Hebrews 13,  May 4, 2008

 

New Heights Christian Fellowship – Mike Barnett

 

Hebrews 13:1-25 says:

 

1Keep on loving each other as brothers. 2Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. 3Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

 4Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. 5Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
   "Never will I leave you;
      never will I forsake you."[a] 6So we say with confidence,
   "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
      What can man do to me?"[b]

 7Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

 9Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them. 10We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat.

 11The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. 12And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. 13Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. 14For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.

 15Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. 17Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.

 18Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way. 19I particularly urge you to pray so that I may be restored to you soon.

 20May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

 22Brothers, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written you only a short letter.

 23I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you.

 24Greet all your leaders and all God's people. Those from Italy send you their greetings.

 25Grace be with you all.

1)  A CHRISTIAN HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY TO LOVE THOSE CHRISTIANS INSIDE THEIR CHURCH FAMILY AS BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST. V. 1

 

·        Philadelphia is the Greek word that is translated, “brotherly love”.

 

·        Outside of Christian literature, “Philadelphia” or “brotherly love” is used almost exclusively for the mutual affection among actual blood brothers and sisters.

 

·        They have been certainly practicing the “brotherly love”, but the preacher urges them to continue.

 

·        The Greek word for “hospitality love” or “stranger love “ is Philozenia.

 

·        The preacher did not want them to forget to express love to those people who were outside their immediate circle.

 

·        These traveling Christians were also brothers.

 

2) A CHRISTIAN HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR LOVING OTHER BELIEVERS AND SINNERS ALIKE THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF THEIR IMMEDIATE CIRCLE OF FRIENDS AND FAMILY. V. 2

 

3) SOMETIMES ANGELS ARE AMONG US WITHOUT OUR REALIZING IT – PERHAPS YOU HAVE MINISTERED TO ONE AND THEREBY PASSED A TEST THE LORD HAS GIVEN YOU. V. 2b

 

4) WHAT YOU DO FOR OTHERS YOU ULTIMATELY DO FOR JESUS. Vs. 2-3

 

5) THE CHRISTIAN IS CALLED TO FEEL THE PAIN OF OTHERS AND TO SHARE THE BURDEN. V. 3

 

·        When one part of the body suffers, the whole body of Christ suffers – when one part of the body rejoices the entire church body rejoices.

 

Jesus said: “Mourn with those who mourn, rejoice with those who rejoice”.

 

6) THE CHRISTIAN SHOULD GUARD THEIR MARRIAGE AGAINST DISTRACTING COMPETITION AND KEEP THE VOWS SACRED. V. 5b

 

  1. For better or for worse.
  2. For richer or poorer.
  3. In sickness and in health.

 

·        The failure to practice hospitality or to minister to one in prison is a sin of omission and may easily arise from neglect. Vs. 1-3

 

·        Sexual immorality is a sin of commission with the full consent of the will. Vs. 4

 

7) CHRISTIANS ARE TO BE CONTENT TODAY IN THE PRESENT MOMENT BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE LORD AT THE CENTER OF THEIR LIFE. V.5b

 

·        Unless you keep your lives free from the love of money you cannot be content with what you have.

 

·        It is possible to have goals for the future and still be content with where you are and what you have today!

 

·        The love of money destroys contentment.

 

·        To be greedy is to distrust God and His promises to you under the New Covenant.

 

·        Greed is not necessary, because God takes care of His own.

 

TRUTH: Having money and resources is not a sin, but loving money instead of loving God is to commit the sin of idolatry.

 

·        God wants to bless His children with resources so they can be a blessing to others – only hoarding those resources is sin.

 

·        We are to be “rivers” in that we send the resources God gives us down stream to bless others and advance the Kingdom.

 

·        We are not to be “reservoirs” that hoard God’s blessings for ourselves.

 

TRUTH: When we give what we have away to God we will receive more, but when we hoard what we have for ourselves, the little we possess will be lost and taken away.

 

Matthew 6:19-21 says:

 

19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 

NOTE: Greed is a denial of faith because the greedy person acts as if God will not take care of His children.

 

·        Trust in the living God frees us from self-centeredness, greed and fear of unbelievers, all which inhibit love.

 

·        When we trust God to care for us, we can freely share and do good to others because we don’t have to worry about ourselves.

 

8) THE CHRISTIAN WHO SURRENDERS THEIR LIFE AND CARES TO GOD IS PROTECTED FROM FEAR, ANXIETY AND WORRY- THEY ARE ABLE TO LIVE A STRESS FREE LIFE. V. 6

 

Matthew 6:25-33 says:

 

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[a]?

 28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

9) GOD HAS PLACED LEADERS AND ROLE MODELS IN OUR LIFE SO WE CAN IMITATE THEIR FAITH BECAUSE GODLINESS IS MORE CAUGHT THAN TAUGHT. V.7

 

·        To continue in the old religious rituals would be a denial of Christ’s sufficiency – but they can continue in their break from old ways if they follow the example of and are obedient to their Godly leaders.

 

10) JESUS IS THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY AND FOREVER – HE CHANGES NOT AND TO FOLLOW HIM IS TO BE STABLE AND GROUNDED IN OUR FAITH. V8

 

Matthew 7:24-27 says:

 

 24"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

 

·        There is no reason for them to allow themselves to be carried away with all kinds of teachings which are strange to what they heard from their former leaders.

