I did not grow up celebrating the season of advent.  I had no idea what it was or that it was even on the church calendar until about 20 years ago. What is it anyway? Should Christians celebrate it?

Advent is the season of the year leading up to Christmas. It is observed with various traditions and rituals by Catholics and other liturgical groups such as Lutherans, Anglicans, and Methodists. In recent years, Advent celebrations of one type or another have been added to many evangelical services as well.

The word advent itself means “arrival” or “an appearing or coming into place.” Christians often speak of Christ’s “first advent” and “second advent”; that is, His first and second comings to earth. His first advent would be the Incarnation—Christmastime.

The Advent season lasts for four Sundays. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, or the nearest Sunday to November 30. Advent ends on Christmas Eve and thus is not considered part of the Christmas season. The Advent celebration is both a commemoration of Christ’s first coming and an anticipation of His second coming. As Israel longed for their Messiah to come, so Christians long for their Savior to come again.

 

Should Christians observe Advent? This is a matter of personal conviction. Here is the biblical principle: “One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord” (Romans 14:5–6).

 

Churches that observe Advent usually decorate their sanctuaries in the liturgical color of Advent, purple (or in some cases royal blue). Some churches change the color to rose on the third or fourth Sunday of Advent to signify a greater emphasis on the joy of the season.

One of the most common Advent traditions involves the use of evergreen wreaths, branches, and trees. On the first Sunday of Advent, churches and homes are decorated with green to symbolize the eternal life that Jesus brings. An Advent wreath—an evergreen circle with four colored candles surrounding a white one in the middle—is placed in a prominent spot. The candles are then lighted one at a time, on successive Sundays. The first candle is the candle of “hope” or “expectation.” The three remaining candles on the perimeter are given various meanings depending on the church. On Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, the center white candle is lighted; this is the “Christ Candle,” a reminder that Jesus, the Light of the Word, has come.

Advent calendars, used to count down the days till Christmas, are popular in many homes. An Advent calendar contains a number of covered “windows” that are opened, one a day, until Christmas Day. Each open window reveals a picture related to the season or a poem or a Bible verse or a treat of some kind. Many parents find that an Advent calendar is a good way to teach their children the true meaning of Christmas—although there are secular versions of the calendars, too.

Should Christians observe Advent? This is a matter of personal conviction. Here is the biblical principle: “One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord” (Romans 14:5–6).

There is certainly nothing wrong with commemorating Jesus’ birth and anticipating His return—such commemoration and anticipation should be an everyday part of our lives. Are Christians required to observe Advent? No. Does observing Advent make one a better Christian or more acceptable to God? No. Can celebrating Advent be a good reminder of what the season is truly all about? Yes, and therein lies its greatest value.

Messages on Advent

Dr RC Sproul has a great teaching series on Advent titled “The Messiah is Born”.  Click on the title link to listen.

“In this series, R.C. Sproul examines various themes that we must consider when we look at the first advent of Christ. Dr. Sproul discusses Mary’s role in the nativity and the necessity of Christ’s birth for our redemption, reminding us that the glory of God seen in the birth of Jesus will be seen again at His second coming.”

Pastor Alistair Begg has a teaching on Advent titled “The Purpose of Advent”   Click on title to listen.

 

Soli Deo Gloria!

 

 

 

for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  -James 1:3

 

Difficult things are going to happen to us in life whether we like it or not. Whether we are saved or not. At some point in this fallen world, we will experience trials and difficulties.  Being a Christian does not and will not shield us from the difficulties of life. If anything, becoming a Christian may sometimes bring more trials and difficulties than ever before.  For one the world would hate us, our worldly friends might come to resent us since we will no longer be interested in the ungodly activities we all used to participate it.

Difficult times usually bring out a flood of emotions such as fear, anger and anxiety. These emotions are considered normal reactions to difficulties. We expect them in ourselves and in others. But should we? The Bible calls us to a higher place. It teaches us that we do not have to respond to difficulties with the normal reactions, we can have a different reaction to difficult situations. It tells us we can choose our emotions. How?  By what we know to be true about God. This is not positive thinking, neither is it a call to “visualize” the problem away. 

 

You see, God does not have any favorite children, He will not treat us any differently than He treated His beloved Son. If the path to victory for the beloved Son of God was through suffering, why would we think ours will be different?

 

The Bible teaches us in James 1:2-3 the when difficult times come upon us, notice it says “when”, not “if”. Being a Christian as I said earlier does not exonerate us from experiencing difficult times.  As a matter of fact, God has ordained and determined in His sovereignty that as believers, we will experience difficulties on our journey from earth to heaven. Luke tells us in  Acts 14:22 that the Apostle Paul went about “strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”  

Jesus Himself tells us in Matthew 16:24-26  “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.For whoever would save his lifewill lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”   The cross is an instrument of torture, an instrument of pain and death. Yet, Jesus says if we are to follow Him, we must forsake ourselves, our desires, our wants, carry our cross, then follow. He goes on to make us a promise – that it is in losing our lives for Him and in being willing, even to die for His sake that we can truly live.

Why would a loving God plan for His children to go through suffering and difficulty to get to heaven?  God has designed suffering as a means to purify us. To remove all the impurities that would hinder us from becoming a pure vessel unto honor in the Lord’s house. Impurities such as pride. Pride is the root of many sins, if not all and a sure sign of immaturity.  Suffering produces steadfastness and humility both of which are the evidence of maturity.

 

 God uses trials to produce steadfastness or patience in His children. Patience is the evidence of our Christlikeness and maturity.

