Love For Strangers (Hebrews 13:2) | Worship Service

Kootenai Church

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Good morning, and welcome to Kootenai Church on the first Sunday of the new year. Would you please stand as we begin this morning with a call to worship from Psalm 95.

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And it says in verse 1, O come, let us sing for joy to Yahweh. Let us make a loud shout to the rock of our salvation.

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Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving. Let us make a loud shout to him with songs of praise.

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For Yahweh is a great God and a great king above all gods. In whose hand are the depths of the earth, the peaks of the mountains are his also.

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The sea is his, for it was he who made it, and his hands formed the dry land.

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So let's begin this morning and sing all creatures of our God and king. All creatures of our

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God and king, lift up your voice and with us sing.

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O praise him, hallelujah! Thou burning sun with golden beam, thou silver moon with softer gleam.

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O praise him, hallelujah!

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Let all things their creator bless and worship him in humbleness.

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O praise him, hallelujah! Praise, praise the

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Father, praise the Son, and praise the

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Spirit three in one. O praise him, hallelujah!

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All the redeemed washed by his blood, come and rejoice in his great love.

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O praise him, hallelujah! Christ has defeated every sin, cast all your burdens now on him.

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O praise him, hallelujah!

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He shall return in power to reign, heaven and earth will join to sing.

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O praise him, hallelujah! Then who shall fall on bended knee?

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All creatures of our God and king, O praise him,

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O praise him. Alleluia, alleluia,

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O praise him, O praise him.

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Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

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What is our hope? Christ alone. Let's sing.

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What is our hope in life and death?

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Christ alone, Christ alone. What is our only confidence?

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That our souls to him belong. Who holds our days within his hand?

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What comes apart from his command? And what will keep us to the end?

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The love of Christ in which we stand. O sing, alleluia!

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Our hope springs eternal. O sing, alleluia!

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Now and ever we confess. Christ, our hope in life and death.

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What truth can calm the troubled soul? God is good,

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God is good. Where is his grace and goodness known?

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In our grave's redeemer's blood. Who holds our faith when tears arise?

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Who stands above the stormy trial? Who sends the waves that bring us nigh?

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Unto the shore, the rock of Christ. O sing, alleluia!

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Our hope springs eternal. O sing, alleluia!

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Now and ever we confess. Christ, our hope in life and death.

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Unto the grave, what will we sing? Christ he lives,

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Christ he lives. And what reward will heaven bring?

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Everlasting life with him. There we will rise to meet the

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Lord. Then sin and death will be destroyed. And we will feast in endless joy.

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When Christ is ours forevermore. O sing, alleluia!

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Our hope springs eternal. O sing, alleluia!

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Now and ever we confess. Christ, our hope in life and death.

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O sing, alleluia! Our hope springs eternal.

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O sing, alleluia! Now and ever we confess.

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Christ, our hope in life and death. Now and ever we confess.

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Christ, our hope in life and death. Lord, you have searched me and you know

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Where 'er I rest, where 'er

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I go You searched my thoughts and know

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My plans and all my ways are in you

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My words from you I cannot hide

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You have on every side

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O wondrous knowledge, awesome might

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Unfeathered from your spirit be

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Where can I from your presence flee

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In that sure dwelling, faintest abode

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Though you give deepest darkness, cover me

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To you the darkness light shall be

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If light about me be

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As night to you, both night and day

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About as night to you, both night and day

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You may be seated. I'll just call your attention to the bulletin today, which has some announcements in there about emailing out some contribution statements, as well as some upcoming events, including our annual meeting, which is the first Sunday of next month.

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So please put that on your radar. And then also the men's study, which is on Monday nights, is starting up on January 22nd, so I would commend that to you.

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And there's a sign -up sheet out in the foyer if you want to be part of that. Please turn now to Romans 12 for the

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Scripture reading. Romans 12.

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And I've suggested to you in recent weeks that the passage that we're looking at in Hebrews 13 for the sermons is parallel in many ways and contains a lot of overlap with the content of Romans 12.

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That's not to suggest that Paul wrote Hebrews. It's just simply to observe that there is overlap in subject matter.

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Romans 12, we're going to read together through the entire passage, the entire chapter. Therefore, I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

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And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

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For through the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think, but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

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For just as we have many members in one body, and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members one of another.

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Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly.

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If prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith, if service in his serving, or he who teaches in his teaching, or he who exhorts in his exhortation, he who gives with liberality, he who leads with diligence, he who shows mercy with cheerfulness.

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Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.

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Give preference to one another in honor, not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the

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Lord, rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

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Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

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Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly.

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Do not be wise in your own estimation. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone.

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Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

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Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengeance is mine,

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I will repay, says the Lord. But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink, for in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.

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Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Will you stand with me as we pray?

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Let's bow our heads. Our Father, we rejoice in Your goodness to us, the lavish blessings that You have poured out upon us and undeserving people.

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You have lavished us with grace in Christ and brought us to salvation. You have gathered us here to worship in this place on this day, granting to us the health that we enjoy, the ability to gather here, freedom from persecution.

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You have granted to us fellowship and brotherhood one with another. You have poured out upon us this body of Christ, the spiritual gifts that You have appointed for us.

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You have called us to serve. You have brought us together in fellowship. You have made us one in Your family.

