• Laura and I are almost always on a diet or considering one.
• We are doing pretty good this time, but I have been really struggling lately.
• I found a health website that I really like, but since I begin reading and following the advice, my weight is not coming off.
• As a matter of fact, I seem to be gaining. I don’t know why.
• But that doesn’t damper my enthusiasm about these new eating rules.
• Let me share some with you.
• Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
• A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. While beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable, a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of all vegetable products.
• Q: Aren’t fried foods bad for you?
• A: YOU’RE NOT LISTENING!!!... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they’re permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?
• Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
• A: Are you crazy? HELLO . Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It’s the best feel-good food around!
• Q: I’ve heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?
• A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that’s it... don’t waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that’s like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.
• Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
• A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.
• Tonight we are going to watch Abraham and Sarah fix a meal for the Lord. (prayer)
Gen 18:1 And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day.
• A normal day, finished the chores of caring for the livestock and instructing the servants.
• Sit and rest in the heat of the day.
Gen 18:2-3 He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth 3 and said, "O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant.
• Suddenly, in the slowness of this day, there were three men.
• Verse 1 tells us who it was (The Lord appeared to him).
• He recognized Him and went into action.
• He left his tent and bowed before the Lord.
• He then asked, “Can you stay and visit a while?”
• If you have followed me in Facebook or read my blog, you know God has been speaking to me about this very strongly in the last two weeks.
• God loves us and loves for us to just visit with Him.
• This is why our private devotional time is so important and how it become so precious.
• Not only does God want to visit with us for a while, but notice that Abraham wanted to sit and visit with the Lord.
Gen 18:4-5 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, 5 while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.”
• Washed feet, rest, nourishment, and blessings for a continued journey.
• I want to have you consider something you may not have considered before.
• This desire to serve reflects what Jesus taught His disciples to pray for.
• Washing of the feet represented the blessings of God on the journey so far, removing the dirt and struggles to get here.
• “Thy kingdom come, they will be done” is a similar request, in that we ask God to bless what He is doing.
• Rest under the tree from the battle you are fighting.
• “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil” is also a prayer for times of rest and respite.
• A morsel of bread that you may refresh yourself corresponds with “give us this day our daily bread”.
• “after that you may pass on” = “for thine is the kingdom, power and glory forever.”
• It points to continuing on the journey refreshed, with power and blessings.”
• These are good elements of fellowship with God… our need and desire for….
Gen 18:6 And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, "Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes."
• Honey, guess who is coming to dinner?
• I want you to understand Sarah, here.
• From all accounts, she has not yet met this God Abraham claims and talks about all the time.
• She has heard the promises of a child and did everything she could not to disappoint Abraham.
• Now, he has changed his name from Abram to Abraham, saying God did it.
• He has changed her name from Sarai to Sarah, saying God said so.
• Now Abraham sticks his head into the tent and says, “He’s here. Help me get dinner ready. You make the bread. I’ll run to the butcher (so to speak).
Gen 18:7-8 And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly. 8 Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.
• I am certain that you realize they didn’t have a microwave oven in these days.
• The meat was still running around on the hoof when the visitors showed up.
• Abraham picked out a juicy calf (there is probably a better term) and instructed the servants to fix up some steaks out of it.
• He begin to prepare the other things, and as quickly as he could, threw the steaks on the grill.
• This took a while.
• I think that Jesus and the two angels that were with Him shared a few winks and giggles.
• Jesus came to share time with Abraham, and Abraham just got busier.
• That is much like my devotional time.
• The more I want to just rest in the Lord and visit with Him, the more things come to mind that I need to do.
• Does this remind you of Mary and Martha in Luke 10?
• 38-42 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." 41 But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her."
• This is the message God has been trying to share with me for two weeks.
• When I found this was a theme in this passage for Sunday nights, I nearly started crying.
• OK, Lord, I hear you. I will slow down and just visit with you a while.
• So, they had their feet washed, and ate and drank, and visited.
Gen 18:9 They said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" And he said, "She is in the tent."
• Here is an interesting exchange. “Where did Sarah get off to?”
• “She is in the tent.” When we are faced with a life-changing realization, we probably feel the need be alone, think things through.
• It was common in this culture for women to cook, serve, and then go away to the tent as men talked men’s business.
• Jesus’ interest in Sarah reflected the biblical view of marriage, not the cultural view.
• You know what? This is true about every topic. God is insistent upon His way, not cultural norms.
• If you are married, your devotional time always includes your relationship with your spouse.
• You cannot be separated from that, for God has called you one.
• It turns out, she was just inside the tent opening trying to hear everything the Lord said.
Gen 18:10 The LORD said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son." And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him.
• I told you so. She was interested in this Lord Abraham talked about.
• “He is real! My husband isn’t crazy! HE did promise that! Wait, He promised what?”
Gen 18:11-12 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, "After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?"
• I don’t want to unduly make excuses for Sarah, but Abraham had been talking about this God and a promised child for over 24 years.
• Thirteen years before this day, Sarah did everything she could to keep from disappointing Abraham and it blew up in her face.
• Now she is in her 90’s and the Lord is saying she will have a baby.
• She has heard this for 24 years, and up till today, nothing.
• She did not laugh out loud, but laughed to herself.
• She looked at her body and laughed, “That would take a miracle. Nothing’s working anymore, on me or Abraham.”
