[Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] praise the Lord Tree of Life Church prays alone anybody glad to be the house is lower this morning I wonder we give God some praise this morning thank you [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] just passing dude she's a real babe but I found my hope [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] come on can we lift our hands and worship this morning to the King of Kings in the loo [Music] the only lasting forever bad [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] see who is like the Lord [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] hallelujah that's an order this morning then put your hands together and give God praise hallelujah hallelujah amen if you've come to know that it's true that his presence is everything hallelujah worship him give him honor this morning hallelujah bless his a Lamb of God hallelujah who takes away the sin of the world welcome to the last Sunday of 2019 Amen we're so glad that you're with us this morning as I came into this one I couldn't help but reflect on a decade that has passed when this decade started I was only a third of the father that I am currently Amen I was a little bit darker haired and a little bit thinner that's not necessarily a good point that happened in 2019 but it's what I have to deal with and a lot of things have changed in 10 years a lot of people have come and gone and been precious Saints and loved ones like the wolf Engles have gone on to their eternal reward sister Betty Wilson and many others I should not have started naming names but God has been faithful through it all I mean we've seen unprecedented growth we've seen unprecedented giving Amen God has been faithful to us and when our world has changed around us mine shafts our mindsets that were so ingrained so we fought for so long have been changed and and the world is going away perhaps that we are not in favor of and rightfully so but through it all God has not changed and I am grateful this morning that despite everything that's changed around me there is one that I can call on him and his name is Jesus and then when the decade started he was faithful a minute this morning he's still faithful hallelujah when I have a need in my life I can call on him he's still here sir circe prayer and I am so thankful today it's prayer time in the house of God if you have a need in your life Amen we would be so pleased to pray with you amen and trust and believe with you that God will hear and answer your prayer there is none more able than Jesus this morning amen to touch into the deliverer let's all pray together if we could Lord Jesus we're so grateful to be in your presence this morning so grateful Lord that your spirit and your power and then is still here with us today Lord when we cry out to you this morning like we did yesterday and the day before that and the year in a decade and then past you were faithful then and I am glad to report this morning that you are faithful yet today God we offer our praise and thanksgiving to you Lord Jesus we give a praise unto you because you alone are worthy of this praise you alone have been faithful to see us through to this point you alone have blessed and poured out your spirit to save mankind and to deliver us from our sinful way Lord God as we close out 2019 hallelujah and we reflect upon the good in the bed Lord Jesus the thing that comes to mind is that you have been faithful you have been faithful to a sword Jesus Christ and we are so glad they meant to be in communion with you Lord God go with us this morning let your spirit have its way among us lord god minister hit men to the scene and the sinner alike Lord God move among us we pray and let your will be done touch every need this morning and then two big none too small Lord that you can't touch and minister to it hallelujah we'll give you praise and honor for these things your holy and righteous and you are worthy of praise hallelujah can we give him a praise again this morning for his faithfulness for seeing us through him in 2019 and G stay [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] I know your [Music] but you can move on [Music] your passes [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] manney swarthy hallelujah blessed be the name of our God thank you so much for standing you may be seated this morning and men are Usher's are coming at this time to receive our morning tithe and offering they may not received Amen a request to have a couple of announcements this morning we will be having arbol de Vita at 3 o'clock this afternoon with brother Diaz ministering there we're so thankful to have brother Diaz also ministering this morning and on New Year's Eve at 7:00 p.m. and then are you thankful for it this morning and then we always enjoy his ministry and it's a wonderful blessing to us we're so grateful we will also be having communion on New Year's Eve this coming Tuesday service beginning at 7:00 p.m. we always look forward to that it's a wonderful time in the Lord and we're so grateful to be able to usher in a new year in the presence of our God I'm also happy to report this morning I did receive an update yesterday from brother Rockland and as it stands currently for they're ready now campaign we are at one point nine to five million dollars and a we give God all the praise for that he's been so faithful and good to us and then we believe that greater things are yet to come hallelujah we trust and believe that he's gonna make a way for us he also did ask that I remind everyone this morning that if you have any contributions that you would like to make to the Tree of Life Church to receive credit in 2019 as far as tax purposes is concerned Amen this morning will be one of the last services we likely will take up an offering on Tuesday but if you have giving that you would like to give either locally or folks that are online you could mail that in early this week and receive credit for 2019 and we would be so grateful for that amen let's pray this morning over our offering we believe that God will bless it and do a great thing with it amen as we exhibit our faithfulness to him and giving Lord Jesus thank you for a new