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You have adopted us into Your family and given us a seat at Your table. We thank

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You for all of this grace. We thank You for the immense blessing that it is simply to be called a child of God and then to be welcomed into Your household.

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And we pray that our hearts would be filled with gratitude for that as we reflect upon the tremendous mercy that You have bestowed upon those who are

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Yours through Your Son. We pray that You would unite our hearts together in love and in peace and in unity, brotherly affection and kindness and gentleness and all of the virtues that we have just read here in Romans 12.

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We pray that You would accomplish those in our lives and create them within the hearts of Your people, continuing to sanctify us and conform us to the image of Christ.

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We pray that You would reveal amongst us in our own hearts as well as amongst us in a body the sin that so easily entangles us and besets us, that You would expose that, that You would bring us to repentance continually and that through that repentance and through the grace that You give and the power of Your Spirit and the washing of Your Word that You would continue to cleanse us from every sin and stain and work and accomplish in us

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Your every good purpose and pleasure. We ask this for the glory of Christ in whose name we pray.

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Amen. leads me on for His name for His great name surely goodness surely mercy right beside me all my doubts forever and bless

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Your holy inheritance oh right before me in the presence of my enemy the flies and the terror of night is at my door

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I'll trust You Lord surely goodness surely mercy right beside me all my will dwell in Your house forever and bless

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Your holy through the valley of the shadow of death

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I will fear no evil and even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death my son through the valley of the shadow of death

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I will fear no evil and even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death

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You are on my side surely goodness surely mercy right beside me all my days and I will dwell in Your house forever and bless

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Your holiness Your holy

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We turn our attention now to the Lord's Supper that we will observe after the service today and in Psalm 130 it says out of the depths

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I call to You O Yahweh O Lord hear my voice let

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Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications if You should keep iniquities

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O Yah O Lord who could stand but with You there is forgiveness that You may be feared let's sing together have mercy on me

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I am a sinner

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You're blameless Lord my sins against You can't be ignored they will be punished

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I know they must Your law demands it for You are just if You could count everything that I've done wrong who could stand but there's forgiveness with You God have mercy on me have mercy on me a broken and a contrite heart

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You won't tear away have mercy on me have mercy on me because of Your steadfast love mercy

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You gave Your Son to make atonement for wrongs

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I have done what You required Jesus fulfilled

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I don't deserve it and I never will if You would count everything that I've done wrong who could stand but there's forgiveness with You God have mercy on me have mercy on me a broken and a contrite heart

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You won't tear away have mercy on me have mercy on me because of Your steadfast love have mercy on me have mercy on me a broken and a contrite heart

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You won't tear away have mercy on me have mercy on me because of Your steadfast love because of Your steadfast love and now will you please turn your

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Bibles to the book of Hebrews to Hebrews chapter 13 that too,

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Hebrews chapter 13 when you've found your place let's pray together before we look at God's Word Our Father we bow our heads and our hearts before You this morning and it is our earnest desire that we would come face to face with Christ and Your grace in the pages of Scripture that though we see our own failure to apply truth and our own failure to live up to the standards of Your Word and the example of Jesus Christ that we may also find in Your Word hope and encouragement in the

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Gospel satisfaction in Christ and consolation for us in our weariness and in our exhaustion we pray that our minds and our hearts would be renewed by Your Word and that You would accomplish this through the work of Your Spirit as we give our attention and our thoughts now to truth we pray that we would be conformed to the image of Christ and transformed by Your Word we love

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You and we thank You for the joy and delight that it is to open Your Word to have it before us in our own language and to be able to converse and fellowship around these things.

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Bless this time we pray for the glory of Christ our Lord in whose name we pray. Amen. So what are the marks of kingdom citizens?

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Assuming that you have been given a kingdom which is unshakeable and that kingdom is eternal and that your life is wrapped up in that kingdom and that you are a citizen of that, what is a kingdom citizen and what does the life of a kingdom citizen look like?

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That is something that should concern us from the moment that we are transformed and redeemed and saved.

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How do kingdom citizens live in this world which is not our home and we are not citizens of any earthly kingdom in any kind of eternal sense?

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We are temporary residents here and that is the question, that is the answer in that question is the focus of Hebrews chapter 13 as the author now comes to this giant conclusion to all of the argument that he has been making for 12 chapters.

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And you see the conclusion begin at chapter 12 verse 28 where he says therefore since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe for our

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God is a consuming fire. That therefore at verse 28 is the ultimate therefore.

