And Then Some by Rick Gillespie- Mobley
Genesis 24:1-24:20
And then some
Genesis 24:1-9 Matthew 5:38-48 Test Genesis 24:9-20
Imagine yourself being the owner of your own business. You have the chance to make millions of dollars in profit. A lot is going to depend on your employees. You can only choose from among one of three kinds of people. First there is the employee who is lazy. He or she goofs off every opportunity he or she gets. Coffee break is 10 minutes longer than it should be, and at 4:45 they’ve stopped working so as to get in a last 15 minute break before leaving at 5pm.
Second there is the worker that arrives at 9 and leaves at 5. Whatever you ask the person to do, he or she will do it. You can depend on the person to fulfill his or her task. This person will let others know if you ask them to do something beyond what it’s in the job description, the person will say, “But that’s not my job.” Third there is the worker, who does what he or she is asked to do, and then some. They don’t waste asking, “who was supposed to do this”, if they can do it and still get their job done. Their goal is to make the company all that it can be, and try to help others who might need some assistance along the way. Everybody knows, that person is going to do his or her job and then some. Which type of worker is going to make that company the most profitable.
You know God has a field that is full of workers for Him. God has sent his laborers into the fileds. If you have given your life to Christ, you are among those laborers. Which of the workers best described how you’re doing on the job. Are you lazy? Are you doing just what it takes to get by? Are you a believer doing what’s expected of you and then some?
In our New Testament reading, Jesus is telling us, do not settle just being an average kind of a person. Make a difference for me, by shocking others by being an “and then some kind of a believer.” When was the last time you amazed someone by going above and beyond what was expected. God gives us the opportunity more often than we think God does. I think of Mary and Vikie cooking all day for VBS. They did not have to do it, but they wanted to give something special.
We find a woman in the Scriptures who was willing to do what was asked and then some and in doing so, found the greatest of blessings for her life. The story is found in Genesis 24. We saw in our Scripture reading that Abraham wanted to get a wife for his son. Abraham was the first Jew called out by God, and God had promised to make him a great nation. Abraham waited a long time to have a son. Back then, the parents were responsible for choosing a mate for their children.
Genesis 24:10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and left, taking with him all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor. He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water.
Then he prayed, "O LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water.
May it be that when I say to a girl, ’Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ’Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’--let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master."
Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. The girl was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever lain with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again. The servant hurried to meet her and said, "Please give me a little water from your jar." "Drink, my lord," she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink. After she had given him a drink, she said, "I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking." So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels.
Let’s look again at verse 19, it says After she had given him a drink, she said, "I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking." The first thing I want you to notice about Rebekah is that she was willing to go above and beyond what was expected. She was an “ and then some kind of a person”.
You may say, big deal, I would have given the man a drink and gave his camels some water. But you see for you, it would be a matter of simply turning on a faucet. She had to get her water out of a well. Understand that a camel will drink between 20 and 30 gallons of water each. Eliezer had started out with 10 camels.
If she was going to fill up his camels, we’re talking anywhere from and hour and a half to 2 hours to fill up these animals.
This lady has committed herself for almost two hours to a perfect stranger who did far more than he had asked of her. Now at best, some of us might have said hello to the man. A few of us might have offered him a drink of water. Even fewer of us would have told him he could borrow our bucket to get some water for his camels if he wanted to, but I’m afraid to say how many of us would have committed ourselves in this fashion. It is usually not our goal to do the most of what we can, and get nothing for it. We have been trained to do the least that’s expected of us, and get the maximum benefit possible.
Too many people want as much of heaven as possible while giving as little to the church as they can get away with and keep their name on the rolls. In other words they want a maximum return for a minimum effort. How many of you know that you can’t write a check for the maximum amount if all you do is put in minimal deposit.
Jesus put it like this, if you are faithful in small things, you can be trusted with much. Rebekkah thought all she was doing was volunteering to help a stranger out. We may be begging God for a job, and God says first show me you’ll volunteer to work for me for nothing. Then see what I will do.
At our staff meeting, we felt bad that some of you teens had not had the opportunity to earn money for the summer. But someone sent in some money to the church and we decided we would hire some of you. But in order to find the “and then some kind of workers, we presented the job description as a volunteer effort in the bulletin to clean up the community.” Any teen that came forward would be hired and that way we would not have to choose between you. We allowed you to weed yourselves out. If you had of volunteered, you would have received a job. Not a single person came to inquire about volunteering. God answered your prayer for a job, and yet you did not take it. If only you were willing to stand out as one who was willing to do what you could and then some. You never know where volunteering for God may open all kinds of doors for you.
Rebekkah’s volunteering is going to lead to her becoming a very prosperous young woman in many ways. This one act is going to lead to more wealth than she could have imagined. Suppose she had said, “Excuse me, I know you didn’t ask me to do what I think you asked me to do.” If she had of had that attitude, then we would not be sitting in church today.
