NO ROOM FOR THE SAVIOUR!

by Dr. R. L. Hymers, Jr.

A sermon preached on Lord’s Day Morning, December 17, 2006

at the Baptist Tabernacle of Los Angeles

“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” (Luke 2:7).

You are not here by chance this morning. Out of all the young people in this city God, by the
hand of His providence, led someone to speak to you and invite you to this Baptist church to
hear the message of the Gospel. If you should be saved as a result of being brought here, in the
years to come you will realize that it was providentially arranged by the unseen hand of God.
And so it also was with the birth of Christ. The unseen hand of God moved great Caesar
Augustus to tax the entire Roman Empire.
“And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city”
(Luke 2:3).

Dr. John R. Rice said,

God was fulfilling His Word. In Micah 5:2 [in the Old Testament] it was written, “But thou,
Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall
he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old,
from everlasting.” So Caesar Augustus, not knowing why, gave the decree that “all the world
should be taxed,” and the millions of the Roman Empire must go and register, unconscious that
thereby God was bringing Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem that the Saviour might be born there
and so one verse of Scripture be fulfilled!
…How desperately alone Mary must have felt when at first she feared, and then she knew,
that her baby was to be born here in Bethlehem among strangers and far away from her little
Nazareth home! It would have been bad enough, she doubtlessly thought, if they could have
had a nice, clean room in a private home or even the courtesy of a common tavern or a hotel.
But the town was full. David had many other descendants who had come, likewise, to register.
There was no room for them in the inn. In Mary’s hour of travail she slipped down into the
valley of shadows, her bed was nothing but straw in a stable. And when her baby was born, she
herself, with trembling yet glad fingers, wrapped her Babe in swaddling clothes and laid Him in
a manger “because there was no room for them in the inn” (John R. Rice, D.D., “No Room for
Jesus,” in I Love Christmas, Sword of the Lord Publishers, 1955, pp. 63-64).

It is my purpose this morning to have you think about the birth of Jesus in a cow-stall,
surrounded by animals in a stable,
“Because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7).

I. First, this shows us several things about Christ.

It shows us His humiliation, the shame and dishonor He went through by coming down from
the glory of Heaven to be born in human flesh. This was the lowly birth of Him who is,
“Despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it
were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isaiah 53:3).

This was the base and vulgar birthplace of

“Him whom man despiseth, [of] him whom the nation abhorreth” (Isaiah 49:7).

This was the shameful birthplace of Him who would die naked, nailed to a cross! This was the
humble shed where He was born, whose dead body would be placed in a borrowed tomb! This
is the birthplace of Him who would go through life wearing the clothing of a poor man, working
with lowly carpenters and fishermen, saying of Himself,
“The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where
to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20).

“And she brought forth her firstborn son…and laid him in a manger; because there was no room
for them in the inn”
(Luke 2:7).

I also believe that Jesus was born in a stable to show that the most poor and shameful people
can come to Him. You might very well be afraid to come to a high and ruthless king. But Jesus
came to save lowly sinners! The Apostle Paul said,
“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to
save sinners”
(I Timothy 1:15).

Throughout His earthly ministry, poor sinners came to Him, and even ate with Him.
“And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with
publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need
not a physician, but they that are sick…for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to
repentance”
(Matthew 9:11-13).

He touched the eyes of blind beggars, and they could see! He raised a poor woman’s dead son
to life, and they went away rejoicing! He touched lepers, whom no one else dared touch, and
they were healed! He forgave the sins of an outcast woman who kissed His feet! Yes, the birth
of Jesus in a stable shows that poor and shameful sinners can come to Him and be saved!
“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” (Luke 2:7).

The world of wise and powerful men had no room for Him because He came not “to call the
righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Matthew 9:13). And the world had no room for Him,
though sinners would receive Him.
“He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them
gave he power to become the sons of God” (John 1:11-12).

II. Second, this confronts you with the question,

Do you have room for Christ?

“There was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7).

Do you have room for Jesus Christ? There was no room for Him in Caesar’s palace. There was
no room for Him in the inn at Bethlehem. But do you have room for Christ?
Someone may say, “I would like to have Jesus, but my heart is so filthy.” So was the manger!
“But,” you may say, “my heart isn’t good. It is a bad place for Him.” So was the manger!
Someone else may say, “I will have room for Him later, but I will put it off.” Could Mary have
said that? Oh, no! The baby was about to be born! It must happen now!
“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (II Corinthians 6:2).

