# A Holy God and Holy Days



## TylerRay (Dec 14, 2012)

A sermon by Rev. Robert McCurley:

A Holy God and Holy Days - SermonAudio.com


----------



## TylerRay (Dec 14, 2012)

Any thoughts?


----------



## Afterthought (Dec 15, 2012)

For those who do not have time to listen all the way, I have given a brief and rough outline of the sermon below. It is basically Gillespie's argument from _English Popish Ceremonies_ concerning monuments of idolatry. To the OP: I agree with the argument in general and the conclusion in particular.


2-4 Historical Background

Clearing up misconceptions:
5:40-6:25 "Scrooge factor" wrong. There are lawful occasions to engage in festivity, and Christians should not be against being generous or joyful.

6:40-7:10 Non-Christmas observers love and prize doctrine of Incarnation.

Topic
7:15 What think about days set apart for religious observance?


Four things: three principles, and one point of application to Christmas in particular

7:44 (1) Scriptural law of worship (RPW).
-Explanation of it and opposing view, then proof of RPW from Scripture.

17:40 (2) Set times. How does RPW apply to sacred days?
17:55 -God reserves right to appoint special days of religious observance.
18:10 -Fourth Commandment from WLC
19:30 -In all cases of Scripture (e.g., in Moses), we see God reserving to Himself right to appoint these days.
20:20 -OT ceremonial days have ceased. Should not be observed.
21:20-21:50 -Romans 14. Dealing with Jewish ceremonial days.
21:55 -Sabbath as Moral law continues
22:40 -Tendency of other days to subvert Lord's Day (e.g., people observe Christmas as the Lord's Day, while carry on everyday business on the Lord's Day)
23:35 -Scriptural examples of man appointed days condemned. (Exodus, Golden Calf; 1 Kings 12)

27:50 (3) Separation from Idolatry
28:10 -God is Jealous and does not want syncretism.
29:10 -Gives example of ex-boyfriends/girlfriends.
30:00 -Should separate from idolatry (Scripture examples of Israel entering land and needing to abolish relics of idolatry)
31:30 -Shouldn't celebrate Christmas non-religiously, removing its religious elements, cause should put away monuments of idolatry (Example of what Moses did to Golden Calf; what Jehu did with Baal, destroying Baal's temple instead of using it for God; Josiah 2 Kings 23; and several other examples)
36-37:10 -NT Scriptures showing this principle

37:20 Conclusion: Cannot Christianize or de-religionize these sorts of things, but must abandon it.
38:00 -Should not even keep up memory of idols
38:10 -WLC on removing monuments of idolatry

38:40 (4) Application to Christmas
38:55 -Cannot find Christmas in Scripture, so violation of RPW.
39:50 Three strikes against Christmas
40:15-41:40 (i) Origin? Pagan. And syncretized.
41:45-42:30 (ii) An added holy day not appointed by God.
42:31-43:50 (iii) Commemorate holy day by Mass, i.e., by extreme, Satanic idolatry.
43:51-45:30 Conclusion: Cannot associate oneself with Christmas because of idolatrous associations and violation of RPW and coming from Romanism. Protestantism has adopted Romanist doctrine in various ways (e.g., Arminianism), and now adopting Rome's idolatrous holy days too, along with the whole world. 45:30-46:30 Protestants losing their protest against Rome cause taking on Rome's badges. Christmas is monument of idolatry and to be put away.

Objections
46:30 (1) Popularity: Everyone who's a Christian thinks Christmas is a good thing.

46:55 Answer: (i) Should get principles from Scripture, not from majority (e.g., of Shadrach not bowing to statue, or making excuses by bowing outwardly yet not bowing inwardly)
47:30 (ii) If want a head count, Protestants celebrating Christmas is a minority historically.

48:28 (2) Put Christ back into Christmas?

48:40 Answer: (i) Christ does not want to be associated with Christmas.
49:05 (ii) Might as well say, but Christ back into Ramadan.

49:15 (3) Take Christ out of Christmas?

49:25 Answer: (i) That's merely keeping Jesus while not putting away idolatry, as in OT.
49:45 (ii) It's a mimicking of idolatrous world, and taking all their paraphenelia. We should separate from such things, as proved earlier.

50:00 (4) Let's get back to High Church liturgical worship. Not only not deny Christmas's Romanist and idolatrous origins, but embrace it. View it as dominion of Christ over idolatry.

50:45 Answer (i) Endorses Romanist principle of adoption, rather than Protestant one of separation. A truce, not a triumph.
51:15-52:00 (ii) Not triumph to absorb idolatrous practices. Rather, one is triumphed over when do this. Putting away idolatry is true dominion and triumph.


----------



## TylerRay (Dec 15, 2012)

Afterthought said:


> For those who do not have time to listen all the way, I have given a brief and rough outline of the sermon below. It is basically Gillespie's argument from _English Popish Ceremonies_ concerning monuments of idolatry. To the OP: I agree with the argument in general and the conclusion in particular.
> 
> 
> 2-4 Historical Background
> ...



Wow.


----------



## irresistible_grace (Dec 15, 2012)

I listened to this sermon last year on December 25th when it was preached. I have listened to it several times since. I was just about to post the link myself & saw that someone beat me to it! I highly recommend it to anyone who it's on the fence when it comes to observing Xmas.

Thanks for starting this thread!


----------

