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Amen, alright. Genesis chapter 18. We're in a great chapter of the Bible here. Genesis is just a great book in general. Obviously one of my favorites, but I actually do have a title of the sermon tonight. The title of the sermon is Given. Let's look at verse number 1. The Bible says, And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre, and he sat at the tent door in the heat of the day. And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him. And when he saw them, he ran to meet them at the tent door and bowed himself toward the ground, and said, My Lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee from thy servant. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you, Lord, so much for a great day in church. And, Lord, I pray that you would just bless the preaching as it goes out. Lord, I pray that you would help me to rightly divide your truth. Lord, I pray you would fill me with your spirit as I begin to preach. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Alright, so it's very obvious here that these three men come to Abraham. It's in the heat of the day, and so that means they've been traveling in the heat. But one of these men that it says here, it's obvious that one of those men is the Lord. And so there's pre-incarnate appearances of Christ, and I believe this is one of those times. Is it God the Father? No, because if it was God the Father, then they would melt and die or whatever. They would immediately drop dead, because you can't look at the face of God the Father and live. So obviously this is probably God the Son, and so that's why people say it's a pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. And Abraham realizes this. It's not like they said, Hey, I'm the Lord or whatever, but Abraham realized right away what he was dealing with. Three men, and one of those people is the Lord. So the Lord is a man in the form of the Lord Jesus Christ. He's one of the members of the Trinity, of course. And so it says, If I found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from my servant. And I do have five points tonight, and I'm going to try to get through as speedily as possible, but there's just a lot of content in this chapter, and I want to cover it as well as I can. I failed in that communication this morning, so I apologize. See, everything just goes awry when you try to preach on something like that. But anyway, I will try to preach to it as quickly as I can, but there's a lot of, like I said, a lot of great content here. So, number one, the sermon is called Given. Number one, Christians should be given to hospitality. Christians should be given to hospitality. Abraham was given to hospitality, and obviously, especially if the Lord's coming to your house, I mean, you definitely want to go chop chop, let's get this stuff done, right? So, look at verse number four, it says, Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched. So, what is the first thing that he offers them? Water. Why? It's hot. He's probably been, they've been walking in the hot sun, it's good to get them some water. And so, water is obviously a good drink to provide someone when they're actually thirsty, right? And it says, Let water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. So, part of giving hospitality is making people comfortable when they enter into your home. So, you know, like in modern day, that would be, Can I take your coat? You know, take your shoes off, you know, don't get your butt all over, no. Take your shoes off, but the washing part, we don't so much really do in this part of the world, because, you know, if you take your shoes off outside, you're going to get your feet washed anyway, right? So, we got a lot of, we're not in the desert, so they were in the desert where you walk, and you're in sandals, and your feet get hot, your feet get parched, and the best thing that would help you is to have your feet washed, right? And the Lord actually gives that hospitality to the disciples, and washes their feet, amen? And so, hospitality, we should be given to hospitality as Christians, it's not just pastors' job to be hospitable to people, it's also everybody in this church's job to be hospitable to people that come visit our church, and be nice, and if, you know, you want to invite somebody over and do hospitality, that's something that I think the Bible promotes, obviously, in this chapter, too. So, look what else it says, I will fetch a morsel of bread and comfort ye your heart. So, also, you know, so you got the water, the washing of the feet, resting yourself under a tree, hey, get comfortable, you know, you want, when you're doing hospitality, you want people to be comfortable, you want people to feel comfortable when they come into your house and give them the things that would make them feel comfortable, and a little snack, you know, it says fetch a morsel of bread and comfort ye your hearts. So, people like to, you know, it's good when you're doing hospitality, most people have like Chex Mix or Peanuts or something like that when they have people come over, but he's just saying, hey, I'll give you a morsel of bread, comfort your hearts, after that you shall pass on, for therefore are you come to your servant, and they said, so do as thou hast said, and so they didn't refuse the hospitality, you notice that? So, as a Christian, also, when someone offers us hospitality, we should take up them on that hospitality. I mean, obviously there's times when you just can't do it, and that's understandable, but when people invite you over or things like that, or when you're soloing is usually when someone tries to offer you a little bit of hospitality, it's a hot day, hey, would you like a water bottle or something like that? Absolutely. I always say yes. So, because I think that it would be rude to not take that hospitality. Look at Matthew chapter 10, verse 42. I think it's rude to refuse hospitality from someone, especially if we're going over to their house to try to preach them the gospel or something. Obviously, you don't have time to sit down for a five-course dinner, but, you know, and so I would say it's polite to refuse those types of things because obviously you're on a timetable and all that, but to refuse a bottle of water or something like that, I think it is rude. Even if you're not thirsty, just take a couple of drinks and put it in your pocket or put it in your purse, or, you know, guys, you shouldn't have purses. Anyway, Matthew 10, 42 says, And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water, only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. So even people that, you know, people that offer us a drink of water, it says even in the name of a disciple, that person's not going to lose their reward. So, I mean, sometimes people aren't saved when they give it to us, but they're still comforting the hearts of one of God's servants when they come to his house, and I don't think you should refuse that. You're letting them lose a reward. You know, I mean, obviously they offered it. It was nice, but you should take it. Let them get a reward for doing you a service and comforting you and being hospitable. Look at Mark chapter 9, verse 41. Mark chapter 9, verse number 41. Mark chapter 9, verse 41 says, For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. So now it's saying, if someone gives you a cup of water to drink in my name, hey, this