There's Room!

Good morning, familiar, stand to your feet. It is Christmas at the local church, and the glory of the Lord is in this house. Come on, worship with us. ♪♪ ♪ Oh, yeah ♪ ♪ Joy to the world, the Lord is come ♪ ♪ Let earth receive her King ♪ ♪ Let every heart prepare Him room ♪ ♪ Let heaven and nature sing ♪ ♪ Let heaven and nature sing ♪ ♪ Let heaven and heaven and nature sing ♪ ♪ Heaven and nature sing ♪ ♪ Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns ♪ ♪ Let all their songs employ Him ♪ ♪ While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains ♪ ♪ Repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy ♪ ♪ Repeat, repeat the sounding joy ♪ ♪ Joy of the Lord, joy of the Lord is my strength ♪ ♪ Yes it is, yes it is, the joy of the Lord ♪ ♪ The joy of the Lord is my strength ♪ ♪ Say, oh my soul, oh my soul, I will bless His name ♪ ♪ All that is within me, say, the joy of the Lord ♪ ♪ The joy of the Lord is my strength ♪ ♪♪ Come on, church, raise your voice and sing it out. ♪ So let it rise up like a river ♪ ♪ It's overflowing, Holy Spirit ♪ ♪ Let it pour out with no limit ♪ ♪ It's overflowing, Holy Spirit ♪

♪ So let it rise up like a river ♪ ♪ It's overflowing, Holy Spirit ♪ ♪ Let it pour out with no limit ♪ ♪ It's overflowing, Holy Spirit ♪ ♪ He rules the world with truth and grace ♪ ♪ And makes the nations prove the glories of His righteousness ♪ ♪ And wonders of His love, and wonders of His love ♪ ♪ And wonders, wonders of His love ♪ Come on, church, raise your voice and sing it with us. Oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh, oh. There's joy in this house. Come on, church. It's with the joy of the Lord. Come on, sing with us and raise your voice. Everybody say, the joy of the Lord, the joy of the Lord is my say. The joy of the Lord, the joy of the Lord is my say. Say, oh, my soul, oh, my soul, I will bless His name. Oh, my soul, bless His name. Oh, my soul, bless His name. Oh, my soul, bless His name. Raise your voice and sing it out. Oh, my soul, bless His name. Oh, my soul, bless His name. The joy of the Lord, the joy of the Lord is my say. ♪ It is my strength, yeah ♪

♪ It is my strength, yeah ♪ ♪ It is my strength, give Him praise ♪ Well, good morning. Welcome to the local church. It is a perfect place for imperfect people to experience the presence of God. So grateful He meets us here. Grateful you guys are here today. You can be seated for just a few quick minutes. And hey, my name is Carson Pedraza. It is my pleasure and honor to welcome you here today, especially if you're a guest in our house. We're so grateful that we get to celebrate Christmas together. In fact, we have a free little gift just for you. It's our little way of saying thank you for joining us. So if you haven't already done so, do us a favor, fill out that Connect card in the seat back in front of you. We wanna put a free gift in your hands. So much more than that. I'm gonna make sure you get a proper welcome here today. So be sure to do that. And if I haven't already said so yet, hey, Merry Christmas. We are so excited to be here. I love seeing all of the families here in the room today together, the little ones, the teenagers. And I wanna let you know, here at the local church,

we are a church for the whole family. And so if you've got little ones from birth all the way to high school, we've got incredible ministries designed just for them. In fact, this room on a Tuesday night is the best place to be for a teenager in South Florida. We've got local youth. I think some of them are in the room today and they have such a blast there. And right now, your little ones across the way are local kids. They are connecting with kids to find and follow Jesus together. My kids are there having a blast, but they also know that they're loved and they know who Jesus is because of the work that they do there. So next time you guys join us, be sure to check out those things. They're designed just for your kids. And hey, I'm so excited. We have an incredible opportunity to worship together today and we're gonna celebrate Jesus's birth in a really big way. It's a big deal. Christmas is a big deal around here, but something else that we get to celebrate and that's a big deal around here is baptism. Baptism is one of these things that we value so highly at the local church.

