I take as my text this Lord's Day, Romans chapter 14, verses 5 and 6. One man esteemeth one day above another Another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord, and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it." Today we proceed to the third sermon in our series dealing with the subject of Christmas. We sought to answer the question, is Jesus pleased with our celebration of Christmas? As you recall, in the first sermon we concluded that he could not be pleased with Christmas because he never authorized such a religious celebration. Since the Lord declared to his ministers in Matthew 28.20 that they were only to teach that which he had commanded, we must ask, where did Christ command the celebration of Christmas? Or which of the apostles ever celebrated Christmas? Not finding a warrant for Christmas. In the teaching of Christ or in the teaching of the apostles, not even finding the date of his birth, we must conclude Christ is not pleased with such a religious celebration. In the second sermon, we observed the pagan and popish origin of the Christmas celebration some 300 years after the resurrection of Christ. and resolve that since God has commanded us in Jeremiah 10.2, learn not the way of the heathen. We should therefore not imitate the pagans and the papists in celebrating the Christ mass. This Lord's Day, we will bring this series to a close by considering some of the reasons given by people for their celebration of Christmas. And I summarize these points under three main points. First, reasons founded upon an appeal to scripture. Second, reasons founded upon an appeal to the family. And thirdly, reasons founded upon an appeal to motives and intentions. So let us consider together that very first major point. Reasons founded upon an appeal to scripture. And this is where we want, of course, to spend the majority of our time. When people are appealing to the Word of God for the celebration of Christmas, we want to make sure that we properly understand what the scripture is teaching in these places, lest we ourselves be deluded. We want to consider closely what these passages are teaching. And the very first one that we will consider is the one I read earlier, the text from Romans chapter 14, verses 5 and 6. From this passage, it is argued by some that the Apostle Paul allows for the celebration of various holy days, including Christmas. Let us see if that is indeed what the text teaches. The apostle Paul, dear ones, in Romans chapter 14 is addressing problems which arose between fellow Christians. Some in this chapter are described as weak. You'll find that in verse two of this chapter, while others are said to be strong. And that's found in chapter 15, verse one. It is certain Jewish Christians that are herein referred to as weak. And they were called weak because they believed they were yet obligated, they were yet bound to obey various ordinances in the Old Testament ceremonial law with regard to food and drink and holy days. They did not yet understand that the Lord Jesus Christ had fulfilled those ceremonial laws in his person and in his work, and that Christians were no longer bound and under obligation to follow them. So you see, their weakness was not due to their practicing a holy day that was instituted by man's mere authority, but rather their weakness was due to the fact that they did not understand that even those God-ordained ceremonies and feasts and festivals of the Old Testament were now fulfilled in Christ. The Apostle Paul says that this weakness on the part of these Jewish Christians was to be temporarily tolerated. because they did so, quote, unto the Lord. That is, they did so upon the basis of God's commandment in the Old Testament Scriptures. These weak brethren were not introducing a man-made religious celebration that had no divine warrant, but were rather continuing the religious celebration of holy days that had divine warrant. In the Old Testament Scriptures, although, as Paul says in Colossians 2, verses 16 and 17, that they are fulfilled in Christ. They were types and shadows, but the fullness now of Christ has come, so therefore the shadows have passed away. You see, beloved ones, for the week of brother in this chapter, the issue of holy days was not a matter of mere preference. That is, I just want to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. I just enjoy it because I enjoy it. But rather, it was a matter of obligation and duty to these weak brethren. They believe, God yet requires me to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles and all the other feasts. Thus it is so important to recognize that Paul is not granting a liberty to the weaker brethren to celebrate just any holy day that they might choose to celebrate, but a liberty for a brief period of time in this transitional period from the old to the new. a brief period of time to celebrate divinely authorized holy days until Jewish Christians might be properly instructed and led away from the Old Testament ceremonies. This was precisely the same kind of thing that was happening in the churches of Galatia, as we find in chapter 4, verse 10, of Galatians. There