In Brotherly Love

Hebrews 13:1-7

-Christians love one another as siblings in Christ

Philadelphia- the city of cheesesteaks, Rocky, and Phanatics. But, it’s also the City of Brotherly Love. What does that mean?

I. Hospitality to Strangers vv. 1-2

In our passage tonight, the author turns to his final instructions and a charge to his listeners.

The charge begins with a simple command: “Let brotherly love continue”. What does this mean?

First, it means that there is a particular type of love that characterizes our relationships; this one is marked by warmth and friendship

Second, we see that this love is founded in our identity: we are all adopted into the family of God. This makes us brothers and sisters, so the instruction fits

Third, we see that this is an ongoing call. It has characterized the people of God and should continue to do so

How then, do we show brotherly love?

The first instruction relates to hospitality to strangers:

Hospitality is the act of opening our lives and our homes to others; but it is also an act of faith

The decision to show hospitality to a stranger matters, some have “entertained angels” without understanding what they are doing

Hospitality like this is a way to love people the way that God loved us; without condition and without expectation of return

There is a lot of genuine virtue present here

Justin Martyr wrote, “We used to value above all else money and possessions. Now we bring together all that we have and share it with those who are in need. Formerly we hated and killed one another because of a difference in nationality or custom. Now since the coming of Christ, we all live in peace. We pray for our enemies and seek to convert those who hate us.”

II. Presence in Suffering v. 3

Next, we see that brotherly love is demonstrated by remembering the prisoner

Primarily, this is probably associated with remembering those who are imprisoned for their faith in Jesus, but the Scripture doesn’t qualify it

Those imprisoned are easily forgotten by those on the outside; it is critical that we do not

We need to remember them as though we are there with them ourselves

This ministry of remembrance extends to all who are mistreated and suffering

Again, it is easy to ignore or forget those who are left alone and outside of the immediate fellowship of the Body of Christ

Truth be told, this is one of the most powerful ministry opportunities that is available to most of us!

“After the U.S.S. Pueblo was captured by the North Koreans, the eight-two surviving crew members were thrown into a brutal captivity. In one particular instance thirteen of the men were required to sit in a rigid manner around a table for hours. After several hours the door was violently flung open and a North Korean guard brutally beat the man in the first chair with the butt of his rifle. The next day, as each man sat at his assigned place, again the door was thrown open and the man in the first chair was brutally beaten. On the third day it happened again to the same man. Knowing the man could not survive another beating, another sailor took his place. When the door was flung open the guard automatically beat the new victim senseless. For weeks, each day a new man stepped forward to sit in that horrible chair, knowing full well what would happen. At last the guards gave up in exasperation. They knew that they were unable to beat that kind of sacrificial love.”

III. Sexual Morality v. 4

The next matter addressed here may seem a bit odd in light of the other things we will talk about, but I think we need to pay close attention to it

We show brotherly love by holding marriage in honor:

This is more than just an attitude about marriage; it is a practice

The marriage bed should be undefiled, kept sacred between husband and wife

In what sense is this an act of “brotherly love”?

First, it honors our spouse as our brother or sister in Christ, as we act with integrity towards them

Second, it protects those outside of our marriage from the harmful impacts of sexual immorality

Third, it recognizes that sexual immorality invites God’s judgment and spares us from His discipline

Marriage matters, but its impacts go far beyond a marriage relationship

IV. Contentment in Christ vv. 5-6

Fourth, we hear a call to keep our lives free from the love of money

This sounds simple enough, but it’s much harder to execute

We do this by choosing contentment in Christ and His provision

Discontent is an act of shaking a fist at heaven to tell the Lord, “You are not enough; I’m dissatisfied with what you’ve given me”

We need to remember His promise; He will never leave us or forsake us

This is a promise of presence, protection, and provision

Instead of trusting in money, we need to have a confidence: The Lord is my Helper!

1 Timothy 6:6–8

[6] But godliness with contentment is great gain, [7] for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. [8] But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. (ESV)

V. Honoring Leaders v. 7

There is one final area that the author addresses: We express brotherly love as we remember our leaders, specifically those who share the Word of God with us

Sometimes, leadership can be a thankless and difficult task

Leaders are easy to criticize and you don’t have to look very far to see where they fall short of the mark

How do love our leaders?

We remember them, especially in our prayers

We recognize their ministry, proclaiming the Word of God to us

I think if we remembered that this was their primary ministry, it would limit a lot of criticism

Our lives are being built through the teaching of the Word

We consider the outcome of their way of life:

We look at the fruit that God has produced through them (is there something genuine there?)

We imitate their way of living the faith

1 Corinthians 11:1

[1] Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. (ESV)

One thing that really stood out to me was how counterfeit money is identified. Treasury agents don’t study counterfeit money in order to identify counterfeit money. If they studies the fakes, they wouldn’t be able to identify new fakes because they wouldn’t know their distinct characteristics. Instead, they study the real thing; they know legitimate money intimately.

By knowing the real thing so well, they can spot a fake almost immediately.

-Are you the “real thing” practicing brotherly love?

-Do you have the kind of love in you that makes this possible?

-What needs to change so that you can live this love?