The Grief that stole Christmas (Pt.1)

Part 1 

“And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, or he will save his people from their sins.” All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”-Matthew 1:21-23

One of the things that my wife and I enjoy doing together this time of year is watching all those sappy Hallmark movies. You may or may not be a fan, but they are wildly successful and watched by millions this time of year. I have often pondered the secret of their success and it occurred to me that the reason is very simple. There is always a happy ending. In Hallmark world there are no sad, empty, gut-wrenching endings. However, in real life that is not the case. 

We live in a world filled with hurt and disappointment. In the midst of all the Christmas music, family gatherings, and holiday festivities are individuals facing the loss of a loved one, some navigating a difficult divorce, others struggling with an oversea deployment, and still others coping with a debilitating illness. It is what Christmas really looks like for many people. 

However, what Christmas has become compared to how it began is very different. Like a Hallmark movie, we’ve romanticized the birth of Christ. We’ve packaged it to look like a beautifully crafted nativity set, when in reality Jesus was born into a very dark situation.

As I gazed at the tranquil nativity set that sits on the hutch in my office, I was reminded of the chaos that surrounded Jesus’ birth that is not captured in our modern day nativity presentations. Jesus was born during a time of extreme Roman oppression, the religious system of that day had become so legalistic it was choking the spiritual life out of a nation, society was steeped in sin and had all but rejected and forgotten God. Couple that with that fact that Joseph nearly divorced Mary just months earlier and that they had just travelled a long, difficult journey to Bethlehem only to find that there was no real place for them to stay and soon you begin to see that the joy and wonder of Christ’s birth didn’t come without pain.  

We, often, portray Christmas as a season fashioned to highlight God’s peace, joy, and love. Yet, these hallmarks of Christmas were ushered in during a very dark time. A time, in which, God chose to send light:

“Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”-Luke 1:78-79

God sent light into a difficult time of pressing, persecution and abandonment. This is not a new idea. It has been plainly seen in many of our Christmas hymns, however, we have chosen to overlook them for generations. In the song “O Holy Night” one of the lyrics states: “A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.” Many early Christmas hymns reflected the true weight of that first Christmas, but none better than: “O come, O come, Emmanuel”:

O come, O Come, Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear

Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free

Thine own from Satan’s tyranny

From depths of Hell Thy people save

And give them victory o’er the grave

Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, o Israel

O come, Thou Day-Spring

Come and cheer

Our spirits by Thine advent here

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night

And death’s dark shadows put to flight

Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, o Israel 

O Come Emmanuel is a song that accurately portrays the reality into which Christ was born and more importantly affirms that it was for that reason He chose to come and dwell with us! 

Pastor Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Judging Others (Pt.2)

(Part 2 of 2)

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.”-Matthew 7:1-6

Ever heard a person say, “You can’t judge me!” I’d be very surprised if you have never been on the receiving end of that statement or at least in the presence of someone of who has been. Interestingly enough, Jesus never said, “Do not judge others.” According to this passage he said, “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. The standard that you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.” Meaning that how we approach acknowledging sin in the lives of others is how it will be meted back to us.

It forces us to examine our motivation for addressing the sinful behavior in others. Jesus said that we cannot help others until we are willing to address the issues in our own lives. He did not say that our hands are tied simply because we have all sinned. He said, in fact, to get rid of the log in our own eye so that we can see well enough to deal with the speck in our friend’s eye.

However, the world and even some Christians would have you to believe that to point out wrongdoing in others is a form of judging. To the contrary, Jesus clarified that this is not the case in verse 6: “Don’t waste what is holy on people that are unholy.” Distinguishing between righteousness and unrighteousness is not judging at all, it’s discernment. Jesus even goes as far as to say this:

 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.  You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.”-Matthew 7:15-20

Jesus does not criticize or caution us against identifying right and wrongdoing in the actions of others. Why? Because I do not have to assume things about people when their actions are defining their behavior. Nevertheless, how I address their behavior is what determines whether I am judging or showing discernment. Here is an example from scripture:

“Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” “No, Lord,” she said.

And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”-John 8:1-11

Notice that Jesus never one time denied her actions were sinful. He even told her to go and sin no more. The Pharisees, however, came with stones in hand. Jesus recognized that they wanted the power to save and destroy. They had already formed an opinion, rendered a verdict, and were ready to condemn her. That is until Jesus pointed out that not a single one of them was without sin. Jesus addressed their spirit of condemnation, while still being clear to call out sin.