the Apostle Paul makes this statement. Ye observe days and months and times and years, and I am afraid of you or for you." In other words, they were doing the same thing. The same thing is taught in Colossians, in chapter 2, verses 16 and 17. The church, these Jewish Christians, were continuing to celebrate these days. They were not man-made holy days. Now, on the other hand, the Christians who were called strong in this section of God's Word, among whom the Apostle Paul classifies himself in chapter 15, verse 1, were not free spirits who believed they could worship God or celebrate holy days without God's approval from his word. Rather, they correctly understood that God's word freed them from the specific ceremonial forms of worship, the outward form of worship, and the celebration of those feasts and festivals as were authorized in the Old Testament. Their Christian liberty, the Christian liberty of all Christians, but as was practiced by the strong here in the Church of Rome, their Christian liberty was not a license to celebrate whatever holy days they desired, but a freedom from all human entrapments and human tradition and man-ordained holy days. Freedom from that. But it was a freedom to be bound by God and His Word alone. A freedom from and a freedom to. From man's traditions to God's Word alone. And that's why in our confession of faith, In chapter 20, section 2, it says, God alone is Lord of the conscience and hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are in anything contrary to his word or beside it in matters of faith or worship. so that to believe such doctrines or to obey such commandments out of conscience is to betray true liberty of conscience. Furthermore, dear ones, from Romans chapter 14, verse 23, you find this statement of the Apostle Paul, for whatsoever is not of faith is sin. How could the celebration of Christmas, dear ones, be of faith or of conviction when the Lord never authorized it in his word as a holy day to be observed in the first place? Dear ones, only that which God has revealed in his word can be of faith in matters of doctrine or worship, including holy days. Christmas celebration is therefore a sin against God, since it cannot be a faith as based upon his word. And I would go as far as to say, if this passage authorizes the celebration of man-made holy days, as some teach, then why do we not have even one piece of evidence in the New Testament that such a man-made holy day was celebrated by the apostles or by the apostolic church? Or why is there absolutely no evidence? of the man-made Holy Days celebrated by the Church for nearly 200 to 300 years after the time of the Apostles? Why such a deafening silence if man-instituted Holy Days were permitted by Christ or practiced by the Apostles in the Apostolic Church? This passage, Romans chapter 14, is far from being a proof text to support the introduction of man-instituted religious celebrations such as Christmas and Easter. For nowhere in all of scripture are such man-made holy days approved by God. George Gillespie, faithful minister and commissioner to the Westminster Assembly, clears the matter in Romans 14 quite well when he states, The apostle comports or tolerates with the observation of days in the weak Jews, who understood not the fullness of the Christian liberty, especially since those days, having had the honor to be once appointed by God himself, were to be honorably buried. Those holy days, once appointed by God himself, were to be honorably buried in the time of the apostles. That's from Gillespie's A Dispute Against English Popish Ceremonies, page 38. Well, that's the first reason that some will appeal to from the scriptures. Another one, another reason some appeal to the scriptures for the celebration of Christmas is in Esther chapter 9, and it has to do with Purim, the Feast of Purim. From this passage, some would seek to find an instituted holy day in the Old Testament which was authorized by man, but not authorized by God. Esther chapter 9, especially toward the end of that particular chapter. I won't read that section. You can do so when you return home. But let me make these comments. Purim was not a religious celebration or a holy day at all. To the contrary, Purim was a civil holiday commemorating the victory of the Jews over their enemies, like the wicked Haman who sought to exterminate the Jews. As we look at this section in Esther chapter 9, Kurem is neither designated as one of the, quote, feasts of the Lord, as we find in all of the other feasts in Leviticus chapter 23 or Numbers chapter 28 and 29. You find these designations for these feasts that are appointed by the Lord, that are religious celebrations. Either they're called feasts of the Lord or they're called holy convocations. We find no such terminology at all with regard to this Feast of Purim. Nor do we find, as we read through Esther 9, any sacred acts of worship that were performed during Purim. But rather it was to be a day of feasting, it says, and gladness, in verses 17 and 18. It was to be a day of gladness and feasting and a good day and of sending portions one to another. 