Room for Christ
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Be finding Luke chapter 2, if you would, and when you have found it, look up here. Now Jesus told us in John chapter 10, verse 10, why He came—what Christmas is all about. He said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) L-i-f-e: that’s life. But we human beings kind of get it backward, don’t we? Do you know, if you spell live backward, what it spells? Evil. We just take what God has given and somehow we just put it in reverse. And rather than living an abundant life, we live a life of evil. You know, Christmas sometimes, rather than drawing us closer to God, draws us away. And for many people the next few days are going to be those of rush and hurry and milling around the department stores, feet aching, head throbbing, nerves frazzled. No wonder the little girl who was praying, “Forgive us our trespasses,” got confused and said, “Forgive us our Christmases.” We need, I think, to be forgiven sometimes for our Christmases. I want to put things back in focus this morning, if I can.
I want us to think today of that song, God in a manger—God in a feeding trough, if you will.
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Beth-lehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
I. There Was No Room for Jesus
I. There Was No Room for Jesus
First of all, there was no room for Jesus—no room for the Lord Jesus that first Christmas morn. “There was no room”—the Bible says—“for them in the inn.” And since then, there has been no room for the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, think of Jesus, who was God—God in human flesh. He came out of the ivory palaces into this world of woe. He came through the portals of a virgin’s womb. He came from the atmosphere of heaven to the air of a stall, from the presence of angels to the company of animals, from the Father’s house of glory to a feeding trough, laid in straw.
Think of how the little baby, what sensation He must have had. When that baby’s eyes were opened, the first thing He saw were the dingy outlines of a stable. The first odors that came into His nostrils were the smells of cow dung on the floor. The first thing that came into His ears, perhaps, the munching of straw by the animals. The first sensation to that little baby skin was the prickling of straw, the sensation of that rough swaddling clothes that He was wrapped in.
Now it wasn’t by chance that the Bible records that there was no room for Him in the inn. I mean, this was not incidental, and it was not accidental. It was fundamental to something that had been true about the Lord Jesus, that was to be true about the Lord Jesus all of His earthly ministry, and is still true about the Lord Jesus: born in a stable.
But not only in His birth was there no room for Him in His life, as we’re going to see here, upon this earth—the only place that Jerusalem had for Him was, really, on a cross; in His death there was no room for Him: He was buried in a borrowed tomb. This world never has had room for the Lord Jesus. Isaiah chapter 53 prophesied it: “He is despised and rejected of men” (Isaiah 53:3)—Isaiah chapter 53 and verse 3. And don’t think for a moment—not for a moment—that the world has changed. Don’t think that they had no room for Jesus then but we have room for the Lord Jesus today. The world that had no room for Jesus has not gotten better, and the world has no room for Jesus today.
Now, why was there no room for Jesus in the inn that day? I want to suggest some things.
A. Ignorance
A. Ignorance
I think one reason that there was no room for the Lord Jesus that day was ignorance. I don’t think the innkeeper knew that He was the Son of God about to be delivered and about to be born. I don’t think he knew that. “Well,” you say, “then he’s not to be blamed.” Oh, no, I don’t agree with that, either. Ignorance is never innocence. There were some who did not know, but there were some who did know. Mary and Joseph certainly knew. The shepherds knew. The wise men knew. And yet there were some who did not know. Anna and Simeon in the temple knew. Elizabeth knew. But the innkeeper did not know. Don’t excuse yourself today if you don’t know truth. If you want to know, God will reveal Himself to you.
B. Indifference
B. Indifference
I’ll tell you another reason that the may not have known: not only ignorance, but, I believe, just indifference. Can you imagine what it must have been like? Here’s an innkeeper, and he shuttles this pregnant woman about to give birth to a child off into a cow stall. Now I’ve heard people try to exonerate the innkeeper and say, “Well, you know, I mean, after all, maybe that was the best he could do.” Frankly, I’ve never agreed with that. I’ve made the trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem. I know the territory. She traveled about ninety miles. You know, the only miracle was not the miracle of her conception; it was a miracle she was able to make that trip at all—I mean, just to come on a donkey over that torturous path just to get down to Jericho. She probably came down the Jordan rift along the course of the river Jordan; and then to go from Jericho all the way up to Jerusalem; and then from Jerusalem, to turn left and go down to Bethlehem—and here she is: she’s shuttled off to a cow stall. You say, “What if he really did not have room?” He had room. You say, “Where?” His own room. That’s right. He could have given that.