 

·        These various inferior and strange teachings probably involved various ceremonial foods.

 

·        By demonstrating the sufficiency of Christ, the preacher has shown clearly that ceremonies associated with any other sacrifice are of no value to those who eat them.

 

·        When the preacher mentions the Christian altar, he does not refer to a new Christian ceremony which replaces the Old Covenant ways.

 

·        This altar represents the reality of participating in the heart – changing grace available through Christ.

 

·        The high priest carried the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies of those very same animals were burned outside the camp.

 

·        The place outside the camp was a ceremonial unclean place of exclusion from the Most Holy Place where God dwelt.

 

·        However it was the very place where Jesus also suffered.

 

·        Outside the city gate was the equivalent in Jesus’ day of outside the camp in the Old Testament.

 

·        And it was there that he offered His sacrifice to make the people holy through His own blood.

 

·        The place that those who practiced the old sacrifices considered unclean was the very place where Christ’s sacrifice, which makes people holy, was offered.

 

·        Those who participated in the Old Covenant sacrifice would have nothing to do with people who were unclean outside the camp.

 

·        How, then can one participate in both the Old Covenant rituals and in the benefits of Christ’s sacrifice.

 

·        The place that Old Covenant people despise as unclean is the very place where New Covenant people are made holy and find God.

 

·        Only by separating from false teaching that requires participation in Old Covenant ceremonial meals, only by bearing the shame of identification with Christ, could the hearers truly be made holy and attain that eternal enduring city.

 

·        The preacher has given his readers true teaching in place of the false teaching to which they were attracted.

 

·        He has taught them about the fully sufficient sacrifice of Christ.

 

11) THE TEACHINGS AND SACRIFICE OF CHRIST IS ENOUGH, NOTHING MORE IS NEEDED TO PLEASE AND APPEASE GOD. Vs. 9-15

 

·        God accepts our sacrifices because we have already been cleansed from sin through Jesus’ sacrifice.

 

12) THE SACRIFICE THAT GOD REQUIRES FROM HIS WORSHIPPERS TODAY IS THE SACRIFICE OF PRAISE AND GOOD DEEDS TO OTHERS FROM OUR HEARTS. V. 15-16

 

·        Believers today do not offer animal sacrifices – they offer praise which is the fruit of lips that confess His name by declaring the greatness of what He has done.

 

NOTE: OUR PRAISE TO GOD AND CARE FOR OTHERS IS PART OF OUR GRATEFUL SACRIFICE TO GOD AND IN RESPONSE TO HIS GOODNESS TOWARD US.

 

·        The ultimate reason for giving these sacrifices is that God is pleased with them.

 

13) CHRISTIANS SUBMIT TO GOD THROUGH OBEYING THEIR LEADERS – THE CHRISTIAN CANNOT GROW SPIRITUALLY WITHOUT SURRENDERING TO AUTHORITY. Vs. 17a

 

14) WHEN CHRISTIANS OBEY AND SUBMIT TO THEIR LEADER’S AUTHORITY, THE LEADER’S MINISTRY WILL BE JOYFUL, BUT WHEN THERE IS NO SUBMISSION, THEIR MINISTRY WILL BE A BURDEN WHICH DOES NOT BLESS ANYONE IN THE CHURCH BODY. Vs. 17b

 

·        If the hearers obey their leaders, their work will be a joy to them.

 

·        If the followers do not obey, the leader’s work will be a burden.

 

15) GOD WHO STARTED THE GOOD WORK IN YOU IS FAITHFUL TO COMPLETE IT FOR HIS GLORY – YOU LACK NOTHING IN CHRIST AND CAN DO EVERYTHING HE EQUIPS YOU FOR IN ADVANCEMENT OF THE KINGDOM FOR THE GLORY OF GOD! Vs. 20-21

 

·        The preacher’s benediction joins God and Christ together in this saving work. In v. 21 the preacher says God will apply these benefits to his hearers. He wants God to equip, to completely furnish, his hearers.

 

·        The phrase “everything good” includes the full benefits of Christ’s High Priesthood, cleansing from sin, joyful access to God and fellowship with God’s people, grace to overcome temptation, and assurance of the Heavenly city. Only possession of these gifts allows God’s people to do His will. The preacher wants God to do in them what is pleasing to Him and nothing else. God Himself is the rue standard and judge.

 

·        “Grace be with you” is brief and traditional, but full of meaning.  This is the grace of God available in the New Covenant for cleansing from sin through the High Priesthood and sacrifice of Christ.

 

·        The preacher has been urging his hearers to receive this grace. Now he wishes it for them in the form of a blessing, a final prayer. May God grant that his prayer be answered in the life of everyone who listens to this “word of exhortation”.

 

SUMMARY: THE BOOK OF HEBREWS IS SAYING OVER AND OVER AGAIN THAT THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS CHRIST IS SUFFICIENT TO ATONE FOR OUR SINS AND GIVE US ACCESS TO GOD TO LIVE IN THE KINGDOM WITH HIM FOREVER – IT IS FINISHED!