IS JESUS CHRIST MISSING IN YOUR LIFE THIS CHRISTMAS?

IS JESUS CHRIST MISSING IN YOUR LIFE THIS CHRISTMAS?

A story was told of a boy whose parents organized a birthday party celebration for him at their residence. On the day of this celebration, many invited guests of great importance came over to celebrate with him. It is a great day of joy for the parents owing to the fact that the boy is the only child they have. At the cause of drinking, eating and jubilating, the little boy who happens to be the celebrant went out completely from the crowd of people that came to celebrate with him without anyone’s notice. Walking a little distance from the residential building where the party was taking place, the little boy was knocked down by an oncoming vehicle without anyone’s knowledge. This incident happened and yet no one knew about it. The parent of the boy alongside the invited guests were enjoying themselves without the celebrant in their midst. When they noticed he was not with them, they search all round the house, but could not find him. As they took a little walk from the building, they later found him dead outside. This shows that they have been celebrating with the celebrant through eating and drinking without the celebrant being in their midst. He was missing in their midst without them taking notice of it.

         From the story above, we can liken it to this present time of Christmas celebration where many people go about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ through Christmas Carol and other means, but have no consciousness of the celebrant in their lives. We live in a world where people prefer to celebrate the commemoration of Jesus’ birth, but Jesus whom they are commemorating is missing in their lives. This period is the time where Christmas carols are organized by schools, Churches, organizations, and even government, yet, Christ has not been made resident in the life of the people who call for such an invitation and those who are invited. But for you dear friend; has this Christmas celebration become a yearly routine in your life without having a clear-cut encounter of Jesus? If so, don’t celebrate with others by means of singing, dancing, eating, drinking, etc, without making sure that you have a right standing with God. Do you know that many years ago, Jesus at the age of twelve was missing in the midst of his parents – Joseph and Mary when they were returning from Jerusalem to Nazareth after the usual Passover celebration? The bible recorded that “Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for Passover. And When Jesus was twelve years old, they all went there as usual for the celebration. After Passover his parents left, but they did not know that Jesus had stayed on in the city. They thought he was travelling with some other people, and they went a whole day before they start looking for him” (Luke 2:41-44). Check your life, has Christmas turned into a daily routine for you?

·         Christmas is not a mere routine festival or feast; it is the celebration of Christ’s birth by individuals who have the life of CHRIST in them.

The bible says, “Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for Passover. And When Jesus was twelve years old, they all went there as usual for the celebration…”  The first issue to draw out from the above bible quote is the fact that it was every year that Jesus’ parents normally attend this Passover feast in Jerusalem. If you actually notice again, you will realize that it was said that when Jesus was twelve years old, they all went for this usual festival celebration. This indeed is not far fetch from what Christmas celebration of our days has turned into. Christmas celebration has now become a yearly feast/festival where celebrations of many kinds take place. It has now become a yearly mere routine celebrated by individuals who have lost the actual essence of Jesus birth. Many have forgotten consciously or unconsciously the declaration made to Joseph in the dream when he was making intentions to break the engagement between him and the Virgin Mary. The bible says, “She will have a son, and you will name him Jesus-because he will save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21).  So we see many people celebrating Christmas by feasting with friends in bear parlors, pepper soup joints, disco halls, sharing food to one another, drinking and eating, going from one place to another, and from one friend to another, visiting places of attractions and distractions, etc., without first allowing Jesus Christ (the celebrant) to save them from their sins. It is of no meaning spending much money, energy and time in the name of celebrating a flamboyant Christmas without having been purged from your sins by the celebrant (Jesus Christ). Dear friend, don’t make Christmas just a usual festival, it is actually beyond a mere routine feast as your think. Jesus’ parents didn’t go for this Passover celebration alone, they were accompanied by Jesus. It shows that you should not afford to celebrate this year’s Christmas through whatever means if you are not sure that Jesus is with you.       

·         Christmas is not celebrated with the assumption of being saved but celebrated with the assurance of Salvation.

