I See You | Making Room for More | Sunday Service

Today we're kicking off a brand new series entitled Making Room for More.

How many of you believe with me this morning that God has more for your life?

I think we would all attest that the God that we serve has more.

Well, if he has more, then we need to make room for more, and over the next several weeks we're going to explore some values that help us make room for more of God's presence, more of God's activity and more of God's purpose in our lives.

How many of you want to walk with more of God's presence in your life?

I know I do.

How many of you want more of God's activity in your life?

You want to see Him moving?

I do that.

How many of you want to walk with a greater purpose in your life?

I do.

Well then, we need to make room for more.

Everybody say make room for more.

Our theme text is out of the book of Isaiah, isaiah, chapter 54.

Isaiah 54 · chapter mention

We're going to look at verses 1 through 5 together today.

Isaiah 54, starting in verse 1.

The prophet said Sing, barren woman.

You who never bore a child, burst into song.

Shout for joy you who were never in labor.

That sounds a little crazy.

Why should somebody that's never experienced the promises of God fulfilled in their life, start shouting because God's getting ready to move.

Can I prophesy over your life this morning that you're about to step into your most fruitful season that you've ever experienced in your life before?

You're about to step into a season where you're going to see God's presence, you're going to experience his activity and his purpose is going to be released in your life in a way that you've never experienced before.

Oh, somebody needs to get ready.

God's about to move in your life Because more he says, more of the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband.

What is God saying?

Those that haven't yet experienced it are about to experience more than those who have.

Verse 2, enlarge the place of your tent.

Stretch wide your tent cords.

Do not hold them back.

God your tent cords.

Do not hold them back.

Lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.

What God's saying?

He's saying it's time to make room for more of my activity in your life, for you will spread out to the right and to the left, your descendants will dispose nations and settle in their desolate cities.

He's saying I'm about to do more than you can possibly imagine.

Do not be afraid, you will not be put to shame.

Do not fear disgrace.

You will not be humiliated.

Don't fear making room for more of my activity.

For the degree that you make room for my activity, I'm going to fill that place.

God says you will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.

Can I prophesy over you?

I've already been so.

I'm just going to keep doing.

God is about to wash away the disappointment and discouragement of yesterday.

You're about to move into a season with God that you're going to be like the Bible says, a calf that has been released from the stall and it goes out rejoicing, it goes out jumping.

I just feel in my heart the Lord say you've been walking with me, but you're about to start running with me.

Discouragement and disgrace are no longer going to define your future, for your maker is your husband.

The Lord Almighty is his name.

The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer.

He is called the God of all the earth.

How many of you know that we serve God Almighty In the morning, at noon and in the evening?

He's the same yesterday, today and forever.

And what he did before he will do again and there's nothing that can stop it.

That's the God that we serve Now.

We started this last week and we're going to continue it today.

I'm going to say church, this is God's word, and you say we believe it to be true.

So let's try that this morning.

This is God's word, Amen.

Here's the title of my message.

Title of my message is I see you Turn to your neighbor and say I see you Turn to your other neighbor and say I see you Turn around to the person behind you and say I see you.

Father, we thank you for your word.

Your word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.

It shows us the way to go and how to arrive there safely, and I pray this morning that we would not just be hearers of your word but, god, that we would be doers of it.

In Jesus' name.

Everybody said you may be seated.

Thank you, caleb.

Thank you.

There are two experiences that all of us have experienced, whether you're in this room or joining us online.

There's two universal realities that we've all faced, probably more times than we can count, and those tour experiences are this Number one we all know what it's like to be on the outside looking in.

We all know what it's like to be overlooked or out of the loop, to feel left out or like you don't quite belong.

We all know what it feels like to be out of the loop, but we also all know what it feels like to be in the loop.

We all know what it feels like to be a part of the team, to be included, to have a seat at the table and a place that you truly belong.

We all know both of those feelings.

Many of you know that the neighborhood that my wife and I live in is a pretty festive neighborhood.

They go all out.

We go all out for all different activities throughout the year, from Thanksgiving to Christmas to Easter, to everything Our neighborhood decorates like nobody else's business.

I mean, it's amazing.