is from the name of the Lord Jesus, and because you belong to Christ, this is probably a saved person that's saying, hey, because you belong to Christ, I want to give you some hospitality, even if it's just a cup of water. I mean, cups of water don't really cost that much, do they? But, you know, when you're out in the hot sun toiling, sometimes you're like, please, yeah, can I use your restroom, by the way, at the same time. With that water, I might need to use your restroom. But, yeah, the Bible says they won't lose their reward, so why would you not let them get that reward? I mean, I think it's nice. I like when people offer me something I think that's really nice. So, now look at Luke chapter 10, verse number 5. Luke chapter 10, verse number 5. The Bible says in Luke chapter 10, verse 5, it says, And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. That's like when someone invites you. This is talking about when the disciples were sent out two by two, and they're actually literally staying at someone's house. But even if someone invites you in, obviously sometimes those end up being weird situations, but most of the time it seems like when someone invites you in, they end up getting saved. That's my experience, anyway. People don't do it as much anymore, but I'm sure when people were more hospitable, people got invited into houses a lot more often. But when I get invited into a house, obviously you don't need to be weird. Say, Peace be unto this house. You know what I'm saying? Don't be like Sebastian. He did a little bow. Anyway, it's just saying, look at verse 6. It says, And if the Son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it. If not, it shall turn to you again. Obviously, you can say this in your heart. Say, Peace be upon this house, or something. You can say it out loud, as long as it doesn't seem like super over-the-top weird. Anyway, if you bless that house, then God's going to bless that house. Basically, if they don't have peace with you, then that peace will return. That's what it says. And the same house remain eating and drinking such things as they what? Give. So that might not be your style of food. But what does it say? Eat and drink with the things that they give. If someone invites you over to their house and says, hey, maybe you're doing a soul-wanting thing and they allow you to stay at their house, or maybe you're coming down here from out of town and someone lets you stay in their house, and someone offers you something to eat, it's rude to refuse that and say, I don't eat that. Now, obviously, if you have some kind of allergen or that kind of food, there are caveats to this stuff. But in general, you should eat and drink things that people offer to you and don't refuse those things. It says, for the laborer is worthy of his hire, go not from house to house. So I don't like what Rylan has given me at his house, so I'm just going to go over to somebody else's house and I like their food better or something. Jesus is just saying, in these kinds of cases, that's not what He wanted. So obviously, this was for that certain time, but I just think the principle is in place where He's basically saying, eat what's given before you, don't go from house to house. Then it would look like you're kind of begging from each person's house or something. And it says, into whatsoever city you enter and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. It's very more plain right there, isn't it? What they offer you, eat that stuff. In 1 Corinthians 10, verse 27, let's turn over there real quick. 1 Corinthians 10, verse 27, it says, If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, this is people that believe not, and you be disposed to go whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience' sake. Now, back in these days, there was a lot of people that sacrificed meat into idols and things like that, but sometimes it's better to just eat and not know because you don't ask them, well, is this sacrifice to an idol? You don't want to ask that question. You just eat because of your conscience. Now, if they say, well, this was sacrifice to an idol, then you wouldn't eat it because it would be compromising your faith. But what it's saying is that when an unbeliever offers you a meal, like, I've had this happen before. One time they poisoned one of the people I was with with some hot food, but that was a weird deal. So it probably was sacrifice to Mary or something, but this was in an all-Catholic, Spanish-speaking town. But anyway, he didn't die. It was just his mouth got hot. They gave him hot food. I was like, what's wrong with you, man? And he's like, we got to go. Anyway, that's a story for another time. I don't want to get too into the weeds tonight. So hospitality to others. So we see how we should receive hospitality, but what about how we offer hospitality? Abraham's giving a very great example here. Let's look back at our text. So you're going to want to keep your finger in Genesis 18. Look at what it says in verse 6. And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah and said, make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. So he goes to his wife. He offers them all this stuff, and then he goes to his wife and says, get this stuff ready to go, woman. He's like, come on. Make ready quickly. But ladies, is that your attitude? If your husband brings someone over and says, hey, would you make this stuff real quick? What are you going to say? I can't believe you brought them over in the house. Looks like this. Is that what she said? No. She just did what she was asked to do. So we've got to have an attitude of hospitality to others, and obviously there's times when you don't want to probably bring people over to the house, but sometimes things happen. It's like, what's wrong with having someone come in your house real quick? You should always be ready to give hospitality to others. So he's like, make some sammies. Get on it. Let's go. Make some bread. This is the hearth, so it's basically like bread. Probably flat bread of some sort. But it's good stuff. It's fine meal. It's not just GMO modified garbage. They didn't have such a thing back then. So it's good stuff, and obviously we should offer people good food to eat. It says, make cakes on the hearth. And Abraham, what did he do? Did he walk slow like a Jehovah's Witness? And fetched a calf tender and good. So obviously we have this, you know, it's a calf. So does that mean it's a full-grown bull or animal? No, it's a calf. And it says, tender and good, and gave it unto a young man, and he hasted to dress it. So Abraham's like pulling out all the stuff. He's just like getting everything ready. Hey, wife, make this. I'm going to get the calf. Give it to the young man and make sure they get it going. And it says, and he took butter and milk and the calf which he had dressed and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree and they did eat. So how should our hospitality be to others? It should be like a servant-type attitude towards people. If someone's at your house, offer them something to drink. Offer them something to eat. Make sure they can kick their shoes off and rest their bunions or whatever. Just be relaxed at your house. People shouldn't be set on edge when they come over to your house and feel like they can't touch anything. Obviously, we should have a heart to be hospitable to people. And the Bible teaches this also in the New