Is Christmas for the Christian?

Driving home: God alone is Lord of the conscience, who has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men, which are in anything contrary to his word or not contained in it. So that to believe such doctrines or obey such comm…

Martin uses the example of wearing a tie to illustrate Christian liberty: he would remove it if commanded to wear it to please God, and wear a flamboyant one if commanded not to, to assert freedom from human rules.

And if someone came up to me and said, you must wear a tie in order to please God, I'd say no. I'd take my tie off and stick my liberty under his Pharisaic nose. And if someone then said you must not wear a tie, I'd get one of those, oh, remember when they were about six inches wide, with the nice bright colors that our brother Bert often has in his ties, and I'd wear it, and I'd say there, show me from the Bible where I can't wear this. As Calvin said, he never, never scrupled about showing up and offending Pharisees.

16:36 - 17:13 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin reflects on how the principles of Christian liberty have prevented conflict within Trinity Baptist Church over Christmas, despite differing strong convictions among members.

Martin recounts how some church members were disappointed he didn't preach against Christmas due to its pagan origins, viewing him as a 'coward' or 'accommodating,' illustrating the strong convictions some hold.

On the one hand, we've had those that are aware of the pagan origins of the celebration, its associations with Rome, the horrible fruits of it in terms of sin, really were disappointed in me that I did not stand in this pulpit or the pulpit that's now in the multipurpose room when it was in the cracker box or when it was in one of the schools and in vain against... any form of the celebration of Christmas.

23:15 - 23:44 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin reflects on how the principles of Christian liberty have prevented conflict within Trinity Baptist Church over Christmas, despite differing strong convictions among members.

Martin describes how others in the church would have preferred him to rebuke those with scruples about Christmas, calling them 'silly, stupid, overly scrupulous people,' illustrating the opposite extreme of conviction.

They really felt, poor Pastor Martin, I respect him in so many areas, but in this area he's just a little bit a coward. He's a little bit accommodating, a little bit worldly. They wanted to bend the whole church to their convictions, and we've not bent. And there are others who, seeing some who had scruples about it, they weren't quite as aggressive, but they would have felt a lot more comfortable if I had stood up and said, you silly, stupid, overly scrupulous people, get on with it!

23:44 - 24:16 Read in full sermon

The point: Keep Christmas Day as unto the Lord, without judging those who celebrate it differently.

Martin paints a picture of two brothers: one who keeps Christmas without celebration in a 'bare house' and another 'buried with presents and tinsel,' both doing so 'unto the Lord,' to illustrate how strong and weak consciences can coexist peacefully under Christ's Lordship.

Naturally, we want to make everyone line up with us. But Paul envisions a wonderful context in which we are perfectly content to say, I know my brother John is going to get up this morning in his bare house. He doesn't have a wreath. He doesn't have a Christmas tree.

37:42 - 38:01 Read in full sermon

The point: Show love to a brother with scruples about Christmas by not inviting him to Christmas-specific celebrations, but rather to non-Christmas contexts.

Martin gives a concrete example: if a brother has reservations about Christmas, a loving friend should not invite him to a Christmas dinner with presents, but rather to a non-Christmas celebration, to avoid causing him to sin against his conscience.

reservations of conscience about celebrating Christmas, but you're good friends, you don't invite him over to your house, if you've got a Christmas tea, you're going to have a Christmas dinner, you're going to sit down in the living room and have presents open, and out of love to you, and out of respect for your friendship, he comes, and all the while he's there, he feels he's participating in this pagan holiday and sinning, you didn't walk in love. Show your love to that brother by taking him out for a steak dinner between the 25th and the 31st, and show your love in a non-Christmas celebrati...

43:11 - 44:32 Read in full sermon