There was no room at the inn!
Luke 2:7
Dec. 17th 2006
Pastor Lorenzo Edwards
As you all know December is the time that we have set aside to remember the birth of our Lord and Savoir Jesus Christ.
No one knows the exact day when Jesus was born. But December 25, the date assigned to remember the birth, was introduced to counter the pagan feast of the sun god—the popular winter solstice festival held in Rome—the birthday of the Invincible Sun. This was a significant celebration in the cult of Mithras, the Persian god of light who was often identified with the sun. Long before the birth of Christ ancient people living in the Northern Hemisphere, observing the disappearance of the sun, expressed their fears in annual superstitious rituals.
The Christian celebration was intended to be a theological corrective. The season was chosen to recognize and proclaim that Christ was born into a dark world and that he is the true source of light. Christians wanted to mark the birth of the Son of God, who is the Light of the World, at a time when others were celebrating the mystery of the physical light coming back into the dark sky. The observance was intended to draw people away from superstition and myth and to help them focus on the deeper truth.
The theological corrective and observance of the birth of Jesus did not happen immediately after his life and death. For three hundred years after the ascension of Jesus to heaven, people remembered his death and resurrection. It was not until the early part of the fourth century that Christians felt a need to honor the birth of the Savior. In keeping with Old Testament feasts and festivals, it was designated a feast day, called the Feast of the Nativity. And Nativity means birth or origin: a place of being born.
The celebration featured a special mass in honor of the remembrance of his coming. It was thus called Christ’s Mass and became known later as simply Christmas. This in itself is significant, for it was Christ who was being celebrated. And as I look around our world today I have to wonder. Who are they celebrating. Have people forgotten the reason for the season. Do they really know that Christ is the answer? Do they know that happiness is not what they give or what they receive because God gave the only and most perfect gift of all he gave us his only begotten son. Jesus of Nazareth.
America has forgotten the real meaning of this special season. This season was not designed to put ourselves in depth. This was not designed to run up credit cards and buy things that we can not afford. And still be paying for Christmas gift in March of the next year. This season was not created to shop to you drop but it was designed to remember the birth of Jesus Christ.
I was shocked when I read the survey that was performed by Netdoctor.com.
When people was ask do Christmas make them depressed more than 57 per cent replied that it often or always does. And listen to the top reasons why Christmas make people depressed.
Reasons
The reasons for people disliking Christmas are varied. Top hates are:
Christmas has become too commercial.
a feeling that everyone is having a better time than you.
spending far too much money.
Other dislikes are:
eating too much I got the answer to that stop eating so much. Just because it is there that don’t mean you got to eat it all up.
Christmas parties
it makes you miserable
If people will focus more on what God has done for them besides what they can give to some one for a gift we will not have so many depressed people in this world. If they just remember that GOD gave the greatest gift of all. I don’t care how much money a person have we can never repay God for Jesus. Jesus is the reason for the season.
And as we go to our text we will find the real reason for this season
Luke gives us in detail the birth place of Jesus Christ. As we all know that Jesus was born in Bethlem. This was prophesiahed in the book of Micah 5:2 that the coming Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.
Micah 5:2
" 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."
Many has wondered why there was no room for Mary and Joseph and our soon coming King Jesus Christ. Well Caesar August made a decree that all shall be taxed. And so many made the journey to Bethlem to pay there part of there taxes. And in Mary’s condition the journey would be a slow one, and as they arrived, the inn would be fully occupied. I am sure Joseph had to stop a few times to rub the feet of Mary. And by me being married and seeing my children born and had been through all the stages of pregnancy. I am sure Joseph had stop somewhere and get some pickles and ice cream. Do any of the men here no what I am talking about. There was many night where I had to get up in the middle of the night because my wife has a craving for some crazy combination of food. And Lord don’t let me mention the morning sickness.
So about the time they arrived to the great city of Bethlem all the inn’s was full. And there was no room for the birth of Jesus in the inn.
But the time came the Bible says that she should deliver. And they had to find some type of shelter. And since there was no room at the inn Jesus had to be born in a manger.
Verse 6. while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered -- Mary had up to this time been living at the wrong place for Messiah’s birth. A little longer stay at Nazareth, and the prophecy would have failed. But lo! The prophecy had to be fulfilled. She is brought from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and at that nick of time her time arrives, and her Babe is born.
And I am here to tell some body today that it may seem that you are in the wrong job. It may seem that you are not in the place where God wants you to be spiritually.
You might feel that you are not in the right home that God has for you. Not in the right position in your life. But if you hold on a little bit longer in the nick of time God will make sure that you are in the place where he needs you to be. When it is time for you to give birth to your miracle. God will make sure that you are in the right place at the right time. God’s got a miracle in some of you that even though there is no room for your intelligence on your job. When you know more than your boss know. When you training people that get paid more than you do. God said it going to come a time that the miracles that is inside of you shall be birth. And when God has something inside of you it’s got to be birth out. I don’t care if you are in the inn or if you are in a stall. I don’t care if you are on wall street or in the streets. When God but something down inside of you that is a miracle it’s got to come out.
(Ps 118:23). "This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad." If you got breath in your body you should be glad. If you got cloths on your back you should be glad, if you got Jesus down in your heart you should rejoice and be glad. You might don’t get everything you want for this Christmas but as long as you got King Jesus you don’t need nothing else. The song writer said if he never do anything else for me he’s done enough. He woke me up this morning started me on my way He’s done enough, He cloth me in my right mind he has done enough. He brought me from a mighty long way he has done enough. He gave us Jesus of Nazareth He has done enough.
But the Bible says he was born in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. Wrapped up in swaddling clothing. Swaddling cloths was strips of cloth that was wrapped around a baby so that they limbs will grow straight. I am here to tell somebody today that God got me so wrapped up and tied up in his love I can’t help but to go straight. Every time I think about the love of God and how he came down 42 generation to redeem us. I have to go straight. We was bought with a price. We was bought with something you cannot find in the malls. We was bought with something you can’t order on the internet. We was bought with something that money can’t buy. We was bought by the blood of Jesus. Thank God for Jesus Christ today. Thank God That he was born of a virgin and born in Bethlem.
He was born in a manger and that is why some people don’t serve our God. Because they figure that if he was a King that he should have been born a temple . That he should have been born in royalty. With royal cloths on not swaddling cloths on. But it don’t matter where he was born I am just glad that he came to deliver me from the pits of hell.
And God is telling us today that he was in example for us. It don’t matter where you started but what matter is where you are going. You may have been born in the project but your end could be the white house. You may have started in poverty but the Bible says that we serve a God that is rich in houses and land. It don’t matter where you started baby it matters where you will inn.
And as I look around America today I have found out hat there is still no room for Jesus. If you go down to the court room you will find out that they have taken the 10 commandment of the wall. There is still no room for Jesus in this day and age. When we go to he school system and they have taken prayer out of the school we will find out that there is no room for Jesus. They have taken prayer out of the school the children can not even say the pledge of allegiance. When you visit LAPD you will find out that they have take the cross off of there badges. There is no room for Jesus in our police system. But I want to ask some body today is there room for Jesus in your life are you to busy running around buying gift that you forgot the reason for the season. I want to know is there room for Jesus I this church are we going to abide in his word. Do his will and bless his holy name is there room for Jesus in your heart today he said I stand at the door knocking if any one will let me in I will come in and sup with him. Is there room for Jesus at your inn. Because he was there in your beginning. There was no room for them at the I.N.N. But what I want to know is there any room for Jesus at your E.N.D. Because he is the Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end.
Isaiah 9:6
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
