Matthew pt. 35 - The Reward of Hospitality

All right, turn to Matthew chapter 10.

Matthew 10 · chapter mention

We are finishing Jesus's sermon where he is commissioning and

sending out the 12 for the first time.

And of course, as we've pointed out already, Jesus doesn't

promise lollipops and candy canes for the 12.

As he sends them out, he warns them with all the threats of

persecution that are coming to them.

He said, hey, you want to be, you want to be my disciples?

They go, yeah, we want to be your disciples.

He says, well, it's just going to cost you everything.

You're just going to have to take up a cross and follow me.

Remember, he hadn't gone to the cross yet, but they were very

familiar with Roman crucifixion to take up your cross.

If you saw a man carrying a cross, you knew that where he

was going he wasn't coming back from.

This is the last walk he's ever going to take.

That's the same invitation that Jesus gives to people.

Come, follow me. Take up a cross, though That

means you're coming with me to stay and there's not a turning

back. Well, I don't know if I'm into

that. Well, then, then you're not

worthy to be my disciple. Jesus said, wow, wow, Bold

words. Well, yeah, when you're God, you

should talk that way. Jesus is humble.

And Jesus also knows exactly who he is and what he's worth, so

he's not going to pretend otherwise.

And thankfully, he's very clear with his disciples.

So nobody was confused. Nobody was tricked into

following Jesus. Jesus never tricked anyone into

following Jesus. Jesus always gave everybody the

full and total picture from day one.

I'm worth everything and it will cost everything.

And they go settle for yourself. But I'm moving on.

Come and follow me. Well, I'm going to go do this.

I'm going to go do that. Come and follow me is the

invitation that he gives. So today as he finishes up his

sermon, we're going to find out more reward, more blessing that

he points out for his disciples, more encouragement because they

need it after what some of the things he's just shared with

them. But we're going to hear that

caring for and showing hospitality to the disciples of

Jesus because they are disciples of Jesus brings reward.

That was a bit of a mouthful. Caring for and showing

hospitality to disciples of Jesus for no other reason that

other than they are because they are disciples of Jesus will

bring reward. That's the point that he's

making. And that's what we're going to

embrace and we're going to make application for it as well.

Jesus finishes this heavy sermon.

He's telling his disciples about rewards for those who show

kindness to his disciples. He's already told his disciples

why they should do what he's sending them out to do.

He's already explained that whoever loses his life for my

sake, that sounds like bad news, but they'll they'll find it.

If you hold on to your life, you're going to lose it anyway.

So you might get the the best life possible on earth, but then

you go to hell. So it's not a great trade

compared to well, I'll take whatever the master would lead

me into here on earth because I get him period.

And then, yeah, the eternal Kingdom with it, Jesus going,

that's the trade you should make.

But that one of those takes faith and the other takes

responding to my 5 senses in the here and now, right?

One of those actually, one of those actually requires that I

would live for eternity and the other one requires that I live

for my flesh in the here and the now.

So Jesus has already told them, whoever loses his life for my

sake will find it. But now he takes it one step

farther. He gives the blessing and

extends it. He and he shows that whoever

blesses you, I'm also going to be a blessing to them.

So we're going to take a look at verses 40 through 42.

And but before I preach through those, we're going to review,

we're going to do a quick review of his, of his entire sermon

before we get to those, but we'll start with those and then

I'm going to work backwards. So verse 40, he's finishing up

now with his encouragement. Whoever receives you receives

me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.

The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will

receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous

person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous

person's reward. And whoever gives one of these

little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple,

truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.

God, thank you so much for your promises, for your rewards.

Scott, Why? Why would you have to reward us?

You didn't, but you choose to. In your goodness and in your

blessing, You crown us with glory and honor and dignity and

worth all things that we never deserved, but all things that

you give graciously. Your incredible, your ridiculous

grace. It is just such a rich, rich

blessing. Help us to not take it for

granted, Lord, help us, help us to receive the fullness of it in

revelation and in practice. In Jesus name we thank you,

Amen. So looking back through chapter

10, remember Jesus told the disciples guys, there's a

there's nothing wrong with the harvest.

