Make Room for Jesus

Main Scripture: Luke 2:7 NKJV

“And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

Strong Spirit-Filled Introduction: Make Room for Jesus

There is one sentence in the Christmas story that should shake every heart, every home, every church, and every generation: “There was no room for them in the inn.” The King of glory came near, Heaven touched earth, prophecy was being fulfilled, angels were preparing to sing, shepherds were about to hear the good news, wise men would soon begin their journey, and yet when Jesus came, there was no room.

That is not just a historical statement. That is a spiritual warning. Jesus can be near, and still be crowded out. Jesus can be knocking, and still be left outside. Jesus can be calling, and still be ignored by hearts too busy, too distracted, too wounded, too religious, too full, or too comfortable to receive Him.

The inn was not necessarily evil. It was just full. That is the danger. Many people do not reject Jesus because they hate Him. They reject Him because their lives are already occupied. Their schedules are full. Their minds are full. Their hearts are full. Their houses are full. Their ambitions are full. Their worries are full. Their calendars are full. Their phones are full. Their emotions are full. Their wounds are full. Their opinions are full. Their traditions are full. And when Jesus comes looking for a place to dwell, there is no space left for His presence.

But the Lord is asking His people today: Will you make room for Me?

Not just room for a Sunday service. Not just room for a Christmas song. Not just room for a Bible verse on the wall. Not just room for a quick prayer when life gets hard. Jesus is not looking for a corner of your life. He is not looking for a guest room. He is not looking to be added to your schedule like another appointment. Jesus is Lord. He is King. He is Savior. He is the Lamb of God. He is the Son of the living God. And He is worthy of the whole house.

Revelation 3:20 says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” That verse was spoken to a church. Not to the world first, but to a church that had become so comfortable, self-sufficient, and lukewarm that Jesus was on the outside knocking. They still had religion. They still had activity. They still had language. They still had reputation. But Jesus was outside the door.

Beloved, it is possible to have church and still need to make room for Jesus. It is possible to have worship and still need to make room for Jesus. It is possible to preach, serve, sing, give, and work, yet still have areas of the heart where Jesus is not fully welcomed. But the mercy of God is that He still knocks. The love of God is that He still calls. The patience of God is that He still waits. The grace of God is that He still says, “Open the door.”

Making room for Jesus means surrendering what has crowded Him out. It means moving pride out of the way. It means moving unforgiveness out of the way. It means moving secret sin out of the way. It means moving fear out of the way. It means moving distraction out of the way. It means moving religious routine out of the way. It means telling the Lord, “Jesus, You are not a visitor here. You are welcome here. Take the throne. Take the seat. Take the house. Take my heart. Take my family. Take my future. Take everything.”

When Jesus enters a life, He does not come empty-handed. He brings salvation. He brings healing. He brings deliverance. He brings peace. He brings conviction. He brings cleansing. He brings fire. He brings love. He brings truth. He brings order. He brings resurrection power. When Jesus enters the room, dead things start breathing again. Broken things start mending. Bound people start getting free. Dry places begin to receive rivers of living water.

So today, this is not just a sermon. This is an invitation. This is a holy moment. The question is not, “Does Jesus want to come in?” The question is, “Will we make room?”

Point 1: Make Room in Your Heart

Key Scripture: Proverbs 23:26 NKJV

“My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.”

Jesus does not merely want your attention. He wants your heart. The heart is the center of affection, decision, desire, and devotion. Whatever owns the heart will direct the life.

Many people give Jesus their words, but not their heart. They give Him songs, but not surrender. They give Him attendance, but not obedience. But the Lord says, “Give Me your heart.”

Supporting Scriptures

Matthew 22:37 NKJV “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

Jeremiah 29:13 NKJV “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Psalm 51:10 NKJV “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

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Church, Jesus will not force His way into your heart. He knocks. He calls. He draws. He convicts. He loves. But He will not invade the place you refuse to surrender.

