THE GLORIES OF CHRISTMAS
THE GLORIES OF CHRISTMAS
December 14, 2014, the Year of Our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Luke 2: 8-14; 32; Isa. 60.
This week as I decorated my tree and home, like the shepherds, the wise men, the angels, Anna and Simeon, songs rose up from my Spirit glorifying and praising God.
I saw the Glory of God in the “trees of Christmas”: 1 Ch. 16:33 – the psalm of David declares the glory of the LORD, that the heavens will be glad and the earth rejoices because the Lord reigns…The seas will roar, the fields rejoice and the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the Lord.”
In Isa. 60:13, the prophet exhausted the emblems of greatness and excellency from the living; he then makes selections of the noblest and rarest trees, and represents them as contributing their combined beauties for the adornment of Zion. He begins with the cedars to unite their strength to the gracefulness of lowlier trees and shrubs indigenous to Palestine. The cypress, plane, and sherbin tree together were to combine in the beautifying of the place of His sanctuary.
Symbolic of the diversity of cultures, vocations, gifts and graces to be found in the Christian Church, they are “fitly framed together,” these are building materials in “a holy temple in the Lord!” The cedar says not to the fir, “I have no need of you;” nor the pine to the box, “I have no need of you.” Each feels honored that it occupies a position in God’s plans and purposes.
I saw the Glory of God in the “lights of Christmas”. Isa. 60:1-3: “Arise, shine; for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is seen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon you and His glory shall be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light and the kings to the brightness of your rising.”
Luke 1:78-79: “Zechariah was filled with the Holy Ghost and prophesied…the dayspring from on high has visited us. To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
John 8:12: “Jesus spoke, saying, ‘I am the light of the world, he that follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’”
Though the heathen, unbelievers, and backsliders may turn on their Christmas lights to light their proud cities, they are still participants of the great gatherings of people of the earth of wealth, commerce, and agriculture whose lights are filling the whole earth with the Shekinah Glory as a prophetic “sign” of the King of Glory.
“The beam that shines on Zion's hill shall lighten every land”. God’s glory, manifested in His church, will be like a beacon-light to the surrounding heathen tribes. “The Gentiles shall come to your light and the kings to the brightness of your rising.”
The cities, malls and villages of the nations of the world are shining with brilliant lights. Whatever their motive, the message resonating through the earth is the same, “Fear not for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
The world is in a state of midnight darkness. The nations are driven here and there with angry gusts of error, terror, unbelief, passion, extravagance, war, discord and destruction. But Christ is the light in the midnight darkness. Those who follow him shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. The “sign” of His “birth” and “light” continually shine forth in glory at Christmas.
In Isaiah 60, every representative of the human family is in the crowds of the courts of Zion to do homage to the Lord of Glory. In the gathering of “the peoples”, wealth, commerce, and agriculture have its representatives in the vast multitude.
60:4: “Lift up your eyes round about, and see; all they gather themselves together…you shall see, and flow together. Your heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted to you, and the forces of the Gentiles shall come to you. The multitude of camels shall cover you, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall show forth the praise of the Lord.”
In Houston, Texas, we have all the wealth of the nations in our department stores. The commercial crowd, the traders of the world, the merchants and their sons are laden with spices, “gold, frankincense and myrrh,” crowding from Sheba, to sell their costliest merchandise. The day will come when like the “wise men” they shall see the “star of the King of the Jews" andopen their treasures and lay gifts at His feet.
Is. 60:7 “All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together to you, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall come up with acceptance on my altar, and I will glorify the house of My glory.”
Luke 2:8: “There were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. Lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid. The angel said to them, Fear not; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.”
These would have been Jewish shepherds in Luke 2, but Kedar and Nebaioth were sons of Ishmael. These nations are pouring into our cities and towns. Many have become Christians. Many others who are here are being ministered to by the prophetic Glories of Christmas.
The temple of Christ is to be adorned with living trophies or ornaments—living souls from the nations. The “ornaments” on our Christmas trees are prophetic signs of "living souls" bound to the "tree of life".
Isa. 61:10: “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God. He has clothed me with the garments of salvation. He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with jewels.”
After Job had been through the judgments of the “Hand of the Lord”, the Lord spoke to him. “Deck yourself now with majesty and excellency; and array yourself with glory and beauty.”
The word for “glory” in this verse is “hadar” which means ornament, splendor, honor, majesty.
Those with a meek and quiet spirit are described by Peter as ornaments of the Lord. We are ornaments bound to the Lord and jewels in His Kingdom.
In the New Covenant we are charged to go from "glory to glory" and from "faith to faith".
In the Old Testament there are numerous words used to describe different attributes of the Glory of God. In the New Testament, there is one primary Word for the Glory of the Lord. I had diligently searched out many of the words in the Old Testament describing the different attributes of the Glory. However, the word “Doxa” in the New Testament encompasses most of the words of the Old Testament
- Opinion, judgment, view. (His glory coincides with his judgment.)
- Opinion, estimate, whether good or bad concerning someone.
- Splendor, brightness.
- Of the moon, sun, stars.
- Magnificence, excellence, pre-eminence, dignity, grace.
- Majesty
I. A thing belonging to God.
a. The kingly majesty which belongs to him as supreme ruler. Majesty in the sense of the absolute perfection of the deity.
II. A thing belonging to Christ.
a. The kingly majesty of the Messiah.
b. The absolutely perfect inward or personal excellency of Christ; the majesty.
III. Of the angels
a. As apparent in their exterior brightness.
4. A most glorious condition, most exalted state.
A. Of that condition with God the Father in heaven to which Christ was
raised after he had achieved his work on earth.
There is judgment and there is GLORY with every age and every dispensation that God ever gave; but now we have come to the ENDS OF THE AGES when all judgment as well as all the glory of bygone ages are to converge in this great hour.
There shall be great glory such as was never known from the foundation of the world. To the one class of people it shall be a day of ‘darkness’ and of ‘gloominess.’
But to the other, “as the morning spread upon the mountains” (Joel 2:2).
The glory of Moses’ day is for us – “kabowd” – honor abundance, riches, dignity.
The glory of David’s kingdom is for us. - “halal”- to shine, flash forth light, God’s favor.
The glory of Solomon’s kingdom is for us – “kabowd”
The glory of the restored temple of Ezra’s day is for us.
The glory of Enoch’s day, and the glory of Elijah’s day and the glory of Paul’s day,-all this glory and much more is available to us, if we can open our eyes, ears and heart to see His glory all around us.
The pessimists, the critics, the scorners, the naysayers, the greedy, may be blinded to the Glories of Christmas, but to the Christian, the glory of the Christ is revealed in the songs of the saints, the words of the preacher, the beauty of creation, the sun shining so brightly in Texas, the roses blooming in December, the giving of gifts, sharing of food, gifts to the poor, Christmas Cards declaring the birth of the Christ Child, Christmas trees adorned with lights and ornaments, Christmas shoppers, merchants, all knowingly or unknowingly revealing the Glory of Jesus Christ.
Luke 1:68: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He has visited and redeemed His people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David. He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, which have been since the world began.”
Psalm 72:19: “Blessed be His glorious name forever; and let the whole earth be filled with His glory; Amen and Amen.
Luke 2:14: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries Church
Scripture from K.J.V.