No Room in the Inn
Pastor Tan Thai · Dec 22, 2019
This Christmas sermon explores the theological significance of there being no room in the inn for Jesus at His birth in Bethlehem. The pastor calls each person to examine whether their own life has room for God, pointing to three essentials: humility, listening, and willingness to sacrifice.
The sermon opens with the image of no room in the inn for Jesus on the night of His birth, as recorded in Luke 2:6-7. The pastor argues this was not coincidence but God's sovereign plan, carrying two deep meanings: the world had no place for Him, and the human heart is as dark and unclean as that ancient stable. John 1:5 and 1:10-11 are cited to affirm that the light came into darkness, but the darkness did not receive it.
The central section analyzes why the human spirit has no room for God. The demands of the flesh — material wealth, fame, beauty, power — relentlessly crowd out the spiritual dimension, like a car with no brakes. The pastor uses the image of two dogs, one black (flesh) and one white (spirit), to illustrate the inner battle, and quotes author David Foster Wallace's 2005 Kenyon commencement address to show that everyone worships something, and whatever replaces God will ultimately devour them. Wallace's suicide three years after that speech serves as a sobering illustration of his own words.
Three conditions for making room for God are presented. First, humility — recognizing that one's heart is as dark as the stable, like the tax collector who could not lift his eyes to heaven but cried out for mercy (Luke 18:13). Second, listening — amid the many competing voices of romance, money, and ambition, one must choose to hear God's voice rather than letting the emperor's commands drown it out. Third, willingness to sacrifice — as Mary and Joseph endured hardship, shame, and uncertainty to obey God's word, and as the shepherds and the eastern wise men stopped their routines to come and worship the newborn King.
The sermon concludes with a sincere altar call. The pastor uses the image of a house with many rooms to ask each person whether any room is reserved for God, or whether the house is as full as every inn on the night of Christmas. God does not force His way in; He only stands at the door and knocks. For those who have never believed, He invites them to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior and let Him be born in their hearts. For believers still ruled by the flesh, He calls for repentance and for every locked room to be opened to the Holy Spirit's cleansing. God's promises in Ezekiel 36:26 and 1 John 1:9 are cited to assure that He will forgive and give each person a new heart.