There are activities in our neighborhood year round, and I remember right after we moved in years ago, there was a neighborhood cookout, and so Meg and I and the kids went to this neighborhood cookout to get to know new people in our neighborhood and, as you might guess me, being the introvert that I am, I stood on the sidelines.

I let Meg do all the talking, because she has no problem talking to strangers.

No, exact opposite.

I found a group of guys and I went up to them and introduced myself.

And I went up to them and introduced myself and at the conclusion of my introduction, all five of those guys stood up out of their chairs and walked away.

I have never felt more out of the loop than I did in that moment.

I have never felt more out of the loop than I did in that moment.

I have never felt more unconnected, overlooked than I did in that moment.

How many of you guys say, pastor, I know what you're talking about.

I've experienced something like that before, like we all have.

Conversely, I remember almost 30 years ago.

Conversely, I remember almost 30 years ago walking into a college ministry where I was the new guy.

I didn't know anyone, I was new to the place and everybody else seemed to have their group and be a part and had been there for a while.

But I remember walking in that first time and the college pastor saw me.

He saw me and he invited me to come and have a seat next to him and I immediately went from feeling like the new guy who was trying to get his bearings and get to know people to immediately I felt like I was a part of the group.

Anybody know what I'm talking about.

You've experienced that as well.

These are universal experiences that we have all encountered in our life.

And as I reflect upon those experiences and trying to identify what was the difference and you know what the difference is A spirit of hospitality, a spirit of hospitality.

I think hospitality is something that our culture, if it hasn't lost it, it's really really close to losing it.

Anybody know what I'm talking about this morning.

Anybody know what I'm talking about this morning.

So I want to spend some time talking today about biblical hospitality, because Scripture tells us that biblical hospitality will make room for God's presence in your life.

That biblical hospitality will make room for God's activity in your life in a way that you may have never considered before.

That biblical hospitality will point you towards the purpose of God in your life.

So I want to talk about this value, because this value makes room for more of God in our lives.

Who's ready to go this morning?

Room for more of God in our lives?

Who's ready to go this morning?

Let me define what biblical hospitality is for you this morning.

And it's very different than cultural hospitality.

Biblical hospitality is the practice of showing love, kindness and generosity to others.

And then get this, get this, the next two words, especially to strangers.

Don't miss that, don't overlook that, because cultural hospitality is about showing love and kindness and generosity to people that you know, that are a part of your group.

That's cultural hospitality.

That's not biblical hospitality.

Biblical hospitality does those things to people that you don't know, that people that are not a part of your group, people that are strangers, in particular, the marginalized, those in need, reflecting God's love and his inclusiveness.

What's interesting is that when you study the word hospitality in Scripture, the word in the New Testament literally means love of strangers.

This is biblical hospitality.

This is not cultural.

Like culturally, you're supposed to welcome those you know.

You're supposed to be kind and generous and compassionate to people that you know.

That's cultural.

How many of you guys know we're not supposed to live cultural?

Let me speak to this side of the room.

How many of you guys know that we're not supposed to live cultural?

No, we're supposed to live biblical, and biblical hospitality isn't just kind and compassionate and generous and loving to those you know.

It's especially focused on those that you don't know.

And when we practice this, I'm telling you what I'm going to show you in just a second.

When we practice biblical hospitality, we step into a realm with God that is transformational.

It opens up doors to miraculous encounters.

It points us in the purpose of God for our lives.

I'm telling you you need to get a hold of this principle because if you want more of God's activity in your life, you need to embrace biblical hospitality.

I want to give you three reasons this morning, three reasons you need to make room for hospitality in your life.

Here's the first reason.

Number one hospitality displays the heart of God.

Hospitality displays the heart of God.

It displays what's most important to God's heart.

Well then, the question becomes what's most important to God's heart?

There's one thing that's more important to God's heart than anything else, and it's people.

Else, and it's people.

People are what's most important to God's heart, and nobody was better at seeing people than Jesus.

Jesus had this incredible ability to see people.

As a matter of fact, one of his most common criticisms against him was that he was a friend of tax collectors and sinners.

Right, and so we have to grapple with.

