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Bobby Stafford	Who Are You Feeding?

Who Are You Feeding?

Introduction:

While Jesus is eating bread in the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, He uses the occasion to teach a lesson about being hospitable. 

Text:  Luke 14:12-14  “Then He also said to him who invited Him, ‘When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.  But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.  And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.’ ” NKJV

Body:

I.  God Cares about the Poor

·  Part of the harvest is to be left for the poor.  (Leviticus 19:9-10)  “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest.  And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger:  I am the Lord your God.”  (Deuteronomy 24:19-22)  “When you reap your harvest in your field, and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.  When you beat your olive trees, you shall not go over the boughs again; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow.  When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not glean it afterward, it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow.  And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I command you to do this thing.” NKJV 

·  The poor are to be treated fairly.  (Leviticus 25:39-43)  “And if one of your brethren who dwells by you becomes poor, and sells himself to you, you shall not compel him to serve as a slave.  As a hired servant and a sojourner he shall be with you, and shall serve you until the Year of Jubilee.  And then he shall depart from you – he and his children with him – and shall return to his own family.  He shall return to the possession of his fathers.  For they are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves. You shall not rule over him with rigor, but you shall fear your God. “ NKJV

·  The fatherless and widows are to be helped.  (Deuteronomy 14:28-29)  “At the end of every third year you shall bring out the tithe of your produce of that year and store it up within your gates.  And the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates, may come and eat and be satisfied, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.” NKJV

·  Concern is to be shown for the poor and needy.  (Deuteronomy 24:10-15)  “When you lend your brother anything, you shall not go into his house to get his pledge.  You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you lend shall bring the pledge out to you.  And if the man is poor, you shall not keep his pledge overnight.  You shall in any case return the pledge to him again when the sun goes down, that he may sleep in his own garment and bless you; and it shall be righteousness to you before the Lord your God.  You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether one of your brethren or one of the aliens who is in your land within your gates.  Each day you shall give him his wages and not let the sun go down on it, for he is poor and has set his heart on it; lest he cry out against you to the Lord, and it be sin to you.” NKJV

·  God remembers the needy.  (Psalm 9:18)  “For the needy shall not always be forgotten; The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.”  (Psalm 12:5)  “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, Now I will arise, says the Lord; I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.” NKJV

·  The Lord condemns those who mistreat the poor.  (Isaiah 10:1-2)  “Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, Who write misfortune, Which they have prescribed To rob the needy of justice, And to take what is right from the poor of My people, That widows may be their prey, And that they may rob the fatherless.” NKJV

·  There will be judgment against those who take advantage of the weak and needy.  (Micah 2:1-2)  “Woe to those who devise iniquity, And work out evil on their beds!  At morning light they practice it, Because it is in the power of their hand.  They covet fields and take them by violence, Also houses, and seize them.  So they oppress a man and his house, A man and his inheritance.” NKJV 

II.  Jesus Taught Hospitality

·  Jesus taught hospitality and the love of strangers.

·  Our text:  Luke 14:12-14  “When you give,” assumed that God’s people would be feeding others!  But there is a danger involved.  The danger is in always giving dinners for friends and relatives – those who can repay you.

·  Jesus is dealing with motives and attitudes here.  What are our motives for giving dinners – pride, prestige, honor . . .?  There is certainly nothing wrong with inviting family and friends over to eat as long as your reasons are pure.  But there are many needy in the world that we can help.

·  Helping the less fortunate will be of crucial importance on Judgment Day. 

(Matthew 25:31-33, 41-46)  “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.”  41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’  Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’  Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. ” NKJV  While helping the poor will hardly ever be rewarded in this life, those who show compassion to the needy will be rewarded in the next.  (Luke 14:4)  “But they kept silent.  And He took him and healed him, and let him go.” NKJV 

III.  We Should Remember the Poor

·  Paul and Barnabas remember the poor.  (Galatians 2:10)  “They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do.” NKJV

·  We should be given to hospitality.  This is something that should characterize Christians.  (Romans 12:13)  “distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.” NKJV

·  Attitude is critical.  (I Peter 4:9)  “Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.” NKJV

·  Helping and receiving strangers is like receiving Christ.  (Hebrews 13:2)  “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.”  (Matthew 10:40-42)  “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward.  And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.” NKJV

·  There are always countless opportunities to help the poor and needy.  (Deuteronomy 15:7-11)  “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs.  Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,’ and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing, and he cry out to the Lord against you, and it become sin among you.  You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand.  For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’ ” NKJV

Conclusion: 

Jesus’ lesson is clear.  The godly man is concerned for the poor and needy and does what he can for them.  His actions may take many forms, but he acts because someone needs help. 

Bobby Stafford 

December 6, 2015