Open Doors, Open Hearts | Max Lucado | Come to the Table | Oak Hills Church

50:56 You invite somebody over or take somebody out for a meal, show hospitality, and the church will match it. Seven times over. with a contribution to help people who are underserved. We're going to be talking about hospitality today. I like this quote, hospitality is the art of making guests feel at home even when you wish they were. it's not always easy but hospitality is always therapeutic and it's life changing it's certainly worth a conversation so let's ask the lord's blessing and then we'll get to work grant mercy lord upon these words forgive our speaker his sins are many and help us to see Christ, just Christ. And through Christ we pray and all the church said. Well, if a voice could be a season, hers was springtime April. Hello, she sang. Thank you for calling. And I needed a friendly voice. Outside the sky was pouring buckets of rain. Lightning was zigzagging through the air.

52:13 the city of san antonio was being told to stay off the roads flooding was possible i had a flight to catch i had an appointment to keep however and i didn't know what to do so i called the airlines they could tell me right they would know if the flight was canceled or late They would be the calm within the storm. And for a butterfly's blink of a moment, she was, hello, she said. Thank you for calling.

52:50 But then it came. Before I could thank her in return, her voice continued, For quality assurance, this call may be monitored. You know, ancient sailors feared sailing off the edge of the earth.

53:14 Our pioneering forefathers dreaded the blinding blizzards. Some of our parents knew the terror of war. But none of our ancestors had to face what we have to face, and that is this Bermuda Triangle called computerized telephone service. Press one, she said, for domestic flights. Press two, she said, for international. Press three, she said, if you know your flight number in the name of your congressman. Press four, she said, if you're a frequent flyer and if you're in a good mood. Press five, she said, if the nine digits of your social security number total more than 60. I couldn't keep up.

54:09 Finally, I just pushed a button. Boy, was that a mistake. The next thing I knew, I was on hold. I don't know why they call it hold. Nobody holds you. You're left on your own, floundering and falling in the bottomless pit of some underground cable cavern, doomed to spend eternity listening to Kenny G. oh to have heard a human voice to have spoken to a human being to have received a human greeting is it just me or does it seem to you that human contact is going the way of the snow leopard extinct you know there was a time when every activity spurred a conversation when you filled up your car with gasoline you would speak to the attendant when you made a deposit at the bank you would chit chat with the bank teller when you bought a gift you would have a conversation with a sales clerk but now you pay for your gas with a credit card, never needing to go inside.

55:40 You do all your banking online and you can buy all your gifts with a computer. The fact of the matter is you can cycle through an entire day and have no contact, never say hello to anyone. So call us a fast society. Call us an efficient society. Call us a busy society. But do not call us a personal society. It's like we're doing everything we can to avoid one another.

56:18 We're set up for isolation. We wear earphones when we exercise. we communicate via email and text messages we enter and exit our homes using gates and garages it's as if the mantra of our day is i'll leave you alone you leave me alone yet God wants his church to be an exception. Let everyone else go the way of computers and keyboards. God's children will be children of hospitality. long before the church had pulpits and baptistries the church had kitchen tables and meals look at these verses from the first i'm sorry the second chapter of acts describing the first church and whenever you see words in bold please say them out loud with me the believers met together in the temple every day they ate together in their homes happy to share their food with joyful hearts.

57:43 Three chapters later, and every day in the temple and in people's homes, they continued teaching the people and telling the good news that Jesus is the Christ. And just a quick canvas of the epistles tells us that this practice continued throughout as churches were established. Here's from the tiny book of Philemon. To Philemon, our dear friend and worker with us, and to the church that meets in your home, and to the church that met in the city of Colossae, the epistle Colossians, greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and Memphis and the church that is in his house. Long before there were sanctuaries and baptistries and clergy, there were homes, there were houses.

58:39 The fact of the matter is archaeologists tell us that really the first church buildings didn't happen for about 300 years. It was all home to home and house to house. Now consider the genius of this plan. The first generation of Christians was just this tinderbox of contrasting cultures and backgrounds. Remember that the first sermon preached by Peter on the day of Pentecost was heard by people from at least 15 different nationalities. Fifteen. And the result was a church that was born multiculturally. And also women worshipped next to men. Slaves worshipped next to whoever enslaved them. Jews stood next to Gentiles.

59:37 And so the question is, can people of such varied backgrounds and cultures get along with each other? Or, in our situation, can Hispanics live in peace with Anglos? Can Democrats find common ground with Republicans? Can a Christian family carry on a civil friendship with the Muslim couple down the street? Can Spurs fans and Knicks fans Boy, I touched a button there, didn't I? Going a little far there, Locato.

