The STRANGE FIRES of CHRISTMAS
- Taking Christmas Out of Christ -

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine;
but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
II Timothy 4:3,4
Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions,
rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.
I Timothy 1:4
But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.
I Timothy 4:7

Since becoming a Bible Believer, I have seen that most folks these days don't find any humor in the above pictures.  I find that humor, common sense and even some sort of Biblical thinking is seriously lacking today - and that is a sad testimony to America as well as Christianity today.  Where has humor gone in America and why has Santa become so 'real' that Christmas has become what it has become today?

Santa has become a shrine - Christmas has become an American religion with Santa being the god to so many people, today.  While I believe that I know the answer to those questions, it amazes me that with it being so obvious, why don't other's see what is happening anymore.  The marketing media is even promoting children in their tv ads that the children should actually 'believe in Santa.'

Revival possible? from Santa to Jesus Christ?
If folks were as desirous to have their children believe in Jesus Christ as much as they put their efforts and approval in having their children believe in Santa, we could have a Biblical revival in our country - even in the schools and commercial markets.  Jesus Christ is real and Santa is not, but children can not differentiate that fact, and even worse, they are not even allowed the opportunity to hear the truth regarding Jesus Christ.

Christmas is NOT in the Bible!
A little Bible search would show folks that Christmas just is not BIBLE!  Not at all.  Not even those little holiday traditional things like yuletide log, mistletoe, the tree, the lights - the birthday celebration - EVEN the Nativity scene is not based on any Biblical truth.  NONE!

But I suppose, as the Bible has been taken out of American churches, then something had to replace it.  We know that modern perversions fill the churches in America today - most churches just don't preach Bible anymore - especially the real Holy Bible let alone the modern corrupted perverted ones.  They just preach totally fabricated  fables that sell in the marketplace, as was and still is warned about in Timothy.

A study of Christmas in regards to the Bible will produce the simple conclusion that Satan's Claws have become Santa Clause in America - and not just the kids but for the adults as well.  Christmas is one of those fables that people today will believe in instead of sound doctrine - some even have come to believe ON Christmas and Santa Claus for the spirit that is presented so falsely during this holiday.

Will anybody take my challenge today to search the Scriptures to see if those statements are quite possibly true.  It seems that most folks, Christians included, just DON'T WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH - remembering, of course, that most folks really just  have no clue as to what the Scriptures say - nor do they even know what and where the Holy Scriptures are today!  In fact, most Christians don't even believe they exist anymore.

My personal memories of my Christmas past
Christmas is either just too good of a family time and/or we are so steeped into the tradition of Christmas, most just can't seem break out of the rut and pressure of the "holiday."

I will be the first to admit Christmas can be a good time.  I have more memories regarding Christmas than any other time in my life.  I even remember running home from a friend's house crying after I heard that Santa was not real and yet I did come to believe that Jesus Christ is real.  Yes, folks - I bought the whole story 100%!  I actually wondered how he was going to get down through our little sooty pipe chimney into our oil burner stove.  I had always wanted to leave the little stove door open, after all, we always turned the heat off at night anyway - that was always a puzzle to me!  My cookies and milk were always gone in the morning, though.  He must have gotten down and back somehow!

Christmas has great festive food, great cookies & treats, plenty of holiday cheer; it is a long school vacation for kids AND teachers; the Christmas lights look pretty in the snow; Christmas has that traditional music that many still like to sing & hear (the new stuff just reeks Hamitistic influence and style - I never hear so much music slaughtered than at Christmas time). We just can't forget those traditional movies such as White Christmas & It's a Wonderful Life along with those traditional animated shows on Rudolph, Frosty, the Grinch, Charlie Brown, Ernest, Little Match Girl, Small One and of course, more than enough movies - old and new - on Santa himself.

I remember all those little trinkets and small gifts all my students would bring me just before they dismissed for the best holiday vacation of all.  I remember leading over 500 elementary school kids (K-6) with my accordion in a last minute hour of singing Christmas carols in the gymnasium while we waited for the busses which were delayed in a snow storm in SD.  I knew then that this type of program would never happen again - some teachers were even crying because they knew these were becoming a thing of the past.  What a marvelous time that was.  That hour will never be forgotten!

Then there is decorating the house:  the candles (Bayberry) and window decals.  The outdoor lights as well as the lights on the tree - colors or all white?  Cutting down our own tree or just walking into a lot of trees sold by the Boy Scouts - ah, the smell was great!  Those water bubble ornaments - the round bulbs - the ornaments with family traditional history attached - the popcorn chains - the home drawn ornaments made by our own kids - the tinsel either thrown on or placed on one at a time - and then placing the angel or a star on top of the tree.

We had our own family "Hershey Kiss Count-Down Until Christmas" hangy thing for our two kids with me eating the extra kisses - I am always looking for a reason to eat chocolate. My wife's marvelous and scrumptious peanut brittle; those chocolate haystacks; the mints; the chocolate cherries; the almond pretzels; the broomstick cookies, etc. - decorating those tasteless Christmas cookies with red hots and with all of the different colored sprinkles, etc. - making the bells, the tree, the star and of course, that Santa cookie; Rudolph's shiny nose always broke off the cookie, etc.

