Intro.

When I 1st met Teresa, I was still working for a hotel chain in my hometown of Morganton, NC.

During my 3 years there, I learned something that I didn’t previously know.

During the month of October... especially the 3rd weekend of October...

EVERY family in the southeast wants to sleep in a hotel in the Morganton area.

Why? There isn’t really anything going on in Morganton that would warrant a huge influx of people...

Except...

Except that Morganton sits at the base of and is surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains.

And those hills are often brilliantly colored in the autumn.

People come from hundreds of miles to see the fall foliage.

Locals call the “Leaf Lookers.”

And Morganton is in a valley that’s great for day trips all around the area.

From pictures that people have posted online, this was an exceptional year.

Well... every hotel within a 100 mile radius of Morganton has every weekend in October fully booked by the beginning of July each year.

Yet... Invariably... every weekend people drag into the hotels: travel weary,

frustrated at the countless “no vacancy” responses and

over-tired crying children grating their last nerve.

Their faces are hopeless, but their eyes want to believe for the miracle of, “yes we have a room.”

Forget the fact that they are part of a line of cars that backed up to the entrance from the street.

Maybe…maybe there is a room that these other people wouldn’t take.

We would begin, mid-Afternoon, making phone calls to see how far these travelers were going to have to push to get a room.

20 miles to Hickory... 50 miles to Statesville... 100 miles to Winston-Salem...

I remember one time a family of four asked if they could park in our lot and sleep in their car. They used the lobby bathroom to brush their teeth and put pajamas on their children.

Then they trudged out to their car to sleep in the only space this inn-keeper could afford them.

You’re getting the picture…right?

THAT… is the Bethlehem that Mary and Joseph stumbled into on the first Christmas Eve.

They aren’t the only travelers who can’t find a place to stay.

People would have been crowding the streets for looking for a place to sleep.

There was no hotels.com. and There was no room in the inn.

Now... That we have the right mindset... we can begin.

A Savior is Born. Now What

When we look at the Christmas story in the Bible, we find several different ways people responded that first Christmas.

Today we find people respond to Christmas in pretty much the same ways as that first Christmas.

Some People are Preoccupied.

Luke 2:1–3 ESV

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town.

We have this romanticized picture in our mind what it was like on the first Christmas.

We sing, silent night, holy night, all is calm.

OK, it was a holy night, but not silent and not calm.

As I have said in the opening... It was a madhouse, that first Christmas.

It was like a hotel in the mountains of North Carolina on the 3rd Saturday of October.

It was more like Walmart the Saturday before Christmas… so... yesterday.

The more accurate picture is that everyone was rushing frantically to get to their hometown to register for the census.

Even though Joseph and Mary should not have been traveling just prior to delivering Mary's baby, they HAD to... because of the census.

The Entire Roman world was rushing around for a census and that made people preoccupied.

They did not have their spiritual antenna up looking to see if God was doing something great in that busy time.

After all God hadn’t done anything REALLY BIG in over 400 yrs.

They just wanted to get to their hometown and keep Rome happy.

The towns were so preoccupied with the census there wasn’t even a decent earthly place for Jesus to be born.

No room in the inn. People were rushing here and there to get to where they could register. There was so much activity that first Christmas day that had nothing to do with Jesus.

Can you imagine going to a birthday party where the birthday person was sitting in the corner ignored.

It was sort of like that the first Christmas morning.

By and large the people were too preoccupied to pay any attention to the birth of Jesus that first Christmas morning.

Today it is not much different.

Christmas is associated with frantic activity, traffic jams and crowds.

You are hard pressed to get an airline reservation, the roads are congested.

Everyone is trying to get to their hometown to be with family for Christmas.

Even today we find the crowds too preoccupied to give attention to

“Jesus, The Reason for the Season”.

We can get preoccupied and lose focus. It is good to get to a quiet place and read the Christmas story from Matthew and Luke. The Christmas story is so simple. It would take some deliberate effort if we are going to have an, “all is calm” time at Christmas to really focus in Jesus and why He came that first Christmas morning.

Some People are Disturbed by Jesus.

Matthew 2:3 ESV

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;

Did you catch that?... “and all Jerusalem with him”

Now it is not surprising Herod was disturbed.