We just need more workers. You should pray for workers in

the harvest and then they probably pray and he says good

news. God has answered your prayer.

You're the workers in the harvest.

And now let me tell you more about how this is going to work.

But then he begins to lay it out very different from the

Christianity that you and I have been hurt, have been hearing

about for decades. Really, often times we're not

told a lot about taking up the cross.

But we've clarified many times that taking up your cross is not

Navy SEAL level Christianity. It's actually kindergarten level

Christianity. It was the only Christianity the

early Saints knew of. It's the only Christianity that

actually exists. Any other version is something

false. Any other version is something

different. We're just going to read his

words again and let him speak. And he makes the invitation very

plain. So he gives the 12 authority

over demons. He gives them authority to heal,

authority to raise the dead. He instructs them to go to only

those who are worthy and deserving.

He says go to those who are worthy and deserving.

And then he defines that worthy and unworthy are essentially

people who will listen and people who wouldn't listen.

That's how he defines it. He talks about the judgment that

he'll bring to those who won't listen.

Then he spends most of his commissioning sermon warning of

the persecution that his disciples are going to face.

I'm sending you out as sheep to wolves.

And then he goes on to promise detailed violent persecution

against them, even at the hands of the state.

So your family members, he says, are going to deliver you over.

And this is really challenging for us to hear if we actually

receive it, because the temptation for you right now is

the same temptation I have as you go.

That's crazy. That'll happen to somebody else.

But I don't want you to be flabbergasted, guffawed, or

anything else when it happens to you.

It's going to hurt when it happens to you, but you should

not be shocked when it happens to you.

It'll be something to mourn. It'll be something to grieve,

but you shouldn't go. I can't believe this is

happening. Why not?

Jesus told you that all who seek to live a godly life in Christ

Jesus will be met with persecution.

So living a godly life in Christ Jesus will look like something

in particular. It will speak something with

clarity. It will divide.

He goes on to say I didn't come to bring peace, but a sword.

And then we understood what that meant.

He's not saying that we're to rise up in a militia and create

violence. He's saying The Who I am will

inevitably divide. It is inevitable.

Fathers will turn against their children.

Children will turn against their parents.

We're going, man, that's a messed up family.

And then it happens to you and you go on, man.

It's just like what Jesus said. Jesus is divisive.

Not that he doesn't want everyone to be saved, it's just

that not everyone will respond to the goodness of God in the

way that they should. I'm sending you out as sheep

among wolves. He explains that even people in

your own house will betray you and turn you over to the

authorities. Why?

Because they want the authorities to kill you.

Everyone will hate you. He he, he sweetens the deal in

verse 22. Everyone will hate you because

of me. He said it.

It'll be because of me. And then we clarified what that

meant. Because sometimes Christians

think that persecution will come because you're just minding your

own business saying I just love Jesus and people say get him.

That's not the way it will happen.

The way persecution will happen is because you will not bow down

to the false gods. They will let you have Jesus in

addition to the false gods. That's always been the way it

works. You can have your, your Jesus as

one among many, but you also need to give your pinch of

incense to this idol. And the Christian says, I'll

give nothing. I'll give absolutely nothing.

I will not bow down to anyone else.

Well, we'll throw you in the fire.

Well, I still won't. No matter what you do, I will

not do it. That is the thing that will

bring persecution. It's not just going to be you.

You having a great day with the Lord, minding your own business.

The fact is, you weren't minding your own business.

The truth is you were telling people the truth of the gospel

of the Kingdom. The truth is you were actually

loving people and drawing them in and you thought you had a

person of peace and then that person betrayed you because it

turns out they weren't a person of peace.

And that person wants to ostracize you or get you fired

from the workplace because of the thing you said during the

lunch break or because whatever. Fill in the blanks.

Or your family member wants to cause division among you and the

rest of the family members. There's all kinds of

possibilities here, but the point is, you should be prepared

and expect them because Jesus promised them.

Well, we don't live in that culture.

We don't live in that time and place.

It's certainly worse. It's certainly a spectrum.

I agree with that. And yet it's still going to show

up somehow. He goes on to tell them, get

away from them when you have the ability to get away from them.

We're not trying to be martyrs here.

We're not trying to get in trouble.

