Ian the Innkeeper (Christmas Sunday 2022)

Those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem, town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born.

And.

She gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger because there was no guest room available for them.

It's interesting to me that everybody wants to tell the Christmas story, but nobody wants to talk to me. I'm Ian, the innkeeper. I was the innkeeper at this inn that Mary and Joseph came to. Everybody wants to talk about how I rejected them, how there was no room for them at the end. You know, everybody wants to talk about what Mary has to say, what Joseph has to say, but nobody wants to ask me, Ian, the innkeeper, what actually happened was on Christmas Sunday. So can I tell y' all my story as Ian the innkeeper? Listen, so let me set the record straight. Have y' all ever had a story that somebody put you a part of that you were never actually a part of? Like, you know, you go on vacation, right? And your co workers, when you get back to work, they pull you aside real quick and say, hold on. I told my boss that you helped me with something that you really didn't help me with, and you were on vacation, but for some reason, you came back from Jamaica for one day and your whole crew did something to you before you got back to work. Like, they put you in a story that you were never a part of. That's my.

That's.

That. That's my story. I've been the scapegoat for the Christmas story for thousands of years. I'm the one who supposedly rejected Mary and rejected Joseph and rejected Jesus. You know, let me tell you what actually happened. So this fool named Corinius had a census, and he said, this is one of these rare censuses because there's only about three censuses in our entire history that made everybody go back to their hometown. So Corinius, being so insecure as he was, made everybody come back to Bethlehem to go back to their hometown in the entire Roman world. So Mary's whole family was from a town named Bethlehem. Joseph's whole Family was also from a town named Bethlehem around 4 CE. And so here we are. I'm doing, minding my own business. Get this, y'. All, Everybody is coming back to Bethlehem. I mean, thousands of people are coming to this little itty bitty 8 school square mile town called Bethlehem. And so here we come. They come to this space. Now, here's the thing. The word in, in the scriptures is actually this interesting Greek word called catalima. And what catalima means is guest chamber. It was not a motel. They didn't come to the Holiday Inn or the Motel 6 like y' all go to today. They went to this place called the Guest Chamber. The guest chamber is like the guest room of your house. Everybody would go to their family's home. It was the guest room of somebody else's home. So houses in. In this time, y'. All, it was interesting because houses would be set up around the general court in our community where people would shop, where people would engage, where people would eat. So get the picture. Thousands of people came to Bethlehem to take the census. And in the back of their homes is where they would put their donkeys. That's where they would put the donkeys. That's the stable. The stable that y' all paint nowadays in capitalist America with, like, lambs and goats and all this. It was a nasty area on the backside of a home where there was a bale of hay where the people, people would eat the donkeys would eat the hay on the back of someone's home in the middle of the court where people would shop. And that's where Mary and Joseph had the baby Jesus. So before you blame me, you know who else was in Bethlehem? Mary's mama. Mary's mama was a woman named St. Anne. Don't believe me? Look it up in the apocrypha. We get her story. Mary's mama was a woman named St. Ann. She was married to a brother named Joachim. Here's the story behind Mary's mama. Not just Mary's mama was there. Mary's cousins were there. Elizabeth lived 19 minutes away from Bethlehem. But everybody wants to talk about me. Elizabeth was 19 minutes walking from Bethlehem. Not just that, but you know who.

Else'S whole family was in Bethlehem? Joseph.

Joseph's entire family lived in Bethlehem.

So everybody wants to blame me.

But Joseph being 76 years old, Mary being between 13 to 18 years old, they go back to Bethlehem. They march him 90 miles from Nazareth to get back to Bethlehem, to take the city, you know, Here, let me give you the full picture of Their story, their journey. So they go from Nazareth all the way to Bethlehem. Get the picture, y'? All, Mary is 10 months pregnant. She is going on a donkey all the way walking. And here's what they believe, 90 miles. Scholars suggest that she actually only traveled about 10 miles a day. Here's. Let me tell you what's on that road from Nazareth to Bethlehem. It was a well known trip, trade route. On that road were thieves. On that road were robbers. And they had to go up mountains with one donkey. Let me tell you the food they took with them because they didn't want to be robbed. All they had was some unleavened bread, some oil and some water. A week and a half journey, 10 months pregnant, some of y'. All. My wife, My wife, when she had our first kid, we couldn't even make it to the hospital, right? It was. We had a 10 mile. We had a 10 mile drive. They had a 90 mile walk up and around mountains on a trade route with thieves and robbers, with thousands of people journeying to get to their hometown. And the only food they had was oil, bread and water. I'm talking to people today, but that feels like your 2022. It seems like your whole 2022 was you going on a journey pregnant with purpose, pregnant with possibility, desiring to birth something. And it seems like every time you turn, turned a corner, here's another mountain. Harris.