• You know the old story about the man who goes into the hotel and he says, “I need a room.” And the man says, “Well, there are no rooms.” “You can’t give me a room at all?” He says, “No.” He said, “I want to ask you a question: If the President of the United States were coming, would you have a room for him?” “Well,” he said, “yes.” And he said, “Well, he’s not coming. I’ll take that one.”•
I mean, he could have given his own room.
C. Involvement
C. Involvement
Ignorance. Indifference. Maybe involvement. Maybe he was so busy he just did not have time—like so many of us today: we are so busy doing all of these others things. His rooms are being filled with guests and his purse is being filled with gold. And like so many of us today, we have no room for the Lord Jesus, because the Christmas bells are the ringing of the cash register, and the spirit of the King of kings has been replaced by the spirit of King Midas.
But again I want to say that it was not by accident that all of this happened. It was prophesied in the Bible. Micah chapter 5 and verse 2: “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” (Micah 5:2)
Not only was there no room for the Lord Jesus at the time of His birth, but He was despised and rejected all of His life. John Rice has pointed out that they didn’t have any room for the Lord Jesus.
They always begrudged Jesus everything. In Bethlehem, they begrudged Him a place to be born, and He was born in a cattle stall. King Herod begrudged Him His kingly title and out of fear and jealousy wanted to slay Him. At Nazareth they begrudged Him the honor and the fame that was due to Him and said, “He is a carpenter’s son.” (Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3) The Pharisees begrudged Him His power and said, “Why, He cast out devils by Beelzebub, the prince of devils.” (Matthew 12:24) They begrudged Him the authority of His Father’s house and said, “By what authority do you do these things?” (Matthew 21:23; Mark 11:28; Luke 20:2) They begrudged Him the Sabbath day over which He was the Lord of the Sabbath and criticized Him for healing on the Sabbath. They even begrudged Him the worship of harlots, prostitutes, and thieves, and they said, “This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.” (Luke 15:2) They begrudged Him every feast that He had, and they said, “He’s a winebibber and a glutton.” (Matthew 11:19; Luke 7:39) They begrudged the Lord Jesus the alabaster box of ointment that was broken and anointed His head and His feet, and Judas said, “Why wasn’t this money given to the poor?” (Matthew 26:9; Mark 14:5)
They even begrudged Him that prayer of agony in the Garden of Gethsemane—broke into it with an army with staves and spears. They begrudged the Lord Jesus even His rightful title and name, “King of the Jews,” and they came to Pilate and they said, “Take it down and change it.” They even begrudged Him the clothes that He wore, and stripped Him naked before He was crucified, and gambled for His garments. They begrudged Him a drink of water when He was on the cross, when He said, “I thirst,” (John 19:28) and they gave Him vinegar and gall to drink. (Matthew 27:34) And when He died in agony and gave up the spirit, they even begrudged His body the rest and the release that death would bring and rammed a spear into His side. They begrudged Him the testimony that His dead body would have on the cross, and they said, “Get it down before the Sabbath day.” (John 19:31) They begrudged Him the truth and the proof of His resurrection when they paid money to say that His disciples came and stole away His body. There was no room for the Lord Jesus in His birth, in His life, and in His death.
II. There Is Still No Room for Jesus
II. There Is Still No Room for Jesus
Now, here’s the second thing I want you to see: today—I mean, right here in this city and in this nation at this time—there is still very little room for the Lord Jesus Christ.
A. There Is No Room for Jesus in Government
A. There Is No Room for Jesus in Government
For example, there’s no room for the Lord Jesus in the governments of this world and even of this nation.
It’s prophesied of Him in Psalms chapter 2, verses 2 and 3,
The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying,
Let us break their bands asunder,
And cast away their cords from us.
The government of Jesus’ day, when He came the first time, had no place for Him. King Herod had no place for Him. The Jews of that day said, “We have no king but Caesar.” (John 19:15) And they chose a place with Caesar rather than peace with the Lord Jesus Christ.
And the government hasn’t changed. Our government, the United States of America, was founded on the Judeo-Christian basis. There are no ifs, ands, and buts, no quibbles, about that to anybody who will study. And yet, under the guise of separation of church and state, we have secularized America and taken away our Christian foundation. And there are even those who don’t want to call this time “the Christmas holidays”; they now want to call it “winter break.”
