3rd Sunday of Advent!
Introduction:
A. Have you ever stopped in a town to stay
overnight only to find that you couldn't get a room
because of some convention or a ball game?
B. This kind-of happened to Christ one time!
C. Does in still happen to Christ today?
D. Let's look this morning at the time it happened
to Him and ask ourselves whether or not it can still happen today.
Prayer
Luke 2:1-7
I. This is the time it happened to Christ!
A. Joseph and Mary had gone to Bethlehem to be
taxed.
B. As ordered by Caesar Augustus everyone was to
return to their hometown to be taxed, so Bethlehem was very crowded!
C. There wasn't any room in the Inn because
there were already
other people there that had come for the taxing!
D. So Jesus came into this world in a
stable. He was
given
second best because all the best places were
taken!
II. Can or does this still happen to Christ today? Is Christ ever turned away because there is no room?
A. You wouldn't think so would you? You would think that if Jesus came today
(since we know who he is) He would be
given the best place possible!
B. But Christ "is" here today in the
form of His spirit.
C. And Yes, I believe this still happens to Him
today!
D. Today the Inn may not be crowded with people,
but it
is
still crowded where Christ can't get in!
E. The "Inn" I'm talking about is
people's hearts!
Christ
is here, and Christ will only take the place we
give
Him! Christ isn't pushy! Like the famous painting
with
Christ standing at the door knocking and no door
knob
on the outside of the door, we have to let him
in.
III. Let's look at some things the heart can be crowded with and not leave any room for Christ!
A. The heart can be crowded with making money!
1. Making money isn't wrong; we all need some to
live!
Right?
2. But making money is exciting, and it can be
fun to plan ways to make money.
We can get so absorbed in it that we stay up at night to plan our
next move! This isn't necessarily wrong, but it does illustrate
how absorbed we can get with it and whether it is wrong or not is determined by
how making money ranks in comparison to Jesus!
3. Because it is exciting, we can become so
possessed with making money we don't leave any room for Christ!
4. I'm not saying you shouldn't ever stay up to
make financial
plans, but do we ever stay up for Christ?
Does Christ get
more room in our hearts?
1. When
is the last time you stayed awake thinking about Christ or the Church?
4. Also, “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." I Tim. 6:10a NRSV
a. We can get so absorbed in money that we start
justifying
sin! It's alright to cheat a little here! It's alright to misrepresent here
a little to sell something!
b. The next thing we know how much money we will make is our guideline as to whether or not something is wrong instead of the teachings of Christ! After all, I give Christ His part!
c. But do we?
Or has Christ been shut out of our
hearts altogether?
B. The heart can become crowded with pleasure!
1. It's not wrong for Christians to have fun; we should!
2. But we can become so possessed with an
activity (ex. sports, fishing,
hunting, watching T.V., playing the computer) that we don't leave
room for Jesus!
3. A good indication we are in this shape is
when these activities
become more important to us than people & God!
4. Another indicator would be a comparison
between time spent in these activities and time spent:
a. Reading and Studying the Bible.
b. Attending "all" the services of the
church
c. Helping people.
d. With our family.
5. After we've given our heart to Christ,
pleasure
will
still be enjoyable to us, but it will come in
second to
caring and helping people and our
relationship
with Christ!
6. Pleasure may even become a tool by
which we
can
minister!
ex. Christians plan sporting
activities,
fellowship dinners,
camp trips, and many times those outside the church are brought into the church
through these activities who normally wouldn't have ever been reached through
the regular church services.
IV. What happens when a heart is too crowded for Christ?
A. Christ will not come in!
Matt
6:24 NRSV "No one can serve two
masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted
to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
B. Christ
is not pushy!
Rev
3:20 NRSV “Listen! I am standing at the
door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you
and eat with you, and you with me.”
C. Christ
will not stay where He is not wanted!
1. II Peter 2:20-22 The scriptures are plain that people can willfully turn against God after they have accepted Christ!
2. I
hasten to say!!
Romans 8:38&39
"For I am persuaded, that
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor powers,
nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus
our Lord."
Nothing can make us turn from God;
God is able to keep us! Nothing can separate us from that Love!
3. But
God doesn't take away our choice; if we
willfully turn our backs on God,
we are "lost!"
4. "the
latter end is worse with them than the
beginning" II Peter 2 v.20b
a. Some
interpret this to mean that once we turn
from God we can't turn back!
b. I
don't know about that. I have a little trouble with that!
c. The
point being, Christ will not stay where
Christ is not
wanted! We have to make room for
Christ! We have to open our hearts and keep our
hearts open to
Christ’s leading in our lives!
Conclusion:
A. Is
the spirit speaking to your heart this morning?
B. The
Inns were so crowded with people at the time of Christ's birth that
he had to go somewhere else to be born!
C. Is
there room for Christ to be born in your heart this morning or are you
letting something crowd him out?
D. Christian,
are you yielding the proper place to Christ in your heart?
E. As we encounter Christ at the table this
morning, do you need to make a commitment to Christ? What better way to prepare
for the coming of the Christ into the world?
Prayer of Confession
Service
of Communion
No comments:
Post a Comment