Should Christians get involved in supporting or celebrating Christmas? Have you ever heard that argument? Why in the world would Christians want to get involved in something that was really a “pagan holiday,” that we the Church co-opted? So for those critics, I have three points.
Number one: Do you give your kids birthday gifts? You celebrate your kids birthdays, why not celebrate the birth of the Savior? If we’re not going to do it now, when would you decide to do it? That would be a question.
Secondly, in 1st Corinthians 9:22, Paul says, “I became all things to all men, that by all means I may win some.” I can’t think of a time, and I doubt that you could think of a time in the year when there is more focus on the birth of Jesus Christ. Once a year, the world is confronted with the reality of His coming. And I think that’s great!
The third point is in Matthew 16:18,where Jesus said, “On this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” The idea is not that we are holding out against the world. The idea is that we are assaulting a world and they cannot overwhelm us. They cannot withstand the assault of the Church. The very fact that you and I are here, 2000 years after the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, is evidence of that. The world has done everything it can to squash the message, destroy the Word, and intimidate believers. Yet, all around the world today there are those who are singing praise, spreading the Word and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. So, if we co-opt or take over Christmas, that’s what we’re supposed to do. We’re supposed to seize the gates of the enemy. This is why we’re here and why this season is so important.
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CloseGene Cunningham - August 22, 2022
Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth
The parable of the faithful and evil servants in Matthew 24:45-51 often cause theological problems, because it is commonly mis-interpreted and mis-applied to the church. Matthew 24:45-51 says, “Who then is a faithful and why servant whom his master made ruler over his household to give them food and do season. Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing assuredly I say to you he will make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant says in his heart, My master is delaying his coming and begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him at an hour that he is not aware of and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” There are people who teach that this applies to the church. Some teach that if you as a believer, are not ready and not busy doing the Lord's service, you are not only going to be “cut in two”, but you will be given your portion with the hypocrites” and you will be “weeping and wailing and gnashing your teeth.” This is false. Can we find application of what we're seeing here in Matthew 24? Of course. See 1st John 2:28-29. We don't want to turn application into interpretation. The evil servant says “the master delays his coming. He beats his fellow servants. He eats and drinks with the drunkards. The master comes at a day that he's not looking, an hour he is not aware of, cuts him into and appoints him his portion with the hypocrites.” People who believe the false teaching on this passage say you, as a believer, have lived a hypocritical life and hypocrites are going to receive a portion of weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth. There's just one problem. The Scripture cannot contradict itself. Luke 12:42 begins, “and the Lord said, ‘Who then is that faithful and why? A steward whom His Master will make ruler over his household to give them their portion of food in due season. Blessed is that servant whom is master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler.” This is the same story in Matthew 24. “But if that servant says in his heart, My master delays his coming, he begins to beat the maids, servants and servants and maid servants, and we eat and drink and be drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him at an hour when he is not aware and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.” This is not talking about believers, and it is certainly not talking about the church. He's talking about unbelievers. How is it possible that both the why is servant the faithful servant and the evil servant are called servants of God? Is it possible for an unbeliever to be called a servant of God? In the Old Testament the entire nation of Israel is many time referred to as servant of God, or “My Servant Israel”. Paul's interpretation in Romans 9:1-5 explains. Paul expresses in these verses his own attitude, God's desire as expressed by Christ in Matthew 23:37 “Jerusalem. Jerusalem. How often I would have gathered you together, but you would not.” The breaking heart and the tears of the Lord in Matthew 23 is that breaking heart and the tears of Paul in Romans 9. There are two terms that are used for Jesus Christ throughout the Old Testament as the coming Messiah that are also applied to the nation of Israel – “servant” and “son.” All of those in the nation of Israel were given the privileges that Paul speaks of in verses Romans 9:4-5. What did the name Israel mean? “A prince having power with God and man.” Israel was the name change of Jacob. The entire nation of Israel received many blessing, but rejected Jesus, their Messiah. All of these Israelite treasures, all of these riches were pointing forward to the greatest treasure of all, the coming of the Son of God in the flesh of a Jew. And when they rejected Him. They lost it all because you can't have the blessings without the source of the blessing. You can't have the gifts without the giver. Paul goes on to Romans chapters nine, ten and eleven to show us that because of their rejection of their savior -- like Pharaoh, who hardened his heart and was destroyed --the nation of Israel had hardened their heart. And because of their own belief, they would be destroyed and therefore they would suffer the fate of their unbelief. They would receive their portion with the unbelievers.
