Hebrews 13C (2014) And naturally, the main points center around the five, distinction warnings the writer issued along the way

Transcription

1 Hebrews 13C (2014) Our study f Hebrews is at the end We reach the end f the letter with still a few exhrtatins remaining t cnsider But as we cme t this pint, it s apprpriate we take a few mments t review the main pints this writer has made in his sermn And naturally, the main pints center arund the five, distinctin warnings the writer issued alng the way The letter began in chapters 1 & 2 with prfs frm the Old Testament n the pre-eminence f the Sn f Gd He was the fulfillment f all OT prphecy All OT prphecy spke f a Messiah Wh was mre than merely prphet r king The Messiah has always been described in scripture as Gd Himself Gd taking the frm f man t live and die in ur place because we culdn t save urselves Frm there, the writer launched int his first warning, which is the danger f drifting by this truth Like a persn flating by a dck withut lashing n t it, there were sme wh had an utsider s curisity f the faith They saw Christ was a distance, but never seriusly cnsidered Him t be Gd much less did they wrship Him Next, the writer mves clser int the gathering, fcusing n thse wh have assciated themselves with the gathering yet withut belief The writer used the example f the generatin f Israel in the desert wh saw the wnders f Gd yet never experienced faith in the heart They were an unbelieving generatin And frm their experience, the writer issued the secnd warning 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 13C (2014) 2 f 13 Fr thse wh fail t believe will be barred frm entering int Gd s rest We must accept the truth f the Gspel in its full frm if we are t be saved We are sinners, and if we die in ur sin, we will live eternity in trment as exile frm Gd But this des nt need t be ur future, nt if we accept Jesus death n the crss in ur place The Father has pured ut the wrath we deserve upn His Sn n the crss instead If we believe that Jesus is Gd dying in ur place and that the Father resurrected Him frm the grave, we will be saved And we enter int His rest The three remaining warnings mved clser and clser t the heart f the Gd s peple, t the issues facing believers In chapter 6 the writer warned the church f the dangers f nt pressing n t maturity thrugh study f Gd s wrd Withut maturity, we will nt have the capacity t please the Lrd And if we dn t please Him, than we will nt see ur full reward In chapter 10, the writer turned t warning the church ver willful sinning When we knwing and repeatedly chse sin ver bedience, we risk a hardened heart We als risk bringing the judgment f Gd upn urselves Fr the Lrd has said He will judge His peple Even thugh we are saved frm the penalty f ur sin, we remain accuntable t the Lrd fr ur actins Then in chapter 11 we studying the incmparable chapter knwn as the Hall f Faith, where the writer used example after example f OT saints t illustrate faith 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 13C (2014) 3 f 13 The cmmn feature fr every example was living with an expectatin that the rewards f faith await the Kingdm We can t rush the plan f Gd We can take ur rewards early We must be prepared t suffer at times while we await the glry that we have been prmised This led t the final final warning in chapter 12, that we nt shrink back frm ur walk f faith even in the face f trials We must anticipate and accept the discipline f the Lrd And as we encunter His discipline, we must endure in ur faith We can t allw anyne f us t fall, t grw bitter and weak T retreat frm their walk f faith Fr in the end, if we pass up the pprtunity t serve Gd in the midst f trials, then we als pass up n the ptential t receive a full inheritance Like the prverbial Esau wh cmplained bitterly when he realized what he had lst But by then it was t late t change the past Let s nt allw any ne f us t reach that same pint And then we came t chapter 13, t the exhrtatins fr hw t live ut ur witness successfully We ve studied hw t lve the brethren and strangers Hw t identify with thse wh are persecuted and ill-treated Nt t let the fear f persecutin silence the witness f Christ s lve T live free f lve f mney and with respect fr the sanctity f marriage T respect the teaching f the apstles and the authrity f scripture 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 13C (2014) 4 f 13 T rest in the nce and frever sacrifice f Christ, nt returning t a life f dead wrks As we prepare t finish the letter, cnsider nce mre the pwer f a Christian life lived accrding t these principles Ask yurself hw brightly will my light shine in this dark wrld if I lived this way? If I was knwn as smene wh held scripture as the authrity in my life If I lved bth thse inside and utside the bdy f Christ with equal sacrifice and devtin If I was faithful bth befre and after marriage If I lived in cntentment with all I have been given by Gd If I rested in the grace f Gd Wh culd ignre a witness like that? And hw greatly might the Lrd reward a saint wh lived in thse ways, bedient t His cmmands? That s what s at stake in this letter Gdliness in serving Gd and pleasing Him A witness He can use t great purpses S with that review, we cme t the final exhrtatins fr the church Heb. 13:17 Obey yur leaders and submit t them, fr they keep watch ver yur suls as thse wh will give an accunt. Let them d this with jy and nt with grief, fr this wuld be unprfitable fr yu. I ve been lking frward t this verse fr the entire bk (jke) The writer says the bdy f believer must bey and submit t their leaders Let s begin by acknwledging an bvius but imprtant truth The Lrd did nt rganize His church as a cmmune r demcracy Christ rules His 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.