Gen 18:13-14 The LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?' 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son."
• What you say and do in private are only private to men.
• God sees all, hears all and knows all. He is everywhere.
• Now, her private joke was stated in front of everyone, then was recorded in the Bible for anyone to read.
• Want to get away?
Gen 18:15 But Sarah denied it, saying, "I did not laugh," for she was afraid. He said, "No, but you did laugh."
• In fear, and probably shock of getting caught, Sarah denied her laugh and her comment.
• However, God would not let that stand. "No, but you did laugh."
• It amazes me that we still try to sneak one past God.
• I find in this passage three keys to a more intimate relationship with God.
I. Relish your time with the Lord. (1-8)
• Abraham showed complete hospitality: a cool place to sit, water to refresh the throat and cool the feet, food to strengthen the body and fellowship to strengthen the soul.
• While many throughout history would have fled from God, Abraham sought to welcome Him.
• Sometimes I struggle with this thought with my desire for theological and Biblical correctness.
• Welcoming God somewhere is kind of like this:
• Ill. You come home from shopping and you find me in your living room.
• You come into the house and are shocked by my presence.
• I have one of your soft drinks, out of your refrigerator, a bag of your chips, and am munching away.
• I say to you, “Welcome. Make yourself at home.”
• You would likely scream, “What? This is my home! What do you mean I am welcome?”
• This runs through my mind when I hear anyone welcome God anywhere.
• He was here before we got there, we show up and welcome Him to a place where He belongs.
• Psa 24:1-2 A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.
• Some of my favorite songs are incorrect theologically when we welcome God into our services.
• Psalm 95 says it’s the other way around. We go into the presence of the Lord.
• Psa 95:1-2 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! 2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
• Yet I think there is something very fundamental about having a hospitable attitude about letting God’s presence into our lives, when we have a tendency to hide from Him.
• The attitude and heart of Abraham, allowing God to come into the recesses of his mind and heart,, is what God is calling all of us to do.
• To cease from wrestling our days away from God and surrender them to Him, as we offer ourselves as living sacrifices, is the point of our devotional times.
II. Rely on the Lord. (9-14).
• God encourages our hopefulness in Him.
• Sarah, eaves dropping to the best of her ability, heard the promise of a child.
• She struggled with that. She laughed inside.
• But the Lord is patient and long suffering.
• The Hebrew word picture of longsuffering is interesting. One commentary….
• “The Old Testament word picture for longsuffering was “long nose or nostril.” And it seems silly to think of God walking around with this big, long nose. But the idea is that it takes a long, long time for the stench of our sin to go all the way up.”
• As I read this, I was reminded of going into some nursing homes to visit a dearly beloved friend.
• Sometimes, the smell is very challenging. But you go.
• When Ryan played wheelchair basketball, many of the disabled youth had no control over their bodily functions.
• When you get a whole basketball team of them, one of them will have an accident.
• Yet we all had to learn that we needed to be long nosed to work with them.
• This past week, Laura and I took the training for CPR and First Aid certification.
• One of the things Steve Ayers covered is the unpleasantness of being certified and called into action.
• He said, “I have never been called out to give CPR to anyone who had just had a tick tack.”
• As a matter of fact, because of emergency situations, usually the breath is the worse you could imagine. You have to have a long nose, or long suffering.
• During the lessons, we learned that there is nothing pleasant. When someone stops breathing and then is revived, more often than not, they will lose their breakfast just before coming to.
• In other words, during the mouth to mouth resuscitation, you have to be long-mouthed too.
• However, the “life in balance” is far more valuable than our comfort. You do what you have to do.
• Sarah’s attitude stunk with its lack of belief and doubt.
• But God had a long-suffering nose and we can always find our hope in Him.
• What prevents most from a more intimate walk with God?
• Our fear that our sinfulness would disgust God to the point of giving us up.
• But God answered Sarah with honesty and restored her hope.
• He will do the same for you.
• 1Pe 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
III. Be Realistic in the Lord (11-15). Truthful.
• Luk 8:17 For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.
• Luk 12:3 Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.
• 1 Corinthians 4:5 reminds us that God“…will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart.”
• Heb 4:13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
• The overwhelming evidence is that God will bring to light all that is said and done is secret, so why would we ever consider being untruthful to the Lord?
• Mark was a 10 year old boy who never misbehaved or caused problems at school. But unfortunately he never made very good grades in spelling.
• One day during a spelling test he was tempted to copy off of Jane, who always made straight “A’s” in spelling. Even though Mark was a Christian, and knew that it was wrong to cheat, he did it anyway. The teacher saw Mark looking off of Jane’s paper and was terribly shocked and disappointed because she had always admired him for his honesty.
• When it came time to collect the tests, the teacher noticed Mark did something very unusual. He bowed his head, silently prayed, and asked God to forgive him, and then he ripped up his paper. He decided to take a zero rather than turning in a paper in which he had cheated on.
• The teacher called Mark up to her desk and said, "I was watching you, Mark, and I want you to know that I’m very proud of you for what you just did. Today you really passed a much greater examination than your spelling test.!"
• Guess who’s coming to dinner?
• God wants you to joyously anticipate your time with Him, Place your faith in Him and be honest with Him about your life.
• That will make dining with Christ something you cannot live without.