9. And days of feasting and joy and of sending portions one to another and gifts to the poor. And though we find in verse 31 of Esther chapter 9 a reference to fastings, the fastings of the Jews, this does not refer to fastings during the time of Purim, but it is referring to the fastings that went on previous to God's deliverance of his people from Haman and his wicked plots. Thus, dear ones, there was not a day of rest from all servile work as was true of the holy convocations, the solemn holy days that we find in the Old Testament scriptures established by God, but rather Purim was established by the civil magistrate as a national holiday, more like a day of independence. Thus, it cannot be equated with either Christmas or Easter, which are clearly religious holy days. A third reason from the scriptures that some will appeal to is the Feast of Dedication in John chapter 10, verses 22 and 23. John chapter 10. There we find in verses 22 and 23 these words. And it was at Jerusalem, the Feast of the Dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. It is proposed by some that the Lord Jesus herein approves of a holy day which was not specifically authorized by God in scripture. Well, let's seek to understand what the Feast of Dedication was. First of all, the Feast of Dedication actually commemorates the rededication of the altar within the temple by Judas Maccabeus in 165 B.C., after the temple of the Jews had been desecrated and profaned by Antiochus Epiphanes, the Syrian king. Interestingly, many of the early commentators understand the actual origin of the Feast of Dedication. Since it's not mentioned in the Word of God, it occurs between the completion of Scripture in the Old Testament, the last book of the Bible in the Old Testament, Malachi, and between that and Matthew. of the history that occurs in Matthew. So this is a feast introduced during that period of time, not found in the scripture. But as scholars have tried to understand the origin of this particular feast, it has been established by many that the Pharisaical party of the Jews was the party that established this particular day, the Feast of Dedication, and this was observed from the Jewish Talmud. Now, if this were the case, that it was established by the Pharisaical party, we should cautiously remember the words of our Lord with regard to the tradition instituted by the Pharisees. In Mark 7, verse 7, Jesus said to the Pharisees, How be it in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, for laying aside the commandments of God, Ye hold the tradition of men." That would certainly be in keeping with the Pharisees and what they were doing during the time of Christ in instituting various religious ceremonies. And they instituted, if this were the case, a religious holy day as well. Moreover, as we look through the Gospel of John, John does not at all record that Jesus went to Jerusalem in order to celebrate the Feast of Dedication. But rather, we find explicitly stated in John 7, verses 1 through 10, that his purpose in going to Jerusalem was to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. And it just happened that immediately following the Feast of Tabernacles came the Feast of Dedication. But I would simply say, and ask the question, does the mere presence of Christ in Jerusalem at the time of the Feast of Dedication demonstrate His approval of the Feast? You know, in order to prove that Christ positively approved of the Feast of Dedication, one must either cite a passage in which he celebrated the Feast of Dedication, or where he stated his express approval of it, or produce some example on the part of the disciples that they, or the apostles that they celebrated the Feast of Dedication. Because the text that we find in John chapter 10 verses 22 and 23 is absolutely silent in regard to Christ's approval of this feast. Are we to assume because he did not expressly forbid it that he approved of it? Well, on that basis, we might also discern that God approved of polygamy because he didn't forbid and expressly state in the Old Testament that those who were practicing polygamy, even the fathers, Abraham, Jacob, others, that they were guilty of this particular sin. Ought that to be the conclusion we draw? God forbid. Remember, it is not mere silence in scripture that confirms the divine warrant for an act of worship or a religious celebration. It's not silence, but rather a positive scriptural affirmation to that effect. You might ask, well, why was Christ, why did he stick around after the Feast of Tabernacles? Well, I would propose to you at least one possible reason. And that was to minister to the people who had gathered there, just as the apostles didn't go into the synagogues because they agreed with a Christless Judaism, but in order to preach the gospel where the Jews were, because the gospel was to go to the Jew first, and then to the Gentile, to the Greek. So likewise, the Lord Jesus remains. in Jerusalem, in order to be able to preach and teach the people who gathered there. And as you read through this text in John 10, 22 and 23, it speaks of the Lord walking in Solomon's porch there in the temple. But we ought not