(Today’s sermon is linked here: No Room For Christ in the Inn.)
Spurgeon displayed a profound understanding of God’s grace and mercy in this sermon, “No Room for Christ in the Inn” from Luke 2:7.
Why was Christ laid in the manger?
Humility: Jesus was laid in the manger to show forth his humiliation. The Bible teaches that Jesus was “despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” He willingly humbled himself to the womb, the cradle, to the Devil’s temptations, to the cross and to the grave. Why? For he so loved the world.
Identification: Jesus was laid in the manger to identify with the poor. “In the eyes of the poor, imperial robes excite no affection, but a man in their own garb attracts their confidence. With what pertinacity will working men cleave to a leader of their own order, believing in him because he knows their toils, sympathizes in their sorrows, and feels an interest in all their concerns.” Jesus identified with the lowest members of society and gave grace and mercy to the wealthy who would humble themselves as a child.
I can’t help but think how Spurgeon imitated our Savior in this regard. Most of the people who gathered to hear him were from the lower middle-class. Certainly there were rich and poor in his congregation, but he was especially a man of the people. He didn’t dress above the average Londoner and had no penchant for the clothes of a fine dressed gentleman. He seemed to care little about style, or even if his coat or pants were wrinkled. He had little use for the attire of bishops and cardinals, for he was a man raised in near poverty at times, exalted by God to fame. His earliest days, birthed his London years.
Approachability: Jesus was laid in a manger to give an invitation to the most humble to come to him.
“Never could there be a being more approachable than Christ. No rough guards pushed poor petitioners away; no array of officious friends were allowed to keep off the importunate widow or the man who clamored that his son might be made whole; the hem of his garment was always trailing where sick folk could reach it, and he himself had a hand always ready to touch the disease, an ear to catch the faintest accents of misery, a soul going forth everywhere in rays of mercy, even as the light of the sun streams on every side beyond that orb itself.”
“Bow the knee and kiss the Son of God; accept him as your Savior, for he puts himself into that manger that you may approach him.” Spurgeon called the “weak and heavy laden,” those “broken in spirit,” and those who despised themselves and were “despised by others” to come to Christ. He called publicans and harlots, thieves and drunkards, and all to draw near to the approachable Christ. “If you desire to come to Christ you may come to him just as your are; you may come now.”
You are not too depraved to find favor with God. Spurgeon’s perspective dripped with grace. “Alas there are some men who have become so brutal through sin, so utterly depraved by their lusts, that to their own consciences every thing manlike has departed, but even to such the remedies of Jesus, the Great Physician will apply.” Spurgeon exclaimed, “No creature can be so degraded that Christ cannot lift it up.” Don’t think you are too far gone to come to Christ. Christ receives humble sinners as they are.
Mission: Christ was born in the manger to save men from their sins. The world has no room for a Christian if you are a “soldier of the cross.” Coming to Christ means renouncing the world and your own righteousness. The world will not love you. But Christ came to save sinners just like you. Find your home with him and have a home indeed. As you gather around the tree and feast on Christmas Day, remember your home is but a photograph of an eternal home for all those whom Christ came to save.
Spurgeon was like his Savior. He was humble—stooping to the poor and outcast. He identified with the rank-and-file Londoner, but was not withdrawn from people of all classes. He despised England’s class system and didn’t adopt its norms. Spurgeon was approachable. I have never read a testimony of any man, including a run-away-slave, who found Spurgeon less than approachable. He took no note of one’s income, carriage, or resume—he received men from all walks of life, from D. L. Moody to John Ruskin, from wearied saints to poor orphans. Every person who encountered Spurgeon felt that they had met their very best earthly friend. Finally, Spurgeon was a man on mission. Like His Savior, Spurgeon was first-and-foremost interested in taking the gospel to the lost and inviting sinners to the Savior.
What about you? Have you humbled yourself and turned to Christ? Are you a humble person who effortlessly identifies with those beneath you in status but equal with you as an image bearer? Are you approachable, like Jesus, or aloof and refuse to be bothered. And are you on mission to win the lost and to build up the saved. The Christmas season is a time to reflect on these questions.
Christmas is a good time to be reminded that Christ’s coming to the manger displayed his humiliation, identification, approachability, and his mission.
FROM THE TEAM
Ray has led various Spurgeon events: Women’s Retreats, Valentines Banquets, Mens events, Spurgeon Conferences, and lectures. He can adapt his research and writing on Spurgeon for your whole church or for any group in your church or organization. Contact him here. He also speaks for Bible conferences, marriage events, and seminars on a variety of subjects.
Susie: The Life and Legacy of Susannah Spurgeon Book Release 6th Anniversary (click photo)
Now through October 7th we are celebrating the 6th anniversary of the release of Susie: The Life and Legacy of Susannah Spurgeon. If you have never read Susie take up and read. If you have read and liked Susie consider ordering a copy for a friend. Order Here or HERE or anywhere books are sold. Order Signed Copies of Ray’s Books here.
Ray Rhodes, Jr. is author of Susie: The Life and Legacy of Susannah Spurgeon and Yours, till Heaven; the Untold Love Story of Charles and Susie Spurgeon both from Moody Publishers. He is also the author of a 2026 biography of Spurgeon from B&H Academic. Ray is a speaker for retreats, conferences, and other events and has served Grace Community Church of Dawsonville, GA as senior pastor for the past 20 years.