Sermon Notes - Things Churches Need... Hospitality - Littleby Baptist Church - May 26, 2024

1.        Last week we looked at Things Churches Need… Ministry and saw that the church is to call out those who are called to ministry.

a.        In Acts 13 Barnabas and Paul were set apart and prayed over.

b.       The reality is that all believers have been created or set apart to carry out the Lord’s will.

c.        Each of us have been called to our own specific ministry.

d.       God has something for you to do.

e.        We ended last week as the church calling each other out to the ministry.

f.          It is my hope it helps you to see that you have a calling on this side of eternity.

g.        That it gives you the courage, strength, and boldness to carry forth as God has called you.

2.        As we move on to this week, when I say the word Hospitality.

a.        I bet a lot of us think about welcoming someone into our homes.

b.       Being a good host to our friends, family, or that aunt we have not seen in a decade or more.

c.        When we think of hospitality as what we would do here at church, we might initially think of it as very similar to Fellowship.

d.       Something that is seen when we spend time together.

e.        That form of hospitality is being shown to people we know.

3.        Things Churches Need… Hospitality, goes beyond that.

4.        It is Hospitality that is extended to strangers and travelers.

a.        It is showing the same openness and kindness to a stranger that you would show to an out-of-town friend or family member.

b.       For most of us this is a foreign concept.

c.        Something that is hard to consider with how much evil is out in the world today.

d.       But as a church the Bible gives us examples throughout the OT and the NT, showing that we need to show true hospitality.

5.        Leviticus 19:33-34

a.        When a foreigner, someone who is not like you, a gentile…

b.       Someone you do not know…

c.        Comes to you, you are to love him as yourself.

d.       Why?

e.        Because they were once aliens trapped in Egypt.

f.          They knew what it is like to be mistreated.

g.        They knew what it was like to be seen as having no value.

h.        God wanted them to remember this and to love others.

6.        Deuteronomy 24:17-18

a.        Here we see caring for the aliens, caring for strangers being lumped with taking care of widows and orphans.

b.       James 1:27

c.        That bar is being set pretty high.

7.        Things Churches Need… Hospitality.

a.        Welcoming those we do not know and caring for them as needed is on the same level as loving others as we love ourselves.

b.       And, looking after orphans and widows in distress.

c.        Looks like Things Churches Need… Hospitality is high on our list of things we need to do.

8.        Luke 10:1-4

a.        Jesus was sending out the 72 expecting that they would depend on the hospitality of others.

b.       Others that they did not know.

c.        Others would have to love them as they loved themselves.

d.       The people would have to show 72 strangers hospitality.

9.        Luke 10:5-7

a.        Those who accepted the message the 72 shared.

b.       Those that accepted the message of Jesus.

c.        Would care for the 72.

d.       They would show hospitality for their new friends, who were strangers and travelers when they met.

10.   Luke 10:8-9

a.        Those that accept the message of Jesus and show Hospitality will be blessed.

b.       They will see God at work in their midst.

c.        They will hear that the Kingdom of God has come near.

d.       That the Messiah was coming.

11.   As people became part of the Church the Things Churches Need… Hospitality is meant to be part of who they are.

a.        We saw the foundation for it in the Old Testament.

b.       And we see Jesus talking about it here in the Gospel of Luke.

c.        It is part of who we are supposed to be as God’s Church.

12.   Let’s keep reading.

13.   Luke 10:10-12

a.        Those who did not accept the message that the Messiah was coming.

b.       Those whose lack of hospitality showed that they rejected the message and the messengers.

c.        The seventy-two were wiping the dust off of their feet as a witness against them.

d.       This was a normal practice for Jewish people when returning from Gentile countries.

e.        They would wipe the dust from their feet to signify that they were breaking ties with the Gentiles.

f.          A way of distancing themselves from what they believed to be contamination.

g.        Those who showed no hospitality were not the church and were going to face judgement.

h.        With the Messiah coming, the Kingdom of God being near, it was going to be more tolerable for Sodom than those who did not show love for the traveler and stranger.

i.          More tolerable for those who were destroyed for their sins, then those who did not show love to a stranger.

14.   Luke 10:13-16

a.        One set of cities never heard about the coming Messiah or had a miracle performed in it.

b.       The other set included Capernaum, which will witness miracles and hear about Jesus.

c.        All rejected God, but it the judgement on those who had seen Jesus, and the signs will be more severe.

d.       As we look at this, we see that those who do not love strangers are rejecting the Son and the one who sent the Son, the Father.

15.   In Matthew 25 we find Jesus separating the sheep and the goats.

a.        The sheep being those who followed Jesus.

b.       We talked about how we might resonate with the sheep last week and not realize we are doing things for God.

c.        Let’s look at the goats being those who are being judged.

16.   Matthew 25:41-46

a.        It is likely that those that the goats did not care for were people they did not know.

b.       They did not show love for others.

c.        They did not show hospitality for the stranger and traveler.

d.       Their lack of faithful love did not turn out to be good for them.

17.   When the time comes, we want to be counted among the sheep, who cared for the least of these.

a.        People who did ministry, who showed Hospitality.

18.   Things Churches Need… Hospitality.

a.        In some ways is built off of the fellowship with have with each other.

b.       As we are united as a body of believers, we can love others as a church body.

c.        As individuals walk through our doors, we can help them to feel welcome.

d.       If someone has a need, such as some of the ministries we support, we pool our resources to support.

19.   Hebrews 13:2

a.        As a church and as individuals we are to show hospitality to others.

20.   The question before us is how do we grow in Things Churches Need… Hospitality?

a.        To start is for us to ask God to help us see the stranger with a need that is before us.

b.       We can get so busy that we don’t see them.

c.        It is easy to miss the opportunity to love someone as God would have us love them.

d.       Another thought is that Jesus ate with sinners and tax-collectors.

e.        How do we get out of our comfort zone and engage with people different than us?

f.          What can we do to care for and love those who are not like us?

g.        Do we reach out to one of the international churches in Columbia?

h.        Do we engage with a church in another state for missions?

i.          Do we partner with one of the organizations we support?

j.          Do we help provide presents for the children of inmates?

21.   As we sit here this morning, remembering that we are all to be doing the Lord’s ministry.

a.        I want to encourage you to pray and think about how we as Littleby can show hospitality to those who are strangers to us today.

b.       Pray about who, where, and how.

c.        Pray that God uses us to change lives.

22.   The ultimate Hospitality we can show by loving a stranger is by sharing the Gospel with them.

a.        Sharing about how Jesus led a sinless life.

b.       Something we cannot do, as we are flawed humans.

c.        We are lost and will face an eternity in agony.

d.       We cannot save ourselves.

e.        We need a savior.

f.          We need Jesus.

g.        He became the perfect sacrifice for us when He climbed on that cross and died in our place.

h.        He paid our debt.

i.          He wiped away our sin.

j.          But then, He defeated death and rose again.

k.        Giving all who repent and follow Him new life.

l.          Life eternal with God.

m.     If you are not following Jesus today, I would love to talk to you about how amazing He and His gift is.