Every time you turned a corner, here's.

Something trying to rob your joy. Every time you turn the corner, here's a funeral.

Every time you turn the corner, here's a review.

Every time you turned a corner was another mountain, another hill, another jackal trying to eat you. Something, trying to take something from you.

And all you had was your word.

And for some reason, the reason some.

Of us ought to be thanking God.

This morning is that you made it to Bethlehem.

And all you had was some bread, some. Some oil and some water. You know the mountains that almost took you out.

You know the grief that almost made.

You lose your mind. You know the job that almost made you get some more gray hair. But I thank God that in spite of the difficult journey that 2022 was.

We made it back on home. See. Okay, if that doesn't get you, can I shout to you about something? If that doesn't get you, remember this. I told you that Elizabeth lived about 19 minutes away from Bethlehem. Meaning if y' all go back to Luke chapter one, when Mary originally heard from God that she was going to have a baby, Right? Remember the first thing Mary did the Bible says that Mary jumped up and ran from Nazareth and went to El Karim. El Karim is where Elizabeth lived. EL Karim is 19 minutes from Bethlehem. Meaning. Watch this. The same road that Mary took to get to Elizabeth's house is the same road that Mary took and Joseph took to get to Bethlehem. Don't miss this. Meaning the journey that you're on right now is a journey you won a long time ago. And the reason I'm not afraid the second time is because God was with me the first time. I'm talking to folks.

This ain't the first time I've been broke.

I've been here before.

This ain't the first time I lost. This ain't the first time I've gone through this.

I've been here before.

And the same God that kept me the first time is the same God that's walking with me right now. So the reason I'm not worried about 2023, I've been here before. The reason I ain't tripping over what's coming 2023. I've been here before. And the same way God kept me the last time is the same way God's gonna keep me next year. Am I talking to anybody up in this Pentecostal Presbyterian living room that can get real Pentecostal this morning? And thank God that he kept me with the thieves last year. He kept me with the robbers last year. He saw me through the mountain last year. He helped me overcome it last year. And if God did it in 2022, eyes have not seen and ears have not heard. I've been here before. I've gone through this before. I've got wisdom from this. I've overcome this. And God kept me last time. Matter of fact, I'll shout you even more. The last time Mary went on this.

Journey she was by herself. But this time I think Mary learned ain't no fun unless the homies get some.

Because the Bible says that John Joseph was walking alongside her. Because the first time you went was by yourself.

But this is the year of community.

I'm not getting blessed unless my neighbor gets blessed. I'm not getting free unless my neighbor gets free. I wish I had some parents who can say we not having debt freedom until I teach my children to be debt free. Because I'm not going along this journey by myself.

Mary goes on the journey and the Bible says they get to Bethlehem and they've been here before. They've been on this journey. That she's not wasting her energy this time because she's been on the journey, she knows where the thieves were hiding. She knew where the robbers were hiding.

She knew where to pause.

Let me tell you. 20, 23, I ain't wasting my time because I've been here before. I ain't wasting my tears. I ain't wasting my statuses. I'm talking to somebody. I'm not wasting my energy because we've been through this before. So Mary and Joseph get to Bethlehem, and they go to their mama's home. St. Anne says no. You know, can we. Can we talk about St. Ann real quick? Like Mary's mama. So get the story behind Mary's mom, Mary's mama. St. Anne was married a number of times, but she was married to a brother named Joachim. Joachim was sterile. Joachim couldn't have children. So the Bible says that Mary. So Anne was praying that God would give her a child. She prayed for years that God would give Ann a child. And so one day, she went to the temple. Her and Joel came into the temple, just like Hannah did in First Samuel. She goes to the temple, she prays, God, give us a child. All of a sudden, Anne is pregnant with a sister named Mary. The story goes that three years later, Anne, because she was obedient to God, took Mary to the temple and just dropped her off at the temple.

Left.

