HOW SATAN WANTS TO STEAL OUR CHRISTMAS

How Satan Wants to Steal Our Christmas
Text: John 10:10

We are now just a few days past Thanksgiving, and that means we have officially stepped into the Christmas season. This should be one of the happiest seasons of the year. It ought to be filled with joy, filled with giving, filled with gratitude, filled with worship.
But if we are not careful, instead of experiencing giving, we may experience taking.
Instead of joy, we may feel sadness.
Instead of “the most wonderful time of the year,” it could become the most miserable time of the year.
Why?
Because we have an enemy.
Jesus tells us plainly in our text:

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…” (John 10:10)

And Satan—the thief—wants to steal your Christmas.
Not your tree.
Not your lights.
Not your presents.
But the true meaning of Christmas—in your heart and in your mind.
We all know the story of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Jim Carrey’s version may be one of the greatest Christmas performances of all time. And in the movie we learn that Christmas isn’t something you can steal because it lives in people’s hearts—and even the Grinch can change.
But today we’re not talking about a movie or a fairytale.
We’re talking about a real enemy who wants to rob you of the joy that comes from the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Point 1 — Satan Wants to Steal Your Christmas Through Resentment
Our text says the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. And he often starts his work between our ears—in our thoughts, in our emotions, in our attitudes.
Maybe this year your joy is being stolen by resentment.
Maybe you’re carrying old hurts:

• “Someone got more presents than I did when I was a child.”
• “Someone never returned my cake dish.”
• “Someone sang my song in the Christmas play.”
• Or perhaps it’s much deeper—your heart has truly been broken, and you resent someone because of the pain they caused.

All of those feelings are real. But Satan can use real hurts to block the real joy of Christmas.
Scripture warns us:

“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you…”
—Ephesians 4:31

Christmas is wrapped around Jesus.
Don’t let anyone—or anything—cause resentment that steals the joy of His birth.

Point 2 — Satan Wants to Steal Your Christmas Through Replacement
Now I’m going to meddle just a little.
We must remember there is a difference between Christmas folklore and Christmas faith.
I’m afraid we’ve blurred that line so much in our culture that many cannot tell the difference anymore.
The greatest thieves do not always take something outright—
they swap it for something that looks similar so no one notices.
And that is exactly what Satan is doing.
He doesn’t say, “Don’t celebrate Christmas.”
He simply says, “Let’s replace it with something else.”

• We have replaced the manger with make-believe.
• We’ve replaced angels with fun and games.
• We’ve replaced the Savior with someone or something else entirely.

Now, there is nothing wrong with enjoying traditions and fun—but we must not let Satan swap out the truth.
Paul warns us:

“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit… and not after Christ.”
—Colossians 2:8

And again:

“…I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve… so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
—2 Corinthians 11:3

The Bible is a complex book in places—history, prophecy, signs, symbols—but the gospel is simple.
Christmas is simple.

“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”

We say, “How can it be?”
Satan says, “Let’s add to it.”
We say, “Maybe there should be more sparkle.”
Satan says, “Yes, let’s decorate the gospel.”
But remember—
Anything added to Jesus subtracts from Christmas.

Point 3 — Satan Wants to Steal Your Christmas Through Rebellion
The underlying theme of the Christmas story is surrender.

• Mary surrendered to the angel’s message.
• Joseph surrendered to a situation he didn’t fully understand.
• The shepherds surrendered their plans that night.
• The wise men surrendered their time, treasures, and direction.

Everyone in the Christmas story had to surrender to Christ.
The angel said in Luke 2:11:

“For unto you is born this day… a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”

Unto you.
A personal Savior.
A personal gift.
But a gift has to be received, and receiving Jesus requires surrender.
Satan whispers:

• “Jesus isn’t real.”
• “Jesus is for everyone but you.”
• “You have plenty of time—don’t surrender today.”

He is stealing Christmas by talking you out of surrender.
But the shepherds said:

“Let us now go…”

They didn’t wait.
They responded.
Isaiah 55:6 says:

“Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.”

Without surrendering and believing in Jesus, there is no Christmas.
Oh, you may have the replacement Christmas—
but not the real Christmas.
Conclusion
Our text says:

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…”

But Jesus didn’t stop there:

“…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

This Christmas, don’t let Satan steal what Jesus came to give.

• Don’t let resentment steal your joy.
• Don’t let replacement steal your focus.
• Don’t let rebellion steal your surrender.

Jesus came so you could have real Christmas—real joy, real peace, real life.
Let’s guard our hearts this year and celebrate the Savior who came for us.