Make Room for the King
“Joy to the World”
Joy to the world, the Lord is come
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
OUR HEART NATURALLY DOESN’T WANT TO PREPARE ROOM
WE ARE ALL SINNERS… WE ARE ALL IN NEED OF JESUS
Ezekiel 11:19 English Standard Version (ESV)
19 And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh.
WHEN JESUS WAS BORN, THERE WASN’T ANY ROOM
Luke 2:7 GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)
7 She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger because there wasn’t any room for them in the inn.
THE SHUNAMMITE WHO MADE ROOM
2 Kings 4:8-9 English Standard Version (ESV)
8 One day Elisha went on to Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived, who urged him to eat some food. So whenever he passed that way, he would turn in there to eat food. 9 And she said to her husband, “Behold now, I know that this is a holy man of God who is continually passing our way. 10 Let us make a small room on the roof with walls and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, so that whenever he comes to us, he can go in there.”
THE GREAT PROMISE OF GOD
Jeremiah 24:7 English Standard Version (ESV)
7 I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.
How can we prepare Him room?
#1 Accept the love God offers
John 3:16 English Standard Version (ESV)
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Romans 5:8 English Standard Version (ESV)
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
#2 Draw near to Jesus through prayer and reading of God’s Word
James 4:8 English Standard Version (ESV)
8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
#3 Honor Jesus with obedience
2 John 6 English Standard Version (ESV)
6 And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.
2 John 6 The Message (MSG)
4-6 I can’t tell you how happy I am to learn that many members of your congregation are diligent in living out the Truth, exactly as commanded by the Father. But permit me a reminder, friends, and this is not a new commandment but simply a repetition of our original and basic charter: that we love each other. Love means following his commandments, and his unifying commandment is that you conduct your lives in love. This is the first thing you heard, and nothing has changed.
Joy to the world, the Lord is come
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
Tania Gutekunst 