Talk about parental abandonment. Talk about parent that. Watch this. In obedience to the answered prayer of God, I left my child at church. Come here. Some of y' all are saying, I would never do that. There have been times in your life where you had more meetings at church throughout the course of a week than you had dinners at home with your children. We've abandoned our children. There are times we make fun of this next generation. We talk about what they don't do while all they're doing is in iPads and in phones. And we can consider that we don't even know what our children's favorite color is because we've just given them a phone. It told them to be quiet. We've abandoned our children. We talk about what Gen Z isn't doing. We talk about what Gen Alpha isn't doing. We talk about millennials don't accomplish. Because you know what? A lot of times we've abandoned a generation in the name of Christian tradition. Mary got abandoned at the church. Mama left her there. In obedience to God, she ends up going back to Bethlehem. She left Mary and Nazareth to fend for herself, for the church to raise her. So get the picture. Ten years later, they've communicated via notes and letters. And 10 years later, Mary shows up to St. Ann, Mama's home, pregnant and don't know who the daddy is. She left her at the temple in obedience to God and her obedience to God gave her a child that's pregnant and it ain't Joseph's child. She ain't even married yet. So out of Jewish custom, she rejects her and prays for her, throws her away. She comes home and in this age of excitement, in this age of ready to have childbearing years, Mary comes home engaged, not married. So being the good Jew that Anne was, she told that you can't stay here because they believe things like that were sinful, so you must be committing adultery. I'm not going to let you into my home. So Ann rejects her daughter. They would go to Joseph's family. Joseph, being 76 years old, was a well respected man. He was a Tecton, he was a well off man in Nazareth. He goes to his own family's home, whether it was brothers or sisters or uncles and aunties. And they were disgusted that he would even stay with Mary. They didn't welcome him into their home. So Mary was 10 months pregnant. Told you guys, she wasn't born in some pretty little stable in the basement. Let me tell you what the stables were. The stables, stables were literally on the backside of people's homes, outside. That's where they will tie up the donkeys. So Mary, 10 months pregnant is sitting on the side of the road where donkeys will be stayed. And so there are tons of donkeys there because everybody had traveled back into Bethlehem. And remember this about homes to homes. Remember people at this time frame, y', all, I'm six five today. But really in that time frame, Jesus was only about 5, 4. So men at that time frame, that's why we talk about Goliath being a giant. We believe Goliath was really about 6 foot 5. And so men at that time were probably 4 foot 5 to 5 4, the average male height. Women were much shorter. So the windows, the homes were really only about 6 to 8ft tall in terms of their ceilings. They would carve them out of clay. They had clay floors. And so the windows were about 4ft tall off the side of the road, meaning. And they did not have storm windows. In 1st century Jerusalem, there were open windows, open holes on the side of a building where they put a sheet over the window so that you would keep animals or insects out. So get this picture. Mary, 10 months pregnant, in the middle of labor, is tied up to the side of somebody's home, streaming out in labor pains and the whole community hears it. People heard this. This was an open area. You watched this woman who had the Messiah in the community give birth and nobody welcomed her into their home. Mary was rejected by her family. Jesus was rejected by his extended family and with all of God in her, with all the promise that God gave them, with all the promise that God gave their marriage, they were rejected over and over, over. So we love putting me into this story, but I was never in this story. Nobody came to my inn, nobody came to my house because people love putting me in this story. Because it's easy to use me as a scapegoat, to not deal with the truth at. The reason people see me as the one that rejected Jesus is because we reject Jesus all the time. People rejected Jesus and rejected Mary because she did not come to them in the package they wanted Mary to be in. The people rejected Jesus because they wanted Jesus to come as a great warrior. That's what made Judas betray him. Judas betrayed Jesus because he wanted Jesus to come as a warrior to destroy this temple and build it up again. And Jesus came as a Tecton. They rejected Mary because mary was a.

12 year old girl who's pregnant and.

Don'T even know who the father is. They rejected Joseph because they didn't like that Joseph was going to stay with somebody who they assumed was in sin.

How many people have we rejected because.

Of our assumption and biases? Because we reject Jesus. So I'm the innkeeper, I'm the scapegoat. I'm the big bad villain in the story because you don't want to acknowledge the truth that when Jesus told you to read your Bible, you rejected him. Oh, you know it's true.

When it's prayer time in church. Go pray with your neighbor.

I don't want to talk to you. Jesus with somebody. We reject him. Jesus tells you to start that small group on your job. I reject him. You want to play your gospel music but you put the headphones in because.

You don't want anybody on your job.

To know you're saved. Because we, we've gotten comfortable rejecting Jesus.

Jesus is so good on Sunday morning.