5 Hebrews 13C (2014) 5 f 13 And He has appinted human leaders t administer ver the affairs f the bdy Accrding t scripture, church leaders cme in tw frms First, we have men called elders r verseers These tw titles are used interchangeably in the New Testament In Titus 1 Paul uses these tw terms interchangeably t describe thse wh rule ver the church Elders rule ver all matters in the church The secnd frm f leader is called deacn Deacns are men r wmen wh cme under the authrity f elder r verseers They lead thrugh service t the bdy, assuming respnsibility fr rganizing and executing the wrk with the bdy Interestingly, the New Testament never names a pastr as leader f the church Paul nly uses the term pastr nce in all his letters And that mentin in Ephesians ccurs in the cntext f a list f service gifts t the bdy S pastring is a gift f service t the bdy, accrding t Paul, nt a psitin f leadership They serve thrugh shepherding the flck, by feeding them the wrd f Gd, cunseling, encuraging, exhrting Obviusly, a pastr can als be an elder r even a deacn But they dn t necessarily have t hld a psitin f authrity If a pastr is nt an elder, then they submit t the authrity f the elders like the rest f the cngregatin Therefre, a church shuld be led by elders and served by deacns, and these psitins are filled by thse wh can meet the qualificatins given in scripture We can find thse qualificatins in 1Tim 3 and Titus 1, and I invite yu t lk ver them n yur wn later We can summarize them in tw statements 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 13C (2014) 6 f 13 Elders must be men wh knw the wrd f Gd well enugh t teach it t thers And bth elders and deacns must pssess persnal testimnies that reflect the wrd f Gd lived ut We are tld t seek leaders with these qualificatins because we want thse wh leads us t mdel what fllwing Christ lks like - T inspire us t d the same And a healthy church shuld have bth elders and deacns wrking tgether t serve and lead the bdy As we see in the first church in Acts 6 Acts 6:1 Nw at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a cmplaint arse n the part f the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widws were being verlked in the daily serving f fd. Acts 6:2 S the twelve summned the cngregatin f the disciples and said, It is nt desirable fr us t neglect the wrd f Gd in rder t serve tables. Acts 6:3 Therefre, brethren, select frm amng yu seven men f gd reputatin, full f the Spirit and f wisdm, whm we may put in charge f this task. Acts 6:4 But we will devte urselves t prayer and t the ministry f the wrd. Acts 6:5 The statement fund apprval with the whle cngregatin; and they chse Stephen, a man full f faith and f the Hly Spirit, and Philip, Prchrus, Nicanr, Timn, Parmenas and Niclas, a prselyte frm Antich. Acts 6:6 And these they brught befre the apstles; and after praying, they laid their hands n them. The twelve apstles were effectively the first elders f the church They served the church primarily thrugh the teaching f Gd s wrd and praying fr the needs f the bdy Their teaching was essential t the develpment f the church They were building up the bdy in the cmmandments f Christ, accrding t the great cmmissin Remember, Christ said these men were t teach the church t bey all that Christ cmmanded 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 13C (2014) 7 f 13 And they prayed fr the church, which refers t mre than simply persn prayer These men prayed ver thers Praying fr healing, praying fr guidance and equipping In certain cases, their prayers were essential t the wrk f the Spirit in cming upn new believers S by teaching and prayer, these men ministered t the mst essential and imprtant needs f the Christ s bdy But there were ther needs, and when it came time t meet thse ther needs, the leaders didn t substitute ther duties fr their primary respnsibilities They culdn t neglect the duties f elders, because it they neglected thse duties, wh wuld fulfill them? S they turned t ther men f gd character and appinted them t serve the needs f the bdy These men were the first deacns f the church This shuld be ur pattern as well We have leaders, called elders, wh versee the church These men alng with pastrs and teachers build up the bdy in the wrd and in prayer And arund them, we find thers serving the bdy Smetimes we will give these servants the title deacn r we may nt But the rle f deacn is essential t the church if the elders are t be free t teach and pray and lead S back t Hebrews, what des the writer mean when he directs us t bey ur leaders Mst certainly, he is speaking f the elders f the church Thse wh direct and lead us are t be