to understand by that, that's not the same thing as the inner court of the temple, which is also called the court of Israel. In the court of Israel, or the inner court, is where the Jews went, and only the Jews could go, to worship and to pray before God, to offer their sacrifices unto the Lord. However, Jesus is walking in Solomon's court, which is also called the court of the Gentiles, wherein the Gentiles were allowed to come, this exterior portion of the temple where the Gentiles were permitted to come and to worship Jehovah God. You find in Mark 11, verse 17, that this was the portion of the temple that Jesus chased the many changers from. And Jesus was so upset, because they had set up their merchandising of the truth in the court of the Gentiles, where the Gentiles could not gather to worship and pray unto the living God. And Jesus was upset, and he made a cord, a whip, and chased them out of the place, saying, This house of God, which is for all the nations, you have made a den of thieves. Not only were such man-made ceremonies and holy days like the Feast of Dedication not instituted by the faithful in Israel, but when they were instituted even by the unfaithful, they were condemned by the Lord in the scriptures. For example, in 1 Kings 12.33, when Jeroboam instituted various feasts Feast to Jehovah God, but feast not appointed by Jehovah God. We find these words. So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart, and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel, and he offered upon the altar and burnt incense. A feast which he devised of his own heart. God sends a prophet and condemns what Jeroboam had done. The next biblical reason or the next reason that's founded upon an appeal to Scripture given by some for the celebration of Christmas is that some have sought to justify the celebration of Christmas on the grounds that religious celebrations or holy days do not fall under the regulative principle of worship, whereby we are only permitted to do that which the Lord specifically authorizes in his word. Specific acts of worship, yes, those are to be regulated by the word of God alone, some would say, but not religious celebrations. Not Christmas, not Easter. That is left up to man to be able to institute or to practice. Well, I ask the question, did God regulate all holy days, all religious celebrations in the Old Testament? Absolutely. Produce one holy day that God did not institute and authorize. Consult Leviticus 23 and Numbers chapters 28 and 29 and Deuteronomy chapter 16. There we find very clearly God himself ordained the holy days, the solemn convocations and coming together of his people, the feasts and festivals. He didn't leave it up to the innovation, the creativity of man. And I ask a further question. What holy days in the New Testament are instituted without Christ's authorization? Absolutely none. Why not? Because it's not man's prerogative to do so very clearly. And again, you can look at Colossians chapter two. verses 16-23, where we find there the apostle condemning even those who would institute and say that it is required to observe the religious holy days from the Old Testament. He's saying very clearly, these were even temporary. They have come to pass in that Christ has come. Do not be astray by the traditions and the philosophy of man who would institute these things, for that, he says, is will-worship. That is not God-approved worship. Yes, holy days the Lord must authorize as well, not simply specific acts of worship. It is Christ's prerogative alone. Where did anyone in the Old Testament or New Testament establish a new holy day without God's specific authorization? Jeroboam tried. He was condemned for it, as we just noted in 1 Kings 12.33. And in Amos 5. Verse 21, the Lord says, I hate and despise your feast days. He says that to Israel. I hate and despise them because they were of man's invention, as we find, as were the instruments which they also invented, not David's instruments, but instruments of their own thinking they brought into the worship of God. And in Amos 6.5, that also is condemned by the Lord. The only holy day sanctioned in the New Testament by Christ, wherein we celebrate his birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension, is the Christian Sabbath, the Lord's Day. The next reason given by some who appeal to Scripture is this. Isn't the giving of presents like that of the wise men in Matthew 2.11? And isn't the singing of Christmas carols like that of the angels in Luke 2.14 biblical? Isn't there a biblical warrant for doing those things? Let's talk about the giving of presents very quickly. As to the giving of presents by the wise men, to whom did they give the gold, frankincense and myrrh? To Christ, as an act of worship, not to one another. In order to justify our giving of presents to one another from the giving of gifts to Christ is at the best misguided, misdirected. Where is that practice found? Where is a holy day established to celebrate the birth of Christ wherein presents are given one to another? It's simply not found. The present practice of giving presents on December 25th does not find its