The City of Brotherly Love (Pt. 2)

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, especially through the relationship between pastors and people.

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

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

Outline

Background: The Family of God

Introduction: How can I get more of Jesus?

We are seeking the city that is to come. (vs. 14) We are seeking this city of love, a city where we will meet God face to face and know him even as we are known, where we will “share his holiness” and where we will have perfect peace with others. And that will never come on this earth perfectly.

It is to come, so it is not yet, but we seek it, so it is now.

We seek the city by seeking Jesus.

How?

Animals who were sacrificed in the OT would have their bodies burned outside the camp or the city. (vs. 11)

In the same way, Jesus suffered outside the camp (vs. 12) in order to sanctify, purify, by his blood.

You can only be saved if you are purified by his blood. He was our “altar”, our sacrifice. Jesus suffered shame so you and I could be saved.

If we would seek Jesus & the city that is to come, then we must “go to him outside the city.” (vs. 13) In other words, if you would have Jesus, you must take all of him, his glroy and his honor, but also his sham.e

Jesus did not die to make you wealthy. Jesus died so you might die. Jesus did not rise to make you healthy. Jesus rose so you might rise. Jesus went to the Fahter so you and I might go to the Father. If you and I want Jesus we ned to take all of him. If we want redemption, we must bear reproach. If we want salvation, we must bear his shame. If we want God’s love, we must also purify ourselves.

If you have never done that, never put your faith in Jesus, then I want to invite you to do that even right now. To reach out and grab hold of him by faith. To have him and to take him. To take all that he is.

In the Old Testament, the priests and sinners would eat together the rest of the sacrifice (vs. 10). Well, in a similar way, God gives us a meal where we can eat with him. It is the meal of the Lord’s table. Where we are nourished by Christ. Not that we eat him as we would eat bread, but rather, when we come to the table, we are being fed by the body and blood of Christ by faith. It’s mysterious and it happens through the Holy Spirit. He is the “bread that comes down from ehaven.” He is our sustenance.

And you and I can experience this Christ more and more through through the table (vs. 10). Every time we come to the Lord’s table, God is giving us a chance to come to Christ outside the camp, to get a foretaste of the city that is to come. Listen, the closest we come to heaven this side of earth is at the table of Christ.

Objection: Well, it feels pretty normal. It doesn’t feel radical when I come to teh table. And granted, there’s something important about the normalness of hte Lord’s table. But the fact of the matter is that you get out of the table what you put into it. If you are not prepared to receive the table, then you will not receive all that God has for you in Christ.

So how do I prepare?

Imitate your leaders

Look in vs. 7, he says, “remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” God is seeking to prepare you for the Lord’s table by giving you a chance to imitate-me. That by my teaching and my life, I am trying to set an example for you so that you can be ready to receive all that Christ has for you.

Objection, well, isn’t that just arrogant? Well, it can be. But again and again and again God tells you to imitate your pastors.

1 Corinthians 11:1 ESV

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

1 Timothy 4:12–16 ESV

Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever (vs. 8). Reference to the ascension? (4:14-16)

As opposed to vs. 9. which tells you to not let yourself be deceived by strange and diverse teaching.

How do you do that, how do you commune with Christ in his ascension rather than being taken astray? By imitating the pastor and elders, that’s how.

Clarification, I am not perfect...

But this is why imitating pastors is so important. God has seen fit that you and I should experience Christ more and more at the Lord’s table. ANd he wants you to get the most out that experience. Which is why he has given you pastors to imitate. Listen, I wouldn’t be a pastor if I couldn’t say this with confidence, if you live like me, you will experience more of Jesus, through my teaching and through my lifestyle.

Now I say this to say, the only hope I can give you is to giv eyou a picture of Christ. Imitate me insofar as I imitate Jesus. You should be able to say, “Matt is really good at this particular thing, and I want to be like that.” But you should also examine my life and see where I fall short.

God has seen fit to give you pastors and elders to imitate in order to see and taste and experience and feel more of Jesus always, but in particular at the Lord’s table. To give you a foretaste of heaven. If you do not imitate your pastors, your spiritual life will lack the taste of Christ that only that imitation can give.

Now, if God has given you pastors and elders so that you can commune with Christ more, what can you do get the most out of this gift? In other words, what will give me the most in my imitation of Christ through Matt?

Share what you have - this is a pleasing sacrifice to God (vs. 15-16)

Trust what they say and obey, so that they will do this with joy. Why? Why should you make it a joyful task for them? Because it is beneficial to you (vs. 17). And you can do this with confidence knowing that if they misl3ead you, they will pay for it before God.

Pray for them. V. 18-19). especially in affliction because you will receive them back sooner and more surely.

By doing these three things, you will get the most out of your pastor’s example.

Conclusion: God has seen fit to make it to make it that Christians experience more of Christ through the teaching and conduct of pastors. Don’t neglect that. You cannot taste Jesus without it. Because this relationship is so pivotal for your spiritual walk, God has given us ways to get the most out of it, by sharing, trusting, and praying for the leaders of your church. As my time comes to an end, I want to thank you for doing that so well for me. And my earnest hope an prayer is that you will do that even better for the next man the Lord brings along. That he will be worthy of your imitation, and you will be worthy of his example. Let’s pray.