Christian Hospitality Message 2

A Bride for Isaac

Note something important tonight. Everything we study as it relates to Christian Hospitality, God can use it in your individual walk as well as our corporate walk as a church.

My prayer is that we will exercise Christian hospitality as we minister to an ever increasing senior adult home-bound ministry.

Abraham’s servant made a vow not to retrieve a wife for Isaac from the Canaanites.

Hospitality is Stimulated from a Motivating Factor

Genesis 24:1 “1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.”

Listen dearly beloved, blessings are God’s gift to be a blessing.

Genesis 24:7-8 “7 The Lord God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. 8 And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be released from this oath; only do not take my son back there.””

Abraham’s life was a testament to the blessedness of God. And his actions were an offspring of God’s goodness in his life and that blessedness passed down to this servant.

We must assume that Abraham’s oldest servant was blessed for his time with Abraham because Abraham entrusted him with everything he had.

Genesis 24:10 “10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, for all his master’s goods were in his hand. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.”

Our first study, Genesis 18, was a portrait of the type of man Abraham was in being hospitable to others.

One must ask the question, what caused this servant to go blindly to a place he had never been, to talk to people he had never talked to or laid eyes on, and then to think they would respond in the right fashion?

Why would he do it?

-He knew that Abraham walked with God. He knew that everything Abraham touched turned to gold. He knew that his very life was the benefactor of the goodness of God in his own life.

Hospitality is Strategized by a Missional Factor

Genesis 24:12 “12 Then he said, “O Lord God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham.”

Have you considered that hospitality may be engaged by calling for the hospitality of another?

Genesis 24:14 “14 Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.””

And guess what, it happened, the Angel of God intervened for the servant and Rebekah came out to water the camels, born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother.

Notice the blessedness of being blessed:

Genesis 24:16 “16 Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up.”

Have you stopped to consider that interaction can come about by receiving a blessing?

Genesis 24:17-19 “17 And the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher.” 18 So she said, “Drink, my lord.” Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink. 19 And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.””

Genesis 24:22 “22 So it was, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden nose ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold,”

The servant used a gift of appreciation to get to the goal of his assignment.

The nose ring and the bracelet today would be valued at $7,000.

Think about this scene for a moment. The servant used his master’s resources to make a statement about him and for the young lady to recognize him and to share his mission-the reason for him being there.

We see a man come up with not one, not two, but 10 camels. We see this man give this young lady 10.5 shekels of gold as a gift of appreciation for her hospitable actions. That makes a statement.

Now let’s make 21st century application and tonight, let’s apply this to the church. Would you agree from this encounter that first impressions are lasting impressions. We see with God in it that God used this in a mighty way to reach Rebekah to fulfill His ultimate motive in keeping the genealogy going through this young lady, Rebekah and Isaac and to bring His Son, Jesus into this world as the Savior. Always remember, what may seem like an extreme amount of money to bring Jesus on the scene is without price. Amen.

I need someone make a list, a secretary who will write down notes and thoughts as we think about how we can improve curb appeal at Mt Zion Baptist Church-first impressions.

Let me explain this idea of curb appeal as a Merchant for many years. How does things appear from the moment a customer drives on the property? The care of the parking lot, the signage, the ligting in the parking lot, trash in the parking lot, grass cut, shrubery kept, pine straw in the bed, windows clean, when you come in, is the store dirty, mopped, swept, smells good, merchandise orderly, people friendly, does someone greet me in the store, and the list goes on.

Now-apply that to Mt. Zion-how is our Curb appeal? Greeters, signs directing people, teachers, greeters waiting at the doors of classes to welcome and invite in, is there diapers, wipes, tots apple juice, gold fish, or breakfast cookies, donuts, is there someone to show people where to go, or better yet, escort them to where they go? Is there a cup of coffee made for someone or if no donuts because of the conveniences where we live, could we buy a breakfast item prepackaged?

We can’t, I can’t afford such as that on a regular basis? Can the church do it? I would say certainly.

Are our toys current? Can the children easily get outside to enjoy the play area? Has anyone checked to see if the play areas are clean, groomed, working?

Let’s continue, many times blessedness multiplies blessedness.

Genesis 24:25 “25 Moreover she said to him, “We have both straw and feed enough, and room to lodge.””

-Meals on Wheels Ministry-testimonies of the meal is a blessing, but do you know what both parties will offer in testimony about the Meals on Wheels Ministry-”I love stopping and talking with all the people, and they appreciate it so much.”

If you decide to exercise benevolence for example to our home-bound ministry, attempt to go by and be willing to visit for a while. The dividends are priceless.

The Fruit of Harvest from Hospitality Comes from the Heavenlies

Genesis 24:26-28 “26 Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped the Lord. 27 And he said, “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.” 28 So the young woman ran and told her mother’s household these things.”

Notice the Impact and Influence of Charity

Genesis 24:29-31 “29 Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban, and Laban ran out to the man by the well. 30 So it came to pass, when he saw the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah, saying, “Thus the man spoke to me,” that he went to the man. And there he stood by the camels at the well. 31 And he said, “Come in, O blessed of the Lord! Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels.””

Now we know later that Laban had an overzealous desire for money and wealth and became distorted in due time in the life of Jacob.

Hospitality can Open the Doors of heaven for Harvest

Genesis 24:32-33 “32 Then the man came to the house. And he unloaded the camels, and provided straw and feed for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. 33 Food was set before him to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told about my errand.” And he said, “Speak on.””

Examples: Baptism this morning.

Show on my phone the basket for me to spend the night Thursday night.

How can we be more thoughtful to the lost? How can we be more thoughtful to the guests who attend our church? How can we be more thoughtful to our community?