Those 'T' rings - man oh man:, sugar, cinnamon and raisons poured onto melted butter and all on white bread dough.  I had so snip off the ends so I would just eat those before they even made it into the oven!

Little Drummer Boy, Holy City, Silent Night... all those Christmas carols that were hard to sing and play...

Then there is the Nativity scene - old fashioned, of course.  And in those early days, outdoor live nativity scenes were in public places.  Those were the days!  None of these modern ugly things of today.

Our town's decorations were not lit nor was the 'Christmas loot' really on display until after Thanksgiving - the slow drives as dad drove through the neighborhoods to see Candy Cane lane, Christmas Card lane, Sputnik Lane (ya, I am that old) were always  joyous rides - unless it had never snowed, then it seemed   dumb, actually!

Christmas is a time that families get together again; family portraits are made; sons in the military can come home for a few days; the kids come home from college; church attendance goes up at least for one Sunday; the town merchants are relieved & rescued for another year.  We suddenly see some worldly care & love for a few weeks at nursing homes; people get to see at least the signature of their past friends and family who live far away written on a pretty card -some folks even 'get to hear' the exact details of the lives from the entire past year of their past friends and family.

Naturally, gifts are received and gifts are given - some gifts practical, some gifts really nifty and quaint and full of tradition and remembrances, and some gifts force you to stand in endless return lines in the local stores.  And unfortunately, this is the only time of year that the poor and homeless are 'thought of' in any substantial manner, but they are thought of, at any rate!

Yes, I must admit, there is a lot to be said about Christmas.  In those days, we hardly ever had relatives visit except for Christmas.  I very seldom received any toys throughout the year except for birthday and Christmas.  We were a family throughout the whole year - not just for this occasion, as it appears to be today.

And in spite of the ACLU's threats and the influx of Islam-mania, Ramadanians, Hannuka-doers & Kwanza-itis, there are still many families in America who hang on to the historical & traditional fact that Christmas is supposedly based on the birth of Jesus Christ.   In fact, some families still crack open their dusty Bible and recount the stories in the Bible about Christ's birth - for a few minutes, anyway, and many will give out The Greatest Story Ever Told tract during this season as a little more tract freedom seems to exist during Christmas and Easter in regards to spiritual matters.

And as a child, along with the fact that I received a toy gun every Christmas throughout my entire childhood while my brother received a piece of Lionell train each Christmas, I remember those bright lights from those movie cameras in the 50's blazing into my eyes as I cutely sang Away in a Manger every Christmas for Doug, Lucile, Taffy, Terry and Donna as they always came to visit during Christmas.  I remember our house being full of cookies cooling all over the house as mom made "millions" each Christmas - and our candy house that dad made and always gave me permission to pull out from the back of the closet each year - what a good time it was to me.  I even remember the advent wreath as we lit a new candle each week until the middle one was lit - then I knew it was 'open presents' time!!!

I have lived long enough to see that Christmas has gone from Norman Rockwell to a stressful and unhappy holiday called "X"Mas instead of a supposed "Merry" Christmas.

But, I also have been a Bible Believer long enough to now realize that something is terribly wrong here.  The enemies to God have done their best to take Christ out of Christmas.  Each year more and more of the 'religious' element of Christmas is being taken out of Christmas by the ACLU gang, etc.

Instead of preaching on those who took Christ out of Christmas, I am going to take the Christmas holiday traditions and see what we come up with when we take Christmas out of Christ!  I will tell you right now - the conclusion is that we see in the Scriptures, Christ was never part of Christmas at all.  Christ was never in Christmas in the first place.

What you will end up with in your study is the Jesus Christ that Paul preached.  You will then see that the christ that Paul warned about is actually the antichrist and that is what Christmas is all about.

If you are a relatively new Bible Believing Christian, this may also be some tough stuff to swallow.  I ask you to just pray about it and get on with your life and be willing to grow in your Christian walk - God will show you, as I believe He is finally getting through to many of us - but remember, He will only show it to you through the word of God and preaching.

"Anti-Christmas"
You know how we laugh at how some folks have 'bumper-sticker-phobia' and are deathly afraid of our automobile bumper stickers so they either pull back further behind or they pass us even in dangerous situations - they just can't take those stickers.  Well, it seems that Christmas has become a phobia for us Bible Believers, too.  It is so hard to break from those traditions, we are actually fearful of the obvious.

What follows here are some studies/sermons on various aspects of Christmas - some are short, some are long - would you expect any different from me?  :-)

The obvious conclusion is once you take away the traditional Christmas, Christ is nowhere to be seen.  I realize that Romans 14 along with Colossians reminds us of the liberty we have in Christ - but it must be expedient and edify the body of Christ - so with that in mind, 'enjoy' the following studies.