A Pleasing Sacrifice Hebrews 13:1-25 Introduction I love playing golf. I ve played golf since I was seventh grader at Calvary Baptist Academy. When I started, my brother, Chris, always encouraged me to simply progress the ball down the fairway. Any progress was better than no progress. We didn t keep score. We just played. There was something about the simplicity and enjoyment of not taking score. However, until I started taking score, I never really knew where I stood in relation to the expectation of good golf. The scorecard was an indicator. It told me where I stood in relationship to par on the course. Scorecards are good for us. We have them in sports, but we also have them in other aspects of our life. The scorecard tells us how we are doing and helps us know where to improve. This morning, we encounter the author of Hebrews scorecard for the church. After preaching on the supremacy of Christ in all things for 12 chapters, the author spends the last chapter of his letter spelling out the expectation of the Christian life. It is important to note that the author is not suggesting that we become Christians through a certain behavior. We can only become Christians by being born again by the work of the Holy Spirit. By grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone we are justified before God. We are declared righteous. We proclaimed to be participants in the kingdom of God. We are told that we are members of God s family, the church. We do not get into God s family by good behavior, nor do we remain a part of His family by good behavior. From beginning to end, we are saved totally by Christ. How, then, do we know who has been saved by Christ? How do we know who belongs in the family? How do we tell who is a participant in the kingdom of God? We are able to know who is saved, who belongs in the family, who participates in the kingdom of God by considering their fruit, by considering how they are living according to what God has prescribed as the life of the Christian. Hebrews 13:1-25 reveals what the life of the Christian looks like. It reveals the scorecard by which the Christian can judge their life in accordance with God s Word. What we find in today s passage is God s expectations for the faithful Christian life, what He expects of members of the church of Jesus Christ. So, would you please turn your attention to Hebrews 13 as we conclude our series through this wonderful book Hebrews 13:1-25 1 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 3 Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. 4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. 5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6 So we can confidently say, The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?
7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 9 Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. 10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. 12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. 13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. 14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. 15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. 17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. 18 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. 19 I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner. 20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. 22 I appeal to you, brothers, bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. 23 You should know that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom I shall see you if he comes soon. 24 Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who come from Italy send you greetings. 25 Grace be with all of you. Exposition I. Faithful Christians Love Others. (Vs. 1) Jesus said it best, They will know that you are my disciples by your love. (John 13:35). What a statement! People will know that we belong to Jesus by the way that we love one another. By the way that we love our enemies. By the way that we love the weak, wounded, and oppressed in our midst. Do people know that you belong to Christ because of your love for others? Isn t interesting that Jesus doesn t say that they will know are my disciple by how you attend church, talking about church, or give to the church? Faithful Christians certain do such things, but it is by their love that they are known. How are you doing with loving others? Are you patient with others? Let brotherly love continue! 2
T.S. The next point is intimately relatedly to the first point II. Faithful Christians Show Hospitality to Others. (Vss. 2-3) There are two groups in mind in this passage: strangers and prisoners. Strangers in the land were more susceptible to oppression from the locals and the government. The ancient Israelites were often commanded by God to show mercy and love to the foreigners in the Promised Land. Deuteronomy 10:19 told the Israelites to love those who are strangers, who are foreigners in the land. Leviticus 19:34 makes a similar claim on the life of God s people. The book of Hebrews picks up the same theme, but now it is for a people who have no homeland. They themselves are sojourners in a land that is not their home. As the old hymn puts it, This world is not my home, I m just passing through. Even still, we, as foreigners in this land, we are to show hospitality to others. The author knows that we will show hospitality to friends and family members, so he makes sure that we know that we should welcome the stranger into our home. Is there a risk associated with doing this? Of course, there is, but for those who take the risk, trust God for safety, some will entertain angels unawares. As for the prisoners, while this passage primarily has fellow Christians who had been imprisoned for their faith in mind, the principle extends to all who are incarcerated. Faithful Christians, of all people, should care most for the oppressed and forgotten in our society. We should show hospitality to others. We should welcome the stranger, the foreigner, the sojourner. For just as God welcomed us as strangers, we too, should use the means that God has given us to bless and care for others. T.S. The third point is well attested throughout church history, but constantly under attack in our society III. Faithful Christians Honor the Sanctity of Marriage. (Vs. 4) The text is straightforward enough honor marriage by highly regarding the purity of the marriage bed. The phrase, marriage bed, refers to the monogamous, heterosexual relationship of one man and one woman in the context of a lifelong, covenantal union before God. In no uncertain terms, the author is speaking about the need for sexual union to be enjoyed and celebrated in the context of a marriage that honors God. Faithful Christians do not downplay marriage. They lift it up! They celebrate it! They defend it! They teach about it! They encourage others to partake of it! Marriage is not the subject of a Faithful Christian s joke or coarse jesting. Marriage is not something to be deride. Sadly, in recent decades, the professing church has done little to defend the sanctity of marriage. While conservative Christians got exceedingly upset about the Obergefell decision that led to the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States, it is not as if the church always cared about marriage. With no-fault divorces rampant in the church, with few of any people being held accountable for their wedding vows in the context of the church, many churches and professing Christians contributed to the demise of traditional, Biblical marriage in our country. It is hard to claim that one cares about marriage while allowing not speaking equally firm about the devastating impact of divorce, pre-marital, and extra-marital sex in the context of the people of God. The church should be the place where marriage is celebrated, defended, and honored. Faithful Christians honor the sanctity of marriage. 3
