Why Do We Celebrate Christmas on December 25th?

This new episode of court. Christianity was pre-record. Why do we celebrate Christmas on December 25 best is one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity while Merry Christmas on Bill Meyer along with pastor Gabriel Sanchez and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day. We would love to hear from you can call us right now with your question. At 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673, as always, you can post your question on our Facebook or Instagram account and you can always email us your question at questions at core, Christianity.com first up today let's go to will in Wildwood, Missouri will welcome to the program what your question hi, thank you. We really appreciate your ministry. My question is a very personal and and some that may be struggling with this as well, but I'm looking to seek God's will for my life and not just in ministry but in vocationally and I been looking at scriptures and looking for no confirmation that I'm looking that I'm living in his will. Can you help with some scriptures or direction on how I can do that will cannot follow-up] so when we are talking about looking for his direction, not just with ministry. The location you thinking of me pursuing a call to the ministry or is it something separate separate my life. I mean, I know on this earth for a reason, even vocationally, you know, just looking for his will. I tried everything my way. I want to make sure I'm doing I'm living in God's will and that's what I'm searching for right now. Well first I love that I love that will first I wanted to say a prayer for you and that the Lord would grant you wisdom as you pursue his will for your life. Father, I lift my brother up to you and God. I thank you that he desires to honor you that he wants to follow you with the decisions that he makes Lord with what he pursues in terms of his career. The just the day-to-day life that he wants to please you and so would you God guide him would you make it clear to him as as you work in his life. As you open doors to new circumstances largest it just to illuminate the way and that he would have confidence Lord is as he follows you as he seeks you on that.

He is living according to your will, and according to your word blessed and be with them. I pray in Jesus name, amen. We talk about the will of God.

We we we talk about it a couple different ways. One, you have God's revealed will is receptive.

Will we sometimes saying that's that's the, the, the will of God as we find revealed in Scripture in his law, primarily what is it that God requires of us. What is it that God calls us to do. It's it's obedience to his revealed will to his law. I think this is what Paul in the book of Ephesians is getting at when he said in Ephesians chapter 5 verse 15 look carefully then how you walk the word walk.

There is just a figure of speech is just how you live your life that the sword day-to-day. Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is so that there's this category of wisdom.

Let's not be foolish. Let's let our minds be shaped by the Scriptures by the wisdom that's revealed in God's word by the law of God and is that is washing over us every single day.

I think our our our hearts are shaped so that we make decisions that are in it accordance with the word of God with God's revealed will now we also know that God what he's decreed all things from eternity past, we don't we don't know God's secret will, we might say is will of decree we can climb into heaven and and you don't see exactly what God has destined for my future. Specifically, we only know he's revealed to us in his word, and so we strive to live according to that revelation in my encouragement to you would be this recognize will that you have some freedom here. This is where the category of biblical wisdom comes in as as you seek to honor the Lord is very clear to me based on your question that you want to honor the Lord and meditate on the Scriptures on God's word. Be sure that your you know getting getting good fellowship from the body of Christ, also wisdom from the people around you, and you may find that there are a number of options that are before you opportunities of the Lord places before you, and that there is not a question of immuno sin are not sitting is just me don't do. I choose this job or that job and in it and when you're you weighing those decisions. You ask yourself questions like what what what can allow me to provide for my family to honor the Lord to pursue the things that I believe God has called me to these placed on my heart. And there's freedom there to do that to pursue those things. So long as you're not disobeying God's revealed will, his law and so strive to live according to what God is revealed in his word know that there's there's freedom there and and as you're doing that you can rest in the fact that you are indeed walking according to the will of Almighty God. And may God direct your steps oftentimes you know he uses people.

He uses circumstances to open a door and close another door that's that's one of the ways I think that that he guides us.

It's not always that we just have that the clear answer right before us, but so as God brings the circumstances about your life and as God directs your own heart and your own desires. I would say just just make sure that you're following the word. And if you're doing that you can't be outside of the will of God – I love wills earnestness and his commitment to following God and putting him first in his life. That is just so encouraging, especially in this day and age when somebody people aren't so great great counsel. This is core Christianity with Pastor Israel Sanchez were coming up to the end of the year and if you believe in this ministry. If you listen to core Christianity and believe in what we do we want to let you know that we are listener supported.

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We count on people just like you to keep our program on the air. So if you're thinking of maybe at the end of the year, giving a charitable gift to a ministry, we would ask you to prayerfully consider anyone to this ministry.