Testament. Let's look at Romans 12. Romans 12. So Abraham's hospitality was to give good things and to make people's hearts comforted to give the best food and butter and milk that they could possibly get. So look at Romans 12. It says, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing instant in prayer, distributing to the necessity of the saints. What does it say? Given to hospitality. Now this is written to believers. So we're supposed to be given to hospitality. It's something that should be in our nature as Christians to do. And obviously, some people have a little harder of a time doing that than others. I have to admit, I might not be as ready to just jump at the last moment to do something all the time like I used to be. So obviously, there's times when hospitality or just... If I had a church member over at my house every night, it would be too much. But I believe that we are hospitable to people, even if it's not having people at our house, but it's still hospitable to people. You can be hospitable to someone at a restaurant. You can be hospitable to someone here at church or just doing other things. But I think our church is very good at hospitality, and I think that a lot of our people are very kind and giving and hospitable. But that's the way we're supposed to be. That's what the Bible teaches. Now look at 1 Peter 4, verse 8. 1 Peter 4, verse 8. It says, And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves. So we're supposed to be very kind to other people and have brotherly love. It says fervent charity. That means you're just on fire to be charitable to people. For charity shall cover the multitude of sins. And that's good. So if you're charitable, guess what? Some of your sins can be covered in that way or the way you're lacking in your life could help with the charity that you give to others. Obviously that charity does involve so many. So charity does cover a multitude of sins. It says, look at verse 9, Use hospitality one to another without grudging. Well, I really don't want to have anybody hover today. Look at this house. Are you going to help me? That should not be our attitude about things. We should have a good attitude. It says, Use hospitality one to another without grudging. Yeah, I'm going to do it, but I really don't want to. That's kind of the attitude. And we shouldn't have that attitude as Christians. That's what the Bible says here, right? As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. So using hospitality one to another without grudging. It shouldn't be hospitality with a bad attitude because really what's the point of that? I mean you might as well just not be hospitable at all if you're going to be grudging about it. Hebrews 13 verse 1. Actually this is a big topic in the Bible. It says, Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. So be not forgetful to entertain strangers. Now I just want to give a little caveat here. If he looks like he's a psycho murderer or something like that and you just pick him up on the side of the road, I mean we do live in a different time, but the Bible's timeless, isn't it? So we can still entertain strangers to a certain extent. You don't have to give them the keys to your house or something like that, but I mean we should. The Bible says some have entertained angels unawares. Sometimes God tests us to see how our hearts are. I don't think that there's anything wrong with helping a stranger out. Obviously strangers could mean foreigners too. People that are foreign to the area or whatever, but the Bible actually calls those people strangers if they're not part of that nation or whatever. I think it's also talking about people that you don't know. Do you ever strike up conversations with people you don't know at the store? If you're an introvert, you probably don't, but if you're me, then yes I do. I comment on things to them or I talk to them but I mean we should entertain strangers and be not forgetful about that. Turn to First Timothy chapter three verse one. First Timothy chapter three verse number one. The Bible says this is a true saying. If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. So the Bible's very clear. It's a good work to desire the office of a bishop. You're desiring a good work, but one of the qualifications of me as a pastor is that I'm supposed to be given to hospitality. That is a requirement of me, right? A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober of good behavior, given to hospitality. So it's not really an option for me. I have to be given to hospitality, and if I'm not, then I've lost my qualification, haven't I? Apt to teach. So one of those qualifications, given to hospitality. So you might think, well, why are you spending all this money on this and that and all that and the other? Well, I'm supposed to be given to hospitality. So if we have a family that comes from a long way place and they don't come very often, and I buy them a meal, there's nothing wrong with that. That's what I'm supposed to do. It's called given to hospitality. Look at Titus chapter one verse seven. Titus chapter one verse seven. This is another passage for pastors. It says, For a bishop must be blameless, verse seven, as the steward of God, not self-willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre, but a lover of hospitality. That's one of my qualifications. I'm supposed to love to give hospitality, and I do love to give hospitality, and I do that. I feel like I do a good job of that, but if I didn't, people would probably have a problem with it. People are always going to have a problem with something. Let me just tell you something right now. I'm not perfect. So if you think that I am, and that's one of my qualifications, I don't see that in the qualifications of a bishop. The bishop must be perfect. No, the bishop must be blameless, and it has all these other things. The steward of God, not self-willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre, but a lover of hospitality. And I feel like I do that. So it's biblical to be given to hospitality for you also. So it's not just for me, but it's for you also. So point number two tonight is found in verse number six. Number two, Christians should eat the foods given as an example in the Bible. Christians should eat the foods given as an example in the Bible. There's nothing wrong with eating the foods that are given as an example in the Bible. You have all these fad diets and stuff like that going on nowadays where people are saying don't eat that. If people are saying that don't eat something that God puts in the Bible is something that's good, then who's right? Is it the diet company that wants your money so you can eat a certain way? And look, I'm not saying don't cut out calories, don't do something. Obviously, if you're eating a pound of butter a day, it's probably not a good idea. If you're drinking a gallon of milk every day, it's probably not a good idea. And I don't have a problem with dieting. I'm just saying that don't say something's bad that's written in the Bible is something that's good. Because then you're saying that God's wrong. So I'm just going to give some examples. But look at verse number six. It says, And Abraham hasted into the tent unto Sarah and said, Make ready quickly. I'm going back to verse six again. Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal. So that's one thing that God says right here. That's a food type. What do you do with fine meal? You knead it and then you make cakes with it. What are the cakes? They're like flatbread or whatever. It could be leaven bread. But bread is not bad for you. Now if you eat a bunch of carbs and if you overdo it, obviously the bread back then is different than the bread now. I know all the arguments about that. But the bread in the Bible is not wrong to eat. So obviously I can understand if you don't want to eat Ezekiel style bread because that would be gross. But there is actually an Ezekiel bread that they sell and it's gross too. But anyway, it's probably still good for you, but I'm just saying it tastes gross. But anyway, so bread is something that Abraham offered. Do you think that he should offer bad things to God and the two men that went with him? Absolutely not. He's going to give them something good. And they ate everything that was put before them. Look at verse 7. It says, And Abraham ran unto the herd and fetched a calf tender and good. And what is a calf? It's a baby or maybe a yearling animal that is beef. A calf comes from beef or maybe deer, but I doubt he was having deer out in the desert. So probably some kind of cattle of some sort. It says it's tender and good. Now these Greenpeace people and stuff, they hate the way calves are treated. Have you ever heard of veal before? The process that they do veal with is pretty cruel I would say. I don't think it necessarily has to be done like that. But it doesn't say Abraham hung upside down and didn't let them develop their muscles because veal is like a very tender cut of cow. So I don't think Abraham was doing that, but it is still tender because it doesn't have all of its adult muscles and things like that. But was it wrong for him to take a calf and kill it and slay it and feed them some barbecue? No. And they ate it. Look, Jesus ate beef. Beef is what's for dinner. He ate beef and so did the two guys that were with him. It says tender and good and gave it to the young man. He hated to dress it. So they slaughtered this calf and they cooked it up and gave it to them in hospitality. So is it wrong to eat beef? No. What did the priests live on in the Old Testament? They lived off of the offerings that were given and a lot of that was beef or lamb or some kind of animal that they killed and they ate those things. Look at verse 8. It says, and he took butter. Oh, butter is bad for you. No, it's not. Butter is a biz. He took butter and milk and gave it to them. You're like, well, it better have been goat's milk. Well, maybe it was. Maybe it wasn't. I don't know. I like goat's milk. I like raw goat's milk. I like raw cow's milk too. I like vitamin D cow's milk. Anybody like that? The less percentage it is, the more process it's been through. So I don't think that Abraham pasteurized this before he served it up or the butter. Butter comes from animal products. So what does this tell you? That veganism is not a style of dining that we should be involved in, a diet that we should be involved in. And obviously, if you want to be vegan, you can be a vegan, but I just think that the Bible says that his herbs are weak. And if you're a vegetarian, that's fine, but you're weak or it's weak. It's not going to make you strong. You know what makes you strong? Protein. You know what makes your bones strong? Milk. And butter is not bad for you. You know what's bad for you? Margarine. Margarine is actually a very destructive thing. Unfortunately, I've eaten margarine in my life, but I don't eat margarine anymore. Once you find out something's not good for you, I don't see the verse where it says, and they gave them margarine, some fake plastic or whatever. But it looks like butter, and they can make it kind of taste like butter, but nothing really replaces the true taste of butter. But my point is that as Christians, we should eat foods that are given in the Bible as an example for things that people ate. And Abraham gave all these things, and you know what? Doctors have written things about butter and milk, that it's bad for you. I remember when our kids were young, they would say, why would you give them cow's milk? They're not cows. Well, yeah, I understand that, but Abraham gave Jesus milk, and he wasn't a cow either. So I don't see your point. But back then it was a big fight. You know, back then it was a big fight. So Jesus ate beef. He ate butter. He ate bread. And guess what? He wasn't keto. Look, I'm not trying to get people mad, but I am, but I'm not. But keto is, you know, obviously keto is something that can work for people, and it's good to lose weight and all that stuff, and I'm not trying to bash your keto sensibilities, but that's not what Jesus was. He wasn't totally keto. He ate bread. And some people, you know, they eat that way for a reason. A lot of the foods mess with these days. I realize that, okay? I realize that, believe me. But there's people that eat McDonald's till the day they die, and they still live to be like 88 years old. So I don't know. I think every once in a while it's fine. Are you guys about to throw... You can throw me out if you want. But anyway, let's turn to Luke chapter 24. Let's look at some other different kinds of meat and things like food that is in the Bible. So we know that Jesus ate meat. We know that Jesus ate butter. We know He drank milk. He drank water, obviously. But look what it says in verse 41 of Luke chapter 24. It says, And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, He said unto them, Have ye here any meat? This is Jesus asking the disciples. You got any meat? You got anything to eat? And meat doesn't always mean, like we mean, we think of meat and we think of beef or some kind of animal flesh. But meat just means food, okay, in this instance. But look at what kind of meat they had. It says, And they gave Him a piece of broiled fish. So Jesus obviously ate broiled fish and of an honeycomb. So He ate honey. He ate sugar. He ate sugar. And He took it and did eat before them. So Jesus ate these things. And so was it wrong for Jesus to eat? He was resurrected here. This is the resurrected Christ eating sugar. But obviously it's natural sugar from a honeycomb. Well, you know, bees make it or whatever. And broiled fish. And He took it and did eat before them. So is it wrong for someone in a resurrected body to eat meat? No. Something that was dead? No. It's not wrong, obviously, because Jesus did it. So I'm still hoping for those, you know, broiled fish trees up in heaven and all that kind of stuff. But maybe the fruit will taste like prime rib. I have no idea. But I know we won't be eating dead animals and things like that when we're actually in, you know, after the final judgment of God. So look at chapter 11 in Luke. Look at chapter 11, verse 11. It says, If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If he then being evil know how to give good gifts, you see how it says good gifts? These kids are asking, Daddy, give me some bread. Give me some fish. And you should be used to that by now if you have children. I want an egg, Daddy. Usually you're asking for candy. I don't know. So look, he's using examples of food. Right? If you know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him? So what's it saying? So bread would be a good gift. Fish would be a good gift. An egg would be a good gift. So people are like, I won't eat eggs because they're animal products. Well, you know, Jesus said basically here that good gifts would be