Final Instructions Part One

People often say that theology is hard, but theology is nothing compared to actually living like a Christ-follower. It’s all too easy to be a functional hypocrite, confessing biblical truth, but living as though that truth didn’t exist. Well, we want to do what James says, and be doers of the word, and not merely self-deluded hearers (James 1:22). So the letter to the Hebrews, like so many of the letters in the New Testament, closes with instructions for a life of faithful obedience.

Why does faithful obedience matter? Let me give you a few reasons.

When we are not faithfully obedient, we lose the blessing that the Lord gives for faithful obedience.

When we are not faithfully obedient, our lives are indistinguishable from the unsaved world.

When we are not faithfully obedient, our faith stagnates, and stagnant faith is eventually overwhelmed by the pains of life, and all we experience is fear and insecurity.

Most important, when we refuse to be faithfully obedient, we may be revealing that we are actually unsaved, and still in sinful rebellion against our Creator.

Well, I don’t want any of us to lose God’s blessing, I want us to stand out as the light of the world, I want us to be prepared for the coming trials of life, and I want each of us to know that our salvation is real.

So let’s look at the instructions we find in Hebrews 13.

Those instructions begin with love.

LOVE

Let love of the brethren continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body. (Hebrews 13:1–3)

Love is not a surprising place to begin. God is love, after all (First John 4:8), and Jesus directly commanded us to love one another (John 15:17).

Let love of the brethren continue (Hebrews 13:1). That is, love Christians, love those who are the church. This begins with those in our own congregation, those closest to us, but ultimately includes all Christians. Love is often a challenge; some people are easy to love, but some are hard to love (I can certainly be hard to love). But Jesus meant what He said:

John 13:35 NASB95

“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

But the Lord wants us to extend love beyond our own familiar relationships, so the Scripture goes on to say Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. (Hebrews 13:2). Where does love come in here? The word translated ‘hospitality’ literally means love of strangers. Who are these strangers? When Hebrews was written the church was facing severe persecution; many Christians were being driven out of their villages and towns and homelands. It was important that Christians receive other Christians who had been forced out, even if they didn’t know them. Opening your heart and home to strangers takes more than loving people you know, but it’s a command we must be prepared to obey. Besides, as the writer says, some have received strangers who turned out to be angels; he’s specifically referring to Abraham and Lot. The point isn’t that angels are walking the streets looking for a handout; the point is that sometimes the greatest blessing comes to the person who gives, not the person who receives.

But the Lord isn’t done talking about love: Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body. (Hebrews 13:3). Again, these are Christians, not inmates in general. Is there anything wrong with outreach to those in jail or prison for crimes? No, not at all. But that’s not the context here. These prisoners are Christians who have been imprisoned for being Christians. We must not forget them. Praise God, while there are Christians in prison in the United States, no one is imprisoned here because they are a Christian. But there are many brothers and sisters around the world who are suffering persecution and imprisonment because they believe in Jesus Christ. What can you do for them from northeast Nebraska? Both Voice Of The Martyrs (at persecution.com) and Open Doors USA (at opendoorsusa.org) provide means of sending letters of encouragement to those imprisoned for their faith. It takes a minute or two to pray and write a quick note. I’ve sent several notes this week. You can do that, too.

I want to remind you that loving others is not breaking into unknown territory; Jesus has already loved His own perfectly and completely. We are not commanded to blaze a trail where no one has ever gone before; we are called to love those whom Jesus Himself loves. We don’t have to search for reasons to love someone; it’s enough that the Lord loves them. Neither do we have to dig deep and find our own inner source of love in our own hearts; we can draw on His love through the Spirit of God. A waiter in a restaurant doesn’t make the food, he just delivers it. You and I are to simply deliver the love that Jesus already has for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

HOLINESS

TRANSITION: God is Love. God is also Holy. Just as we are called to love one another, we are called to personal holiness, which is always specific and never abstract. Hebrews 13:4-6 urges holiness in two very specific areas: marriage and money.

HOLINESS: MARRIAGE

Marriage (Hebrews 13:4)

Marriage has its roots in creation itself. God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27).

God unapologetically made the man, Adam, first, and then made Eve as a helper suitable for Adam (Genesis 1:18) from a rib taken from Adam’s side. The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. (Genesis 2:22).

It’s significant that God didn’t just make Eve, leave her in the garden, and wait for she and Adam to stumble across each other. God brought her to Adam. Eve was made for Adam, and they were a perfect match for one another.

And Adam immediately received Eve as part of himself: The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’ (Genesis 2:23).

Moses added a comment in Genesis 2:24: For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. So, this one-flesh relationship between a man and a woman was not unique to Adam and Eve, but God’s intention for marriage for all of humanity for all of time.

That’s why we are reminded in Hebrews 13:4 that Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge. God will defend the holiness of the relationship that He Himself designed and implemented.

Our culture despises marriage. Marriage is just one of many options available to people, and often far down on the list. Long-term commitment is rare, not to speak of life-long commitment. We who are in Christ must stand against that thinking, and honor marriage as God’s gift to us.

The one-flesh union that God created is a sexual union. That sexual union is intimately connected to His command to be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it. (Genesis 1:28). Fornication makes a mockery of that one-flesh union. Adultery treats it with contempt and destroys it. God judges those who treat the blessed one-flesh union of marriage with contempt and dishonor.