But don't talk to me Monday through Saturday. Jesus because we've gotten comfortable. Jesus becomes an inconvenience when you're on vacation. I gotta go to church. Jesus becomes a nuisance to my insecurity. I like being insecure. Why are you telling me that I'm loved by you. I like the attention my insecurity gives me. So how do I know, we reject him. Well, if that doesn't get you. Literally, Scripture puts it like this. While we were yet sinners, we constantly rejected Jesus. And he said, fine, I still, still accept you for God's will of the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. And there is now no condemnation because we deserve to be condemned. But he decided to give us brand new life. But you're saying. Pastor Justin. Okay, I get it. I'm growing in my faith. Please be patient with me. God is not through with me, but when he gets done, I'll be good. But you know what? But I don't do that to my family. Ian, the innkeeper. Oh, I would never do to my family what people did to Mary and Joseph. Really? Because what about the time when your children just wanted 10 more minutes to play with you and work was more important than that time to play with your children? What about the family member who has a business that you've not supported yet? Come here. Come here. What about the family member who has a business that you shared on Facebook but didn't support them by purchasing anything? What about the person who got pregnant at a young age and you called them a bunch of sinners? What about the person who likes somebody that you don't approve of their relationship? What about the family member that's the running joke in your family that you just talk about in code and they're sitting in the room with you. But we reject them the same way that Ann and Joseph's family rejected Mary and Joseph. We reject Jesus daily. We reject our families often. And so we put it on me, the innkeeper, because I'm the easy skateboard scapegoat to not deal with the truth that sometimes I like what Jesus does, but I don't want him in every nook and cranny of my life. So Jesus, stay on the side of the road so I'll know where you are. But don't come into my intimate spaces, because if you come into my life, you'll find things that even I don't like about me too. So there was no room at the end, but really there was no room for Jesus in our hearts, there was no room for Jesus in our souls, there was no room for Jesus. And so we rejected Jesus. But here's the good news of the gospel. While we rejected Jesus, that didn't stop him from coming into the world. While we told him no, he still said yes to us.

And while we kicked him to the side of the road and said, jesus, all you deserve is the sign of our lives. All you deserve is Sunday morning. All you deserve is five minutes before I go to bed. All you deserve is two minutes on Tuesdays. All you deserve is when I go to funerals. All you deserve is when I go to weddings. All you deserve are the same old scriptures that I don't want to read my Bible. And Jesus said, but I still love you.

And the reason a whole lot of.

Us ought to be thanking God today is that while we kicked Jesus to the side of the road, he still gave us all of himself. He's still a wonderful counselor, a mighty God and everlasting father, that while we.

Kicked him to the side, he came into our homes. So what would your life look like if you stop rejecting Jesus? I know that sounds like, oh my God, what would your life look like if you didn't need me to be in the Christmas story as the rejecter of Jesus presence? Well, let me give you two quick things, really quick. Number one, quit playing the blame game. Quit playing. See, when I play the blame game, I'm refusing to take responsibility for the things that I've done. So I blame other people because blame becomes refusal to take responsibility. I am in the Christmas story because Christians need someone to blame. Oh, we gotta blame Satan. The Devil made me do it. No, he didn't. The devil wasn't at the club. The Devil made me do it. The devil didn't text them. The Devil made me do it. The devil didn't lay down and sleep with somebody who's not your spouse. The Devil made me do it. The devil didn't light that blunt. The Devil made me do it. The Devil. I wish I had somebody.

The devil didn't pour that shot. The devil didn't drive to their home across the town. The devil didn't go into your job and steal the money.

The devil didn't send the email, you did. And if I need someone to blame, I don't want to take responsibility. Quit playing the blame game.

I'm in the Christmas store story because Christians don't want to take responsibility that.

We have gotten comfortable with sin. Playing the blame game is just not taking responsibility. Nobody in Bethlehem who heard a woman in labor on the side of the road wanted to give her room to have a baby.

Take all the extra stuff off.

You hear a woman screaming at the past. Apocrypha tells us. Enoch even tells us in the Apocrypha that Joseph went looking for midwives and none of them wanted to help him. You hear a woman screaming on the side of the road. And so. And to make matters worse, y', all, at this time frame, women weren't counted in censuses. You know why? Because women were only good for one thing, to have babies. That's why Mary, at 12 years old, was such a big deal. So here's a picture. Even with that, 60% of women that had children at this time died in childbirth or after childbirth because there was no doctors to make sure they had to take away all the bacteria and to heal them afterwards. So the only thing here is a woman who's at the brink of losing her life and no one would give her a room out of Jewish tradition. How many people are not connected to Jesus because of our foolish Christian traditions? Oh, come here. I'm already in it. I'm. How many times has our faith push people away from Jesus? How many times of our worship services? Jesus out, Jesus from church. How many people have we kicked away because of our tradition? Quit blaming the brokenness of the local church for the reason you don't trust Jesus. Quit playing the blame game and take.

I don't take responsibility.

There are times where you don't want.

Jesus in your life, and that's where.

