The City of Brotherly Love (Pt. 1)

Big Idea

Tension: How can Christians seek “peace with everyone”?

Resolution: by letting brotherly love endure.

Exegetical Idea: Christians seek peace with everyone by letting brotherly love endure.

Theological Idea: Because Christians have been adopted into the family of God, they seek peace with all by enduring in brotherly love.

Homiletical Idea: As the family of God, we walk in peace by enduring in love.

Outline

Introduction:

Family of God

The Father and the Son - Hebrews is predicated on this fact, that God is fundamentally triune. That there is the Father and Son and Holy Spirit, the family of God. That the Father is constantly sending the Holy Spirit to the Son in an act of love. And that if the Father is going to truly tell us who he is, he is going to send his Son (Heb 1:1-5)

Jesus our brother has earned salvation for us (Hebrews 2:10-17)

Jesus brings many sons to glory through his death, resurrection, and ascension

Jesus became like his brothers in every respect in order to be our substitute and sacrifice

He became the son of man so we might become sons and daughters of God

He is over the house of God, that is the church as a son (3:6)

the Church our family

The Church is called a brotherhood (3:12) and without it, we will never last (10:24-25)

God our Father

12:3-11 - As Christians suffering is transformed into discipline from the Father

The Father uses suffering to help us share in his holiness

The Father uses suffering to give us the "peaceful fruit of righteousness” so that we might “strive for peace with everyone

Last week we talked about the great blessings of the new covenant and how persevering in the new covenant are so much greater than those of the old, to continue to share in the blessings of the new covenant.

So how do we “strive” for the peaceful fruit of righteousness? How do we maintain this? By letting brotherly love remain.

The church should be a city of brotherly love. It should be a place where brotherly love is here, where grace and charity and affection bubble forth.

4 Practices of Brotherly Love

Do not neglect to show hospitality

For thereby some have entertained angels

Abraham (Gen 18-19)

Here is the logic - if Abraham showed hospitality to angels, and Christ is better than angels, than won’t we when we show hospitality to other Christians be inviting Christ in?

When you take another Christian out for lunch, or have another Christian over for dinner, you are actually inviting Christ over.

And when you refuse to walk in community with other Christians, when you don’t welcome others in, you are refusing to walk with Christ himself.

Christians, do you want this to be a church community where people feel welcomed, where they feel loved, where they feel at home, where they meet Christ? It means that you need to take the initiative to have them over for lunch/dinner.

Remember those in prison

Remember those in prison/those mistreated - when someone is suffering, when they are afflicted, when they are persecuted don’t forget about them. (Romans 12:15)

If someone is having a hard time at work, come and pray wtih them at their workplace. If someone is having a difficult time with their children, pray over their children. If someone is going to chemotherapy, drive to the hospital and pray with them in chemotherapy. When there is a showing for someone’s family member, show up for them.

When Abraham’s nephew Lot was taken captive, he didn’t just let him be, he went and brought him home.

Why? Because you are being mistreated with them, you are “one body” with them. When someone is going through something, don’t forget about them.

I think the reason we often don’t do this kidn of thing is because of how taxing it is. But notice how Hebrews says, if they are mistreated, you are mistreated. If they suffer, you suffer. THeir problems are their problems.

Don’t you think if we did this kind of thing, brotherly love would continue? Don’t you think if we did this thing, the church would really be the “city of brotherly love”?

Let Marriage be held in honor

Let marriage be held in honor - Marriage should be something you celebrate. How many people complain about hte idea of marriage or their spouse in public? What kind of example do you think you are setting for the next generation by that? Do your eally think your kids or grandkids are going to want to get married when you don’t seem to have anything good to say about marriage?

Let the marriage bed be undefiled - Sex is God’s idea and it is good. THerefore, it needs to be protected. It should have a zero tolerance policy for pornography, for fornication, for cohabitation. Certainly, we want to show mercy and grace to those who have failed in this area and are open and repentant, but let us never mistake grace for condoning sin.

Among all - listen, this “among all” means among all. Which means, if there are other marriages struggling at church, you need to step in and help others. If you see a young couple dating, that menas you need ot encourage them, hold them accountable. If you see young men, you need to hold them accountable to purity.

Why? Because God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. Now, Hebrews used this word in chapter 12:16 to describe Esau. What sexual immorality did Esau do? Well, Esau married unbelievers. He did not set aside his marriage to God. He used marriage for his own ends, his own purposes. And God removed his blessing

In the book of Revelation, Jesus promises to judge those churches who do not heed his warnings. In one of the most chilling warnings in Scripture, Jesus warns the church in Ephesus, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.” (Rev 2:5)

Keep your life free from love of money

Keep your life free from the love of money

Be content with what you have

For he will never leave you or forsake you - This is pulled from Joshua

“The Lord is my helper // I will not fear” - Ps 118:6

How does this relate to Philadelphia? Because if we allow ourselves to become obsessed with numbers, we will easily begin to have expectations of others that are not fair, or we would be more willing to ignore people’s sins because they tithe a lot. The realithy is that only if we keep our eyes on teh Lord and we trust the Lord will we be able to keep our expectations of others fair. Only if we are trusting in the Lord and all that he has done for us, only if we lean on him, will we be able to stand up to sinners.

Abraham and the kings from Sodom and Gomorrah

Conclusion: “Heaven is a world of love”