O you who love the Lord, hate evil! – Psalm 97:10 ~ There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. – Proverbs 14:12
Best video I’ve heard on the subject using the most reliable sources. The first ten minutes is worth the listen if you listen to no more of it.
This sermon explains why Christians should not celebrate Christmas because it is the pagan holiday of Saturnalia and Natalis Solis Invicti of which the Catholic Church changed the name.
And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. ~Luke 16:15 NKJV
“On that day of judgment,” says the Lord,“I will punish the leaders and princes of Judah and all those following pagan customs. ~ Zephaniah 1:8
There are many scriptures to warn against the X Mass and Easter “holy” days, and this is the weapon of our warfare. X Mass worshipers make the scriptures say what it does not, in truth, mean in order to make themselves feel good about their unholy celebration. They must make the Author’s authors complicit with christianizing paganism. We must rightly discern the scriptures and be good Bereans when confronting their version of scripture interpretation.
Some use Romans 14 to justify their supposed Christian liberty. If the Christ Mass, or birth of Christ (which, in truth, is not what the term “Mass” really means), is to be celebrated, the apostles would be the ones to get it started. It was a few hundred years after the start of the Church when the tradition began. And it was one of the first seeker sensitive moves by the Church to bring in the unconverted pagans. There just isn’t clear thinking by the best of preachers and teachers when it comes to justifying the keeping of Christ Mass and Easter.
“For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.” 1 Peter 4:3
“[T]hose who quote those portions of Scripture in opposition to the idea of a divine obligation on Christians to observe the Sabbath are found for the most part, in one section of the Church, and as members or dignitaries therein they are very far from being consistent. Their reasoning on behalf of their theory and their practice are diametrically opposed. If the Apostle Paul were permitted to revisit earth, we might imagine him addressing them somewhat after the following manner: –‘Ye men of a half-reformed Church, ye observe days and times. Ye have a whole calendar of so-called saints’ days. Ye observe a Holy Thursday and a Good Friday. Ye have a time called Easter, and a season called Lent, about which some of you make no small stir. Ye have a day regarded especially holy, named Christmas, observed at a manifestly wrong season of the year, and notoriously grafted on an old Pagan festival. And all this while many of you refuse to acknowledge the continued obligation of the Fourth Commandment. I am afraid of you, lest the instruction contained in my epistle, as well as in other parts of Scripture, has been bestowed upon you in vain.’”
–Robert Nevin (minister, Reformed Presbyterian Church in Ireland and editor of the Covenanter Magazine in Ireland), Misunderstood Scriptures (1893).
Luke 6:46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. 48 They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house it collapsed, and its destruction was complete.”
Isaiah 42:8 “I am the Lord; that is My name! I will not yield my glory to another or My praise to idols.
Ephesians 5:11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness but rather expose them.
author Lonnie Randall
Worship is an act of reverence and adoration with a sense of awe. A worshipper is an humble servant of the one being worshipped. Does it really matter how we worship God? God told the Israelites how not to worship Him in Deuteronomy.
When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land; Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods. What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. Deuteronomy 12:29-32
The Israelites were attracted to the religions and rituals of their neighboring nations. Time and time again, they were found worshipping pagan gods and practicing pagan methods of worship. Time and time again, they were punished for their obstinacy.
Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth. He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do. Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD’s house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these. And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD’s house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east: and they worshipped the sun toward the east. Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose. Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them. Ezekiel 8:12-18
Why will He not hear them? Speaking of the nation of Israel under King Solomon, I Kings 11:33 says,
Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.
Like people today, the ancient Israelites worshipped a diversity of gods with various beliefs, traditions, and rituals. As mentioned in the previous texts, two of their favorite deities were the god, Tammuz, and the goddess, Ashtoreth. These two were known throughout the ancient world by various names. Tammuz was also known as Dumuzzi, Baal, Osiris, and Adonis. Ashtoreth was known as Astarte, Astar, Ishtar, Isis, and Aphrodite. Today we would call her mother earth or mother nature. These religions were all concerned with nature.
finish reading here: https://www.facebook.com/notes/3943609825653186/
This sermon (the first in this important series) exposes how some modern Protestants are leading people astray from biblical (Reformation) teaching on worship and holy days — and right into the arms of Papal Antichrist!…This message is must listening for everyone who seeks to follow the Lord, as He has revealed Himself in Scripture, in all things. Remember that the Lord Jesus Christ said in John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments,” and in Matthew 15:9, “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men,” — then ask yourself, “Where in Scripture is Christ-mass keeping commanded by God”?
https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=1230071522288
Scroll down the page for Part 2 and other sermons on the subject.
Obedience to God’s Word is not a secondary issue. If God’s Word says not to worship Him in the same manner as the heathen worship their gods, and you are making excuses, even twisting what His Word says to justify it, that is idolatry.
Deuteronomy 12:4
You must not worship the Lord your God in their way.
Abstain from all appearance of evil.
Acts 15:20 GOD’S WORD® Translation
Instead, we should write a letter telling them to keep away from things polluted by false gods…
1 Corinthians 10:21-22King James Version (KJV)
Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than He?
How does one worship God through disobeying Him?
Deuteronomy 12:30- Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
2 Corinthians 6:17- Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
There are many things which it would be pleasing to God for us to do which He has not specifically commanded us. A true child is not content with merely doing those things which his father specifically commands him to do. He studies to know his father’s will, and if he thinks that there is any thing that he can do that would please his father, he does it gladly, though his father has never given him any specific order to do it. So it is with the true child of God. He does not ask merely whether certain things are commanded or certain things forbidden. He studies to know his Father’s will in all things.There are many Christians today who are doing things that are not pleasing to God, and leaving undone things which would be pleasing to God. When you speak to them about these things they will confront you at once with the question, “Is there any command in the Bible not to do this thing?” And if you cannot show them some verse in which the matter in question is plainly forbidden, they think they are under no obligation whatever to give it up; but a true child of God does not demand a specific command. If we make it our study to find out and to do the things which are pleasing to God, He will make His study to do the things which are pleasing to us. Here again we find the explanation of much unanswered prayer. We are not making it the study of our lives to know what would please our Father, and so our prayers are not answered.
The X Mass Blog 