This is why he also gave the instruction to be as wise as a

serpent. Understand your circumstance.

A serpent is hard to hit. I hate snakes and I've killed a

lot of them and they're hard to hit.

They're hard to even hit with a shovel.

I'm like you jumping away from them, but they're hard to hit.

He says. I want you to be as wise as a

snake, but you have no venom in you.

You have no fangs, you have no bite.

You're a sheep when it comes to that part, he says.

I send you out in front of the wolves, but be wise but stay

innocent. Look at what all he does there

and all the animals he uses. Sheep, wolves, doves, snakes.

He comforts them with all this by saying that their Father in

heaven will see everything and that they are deeply loved, so

they will be watched closely. He says your father watches the

birds closely. He watches you much more

closely. You're worth more than many

birds. Every challenge, every tear you

cry he catches in his bottle. Every single thing you endure,

everything you walk through. God, where are you?

He's going right here. I see it all.

I'm with you. Well, I don't feel you.

You might not feel Him. And still He has been with you.

Every step He's mourned with you.

He loves you. He will comfort you and He will

restore all things and He will reward you.

God is a rewarder. He encourages you to seek

reward. Then he says that he creates

division. He separates.

That's what Jesus does. He separates the sheep from the

goats. He separates the light from the

darkness. He separates the wheat from the

chaff. He separated the Red Sea for

Israel. He split the calendar between BC

and AD. And he will also split families.

Children will turn on parents. Parents will turn on children.

Truly horrific situations. And he gives one final comfort

and encouragement that reveals his love for his disciples.

He tells them that in the midst of all this pressure, in the

midst of all this pain they would that they're going to

face, there will still be hospitality and kindness shown

to them in the rarest most unexpected moments.

And the rarest, most unexpected times and places there have been

Christians martyred throughout the centuries.

If somebody came and gave them a cup of cold water while they

hung on, that cross crosses over, a lot of times very low,

actually, they weren't like 10 feet up in the air because it's

just not very efficient. You know, a lot of times you

just do it pretty simple and pretty low to the ground.

So anyone who's ever cared for a disciple, anyone who's ever

shown hospitality to one of the disciples, he says there's a

rich blessing to them. And because he loves his church

so much, he is going to bless those who bless his church.

Doesn't that make sense? Doesn't that just seem right to

you? Let me imagine if you had a

child who was being bullied mercilessly in school, and then

you find out that there was another child who showed

kindness to yours even at the expense of becoming bullied by

by everyone else, to side in with your child to show love and

kindness. What would you not do for that

precious child? What would you not want to do

for that little boy who showed kindness to yours, for that

little girl who showed kindness to yours?

Would you not give them the world?

Would you not want to love them and care for them and go, You,

you're like mine now. The Lord loves his children so

much that anyone who blesses the Lord's children, the Lord goes.

You will receive the same reward.

You will get the same blessing that they get.

Even though you're not the same person, even though you didn't

accomplish the same work, you will receive the same reward.

So we're in chapter 10, we're in verse 40.

Whoever receives you receives me.

Whoever receives me receives him who sent me.

The one who receives. Look at that word.

It keeps happening. Whoever receives a prophet

because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward.

And the one who receives a righteous person because he is a

righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward.

And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold

water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by

no means lose his reward. Back to verse 40, receives.

What is the context of this receiving here?

How did the disciples understand it?

What did Jesus mean when he said it?

The reception that he's talking about here is referring to a

hospitable welcome, a deliberate and hospitable welcome of

somebody. How do we know that?

Well, we're because we've looked at our context, we see how

inhospitable the disciples are going to be treated.

And then he comforts them in the end, he says, and yet there will

be. He's told him, you're going to

be hated by everyone. But then he says, but not

everyone, but not everyone, because there will be moments of

love. There will be moments of care,

there will be hospitality. He's saying, I've got moments

prepared for you. I've got people prepared for

you. I've got refreshment prepared

for you, encouragement so that you will even know that my eye

is on you. You know, I feed the Sparrow.

This will be moments where you know that I'm also feeding you.

He gave the context earlier as well when he said when he was

telling them to go into these towns, he says if anyone will

not receive you. And what was the context there?

