Better Advice Part 1

Getting to the end of the letter to the Hebrews. And the writer is beginning to give us some parting words.

And the whole tone of the letter changes in this last chapter. All of a sudden the writer kinda slams us with a ways for Christians to live. Scholars even think that a different author wrote 13 because the style is so different.

But what is happening is that at the end of the letter, there are some last minute pieces of advice. Make sure you don’t forget, remember to..

Have you ever done that? Just like how when we have family in town and they are leaving and we remind them of all those things; watch out for the quick turn up the road, watch out for the deer!

Our writer at the end of this letter is giving some advice.

Advice as it pertains to the social life of a Christian, Advice for the private life of a Christian and advice for the religious life affecting the Christian.

Adescribes 5 Qualities that outline the life of the Christian.

Hebrews 12:1–6 ESV

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

Hebrews 13:1–6 ESV

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, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

The first advice the author talks is advice for the social life which include: Brotherly Love, hospitality for strangers, and sympathy for those in trouble.

1 Brotherly Love

That terminology, the word for brotherly love is Philadelphia. We know philly as the city of brotherly love. That is what Philadelphia means. And people always make fun of that word because Philadelphia is notorious for having fans that are anything but loving, unless you are winning.

And that word is rarely found outside of scripture unless it is being used as a way to describe sibling love. That is where we get this idea that we are brothers and sisters in Christ.

How would you treat your brother? How would you treat your sister? Usually, even brothers who can’t stand one another and fight one another day and night will stand united when someone else wants to mess with one of them right?

“It’s okay if I fight with my brother but if you want to fight my brother you will have to go through me first!” That is brotherly love. And it is this idea of brotherly love that the writer describes how Christians should act with one another. Because our relationship with Christ is not just about me and Jesus. It is about all of us together.

Jesus called for unity over and over and if we are worshiping we are supposed to be doing it together.

And we do life together. We worship together.

Vanhoye says, “the life of brotherly love constitutes an essential aspect of the worship which Christians must render to God; without brotherly love, there is no authentic worship”

Ellingworth, P. (1993). The Epistle to the Hebrews: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 693). Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press.

Love is one of the hallmarks of the Christian faith. We have love for one another.

The writer may have pointed this out because there were those in the church who took very seriously their religion and on one level, this seriousness may have actually caused problems. Problems in that there were folks who may have been looking for heresy. They may have been trying to find that one person who was getting it wrong so that they could throw that person out.

Vanhoye 1977a also points out that the break with chap. 12 is not complete: “the life of brotherly love constitutes an essential aspect of the worship which Christians must render to God; without brotherly love, there is no authentic worship”

Ellingworth, P. (1993). The Epistle to the Hebrews: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 693). Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press.

Ellingworth, P. (1993). The Epistle to the Hebrews: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 693). Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press.

The church took very seriously their religion and on one level, this seriousness may have actually caused problems. Problems in that there were folks who may have been looking for heresy. They may have been trying to find that one person who was getting it wrong so that they could throw that person out.

This mindset would have been very dangerous for a church that was supposed to be unified. And those who would have acted this way would have been too harsh, too unsympathetic to those who might be struggling in their faith.

I think we all have probably heard or seen or read about Christians who end up going off of the deep end and basically becoming judges of other people. You have heard of these folks who write ugly sayings on signs, yell things at people and try to bully others into believing what they want you to believe.

It’s sad and it is destructive. I don’t think that there are many people who end up becoming Christ followers because someone bullied them into it, or yelled something mean or hateful to them at a demonstration. It usually doesn’t work that way.

Most of the time when people are really judgmental about a particular sin, it’s usually a sin that they themselves don’t deal with personally and so it is easy to look down on someone else who commits that sin. But as Christians we are supposed to be loving to one another, especially those who call Jesus their Lord.

The writer is reminding the church that we are brothers and sisters in Christ and that the Christian is supposed to be loving and merciful and full of grace, just like Jesus.

Remember that Jesus was always loving, Jesus was always full of grace. But Jesus was also truthful, but he was loving in the midst of telling the truth. He didn’t look down on people.

The only people that he had any kind of confrontational dealings were with the ultra religious; those who put themselves on a pedestal and thought of themselves higher than and better than everyone else. Those happened to be, sadly, the religious leaders of the day.

And Jesus was still loving to them while at the same time he was telling them truth.

Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in California spoke up about an issue with a gay marriage proposition in his state. He spoke against it because he believes, as I believe that the bible teaches that marriage is defined by one man and one woman.

The gay community crucified him. They protested his church, they demonstrated outside of his services on Sunday mornings and yelled and had signs and you know what Rick Warren did?

He told his volunteers to go out there and give them donuts and water. He was loving them the best way that he could. He was loving them while he was telling the truth.

He was loving the people while still standing for truth. That is the most powerful thing a Christian can do. So the loving thing is telling the truth. But you can love people even though the truth may be difficult to hear.