day for new power for new strength hallelujah thank you Lord for seeing us through amen another year another decade God you've been faithful to us Lord you have seen us through time and time again God would give honor and praise to you Thanksgiving hallelujah to the one that has been faithful and true through it all bless the gift and the giver this morning guard the way that we take we pray in Jesus name hallelujah and the church said amen [Music] [Music] for everyone who's ever seen the mountain of their signature dish and [Music] for the song and you'll understand the reason [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] come on he's been good here this year can you get him to play [Music] [Music] Sigma past eros my name [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] whoa hallelujah hello somebody give God all the praise you've been wanting to give him all year long hallelujah hallelujah this is our last Sunday morning in 2019 if God has been good to you in 2019 I wonder if you can let him know just how good he is fear don't let him know just how good of a god he is Speer if there was ever a moment you didn't know how things were gonna turn out but you trusted in the Lord and he came through for you I wonder if you could give God a high praise in this house come on let's worship Him worship here worship You hallelujah hallelujah I always get I was good just a little emotional around this time of the year because I look back over the course of the year and you see the ups you see the downs you see the hills and the valleys you see where you wondered and where you wandered but God was there the whole time leading you guiding you how many times did that devil tell you you wouldn't make it to this day how many times did the devil tell you you were never gonna come out of that thing alive yet here you are standing in the presence of the mighty God hallelujah I feel the peace that passes understanding I feel the joy that is unspeakable [Applause] you are standing in the congregation of the redeemed there are people all around you that have been redeemed from a past filled with mistakes and failures but God has washed us cleansed us and given us hope for tomorrow oh we have so much for which to be thankful hallelujah God has been good to us God has been good to us thank you Jesus thank you Jesus we are so delighted that you are here this morning can we give all of our guests a great big hand cloud of appreciation we're so thankful that you are here today amen we are so thankful that you're here today we see a Kendrick Duvall Tyler Shelley David nawafil all in from st. Louis Missouri ocean college and Washington University and we're so thankful to have them home amen there's so many folks I see Lonnie Durham here god bless you brother Lonnie is so good to see you this morning let's give him a great big hand amen and I I'm gonna have to stop naming names cuz I'm gonna leave some folks out accidentally but we are so glad you're here one more time let's give everybody a great big hand that is made it this morning to the house of God thank you Jesus we are standing at in a ready now campaign at 1 million nine hundred twenty-five thousand dollars that you have given to the ready now campaign Oh hallelujah I'm timing all I am in awe at the beginning of this year we were readying ourselves for opposition to our project from from people who didn't quite understand what it was we were doing and we were putting our best foot forward making our case as best we could praying and fasting seeking the face of God and binding together in unity to see what the Lord would do through us and for us and at that time things were a little challenging and over the course of the next several months they were a little challenging but tonight today 1 million nine hundred twenty-five thousand dollars has come in to date for ready now campaign to God be the glory for the things he has done hallelujah we are at the beginning of the year we were readying ourselves for the challenges that lay in front of us as the year concludes we are pushing down the door of two million dollars coming in and I'm still believing it will we've got this morning we've got Tuesday night I still believe we're gonna reach two million dollars before the end of 2019 and folks you might as well get ready for 2020 you might as well go ahead and praise God now for what he's gonna do in 2020 don't wait till the battles over my I'm gonna shout over that groundbreaking right now I'm gonna shout over the shovel in the ground right now I'm gonna give God praise for the foundation going in right now for the parking lot going in right now [Applause] glory to God you know I just know God likes to do big things especially when people are faithful to him and you have been faithful to the Lord and he is honoring you in this great congregation and I thank you for that and we give glory and honor to the Lord we are so honored today to have one of our very favorite preachers of the gospel with us at Tree of Life Church the Diaz family means so very much to us and we've watched Mike and Caleb grew up over the years and man they become just two wonderful young men of God and we thank the Lord for their dedication to the Lord and we thank God for the ministry that he has blessed this family with so many messages have come across this pulpit from brother Diaz through the years this year he concluded 2018 with an unforgettable message the same ministry life-changing the night before we went before the Planning Commission and received our approval recommendation for approval to the City Council where the DA's came and preached to us a message entitled contending with God in prayer and caused all of us to realize again that prayer is the key that unlocks the door to the glorious miracles of God and we thank the Lord for brother Diaz and his ministry and the Diaz family would you welcome for the Diaz as he comes again today to preach the word of the Lord [Applause] well praise the Lord and clap your hands all you people Alleluia the psalmist said shout with a voice of triumph would you do that here tonight hallelujah we bless you Lord we glorify your name we exalt you Jesus forever in mountains and you've brought