Changed: When Christmas Gets Inside You

Reading of the Word

Romans 12:1–2 NASB 2020

Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Prayer of Illumination

Introduction

In A Christmas Carol, everything changes for Scrooge between going to bed and waking up. One night. Three visits. Three windows into his life.

He’s forced to look back at a past he can’t fix. He’s confronted with a present he can’t deny. And he’s shaken by a future he can’t escape.

That’s the movement of Scrooge’s story— and it’s also the movement of the gospel.

The gospel doesn’t just save us—it redeems our past, frees our present, and anchors our future.

But here’s the difference: Scrooge needed three spirits to scare him straight. We were met by a Savior who moved in.

Christmas doesn’t just tell us that Jesus came— it shows us what happens when He does. It gives proof to the mission of Christ to save the world from sin so that we can be children of God.

I. Redeemed by Christ — God Changes Our Story

(Week 1: Redemption)

Key Scriptures: Galatians 4:4-5

Galatians 4:4–5 NASB 2020

But when the fullness of the time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons and daughters.

The gospel always begins by dealing with our past.

Scrooge’s transformation begins when he finally sees his life truthfully—past, present, and future. But unlike Scrooge, we don’t have to wait for three spirits to confront us. God stepped into our story Himself.

Christmas is not moral improvement; it is divine intervention

When the fullness of time came

At the perfect moment that was appointed by the Father, God Sent His Son, born of a woman

This proves that God’s Son was human because He was born into this earth like every one of us were. He faced the same temptations and problems that every human faces.

Born under the law

He was a Jew who would follow Jewish traditions, just like His ancestors did. He would literally experience what it is like to be a slave to the law.

Jesus didn’t send redemption from a distance—He moved in

Redemption was only possible because of God’s divine intervention.

The only One who could save the world and redeem it was God Himself.

Redemption means our story is no longer defined by where we’ve been

Jesus stepped into the curse of the law so we could step into freedom.

Without freedom from the curse, we wouldn’t have the opportunity to be made new.

Christ took on flesh because as He redeems us, it closes one chapter of our life and begins a new one.

Our past does not have to define our future.

Our past tries to keep us enslaved in fear, regret, and shame. But Christ came to take away the spirit of fear and condemnation and replace it with a spirit of adoption.

Christ paid the price so that we would be the sons and daughters of God. Slaves would become children of God.

An Etch-A-Sketch can hold a messy, tangled drawing—lines everywhere, mistakes on top of mistakes. But there’s a small knob on the side. When you shake it, the screen clears.

The past doesn’t disappear because it never happened—but it no longer controls what comes next.

That’s what grace does. God doesn’t deny the mess—we all see it. But He offers a reset, not a rerun. (pause)

Key Line: Grace doesn’t redraw the same picture—it gives you a clean screen.

Big Truth:

Redemption is not turning over a new leaf—it is receiving a new life.

II. Freed by Forgiveness — God Changes How We See People

But redemption doesn’t stop with us—it changes how we see others in the present.

(Week 2: Forgiveness & New Identity)

Key Scripture: Acts 9:1–6 Acts 9:17–19, Acts 9:26–27

Acts 9:1–6 NASB 2020

Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, and asked for letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them in shackles to Jerusalem. Now as he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but get up and enter the city, and it will be told to you what you must do.”

Acts 9:17–19 NASB 2020

So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like fish scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; and he took food and was strengthened. Now for several days he was with the disciples who were in Damascus,

Acts 9:26–27 NASB 2020

When he came to Jerusalem, he tried repeatedly to associate with the disciples; and yet they were all afraid of him, as they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus at Damascus.

Scrooge is remembered more for “Bah, humbug” than for “God bless us, every one.”

“Bah, humbug” wasn’t just something Scrooge said—it was a way he saw people. It meant: I’m done caring. I’ve written you off. You’re not worth the risk.

Saul is remembered as Paul—but only because the church allowed his transformation to be real.

And if we’re honest, many of us still carry a quiet “bah, humbug” toward certain people. We say we believe in forgiveness—but we still label people by who they used to be.

Saul? Bah, humbug. That family member? Bah, humbug. That person who hurt me? Bah, humbug.

But the gospel refuses to let “bah, humbug” have the final word. In Christ, Saul becomes Paul—and forgiven people must learn to let others live forgiven.

