Christ or "Christ's Mass?"

 

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Sermon Outline and Video Sermon

 

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1.       Christmas is a transliteration of “Christ’s Mass”

2.       The “Christ’s Mass” is NOT:

a.       A Celebration of Christ’s birth

b.       A Memorial of His birth

c.       A Remembrance of His birth

3.       What then, IS Christmas?

4.       It is a Trifold celebration of the MASS on a day arbitrarily called Christ’s birthday

5.       Any celebration of the birth of Christ

a.       Is extra-biblical and an addition to the Holy Writ

b.       The date is never mentioned in the Bible

c.       It was never commanded by Christ

d.       It was never observed by the Apostles

e.       It was never practiced by anyone for centuries after the Incarnation

1.       Irenaeus (ca. 130 – 200) - No mention whatsoever

2.       Tertullian (ca. 160 – 225) - No mention whatsoever

3.       Origen (ca. 185 – 264)

a)       Even the chief allegorist of the church mocks Roman birth anniversaries as pagan

4.       Clement of Alexandria (ca. 150 – 215) does speculate on the date of Christ’s birth BUT he dates it, not December 25, but either one of three spring dates; April 20, April 21 or May 20

5.       By the fourth century, the western (Roman) church recognizes the December 25 date while the eastern (Byzantine) church recognizes the January 6 date, the day of the Feast of the Epiphany, the visit of the Magi’s.  the intervening days became known as the “12 days of Xmas.”

6.       The jump between spring to winter took place primarily due to the influence of Augustine of Hippo’s extreme allegory.

1)      Ca. 200, Tertullian calculated the date of the crucifixion was on the 14^th of Nisan, March 25 in the Roman calendar.

2)      A contemporary anonymous author published a work entitled ON SOLSITICES AND EQUINOXES which says; “Therefore our Lord was conceived on (March 25) which is the day of the passion of the Lord and of His conception.  For on that day he was conceived on the same He suffered.”

3)      Augustine not only allegorized Scripture, he allegorized history!  This is what he says in ON THE TRINITY (ca. 399 – 419): “For Jesus is believed have been conceived on the 25^th of March, which day He also suffered; so the womb of the Virgin, in which He was conceived, where no one of mortals was begotten, corresponds to the new grave in which He was buried, wherein was never man laid, neither before Him or since.  But He was born, according to tradition, upon December the 25^th.”

6) Before we can understand Xmas, we must first understand the MASS.

                a. “Ite missa es” – To send out – The final “blessing”

7) Before we can understand the Mass, we must understand the most twisted doctrine ever associated with Xianity – TRANSUBSTANTIATION

                a. The Catholic Church allegorizes the literal and literalizes the metaphorical

                                1. John 6.47ff - The literal eisegesis of this passages is the foundational sand          

                                  of the doctrine of "transubstantiation." 

 

                b. Mark 16.6

                                1. He was crucified, He was dead, He was here, He was laid BUT now He’s Alive

                                2. RCC – He’s still crucified, He’s still dead, He’s still in the grave, He’s not risen.

                c. The Mass re-sacrifices Christ on the cross

                d. The Mass disembodies the Body of Christ

                e. The Priest cannibalizes the remains

                f. The Lord’s Supper – The Living Presence of a Risen Savior - as taught in the Bible

                g. The Mass – a re-sacrifice of the mutilated remains of a dead savior - Per Rome

                h. How?

                                1. The Essence of the bread and wine miraculously change into the literal

                                     body and blood of Christ.

                                2. The Accidents of the literal body and blood of Christ change back

                                     miraculously to appear as bread and wine.

                                3. Words change essence the bread and the wine to the body and blood

                                4. The same words immediately change the accidents of the body and blood into                                      what, by all appearances, is bread and wine.

Bible: I Corinthians 5.7 -8; Hebrews 9.23 - 28 Teach that re-sacrifice of Christ is impossible

Conclusion: Christmas is “Christ’s Mass”  “Christ’s Mass” is a twisted re-sacrifice of Christ, a Christ who is ever dead.   Mark 16.6 proclaims that Christ WAS crucified, dead, and laid in a grave BUT has RISEN and is very much ALIVE!    The "Christ Mass" has no place in the worship of Christ's church!

Sources consulted:

THE HOLY BIBLE

McGowan, Andrew, "How December 25 Became Christmas" in BIBLE REVIEW, December, 2002

Sproul, R. C., "The Mass and Christology" - Reformed Bible Studies & Devotionals (on line) at Ligoneir.org.