us over for every valley you've seen us through you are a mighty and exalted God amen it's so good to be in the house of the Lord this morning and to be with Tree of Life it is always such a blessing in such an honor to be here and I don't know about you guys but especially this season I am I'm tired of food I am tired of food I have a love-hate relationship with food and I have eaten so I was doing so well so well and then my mom came in on Thanksgiving and that messed everything up I try to try to get back on track and and then I went to the Dominican Republic first time going back to the country where I was born and I had never preached there and so that just happened last week and it was amazing amazing time but there is no way that I could go on a diet then and and so then this Christmas again we spent it in New York City and we had a great time and then I thought you know maybe I get started this week and then yesterday the devil made me go to Popeyes that Popeyes chicken sandwich if you've never had it but I'm gonna tell you right now there's there's not very many things I get excited about in life and the Holy Ghost is one and then popeyes chicken sandwiches too and then Caleb and Micah are 13 but I'm so glad that we are here I'm looking back over this decade God has been so good God has been so good even in the worst of times God has been good to us and we can't thank him enough today I'm gonna speak the kind of a nativity type theme I know it's a it's post Christmas but I'm gonna do a little post Christmas Christmas sermon and I feel like this is where I'm being led in in the Book of Luke chapter 2 and verse 7 the Book of Luke chapter 2 and verse 7 it is always a joy to be with the ocean family eNOS is the and all the families that are here it's good to see Bishop and his wife and all of you that are here today the Book of Luke chapter 2 and verse 7 and a Bible reads is so in the name of Jesus Christ 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 everybody say no room this morning I'd like to speak to you on this subject no room no room would you put your Bibles down and would you help me go before the Lord and ask the Lord help us here this morning father we pray that you would help us that I may speak of the goodness of God the gospel of Jesus Christ Oh Lord give me the ability to expose your word in manner that is understandable and let your people not just here but let them apropriate what they hear put it into action I pray O God that you would encourage us this morning and that you would shake us from our sleep and are in the doldrums and I pray these things in Jesus name Jesus name we pray amen god bless you you may be seated all over this film there are many aspects of this nativity scene that we can truly that are useful for reflection frankly thus this story leaves us no shortage of options of themes that can potentially be dissected in unpacked and applied to our personal lives I believe that the Incarnation the day that God became flesh and dwelt among us is still one of the premier doctrines of Christianity and we should take time to carefully study this beautiful time in place in history however tonight there this morning I'd like to take one of the peripheral aspects of this story if you will to help us see a great impractical lesson Joseph was about 13 to 16 years old and Mary was about 12 to 13 years old according to the customary ages at that time when their parents more than likely thought it was a good idea for them to be betrothed to each other now that before the period was somewhat of an engagement someone do you know what we call an engagement today where the couples were already considered married but they weren't allowed for one whole year to have any physical intimacy with each other in order to prove their fidelity and a lifetime commitment to longevity in their relationship now Caesar Augustus gave a decree in those days for a census and Rome required such registrations for two reasons one was to determine which you know who was eligible with the young people who were eligible for military service the other was to assess taxes which was the case in Luke chapter 2 so it was the responsibility of all the Jews to go get registered and accounted for in their respective cities while Joseph and Mary according to prophecy being from the lineage of David traveled to the City of David which was Bethlehem so down they went from the region of Galilee which is in the northern part of Palestine into Judea the region of Judea which was the southern region of Palestine but as Mary gets to Bethlehem and the City of David her water breaks and an unplanned impromptu birth unfolds that the prophecy of Micah was fulfilled but you Bethlehem though you are little among the thousands of Judah yet out of you shall come forth to me the one to be ruler in Israel well that there's a little problem though the problem is that because of the census and all the outside guests that were there to be registered the extremely small City now pretty filled up Mary and Joseph went to the inn to see if they could rent a room or perhaps that Inn was at someone's house there were different things at that time were called ends but the inn when she gets there was full there was no room no room at the end the end may have been sort of like a bed-and-breakfast type establishment or just the barn where people house guests but in any case the Bible says there was no room no room figuratively speaking all throughout history there were certain people who experienced this same level of inhospitality take for example Christopher Columbus who went forth on an expedition but before he went out set out on this expedition he went through countries in Europe looking to see if anyone would host him on his expedition no one gave him the green light until Spain finally allowed him to go on this expedition some say that he was out to prove that the earth was not flat and while others say that he was looking for gold in India well whatever the case may be Christopher Columbus went out asking for a host country - to be the you know to finance his expedition and no one would because there was no room for Christopher Columbus in his day how about Martin Luther