The context was they were going to welcome these disciples into

their home because they were preaching the gospel of the

Messiah. So Jesus saying I'm sending you

outgoing to all the villages, go preach and teach and heal and

deliver and raise the dead. But if they don't receive you,

if a town or village won't receive you, knock the dust off

of your feet. I will raise that dust up on the

day of judgement against that town and village.

And this was a practice they actually kept.

We see that in the book of Acts. But he says, but those who

receive you, your peace will rest on them and they'll receive

you. So the context was clearly

understood to be hospitality. Some people are actually going

to receive you. And those who receive you are

going to embrace your suffering. They're going to identify with

you. You're going to be opposed by

others, hated by all, and then somebody's going to say

everybody hates you, I'll take care of you.

Well, what's that going to mean for the person who harbors the

one hated by everyone? That's going to come at a cost

for them that reveals who they are as well.

We're looking at a disciple who loves a disciple.

He meant that they would bring a disciple into their home and

care for the disciple of Jesus. And he uses that word receive

here 6 different times. Whoever receives you, he goes on

to say receives me. So this is a reality we come to.

How can it be true that receiving a disciple of Jesus is

like receiving Jesus? The answer is that they are

receiving the disciple because of Jesus.

That's the motive. It's not because, hey, this

guy's really well connected. This could mean good things for

us. It's not because man, he's got a

great personality. I really like him.

He's super funny. It's not because, man, we seem

like we would just be good friends.

Those aren't the motive for the reception of the disciple.

The whole motive is you represent Jesus.

Say no more. I'm letting Jesus into my home.

I'm letting Jesus into my family.

I'm bring, I'm protecting Jesus from his enemies.

To have any part, to have any participation in Christ,

including his suffering, is a great reward and a great joy and

brings great blessing and great honor to the Christian.

I'm letting when you understand and see things the way Jesus

wants you to, when you see a Christian who's being persecuted

and the mob is is going after them and you've got that

temptation to back away and call it wisdom or rush in and go me

too, or here's the cup of cold water before we're killed

together. And we give the most extreme

example because it's one you could literally face because

Jesus wasn't talking in hyperbole when he was talking

about his Saints being killed. Is it likely for us?

I don't know, don't know. Not really relevant though.

Our hearts should be prepared as though it is you should be

living, you should be receiving this sermon as though you live

in Iran today and anything could be different when we leave here.

We don't know who's waiting in the parking lot when we leave.

We don't know who's gotten our our license plates and who's

going to come meet us in the night tonight.

So a couple of things to see here.

They're not receiving the disciple because they have the

disciple has something they like.

They're receiving the disciple because the disciple represents

Jesus. Another thing to see is this

applies to you and I receiving disciples of Jesus as well.

We should be hospitable to the disciples of Jesus.

This is one reason. This is a rabbit trail here.

This is one reason you should be suspicious at.

That's putting it lightly. You should be suspicious of

anyone who claims to be a Christian but doesn't love

Christians. These people are ridiculous.

Ridiculous. If you've ever been one of those

people, I'm glad that you've repented of it and you're around

Christians today. If you ever meet one of those

people, I have 0 tolerance for it.

I call it out. They're like, oh I love Jesus,

but I just don't like his people.

Like ha ha ha, funny joke. Not a thing doesn't exist.

To love Jesus is to love the people of Jesus.

Well, I've been hurt by Christians.

OK, join the club. So anyway, moving on to loving

the people of God. How could you not love the

people of God? This is the evidence, in fact,

that you are a child of God, that you have love for the

brothers. That's the evidence.

That's one of the first signs of the new birth is like, I love

God's people. I love the people of God.

And why wouldn't the people of God love their brother and their

sister who love their father in the way that they should?

And also when we get together, isn't there a special sense of

his presence? Isn't there something more

tangible? Isn't there more of the Lord

with us? Isn't there a certain way where

two or three are gathered? Not just not just the church,

but just where two or three are gathered?

22 is enough to gather in his name and go.

The unity, the fellowship, the comfort, the security, the love.

It's almost like we're receiving Jesus right now by receiving one

another. It's almost like by receiving

Jesus, we're receiving the one who sent Jesus.