Related Topics: Prophecy, Tribulation | More Messages from Gene Cunningham | Download Audio
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May 23, 2000
Living Sacrifice 02
Gene Cunningham
Romans 12:1-2, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, Ecclesiastes 3:2, Ecclesiastes 3:4, 1Corinthians 13:11, Ecclesiastes 3:5, Ecclesiastes 3:5, Romans 12:9, Ecclesiastes 3:7, Psalms 90:12, James 4:13-15, Psalms 31:22, Psalms 116:11, Isaiah 28:16, Job 14:5
May 23, 2000
Living Sacrifice 06
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1Corinthians 10:1-5, 1Corinthians 10:14-17, Romans 11:5, Philippians 1:12, Romans 12:1, Galatians 3:9, Romans 5:1-2, John 3:36, 1Peter 3:18, 1Corinthians 12:13-15, Philippians 3:8, Isaiah 64:6
May 23, 2000
Living Sacrifice 07
Gene Cunningham
1Peter 3:20, Romans 5:1-2, Romans 6:5, John 19:30, Romans 5:6-8, Romans 5:12, Ephesians 1:6, Romans 8:1, Hebrews 10:10-14, Ephesians 2:18, Ephesians 3:12, Hebrews 4:4, Hebrews 4:16
May 23, 2000
Living Sacrifice 08
Gene Cunningham
1Corinthians 15:22, Colossians 1:13, Romans 5:1-2, Romans 8:1, 1John 3:1-3, John 1:12, Hebrews 2:6-11, James 4:7-11
May 23, 2000
Living Sacrifice 10
Gene Cunningham
Hebrews 2:11, Philippians 2:5-11, Hebrews 2:10, 1Thessalonians 5:23-24, Acts 17:26, 2Peter 1:4, Hebrews 2:12-13, Matthew 12:47-50, Hebrews 2:14, Hebrews 2:15, Hebrews 2:16-17, Hebrews 12:18
May 23, 2000
Living Sacrifice 11
Gene Cunningham
Romans 6:1-14, Romans 6:2-3, Romans 6:4-5, Romans 6:5, Hebrews 2:14, Romans 6:6-10, Romans 4:3, Romans 6:11, 1Thessalonians 4:3, Romans 6:12-13, Galatians 2:20
May 23, 2000
Living Sacrifice 12
Gene Cunningham
Romans 12:1-2, 1Peter 1:22, Hebrews 2:18, Romans 8:1, Hebrews 4:16, 2Corinthians 13:1, Romans 9:1, Romans 10:4, Romans 9:2, Romans 9:3, 2Corinthians 12:8, 1Corinthians 15:10, 1Corinthians 9:19-27, Romans 9:4-5
May 23, 2000
Living Sacrifice 14
Gene Cunningham
Hebrews 2:14, Romans 11:1-6, Romans 11:5, Romans 5:8, Romans 11:1, Romans 11:5, 1Corinthians 4:3-4, John 16:7-11
May 23, 2000
Living Sacrifice 15
Gene Cunningham
Romans 11:1-6, Romans 11:1-2, Philippians 3:3-8, Romans 11:2, Acts 2:23, Hebrews 13:8, Romans 8:29, 1Peter 1:1-2, Revelation 13:8, Revelation 17:8, Romans 11:2-3, 1Kings 19:14, Romans 11:4-5, Romans 11:5, Ephesians 2:8, Romans 11:6
May 23, 2000
Living Sacrifice 16
Gene Cunningham
Romans 1:1-2, Hebrews 11:34, Psalms 16:3, 1Corinthians 9:22, Colossians 1:13, 1Corinthians 12:13, Romans 12:1, Matthew 9:36, Psalms 103:1-2, Ephesians 1:1-3, Romans 5:1
May 23, 2000
Living Sacrifice 17
Gene Cunningham
Isaiah 53:1-12, Romans 12:1, Galatians 5:1, 1Corinthians 8:1, 1Corinthians 10:23, Numbers 6:1-21, 1Corinthians 9:1-27, Philippians 1:21, 1Corinthians 11:14, 1Corinthians 15:10, Romans 3:21-26, Romans 3:25, Colossians 2:14, Romans 5:10-11
May 23, 2000
Living Sacrifice 20
Gene Cunningham
Romans 12:1-2, Matthew 26:53, Romans 6:12-19, Romans 5:12-17, Romans 6:14, 2Corinthians 6:6-7
May 23, 2000
Living Sacrifice 22
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Romans 12:1-2, Romans 15:3, John 8:29, Hebrews 12:2, Matthew 16:24, Galatians 1:10, Luke 16:15, 2Timothy 3:12, Matthew 5:10-12, Romans 13:9, 2Timothy 2:15, Philippians 3:13, 1Corinthians 4:2, 1John 2:28, Psalms 19:14
May 23, 2000
Living Sacrifice 23
Gene Cunningham
1Corinthians 10:1-4, 1Corinthians 10:11, Romans 12:1-2, 2Timothy 2:15, Matthew 25:15, Mark 13:34, Romans 12:3, Hebrews 11:6, 1John 2:28, 1Timothy 2:15, 1Corinthians 9:1-29, Colossians 1:24, Romans 5:3, John 16:33, 2Corinthians 4:1, Romans 8:37-39
May 23, 2000
Living Sacrifice 25
Gene Cunningham
Romans 12:1, Genesis 22:1-18, Genesis 22:1, Genesis 22:3, Genesis 22:4-5, Hebrews 11:19, John 8:56, Galatians 3:8, Genesis 22:4, Genesis 22:6-9, Genesis 22:7-8, John 1:29, Genesis 22:13, Genesis 22:12, Romans 12:1, James 2:23
May 23, 2000
Living Sacrifice 26
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John 15:1-12, John 6:35, John 4:5-42, John 4:20, John 4:21-24, Romans 12:2
May 23, 2000
Living Sacrifice 27
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May 23, 2000
Living Sacrifice 29
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Living Sacrifice 34
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Matthew 28:18-20, Matthew 9:35-38, 2Corinthians 5:14-21
April 8, 2000
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April 8, 2000
Simplicity in Christ #2
Gene Cunningham
2Corinthians 11:3, Colossians 3:22, Ephesians 6:5, Matthew 6:22, 2Corinthians 1:12-13, Luke 11:34, Romans 12:8, James 1:5, 2Corinthians 1:12-13, Galatians 5:1-9