Living Room Christmas: MAKING ROOM
Matthew 6:19-21
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
Think about the companies on the Fortune 500 list. This is a list of the 500 biggest companies in our country. It turns out, more than half of the businesses that were on the Fortune 500 list in the year 2000 are now gone.
Twenty-four years later, the biggest of the biggest are nowhere to be found.
The Bible encourages us not to put our trust in money or even focus on storing it up here on earth.
GOD IS SAYING - There is something bigger, something eternal in play.
LUKE 2:1 - 6
1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
NO ROOM
Has it ever seemed that life got so full that you could not find room?
• no room to pray
• no room to read the Word
• no room to quietly hear from God
• no room for going to church and serving God has his people.
Too often Jesus gets our leftovers… if we have any…
• leftover money
• leftover time
• leftover attention
“EMERGENCY FAITH”… it’s the idea that we only give Him prayer and focus and our whole heart in moments of emergency.
ARE WE RUNNING AWAY FROM OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE ARE CALLED TO MAKE HIM ROOM?!
THE OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE A LIFE OF AUDACIOUS FAITH!?
Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
Luke 9:10 - 17
10 When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. Then he slipped quietly away with them toward the town of Bethsaida.
11 But the crowds found out where he was going, and they followed him. He welcomed them and taught them about the Kingdom of God, and he healed those who were sick.
12 Late in the afternoon the twelve disciples came to him and said, “Send the crowds away to the nearby villages and farms, so they can find food and lodging for the night. There is nothing to eat here in this remote place.”
13 But Jesus said, “You feed them.”
“But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Or are you expecting us to go and buy enough food for this whole crowd?”
14 For there were about 5,000 men there.
Jesus replied, “Tell them to sit down in groups of about fifty each.”
15 So the people all sat down.
16 Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people.
17 They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers!
JESUS SAID - MAKE ROOM
THE STORY OF THE INNKEEPER… WAS SOMEONE WHO WOULD MAKE ROOM FOR JESUS!
1.
LUKE 2:7 - 17
7 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.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
WHY WAS JESUS BORN IN A MANGER?
If He was born anywhere else… the shepherds could have never came.
THE MANGER… WAS AN INVITATION
It was an invitation to EVERYONE to come to Jesus.
Accept His Invitation
FOR THE SHEPHERDS TWO THINGS COULD HAVE HAPPENED:
1. Their lives would be changed!
- How they shepherd would be changed!
- How they saw the world would have changed because of Jesus.
2. It would be a fun, exciting, one night thing…
WE SEE AN INVITATION: Jesus makes the same invitation to you and I today…
Matthew 11:28
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Labor - kop-ee-ah’-o - exhausted, worn out, tired with toil or with grief.
Heavy Laiden - for-tid’-zo - OVERBURNEDED, full of anxiety, loaded with too much.
REST - an-ap-ow’-o - refreshment, newfound energy, cease from labor.
THE STORY CONTINUES 2 YEARS LATER…
Matthew 2:1 - 12
1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
We give to Him gold,
- our heart in our giving to make Jesus first in all of our living.
We give to Him praise
- our words and our faith
Like frankincense here - let our worship be sprayed
We give to our Lord because He gave His life first
- Like Myrr we are reminded that He took our curse
He left perfect Heaven, to come and be with us God’s only Son a Sacrifice for us.
3.
Worship isn’t the slow part of a song.
Our GIVING is worship and our LIVING is worship.
- How Jesus affects your PRIORITIES is worship…
- How Jesus affects your SCHEDULE is worship….
- How Jesus affects your RELATIONSHIPS is worship…
Romans 12:1 - 2
1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
We give with our bodies and we live with our bodies….
- That is MAKING ROOM
- That is ACCEPTING HIS INVITE
- It is LIVING IN A WAY that we are worshipping the King.
As we leave today…..
T’was the very first Christmas and there in the manger,
The Christ-child was born; it couldn’t have been stranger.
Shepherds saw angels; Wise Men, a star.
They came to see Jesus; they came from afar.
They knew he was special – God’s very own son,
He came to the earth to love everyone.
He grew up in time, the Savior, our Christ
Who gave for each person His blood and His life.
We who call ourselves Christians, Say Jesus is Lord,
To be worshiped each day, to be loved and adored.
So now at Christmas we all take delight.
In the gift that God gave us that first Christmas night.
In the gifts we receive and the ones that we give,
Let us never forget, it’s in Christ that we live.
(Written and composed by Pastor Matthew Tarkington)