origin in Matthew 2.11. It wasn't practiced for 300 years. Did 300 years of the church sin in failing to fulfill an ordinance which the Lord required? Of course not. Rather, that particular practice of giving gifts finds its origin in the celebration of the pagans. We find in the Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume 5, page 643, it says, The Romans ornamented their temples and homes with green vials and flowers for the Saturnalia, their season of merrymaking and the giving of presents. The Druids gathered mistletoe with great ceremony and hung it in the homes. The Saxons used holly, ivy, and bay." Of course, I want to make a qualification. It is a biblical duty to show mercy by our giving at all times. But so much of the Christmas gift-giving is more an exercise in greed and envy than an exercise in mercy to others or worship to the Lord Jesus Christ. And though I do not have a universal experience whereby I've talked to everyone in the universe about their motivation in doing so, I know my own, when I used to celebrate Christmas, I observed it for many, many years and observed the envy and greed associated with it. Dear ones, we may show mercy to others at any time and at all times, but why associate our acts of mercy with a holy day whose origin is both pagan and popish? Listen to this interesting piece of information concerning the promotion of greed and envy in Christmas, the commercialization of Christmas. This is from an article entitled In Search of Christmas by Jeffrey Sheeler in U.S. News. He says, So vital was Thanksgiving in launching the Christmas season, says Ristad, that commercial interests conspired in resetting its date. In 1939, after years of depression deflated sales, the head of Ohio's Federated Department Stores argued that by advancing the date of Thanksgiving, one week, six days of Christmas shopping would be added. Convinced by his logic, President Franklin Roosevelt moved the Thanksgiving feast from November 30th to November 23rd, and in 1941 Congress set the annual date of Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November, ensuring a four-week shopping season each year. And retailers have come to count on Yuletide sales for up to 50% of their annual profits. The shopping season now pumps an estimated $37 billion into the nation's economy, making the American Christmas larger than the gross national product of Ireland. Well, what about the Christmas carols? Many of the Christmas carols are filled with words, dear ones, that are clearly unbiblical. In the carol, We Three Kings of Orient Are, where does the scripture teach there were three of these men? Three gifts? Yes. But nowhere in the scripture does it say there were three wise men or kings. Is not this, dear ones, an adding to the biblical account? In the chorus of the same Christmas carol, that Christmas carol, We Three Kings of Orient Are, in the chorus of that carol, the singer gives what seems like worship to the star which was in the sky, when it says, O star of wonder, star of might, star with royal beauty bright, westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to the perfect light. In the carol, the first Noel, we find again the three wise men specifically mentioned. And then a reference in the carol to, quote, a cold winter's night. Where in the scripture does it say it was a cold winter's night? But we also find in that carol these heretical words. If we in our time shall do well, We shall be free from death and hell. Is our doing well what sets us free from death and hell? And I could go on and on in various Christmas carols, but you get the point. They distort the biblical account of Christ's birth and they promote even heresy at times. Do we, dear ones, do we praise the Lord for the indescribable gift of his own Son? Absolutely. We give thanks to the Lord. We praise God for our Lord Jesus Christ. We rejoice in the incarnation of the Son of God, the Word become flesh, who dwelt among us. And we teach our children every day by God's grace. We teach them every day in our family worship the truth about the birth, the life, the death, and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. We catechize them in the truth of Christ's incarnation. We teach them the Apostles' Creed, which teaches that Jesus was born of a virgin, that he was conceived by the Holy Ghost. And each Lord's Day, dear ones, we, as we gather, celebrate the coming of our Lord and his death and his resurrection. You see, our concern is not in remembering that Jesus Christ has come and praising God for that every day. Our concern is in with establishing holy days by man's authority, which only Jesus Christ has a right to appoint. These last two sections will move much more quickly, but I thought again it was very important that we spend some time addressing those appeals to scripture. The second main point, reasons, offered by others and which are founded upon an appeal to the family. For example, this reason. Our Christmas celebration is not a religious holy day. It is simply a time of family celebration and reunion. We do not emphasize the giving of presents, Santa Claus, or Christmas trees. We