And it's one of my favorite things that we do here. We get baptized for two reasons. One is because Jesus did it. And the second is because he told us to do it. It's our very first step of obedience as believers. And so there's some people here today who have said yes to Jesus and then said yes to baptism in faithfulness and obedience, what he's called them to do. Baptism, it represents the death and burial of Jesus as they go under that water. And then as they come out of that water, it represents his new life, his resurrection and his sin, I mean, his blood covering our sins. And we put it in the middle of worship because we believe that's where it belongs. So Church Amelia, hey, let's stand together. Let's continue to worship together and let's celebrate baptism together. Thank you. Praise you, Lord. We celebrate together with those making that decision today, Lord. I give you all the praise and all the honor. It was my cross you fought so I could live in the freedom you died for. And now my life is yours and I will sing of your goodness forevermore. Worthy is your name, Jesus.

Jesus, you deserve the praise because worthy is your name. Worthy is your name, Jesus. You deserve the praise because worthy is your name. You deserve the praise. And now my shame is gone. I stand amazed in your love undeniable. Your grace goes on and on and I will sing of your goodness forevermore. Worthy is your name, Jesus. You deserve the praise because worthy is your name. Worthy is your name, Jesus. You deserve the praise because worthy is your name. ♪ Worthy is Your name, worthy is Your name, Jesus ♪ ♪ You deserve the praise, worth is Your name ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name, Jesus You deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name, Jesus You deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Because worthy is Your name ♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪ Be exalted now in the heavens, as Your glory fills this place ♪ ♪ You alone deserve our praise, You're the name above all names ♪ ♪ Be exalted now in the heavens, as Your glory fills this place ♪ ♪ You alone deserve our praise, You're the name above all names ♪ ♪ Be exalted now in the heavens, as Your glory fills this place ♪ ♪ You alone deserve our praise, You're the name above all names ♪ ♪ Be exalted now in the heavens, as Your glory fills this place ♪

♪ You alone deserve our praise, You're the name above all names ♪ ♪ Name above all names ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name, Jesus You deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Be exalted now in the heavens, as Your glory fills this place ♪ ♪ You alone deserve our praise, You're the name above all names ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name, Jesus You deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name, Jesus You deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name, Jesus You deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Jesus, You deserve the praise, cause worthy is Your name ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name, Jesus You deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Cause worthy is Your name ♪ ♪ Yeah. ♪ Praise You, Lord. There's no one like You. So we raise our hands and lift our voices. We shout Your praise, this morning. You're the King of kings and Lord of lords. ♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Give Your praise, oh ♪ ♪ There is one on the throne, Jesus, holy ♪ ♪ There is one on the throne, Jesus, holy ♪ ♪ He is worthy of praise and the honor, glory ♪ ♪ There is one on the throne, Jesus, holy ♪ ♪ There is one on the throne, Jesus, holy ♪ ♪ He is worthy of praise and the honor, glory ♪ ♪ Worthy is the Lamb who was slain and seated on the throne ♪ ♪ There's no one like the Lord ♪ ♪ And the elders preachers bowed, giving praise to Him alone ♪ ♪ There's no one like the Lord ♪ ♪ There is one on the throne, Jesus, holy ♪

