Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Genesis

Genesis 18:1-15 07/07/02

Intro: One Sunday a seminary student on his way to church picked up a hitchhiker. The hitchhiker noticed that the driver was wearing a suit and asked if he was going to church and could he come with him. The student said of course. The stranger came to church and afterward was invited over to one of the members' home for lunch. While there, he received a hot shower, some clean clothes and a meal.  In conversation his hosts found that he was a Christian, but he had been out of fellowship with the Lord. His home was in another state and he was just passing through on his way there. Later that evening they bought him a bus ticket and sent him on his way. A week later, the student who picked him up received a letter from the hitchhiker. Enclosed with the letter was a newspaper clipping with a headline that read 'Man turns himself in for murder'.  The hitchhiker had killed a teenage boy in an attempted robbery and had been running away from the law for some time. But the kindness and hospitality of Christians had convicted him. He wanted to be in fellowship with God and he knew he needed to do the right thing about his crime. Little did those Christians know that by their faithfulness to show hospitality they had influenced a man to do what was right in God's eyes and thereby help restore him to fellowship with his Lord.

 Did you know that hospitality is one of the most mentioned activities of Christians in the NT? Paul, Peter and John all mention this trait in passages where they are talking about the qualities of a Spirit Filled, Christian life.

 Being a good host or hostess is not included in the list of the fruit of the Spirit but you get the idea from Scripture that a number of spiritual fruit are displayed in hospitality: Kindness, goodness, generosity, love, joy, gentleness and patience all these spiritual fruit are ingredients in the recipe for hospitality.

 God needed to mix me a batch of hospitality this week to prepare me for the message this morning. Let me tell you about the  phone call I got from a pastor in Chicago....
 ...it was a complete stranger
 ...it was very inconvenient
 ...there was no promise to come to our church

 Seldom in Scripture is the act of hospitality quite as holy as in the story in Gen. 18. In some ways this is an ordinary scene for that culture, in that place, in that time...and yet before it is finished, the extraordinary bursts into view. Lets look.

Read: Genesis 18:1-8

 It was the hottest part of the day. Abraham was relaxing in the shade when three men appeared. It would have been easy for Abraham to say, have a seat guys and I'll be with you as soon as I have finished my nap. But, as was customary for that culture, Abraham offers the hospitality of his home to these strangers.

 It may seem that Abraham over did it, but remember there were no Holiday Inns or McDonalds, no water fountains along the way and travelers counted on the hospitality of others, strangers to meet their most basic needs.  Abraham gets out of his hammock and heads toward the three strangers as fast as his 99yr old legs can take him. He speaks to them and then he hurries off to have a fine meal prepared for his three quests.

 Why did he make so much of a fuss? Because he understood that God had richly blessed him and he remembered God told him to be a blessing to others. He was just being that blessing. And not because he knew who the three men really were..he didn't. His act of hospitality speaks volumes of his character. Abraham went above and beyond what was necessary or expected in his effort to care for these strangers.

 Have you ever experienced hospitality like that? Has anyone ever gone above and beyond what you expected...for you? How did that make you feel? Have you ever extended that kind of gracious care to another? If we truly believe that we have been blessed by God, then like Abraham, we will go out of our way to be a blessing to others.

 Did you know that it is believed that when the writer of the Book of Hebrews encourages Christian hospitality (remember Heb. 13:2 entertaining angels unaware) that he was referring to this event in Abraham's life?

 Abraham through his hospitality served the Lord and he didn't know it. The same thing happens to us each time we show hospitality to another. We do not serve the Lord, Himself, in a physical way today as Abraham did. Yet, we are reminded in Matt. 25 that there is a direct connection between caring for others and caring for Christ Himself. You remember, Jesus was speaking of those who feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, cloth the naked  and visit the sick and in prison. When you do it to the least of these, you do it unto the Lord Himself. But, Jesus continues Whatever you did not do to them, you did not do to Him and you will be judged for you lack of hospitality and love for others.

 Strong language. Because to us serving others is different than serving God. But to God, they are the same thing, there is no difference, none. As individuals and as a church, we must constantly be evaluating our willingness to extend hospitality to others...even to strangers. Why? Because Abraham's hospitality to these three strangers had a direct effect on his intimacy with God. So much so that because of this incident of hospitality, Scripture calls Abraham a friend of God.