Why was Jesus maybe not Jesus?

Why were sinners and tax collectors so comfortable with Jesus and the religious not?

Look at this in Luke, chapter 5, verse 27.

Luke 5:27

After this, jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth.

Follow me.

Jesus said to him.

And Levi got up, left everything and followed him Verse 29.

Then Levi had a great banquet.

Let me translate that for you into 21st century language.

He threw a party.

He threw a party for Jesus at his house and a large crowd of tax collectors and others Some translations say sinners.

Let me clear something else up for you.

Theologically, this was not a gathering of the holiest of holy.

These were some scoundrels.

Did anybody know any scoundrels?

Don't look to your left or your right.

Anybody know some scoundrels.

This morning, turn to your neighbor and say I see you, these were some scoundrels.

These were some rough people.

These were not the people that you took to an upper echelon party or an event.

These were the people that were looked down on in society.

And so Levi throws a party with all of these people and they come and they find themselves at home with Jesus.

So the Pharisees, the religious peoples, the teachers of the law who belong to their sect, complain.

They're complaining hey Jesus, why are you hanging out with tax collectors and sinners?

And then Jesus said why are you not hanging out with them.

That's really what he says.

It's not the healthy who need a doctor, it's the sick.

I've not come to call the righteous, but I've come to call sinners to repentance.

It's amazing to me, as you read the New Testament, that the sinners and the tax collectors were incredibly comfortable around Jesus.

I wonder why.

What made Jesus' interaction with them so comfortable?

Here's what I think it was.

I think Jesus had the ability to love people where they are, without expecting to be where he wanted them to be.

He loved people where they are, without expecting to be where he wanted them to be.

He loved people where they are.

How do you know that, pastor?

Because every one of us have experienced salvation, and salvation is the result of Jesus loving us where we are not yet where we're going to be to be While we were yet sinners.

Christ died for us.

Jesus had this incredible ability to love people where they were.

He met them where they were and then he loved them forward.

You know what that's what love does?

Love pulls us forward into the best that God has for us, while judgment pushes us back.

Never, never, never forget.

It's the kindness of God that leads us to repentance.

A few years ago, we had a couple individuals outside before church on our sidewalk smoking, and I had a few people run into me in a tizzy.

Anybody know what a tizzy is?

A tizzy?

Let me define that for you.

A tizzy is the word for unrighteous reactions by righteous people.

I just made that up.

There you go.

They ran into me in a tizzy.

Pastor, pastor, you're not going to believe what's going on.

We got somebody smoking on the sidewalk.

You need to go stop them.

You need to go do something about it.

You need to become a fireman and put out every fire around here.

And I responded no, we actually need more of them.

And they were what?

What do you mean?

We need more of them?

What I was trying to communicate to them was that the church becomes a place that we retreat To, a holy huddle From the world, without arms extended wide To it.

We've missed our purpose.

Our purpose Is to love people to health.

That's the hospital called the church, where every person that walks through our doors is welcome.

It doesn't matter what issue that they have, because this is the place they get.

Well, the question should not be what do we do with them?

The question should be why don do we do with them.

The question should be why don't we have more of them?

Why do we not have more people that are broken and bruised and battered and dealing?

Is it because we're not hospitable enough?

Is it because we've reframed the purpose of the church as a place that you retreat from the world, rather than a place where you get to heal the world?

See, I think the reason that tax collectors and sinners were so comfortable with Jesus is he just loved them where they were, because he knew that his love was strong enough to change their life.

Love was strong enough to change their life, and maybe our problem is we don't really believe that our love is strong enough to change their life.

See, hospitality throws open the doors wide and says come on in all you who are weary and heavy laden and find rest For Jesus.

Our Savior is gentle and humble of heart and you will find rest for your souls.

Oh church, let's be a place.

Let's be a place of hospitality for the world, and see what God does.

This demonstrates the heart of Jesus when we open our arms wide and welcome not just the people we know, but especially the people that we don't know, to the arms of our Savior.

Here's the second reason we need to embrace biblical hospitality is that hospitality opens the door to divine activity.

He opens the door to divine activity.

How many of you guys want to have more God moments in your life?

