Hebrews 13B (2014) We return to the final chapter of Hebrews 13. As you remember, the writer s final chapter consists of a list of exhortations

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1 Hebrews 13B (2014) We return t the final chapter f Hebrews 13 As yu remember, the writer s final chapter cnsists f a list f exhrtatins These are requests calling fr the church t live ut their faith bldly, bediently Each pint the writer makes in chapter 13 is rted in the writer s call t ffer Gd an acceptable sacrifice f service He s calling the church t live in gratitude fr what the Lrd accmplished n the crss And we shw Gd ur gratitude by living accrding t His cmmands Last week, we studied the first three exhrtatins, all dealing with the witness f the church First, the writer said remain pen t receiving strangers by shwing hspitality even thugh persecutin was a risk Secndly, hnr the marriage bed accrding t Gd s wrd, especially in a culture where sexual impurity was cmmn and accepted Finally, live free frm the lve f mney being cntent in a wrld that nly seeks fr mre and mre Imagine the pwer f a grup f believers where these things were rutinely practiced? Hw different wuld the church lk frm the wrld? Frm a selfish wrld lacking hspitality, marital faithfulness, and cntentment? Hw cmpelling might a lving, faithful, cntent grup f peple appear t such a wrld? Then yu can understand why the writer is emphasizing that believers make these behavirs a pririty 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

2 Hebrews 13B (2014) 2 f 13 And nw we mve frward in the chapter t cnsider an bligatin which lies at the heart f ur witness and message Heb. 13:7 Remember thse wh led yu, wh spke the wrd f Gd t yu; and cnsidering the result f their cnduct, imitate their faith. Heb. 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and tday and frever. Heb. 13:9 D nt be carried away by varied and strange teachings; fr it is gd fr the heart t be strengthened by grace, nt by fds, thrugh which thse wh were s ccupied were nt benefited. The writer asks the church t remember thse wh led yu The Greek wrd fr remember means literally bserve carefully The writer is asking us t lk at the examples set by certain men And then t imitate their faith, that is the way they lived ut their faith We can see that the writer is speaking abut a specific grup f leaders: apstles First, he says these led the church in the past In the very beginning, the church was led nly by the twelve apstles In time, thse men wuld lay hands n ther leaders, wh jined them in ruling ver the church But in the beginning, it was just the apstles Secndly, the writer says these men spke the wrd f Gd t the church Only apstles were gifted t bring frth the wrd f Gd As we ve discussed befre, the apstles were the prphets f the New Testament And they spke (and wrte) the wrd f Gd t the early church The writer desn t say these men wrte the wrd f Gd but rather they spke because many f the New Testament letters were yet t be written The truth was still circulated largely by wrd f muth 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

3 Hebrews 13B (2014) 3 f 13 Finally, the writer says cnsider the result f their cnduct The result f the apstles cnduct was the rapid and strng grwth f the church As the bk f Acts recrds, their faithful, sacrificial life f faith prduced much fruit in the early church The apstles ministry was respnsible fr a multitude f cnverts frm amng Jews, Samaritans and Gentiles thrughut the knwn wrld There can be n better pattern t fllw than the ne set fr us by these men Obviusly, we never saw the cnduct f the apstles nr did we hear them speak, but we d have the writings they left behind in the New Testament\ S fr the church tday, the cmmand becmes t bserve carefully the New Testament scriptures Cnsider hw the apstles lived and served the church in the bk f Acts Give careful cnsideratin t the teaching they left us in their letters And imitate their sacrifices In the centuries since these men lived and ruled the church, it s becme ppular t claim the apstles perated frm culturally-biased perspective Bible critics assert that these men were prducts f first century Palestine Patriarchal Misgynistic Overbearing And s as we cnsult their teaching in the New Testament, we must filter what we read, interpreting it in a culturally relevant way Critics will tell yu that Paul s instructins regarding the rles f men and wmen are culturally dependent and n lnger relevant 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

