A CLASSIC CHRISTMAS:
IF SCROOGE COULD CHANGE,
THEN THERE IS HOPE FOR YOU TOO!
2 Corinthians 5:17
INTRODUCTION:
A. Once a Scrooge, always a Scrooge–right?
1. After all, An old dog cannot learn new tricks–or, at least that’s what we say
a. I want to explore the question this morning: Is it really possible for a person to change–and change for the better?
b. Is it possible for YOU to change?
c. READ: 2 Corinthians 5:16-20
B. In his classic novel, A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens leads us to believe that a person really can change–a person can turn over a new leaf and make a fresh start
1. The main character in this novel is none other than Ebenezer Scrooge
a. While he is not what you might call an evil man, he’s certainly not a very inviting fellow either
b. You might say that he was uncaring, self-centered, greedy, tight-fisted, miserly
c. The only thing that Ebenezer Scrooge cared about what how he was going to make his next quid
QUOTE> Listen to the way Dickens describes Ebenezer Scrooge:
"No warmth could warm him, no wintry weather could chill him. No wind that blew was more bitter than he. The heaviest rain, and snow, and hail, and sleet, could boast of the advantage over him in only one respect. They often came down handsomely, and Scrooge never did."
ILL> At one point in the story, his nephew Fred stops by to wish him a merry Christmas. That’s where those famous words were spoken, "Bah, humbug."
ILL> In another scene two gentlemen stop by to ask for a donation to help the poor during the holidays. They even offer to keep Scrooge’s gift anonymous if he wishes.
"What I wish is to be left alone. I don’t make merry myself at Christmas and I can’t afford to make idle people merry."
They reply, "Then many will die."
"If they would rather die, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."
d. Not many in the world cared for Ebenezer Scrooge, but worse yet, he cared for no one but himself.
C. You know the story, how on Christmas Eve he is visited by 3 ghosts or spirits
1. The spirit of Christmas past showed a happier time when Ebenezer fell in love, but chose to invest himself in making riches instead of relationships
2. The spirit of Christmas present showed him the down and out in the world and how Bob Crachits family struggled to make ends meet–and there were others who were unable to do so altogether
3. Finally, the spirit of Christmas yet to come
a. Tiny Tim had passed because there were no funds to cure his ailing body
b. Ebenezer died, but no one seemed to care
c. Finally, he is faced with his own grave.
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D. So, is it really possible for a person to change–and change for the better?
1. Charles Dickens seems to think so
2. More than that, God says that it is possible–and it is required if we want to spend eternity with Him
a. READ: 2 Corinthians 5:17
I> CHANGE
A. if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation
1. What Paul is talking about here is change
2. Life is full of change--All of us go through some natural changes in our lives
a. Babies eventually learn to crawl and walk
b. Young people grow up into responsibility and dependability
c. When you reach middle age, your middle start to reach out to you
d. When you hit those senior years you might have a few more aches and pains, may not be able to remember things as well
ILL> I heard about an 80-year-old couple who kept forgetting everything. They went to their doctor who told them it would help if they wrote things down.
That night the old man got up to go into the kitchen and his wife asked him if he could bring her a bowl of ice cream. "Sure," he said.
"Maybe you better write it down."
"I think I can remember that!"
"But I want strawberries on it and I know you’re going to forget it."
"I don’t need to write it down. I can remember ice cream with strawberries."
"Well, I also want whipped cream on top, and I really think you should write all of this down."
At this point the old man was down right mad, told his wife he could remember it all, and headed into the kitchen. About twenty minutes later he comes out of the kitchen and hands his wife a plate of bacon and eggs. She stares at it for a minute an says, "I told you you should write it down. You forgot my toast."
3. However, those are natural changes that we have little or no control over
a. This morning, however we want to talk about changes that are made on purpose.
b. Change that goes beyond just the natural progression of things
B. The kind of change that Paul is talking about is the kind that doesn’t necessarily make sense
1. It goes beyond what is normal or even considered to be reasonable
ILL> Probably one of the best examples is found in nature itself. A butterfly goes through several stages of development before it is able to fly around.