Believer it or not, there are times that we must make judgments:

 “It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. 13 God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.”-1 Corinthians 5:12-13

When we discern wrongdoing, within the church, we have a responsibility to address it. As believers, striving to be more like Christ, we should not be so quick to take offense when we are corrected; especially when it is biblically supported. We must address sin, but with a desire to reconcile people to God; not condemn them for punishment.

Pastor Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church  

Judging Others (Pt.1)

“Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters.[a] If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?”-James 4:11-12

Do not judge! Probably one of the most often quoted phrases in Scripture that has been taken out of context and misappropriated more often than any other passage. It has become the anecdotal passage for those that feel as though their actions are being called into question. However, although James is simply quoting what Jesus taught in regards to judging others, man has attempted to redefine to ease their own conscience.

James begins by instructing us not to speak evil against each other, criticize, or judge; when we do we are judging God’s law. What law is that? According to James 2:8:

“Yes indeed, It is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

When we pass judgment on others we are declaring that God’s royal law does not apply us. We are declaring that we are not bound by it and have authorized ourselves to condemn the wrongdoing we see in others.

The key to this passage is found in vs. 12: God alone has the power to save or destroy. This is at the very heart of judging others. We, especially when we are hurt or angry, want to be able to execute judgment (the power to save or destroy) over another person’s life. However, only God has that power. A power that requires a tremendous amount of self-control and that is always motivated properly.

Does this mean that we should simply go through life turning a blind eye to wrongdoing and never address people for what they are doing? The answer is…No!

What is important for us as believers to under is the difference between judging and discerning. The world (those caught up in sin) would like you to believe that there is no difference between the two, but let’s look at the difference:

1. Judging: to form an opinion, pronounce a verdict; condemn
2. Discern: distinguish between righteousness and unrighteousness

The world would like for you be believe that simply recognizing and acknowledging right from wrong is a form of judgment, when in reality it is discernment. What Jesus and James were trying to confront is a spirit of condemnation that many believers had adopted towards fallen people. When we judge others, we often lose sight of who we are in the sight of God. We forget that we, too, have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, but when we discern properly, we recognize wrong behavior based on our own hearts struggle with sin.

Pastor Scott Burr
Dayspring Community Church

God is not holding out on you! (Pt.2)

(Part 2)

“But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest. Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!” As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified. Then some young men got up, wrapped him in a sheet, and took him out and buried him. About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her, “Was this the price you and your husband received for your land?” “Yes,” she replied, “that was the price.”

 And Peter said, “How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this? The young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too.” Instantly, she fell to the floor and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened.”-Acts 5:1-11

When we buy into the lie that God is in some way holding out on us, it causes us to hold out on Him. Ananias and Sapphira did just that. As the early church began to grow, so did the needs of the people. In order to meet those needs, some of the devout followers, sold pieces of property and brought in the proceeds to help those in need:

“There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.”-Acts 4:34-35

Ananias and Sapphira also sold a piece of property, but rather than give it all to the church, they decided to keep a portion for themselves; something they were well within their rights to do. The problem, however, was they wanted to be recognized like the others as having given the entire proceed from the sale to the needy and crafted a lie regarding how much they received from the sale of the property.

Peter pointed out that I was within their power to do whatever they wished with the money, but in order to appear as they were “All In” like many of the others that sold land and gave it all to help those in need, they chose to hold back. Peter declared to them, “You were not lying to us, but to the Holy Spirit.” Not simply lying about how much money they gave, but were lying about their true faith and trust in God.

We hold back whenever we fail to trust God! We convince ourselves that God is going to withhold something from us, so we must hold some back ourselves.

When I am tempted to think that God is holding out on me, I look to the cross. The cross is the ultimate evidence that God is not holding out on me. In fact, John 3:16 states: “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”

God sent His One and Only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins. The cross was a place of extreme suffering and pain, which He endured for you and I. He didn’t stop short. He didn’t hold back!  He could have called a 1,000 angels to get Him down, but He refused to come off the cross until the very last drop of blood needed to purchase our redemption was given.

Perhaps you are reading this today and you’ve been living your whole life that way. You believe in God, but you’ve never fully trusted in Him. You’ve held back. Or you bought into that age old lie that God has been holding out on you and it’s caused you to doubt His Word and His character. Let the cross stand as evidence that God loves you and even refused to withhold His own Son in order to secure your eternal salvation.

Pastor Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church