emphasize Christ. Jesus is the reason for the season. Many of us, I think, have tried this. in our quest to be faithful. We've stopped there along the way. But I would ask if Jesus is the reason for the season, has Jesus given us a biblical reason to celebrate the season? If he hasn't given us the reason by either precept or example, how do we know he wants us to keep the season? Even if we do keep all of the pagan embellishments out of our Christmas celebration, we still have to remember that Christmas is a popish holiday, a holy day. It is the Christ Mass. Beloved Protestants were those who protested who testified against all of the corruptions and additions of superstitious worship in holy days instituted by the Roman Antichrist. Do we not acknowledge, therefore, our participation, or by our participation, the authority of Rome when we celebrate the Christ Mass on December 25th? Do we not give some type of subtle assent when we celebrate that day, the Christ Mass? People may look at us and they may say, but don't you love your families? Of course we love our families. And we should look for every opportunity to gather our families together for reunions, for enjoying one another. And we're not opposed to doing that. However, dear ones, We are in no way limited to showing our love for our families to the time of Christmas. There are 364 other days in the year to show our love to our families by way of family reunions. We can do so throughout the whole year. In fact, Jesus said that we're to love him more than we love our mother or father, brother or sister. son or daughter. And if we do not love him more than our family, we're not worthy of him. We must be willing, yes, we must be willing to follow Christ wherever he leads. Even to the point of not intentionally trying to upset family members, but by God's grace standing firm and steadfast in the truth, so as to draw our family members into a more accurate knowledge of the Word of God. Another reason that some appeal to the family for the celebration of Christmas is, we do it for our children. We enjoy their reaction to the lights, the gifts, and to the Christmas tree. Well, dear ones, I'm sure the same could be said to a large extent about the occultic Holy Day, Halloween. Children enjoy that also. They enjoy all of the ghosts and the goblins, the witches, the black magic, the spells. It's fascinating to them. But for that reason, just because they enjoy it, we ought not to allow them to partake and participate in it. That's very clearly occultic, contrary to the Word of God. However, as Christian parents, our duty is to train up our children in the ways of the Lord, not the ways of the world. As Christian parents, dear ones, have you recently reflected upon the fact that our children are not really our own? They belong to God. They are God's children. How are you training God's children? Therefore, it is not most important what our children want for themselves or even what we might want for our children. But rather, what's most important is what God wants for them. We are not to imitate and learn the ways of the heathen, nor are we to teach our children their ways through the celebration of Christmas. The third and final point that is offered by some are reasons founded upon an appeal to motives and intentions. It is offered by some, what is the harm in celebrating Christmas as long as we do so from a heart of sincerity? Dear ones, good intentions are absolutely necessary in our worship and service to Christ. That's the first point I would make. We must have good intentions. We must have the right motives and intentions if we should, if we would worship God aright. That is absolutely true. However, good intentions alone are not sufficient to make every act of worship or service to Christ acceptable or approved unto him. In everything we offer to God as an act of obedience or as an act of worship, the Lord requires these three qualities. First, He requires that we have the right intentions or motives. As He says in Hebrews 11.6, without faith it is impossible to please Him. Secondly, the Lord requires that we judge what we're offering to Him according to the right standard. And that is the word of God. For we find in 2 Timothy 3, verses 16-17, all scripture is inspired of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. The Word of God is what thoroughly furnishes us unto all good works. And so, therefore, what we offer to the Lord must be judged according to His Word. And thirdly, if we would offer to God acts of obedience, acts of service and worship that He will receive, it must be according to the right goal or end, that is, the glory of God. In 1 Corinthians 10.31, whether therefore ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. The ends or intentions of man do not, hear me clearly, do not justify whatever means we might employ. This view consistently leads to the position, let us do evil that good may come, which is soundly condemned by God through the Apostle Paul in Romans 3.8. Even if we are sincere in what we offer to the Lord by way of worship, if it is not what he has ordered, he tells us, take it away. I do not