Bah! Humbug!
By Pastor James May
There is an old story that has been retold many times over the years since it was written by Charles Dickens and first published in 1843. The title of that story is “A Christmas Carol”, and it is one of my favorite programs to watch during the Christmas season. In many ways it is a summary of what I try to accomplish in the hearts of people every day as I bring you the Word of God from this pulpit.
Matthew 2:1-2, "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him."
I believe that each of us, in our own way, have come here this morning with the same question on our mind as this one that the Wise Men had – Where is He that is called Jesus? Show Him to me. I desire to know Him.”
We all have come from our own Christmas past and we have been reminded by the visiting Spirit of what has gone before. The Ghost of Christmas Past that appeared to old Ebeneezer Scrooge could well be compared to the visitation in your heart of the Holy Spirit, showing you where you have been and trying to remind you that there are some things that need to change if you are going to be the kind of person who is acceptable by God.
Where does it all begin? It begins at the same place where Scrooge did – with a convicting spirit that comes to us in our self-centered lives to show us that change needs to happen.
If you will remember, it is Scrooge’s old partner, Jacob Marley, who comes to him first to warn him that he is going to be visited by the Ghosts of Christmas. Marley has already met his doom. In effect what we can see here is that Scrooge is given a second chance at life; something that is still offered to every one of us if we will heed the warnings from God’s Word and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit as He speaks to us.
No, you won’t see an old friend come back from the grave wrapped in chains. There was one man in the Book of Luke who begged for this to happen. The rich man found himself in the flames of hell looking over at Lazarus who was at peach in paradise. He begged God to send Lazarus back to the land of the living to warn the rich man’s brothers lest they too should end up in torment. God’s answer was no. God already had a method in place for the salvation of the rich man’s brothers if they wanted to hear it. They had the prophets; the Word of God; and the constant presence of the Holy Spirit trying to reach to them. All that was needed was already there and if they won’t heed these then they wouldn’t hear one come back from the dead either.
What was coming to Scrooge was really going to be good news, but he surely did not recognize it as good news in the beginning. His first reaction was one of refusal to believe or accept the lessons that were coming to him. He was very resistant to the leading of the Ghost of Christmas Past and was finally forced to look into the past to wee how far he had fallen.
Scrooge was taken back to the happy days of his childhood; and then to the joy of those Christmases that had been experienced over the years as he grew up, fell in love and began to find his way in life. Through the years he had changed, but not for the better. The pressures of life, the search for wealth and the thirst for the things that life has to offer became the focus of his life and in this process of searching and gaining wealth he lost the one thing in his life that was most precious of all. He lost his one chance for love and, in so doing, lost the joy in life that could have been his.
That, to me, is the condition of mankind without God. As we go through life, the cares of life and the search for a better life often leave us with questions for which there seems to be no answer. Why am I here? What is my purpose in life? Why do I continue to face nothing but difficulty? Where is the joy in life?
The effect of all of the hard work, the lost opportunities, and the disillusionment of thinking that life will always be grand, the let downs of disappointment, and the cynicism that arises in us causes us to be just like Scrooge so that whenever we see anything that won’t further our own dreams and ambitions we just say, “Bah! Humbug! I don’t have time for fun. I don’t have time for play. I don’t have time to stop and smell the roses on life’s journey. I’m too busy reaching for my own goals, so leave me alone.”
But God loves us too much to let us go on in that condition without trying to redeem us. We have become so focused on our selves that we have lost the big picture of what life is really all about. Life is really about preparing for the eternity to come, not just to live for the here and now. Life is about learning to love; taking the time to enjoy the blessings that God has given us; not just about earning the next paycheck.
When the Holy Spirit comes to us, He does so in much the same fashion as the Ghost of Christmas Past came to old Mr. Scrooge. He comes to remind us of what we have had that we have now lost. Once there was love in our hearts for God and for all things but we have allowed the cares of life to draw away from God, and we now take for granted all of the blessings, not realizing that we will lose those blessings if we continue to walk farther from God. The whole of mankind once walked with God with Adam in the cool of the Garden, but because of the power of sin in our lives, we have lost that first love. Many of the things in our lives that were meant to be blessings have become a curse. God give us power to gain wealth; to grow and to prosper; and yet the wealth and the prosperity often becomes a stumbling block.
The convicting power of the Holy Spirit shows us where we once were and then points out to us where we are right now. Like the Ghost of Christmas Present in the story, revealing to Mr. Scrooge what he is really like right now and what others think of him; the Holy Spirit peels back the façade that we put up and reveals to us who we truly are.
It has been said that before we can hear the good news of what God has done for us, we first need to hear the bad news. It’s only in hearing the bad news that we can truly hear what the good news has to say, embrace it and then desire to make a change.
In both the Story of Ebeneezer Scrooge and your story, the goal is the same: It’s all about redemption; bringing you back into a right relationship with men and with God while there is time. Once life is over; it’s too late then. The change must happen now, by choice.
Like Scrooge we must be brought to the place that we not only see ourselves as we think we are, but we are given a clear picture of what others see in us; and most of all, what God sees in us. We have to learn to compare ourselves to the perfection of Christ; not to those around us. We can only measure our true character by measuring ourselves against a perfect man and that man can only be Jesus.