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He has told us that we are redeemed and that we are saved that our sins have been taken away and atoned for that Christ has died to cleanse our conscience and to clear our slate and to give us

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His righteousness. He has told us now that Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father and is currently interceding for us from which position

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He has secured us everlastingly and we have hope in this life and hope for the next all because of what

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Christ has done. And so therefore the author says having brought all of that argument now to a head at the end of chapter 12 therefore here is how we ought to live here is what we should do here is what should characterize us here is how we should behave and that's what chapter 13 is a list of exhortations and commands and closing considerations by which the author is bringing to a focus now how it is that all of the truth in the first 12 chapters impacts our day to day lives if all of that is true if Christ has given

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Himself for you in your place and if you have received an unshakable kingdom then here is what should be true of you here's how you should live verse 28 we should show gratitude verse 28 we should offer to God acceptable service with reverence and awe chapter 13 verse 1 we should love the brethren and then chapter 13 verse 2 and on it follows these other practical applications things that kingdom citizens do and last week we looked at verse 1 the brotherly love commandment let the love of the brethren continue just two major words in the

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Greek which basically just says that brotherly affection that characterizes family members that love of the brethren, let that continue in the church, let that continue in your life then that command to show brotherly love which we saw last week is natural for the believer the expression, the possession of brotherly love is natural for the believer it is something that is instinctive to the

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Christian that idea of brotherly love now sort of overshadows it hangs over the rest of these commandments in this opening paragraph of chapter 13 look at verse 2 these are all expressions by the way of brotherly love verse 2 do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it we should remember the prisoners verse 3 as though in prison with them and those who are ill treated since you yourselves are in the body both of those are expressions of brotherly love, let brotherly love continue, let love of the strangers continue and let love of prisoners continue verse 4 is also an expression of an appropriate brotherly love marriage is to be held in honor among all and the marriage bed is to be undefiled for fornicators and adulterers

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God will judge it is an expression of brotherly love that we honor marriage and keep our marriage bed undefiled from fornication and adultery that is an expression of proper love another expression of proper love is to be free from the love of money verse 5 being content with what you have for he himself has said

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I will never desert you nor will I forsake you so there is an improper love with which proper love is contrasted in verse 4 that is the love of in an inappropriate way of those who are not our spouse or somebody of the opposite sex or somebody else where that love is inappropriate that's verse 4 then there is the contrast with another kind of inappropriate love that is the love for money, the love for things and an active discontentment and another expression of brotherly love is in verse 7 follow the example of godly leaders remember those who led you who spoke the word of God to you and considering the result of their conduct imitate their faith so brotherly love is sort of the overarching command overarching principle this brotherly affection let it continue in the church what does that look like here are some very practical applications of that practical ways where that is worked out in body life verse 2 this is our text for this morning do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it that is our verse for this morning that first kind of expression of brotherly love is the love of strangers or showing hospitality to strangers and there are 3 questions that we are going to answer this morning 3 considerations and here they are number 1 what is hospitality what is hospitality number 2 why is it important of all the things that we could be commanded to exercise why is hospitality important and number 3 what do angels have to do with it that's a good question what do angels have to do with this like it would have been sufficient simply to say exercise hospitality and then to move on but what in the world do angels have to do with exercising hospitality you notice that at the end of verse 2 for by this that is by the exercise or the showing of love for strangers hospitality some have entertained angels without knowing it or angels unaware as some of the older translations say so let's begin with what is hospitality let me offer you a definition it was important to define what brotherly love was or brotherly affection was last week in verse 1 there is a form or a part of the word brotherly love that also appears in this verse and it is the word for love because that's what hospitality is hospitality is a form of love and so the word that is used here that is translated hospitality is phileo xenia phileo xenia and it's actually a combination of two words so just as brotherly love or affection love for the brothers is one word that is a combination of two other words a phileo meaning love or a kind of love that is a kind affection not an erotic love not the kind of agape love but a brotherly affection and then adelphos which is brotherly love of the brethren they cram those two words together to get brotherly love philadelphia the same word that we get our city name from well this likewise is a two words kind of combined into one phileo again the word love we are to have phileo delphia which is love of the brethren and we are to have a phileo xenia which is a love for strangers and the word xenia is the word that is translated in the new testament as lodging place or guest room it comes from the word xenos which means stranger or foreigner we are familiar with that word because we have some of our english words that come from that like xenophobia which is the fear of strangers the fear of foreigners the fear of those who are not like us so a phileo xenia is a love for strangers or a love for foreigners or for others and so the author is commending to us a kind affection a warm regard a friendly love for strangers the word for stranger by the way a form of the word for stranger xenos is the word for stranger xenia that greek word in the new testament is sometimes used as a lodging place or a room for instance in philemon chapter well philemon has one chapter philemon verse 22 where paul says to philemon at the same time also prepare me a lodging a xenia prepare me a room for i hope that through your prayers i will be given to you so the idea of phileo xenia is the love of a lodging place it's the combination of the idea of preparing somebody a lodging for strangers or foreigners and then the affection that is attached to that you could own a hotel and have no love whatsoever and sell out your rooms to complete strangers each and every night and never exercise hospitality even though you might have hospitality services but that's not hospitality hospitality is having a kind or warm affection for strangers to the point where you are willing to open up your home open up your table and to provide means or sustenance to other people who are not part of your home they might be strangers they might be foreigners and they may even be people within the body of christ so the nasb translation show hospitality to strangers is somewhat redundant because the word hospitality would have been sufficient to just simply say show hospitality but to show hospitality to strangers is to say show the love of strangers to strangers what he's describing here is the kind of love that is willing to open up your home and to prepare a lodging to prepare a room or to give somebody a room and board if show hospitality if we translate it just show hospitality you and i might be tempted to think that what the author has in mind here is simply being kind to the people that we like the people that are like us the people that we really enjoy hanging around with and this command would include that but this command is much broader than that this command has to do with doing that for strangers now you say jim my stranger danger warning is going up here there's got to be some consideration you're certainly not talking about just running and grabbing a random homeless person off of the street and bringing them into my house to lodge with my family are you not entirely there are some considerations which i'll get to later on but i want you to understand that this word is not just talking about opening up our table to the people that we like to hang out with our close friends that is a form of hospitality but hospitality is in no way limited to that this word was used to receive others into your home and to provide food and lodging it is to open your home and your heart to others you can see how this is a form of brotherly love i think that the author has in mind here a love to brothers who are strangers it's not just that we open our homes in hospitality to people who are believers it certainly includes that but it also goes beyond that it is more than that and notice that this was an expected practice which is why the author says don't neglect to do this in other words it was going on and he is encouraging them to not forget that's really the word that is translated neglect it means to forget it or to lose sight of it or to simply let it pass out of your mind to not recall to do it it was the word used for something that is forgotten or lost to your remembrance so really this is a command to remember to do something in other words it is the expectation that believers will open their homes to other people strangers and people that they know well christians and non christians and that when that is going on and this is happening within the home within the believers home that you and i will not get to the point where we start forgetting to do this because of whatever considerations come into our lives from outside of this don't neglect it remember this in fact this list of commands is a list of commands to remember different things we are to remember to let brotherly love continue we are to remember to show hospitality to strangers verse 2 we are to remember the prisoners verse 3 we are to remember our marriage vows verse 4 we are to remember that the lord himself has said i will never leave you nor desert you verse 5 we are to remember those who teach us the word of god verse 7 there's a lot of things to remember and this is just another one of them this hospitality this love for strangers that is to go on don't let it slip from your mind so that it gets out of your mind and thus out of your life because once it is out of your mind and you're not thinking about it life will come and the days will stack up and the weeks will pass one after another and pretty soon you realize it has been months or years since i have done anything like this but once you forget to do it then it will be forgotten from your life and you and others will suffer as a result of it and i mean suffer not because god is going to discipline you or hurt you or harm you that's not the idea but just that we lose out a blessing when we forget to do this one last thing i should say about what is hospitality and this is something that needs to be dislodged from our minds and our hearts it is not a spiritual gift it's not a spiritual gift it's a command people say this all the time my gift is hospitality no nobody has the spiritual gift of hospitality the command to you is to be hospitable to exercise hospitality but nobody has that gift now you may have certain character qualities you may have certain natural wiring you may be a gregarious and outward going personality there might be things about your life and your pattern of life or your home that makes hospitality easier than it is for somebody else but there's no such thing as that gift you may have other gifts that play well with exercising hospitality but it is not a spiritual gift and you can go to Ephesians chapter 4 where the teaching gifts and equipping gifts are listed or you can go to 1

