IS THERE ROOM FOR ME IN YOUR FATHER'S HOUSE?

Genesis 24:23, 31
v.23 Is there room for me in your father's house?

v.31 Why are you standing out there? I have prepared the house and place for the camels

This was our first sermon at church where we looked at the name of the church as well as the vision and mission. We looked at the difference between a house and home. A home, it does not matter how the structure looks, is supposed to be where one finds peace, hope and restoration. Basically, the house of hope and restoration is a HOME.

The servant in 23, sent by Abraham who is now well advanced in years, have found Rebekah, whom they were sent to find. The servant with kneeling camels (v.11) before the well, have found her and they now ask, "do we have a room in your father's house?". The father has a house, that they suppose, but is there a room for them as servants and also is there a room for the camels? Rebekah assures them, there is. In our church we need to make sure there is a room for everyone. The house will be there, but will there be a room for the servants? All who serves God should feel welcome and at home.

We looked at five areas pertaining to this house of Hope and Restoration (Home)
1. HOPE
Acts 2: 25-26 and  Psalm 39:7
In the book of Acts we hear of David who resolved to rest in Hope in the Lord, the same thing David echoes in Psalm 39:7. Our Hope has to always be in the Lord.

2. RESTORATION (Restore and Heal)
Jeremiah 30:17; Joel 2:25-26 and Psalm 51:12
Jeremiah speaks about healing wounds and restoring health. We need places where not only woulds will be healed but total health will be restored and people can feel whole again
Joel talks about the destruction brought about by the locust, then the caterpillar and the palmerworm. The Lord promises to restore all those. During restoration God redeems everything that was destroyed thorouhly
In Psalm 39:7, David says "Lord, my Hope is in thee", our Hope remains in the Lord as He restores us, the nation and the world in this House of Hope and Restoration


3. LET EVERYONE COME AS THEY ARE
2 Kings 4:9-10
Elisha was going around doing the work of the Lord Faithfully, but it took a person who could see and hear well from the Lord, that he needed a room. May we never be preoccupied with ourselves and fail to recognize it when the Lord leads us to see when others need a room.

4. TRUST AND SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER
James 5:16
In our fellowships we need to create an environment where each person can feel free and if need be, be vulnerable so that they can confess their weaknesses so that the Lord can strengthen them

5. LOVE ONE ANOTHER
John 13:34-35
In these two verses, the Lord Jesus three times that "love one another" and through that the world will know, we are from Him.