As Scrooge is confronted with the man that he truly is, he doesn’t like what he sees. He has had his head stuck in his books; and his mind focused only on making money so long that he doesn’t see the real world around him. He has become uncaring, cynical and angry at life. There is joy in his life. He thinks every body around him is out to get him; or to get his money.
What a terrible life it must be to live only for self. As you go through life do you see those in need around you, or do you choose to ignore them and keep moving on. I know we live in a society where there are many out there who stand on the street corners begging only because its an easy way to get money without having to work. But that’s not always the case. Do we ignore those are truly needy; pass them by without even a nod; and go on our merry way without compassion.
What about those that we pass by every day in the malls and the department stores? How many of them are lost in sin? How many are just putting on an outward appearance of having fun but down deep inside they are hurting? How many are lonely and discouraged but we don’t have time to try to lift them up or tell them about the love of Jesus? My friends we cannot live our lives only to ourselves. Perhaps we need a visit from the Ghost of Christmas Present. Perhaps we need a visitation of the Holy Ghost in our hearts to remind us that we are here not only for ourselves, but to reach out to our fellowman in need and to share a little kindness and show them the Love of God in every way we can.
The final visit that Mr. Scrooge has is from the Ghost of Christmas Future. Man has ever searched for ways to know the future, to see what is ahead so that he can try to prepare himself for it and make changes to avoid some of the dangers, or take advantage of opportunities that may come. Psychic Hotlines, Fortune Tellers, Palm Readers, and other mediums are sought after continually that we know the future. Some of the most well known people in America have sought out the services of fortune tellers and spiritual advisors; and many of those advisors needed spiritual guidance themselves.
*President Obama sought the council of a gay Bishop of the Anglican Church on at least three occasions. He didn’t seek out someone from the Conservative Christian community, but found the most liberal minded Christian he could find.
*John Quincy Adams had a spiritual advisor who often wrote out predictions for him
*Calvin Coolidge had a “time traveling Sioux Indian warrior” that provided him with glimpses into the future
*President Andrew Johnson had a soothsayer who claimed to be a direct descendant of Merlin the Magician
*John F. Kennedy who often sought the council of a false prophet by the name of Jeanne Dixon
* First Lady, Nancy Reagan was reported to often attended séances.
And the list goes on!
We don’t need fortunetellers and psychics. We have the Word of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit. The Bible already tells us what’s coming on this world. If you want to find out then be here on Sunday nights because we are studying future events right now in the Book of Revelation. As far as the details of your life go, just learn to trust in the Lord, walk in the Spirit and let God direct your path. Whatever comes in the future, God already has a path of victory laid out for those who will follow Him.
All of the Spirits of Christmas that visited Mr. Scrooge came with the same purpose in mind – to give him an opportunity to change.
The Ghost of Christmas Future showed Scrooge what would happen if he did not change his ways. Scrooge saw himself as he truly was for the first time. He thought of himself as a wealthy and respected business man, someone that everyone else looked up to for help. But he came to realize that he was hated by most of those around him; especially those from whom he had taken so much in his search for wealth.
He was known as a penny pinching, mean, hateful, self-centered old miser. No one really wanted anything to do with him. Even his own family didn’t care to be around him. That was quite different than how he saw himself.
Scrooge was also given a chance to see what would become of him in the future if he didn’t change his ways. All that he had worked for would be stolen, even the curtains from his bed. All that he had held so dear would be wasted away. There would be no one at his funeral; for no one cared that he had died. He would die miserable and alone and his life would have counted for nothing at all.
That’s what the Holy Spirit and the Word of God do for us as well. The Bible contains stories of people who waited just a little too long to make the change. Because of the hardness of their hearts, men were cast into the fiery pits, and remain there today and forever, simply because they waited one day too long to heed the warnings that God sent to them.
*We’ve already mentioned the story of the rich man and Lazarus. I believe this is more than just a parable. I believe there is really a rich man who is in the flames today.
*There is the story in the Book of Numbers about those who rebelled against Moses and against God in the wilderness and who fell alive into the pits of hell when the ground opened beneath their feet.
Everything in this world will be burned away. When you leave this life, you’ll take nothing with you. All will be left behind.
How do others see you? What do you think others will say of you after you are gone from this life? Will they mourn your passing and have good memories of what you have done and the kind of person you are, or will they not even notice you’re gone.
Mr. Scrooge learned his lesson well. When he was given a second chance he seized the opportunity and changed his ways to make the days of his life count. He became a man that understood the value of life; the joys of life and he learned to truly love life.
I doubt that any of you will see three Spirits this Christmas. There will be no Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present or Christmas Future to shake you and awaken you to face reality.
But I have no doubt that you will be visited by the Holy Spirit because He never quits trying to reach us. The Holy Spirit will reveal to you how far you have fallen from God. The Word of God will show you how far you are from being a perfect man. And both the Spirit and the Word will point you to the only path to a second chance for a new life.
That second chance comes by repenting of the past sins, acknowledging the present condition and embracing the future with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
Let the Lord Jesus Christ make your future Christmases a wonder to behold. Let Jesus come into your heart and life and live for Him. Begin a new chapter in your life today. It’s not where you’ve been; it’s not where you are; but it’s where you’re going from here that really matters; so why not go into the future with Jesus?
Jesus can change your Bah! Humbug! He will make it a “Hallelujah” instead.