Forgiveness creates space for transformation

Like Scrooge, we are given time to change—but Scripture reminds us that time is a gift, not a guarantee. “Now is the favorable time… now is the day of salvation.” (2 Cor. 6:2)

The gospel refuses to lock people into their worst moment

The Gospel refuses to do this but do we lock ourselves into our worst moment and beat ourselves over the heads for our past?

When we continue to condemn ourselves for our past, we don’t become more holy—we become more enslaved. Regret and shame tighten their grip, even though Christ offers freedom.

God doesn’t want us defined by what past regrets we have. He wants us to use the present to change the future.

Our past can be a learning point that makes our future that much better.

If we don’t break the chain link by link, it grows longer and stronger.

This was something that intrigued me as I watched the movie again. Every time we give in to self-condemnation, another link is added to the chain. But Christ came not to add links—to break them.

Like Ananias and Barnabas, we are often the bridge God uses.

Allow God to use you. He allows them to become living witnesses of God’s grace.

Big Truth:

Forgiven people must learn to let others (and ourselves) live forgiven.

Application: Who are you still remembering as “Saul” when Christ has clearly made them “Paul”?

III. Anchored in Hope — God Changes Our Future

And once our past is redeemed and our present is freed, God anchors us in hope for the future

(Week 3: Hope)

Key Scripture: Romans 8:28

Romans 8:28 NASB 2020

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

On Christmas morning, Scrooge wakes up to a future he never thought possible. The Christian hope is even stronger—not because circumstances improve, but because Christ is faithful.

Biblical hope is not optimism; it is assurance.

Our assurance rests in Christ, suffered and died to shatter the curse and its effect on the world.

Our future is not fragile because it rests in God’s hands

In this spirit, we can simply tell God we trust him with our lives.

The Spirit within us is a down payment on what is coming

We experience a foretaste of God through the Spirit’s working in our lives. The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows. One day, we will see Him in His fullness and experience God in ways that were not possible on this earth because of our limitations and weaknesses.

Big Truth:

Hope is not wishful thinking—it is confidence in God’s promised future.

Application: What would change in your life if you truly believed God is already at work in what you cannot yet see?

This Week’s Takeaway: Because Jesus came, I can live redeemed, forgive freely, and hope confidently—no matter what comes next.

Conclusion — Be a Scrooge

This acronym, provided by Hope Media Group, is a fun way to encourage us all to be a S.C.R.O.O.G.E. this Christmas:

S – Sacrifice and Surrender: How can I follow Christ’s example of sacrificial living and giving this Christmas?

C – Connect: How can I meaningfully connect (or reconnect) with others this Christmas?

R – Remember Redemption Begins with Forgiveness: Who can I extend forgiveness to this Christmas?

O – Open Heart and

O – Open Mind: How well am I listening, learning, and growing this Christmas?

G – Give the Gift of Peace and Joy – Am I only focused on the material gifts I can give this Christmas? What about the intangible gifts of peace, joy, love, kindness, etc.?

E – Enhancing and Enriching the Environment – How can I add value to the people and places in my reach this Christmas?

To “be a Scrooge” in the gospel sense means:

Living redeemed, not ashamed

Forgiving freely, not grudgingly

Hoping boldly, not fearfully

Like Ebenezer, our story can change—but unlike Ebenezer, our transformation doesn’t fade with time. It deepens with Christ.

This Christmas—and into the year ahead— Because of Jesus—Be a Scrooge. Let Jesus redeem your story, reshape your relationships, and anchor your hope.

Prayer After Sermon

Gracious God, we thank You that Christmas is more than a moment—it is Your work within us.

By Your mercy, redeem our past, renew our present, and fill our future with hope. Transform us from the inside out. Renew our minds and shape our lives as living sacrifices to You.

Jesus, let Christmas get inside us— changing how we love, how we forgive, and how we live.

We surrender ourselves to You again tonight. Make us new by Your grace.

We pray this in the name of Christ, who came for us and lives in us. Amen.

Charge & Benediction

Go now as people who have been changed— not by fear or guilt, but by the mercy and grace of God.

Let Christmas get inside you. Let it shape how you think, how you forgive, and how you love.

Offer your lives as living sacrifices, renewed in mind, anchored in hope, and transformed from the inside out.

And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the presence of the Holy Spirit go with you and remain with you— today, tomorrow, and always. Amen.