It's almost like we've got the Trinity here with us, because in

fact, we do. That is what is happening.

Christians love Christians first.

John 314 says We know we have passed out of death into life

because we love the brothers who whoever does not love abides in

death. Back to the text.

So if we receive a disciple, because they're his disciple, we

receive him. That's already a blessing.

What more do you need? You got to receive.

Jesus doesn't get any better than that, but he continues.

Whoever receives me receives the one who sent me receives him who

sent me. So we can host the presence of

Jesus and the presence of the Father by hosting his people.

And of course, in that, who does that?

It's the Holy Spirit. So this is where the whole

Trinity is represented. Let's keep going.

Verse 41. The one who receives a prophet

because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward.

So the prophet, the righteous person, the little one, is what

he continues into here. And the one who receives a

righteous person because he's a righteous person will receive a

righteous person's reward. And the one who gives one of

these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a

disciple, truly, I say he will by no means lose his reward.

It's often thought, I think incorrectly, that little one

here is referencing children. It's also been used to reference

the poor. So we're all about giving cups

of cold water to children. We're all about giving cups of

cold water to the poor. But I don't think this is what's

happening here. I think what Jesus is doing is

putting a status position in place.

He's saying whoever receives the prophet, so everyone would look

up to the prophet John the Baptist who we're going to go to

next week. Whoever would look at the

prophet like, oh, the prophet's a great thing or just a regular

or righteous person or even whoever you think is the lowest

in the Kingdom. He's not referencing children.

Most likely. He's just referencing the way

people think about status and position.

He's a prophet. OK, He's a regular St.

Oh, he's he's like least among all.

So even even when the disciples names are listed, you always see

Peters listed first. Guess who's always listed last?

Judas as he should be. So Judas is always listed last.

So maybe even in the listing, they're like, we're just seeing

prominence, leadership. Who knows how it all shakes out.

But you know, Thaddeus is listed kind of near the end of the 12

disciples. So maybe even Jesus as he was

teaching everybody and he was saying, you know, a prophet or a

righteous person. And then maybe he refers to

Thaddeus like lowest in the group.

Maybe he was youngest, you know, maybe he was just understood.

Like it wasn't a it wasn't a value judgement.

It wasn't it wasn't saying he's worth less, but he was just

saying he's less prominent. He has less role, he has less

leadership in this time, in this moment in the season.

Baddies could have understood that.

Again, speculation here from your pastor, but we do know he's

referencing some sort of hierarchical ranking.

But they understood prophets. A prophet is the one who's

speaking for God. A prophet like John the Baptist,

then a regular righteous person, or even the least among you,

those who show hospitality to his disciples, they will be

blessed with the same reward that that original disciple

gets. They'll get the same reward as

the prophet. They'll get the same reward as

the righteous person. They'll get the same reward.

Whoever is least in the Kingdom will also get rewarded.

So what? I'm glad you asked.

Good question. So what?

Well, here's the So what? God will have people prepared

who are ready to bear your burden and be your friend.

Amen. That's a promise, and you can

remind them of it. Maybe you need that right now.

You say, Lord, I need that now. I need that in this season.

I need that in this moment. I'm looking, Lord, who's that

person who's going to comfort me, who's going to bless me,

who's going to receive me with their hospitality?

And #2 you need, you need to unite with Christians through

hospitality. It's something you have to

prioritize and you need to be ready.

Hebrews tells us. We don't know we could even host

and entertain angels and do so unaware That's happened to the

Saints. Saints have hosted the presence

of God. Saints have hosted the Lord

himself into their home. And they're going, I'm just

being hospitable because I want to care for God's people.

And God's saying, well, then that's when you did it for me.

When there is pressure and there is persecution against God's

people, you bring them the refreshing presence of Jesus and

the Father through the Holy Spirit.

And this is a necessary and beautiful ministry in God's

Kingdom. Hospitality for the Saints of

God is hospitality for the Trinity.

Your support and your love will be needed as Christian take hits

from their enemies. You ever been there?

You ever been that Christian who needed that refreshment?

You took a hit from a family member.

You took a hit from a former friend.

You took a hit from somebody and you needed some refreshment.

You needed somebody to to love you and to care for you.

A meal is a powerful way to do that.