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Peter chapter 4 where the distinction is made between serving gifts and speaking gifts or you can go to the list of gifts in Romans chapter 12 or the list of gifts in 1

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Corinthians chapter 12 and guess what you will not find in any of those listings of spiritual gifts in any of the four places where spiritual gifts are dealt with in the new testament you will not find hospitality listed among them because it is not a gift it is a command imagine if you will that it were a gift but it were listed here along with all of these other commands have you ever heard anybody say

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I would be very hospitable I would exercise hospitality but hospitality is not my spiritual gift of course it's not your spiritual gift it's not anybody's spiritual gift nobody has that gift but everybody has that command nobody would ever say look brotherly love is not my spiritual gift

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I know it is commanded here in verse 1 but it's not my spiritual gift I'm more of the sarcastic cynical critical snarky type of a person that's my spiritual gift brotherly love is not it would you ever expect anybody to say remembering prisoners is not my spiritual gift nobody's spiritual gift how about the person who said look moral purity and holding my marriage in honor and keeping my marriage bed undefiled not my spiritual gift what would you think of such a person you'd say you're a lunatic doesn't matter whether it's a spiritual gift or not it's not a spiritual gift guess what it is it is a command which means that it is incumbent upon all of us nobody has that spiritual gift it is a command to be obeyed which is why

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Paul in Romans chapter 12 after talking about spiritual gifts by the way he does mention hospitality but not in connection with spiritual gifts in Romans chapter 12 in the first well verses 3 through 8 he talks about the various spiritual gifts but then he talks about things that are incumbent upon all of God's people

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Romans chapter 12 verse 9 let love be without hypocrisy notice the reference there to love abhor what is evil cling to what is good be devoted to one another in brotherly love giving preference to one another in honor not lagging behind in diligence fervent in spirit serving the

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Lord rejoicing in hope persevering in tribulation devoted to prayer contributing to the needs of the saints practicing hospitality that's not a list of spiritual gifts rejoicing is not a spiritual gift being diligent fervent in spirit brotherly love giving preference to one another those are not spiritual gifts those are commands that all of us have to exercise by God's grace virtues of loving kindness toward one another and hospitality is included in that list hospitality is also included as one of the qualifications for elders in 1st

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Timothy chapter 3 in Titus chapter 1 it is also included as a qualification for widows who were to be put on the list that the church would support in their destitution and that's in 1st

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Timothy chapter 5 as well hospitality is also not just a

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New Testament command or ethic this is something to remember it's not just a New Testament ethic something goes back to the

