When Jesus Stops By: Follow the Leader
When Jesus Stops By • Sermon • Submitted
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Intro:
22 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord.
Today, I want to begin a series entitled, [When Jesus Stops By]. The subject of my message is, [Follow the Leader].
As a child, I remember playing the game, follow the leader. The directions are simple enough.
One child is chosen to be the leader.
The rest of the children line up behind the leader.
They must copy all the actions and movements of the leader (run when the leader runs, do jumping jacks, turn around and take 3 steps forward, etc.)
Anyone who does not successfully copy a movement is out.
The last child still following at the end is the leader in the next round.
It should be easy, the only problem is some people do not like following the leader. THEY want to be in charge.
Who knows anyone like that?
Much attention is focused on leadership. There are thousands of books published each year focusing on the topic of how to lead.
There is also another genre of writing that focuses on followership. These book teach people how to follow the leader.
Again all of this seems simple in theory, but actually submitting to the leadership of another is difficult. Often unqualified people somehow end up in leadership and no one wants to follow them.
Sadly, these people rarely realize their insufficiency in leadership. Perhaps they did not hear the saying my mentor taught me, “If you think you are leading and no one is following, you are just going for a walk.”
There are some leaders in life we admire and some leaders in life we do not understand. But if there is ONE person who is the epitome of a qualified and perfect leader, it is Jesus.
The birth of Jesus changed everything. His coming brought us hope, peace, freedom, and most importantly, salvation. It is difficult to imagine or comprehend a world without Jesus.
That is because we are born under the New Covenant. God allowed us to live in a time gets to enjoy salvation, Spirit baptism, healing, and the promise of His soon return.
But we have to remember, when it comes to the Jesus, though He was born in Bethlehem, He has existed forever. There is no beginning or end to Him.
This is not an opinion, it is a fact from His own mouth:
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
What does this tell us?
It shows us that Jesus was present for everything that happens in Scripture. Much attention is focused on the life of Jesus:
His teachings
His miracles
His healings
His parables
His death
His burial
His resurrection
His ascension
HIs return
But I want to go back farther than that. If Jesus is from everlasting to everlasting, that means He has been at work long before Bethlehem.
The aim in these messages is to look at times in the Old Testament when Jesus stoped by. There were moments when Jesus came in His preincarnate state, meaning, He came to earth to do something supernatural in the lives of Old Testament people.
How do we know Jesus did this?
Has anyone ever seen the Father? God Himself told Moses no one could see Him and live.
Has anyone ever seen the Holy Spirit? Jesus explained that the Spirit is like the wind, we feel the effects but cannot see Him.
Which member of the Trinity do we see? Jesus. He reveals God to us in bodily form. So in the Old Testament, there are moments where people will speak to God in person.
Though they might not have understood that they spoke to the Son of God, we do, we have that understanding and revelation.
The technical term for these encounter is Christophany, it describes Jesus coming to people in the Old Testament.
I feel it is necessary to look at these encounters with Jesus in the Old Testament. I trust as we do, we will see how important we are to Jesus.
If He will move time and space to reach people long before His birth in Bethlehem, what will He do for us?
Let’s look at the time Jesus came to Abraham’s home. I have three points, [Hospitality for the Lord], [Honesty from the Lord], and [Hearing from the Lord].
Let’s begin
1. Hospitality for the Lord
1. Hospitality for the Lord
1 Then the Lord appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day.
2 So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground,
3 and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.
4 Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.
5 And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.” They said, “Do as you have said.”
Abraham was at a unique time in his life. He was advanced in age and God gave him an amazing promise— you will have a son and through your descendants, the entire world will be blessed.
What an amazing future. The only problem, he and his wife Sarah were unable to have children. They mistakenly took matters into their own hands.
Abraham had a child with Sarah’s servant Hagar. He named the child Ishmael. In their minds, surely this was the way God wanted to fulfill His promise.
Not so. God’s ways and plans are perfect.
One day, Abraham sat in his tent and saw three men. We read in verse one that the Lord appeared. It was the hottest part of the day when then arrived and notice that Abraham ran to them and bowed before them.
Abraham wasn’t like me. When it is hot, especially the hottest part of the day, the last thing I want to do is run and hit the ground.
Evidently Abraham knew something about these visitors. He brought them water to wash their feet and gave them a place to rest. He instructed Sarah to make cakes. He went to his cattle and killed a calf for them to eat.
What hospitality?
One of the many aspects I love about our church is our hospitality. I have heard many compliments from guest speakers and visitors about the hospitality of our church.
Abraham also shared this gift. Why? What was the motivation behind his hospitality?
He was following the Lord’s lead. This was not his first time speaking to God.
1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.
1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
He knew what it was like to have a conversation with God. But this time, God showed up in person. I sense that Abraham knew who this Man and the two visitors were.
Since God graced his tent with his presence, it was only right that he was hospitable and a good host.
When Jesus stops by, we need to host Him. Welcome Him. Invite Him. And honor Him. When Jesus stops by, we are hospitable to Him.
2. Hearing from the Lord
2. Hearing from the Lord
9 Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” So he said, “Here, in the tent.”
10 And He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.)
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.
12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”
Abraham brought them a meal and waited as they ate. No doubt both Abraham and Sarah were curious as to why they were honored with such an amazing privilege to hose the Lord.
