Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Junior Church dismissed

Junior Church

Please continue to be in prayer for our Pastor and his family as they travel back home for a few weeks.

What a great night last night with the play.

Looking forward to a great night tonight.

Hope to see you here at 5. Bring a friend or bring an enemy, just bring somebody.

I love this time of year.

especially when it’s cold with snow.

In Yuma, we got warm and sand.

This time of year Sarah and I are usually goin into the kids rooms and find old toys, toys they never play with and we bag them up to give to away.

Or, give back to them a at a later date to make them think it’s new.

We go in and find old toys, toys they never play with and we bag them up to give to away.

Or, give back to them a at a later date to make them think it’s new.

We aren’t just being mean parents, we are trying to make room for the new toys they will be getting for Christmas.

You know what’s funny though, they could go months without touching the toy.

The moment we mention throwing it away, they love it and want to play with it.

How many of you did that with your children or maybe you do that now?

Some do this during the spring time and call it spring cleaning.

It’s when you get rid of the stuff you don’t want or use anymore to make room for what is better for us or more useful in our lives at that time.

It’s great when we get rid of those things, what some might call baggage that is weighing us down and keeping.

As much as we can collect physical stuff that keeps us from being able to have what is best for us we can also build up some spiritual baggage.

That will do the same.

During different seasons of our lives we can build up store of pride or worry.

Maybe some selfishness, narcissism, or lust.

Could be that we are not just filling our spiritual baggage with these attitude related sins maybe we are just replacing the good habits and teachings of Scripture with something that we are deeming more important.

Perhaps you are one that has taken sports whether that be in the form of watching or playing to an unhealthy level in your life.

You’ve allowed your hobby to become your priority and pushed God out.

You could be one that has gotten so focused on making more money or just trying to improve your standard of living that you’ll sacrifice the time with family, the Bible reading and praying, to get a few extra hours to make a little more money to justify buying the things you don’t need to impress the people you don’t like.

During this Christmas Season I want to encourage each of us to examine our hearts for areas that we need to make room for God.

To make room for Jesus and not only the babe born in the manger but also the man who died for us, the God who loves us, and the Holy Spirit who guides us.

What is it that you need to get rid of to make room for Jesus?

What area of your life is suffering because you’ve filled it with stuff for “Me” rather than stuff from Him?

Read with me

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And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.

(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

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.

Let’s pray.

Notice that the first area we should make room for Him is in His Providence

I. Make room for His Providence

The word Providence speaks of the divine guidance and care given to the events of the universe.

Here in verses 1 -3 we find the providence of God working in a way that we all would snub our noses at.

Taxes.

By impressing upon the heart of Caesar Agustus that the whole world should be taxed God made it so the prophecies from over 400 years prior would be fulfilled.

Micah wrote (5:2) “But thou Bethelehem 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.”

God knew what He was doing when the prophecy was made and He knew what He was doing when He made the census come up at a time when Mary was pregnant and ready to deliver requiring her and her husband to travel 90 miles on foot.

If Mary and Joseph were anything like you and me, and I believe they were there first thoughts were probably not “O YAY!

We get to go 90 miles, 9 months pregnant, so we can register to pay more taxes!”

You see Mary and Joseph encountered something you and I probably encounter at least once a year, and undesirable plan.

A. An Undesirable Plan

God says in

God says () “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

When we encounter difficult times let’s not neglect the fact that God may be sending them our way.

Don’t allow the difficulty ahead to keep you from trusting in the God that placed it there.

To accomplish God’s plan some people had to be put in situations they were not happy about.

They had to suffer some inconveniences.

They had to deal with problems and people they would have rather not dealt with.

But they did as we should when the difficulties of life come and that is to proceed with an unwavering faith.

B. An Unwavering Faith

Mary and Jospeh put on their big boy pants, hopped on their donkey, and began the trek to Bethlehem.

You know Jospeh was worried about his bride.

Mary was concerned about her baby.

I’m afraid we sometimes forget that the people God used to carry out amazing miracles and works were just regular people like you and I.

Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Esther, David, Mary and Jospeh were all men and women that weren’t super saints with halos when God called them to do His will.

They were regular people with regular lives who were called to be something more because of their unwavering faith in their God.

They didn’t know why God was doing things how he was but they followed Him.

Yes, they had their faults and thank God they did.

Can you imagine if every person in the Bible was perfect?

We would never understand how God could use us.

How God could bless us because if your like me your no where near perfect.

Why are your circumstances bad?

Why is your situation worse than everyone else’s?

Why is your life just so miserable?

Because your looking at the problem and not the God whose in control.

Even when Cesaer made the decree that all should be taxed God was with Mary and Joseph.

He was there when they got the news, He was there when they were traveling and He was in Bethlehem when Jesus was born.

He’s there through it all.

I hope you don’t misunderstand me and think I’m telling you that with great faith comes an easy life.

The bible teaches exactly the contrary.

But when those trials do come.

When life is difficult don’t focus on the problem, focus on the problem solver.

See that God is there with you and already on the other side.

It may not be the path you want and possibly not the outcome you want but know that He thinks only good thoughts towards you not evil.

To be able to make room for the Providence of God you make room for the Presence of God.

II.

Make room for His Presence

Just as the Providence of God provided for the fulfilling of prophecy in Bethlehem he also gave us the one thing we need most in this world that same night.

His presence.

"Long ago, there ruled in Persia a wise and good king.

He loved his people.

He wanted to know how they lived.

He wanted to know about their hardships.

Often he dressed in the clothes of a working man or a beggar, and went to the homes of the poor.

No one whom he visited thought that he was their ruler.

One time he visited a very poor man who lived in a cellar.

He ate the coarse food the poor man ate.