The LORD Comes to Lunch
Notes
Transcript
IN the next chapter of Genesis - it is a dark event - spiiritalally and litearlly.
At night, the evil of the city Sodom is judged after an assesment by The Lord and 2 of His angels.
But before they go to judge the spiritually dark at night,
The first stop by the people of light - at lunch time, the heat and light of the day.
and they stay for lunch:
Quite a lot of debate goes on about who these 3 men who turn up at lunchtime are.
Some suggest the Trinity,
Some suggest 3 angels,
Some suggest that it’s sort of irrelevant becasue Abraham didn’t know who they were - so we judge his actions on the understanding that they are strangers.
the text says this:.
18 The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby.
The Lord - with capital letters in our bibles - means the original word used there was the name God gave to Moses for himself:
God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: “I am has sent me to you.” ’
The orgional hebrew pronounciation of the name for ‘I am who I am’ has been lost in time as ancient Jews considered it too holy to pornounce.
So they left 4 consonants YHWH and no vowels in their scriptures - but no-one is certain how to pronounce it.
Theolgians best guess is that it is pronoucned Yahweh, and in history has been translated from the LAtin translations as Jehovah.
Anyway - that doesn’t matter particularly - CHirstians have never called God Yahweh, not even Jesus, In the NT h’e is called simply: The LORD’, so that would seem apporoiate for us.
The point here though is that in some way - one of these 3 men represented the ‘appearing of God himself’ I AM;.
Perhaps an angel representing God in speach and presence, perhaps God himself restricting his glory and presence to a form that humans can see without being instantly killed by his holiness.
We call these appearances theophanies - and they can be God revealing himself in varioous forms.
The pillar of cloud as the ISraleiets escape Egypt,
the buring bush before Moses, and here in the representation of a man.
What is clear - this is some awesome privilege for Abraham.
And while atleast 2 of these men are strangers to Abraham.
judging by his responce - it seems he knew that ‘I am’ was appearing to him as or through one of the 3 visitors!
When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.
In those times, the host would wait at their place until approached by the visitors - but not so for Abraham.
The Lord is here! He runs to greet the 3 men, And he bows low to the ground, his face down.
By chapter 19 we learn that these other 2 men are angels accompanying the Lord - to make an assessment of the evil city Sodom.
But for reasons that appear to become clearer through this chapter - they want to start with a little pre-visit to Abraham and Sarah.
If you were here last week, you’ll know God has just reiterated his covenant with Abraham,
to bring protection, mulittudes of decendants - despite Abraham and Sarah’s old age,
and a place to call home forever.
Abraham’s side of the convent was to be circumsicied - him and all his household.
But more generally - Abraham's duty was expressed in
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless.
Will Abraham walk faithfully and blamelessly before God Almighty? it seems he will:
The LORD comes to lunch? 1: To to be Worshipped
The LORD comes to lunch? 1: To to be Worshipped
Abraham couldn’t be any more hospitable could he?
He first insists they stay to be refreshed.
I’ll bring water to wash your feet,
stay here under my best tree to rest from the midday heat and sun
I’ll bring food!
Ok they agree,
and now he runs everywhere.
He’s already hurried to meet them,
now he v6
hurries to his wife Sarah and asks her to make more bread than they could possibly eat in one sitting.
then,
Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it.
I mean it’s going to take a while to prepare all this food, slaughter the calf,
prepare it,
cook it,
but there is no way Abraham wants the Lord to think he’s not doing all he can to show him honour and good hospitality.
Nothing is too good for the Lord.
I mean it’s a challenge to some of us, who can’t really be bothered to host,
or make little effort when we do.
Sure, the Lord isn’t going to come to lunch with us, but generous hospitality is throughout the bible a high expectation upon God’s people.
How we treat our neighbour is important,
but also how we treat strangers, travellers, new people in our community.
the NT continues to expect good hospitality to be shown to strangers - like these 2 other men who are with Abrham.
Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.
Hopsitality is very under estimated test of our faithfulness before God.
It is a way of worshipping God through obedience to him as we love others.