1:00:18 Can divergent people get along? The early church did. They did. And again, not using sanctuaries, not using buildings, not using clergy. They did so with a kitchen table and the gospel. you know not everyone can serve in a foreign land not everyone can lead a relief effort to a third world country not everyone can even volunteer downtown at a at a soup kitchen but who can't be hospitable you have a front door you have a table you have a chair or two got some peanut butter and jelly well then you just qualify to serve in the most ancient of ministries and that is the ministry of hospitality and when you are hospitable your name is included in a long list of people who were the same Abraham was hospitable did you know that he fed not just angels but the Lord of angels Rahab was hospitable.

1:01:36 Remember her story? She was the harlot who welcomed the spies as the children of Israel were entering the promised land. She opened her door to them. Consequently, she and her kindred were saved, and her name is in Matthew chapter 1. Martha and Mary were hospitable to Jesus. They opened their home for Christ in return. He opened the tomb of their brother Lazarus. Zacchaeus welcomed Jesus to his table, and Jesus gave him a thank you gift of salvation. And what about the greatest example of all? The certain man of Matthew 26 and verse 18. On the day before his death, Jesus instructed his disciples to go into the city to a certain man and tell him, the teacher says, the chosen time is near.

1:02:33 I will have the Passover with my followers. Where? At your house. Can you believe? What a privilege. that he hosted Jesus and the apostles at the Last Supper. Can you imagine what an honor to have Jesus in your house? Well, it would happen, and it does happen, whenever you have someone in your house, because Jesus said, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. Would you like to have Jesus come into your house? Invite someone over. By the way, hospitality doesn't have to have a house a picnic table will do just fine so will a chair or two at starbucks you don't have a residence take someone to whataburger i love a good whataburger cracker barrel what matters less is the location of the hospitality and more just the fact of the hospitality.

1:03:53 And that is you matter. So if you don't have any place, that's okay. Take them to a park bench. Bring two sandwiches. You know, it's no accident that hospitality and hospital are so similar. They come from the same Latin word, and they refer to the same thing, a place of healing.

1:04:21 Something healing happens at a dinner table or at a shared meal that does not happen in a sanctuary. In a sanctuary, you stare at the back of someone's head. at a dinner table or lunch table, you see expressions on faces.

1:04:46 In the church auditorium, one person speaks. Thank you very much. But around the table, everybody gets to talk. In a church, services are on the clock. At home, everybody has time to talk. hospitality can create this uncommon community do you know anybody who could use some hospitality do you know any college students who are far from home they would love a good meal do you know any military couples who have recently been sent here from somewhere else and they're not here long boy they would be blessed with a heartfelt invitation. Do you know any seniors who no longer are able to drive?

1:05:46 Wouldn't it be a privilege to pick them up and bring them to your house? some people pass an entire day without meaningful contact with anyone else and your hospitality can be their hospital all you need are a few basic practices here's one issue a genuine invitation it's a wonderful thing to say hey someday let's get together for coffee it's something else entirely to say Friday night I've got a plate at my table with your name on it I'm cooking brisket come over issue a genuine invitation people get rejected so much today the doctor doesn't have time for them the company doesn't have space for them what if you say we have room for you come on over that could be life faltering. And make a big deal out of their arrival. I mean a big deal. Be at the front door when they show up. Be standing in the driveway, or if you're in an apartment building, be down in the lobby. Dillon and I know a fellow who, whenever we would go over to his house, he would applaud. How long since you've been applauded? Make a big deal out of their arrival.

1:07:14 It's a parade-worthy moment. One of God's kids is coming into your house. Also, address the needs of your guests. Now, in the first century, they would wash feet. We don't do that today, but we do have honest and sincere conversation. When we sit at the table, we talk. Turn off the phones. Turn off the televisions. No agenda, but just honest, kind, fun, or deep, if needed, conversation. Go around the table and say, what was the highlight of your week? Let everybody speak, the youngest to the oldest.

1:08:05 Some people never get an opportunity to share what's happening in their lives. And one more. Send them out with a blessing. may the Lord bless you remember God loves you or circle up for prayer or thank Him for coming communicate clearly that the privilege is yours I have a feeling that there are several responses to what I've said thus far. There are some people who are hearing this message, and you have what the Bible calls the gift of hospitality. Yes, it's literally a spiritual gift. That is to say, God put that in you. He activated within you the ability to host events or host people. you love it and a message like this is like saying sick them to a dog you're saying man I can't wait you better believe it you're already thinking things through I'm gonna do this we're gonna do that thanks Max I just needed the green light here I go well God bless you God bless you send us some leftovers then there are some of you who are thinking I know but I'm just exhausted I am depleted I'm working long hours it's all I can do just to keep the boat afloat I thought when I was preparing this message of my three daughters each of my daughters has a brand new baby at home Not much sleeping going on when you've got a two-month or a four-month or a six-month.

1:10:00 Anyway, somewhere between two and six months, right? That's a tough season of life. Friend, let me tell you something. If you're in a challenging season of life, then you take this message and you file it away for the future. Okay? Not my goal to make you feel guilty. We all get in these busy, stressful chapters of life, but it will calm down someday. Amen? We pray. And when it does, then put this ministry into place. But don't beat yourself up if this is not a time for you. And then there are others who maybe have the time and maybe have a home, but really don't like doing this. You just don't like it. Your home is your escape place. You don't like it.