A Caterpillar a prickly. Lazy self-centered bug. Working hard to go no where.
Then something happens. A thick film covers the caterpillar and entombs itself in its own flesh. A chemical reaction changes their very atomic make-up of the creature. This is known as the Chrysalis period. And soon the emerging butterfly can be seen within and it spreads it s wings. It’s more than a change–it is a complete transformation–a metamorphosis.
2. When we are in Christ, we become a new creation
a. Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.
b. We are not the same old person
c. This is made possible through the gift of God’s Son
d. VS 18-19
e. When we surrender our lives to Him then His Holy Spirit moves in and we become different
f. Through Jesus Christ we can be made anew–we can have our sins washed away and be given a new hope for the future
3. He wants to impact your life right now and to show you how to live an awesome life in Him
II> THE OLD
A. In order for this transformation to take place, Paul says that there is an old part that needs to go so a new part can come into your life
1. I want to do a little exercise this morning–if you are visiting with us today, you are exempt from taking part unless you want to, but we won’t put any pressure on you.
2. Let me ask you a question this morning–has God made any dramatic changes in your life?
a. Maybe you use to talk like a sailor and now your language is not really a problem any longer
b. Maybe you were like Scrooge and could only think about yourself–you life was centered around the all mighty dollar, always wanting more
c. It may be that you were driven by your sexuality and now God has enabled you to put that into its proper place
d. Maybe there was a time that you didn’t even really believe in God, but now He holds an intimate place in your heart
e. I’m going to ask you to do something (if you are a visitor, you are exempt from this little exercise)
f. If God has made some dramatic changes in your life, then please stand up
3. Ephes. 2:1-3 (Msg)
It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. [2] You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. [3] We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us.
B. Whatever your "old" is, what are you going to do with it?
1. Some choose to hold on to it–"That just the way I am."
2. Some choose to ignore it–"I’m not all that bad–there’s plenty who are worse"
3. Hide it–"I just can’t believe they would do such a thing" when they are doing the very same thing in their own life
4. Some justify it--"Well, if you were in my shoes you’d be the same way–or do the same thing."
5. Look what Paul says, though--"The old has to be gone."
a. That old baggage that you carry around –you need to get rid of it
b. That stuff that eats you up inside is not supposed to be in the life of someone that is controlled by Christ–you need to let it go
III> THE NEW
A. Let’s take another look at old Ebenezer Scrooge–once he decided to get the old out of his life, some new stuff started to make its way in
1. In the beginning, he didn’t want to give Bob Cratchit the day off even though it was Christmas
a. In the end Scrooge sends the largest turkey in the market over to the Cratchit house for dinner
2. In the beginning he despised the poor, but in the end he gave a whopping sum of money to help those in need
3. In the beginning he ignored what little family he had left, but in the end he made every effort to restore this important relationship
QUOTE> The end of "A Christmas Carol"
"Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more... He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew...
...and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge
4. This is a story about a life transformed!
a. And that is what Christmas is about–that is what Jesus is about–transforming lives
b. Taking a messed up life and making it into something beautiful
B. When you allow the old stuff to pass away, then the new stuff can start moving into your life–those old attitudes, behaviors
1. First of all, understand that God forgives–everything!
a. All of us have old stuff
b. The Bible tells us that no matter what the old stuff is, God is willing to forgive
2. The second step is to Be Thankful
a. Live your life to show your thanks for His forgiveness–have an attitude of gratitude
b. When you realize where you’ve been and what God has done to bring about positive changes in your life then you should want to do His will
3. Luke 17:11-19 - Luke tells the story about 10 men who were stricken with leprosy that approached Jesus one day
a. "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"
b. Luke 17:14
When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.
c. Luke 17:15-17
One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. [16] He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him--and he was a Samaritan.
[17] Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?
4. 10 lepers and only one returned to give thanks
a. Are you more like the 9 or more like the one that returned to give thanks?
IV> CONCLUSION:
QUOTE> Ebenezer Scrooge
"I am not the man I was. I will not be the man I must have been but for this intercourse. Why show me this, if I am past all hope?’’
A. Be reconciled to God.
1. Reconciliation requires complete surrender to God