♪ He is worthy of praise and the honor and glory ♪ ♪ There is one on the throne, Jesus, holy ♪ ♪ There is one on the throne, Jesus, holy ♪ ♪ Worthy is the Lamb who was slain and seated on the throne ♪ ♪ There is one on the throne, Jesus, holy ♪ ♪ There's no one like the Lord ♪ ♪ And the elders preachers now giving praise to Him and Him alone ♪ ♪ There's no one like the Lord ♪ ♪ Worthy is the Lamb who was slain and seated on the throne ♪ ♪ There's no one like the Lord ♪ ♪ And the elders preachers now giving praise to Him and Him alone ♪ ♪ There's no one like the Lord ♪ ♪ There's no one like the Lord ♪ ♪ There's no one like the Lord ♪ ♪ ♪ So we crown you King of Glory, we crown you King of Glory, we crown you King of Glory, we crown you Lord of all. ♪ We crown you King of Glory, we crown you King of Glory, we crown you King of Glory, we crown you Lord of all. ♪ We crown you King of Glory, we crown you King of Glory, we crown you King of Glory, we crown you Lord of all. ♪ We crown you King of Glory, we crown you King of Glory, we crown you King of Glory, we crown you Lord of all. ♪ There is a Lamb who was slain and seated on the throne, there's no one like the Lord. ♪ And the elders preachers now giving praise to Him and Him alone, there's no one like the Lord. ♪ Oh praise the name of the Lord our God, oh praise His name forevermore, for endless days. ♪ We will sing your praise, oh Lord, oh Lord our God. ♪ Oh praise the name of the Lord our God, oh praise His name forevermore, for endless days. ♪ We will sing your praise, oh Lord, oh Lord our God. ♪ Oh praise the name of the Lord our God, oh praise His name forevermore, for endless days. ♪ We will sing your praise, oh Lord, oh Lord our God. ♪ You are worthy of it all, You are worthy of it all. ♪ For from You are all things, and to You are all things, You deserve the glory. ♪ You are worthy, You are worthy, You are worthy of it all.

♪ Yes You are, You are worthy of it all. ♪ We owe everything to You, yes we do, for from You are all things. He's worthy of everything we have to give. This Christmas at the local church, we don't want to make it about us because it's not. We don't want to give Him second-hand gifts. We want to give Him all of who we are. It's important for us to understand that Christmas isn't the story of a little baby. No, He's our King. The King of every king. The Lord of every lord. He's powerful. He's Creator. He's God. And He's with us. His presence is with us. And He has a gift for us today. The greatest gift that He could ever offer. The gift of eternal life. The gift of forgiveness of sin. The gift of a relationship with Him for all eternity. Whatever you've come in with today, I would encourage you to lay it all down at His feet. And my prayer is that every ear would open, every heart would be ready to receive all that God has for us today. So as we continue on in worshiping through the reading of His Word, let's prepare our hearts in prayer right now. Father, You are worthy of everything. This Christmas celebration isn't to tickle our ears, isn't to impress us, or to make us excited about music. It's to fix our eyes on You. Because in You are all things. Through You are all things. With You all things are possible. So we ask God that our eyes would be open and ready to see the miracles that You have prepared for us today. Let our ears be open to hear Your Word, Your truth that sets us free. Father, I pray that You would do the impossible, the miraculous, what only You can do. It's not by might. It's not by our power. It's not by our music or by our preaching. It's by Your Spirit and Your Spirit alone. So we pray all of these things and surrender in Jesus' name. And all the people of God who love them said, Amen. And amen. Come on church. Let's give them praise this Christmas. You are grateful to be in the house of the Lord. Why don't you turn to someone as you're having a seat and wish them a very Merry Christmas. I'm Eric. I'm one of the pastors here at the local church.

If you're here for a Mass, you can call me Father Eric. Welcome to Mass. I love Christmas though. What a day. I love celebrating with baptisms. It's a new life. It's what happens when we make room for the Spirit of God. Something new begins. Something old gets washed away. And a new story starts. That's the tone of Christmas. Christmas is the story of God stepping into spaces and places that no one expected. It reminds us that some of the most important moments in life happen in places that don't look impressive. Today we're not here to impress people. Today we're here to meet the living God. So even though this is a busy season, I don't want you to miss it today. I don't want you to miss what God has in store for us. Some of you walked in looking for a sense of peace. Some of you, if you're honest, you're here because someone invited you to lunch afterwards. They promised you a meal if you would just come. We're still glad you're here. Some of you, you may be like I have at times, coming to church. I just want to escape my kids for one hour. I want a little bit of peace and quiet. But can I just tell you, for whatever reason you walk into the room, you're in the right room. You're in the right room because His presence is here. Here's what I think is funny about Christmas. Christmas is the time of year where houses get wild. Where our spaces explode with wrapping paper. Where our kitchens look like a cooking contest gone wrong. With all the dishes in the sink and all the flour on every countertop. Where rooms become Lego construction zones. Where you have to be careful lest you step on one and die in pain. But here's what I love about Christmas. Here's what I find funny. Is that every single year these sacred words are spoken in almost every home. And those sacred Christmas words are, There's no more room. Where did all this stuff come from? There's no room in our trash can. There's no room in our dishwasher. There's no room in our closet.

