Kingdom Markings

Hospitality Is Our Birthmark

Recap: Hospitality: Xenophilia…love of the stranger, immigrant, resident alien

-We are becoming a peculiar kind of people (even among western Christians) as we start to embrace the good news of God creating a place for us to belong, and then offering it to others.

-Last week, Jessie dove into the cost and power of hospitality, she said:

‘Whenever we offer hospitality, we are acting out the gospel story in small and significant ways over and over again. Hospitality certainly has a cost- our finances, our time, our emotional energy- but what does that cost buy? The comfort and care of others. We make room for neighbors, friends and strangers because God made room for us.’

-powerful....we remember and re-enact the gospel whenever we offer hospitality to others......

-This is what Redemption HIll is all about…why we started it..we see all that we do as hospitality....creating space, safety, sustenance for others to experience God’s provision and presence.

It’s why we are a network of Micro-churches, its easier to be hospitable in smaller groups

Today, we’ll take a little shift and then we’ll settle in on the most important passage in the Bible around hospitality.

Justification(setting things right): The New Testament is all about what it means to be God’s people, how to deal with the problem and sin and alienation between God and creation....it’s not just about how you, an individual can get saved.

Man this is really important to understand.

You can be a part of this thing that is happening…and it will matter to you....but it’s not just about you

It’s like after you already have a job, they give you a handbook so you know what is expected.

it’s like after you get married…and then you find out how much housework your spouse expects of you.

THis is how Paul describes it in Philippians:

Philippians 3:9 “and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.”

A few caveats

-We believe that faith alone in the work of Christ on our behalf is the only path to union with Christ and the New Covenant with God in His blood. (explain faith alone)---not about religious adherence or self-righteousness, not about Jewish kosher laws or the jewish covenant of circumcision.----Salvation through faith alone....

But what is faith?

-There is nothing you can do that will justify you before God, and make you righteous enough to belong in His kingdom or not-guilty of your sin and rebellion from God.

-The work of justification and sanctification are the same. we are justified by union with Christ. …as evidenced by the new covenant of faith rather than circumcision.

-We take on the family name by putting our faith in Jesus.....and then our obedience to Jesus or non-obedience to Jesus is the eating of the pudding where the proof is....you know we have faith by how we live.

Some ones a great soccer player because they can play soccer…not because they wear a Liverpool Jersey.

Love this:

Justification in the present is based on God’s past accomplishment in the Messiah, and anticipates the future verdict. This present justification has exactly the same pattern.

-past: Christ’s work on the Cross

-future verdict: Declared righteous as we are imputed with Christ’ Rightesouness, Union with Christ

-Present: The Future verdict of righteousness is becoming reality as we learn the way of Jesus.

Now but not yet.

So we’re going to look at one of the most difficult passages in the Bible in light of this reality.

Matthew 25:31–46 NLT

“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’ “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

Context:

the prophecies of Jesus predicting the coming kingdom:

clears the temple

does a bunch of teaching against religious leaders

-calls them blind guides,

Matthew 23:23–36 (NLT)

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you build tombs for the prophets your ancestors killed, and you decorate the monuments of the godly people your ancestors destroyed. Then you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would never have joined them in killing the prophets.’

“But in saying that, you testify against yourselves that you are indeed the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead and finish what your ancestors started. Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell?

“Therefore, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers of religious law. But you will kill some by crucifixion, and you will flog others with whips in your synagogues, chasing them from city to city. As a result, you will be held responsible for the murder of all godly people of all time—from the murder of righteous Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you killed in the Temple between the sanctuary and the altar. I tell you the truth, this judgment will fall on this very generation.

New Living Translation Chapter 24

“Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”

wars, famines, earthquakes, many false prophets, desolation of the temple, driven from the city (no time to go get a coat),

no one will know when it is going to happen.

And in this context Jesus lays out the shape of the last judgment…the important one

Who belongs and doesn’t belong in the family of God.

it is in a series of teachings and parables mixed in....but don’t miss this, it is not a parable, it is a prophecy, that is clear. This is what will happen.

Takes a skilled shepherd to separate the sheep from the goats.

Sheep and goats....or Rams,

fruitful

“WHEN IT COMES to barnyard animals, goats might be the weirdest. Unlike sheep, which are content to stay with their herd, goats are naturally curious and independent, often getting into mischief as a result. In a recent interview with National Geographic, University of Maryland sheep and goat expert Susan Schoenian explained that of all the livestock she’s worked with, goats exhibit the oddest behavior. Even getting them to stay in a pen proves surprisingly challenging.” (National Geographic)

Sheep stay with the herd and care for the herd.

linking shepherd and king here.

The fulfillment of the gospel: The kingdom of heaven is at hand, repent.....when the kingdom comes, what does it look like to be a repentant one?

Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary vii. The Last Judgment (25:31–46)

There is no middle ground between the saved and the lost. Sheep (which are more commercially valuable) are a regular Old Testament image for God’s people, and so appropriately symbolize the ‘blessed’ here. Right and left in Jewish as in many cultures symbolize favour and disfavour, good and bad fortune.

Depart from me: loss of fellowship with Jesus. Fire, forever or belonging to the age to come.

This was a place prepared for the devil and his angels…not prepared for the cursed. This is a fate that was not meant to be theirs.