Jesus can begin to work. Because if we don't, we won't take the reality. Reality check that we reject pregnant people on the side of the road. We reject family and friends. We reject people because of our assumptions and biases. Because I have not submitted my insecurity and my ego at the foot of the cross so that I can be healed, to make sure that the love of Christ doesn't just stop at me, but it reaches everybody I encounter. Encounter. Because when I play the blame game, I find fault in others without inviting Jesus to be with me. Who's the person that you're playing the blame game with? Who's about to burst something powerful that you are comfortable letting them sit on the side of the road because you're saying you're too busy to help them out? Who's a person in your family that has about to birth something so powerful.

But you've got so much to do.

That you can't take time to pray with them?

Who's the person screaming in pain in your family on the side of the road that needs you to embrace them?

Are we more comfortable with seeing social ills on the side of the roads of Vallejo? Are we more comfortable with just saying, well, that's just a part of my community. That's just the crazy one in our family that's just the one that God can't reach them. God got you, but he can't get that cousin.

God got you, but he can't get that nice nephew.

Who's the person in your family that you've just let sit on the side of the road? Watch this, because it makes you feel good that you're not in that situation. Who's the person starting a business that you will not support because you already know it's going to fail? So instead of protecting them, you're just going to watch them fall flat on their faces? Who's the person in a relationship that they're afraid to call you and show you what they're proud of in their life? Who's the person that you are watching to watch them fall in their faces so you can come back and say, I told you so? Who's the person that's about to birth something beautiful on the side of the road? But because of your bias, your assumptions, your traditions, your thoughts about scripture, you have found reason to reject them. Can I tell you something amazing? We all deserved rejection from God. But if you look back at Genesis chapter three, there's a part of God, a side of God. I want us to see the grace of God in Genesis chapter three. When Adam. When Eve, sorry, ate the apple off the tree. And Adam was right there and he ate the apple with her. And God. God asked them a question. They ran away from God. Sin came into the world. And then they covered themselves. Have you ever taken a moment to think about this? When God was going to reject his children, he paused, scooped down dirt from the earth and created cover for his children. That when he could have rejected us, he covered us. Oh, my God.

That we serve a God who is not a God of wrath, but of God that will stop time. Undress an animal's fur, weave the animal's fur together and leave it right in front of you. Because while we deserve to death and damnation to hell. He said, I'm gonna cover you. So who told you you're naked? Because I never called you naked. Who told you you're broke? I never called you. You broke. Who told you that? You're the bower. I never called you the barber. Who told you you can. Because all God does is give us grace. And what if we model that love.

Ethic with our families? That instead of. Instead of throwing away our children, we scooped down and gave him grace?

Instead of throwing away that cousin, we.

Scooped down and showed them the same way that God Covered me is the same way that God will cover you, too. What would it look like to show our families the other side of God? What would it be like for us to show our families and our friends the other side of God? Because when God could have played the blame game, he chose grace. When God could have blamed us for sin coming into the world, he covered us. When God could have thrown us away, he covered us. And I don't know about you, but I thank God for grace. I wish I had. I thank God for mercy.

I thank God that I am free.

From the consequences that God. So what in your family God shared with me very clearly. Today is all about families. What in your family, what blame game do you need to stop playing? What are you all sweeping under the rugs in your home? That you need to expose that and quit. Quit blaming that uncle, quit blaming that auntie, quit blaming that mother or father and take time to take responsibility and grow into what God's called you to be. Not only that, number two, free yourself from the need for recognition. Free yourself from the need. You ever notice that people want to be popular but don't want to be present? I'm a rerun press play that was so good that people want to be popular, but we don't want to be present. Like, we want to be on the billboard, but we don't want to work behind the scenes to be present with the people to help build the very thing on our billboard. Like, you ever notice that when we start businesses, it's all about marketing plans that we don't even know our product because we want to be popular? I want to go viral. I want to make a whole lot of money. And then when you make money, let me tell you, this money will expose what you have not solidified. With firm foundations, you can get to another level. But new levels mean new devils, y'. All. And we can talk about God. Give me something brand new. If you haven't managed the old, how is God going to trust you with something new? I'm talking in this building today. And so here y' all this story. Remember, there's thousands of people in Bethlehem. Everybody hears and sees this woman screaming. And our culture is so based on going viral and being popular. I guarantee you if anybody in that community knew that Joe Jesus was in Mary, they would have rolled out the red carpet. I mean, just imagine what the Messiah is in you, sis. I don't care what you did. Come here. I'm gonna bring you into home. Here's some brand new wine, some brand New bread. I know you ain't supposed to drink when you're pregnant, but, girl, you got Jesus in you. You gonna be all right. Come on into my house, get to know my family. You wanna. I know you like Joseph, but meet my son. Son, come over here. Because you know, she just with anybody.

