Christmas Tree Miracle

~ It’s All In The Seed ~ 

Christmas is near and the family is sitting by the fire. As the young daughter looks at the Christmas tree she asks, “Where did our Christmas tree come from?” Mom begins to tell her where they bought it…  “But where did it come from?” interrupts the child. 

To the best of her ability mom explains that pine trees have pine cones—which contain seeds. These seeds contain the essence of a pine tree. The pine cone falls to the earth and from the seed we get a pine tree! Mother confesses that she doesn't fully understand it but she believes it, and knows it is true. She goes on to explain that a significant portion of our food comes from seed and most of our remaining food comes from animals that eat seeds and/or products of seeds. 

The seed is an extremely fascinating and miraculous part of God’s grand design of creation. In a tiny seed there is life! Some seeds are so small we must use a microscope to see them, others are quite large. Seeds reproduce their own kind of life—a tiny orchid seed will never produce a coconut, and vice versa. Virtually all seeds can live in a dormant stage for years. Scientists have found some seeds over four thousand years old which they believe still contain life.

On several occasions Jesus Christ used seeds in His parables. “God’s kingdom is like a pine nut that a farmer plants. It is quite small as seeds go, but in the course of years it grows into a huge pine tree, and eagles build nests in it” (Matthew 13:31b-32, The Message).

Jesus took time to explain some of the parables in which He used seeds, for example: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Matthew 13:37b-43)

This year as you look at Christmas trees think of Jesus Christ—the One who died for our sins on a tree at Calvary! Consider Jesus Christ the Creator of all seeds and the sustainer of our lives (both physical and spiritual). By Him all things consist, are held together, and produce after their own kind (Colossians 1:17). 

This CHRISTmas season consider how Jesus Christ came as a baby to Bethlehem that He might bring us to eternal glory with Him forever and ever. How strange it is that when we see a pine cone fall from a tree to the earth we know it contains seeds which contain the essence of a pine tree, yet we lack the simple faith to understand that the Creator of the universe could come to earth as a man. Although Christ was a true human being, He also contained the essence of God—in fact was truly God!—as well as truly man. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). 

Holy – 3 of 3

~ Implications ~

What Is the Opposite of Holy?

As previously noted, the word "profane" (or common) is used in many translations of Scripture to denote that which is the opposite of holy. For example in Ezekiel we read, "Her priests do violence to My law and profane My holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common: they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them” (Ezekiel 22:26-26). Later we read, "They are to teach My people the difference between the holy and the common" (Ezekiel 44:23).

Earlier in Scripture the Israelites were clearly told not to treat that which was set apart to God as common. The twentieth to twenty-second chapters of Leviticus is a rich area of study with regard to holy and profane. For instance, in these chapters our LORD repeatedly warns about profaning (or making common) His holy name.

Implications

In the New Testament, the word "saint" is used as a name for all believers. Those who know Jesus Christ personally are called saints. The word saint simply means "holy one." Returning to our primary definition of holy, that of being "unique," or "set apart," or "distinctive," we see the radical implications of how we are to live our lives.

We are to be those who are in the process of sanctification. Those who are becoming more and more distinct (unique) as we become more and more like our master, Jesus Christ. "We ... are becoming transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Or as Paul exhorts us, "I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—which is your spiritual worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—His good, pleasing, and perfect will” (Romans 12:1-2). From this passage it is clear that we have three choices; we can be transformed into a distinctive human being, we can remain conformed to the world, or we can be "double minded" (James 1:8 and 4:8) and end up being deformed. The choice is ours.

Jim Elliot, one of five young missionaries martyred for the cause of Christ by Auca Indians in Ecuador, once prayed, "Forgive me for being so ordinary while claiming to know so extraordinary a God."

COMMENT: There are many quotable phrases from Jim Elliot in the book “JIM ELLIOT: A Christian Martyr Speaks to You” edited by myself.

Holy – 2 of 3

~ Definitions ~

What Does Holy Mean?

