Hebrews 13A (2014) We re approaching the end of this important letter

Transcription

1 Hebrews 13A (2014) We re appraching the end f this imprtant letter The final chapter is befre us, where the writer issues a series f exhrtatins These exhrtatins are examples f hw the church is t fulfill the writer s instructins frm chapter 12:28-29 Heb. 12:28 Therefre, since we receive a kingdm which cannt be shaken, let us shw gratitude, by which we may ffer t Gd an acceptable service with reverence and awe; Heb. 12:29 fr ur Gd is a cnsuming fire. As we saw in chapter 10, the writer adds anther let us cmmand He asks that we render a life f service t Gd as a shw f gratitude fr His lve shwn t us This exhrtatin sunds very similar t Paul s instructins in Rmans 12 Rm. 12:1 Therefre I urge yu, brethren, by the mercies f Gd, t present yur bdies a living and hly sacrifice, acceptable t Gd, which is yur spiritual service f wrship. Thrughut scripture Christians are cmmanded t establish ur life s pririties based upn a recgnitin that we we Gd everything That s why the New Testament authrs favrite Greek wrd t describe a Christian s relatinship t the Lrd is duls (slave) Christ is ur Master, and He cmmands ur lives And if we chse t live in bedience t Him, we will sn discver that His burden is light and ur service t Him will be ne f jy But there s n dubt that ur relatinship with Christ in faith brings certain bligatins and expectatins These expectatins set the standard by which the Lrd will judge His peple 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 13A (2014) 2 f 12 Naturally, as thse t be judged, we want t understand what thse expectatins are Which is ne f the reasns we have the wrd f Gd, and in particular the New Testament letters Chapters like Heb 13 are imprtant places t spend ur time Passages we must pnder and prayerfully reflect upn s we will have incentive t live in a way that is pleasing t the Lrd S let s first ur full attentin n the writer s exhrtatins, beginning in v.1 Heb. 13:1 Let lve f the brethren cntinue. Heb. 13:2 D nt neglect t shw hspitality t strangers, fr by this sme have entertained angels withut knwing it. As my intrductin suggested, this chapter reads as a list f instructins They are lsely related t ne anther in the sense that they are all selfsacrificial acts f Christian lve intended t shw Gd gratitude fr His sacrifice And v.1 serves as the tpical sentence fr the entire chapter The lve f the brethren is the verriding theme and gal f the writer s instructins We are called as a bdy t lve ne anther The Greek wrd used is philadelphia, which means brtherly lve And nt merely in the sense f shwing affectin r friendship t ne anther But in the full sense f agape lve: making sacrifices fr ne anther as a means f serving Christ When we serve a brther r sister in the church bdy, frm Gd s pint f view, we are serving Him S we must make ur mtive in all we d t lve anther believer Let that lve cntinue, the writer says 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 13A (2014) 3 f 12 He uses the wrd cntinue because this was the way f the church in its beginning, and s it shuld always be Our church bdy may nt accmplish all the prgrams we desire Nt everything we attempt will be successful, at least nt frm ur perspective We may nt grw as much as we like r extend ur influence as far as we hpe But thse things are nt the primary gal f ur church Our primary gal is t shw the lve f Christ, first t ne anther and secndly t the wrld By this standard we will be measured S what des shwing lve lk like? The writer ffers examples First, the writer says dn t neglect t shw hspitality t strangers In Greek, the writer s instructins are even mre specific He uses the Greek wrd philxenia, which literally means shwing lve t a stranger S in v.1 the writer emphasized lve fr brthers, while in v.2 he emphasizes lve fr strangers In that day and culture, shwing lve t a stranger was synnymus with ffering a traveling stranger shelter in yur hme That was a cultural expectatin It was cnsidered an hnr t hst smene in yur hme But as we learned earlier in this letter, persecutin was increasingly cmmn in the church, especially amng the Jewish believers S as enemies increased, the church began t withdraw frm the culture Where befre they church wuld shw lve t strangers, pening their hmes t anyne, nw they were suspicius f strangers 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 13A (2014) 4 f 12 They wrried that strangers