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Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bible-lined website at calvaryoftampa.org. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s message will be a blessing to you and your family.

As you know, this is the Christmas time of the year. Everyone, mostly in America especially, are celebrating what we call Christmas time. There’s also a teaching that’s also going to be taught this year, very strongly so, in many, many homes, and that is something that most of us have gone through or experienced in our own life. I want to ask you some questions. I’m not going to say good, bad, or indifferent. I’m not going to say right or wrong.

I want to take and just give you something to think about and you think about it. This is not to put a guilt trip on 81. It’s not to bring up the past. It’s only to help you to clarify in your mind what maybe you think you really believe. As you know, we teach an awful lot about believing that the Bible is true, that it’s the Word of God. And I believe that this Bible is the Word of God.

Every word from cover to cover, even believe the cover, it’s got holy Bible on it. So I believe that too. And that is at Christmas time, we talk an awful lot about Santa Claus. But let me just give you a couple of thoughts concerning something. I just want to ask you some questions and I I want you just to write them down if you would. Yes, no, don’t remember. You put a D-R, that means don’t remember. When you were a child, did you teach your children?

Now if you’re here and you don’t have any children, of course you can’t do that. So try to recall if your parents told you that. It’s not as best as possible. There’s just a simple little questions for you to think about for a minute. Did you ever teach your kids that Santa knows if they’ve been good or bad. Did you ever teach your kids? That Santa knows if they’ve been good or bad, yes? No, don’t remember. Number two, on Christmas morning, have you ever said in a sincere, believing tone, Santa has been here, or look what Santa brought us.

Have you ever said those words? Yes. No, don’t remember number three Have you told or had your children believe that if Santa promises to bring you something? He will always keep his promise because Santa never breaks a promise Have you ever tried to convince them or to believe that Santa will always keep his word, never break his promise? Yes, no, don’t remember. Number four, Santa is always the same. He never changes. He’s always happy and he’s always jolly. Yes or no?

Or don’t remember. Number five Santa is good and only brings good things good toys, you know brings things good things that Santa is good Number six Have you ever taught the children this? Santa is coming Santa is coming You better be ready. Yes, no, don’t remember. Number seven, did you convey to your children all year long that they need to be careful because Santa is watching and he is coming and you should try to please Santa so you won’t be ashamed when he comes.

Did you ever use the teaching of Santa during the year as motivation? for them to be good because Christmas is coming. Number eight, do you believe it is and write down one of these words? Do you believe it is helpful, hurtful or harmless to teach this to the children? Helpful, hurtful, harmless to teach this to the children. You may want to choose two words, or just one. Now I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of Mark.

The book of Mark and chapter 7. Mark chapter 7 is a portion of scripture that deals with Christ rebuking the Pharisees. And what he said was down here in verse 5, then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, why what not by disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands. In other words, they had ate and didn’t wash their hands. Now according to the Bible in the Old Testament, there were laws that God had given.

There were the moral laws, the 10 commandments and the civil laws and the ceremonial laws of the sacrificial laws. So God gave many laws to his people. Well as time went on, many people developed many traditions that were supposed to be based upon the principles that were taught in those laws. But after a while, people kept making more laws and more tradition, but it didn’t have any connection to the Source, the Bible. But there were people that said, the Bible says, God said, the law said, but it didn’t say.

But the ones that were saying that were the lawkeepers, the ones that were supposed to know the law, the Pharisees, the Lawyer. And so when Christ comes along and His disciple, He was doing some things that the Pharisees didn’t approve of and Christ and His disciples violated the tradition. Well, this made them mad. How come your disciples don’t wash their hands because that’s the tradition of the elders, the leaders. So he made the statement here in verse 6. He answered and said unto them, slap my mouth.

I didn’t mean to offend them. I must be wrong. I promise that I’ll wash my hands from now on because I don’t want to violate your tradition. That’s what he said. Is that what your Bible says? No, no, no, no, look what he says there in verse six. Well, have Isaiah prophesied of you, what’s that word? Oh, that’s a hard word hypocrite. As it is written, this people honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

How be it in vain? Do they worship me? What were they doing that was in vain? Teaching for doctrine, the commandments of men. Saying that these commandments that these men wrote was on the same level with the word of God. And by their tradition, they were saying that this is equal with God in self God’s Word. And so he says there in verse 8 for laying aside the commandment of God laying in a side is saying that the Word of God has no effect, no effect has no power.

In other words, what they were saying carried more weight than what God had to say. And that tradition was more important than the Word of God itself. People had drifted so far from the truth they now didn’t know what was the truth. And now it didn’t seem so bad because everybody’s doing it. Lord Behold, who shows up? Christ shows up in the midst of all of this tradition. Did Jesus Christ go along with all the tradition? Or did He violate the tradition?

What else He said? Now, either we take this book as this is the Word of God and it does have effect or we can take the Bible, lay it aside and accept tradition. Now let’s notice something. In verse 9 he says, and he said unto them, full well, ye reject the commandment of God. Why? You had underlined that part of the verse. That ye may what? Keep your own tradition. Now look what he says in verse 13. Verse 13 should also be underlying in your Bible.