 

This is why James tells the believers he was writing to and us, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, that when difficulties come, we should appraise the situation (consider it) in light of God’s word. In light of verses like Acts 14:22 above and also, Hebrews 12:7 – Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? and many other scriptures in the Bible.

 

Knowledge of the word of God is the key to choosing our emotions.

 

You see, God does not have any favorite children, He will not treat us any differently than He treated His beloved Son. If the path to victory for the beloved Son of God was through suffering, why would we think ours will be different? Hebrews 5:8 tells us concerning Jesus that “Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered”. Now, unlike us who are sinful humans and born in sin, Christ did not have to suffer to correct any sinful disobedience in His life, as John MacArthur puts it “He learned obedience for the same reasons he bore temptation: to confirm his humanity and experience its sufferings to the fullest (see notes on Heb. 2:10; cf. Luke 2:52; Phil. 2:8). Christ’s obedience was also necessary so that he could fulfill all righteousness (Matt. 3:15) and thus prove to be the perfect sacrifice to take the place of sinners(1 Pet. 3:18). He was the perfectly righteous One, whose righteousness would be imputed to sinners (cf. Rom. 3:24–26).”

Humility and patience does not only show maturity, but makes us more like Jesus, which is God’s goal for us. God allows difficulties in our lives because we were predestined by God, to be confirmed into the image of His Son. Romans 8:29 – “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”  Even before the foundation of the world, God has predestined that all who belong to Him will be made into the image of Christ. God uses trials to produce steadfastness or patience in His children. Patience is the evidence of our Christlikeness and maturity.

Someone might say, why must we attribute all suffering in our life to God? Surely the devil attacks the children of God and we ought to “rebuke him”.  Not only the devil, we can also incur the Lord’s discipline in our lives when we sin. Why should we attribute all suffering to God maturing us?  We attribute all suffering to God because He is sovereign over circumstance and situation.  While God is not the author of evil, He has does the circumstances to achieve His purposes. That is why James tells us to appraise every trial that come into our lives in light of what we know about God and His word. Then and only then will we be able to choose to respond with the right emotions.

When difficulties arise in our lives, we do not have to succumb to the “normal” emotions of those around us, we can chose a joyful emotion because of what we know about the character of God. Our choice of emotions does not rest in our ability to “bear it”, but on God and what we know about His word. Knowledge of the word of God is the key to choosing our emotions. That is not always an easy thing to do, that is why James asks us to pray for wisdom.  Pray boldly and ask in faith without doubting and God will give us that wisdom. James 1:5  If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

Soli Deo Gloria!

To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
Greetings. – James 1:1b

 

What did you think the Christian life was when you first got saved?  I don’t know specifically what I thought when I first came to Christ, but somehow, I just knew that things were going to get better in my life. Initially, I though that meant He will not allow anything bad (as I defined bad) come into  my life.  I believed then that God would protect His own from the difficulties of life if we prayed hard enough and exercised faith.  As I began to read my Bible and grow, I realized that God works in our lives not only through the good, but also through the hard times. Especially through the hard times.  In fact, He has decreed difficulties and trials as a means of bringing us to spiritual maturity.

After the Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples in Acts 2, the apostles began to preach the gospel with courage and boldness, and as a result, many were converted and came to embrace Jesus as their Savior and Lord.  Thousands were added to the Church daily.  After Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost, 3,000 people were saved. Acts 2:41.  When Peter and John healed the lame man at the beautiful gate of the temple, about 5,000 men believed and came to Christ. Acts 4:4.  Within a short time, the church in Jerusalem had become a mega church without perhaps almost 20,000 people if you add women and children.

 

One might be tempted to ask, since God is all powerful, surely, He can take the gospel to the ends of the earth without disrupting the lives of His people? Yes, He has the power to do so, but has chosen not to. Why? Believe it or not, the scattering of these believers and all the trouble that would follow, was not just for the spreading of the gospel alone, but also for their sanctification and growth.

 

I have often wondered what they must thought their lives would be as new believers. Did they believe that finally all their problems would be solved?  Most of them were contemporaries of Jesus and would have seen him personally performing miracles. Now that they have come to understand and believe that He was indeed the Messiah, would miracles begin to happen in their lives and homes?  Would all their personal and political problems be finally solved? If anyone of them thought so, that was quickly shattered after the execution of Stephen in Acts 7.

Shortly after that incident, these new believers were on the run for their lives. They had to leave behind family, jobs, friends and perhaps all they had known and have been familiar with all their lives, while heading into the unknown. Is this what they thought their lives would be?  Where was God in all of this? No doubt some were leaving unsaved family members behind who must have thought they were foolish to follow Christ.

The reality is that the scattering of these believers, the leaving behind of family, friends, job, and everything they had known and had been familiar with was all in the plan of God for their lives.  God had planned that His people would take the gospel to the whole world.  Matthew 28:19, Acts 1:8.

One might be tempted to ask, since God is all powerful, surely, He can take the gospel to the ends of the earth without disrupting the lives of His people? Yes, He has the power to do so, but has chosen not to. Why? Believe it or not, the scattering of these believers and all the trouble that would follow, was not just for the spreading of the gospel alone, but also for the sanctification and growth of the believers as well.

God had ordained that as these new believers were coming to faith in Christ, they would also be going out with the gospel to the whole world. This task was ordained to be difficult by God Himself for their own good and for His glory. Even the task given to Christ to be the savior of the world was not without pain and difficulty. Why has God ordained suffering as part of our sanctification process?  The pastor of the Jerusalem church, James, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, sent a letter to these scattered believers as they experience difficult trials in their lives. That letter is the New Testament epistle of James.  What did he say to them?  I will attempt to unfold some of the lessons in that letter in the weeks ahead. 

 

Soli Deo Gloria!