The Santa Clause…

• Scott Calvin sees Santa dies, puts on the coat
• Putting on the coat means he now has the responsibility to fulfill Santa’s mission
• He no longer lives for himself but now lives for others
• This changes EVERYTHING about his life.
• At first, he rejects any/all change and then slowly comes to embrace his new identity

Of all of our Christmas movies, this is the one that may have the most direct application to the Christian life. 

[2 Corinthians 5:14-15]

“Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.”

FOLLOWERS OF JESUS NO LONGER LIVE FOR THEMSELVES.

[Galatians 3:26-28]

“For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

• • When you “put on Christ”, your identity shifts
  • The way I see myself changes
  • The way I see others changes

This isn’t a bad thing!

[Mark 10:29-31] 

“Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.”

[Galatians 6:7-9]

“Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

FOLLOWERS OF JESUS NO LONGER SEE OTHERS THE SAME

[2 Corinthians 5:16-17]

“So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

THOSE WHO FOLLOW JESUS CONTINUE HIS WORK 

[2 Corinthians 5:18-20]

“And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

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Application Questions

1. What stood out to you from this message and why?

2. What is one thing God is telling you to START doing because of this message?

3. What is one thing God is telling you to STOP doing because of this message?

4. How will this message change how you act at home, work and in the your relationships?