The Christmas Season: A Time to Give Thanks! :: By Sean Gooding

Published on: December 23, 2020 by RR7

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

I pray that all is well with you at this time. We are in unprecedented times here in North America. We are hit daily with the kind of news that shakes us to the core. From the COVID situation and the serious damage done to our economy done by our government and the continuing attack on churches and other gatherings, we can see that we are in uncharted territories. Each and every day, I see and hear stories of the unprecedented toll that has been taken on many, many people. Many businesses have been lost, not just ‘mom and pop’ businesses, but large companies have collapsed with thousands and thousands out of work.

There are countless collateral deaths from furloughed surgeries and medical procedures. There has been a marked rise in alcohol abuse according to many interviews I have seen with counseling professionals; the rate of divorce is going up; suicides are going up, and on and on we go. The cure, as they say, will cause more deaths than the disease.

I was just watching a street journalist asking people how many deaths they think occurred in the US from COVID? Some thought as high as 30-40%; that would be 90-120 million persons with COVID. But the reality is that some 2,000,000 have gotten the virus, or less than 1% of the US population. Even more eye-opening, of the 20-25 persons interviewed, only 2 had known a person or of a person that had the virus. COVID is real, the deaths are real, but the way that it has been used to attack and destroy the economies of the free world is astonishing.

We have all been told that it is for the greater good; if we just comply now, soon, very soon, things will go back to normal. A first it was a few weeks, then a month, then a few months; now it has been 9 months. Today I saw an interview with Bill Gates, and he thinks it will be summer 2021 before we can have any semblance of normalcy. But remember, it is all our fault. If we had just obeyed, all would be well. They, the powers that be, are never wrong; we are. You must comply to be free; this is an oxymoron.

Then we in Canada have just found out that our fearless leader Prime Minister Trudeau has been allowing the CCP of China to train their troops here in Canada. Not just in Ontario, but in many other provinces. We recently saw emails documenting some 17 interactions where they came to us and our soldiers went to China to train. Why are we letting this enemy onto our soil? Why let them on our military bases? Why bring the only other real superpower in the world to the border of the US? Because no one wants to believe that they are evil, hellbent on the rule of the world and taking away our freedoms.

Wow, Sean, you say, I just checked the title and it talks about giving thanks. Maybe you got the wrong title or simply got off-topic. Stay with me; I promise I am not off the point. Rather, this is my point: it is easy to be thankful when all is well in the world around us. But can you and I be thankful when it seems that we are seeing the demise of all that we know right before our eyes? For the past few weeks and months really, I feel like I have been living in a Psalm 73 moment. The Psalmist was in awe of the prosperity of the wicked, it shook him to the core.

“Truly God is good to Israel,

To such as are pure in heart.

² But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;

My steps had nearly slipped.

³ For I was envious of the boastful,

When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

⁴ For there are no pangs in their death,

But their strength is firm.

⁵ They are not in trouble as other men,

Nor are they plagued like other men.

⁶ Therefore pride serves as their necklace;

Violence covers them like a garment.

⁷ Their eyes bulge with abundance;

They have more than heart could wish.

⁸ They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression;

They speak loftily.

⁹ They set their mouth against the heavens,

And their tongue walks through the earth.”

He could not seem to get over how the evil people seemed to prosper, and they never get caught; or if they do, they never get punished. In verse 4, they even seem to die happy – “there are no pangs in their death.” But in verse 17, Asaph, the Psalmist, went into the house of God, and he understood their end.

“Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end.”

I am thankful that even if evil men seem to get away with evil here and prosper here, they will not escape the judgment of God. He sees it all, and they will not be able to have high-priced lawyers and friends in higher places to get them a lenient sentence with God. I am thankful that I have a Bible, a Holy Book, written by God, and in it I have the truth that settles me and steadies me in the storms of life. This Book, the Word of God that gives me hope in the hopelessness of life, gives me light in the dark world and gives me solace in the midst of great pain. I am thankful that I have a God who loves me and made a way for me in Jesus, His Son, so that I can be His child (1 John 3:1).

I am thankful for the peace that I have, both in this life and in the life to come; it is all because of Jesus and His love for me. His Holy Spirit in me helps me to have peace in the storms of life, even the storms I create. In the midst of the chaos, Jesus gives me peace; in the midst of the COVID, we have been able to pay bills and do well. In the midst of the church shutdowns, we have revived mid-week meetings via Zoom that we had abandoned for some time. I am thankful that the government cannot thwart the local church; even the gates of hell cannot prevail against it.

I am thankful that I have a great wife, a good family, and a wonderful church family. In the midst of the shutdowns, we have essentially rekindled fellowship with one of our sister churches that had dwindled to just one meeting a year or so. I am thankful for the commitment of our people, some of whom have to drive more than an hour, often in bad weather to get to church, but they are faithful. I am thankful that our church offerings have been steady, that we have been able to help a few people in need, and that God has lowered our expenses at the same time.