4 Hebrews 13B (2014) 4 f 13 The apstles instructins n sexuality r church leadership r family life r mney r even heaven and hell are antiquated Therefre, we are free t reinterpret these issues based n mdern values S thugh Hebrews says cnsider carefully the men wh led and taught the early church, the biblical re-cnstructinists say take their example with a grain f salt I believe the Lrd knew His wrd delivered thrugh the apstles wuld cme under assault in this way S He inspired the writer t testify that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, tday and frever in v.8 The wrd f Gd spken thrugh the apstles had it s rigins in Christ Jesus While the apstles were human beings with certain biases and a certain cultural perspective, when they spke the wrd f Gd, they weren t speaking accrding t their wn wisdm They were speaking under inspiratin f the Spirit, delivering a timeless message authred by Gd Himself Gd s wrd never changes because truth never needs t change Jesus is always culturally relevant And yet He s never subject t the whims f culture Gd delivered t the apstles a set f instructins that were prepared befre the fundatins f the earth And thse instructins will utlast heaven and earth Irnically, lng after all earthly culture is gne, these wrds will remain in effect Which is why the writer says in v.9 that we are nt t be carried away by ther teaching Varied and strange teaching refers t the assrtment f cnfusing and false teaching the enemy ffers t lead peple away frm the truth The enemy s prgram is nt t prmte a certain teaching but t ppse a certain teaching 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

5 Hebrews 13B (2014) 5 f 13 The enemy desn t care which false teaching a persn chases after Just s lng as they dn t fllw after the truth fund in Gd s wrd S Satan is always at wrk t create new, varied and strange teaching t draw peple s interest away frm the scriptures But we believers can t allw urselves t be caught up in these things Instead, we must be strengthened in ur heart by Gd s grace T be strengthened by grace means t be reinfrced in ur Christian liberty, resting in Christ s wrk Nt becming slaves t wrks f ne kind r anther As Paul says in Clssians Cl. 2:20 If yu have died with Christ t the elementary principles f the wrld, why, as if yu were living in the wrld, d yu submit yurself t decrees, such as, Cl. 2:21 D nt handle, d nt taste, d nt tuch! Cl. 2:22 (which all refer t things destined t perish with use) in accrdance with the cmmandments and teachings f men? Cl. 2:23 These are matters which have, t be sure, the appearance f wisdm in selfmade religin and self-abasement and severe treatment f the bdy, but are f n value against fleshly indulgence. Paul says by Christ s death, we have been set free frm the principles f the wrld, which refers t wrks f flesh that try t earn Gd s pleasure Having becme partakers f Gd s grace, we need nt cncern urselves with rules that demand we keep laws r rules intended t keep us clean Paul mentins examples f d nt handle, taste and tuch, which are references t the laws f Israel intended t keep a man ritually clean These things have the appearance f wisdm, but they merely deal with treatment f the bdy But nce yur sul has been made clean by the grace f Gd in Christ, these rules are withut purpse in ur lives 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

6 Hebrews 13B (2014) 6 f 13 Ntice at the end f v.9 the writer mentins fd als, adding that fds aren t the surce f a Christians strengthening spiritually The Jewish believers in the church f the writer s day were being tempted by false teachers t resubmit t the dietary restrictins f the Levitical system They were being tld t nly eat certain fds and t abstain frm nn-ksher fds These varied and strange teachings claimed that by abstaining frm certain fds, these believers were making themselves mre pleasing t Gd They were becming mre hly, mre spiritually clean But this writer says that these teachings were nt capable f prducing the spiritual benefit their prpnents claimed Only resting in Gd s grace hlds any ptential t grw us spiritually And since Jesus never changes, we need nt depart frm His wrd in seeking fr additinal advantages r secret slutins t gdliness Sme tday are making the same mistakes again, returning t practicing selective parts f the Levitical laws in the misguided expectatin that these behavirs please Gd r increase hliness Tday, sme believers have been cnvinced by varius Jewish r messianic mvements within the church t submit t the dietary restrictins f the Msaic Law Sme practice these things merely fr persnal health reasns r simply as a means f hnring Christ In these cases, the Christian has liberty t live this way Nevertheless, they must be careful t ensure their witness desn t cnfuse ther Christians abut why they d what they d On the ther hand, if they practice such things thinking they are bligated r believing they are making themselves mre hly r pleasing t the Lrd, then the practice is wrng It is a testimny t their spiritual immaturity and ignrance 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