might be Jewish spies, wh wuld reprt Christians t the authrities Their fear f persecutin led them t withhld their witness t strangers The writer s cncerns here are nt merely a matter f hspitality r kindness The very missin f the church lies in the balance If we are s fearful r mistrusting f unbelievers that we withdraw frm them, then we have abdicated ur respnsibilities as witnesses Nw we better understand why the writer emphasized the need t fear Gd mre than men Persecutin is a reality and it always will be in varius frms S we accept it as part f the deal we received with ur salvatin We dn t invite it, but neither d we run frm it, at least nt when it requires we cmprmise ur witness and service t Gd Fr these believers, this meant pening their drs in lve fr strangers and taking the risk that this act f lve culd lead t persecutin If that happens, s be it, fr it can nly happen if the Lrd permits it anyway Tday, ur culture is grwing increasingly hstile t Christian teaching and Christian values S as we pen urselves up t the unbelieving wrld, t strangers, we have a grwing sense that their respnse will nt be psitive Increasingly, we will be rejected and slandered We will be misjudged (even as they accuse us f intlerance) We will be persecuted But we can t let that lead us t withdraw frm these strangers We can t let that becme an excuse t hide away in cmpunds, huddled tgether and away frm scrutiny 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 13A (2014) 5 f 12 We aren t suppsed t wall urselves ff frm the wrld, as Jesus said Jhn 17:14 I have given them Yur wrd; and the wrld has hated them, because they are nt f the wrld, even as I am nt f the wrld. Jhn 17:15 I d nt ask Yu t take them ut f the wrld, but t keep them frm the evil ne. By shwing lve fr strangers even in the face f persecutin, we fllw in Jesus ftsteps We place ur trust in Gd t accmplish great things thrugh ur sacrifice The writer cites the example f Abraham entertaining angels This is a reference t Genesis 18-19, when the Lrd and tw angels appeared as traveling strangers at Abraham s tent Abraham willing received the men, and as a result he experienced a special encunter with Gd The writer s isn t necessarily saying we shuld expect t entertain angels, as Abraham did, thugh this might be pssible His pint is that by shwing lve t strangers, we have pprtunity t see Gd wrking in miraculus ways We may influence a heart t change We may witness miracles f ne kind r anther Wh knws hw much might Gd be prepared t accmplish thrugh us...if nly we pen ur dr t strangers? Heb. 13:3 Remember the prisners, as thugh in prisn with them, and thse wh are illtreated, since yu yurselves als are in the bdy. Next, the writer asks the church t remember the prisners and thse wh are mistreated In bth cases, he s referring t believers wh are enduring trials as a cnsequence f their faith and witness When a member f the bdy f Christ is suffering fr their faith, the entire bdy is t see itself as caught up in that suffering 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 13A (2014) 6 f 12 As Paul said in 1Cr 1Cr. 12:26 And if ne member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if ne member is hnred, all the members rejice with it. We dn t sympathize frm a distance, saying t urselves hw unfrtunate it is that ur brther r sister is being persecuted See we say t urselves we are being persecuted S therefre we minister t them We pray fr and with them We visit them in their distress and cmfrt them We assure them they are nt alne And when it s ur turn t endure, they will d the same fr us And in this way, we give them strength t persevere in the face f these trials, s that their witness is made sure and the reward is cmplete Next, the writer says ur prper service t Gd requires living in sexual purity Heb. 13:4 Marriage is t be held in hnr amng all, and the marriage bed is t be undefiled; fr frnicatrs and adulterers Gd will judge. The writer says Christians are t hld the institutin f marriage in high hnr The Greek wrd fr hnr is timis, which means precius r very cstly Imagine the mst valuable, mst precius thing yu pssess Hw wuld yu treat that thing? Yu wuld prtect it, cherish it, hnr it T Gd, the institutin f marriage is just such a thing, and therefre if yu want t serve yur Lrd well, yu must cherish what He cherishes And this requirement t cherish the institutin f marriage must be cherished by all, the writer says Nt merely by thse wh are