Some hearts are crowded with pain. Some hearts are crowded with bitterness. Some hearts are crowded with fear. Some hearts are crowded with disappointment. Some hearts are crowded with old memories that still have a throne. But Jesus is saying, “Make room for Me there.”

Do not just give Him the cleaned-up parts. Give Him the wounded parts. Give Him the angry parts. Give Him the confused parts. Give Him the places you are ashamed of. Give Him the rooms you have kept locked for years.

A real-life example is a house with one locked room. The whole house may look clean, but that one room holds old boxes, broken furniture, dust, and things nobody wants to deal with. Many believers live that way spiritually. Most of the house is open to God, but one room remains locked. Jesus is not trying to shame you. He is trying to heal you. He says, “Give Me the key.”

Declaration

Lord Jesus, I make room in my heart. Remove every idol, every wound, every fear, and every desire that has taken Your place. Sit on the throne of my heart.

Point 2: Make Room in Your Schedule

Key Scripture: Matthew 6:33 NKJV

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

One of the clearest signs of what we value is what we make time for. We make time for work, family, food, entertainment, appointments, errands, and responsibilities. But many people try to fit Jesus into leftover moments.

Jesus must not receive our leftovers. He is worthy of first place.

Supporting Scriptures

Mark 1:35 NKJV “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.”

Psalm 63:1 NKJV “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You.”

Luke 10:41-42 NKJV “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed...”

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Martha was busy serving, but Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet. Martha was not doing something evil, but she was distracted. That is where many believers live. Not wicked, just distracted. Not rebellious, just overwhelmed. Not cold toward God, just too busy to sit at His feet.

But Jesus said, “One thing is needed.”

Church, the enemy does not always have to make you sinful. Sometimes he only has to make you busy. Busy enough to stop praying. Busy enough to stop reading. Busy enough to stop listening. Busy enough to stop lingering. Busy enough to stop worshiping. Busy enough to live on yesterday’s oil.

A phone battery cannot run forever without being charged. A car cannot keep driving without fuel. A body cannot stay strong without food. And a believer cannot walk in power while starving spiritually.

Make room in your morning. Make room in your evening. Make room in the car. Make room on your lunch break. Make room before you touch your phone. Make room before the noise of the day fills your mind.

Declaration

Lord Jesus, I make room in my schedule. You are not my leftover. You are my first love. Teach me to seek You first.

Point 3: Make Room in Your Home

Key Scripture: Joshua 24:15 NKJV

“But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Your home is not just a physical address. It is a spiritual atmosphere. What you allow in your home affects what grows in your home.

Supporting Scriptures

Psalm 127:1 NKJV “Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.”

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 NKJV “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children...”

Luke 19:5 NKJV “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”

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When Jesus came to Zacchaeus, He did not only speak to him in the street. He said, “Today I must stay at your house.” Jesus wanted access to the home. And when Jesus entered that house, salvation came there.

Some homes need salvation to come again. Some homes need peace to come again. Some homes need prayer to come again. Some homes need worship to come again. Some homes need the Bible opened again. Some homes need the name of Jesus spoken again with honor, love, and authority.

Make room for Jesus in your living room. Make room for Jesus at the dinner table. Make room for Jesus in your conversations. Make room for Jesus in what comes through the television, music, and devices. Make room for Jesus in how spouses speak to one another. Make room for Jesus in how children are trained.

A home can be beautifully decorated and spiritually empty. A house can have expensive furniture but no peace. A family can have everything and still be missing the presence of God.

But when Jesus is welcomed, the atmosphere changes. Anger loses power. Confusion begins to clear. Love begins to flow. Prayer begins to rise. The home becomes a place of covering.

Declaration

Lord Jesus, I make room for You in my home. Let this house be filled with Your presence, Your peace, Your Word, and Your love.

Point 4: Make Room Through Repentance

Key Scripture: Acts 3:19 NKJV

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”

Repentance makes room for refreshing. Sin clutters the soul. Repentance clears the way for the presence of God.

Supporting Scriptures

Isaiah 55:7 NKJV “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD...”

