Hebrews 13:1-19

MAP

Mr X: What does it look like to worship God?

Jesus: Worship with the outcast community

Joel: Worship God in the everyday

PREAMBLE

INTRODUCTION (Relevance Persuasion | Resonate)

One of the main features of how we do things here this year is to teach through bible books.

The logic is quite simple. As we any story, movie, letter, you want to read C13 after C12. There’s a logic, there’s flow and understanding that, helps us to understand why C13 is there.

But there’s also an underlying conviction that God speaks through the biblical authors.

The better we understand what the author is saying, the better we hear what God is saying.

It’s a human word, but also a divine word. And they’re not pitted against one another. Both Human and divine.

(L) And I think this helps us to make sense of C13.

At first glance, this section looks like a rather random list of to-dos with no correlation to the rest.

But when we understand the wider context serious, it illumines the passage we have in front of us.

Not just random instructions… but worship.

I want us to notice that worship is our big theme in our passage today.

12:28 Let us offer to God acceptable worship

13:10 we have an altar

13:11Sacrifice

13:12 Sanctify

13:15 sacrifice of praise

13:16 sacrifices are pleasing to God

^Book about enduring to the end. Interesting that it ends with a call to worship.

opposite of falling away.

is not merely to stand firm

But to worship

The call the endurance is a call to worship.

But what is worship? What is your understanding of Worship?

(A) image - Hands up. praising. the 15min or 1h of songs (depends on what type of church you attend) on Sunday before the boring slot where someone stands up to speak.

Worship is singing songs in church.

True. But the problem with that definition of worship is the bible. It’s definitely not less than singing songs, but so much more.

Worship is what we were made for.

As we understanding it rightly - it will help us endure.

(L) What does it look like to worship God?

ARGUMENT (Texture | Unity | Coherence | Development)

The conduct of worship: Love, marriage & money (9)

Look down to 12v28 second half.

Hebrews 12:28–13:5 “thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have,

The first thing to notice is the ordinary day to day nature of what is being described as worship. Love v1-3, marriage and sex v4. Money v5.

Worship is not less than sing songs on a Sunday morning. But certainly involves much more. All of daily life.

Day to day issues. How to treat others around you. How you treat your spouse. How you manage your Barclays account.

What it means to be human. Normal.

(L) but it’s also very abnormal. Radical call.

V1 Brotherly love continue.

Not “Hey bro”

But genuine brothers and sisters.

^link to last week’s. God treats us as Sons and Daughters as he disciplines us. New family.

(A) Barge. Senior. Junior. Reception. Yet - Gathered.

(L) Our author doesn’t stop here. He stretches out his command to love in v2 and v3. To hospitality to strangers. To those in prison. Love going outwards

You might find the mention about angels slightly curious.

But not without precedent- in mind faithful ones in the OT, like Abraham in Genesis 18 where he hosted angles unaware.

Nevertheless the point is clear: love. Those around you and those outside.

(\/) Pause to address those who are regulars here.

Understand that there are constraints to a lunchtime talk community.

Deadlines to meet. Bosses to please. Projects to complete.

But consider this call to worship expressed in a call to show genuine love to each other.

Hebrews 13:3 “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.”

Let brotherly love continue.

(L) Next, preacher. Worship = marriage, Sex and money. It's interesting how the issues 2000 years ago are still the same.

Hebrews 13:4–5 “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.””

God’s design for marriage is clear: Marriage is between one man and one woman where life long sexual intimacy is exclusive within the marriage covenant.

Man and woman. Husband and wife. As Christ is the groom and the church his bride.

So the call to worship is express by honouring, esteeming, valuing God’s design for marriage.

V - bites for wharf workers.

(A) Heightened temptation -

Working in close proximity. Pressured environment

Business trips. No one knows.

Office parties. Everyone lets loose after a stressful year.

“Let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

(A) Workplace. Dangerous place.

Things get messy at home.

Children are tearing the house down

Marriage is strained. Constant irritation. Ships passing in the night.

Office = relief. That guy or that woman. just seems to get you.

think “if only”

preacher: think “Let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

V - I don’t know. But if you are at risk: Honor your marriage.

(Pause)

(L) Next, money.

Hebrews 13:5 “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have,

(A) Learn about British people… really don’t like to talk about money.

(A) Alex. House.

But not talking about money doesn’t mean BP don’t love money.

Again, bites for wharf workers.

I know not true for everyone.

But on relative terms, wharf workers… have money.

“Keep your life free from the love of money.”

V - money.. opportunities it provides. powerful.

self-reliance.

Security.

