The Tree
Work throught these questions by yourself or with a friend.
1. What do you think when you hear the word “Christmas”?
2. Do you think that all the holiday “stuff” distracts from the true meaning of Christmas?
3. What kind of tree do you use at Christmas? Real or fake? What color is it? Do you help put it up?
4. What are some of your favorite decorations that you put on your tree?
5. Why do you think that we began putting up Christmas trees?
6. What can you do to help people understand what Christmas is really all about?I love Christmas!!
Christmas is the best time of year!
I love the snow, the decorations, the lights, the TV shows, and the attitude that people have around this time of year!
It seems as if it’s the one time where people are happy and open, willing to give of themselves to help.
We have so many different traditions during Christmas, but the one we forget about is the Christmas tree.
What’s it all about?
Where did it come from?
We’re going to be looking at the tree and its meaning.
The history of the Christmas tree goes way back.
The Christmas tree can be traced back to the 16th century in Germany.
Ingeborg Weber-Kellermann (Marburg professor of European ethnology) found a Bremen guild chronicle of 1570 which reports how a small fir was decorated with apples, nuts, dates, pretzels and paper flowers, and erected in the guild-house, for the benefit of the guild members' children, who collected the dainties on Christmas day.
Several cities in the United States with German connections lay claim to that country's first Christmas tree: Windsor Locks, Connecticut, claims that a Hessian soldier put up a Christmas tree in 1777 while imprisoned at the Noden-Reed House, while the "First Christmas Tree in America" is also claimed by Easton, Pennsylvania, where German settlers purportedly erected a Christmas tree in 1816. In his diary, Matthew Zahm of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, recorded the use of a Christmas tree in 1821 -- leading Lancaster to also lay claim to the first Christmas tree in America.
The famous Christian theologian Martin Luther was accredited as the first person to put candles on the tree.
While the history of the Christmas tree may be difficult to nail down, true meaning behind it goes way back to the very beginning of time.
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.”
Gen 2:16-17 (HCSB)
You see, the tree signifies death.
The way sin entered into this word was through one man’s disobedience to God through the fruit of a tree.
The tree was also a way of capital punishment in days past.
22 “If anyone is found guilty of an offense deserving the death penalty and is executed, and you hang his body on a tree, 23 you are not to leave his corpse on the tree overnight but are to bury him that day, for anyone hung [on a tree]is under God’s curse. You must not defile the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance. Deut 21:22-23 (HCSB)
13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written: Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.[13] Gal 3:13 (HCSB)
The tree in the Old Testament represented the one thing that brought death: the law.
The Old Testament is full of God’s laws and commands, so why would that bring us death?
Because we can’t live up to them.
Under the Old Testament law, if you were going to be able to go to heaven when you died, you would have to be able to keep all those laws without making a mistake.
Anybody out there mistake free?
Although those folks in the Old Testament seemed hopeless, they weren’t; for they knew that one day the Messiah was going to come and free them from this law.
22 Then Moses led Israel on from the Red Sea, and they went out to the Wilderness of Shur. They journeyed for three days in the wilderness without finding water. 23 They came to Marah, but they could not drink the water at Marah because it was bitter—that is why it was named Marah. 24 The people grumbled to Moses, “What are we going to drink?” 25 So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he threw it into the water, the water became drinkable. Ex 15:22-25 (HCSB)
You see, there was life in this tree.
This is a foreshadowing of what Christ was going to do one day on a tree (cross).
You see, the perfect, sinless Son of God allowed Himself to be hung on a tree.
39 We ourselves are witnesses of everything He did in both the Judean country and in Jerusalem; yet they killed Him by hanging Him on a tree. 40 God raised up this man on the third day and permitted Him to be seen, 41 not by all the people, but by us, witnesses appointed beforehand by God, who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people, and to solemnly testify that He is the One appointed by God to be the Judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about Him that through His name everyone who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins.” Acts 10:39-43 (HCSB)
24 He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that, having died to sins,
we might live for righteousness; by His wounding you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:24 (HCSB)
7 “Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give the victor the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
Rev 2:7 (HCSB)
Because of His sacrifice, all those who trust in Him will receive forgiveness for sins and will spend all of eternity in the presence of God.
Today, the Christmas tree is a symbol of eternal life because of what Christ has done for us.
But the only way for you to experience that gift that Christ gave us is to trust Him as your Savior.
Have you done that?
If you haven’t, then right now it’s time for you to do that.
It’s simply a matter of F-A-I-T-H:
F Is for Forgiveness
· Everyone has sinned and needs God's forgiveness. Romans 3:23: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
· God's forgiveness is in Jesus only. Ephesians 1:7: "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace."
A Is for Available
· God's forgiveness is available for all. John 3:16: "God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life."
· God's forgiveness is available but not automatic. Matthew 7:21: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord!' will enter the kingdom of heaven."
I Is for Impossible
· According to the Bible, it is impossible to get to heaven on our own. Ephesians 2:8-9: "By grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift - not from works, so that no one can boast."
· So how can a sinful person have eternal life and enter heaven?
T Is for Turn
· If you were going down the road and someone asked you to turn, what would he or she be asking you to do? (Change direction) Turn means repent. Turn away from sin and self. Luke 13:3: "Unless you repent, you will all perish as well!"
· Turn to Jesus alone as your Savior and Lord. John 14:6: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
· Here is the greatest news of all. Romans 10:9-10: "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. With the heart one believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses, resulting in salvation."
What happens if a person is willing to repent of their sins and confess Christ?
H Is for Heaven
· Heaven is a place where we will live with God forever. John 14:3: "If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also."
· Eternal life begins now with Jesus. John 10:10: "I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance."
H can also stand for how.
How can a person have God's forgiveness, eternal life, and heaven? By trusting Jesus as your Savior and Lord. You can do this right now by praying and asking Jesus to forgive you of your sins and inviting Jesus into your heart.
Accepting Christ is just the beginning of a wonderful adventure with God! Get to know Him better in a number of ways:
· Follow Christ's example in baptism.
· Join a church where you can worship God and grow in your faith.
· In your church, get involved in Sunday School and Bible study.
· Begin a daily personal worship experience with God where you study the Bible and pray.
Monday, December 22, 2008
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