King jr. a man who talked about civil rights and whose message was about that you can't judge a man by the color of his skin but by the content of his character and yet in a Memphis Tennessee balcony of a hotel he was shot down because in his day and in his age there was no room for his message no room for what he had to say how about Galileo one whom exposed at one time the theory of the Sun being the center of the universe and not the earth at that time everyone believed that it was the earth who with which was the center of the universe and that all planets gravitated around that planet Earth we thought we were the center of all of the attention and yet Galileo said no it's the Sun the Sun is and yet in his day in time the Catholic Church excommunicated him for his heresy at the time it was considered heresy and they sentenced him to a lifetime ban from the church and in prison he was sentenced to house arrest for the rest of his life it wasn't until after his death that you know we became aware that the Sun is the center of gravity and that planets do rotate around this Center and so Galileo in his day and in his time there was no room galaxies are called after Galileo that's where we get galaxies from from Galileo and yet in his day and time there was no room but the greatest historical personality whose life was characterized by these two words no room was a very protagonist of our very task text how ironic that these two words would follow Jesus way beyond the manger throughout his life he seemed to hear this phrase repeatedly no room no room see during his day in his life there seemed to be no room for his teachings there was no room for his preaching no room for his life no room for his zeal no room for his doctrine no room for his disciples many times he had to walk incognito if you will among the crowd because the Jews sought to kill him he was in the world and the world was made through him John said and the world did not know him he came unto his own and his own did not receive him they knew him not this is the stone says Acts chapter 4 and verse 11 which was rejected by your builders which has become the chief Cornerstone but in his day he was rejected by the builders as a ax 53 also prophesied this one they said he is despised and rejected by men a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and we hid as it were our faces from him he was despised and we did not esteem him several times a crowd picked up stones to stone him to death several times he had to escape out of Jerusalem where he was a most wanted a minute even in the story of Lazarus his friend who whom had just died when he mentioned to the disciples that he would be returning back to Jerusalem to spend some time with the family Thomas said let us also go that we may die with him why because he was a most wanted man in Jerusalem they looked to kill him there just seemed to be no room for Jesus but it wasn't just him his disciples would also suffer the same unwelcoming faith as their master this came as no surprise to Jesus who himself said if any man come unto me let him take up his cross and follow me that verse cannot properly be understood until we see the role the cross played in the first century as a symbol of capital punishment and how a man had to carry his own cross down what is now called la Via Dolorosa this was a gruesome practice that often made the subjects wish for death Jesus wasn't talking about small sacrifice but he was talking to his disciples about a cruel and physical and literal death he was saying if you come after me you're gonna have to take up your cross down the Via Dolorosa knowing farewell knowing very well that at the end of that trajectory at the end of that journey you will be crucified on the very cross that you are carrying in essence Jesus was saying if you follow me there will be sacrifices if you follow me there will be hurt and pain and separation from loved ones and rebellion against common ideology and being ostracized by the cultural structure he said if the world hates you you know that it hated me before it hated you if you were of the world the world would love its owner yet because you are not of the world but I chose you out of the world therefore the world hates you and remember the word that I said to you a servant is not greater than his master if they persecuted me they will also persecute you they'll persecute you why because there was no room and those words rang so very true the world did hate the disciples there was no room for the disciples in the book of Acts chapter 2 the church is born and by chapter 4 the Apostles are arrested and put in jail by Jewish Authority in Chapter five they're put in jail again in Chapter six we meet some of the first century Saints by name and one specifically called Steven and in Chapter 7 he is stoned to death by a mob after a false trial before the Sanhedrin by chapter 8 the general persecution breaks out against all believers spearheaded by a man named Saul by chapter 12 the first apostle is murdered in the twelve chapter here at imprisons Peter holding him until he would find the appropriate time to execute him back in Chapter nine we have the conversion of solids appalled and immediately upon his conversion he faces threats and persecution from the very Jews in Damascus who where he was converted why because there was no room for this Jesus the first persecutors of Christians were the Jews who saw the Christians as heretics and in chapter 16 of John and verse 2 jesus told His disciples to expect this from his Jewish country they will put you out of the synagogues he said yes the time is coming that whosoever kills you will think that he offers God service he was prophesying to them that Jews will hate you but Jews will hate you but it wasn't just the Jews doing the persecution when the gospel began to spread into the Mediterranean world where the Gentiles were in control it isn't very long before the Jim's house pick up the persecution and begin to wield the sword against Christians allegiance to Jesus is Lord arouse strong suspicion of disloyalty to Caesar it was considered treason so they hated Christians the Romans hated that they preached one God instead of many gods