T.S. The fourth point is equally clear and convicting IV. Faithful Christians Hope in God, not their Wealth. (Vss. 5-6) No amount of wealth will ever be able to save us or bring us the peace that verse 6 brings us when it says, The Lord is my helper, whom shall I fear, what can man do to me? Wealth can be stolen from us. Our health can be here one day and gone the next. Yet, Jesus Christ, the One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, He tells us, I will never leave you nor forsake you. Jesus is emphatic about His willingness to never leave us or forsake us. Wealth cannot make such promises! Health cannot give us such security. Only Jesus can make such promises to us! Only Jesus is worthy of the Hope that we often misplace in wealth and health. T.S. As we seek to live out this fourth principle, it is important for us to have good examples to follow, which is the fifth point from Hebrews 13:7-8 V. Faithful Christians Follow the Righteous Example of Others. (Vss. 7-8) Our leaders should set a righteous example for us to follow in obedience to Christ. As your pastor, this is a humbling principle to have to teach you, because I know I will be judged with a stricter judgment by God. Not many, according to James, should become teachers of God s Word, because we will be held more accountable. This goes for the lives of pastor s as well. I am to give you an example to follow, as are other leaders past and present. The object of your imitation is to be the faith of your leaders. Even I have leaders whose faith I want to imitate, and so should you. You should aspire to live a life that is governed by faith, which according to Hebrews 11:1-2 is the certainty of things hoped for and the confidence of things not seen. How we can be certain of the things that we hope in? We must place our hope, our faith, in the unchanging Christ, as verse 8 tells us, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So, while I am susceptible to failure and falling in my daily walk, Christ was not and is not susceptible to failure. You can trust in Him. I pray that I model such faith in Christ, and that you will model such faith as well. T.S. As part of following righteous examples, we see the need to practice discernment in verses 9-16, which brings us to the sixth point VI. Faithful Christian Discern and Resist False Teachings that Undermine Faith in Jesus. (Vss. 9-16) If we would follow righteous examples, then we must find examples of those who were sold out to the truth of Jesus Christ. This is the author s instruction to us in verses 9-16 we must not be led astray by strange or false doctrines, especially as they relate to our faith in Jesus. If you notice in the verses that follow verse 9, the author is concerned with false doctrines that undermine faith in Jesus by adding to the gospel of Christ. Some teachers were telling people that they needed to eat certain foods and to abstain from others in other to have a deeper fellowship with God. However, the whole book of Hebrews was written to compel us to believe that Jesus is better than all the old and false systems of the world! 4
We are strengthened by grace, not by keeping strict dietary regulations or other man-made religious observances. If Jesus had finished the work that the Father had given Him by becoming a sacrifice for us, outside the camp, bearing all our guilt and shame away, then there was no need to turn back to the former ways of life that undermined our full allegiance to Jesus. Jesus is enough! T.S. Part of learning how to discern false doctrine and avoid beliefs that undermine faith in Christ is learning how to relate to the leaders that God has given the church for its health. Ephesians 4 tells us that Christ have given leaders to the church that equip the church for obedience to Christ and spiritual maturity, which is the seventh point from our passage VII. Faithful Christians Obey, Submit to, and Pray for their Pastors (Vss. 17-19) I ll be the first to admit that this point could be viewed as self-serving. A pastor telling his congregation that they need to obey, submit to, and pray for him? Really? Well, given the fact that no scripture ever came by the will of man, but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, I have a divine obligation to teach you God s Word, and unless Hebrews 13:17-19 is not God s Word, I must teach it. In fact, I will be held more accountable if I don t teach this principle to you. As far as I am following Christ, Christ expects you to obey the things that I command you to do from God s Word, submit to my leadership, and pray for us that the ministry might be fruitful. The passage teaches you to not cause the pastor s labor to be joyless or full of groaning. A joyful pastor who enjoys his ministry is a blessing to the church that he leads under the authority of the Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ. A pastor who consistently feeds the sheep, leads the sheep, knows, and protects the sheep is a good thing for the church, even if some people don t understand this principle. A pastor works for God, not a church. A pastor will come and go as the Lord see fit to move them to different flocks at different seasons, but whoever is the pastor, if they are feeding God s people the unadulterated Word of God, protecting them from error, loving them in the truth, praying for them regularly, and seeking to lead them in holiness, the church should obey them, submit to them, and pray for them. The church that does not do such things for a faithful pastor is inflicting harm upon itself. T.S. Lastly, and related to the last point VIII. Faithful Christians Desire to Be Equipped to Do God s Will (Vss. 20-25) While it may seem awkward to some to hear a pastor talk about the church s responsibility to him as their leader, those who want to be equipped to do God s will, don t feel awkward about it at all. The faithful Christian wants to be fed, challenged, and equipped for every God work. This was the author of Hebrew s prayer for his people. That was the reason why he wrote the book of Hebrews in the first place. The point was not to expound upon all this great theology for the sake of knowing more without action. The point was for the people to be equipped for every good work. He wanted them to live according to the truth of gospel of Christ! He wanted their lives to look different. He wanted them to live by a different scorecard. 5
Conclusion So, how is scorecard looking? Have you found some areas that you can pray about? Has the Lord revealed some things in your life that need to change this morning? If He has revealed such things to you, thank Him! He reveals our areas of need in our to heal us, not in order to condemn us. He doesn t expose the cancers in our soul to make us sorrowful and full of despair. He exposes the sickness in order to bring about a full healing. Would you ask Him to forgive you today? Would you ask Him to heal you? Would you ask Him to make you more faithful to living for Him today? He is faithful to answer the one who asks, so why not ask today? 6