You ever spoke those words before around Christmas time? Now I want you to imagine the first Christmas. In that moment Mary is pregnant and in labor with the Son of God. And she goes, she goes to this inn and we learn that, There is no more room. I've titled today's teaching, There's Room. Turn to the person next to you and tell them, there's room. Say, I'm so glad you're here, there's room for you. There's room for you here, there's room for you in heaven. There's room is the title of today's teaching. I want us to read the Christmas story from the book of Luke. Turn your Bibles to Luke chapter 2, verses 1-7. You can follow along on the screen here in at home or in your app, it says, in those days the 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, and Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. Verse 6, and while they were there, the time came for her to give birth, and she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloth and laid him in a manger. Why? Because there was no place for them in the inn. This is part of the greatest story ever told, and we could talk for weeks about various lessons we can learn from the myriad of characters here in this Christmas story, but this Christmas I want to talk about someone who seems to be

overlooked every single Christmas. Someone that we tend to forget about. Today I want to talk about the innkeeper. He has no speaking lines. We don't know his name. There's no halos of him in all the Christmas paintings, but yet his simple act to make room allowed the Savior of the world to step into the world. I want to give three simple truths this Christmas. Three simple truths that I honestly believe will change everything about our life and our living if we put them into practice. The first one is this. If you're taking notes, write this down. What's available is enough. This Christmas I want you to know that what's available is enough. Luke 2, 7 again reminds us there was no place for them in the inn but there was a place, there was a space that I want to bring some emphasis to. To paint this picture you have to realize that Bethlehem was a small, tiny, podunk type of place. It was insignificant. I don't want you to think like Clearwater, Florida where there's a lot of people who retired there. I don't want you to think of Cutler Bay. That was my old stomping ground. That's where I grew up. There's several tens of thousands of people there. I want you to think more of Clewiston, Florida.

How many of you have ever been to Clewiston, Florida? No, no, put your hands down. Not drove through Clewiston, Florida to get somewhere else. How many of you have ever spent time in Clewiston? Anyone here raised and born in Clewiston? All right, you know 7,000 people, not a very big place. This is Bethlehem. And so when there's a census, now everyone has to go back to this small place but they're bringing their expanded, extended family. So when we read that there was no room for them in the inn, it's not that the innkeeper was being rude. He's not being heartless to them. He's just simply out of space because it's the busy season. But here's the power. He offers to them not what he doesn't have. He offers to them what he does have. Does that make sense? They didn't have a room available. But there was a manger. There was a stable. There was a barn. And I'll admit, you know, it's a dark, dank place that reeks of animals. It's not impressive. No one wants to sleep there, especially pregnant women. Women, could you imagine? You're about to give birth and there are cows and goats all around you. When my wife gave birth to our firstborn son,

all throughout her pregnancy, she couldn't stand the smell of cooked beef. Imagine fresh, raw beef straight from the source, right? It's not comfortable. In no way is this space impressive. But listen, it was available. It was available. And sometimes availability is the only ingredient God needs to do a miracle. Again, we don't know this innkeeper's backstory. We don't know his name. We're not even certain that he understood what he was saying yes to. But here's what we do know. The space that he did have that he offered to God, God stepped into that space. Write this down. God will always use what's available before he uses what's impressive. He will always use what's available. is available before he uses what is impressive. Today, some of you, you're thinking of waiting until your life is perfect and put together before surrendering yourself to Him and following Him. And if you wait for everything to be put together and perfect, you will miss what God wants to do today, in this moment. Miracles don't require perfect settings. All miracles require is an open heart. And when you offer up to God what is available, what you have in your life, He will do the impossible through that.

