Merry Christmas to ALL PEOPLE!!

December 23, 2016

“I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.”  (Luke 2:10)

When the angels appeared to those frightened shepherds, they gave a wonderful Christmas greeting when they announced that they were bringing good tidings of great joy to all people.

These good tidings were not just for Jewish people, or for good people. They were to bring great joy to ALL people! That means all kinds of people – and all kinds of people everywhere!

Before Jesus ascended, his last words were: “…go be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere…to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8, NLT).

Some people hoard their faith as if the last words of Jesus were: “Now don’t let it get around!”  They live out their faith as if the Gospel is a secret to be kept.

Never forget these two beautiful Christmas words: “All people!”

The spiritual community of those who follow Jesus is not to be a secret organization. It is a community of people who exist for the benefit of non-members.

Jesus Christ came to bring good news and great joy to people who are not good. The Bible tells us that all of us have gone astray and turned every one of us to his or her own way.  That’s the bad news.  But the good news is that God laid the penalty for all of our sins on His Son. (Isaiah 53:6)

Two more great Christmas words are mercy and grace. The mercy of God withholds from us what we deserve and His grace lavishes on us all kinds of marvelous things we do not deserve. God’s mercy and grace give us more blessings than we can count if we have the faith to receive them.

Merry Christmas to ALL!!

Dick Woodward, 23 December 2011

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Beautiful Christmas Words

December 23, 2014

“I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.”  (Luke 2:10)

 When the angels appeared to those frightened shepherds, they gave them a wonderful Christmas greeting.  They announced that they were bringing good tidings of great joy to all people.

These good tidings were not just for Jewish people or for good people.  They were to bring great joy to ALL people!  That means all kinds of people – and all kinds of people everywhere!

Before He ascended, the last words of Jesus were: “… go be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere… to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8 NLT).

Some enjoy their faith as if the last words of Jesus were: “Now don’t let it get around!”  They live out their faith as if the Gospel is a secret to be kept.

Never forget these two beautiful Christmas words, “All people!”

The spiritual community of those who believe and follow Jesus is not to be a secret organization.  It is a community of people who exist for the benefit of their non-members.

Jesus Christ came to bring good news and great joy to people who are not good.  The Bible tells us that all of us have gone astray and turned every one of us to his or her own way.  That’s the bad news.  But the good news is that God laid the penalty for all of our sins on His Son (Isaiah 53:6).

Two more great Christmas words are “mercy” and “grace.” The mercy of God withholds from us what we deserve and His grace lavishes on us all kinds of marvelous things we do not deserve.  His mercy and grace give us more blessings than we can count if we have the faith to receive them.

Dick Woodward, 23 December 2011

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Great Joy for All People

December 20, 2013

“I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all people!” (Luke 2:10)

A great man named Tim Hansel lived every day with excruciating pain.  He wrote in his book, You Gotta Keep Dancing, that pain and suffering are inevitable but misery is optional.  That is true for a Spirit controlled disciple of Jesus.  Tim also wrote “I can choose to be joyful.”

Joy is one of the nine fruits of the Spirit the Apostle Paul wrote about in his letter to the Galatians (5: 22, 23).  As evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives joy could be paraphrased “happiness that does not make good sense.” The derivation of the word “happiness” has to do with what happens to us.  But this joy, which is the fruit of the Spirit living in us, is not controlled by what happens to us.  That is why we say it does not make good sense, especially to secular non-spiritual people.  In the very short letter the Apostle Paul wrote from prison to his favorite church, the Philippians, he used the word joy 17 times!

While appearing to the shepherds the angels explained why their declaration would bring great joy to all people: “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).

Great joy came because the One born is the Savior.  He is the Christ, which is the Greek way of saying the Messiah.  And He is to be our Lord. Joy came because He gives the Holy Spirit to those who follow Him. This joy is intended for all people, including you.

Are you choosing to be joyful, anyway?

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A Beautiful Christmas Word

December 25, 2011

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”    (Isaiah 53:6)

This verse begins and ends with one of the most beautiful Christmas words in the Bible: the word “all.”  The first time the word is used in this great verse it gives us the bad news.  It tells us that all of us have gone astray and turned–every one of us–to our own way.   The great prophet Isaiah repeats himself for emphasis when he tells us that every one of us has turned to his or her own way. Do you believe you are included in the first “all” of this verse?

I don’t know about you but I don’t need a verse of Scripture to convince me that I’m included in the first “all” of this verse.  Only Santa Claus brings good things to good people on Christmas Day.  According to Isaiah, Christmas was when good things happened to bad people.

The good news of this Christmas word is the way Isaiah concludes his verse.  We are not ready for the good news until we are convinced of the bad news.  He tells us the good news that God has laid on His Son the iniquity or sins of us all!  Do you believe you are included in the last “all” of this great verse?

If you will meet yourself in the two “alls” of Isaiah you can receive, by faith, your greatest Christmas gift.  Paul described it this way:

“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”   (2Corinthians 5:21).

Merry Christmas to ALL!!

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