And so Jesus’ way of life, the example that Jesus lived out was one of love and mercy.

That is what we need to do as Christians. Yes, we need to tell the truth, but we do it in love.

The New International Greek Testament Commentary: The Epistle to the Hebrews 13:1. A Community of Mutual Love

“the life of brotherly love constitutes an essential aspect of the worship which Christians must render to God; without brotherly love, there is no authentic worship” (138).

We give respect and dignity to people, we don’t treat them like they have a disease, even if they have a disease, but we still love them.

And brotherly love isn’t just words, it isn’t just saying, I love you, or I pray that all goes well with you, brotherly love is lived out.

2 Hospitality to strangers

Verse 2 talks gives advice in showing hospitality to strangers.

English Standard Version Chapter 13

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

2 Hospitality to strangers

The world of long ago gave special honor to hospitality.

The world of long ago gave special honor to hospitality.

This is love—not just spoken but displayed. It’s easy to say I love you, but showing it, acting it out is a different story. Hospitality is part of that acting out in love.

Hospitality could be for a stranger, but could also be for a brother or sister in Christ. (One who you know well or not at all.) The sense in which the writer of Hebrews is talking probably has to do with hospitality for those who are in the faith, other Christians.

In the first century, if you travelled, you really didn’t want to stay anywhere but with a friend. Inns, hotels, whatever you want to call them were horrible places. They were dirty, they were overpriced and were usually most of the time brothels.

Christians did not want to stay in these places and so they would hope to find another brother or sister in the Lord who could take them in.

The stories of the Old Testament describe how big of a deal hospitality was for people.

Remember in Abraham’s story, there were three men who came to him with a message. Abraham made sure that their feet were washed, that they were able to rest, he had his wife make them fresh bread and he killed a choice lamb for them to eat.

He really went out of his way for these strangers because that was the “code” of the day, this is the way you acted because you wanted to be a blessing to others and, and from what the text says that some who have entertained angels unawares.

For the person, the Jewish person hearing these words they would immediately remember that story from Abraham where he was actually cooking and serving angels of the Lord who would go on to rescue Lot and his family from Sodom and Gomorrah.

Bible Studies in homes are a much less scary place than a church service for a non-Christian.

Now you might ask, is it possible that there are people that I come into contact who may actually be angels? I would say, maybe, why not. Listen to what the writer says, the writer says what? To show hospitality, whether there are angels present or not, we as Christians are to be hospitable. We should be loose with what we have. We should be available with our resources for others.

If we happen to be doing it for an angel that is okay too. The point is that maybe your home, maybe your friendship, maybe your personality will bless someone and give them the opportunity to see the love of God.

Hospitality can look like a home Bible Study. Bible Studies in homes are a much less scary place than a church service for a non-Christian.

They may tell you that they can’t come to church because they will get struck by lightening, well, invite them to your home for a bible study, or for dinner where you cultivate a friendship that will eventually lead you to sharing Jesus with them. All because of hospitality.

Which will lead us to the last bit of advice under advice for the social life. We got advice for brotherly love, for showing hospitality to strangers and this mindset of loving and giving leads right into verse 3

And this mindset of loving and giving leads right into verse 3

3 sympathy for those in trouble, Remember those in prison and mistreated.

English Standard Version Chapter 13

Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.

This prison ministry would have probably been focused on other Christians. Many Christians, Christ followers would have ended up in prison for their faith, it could have been a debt that they owed because so many Christians were poor.

And brothers and sisters in Christ helped one another. They came to each others aid. Barclay quotes:

The Letter to the Hebrews The Marks of the Christian Life (Hebrews 13:1–6)

Aristides the Athenian orator said of the Christians: ‘If they hear that any one of their number is imprisoned or in distress for the sake of their Christ’s name, they all render aid in his necessity and, if he can be redeemed, they set him free.’

Church leaders would teach their congregations to come to the aid of Christians who were sent to work in the mines, or who were jailed.

Christians became so known for the help that they provided their brothers and sisters in prison that one emperor, Licinius passed new laws that no one was to show kindness to sufferers in prison. No one was allowed to come in and show mercy to them. Or they would be put into prison for helping others.

And prisoners don’t just have to be people behind bars. Think about the shut in. Think about the man or woman who has been widowed and really has nothing to do, or anyone to talk to. What about them? They are in a sense prisoners who need companionship, they need friendship, they need something to do and are there enough Christ followers to help this person?

The idea is this. The body of Christ is one body. We are one and when one of us suffers we all suffer. Do you get that? When one person is hurting we should all feel that.

And I don’t think we do a very good job at making this known, or are very good at understanding it.

Because our society is so private. We really value our privacy. We don’t want anyone to know what is going on and a lot of us really don’t want to know what is going on in your lives either.

We have privacy fences so you can’t see in the yard. We close the doors and we draw the shades so no one can see in, we want our privacy.

Our garage doors are closed, so that you don’t know if we are home or not. We wear headphones so we don’t have to hear you and so that you know we don’t want to be bothered.