He will do far more than you could ever imagine. That's what happened in this story. This stable became the birthplace for the Savior of the world. Why? Because it was available. Today, some of you feel like all you have to offer God is a stable. Not a perfect setting. Not a cleaned up place. Just a messy, unkempt, unkept stable. Can I encourage you, that's the perfect place for Jesus to step into. Leads to our second big idea. Write this down if you're taking notes. What you give in faith, God grows and fills. What you give to God in faith, He will grow it and He will fill it up. Again, a stable. It's not impressive by any means. No one is going to take a selfie in front of it and post it up on Instagram. No one is going to see that on Airbnb and book it for a ladies trip with their friends. Nothing impressive about this stable. But when Jesus enters a space, the space changes. This manger became a cradle. This barn, a barn became the birthplace of the son of God. Why is that? Because Jesus transforms whatever He touches.

We see this all throughout scripture. God will fill an insignificant place with such holy significance He'll take something that seems just so ordinary and give it an extraordinary purpose. He got water and He turned it into what? Wine. He touched blind eyes and they were opened and they saw for the first time. He touched lepers that everyone else avoided and He healed them completely. And Jesus, He touched sinners. And He saved them forever. He saved them for eternity. And He still does that today. 2 Corinthians 5.17 it says, therefore if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. You're new. The old has passed away. The old way. The old life has passed away. Behold, see it clearly. All things have become new. See it clearly. All things have become new. I want you to hear me. Jesus, He doesn't just simply enter into the spaces that we offer to Him. He enters in and He redeems them. He enters in and He restores them. And He repurposes them for His purposes.

That's what He does. Here's how. Transformation is possible because of God's proximity. Because of His proximity. Everything for humanity changed the moment that God was with us. We talk about Christ making us new from within. The reason Christ can make us new is because Christ came near to us. Let's go to Matthew's prophecy on Jesus. Matthew 1. 23, behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear son and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which means God with us. God is with us. He's not just above us. He's not against us. God is with us. The miracle of a new life, of a changed life, is because of the miracle of God with us. When you open up your life and you offer what is available to Him, He dwells there. He's with you. He's with you in the places and the spaces that feel unpolished or unfinished. He's with you in all the places and spaces that you give and offer to Him. The innkeeper, he would have never imagined that God himself would fill the space in his barn. But that's what he does. He oftentimes fill these spaces that humanity thinks are small or insignificant. Those are the spaces that he fills. And when he fills them, he grows them into something so good. He does more with what we offer to him than anything we could imagine.

But we have to give it to him. We have to make room. I get it. Listen, your heart might feel crowded today. It might feel crowded like Bethlehem was on that day. Your mind might be filled with the pressure of decisions that you haven't settled yet. Of anxiety of what may come or what may not come in the new year. Your faith might feel thin today. Like you're grateful for Christmas, but man, you're just stressed out from 2025. You got a smile on your face. And on the outside, everything looks good because you got to host your family. But on the inside, you're wondering, how long can I continue to carry this up? I'm stretched. Can I encourage you, if that's how you feel today, those are the perfect places for him to step into. You might be here today thinking that all you have to offer God is what feels like a stable in your life. Not a perfect put-together place. Not a clean, tidy place. But just a stable that is messy and unkempt and unkept. That's the perfect place for him to step into. And if that alone isn't enough, I want you to hear this. It doesn't end with you. The spaces he fills doesn't end with you. Write this third big idea down. When you make room in your heart, others can find hope in him. When you make room in your life and in your heart, other people can find hope in him. Matthew tells us that wise men, that these kings, they eventually came. Matthew 2.11, and going to the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother. And they fell down and worshipped him. This innkeeper had no idea that royalty from afar would come and meet Jesus. Because he opened this space in a stable. He didn't know that shepherds would show up.