they hated that they would have secret meetings on the Lord's Day so they hated him they hated that Christians were having a strong influence among the lower classes of people the poor people if you will if you look at all the Apostles greetings you will also note that most of the church or a lot of the church were servants and slaves there were do loss at that time slaves and that's why it prompted him to say not many mighty and not many noble are called but God has chosen the foolish to confound wise and the weak to confound the mighty they had to have church not on Sunday morning that was a tradition that was implemented centuries later but they had church on Sunday night Laurel and literally it was Saturday night because they believe that after sunset the new day began so to them there were practicing the first day of the week was that Saturday night they would have it on Saturday night because the slaves could not attend the church during the morning service and that's why they had it on Saturday night the Romans hated them because they lived pure and righteous lives which were a constant and personal rebuke to the debauchery of the Roman world that Christians were bad for business Christians delivered people from demons and that was bad for the demon business Christians delivered people from idols and that was bad for the idols selling business Christian's delivered people from pagan temples and that was bad for the sacrifices that was sold at the temples Christians were a threat to their business Christians there were an alien people in the Roman world they did not absorb they did not acclimated they did not integrate they did not blend in they existed in complete isolation from the system yet they affected the system so there was no room there's a room for those disciples church history and tradition teaches us that all 12 of the Apostles with the exception of John were murdered for Christ's name's sake James the son of Zebedee he was killed by Herod in Acts chapter 12 and verse 2 Simon Peter crucified upside down as implied by Jesus in John 21 Andrew reportedly martyred by crucifixion on an x-shaped cross Philip according to the apocryphal book of the fourth century called Philip he died as he was hung upside down with hooks through his ankles as commanded by the proconsul of Hierapolis Thomas tradition holds that he was sent to India to teach where he was killed by being stabbed with a spear Bartholomew was crucified James a brother of Jesus was not an apostle but he was a leader in Jerusalem and according to Josephus the historian a Hellenistic historian he was stoned by the Pharisees Matthias was also crucified why because there was no room there just was no room oh but Tree of Life Church we don't have to go 2,000 years ago to see that there was no room for this Jesus and no room for his disciples there is still no room around our world today see according to a Roman Catholic source in all of church history about 70 million people or Christians have been killed for their faith and two-thirds of them after the start of the 20th century this article says that hundreds of thousands have been killed since 1990 alone and they're still being killed around our world today why because there is no room on February 15 2013 15 2015 a five-minute video was published showing the beheading of 21 Coptic Christian captives on a beach along the southern Mediterranean coast it was a caption in that video called the captives the people of the Cross but followers of the hostile Egyptian Church in the video one of the killers and camouflage declared in English o people recently you've seen us on the hills of Al Sharma and on the Beeks plane chopping off the heads that had been carrying the cross delusion for a long time filled with spite against Islam and Muslims and today we are sending a message o Crusaders safety for you will only be wishes especially when you're fighting us all together therefore we will fight you all together until the war lay down its burdens and Jesus peace be upon him they believe Jesus to be a prophet will descend breaking the cross and killing the swine the see you've hidden Sheikh Osama bin Laden's body in we swear to Allah we will mix it with your blood this was not 2000 years ago this was four years ago do you know why because there is still no room there is still no room around our world today Oh ladies and gentlemen we don't have to go 2,000 years ago to know there's no room for Jesus we don't have to go 2,000 years ago to know there's no room for his disciples we don't have to even go around the world to notice there is no room for this Jesus but even in America today we are now faced with the greatest persecution against Christianity in the history of the United States of America it is not a physical persecution it hasn't gotten to that point yet it is a persecution on our ideals it is a persecution on our belief system it is a persecution on our religious right to express our beliefs and to live according to the dictates of our heart this country was found on the principles of religious freedom but now we see how Americans are taking the separation of state and church out of context and making a mockery out of Christianity under the banner that we are an intolerant religion the irony is that we are treated with the same intolerance that they are accusing us of having when same-sex proponents can parade around Fifth Avenue with gay pride mockingly dressed as Jesus and His disciples and then a movie is made on Netflix just recently a listener and the media pushes and celebrates this and anybody that opposes it is you know why because there is no room for this Jesus no room for his doctrine there is no room for his Christians no room for his people when prayers and Bibles are kicked out of our school system Madalyn Murray O'Hair well he was a vocal partner of kicking this out of our school system but now in please excuse the phrase but now condoms are and rainbow curriculum are being passed out and accepted among our children you know why that is because there is no room for this Jesus there's still no room for this Jesus when late-term abortions are are being accepted in today as normal and can I tell you when self