respected as men the Lrd has appinted t that purpse The writer says we are t submit t their authrity 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 13C (2014) 8 f 13 Obedience is a heart attitude, while submissin is the behaviral evidence f bedience We might claim t be under authrity, t be in bedience t authrity But until we submit t that authrity, we have nt demnstrated bedience The requirement t submit is true bth crprately and individually As ur elders make decisins fr the bdy, we are bligated t submit t thse decisins as a bdy We wrk in gd faith t carry ut thse requirements We see these leaders as an extensin f Christ s authrity Only in the case where their decisins cme int cnflict with the wrd f Gd wuld be have a cause t cntend with their authrity And even in such cases, the scripture still prescribes a prcess fr challenging an elder s authrity (1Tim 5:19) We are t hld elders in high esteem and give them the benefit f every dubt But the requirement t submit is als an individual requirement When elders give us persnal cunsel, exhrtatin r rebuke, we are cmmanded t listen t them and heed their directin This is never mre true than when we receive crrectin fr persnal sin Shuld an elder r elders cnfrnt us ver sin, we are cmmanded by scripture t bey these cncerns Pride and persnal pinin have n place in bedience and submissin And t be clear, we re nt suggesting that elders are always right in their judgments The cmmand t submit and bey is never cnditined n an assessment f the crrectness f the authrity Slaves dn t submit t masters nly when they are right 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 13C (2014) 9 f 13 Children dn t submit t parents nly when the parent is asking fr the right thing Wives aren t called t submit t husbands nly after carefully examining the husband s lgic and reasning Submissin isn t truly submissin until we re asked t d smething we dn t want t d Ntice the writer explains that submissin t ur leaders is in ur wn best interest He says leaders keep watch ver ur suls as thse wh will give an accunt The leadership f the church exists t guard yur sul in the sense f guarding yu against yurself We all need help frm time t time We need the advice, cunsel and even crrectin f thers t help us mve away frm sin and tward sanctificatin The Lrd lves us s much, He s seen fit t appint shepherds ver His flck And s we nly hurt urselves when we elect nt t listen t their cunsel and directin It s unprfitable fr us t bject t their wisdm and leadership The prfit the writer is speaking abut is the eternal prfit fr thse wh please Christ in their service If yur leaders give gdly cunsel and if yu listen and bey, then yu stand t prfit greatly frm their psitive influence In the same way that a child will prfit frm the gd advice and cunsel f gdly parents, s will we prfit frm listening t ur elders Finally, ntice this is a tw-way street The writer says the leadership f every church will be called t accunt fr thse they led This is a sbering reminder t leaders that we must be prepared t face ur judgment ver hw we led the church f Gd 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 13C (2014) 10 f 13 Were we diligent, selfless, sacrificial and hnrable in ur leadership? Did we speak the truth r hld back the wrd f Gd? Did we live it ut r perfrm ur respnsibilities in hypcrisy? Let s agree we will always seek leaders wh exemplify the high standards f scripture, while als cmmitting t fllwing their lead Let s nt make their jb anymre difficult than it already is Let s submit t their leadership and cunsel Let s be mature enugh t appreciate that failure t submit will nly hurt us in the lng run Part f that respnsibility extends t praying fr these leaders t be successful Heb. 13:18 Pray fr us, fr we are sure that we have a gd cnscience, desiring t cnduct urselves hnrably in all things. Heb. 13:19 And I urge yu all the mre t d this, s that I may be restred t yu the sner. The writer asks his readers t pray fr them t have a gd cnscience A gd cnscience means having a testimny that is guilt-free, withut cause fr cndemnatin If we are t respect and fllw ur leaders under all circumstances, then clearly we want gdly leaders t fllw Wh wants t be submitted t a scundrel And yet, sadly, in many places tday that s exactly the situatin believers are facing Their leaders are dishnest, unqualified men And s the writer asks the church t pray fr its leaders cntinually Pray that leaders will remain gdly, hnest, sincere, dedicated and f gdly character Understand that the enemy lves nthing better than t disgrace and disqualify leaders in 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.