B. There Is No Room for Jesus in Education
B. There Is No Room for Jesus in Education
There is no room for the Lord Jesus in our institutions of learning. There is room for evolution. There is room for Bible criticism. There is room for New Age ideas. But no room for the Lord Jesus. There’s room for condoms, but not for Christ. We have an AIDS epidemic, but we cannot post the Ten Commandments that teach marital and sexual chastity on the walls of our institutions. All learning without the Lord Jesus is splendid ignorance. Jeremiah chapter 4, verse 22: “For my people is foolish, they have not known me … they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.” (Jeremiah 4:22)
• The National Education Association has a magazine called NEA Today. Somebody handed me a copy of that, and it dealt with how the NEA tells its teachers to deal with Halloween. The title of the article was “The ‘Horrors’ of Halloween.” You would think they would be against Halloween, but the title is only a parody. And this is what the article said; this is given to our secular teachers—at least, our teachers in secular education: “Both right-wing and religious extremists have accused school employees of witchcraft for using magic circles as a teaching technique. They have forced school libraries to remove books that mention witches, have secured bans on textbooks concerning stories about violence and sorcery, and in one case, have demanded that a school change its logo from a demon to something less sinister.” And then here’s what this magazine to teachers says: “If confusion or hysteria hits your school this Halloween, what should you do? Stick together as a faculty and keep informed. Be watchful. Don’t let any element in the community take the schools captive and make decisions that are rightfully ours”—that is, “If we want to teach the kids about witches, demons, and hobgoblins, that’s our privilege.” And then: “And most important of all, report any anti-Satanist activity immediately to your local association. It’s your best defense against what is usually the real aim of such activity: an attack on public education.” That’s very interesting. What they’re saying, in essence, is that there is room for the demonic, but there is no room for Jesus. That’s an amazing thing.•
C. There Is No Room for Jesus in Religion
C. There Is No Room for Jesus in Religion
Here in America there is little room for the Lord Jesus even in the world’s religion today. Now I know there’s a lot of sentimental talk about the baby Jesus, but this religious world really has no room for the Christ of Christmas. I’m talking about Him as we sang, “He Is Lord” and ascribing to Him His full deity.The Lord Jesus described the church of the last days in Revelation the third chapter, and He describes that church with Himself excluded, still on the outside. Revelation chapter 3:20—Jesus is saying to the church at Laodicea, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock.” (Revelation 3:20) It’s as though the people are on the inside and Christ is on the outside knocking on the door.
We have religious institutions, some in this city, who deny His miracles. They deny His virgin birth. They deny His bodily resurrection. They deny the inspiration of His words. And they deny His claim to be the only Savior of mankind. You say, “Pastor you’re an alarmist.” Oh, no. I’ve been reading recently about a group of intellectual eggheads who have gotten together. They call themselves theologians. And I remind you that the word theology comes from two words: theos, which means “God,” and logos, which means “the word”—that is, “the word about God.” But I don’t know why these people call themselves theologians. They don’t know the theos, and they don’t believe the logos, so why should they call themselves theologians? It’s like Grape Nuts: they’re neither grapes nor nuts. And yet this is what they say.
Now here’s what this Jesus Seminar said. They made headlines recently by denying the New Testament account of Jesus’ miraculous conception and birth. They voted with multicolored pebbles and they decided that Mary must have had sexual intercourse either with Joseph or some unknown person before she became pregnant with Jesus. They also decreed that the visit of the wise men was a fabrication, the slaughter of the innocents was fiction, and the flight of the holy family into Egypt a fanciful allegory. Now these are people who have the distinction of being called “Reverend.” They are reexamining the Bible. In my estimation, we need to reexamine them. For them to examine the Lord Jesus and to bring their human intellect like that against the Word of God, they remind me of a group of blind men in a cellar with a room full of lightning bugs in a jar about to examine the noonday sun. What do they know about it? There is no room for the Lord Jesus even in the world of religion.