labeled Luciferian sir such as Lady gaga are being are being sold that their music is being so much to the light of the masses we have made no room for this Jesus in this decade when the transgender are given awards for bravery and persons who were born male are decorated women of the year do you know why because there's no room for this Jesus er and yet they get Tim Tebow because he prayed before he played can I tell you why there is no room for this Jesus there's still no room for this Jesus went in the wake of mass shootings at st. Bernard II know in California the New York Daily News decides to shame politicians for writing prayers and thoughts are with the victims and their families by printing on their front page and large bold letters God isn't fixing this God isn't fixing this we have made no room for Jesus no room September 11th 2001 will forever be etched in our brains as a day that will live in infamy I remember coming home to New York City my childhood home coming on that very day flying back on that Tuesday morning my flight was canceled was not allowed I was actually the very first flight to come out of San Francisco back into New York City this is a kind of a cool fact not a cool but it kind of a fact but just a week before very Tuesday morning I took the same exact flight same exact flight number United that crashed against the Pentagon it was the very same flights very same route very same flight number that crashed against that Pentagon just seven days earlier and I was on my way back to New York City on that very Tuesday morning I'll never forget though right after all this happened and we could still smell the burning flesh of individuals around the city and I'll never forget that Wednesday night we had a little prayer service we got together in the Bronx there in New York and we had a little prayer service and we asked some of the the men and women that were there to kind of give their testimonies of you know some of the testimonies that happened and one of the men stood up and he said I've I've got a testimony I want to I want to share he said for more than three decades I've been working at a factory right across from the Twin Towers and while I was there in the very last floor the basement of that building that's where we worked on a factory and we made some designer clothes out there and he said for more than three decades I have been scorned and laughed at people have laughed at me for the way that I dress people have laughed at me for the way my wife dresses people have laughed at me for the way that I speak and the fact that I don't curse people laugh at me because I would not go with them to places they wanted me to go with them people laughed at me because I prayed and read my Bible during my lunch break people laughed at me everywhere I went he said but on September 11th my boss came in we didn't know what was going on but my boss came into the factory and he said everyone stopped their machines and he said we stopped them and he said something horrendous is going on on top of us right now and we're at war no one really knew what was going on at the moment but he said we're at war the Twin Towers have fallen and he said please everybody stop your machines turn everything off we need to fly home we need to run home please as fast as you can get to your family if you could he said pandemonium break out and people began to cry and the people didn't know where to go and what to do but the boss said I'm very scared and I'm really not a religious person he said but I think it is appropriate before we go that we should have a prayer to a god somewhere he said but I don't know how to pray he said is there anybody in this house that knows how to pray he said Church for over 30 years they laughed and scorned and they and they brutally made fun of me through 30 years of my life here but he said on that day every single person simultaneously pointed over at me and one of the ladies who was the main the main you know person behind the scorning she got up and she said I've made fun of you for over 30 years but she said if there's anybody that I trust to get a hold of God it is you would you please pray for us would you please pray for me America don't let towers begin to fall and don't let persecution begin to come before you realize that the only hope for this nation is Jesus Christ the peace of peace let it happen before you realize that you need to make room for Jesus you need to make room for this Jesus in this story there was literally no room the innkeeper just had no room for our Savior if I were to take a poll here this morning of all who have attended this service if I were to ask you what do you think about Jesus I surmise that perhaps 95 percent at least at the very least of you would say you love Jesus or if you don't love Jesus perhaps you don't have anything really negative to say about Jesus see it's not that we don't love Jesus we love Jesus it's just that we are as our text says full all of our rooms are occupied her rules are just filled with work and school in church sometimes ministry by the time we think about Jesus there's just no room we don't have to go 2,000 years ago to know there's no room for Jesus we don't have to go 2,000 years ago to know there's no room for his disciples we don't have to go around the world to know there is no room we don't even have to look around America to notice there is no room ladies and gentlemen may I just say the church there is still no room for this Jesus reminds me of the story of Joseph and Mary when Jesus was just 12 years old and they were up in the temple to offer their sacrifice how they went the Bible said a whole day's journey not knowing that Jesus was no longer with them a whole day's journey it's not that they didn't love their son they absolutely loved their son it's just that day we're so busy with the journey so busy with the trajectory so busy with their social life so busy catching up with others are so busy they forgot Jesus is no longer with us and they went up a whole day's journey before someone asked a question where is Jesus they left them at the temple Oh how apropos is that to our generation today many of us leave Jesus every Sunday a tree of the