So they would have rolled out the red carpet.

But because of our traditions and because we need to be seen, we throw Mary away. We bring the innkeeper into the store. Because we desire popularity, we want to be recognized. I need to be called out. I need my name on the screen. Because let me tell you, unhappiness comes from. Is birthed from a desire to be recognized. Recognize me. I'm happy. Don't recognize me. I'm not happy. Love me. I'm happy. Don't love. I'm not happy. See me. Put my name in the email. I'm happy. My job loves me. Don't put my name in the email. My job can't stand me. God doesn't like me. I don't want to be so. Therefore, my goals are not about God. My goals are to be seen by people. I want you to free yourself from the need for recognition. Because our quest to be recognized, y' all caused a baby to be birthed on the side of the road. Road. Our desire to be recognized caused a woman to suffer and put herself in a position of death. Our desire to be recognized. Thousands of people are in Bethlehem, and now because they. They don't like her situation, they'd rather her scream on the side of the road. Because I won't be recognized if I helped her. I want you to free yourself from desire to be recognized. You know what's funny? A couple weeks ago. A couple weeks ago, I went. I like going out to different coffee shops. I was at Java Jack's a week ago. I was just sitting down, doing some work, and I was hanging out, chilling on the scene in my preacher lane, right? I was just hanging out. I was hanging out at Java Jackson. I was hanging out, getting some coffee. I like coffee and like, finding coffee shops. I was hanging out there, and I was sitting down, and on the table next to me, there was this group of folk just talking. You know, I love listening to folk talk. And they're just talking, and they were just like, ugh, I can't stand churches. And these pastors are so messed up. They're so crooked. They terrible. All they want to do is take folk money. I can't stand. So you know what I did? What? I can't Stand pastors either.

Pastors are stupid.

They crazy. They so crooked. I pulled up a seat next to them.

Please tell me what pastor you talking about.

Right?

Like, I'm just.

They sitting here just talking mad trash about pastors. So the guy at the counter, I come there, like I said, all the time. I love going to Jabba Jackson, Jabba Jack's Grind Cafe, all that. I love going to Java Jack. So the guy came up, he said, pastor. And they looked, and I was like, surprised. So they asked, what church are you with? I told them, friendship. Oh, my friend go to Friendship. Oh, you know, I got a business. I know my business. You know, I heard y' all got, like, some stuff coming up next year. Can we do? Oh, you know, I saw y' all on Facebook. Oh, my God. Like, I didn't know. They got a young pastor. What. The young pastor doing what? And they had this whole conversation, but because they wanted to be seen for their gossip, there was a space. Space to be a part of it. The desire to be recognized causes space because we want to find a reason to be happy or sad.

And so y', all, when we change.

The conversation, the conversation changes. But the need for recognition caused them to tear apart people they don't even know. The need for recognition caused them to try to tear apart churches they don't even go to. But the lack. When we free ourselves from the need to be recognized, we also open up the space for pure honesty. Where is God calling you to be real and honest? What would make you reject a pregnant woman on the side of the road? What would make you. Because it's. When you're not honest with yourself, you're lying to yourself. Where do you need to be honest about you to free yourself from the desire to always be seen? Thirdly, and finally, if I'm going to quit playing the blame game, free yourself from the need for recognition. Here's the last thing I. I would tell you as the innkeeper. I think what would have helped Mary and Joseph's families, and what may help your family, is to build horizontal relationships. See, the goal of Christ was to make sure we loved each other without an agenda. For God so loved the world that he had what he gave. We were sinners, and Christ made the decision to die. The goal of Jesus was for Jesus to come to. To give love and Christ and joy and peace to every person who wanted those things. The coming of Jesus was all about building relationships down here that reflect the relationship that God has with us. That Jesus would move the rough places of our hearts. He would smooth out the edges of our soul. The goal of Jesus coming into the world was so that we might practice what heaven looks like like on earth, that we might participate for in eternity. But yet we find scapegoats for why we don't do things. We find reasons to not build healthy relationships with family members. We find reasons, we find fault. We got story after story after story for this person and that person. Let me, let me tell you something. You remember the Mary and Joseph's family I told you that rejected them. You know it's crazy because later if you look at a number of the disciples, almost half the disciples were a part of Jesus's extended family. It was Joseph's extended family that helped support Jesus in that time frame. When Joseph died at 14, it was Joseph's extended family that helped support Jesus business when he wasn't given the family business when Joseph died at 14. And it was Joseph's family that took over the business when Jesus then came and announced his coming into the world that he was now going to be baptized. That while Joseph's family rejected him at the beginning, Joseph's family was the reason Jesus was freed from the Tecton business to go out into the world and be the Messiah that called him to be. Remember Anne who rejected Mary at her home? It was the same Anne that made sure that she helped rear and raise half of those disciples who were extended family of Jesus, that half the disciples were reared and trained and brought to, brought to their bar mitzvah, brought to the temple because Anne consistently turned her children back over to Jesus. So don't throw your family away because of one part of the story, but realize that God will use your family, turn your family around and the same people that rejected you the first time, the same people that threw you away.