Here’s why. Making the Word of God of what? None affect through your tradition as though it carries no weight. It doesn’t matter what God says. What is tradition? What does man say? He says of none effect through your tradition which ye have delivered and many such like things do ye and the people could not understand where did Christ get his authority because they said no man speak like this man. This man did not yield to all these pious religious snobs he called them Pharisees, hypocrites.

Now based upon what that scripture says I want to share just a couple of thoughts with you and that is on on the first question that was asked. Did you ever teach your kid that Santa knows if they’ve been good or bad? Think about what the question says and if it was true. Remember that is saying that Santa is omniscient. What does the word omniscient mean? Anybody have an idea? All knowing, all wise. Now, we know that the Bible says that God is omniscient.

That means He is all wise. All knowledge comes from the Lord. Nobody else is wise. Nobody else has all knowledge. Only God. The next question, On Christmas morning have you ever said in a sincere believing tongue Santa has been here look what Santa brought is That true or not true Is it true or not true? If you say it in a believing sincere tonal voice that causes one to believe something that isn’t true But I know that sometimes we think ah the world is so harmless Maybe it is.

But all depends on what it’s embedding into the mind of individuals. But remember, this is talking about him being omnipresent. Why? He’s been here. Yes. And somebody else is saying in another home, he’s been here and thousands of home all over the world. Millions of home. He’s been here. Well, if he was, he would have to have been everywhere at the what? Same time. What is that? That is omnipresence. What is on my present main. Pray, present, everywhere, all at the same time.

That attribute belongs to who? That belongs to God. Now, have you ever made this statement in the third question? Have you told or had your children believe that if Santa promises to bring you something, He will because He always keeps His promises. It means that He is always faithful. If He always keeps His Word, He must be God. He’s infallible. He makes no mistakes. He never fails. It has to be. Who is that a reference to? Remember, there’s only one person the Bible says, I will never forsake you.

I will never fail you. Belongs only to one person. Nobody else can ever claim that. Now, the next question, Senate is always the same. Never changes. Always happy, always jolly. The word immutable means never changes. the same yesterday, today and forever. You ever heard that phrase before? I wonder who that refers to. Anybody got any idea? You know who it refers to, don’t you? I thought you did. Repers to the Lord. The Lord Jesus Christ refers to God. The next question, He is always good and always brings good things.

We never hear about Him bringing any bad thing for anybody. True? Think it through. Never brings anything bad. He’s always good. And He knows if you’ve been good or naughty or nice. He knows all of these things and He’s good. the Bible says that there is none one good but one there’s only one that’s perfect there’s only one that’s righteous there’s only one that’s like that the Bible says in the book of James every good and perfect gift comes down from the from Satan they come from Santa come from God every good and perfect comes down from the Father of light, from the Father.

Now, the next question, Santa’s coming, you better be ready. Do you know anybody else throughout the Bible talks about somebody coming and you better be ready? Anybody know who that might be? Anybody have an idea? His name is Jesus Christ. The next question, Do you convey to your children all year long that they need to be careful because Satan and Santa is watching and he is coming and you should try to please so you won’t be ashamed at his coming.

Do you know anywhere else in the Bible that says something along this line? Little children abide in him that when he shall appear you may have come and not be ashamed before him at his coming. Do you think there is a possibility that many things have been taken away from somebody and stripped some honor and a little glory from somebody and given it to another? You think it’s a possibility? I’m not telling you anything. I’m just trying to get you to think about a few things.

Now if you think about it, these are some wonderful attributes what you like to have all those nice wonderful things said about you. Alright number nine, number nine on your paper, number nine on your paper. Did you teach that Santa is God based upon those attributes. Did you teach? Whether harmful or helpful or hurtful, would you say yes or no? Did you teach that Santa is God? Number 10, does the teaching of Santa make void the Word of God as we have just covered in Mark in chapter 7.

Would that be a substitute for the Word of God which is the truth? Now I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of Exodus, the book of Exodus and chapter 20. Exodus and chapter 20. Please understand I’m not trying to be a mean, bad, old, ugly man. I wholeheartedly believe there’s nothing wrong and celebrating Christmas. Is that for anything you said? Well I must be able to harmonize it somehow and let me explain it to you.

I don’t know of anybody who is teaching that we have to celebrate Christmas because it is a command and scripture. I’ve never said that. Did you ever say that? I don’t know nobody that does say that. There’s nobody I ever hear to say that. The Bible says we have to celebrate Christmas. The birth of Christ, no we don’t. But there’s no command that says we can’t. There’s nothing wrong and being thankful for the day that he came. They even rejoiced the day he did come.

