There Was No Room At The Inn For The King, But There Is 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!”

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.