2025 Hebrews 13 and Recap

Hebrews 13:1-21

We are moving into the last chapter in the book of Hebrews… and we are looking at sacrifices that we can give under the New Covenant, sacrifices that are holy and pleasing to God.

These are not animal sacrifices. These are different sacrifices.

But before we move there… Let’s remember the last few things we have heard in previous sessions together.

Chapter 10 - Christ’s sacrifice is once and for all. It is finished. We are not going back to the law. We are not going back to our performance. We are looking and trusting in Christ’s finished work, and His perfect performance.

Don’t go back… Move forward with full assurance and full hope. You can come into His Holy Presence. We are new creatures and now can enter into the holy places of God through the life of Christ Himself.

We can draw near without fear, and we must draw near together.

There is no other sacrifice for you. There is no other hope or Savior for you.

So, do not turn from Him; do not shrink back and become destroyed but have faith and persevere.

Chapter 11 - Through faith, we see the truth and we live out of it. Our faith is in motion. We are walking… we are moving on, and living for Him for here on out.

There are many who have gone before us… and there are many who have suffered greatly. There are many who lived by faith and it led to their death...

Though the world hated them, God loved them. The world was not worthy of them but God called them and calls them worthy for Him.

As the world rejected and did not receive Him… They will reject those who follow Him. But you are received and will be received by Jesus forever.

Do not turn back during your trial, during your pain.

Jesus is at work. The Lord is on His throne and is at work.

Chapter 12 - Jesus is the founder and perfecter of our lives. He is started it and He will finish it. Christ is worth our lives. Christ is supreme over all. He will finish what He started, even when it does not look like it. He will get you there and will finish all things.

Do not grow weary… Keep your focus… Keep your eyes fixed on the Perfect One who bled and died for you… and is now sitting at the right hand of God the Father, on the throne.

Remember this while you go through your pain… Christ suffered too. Christ suffered for me and you. Christ suffered, why should I not suffer. If Christ had to suffer, and He was always loved by the Father… This suffering cannot, therefore, indicate that God does not love me or that His promises have failed...

My Heavenly Father is my Father, and nothing can separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God is going to produce something through the pain. God is going to create something. God is going to make something good...

Therefore… stand up. Pick up your hands. Don’t let bitterness take over. Do not fall away into sinful activity and walk away from what God has given you. Keep going. Keep walking. Do not give up.

This world and all we have is being shaken and taken away… But there is a Kingdom that will never be taken away. The Kingdom that you have entered into will never be shaken and will never fade away. They will not be able to take away your stuff here.

You have a King Who will never die and you have a home that no one can break into. The City of God/Zion, will fill the heavens. And only those who enter through the Blood will be able to enter in.

His blood will speak a better word than that of Abel’s. While Abel’s blood might have spoke a word of vengeance or guilt… The Blood of Christ will speak: “Redeemed, Forgiven, and a Child of God.”

The mark of God will be on these Kingdom citizens. There is a mark that is described as being on the foreheads of the redeemed, in the Revelation of John. It will be a sign and a seal of ownership. God’s mark will be on you and I. God’s seal will be on us.

Take away the world, and take away our physical life… But you will not be taken away from the God who has a double-handed grip on His people.

God is going to bring a new heavens and a new earth. All will be burned up and all will be made new. And since we are receiving this Kingdom that cannot be shaken… let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

Get this: God is going to shake things… But you, don’t be shaken. God is going to cast away the Old Covenant and the temple… But He is going to build another one called “The Church.”

God is going to destroy the earthly Jerusalem, but He is creating a heavenly Jerusalem… For all people groups… For all nations...

Check this out from the book of Haggai 2:7 - “I will shake all the nations and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory… The glory of the latter temple will be greater than the former… and in this place I will give peace… says the Lord of hosts.”

Psalm 78:69 - God chooses the tribe of Judah, Mt. Zion, which God loved, and He built His sanctuary like the heights… or like the high heavens, like the earth… which He has founded forever… and God chooses David, His servant, to shepherd the people…

Jesus is the servant. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Jesus is also a consuming fire...

2 Thessalonians 1:3-11 - Jesus is coming with His mighty angels to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give the troubled rest… He will come with flaming fire and take vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

These shall be punished with everlasting destruction...

He will be the Shepherd to some and a Consuming Fire for others.

Hebrews 13 - So until then… with your minds and hearts here… focused… locked in… As we wait… This is how we live.

As you live… offer up these sacrifices to God.

Verse 1 - Let brother love continue. Don’t let the pain, the trial, or the world keep you from loving one another… Continue to love as you go through it. Do not let love grow cold between you. The world will hate you and try to choke the life out of you...