And that wise men would come bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Let me settle something real quick though. This might upset some of you. But I need to make this known before we continue. There's a little Bible geek moment. I apologize if you don't care about it. But the wise men didn't actually show up on Jesus' birth. Are you aware of that? I know your nativity sets at home disagree. But the Bible agrees with me. We just read it. Matthew 2. Where did they show up? The house. Not the barn. Not the manger. Most theologians believe that by the time they came bearing gifts, Jesus was walking or at least wobbling on his feet, right? This is why Herod said, I want you to kill every child three and under. Because he didn't know how old he was, but he knew that he wasn't a baby anymore. So if you have a nativity and there's shepherds and wise men, technically the shepherds should be there. But move the wise men somewhere else. Put them in your driveway or hide them in public somewhere on a shelf. They'll get there eventually. You're welcome, okay? All right, back to this. Here's the thing that happened though. Even though they didn't show up that day, they still showed up. These wise men who were looking for the Savior of the world, they found him. Why? Because somebody made room.

And that's what happens. When we do the same thing, when we make room in our heart, our open space can become the open door for other people to experience the hope of salvation. That's the story of so many people here in this service right now. So many of us, the beginning of this year we said, Lord, we're going all in. Whatever you want from us. Whatever it costs, whatever it takes. Send us. Use us. We made room so that the people that we love can experience the love of God, the peace of God, the purposes of God in their heart. This is why we're here today. This is why many of you are guests with us today. Because somebody made room. I love Christmas. I love celebrating Christmas. I love the lights. I love the foods. I love all the trimmings and the trappings. But the Christmas story doesn't stay on this staple and this manger. It moves on. It moves on to a. cross and moves on to a tomb and moves on to a resurrection. Doesn't stay with justice nativity scene. When Jesus came, he didn't come looking for a room. Jesus came to make room. To make room for forgiveness of our sin. To make room for a relationship with God forever. How is that possible?

Some of us were here today and we're thinking I'm not a very religious person. How can I have a relationship with God? Here's how and I want you to hear this is the most important part of today's teaching. God is perfect in every way. He's never said oops, whoopsie, made a mistake. He's never made a mistake. He's perfect. If he weren't perfect, he wouldn't be God. He's perfect and we aren't. I want you to turn to your neighbor. Look at them with love in your eyes. Say, you look good today but you're not perfect. None of us are perfect. Don't get mad at them. The Word of God says in Romans 3 23, for all have sinned. All and all have fallen short of the glory of God. We're all sinners. If you're a sinner, would you raise your hand right now? Yes, somebody like I don't know about you guys but I'm not a sinner. Yes, you are. Don't believe it? Let me prove it. How many of you know the Ten Commandments? You're like six hands raised. All right, we'll go through a few. This is God's law. He says, do not lie. Don't bear false witness by show of hands. How many of us have ever lied at some point in our life? Told something that wasn't true?

Why isn't every hand up? If you're not raising your hand, you're a liar. You're lying right now. I didn't do it, mommy. I don't know. I wasn't speeding officer. Mentiroso. If you lie, that means you're a liar. Another commandment says, don't steal. I'll use a more tender word. How many of you have ever taken something that didn't belong to you? Show of hands. Have you ever taken a pen from a church? You stole from God. So if you've stolen in your life, that makes you what? No, it makes you a lying thief because you've already admitted to being a liar. That's just two of God's 10 commandments, and all of us are guilty. Now, you may be better than me. You may have lied less than me. You may have stolen less than I have, but you are still not perfect. And to be in the presence of a perfect God, we must be perfect. His standard is perfection. We're not perfect. We've broken His commands. We've broken God's law. He's the one who decides what is good and bad, and what is lawful and what is not. And all of us, we are guilty. And because we are guilty, there is a price to pay. There is a penalty for breaking God's law, just like there's a penalty for speeding, or stealing, or speaking a lie in a court of law.

