Ghost of Christmas Future

Introduction

A Christmas Carol

Week 1 - Christmas Past

Scrooge saw his past

Bad - Mean dad, abandoned at school

Good - Fezziwig, Belle, Fan

Yet Scrooge chose indifference and greed

Week 2 - Christmas Present

Scrooge saw what was going on around him

Missed opportunities to help his staff (Cratchit)

Missed opportunities to grow relationships (Fred)

Then Scrooge saw his future

He was DEAD!

No one mourned, his wealth went to whoever, and his employee lost his son

His tenants actually celebrated his death

You might say, Scrooge missed the meaning of Christmas...

This season, let’s not miss the good news!

But what is the good news? Why do we celebrate Christmas?

Each candle has two meanings

Light first 3 candles

So far we have the candles of hope (prophets), peace (Bethlehem) and joy (shepherds)

Today is angel candle

Angels are interesting

At least 2 kinds

Cherubim and seraphim

Remember in Satan series - Cherubs guard Eden, Seraphim (serpents/burning ones) worship God

Many purposes, but angelos means “messenger”

This is the angel candle because of their message

The Christmas message is all about love

Luke 2:9–14 ESV

9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

The angels come and say, Hey! Great news! A Savior is here!

Any baseball fans?

What do you do for a rookies first home run? Silent treatment...

Dugout stays quiet, then jumps to congratulate!

Sadly, Jesus kinda got that when He came

But it took a long time for people to start jumping up...

John 1:9–13 ESV

9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

In MLB, there are more than 6,000 HR’s per year

The Savior only came for us once - eventually twice in the end

And still, the world goes silent

There’s a Savior? What do we need that for?

Daniel Johnston: “Do yourself a favor, become your own savior.”

Man, that’s scary! That Daniel Johnston is missing some vital info!

Fortunately this Daniel Johnston has some good news...

As I mentioned, Scrooge saw his future - it was death!

Our first glimpse into the future shows death

When he realized that was what he was getting, he changed

Let me ask you, what is the future of mankind without a Savior?

Romans 6:23 (ESV)

23 For the wages of sin is death...

James 1:15 ESV

15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Revelation 21:8 ESV

8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

James 4:17 ESV

17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

Galatians 5:19–21 ESV

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

I think it’s pretty clear that Scripture describes us as sinners!

If you’re still not convinced:

Romans 3:23 ESV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

So what do you think our future looks like?

If you remember back to our Satan series, Jesus describes the future

Sinners land in a place called the Lake of Fire

He also describes it this way:

Luke 16:19–31 ESV

19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”

Sounds like it’s straight out of a Christmas Carol

It’s a man in misery, filled with regret over his life’s actions, wishing he could do something different

“Save my brothers!” he says...

Abraham says “No.”

But if someone from the dead told them, they’d listen!

Abraham says, “No they won’t!”

They don’t listen to Moses, they don’t listen to the prophets, why would they listen to a dead man?”

When Jesus comes, mankind don’t listen! Even when He rises from the dead...

For some, we refuse to believe until we face the music

For sinful people, our ending is a miserable, tortured existence… BUT!

Remember Scrooge’s story?

He saw that his future was death, and then he was alive!

What Scrooge saw was a warning, and his changed life was able to make things better!

He was saved by grace!

Scripture gives us that warning - a picture of what awaits us when we die unless something changes!

Fortunately for us, our candle reminds us that something DID change...

There are 31,102 verses (ish) and there is one I think tells the Christmas story best

It’s John 3:16 - probably the most famous passage of all time

The one on a sign behind the uprights at a football game

The one on the bottom of In-N-Out soda cups (only California people get that)

The one on Tim Tebows eye black

John 3:16–17 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

THAT is Christmas!

If you circle God, only, Son, perish, eternal and life

Take the first letter, spells G-O-S-P-E-L

This passage is the simplest form of the gospel, and the shortest analysis of Scripture possible

Interesting, there are 25 words

The first 12 (begotten) are about God

God loves the world so much that He gave

The second 12 are about mankind

whoever believes in Him won’t perish, but will have eternal life

What is the connecting word in the middle? Son...

It all comes down to the Son, making it possible for man and God to come together

Today, we light the love candle, because that is the entire reason we have a Christmas at all

Our destination was clear - sin leading to hell

But Jesus came to save us all

Why? God so loved...

Love gave an alternative to death

Jesus is the reason for the season, but love is the reason for the reason!

This was a revolutionary concept!

Jews thought God only loved Israel! Shocking to learn He loved us all!

There’s something else interesting - It begins with “For God...”

The gospel is God-centered, not man-centered

God comes first in the reasoning behind this

Sometimes we think we’re so important, so great

Illustration: Book of Mormon play

I always had the hope, on the day I’d go to heaven

Heavenly Father would shake my hand and say,

“You’ve done an awesome job, Kevin!”

It’s a parody of Mormon’s who try to earn their own place with God, but we’re often no different!

We think God loves us because we’re so great!

Jesus loves me cuz I’m great

He loves my Facebook posts of hate

Curse my brother, curse my mom

They are dumb and I’m awesome!

Yes Jesus loves me, because of who I am!

I don’t know why we’re so bent on thinking we’re so great!

CS Lewis: “A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.”

How much power do we really have? Not much!

How much value do we have by ourselves? Not much!

But we use a false belief in ourselves to build false beliefs around ourselves

It’s okay that you break your marriage vows!

It’s okay that you don’t listen to your parents!

It’s okay that you want to change your gender!

Why? Because Jesus loves you for who you are!

That’s a LIE!

Jesus loves you IN SPITE OF who you are...

He doesn’t love you because you’re so great...

He loves you because HE is so great!

He doesn’t love you because He needs you...

He loves you because chooses to!

He doesn’t need you, you need Him!

There is plenty to celebrate at Christmas

We just have to be sure we celebrate the right things!

Everything about Christmas centers on God

Just when we start to feel horrible about who we are, Jesus makes a clarifying statement in v.17:

I am not here to condemn, but I came that you might find life...

Yeah, you are messed up but I can give you a good and loving way out

Church, this changes EVERYTHING!

The sinful direction we once headed in, can be turned around!

All because Jesus came to die, to take our punishment for us

At Christmas we celebrate that God so loved the world!

He loved us and He refused to just sit back and leave us to ourselves

God did something about it!

What? Gave His one and only Son...

Not because we’re so amazing

But because God chose to do some amazing things with us!

The last part of Scrooge looking at his future is terrifying

He sees a tombstone with his name

Suddenly clear he sees this as he’s dying

Life flash before your eyes

As he’s falling into the grave, he is full of regret

But not just regret - a desire to change

As he hits the bottom of his casket, he becomes aware he is in his bedroom

He has been given a second chance - and it changes his life!

My hope for you is that you look at what your future was - death

And realize God rewrote your story too

You don’t have to end there, if you allow Jesus to make that change for you

Stop doing it yourself, trust His provision and grace, and let it change your life!

Because every day you’re not dead, is a chance to share that same love and hope with the world!

Prayer