Hospitality, a duty of God’s people

Call to Worship

Romans 11:33–36 ESV

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Text

Mark 12:31 ESV

31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Big Questions

Who is my neighbor?

This is a question of proximity. You love based on what you are humanly capable of. You love your family, your friends, your fellow believers, you countrymen, the forgiener. You give your first fruits to those closest to you then work your way out. you can only do so much!

So we see the good Samaratian he was able to help as he was in proximty. You and I must obey the Holy Spirit and love our nieghbor as we can.

This is why I love One more Child, because these are kids that are local to us.

What about those who hate me?

This is the turn the othert cheek comes into play. Someone insults you turn the other cheek. This is man to man. Love bears all things, love is pateint, love is kind.

This does not apply to someone breaking into your house, you love your nieghbor and protect your family. These are very differentr situations and you need to not confuse them.

This is learning to thin in catagories, some people will try to manipulate this, but you look at things in catagories.

So a man can be a Christian Solider, Airman, Marine, Sailor, Policeman and so on. Yet have a clean consious as much as they can. You are to strive to be an agent of justice and protection. Pray for The Holy Spirits Guidence in your tasks, keep God’s word central to your mind and carry on. This is permissible as those men are carrying out God’s design for liberty and order when bad men try to destroy it.

How Do I love my nieghbor?

This is when we are going to look at the scripture at the topic of hospirality.

Hospitality is commanded by God

Hebrews 13:2 ESV

2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

See also Ro 12:13

Romans 12:13 ESV

13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

This is how we as Brothers and sisters are to take care of each other.

; Is 58:6–7 ; Jn 13:12–15; 1 Pe 4:9

Isaiah 58:6–7 ESV

6 “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

We are to remember who we reach out to, we may never know who we are rendering our actions towards. (Tell story of couple near Publix who disappeared after I gave them a care paclkage)

Hospitality is a responsibility of leaders

The Bible records this

Exodus 2:15–22 ESV

15 When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well. 16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17 The shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and watered their flock. 18 When they came home to their father Reuel, he said, “How is it that you have come home so soon today?” 19 They said, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and watered the flock.” 20 He said to his daughters, “Then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.” 21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah. 22 She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.”

If you are a leader, desire to be a leader take this example from the scripture.

The Bible says this about pastors, but it could be applied to us al in a degree.

1 Timothy 3:2 ESV

2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

If youi flip to 1 Tim. 5

You see how the pastor is to admonish, correct and encourage different parts of his flock.

Men

we know from the scripture the older and wise men and to encourage the younger men to live well.

It easier to pull the ladder up, to putt the wipper snapper in his place, but it is biblical to train a young man, to coach him to greatness.

I used to work with teenage boys. Boys are silly, they have lots of energy, but they lack direction thatr is what men give them. You help a young man find his way you will have him forver.

For the Woman

looking specifically at the women a sign og Godliness is

See also 1 Ti 5:9–10

1 Timothy 5:9–10 ESV

9 Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband, 10 and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work.

Women are to be encouraged in this kind of industry. They are to praised for these endvours.

To the women in the room you’

re to help equip each other in these things to train one another.

Tt 1:8

Hospitality indicates true discipleship

As you follow the grEAT COMMission and make disciples you see the fruit in it of those who you’ve discplied, let me show you from Jesus

Matthew 9:9–13 ESV

9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. 10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus calls MAtthew and then in his walk with Jesus, he opens his house to him and Jesus uses that to minister to both his other discples and the sinners that need him.

We will be doing anohter round of small groups In the Spring to do this again!

This is Evangelistic

You can see that his willingness to be open, to open his home he was able to bring people to Jesus!

Jesus heals Peter’s mother and she serves that household Immediately

Hospitality is to be offered to Christian ministers

Romans 16:1–2 ESV

1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, 2 that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.

See also Col 4:10 ; 3 Jn 5–10

Colossians 4:10 ESV

10 Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him),

3 John 5–10 ESV

5 Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, 6 who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. 7 For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. 8 Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth. 9 I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. 10 So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church.

This is a way you can love the pastors in your life, the men you know who serve the Lord. As you bless your Under shephard we can bless back.

I don’t want to be self serving but the Bible speaks of hospitality in this way as well.

Warnings against inhospitable behaviour

Deuteronomy 23:3–4 ESV

3 “No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none of them may enter the assembly of the Lord forever, 4 because they did not meet you with bread and with water on the way, when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you.

We can see how God sees the actions of those who won’t be hospitable.

This was The problem that indictated a fallen heart. a Heart against Christ.

See also Mt 25:41–45 ; Mt 10:14

Matthew 10:14 ESV

14 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town.

This is a great comfort to when you’re rebuffed for sharing the word or when you’re around those who are not hopsitatble to the Gospel.

Hospitality is to be refused to false teachers

2 John 10–11 ESV

10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, 11 for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.

Who to turn away.

Speak about Mormon or JWs and what to do.

Speak about books and tv Shows

Future Hospitality

John 14:1–4 ESV

1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”

(BREAK DOWN THIS TEXT)

(FOCUS ON THE I WILL PROMISE)

Revelation 21:1–4 ESV

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Hospitality as a picture of salvation

Ps 23:5–6; Re 3:20 Jesus Christ comes as a willing guest to the repentant, as a sign of renewed fellowship.

Revelation 3:20 ESV

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 eat with him, and he with me.

See also Lk 14:15–24; Lk 19:1–10; Jn 14:2–3; Is 25:6 ; Mt 22:1–14

Isaiah 25:6 ESV

6 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.

Matthew 22:1–14 ESV

1 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.” ’ 5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Benediction

Say: As we close our service of worship dear brother and sister please stand for our benediction and receive by faith this blessing from God

2 Thessalonians 3:18 ESV

18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.