He has loved and even died for us while we were enemies of him - can we manage to make some effort with each other, and even strangers!?
We don’t have to make hosting complicated but real effort is supposed to be made towards others - as a sign of our effort we desire to make for the Lord himself.
That will mean costly sacrifices, energy and time - as we see Abraham demonstrating here.
If you’re in Ignite or Roots - I wonder what your attitude is towards hospitality,
Do you grumble and make it difficult if people are coming for Sunday lunch,
Or do you help cleaning and or with the cooking o hurriedly get ready?
For us all,
If you never want anyone in your home,
or avoid unexpected guests at all cost
- it is hard ot see how we will be demonstrating we have true faith in Jesus.
He seems very clear that hospitality, especially towards the Lord’s people is essential:
Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.
Abraham passes the test of faith - he shows that nothing is too good for the Lord -he worships him blamelessly, demonstrated by sacriifical, determined, effort in hospitality.
The LORD comes to lunch? 2: To Reassure the Weak of His Strength
The LORD comes to lunch? 2: To Reassure the Weak of His Strength
While Abraham seems to now have confidence in The Lord’s promise of descendants, he’s been unable to fully convince his aged wife Sarah.
And the Lord seems to have it on the lunch menu to reassure her,
that when the Lord God makes a promise, a covenant,
he is able,
despite the human likely hood,
to do whatever he declares.
‘Where is your wife Sarah?’ they asked him. ‘There, in the tent,’ he said.
It is quite amazing isn’t it,
that the Lord appears to Abraham to enjoy his honour and hospitality which shows Abrahams faith,
but also to show grace and compassion and correction to someone who is struggerling to have faith.
And so here the visitors ask specifically after Abraham’s spiritually struggerling wife?
And when they have her attention becasue she’s heard her name from within the tent where they are,
they now remind Abraham of the pormise God has made him,
in deliberate and clear earshot of the one who most needs reassurance and correction in her faith.
Then one of them said, ‘I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.’ Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, ‘After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?’
Sarah, having passed the age of child bearing,
she’s at least 90 years old - humanly this is not possible
- a laugh is understandable perhaps
- Abraham also laughed when he was reassured of this promise in the last chapter.
But laugh we should not - need not.
And while her laugh may be misplaced - it does lead to one of the greatest truths and reassurances for the person of faith:
Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.’
If the test of faith for Abrahm had us see that nothing is too good for the Lord,
Well now his loving reassurance of Sarah’s faith has us seeing that nothing is too hard for the Lord.
Perhaps ill health has us doubting that God works all things for the good of those who love him.
Perhaps the persistent backsliding of an adult child has us doubting God’s ability to save,
Perhaps the complexity of the world,
or all the competeing ideas and views at school have you doubting if God can bring all things to completion in Christ
so that he will resuce a people for himself.
Well don’t cry for what you do not have,
and don’t laugh about what you don’t think the Lord can do:
Is anything too hard for the Lord?
No - this time next year a barren women in her 90s will give birth to a boy!
We’re not promised our chidlren will believe,
we’re not promised that we will recover from illness.
But we know if it’s the Lord’s will - it is not too hard for him.
And secondly, we know what he has promised.
That He will glorify his name in all people - either through judgement, or salvation.
It may seem unbelievable that God has every human in history as part of his plan.
That the sins of mulitiudes will be forgiven in the coming messiah.
That hell is a fair and just place, in the justice of God, for those who continue to rebel.
But nothing is to hard for the Lord.
Don’t doubt Him and his promise of salavtion in JEsus -
be reassured - he has not come for lunch today,
But he has come right now to speak to those of us who are weak
he’s come in his word, to meet with us.
He’s meeting with the Abrahams who are thriving and trusting in Jesus confidently.
He’s come to let those of us listening secretly from the tent to say.
I hear you, faith in me may seem impossible given your own limitations,
but nothing is too hard for the Lord.
You will have life eternral with me - if you repent and believe in your saviour Jesus.