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Old Testament in fact it's part of the law Leviticus 19 verse 34 the stranger who resides with you shall be to you as a native among you and you shall love him as yourself for you were an alien in this land of Egypt I am the

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Lord your God now notice how the Lord there says you once were an alien a foreigner a stranger and therefore when you get into the land and the people come into your land who are aliens and foreigners and strangers you should treat them with kindness remembering that you yourself were once just like them and that command is repeated in Deuteronomy 10 he who executes justice for the orphan and the widow and shows his love for the alien by giving him food and clothing so show your love for the alien for you were aliens in the land of Egypt in Job chapter 31 when

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Job was reciting when Job was defending his own integrity and talking about how he had not sinned against his neighbor he lists his treatment of aliens and his acts of hospitality as among his righteous deeds

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Job 31 verse 19 if I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing or that the needy had no covering verse 32 the alien has not lodged outside for I have opened my doors to the traveler he asked

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Job what is one of the marks of your righteousness he had opened up his doors to the traveler that's exercising hospitality it was an expression of God's heart and therefore it was to be important to Israel and if it was to be important to Israel it was to be important to you and I as well so not just a

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New Testament ethic this goes all the way back to the earliest the first book of the Bible ever written is the book of Job the first book was not

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Genesis the earliest book was the book of Job even Job there talks about how he had exercised hospitality and treated aliens and strangers now second question why is it important what is it?

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it is the love for strangers and second why is it important? it is important because it displays the character of God through the lives of his people and this is significant it displays the character of God it is no it's no mistake that the author has just said therefore since you have received a kingdom which cannot be shaken in other words all of the future is yours the new heavens and the new earth the new creation resurrected body you are heirs of the kingdom everything that Yahweh owns he has given to his son and everything that the son has received he shares with all of those who are in him so you are looking around here at other believers and you are seeing a kingdom of kings and priests who will reign in that new heavens and that new earth so it is as if the author is saying since you have been given everything by God that can possibly be given to you show love to strangers in other words out of the wealth of what you have been given what we have been given we give out to other people you have received a kingdom

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God has opened up his table to you God has opened up his family to you everything that God has he has made available to you he has laid it out and welcomed you to that table and welcomed you into his family he gives you his entire kingdom and so now it is as if the author is saying so that little kingdom that you have here on earth open that up to other people and share it with them in the same way that God has shared his kingdom with you you have received an unshakeable kingdom so therefore this little shaky kingdom that you have open it up and share it with other people it models the character of God and the nature of God to show kindness like that and care for outsiders and just as the children of Israel were once aliens and strangers in a foreign land that was not theirs

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God redeemed them out of it and brought them into their land so you and I were once aliens and strangers from the province of promise and from God's family and we have been brought in and brought near through the blood of Christ and the title pilgrim or alien is one of the best titles that you could use to describe what a

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Christian life is we are in that way exactly as Abraham was and as Isaac and Jacob were

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Hebrews 11 verse 9 by faith Abraham lived as an alien in the land of promise remember his sojourn wandering around living in tents looking for that city that has foundation who's maker and builder is

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God and Abraham lived as a sojourner in this world there's a very real sense in which when we welcome strangers and other people into our homes they may be strangers or travelers or aliens or people we don't know very well and we welcome them in we are modeling the same thing that God has done for us and we are offering up what

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God has given to us to serve other people and to benefit them and then we are modeling the character of God in doing so and reminding ourselves that you and I were also once aliens and strangers to the covenants of promise and God has brought us in and welcomed us in this practice was essential in ancient cultures by the way far more essential than it is in our culture and in our time and I speak here only of western

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American Christianity but it was a something that was incredibly necessary in ancient times when people would travel because they didn't have hotels and airbnbs and ramadas and inns with pools and hot tubs and all that good stuff if you wanted to go to a hot tub you went to a bath house and those were places of ill repute and if you were traveling from one city to another and you didn't know anybody in that city to go stay with a friend a family member an acquaintance somebody that you had connected with previously that would open their home and share it with you then you either slept outside which itself was dangerous because imagine sleeping outside in south central

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LA that can be a dangerous place to sleep if you didn't do that then you might choose to take up lodging in one of the houses or places where they would sell rooms and those were something akin to a brothel not a ramada but a brothel so as a believer if you were traveling to another city and you wanted to avoid danger temptation the appearance of evil and just being immersed in a culture that you had already left if you didn't have somebody in that city to stay with you were in horrible straits it was essential back then not only essential in the ancient culture but listen it was essential in a culture and in a place where the church was persecuted and these early

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Hebrew Christians they were being persecuted we already read back in chapter 10 how some of them had had their possessions seized and some had been thrown into prison when you live in a persecuted culture there is of course the temptation to close in for yourself and amongst your own if we lived in a persecuted country the natural inclination for the child of God would be to turn inward and to say

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I need to protect my family I need to protect what is mine I can't trust people traveling into the city that they're not a turncoat that they're not a plant from the government trying to seek out the location of a home church