How many of you want some moments where it's undeniably God just showed up and did something and there's no explanation for it other than the God that you serve?

I want to go through life with many God moments, not just a few God moments.

Listen to what Hebrews 13 once says.

Listen to what Hebrews 13, 1 says Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.

Do not forget.

Do not forget to show hospitality to what.

Turn to your neighbor and say I see you.

Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers.

Why?

For by doing so, some people have shown hospitality to angels without even knowing it.

Let me translate what the writer of Hebrews says.

He's saying when you've shown hospitality to strangers, you have opened the door to some divine activity in your life and you didn't even know it.

I want to walk into some of those moments and not know it till I got there that God was waiting on me.

We see this throughout scripture.

We see this principle at play.

You go all the way back to the Old Testament and you find Abraham has three strangers, walks up and he creates, he feeds them and does a feast for them.

What he doesn't know is one of those strangers is the pre-incarnate Christ and he's having a conversation with Jesus.

Yes, please, yes, please.

Rahab, the prostitute from the city of Jericho, opens her doors to two Hebrew spies and she shelters them and she hides them and she protects them from the city officials and in so doing, the Bible says she saves her whole family.

And then the coup de gras is is that this prostitute from Jericho finds herself in the lineage of Jesus?

See, see, her hospitality opened her up to divine activity.

Think about the widow of Zarephath.

There's this widow during Elisha's day, that's in the region of Zarephath.

There's this widow during Elisha's day, that's in the region of Zarephath, and there's a drought and she's out of money and she's out of resources.

And so she goes gather some wood to build a fire, to make her last meal for her family.

And there's Elijah.

And Elijah says what are you doing?

And she tells him he said hey, first go make me some bread.

And she says you know what?

This is a stranger.

I don't know who he is or where he's from.

But I'm going to go ahead and do this.

I don't have much left anyway, so maybe there's enough to feed him as well as me and my son.

And the Bible tells us that God supernaturally filled her vats with oil until the drought was over.

She saved her family through her hospitality and, by the way, in the process her son dies and Elijah raises him from the dead.

Her hospitality opened the door to divine activity.

We could go down the line in Scripture.

If you want more of God's activity in your life, try being a little bit more hospitable.

You don't know what door that it might open.

As a matter of fact, I believe that hospitality has the power to set the trajectory of your life as much, if not more so, than anything else, because you don't know what your hospitality is doing.

You know it's funny.

I told the story at the beginning of my message about our time at that cookout in our neighborhood.

You know what's been interesting to me?

We've lived in our neighborhood 12 years, something like that, and we have yet to really feel like we've been connected in the neighborhood.

But 30 years ago, when that college pastor made me feel welcomed, he made me feel welcomed and then I got to meet that young lady right over there.

He made me feel welcomed and then I got to meet that young lady right over there.

I got to develop godly relationships that I still have to this day, and that college pastor is a mentor for me still to this day and that was the place that I got involved in ministry vocationally for the first time.

That hospitality that he demonstrated to me literally set the trajectory for the rest of my life.

I'm going to tell you what this morning If you want more of God's activity in your life, start being more hospitable.

It'll change your life.

Thirdly, this morning, third reason that we need to embrace biblical hospitality is that it directs your destiny.

It directs your destiny not just in this life, but in the life to come.

Jesus, in Matthew, chapter 25, is sharing some of his final words to his disciples at the Last Supper.

Matthew 25 · chapter mention

Jesus is about to be betrayed.

These are some of his final instructions to his disciples.

I want you to hear this to his betrayed.

These are some of his final instructions to his disciples.

I want you to hear this to his disciples these are men that have preached the gospel and see people saved.

These are men that have healed the sick.

These are men that have multiplied food.

These are men that have operated in the miraculous.

And these are the men that Jesus has commissioned, with a great commission, to go into the world and listen to his final words to them, starting in verse 31.

When the Son of man, jesus says, comes in his glory and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.

All the nations will be gathered before him, him and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left Verse 34,.

Then the king will say to those on his right come, you who are blessed by my father, and take your inheritance.

The kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

What have we done, jesus?

Verse 35, for I was hungry and you gave me something to eat.

