I.        Hospitality

    A.     Old Testament

        1.      Stories

            a)     We see Abraham set the example with his hospitality for the three visitors that announced the birth of Abraham’s son, Isaac

            (1)   Genesis 18:2-8

        2.      Commands in the Old Testament

            a)     Israel was told to leave some of their harvest for those in need

            (1)   Leviticus 19:9-10

            b)    Israel was commanded to not exclude the alien from worshiping with them

            (1)   Exodus 12:48-49

    B.      New Testament

        1.      Hospitality continues to be emphasized for Christians in the New Testament

            a)     In stories that Jesus told

            (1)   One of the greatest stories of hospitality is the story of The Good Samaritan

        2.      Different ways of looking at hospitality

            a)     Jesus as our guest

            (1)   Jesus came to live in a world that did not recognize him or receive him

                (a)    John 1:10-11

            (2)   As Christians, we welcome Christ into our lives

                (a)    John 1:12

            b)    Christians as guests

            (1)   We were alienated from God and God welcomed us

                (a)    Ephesians 2:12

            (2)   But when God welcomes us as his guests, we become aliens and strangers in the world

                (a)    1 Peter 2:11

            c)     Christians as hosts

            (1)   because we understand what it is to be aliens, we welcome strangers into our midst

                (a)    Romans 12:13-14, 19-21

II.     Incarnation

    A.     What is incarnation?

        1.      Not re-incarnation—although the concept is similar

            a)     Reincarnation means to be embodied again

            b)    Incarnation simply means to be embodied

            (1)   This is what the Son of God did

            (2)   He was embodied as the man Jesus

            (3)   John 1:14

                (a)    The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

    B.      Just as hospitality is the nature of God, so is incarnation the nature of God

        1.      Where do we see this call to “go”?

            a)     We see it in the Great Commission

            (1)   Matthew 28:18-20

III.   How are we doing?

    A.     In your own life

        1.      Are you living hospitably?

            a)     Are you welcoming people into your life with love and compassion?

            b)    When people are around you, what do they think about you?

            c)     What does your family think when they’re around you?

            (1)   What does your spouse think?

            (2)   What do you parents and siblings think?

            (3)   What do your children think?

        2.      So how are you doing in terms of your hospitality, and how are you doing in terms of incarnation?

            a)     Are you going into the lives of your friends and neighbors and co-workers, and living out your faith in their midst?

            b)    Are you going into other parts of the country or other parts of the world to live out your faith?

            c)     Incarnation doesn’t necessarily mean going to a different place, but going to a different culture

    B.      How are we doing as a church?

        1.      In a sense, everything we do is either hospitality or incarnation—or sometimes a combination of both