an egg. There's nothing wrong with eating eggs. There's nothing wrong with eating fish. There's nothing wrong with eating bread. So we've got to look at things the way God looks at things and stop looking at things the way the world looks at things. So good gifts. Bread, fish, eggs, carbs, and animal products. That's what they are. Don't forget about water. Water is something that's good also. That was the first thing that they were offered, right, that Abraham offered. Look at Isaiah chapter 65, verse number 8. Isaiah chapter 65, verse number 8. Isaiah 65, verse number 8, the Bible says, Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not, for a blessing is in it. So will I do for my servant's sake that I may not destroy them all. So what is the point? Well, new wine is found in the cluster. We're talking about a cluster of grapes. And what is the new wine? When you squeeze that into grape juice, it says destroy it not, for a blessing is in it. So obviously grape juice is a blessing, isn't it? Grape juice, and that's when it's saying wine, people are like, oh, it's always alcoholic. Does that sound like that's alcoholic right there? No. It's new wine from the cluster. It says destroy it not, for a blessing is in it. So juice, certain types of fruit juices, are not bad for you. And obviously fruit juice is expensive, but it's way more expensive back then because now we have machines and all this other automated stuff to be able to make juice on demand. So imagine having to squeeze your own juice all the time. I mean, some people do do that, but how much fruit do you have to buy to make that juice? That's a lot. Have you ever tried to do freshly squeezed orange juice? You're like paying out the wazoo for all that. It's cheaper to go buy some Donald Duck's orange juice or whatever kind you drink. 1 Timothy 5, verse 23. People that say that wine always means alcoholic wine, they just want to drink. That's the honest truth. They just want to drink. They want to have an excuse so they can be a boozer. A boozer loser. It says drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities. So what is it saying, a little wine? And that could be just whatever kind of fruit juice that is, but it's probably grape juice is what he's talking about. But didn't he say also that one of the qualifications is that you're not given to wine? So is that a contradiction in the Bible? That he's saying not given to wine, but then he tells them to use a little wine for his stomach's sake? Is that a contradiction? No, because it's two different types of wine. It's not the same type of wine. It's not alcoholic wine. When it's used in a bad context, it's alcoholic wine. When it's used in a good context, it's non-alcoholic wine. It's not really that hard to figure out, but people seem to have a real hard time with this. The English language just didn't have another word for it. Obviously the word juice is used in the Bible, but it's very rare that it's used. But fruit juice is the wine that it's talking about here. It's not talking about him drinking alcohol. People always say, yeah, it was alcoholic wine that Jesus made. He made that water into alcoholic wine. That's a lie straight out of the pit of hell. It was not alcoholic wine because if it was, then Jesus would be causing his neighbor to fall through drink, through alcoholic drink. I don't have time to develop that because I've got more points to go here. Genesis 43, let's turn to Genesis 43. It says in Genesis 43, verse 11, The father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this, take of the best fruits of the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds. So the best fruits, he's saying, these things are good. These things are the best fruits, and take these things down. He's talking about giving them to Joseph. Balm is a tree which yields a fragrant resonant substance, especially one used in medicine. Think about the balm of Gilead. It's got a medicinal purpose to it. Go ahead and turn to Numbers chapter 13. I'm going to read Numbers chapter 14, verse 8. Numbers 14, 8 says, If the Lord delighted us, then he will bring us into this land and give it us a land which floweth with milk and honey. You hear this term a lot in the Bible. A land flowing with milk and honey. Well, you know, what kind of milk was that? Was it cow's milk? It was bad. That's ridiculous. The Bible is talking about it being a blessing to have a land that's filled with milk and honey. So if milk and honey were bad for you, then that would be weird. So that's a good blessing of milk and honey. There's nothing wrong with it. Look at Numbers chapter 13, verse 23. It says, And they came unto the brook Eshkol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff, and they brought of the pomegranates and of the figs. So there are different types of fruits. They brought back these spies that went out into the land of Canaan, and they brought back grapes and pomegranates and figs. And so those things were showing what is the good stuff of the land. Well, it was the great big clusters of grapes and pomegranates and figs. Who was it that's favorite was the pomegranate? Whose favorite fruit? Oh yeah, Miss Stephanie. Yeah, and figs. Nobody really likes figs, but I like Fig Newtons. So anyway, figs are okay, but they get squishy. I'm not a big fan of squishy fruit. So anyway, I could go on. But the point is the Bible describes for us things that are good to eat. And these things that I've listed, obviously there's way more things listed. I mean, it talks about the clean and unclean beasts and all that stuff, but none of that is to be refused anymore. So even the unclean beasts of the Old Testament are not to be refused. You Gentiles, you can eat the food that you want. Now, I wouldn't suggest eating bat, you know, because that's where the coronavirus came from, right? The wet market or whatever, yeah. But anyway, I mean, bat doesn't sound very good, but dog doesn't either. But some countries, dogs is a delicacy. So anyway, don't believe medical advice that says you should abstain from foods that the Bible describes as a blessing. Now, if you're avoiding it for a time period or whatever, and I'm not saying you have to, you don't even have to like that kind of food. If you don't like milk, then don't drink milk. I'm not saying you have to eat everything that's on these lists, but to say that they're wrong, like my grandpa didn't eat eggs for 20 years. You know why? They said when he had a heart attack when he was 50, that it was because he ate eggs, and the cholesterol was bad for him. But then 30 years later, they made and said, eggs aren't as bad as they thought. So look, the Bible's always going to be right. Medical practice people are going to be wrong. These doctors, you know, they come up, they just do these cycles of things where they teach something and then they go back on it. So anyway, number three tonight, Sarah's given example of a godly wife. Sarah's given example of a godly wife. Look at verse number nine back in our text. It says, And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life. And lo Sarah, thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door which was behind him. And it says, Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age, and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. And what this is talking about, obviously most women in here know this, but Sarah has completely gone through the change of life