I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.

I was a stranger and you invited me in.

I needed clothes and you clothed me.

I was sick and you looked after me.

I was in prison and you came to visit me.

Jesus is defining biblical hospitality as the key to the entrance into the kingdom of God.

Let me tell you something, church your faith has to have works for it to be real.

It's not enough just to say it and believe it.

You got to do it.

James says faith without works is as good as dead.

When you say I believe, james says even the devils believe, but that don't matter.

Just to believe without works.

You know what that's called?

That's called demonic faith.

The demons believe, but they don't obey.

But they don't obey.

Jesus said if you want entrance into my kingdom, you better learn how to demonstrate biblical hospitality.

Verse 37,.

The righteous will answer him Lord, when did we see you and feed you?

When were you thirsty and we gave you something to drink?

When did we see you and feed you?

When were you thirsty and we gave you something to drink?

When did we see you as a stranger and invite you in?

When did I see that you needed clothes and clothes?

When were you sick or in prison and I go visit you?

Verse 40,.

King replied whatever you have done for the least of these, you have done it for me.

See, what we don't understand is, church, is that when we demonstrate biblical hospitality, we're not just doing it for the person in front of us.

We're doing it for the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

See, it determines the destiny of your life.

Then he will say to those on his left depart from me.

Me, you are cursed into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.

Who's going there?

Verse 42 I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat.

Wow, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink.

I was a stranger and you did not invite me in.

I needed clothes and you did me nothing to drink.

I was a stranger and you did not invite me in.

I needed clothes and you did not clothe me.

I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.

When you do not display biblical hospitality, it has eternal ramifications, ramifications.

I believe that hospitality has the power to ripple through eternity and that's what Jesus is communicating to us in Matthew, chapter 25.

Matthew 25 · chapter mention

The question becomes how do we do this?

How do we demonstrate biblical hospitality?

This is really where the rubber meets the road, because as you study the value of hospitality, you find over and over again in Scripture that it is something that is not thought of, something that is not felt or believed in.

It is something that has to be demonstrated.

In Romans, chapter 12, paul says practice hospitality, do it, don't think about it.

Romans 12 · chapter mention

Do it.

Peter.

In 1 Peter, chapter 4, verse 8, says offer hospitality to others without grumbling.

1 Peter 4:8

Offer it.

It's something that has to be demonstrated in our lives and I just want to give you three things in conclusion this morning that help you demonstrate hospitality.

Here's the first one Hospitality begins by making ourselves available and approachable.

You want to be hospitable?

Start by being available and approachable.

You want to be hospitable?

Start by being available and approachable.

What does that look like, pastor?

What it looks like is this Get your eyes up off your phone, get your eyes up off all the things that have you looking down and actually look at somebody around.

You.

Have an awareness of the people around.

Like, just make eye contact with somebody, just look up, turn to your neighbor and say I see you.

You want to be hospitable?

Just start seeing people.

Just look up, make some eye contact, give them a head, nod or something.

You know what I'm talking about.

You're walking by somebody, you make eye contact and you just give them a head.

I can't tell you the number of times that I've made eye contact with somebody and the Holy Spirit quickens something in my spirit for them.

But if I don't make that eye contact, a lot of times things, if I don't see them, nothing gets initiated in my heart.

So acknowledge them, be approachable.

What do you mean, pastor?

It's really complicated.

Just smile, just smile at somebody every now and then.

If you smile at somebody, it communicates that you're approachable.

I want you to do this with me this morning.

I want you to take your hands.

Everybody got your hands, put your hands and I just want you to massage your cheeks, just a little bit.

Just massage your cheeks.

You got to massage them and then some of y'all, you can't do it without your hands helping.

Stretch wide, stretch wide your lips so you can smile.

Come on, come on.

Can I just look up and smile at somebody?

That's how hospitality begins in our lives.

Here's the second Hospitality grows through invitation and response.

It begins with being approachable, available, but it grows through invitation and response.

Can I ask you to do something?

Just invite somebody to lunch, invite somebody to dinner, invite somebody to sit with you, invite someone to be a part of whatever you're doing.

