Santa or Satan?

Go ahead say it. I'm a "Grinch or "Scrooge". I've heard it all before, so keep it coming. I'm used to it. I get flack about it from the "world". All the time.We don't do Santa Claus!! The reaction you get from the world, you would think I beat my children. While the world perpetuates a lie, I choose to tell the truth and remember the REAL meaning of Christmas. Not about a magical, omniscient fat man who rides in a flying sleigh around the world in one day. Giving presents to "good little boys and girls". But, the story of God, becoming man so He could live the perfect life that we could not. So he could bare our sins and be the perfect sacrifice for the evil that we do. So that if we surrender our lives to Him, and die to self, put our trust and faith in Him (and Him alone, not our works) we may have eternal life. By God's Grace, we have a chance to avoid the Hell we deserve. Go ahead...beat me up. I'm used to it. But one thing you CAN NOT say is that Santa Claus is Biblical. I don't have the elegance nor the patience to present the Biblical case against Santa, but John MacArthur did. Please read this except from one of his Christmas Sermons:

An except from John MacArthur's sermon
(A Son to Make Many Sons - Galatians 4:1-7):

"This is the meaning of the coming of Christ, God's gracious act to save by Grace those who are under the bondage of law. So a son was promised who would make many sons, a son of God to make many sons of God. Charles Wesley's carol that we sang says it, "Born to raise the sons of earth. Born to give them second birth." That's Paradise regained. That's the Christmas message.

What a false, fake substitute the world puts forth at this time for that true message. Do you remember these words? "You better watch out; you better not cry. You better not pout. I'm telling you why, Santa Claus is coming to town. He's making a list. He's checking it twice. He's gonna find out who's naughty and nice. Santa Claus is coming to town. He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good. So be good for goodness sake. You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout. I'm telling you why. Santa Claus is coming to town." Now, does that threaten you? That's a very threatening poem. That's intended to scare children.

Now, listen, if you look at the letters of Santa, you'll see that Satan is hidden in Santa. When we teach a child to sing this song, we're teaching him a false theology. We're teaching him a false set of doctrine. Let me see if I can explain it to you. First, that song teaches that Santa is a transcendent being. He lives on a higher plane; he lives on another level; he transcends time and space. He has powers equal to whom? God. Not only that, he knows everything. He is omniscient. He knows when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows when you're naughty. He knows when you're nice. He knows everything. Not only that, he's everywhere. He sees you when you're sleeping. He's not only omniscient, he's omnipresent. And he's watching to see whether you've been good or bad. Not only that but he bestows favors. Now on what basis does Santa give his favors? What must I do to receive good things from this transcendent being called Santa? Well, it's very simple. I have to be what? Good. I can earn Santa's favor. If I'm good, Santa will give me gifts. After all, he's making a list. And he's checking it twice to make sure that we've been either naughty or nice and on the basis of how we've been, he'll deal with us. And if I'm not nice and good, I won't get any gifts. So I better be good for goodness sake. Not to mention for my own sake or anybody else's sake.

But you want to know something about Santa? He may be transcendent and he may be omniscient and he may be omnipotent, and he may be omnipresent, he may be dispensing all the good things, but you know what? You can't trust him. You can't trust him. So what do you mean by that? It says he's checking to see if you're naughty or nice and you better be good for goodness sake because if you're not good, you won't what? You won't get anything. You want to know something? That's not true. Plenty of times I haven't been good and I get something anyway.

Every year I get something. And you want to know the truth of it? There are a lot of naughty people get a lot and there are a lot of nice people don't get anything. You know what about Santa Claus? You can't trust him. He doesn't even stay true to his own word. He's blustering around and warning everybody to mind your manners and be good all the time. Be nice and not naughty and good and not bad. And then, you know what? When Christmas comes he caves in. And even when we've been naughty he gives us all that stuff. And sometimes he overlooks people that are nice. He really can't be trusted. His threats are meaningless and so are his promises. But that's good because it takes the sting out of them. And there's another good thing about Santa, you only have to worry about him once a year. He only shows up once. And you know when it is. It's always on December 25th, so you can get your act together just a few days before.

You say, well, where is he the rest of the time? Oh, he's in the North Pole. Could that be Heaven and Satan's little scheme? What's he doing? Oh, he has all these elves around him. What are they doing? Whatever he tells them, mostly meaningless things like make toys. He's sort of inane, isn't he? He threatens but never fulfills his threats. He promises but doesn't always fulfill his promises. Is it any wonder that if I believe all that as a child, when I come to be an adult, I might have a hard time believing in a transcendent God who does know everything? Who is everywhere? Who does have all power? Who does keep His promises and His threats? And who does not save me and give me good gifts on the basis of my works but on the basis of His Grace? If Santa has been my understanding of God, I'm in trouble. That's why I say hidden in the letters of Santa is Satan.

I'm glad for a God who is absolutely dependable. I can trust His promises. I can trust His threats. He is everywhere at all times and He doesn't just show up once a year. He's here all the time. And He gives His great gift, not on the basis of our works but on the basis of his Grace through faith. As we look at Christmas this year, let's see it for what it really is. Let's look at the true God and the true Redeemer and the true provision, the Son, the seed of the woman, born to make many sons and to deliver them from a system of works' righteousness in which Santa and his ilk exist to no good, into the domain of son-ship in which Christ rules and reigns supreme.

Father, we thank you again for the reminder of the true significance of this season. Forgive us for foolishness and foolish thoughts and for our inability to see the subtlety of Satan's deceptions. We thank you for Christ who always keeps His promises and always His threats. Who takes us out of slavery into son-ship not by something we have done, but by what He has done. Who blesses us forever and ever not according to our works, but according to His mercy. We thank you, Father, for the son who came in the fullness of time to give us back Paradise, to make us sons and heirs of all that you possess. We pray in His blessed and holy name. Amen."

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Print/transcripts/1247