Romans 6.23 tells us what it is. It says, for the wages of sin is death. That word wages, it means a payment. There is a payment necessary for us breaking God's law. And the Bible says that that payment is death. And not just a physical death. It's a spiritual death. It's separation from God. That's what hell is. We don't want God in this life. We don't get God in the afterlife. Hell is separation from a holy and perfect God. And I don't care how good sin feels. It's not worth it. It's not worth being separated from a God that so loves us. Let me paint this picture this way. Here's how serious sin is. I had a friend a few weeks ago. I was talking to him, and he flew on a one-day business trip to Oklahoma. Got up early, left on his flight, landed in Oklahoma. Met with his client and then had a flight to come immediately back home. But at this point he was hungry. So he goes to the airport and he finds a seafood restaurant. First of all, if you're eating seafood in a state where there is no ocean around you, you need more wisdom. You need more wisdom. You need more wisdom. You need better accountability. You need more wisdom. You need more wisdom.

He then tells me, he sits down in this seafood restaurant in You need more wisdom. You need more wisdom. You need more wisdom. Oklahoma and he orders oysters. Not fried oysters. Fresh oysters. I'm like, bro, what is wrong with you? Why would you do that? He said, you don't understand, they were so good. They hit the spot. But Eric, on the flight back home, it was brutal. It was death. You know what that is? That's like sin. Sin is ordering oysters in Oklahoma. It looks good in the moment. Tastes good for a minute. Everyone else is saying, that's a bad decision but we do it anyway. And eventually there is a price to pay. That's what sin does. It promises us freedom. It promises us pleasure on the front end. But then it pays us back in pain. Turn to your neighbor and tell them, but there is good news. This is what Christmas is about, it's good news. The wages of sin is death but it continues on. But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Jesus is God's gift to us. A free gift. Not one of those gifts we have to pay shipping and handling on. Not one of those free gifts where you have to sit down for a four-hour timeshare presentation. I hate those gifts, those aren't real gifts. Jesus is God's free gift to us. We haven't earned it. We certainly don't deserve it. It's his grace given to us. How can Jesus save us? Simple. Because Jesus is the son of God. And being the son of God, Jesus lived a perfect life. Jesus never broke a commandment. Jesus never sinned. And so when Jesus died on that cross, he didn't die for his sin. He died for ours. He paid the punishment and the penalty that we deserve for disobeying God's law. But death could not hold him down. Three days later he rose again and he defeated the power of sin, of hell and of death. And there is so many people in this room and at home who have been changed by this Christ of Christmas. In fact, if you are here today and you know that God is your heavenly father. And you believe that Jesus saved you of your sin. And you are confident that you are going to spend eternity with him.

Can you just give him praise this Christmas. If you are grateful, make some noise in his house today. And if you don't have that confidence like we just heard, today, today you can have a relationship with God. Today you can have a new life in him. And an eternity forever in his presence. It's not complicated. It's not religious. It's not religion. It's nothing we can do. It's as simple as this, Romans 10. It's what he's done. Here's our responsibility. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. And you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. It says you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, is made right with God. Justified, never sinned is what it looks like. But with the mouth one confesses and is saved, verse 13. For everyone, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. This is why we sing about his name today. This is why we lifted his name today. Because everyone can be saved when they call that name Jesus for salvation. Everyone. All of us. Whoever you are, whatever you've done.

John 1.12 says this, it says, but to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave them the right to become children of God. Not just church goers. Not just I hope he lets me in his house. I'm his son. I'm his daughter. This is what he's done. We don't have to climb our way all the way up to him. He came down to be with us. Then John 3.16. Perhaps the most popular passage in all of Scripture. Some of you, you might have memorized this at a young age. But don't miss the power of this promise. It says, for God so loved the world. He so loved you and me that he sent his one and only son Jesus. That whoever, I love the King James, whosoever. That's who he is. we are. Whoever believes in Him will not perish, will not die, but have eternal, everlasting life. That's Christmas. That's what it's all about. God with us. God making room for us to be saved, to be forgiven, to be in a relationship with Him. So as we conclude today, I just want to ask the same question that the innkeeper had to ask himself that holy moment. Is there room? Is there room in your heart and room in your life? Is there room for Jesus? He's here. And he wants to welcome you home as a son and daughter. He's not expecting you to pretend like everything is perfect. He's not asking you to get your life settled and straight before you receive his free gift of salvation. All he's asking you is that you would