Like Meg will get on to me sometimes, and others will get on to me, because my initial inclination when we're doing something is how many people can we invite?

I just the more, the more, the merrier.

Why I want every person to experience the love of God.

Just just invite somebody to join you.

Hey, you, most of y'all come to church every Sunday.

You got to eat afterwards.

Invite somebody to join you, stop eating alone, and if somebody asks you, say yes, just say yes.

If somebody asks you to sit with them, say yes.

If somebody asks you to go to lunch, say yes, just say yes.

If somebody asks you to sit with them, say yes.

If somebody asks you to go to lunch, say yes, just say yes.

Hey, statistically speaking, if you tell somebody no three times, they never ask you again.

Just say yes to an invitation, to an invitation, and then finally, number three, hospitality explodes.

It goes to a whole nother level when we consider people outside our group.

If you want to go to a whole new place in God, don't just invite the people you know.

Invite people that you don't know.

Invite people that you don't have a relationship with.

Have an eye for outsiders.

Be intentionally inclusive in your activities and watch God show up in a way that you never imagined him to show up.

I mean, just have an eye towards outsiders, look to your neighbor and say I see you.

Church, if we want to go to a place that we've never been, make more room for God in our lives, we've got to learn how to embrace biblical hospitality.

Will you stand with me where you are this morning?

I just have two things in response this morning.

I don't have a response where I'm going to ask you to come forward, because this type of message is less about coming forward as it is going and doing.

And my response today is this Number one God forgive us for not seeing people.

And my response today is this Number one God forgive us for not seeing people.

God forgive us for being blind to the people in our lives.

God forgive us for not being available.

God forgive us for not being approachable.

God forgive us for not being intentional and inviting others to join us.

God forgive us for saying no too many times.

God forgive us for a lack of hospitality.

Anybody else recognize that this morning?

Anybody else convicted today by the Holy Spirit?

Well, this just must have been about me today.

Here's a second.

God help us.

Here's a second.

God help us.

Help us.

Practice biblical hospitality, church.

Let's make this real plain there should be no place on the planet that is more hospitable than the church.

There should be no place on the planet that you could go and not feel more loved and welcomed and apart and embraced than in the church.

God, help us to be that kind of church.

Help us to be the church that people walk in, and they don't have to be perfect.

In case you were wondering, none of us are.

Turn to your neighbor and say I see you, none of us are perfect.

We're all in process and I pray that more and more and more people that don't know God find their way here and encounter a love that has the power to change their life.

I'll conclude with this story Pastor Noah's coming, that has the power to change their life.

I'll conclude with this story Pastor Noah's coming.

I read a story sometime back about a single mom from Arkansas.

She was a young mom, all by herself, trying to take care of a baby and provide and all the things that goes along with that, and she was struggling beyond belief.

Just to make it, she had some neighbors that were believers and they kind of saw what was happening and they befriended her and then, over a course of a few weeks, they made the invitation Listen, if you need us to keep the baby while you need to run some errands, we're here to help you.

And so they did.

They just kept her baby for a few hours a week while she could take care of things that needed to be taken care of.

And soon after that, this couple shared more than their time.

They shared their faith and she gave her heart to Jesus.

Her friends found out what had happened.

They don't know God and they said to her Do you know what those people believe?

And her response was I'm not sure what all they believe, but what I know is they held my baby, they practiced Hospitality and it led to transformation.

Church.

Let's be hospitable and love people the way Jesus loved people, because we see them the way he sees them.

You just stretch your hands towards heaven right now, father, in the name of Jesus, as a community of faith today.

As a community of faith today, we confess God forgive us for a lack of availability, a lack of approachability, a lack of awareness of others, that we get so busy and consumed with things in our lives that we put our heads down to get things done and we walk by people every day that are looking for somebody to see them.

God forgive us for blindness, but God not only forgive us.

Help us.

Help us to see people the way you see people.

God, help us To have eyes that see your children the way you see their children.

God, help us to have eyes To see them as eternal souls that will either live Separated from you or with you For all of eternity.

God, open our eyes To see them and our hearts to receive them the way you have received us.

We thank you for this In Jesus' mighty name.

And everybody said