already enjying the institutin as Gd created it 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 13A (2014) 7 f 12 But als by thse wh are nt yet married A married Christian cuple is under bligatin t Gd t hnr marriage until death d yu part An unmarried Christian is under bligatin t keep pure until the day he r she enters int a Christian marriage And all Christians are t respect and hnr the marriages f thers, nt vilating that marriage by defiling the marriage bed Ntice, the writer calls ut tw different types f sins at the end f v.4 First, he says frnicatrs will be judged Frnicatin is a cncept largely lst in ur sciety tday The Bible says any frm f sexual activity cnducted utside f marriage is a sin called frnicatin Of curse, ur culture has becme s accepting f sex apart frm marriage that it has becme nt nly acceptable but cmmnplace In fact, the idea that sexual activity is dependent upn marriage is an absurd idea t mst peple tday But the wrd f Gd has nt changed nr will it change t suit ur flesh s sinful desires S let s be clear what frnicatin means in the cntext f hnring the institutin f marriage It is never apprpriate fr a Christian t engage in sexual activity, which means any frm f sexual arusal, utside marriage Christians may nt live tgether prir t marriage Christians may nt view prngraphy, befre r even after marriage, fr this is defiling the marriage bed And f curse, this wuld cver any frm f sexual activity including hmsexual activity, which is always sinful in any case In a wrld that is increasingly hlding marriage in cntempt and wishes t repurpse the institutin t suit their sinful desires, it becmes all the mre imprtant fr the church t witness t the truth 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 13A (2014) 8 f 12 This des nt necessarily require that we becme plitically active n this issue But it des require that ur wn lives reflect the truth f marriage Hw hypcritical fr Christians t cry against hmsexual relatinships nly t return hme t have sex with their live-in byfriend r girlfriend? The writer says Gd will judge us fr these things Secndly, the writer says we must nt participate in adultery Adultery is the sin f vilating the sanctity f anther s marriage vws Of curse, the bvius example is when a persn engages in sexual activity with a married persn wh is nt their spuse This is always wrng, and it des grave damage t the witness f the church Hw many hearts have been brken in the church when a marriage is vilated in this way? It s even wrse when this situatin plays ut publicly, as when a church leader falls t this kind f sexual sin But dn t frget that marriage vws last until death, s this cmmand t respect the marriage bed cntinues even after a legal divrce As Paul teaches in 1Crinthians, we must respect anther s marriage, even t the pint f refusing t marry a divrced persn Once again, ur culture reacts very negatively t the idea that secnd chances aren t pssible when it cmes t marriage But the Bible s teaching is cnsistent and clear: nly upn the death f a spuse are we released t marry again Finally fr tday s final, the writer makes perhaps his mst challenging demand f the church 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 13A (2014) 9 f 12 Heb. 13:5 Make sure that yur character is free frm the lve f mney, being cntent with what yu have; fr He Himself has said, I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU, Heb. 13:6 s that we cnfidently say, THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME? In the Greek language, v.5 begins Withut cvetusness behavir... Christians are nt t tlerate much less indulge in cvetusness Cveting is nt merely jealusy ver smene else s pssessin The cncept is brader than that It means any sinful wanting We can sinfully want fr things just in the way ur desire fr the wrld s fferings cnsumes ur attentin and drives ur passins That s why the ppsite f cveting is cntentment Being cntent with what yu have already It s the difference between mre and enugh S ften we have enugh, yet we tell urselves we need mre And it s in the pursuit f mre when we have enugh that we run the risk f cmprmising ur character Ntice at the end f v.5 the writer qutes Deut 31:6, where the Lrd prmises t Israel that He will never desert nr frsake His peple The writer is alluding t the svereignty f Gd in assigning t each f us what we have Since we knw that the Lrd will nt frsake ur needs and will always care fr His peple, then we must think carefully abut ur statin in life Gd assigns t each f His children a prvisin adequate t ur needs That prvisin is a sign f His faithfulness t never frsake us And ur prper respnse t the Lrd is cntentment 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 13A (2014) 10 f 12 As Paul writes: 1Tim. 6:6 But gdliness actually is a means f great gain when accmpanied by cntentment. 