open your heart, just like that innkeeper opened the door. And when we do so, everything changes. If you're here today, and you've never asked Jesus to wash your sin away, and you are not confident of a relationship with God, today can be the day that everything changes forever. Or maybe you're here today and like Bethlehem during that time, your life has been crowded. You used to walk with Jesus, but you pushed him out. You haven't made room for him. You've made room for everything else. Today, you can recommit yourself to him and let everything change in your life for the good. With every head bowed. That's you. I want you to pray this prayer with me. Prayer is communication in a relationship with God. The words aren't magical. It's the posture and the open door of our heart that makes all the difference. You can pray this out loud. You can pray this in your heart. But if that's you today, pray this with me. Say, Jesus, today I make room for you. I give you my heart and all my life. Forgive me. Save me. Fill me with your spirit. Thank you for coming to be with me. Thank you for living and dying and rising again for me. I say yes to you today. You are my Savior. Be my Lord. I belong to you. And it's in your name I believe and receive. Amen. Church, can we just join with the chorus of angels right now celebrating new life that's happened in this room and in homes today. Can I ask you, by show of hands, how many of you prayed that prayer from a genuine heart and meant it today? Wow. Praise God. Praise God. You are a new creation. The old life is gone. It's washed away. He says, I want you to behold. I want your eyes to open and see that today there's a new beginning. If you, if you committed your life or recommitted your life to Christ today, would you do me this huge

favor? On the seat back in front of you, there's a connect card. Would you fill that out and let us know that today you surrendered or recommitted your life to him. We promise you we're not going to spam you. No one's going to show up at your door. No one's going to call you nonstop. You're not signing a contract for anything. We want that so we can pray with you and pray for you by name. And at the conclusion of this service, we'll have some, some instruction of how we want to give a gift to you. A gift that's going to help you grow into all that God's created you to be. And here's what I believe, like we talked about, when, when we make room in our hearts, other people can experience that hope. I'm believing that the new work that God did here today in so many of your lives is going to spill over onto your family, onto your marriages and your children and your neighborhoods. This is what happens when we make room. In just a few moments, a light is going to go across this room. And we're going to see in real time what God has been doing this entire time. As this flame moves on from one person to another, we get this picture of light entering darkness. Strongholds being broken. New life beginning. Why? Because some of us, we've made room. For those of you who surrendered your life to Jesus today for the first time, how cool is this? That this is the first Christmas candlelight with the light of God living inside of you. And for the rest of us, this is why we go all in. This is why we make room. This is why we do what we do, why we give, why we serve, why we invite. Because the light of the world has come. It has come to so many lives today. Let's stand to our feet, and as we lift up our candles, let's remember He's here. Oh holy night, the stars are brightly shining. It is the night of our dear Savior's birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining, till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.

The thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. Fall on your knees, oh hear the angels' voices. O night divine, O night when Christ was born. O night divine, O night, O night divine. Truly He taught to love one another. His God is one, and His gospel is one. Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother. And in His name all oppression shall cease. Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we, let all within us praise His holy name. Christ is the Lord, O praise His name forever. His pow'r and glory evermore proclaim. His pow'r and glory evermore proclaim. The Lord proclaims Fall on your knees O hear the angels' voices O night divine O night when Christ was born O night divine And the angels cry, Holy All creation cries, Holy You are lifted high, Holy Holy forever Hear people sing, Holy To the King of kings, Holy You will always be, Holy Holy forever Your name is the highest Your name is the greatest

Your name stands above them all Above all kings and dominions All powers and positions Your name stands above them all Your name is the highest Your name is the greatest Your name stands above them all Above all kings and dominions All powers and positions Your name stands above them all And the angels cry, Holy All creation cries, Holy You are lifted high, Holy Holy forever Hear people sing, Holy To the King of kings, Holy You will always be, Holy Holy forever Holy, Holy forever You will always be, Holy Holy forever and ever You will always be, Holy Holy forever Holy forever