Do you notice that Jesus’ parents used the word, “…they thought he was traveling with some people...” when they were returning back from Jerusalem to Nazareth. It points to me that Jesus’ parents thought he was journeying back home with them from Jerusalem to Nazareth after the festival was over. They never knew that they had left Jesus behind in Jerusalem. They journeyed for a while with the costly assumption that Jesus was with them, whereas, he was not with them. Could this not portray the happenings of our generation about Christmas celebration? For me, it does portray. You can see so many people celebrating Christmas with the assumption of been saved from sin, but are not. You can see how so many people have the knowledge about what Christmas means, and yet don’t know Jesus Christ who is the reason for the Christmas celebration. At this time, you will see so many born again Christians yielding to different temptations in the name of celebrating a flamboyant Christmas. Can you x-ray your life today and check whether you are journeying this Christian race with the assumption of been born again, and yet you not? If yes, it means that Jesus Christ is missing in your life. Have you been celebrating Christmas all this while without having received the celebrant into your life? If yes, it means that Jesus is missing in your life. Making assumption that Jesus Christ is with you is a pointer to the fact that he is actually not with you. Could it be to this point in your life that you have been fooling many people around you that you are born again? Why could this be true? It is true because you still engage in secret sin, sexual immorality, fornication, willful lies and deceit, among several other evil things. It is indeed a costly assumption to be perpetually living in sin and yet claim to be a child of God. If a man is not sure of his salvation, it is a pointer that he needs Jesus into his life. Having a double thought of your salvation may shows that Jesus Christ has not fully taken his full place in your life. On that milieu dear reader, do not keep dying in silence. You need to open up to the celebrant (Jesus Christ) to help you. King David could not hold back this matter when he knows he has gone off track. The bible says, “Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I keep silence before I confessed. my bones wasted away through my groaning all the daylong” (Psalm 32:2-3). If you have not come to this point like King David did, I did. Anytime I hide any wrong deed committed against God, I become worn out all day long until I open up to Him. It is thereafter that I can get relieve and peace. What about you? Don’t go on covering your evil deeds with Church activities, or praying in tongues, or giving tithes and offerings etc when you have not settled the real issue with God. You need to open up to Master Jesus now those troubling issues of your life in order to find help as you go on to celebrate Christmas this season.       

·         Christmas celebration will be meaningful if and only if you acknowledge that Jesus is no longer with you.

If you follow the story very well, you will affirm to the fact that Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem while his parents went ahead to travel back home.  “…After Passover his parents left, but they did not know that Jesus had stayed on in the city…” The matter to note at this point is the fact that if Jesus’ parents never knew that they had left Jerusalem without Jesus company, but later realized in the cause of their journey back home that Jesus was not with them, the best thing they did was to begin to look for him and not just to continue their journey. The bible said, “… and they went a whole day before they start looking for him…” One thing that ignited my happiness concerning Jesus’ parents at this point was their realization to the fact that Jesus was not with them. This realization halted their journey to Nazareth, and they started looking for Jesus. The how far they had gone could not deceive them to continue without Jesus. They could not afford to continue their journey with such a costly assumption. A search for Jesus began. No matter how far a man has travelled on the path of sin, ignorance, and wickedness, it is never too late for him to begin to look or search for Jesus into his life when he acknowledges he is sinner. If you thought you were having a cordial relationship with Jesus, but later discovered that you were been religious, and just assuming, the right thing to do is begin to seek for Jesus rightly. There is no excuse for you to escape the search for Jesus immediately you discover that you were journeying with a costly assumption. What I mean is that, there is no need for you to continue living the life of sin and sorrow once you discover that you wrongly assumed your salvation. Dear friend, don’t go on just living your life when you still engage in masturbation, deliberate telling of lies, stealing, lust, drunkenness, smoking, etc. You must cry unto to Lord for help. Do not go on your life without settling the issues of sin right away; you must acknowledge that you are not okay. Can you take the step King David took when he says “I acknowledge my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord {continually unfolding the past till all is told} then You {instantly} forgave me the guilt and iniquity of my sin” (Psalm 32:5). Don’t be like this old man who after we have preached to him one time about Jesus Christ said to us that “he has gone too far for him to accept Jesus Christ now”. Please, don’t follow the trend of others who equally say that it does not matter; the Lord understands. Don’t also join the likes of others who have decided to keep managing their life in sin even after they know that they are walking in error.  You will enjoy this Christmas if only you can x-ray your life and see where there is need to acknowledge your sin before your maker and thereafter take necessary steps to begin to look for Him.

·         Christmas will be meaningfully celebrated if only you can trace and return to where you left Jesus Christ.