We live these private lives which are the complete opposite of what we are called to do. We are a family.

And if I don’t let you know what is going on in my life how can you help? Lots of people need help and are too private to ask for it.

What if, what if someone has had a need for the longest time and there is someone else in the body who could take care of that need in a second? You don’t know until people know your need.

Maybe there is a need. That need has to be made known or else no one will ever know. So we come alongside one another.

And so how do we come alongside one another? Because that is what it is about isn’t it? How can I help you? How can you help me? How can we help each other? These pieces of advice were for the Christian in how they treated one another socially.

Then the writer changes the tone to give advice for the private life, the private life and he talks about purity in marriage and about money. Both very personal issues.

English Standard Version Chapter 13

Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous

4 We are talking about purity in marriage. Let marriage be held in honor. It isn’t just these times that marriage is in trouble. Marriage has always been attacked.

4 purity Let marriage be held in honor

And it is no wonder. Christ compares his relationship with the church like a marriage. And when we think the fact that Christ equates the relationship that he has with His church to a marriage. That means that it is important.

Marriage is important. The covenant that is made between a man and a woman before God is important.

It is a picture of the relationship between Jesus and his people. Keep the marriage bed pure. That means that there is only one for you. That you stick it out. Do not defile the marriage bed meaning stick with your wife, and stick with your hubby!

And when Jesus attaches his name to it you need to remember that you represent Him. Even when the rest of the world wants to change it up, you remain pure, you remain with the one who you made that covenant with.

Because there is all kinds of love that we have in us, we just need to make sure that we are loving the right things. You love the Lord, you love your fellow Christ followers, you love your spouse and you be content with what you have.

Hebrews 13:5–6 ESV

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

You will hear people say that “Money is the root of all evil”, and that may sound right but that isn’t what the Bible says. There is nothing wrong with money. There is nothing wrong with having money. That isn’t the issue.

There are a lot of people who love the Lord, who have surrendered everything they have to Him who have a lot of money. And praise God for those people because they are the people that support the ministries in the church. They are the ones who keep things afloat.

him who have a lot of money. And praise God for those people because they are the people that support the ministries in the church. They are the ones who keep things afloat.

So you can be a mature follower of Christ and be financially rich.

So having money isn’t the problem, it is the love of money that is the problem.

1 Timothy 6:10 ESV

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

This problem has been around forever. I want my stuff. I want more stuff, and this doesn’t always have to mean that people are greedy or needy Sometimes people have a problem with trust. I need more so that I can make sure that I have enough later. I want to make sure that there is enough in the bank account so that I will be okay.

And there are wise principles that go along with that. There is plenty of wisdom in the bible, in the proverbs especially that tell us to plan. One of the proverbs says “look to the ant”

Proverbs 6:6 ESV

Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.

What we are trying to avoid is the love of money, placing all of our trust in our finances to get us through. We are talking about being content.

Philippians 4:11 ESV

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.

Be content with what you have. Because, because, look at that last part of the verse and this is what I want to end with today.

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Jesus’ promise that he will never leave you, that He will be with you should always produce in us a confidence, a confidence that makes us relax, relax in the sense that we know our Lord is with us, we know that He is taking care of us, we know that we can look to him and to nothing else to get us by.

What can man do to me? That question comes from the Psalms, again the recipients of this letter would have been well aware. Have confidence in the Lord your helper.

I will never leave you or forsake you

So our trust, our confidence comes from our understanding that the Lord is with us.

Never forget that. Never forget that the Lord is with you and that He is taking care of you. Even when your circumstances aren’t what you would like them to be.

So I would ask you do you know Jesus this morning? Meaning, have you put your trust in Him? Because all of this doesn’t apply to you unless you surrender your life to Him and receive Him as Lord of your life.

Invitation

If you have received Him where do you struggle with the things we have talked about today?

Socially: meaning, are you a loving brother or sister in Christ? Do you love your fellow family member in the faith? Do others know that you love them? Are you kind? Are you hospitable? Do you sympathize with those who are in trouble?

Are you a loving brother or sister in Christ? Do you love your fellow family member in the faith?

If you aren’t you have a God that can change your heart. Do you believe that? Because when you recognize that you lack in certain areas that God calls you to be, you can pray for Him to change your heart in those areas.

If you aren’t loving you can pray to God to make you more loving. Then act more loving whether you feel that way or not. Act more loving.

Do you struggle with being hospitable? Pray that God would change that in your heart and invite someone over for dinner, even when you don’t feel like it. God will bless you for it.

God wants us to obey Him whether we feel like it or not. It never has anything to do with our feelings. We obey because He calls us to something. That is why we obey. Feelings come and go but remember what He says, “ I will never leave you or forsake you”.

If you are lacking in one of these areas today I would ask you to bring that to the Lord, right now.

Close with prayer and invite folks up for prayer.

Do not neglect to do good