receive that. You remember what, again, Samuel told King Saul. When Saul offered and kept back the animals that he was supposed to slay, he saved to offer as a sacrifice to the Lord God, Samuel said to Saul, to obey is better than sacrifice. And in Proverbs 14.12, there is a way which seems right to a man, but the ways thereof, or the end thereof, are the ways of death. The end. The ways of death. Dear ones, the harm, if somebody asks, what is the harm if I do it sincerely? The harm done in celebrating Christmas, even when we do so sincerely, is that we sin against the Lord in presuming to know what pleases Him without His telling us what pleases Him. It's our sin of presumption. we have no right to make that presumption. The traditions of men brought to Christ at Christmas no more pleased him than the traditions of the Pharisees brought to God pleased him. One other appeal to motives is this. I believe in the celebration of Christmas because God has answered prayers for work or for money to buy my children gifts. Miracles happen at Christmas. Well, I dare say if we were to poll the various religions of the world, we would find that all false religions give the same kind of evidence for believing that their religion is right. Answered prayers, inward feelings or even miracles. They can all appeal to those things. If that's the case, are we to believe that God is schizophrenic? That God is contradicting himself because these religions teach contrary systems? Is God answering prayers on the basis of the rightness of all these systems? How could such be the case? It cannot be, without attacking the very nature of God, that he is a God of truth. Dear ones, our mere subjective experience is not what determines what is right or wrong. The supreme standard for faith and life is, and always is, the Word of God. And if our experience is not agreeable to God's Word, it must not be followed because religious deception abounds today just as was prophesied by God, by Christ. by the apostles and prophets in the scriptures. In 2 Thessalonians 2 and in Revelation 13 we find that Satan, the dragon, will empower this Antichrist to lead the world astray by means of lying wonders and signs. Will we follow simply because of the signs and wonders that are done or the experience? Will we base what we believe upon that experience, the experience of anyone else, or even upon our own experience? God help us. God does give us experiential religion. We praise God for it, but that must always be judged according to the final and supreme standard of God's word. Remember, if our experience speaks not according to God's testimony revealed in His Word, it is because there is no light in it, according to Isaiah 8.20. And so, in conclusion, I ask, what then is the real issue as to whether we celebrate Christmas or not? What is really the bottom line issue here? If you were to summarize what is at stake, what would you say? Well, I would submit to you, the real issue in the celebration of Christmas, or refraining from doing so, is the sufficiency of Christ and the sufficiency of his word to rule us in matters of faith and worship. That's what's at stake here. For if we ask the question, is Christ pleased with the religious celebration of Christmas, we must have some warrant for it from his word. But if there is no warrant, if there is no date mentioned for Christ's birth, if there is no command to celebrate Christmas, if there is no authorized example of one who did celebrate Christmas, but to the contrary, we find many precepts and examples teaching us not to presume to know what pleases Christ without his express word, teaching us not to imitate the way of the heathen and their religious practices, teaching us to come out from the popish harlot of Rome and have nothing to do with her, then I submit that for us to celebrate Christmas, is to directly attack the sufficiency of our Savior and of his word. It is to make ourselves wiser than God. It is to offer to him acts of service and worship which he has not ordered us to bring to him. And dear ones, our Reformed forefathers saw ever so clearly that when we allow the head of the serpent into our homes and into our churches, it's just a matter of time before the whole body sneaks in. And that is why even the famous and learned Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon could say, taken from a sermon he preached on December 24, 1871, we have no superstitious regard for times and seasons. Certainly we do not believe in the present ecclesiastical arrangement called Christmas. First, because we do not believe in the Mass at all, but abhor it, whether it be sung in Latin or in English. Secondly, because we find no scriptural warrant for observing any day as the birthday of the Savior. And consequently, its observance is a superstition, because not of divine authority. Superstition has fixed most positively the day of our Savior's birth, although there is no possibility of discovering when it occurred. Probably the fact is that the Holy Days, speaking of Christmas in particular, that the Holy Days were arranged to fit in with the heathen festivals. We venture to assert that if