Therefore, going back to 10:24-25 - Let us not forsake being together, but come together and stir one another up… stir up love and good works and encourage one another as you see the day approaching...

The pot is on the stove… We are the pots in the hands of the Master going through a fire. Don’t let love settle on the bottom where no one can see or experience it… Stir it up to the top, so it can be seen and experienced.

Verse 2 - This is strange… Do not neglect, or do not cease from entertaining strangers, for by doing so… some have unwittingly entertained angels...

We see this in Genesis 18 (Abraham and the angels); Judges 6 (Gideon and the angel) where humans entertain strangers… and they are heavenly beings...

But did the author say this and use this as an incentive to be hospitable to people we do not know?

Maybe… I don’t know. I know that this stays in my mind as I seek to help others...

And now… under the theme of love, practice these:

*Show hospitality towards strangers; visit those who are in prison (brothers and sisters in prison); serve those who are mistreated/abused; honor marriage - love your spouses.

Love your church family; love the strangers/neighbors; love the abused, and love your spouses for God. Lay down your lives for them and serve them for God.

And verse 5-6 - And keep yourselves from the love of money. Keep yourselves from coveting what you do not have. Be content. Contentment along with godliness is great gain, after all. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness… and do not worry about tomorrow...

For the Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?

Man may take stuff from us… Man was taking it from these brothers and sisters at this time… But let your conduct be without coveting, without despising others for what they have that you do not. Do not desire what belongs to another… This will lead to anger, bitterness, and or stealing.

And this conduct is not godly or loving...

Share with one another.

Verse 7 and 17 - The leaders of the church… who rule over… who lead you… Who lead in the Word and deed. Elders/Pastors/Under-shepherds… These leaders who preach, teach, feed the flock of God and guide them by the Word of God...

What is their weighty task? They watch out for your souls, as those who must give an account...

That is their task and ministry goal...

So why would we want to fight against that… against those who take the Word of God and attempt to give it to us… When they are doing this out of the call and the obedience of God… They are also doing this out of a holy fear… That they will give an account one day.

So… why do we kick and buck against this… Why would we desire to grieve the one who believes the Word of God and brings it to us. If we can see that this is what the Bible teaches… Why do we fight against the person who loves our soul?

This changes the way we should see our pastors and ministry leaders.

And when you have a person or a people who will not heed to the Word, practice the Word, and they keep doing their own thing...

What is a pastor to do… If this is his charge, and he will be held accountable… and this weight is on him 24/7… What will that pastor do? Well, we see it every year as ministers leave churches for other churches… or they leave the pastoring ministry for good.

Verse 8-9 - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His teachings have not changed. He doesn’t change with the times. The truth is the truth for everyone. You and Jesus do not have your own thing going on… outside of the Bible. He has delivered to us, once and for all, the faith that we are standing in.

If the teachings are not found in Christ or in Scripture… Don’t bite it. Do not be carried away by it.

And there are some strange doctrines/teachings… everywhere we go. Some have an ounce of truth to it… Some do not even have that. Some teachings feel right… But they are not found in the Bible… We must study to show ourselves approved and be mature in our faith. Be ready to give an answer for the faith that we have...

Stand firm in sound teaching. Stand firm.

The audience is seeing people turn to follow after strange doctrines… Family members may be turning from the faith to follow after something else… People are leaving the faith or trying to mix the Old with the New...

What are Christians to follow? What did Jesus say? What did He teach His disciples? What do we have in the New Testament? That is what we are going to follow until the trumpet sounds...

If anyone adds to it… takes away from it… Don’t follow it.

Verses 9-13 - Most likely this is referring to teachings about eating certain foods… We cannot eat pork and be saved… We cannot eat certain fish and be saved. Do not eat certain meat in the market place… It could have been sacrificed to idols...

Believer… you are in grace… You are not bound by Law.

Jesus has sanctified your hearts… It is not what goes into a man that defile Him. Food does not defile you. Your heart is defiled without Christ… But He has gone outside the city to make you clean… Outside of the temple… Outside...

So go to Him… Outside of the physical temple… Go to Him outside of the Old Covenant system… Go to Him… And be saved, be made right… Outside the Law and the Old Testament sacrificial system and dietary laws...

Go outside… and find liberty there to partake of Him and all of that which He has made clean.

We have no home here that will last; we do not have a city here that will endure. Jerusalem will be destroyed… and all the rest may be destroyed one day...

But there is one city and home that is coming...

By Him… Live your lives. By Him… live with hope. By Him… live to serve and to love with all confidence and assurance of this One Who has called us...

By Him… praise. By Him… sing. By Him… continue to offer these holy sacrifices and give thanks to Him always.

By Him… do good works towards others.

Pray verses 20-21.

Close.