The first time, the same family members.

That you can't stand the first time are the same family members that will.

Help you reconcile your family back to.

The foot of the cross.

I'm talking to people who came to church today with your family, your friends afraid to go to Christmas dinner tonight. You're afraid to deal with your family. But maybe God is calling us to show our families that while they rejected you when you didn't go to college, while they rejected you when you cut your hair, while they rejected you when you had a child at 18, while they rejected you because you're not married, while they rejected you because you got divorced, that God will use the same family folk debt rep rejected you and you turn around and show them that the same God that kept me when I did things you didn't agree with is the same God that will accelerate all of us where God is trying to take us go. That God is using this time frame to restore broken families. It was Jesus's broken family that brought the gospel into the world. It was Jesus's broken family that told the story after. After he died. It was Jesus's broken family that extended the gospel to Judea and Samaria. It was Jesus's broken family that wrote the gospel, the book of James that wrote the book of John. It was Jesus's broken family that got the story. And the reason we know about Jesus today is that that little old broken family kept on telling the story. That broken family kept talking back about Jesus. That broken family kept praying for one another. That while they rejected him the first time, that little old broken family knew too much about Jesus. That if you don't give up on your family now, your family has a story to tell.

God is in the business of restoring broken families.

I said God is in the business of restoring broken families. Oh, I know y' all don't like this, but that's what I came to talk about today. Because let me tell you what God told me. He said, justin, hear this as we go into 20, 23.

And we want to save souls and.

We want to tell people about Jesus. If we're not doing it at home first, we can't do in the world what we're not doing at home first. So here's my shout this morning that God is going to use my family because God wants to build the kingdom. That God is raising up mothers who will praise God for their children. God is raising up fathers who will intercede for their children. God is raising up husbands who will.

Intercede for their spouses.

God is raising up wives who are going to cover their spouses. God is raising up cousins and aunties and uncles and nephews that are not going to give up on their family because of your assumptions or your bias. But, baby, I came to make sure that somebody knows about Jesus. And I wish I had some mamas in the building that can give God glory for your children. I wish I had some husbands in the building that can shout for your wife. I wish I had some wives in the building that can shout for your husband. I wish I had some children in the building that can praise God for your mama and praise God for your. For your daddy. I wish I had some uncles in the building that can praise God for your nieces and nephews. Because God is restoring my family.

So prison ain't gonna be an option. I wish I had somebody. I said prison ain't gonna be an.

Option because God's gonna restore the broken minds of my family. I'm not gonna talk about the young folk in my family. I'm gonna praise God that they already free. I'm going to praise God if it takes out their mouth. I'm not going to talk about my mama. I'm going to praise God for her healing. I'm not going to down my children. I'm going to praise God that God's going to use them. The college will be debt free. Their marriage will be debt free. Their first home will be debt. I wish I had some parents who can take 45 seconds and shout for your child's future. Praise them for your child's future that God is restoring. He's restoring my family. He's restoring my family. I wish I had somebody. You know how broken your family is, but God will restore your.

You know how I know it?

You know how I know he restored? Because I'm a living testimony, should have been dead and gone. I wish I had somebody. And if God can can restore me. Eyes have not seen and ears have not heard. Is there anybody in the building who can give God praise that if God can heal me, if God can restore me, if God can reconcile me, if God can call my name, if God can call my family, then God will bless my home. Is there anybody in the building, building that can give God glory this Sunday that God will use broken people? He'll restore you. He'll rock you. He'll cover you. Go ahead, high five somebody and say God will do it because I'm a living witness that can't nobody.

I think I feel like preaching here. I said I feel like preaching that.