7 Hebrews 13B (2014) 7 f 13 And this testimny is bth false and ptentially harmful within the church It has the ptential t lead thers t dubt in the sufficiency f Gd s grace Irnically, thse wh claim the dietary restrictins f the Law are apprpriate fr Christians ften cite Hebrews 13:8 in supprt They say that Jesus never changes His instructins t the believer S if fllwing the Law was necessarily fr Israel in the past, then it must still be apprpriate fr the believer tday Because, as they say, the Lrd never changes But thse wh say such things are misinterpreting Heb 13:8, misunderstanding the purpse f the Law and cnveniently ignring much f the New Testament Heb 13:8 isn t saying that Jesus instructins never change It says Jesus Himself never changes But we see Gd s prgram changing acrss the pages f the Bible Fr example, in the Garden Man ate nly plants Then after the fld, men were tld t eat anything Later Israel was tld t restrict it s diet in varius ways And nw the church is permitted t eat anything Each f these changes was part f Gd s eternal, unchanging purpses We nly cme t understand this truth by cnsulting the entire cunsel f Gd s wrd As a New Cvenant believer, we are under grace, free frm preccupatin with fds and such Dn t let physical, passing things becme substitutes fr resting in Gd s grace fund by giving careful attentin t His wrd Unfrtunately, the strange teachings f that day went well beynd merely enticing Christians t limit their diets 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

8 Hebrews 13B (2014) 8 f 13 Heb. 13:10 We have an altar frm which thse wh serve the tabernacle have n right t eat. Heb. 13:11 Fr the bdies f thse animals whse bld is brught int the hly place by the high priest as an ffering fr sin, are burned utside the camp. Heb. 13:12 Therefre Jesus als, that He might sanctify the peple thrugh His wn bld, suffered utside the gate. Heb. 13:13 S, let us g ut t Him utside the camp, bearing His reprach. Heb. 13:14 Fr here we d nt have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is t cme. Heb. 13:15 Thrugh Him then, let us cntinually ffer up a sacrifice f praise t Gd, that is, the fruit f lips that give thanks t His name. Heb. 13:16 And d nt neglect ding gd and sharing, fr with such sacrifices Gd is pleased. While the writer desn t cme ut and name the false teaching he is wrking against, we can tell what s bthering him In a wrd, it s abut sacrifice The essential act f service t Gd has always been sacrifice Sacrifice is the necessary payment fr sin Sacrifice appeases the wrath f Gd Sacrifice restre fellwship Frm Abel t Nah t Abraham t Mses and all Israel, sacrifice was the heart f wrship Under the New Cvenant, ur sacrifice is fund in the bdy and bld f Christ, sacrificed in ur place And then Paul teaches in Rmans 12 that we, in turn, shuld make ur lives a living sacrifice t Gd in thanks fr His mercy He died fr us, s we live ur life fr Him We sacrifice ur desires t suit His desires We sacrifice ur pririties t accmplish His pririties That s the prper New Cvenant sacrifice, upn which ur fellwship with Gd is made pssible 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

9 Hebrews 13B (2014) 9 f 13 But Judaizers in the church were teaching Jewish believers that there were still required t perfrm animal sacrifices n the altar at the Jewish temple Like the dietary laws, this was ne f thse strange teachings that draw believers away frm grace and back int bndage t law This teaching was even wrse, because it had the ptential t erde a believers cnfidence in the sufficiency f Christ s sacrifice Because if it were true that animal sacrifice were required t remain in Gd s favr, what wuld that say abut the meaning and pwer f Christ s death? The writer cunters that temple sacrifices are useless, and he prves his pint by highlighting the The rle f every priest, as we learned earlier in this letter, is t represent Gd befre men and men befre Gd But the writer pints ut that the priests fficiating in the temple sacrifices culdn t qualify t eat frm the Christian s altar Eating at the Christian s altar is a reference t participating in the Christian cmmunin meal, which pictures ur Lrd was crucified as ur sacrifice The Jewish priests in the temple were nt believers, since they had nt accepted Christ as Messiah S they were nt qualified t participate in the Christian cmmunin meal And yet Christians felt it necessary t turn t these men as ministers wh culd advance their relatinship with the Lrd? S hw sadly irnic that a Christian might seek the services f a priest wh himself did nt knw ur Lrd and Intercessr! Certainly, n Christian shuld seek the services f such a meaningless ritual In vs.11-12, the writer reminds his readers that the animals sacrificed in the Levitical system were never mre than pictures f the ne, true sacrifice Gd makes available in His Sn 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