1:10:54 You love when people come, but you love it when they leave. You like it. I know, yeah. That's kind of between you and God, I think. But I understand. and maybe just a thought or two on that that might alleviate some of the pressure. I don't want you to feel pressure. So don't Martha Stewart this. You know what I mean? The china doesn't have to be perfect. The setting doesn't have to be perfect. The napkins don't have to be perfect. You don't have to light candles. You don't need to have scented aroma in the air. Your husband doesn't have to be perfect. That's never going to happen, right?

1:11:50 You know, what matters is not the presentation, but the invitation. I wish I'd said that in the earlier two services. That really came out well. Not the presentation. Don't get so wound up in impressing people that you forget that the purpose is to serve people. And what is unimpressive to you could mean everything to someone else. Yeah, your living room is messy, But when someone has a messy life, your living room could be a sanctuary. And if somebody eats alone every day, a hot dog on a paper plate that's like a filet mignon so don't get too tangled up in making a big impression you just be kind ask the Lord who can I serve today and again it doesn't have to be in your house it could be at a restaurant it could be at a cafe it could be at a park a city park but the fact of the matter is hospitality when it comes from a sincere heart can be a life changing moment even more as you open your table I have one last thought and that is open your circle Jesus said when you give a banquet invite the poor the crippled, the lame, the blind and you will be blessed what if there's an opportunity that comes your way to invite someone that is outside of your circle not somebody you typically hang out with and maybe they are poor

1:13:57 or maybe they are afflicted in some way did you know that every morning in America 37 million people wake up in poverty Thank you. did you know in the past year 13 and a half million have had difficulty providing food for their family and 4.5 million of those have been insecure to the point where family members went hungry maybe hospitality for you is a bag of sandwiches that you take to an overpass in the inner city and you just eat bologna and cheese with some of the homeless. You're providing hospitality. Hospitality in the Greek language, we pointed out that in the Latin language, hospital and hospitality come from the same word.

1:14:52 But in the Greek language, hospitality comes from a compound of two terms, love and stranger. So hospitality is when you get outside of your circle and you love someone who might feel like a stranger, but they are a stranger. Who would have ever imagined that God's war on poverty includes your kitchen and mine? in one of his post-resurrection appearances, Jesus met the disciples at the Sea of Galilee. They didn't know it was him at first. They were in the boat, and they were fishing, and they heard someone from the shore tell them to throw the net on the other side, and they did, and they caught so many fish they could barely get it in a boat that had already happened once before.

1:15:53 And that's when they recognized that it was Jesus. Risen from the dead, standing on the shore, they recognized his voice. How many of you remember that Peter barely got his britches on before he dove in the water and swam all the way to the shoreline? And there was Jesus. The others took their oars and paddled. And when they reached the shore, you know what Jesus said to them?

1:16:23 He said, come and eat breakfast. he was cooking. He was preparing a meal. Shouldn't it have been the other way around? Jesus had just ripped the gates of hell off their hinges. He had just dethanged the devil.

1:16:49 He had just made a deposit of grace in heaven's bank account. that is adequate to cover all the sins of mankind since Adam. He is the unrivaled conqueror of the universe. Shouldn't they have been preparing breakfast for him? But there he was serving breakfast tacos. and he invites us to do the same. Do you know he's still doing it? If you're saved, if you have a relationship with Christ, the greatest feast that has ever happened is in your future, and at that feast, he, speaking of Jesus, will gird himself and have them, that's us, sit down to eat and will come to serve them, even serving at the great feast that awaits us.

1:17:45 Can you imagine we'll be in, I don't know, my imagination doesn't have a place for it, some immense celestial banquet hall, I guess, in the realms of glory with angels and all the saints that have gone before in food, delicious food, and glorified bodies and perfect relationships, no sin. And somebody might say, where's Jesus? and someone might answer, I think I saw him on the other side serving iced tea.

1:18:16 Serving. Inviting us to do the same. You think about that, okay? Thank you, Lord, for your service of us. And now may we follow your prompting and be a servant to others. Through Christ we pray. And all God's people said, Amen. So if you're not in a relationship with Christ, today is your day. You can say yes to Christ and start this brand new, exciting, wonderful life that will culminate in heaven. If you've never said yes to Christ, that's not in your future, so I want to urge you to do so. We're going to offer a prayer, a prayer of salvation. Everybody's going to say it out loud. And then, if today is your day to say yes to Christ.

1:19:08 We'll invite you to stand up, not to embarrass you, but just to applaud you, to celebrate with you this new journey in your life. Let's pray together. Jesus, I'm not perfect, for I have sinned, but I believe in you. Save me, change me, forgive me. I give you my life. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Who's saying yes to Christ today? Would you mind standing up, please? Stand up so we can see you. We can recognize you.