When Jesus talked about going the second mile, the people knew exactly what he meant. At the time he said walk the second mile, the Jews were under Roman authority. They didn’t have jeeps to ride around in back then, and sometimes the Roman soldiers gear would get heavy. They could force any person to carry it for a mile. You see under Roman authority, the Jewish person had to walk the first mile and carry that load. There was no arguing and fussing or whining about it.
That’s just the way life was. You were under their authority and they owned you for a mile. It did not matter that already had plans for the day. They’ve been yelling at you to keep up, and calling you all kind of names while you’re walking with this load.
So imagine there you are carrying this load for this person you are simply thanking God for the opportunity to serve. Now you know that once you get to the end of the mile, the person could not make you go a second mile. You would drop down his bags, and say Solider, my mile is up and I’ll be leaving now. As a joke he might say, aw come on don’t you want to go another mile. Jesus was teaching, shock the daylights out of him and offer to go the second mile and mean it.
You see for the first mile, he owned you and you had no other choice but to do what was asked. But in the second mile, you own yourself and you’re in control of how you’re going to let Jesus shine in you. Jesus is saying the difference between the Christian and the non Christian is that the Christian goes above and beyond in walking the second mile, and does the little extra that causes the person that is over them to say, "Wait a minute. They don’t have to do this. They don’t need to do this, Why are they doing this?" When you do what’s asked, “and then some”, it’s the “and then some” that catches the person’s attention.
Living the Spirit filled life does not mean you’re out their walking on Lake Erie, or that you’re like the song, in right, up right, out right down right happy all the time. The Spirit filled life gives ordinary people power to do extraordinary things. It provides ordinary people with power to do ordinary things in an extraordinary way. Rebekkah received power to do some extraordinary hard work.
She said,’"I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking." God’s spirit will help you to do things just a little bit better and a little bit longer. Did you know that about 80 percent of being successful is just showing up faithfully every time you’re supposed to show up.
How should the And then Some principle work in our lives.
1. The first thing is that we are not to live our lives by the measuring rod. If we are living a life that is always measuring, we’re missing what God told us to do. Let me see he gave me a gift, I’ll give him one. They forgot my birthday, I’ll forget theirs. She didn’t help me when I was down and out, I’m not going to help her. If you do exactly what you’re supposed to do and nothing more, you have not demonstrated that Jesus is in you. If Jesus had of only done what He should have done, he would have never made it to the cross. A Christian is called to do more that is expected of him or her.
2. The second thing is, we cannot walk the second mile, until we’ve walked the first. So many people want to do great things for God, without ever getting around to doing little things for God. Humble yourself to do the simple tasks around the church that needs doing. Pick up the paper on the floor. Go out of your way and greet somebody you do not know. Recognize that it is not in God’s best interest to move you to something better. If we haven’t done a great job where we are, chances are we can’t do a great job where we think we may be going. The problem may be in our attitude with the first mile.
3. Extra blessings come from extra effort. When you and I put in the extra effort, we receive extra blessings. In a marriage relationship, if every husband and every wife were willing to walk the second mile or do what’s expected and then some, they can have a loving relationship.
When I do pre-marital counseling, almost without exception when I ask how do you know this person loves you, I get the response “This person does a lot of little things for me that he or she does not have to do.” It’s the person who has the and then some behavior that causes us to fall in love with him or her. If your marriage is not working, it’s because it’s lacking the “and then some.” If you want it to get better, start doing some “and then some behaviors.”
A good marriage is one when the spouse does what he or she is supposed to and then some. A good student is a person who does what the requirements are in the class and then some. A good member is one who does what he or she is supposed to and then some. A good parent or child is one who does what he or she is supposed to and then some.
What’s a good Christian? It’s not the one with the big cross, or the nice button, or the one playing the Christian station. It’s the one that does what he or she is suppose to do and then some.
Saints, what would happen if we became and then some type people for God.. I guarantee you that we will receive more from life, from others, and from God than we would ever think possible. Because Rebekah went above and beyond what was expected of her, she received more than she had expected.
She had no idea, the simple statement, "I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking", would change her life forever. She didn’t know it would lead to a husband who was a man of faith and wealthy besides. She didn’t know she was going to be one of the great, great, great grandmothers of Jesus Christ.
Do you remember Jesus said that at the judgment he would say to some of the saints, Thank you for clothing me, thank you for feeding me, and thank you for giving me food. But the saints will respond, when did we ever do such things for you. We never saw you.
Jesus will reply whenever you did it for the least of these, you did it for me. When we do things above and beyond, that’s when we’re doing things for Jesus Christ. We do what needs to be done with a right motive, not to get something back. When you stand before Jesus Christ, are you going to be glad knowing that you were an and then some kind of person in life.