10 Hebrews 13B (2014) 10 f 13 The bdies f the bldied animals were taken ut f the temple and burned utside the camp f Israel as required by the Law Even in this detail, the writer pints ut that the law pictured Christ Fr in the same way, ur Lrd s bdy was crucified utside the city walls, in fulfillment f this picture And that sacrifice resulted in the sanctificatin f Christ s peple, all thse wh trust in His sacrifice The writer is reminding his readers that the Lrd s sacrifice was entirely sufficient t atne fr sin and sanctify us Thse earlier animal sacrifices merely pinted t a future atnement with the pwer t address all sin fr all time Because this church was willing t succumb t strange and false teaching abut the law and sacrifices, they were in danger f undermining their witness Instead f remembering the teaching f the apstles and hlding t that teaching, they were drifting again And by their willingness t chase after such things, they set aside their sacrificial service t Gd They were living a lie instead f living in the truth This is an ever-present danger fr the church The specific kind f strange teaching may change Back then it was participatin under the Law Perhaps tday it will be sme strange teaching abut spiritual gifts, prsperity, healing r the like Whatever captivates the church and distracts us frm Christ leaves the same ptential fr danger and disruptin Instead f preaching Christ and Him crucified, we begin witnessing t smething false, temprary and meaningless Usually this transitin frm the true Gspel t smething less is a result f misplaced affectins r a desire t fit int the culture In the writer s day, the mtivatin was aviding persecutin 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

11 Hebrews 13B (2014) 11 f 13 Ntice in v.13 the writer calls upn his audience t be willing t suffer reprach with Christ That was the issue driving their willingness t return t the temple service If they returned, they wuld placate the Jewish cmmunity living arund them Frm the pint f view f the Jewish cmmunity, thugh these Christians persisted in fllwing their discredited rabbi, Jesus, at least they kept the required temple services But the writer calls the church nt t be afraid f suffering persecutin fr Christ Christ suffered fr us S we may be called upn t suffer fr His name sake And if we try t hard t avid persecutin, we may be tempted t engage in sme very unbiblical and unhealthy practices Just as these believers were tempted t return t the temple service Interesting, the writer says in v.14 that the Jewish believers did nt have a lasting city, referring t the city f Jerusalem f that day As I cvered in my first lessn, this letter was prbably written in the years right befre the temple and city were destryed by the Rmans The writer seems t have knwn that the destructin f the city was cming sn He says it s nt ging t last In ther wrds, it was futile fr believers t cntinue shwing an interest in things that were destined t pass away Things including the earthly temple and even the city f Jerusalem Symbls f unbelieving Israel Instead, the writer says the believer must maintain a fcus n the eternal city, the Heavenly Jerusalem, which is ur future hme 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

12 Hebrews 13B (2014) 12 f 13 As I like t say, living with eyes fr eternity, which means cnsidering all ur actins frm an eternal pint f view When yu live this way, yu will cme t different cnclusins abut s many things in life If yu re living with eyes fr eternity and are faced with a chice between suffering persecutin r frsaking ur witness, yu ll make the right chice With the right perspective, yu ll understand what kind f sacrifice Gd s desires, as the writer says in v.15 He says if yu desire t make sacrifice t Gd, then let s d it in the way Gd receives Cntinually we are t ffer up sacrifice f praise He explains that means the fruit f ur lips Testifying with ur muths t the truth f the Gspel Naming Christ as Lrd, in ther wrds Testifying publicly abut Gd s grace and giving thanks fr His mercy That s the acceptable frm f praise we are t ffer Gd Hw is this a sacrifice? Because smetimes that testimny will result in persecutin, hatred and rejectin That s the sacrifice Christ receives Mrever, the writer says dn t neglect t d gd and share with thers in what yu have, and these things are sufficient sacrifice We dn t need t return t ld means f sacrifice We dn need t return t the Law We dn t need ritual Nr d we need t invent ur wn rituals We dn t need new frms f legalism 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

13 Hebrews 13B (2014) 13 f 13 Let s set aside varies frms f strange and false teaching All we need is t living sacrificially fr the Christ Wh saves us Knw and fllwing His wrd Fllw the example f the apstles Make ur lives a living sacrifice Live with eyes fr eternity 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.