The sincere truth about the search for Jesus is that, outside Him we cannot find Him. The knowledge of where I have fallen off the track will ease me the stress of going about in search of Jesus in the wrong direction. The bible says, “They thought that he was with the group, so they travelled a whole day and then started looking for him among their relatives and friends. They did not find him, so they went back to Jerusalem” (Verse 44-45).  You will notice that in the bid of looking for Jesus, his parents went straight to their relatives and friends instead of going directly to Jerusalem where they had left him. In reality, no man can search for Jesus in a wrong place with the hope of finding him. The same is application in our world today. We see people living in sin, doing all manner of evil and atrocities only to end up telling their friends what they did so as to get help. We see people cheat in exam hall, steal money at whatever level they found themselves only to end up in discussion amongst friends. We see people say that they need God to help them stop sexual immorality, lust, secret sins, masturbation, but after doing such an act, it ends up in discussion with friends who can never help them. In the bid to look for Jesus, you must first and foremost know that no man can save you from your sin except Jesus. You must also know at this point where you have left Jesus. Ask yourself this question: Where have I left Jesus? No matter the effort you exert in finding Jesus into your life, if you do not come to Him with sincerity, you will ever be disappointed. Nobody sincerely looks for Jesus and ever get disappointed. For as long as you are not ready to point to Jesus where you have wronged him and sincerely seek him; you will ever continually be disappointed. Can you take a further step to point out to Jesus where you have left him so that you can find him correctly? You will notice in verse 46 that Jesus was found in the temple in Jerusalem among Doctors where he sat listening and asking question. “On the third day they found him in the temple, sitting with the Jewish teachers, listening to them and asking questions” (verse 46) You will agree with me that the effort and labour exerted by Jesus’ parents in searching for Jesus did not help them in finding Jesus as quick as possible until they return back to Jerusalem - they place where they left him. They could not have found Jesus if they had continue to search for him among friends and relatives. They step they took by going back to Jerusalem where they had left him hastened and fastened the search for Jesus. This Christmas celebration is not a moment of looking for Jesus wrongly, you must trace “your own Jerusalem” in order to facilitate the finding of Jesus Christ. Could your own Jerusalem be that small pepper soup joint where you went and drank alcoholic drink to stupor? Could yours be the unimaginable things you are prone to do whenever you get angry? Could yours be your office/place of work where you do so many secret diversion of money and thereafter cover it up? Could your own be that lust that has caused you to fall prey of sexual intercourse/immorality? Could your own be that film that exposes all naked women and men, and you watch so comfortably (Pornography)? Could your own be an addiction that takes away your attention from the celebrant - Jesus? Could your own be that group of friends who whenever you are with, you lose your peace? Could your own be a relationship that you are convicted is not under the leadership of God Almighty? Could your own be that result or certificate that you brag about knowing quite well that it was obtained through cheat and malpractice? Whatever your Jerusalem may be, you must trace it and return there in order to settle such a matter once and for all this season of Christmas. I must say at this point that it does not matter the number of days you fast and pray, so long you do not open up and cry out to JESUS where you have fallen, you will be exerting a fruitless labour in search of the celebrant (Jesus Christ) this Christmas. Dear friend; where did you left Jesus? Go back there and you will find him. Jesus is waiting for you where you left him. For as long as he did not move an inch from Jerusalem where his own parents left him, he will not move a bit from where you have left him either. To buttress this matter further, I must at this point digress a little to the story of the Recovery of  the Axe Head in 2 Kings Chapter 6:1-7 where one of the prophets in which Elisha was in charge of them had his iron axe head fallen into the water when he was cutting down a tree. Here what he said immediately the axe head fell into the water.  …What shall I do, sir?” he exclaimed to Elisha. “It was a borrowed ax!” (2 Kings 6:5b) The response he received was: “Where did it fall?” Elisha asked. The man showed him the place, and Elisha cut off a stick, threw it in the water, and made the axe head float. “take it out,” he ordered, and the man bent down and picked it up. (2 Kings 6:6-7). If you noticed, the prophet realized that his axe head fell into the water and quickly cried to Elisha. He did not pretend, but cried out. And if you noticed again, you will realize that a question was thrown to him ...where did it fall? He did not beat around the bush to answer such a question but went straight away to show Elisha the place the axe head fell. It was when he showed Elisha the place the iron axe head fell that Elisha was able to help him. I must say at this point that if you don’t get serious looking for Jesus, you will not find him. This matter of where have you fallen is critical. No wonder Jesus’ parents could not pretend; they had to travel back to Jerusalem in search of Jesus when they could not find him among friends and relatives. I thank God they did find Him at last. What about you: have you found Jesus or he is still missing in your life? Dear friend, can you check your life properly; where have you fallen short of God’s glory? Or possibly you have not, but have plan on doing one evil or the other to please people around you this season. If that is your case, resist from it now. Can you check your life, is Jesus journeying with you as you claim to be traveling back home (heaven). If no, don’t waste any time, take a good step to look for him correctly. Are you deliberately falling and rising in your Christian life, it could be an indication that Jesus is already missing in your life. The bible says in Psalm 46:5 that “God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.” If Jesus is with you, it shows that you have key in to the prophecy as was announced to Joseph by the angel of the Lord about the Virgin Mary. The bible says, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” (Matt 1:23). Is God with you? Is God within you? If no, please come to Jesus. If you come sincerely to Jesus, he will never disappoint you. The reason why possibly you may not have encountered Jesus properly may be because you have not looked for Him with seriousness. The bible says that, “When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed” (Jer. 29:13). Jesus is not a disappointer of those who seek to find him correctly. Seize this opportunity to come to Jesus now.   