Yeah me or let me just say how encouraged I am by the feedback we've been getting about this broadcast people's lives are truly being changed and there are many who are growing in their understanding of the Christian faith were growing in their relationship with Jesus Christ that there are false doctrines out there that are being challenged his people ask questions and and I pray that you've been blessed by the work that we do here at core Christianity and if you have been blessed.

Would you consider sending us a one time gift here at the end of the year to support this ministry will we want to see the Lord glorified and we want to see people come into a deeper relationship with Christ in a deeper understanding of the truth and you can partner with us in that and so again consider sending it a gift to this ministry.

Core, Christianity, and we we praise the Lord for your encouragement. Your support and your partnership in the gospel. If you like to make a year-end gift. Easiest way to do that is to go to core Christianity.com/donate that's core Christianity.com/donate and any amount would be appreciated. Towards that keeping this ministry on the year will go back to the phones we have Byron on the line from Granite city, Illinois Byron, what's your question for Pastor Israel. I have been struggling with military and I just relocated into my in-laws home with my wife and daughter bought him. I feel like I'm being deceitful because they they don't know that we've been married and my wife also doesn't want them to find out any particular way to she feel like you have to walk on eggshells around her mom so I might just wondering how I should deal with this because I feel like it interferes with me being able to witness to them.

I feel like I have to cut a lot of it short so? So you're living there right now with them under the roof but they they don't know that you guys are married so they think you're not living together.

Okay, that makes this yeah well will I would say I am in it would really make it quite difficult to be able to witness to them to talk about Jesus, the forgiveness of sins grace if they think you're becoming to just view as a hypocrite.

It seems to me, right. Like you confesses things are.

You claim to believe these things, but you're not even married in your living with our daughter that convey so I think there needs to come point where where coming. You have to be honest that you know you don't live in that the seven is is is also not a good a good witness a good look because if they know you're a Christian, you confess your Christian but you're doing things that are contrary to the word of God will that brings reproach on on the truth and so I think I think mom talking to your wife and having a very honest conversation with them is is the best way forward. You need to be honest with them ultimately for fork for Christ sake, you know wanting to honor the Lord wanted to make sure that you're not putting yourself out there as someone who just immuno living in in this relationship that that is essentially fornication really is no marriage is that's that's what I do not know all the details behind why your wife doesn't want to have that conversation why she doesn't want them to know that you guys are married but I think taking a step back and saying we had a really honest conversation and and one maybe even confessing like we've been deceitful and own it, repented that's that's one of the best ways we can be good witnesses to our family. I II think about this with kids all the time.

One of the best ways I can share the gospel with my children and be a good witness to them is by repenting before them by confessing, when I failed when I've sin and saying that he needs grace to and there is a gospel that's big enough for your daddy sins. And when we sin, we go to Jesus and I'm in a model that for you Innocenti that's what you're doing is you're saying look I we have been totally honest. We've we've been deceitful. We are married and and so we want to say that when asked for your forgiveness because for us the most important thing is honoring Jesus. That's the most important thing in and pragmatic that would be a way to move forward and in terms of being a good witness. Now that might create other problems they might get really upset that you guys are already married. And so there's got to be. I think some some conversations again going to have to happen in some healing that probably is going to need to take place, but that that can only happen through honesty I doesn't get better if we continue to keep the deception going in Fekete. It usually only gets worse and so I think talking your wife having made a praying about this and then strategizing how to how to move forward and in bringing this into the light and and it's there that we are good witnesses for Jesus is not in concealing and hiding and let me just Byron pray for you right now that God would would help you in this father be with Byron be with his his wife with their family with his in-laws. I pray for a peaceful resolution in one Lord, that honors you one that glorifies you and helps him to be the good witness that he wants to be Lord I'm sure this is just a load on him away on his shoulders as he struggles with feeling like a deceiver, Lord, and so I pray that that as he comes into the light is there honest that that load would be lifted that he would experience your grace, your presence, your mercy, and that his in-laws would would have soft hearts and and an open heart Lord to to them and that ultimately this will glorify you in Jesus name, amen and a Byron, thank you for your service as well.

God bless you and your family this Christmas season. Now Byron. We do appreciate you so much.

What a complicated situation. He did the right thing. They got married. And yet I don't want to. Maybe it's because the mother-in-law missed the wedding and she couldn't really be very happy about that. Yeah, you don't know, but I did. I just think of the general rule, things don't get better when were in the darkness, when were deceiving were trying to quit.

Want to try to keep the peace by being deceptive. It only gets worse and so you have to rip the Band-Aid off and and repent and be honest. And it's there that healing begins to take place. So true. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez's want to hear from one of our listeners named Maria who left us a voicemail not on on December 20 why do we celebrate his birthday. On that day.