Life Church as we go back to our jobs and we go back to our daily lives and we go back to our chores and stop that you don't love them there's just no room for this Jesus today at least the innkeeper wasn't being inhospitable he just didn't know who this baby was he did not know that the baby was going to be the savior of the world had he known that this was to be the savior of the world I promise you he would have made a room because had it been herod the great there would have been room had it been Julius Caesar there would have been room for him Augustus there would have been room for him but because he was ignorant of the fact who this baby was there just was no room Jesus was a king but he was a king of a different kind he didn't come with the bells and whistles there was no room for him because there was no beauty in him that we should desire him he had no money the son of man didn't even have a place to lay his head even his tomb was borrowed you can't really blame the innkeeper he didn't know who Jesus was he didn't understand that though he was rich he made himself for he didn't understand that though he was king he made himself a servant he didn't understand that though he had all glory he made himself of no reputation but we know who Jesus oh can I tell you there was an excuse for the innkeeper he did not know who this Jesus was but his Bible knew I felt this presence you've been baptized in his name you've received this spirit you have fellowship with a saint what is our excuse we still don't make room for Jesus and also there is reason why this innkeeper did not have room for Jesus it's because in order to let Jesus in he would have had to throw someone out that is still true for us today because if you ever want to let Christ in there are some things in our ends that need to get kicked down because if Christ ever comes in greed has to go if Christ comes in lost a circle if Christ comes in hatred hass ago and the Hasek oh if Christ comes in there's some phone numbers that have to go if Christ comes in bitterness classic oh if Christ comes in there's some clothes in my closet that Hospital there's some attitudes that have to go there's some places I go to that have to go there's some people I follow on social media that have to go if Christ comes in there's some boyfriend said I have to go if Christ really comes there's some addictions that I have to go so there's no room for you Jesus you come at a great price it's like Dietrich Bonhoeffer said when Christ bid you to come he beats you to come and die and if Christ really comes in then I would have to walk the second mile with him that asks me the first one if Christ really comes in then I would have to turn the cheek to them who smite me on the one if Christ comes in I'll have to pray for my enemies I'll have to forgive my offenders if Christ comes in I'll have to give cheerfully if Christ really comes in I have to serve and not be served if Christ really comes in so there is no room but the beauty of the story is I bring this to a close the beauty of this story for us today is that while we tell Jesus there is no room for you Jesus tells us there's room at the cross well I say I'm just too busy work family and relationships in school and traveling and entertainment I'm I'm just too busy Jesus says in my father's house are many mansions it not be so I wouldn't have told you but he said I go and prepare a place for you while I have no place I'm too busy to pray I've got so much my there's social media and friends and texting and and I've got work and money to be made and I've got to get ahead in life there's no room and yet I hear him say I stand at the door and I knock there's no room for you Jesus but he says come unto me those who are worried and heavy laden and I will give you rest there's no room for you Jesus but he said don't let us reason say if the law it just said be read a scholarly there will be white yes-no Arcos musicians come there while back I was getting ready to come out of my home and you know I usually find a little time for prayer whether that be in the evening or at night or in the morning my sons go to school or after they go to bed find a little time for prayer I read every morning read his word every morning but uh on this specific day I had set up a meeting with pastor I was gonna go meet with him and you know get on with my life and my day and check on some things and business and and plan and and study and do my thing and I got down and I prayed as usual we can I can I be transparent here this morning my prayer life it's consistent but it's lacking my prayer life had dwindled down to me checking the clock every five minutes just to make sure that I completed my quota for the day you know just that I pray enough you know cause if I didn't pray at least 15 minutes then that it's just not enough my prayer had become an issue of legalism for me an issue of duty and obligation I didn't ever want to stand behind here and ask people to pray if I wasn't praying that's why I did it and when I did it was full of vain babblings Oh No thank you Jesus for this day Oh Lord you see everything Oh Lord thank you because you are such and such there's no affection in my words there was no relationship in my words on the specific days as I was looking over at the clock just making sure I had just read a portion from Psalms or whatever it was and closed my Bible my phone and I knelt before the bed and I began to pray and it was some of the same a Siri what time is it I just want to get it get it over with get on with my day the Lord brought to my attention when I was just about 14 years old freshman in high school and I was so in love with Jesus in a Bronx New York I remember back in those days the Walkman had just come out Sony Walkman you had one of those you were it you were it and then they'd break and you tape them up with electrical tape on the side if you're under 40 you don't understand what I'd listen to I listen to my music on my Walkmans on my way to school in the morning sometimes on my way back I had such a burden that I wouldn't even take the bus back to school I would walk about five miles I walked back home the reason I'd walk back is because I wouldn't listen