there be any day in the year of which we may be pretty sure that it was not the day on which the Savior was born, it is the 25th of December, regarding not the day, let us nevertheless give thanks for the gift of his dear Son. And therefore, dear ones, I plead with you, I urge you, I admonish and exhort you, Let us therefore look to Jesus Christ, not only as a sufficient priest, but as a sufficient prophet and king as well. For if we profess to be Calvinist in our view of salvation, that salvation is not the work of man, that it is not determined by the will of man, but it is the work of God and determined by the will of God from beginning to end. Let us also be then Calvinists in our view of worship and religious celebrations. That worship is not determined by the will of man either, but by the will of God alone. Let us, dear ones, look to Jesus Christ, who is the author and the finisher of our faith. Please stand with me in prayer. Our glorious God, we do come to thee this day ascribing worship and honor to our great high priest as well, who is as well our prophet and king. For he is sufficient in all of his offices. There is nothing that needs to be added to it. There is nothing we can subtract from his wisdom, his knowledge. and what he has given to us in his word. And we ask our Father that thou would cause us to walk before him as those who are complete not in ourselves, not in our own knowledge and wisdom, but complete in Christ. Cause us to see that our sufficiency is not in ourselves, but our sufficiency is in the Lord. Cause us to see how the wisdom of man will lead us astray. when it is not soundly derived from and based upon the word of God. Let us, Lord, not be misled by the traditions and the philosophies of men that walk contrary to thy word, or which claim an equal authority with thy word. But let us, Father, walk in all subjection to thy commandments, not even allowing our own conscience to be an independent standard or discerner of truth, but Lord, that our conscience would be solely submitted to the Word of God. We pray, Heavenly Father, that Thou would not only have mercy upon us, but Thou would have mercy upon Thy people throughout the world who yet may be wrapped up in the celebration of Christmas, that Thou would lead them out of these corruptions and cause them, Father, to walk in purity before Thee, to be able to know that worship pleases Thee because Thou hast commanded it or given us example with regard to it. We pray, Heavenly Father, that Thou would receive now our praise and thanksgiving for Thy word which has been given to us, which is complete as well. We do praise Thee, Lord, for such a glorious salvation. Let us, Lord, seek to walk worthy of that salvation by loving Thee with all of our heart, loving our neighbor as ourself. For we ask these things in Christ's name. Amen. This Reformation audio track is a production of Stillwater's Revival Books. You are welcome to make copies and give them to those in need. SWRB makes thousands of classic Reformation resources available, free and for sale, in audio, video, and printed formats. It is likely that the sermon or book that you just listened to is also available on cassette or video, or as a printed book or booklet. Our many free resources, as well as our complete mail-order catalog, containing thousands of classic and contemporary Puritan and Reform books, tapes, and videos, at great discounts, is on the web at www.swrb.com We can also be reached by email at swrb.com, by phone at 780-450-3730, by fax at 780-468-1096, or by mail at 4710-37A Edmonton, that's E-D-M-O-N-T-O-N, Alberta, abbreviated capital A, capital B, Canada, T6L3T5. You may also request a free printed catalog. And remember that John Calvin, in defending the Reformation's regulative principle of worship, or what is sometimes called the scriptural law of worship, commenting on the words of God, which I commanded them not, neither came into my heart. From his commentary on Jeremiah 731, writes, God here cuts off from men every occasion for making evasions, since he condemns by this one phrase, I have not commanded them, whatever the Jews devised. There is then no other argument needed to condemn superstitions than that they are not commanded by God. For when men allow themselves to worship God according to their own fancies, and attend not to His commands, they pervert true religion. And if this principle was adopted by the Papists, all those fictitious modes of worship in which they absurdly exercise themselves would fall to the ground. It is indeed a horrible thing for the Papists to seek to discharge their duties towards God by performing their own superstitions. There is an immense number of them, as it is well known, and as it manifestly appears. Were they to admit this principle, that we cannot rightly worship God except by obeying His word, they would be delivered from their deep abyss of error. The prophet's words, then, are very important, when he says that God had commanded no such thing, and that it never came to his mind, as though he had said that men assume too much wisdom when they devise what he never required, nay, what he never knew.