Breaking bread together, whether it's whether it's actually the

Lord's sable, you can take communion together or whether

it's just time and presence. This was important throughout

Eastern culture, but this isn't just a cultural thing.

God saying this is a Kingdom thing.

So Eastern culture that still does that, well, it's a Kingdom

principle. Anything good and true and

beautiful came from God's Kingdom, and somebody's doing it

better than somebody else. Your hospitality is needed.

You're going to share your courage, you're going to share

your blessing. You're a call to those who are

most faithful because they are going to be the ones in most

need of hospitality. So people who are the most

attacked, they're going to need the most encouragement, they're

going to need the most amount of hospitality, the most amount of

support and love. The ones who are most persecuted

are the ones who are most isolated, and they are the ones

who need you most. You might think, man, I couldn't

be John the Baptist. I couldn't be as bold as so and

so. I couldn't do this ministry or I

couldn't do that ministry. But anyone who gave John the

Baptist a cup of cold water because he was a prophet also

received John the Baptist reward.

That's exactly what Jesus was saying.

That is literally what he was saying.

And of course, we're getting ready to go.

We're getting ready to go see John the Baptist.

And it's, it's a bit heartbreaking because he's in

prison now and he sends his disciples to Jesus.

And John is doubting things in prison now.

He's doubting the whole situation.

He's questioning himself. He's going, man, was I just an

idiot? Did I mess up?

Jesus? Are you really the one?

Should I have run my mouth about Herod and his adultery?

Should I? Just looking around an ancient

dungeon? I could imagine all by himself

with people who are actually guilty of crimes versus a man

who's just a righteous man. I could imagine that it would be

a bit discouraging to be all alone in there.

Of course, Jesus gave him the encouragement that he needed,

which was the word of God, and he answered his question and

John had that answer. So when John's head was finally

cut off, John had the peace and John had that reward.

But anyone who comforted John, not because he was a prisoner in

the cell who they were required to take care of, but because he

was a prophet, receives that same reward.

You can do the same. You can bless, you can

encourage, you can have a role in encouraging whoever it may

be, whoever may need it. There's a pastor who I really

admire and respect and he had, he had made multiple posts

yesterday. Today's the 2nd, right?

June 2nd. So yesterday was June 1st.

So the, the celebration of sodomy is taking place all month

long, unfortunately, and, and the messaging that goes along

with that. But this pastor had just posted

like message after message after message that was just really,

really bold. 20 years ago, it wouldn't have been considered

bold at all. But even me looking at it and

sometimes you'll think, you'll think Joe Michael's bold.

I was like, I was, I was like, but I, but I'm going there.

It was all just plain Bible stuff, just like classic boring

Bible teaching, just stuff. 50 years ago, everybody was going,

uh huh. And the sky is blue, you know?

But now I'm going. And I sent him a message.

I said brother, and I put it on the page.

I didn't send it to him privately.

Why? I wanted to 'cause I was, I was

stirred by all of this. And I said, I'm going to

associate with him publicly, whatever that would mean for me.

That could mean bad things for me.

That could be bad, bad things for my business.

That could mean all kinds of things.

Are you here for your business, Joe Michael, or are you here for

Jesus business? Which is it?

Well, you got to use wisdom. Agreed.

Wise as a serpent, innocent as a dove.

But also I'm going to show whatever hospitality I can to my

brother in Arizona who made that post.

So I said, brother, you have strengthened my spine.

So that was my affirmation of this blessed me.

This challenged me, this encouraged me, this called me up

and I'm and I and whoever reports him to the authorities

and whatever may come of that, I'm with him.

And I wanted him to feel that connection, not just the private

hey, keep it up, because that's how cowards act.

That's what cowards do. Have you seen the comic?

It's, you know, we, it's not a particular war situation, but

the guard, the the executioner is getting ready to to hang the

guy on the gallows. So it's like a cartoon drawing

and he's got his mask on. And he says just so, you know, I

agree with you. Thanks.

That's really encouraging. Are you going to pull that lever

in a second? Well, yeah, I'm just kind of

going to go along. You know, I got to get paid.

I'm just doing my job. Yeah, but I actually agree with

you. Don't say anything.