The Lord looked to Abraham and wanted to know where Sarah was. Then He informed Abraham that Sarah would have a child by this time next year.
I wonder what Abraham thought. I see that he had confidence in His words, but Sarah was curious about what He promised.
Before we see what she said, let’s think for a moment of how she felt. She knew the sting of disappointment. All her life she had to endure watching friends and family members have children.
She knew the promise of God to Abraham. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have conspired with her husband to have a child with Hagar.
Now, when it was humanly impossible to have a child, a stranger comes by and informs her husband that she will have a son. She couldn’t help but laugh.
She looked at all the reasons why it wouldn’t work.
I know it is easy to question Sarah, why would she laugh?
Before we judge her too harshly, let’s attempt to put ourselves in her shoes. Who has ever held onto a promise from God for years?
Over time, the enemy can allow discouragement and doubt to creep in and make us question.
If he does that it is because we are likely closer to our answer or breakthrough than we realized.
But thank God, Jesus showed up, this was thousands of years before Bethlehem, with a message from Heaven, God will keep His word and He will do what He promised.
He said you will have a son, and very soon you will.
When we hear from the Lord, we have to trust Him, regardless of what our circumstances say.
Often, circumstances will lie about the facts. God will work on our behalf when we trust and believe Him.
When Jesus honor us with His presence, we follow His lead:
we should be hospitable
we should hear what He has to say
3. Honesty from the Lord
3. Honesty from the Lord
13 And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’
14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”
15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh!”
The Lord noticed Sarah’s laughter. He asked Abraham why did Sarah laugh?
Laughter can have a number meanings. Sarah was not:
laughing with joy— at this age we are having a child
laughing in anger— at this age we are having a child
she laughter in disbelief—at this age, we are having a child
She looked at the fact and could not muster the faith to believe God’s word. The Lord paid her the compliment of being honest:
14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
Is anything too hard for the Lord?
He asked the question knowing the answer. I notice something about God in this instance. He was not insulted and He did not withhold His promise because of their doubting.
Instead, He reminded them both, I can do anything. Nothing is too hard for me.
The prophet Jeremiah explains,
17 ‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.
If God could make the heavens and the earth, could the barrenness off Sarah stop Him? If only Sarah had been honest with Him.
After this, it was time for the visitors to leave. They informed Abraham that they were headed to Sodom and Gomorrah because of their grave sins.
22 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord.
Since the Lord had been honest with Abraham, Abraham followed his lead and was honest. He had a nephew named Lot who was in Sodom.
Standing before the Lord, he began to intercede on Lot’s behalf. Eventually, God did destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, but not before He allowed Lot to leave, sparing his life.
Imagine if Abraham had not followed the Lord’s lead, choosing to be honest.
We can ALWAYS be honest with the Lord and He will ALWAYS be honest with us.
We can bring Him our doubts, concerns, and questions. They will never offend Him. He will listen and help.
Close:
When Jesus stops by, we need to host Him.
When Jesus stops by, we need to hear from Him.
When Jesus stops by, we need to be honest with Him.
What an amazing honor for Abraham to host the Lord.
Thousands of years after this encounter, Jesus arrives on the scene. John the disciple introduces Him this way:
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
What does this tell us, He has been there all the time. Then in a conversation with the Pharisees, Jesus explained:
56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”
57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”
58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
They wanted to know, how could you know Abraham? We know, He showed up at his tent just when Abraham needed him. It was imperative that he knew God would fulfill His plan.
But I notice that Abraham gave the Lord the welcome He did not always receive in the Gospels.
In Luke 7, Jesus went to the home of a Pharisee. While he ate there, a woman came and anointed his feet and washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”
Jesus responded:
44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head.
45 You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in.
46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.
47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”
48 Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
Abraham gave the Lord hospitality, when other would not.
Abraham also got to hear from the Lord concerning what He expects when He speaks to us.
45 Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.
46 But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.
53 Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.
The Pharisees heard what Jesus was doing and what did they do? They chose not believe and sought to kill Him.
The Lord was honest with Abraham and He was honest with everyone He encountered on earth.
19 The high priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and His doctrine.
20 Jesus answered him, “I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing.
21 Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them. Indeed they know what I said.”
22 And when He had said these things, one of the officers who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, “Do You answer the high priest like that?”
When they arrested Jesus, they tried to trap Jesus by illegally questioning Him. He was honest with them and they struck him in the face.
Before Abraham was, I AM. Abraham rejoiced when:
Experienced hospitality with the Lord
Heard the promises of the Lord
God was honest with Him.
The Pharisees, who should have believed in the Lord, were:
inhospitable to the Lord
belittling when they heard from the Lord
angry when the Lord was honest with them.
What will we do?
Jesus wants to stop by.
23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
We are like Abraham, Jesus wants to come near to us. Will we follow Him? Will we welcome Him?
How do we show Jesus hospitality?
Spend time with Him. Make sure He is comfortable with us.
Do we say things that would offend Him? Do we allow things in our life that are beneath Him?
Let’s host Jesus in our lives!
What do we do when we hear from Him?
Let’s have faith and believe Him. Follow Him and obey Him.
What do we do when Jesus is honest with us?
Let’s take that as an invitation to be honest with Him.
Jesus wants to stop by. He wants to spend time with us. Can we welcome Him and reach out to Him.