11 Hebrews 13C (2014) 11 f 13 And these mments are harmful fr all f us Our hearts must be directed in supprt f ur leaders, even if we re nt particular pleased with their decisins r preaching We need them t cnduct themselves hnrably, fr their sake and fr the sake f the entire church Pray fr that utcme This writer als asked fr prayer s that he might be restred t the church sner than later The wrds in Greek are a subtle reference t captivity In ther wrds, this writer was writing frm prisn it wuld seem Hw much mre remarkable is this man s letter t the church when realize he has been writing it frm the center f persecutin? He is ne f thse witnesses suffering fr the faith And while he s in that psitin, his cncern is fr the rest f the church t live ut an acceptable witness as well This is the kind f self-sacrificial witness we want t see frm thse wh lead us Men and wmen wh assume psitins f leadership fr persnal gain r eg will be seen fr wh they are sner r later The Lrd has a tendency f testing His under-shepherds s as t expse their mtives Men wh serve fr decades withut cmpensatin and selflessly giving their time t the bdy f Christ are the exceptin And yet they are the exactly the kind f leader we want t emulate T clse his letter, the writer reminds us that ur earthly leaders are merely temprary substitutes fr the True Shepherd, and it is that Shepherd we seek t serve 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 13C (2014) 12 f 13 Heb. 13:20 Nw the Gd f peace, wh brught up frm the dead the great Shepherd f the sheep thrugh the bld f the eternal cvenant, even Jesus ur Lrd, Heb. 13:21 equip yu in every gd thing t d His will, wrking in us that which is pleasing in His sight, thrugh Jesus Christ, t whm be the glry frever and ever. Amen. This is the writer s benedictin, which is a blessing at the end f a religius teaching He ends reminding us f Wh we serve and why we serve Him Christ is ur Great Shepherd Wh has saved us by His bld Hw must service and devtin and bedience d yu we the ne wh spilled His bld fr yu? The answer is everything And yet His lve fr us wn t stp at ur salvatin He cntinues t bless His children by equipping us t wrks f service accrding t His will We wrk t please Him, and He has prescribed bth the means and the ends f that prcess He gives us the spiritual pwer t cmplete wrks that glrify Him And He s created the pprtunities in which we accmplish that service All f it dne t the glry f Christ Friends, that s the reasn we sit here this mrning We re here because we ve been saved, nt in rder t be saved And we serve Christ because He died fr us first We serve in His pwer, pwer He gives us by His spirit - Wisdm, energy, and a heart t lve thers - Things we culd never find in ur wn pwer And we seek t please Him, nt urselves, because we have died t self 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 13C (2014) 13 f 13 If nly we decide t live ur lives fr Him If nly we take advantage f the pprtunity Finally, the writer ends the letter Heb. 13:22 But I urge yu, brethren, bear with this wrd f exhrtatin, fr I have written t yu briefly. Heb. 13:23 Take ntice that ur brther Timthy has been released, with whm, if he cmes sn, I will see yu. Heb. 13:24 Greet all f yur leaders and all the saints. Thse frm Italy greet yu. Heb. 13:25 Grace be with yu all. In v.22, the writer asks that we might bear with this wrd f exhrtatin and aa ftnte abut Timthy s release and a persnal greeting end the letter The writer asks us t give careful cnsideratin t these wrds and t bear r bey what s been written He says these things must be cnsidered carefully because he s written briefly The letter isn t very lng, nt in cmparisn t all that culd be said n these matters S al the mre imprtant nt t verlk what s here The writer has give us a recipe fr great jy and great reward He s explained the sufficiency f grace in Christ He s wken us up t serius threats And t great examples f faithfulness Let s nt study withut applicatin 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.