I rejoice and am thankful that I get to share the Gospel with people at work. Get to tell them what Jesus did for me. People ask me to pray for them, and I/we do. I am thankful that every day I get to go to a job I enjoy and where I am respected and appreciated. I am thankful that the Lord is my sanctuary, He is my safe place, and that I can trust Him when I do not understand. I can have absolute confidence that He is in control, and whether things get resolved as I think they should be, these people and circumstances are not hindering God’s plan even for a second; rather, it is simply a part of His plan to bring in everlasting righteousness. I thank God for the men and women who are willing to stand and say ‘this far and no further’ and mean it.

What about you? What do you have to be thankful for?

I thank God that He loved me and sent His Son to die for my sins. I thank God that there was a first Christmas, a deliberate place where the Saviour was born, and I am thankful there was a place where He died for me; I am thankful there is an empty tomb. Rejoice and give thanks; God loves you. God knows you by name, and He has a plan to bless us, if not here, in the next life for sure. But I am sure that if we took careful stock, God has blessed us beyond all we could truly think of.

So, I challenge you to take a day each week, maybe a day each month, and simply make it a day of thanksgiving – no asking – just thanking Jesus. From the time your feet hit the floor in the morning until you lay your head down, just thank God for all He has and is doing. Let me clarify; don’t ask anything for yourself; if someone needs prayer for help and healing, pray for them. But on that day, simply give thanks with regard to yourself. I wonder how that will change you and me? How will it change our perspective and demeanor? What would it do to our attitude, and what will it do for our relationship with the Lord and each other? It is God’s will for you to rejoice and be thankful ALWAYS!!

1 Thessalonian 5:16 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Merry Christmas

P.S. Our next lesson published will be in January 2021. We will be looking at the book of Esther.

God bless you,

Dr. Sean Gooding

Pastor of Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church

How to Connect with Us

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MississaugaMissionaryBaptistChurch

Online: https://www.mississaugamissionarybaptistchurch.com/ (under construction)

Email: missionarybaptistchurch76@yahoo.ca

The Christmas Promise: Isaiah 9:6-7 :: By Sean Gooding

Published on: December 15, 2020 by RR7

“6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us, a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”

Thanks for faithfully reading the lessons I have written over the years. This Christmas is 5 years that I have been having lessons published on Rapture Ready. It has been awesome to see what God has and is doing. As a church, we began this ministry about 11 years ago come January. We began with just 9 people getting the weekly email. By God’s power and His grace, we now mail the lessons out to hundreds, we have them published on Rapture Ready, and someone sent me a lesson of mine from another website that was getting to them somehow. To God be the glory.

Over the years He has given me helpers who edit and get them out. I wanted to say thank you to all who read, share and even critique me on the lessons. I have heard of people who have them printed and put in binders. One lady in Louisiana told me that she had the Revelation lesson printed and out in the open so that if someone broke in after the Rapture, they could read and learn what to expect. Wow!! I was caught off guard by that.

Why am I doing this and saying these things? Well, last night in our mid-week lesson on prayer, we were challenged to make one day, maybe each week or whenever, but often, a day for thanksgiving. We should have our eyes opened and be thanking the Lord for all of His blessings, no matter how small. So this is me thanking the Lord for allowing our church and me to have this writing ministry. We are humbled by His power and blessings and do not ever want to take anything for granted. We are a small church, just a handful of very dedicated people, and it is a testimony to the Lord’s power as to what has happened and the scope of the reach of this ministry. We literally get emails and communication from the ends of the earth, and we/I just wanted to say thank you, Lord!!

The next series of lessons we will embark on will be in the book of Esther. But for now, with the Christmas season upon us, I felt led to simply address this topic of Christmas today; and I am not sure how long we will deal with this, but as long as I feel led. I was just reading on Facebook a post from a friend where the Attorney General of Michigan was offended and upset that someone wished her and her son ‘Merry Christmas.’ Why not say just ‘Happy Holidays’? Her son apparently was a bit upset that someone wished them ‘Merry Christmas.’ Some of the responses to her tweet were not nice and frankly uncalled for. We have come to a sad place in our time and in our world that some would have a hard time accepting a greeting of ‘Merry Christmas.’ It offends them, and it would seem that some are deeply hurt by this.

I do not begrudge anyone their holy day. Here in Canada, we are surrounded by a myriad of religions, and on any given day, someone is celebrating something. No one asks the Muslims not to call it Ramadan, or no one asks the Jews not to call it Hannukah. We can go on, but I am sure that you get the point. Why then the attack on Christianity? I suggest to you that it is that they know the truth but refuse to submit to it since it will mean changing their whole world view.