with women, commonly called menopause, right? She's already gone through the process of not being able to have children anymore and her body has changed. And so what's going to happen is going to be a miracle of God that she even has a child in the first place. So Isaac is a miracle child, kind of like the Lord Jesus Christ, right? So Sarah's already gone through this change. This means that in order for Sarah to have a child at this age, it would be a miracle, right? It would be miraculous for someone to have a child after they've gone through the change. So look at verse 12, Therefore Sarah laughed within herself. She laughed, saying, After I am waxed old, shall I have pleasure, my Lord, being old also? Now last week I made a mistake, and if you look back, just go back to Genesis chapter 17. I misread this verse, and I just wanted to admit to it before everybody here. I think I read it wrong. So look at Genesis chapter 17, verse 17. It says, Then Abraham fell upon his face and laughed and said in his heart. So I feel like maybe he laughed out loud, and I said he laughed out loud in his heart, but I think he might have laughed out loud literally. I guess it just depends on how you read it, but it says he laughed and said in his heart. So he could have laughed and said in his heart, but it's possible that I'm wrong about that. I just wanted to admit that I might have made a mistake there, but we do know for sure that Sarah laughed within herself. That's exactly what it says, right? Saying, After I am waxed old, shall I have pleasure, my Lord, being old also? So she's laughing about the fact she's gone through the change. She knows that she can't physically, literally cannot have children anymore, and she laughs about that. So Sarah has a stumble in her faith here a little bit, and it kind of gets her in hot water with the Lord a little bit. I want to talk about that here in a second, but I also want to say that Sarah called Abraham my Lord in her heart, didn't she? She laughed within herself saying, After I am waxed old, shall I have pleasure, my Lord, being old also? So this is how good of a wife Sarah was that she called Abraham even in her inner thoughts. We have a hard time, women on their outer thoughts, even though it should be right to respect their husband like that, that would be unheard of today. And actually there's churches, I know that people hated Hyles Anderson because they taught. The church we went to before, a few churches ago, said that they didn't like the fact that Hyles Anderson would teach that women should call their wives Lord. So they hated that. You know why? Because the feminist culture has taken over. And look, I'm not saying that you have to do that. I'm just saying that Sarah was a good wife. She loved her husband, and you know what she considered him? Her boss. And she said it in her heart. And it was just like nonchalantly saying it. She was just like, you know, it sounds like she probably called him or him her Lord in her heart all the time. It wasn't something, this wasn't just a one-off thing. And so I think that as time has gone on and just the culture that we live in today, that it's considered weird to think like this. But you know what? It gives us an example of how women should treat their husbands now. So wives should reverence their husbands. And you know what? I'm not going to attack the men tonight. You know what? Because Abraham didn't do anything wrong in this chapter. So it's all you ladies. But I'll get to a chapter I'm sure pretty soon where it was the guy's fault too, and I'll rip on the men. But usually I do a balanced attack. I shoot up the ladies, then I shoot up the men. But tonight, you know, and look, if you reverence your husband and you treat them with respect all the time and you have this attitude in your heart, then I'm not talking to you tonight. But who I am talking to is people that would take this feminist attitude even though you're a Bible-believing Christian and apply that to your current situation. This isn't old news. This isn't something, you know, it happened a long time ago, and we'll find out in 1 Peter that it's talked about as an example of a godly wife even 2,000 years ago. So you should want to be like Sarah and follow a godly example in your life as a wife and how you reverence your husband and how you treat them and how you talk to them. Look at 1 Peter 3. Let's go on over there and look what God thinks a godly wife and a godly woman should act like. It's getting quiet in here. The men are like, amen. It's all right to amen, guys. You don't have to ask your wife's permission for it. All right, so 1 Peter 3, verse 1, the Bible says, likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands. You know, in modern-day times, both people work outside the home, right? The women and the men work outside the home because that's what's been conditioned in our society. But, you know, men in this church, most of the men in this church, their women do not work outside the home. And obviously there's, you know, look, that's your choice what you want to do, but I know what the Bible teaches about it. But look what it says, be in subject to your own husbands. And a lot of times, women will be more subjective to their boss at work than they will be to their husbands at home. You've got all these goofy sitcoms that make the guys out to be these idiots. They can't manage their homes. Why do they do that? Because they want to destroy our society with feminism? Why are all the superhero ladies now tougher than all the men in all the movies now? Because of feminism? It's wicked. And it's just pushing that mentality of society on our people today. And Christian women fall into this trap. You know, they do. They fall into the trap. You know, you have Christian women that want to cut their hair as short as a man's. Why? You know, the Bible says you're supposed to have long hair, right? So, but look what it says, that if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives. So, you know, wives that are godly, wives that are saved, and they got married, maybe they got saved and their husband wasn't, or whatever, that your lifestyle should be as such that would win that guy over with your lifestyle. Yeah, that's lifestyle evangelism a little bit, but that's not how you get, you don't get saved, they don't go, she made me a bologna sandwich, you know, and then they bow their heads and get saved. But that does have an, like how you obey your husband at home does have a difference on how that's going to affect that man. You know, if you're like, oh, I'm a Christian submissive wife, and then you're like just ragging on him all the time and just talking down about him because he's not saved, not obeying the things that they say. And obviously, we should obey, and this might be controversial, but I believe this, that if a wife is saved, that she should go to church. Even if he doesn't want her to go, I don't agree with the fact that you should just stay home and just, you know, we're supposed to obey them in the Lord, right? So, I don't agree with this, you know, I'm not going to, you know, what if the husband wants to go to a different Baptist church that doesn't have to be one like us? Then yeah, go to the church your husband wants to go to. You know, you're not leading the charge, but if they're not believing, and then they're telling you, I don't want you to go to church, then you should disobey that. I