Like many words, the word "holy" is used in more than one way in Scripture. If you were to ask a number of Christians in your local church to define holy or to give some synonyms, the typical responses would be such words as pure, righteous, immaculate, and sinless. While those words are all encompassed in the concept of holy, they are very limiting as opposed to the use of the word holy in the Word of God.

In a very fundamental sense, holy is a description of the uniqueness of God. It is interesting that most people have a different reaction to the word holy than to omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, eternal, or any of the great attributes of God. And we also know that Scripture nowhere commands us to "be ye eternal for I am eternal," nor do we read that we are to be all-knowing, all-powerful, and so forth.

There is no adequate way to convey holy in the English language (or any other language), and there is no way to begin to grasp the depths of this characteristic of God. Some theologians have rightly pointed out that the word holy encompasses all of God's attributes. At the same time, since we are commanded to be holy—we must seek to understand what it is we are to be.

A primary and basic meaning of the word holy in the Word is "separate," that which is "set apart" or is "a cut above." In Christian circles we often talk about sanctification as being "set apart" and as being the process of becoming holy. While this is a correct concept, we may have oversimplified to the point of losing the significance of the meaning. Holy is that which is so different and "totally unique" as to be a magnitude above the highest!

Holy means "peculiar." Something which is holy is "very special." Holy is unique and not ordinary. In this regard we find that in contrast to holy, the King James Version (and others) uses the word "profane" to describe that which is ordinary or common.

When this key aspect of the meaning of holy is comprehended, the mysterious idea that holiness somehow encompasses all of God's attributes becomes quite clear. God is holy (unique) with regard to His purity and righteousness. God is also holy (unique) with respect to His all-knowing, holy (unique) by His ever-presence, and holy (unique) in His eternal nature.

This connotation of "separate from the rest," of uniqueness, provides insight into why many physical objects in the Scriptures were referred to as holy. Why, even the ground is termed as holy (for example Exodus 3:5). Additionally, the Scriptures mention holy anointing oil, holy water, holy house, holy place, holy bread, holy instruments, holy seed, a holy ark, and of course the holy of holies; many things and places are described as holy. The nation Israel was termed a holy nation because they were God's people, a unique people, set apart for God.

In the New Testament we read regarding Christians that they are "a holy priesthood” (1 Peter 2:5). Perhaps the use of the word holy to describe many ordinary objects is one reason we have tended to let go of the primary definition of holy when it comes to describing God and instead to emphasize the concept of purity and righteousness. In doing so, we have lost much of the richness of the meaning.

It is also instructive to recognize that many things that were set apart and deemed holy in the Old Testament were set apart in order that they be undefiled, or kept pure. This provides more understanding of how we have drifted to the meaning of purity.

It should also be noted that the word "Pharisee" connotes the meaning of "one who is separate." Certainly we would not want to associate our God with the Pharisees—the Pharisees were unique in some negative ways. The emphasis of a holy God is clearly that of "positive uniqueness" or "above all else."

When we understand holy as uniqueness, we see that the holiness of God really is a summary attribute which represents God's deity and exclusiveness. The word holy calls attention to who and what God is—totally different than anything or anyone else. God's knowledge is holy knowledge. His justice is holy justice. His mercy is a holy mercy. His spirit is the Holy Spirit.

Holy – 1 of 3

~ A “Unique” Concept ~

Holy. It is hard to imagine any other single word so closely coupled with the nature of God. Perhaps it is equally as hard to imagine any other single word which has such a strange reaction in the hearts of mankind.

It is also difficult to imagine a more critical concept for the Christian to come to grips with than the holiness of God—and its implications! There is no other attribute so central to the very character of God than the fact that He is a holy God. For example, we are told, "Holy is His name" (Psalm 111:9; Isaiah 57:15; Luke 1:49), and God is frequently referred to as "The Holy One" in the Old Testament.

One key reason that understanding the meaning of a holy God is so critical for the Christian is that we have a direct command to "Be holy, because I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16). This is actually a reference to many Old Testament Scriptures. How can any one of us obey that command until we first understand what holy means?