Hebrews 13:5 “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have,

Reinforcement

So this is what worship is. It’s earthy. It’s in the nitty gritty the day to day of life. Love, marriage and money.

But why does our author think that Worship will help us to endure? Why does he think that following these instructions will prevent one from falling away?

help quote by John Piper reflecting on his 70 years of being a Christian.

“The root cause of apostasy, or falling away, or making shipwreck of faith, or deconversion, is not the failure to detect truth, but the failure to desire holiness. Not the absence of light, but the love for the dark. ”

His observation: The reason why people don’t endure is not because of theological inaccuracy. But a failure to desire holiness. A failure to worship God.

Your direction, disposition, orientation in life. Either to God or to something else. Will determine whether you endure.

The opposite of falling away… is worship.

The conduct of worship: Love, sex & money (9)

(L) Our author is realistic. He recognises that worship is not meant to done alone.

And so in the next bit, he goes on to describe the community we worship with.

2. The community of Worship: an outcast community. (5)

In the next few verses we see features of a community. Discussion about leaders, adhering with teaching.. But most surprising of all is the image used to described the experience of the community.

Hebrews 13:10–11 “We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp.”

The image that our author uses comes from Lev 16:27, the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur. It’s the annual festival set up by the levitical law for the atonement of sin.

As part of the festival, a bull is sacrificed and killed, but finally brought outside the camp to be burned.

It’s the image of the judgment of sin. Burnt. In a place of exile. Outside the camp.

(A) at home. I split the household chores between my wife and I. She does most of the cooking, I do most of the dirty bits. My job, is to clear the bins

Shower. clean. fresh. “clear the bins”

Thought of going down to the refuse, lift, tap, opening. dark. smell. touch as little. fast exit.

Don’t want to go there.

This image is worse

But the place being desribed here is worse. It’s not just dirty but ceremonially unclean. Defiled.

(L) but here’s the shock according to our Author. That place of exile, outside the camp - is where your Lord is.

Hebrews 13:12 “So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.”

The author links outside the camp to outside the gate. Outside the gate, is the cross at Golgotha, where our Lord was crucified. A man of sorrow, a man of shame, the scum of the earth.

It’s an amazing matching of images. The refuse is where the Lord of Universe hung to die.

And because that’s where he was, that’s where we need to go.

Hebrews 13:13–14 “Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.”

To identify with him. To go to him, outside the camp, bear the shame he bore. It’s a shocking call.

Reinforcement

^The Christianity community is social - refuse

A call to experience the shame, be an exile, be an outcast.

^and so the community of New covenant believers will always be outside the norm of society.

It’s a call to be willing to bear the reproach he bore.

Most surprise of all..

(L) The place of outcast is the place of true worship

Hebrews 13:15–16 “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”

It’s with this outcast new covenant community where you can offer true worship to God. As you praise him, as you do good and share with one another. Worship that is pleasing to him.

How do you endure as a Christian? Worship with the outcast community.

No stronger image. The Rubbish dump. The ash heap. The place where the crucified Lord is. The place of his outcast community.

Bring together what we’ve seen.

The conduct of Worship - earthy. Involves the day to day. Love, marriage, money.

The community of worship - default feature of the new covenant community is an outcast. So set your expectations right.

And though it may sound challenging. There’s something amazing in what he is saying, and you are willing to love those who are not like you. Uphold marriage. Willing to identify with Jesus at the cost of position in society..

This is nothing less than doing what you were made for.

To be truly human, to worship your creator God.

Worship with the outcast community.

LAND (Worldview | Us)

As we finish, worth reflecting which aspect of worship has been most challenging.

Call to love? Honor marriage? Money? Identify with Jesus, risk being an outcast?

Those in early years of your career.

Challenging to resist the urge to assimilate. But perhaps today’ passage is helpful to set expectations straight.

To recognise that identifying with Jesus, almost certainly make you an outcast. So it’s worth accepting it up front.

I’m not saying being weird. Don’t be weird about things.

But understand that there is a categorical difference.

For those who have more years on their back.

Let genuine love continue. Keep honouring marriage. Don’t love money and place your hopes in the future city.

Hard?

And so our Author provides us an encouragement:

he says Hebrews 13:5 “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.””

we say

Hebrews 13:6 “So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?””

The word help is significant in Hebrews.  Jesus  is our helper.

C2  "He himself suffered when tempted, he is able to helpthose who are being tempted"

C4 "Draw near to throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need"

When times get harder. When you are in a time of need. The Lord Jesus helps you.

He is the Risen Lord. Seated at God's right hand. There is grace for you and vindication with him.

He is your helper.