Your agreement means a lot. That's not a cup of cold water.

That's a slap in the face. So there's a difference.

I agree with you. OK, then act like it.

Identify with me. I got a different approach.

Ah, hope it works out for you. We'll know someday.

Even the smallest act is blessed and rewarded.

Share your home, share your food, share your life, or just

share your cup of cold water. It all matters to God.

Some Christians just need a cup of cold water and you can give

it to them. When I preach things that are

countercultural and one of you thanks me for being faithful or

tells me that the sermon was helpful or that you're thankful

for my boldness, that's a cup of cold water to me.

Karen this week told me that was a really good sermon.

It's like that was a refreshing drink.

Like you need to hear that. It turns out I'm human as well,

folks. Yeah, I've been telling you that

the whole time. Never pretended to be anything

else. I'm just a guy and apart from

him I can do nothing. And I have temptations of

discouragement and I have temptations of fear, all the

things. So that can be a great

encouragement. There may come a day when I need

more than a cup of cold water. There may come a day when my

sermons are taken and the most cultural offensive quotes are

published and it's a local uproar.

Or maybe it's bigger than a local uproar and Salt Church is

just full of hateful bigots and the cameras are in the parking

lot on Sunday morning to see who pulls in.

You're going to pull in that day.

You're going to cruise on by. Or we say, hey, you know what?

It's probably a good time to have Pastor JM over him and his

family for a meal. Let's bless him.

Let's encourage him. I bet he's got a lot of

pressure. Maybe he's doubting himself.

Maybe he's discouraged. Let's receive him and identify

with him and clearly cast our vote.

Let's be clear. Let's stand with the Saints.

Whoever has need, Jesus uses reward as a motive.

He he puts it out in front of the disciples, but it's just not

the reward that we would always expect.

Sometimes the reward is an eternity.

But Jesus also promised whoever gives up all these things,

houses, family and everything else, they will receive a

hundredfold in the Kingdom to come and in his life.

He says, regardless, I'm following Jesus, I've cast my

vote. I can't pull it back.

It's not contingent upon my geography.

It's not contingent upon political pressure.

Yours shouldn't either. Your vote should be precast and

every single morning you should cast it again.

Lord, I'm yours again. And I don't mean like in a

subtle gentle way. I mean in, in the emphatic kind

of way. I mean, if they throw me to the

lions kind of way. Rahab had this privilege to take

you to Joshua chapter 2, Joshua Joshua's in the Old Testament

Joshua 2 · chapter mention

after Deuteronomy, Joshua too, and Joshua, the son

of Nun sent two men secretly to Shatim as spies saying go and

view the land, especially Jericho.

So they're outside the promised land.

They said, hey, we're going to send people in, go check it out,

come back and bring a report. The Lord has given us this land.

We want to understand it before we go in, study it a little bit

more. And they went and came into the

House of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there.

So they didn't break in. They didn't kick in the door and

say let us in. They were somehow seeking for

people. Maybe they met her in the street

and she was working and they said, hey, we're looking for a

place to stay. And she welcomed them.

There's nothing inappropriate here.

These are righteous men who are doing the Lord's work.

But she showed hospitality to them and she welcomed them into

her home. And it was told to the king of

Jericho, behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search

out the land. Then the king of Jericho sent to

Rahab saying, bring out the men who have come to you who entered

your house, for they have come to search out all the land.

But the woman who had taken the two men.

But the woman had taken the two men and had hidden them.

And she said, true, the men came to me, but I did not know where

they were from. And when the gate was about to

be closed at dark, the men went out.

I do not know where the men went.

Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.

She's like, go they, they went that way, is what Rahab's

saying. It's like the classic cartoon.

But she had brought them up to the roof and it hid, hid them

with stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof.

So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan as far as

the Fords. And the gate was shut as soon as

the pursuers had gone out before the men lay down for the night

now. So she hid them.

She sent the, the, the people seeking them.

They, they were going to be killed by the way.

And now she has put herself in with hiding these men, and lying

to her own king and to her own people, as she is literally

betraying them for good purpose and for good reason.

Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof, and

said to the men, I know the Lord has given you the land, and that

the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants

of the land melt away before you.