1 John 1:9 NKJV “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways...”

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Repentance is not punishment. Repentance is mercy. Repentance is the door back to intimacy. Repentance is not God pushing you away. Repentance is God calling you home.

The prodigal son came to himself in the pigpen. He did not stay there rehearsing shame. He said, “I will arise and go to my father.” And when he returned, the father ran to meet him.

That is the heart of God. He is not waiting with a stone in His hand. He is waiting with a robe, a ring, sandals, and restoration.

But we must make room. We cannot keep our sin and enjoy full fellowship at the same time. We cannot protect compromise and expect power. We cannot hide darkness and walk in freedom.

A clogged drain cannot flow freely until what is blocking it is removed. In the same way, the soul cannot flow with fresh oil while sin is blocking the channel. Repentance clears the obstruction.

Declaration

Lord Jesus, I make room through repentance. Wash me, cleanse me, forgive me, and remove anything that grieves Your Spirit.

Point 5: Make Room for the Holy Spirit

Key Scripture: Ephesians 5:18 NKJV

“And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.”

To make room for Jesus is to make room for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit reveals Jesus, glorifies Jesus, empowers believers, convicts hearts, and fills the church with life.

Supporting Scriptures

John 16:14 NKJV “He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.”

Acts 1:8 NKJV “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you...”

2 Corinthians 3:17 NKJV “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

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The Holy Spirit is not an accessory to Christianity. He is God dwelling in us. He is not a feeling only. He is not a moment only. He is not a goosebump only. He is the very presence and power of God.

Many believers have made room for church culture but not the Spirit of God. They have made room for programs but not power. They have made room for performance but not presence. They have made room for songs but not surrender.

The early church did not move in human strength. They waited until they were endued with power from on high. When the Holy Spirit came, fear broke. Boldness came. Tongues of fire rested upon them. The gospel went forward. Souls were saved. The sick were healed. Demons were cast out. The church became a living witness.

A sailboat may be built well, painted well, and positioned in the water, but without wind it cannot move as designed. The church is the same. We need the wind of the Spirit.

Declaration

Holy Spirit, I make room for You. Fill me again. Burn in me again. Lead me again. Give me boldness, purity, power, and love.

Point 6: Make Room for His Word

Key Scripture: Colossians 3:16 NKJV

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom...”

The Word must not visit us occasionally. It must dwell in us richly.

Supporting Scriptures

Psalm 119:105 NKJV “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Matthew 4:4 NKJV “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

John 15:7 NKJV “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”

Hebrews 4:12 NKJV “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword...”

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You cannot be full of God’s Word and remain spiritually weak. The Word feeds faith. The Word renews the mind. The Word exposes deception. The Word corrects error. The Word comforts the broken. The Word gives wisdom. The Word reveals Jesus.

Many people are spiritually malnourished because they feed constantly on the words of the world and rarely on the Word of God. They know the news, but not the Scriptures. They know opinions, but not doctrine. They know arguments, but not promises. They know fear, but not truth.

When Jesus was tempted, He answered, “It is written.” He did not argue from emotion. He stood on the Word.

A soldier would never go into battle without a weapon. A builder would never work without tools. A traveler would not enter unknown territory without direction. The believer must not face life without Scripture.

Make room for the Word in your mouth. Speak it. Pray it. Memorize it. Teach it. Declare it over your family. Let it correct you. Let it wash you. Let it strengthen you.

Declaration

Lord Jesus, I make room for Your Word. Let it dwell in me richly. Let Your truth shape my mind, my mouth, my decisions, and my future.

Point 7: Make Room for His Mission

Key Scripture: Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations... teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you...”

Jesus does not only come into us for comfort. He comes into us for commission. When He fills the room, He sends the room.

Supporting Scriptures

Mark 16:15 NKJV “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”

Luke 19:10 NKJV “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

2 Corinthians 5:20 NKJV “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ...”

Romans 10:14 NKJV “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?”

