Christmas Sermon: No Room In The Inn- What’s that about?

I wonder if Mary and Joseph were afraid when they were turned away from the inn. The thought of delivering a child in a stable would be daunting, to say the least, to most people. But I never saw Mary and Joseph that way. I think they remembered what the angel had told them, and they believed it. They REALLY believed it. It wasn’t just a “spiritual vision” for them. It was a new way of living, and they were ready to start practicing it on this “holy night.” They believed that God was with them, yes, even in a stable. And no matter what happened there was no need to be afraid or upset. God was in control.

When angels showed up to worship the newborn Savior, I don’t see Mary jolting in fear. I think she just smiled at the angels and said, “Oh, it’s you again. So glad you could join us. Come look at Him. Isn’t He beautiful!” O holy night, indeed!

What about you and me? How do we practice this new way of living that Jesus gave His life to bring to us? It’s one thing to stand and recite the Creed together, say “We believe… we believe…. we believe...” It’s another thing to be living your life in the face of troubling circumstances and still have the complete peace that comes from knowing that God is in control.

Ed Smith has done some wonderful teaching on the subject of inner healing. One of the central principles of his ministry is the distinction between “Logical truth vs. experiential knowledge.” The inner conflict between what we intellectually say we believe and how we actually react when the “stuff” hits the fan. It’s a disconnect that takes place within the human soul when circumstances bring up painful memories, and the memories evoke powerful feelings, and those feelings become statements of fact (sometimes lies) which contradict what we say we believe. Ed uses this example. Logical truth for a Christian says, God will take care of you, so you have nothing to fear. God will provide for all my needs, right? But, he says, when you find out tomorrow morning that you’ve lost your job, then we’ll see what you REALLY believe by the way your react.

Or this one. You say that as a Christian you need have no fear of death. But when the doctor tells you you’re going to die, what do you believe then? Does your experiential knowledge agree with your logical truth then? Well, let’s look at that one. How would a Christian handle this?

First, bless your doctor. Don’t be angry with him. He is God’s appointed servant, and that’s all he is. He doesn’t hold your life in his hand. So whether you live or die is still up to God to decide, not the doctor. After all, what does the scripture say? “Do not say ‘tomorrow I will do this or that’ but say, ‘If the Lord is willing, I will do this or that.’”

And thank God for the knowledge your doctor imparts to you. What a blessing. You have the opportunity to know in advance that your time may be short. How many other people died today without that gift? They had no idea they were going to die, and then suddenly, in an instant, they were gone.

And then, settle it in your mind to rest in the hand of God. He can heal you. Let us pray for you, and with you. That’s what we’re here for. Healing is always an option. And even if God does not heal you of this particular illness, the scripture is still your guide and strength. You need to say, as St. Paul said, “For me to live is Christ, to die is gain… and so I am torn between the two. I do not know whether it is better for me to continue in this life, or to go and be with the Lord.”

Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many rooms, and I am going to prepare a place for you, that where I am you may be also.” When you can let your life rest in His hands, there is room in the inn. You will not be turned away.

Can you let go of your claim to everything, yes, even life itself? This is Kingdom living. This is how your experiential knowledge gets in line with your logical truth, so there is no more conflict, because, Christ is all in all. “Whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.” Leave it with Him. That’s kingdom living. Yes, there’s room in the inn.

Consider this question: Why should someone choose to join St. George’s Church and not another church? What is special about being a member of this church? Well, I’m glad you asked. Here’s how I would answer that.

You can thank your lucky stars you’re a member of this church, because this church will stand with you when you’re in trouble. And I’m not talking about pious lip service. I mean real help.

I look around this room tonight and I see some people who would have gone under if not for this church. And I don’t mean just one or two. There is a considerable and growing list of members who have had difficult times in the last few years, and the church helped then get through it.

You couldn’t pay your bills so we paid them for you until you got back on your feet. You had a sudden financial crisis you couldn’t manage. We managed it for you. You paid it back when you were able. And if you never were able to pay it back, we didn’t worry about it because that’s what we do. We are not a bank. We are the church of Jesus Christ and His Word tells us this is how the church is supposed to live.