don't believe that you should disobey the Lord to obey your husband, okay? So, look at verse number two, it says, And they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. That means your chaste, you know, your holy lifestyle, basically, that you're chaste coupled with fear. Who's adorning? Let it not be the outward adorning of plaiting of hair and the wearing of gold or of putting on of apparel. So what is he talking about? He's talking about don't let your outward appearance be what's important to you. Don't let that adorning be something like, hey, my hair's got to be perfect, this has got to be perfect, that's got to be perfect. It says, but let it be the hidden man of the heart. That hidden man of the heart is your inner man that's saved. Let that be your adorning. Adorn that. It's not something that's seen, it's something that is not seen. It's seen in the way you act, it's seen in the way you obey your husband or the way you treat your husband, but it's the hidden man. It's not an outward appearance, okay? In that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit. Does it say loud and brawling? Or does it say meek and quiet spirit? It says meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God a great price. So not only is it something you should be doing for your husband, it's how you should treat your husband, but also in the sight of God it's a great price. It's something that God is going to be happy about. Maybe you have a problem submitting to your husband, maybe he doesn't always do the right thing, maybe he doesn't always make the right decision with the money, maybe he didn't take the right job or whatever, but that's not your place. Let your husband rule the home, and obviously there's things you can do for him. Help him, pray for him. Obviously not every man is a good man and they're not always worthy of being treated like this, but that's not what it doesn't say as long as they do what they're supposed to do. That's how you're supposed to be anyway. I guarantee you if you're respectful and love your husband and treat them with respect and talk to them with respect to their face and in front of other people, that God is going to bless the fact that you do that and he'll probably change your husband's heart. But what's wrong is for wives to just sit there and rip on their husbands in front of other people, that's wrong. It's wrong for a wife to complain about her husband to other women or your parents or whoever you want to complain to them about. Hey, you want to complain to somebody, complain to God. And he'll be like, well, you chose him, dummy. God's going to listen to your humble prayers and your fervent prayers. He wants you to have a good relationship with your spouse. But you need to do your part. You need to do your thing. And don't sit there and run down your husband in front of other people. It's wrong, it's wicked, it's not a meek and quiet spirit. It's better to dwell in the corner of a housetop than to be with a loud and brawling wife. It's better to be anywhere else than with a loud and brawling wife. Anywhere else. And you were like, well, I don't understand why my husband ever comes inside. Maybe you need to treat him with respect. Maybe you need to want him to be around you. He needs to want to be around you. Maybe every time you're around him, you're just ragging and nagging about stuff. Just food for thought. I'm not saying that anybody's having this happen in their life, but I wouldn't be surprised. I'm not surprised. But look at what it says in verse 5. For after this manner in old time, the holy women also who trusted in God adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands. This has been how it's been forever, ever since man and woman was created. Nowadays, it's just not the case. Nowadays, even in an independent, fundamental Baptist church, you've got wives that are disrespecting their husbands, talking smack in front of their faces about them. It's not right. And if that's you, then just internalize it and make it right. Work on it. Just like we need to work on our communication, we need to work on the way we treat each other, too. You need to work on how you present your husband, how you obey your husband, how you talk to your husband, how you talk to your husband in front of your kids. You don't want to run your husband down in front of your kids. What does that teach in them? That you can just be this disrespectful woman, and then what are they going to grow up to be? A disrespectful woman to their husband. You're like, I just don't understand. Why should I talk to them like that? Well, maybe they heard it from you. There's a good answer there. Look at verse number six. Even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord. So it's going to the example of this chapter that we're in right now that Sarah obeyed Abraham. Why didn't she obey him? What's the example we see in Genesis chapter 18 that he said, make some food, and what did she do? She did it. She obeyed him. And then she called him Lord. It specifically says in chapter 18, she called him Lord, not even out loud in her heart, because that's how much she respected Abraham. That's how much she loved Abraham. And she called him Lord, and it says, whose daughters you are as long as you do well and are not afraid with any amazement. If couples today revered each other like Abraham and Sarah, this world would be a lot better of a place. Abraham was great to Sarah, too. I'm just saying that we've lost our way in this society, and it makes me sick. It makes me sick to see Christian women treat their husbands disrespectfully. It does. And obviously, I'm not going to beat you down tonight, guys. This is for the ladies only. And I don't want to beat you down. I just want to show you how you should treat your husbands. It's the right thing to do. It's the right way to act. And you shouldn't be ruling the rooster, or even trying to. You should let your husband rule your house and help him, be a help-meet for him so that he can do his job better. Because it takes two to do a marriage. It's not just the husband. It's not just you. It's both of you. But look at Ephesians chapter 5, verse 22. Ephesians chapter 5, verse 22. Obviously, we know these verses very well. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands. Here it is being said again. As unto the Lord. How are you supposed to obey your husbands? The same way that you would obey God. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, and he's the savior of the body. Therefore, as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in some things, in whatever you feel like, as long as he's doing A, B, C, and D. No, it says in everything. And obviously, we're fallen people. We're going to fail sometimes. Women are going to pop off of the mouth sometimes and say things they shouldn't say. But you know what goes a long way? Apologizing. I'm sorry I talked to you like that. I'm sorry I treated you like that. I'm sorry I didn't have dinner ready for you when you got home after you worked your butt off all day in a construction job. So I'm sorry I didn't make your lunch. You're treating your kids better than you treat your husband. I'm sorry you didn't take care of their needs or whatever it is. You know, I'm sorry I treat my friends better than I treat you. Look at 1 Corinthians 11, verse 3. 