Hebrews 13 - What's Love Got to Do With It?
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
This is our last week in the book of Hebrews!
Hebrews 13, the final chapter, is a laundry list of things the writer wants us to do.
It’s very rapid fire … in fact, I’m a little worried this study is going to feel all over the place, but that is the way it is written.
The Great American Revivalist preacher from the early 1700’s, Jonathan Edwards, as a young man, made 70 Resolutions that would govern his life. I would suggest to you that Hebrews 12– 13 be yours.
**This is real practical advice!!
Funny Illustration:
A young pastor in his first assignment out of Bible college was preaching a message on “Forgiveness” to his little country church. “How many of you have a hard time forgiving your enemies?” All raised their hands but one little old lady. “Ma’am, do you not have a hard time forgiving your enemies?” She said, very sweetly, “I don’t have any enemies.” He said, “How old are you?” “93,” she said. The young pastor thought, “Wow, this is great. This is a chance for some really practical advice.” He said, “How is it that a person can live 93 years and not have a single enemy in the world?” She said, “I out-lived all those old hags.”
1 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 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.
1. Practice Hospitality (vs. 1-3)
1. Practice Hospitality (vs. 1-3)
In Greek there’s a play on words you miss in English: “Let phila-delphia (brotherly love) continue; do not neglect to philo-xenia (show love to strangers).
A love that starts in the church and overflows outside the church, into the streets.
Distinguishing mark of the 1st Century church - should still be today.
Emperor Julian (a persecutor of Christians), said in complaint in his famous letter to Arsacius:
“Nothing has contributed to the progress of the superstition of the Christians as their charity to strangers... these godless Galileans provide for not only their own poor but ours as well.”
“some have entertained angels unawares”
Genesis 18, Abraham was visited by 3 men in Gen 18. Abraham shows them hospitality. 2 of them turn out to be angels and one of them turns out to be Jesus.
The author is not saying this happens all the time, he’s saying, “You just never know.”
The New Testament scholar Bill Lane says that the author’s real point here is that showing hospitality is kind of a sacrament, meaning that by doing it with others you are doing it directly to Jesus.
“Remember those in prison … those who are mistreated”
Jesus had said (Matthew 25) that on the last day he will look at some in the church and say, “When I was in prison, you visited me. When I was naked you clothed me. When I was hungry you fed me.” (The response of the people - ?)
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
The World Evangelical Alliance reports that 200 million Christians are currently being persecuted in 131 of the world's 193 countries (persecution being defined as being denied basic human rights), and about 176,000 were killed last year.
80% of all religious violence in the world was carried out against Christians.
2. Avoid Immorality (vs. 4)
2. Avoid Immorality (vs. 4)
“Sexually immoral and adulterous” seems redundant, but “adulterous” means to be married and have sex outside of it; “sexually immoral” is the Greek work porneia and it means “to not be married and have sex.”
Notice... the first two things he talks about are Christians love for the poor and their sexual purity.
These are what makes the church distinctive.
Augustine wrote a book called The City of God, and he said that Christians don’t fit well in this world because they have a completely different attitude toward sex and money than the world, which are two of the most important things to people in the world.
He said:
“People in the worlds are promiscuous with their beds and stingy with their money; Christians are stingy with their beds but promiscuous with their money.” Augustine
3. Flee Materialism (vs. 5-6)
3. Flee Materialism (vs. 5-6)
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.” 6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
“be content with what you have” makes the top 5!
The power behind this command comes from 2 things about Jesus …
(1) “I will never leave you nor forsake you”
The Greek literally says, “I will never ever leave you nor will I never, never, never forsake you.” In Greek there are 5 negatives!
“The one who has God and nothing else on earth doesn’t really have that much less than the one who has God and everything else.”
A lack of contentment shows that you don’t put proper weight on Jesus.
(2) “The Lord is my helper” (Psalm 118:6)
The God who loved you so he wouldn’t let death and hell or a cross keep him from rescuing you, that God promises to help you in all things.
“Listen to the voice of the Lord speak, I will help you. It is a small thing for me, your God, to help you. Consider what I have already done. What? Not help you! I bought you with my blood. What? Not help you! I died for you. Since I have done the greater, will I not do the lesser things for you.” Spurgeon
God has proven once for all his willingness to help us! Understanding those two things leads to “contentment” (vs. 5) and “confidence” (vs. 6).
4. Honor the Church (vs. 7-19)
4. Honor the Church (vs. 7-19)
7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.
(1) Observe the life of your leaders and imitate their faith.
This is why Pastors, Elders, and Deacons are called to be people of integrity and faith.
12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 9 Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them.
(2) Evaluate the Church’s message by the Gospel.
Notice what the author says: There has been one primary message for all of Christian history. Jesus! And Jesus doesn’t change.
“Methods change but the Message never changes!”
Fades and styles come and go but the message …
Then the author returns to one of his previous arguments comparing the Old Covenant and the Day of Atonement to the New Covenant and the “once for all” sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.
10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. 11 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.
12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. 13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.
The implication of Jesus going ‘outside the camp’ is that Jesus voluntarily left the places of power to seek and save the lost.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
(3) Is the Church going outside the camp to the lost?
Jesus had one mission, to seek and save the lost. I never want to be a part of the church where this not paramount.
“Some want to live in the sound of the chapel bells, I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.” C.T. Studd (Missionary to China, India and Africa in the late 1800’s)
14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.
This verse again reminds us of our eternal home and not to focus on our temporary one.
15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
Then he gives us the 1st of 2 sacrifices … “The fruit of lips”
Worship should be centered on the Gospel! I love powerful worship that speaks of the awesomeness of God and the Grace of Jesus Christ!
16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
The 2nd sacrifice … Generosity! This is why God cares so much about what we do with our money.
17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
The 4th directive in Honoring the Church …
(4) Obey your church leaders and submit to them.
God has ordained the church as His vehicle to deliver the message of mercy and grace through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He has commissioned church leaders to lead the way.
18 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things.
As a pastoral team, we know that we need God’s help to make this church successful!
Closing Blessing ...
20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.