And because of this you have nothing to fear. That’s right. You have nothing to fear. In this church, we believe that logical truth and experiential knowledge should be one and the same. What we say we believe on Sunday morning is what we put into practice on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday….. God will provide. God HAS provided. We share what He has provided so that the scripture should be fulfilled in us which says, “There shall be no poor among you… when you see your brother in need, give to him freely whatever he needs.” That’s why we talk so much about taking the Word of God seriously. You can’t just pick and choose. You have to take it all, and you have to do what ALL of God’s Word commands you.

You have to clean up your moral behavior.

You have to pick up your trash and throw it out of your life

You have to look up for strength and power of the Holy Spirit

And then you have to give up your right to yourself and your selfish ways, and give up your right to keep anything for yourself that your neighbor needs more than you do. It all hangs together and it goes in that direction. From the inside out.

You’d better thank Almighty God that you belong to a church that takes the Word of God seriously, because some of you would be in a bad place if we didn’t. I can name half a dozen families just in the past few years who would have gone down the drain if not for this church! There’s room in the inn.

And we are here tonight to celebrate and lift up the Word of God, the Living Word Jesus Christ who humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross, and who took all our sin upon Himself, our lust, our pride, our anger, our greed, our idolatry, and our selfishness, which is the root of all sins, and He broke its hellbound power once and for all so we could have a new way of living, what He called “abundant life”, not limited by circumstances and fears and unfortunate setbacks, but a life built on the abundant and all-sufficient promise of God Almighty.

You ask what’s unique about this church. Well here it is. We try not to put limits on what the Word of God can say to us, command for us, and demand from us. That’s all. We just try to listen together to His Word, take it seriously to heart, apply it as faithfully as we know how, and then watch for the miracles that He will perform when we have been obedient to Him.

And He has never disappointed us yet. I don’t anticipate that He will. In thirteen years of standing in this pulpit, I can say to you with joy and peace in my heart, there is no other pulpit in this entire land I’d rather be standing in tonight than this one right here!

You see, it’s not about us. It’s all about HIM, and His work for us, and in us, through us, and among us.

We’re not perfect, but we are being perfected,

We’re not the sole possessors of truth, we are stewards of the truth that saves souls,

We’re not holier than thou, but we are called to be a holy people,

and if we continue to listen to His Word, we will become holier still.

Holiness is not an attitude that looks down on someone else.

Holiness is a relationship that looks up to God.

And as long as there is one more lost soul yet to be saved we will not stop praying and working and giving as the Lord calls us. We will not stop sharing and caring and teaching and admonishing and exhorting with all godliness from God’s Word, because that is how you get to the place where you can give as Jesus taught us to do.

It’s not a social agenda for us. It’s WAY bigger than that. It is the life of the kingdom of God.

TONIGHT, THERE IS ROOM IN THE INN

Can I get an AMEN?

I don’t know what the future holds for us. And I’m glad I don’t. You’ve heard the saying, “If I had known then what I know now…” People often think that if they could go back and live their life over knowing in advance what would happen, that they would do a better job of it. I’m not so sure about that. When I look back on my life I thank God that I didn’t know then what I know now. If I had known in advance the struggles, the controversies, the demands, the hard lessons learned through failure, I probably would have avoided much of what God has used to grow me up.

I’m glad I don’t know what lies ahead. What I do know is more than enough.

I know that our God will never forsake us.

I know that His Word will never change.

I know that the presence of His Holy Spirit is always recognized by the same familiar pattern: love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self control.

I know that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

That’s all I need to know.

THERE IS ROOM IN THE INN

I don’t want to offend anyone who has given me Christmas gifts. Thank you, and God bless you. But in all honesty, the best gift I could ever ask for is the one sitting right in front of me. My family. Donna, Roy, Ann, Mom and Dad. Yes, and more than that. My family in Christ. All of you, the people of God, rescued by divine power, saved by grace, restored to your true calling, and gathered here tonight to worship Him in Spirit and truth. There is room here for all us because He has made a way where there was no way.

And now, without pause, let us stand together and declare that which is, for us, both our “logical truth” and our “experiential knowledge” and there is no conflict at all between the two. What we say we believe is what we are prepared to live by and put our whole trust in.

Let us stand together and say, “We believe in One God……”