 Do you want to be God's intimate friend? Then minister to, care for and show hospitality to others.
 Lets get very practical.

  -ACRM next Saturday to serve those who are the outcasts of society.
  -Antrims, help them get their new  home ready to live in...Tues-Sat.

Read: Genesis 18:9-15

 The food was served while Abraham stood by and watched his guests eat. Sarah, who was inside the tent, was listening behind the door.  Eventually, one of the men asks where Sarah was. Abraham tells him she is inside the tent and probably thinks he wants to thank her for the meal. But that is not it at all. Instead, one of the strangers drops a bombshell revealing who he actually was.

 In a nearly word for word repeat of what he had said in ch. 17, The Angel of the Lord (Jesus) tells Abraham that Sarah will have a son by this time next year. Suddenly Abraham knows who this stranger is. But Sarah doesn't seem to know as she mutters to herself 'Yea right, you really don't know much about women. I'm more than just a bit past childbearing. Does the word menopause mean anything to you?'

 No one could hear Sarah because this conversation went on in her mind. But, all in all she found it quite amusing and stuffing her apron into her mouth, she begins to laugh. But, her efforts to cover up her laugh didn't work. The next thing she hears the stranger say was 'Why did Sarah laugh? Is anything too difficult for God. I'll be back next year and your son will be born.'
Sarah, scared because she now realizes who these strangers were, replies in her mind.' I didn't laugh' And the Angel of the Lord says...yes, Sarah, you did.' She was soooo BUSTED!  It is interesting that the Angel of the Lord didn't punish her. I bet he might have even had a smile on his face. He knew Sarah would believe. Beside, he had other things on his mind as we will see next Sunday when we look at the rest of chapter 18.

 A key point in this text is the question that is asked by the Angel of the Lord and by many Christians today...'Is anything too hard for the Lord?'.  And I am not talking here about 'Can God create a rock He can not lift?'.

 We say we believe that nothing is impossible for God, but live as if God won't or can't do anything about our own seemingly impossible situations.
  -Difficulties in our marriage
  -Rebellious children
  -Possible job lay off
  -A huge parking lot project
 
 We tend to doubt God. That really is the bottom line. And what is usually the foundation of our doubt?  We have a too small picture of God. We put him in a box and won't let him out to be God. We have a preconceived idea of how and when God acts and if what we are told or see doesn't fit into our picture of God, then we don't believe it. And we wonder why we never truly are satisfied in our Christian life. We wonder why God never acts in our lives like He seems to do in the lives of others. As Paul E. Little once said, the reason is because 'your God is too small'.

Conclusion

 How can we have this kind of faith? How can we let God be God? We can't. Not by ourselves, under our own steam we can't. We need the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. It is by the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives that we can believe the impossible.

 Paul says, 'Be filled with the Holy Spirit'.

 Jesus says, 'When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you shall receive power.'
 
The idea here is power you didn't already have. Spiritual power, God power.Power to show hospitality to those who are in need. Power to believe God when He tells you what seems impossible.

 Listen, we were all sinners, we were headed straight to Hell without a get out of Hell free card. There was nothing standing in our way to eternal destruction. And it was impossible for us to change directions....BUT GOD is the God of the impossible. And through his grace, He sent His Son to die on the cross to pay the price for your sin and to give you forgiveness.

 To transform you from sinner to saint,
 To redirect you from being Hell bound to being heaven bound.
 To remove the sting of death and give you life, abundant life.

 And when He has done that for you what does He ask?  Remember me (that's intimacy) and proclaim (that's power) my death until I come again.

 We have done that this morning in worship. Worship is experiencing intimacy with God and proclaiming his mighty deeds in the assemble of God's people. And we will take our worship to a deeper level, our intimacy to a deeper level as we come to the Lord's Table.  What will we find at the Lord's Table?

 We will find that the Lord's Table, Is not only a place to remind us that we are forgiven. It is a place to find forgiveness.

We will find that the Lord's Table, Is not only a place to remember God's love for us. It is a place to experience the wonderful and forever love of our God and Savior.

We will find that the Lord's Table, Is not only a place where we remember our Lords pain and suffering. It is the place where we can receive healing from our pain and suffering.

We will find that the Lord's Table, Is the place where the impossible is made possible for all who believe in Jesus Christ.

 Do you believe? Then you are invited to come to the Table of the Lord and dine with the one who is Almighty God, wonderful Savior and intimate friend.