Why can't we not celebrate his birthday on the day of his birthday or the date that is then maybe concluded or worn known actually all one he was born. I hear many different things about because there was no shepherds out in the September in Jerusalem. Jesus but not of happened in December so widely celebrated number 20 for why not on the actual day of his birth. Thank you.

Hey, thank you and God bless you as well Maria, I mean there's there's debate about the actual day of fact there has been debate about this and some of the earliest days in the history of the church. There's a whole tradition in the church. I think rooted in Scripture that takes the base of the time of John the Baptist birth week asserted traits that we think of his father Zechariah his service in in the temple when that would have been when John the Baptist was conceived when he was born, and then put that together with when when Jesus was conceived when he was born. So this is all sort of tradition that that takes that information and then builds a case that Jesus was born in December around the time of the year that that the birth of Christ celebrate with her bare.

There is a lot of debate and is as I said that immuno Christians of ever thought about this for a number of years. Personally Maria I think that what what we need to focus on is not the day right we as Christians don't have holy days. We have the Lord's day.

Sunday we gather together for worship. That's the day of worship.

It's been given to us. We have these religious festivals these days that are holy days like they did under the old covenant.

That's not a part of the new covenant is not the day in particular that matters is it's what took place in the incarnation, it's the fact that God the son, the second person of the holy Trinity assumed humanity so that we might be redeemed so that our fallen nature might be restored and healed. This is what the church is set for 2000 years with the church fathers wrote hymns about the fact that that God has restored humanity through the incarnation, he came as a man so that he might stand in our place and and heal our disease of sin and redeem us.

Forgive us, and that has to be what we focus on medical week we getting these fights about that. The specific day, we can begin to miss the forest for the trees.

If you will, we can begin to lose sight of what what is really important is that the problem this time of year people losing sight of what is really important it isn't.

It isn't, you know you and all of the the tinsel and you know that the stress that comes with buying gifts and family and being around the table so many of us, you know, we finish the holiday season, Christmas is over and we are just exhausted, tired why I think it's because were so consumed with with the things that we shouldn't be focused on. Around this time you need to focus on is what Christ has done for us to redeem us coming down from heaven to earth to grant us rest in him, to restore us.

Boy, if we meditate on that more if we focused on that I think would come out of the season refreshed and energized and so there is debate about that.

The specific day there is a case to be made from Scripture that it was you know in December but but I don't think that's made it the main thing is God the son came to earth for you and for me before us men and for salvation is as the Nicene Creed says came down from heaven for us men and for our salvation. Praise God for that. Douglas meant this is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez. Merry Christmas to you and your family. Let's go to John who is calling in from Texas. John what your question for a drill right along what your view on the Calvinist Arminian debated and doesn't really matter yeah not controversial at all. John just can write doing, how I love it. In my view on the debate about Calvinism and Arminianism. Well let me just say this might my view has evolved over the years. Obviously, when I first became a Christian I was exposed to any of those things I assumed at that time that basically you now as it was a fairly decent person there member thinking why think that II came to Jesus that I discovered this.

I asked her to felt like salvation was something I stumbled upon like you're walking on the street you see $100 bill and you pick it up and just feel so fortunate that you were the lucky one who was walking down that street in that moment, you found that hundred dollar bill that started how I thought of salvation. I'm just I'm blessed.

I'm glad I discovered this, but more and more as I studied the Scriptures as I search the Scriptures. I realize actually I'm I'm not in as much control as I think that I am that God is the one who is over all things.

It wasn't even so much the fact that I was the one who was seeking after God. On the contrary, I was rebelling against him was that God was pursuing me as he does with with sinners and drawing me to himself and I think that this is something that you see throughout the Scriptures.

The psalmist said in Psalm 65. I believe it's in verse four. Blessed is the man you choose and cause to approach you, that he may dwell in your courts and so as I was studying the Scriptures John more and more, I found myself affirming the truth that God is sovereign. Now mankind is still responsible.

I am responsible for. When I sing were responsible creatures before God and when we have been ever since the beginning of of creation.