It would be a drastic mistake to think that because someone has studied holiness or written about it, that they have somehow achieved a level of holiness which is above the normal. In fact the experience of many of the saints of God has been that the more they begin to understand the nature of the holy God, the more they realize their awful sinfulness. The effect is similar to the effect of shining a brilliant light upon a fine diamond which has been placed against a dark background. The more we see His nature, the more we see the blackness of our own hearts.

God's people, the Jews, understood the majesty of the holiness of God. The early translators of the Bible understood His majesty. The Old Testament translates the word "Adonai" as "Lord"—the name of our sovereign God; but when it comes to "Yahweh"—the name of our sacred God, it uses the word "LORD" in all upper case in order to signify the majesty of the holy God. Lord is the title of God, while LORD is the name of God.

Uniqueness of the Attribute of Holiness

Holiness provokes a defensive response in mankind, even a hatred in the minds of some. The greater the holiness, the more natural unredeemed man recoils from it because man is defiled through and through with the sin nature. "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19).

It is true that man often admires goodness and high moral standards—but only at a distance! The Jews admired their prophets at a distance. Today, many men and women admire Jesus Christ from a distance. He was a good man, they admit.

God would not even allow the Old Testament saints to see the face of the Holy One. Remember when His faithful servant Moses—who had seen God perform some astonishing miracles—asked to see His face, his request was denied.

"And the LORD said, 'I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim My name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,' He said, 'you cannot see My face, for no one may see Me and live.' Then the LORD said, 'There is a place near Me where you may stand on a rock. When My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove My hand and you will see My back; but My face must not be seen’” (Exodus 33:19-23). When Moses returned from the experience of seeing God's back side (literally: hind quarters), his face was radiant (Exodus 34:29-30).

The Christian awaits that ultimate experience, to see our Lord Jesus Christ face to face when He welcomes us into our heavenly dwelling place. In that future day we will see God as He is. We will see Him in all His fullness. In all His brilliance and radiance, we will see God face to face! In that day we will understand fully for the first time a "holy" God.

In heaven we will become whole, we will have integrity, we will be "complete in Him" (Colossians 2:9). In that day we will for the first time have it all together. But we won't even be cognizant of it because we will be so enthralled, so enraptured, so completely fulfilled with Christ, our bridegroom.

EXTRA: The First Entry in “The Journals of Jim Elliot”

~ Guest Blog from Derek Ashton ~ 

The following is used by permission from Derek Ashton, host of the excellent THEOparadox blog site. To view his full post, “The First and Last Entries” click here. He writes: 

Below is an excerpt from the first entry in Jim Elliot's Journal. 

January 17, 1948 ~ What is written in these pages I suppose will someday be read by others than myself.  For this reason I cannot hope to be absolutely honest in what is herein recorded, for the hypocrisy of this shamming heart will ever be putting on a front and dares not to have written what is actually found in its abysmal depths. Yet, I pray, Lord, that You will make these notations to be as nearly true to fact as is possible so that I may know my own heart and be able to definitely pray regarding my gross, though often unviewed, inconsistencies…

Help me, Lord, not to "mourn and weep" only for those things, once precious, which You teach me are but dead (whether desires, pleasures, or whatever may be precious to my soul now), but give me a willingness to put them away out of my sight (Genesis 23:4).  Burying places are costly, but I would own a Machpelah where corpses (dead things in my life) can be put away. 

…Out of such humility came fierce preaching and a willingness to die for the cause of Christ.

Certainly a passionate, Scripture-saturated preacher! Some thought-provoking things here. And some real challenges, too.

[Within Mr. Ashton’s blog are three parts of a sermon preached by Elliot in 1951. The Jim Elliot sermon which you can listen to on Derek Ashton’s site is entitled “The Resurrection.”]    

BLOGGER BOB’S COMMENT:  I had the privilege of knowing Jim Elliot very well when I was a young boy. Years later it was my privilege to transcribe and edit some of the messages he spoke prior to leaving for the mission field.  They were transcribed from an old wire recorder (a forerunner to magnetic tape).  These messages really show Jim’s love and zeal for God as well as his insight and wisdom.  For more information on the transcriptions entitled “JIM ELLIOT: A Christian Martyr Speaks To You” (ISBN 9781615797646) click on the JE tab at the top of this blog.