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I can't trust that so the natural inclination is to close up and to stop doing that you don't even want to go exercise kindness to prisoners and to remember them why because if you go to the prison to give bread and sustenance and show kindness to people who are in prison who were once the week before in your church if you do that then guess what they think of you you become the next target on their list so in a persecuted culture in an ancient culture like that the natural inclination is to turn inward and the author here is saying you need to remember to do the exact opposite open yourself up to strangers who will come in show them hospitality it is an evangelistic opportunity it is also a way to demonstrate grace and kindness to your brothers and sisters in Christ and though you might be inclined to forget the prisoner and to forget hospitality a persecuted culture is the wrong time to do that that is so counterintuitive is it not that is so counterintuitive the natural inclination would be to say no way

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I will exercise hospitality once it is safer to do so and the reality is that hospitality is a risky thing this kind of grace and obedience is an expensive thing and it is a time consuming thing it is an energy draining thing but it is a

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Christian thing not a gift but a command it is all the more necessary in difficult times for believers to exercise hospitality we have a great

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New Testament example of this in Acts chapter 16 when Paul is on his second missionary journey after receiving the

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Macedonian vision they sail across the sea and they land in the city of Philippi and they go into the city and then on the Sabbath day they go back outside of the city to where the

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Jews who had been expelled from Roman colonies at that time met for prayer outside the city by the river and it says that Paul went out there and spoke to the women who were gathered there for prayer

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Acts 16 verse 14 a woman named Lydia from the city of Thyatira a seller of purple fabrics a worshipper of God was listening and the

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Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul and when she and her household had been baptized she urged us saying if you have judged me to be faithful to the

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Lord come into my house and stay and she prevailed upon us Luke says notice what happened the

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Lord opened her heart and Lydia opened her home the most natural response for her after embracing

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Christ and being baptized and understanding that salvation the most natural thing for her was to open up her home and to implore

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Paul and Luke and anybody else who was traveling with him to come and to stay there and have lodging because if Paul didn't stay there this was

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Lydia was by the way the first convert in all of Europe he landed in Europe and converted this woman and she gave them a place to stay she opened up her house and gave them lodging that is the most practical demonstration of love and brotherhood

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God opened her heart and Lydia opened her home and if she hadn't done that by the way then Paul and the traveling companions would have had no other place to stay they'd never been to Philippi before they didn't have connections there she was the first convert the first Christian in Philippi now here's the question is this only for believers

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I suggested to you that there is no limit that is placed on us in the text that we just exercise this grace to those who are in Christ so is this something that we are called only to do for believers

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I don't think that it is something that we are called only to do for believers I think it is something we are called especially to do to believers we are to do good to all men and especially those who are of the household of faith in other words some of our very first expressions of brotherly love should be to the brothers in exercising hospitality and welcoming them in and sharing our sustenance with them but it certainly should not stop with the church it certainly could go beyond that and we should be seeking opportunity to have other people into our home who are not believers because that is an evangelistic encounter that is an evangelistic opportunity when you have unbelievers at your table and you say may we ask the

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Lord's blessing on this this is our custom as a family so we are going to pray and you begin to pray and thank

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God for that food and then you begin to discuss things as a family spiritual things that is an incredible evangelistic opportunity so it is not just limited to believers it should also have something to do with unbelievers and there should be unbelievers who are on your target list of people to welcome in and to demonstrate the grace of hospitality to by the way this is something that if it were that it is almost uniquely a

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Christian thing in our culture there are rare times when outside of this unbelievers get together but what do their get togethers look like their get togethers look like exclusively their drinking buddies or their partying buddies or something that they do that gathers everybody together the

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Christian expression of hospitality and showing kindness to others is something of an entirely different nature it is an entirely different character we do this evangelistically we do this as an expression of affection and love and how different that is from what the unbeliever is exposed to when they get together and they think it's just all about talking about politics and it's all about getting together and drinking or partying or doing what they do until late at night and then going home the

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Christian expression of this grace is such a testimony to the unbelieving world now having said all of that before we talk about what angels have to do with it let me offer to you some practical considerations now a little over a year ago if you want to know what this looks like in application

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I would commend to you a message that was preached here a little over a year ago by David Forsyth where he talked about how to start doing hospitality what hospitality looks like how you express it some considerations etc and I'm not going to go back and I don't want to rehash all of that I would just commend that message to you but I do want to talk about some practical considerations and then

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I will leave the application of this up to you so here's my practical considerations we do have to remember that we have obligations alongside of hospitality that can sometimes conflict with hospitality that's that should be obvious there are limits to the ways in which we express this love and this grace to other people especially when we're talking about strangers so for instance

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I am not suggesting that you go find a random homeless person bring them home and allow them to sleep in the basement with your small children that's not hospitality see that's not wise you may have obligations to your family to your spouse to your children that will affect how it is that we make application of this principle there will be times when hospitality looks different for different families and even for the same family at different seasons of life so for instance a single mother who works an eight hour day so that she can provide for her two teenage children the exercising of hospitality this grace is going to look different in her life than it looks in the life of a retired couple who have nothing but space nothing but time and nothing but money see how it's going to look different it's going to look different for you with small children and all the demands that go with that than it will look for you when your children are older and half of them have moved out of the house or all of them have moved out of the house hospitality is going to look different for different families it's going to look different in different environments and my job is not to say here's what it's going to look like in your life you should follow this person or do exactly what this person does because that may be unrealistic to you but here are the principles do

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I have a heart for strangers these are the questions do I have a heart for strangers am

