Elf

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Turn to your neighbor and tell them your favorite Christmas Movie

Introduction

Today we continue our Christmas at the Movies series with one of the most joyful, ridiculous, and surprisingly meaningful Christmas films ever made… Elf.

Now, before we get into it, let’s talk about something that doesn’t always get a lot of air time in church…

the Holy Spirit.

For a lot of people, the Holy Spirit feels mysterious… maybe even a little weird.

We talk a lot about God the Father.

We talk a lot about Jesus the Son.

But the Holy Spirit?

We often tiptoe around Him like He’s the strange uncle at Christmas dinner.

But here’s the truth:

The Holy Spirit is not weird. He is essential.

Jesus called Him our Helper… our Advocate… the One who guides us into all truth…

the One who convicts us, empowers us, comforts us, and opens our eyes to what is real.

In other words—

without the Holy Spirit, we are spiritually home alone

We can’t follow Jesus on our own strength.

We can’t see clearly on our own wisdom.

We can’t overcome sin on our own power.

We desperately need the Holy Spirit.

And believe it or not…

Buddy the Elf gives us a pretty good picture of what the Holy Spirit does in our lives.

And that brings us to our first scene.

Play Clip One

Buddy wasn’t fooled for a second.

Everyone else was smiling, taking pictures, pretending everything was fine…

but Buddy walked in the room and instantly knew:

“You sit on a throne of lies.”

Though buddy is an elf

What he did in that moment is a picture of one of the most important roles the Holy Spirit plays in our lives.

He revealed truth…

Because you and I live in a world full of lies.

Lies about identity.

Lies about success.

Lies about value.

Lies about God.

Lies the enemy whispers to our hearts.

Lies we’ve carried for years.

Without the Holy Spirit, we don’t see lies for what they are

They feel normal

They feel familiar

They feel true.

But listen to what Jesus says in

John 16:13 “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.”

Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Truth.

His role is to guide you into what is real.

To show you what is false.

To whisper, That’s not who you are.

To speak, That’s not who God is.

To reveal, That thought is not from Me.

The Holy Spirit is not optional.

He is not weird

He is essential

without Him, we end up believing lies that were never meant to shape our lives.

the Holy Spirit exposes the fake stories we’ve accepted.

He shines light on what’s counterfeit.

He opens our eyes to what’s true.

Jesus says the Spirit will guide us

Galatians 5:16 “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.”

that means truth is a journey.

You don’t get it all at once.

You walk with the Spirit, and He shows you step by step how to think, live, respond, forgive, hope, and believe

So we just saw that the Holy Spirit exposes lies and guides us into truth…

He also gives us the ability to endure, overcome, and keep going even when life feels like it’s throwing one snowball after another.

Which brings us to our next scene.

Play Clip Two

The Holy Spirit Strengthens Us to Endure, Persevere, and Overcome

Michael went from completely overwhelmed to completely unstoppable

all because someone stepped into the fight with him.

Think about it this way:

you and I face battles every day

Pressure from every side.

Responsibilities you can’t keep up with.

Temptations you can’t seem to shake.

Fear that hits you out of nowhere.

Moments where you feel outnumbered, outmatched, and exhausted.

And just like Michael, there are times you want to quit…

you want to run

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you were never meant to fight alone

That is why Jesus sent the Holy Spirit

not to watch from a distance

not to shout encouragement from the sidelines

but to step into the battle with you and to give you a strength you do not have on your own.

Listen to what Scripture says:

Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

not your power, His power.

POWER = DUNAMIS (Greek)

This is where we get our English words:

dynamite (explosive force)

dynamic (vibrant, effective movement)

dynamo (a generator of energy)

Dunamis means God’s ability working inside human weakness.

It’s not human willpower.

It’s not personality strength.

It’s not emotional hype.

It is strength from God that enables you to do what you could never do on your own

Romans 8:26 “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.

He doesn’t shame your weakness, He strengthens you inside it.

2 Corinthians 12:10 “That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Here’s what this means: (Below needs to be one screen)

With the Holy Spirit, you can endure more than you think.

With the Holy Spirit, you can overcome what has been overcoming you.

With the Holy Spirit, you can persevere when everything in you wants to quit.

Michael didn’t win that snowball fight because he suddenly became strong.

He won because Buddy was with him.

And you won’t overcome life’s battles because you suddenly become stronger either.

You’ll overcome because the Holy Spirit is with you

Strengthening you

Empowering you

Fighting for you

Filling you with courage you didn’t have, and endurance you didn’t know you needed

So if you feel beaten down… overwhelmed… or out of strength… Good news:

You’re exactly where the Holy Spirit does His best work.

Now, there’s one more moment in Elf that speaks so clearly to what the Holy Spirit wants to do in us and through us

Play Clip Three

Santa’s sleigh crashes in Central Park.

Michael looks at Buddy and says, ‘It’s because no one believes.’

The sleigh has no power… because there’s no evidence of belief.

People can’t see it.

They don’t feel it.

They don’t trust it.

And what happens next is huge:

belief is restored when they begin to see evidence of something real

Not just noise.

Not just tradition.

Not just a holiday story…

but something genuine happening right in front of them.

Jesus said the Spirit gives us power, strength, endurance…

but He also gives us something else:

Evidence

The Holy Spirit produces something in your life that the world can see

something real

something undeniable

something that makes people lean in and say

There’s something different about you

Just like the sleigh wouldn’t rise without evidence of belief, many people around you won’t believe in Jesus until they see the evidence of Jesus in you.

And that’s exactly what the Holy Spirit produces.

Galatians 5:22–23 “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

The Fruit of the Spirit

Love that makes no sense

Joy that doesn’t match the circumstances

Peace in the middle of chaos

Patience in difficulty

Kindness toward the cruel

Gentleness in conflict

Self-control when everything in you wants to react

These are not just private virtues

they are public evidence that the Spirit is real and Jesus is alive in you.

Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

In other words…

your life becomes the evidence that leads someone else to belief

Michael helped save Santa not by shouting louder

but by showing evidence that made others believe again

And the Holy Spirit does the same thing through us.

When people see your courage…

your forgiveness…

your faithfulness…

your hope…

your perseverance…

your healing…

your peace…

your love…

They see evidence that points to someone greater.

Your life becomes the rising sleigh (I had this feeling in me)

Your faith becomes the spark that lifts others

What the Holy Spirit produces in you becomes the thing God uses to awaken belief in someone else

Application

We cannot follow Jesus, fight battles, or shine His light without the Holy Spirit

Not for a moment

Not for a day

Not for a season

(1) Some of you walked in today believing lies about yourself.

Lies about your worth.

Lies about your future.

Lies about God.

The enemy has been sitting on a throne of lies in your mind

but the Spirit of Truth is here to expose them.

(2) Some of you are in a battle and you feel like you’re losing…

you’re tired, overwhelmed, and out of strength

The Holy Spirit wants to step into that battle and fight with you and for you.

And some of you…

(3) The people around you are waiting to see something real

the evidence of the Holy Spirit alive in you.

Your joy.

Your peace.

Your forgiveness.

Your endurance.

Your faith.

Your kindness.

Those things don’t just bless you

they awaken belief in others.

So here’s my challenge today:

Invite the Holy Spirit to move in your life

Invite Him to: (ASK)

expose every lie

lead you into truth

strengthen your weakness

fight your battles

produce fruit that points people to Jesus