John Lloyd - Bless Series "E"
/"Eat Together"
BLESS Series: Eat Together
Pastor John Lloyd
March 11, 2018
Series Overview: During the B.L.E.S.S. sermon series, we will gain a deeper understanding of Jesus’ Mission to reach the lost, restore the broken, reproduce disciples that make disciples and release them into Jesus’ Mission as well as discover our own unique part. Each message will focus on a story about Jesus demonstrating his Mission and how he fulfilled it through B.L.E.S.S.ing others.
B - Begin with Prayer
L – Listen with Care
E – Eat Together
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Luke 19:1 Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.
5 When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” 6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7 But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled. 8 Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” 9 Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” New Living Tran.
The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve… Mk.10:45
The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. Luke 19:10
The Son of Man came eating and drinking.. Luke 7:34
The first two tell of his purpose… the last one tells of his method.
Big Idea: The 3rd habit of highly missional people: Jesus and others have accepted you and invited you to their table. Let us accept and invite to the table those who don’t yet know Jesus.
Commitment: I will eat with three people this week, one of whom is not a member of our church.
I. Jesus sees Zacchaeus.
Luke 19:1 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way.
“Sharing meals together on a regular basis is one of the most sacred practices we can engage in as believers. Missional hospitality is a tremendous opportunity to extend the kingdom of God. We can literally eat our way into the kingdom of God! If every Christian household regularly invited a stranger or a poor person into their home for a meal once a week, we would literally change the world by eating.” Alan Hirsch & Lance Ford
Question: Who is in my life right now that God wants me to see?
II. Jesus invites himself over.
Luke 19:5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner. (Acts 17:26, Psalm 139:1-3)
“Eating with someone was a statement that you wanted to be associated with that person. Eating with someone was an affirmation of that person’s value and worth. Who you ate with was a statement of who you loved and cared about and considered part of your social class. So Jesus communicated a great deal by the seemingly mundane act of eating at Matthew’s house with him and his socially outcast friends.” Dave Ferguson
Here’s the real question—if you knew the only thing standing between a co-worker of yours and eternal life was you eating with them just once, would you do it? What if the only thing standing between your neighbor and a saving relationship with Christ was you having them over for dinner? If that were true, would you do it? Dave Ferguson
Reflective Questions: Who could I have a meal with this week? How could I make my eating missional?
III. Jesus calls Zacchaeus to new life.
Luke 19:8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; (2 Corinthians 5:19, 2 Peter 3:9)
Commitment: I will eat with three people this week, one of whom is not a member of our church.
Prayer: Jesus, you see the best in us and know us by name. You take all our broken pieces and invite us to return to you. If someone here today is hearing this for the first time and you have captured their hearts, we pray this would be a message they always remember. May they know that you see, love, value and call them back to you from hiding. Thank you for loving us with an unconditional, amazing, beautiful and pursuing love. May we be attentive to how we can share you tangibly in our homes. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen
Growth Group Questions for March 11, 2018
1. How are you praying for people on your BLESS list? On behalf of the unchurched people on your list, what are you asking God to answer?
2. How are you listening to the people on your BLESS list? What question(s) did you ask and how did they respond?
3.Read Luke 19:1-10. What do you think Jesus saw in Zacchaeus that caused him to call him out? Why might he have decided to go eat with this man? What do you think Jesus is communicating when he invites himself to eat with Zacchaeus? How does he respond? Why do you think he responds this way? Jesus makes clear that today salvation has come to Zacchaeus’s house—what do you think that means? Why is the practice of hospitality and of eating together so powerful?
4. Read Luke 19:10, Mark 10:45 & Luke 7:34. Discuss each verse and what do they tell us about Jesus’ purpose and method.
5. When have you experienced the bonding power of hospitality and eating together? What have you learned about how to cultivate opportunities to eat with others?
Small group exercise: Divide into pairs and think about the spheres of influence. Consider ways to add to or deepen your practice of eating with others: 1. Family. 2. Work/School. 3. Play. 4. Past friends and associations In a thirty-second “brain dump” individually list on paper and then share with your partner, all the ways you could practice hospitality or eat with others.
What invitations could you make for eating and deepening conversation to four people who are still finding their way home to God in the next month?
Accountability: What do you want us to ask you about next week as a way to encourage you and keep you accountable during our times together.
The 3rd habit of highly missional people: I will commit to eat with three people this week, one of whom is not a member of our church.