and I pray for buildings on my way back Oh God save Oh God use my life God use me I'll never forget some days my mom would open the door he's gotta get home and I was sobered and I had such a love such a passion for God in his church and I would run to my room my mother would ask what's going what's wrong with you and I would cry and I couldn't explain and I would run and I would lock myself in my room and I would go under my bed so no one could hear me and I'd grab a pillow in order to muffle my voice and I would scream out of use my life for your kingdom shed me God said me I want to do great things for you I want this world to be saved I'm under obligation I owe I began to think of where my life was now the first-class flights and traveling around the world pictures on flyers it's not that I don't love Jesus I absolutely love them but as the years have gone on my Inn has become full there's some vanity that needs to come out some things that have taken ahold of me oh I love Jesus but this walk had become duty and obligation on that morning I remember just praying and for the very first time in a long time as I was praying I got off the you know memorized script for the very first time there was no one there I just raised my head will never forget the tears begin to roll down my face but I had a meeting so as I was crying even as I was crying and I felt the presence I had not felt in such a long time Siri what time is it I don't want to be late I forgot stuff to do I've got ministry to take care of I've got people of counseling business meetings to have and I got up I put my put my best stuff on it and I was leaving out the door but my heart was broken for God I stopped at the light and tears began to flow and I didn't know but I kept I kept hearing him beckoning calling unto me come back come back come back finally I I could not resist that voice and even as I waited on the light I called pastor and I said I'm so sorry sir but I'm gonna have to cancel today I've I have another meeting I did not know I had and I need to get back and I came back and I wiped out everything of my calendar and I came back home and I went under the bed just like when I was 14 I said oh god I fished you I'm so sorry that I've paid so much more attention to the Ministry of God than the god of the ministry I pray right now in the name of Jesus Christ over Tree of Life Church father in 2020 I pray that men of this house would make room for you and their families I pray that every distraction that has gotten a hold of us in this generation would be put aside and becomes secondary that good things would not become ultimate things I pray O God that we would make room for you in our ends I pray that anything that needs to be kicked out would be kicked out that you will become first and foremost I pray with that we come back to our first love I pray that we come back to a place where nothing else matters but you and your word in your church and your mission I pray that you move my spirit in my heart put a fire so deep within us that we would give as much as we can of our resources of our time and we would sacrifice for your kingdom nothing else would be as important as spending time with you and your people in your church we're gonna make room for you we're gonna make room for you I open this all to hear I pray you find a place wherever you are whether at your seat over at this altar just pray with some honor could we just turn this for the next several minutes just there's a little place of a prayer and introspection and would you go deep down into the into the cavity of your heart and would you just would you just reflect on some words if you need to repent repent if you need to be thankful for where you are and God has brought you and your relationship with him would you do that as well I'm not trying to condemn anybody this is this is not one of those but I pray I've bought conviction over some hearts to you that love the Lord if you truly love the Lord conviction would come upon your heart and you would say I'm there I'm there my relationship is not where it needs to be with Jesus but I needed to get back there I'm praying right now if you're a backslider in this house I want to pray with you right now because the Holy Ghost is dealing with you and your spirit and some of you are probably not backslidden physically but you're backslidden in your heart and I'm praying for you even now God is convicting you of your sin and God is convicting you of apathy and lethargy and God is convicting you of I don't care nests is convicting you over some things you have neglected and I pray right now that God would convict you over to this altar and bring you back bring you back to him there is room for you there's room for you make room for this Jesus raise your voices all over this building right now come on come on raise your voices in a seed on someone's behalf and her seed on your own man but I pray in this place that conviction would get ahold how long has it been since tears flow how long has it been since your heart has been moved how long has it been since conviction got a hold of you how long has it been since you've made room for Jesus how long has it been since your heart wasn't moved how long has it been there's no room God is knocking at your door even now come on make some room come on make some room for this Jesus come on make some room make some room for this Jesus make some room for this Jesus pray with somebody pray with somebody if you will pray with somebody feel their pray with somebody come on the Holy Ghost is moving in this houses beautiful spirit of the lord let conviction get a hold of you it's gonna be different in 2020 some family altars need to be rebuild in 2020 my prayer life has to go to another level in 2020 Oh God bring conviction to my heart Oh collected some things I've lost some things along the way the joy of my salvation is God oh god it's become duty it's become obligation it's become necessity but Lord it's not delight Lord it's been a while since it's been a joy it's been a while since it sprung up from the death of my soul God I want to serve you with a collab dish I want to go back come on come home come back home his presence [Music] you