Herod did so many terrible things.

He even murdered most of his own family members out of fear of his throne.

But... All Jerusalem was disturbed with Herod.

Herod being disturbed, yes, that makes sense, but why all Jerusalem?

People are disturbed by Jesus because...

Jesus causes disturbances.

John 14:6 ESV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

That exclusivity disturbs people.

“That’s rather ‘intolerant’… don’t you think.”

Yes, Yes it is. Like Math.

2+2=4 that’s intolerant. It will not permit any other answer. Always 4 Never 38 As much as you might FEEL like it’s 38...

2+2=4 because it does.

Jesus is the only way to Heaven, because… He is.

That will mess with some people who haven’t come to that understanding yet.

“He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.”... 1 Peter 2:8 NLT

Jesus is the divine son of God, now that disturbs people.

Good teacher… sure.

Spiritual leader…fine.

Miracle worker… … okay, I guess… maybe.

God’s Son?… NEVER!

That would require a God:

who has supernatural power,

who cares about humanity, and

has chosen to walk among us.

He has.

He does.

He did.

Jesus says worship no other God. That disturbs people.

He disturbed the religious leaders so much that they wanted to stone him to death.

“You being a man make yourself out to be God.”

He disturbed the crowds and they yelled crucify him, crucify him, we have no king but Caesar.

When we read 1 Peter 2:8 a minute ago, I didn’t finish the verse....

“He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them. 1 Peter 2:8 NLT

Jesus disturbs people today

Some People are Curios about Jesus.

The first story Luke tells in his Gospel is the story of Zechariah, a priest who was burning incense in the temple.

During that time an angel appeared to him and proclaimed that his wife Elizabeth would give birth to a son.

He was told to name the boy John. He was told that his son would be strong and mighty like the prophet Elijah, and he would get the people ready for the Lord (Jesus).

His wife Elizabeth had been barren for a long time and Zechariah and Elizabeth were getting old.

Because of this Zechariah could not believe the message the angel declared.

He wanted a sign.

He got one: he would not speak until his son was born.

He did not speak again until eight days after his son was born when they went to the temple to circumcise their son.

The circumstances surrounding the birth of John the Baptist made everyone curious.

The curiosity spread and everyone was talking about it. Everyone was curious.

There is still a curiosity at Christmas time.

People talk more about Jesus at Christmas time than at any other time.

More people attend church, go to Christmas programs, hear Christmas carol singing and send and receive Christmas cards.

All this talk about Christmas makes people curious. They need to be told the good news of great joy that Jesus came that first Christmas morning for all people.

As soon as he got his voice back Zechariah told all the curious people what all this meant.

He told his people that they will be saved by having their sins forgiven.

Luke 1:77–79 ESV

to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

We must answer the questions of the curious.

We need to take opportunities to tell people all this Christmas activity is really about the birth of Jesus.

Jesus died on the cross to bring salvation.

This is the good news of exceeding great joy. When we put our faith in Jesus, we find forgiveness of our sins. Tell them Jesus is your personal savior. Christmas is the time of spreading this good news.

Some People Respond in Faith to Jesus.

The angels said this is good news for all the people.

Tragically, not ALL the people respond in faith Some do.

A few shepherds respond in faith.

A few wise men respond in faith.

A couple of old people in the temple respond in faith.

That first Christmas morning, for a few, there was room for Jesus.

In Luke 2, the prophet Simeon believed. When Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to the temple...

Simeon saw… more than a baby. He saw… and believed.

Luke 2:28–32 ESV

he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

Are you like Simeon?

Can you look past all the distractions, and see the King of Kings presented as a baby in a manger?

Closing:

People have not changed in 2000 years

The crowds won’t change.

People are Preoccupied, Curious, disturbed,

but… some… always respond in faith.

That first Christmas there was no room in the inn for Jesus. It’s ironic that there is no room for Jesus in the world He made.

HAVE YOU ANY ROOM FOR JESUS?

The book of Revelation pictures Jesus knocking at the door of your heart and asking admission.

Will you make room for Him?

You certainly have: Room for pleasure, Room for business.

But what will you do with Christ the Crucified.

Will you be too pre-occupied to notice?

Will His claims disturb you?

Will you merely be curious?

or...

Will you place your faith in Him today?