D. There Is No Room for Jesus in Christmas
D. There Is No Room for Jesus in Christmas
No room for Him in government. No room for Him in education. No room for Him in the churches. And very little room for Him this Christmas in Christmas. Do you know what will happen this Christmas season? Drunkenness and adultery will prevail. The biggest moneymakers will be the distillers. And when somebody who normally would not get drunk will drink, did you know what he’ll say? “After all, it’s Christmas.” Think about it: “I mean, after all it’s Christmas.” There’s a big traffic today in obscene Christmas cards. And in many churches, there’s often a letdown in attendance, offerings, and evangelism. The heroes of the Christmas season are Tiny Tim, Rudolph, and some fat-faced, red-faced, old, red-nosed fictitious character. You know his name.
Now you say, “But, Pastor, everybody loves the baby Jesus.” Well, sure they do! I mean, who can’t get excited about a baby? Get a crowd that will dance around, stand around a manger and sing “Away in a Manger” and “Silent Night, Holy Night,” and one week later they will be at a drunken brawl at a New Year’s party—the same crowd. They don’t understand the real meaning of Christmas. I mean, His virgin birth and His virtuous life, His vicarious death and His visible return, are one seamless garment.
III. We Must Make Room for Jesus
III. We Must Make Room for Jesus
Well, enough of that. There was no room for the Lord Jesus when He came the first time. There’s very little real room for the Lord Jesus today in government, in education, in religion, or even in the celebration. Now here’s the point. Here’s what I want to talk to you about. Therefore—listen to me, those of you who name the name of Jesus; those of you who are saved, listen to me—with gratitude, joy, and full surrender, we absolutely must make room for the Lord Jesus Christ in our hearts and in our lives.
Now I want to tell you how we’re going to do this. If you want to find the Lord Jesus this Christmas—I mean, if Christmas is not all that you feel that it ought to be; if somehow you’re trying to be happy and find satisfaction in your gifts and your toys and your parties—they don’t quite get there; if you want to find the Lord Jesus Christ, let me tell you how to find Him. Three factors I want to give you.
A. The Fellowship Factor
A. The Fellowship Factor
The first factor is what I want to call the fellowship factor.
Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
That literally means, when Jesus died in order to save us, He died outside the city walls of Jerusalem. He suffered outside the gate. If you visit the Holy Land, you’ll find Calvary still outside the city walls, standing there by a bus station. In Jesus’ time it was a garbage heap, a place of crucifixion—and that’s where the Lord Jesus died. Don’t get the idea that He died, as the song says, on “a green hill far, far away.” No, no, He died in a place of ignominy and shame.
Now, look at it again. It says, “
Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
Now if you want to find the Lord Jesus today, you’ll never find Him on the inside. He’s not an insider. You’ll always find the Lord Jesus on the outside. If you want to find the Lord Jesus, don’t go to the inn; go to the stable. If you want to find the Lord Jesus, don’t go inside the city; go outside the city. That’s where you’re going to find the Lord Jesus.
Now there are a lot of folks today at Christmastime who are very lonely. Some of you who are listening to me are lonely. Everybody else seems to be having parties, and you’re not invited. Everybody else seems to have a house full of loved ones, and you’re by yourself. Everybody else seems to be having a good time, but you are so lonely. And Christmas, which is supposed to be the happiest time of the year, for you may be the saddest and the loneliest time of the year.
Well, friend, Jesus, if you’re lonely this Christmas season, and this for you is rather not the happiest but the loneliest time, the saddest time of the year, His name is Emmanuel, His name is Jesus, and He perfectly meets all three of your deepest needs. He is someone to love. And I want to tell you—and I hope it doesn’t sound corny—I love Jesus. I love Jesus, and He loves me. I’ll tell you something else: You may not understand me, but He does. And not only does He know the worst about me; He knows the best about me. And like Simon Peter: “Lord, you know that I love you. You know I’m weak.” But there’s someone who understands. And I’ll tell you something else: He needs me and He wants me—so much that He suffered, bled, and died for me. And the deepest need of my life is met in the One that we call Jesus.
And where do you find Him this Christmas season? You’re not going to find Him at the parties. You’re not going to find Him in the bars. You’re not going to find Him in the ballgames. He’ll be in the barn or be outside the gate. Just go out there. “Well,” you say, “I don’t like it out there.” Listen. Don’t worry about it. He turns the barn into a palace. I mean, that’s where He is. The Lord Jesus, “despised and rejected of men” (Isaiah 53:3)—“let us go … unto him … bearing his reproach.”