1Tim. 6:7 Fr we have brught nthing int the wrld, s we cannt take anything ut f it either. 1Tim. 6:8 If we have fd and cvering, with these we shall be cntent. 1Tim. 6:9 But thse wh want t get rich fall int temptatin and a snare and many flish and harmful desires which plunge men int ruin and destructin. 1Tim. 6:10 Fr the lve f mney is a rt f all srts f evil, and sme by lnging fr it have wandered away frm the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 1Tim. 6:11 But flee frm these things, yu man f Gd, and pursue righteusness, gdliness, faith, lve, perseverance and gentleness. Gd Christian character recgnizes that Gd s prvisin is enugh, s we shuld nt devte inrdinate time and effrt imprving ur financial r material status Fr in ding s, we are ptentially redirecting ur energies away frm mre imprtant and lasting pursuits Like pursuing righteusness, gdliness, faith, lve and s n It s nt that having wealth excludes such things It s abut the pprtunity cst Fr example, a man lking at his week ahead culd elect t spend mre time at the jb t earn mre incme r mre time in Bible study t deepen his relatinship Christ There is nly s much time in a day, s he can t d mre f bth One pursuit is based in a lve f mney The ther pursuit is based in a lve fr the Lrd One is driven by desires fr mre One is reflective f cntentment One chice ptentially leads t cvetusness The ther leads t gdliness 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 13A (2014) 11 f 12 These same chices exists fr mthers, children, students, single peple, etc. Obviusly, the writer isn t asking fr Christians t frg earning a living r supprting their families He s simply asks that we nt strive t gain mre than is essential, fr in mving beynd the necessary we distract urselves frm the true missin f the church And in the wrst cases, ur desire fr mre will lead us t cmprmising ur character Perhaps ur lve fr mney r the cmfrts its brings leads us t neglect ur respnsibilities t family r church Perhaps we assume debts we can t repay Perhaps we break laws, cheat clients, betray the trust f thse we lve We may be prne t ding these things because we aren t cntent t rely upn the Lrd s judgment fr hw much is best fr us And because we aren t willing t patiently wait t receive ur wealth in eternity In v.6 the writer reminds us frm the psalms that the Lrd is my helper, s we having nthing t fear frm the wrld If yu feel insecure and that insecurity drives yu t hld ff retirement ne mre year r t put in just a few mre hurs at the jb, ask yurself why d yu hld such cncern? Will the Lrd neglect yur needs? Will He frget yu? Hasn t He prmised yu that He will meet thse needs? Matt. 6:31 D nt wrry then, saying, What will we eat? r What will we drink? r What will we wear fr clthing? Matt. 6:32 Fr the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; fr yur heavenly Father knws that yu need all these things. Matt. 6:33 But seek first His kingdm and His righteusness, and all these things will be added t yu 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 13A (2014) 12 f 12 I wnder hw ften Christians miss the blessing f seeing the Lrd shw up in the way He prmised because we ve rbbed Him f that pprtunity? I ve knw men and wmen living n the missin field wh have learned t live in this prmise n a daily basis It s amazing t hear their stries f hw they encunter a need they culdn t meet, but then Gd shwed up in an unexpected way Our service f gratitude t the Lrd brings with it an expectatin that we set aside ur desire t pursue earthly wealth and the status and cmfrt it brings We still wrk hard and prvide fr ur needs, s that we will nt be a burden n thers But we make ur gal pursuing righteusness Trust the Lrd t determine ur cmpensatin, s t speak And remain cntent in His prvisin Test yur heart...are yu cntent? Or have yu made the pursuit f the wrld t great a gal? Is yur character at risk? Is the pprtunity cst fr yur way f life s great that yu are sacrificing eternal gain fr earthly gain? Let s all cnsider these things carefully in the days t cme 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.