1 Corinthians 11, verse 3. It says, But I would have you to know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man. This is the hierarchy that goes on within our lives here as Christians. Christ is the head of every man. God the Father is the head of Christ. The head of the woman is the man. And the head of Christ is God. Every man praying and prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoreth his head. But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered, dishonoreth her head. So what is this talking about? This is just talking about simply how long your hair should be. This is talking about a haircut. It's saying that if you chop your hair and try to look like a dude, then you're dishonoring your head. You're dishonoring your husband by doing that. I don't want to use the names, but I've probably used this example before, but I know a man that, he wasn't even saved at the time, I don't think. But his wife got her haircut and died, and he came home and he flipped out. Why did he do that? Because she should have asked him before she just went ahead and did some radical hairstyle. She didn't think it was a radical hairstyle. She thought she was about to get divorced over that. That's how mad he was. But you know what? I'd be just as mad if my wife did that tomorrow. And she said if I shave my beard, she's going to shave her head. And I was just like, go ahead. You're going to look more dumb than I am. We have a mutual agreement. I keep the beard and she keeps the hair. But look at verse number 8 in 1 Corinthians 11. It says, For the man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman, but the woman for the man. Look, people have a hard time with this stuff, but look, why don't you just embrace who you are? Embrace what God made you to be. Embrace, what's so bad about that? What's so bad about being a good wife and good to your children? Instead of being the... What's that chick that has the short hair? What's the name? Do you know what I'm talking about? Rosie the Riveter? Yeah. Yeah, I could be just like a man. Yeah! How's that working for society right now? Look, there's no room for feminism in this church. I'm never going to agree with you about that. So if you're a feminist here, you're a Christian feminist, then you need to get your heart right with God. Sarah wasn't a feminist, was she? No, she wasn't. So now I've got to deal with the laugh real quick. The laugh. So look at Genesis chapter 18, verse number 13. And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear child which am old? So God is not happy about the fact that she laughed, but she didn't laugh out loud. That much is sure. And so nobody heard her laugh outside the tent. So she's in the tent. She's hearing this stuff. She laughs within her heart. Why is she laughing? Because she thinks it's ridiculous, obviously. And she just has this lapse of faith. But you know what? God knows your heart and can read your mind, too. And He knows whether you're being... He knows the thoughts and intents of your heart. So He knows your thoughts, but He also knows the intents of your thoughts. That's pretty scary. But we need to remember that even in our thought life, God knows what we're thinking. He knows how we believe something. And so you ever have a thought and you're like, it's something that's not right? And you're like, I've got to get that thought out of my mind. That's not right. Your mind starts to wander into weird things sometimes. That's why it says the thought of foolishness is sin, because sometimes you can think of foolish thought and not even mean to. But then God knows that you had that thought. So it's kind of scary. But another thing we need to understand is sometimes we need to control our laughter. It's not always something that we... We shouldn't always laugh about stuff. And I really do have a problem with laughing. I have a laughing problem. I laugh when people fall. That's bad. It is. Like at the wrong moment when you laugh and someone falls down, it's like, oh man, I didn't mean to laugh at you. But sometimes our laughter should be... We need to learn to control those types of situations. Obviously Sarah couldn't control her laughter and it was just inside her heart. So that's just how down to the details that God gets with us sometimes. It can get you in trouble with God and man. Your thought laughter can get you in trouble with God. Your out loud laughter can get you in trouble with God. But the out loud laughter can get you in trouble with man. If you laugh at something that somebody says, sometimes it's an uncomfortable situation when you laugh because you don't know what else to do. But that offends people. So if it's something that you do, believe me, again, I'm preaching to myself right now because sometimes I have laughed when I shouldn't have laughed about something. And I've had people go, why are you laughing? That's not funny. Like, it isn't? But it's true. I have a laughing disease. I confess my fault before you tonight. And I really feel like I have worked on it. I used to just bust up laughing about stuff and couldn't stop, but I've gotten better. Look at verse 14. Is anything too hard for the Lord? Why is she laughing? Well, she thinks it's ridiculous, but you know what God said? Is anything too hard for the Lord? We should never get to the point where we think God can't do something for us. It says, at the time appointed, I will return unto thee according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. Then Sarah denied. She has this lack of faith, but then she lies on top of it. Sarah denied, saying, I laugh not. For she was afraid. If someone can read your mind and they say, why did Sarah laugh? And nobody heard her laugh. And it's like, uh-oh. She's scared. But she's adding insult to injury here because not only did God know that she laughed and had this unbelief for a time, but He also knows that she's lying. So we don't add sin unto sin. It says she was afraid. So this is one of those communication things I was talking about this morning. If someone's afraid, they're going to do things that they normally wouldn't. They're going to say things that they normally wouldn't say. And what is those things? Lying. Lying to get out of the trouble. And it says, and he said, nay, but thou didst laugh. So God had her pegged here. He knew what she was thinking. He knew that she was lying. So anyway, I'm going to have to end my sermon here. So I'll probably just finish up this chapter next week. And I'll just have to keep going with chapter... So we're going to end up here in chapter 16. But I just don't have time to preach the rest, but I knew this was going to happen. So I was on a good roll for a while, you guys. You've got to give it to me. I was on the dot last week, so don't even trip. Anyway, so next week I'll just cover the rest of this. All right, let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank You, Lord, so much for this great chapter in the Bible, Lord, and all the great doctrine that we can get out of it. And Lord, we pray You'd help us to be hospitable to others and to receive hospitality from others, Lord, but also that our wives would take this stuff to heart and Lord, just internalize the things. Maybe they could do better as wives. And Lord, help us to be better husbands. Help us to communicate well and to love our wives like we should. And we just pray that You'd help us to be safe as we go our separate ways until we come back to Your house again. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.