win a soul to Jesus, heaven celebrates Christmas. For the Scripture declares that, “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10 NKJV). Heaven’s Christmas is not limited to December 25th alone. December 25th is the day humans have chosen to celebrate Christmas as the memorial day of Jesus’ birth. But the reason of Jesus’ birth which is the essence of Christmas transcends December 25th. Humans may have chosen to limit their celebration of Christmas to a day - December 25th, but heaven desires and seeks a daily celebration of Christmas. And only you and I can make this desire a reality. Our willingness and ability to win a soul to Jesus on a daily basis or on a regular basis will determine the reality of heaven’s desire for a daily or regular Christmas celebration. Heaven’s Christmas is predicated on our willingness and ability to win a soul for Jesus. Every sinner saved and every backslider restored orchestrates CHRISTMAS IN HEAVEN. Every sinner saved and every backslider restored begins a celebration of Christmas in heaven. As you celebrate your Christmas here on earth, can you let heaven share in it? As you celebrate another Christmas today, will you be gracious enough to allow heaven partake in it? Why not give heaven a Christmas today by sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world born in Bethlehem of Judea like the angel and the shepherds did? Give heaven a Christmas celebration as you celebrate. Can you give a sinner the Christmas gift of a white dress (robe) of Christ’s righteousness this Christmas (Revelation 7:9, 13)? Can you give a sinner the privileged opportunity of dinning with Jesus this Christmas (Revelation 3:20)? Yes, you can, if you will just take a moment of your celebration to share the good news of Christmas with someone in need of a Saviour. Jesus, the Saviour of the world, born in Bethlehem of Judea is the reason for the season. Tell somebody about Him. Merry Christmas and God bless you.
www.practicalexaltation.blogspot.com
peace to men on whom his favour rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has told us about.”
Luke 2:13-15 NIV.
This great company of heavenly host dispatched to earth was to intimate earth and grant mankind a foretaste of the great celebration of Christmas taking place in heaven. This means when Jesus was born, there was Christmas in heaven. It also means heaven came down to celebrate with earth. Heaven not only planned the first Christmas. Heaven not only sent the reason for the celebration to earth. Heaven practically shared its celebration of the first Christmas with earth. And from then till date earth has celebrated more than two thousand Christmases. But the million dollar question is: How many of these Christmases has earth shared with heaven? Please, don’t be quick to answer: All. Because until you know what gives heaven joy and causes heaven to celebrate, you can’t answer, All.
In the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin, the master Jesus tells us what gives heaven joy and causes it to celebrate when he declares that, “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7 NKJV) and “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10 NKJV). From both declarations, it is glaring that what gives heaven joy and causes it to celebrate is the repentance of a sinner. It’ll amaze you to realize that the repentance of just one sinner (I say just one, not two or three) is enough to make heaven rejoice and celebrate. I know someone might be asking within himself/herself now, How is the repentance of a sinner connected to the celebration of Christmas?
I must remark that there is a great connection between the sinner’s repentance and the celebration of Christmas. The connection is in the purpose of Jesus’ birth and his mission as a Savior. The angel who appeared to the shepherds declared to them that, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10 NIV). And this good news is that, “Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11 emphasis mine, NIV). So heaven celebrated Christmas because the Saviour of mankind, Jesus whose name means “he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21c NIV) has been born. This implies heaven celebrated Christmas because of this reason, not necessarily because someone great or as the world acknowledges a great leader/prophet has been born. If celebration of Christmas is predicated on the birth of a great leader or a great prophet, then the world will have several Christmases to celebrate. This is because our world has never lacked great leaders or great prophets at anytime. What the world lacks is not great leaders or great prophets, but a Saviour. And only Jesus fits that designation. In birth, Jesus is designated a Saviour (Luke 2:11; Matthew 1:21). In his mission statement, Jesus clearly declared himself a Saviour when he states that, “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10 NKJV) and that, “the Son of Man did not come to be served {as a great leader/a great prophet}, but to serve {as a servant leader}, and to give His life a ransom for many {as the Saviour}” (Mark 10:45 emphasis mine, NKJV) and “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17 emphasis mine, NKJV). In his interaction with people while on earth, they recognized and acknowledged him as the Saviour when they declared that, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world” (John 4:42 emphasis mine, NKJV). In his death, the Scripture declares that, “since the children have flesh and blood, he {Jesus} too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Hebrews 2:14-15 NIV) and “He {Jesus} was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Romans 4:25 NIV). And in his resurrection and glorification, Jesus is declared Saviour when the Scripture unequivocally affirms that, “Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12 NIV). The good news of Christmas that is for all the people is that salvation for mankind has come because the Saviour Jesus Christ has been born. And this is the good news of great joy for the lost. So when heaven celebrated Christmas and gave earth a foretaste of how to celebrate Christmas, it sets a precedence for earth to follow. The angels shared the good news of Christmas with the shepherds and celebrate it before their eyes. The shepherds in turn, after confirming the words of the angel, shared the good news with others.
Heaven began the celebration of the first Christmas by first sharing the good news. The shepherds equally did the same so that a lost world can be saved. And right from then, heaven has been waiting anxiously for earth to give it a reason to celebrate. When a lost sheep is found, heaven celebrates. When a lost coin is found, heaven celebrates. When a lost son is found, heaven celebrates. When a sinner who is symbolized by a lost sheep and a lost coin is saved, heaven celebrates. When a lost son who symbolizes a backslider is restored, heaven celebrates. Every lost sinner saved and every backslider restored is our Christmas gift to God that triggers great rejoicing in heaven (Luke 15:7), great joy in the presence of the angels of God (Luke 15:10) and causes our heavenly Father to celebrate. The Scripture declares that when the lost son returned to the father, he declared: “‘For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they {the father and his entire household} began to celebrate” (Luke 15:24 NIV). Every time you win a soul to Jesus, heaven celebrates Christmas. For the Scripture declares that, “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10 NKJV). Heaven’s Christmas is not limited to December 25th alone. December 25th is the day humans have chosen to celebrate Christmas as the memorial day of Jesus’ birth. But the reason of Jesus’ birth which is the essence of Christmas transcends December 25th. Humans may have chosen to limit their celebration of Christmas to a day - December 25th, but heaven desires and seeks a daily celebration of Christmas. And only you and I can make this desire a reality. Our willingness and ability to win a soul to Jesus on a daily basis or on a regular basis will determine the reality of heaven’s desire for a daily or regular Christmas celebration. Heaven’s Christmas is predicated on our willingness and ability to win a soul for Jesus. Every sinner saved and every backslider restored orchestrates CHRISTMAS IN HEAVEN. Every sinner saved and every backslider restored begins a celebration of Christmas in heaven. As you celebrate your Christmas here on earth, can you let heaven share in it? As you celebrate another Christmas today, will you be gracious enough to allow heaven partake in it? Why not give heaven a Christmas today by sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world born in Bethlehem of Judea like the angel and the shepherds did? Give heaven a Christmas celebration as you celebrate. Can you give a sinner the Christmas gift of a white dress (robe) of Christ’s righteousness this Christmas (Revelation 7:9, 13)? Can you give a sinner the privileged opportunity of dinning with Jesus this Christmas (Revelation 3:20)? Yes, you can, if you will just take a moment of your celebration to share the good news of Christmas with someone in need of a Saviour. Jesus, the Saviour of the world, born in Bethlehem of Judea is the reason for the season. Tell somebody about Him. Merry Christmas and God bless you.
www.practicalexaltation.blogspot.com