Guilt is not doing wrong but failure to do right…this is a primary concern of the teaching of Jesus. (we are forgiven by Jesus’ work....but that doesn’t mean we are God’s people)

In comparison to the pharisees.

New Living Translation Chapter 24

44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

45 “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. 46 If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. 47 I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. 48 But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ 49 and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? 50 The master will return unannounced and unexpected, 51 and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

And we have arrived at the crux of the issue.

Jesus is calling out the Pharisees because they have not done a good job stewarding the knowledge, culture or gifts God had given them.

and we have a lot to learn from their warning.

the hospitality of God’s kingdom is the essential fabric of the universe. Even when we were enemies of God destroying His land, a threat to Him and His family....God still prepares a place for us in His home and calls to all of creation, there is a place for you here. If you’ll set down your sword and stop making war with me, you can be a part of my household. I will protect you, I will provide for you, I will even offer you my loving kindness.

And then He sends out His Son, His beloved, one and only son. Flesh of His Flesh, Bone of His Bone....the son shares the invitation and says, I will die in your place for all the destruction you have caused to my father and to the world (his land)

And he still stands there wondering and waiting and hoping that we will take up His hospitality, join HIm in His household, make our home with Him, like He pitched His tent among us.

This is the first invitation of repentance. Leave behind your war-making with God and join His household, His family.

Then comes the second.....Israel tried to accept the hospitality of God when he made a place in Canaan for them....but then they shut the drawbridge and said: no room. All full. and worked 1000 years to preserve their land with the sword rather than create a home for the lost in the world.

And that is why God removed them from the land. That is why they were thrown in exile twice. That is why the northern kingdom ceased to exist. That is why Jerusalem was taken from them in 70 AD and will not be returned until the Parousia.

And Jesus is warning them and warning us that it is so easy to be deceived about what it means to be a part of God’s family.

And we have to get this right. Here is the formula:

-If you say you belong to God and don’t offer works of mercy and hospitality, you are a liar and Christ is not in you.

-If you offer works of mercy and hospitality but aren’t sure if you belong in God’s family, Christ is probably in you.

It is not the work that delivers you, but it is a badge of belonging to God. You believe what you do. Your actions are a perfect representation of your beliefs.

If you sin without repentance (change and growth), you believe that you are God and that you can do whatever you want. alot like Goats.

And hospitality is the badge of belonging to God’s family.

Guests can hang out but family joins the family business. and the family business is the hospitality industry. (we won’t know until the end....unless we wear the badge)

Misconceptions before: believing the right thing meant some faith formulation of words and theology.

Believing the right things meant belonging inside the church. (wrong things meant you were excluded)

But God is saying that is backwards. He looks at what we actually believe…which is how we live....and that is the litmus test.

Why is this so important to God?

-The project of salvation and reconciliation was to set things right....to bring justice and judgment to the world. It’s not justice if nothing changes. God is setting things right by setting us right. This is a sign and a foretaste of God’s kingdom.....he is making an appeal through our lives bringing justice.

When people see God’s people setting things right, they have hope for justice, hope for restoration, hope for healing. The future of hte world depends on us getting this right.

We cause all pain and brokenness in the world....you and me....

-selfishness

-greed

-corruption

-disease

-war

-famine

-climate change

-anger

-jealousy

and the only path forward into a different future is to be transformed into God’s kind of people. People who belong in His family, in His kingdom.

And he wants to start with the worst suffering in all of history.....it happened to vulnerable people who did not belong, who did not have wealth, who did not have security, who did not have home.

this is not a list of arbitrary classes of people that God wanted us to care for.....these are the most needy people in our city, in our country, in the world.

Poor, homeless, prisoners. In the old testament (and all times, that is widows, orphans and foreigners)

We need to see in them our own hopelessness, and remember God’s generosity toward us.

We need to look at the brokenness of the world and train our brains to pay attention to poverty, to notice it. to alleviate some of the pain with those we come in conflict with.

And if we aren’t willing to join God in this work....we have to repent....change the way we see things.

If you don’t feel compassion and moved by the poor and needy

If you despise the weak and side with the powerful

If you focus on a religion of rules and useless piety but forget the weightier things of the law

It is time to repent. And if you don’t repent when the final judgment comes, you will find yourself homeless, in a dark place alone…just like you treated those in need.

As a community we need to get better at this. We need more proximity to the poor. We need to take steps to disadvantage ourselves for hte sake of others. We need to give selflessly to those in need.

There are clear ways we can care for these people all year:

-volunteer and donate to the foodbank in our neighborhoods

-rent out,or give our rooms to people around us....to alleviate the housing crisis in our city

-befriend refugees who move here.

-Advocate for change in our housing and zoning laws

-Offer employment for refugee arrivals

-Take your wealth and invest it in missional projects to create stable housing for the chronically homeless.

-You can cosign a rental for a refugee family

-You can give cash assistance for housing needs through CATCH and Jesse Tree

-Invite people around you for meals

-make sure people have places to stay

-when opportunities arise, take the opportunity.....notice need....do for the one what you wish you could do for the many..

Christmas Program: LEAP

because in doing so, some of you are entertaining angels unaware.

May we be a community with lots of sheep who hear from our righteous judge on that last day: Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2015), Mt 25:34–36.