Don’t despise the little jobs that you have you to do. Every evening, Rebekah went down to the well and did the very same thing; drew the water out of the well and took it back to her family. What a boring, menial task. But don’t despise it. God may have something coming your way down there.
Don’t wait for the big moments in live to decide you will go above and beyond and become an and then some kind of a person. I meet people all the time, who if they ever won a million dollars they’d give it all or half to the church. My friends if you’re not a tither now, there is no way you’re going to become an and then some giver simply because you got a lot of money all at once. The reality is we learned from the parables, the more money we have, the harder it becomes to give it away or to give it to the work of the Lord.
Some of us have spent a lifetime working and never could tithe. We told ourselves we could not afford to give God a dollar out out of $10 even though God made us to be in the top 15% of the wealthiest people in the world. We live at lifestyles 80% of the world would consider dream living. Now that we’ve retired we’re saying we can’t tithe now because we are on a fixed income. My friends I’m telling you when you know God and are tithing, God is the one who fixes your income, not the Social Security office. You don’t know where God might send you some money from. To tithe is always a choice to live at a certain level to be a blessing to the kingdom of God.
When the camels finished drinking, Eliezer the servant, took out a gold nose ring, and two gold bracelets of the highest quality to give to Rebekah. Later that day he gives her more gold, silver jewelry, and clothing. He gave expensive gifts to her mother and to her brother. Now if must of us, if we had seen what she was going to get before hand, we would have also offered to pour the water for the camels. But we don’t always see in advance what God has for us at the close of the day.
When God opens the door for you to make a difference, go ahead and make the difference.
You can finish reading this chapter and see what a difference Rebekah’s willingness to do above and beyond made in her life. She wouldn’t have thought of finding a husband at that old well in a thousand years, but she did. Those of you who are praying for a mate, God knows how to answer your prayer. Be faithful where you are so that you don’t miss out when God sends a servant looking for you.
Today we share in communion. Communion reminds us that Jesus was an “and then some”kind of a person. He gave above what was required of him in laying down his life for us, and he went beyond reasoning in loving us, because the bible says, while we were still sinners he died for us. Jesus didn’t wait for us to get our act together to start to love us. No he loved us so that He could put our act together in the way it was needed. God is looking for people who are willing to go Above and Beyond for Him. If you’re willing to become an Above and Beyond person this morning I ask that you raise your hand that I might pray for you
Sermon Outline—Pastor Rick
8/3/08 “And Then Some”
Gen 24:1-17 Matthew 5:38-48
Text Genesis 24:9-20
A. It’s Your Business, You’re The Boss
1. Worker #1
2. Worker #2
3. Worker #3
B. What If God’s In Charge
1. Laborers In The Vineyard
2. More Than Average—Shock Then
3. And Then Some
C. The Discovery Of Rebekah
1. Genesis 24:10 Abraham’s Servant
2. The Camel Water Test
3. Taking Two Hours For A Job
D. How Much Would You Be Willing
1. Maximum For Minimum
2. Minimum For Maximum
3. Jesus-Faithful In Small, Also In Much
4. Summer Job Nobody Wanted
5. Rebekah Volunteered
6. Excuse Me, I Know You Didn’t Ask…
E. The Extra Mile Principle
1. Jesus Says Go Two Miles
2. Roman Principle & Law Of Carrying
3. Shock—I Will Go Another Mile
4. It’s In The Volunteering To Go
5. Why Are They Doing This
F. What Is The Spirit Filled Life
1. Walking On The Lake
2. In Right, Outright, Happy All….
3. Power To Do The Ordinary And Make
It Extraordinary
4. 80% Of Success- Ordinary Show Up
G. The And Then Some Principles
1. Forget The Measuring Rod
2. Do It For Me, I Do It For You
3. Jesus Was “And Then Some”
4. Must Walk First Mile Before
The Second
5. A Spirit Of Humility
6. Do Well Where You Are Before
You Move On
F. More And Then Some Principles
1. Extra Blessings-Extra Effort
2. How Do You Know It’s Love
3. And Then Some In Marriage
4. And Then Some In Life
5. And Then Some Christians
G. What Can We Expect To Happen
1. Rebekah Had No Idea
2. One Statement Changed Her Destiny
3. Jesus And The Least Of These
4. Don’t Despise Small Things
5. Don’t Wait For Big Moments
6. Be A Giver Today
7. You Are Rich At 15%
8. The Blessings Fall On Rebekah
H. Rebekah Found More Than She
Dreamed Possible
1. She Was Blessed
2. Her Family Was Blessed
I. Today We Share In Communion
1. Jesus—And Then Some
2. God Is Looking For Some.
