Sermon Central
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Christmas: Making Room For Jesus
Contributed by Travis Hearn on Dec 9, 2013 (message contributor)
Summary: My prayer for all of us is that we make room for Jesus in our lives. Not just a little room – we give Him our entire life. Every piece of it. Not part of it; every part of it.
VIDEO: CHARLIE BROWN AND THE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS (LINUS QUOTING “FOR UNTO US A SAVIOR IS BORN)
Wow. How times have changed. You would never hear THAT in a modern day cartoon.
Isn’t is comforting though…I mean, doesn’t it give you such peace of mind to know that Linus and Charlie Brown and all of his homies will be in heaven!?!? Let’s just pray that Charlie Brown and his buddies can win the the Bart Simpson family to the Lord.
It’s Christmas time…
I heard about a little old lady during Christmas week. The little old lady comes out onto her front porch every morning and shouts, "Praise the Lord!"
And every morning the atheist next door yells back, "There is no Lord!"
This goes on everyday during Christmas week. "Praise the Lord!" yells the lady. "There is no Lord!" responds the neighbor.
As the week goes by, the lady is stressing because of financial difficulties and is worried about buying food and presents for Christmas as the family is coming over. She goes out onto the porch and asks God for help with the food and presents for her family, then says, "Praise the Lord!"
The next morning when she goes out onto the porch, would you believe it! Bags and bags of groceries and presents are piled up on the porch! Of course, she shouts, "Praise the Lord!"
The atheist jumps out from behind the bush and exclaims, "HA! GOTCHYA! I bought all that stuff. There is no Lord!"
The lady looks up to heaven and smiles. She shouts, "Praise the Lord! Not only did you provide for me, Lord, but you also made Satan pay for all of it!"
Turn in/turn on your Bibles to:
Jesus’ Birth in Bethlehem
2 Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Can you imagine that? No room…for Jesus in the inn. No room…for the King of Kings. No room…for the Creator of the world. No room…for the Messiah. No room…for Jesus in the inn.
Now lets not get it twisted…it’s not like the “inn” would have been all “that” anyway.
I think we read this story and think of the “inn” like a Scottsdale resort, a Ritz Carlton or a JW Marriott something. Far from it. But the “inn” WAS a place for people to stay, sleep and keep warm. A guest quarters…usally dirt floors where they could slap a blanket down…but at least it was covered.
But there WAS no room in the inn..and verse 7 says because of that: Mary wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger…
I gotta say, hats off to Mary and Joseph for improvising and keeping a godly attitude! They traveled all week long…while she was pregnant…they finally get there…and no room. *The distance from Nazareth to Bethlehem was about 80 miles.* Traveled all week long…she’ pregnant - they’re tired…no room. Keepin it real with you – I would have been ticked!
If I were Jesus’ parent…the Bible would be radically different today:
You’d be able to find my story in something like the book of:
1st Irritations 2: “Travis and his pregnant wife Natalie traveled all week long and were exhausted. When they got there, Natalie delivered her baby. But there was no room in the inn. (Pause) Travis went off on the Inn Keeper! You gotta be kidding me! Bro, do you have ANY idea who I am? Do you have ANY idea who my Son is? Oh, okay…Listen joker, we will remember this…no room for us in the inn, huh? We will remember this when YOU’RE hoping for a room one day.”
You know how we are? And don’t act like you’d be any different. You travel off to a hotel…you get there and they’re overbooked…or they mess up and give you the wrong room…I’m sure everyone in here, except me, would be as sweet as a peach!
But the Bible just shows that Mary and Joseph had to improvise and they did just fine…MARY…laid the king of kings…the Lord of Lords…the Creator of all creation – the messiah in a manger.
