Christian Love Life Series

Hebrews Sermon Series

“The Christian Love Life”

Hebrews 13.1-6

10/26/14 CFBC Chester, IL Dr. Mike Fogerson, Speaker

Introduction:

A We can get the impression that the author of Hebrews had several items he wanted to relate to his reader yet he saved them till the very end.

1 In chapter 11, he showcased people who had exemplarily lived their life of faith; In chapter 12, we were rejoicing at Zion, talking about heaven, celebrating grace, encouraging our faith.

a In chapter 13, we go to everyday life, stuff as common as an ol’shoe. (Evidence off faith)

aa Hospitality, marriage, church officers, and who was the last one to be released from jail.

bb Which is more important? Doctrine or duty, revelation or responsibility? (In Scripture there is no division, they always go together.)

b The author has emphasized in chapter 13 that certain evidences of faith should be manifesting in our lives if we are walking by faith and not by sight.

aa Chapter 13 is not an afterthought or junk folder.

bb True faith demands true living.

2 Being different than the world is a non-negotiable thing for Christians.

a 1 Peter 2:15 (NASB) 15 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.

Titus 2:7-8 (NASB) 7 in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, 8 sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.

b Hebrews 13 gives the essential practical ethics of Christian living. (Ethics have to do with standards of behavior/conduct/moral judgement. There can be no ethics without doctrine for doctrine is the foundation on which any practical ethic must be based.)

aa Alexander Maclaren wrote, “The world takes it notion of God most of all from those who say they belong to God’s family. They read us a great deal more than they read the Bible. They see us; they only hear about Jesus Christ.”

bb Matthew 5:16 (NASB) 16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

B How we live our lives is a reflection of the Lord we serve.

1 Critics of the gospel usually pick out the most obvious examples of Christians/churches behaving badly to support their reasons to be against God.

a For example, Bertrand Russell famous philosopher/atheist said:

aa He was an atheist but he still followed the teachings of Jesus more than most Christians did.

bb He writes, “There is the idea that we should all be wicked, if we did not hold to the Christian religion. It seems to me that the people who have held to it have been, for the most part, extremely wicked. The Spaniards, for example, in Mexico and peru, used to baptize infants of the Indians, and immediately dash their brains out, by this means securing for them a place in heaven.”

cc Russell gives several examples like this to argue against Christianity.

b Unfortunately, throughout history the church has shown the mean, prejudiced, and immoral lives of professed Christians and have given the world an excuse not to be attracted to the claims of Christ.

aa We have a responsibility as Christians to be good & do good works.

bb IL. D.L. Moody was at a conference were some of the young people stayed up all night prayer, the next morning, “We have just come from a wonderful all-night prayer meeting. See how our faces shine!” Moody replied, “Moses knew not that his face shone.”

cc Good works that are self-conscious/hypocritical are not hard to spot AND they don’t impress God or Unbelievers.

2 What standard is used for us to examine our works/responsibilities/duties?

a We need doctrine in order to live out holiness.

aa “All you need is love.” Wrong/foolish.

bb IL. If a man desires my wife, it may appear to be love to him, but to me it would be something quite different because of doctrine.

b Trying to throw away doctrine while keeping ethics is like trying to keep your house intact while taking out the foundation.

aa Every responsibility/duty/call to holiness in the NT requires a relationship with God in order to live up to them.

bb You cannot live up to God’s standards without God.

c When we love the right things in the right way, our lives will be richer/fuller.

aa Love the things Jesus loved.

bb I’ve got a tie-tack from my great grandfather. Not worth $3, but it’s of great worth to me because he loved it. . . love the things Jesus loved.

I Love gives vitality to the church (13.1)