One of the hardest things to teach to Christians is the reality of spiritual warfare. Not the spirits fighting in the Heavens or angelical wars going on that we cannot see, but spiritual warfare between humans — those that are on the side of Jesus and Light, and those on the side of Lucifer and darkness. They are both living by faith and trusting their God for the future, but only one side can be right. If Lucifer is right, then we who are on the side of Jesus are doomed, and vice-versa. There is an animosity that exists between the two sides that is palatable. I want you to be clear that those serving Satan are doing so with full conscience and total commitment. They are sadly tricked, as was Eve, thinking that Satan has something to offer them and that, somehow, he will defeat Yahweh, who made him.

Remember, Jesus called Satan the ‘father of lies’ (John 8:44). He has an army of evildoers who want to squash any mention of Jesus, any mention of Yahweh and the promise of salvation. Why? Because those who are exposed to the truth will soon be able to recognize lies. Once they recognize the lies, they can choose not to live in the lies any longer. There are very few real atheists. The vast majority of persons believe in some kind of supernatural being. Some trust in Jesus, others in Satan, and he comes in many forms. Allah is just Satan in disguise; Buddha is just Satan in disguise. I can go on, but you get the idea. All lying religions are just Satan in disguise.

Why then do they hate Christmas? Why? Well, let us look at the verses above for a few moments.

The Child,

Jesus, the promised one from Genesis 3:15, the Seed of the woman who will crush the head of Satan, killing him. Well, if you are a worshipper of Satan, would you think it was a ‘Merry Christmas’? No, you would not. The whole world is celebrating the birth of the man who will destroy your leader and send you off to Hell. So, everybody please shut up with the Merry Christmas talk. No wonder it hurts them; they have to at least consider what will happen to them if Satan is defeated and killed.

This Child grew up to be a man, and He gave His life as a ransom for you and me. He took away our sins, and there is no longer any need for men to go to Hell. Salvation is paid for in the blessed blood of Jesus. You know what else they hate? that we don’t fear death. They can’t threaten us with death because we have eternal life. Now, I do not want to be tortured or to see my wife and kids hurt, but under the torture, under the hurt, under the temporary suffering, there is a Holy Spirit-powered hope that can get us through anything they can throw at us. Those who worship Satan certainly do not consider the birth of our Saviour a Merry occasion, but it is, and we just bubble over with it.

The Government,

If Jesus is running everything, then Satan isn’t; and if that is the case, what of Satan’s followers? The followers of Satan want to run the government. They want to force evil on the masses as they are doing now. We have Federal Governments in North America that fund millions of abortions per year. For years, they’ve looked the other way at child sex trafficking and promoted women to have children out of wedlock so as to become more and more dependent on the Gov. The proliferation of drugs, brought in and distributed by massive drug cartels that have protection from the government, enslaves more and more people than ever before. Homosexuality and all kinds of sexual perversions are promoted by the media and the governments.

These people literally take a list of everything God calls evil and decide to make it righteous as far as man’s law is concerned. So, NO, they do not want to celebrate Christmas, the birth of the One who will bring in a righteous government, and evil will be evil and good will be good. They do not want us and anyone to celebrate the One who will arrest them and have them executed for evil. No, the birth of Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, is not a joyous celebration for these rebellious men and women who think that they can shake their fists in Jesus’ face without consequence because they worship Satan, and he is their god. Little do they know that one day even Satan will bow to Jesus and confess Him as Lord. That will not be a merry day for many of these folks.

The Forever,

Forever is a long time. Jesus will rule forever. These fools can only have temporary victories here on earth. Jesus will soon complete the crushing of Satan’s head and put that serpent, that snake, that deceiver, that charlatan in the Lake of Fire forever (see Revelation 20:11-15). If indeed it is a Merry Christmas for us, this is a reminder to them that their power is limited and temporary.

You know, as I write this, I can see more and more why Merry Christmas is so offensive to them; it must hurt to know that you are on the wrong side and that you have chosen the loser to follow. Sadly, many do not understand the love that Jesus has for them and that He will gladly redeem them if they will repent and turn to Him; then they too can be on the winning side. Pride will take many to Hell; they are full of pride and miss the grace of God. Sad.

We should pray for these folks to be saved, first of all, and to be voted out of office next. Then we should pray for Godly men to stand and run for office. Christians need to stop lamenting the change of our laws to liberal ones if they will not take the chance to run and be there to preserve righteous laws.

Jesus is the forever King, He is the forever Lord, He is the forever Righteous Ruler, and He is the Prince of Peace. He will bring in everlasting goodness. So, you see, it is hard for us not to wish you a Merry Christmas. We wish you to fall in love with the Child who grew up to be the man and took away our sins. We are Merry since we know that the corrupt governments of Canada and the USA and the whole earth are temporary, and one day we will live under righteous rule. And we are Merry because God has our forever secured.

Is your forever secured? You can only have security in Jesus. Merry Christmas!!

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

God gave the very first gift at Christmas, His only son, as a sacrifice for your sins and mine. Trust Jesus as Saviour, and you too will have a Merry Christmas.