So were not like robots out there who are coerced to do certain things and forced to sin are forced not to sin know that that's not the case at all. That's also not what what Calvinism teaches, that would be more of a caricature of that view. Know it's it's the realization that we are responsible creatures being created by God with responsibility, but that if it wasn't for the grace of God and the work of the Holy Spirit, we would be lost that even Faith itself is a gift that God gives Ephesians chapter 2 that this is a gift that God gives to us so that we might know him and love him and so I would say look, it isn't so much the that the title's right that we want to get caught up in Calvinist Arminian want to search the Scriptures and we want to ask the question what do the Scriptures teach and it may be that what the Scriptures teach challenge us challenge something that we've we've been raised to believe in the church or something that we just assumed, and that's what I found for myself, John, is that as I studied the Scriptures related to God's sovereignty related to doctrines like the doctrine of predestination and election can read about in Ephesians chapter 1 of Romans chapter 9, I was challenged I had before too high a view of myself and not a high enough view of God in his grace, his goodness, his glory is.

I think that this is really important not not the titles. What the Scripture teaches and I would encourage you to continue to dig into the Scriptures and if you're curious about me know that the passages of Scripture that speak to God's sovereignty and salvation. As I said the doctrine of of election predestination.

The verses that Artie mentioned Ephesians chapter 1 Romans chapter 9 John chapter 6. These are places that you can go in and and I would just say what does the Scripture say let it shape your thoughts as you hear about these debates let the Scriptures shape your thoughts and I think will happen is you get to go to the Texas Scriptures. You see more and more how small we are as creatures. How great God and his grace is that it's on display throughout the Bible so appreciate your your question and may God bless you brother John, thanks much for calling him great questions. Drill said it's a complicated one, but the great response theory to appreciate that this is core Christianity just reminder that if you are planning to do any end of year giving.

We would love to receive a gift to continue to keep this ministry continuing on the air for another year. The easiest way to do that is to go to our website. Core, Christianity.com/donate and you can make a gift of any amount we really do rely on our listeners to keep core Christianity going let's go to Ed was calling him from liberty Missouri at what your question for a drill is Seventh-day Adventist coal BEEN MARRIED 45 YEARS WERE SOME WAY OF GOD AND OUR SON GOT MARRIED ABOUT 15 YEARS AGO AND MARRIED INTO SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST AND HE'S BEEN REBELLIOUS TO SEVERSON SO THAT'S MY QUESTION. IS A SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST OCCULT WITH WITH SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS. I THINK THAT THERE IS SOME SOMEONE OF THE SPECTRUM. SO WHERE IS THE MORMON CHURCH AND THE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES. FOR EXAMPLE, ARE THE THOSE ARE VERY CLEAR COLTS AND AND THERE'S SOME BASIC UNIFORMITY IN TERMS OF OF BELIEF AND PRACTICE IN PIETY AND FALL SUMMIT. IF IT'S FALSE. I THINK THERE'S A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A SPECTRUM AMONG SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST SO THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE SOME THAT ARE MORE FAR OUT THERE AND OTHERS THAT MAYBE YOU'RE A LITTLE BIT MORE ORTHODOX, BUT THERE ARE SOME SIGNIFICANT CONCERNS THAT I HAVE ABOUT THE DOCTRINES AMONG SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST. SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THEY BELIEVE AND TEACH. BUT LET ME GIVE YOU A JUST A PIECE OF OF GOOD NEWS ED AND THAT'S THAT THE LORD IS ABLE TO SAVE US IN SPITE OF EVEN OUR OUR SINS OR FAILURES AND EVEN OUR OUR WEAK UNDERSTANDINGS OF THE TRUTH AND SO I THINK GETTING TO THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL IS SO IMPORTANT.

WE HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS WHO GO TO CHURCHES THAT THAT ARE UNCLEAR ABOUT THINGS LIKE THE GOT TO GET TO THE GOSPEL. WHO IS JESUS WHO IS JESUS AND HOW ARE YOU SAVED IF IF YOUR SON UNDERSTANDS THAT IF HE GETS THAT RIGHT AND I THINK YOU CAN HAVE A GREAT AMOUNT OF HOPE AND AND AND SO I WOULD SAY FOCUS ON THE MAIN THINGS FOCUS ON CHRIST FOCUS ON THE GOSPEL FOCUS ON THE FREE FORGIVENESS OF SINS, THE GRACE OF GOD OPENING THE SCRIPTURES TOGETHER AND AND AS YOU DO THAT, I THINK YOU YOU CAN BE ENCOURAGED AS YOU CONTINUE TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM AND PRAY THAT IF HE IS IN A CHURCH THAT THAT IS REALLY OUT THERE THAT THE LORD WOULD REVEAL THAT TO HIM AND BRING HIM BACK INTO A MORE FAITHFUL REPRESENTATION OF THE TRUTH. GOD BLESS YOU AND MERRY CHRISTMAS.

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