Do not delay any longer! Make room for Jesus in your life today!
Oh, we have such a wonderful, loving Saviour! He wants to save your soul and forgive your sins!
A girl in the inquiry room the other night said, “He is so far away.” Another girl, who had
hopefully been converted a day or two earlier, said softly to her, “Oh, no! He is not far away!
Come to Him!” She knew how simple it is to come to Jesus by faith!
Though coming weak and vile,
Thou dost my strength assure;
Thou dost my vileness fully cleanse,
Till spotless all and pure.
I am coming, Lord! Coming now to Thee!
Wash me, cleanse me in the blood
That flowed on Calvary.
(“I Am Coming, Lord” by Lewis Hartsough, 1828-1919).

Do you have room for Jesus? Will you come to Him by faith this morning? He is seated beside
God the Father, up in Heaven, but His love reaches down to you! Come to Him! He is not far
away! Do you have room for Him? If you do, then come and rest in the Saviour’s arms this
morning!
O holy Child of Bethlehem!
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in;
Be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel.
(“O Little Town of Bethlehem” by Phillips Brooks, 1835-1893).
“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” (Luke 2:7).

III. Third, this shows that, if you have room for Christ,
the world will have no room for you.

The text not only says that there was no room for Jesus. It says,
“There was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7).

There was no room for Joseph, or Mary, or the baby Jesus! Just as there was no room for Jesus,
there was also no room for the Virgin Mary, and there was no room for Joseph either!
When you come to Jesus, you must leave the world behind. Just as Abraham had to leave Ur of
the Chaldees, just as Moses had to leave Egypt, so you must leave off your friendship with the
world. They have no room for Jesus, and you must have no room for them.
A young man named Peter Bilhorn once came to D. L. Moody and asked, “Mr. Moody, how do I
get rid of the world?” Moody said, “Bilhorn, get a ringing testimony for Jesus Christ and the
world will get rid of you!” Later, Peter Bilhorn wrote the music for the hymn, “I Will Sing the
Wondrous Story,”
Yes, I’ll sing the wondrous story,
Of the Christ who died for me,
Sing it with the saints in glory,
Gathered by the crystal sea.
(“I Will Sing the Wondrous Story,”
words by Francis H. Rowley, 1854-1952;
music by Peter P. Bilhorn, 1861-1936).

The Lord Jesus Christ said,

“If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but
I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you” (John 15:19).

If you make room for Jesus, and come to Him by faith, the lost people in the world will have
little use for you, and no room for you. You must expect to be laughed at. You must expect
them to call you a fool for becoming a true Christian. I say that the lost people in the world will
have no room for the person who has room for Christ Jesus. Why? Christ said,
“Because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world” (John 15:19).

Flee from the Christ-rejecting world as Lot fled from the city of Sodom! Be here, in the house of
God, on Christmas Eve! Let the world have its “Holiday party,” but you be with God’s people, in
God’s house! Let the worldlings mock at you and call you an overzealous fool! Let them! They
have nothing lasting for you, nothing to satisfy your heart, nothing to give you worth the cost of
your eternal soul! Come to Christ. Throw yourself upon Him! Trust Him with your life and soul!
He will cleanse your sin and give you eternal life!
Please stand with me and turn to hymn number 5 on your song sheet. Lift up the song sheet
and sing it well!
O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem!
Come and behold Him, born the King of angels;
O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation!

O sing, all ye bright hosts of heaven above;
Glory to God, all glory in the highest;
vO come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, Born this happy morning,

Jesus, to Thee be all glory given;
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing,
vO come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.
(“O Come, All Ye Faithful,” translated by Frederick Oakeley, 1802-1880).

Will you make room for Jesus in your life this morning? He died on the Cross to pay the penalty
for your sin. He rose physically from the dead to give you life. He ascended back to Heaven,
where He is seated at the right hand of God the Father, praying for you now. He will wash away
your sins in His precious Blood, if you will simply come to Him by faith.

Jesus has made room for you! He has made room for you to come in
repentance and faith regularly with the gathered believers here in worship to receive the
forgiveness of your sins through His Gospel, His Sacraments and Absolution! He makes room for
you daily as He graciously provides for you, both spiritually and physically! He has made room
for you in heaven! He says in John 14:2-3 ý In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not
so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.
As God approaches the door of your heart and life may He see this sign hanging on it:
“Occupied by the Son of God!” THERE’S ALWAYS ROOM FOR JESUS BECAUSE HE ALWAYS
MAKES ROOM FOR YOU!! Amen.

(END OF SERMON)