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I willing to open up my little kingdom and give of what I have to other people those that I know well as well as those that I don't know as well am

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I willing to give of myself and my provision and my efforts and my time and my attention and my affections to other people do

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I welcome others into my home with grace and kindness have I neglected to show love to strangers do

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I demonstrate my love for others in such a tangible way how can I improve in showing hospitality to others and have

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I forgotten how important this is those are the questions that we can answer now again

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I would leave the application of that up to you and your circumstance and your situation we're all reasonable people and we can evaluate where we're at and say

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I can do this better I can do that better but I would just encourage you with this do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers we know what it is we know why it is important now the third question what in the world do angels have to do with this that's probably what you've been waiting for since the beginning of this time is ticking on now

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I know we have communion haven't even talked about angels yet what is this interesting statement at the end of verse two do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers for by this that is by the love of strangers and showing hospitality some have entertained angels without knowing it the event that the author has in mind here goes back to I think that I think that there's one event that actually incorporated two different people

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Abraham and Lot the event goes back to his reference here goes back to the event in Genesis chapter 18 verses 1 to 3

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I'll read that the yeah I'll read that then I'll give you the follow -up Genesis 18 verses 1 to 3 now the

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Lord appeared to him that is to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day and when he that is

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Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked behold three men were standing opposite him and when he saw them he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said my

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Lord if now I have found favor in your sight please do not pass your servant by so Abraham sitting in the doorway of his tent it's the heat of the day and he notices three men who are over standing next to the trees

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Abraham has no idea who these men are he has no idea where they have come from it is not until later on in the text that is revealed to Abraham that these are actually angels but at that moment he just sees three men standing out in the heat of the day and he offers to provide them shade and shelter as well as food and drink and he does so he gives them water to refresh themselves and then later on Abraham came to realize that these three strangers were not were not as not all that they had cracked up to be not all that he expected them to be in fact he finds out that two of them are angelic creatures and one of them is not an angel of the

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Lord but the angel of the Lord he's called Yahweh in verse 13 so one of them begins to have a conversation with Abraham and Abraham recognizes this is an appearance of God in human form or what we would call a theophany an

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Old Testament appearance of God it is the second person of the Trinity the Son before his incarnation making an appearance in physical form

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Abraham calls him Yahweh and he has a conversation with Abraham now those two angels or two of the angels who are not

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Yahweh leave and go into Sodom and Yahweh then begins to have that conversation with Abraham where they're negotiating over the city how many righteous people in the city before you destroy it and Yahweh has that conversation while the other two angels go into the city of Sodom and there inside the city gate is

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Lot and Lot sees these men and Lot rushes up and does the same thing that Abraham did to them and offers them lodging in a place to stay and they say no we'll stay out in the courtyard and Lot says no you come into my house it's not safe in the courtyard and he ends up bringing them into his house neither of them neither

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Abraham nor Lot realized that these were angels now that is what the author is describing here so now the question why does he bring it up here in this context what is the point of this what do angels have to do with this is the author suggesting that if we exercise hospitality we might end up showing hospitality to angels you never know there's angels wandering around Walmart right now as we speak out in the city of Sandpoint down in the homeless shelter and if you just go find yourself a random person stranger and invite them in for a meal you might want to poke them and see if they're actually physical and then start asking them questions and see if maybe they will reveal themselves to be angels that's not what the author is suggesting he's not promising that if we exercise hospitality that we might end up exercising hospitality to angels in fact

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I would be willing to promise you that if you showed hospitality to every person in this room you would not end up having an angelic visit because none of you are angels

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I'm willing to I would be willing to bet that none of you are angels that is not his point but what his point is is that Abraham without knowing they were angels went out to give of himself and his kingdom to these complete strangers and who got the bigger blessing

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Abraham got the blessing Abraham did he had no idea what he was doing that small act of that small act of of exercising hospitality to them that small act of opening up his house and blessing them it ended up being he who was the one blessed because of what he did and he ended up actually serving angels and he ended up serving

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Yahweh and friends there is a very real sense in which when you and I exercise hospitality to strangers and when we exercise hospitality to people that we know and that we love who are part of the body of Christ that we are actually offering service and hospitality to Yahweh himself it was

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Jesus who said as much when he said what you've done to the least of these you've done to me and if you give even one of these a cup of cold water in my name you will not lose your reward what was he saying when we do this to the body of Christ we do this to the bride of Christ we are serving the bride groom as well and he blesses that we're demonstrating the character of God we're opening ourselves up for blessing we're pouring out blessing to other people and there is a mutual blessing that is involved in this now what is more likely that you will exercise hospitality and that you will entertain some angelic being or that you will exercise hospitality and by so doing serve

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Christ and serve his bride and earn an eternal reward you're not likely to entertain an angel you might

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I wouldn't bet on it but certainly that is not the motivation the motivation is because I have been given an unshakable kingdom and because I have an unshakable kingdom therefore

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I can serve the king by yielding up the resources that he has given to me at this time with my little shakable kingdom to serve him and when

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I serve others I'm actually serving Christ himself entertaining angels was simply an example of the hospitality that Abraham gave which held more blessing than Abraham could have ever imagined he didn't go to those angels and offer them those things because he knew they were angels he went to those angels and offered them those things because that is what righteous people do that is what