I feel like preaching, preaching now. I feel like preaching here. I feel granddaddy on my life. Go ahead, hop off somebody and say, God will restore your family. God will restore your mind. God will restore your home. And how do I know he will? Cause one morning he restored my body, he restored my home. He restored, restored my children. He restored my mind, he restored my life. And God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly. Above all, Somebody give him praise for your family. Come on, somebody give him praise for your family. Come on, somebody give him glory for you. He's gonna use my family. He's gonna use my mama, he's gonna use my daddy, he's gonna use my auntie, he'll use my cousins because they that wait. I feel all right here now upon the Lord, they shall renew their strength. They'll mount up on wings like an eagle. They'll run and not be weary. They will walk and not faint. Has he been good to you? Has he restored ya? Well, Merry Christmas, friendship. I'll see you in 2023. But before I go, and if I never see you again, I came to tell you, don't give up on your family.

Don't.

Don't give up on your children. Don't give up on your dad. I dare some spouses. Go hold hands with your wife. Go hold hands with your child. I feel the Holy Ghost here now. Go hold hands with your mama. Go hold hands with your daddy. Go hold hands with your cousin and say, God is about to bless my family. God is about to bless my home. He's gonna bless my neighborhood. He's gonna bless my dorm room. He's gonna bless my house. Because God will. Won't he do it? Won't he do it? If you know he will toss your head back, open up your mouth and give him a restoration praise. Give him a restoration pray. My children. Children will be saved. My home will go to church. My job will not make me lose my mind. My children will know Jesus. My wife will be debt free. My job won't make me go crazy. My house will be together. My son will come back home. My job won't kill me. My money won't stop me. My body won't down here. Because God is working on me.

Say it.

I dare you to go hold hands with your loved one and go hold hands with your loved one. Stop looking at me. Go hold hands with your mama. Go hold hands with your spouse. Stop looking at me. Go hold hands with your wife. Go hold hands with your husband. And God's gonna come to your home. I dare you to go shout with your family. Shout with your children. Children, shout with your spouse. Shout with your corner. Because God's gonna bless us. Eyes have not seen, ears have not heard.

I dare somebody say, favors coming to my house. Come on.

Favors coming to my house.

Come on.

Favors coming to my house. Come on. Favors coming to my house. Favors coming to my house.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

Hallelujah.

Debt freeze coming to my house. Debt freeze coming to my. I wish I had a witness.

Ownership's come. I Renting ain't in my body no more. Ownership's coming to my family. Ownership is coming to my family. Renting is not in my bloodline. I wish I Had borrowing is not in my bloodline. I reject the curse of debt. I reject the curse of being a borrower. I. I reject the curse of adultery. I reject the curse of divorce. I reject the curse of infidelity. I reject the curse of debt on my family. I reject. But I hold on ownership, that longevity. He that has a wife finds a good thing. I wish I had somebody that can toss your head back, open up your mouth and let out a shout for your family.

I'm gonna say this for the 85 of y' all will get it. God is answering the prayers of your grandmother. I'm talking to people who know you had prayed grand grandmamas. And right now, God is answering the prayers of your grandmama who stayed on her face for you. And God is answering their prayers even right now. Father, we just agree. Every hand is lifted. Father, we agree now that when we stop playing the blame game, when we build horizontal relationships that reflect what you've done for us, Father, we agree that you're pouring out love and honor. We agree now, God, that your word is true over our families. So, God, for every broken family, for every broken home, for every home God that's afraid for their children, for every home God, that we've been afraid to go home to after work, for every conversation, God, that we've been afraid to have, God, we thank you that you are the God who restores. You are the God who restores. Yes, you are the God who restores. So, Father, we pray now that your love goes before us even as we go home, as we visit our families. That, God, we are not going to broken spirits spaces. We are going to restore spaces to restore that, uncle. Yes, restore that, Auntie. Yes, restore that, father. Restore that mother. Restore that broken cousin. Restore our language, God, that we speak with life giving language to our families now, God, use us to show our families what heaven looks like. Hallelujah. Use us to show our families what heaven looks like. That we will make known in Vallejo as you already wrote it in heaven. And God, the reason we know we.

Can is because you told us that.

You were going to send your son, and you did. You told us we'll conquer a city, and we will. You told us God will heal the sick, and we will. You told us we'll eradicate homelessness, and we will. You told us we'll bring equity to education, and we will. That we will make known in Vallejo.

As it is in heaven, but it's.

Going to start God in our homes. So God, bring glory back to our homes.

Bring joy back to our homes. Bring love back to our homes. Bring peace back to our homes.

And God, bring us back to our homes. Teach us the ministry of presence that we might be present in our homes. Our spouse, our children never has to wonder if we love them because we show them. So teach us to love again. Teach us to love again. We give you glory. We give you honor. It's in Jesus name. Somebody give God praise for Jesus. Come on, just give him him praise. Everybody standing. Everybody's standing. Listen, here's what I'm going to do really quick.