So, be reminded this morning of the goodness of marriage. Devote yourself to obey the Lord’s commands as to your role. If you are single, don’t commit fornication; you are not only sinning against yourself, but against your future spouse, if you marry. If you are married, don’t commit adultery. Instead, honor and love your spouse.

We are also to be holy regarding money.

HOLINESS: MONEY

Hebrews 13:5-6 commands us, Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” so that we confidently say, “The LORD is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”

You know, these verses talk about money, but they really aren’t about money. They are about how our faith is to shape our character.

It seems that when persecution comes against the church, it always begins with money and wealth. Possessions are stolen, or burned, or confiscated. Christians get fired from jobs because they are Christians, or don’t get hired in the first place, and so can’t earn money to live. As persecution intensifies, possessions are confiscated by the government, or stolen by thugs while the authorities look the other way. A business owner who won’t bow to the culture is harassed and sued and fined out of business, losing her source of income. And the time is upon us when a young Christian who is open and clear about their faith in Jesus Christ will not be admitted to certain colleges and universities, greatly affecting their ability to earn a living. Just recently Beto O’Rourke, a Democrat presidential candidate, said that any church or group that doesn’t agree with homosexuality should lose its tax-exempt status. The obvious thinking is that if donations aren’t tax-deductible, non-profits will lose funding and be forced to close.

Because money is so central to life, any threat to money or possessions gets our attention very, very quickly. Will you take a bold stand for Jesus Christ? What if it meant losing your job, or not getting into a university, or being harassed until your business closes?

I have an idea. Let’s not wait until we face those things. Let’s learn to obey this Scripture today, and make sure that our character is free from the love of money, so that when – not if – we must take a stand for Christ, we are prepared to do so.

How do we do that?

We keep reminding ourselves of the promise of God, I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you. Back in the days of vaudeville, Groucho Marx made a ton of money. He was pretty careful with his money, not stingy, but certainly frugal. Someone convinced him that investing the stock market would be a good idea, so he did - just a few months before the 1929 stock market crash. Groucho’s money deserted him; it forsook him. He was almost literally penniless. But the Triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – promises I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you. Money and stuff won’t last, but God will never leave.

So then, we confidently say, “The LORD is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can people do to me?” If that is true, then you have a strong protection against the love of money.

TRANSITION: So, we are to love according to the command of Christ, be holy in your conduct, especially in marriage and how we view your possessions, and, we are to endure.

ENDURANCE

We are called to endure, no matter what happens. Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited. (Hebrews 13:7–9)

Hebrews was written at a time of persecution. There was often strong pressure to compromise for the sake of safety or survival. But we are to endure, and remain faithful.

First, follow the example you’ve seen. Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. (Hebrews 13:7). The first step of endurance is following a good example. There are certainly more examples than those who first led you to the Lord, but they are probably the most familiar. Consider the result of their faithfulness. One of those results is that you are in Christ today. You know, there is a direct line running from the Lord Jesus to you, through hundreds of generations, over 2,000 years. Every one of those people was faithful; not one broke the chain. Don’t be the last link in the chain. Be faithful.

Second, we remember the unchangeable nature of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the same: yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8). He never changes, His Word never changes, and the Gospel never changes. Remember Hebrews 4:12, For the Word of God is living and active. The Word in your hands today is THAT very same Word, still living and active, because Jesus Christ today is THAT Jesus Christ, risen and victorious. You can endure because He has endured and does endure.

Third, don’t let yourself get carried away (which doesn’t mean getting excited, but being moved or led astray) by varied and strange teachings (which are not necessarily weird (although some are), but new or foreign to what we have in Scripture). It is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods (a reference to the dietary laws of the Old Testament). Grace is the gift of favor that God gives unconditionally; no religious works or acts can strengthen anyone; those who were occupied by them were not at all benefited by them. Be strong in grace, in the unchanging, ever-powerful, mercies of God through Jesus Christ, who never, ever changes.

Do you need strengthening today? Then don’t look for something new and exciting that no one has ever heard of before. Look back to those who led you, and imitate their faith. Look especially to the Lord Jesus, who is the same today as He was 2,000 years ago, which is the same as He will always be. Don’t let go of the truth, and end up being led in some foolish direction. Endure in Jesus Christ. Endure in His Word.

BRINGING IT HOME

In a sense, this entire chapter is bringing Hebrews home, so here’s a very brief review.

Be loving the Christians around you because Jesus loves them. When you meet believers you’ve never met before, love them, especially if you meet them during a time of crisis and loneliness in their lives. The Lord brought across your path for a reason. In five minutes you could go to OpenDoorsUSA.org and write a note of encouragement to saints who are suffering around the world.

Be holy in marriage and with your possessions. Honor marriage as a precious gift from the Father. Protect its sanctity by keeping yourself from sexual sin. Don’t fall in love with stuff; keep your character free of the love of money.

And be faithful. Don’t be the last link in the chain that runs from Jesus to you; pray for others to know Him, and share the Gospel with others as He gives you opportunity. Jesus never, ever changes, so find your comfort and rest in His unchanging Word. Don’t let strange, new teachings cause you to drift from him; be strong in the grace of God. Endure in Jesus and His Word.

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