For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red

Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to

the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to

shine an Ogg whom you devoted to destruction.

And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted.

There was no spirit left in any man because of you.

For the Lord your God, He is God in the heavens above and on the

earth beneath. This is what a person of peace

looks like, in case you needed a giant flag waving above their

head. Your God's the God.

I'm with you guys. I'm protecting you now.

Then please swear to me by the Lord that as I have dealt kindly

with you, you also will deal kindly with my father's house

and give me a sure sign that you will save my life.

That you will save alive my father and my mother and my

brothers and my sisters and all who belong to them and deliver

our lives from death. And the men said to her, our

life for yours, even to death. So they said, you have our word,

if you do not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord

gives us the land, we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.

Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her

house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the

wall. And she said to them, Go into

the hills. So the pursuers will encounter

you and hide their three days until the pursuers have

returned. Then afterward go your way.

The men said to her, we will be guiltless with respect to this

oath of yours. So, hey, it's not going to be

our fault that you've made us swear, unless, behold, when we

come to the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window

through which you let us down, and you shall gather into your

house your father, your mother, your brother's all, your

father's household. If anyone goes out the doors of

your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head

and we will be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone

with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head.

So they're saying, get everybody in your house, put this signal,

this red, this red cord out your window.

Everyone in your house will be protected.

But if they're not in your house, no promises.

But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall also be

guiltless with respect to the oath that you have made us

swear. And she said, according to your

words, so be it. Then she sent them away and they

departed, and she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

Do you remember Matthew chapter one, the genealogy of Jesus?

Because of her hospitality, Rahab gets Jesus in her family

tree. It doesn't get any bigger of a

reward than that. She gets to produce the king

himself. But it came at great risk and it

would have cost her everything. But because of her love for God,

because of her love for God's people, because of her

repentance. Now the lion of Christ travels

through Rahab, a prostitute. Why?

Because God is kind to those who are kind to His people, and that

would include you. I'm going to close with this.

I'm reading to you from Matthew 25, verses 31 through 40.

Matthew 25:31–40

Jesus said, When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the

angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.

Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will

separate people one from another, as a shepherd separates

the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on

his right, but the goats on his left.

Then the King will say to those on his right, come, you who are

blessed by my father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you

from the foundation of the world.

For I was hungry and you gave me food.

I was thirsty and you gave me drink.

I was a stranger and you welcomed me.

I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me.

I was in prison and you came to me.

Then the righteous will answer him, saying, Lord, when did we

see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?

And when did we see you a stranger, and welcome you, or

naked and clothe you? And when do we see you sick or

in prison and visit you? And the King will answer them.

Truly. I say to you, as you did it to

one of the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me.

The promise, the blessing is that every single one of us can

host the Lord when we host the Lord's people.

Your hospitality matters. You say I don't have a big

beautiful home. Do you have a cup of water?

You have something to encourage and refresh the Saints with.

Go ahead and service. Chris and Kayla are going to get

the communion elements that we're going to take together in

a moment. You have something that you can

offer. You have something that you can

give. And that's the thing that's

needed. That's the thing that will

bless. That's the thing that will

refresh. That's the thing that we'll

encourage. And whoever sows sparingly will

reap sparingly, but whoever sows abundantly will reap abundantly.

So sow a lot of encouragement because you're going to, you're

going to need it. Sow a lot of hospitality, sow a

lot of genuine Christian love because you're going to need it

too. Sow a lot of mercy because

you're going to need it. Sow a lot of grace because

you're going to need it. We're going to take turns

harvesting from one another and go on, today's my day and you're

going to, I got the harvest. And then you're going to say

today's my day and I'm going to say I've got the harvest because

Jesus is Lord of the harvest. Jesus provides for his church.

Jesus leads his people. Jesus has a will and a way

that's working through us. This is a special ministry.

This ministry of hospitality is a special thing.

I think there's some who are called to it in a particular

way, but every St. is called to it in a, in a, in a certain way

as well. Maybe some of you go, this is a,

this is a ministry in the same way that the prophet has a

ministry calling. I have a ministry calling for

hospitality. It's a particular and unique

thing. That's good.

Embrace it and yet every St. is called to welcome, to love and

care for other Saints.