·         Christmas is not the moment of feasting through eating and drinking but doing the Father’s business.

The response Jesus gave to his parent when they have found him is an indication that there is a business of the Master that every one of us needs to be occupied with till he comes. The bible says, “And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.” (Luke 2:49-50). Christmas season has become a moment where people focus on feasting on the food that perishes forgetting about the reason for the season. Jesus Christ is the reason for Christmas and not food and drinks. Christmas celebration will be meaningful if you focus on feasting on the Word of God and thereafter preaching Jesus to others. But the question is, how can you preach the Word when you don’t have the Word in your life? That is why “You must remove the old yeast of sin so that you will be entirely pure. Then you will be like a new batch of dough without any yeast, as indeed I know you actually are. For our Passover Festival is ready, now that Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us celebrate our Passover, then, not with bread having the old yeast of sin and wickedness, but with the bread that has no yeast, the bread of purity and truth” (1 Cor. 5:7- 8) The Father’s business cannot be done when you still have the old yeast of sin in your life. Yeast is anything that has the capacity of hindering and tempering your relationship with God. Yeast is that little foxes that if you don’t cut off from your life will spoil your relationship with Master Jesus. Yeast is that weight (s) in your life that you must lay aside if you intend to run this race correctly. What is that old yeast of sin in your life that you must remove this period? Don’t hesitate, cut it off. The Living Bible puts verse 8 this way, “So let us feast upon him and grow strong in the Christian life, leaving entirely behind us the cancerous old life with all its hatreds and wickedness. Let us feast instead upon the pure bread of honor and sincerity and truth.” (1 Cor. 5:8). Dear friend, Jesus is what we need to celebrate, and long to know during this period of Christmas. We should not focus on partying around without having a correct time to study the celebrant (Jesus) and preach Him. Don’t be afraid to preach Christ during this season. Or possibly you are fearful that people will see you engaging in telling people about Christ on a Christmas day and make mockery of you. Oh oh.. don’t worry about their worries and mockeries. They may not understand that you are heeding to the Fathers business as Jesus’ parents could not understand the statement of Jesus when he said that, “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49).  In this season of Christmas, “...don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you...”  That Son of Man is Jesus, and I perceive Him saying to you that “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).   

·         Christmas is celebrated with Christ; outside Christ, Christmas Celebration amounts to Crisis and Catastrophe.       