The shepherds rejoiced. The angels rejoiced. It was supposed to be a Grat hiding in good news and all that. Well, that still hasn’t changed. There’s nothing wrong in celebrating the real purpose. Christ was born. I really don’t care what day we do it on. There’s no command that says we have to or that there’s no command says we can’t. In itself, there’s nothing wrong. In itself, it can be a good thing. Makes everybody think about that. But when you take the attributes that belongs only to God and give those to another, I believe that something else is wrong.

Let me show you this. Look in verse one of Exodus chapter 20. God speak all these words saying, I am the Lord thy God which have brought the out of the land of Egypt out of the house of bondage. Verse three, Thou shalt have no other what? First thing He ever told them, You’re to have no other gods before me. Now stop and think for a moment. All the gods that were in the land of Canaan and there were many nations in the land and they all had heathen gods.

God says they were false gods, false gods. But they worshiped them like they were real gods. Now whether or not they’re real or not, we all know that there is no other God. There’s only one true and living God. But God doesn’t want there to be any other God. So he says in the next verse, verse four, thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven, above or that is in earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth, an image of what?

Of a God. God, you don’t take the attributes that belong only to God and give them to anything and he said you don’t make nothing. Now question number 11, Santa is an image of who? If he’s not real, he is an image of who? Based upon his attributes. Let me ask you question number 12. Based upon what the Word of God says, what the Word of God says to do not to do. Do you believe that teaching it is helpful, hurtful, or harmless to teach this to the children?

The same question that I asked you in number eight, I’m asking you again. Based now upon what the Word of God says, is it helpful to the children? Is it harmless or is it hurtful? Based upon what the book says. Now, do you believe that there is a lot of tradition in America that may not be based upon this book? A Christian is supposed to regardless of what everybody else does, still to do right, a book. Or we make tradition more important and carry more weight, have more effect upon our decisions than the word.

Or people don’t really believe it. Or do we obey it? I believe that this is the Word of God and that we should not allow any kind of traditions of any kind to override this book. The Bible did not say anywhere that it’s wrong to give gifts. It doesn’t say that. It encourages it. It says do good. It’s good to share. More blessed to what? Give than to receive. Now, I know you will not give at Christmastime just in order to receive would you?

But we do think it’s fair. I don’t mind getting presents, and I’m sure you don’t mind getting present. The greatest gift of all is the gift that God gave to the world. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if when the world celebrates Christmas they really celebrated the birth of Christ? And understand the real reason. I’ll have to admit it was years after I was growing up that I really understood. and the Christmas was all about. I didn’t know it was about Jesus Christ.

I always thought Jesus Christ was a cuss word. It’s only time I ever heard it. I thought it was profanity. I tried my best because I didn’t want to swear. I tried my best not to even think of the word Jesus Christ in my mind because I thought it was a swear word. Can you believe that? And yet many people get an attitude over the years of thinking that God is just like that false image that had been planted into the minds of innocent little children.

And most times with parents, fun, cute. It’s nice. But is it? If God was here, well, what do you think? Or let me ask you this. If Jesus Christ was here, Do you think he would think it was helpful or harmless or hurtful? You think he would just think it’s just some funny little gag that everybody’s just having fun with? I’m not going to tell you one way or the other. I’m hoping that what I told you, what the book says, will help you to think and you’re the ones that got to live with it.

But I’ll tell you this. My kids, my daughters, and my other son, David was, he died when he was 28, but I have never told him that Christmas was anything except the honoring of Jesus Christ been born into this world. I’ve never told him the other, never celebrated the other, never lied to him. I just believe it either I believe it or I don’t practice it now other people may not have the same conviction that I have on that But I believe that according to the Exodus in chapter 20 when he says thou shall have no other gods before me I believe he means exactly that There’s nothing wrong and having a tree and putting some on it sharing some gifts and all the rest of it talking about Christ coming It’s a wonderful wonderful thing But when you make a graven image and you give this picture of him and you put all those

attributes that belongs only to the true and living God and say, this is Him. Then what you’re doing is you’re planting your minds. This is God. He sees and knows everything. And all those attributes, God says, you rob in His glory away. And I think that Satan would love, I want you to take now on that little piece of paper you got. I want you to write down these words, these letters. S-A-N-T-A. You got it down? I want you to take the N out of S-A-N, take the N out, and put it at the end of the word.

What did you come up with? No, no. Huh? You came out with Satan. Isn’t it amazing? It’s just one little word and I mean lettering on one of the plays, but I think that’s who he really is. The teaching. Satan is always trying to usurp the glory away from God, saying, I will be like the most high. And he’s done a pretty good job of an invitation, hasn’t he? And now more people talk about that, which is false and they talk about that, which is true.

And somehow, another, things get lost in the shuffle. Anyway, I didn’t want to make anybody mad, but if you do, I’m just thankful that what I held back. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. If you You have enjoyed our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ. You can reach Bibleline and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing toll free 1-800-576-3771.

That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org. and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our home page. If you’re in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church There’s 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Our Sunday morning services begin at 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org.

Thanks for joining us on Bibleline, and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. And one day it will happen, the trumpet will sound, we will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day believing that the Lord is coming soon, just keep looking up.