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God fearers do you want to see a demonstration of Abraham's faith which is mentioned in chapter 17 then you go into chapter 18 and you see a man whose heart has been opened just like Lydia and so he opened up his home just like Lydia that's the example that we are to follow

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God had promised Abraham all the land that he could see remember that back in chapter 11

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God had promised Abraham all the land that he could see walk amongst the land everywhere you go north south east and west it's all yours from the great river to the sea from the tip of this to the top of that you get it all

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Dan to Beersheba he had given him all of the land Abraham believed that and possessed that land by faith and he lived in that land by faith and so it was quite natural for one who in his own mind already possessed the kingdom already possessed the land by faith having embraced that to say

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I can show hospitality to three men and so he did it as a natural expression of his godly piety his godly and righteous respect and love for God if we love

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God we will love those who are born of God that's brotherly love and if we love those who are born of God we will also love the stranger it's just another expression of the kind of affection that we are commanded to have and thus we follow the example of Abraham that's what the angels have to do with it it is a simple act of brotherly love where we remember to show grace and hospitality to strangers and of course to those that we know well and love well that is included as well as that it can be risky it can be costly it can be uncomfortable but it is love in action and it is not only the example of Abraham it is also the example of the

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Lord Jesus Christ himself you and I were aliens and strangers and we have been brought near to him and God has opened up his table he has opened up his kingdom he has opened up his family and his house and he has given to us everything and when we exercise hospitality and show grace to others we're simply passing on grace that has been given to us and we are modeling the character of God and Christ who has done that himself and Christ has promised that there is coming a day when we are going to sit down with him in the kingdom and we are going to eat and we are going to drink and it is going to be a lavish enjoyable blessed feast all the saints gather together in that kingdom and when we observe communion together we are getting a glimpse of that here well this is like a mini potluck where we all get to eat and drink together we have a major potluck coming up in a few weeks this is like a mini potluck where we all get together gather around the

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Lord's table and in eating and drinking of the elements we are reminding ourselves not just of the sacrifice of Christ that has brought us near but we are reminding ourselves of the fact that someday we are going to eat and drink with the king of kings in his kingdom in a lavish feast and now we get to enjoy a table together now we get to commune together and now we get to share this in common together because we have been purchased by the blood of Christ so that is what we remember as we partake of communion and I would encourage you if you have never trusted

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Christ for salvation if you are not born again and you have never repented of your sin to not partake of communion because scripture warns that you will be judged for eating and drinking this because you have no part in this you have to come to understand your sin to acknowledge that sin to turn from it and to believe savingly upon the son of God who died in the stead of sinners to redeem them before you can have any part in the

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Lord's table or in communion so as we bow our heads I would encourage you to examine yourself believer and then we will partake of the cup together so let's bow our heads

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I would ask the ushers to come forward at this time and we will have a time of silent prayer and then

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I will close us in prayer let's bow our heads

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Father we thank you for the opportunity to pause and to remember the great sacrifice of your son the

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Lord Jesus Christ it is for our sin that he has that he died that he has taken upon himself our iniquity we are grateful for that he is atoned for and paid the price for any and all who will repent and believe we thank you that his blood is sufficient not just to take away our sin but also to provide us the righteousness that we need in order to stand before you on that final day thank you for cleansing that is available through the sacrifice of Christ thank you for the continual reminder that though we are weak you are strong and though we have sinned greatly that you do not count our transgressions against us but instead you have taken them out of the way having laid them upon your son and punished them all once and for all we thank you for that great atonement we thank you for the forgiveness that is ours in him we confess our iniquity and our transgressions our sins of omission and commission and it is only because of what

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Christ has done that we are even able to gather together to come before you with the confidence that you will receive us that we are accepted in the beloved thank you for putting us in Christ thank you for putting our sin upon him and thank you for putting his righteousness upon us we praise you in his name in the same manner after supper he took the cup and said this is the new covenant in my blood do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me let's pray our heavenly father we are awed by the significance of what we've just taken in partaking of this wonderful meal even though it's small lord it still signifies what you have done for us we just thank you for that thank you for the fact that we can be a part of your family and we can look forward to that tremendous hope of being one day in your presence to partake of a fantastic meal as well as being there forever with you thank you so much lord may we never forget what this means we just pray this in your name amen would you please stand as we dismiss the service this morning and sing the power of the cross oh to see the dawn of the darkest day

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Christ on the road to Calvary tried by sinful men torn and beaten then nailed to a cross of wood this the power of the cross

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Christ became sin for us took the blame bore the wrath we stand forgiven and the crow to see the pain written on your face bearing the awesome weight of sin every bitter thought every evil deed had stayed round this the power of the cross

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Christ became sin for us took the blame bore the wrath we stand forgiven and the crow the daylight flees now the ground beneath quakes as its maker bows its head hurt and torn in two dead are raised to life finish the victory cry this the power of the cross

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Christ became sin for us took the blame bore the wrath we stand forgiven and the crow to see my written in the woods for through your suffering

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I am free death is crushed to death life is mine to live what through your selfless love this the power of the cross son of God slain for us what a love what a cost we stand forgiven and this the power of the cross son of God slain for us what a love what a cost we stand forgiven and the cross to those who are the called beloved in God the