That’s what Christmas is about: not that you are surrounded with friends and family and fun and food and fellowship, but with Jesus. His name is Emmanuel, and you’ll find Him outside the gate. You’ll find Him over there in the barn. There’s the fellowship factor.
B. The Faithfulness Factor
B. The Faithfulness Factor
There’s another thing I want to say: There’s the faithfulness factor. Listen to me. You will find today that the world has no room for the Lord Jesus. And listen carefully. Are you listening? It will have little room for you if you stand up for the Lord Jesus. The world that had no room for Jesus will have no room for you if you truly stand up for the Lord Jesus. Don’t get the idea that if you live for the Lord Jesus, you’re going to be loved and flattered and praised.You come down for the Lord Jesus Christ, stand up for the Lord Jesus Christ, and this world will come down on you like a hammer. Jesus said in John 15, verses 19 and following, “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.” (John 15:19–20)
The world has no room for Jesus, and it will have no room for you if you follow Jesus. Did that get into your heart? You say, “Well, I don’t think I want to follow Him then.” That’s your choice. But you cannot hold on to this world’s system with one hand and Jesus Christ with the other hand, and call yourself a follower of Christ. When I say, “the world,” I’m not talking about Planet Earth, the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees. God made that, and it’s good. I’m talking about a system. The Bible calls it a “cosmos,” an organized system of evil, a value system that’s against our Lord and His Christ. Now the world will have no room for you.
Now I want to tell you something else. I’ve got no room for this world that crucified my Lord. If this world has no room for the Lord Jesus, why should I have room for this world? “Friendship [with] the world is enmity with God.” (James 4:4) And there’s a time when we draw a line and we say, “No, I don’t care what others say. I don’t care what others think. That world had no room for Jesus. It has no room for me. I have no room for that world in my heart and in my life.”
C. The Future Factor
C. The Future Factor
There is the fellowship factor. There is the faithfulness factor. But one last thing I want to say: There is the future factor. Now this world has no room for the Lord Jesus. It has no room for us. I want to tell you something wonderful: It’s not always going to be that way. You ever read where our Lord Jesus taught us to pray this: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven”? (Matthew 6:10) Now, would our Lord have taught us to pray that if that prayer would not have been answered? Have you ever read where Jesus said in the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth”? (Matthew 5:5) Have you ever read where the Bible says, “The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea,” (Habakkuk 2:14) and Jesus shall reign? Oh, friend, what did the angels say? “His name shall be called Jesus.” (Matthew 1:21) And He’s going to rule “over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” (Luke 1:33)
And one day those little baby feet that were scratched and prickled with straw in the manger will be those nail-pierced feet that are going to touch on the Mount of Olives when He comes again, and those swaddling clothes will be exchanged for a robe woven on looms of light, that crown of thorns will be replaced by a crown of many diadems, and that wilted reed that they put in His hand will become a scepter of iron. Those bloody nails will be removed and in His right hand, His power, majesty, and glory. I’m telling you something; you listen to me: When He was here the first time, He was rejected—despised, rejected of men. When He was here the first time, He stood before Pilate. When He comes again, Pilate will stand before Him. When He came the first time, He came as a baby. When He comes again, He comes as a King. When He came the first time, He was rejected, but our Lord says, “As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” (Romans 14:11)
There’s coming a time when Athesist will say, “He is Lord.” There’s coming a time when rock stars will say, “He is Lord.” There’s coming a time when every politician on Capitol Hill and all of the wise men in the Pentagon will bow their knee and say, “He is Lord.” There’s coming a time when every Christ-rejecting, Christ-denying sinner will say, “He is Lord.” There’s coming a time when every liberal, Bible-doubting preacher will say, “He is Lord.” Oh, friend, there is no room for Him now, but one of these days they’ll say, “Make room for the King.” He is on His way. Friend, listen; listen to me: “He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to be the sons of God.” (John 1:11–12)
Conclusion
I love the Lord Jesus. If I had a thousand lives, I’d give Him every one of them. And so, what is my Christmas message as we go to this last week looking forward to Christmas? There was no room for Him when He came the first time. There’s still no room for Him today—or very little. You can make room for the Lord Jesus in your heart. Do you want to find Him? Just go outside the gate, or out to the barn: He’s still there. And, oh, what a fellowship you’ll have with Him!•