The truth is that Christmas with Christ is the real celebration; for outside Christ is crisis and catastrophe. For your Christmas to be celebrated joyously, make sure that Jesus is with you. Jesus is ever willing to follow anyone who seeks him. The genuineness of my seeking for Jesus will cause Jesus to respond to me. The bible says that “So Jesus WENT back with them to Nazareth, where he was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. Jesus grew both in body and in wisdom, gaining favour with God and people” (Luke 2: 51-52) You will notice that it was from the genuine search for Jesus that Jesus’ parents found him. When they found Jesus, no matter the Father’s business that he was engaged in, he had to respond by journeying back with them to Nazareth. Jesus is often willing to abide in a life that sincerely seeks him. I must say at this point that the sincerity of your search for God to forgive you shows how He will respond to you. Jesus does not despise those who diligently seek him. If Jesus’ parents could look for Jesus in sorrow in order that he will journey back with them to Nazareth, what about you? I can see how sometimes we just approach God with a casual heart, casually praying for Him to forgive us. This perhaps shows how unserious we are to allow God journey with us. For others, they come to Church with their tithes, fat offerings, donate big sum of money during launchings, and may finance some projects for the Church thinking that through these Jesus Christ will be with them. I don’t think any of these will replace the genuine way we need to approach God’s throne to seek for him. No matter how sacrificial we are, it can’t replace a broken and repentant heart if we must seek Jesus to go with us. Do you remember that the bible says, “The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. God, You will not despise a broken and humbled heart” (Psalms 51:17) How is your life presently? Jesus is ready to turn to your direction and go along with you this Christmas if only you will be a sincere seeker of him. Jesus never overlooks nor despises true seekers. As I digress a little, why do you think Jesus interrupted his journey in order to attend to Zacchaeus when he saw him on the Sycamore tree? It was because he saw a true seeker who had resolvedly sought to see Him who he was. Zacchaeus despite his status in the society seriously sought to see Jesus who he was. Dear, if Zacchaeus; a well known chief tax collector of his time could humble himself to seek Jesus wholeheartedly, I wonder why you are still moving about lost without sincerely coming to Jesus to save you. Are you lost of the right direction to go? Jesus said to Zacchaeus, “For the Son of man is come to seek and save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Come to Jesus and you will find the right direction to follow. It is only in Christ that our Christmas celebration will be meaningfully celebrated. Less I forget, it does not end in only receiving Jesus into your life, you must seek to be obedient to him and yearn to grow in the knowledge of God. As Jesus grew both in body and wisdom, we are expected to grow unto maturity trusting that as he resides in our lives, we will gain favour with our Father in heaven and with the people here on earth.

Christmas is here again! But the questions to unearth are: how is your life? What are your plans during the cause of this celebration? Have you planned to celebrate big when you have not answered correctly the state of your relationship with the celebrant? Don’t be like the parent of the little boy along with those invited guests who went about eating and drinking without the celebrant (little boy) with them as illustrated in the story given above. As for you, do you tell lies consciously? Do you disobey at all times to both people above you and the Word of God? Do your watch pornographic pictures or films? Do you have a boy friend or girl friend that has at a point led you both to misbehave with each other? Do you cheat others? Do you masturbate? Do you lust after the opposite sex? Do you wear short skirt or open the button of your cloth to entice people? Do you engage in secret sin? Do you smoke or/and drink alcoholic drink to stupor? Are you into relationship that is ungoldly? Do you boast of your achievement before others? Do you have pride and confidence in what you are or what you have achieved? Do you steal or cheat? Are your seeking material things at the expense of seeking Jesus? Do you organize exam malpractice for others? Are you still having desire for the lust of the eyes and of flesh? Do you engage in sexual immorality?  Are you addicted to something that takes your concentration away from Jesus? Etc.  All these are questions thrown to you to check your life and respond to Jesus quickly. This is because if you fall into any of these categories and have not confessed and forsaken them, it clearly shows that Jesus is missing in your life. The truth about this is that, it does not matter how far you have gone.  Come to Jesus and you will find rest for your soul. Do not be like Jesus’ parent who did not went straight to Jerusalem to search for Jesus, but went to their relatives and friends, thereby wasting three days before they found Jesus. You cannot find salvation in your friends or your relatives but only in Jesus Christ. If you doubt whether you are born again, it then shows that you are not born again. Humble yourself just like Nicodemus did when he went to Jesus at night to clear this matter of his salvation once and for all. Without Jesus in your life, the celebration of Christmas carol is meaningless. Remember that Christmas carol celebration without having a clear-cut encounter with Christ is Crisis. Don’t live a crisis life when you can confess to Jesus even right now. Do you know that the bible says, “You will never succeed in life if you try to hide your sins. Confess them and give them up; then God will show mercy to you.” (Prov. 28:13).

          It is only when you come to Jesus Christ that you will have rest. The bible says, “Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). Dear friend, do you want rest from sin and sickness, do you want rest from deliberate rising and falling life, do you want rest in your academic, do you want rest from pride, cheating, masturbation, addiction, sexual immorality, lust, anger, drunkenness, ungodly relationship, pornography, jealousy, filthy and indecent actions, disobedient. The answer is found in Jesus Christ. Confess your sin today and forsake them, God will show you mercy by forgiving you. Perhaps, you don’t want to keep such a secret life of sin any longer to yourself, you can open up (sharing) to Godly people who can help you (i.e. to your pastor or elderly ones in the Lord) Don’t celebrate Christmas or any Christmas Carol this year without Jesus.

God Bless you.