There Was No Room At The Inn For The King,
But There Is Room At The Cross For You!”
Luke 1:1-7 / 1 John 2 1-2
David P. Nolte
There are many contrasts in life: light and dark; good and bad; new and old; young and elderly; in and out. Let’s contrast these two songs:
“No room in the inn
No beautiful chamber, no soft cradle bed,
No place but a manger, nowhere for His head;
No praises of gladness, no thought of their sin,
No glory but sadness, no room in the inn.”
Contrast that with this:
“The cross upon which Jesus died
Is a shelter in which we can hide
And its grace so free is sufficient for me
And deep is its fountain as wide as the sea.
There's room at the cross for you
There's room at the cross for you
Though millions have come, there's still room for one
Yes there's room at the cross for you.”
There was no room at the inn for the King but there is room at the cross for you.
As to the former we read, “Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. 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, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 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.” Luke 2:1-7 (NASB).
I. THERE WAS NO ROOM AT THE INN FOR THE KING:
A. We read, “everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.”
1. So you can imagine – freeways jammed donkey nose to donkey tail; on and off ramps at a standstill; rest areas -- forget it.
2. People jammed ancestral villages and towns and cities. Parking was a premium. Lodging was non-existent. And to get through the line at McJoshua’s was a nightmare.
B. Thus, Joseph and Mary found themselves without accommodation. There was simply no room at the inn.
C. But don’t be hard on the inn keeper.
D. The simple fact is that there was no room because
1. It was overcrowded. Are our lives are overcrowded with people or things that simply crowd Him out?
2. The inn was too small to accommodate the masses assembled there. How about us?
a. Is our heart too small to grant Jesus an entrance?
b. Is our faith too small to allow Him residence?
c. Is our love too small to make Him room?
d. Is our personal world too small to give Him a place in it?
E. But we note that the innkeeper did find a place for the expectant couple. It wasn’t the Waldorf or Hilton – but it fulfilled God’s plan. We, like that innkeeper, need to give what we have to, and for, Jesus.
1. Not the left-overs of time, talent or treasure – but the best of those.
2. Not grudgingly but gladly because God loves a cheerful giver.
3. Not spasmodically or when the mood hits us but consistently right at the moment of His call.
F. There was no room at the inn but space was given. That reminds me of the account of an old man who came to the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Across the street from the hospital was a house with rooms to rent.
He knocked on the door and when the lady of the house opened the door she was appalled. His face was lopsided, swollen and red. Yet his voice was pleasant as he inquired about a room for just one night since there was no bus until the next morning. He'd been hunting for a room since noon but no one seemed to have a room.
She had no rooms available so he said "I could sleep in this rocking chair on the porch. My bus leaves early in the morning." She told him to rest on the porch while she finished getting supper and invited the old man to join them. He graciously declined "No thank you. I have plenty." And he held up a brown paper bag.
After dinner she went out on the porch to talk with him. He said he fished for a living to support his daughter, her five children, and her husband, who was crippled from a back injury. He did not complain; in fact, he gave thanks to God for blessing him.
At bedtime, she put a camp cot for him. In the morning, the man was out on the porch. Just before he left, he said, "Could I please come back and stay the next time I have a treatment? I can sleep fine in a chair." She told him he was welcome to come again.
He came for a number of visits and later she recalled a comment her neighbor made after he left that first morning. "Did you keep that awful looking man last night? I turned him away! You can lose roomers by putting up such people!" She replied, “But you lose a blessing when you don’t.”
The lady who helped the man reminds me of the innkeeper who made simple provision when no other room was available.
There was no room at the inn for the King, but:
II. THERE IS ROOM AT THE CROSS FOR YOU:
A. “John wrote, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:1-2 (NIV). He, Who was despised and rejected opened the door to God and promises entrance to all who come to Him.
1. "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” John 3:17 (NASB).
2. "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” John 6:37 (NASB).
3. “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:15-16 (NASB).
4. “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 (NASB).
5. “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.” Revelation 22:17 (NASB).
B. “Though millions have come, there's still room for one; Yes there's room at the cross for you.”
C. There was room at the cross
1. For the woman caught in adultery.
2. For Mary Magdalene, the woman possessed by 7 demons..
3. For Peter the Denier.
4. For Paul the Persecutor.
5. For the repentant thief.
6. And for whosoever will. so the old hymn declares,
“Whosoever heareth!” shout, shout the sound!
Send the blessed tidings all the world around;
Spread the joyful news wherever man is found:
“Whosoever will may come!”
“Whosoever will! whosoever will!”
Send the proclamation over vale and hill;
’Tis a loving Father calls the wand’rer home:
“Whosoever will may come!”
D. Why? How can it be?
1. Grace.
2. Mercy.
3. Everlasting love.
4. Infinite understanding and sympathy.
5. Immeasurable kindness.
E. Compare and contrast
1. The inn was too small – God’s heart is so big.
2. There were too many for the inn – God can accommodate the world.
3. The innkeeper provided a cattle stall and a manger for the three – God provides a mansion in Heaven for all who put faith in Jesus Christ.
F. Samuel Colgate, the founder of the Colgate business empire, was a devout Christian, and he told of an incident that took place in the church he attended. During an evangelistic service, an invitation was given at the close of the sermon and one of the first persons to walk down the aisle and kneel at the altar was a well-known prostitute. She knelt in very real repentance, she wept, she asked God to forgive her, and meanwhile the rest of the congregation looked on approvingly. Then she stood and testified that she believed God had forgiven her for her past life, and she now wanted to become a member of the church. The silence was deafening.
Finally, Samuel Colgate arose and said, "I guess we blundered when we prayed that the Lord would save sinners. We forgot to specify what kind of sinners. We'd better ask him to forgive us for this oversight. The Holy Spirit has touched this woman and made her truly repentant, but the Lord apparently doesn't understand that she's not the type we want Him to rescue. We'd better spell it out for Him just which sinners we had in mind." Immediately, a motion was made and unanimously approved that the woman be accepted into membership in the congregation.
There is no silence in Heaven when one sinner repents – there is excited joy! No matter what kind of sinner – all are welcome at the cross because of the Marvelous Grace of our Loving Lord.