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If Jesus has room in your heart, He will make room in your heart for people. You cannot be close to Jesus and indifferent to the lost. His heart beats for souls. His mission was clear: to seek and to save that which was lost.

The church must make room for the broken, the addicted, the wounded, the rejected, the prodigal, the lonely, the poor, the rich, the young, the old, the outcast, the backslider, and the sinner who does not yet know there is mercy at the cross.

Sometimes churches are so full of programs that there is no room for the hurting. Sometimes believers are so full of comfort that there is no room for mission. But Jesus said, “Go.”

A hospital does not exist for healthy people only. It exists for the sick and wounded. The church is not a museum for perfect people. It is a house of healing, deliverance, salvation, discipleship, worship, and truth.

Make room for witnessing. Make room for prayer in the streets. Make room for inviting people. Make room for discipleship. Make room for uncomfortable conversations. Make room for compassion. Make room for the harvest.

Declaration

Lord Jesus, I make room for Your mission. Give me Your heart for souls. Send me. Use me. Fill me with boldness and love to reach the lost.

Closing Exhortation: Will You Make Room?

The inn had no room, but the manger did.

That means Jesus will come where He is welcomed. He will come to humble places. He will come to surrendered places. He will come to broken places. He will come to hungry places. He will come where pride has bowed, where hearts are open, and where people say, “Lord, we need You more than anything.”

Today, Jesus is knocking again.

Not because He lacks power, but because He desires relationship. Not because He cannot enter, but because He wants to be welcomed. Not because He needs your house, but because you need His presence.

Make room in your heart. Make room in your schedule. Make room in your home. Make room through repentance. Make room for the Holy Spirit. Make room for His Word. Make room for His mission.

Do not let your life be so full that Jesus is left outside. Do not let the noise of this world drown out the knock of the Savior. Do not let religion replace intimacy. Do not let busyness replace obedience. Do not let wounds become walls.

Open the door.

Altar Call: Make Room for Jesus

Every head bowed, every heart open.

Today, the Lord is asking a personal question: “Is there room for Me?”

Maybe you have never truly surrendered your life to Jesus. You have known about Him, heard about Him, even respected Him, but you have not given Him your whole heart. Today is the day of salvation.

Maybe you are a believer, but your heart has become crowded. Life, pain, sin, distraction, fear, ministry, responsibility, or disappointment has taken up space that belongs to Jesus. Today, He is not condemning you. He is calling you.

Maybe your home needs Jesus again. Maybe your prayer life needs fire again. Maybe your heart needs cleansing again. Maybe your mission needs to be awakened again.

Right where you are, pray this with sincerity:

Lord Jesus, I open the door. I make room for You. Forgive me for every place where I have crowded You out. Forgive me for giving You leftovers when You deserve first place. Come into my heart. Come into my home. Come into my schedule. Come into my thoughts. Come into my decisions. Cleanse me. Heal me. Fill me with the Holy Spirit. Restore my hunger. Restore my first love. I surrender everything to You. You are not a visitor. You are Lord. From this day forward, I make room for Jesus. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Final Prayer

Father, in the mighty name of Jesus, I pray over every person hearing this word. Let every crowded heart be opened. Let every distracted mind be stilled. Let every wounded soul be healed. Let every home be filled with Your peace. Let every believer return to the secret place. Let repentance flow like a river. Let the Holy Spirit fill Your people with fresh fire, fresh oil, fresh love, and fresh boldness.

Lord, remove everything that has taken Your place. Remove pride. Remove fear. Remove compromise. Remove bitterness. Remove lukewarmness. Remove spiritual sleepiness. Awaken hunger again. Awaken worship again. Awaken prayer again. Awaken evangelism again.

Jesus, we do not want You outside knocking. We open the door. We welcome You. We honor You. We enthrone You. We make room for You in this church, in our families, in our hearts, and in our city.

Let salvation come. Let healing come. Let deliverance come. Let revival come. Let the presence of God fill the house.

In the mighty, holy, matchless name of Jesus Christ, amen.