Jesus Is...! Series

Jesus Is . . .

Hebrews 13:1-6

November 5, 2017

Have you ever been in a situation where you wonder ‘what’s the right thing to do in this situation?’ You wonder about it, but most of the time we know what the right thing to do is . . . don’t we? We generally balk at doing it, because doing the right thing is often not the popular thing and is generally more difficult than doing nothing.

Think about a kid in your school who is getting bullied by that popular person. It happens in front of other students and even in front of teachers who do nothing about it. It aggravates you and you know the person being bullied feels horrible. But what do you do? Most everyone in class is laughing. What’s the right thing to do? You know what it is, but it’s not always easy to do. Because that is not the popular or even the Politically Correct thing to do.

This may also be true in the workplace . . . where there may even be more at risk . . . like your job or career or the promotion you wanted.

We can go down this track for so many other areas in life. And in a few minutes we will.

We are back to looking at the book of Hebrews. We’ve hit the home stretch, as we only have 2 more Sundays after today to look at this great book of the Bible. As we consider who Jesus is and who He is calling us to be, we’re going to look at the first 6 verses of Hebrews 13. Let’s see what the writer is calling for us to do and not to do, as we seek to become more like Jesus. He wrote ~

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?” – Hebrews 13:1-6

For a moment I want to start with the last part of verse 5, move into verse 6 and then back track to the first verses in this passage, then end up right back here in the end. The writer is leading us to a place where we can state with confidence . . . The Lord is my helper, I will not fear, for what can any person do to me?

That’s a great statement of confidence, which can only be made because of their faith in Christ, and for the proclamation made at the end of verse 5, when the writer states this about God ~

5 “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” – Hebrews 13:5

If we were to be really honest . . . we might have to admit there have been times when we’ve really wondered, we’ve questioned if this is really true! Sometimes situations and circumstances in life have led us to question . . .

GOD ARE YOU REALLY NOT GOING TO LEAVE ME? You’re really not going to forsake me? Because the way my life is going right now, it sure doesn’t feel like you’re there!!

Have you ever felt that way? I have! I’ve doubted, I’ve questioned, I’ve asked. It’s not a sin to do that. It’s actually part of our journey to growing deeper in Christ. Yet, we hear that statement, God will not fail us, He will not forsake us, He will ever abandon us! I’ve said it often. I believe it! But sometimes life bites us and we hurt and we question in the midst of that hurt. It’s normal, it’s natural, it’s OK to question. We just can’t get stuck there. That’s the key!!

God has promised all followers of Christ - - that He Will do what?

He will Never leave you ... and ... He Will Never forsake you.

God stated this promise to the nation of Israel in Moses final message to the people, in Deuteronomy 31:6 and 8, Moses told the people, ‘Don’t be afraid, be courageous, God will not leave you or forsake you.’

As Joshua was about to lead the people into the promised land, God spoke these words to Joshua - - reminding him 3 times to be strong and courageous and that God would never leave him or forsake him.