Sarah seems to know she’s made a mistake so tries to cover her shame:
Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, ‘I did not laugh.’ But he said, ‘Yes, you did laugh.’
But nothing can be hid from the Lord.
Our hearts are bare and open to him - like it or not.
So don’t cry hopelessly that we have failed in life,
and don’t laugh
Be reassured - repent and believe in the Lord’s salvation.
Hear the word of God and renew your trust and faith in him.
Sarah will see proof when she falls pregnant within a month or 2.
we see proof when we read of the eye witness accounts of Jesus being raised from the dead after his crucifixion!
The LORD come to lunch? 3: To Be A Friend!
The LORD come to lunch? 3: To Be A Friend!
I don’t think we are supposed to miss the big contrast between how Abrham righty reacts in hurried sacrfiicial worship,
to this second half of the chapter where he now is quite bold in his discussion and questions to the Lord.
But notice - it is by God’s grace that God engages with Abraham.
And it is the Lord who tells us why he then involves Abraham in discussion about what is about to happen.
When the men got up to leave, they looked down towards Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. Then the Lord said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?
So the 3 men having enjoyed the hospitality of Abraham,
and having reassured Sarah,
move on towards the city of Sodom.
Sodom is not a nice place,
full of evil and rebelion against God as we learn in v20.
And these 3 visitors who in some way represent or are the appearining of the Lord himself
are on their way to bring judgement there.
Notice Abraham does not ask or demand to know what their intentions are,
he simply walks with them to see them on their way.
The Lord’s question, which is for our benefit to learn from, is ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?’
The text carries more the meaning of ‘shall i include Abraham in this’ rather than literally just tell him what’s going to happen?
And we’re told 2 reasons why the Lord does decide to include Abraham in his plans:
Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.
God has promised Abraham that he will be the Father of multitudes,
and great nations will be his.
And not only that - but all nations will be blessed through him.
SO he better start being involved in the purposes of God.
This is God’s chosen man to bless the world.
So it’s no small thing when Abraham starts to ask the Lord what he will do if he finds 50, or even 45, or even 30, or 20 or just 10 righteous people in Sodom!
Here is Abraham interceding for Sodom,
he brings blessing to the Sodomites as he prays for them.
And Abraham is learning God’s justice is pure and glorious.
Then he said, ‘May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?’ He answered, ‘For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.’
Abraham can trust the Lord.
The righteous will never be destroyed - even if they are vastly outnumbered by evil.
It’s extraordinary that God engages 6 times with Abraham on the number of righteous people it will take for God to spare the city.
Especially when Abraham starts the conversation with a request for God’s confirmation that he is indeed righteous and just:
The men turned away and went towards Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Then Abraham approached him and said: ‘Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?’
Well of course the Judge of all the earth will do right.
But the lesson here is to see the generous friendship God gives to his chosen ones, in encouraging and allowing us to approach him in prayer and faith.
Abraham will become known as the friend of God -
‘But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend,
and it is this sort of grace from the Lord that shows us why.
God does not need to involve his people in his plans - but gloriously he does.
It is why inextricably Jesus, the one righteous man who lived, will, in his love and grace call his repentant followers the same:
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
Jesus here is talking to and about his immediate disciples, but the pattern atleast is extended to all believers.
We are included in the Master’s business,
to preach the word,
spread the gospel,
make Jesus known,
Worship him in love and hospitality to all.
so that many may be saved before the Lord returns to judge.
Like Abraham, we have the priveldge of honouring, revering, and sacrificing all for our master who we rightly fear and know will judge,
but as we honour him like that,
he also opens the door to friendship and inclusion in his plans and purposes for the salvation of the world through repentant faith in Jesus.
So firstly,
God shares his plans with Abraham to show his gracious friendship with his people,
and secondly he shares his plans - because from Abraham to us today - the Lord wants us to pass on the justice and glory of God from generation to geenration:
For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.’
Friends of Jesus the Lord - our duty is to do what is right and just before God, so he can bring blessing to all nations.
Let us be worshiping the Lord, our friend in Christ, as we do right by him this week and always:
Pray
