Evangelist Herman E. Wesley III
I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FOSAKE YOU
Hebrews 13:5-6
INTRODUCTION
As has already been stated by the many preachers who have mounted this pulpit before me, the Book of Hebrews could be titled, "The Preeminence of Jesus Christ," for indeed, Jesus Christ is superior to and preeminent over everyone and everything. And one of the key words in this Book is the word "better": That’s a good word, because...
• He is better than anything that was before.
• He is better than any Old Testament person.
• He is better than any Old Testament ritual.
• He is better than any Old Testament sacrifice.
• He is better than anyone and everything else.
Having Christ, having a relationship with Christ, is just better, and that’s really the foundation of my text...
If ya’ll have your personal copies of the Word of God handy, go to Hebrews 13:5,6, where out of the King James Version it reads as follows:
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with
such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake
thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear
what man shall do unto me.
The subject that the Lectureship Committee has assigned to me this evening is:
I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU, NOR FORSAKE YOU.
There is a comfort in knowing Jesus. A comfort zone that is indescribable and satisfying, fulfilling and complete. In this 13th chapter of Hebrews, the writer is dealing with our ethics, Christian ethics, and he focuses on sexual purity, satisfaction with what we have, and steadfastness in the faith. In dealing with the second leg of his ethical presentations, I want to suggest that when we really know and believe that Christ "will never leave us nor forsake us," three things ought to be affected in our daily walk:
I. IT OUGHT TO AFFECT OUR CONVERSATION.
II. IT OUGHT TO AFFECT OUR CONTENTMENT.
III. IT OUGHT TO AFFECT OUR CONFIDENCE.
I. IT OUGHT TO AFFECT OUR CONVERSATION.
Knowing that Christ "will never leave you nor forsake you" should affect our conversation. Now, I think I ought to tell you that the passage is not talking about the way we talk, in practical terms, but rather it places emphasis on our character. The New American Standard Bible reads this way:
"Let your character be free from the love of money..."
Love of money is one of the most common forms of covetousness, partly because money can be used to secure so many other things that we want. But I’m here to tell you tonight that whether it’s the dog track in Shreveport, the gambling houses in Biloxi, or the lottery ticket down at the corner store, loving money is lusting after material riches, whatever the form is! A Christian should be free from such love of material things. Now, recognize that I said "should."
I am not so naive to think that all those slot machines, black jack tables and scratch off cards have been played by those outside the church...I know better than that! What I am saying is that a good number of sinners and saints have some growing and maturing to do, because love of money is sin against God! It’s a form of distrust. Loving money is trusting in uncertain riches rather than the living God (I Timothy 6:17)! It’s looking for security in material things instead of in our heavenly Father!
"Beware, and be on guard against every form of greed," Jesus warned,
"for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his
possessions." (Luke 12:15)
Achan’s love of money cost Israel a defeat at Ai, the lives of at least thirty-six of his fellow countrymen, his own life, and the lives of his family and his flocks (Joshua 7:1,5,25). After Naaman was cleansed of leprosy, following Elisha’s instruction to wash seven times in the Jordan, the prophet refused any payment. But Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, later ran back to Naaman and deceived him in order to profit from the grateful captain. After lying again, he was cursed by Elisha with Naaman’s leprosy (2 Kings 5:15-27). His greed led to lying, deceit, and leprosy. Judas was greedy as well as traitorous, willing to betray the Son of God for thirty pieces of silver. Ananias and Sapphira paid for their greed and attempted deceit with their lives (Acts 5:1-10). Greed is a great sin before God! It has kept many unbelievers out of the kingdom, and it has caused many believers to lose the joy of the kingdom, or worse.
Now, I don’t want to leave the impression that it is wrong to earn or have wealth. Abraham and Job were extremely wealthy. The New Testament mentions a number of faithful believers who had considerable wealth. It is love of money that "is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang" (I Timothy 6:10). It is longing after it and trusting in it that is sinful. People think:
• "If I just had me some money, all of my problems would go away."
• "If I just had me some money, I could do what I want to do."
• "If I just had me some money, maybe I could be this or be that!"
But there are people in Kansas City, New York City, Hollywood and Dallas who have large fine houses, big fancy cars, deep pockets and multiple bank accounts, and they’re:
• blowing their brains out,
• jumping off bridges,
• overdosing on pills...why? Because money is not the answer!
A lonely, desperate life with money and no Christ is still a lonely, desperate life!
If you put David on the witness stand, he’d testify:
"If riches increase, do not set your heart upon them" (Psalms 62:10)
If you put Job on the witness stand, he’d testify:
"If I have put my confidence in gold, and called fine gold my trust,
if I have gloated because my wealth was great, and because my hand
had secured so much;...that, too would have been an iniquity calling for
judgment, for I would have denied God above" (Job 31:24-25,28).
Trust in money is distrust in God!
Some persons love money, but never acquire it. Other persons’ love of money is in acquiring it. They live for the thrill of adding to their bank accounts and stock holdings. For others, loving money is hoarding it. People we call "cheap" are not so much interested in increasing their possessions as in simply holding on to them. They love money for its own sake. Still others are more interested in the things they can buy and display with their wealth. The conspicuous consumer is the big spender who flaunts his wealth. Whatever form the love of money may take, the spiritual result is still the same. It displeases God and separates us from Him. Nicer clothes, a bigger house, another car, a better vacation tempt all of us. But yet, in this passage before us, God tells us to be satisfied.
II. IT OUGHT TO AFFECT OUR CONTENTMENT
Our text instructs us that we ought to be:
"...free from the love of money, being content with what you have..."
Many of those addressed in the book of Hebrews had lost most, or all, of their possessions, because they had "a better possession and an abiding one" (Hebrews 10:34). Some of them might have been longing to get back what they lost, thinking the cost was too high. They have been told not to return to trust in material things.
One of the hardest tasks in life is that of learning to be content. "Content" does not necessarily mean passive, unimaginative or lacking initiative. "Content", as it is used in this text, refers to being satisfied with "such things as ye have." (gr. verb: arkeo). That’s the greek definition, but in plain old Black folk language, "Be happy with what you got!"
Throughout life, we all experience ups and downs, ins and outs, sunshine and rain, but the point is that through it all, we must believe that God sees us, God knows us, and God is concerned about us. We must respond to the events in life even as Job when he declared:
"Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, naked shall I return thither,
The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord!"
And in his declaration, he said it all! It is the Lord who gives, it is the Lord who takes away! He had, and he lost, but through it all he remained content. Look at Paul:
• in stripes, above measure,
• in prisons, more frequent,
• in deaths oft,
• three times beaten with rods,
• three times suffering shipwreck,
• once was I stoned,
• a night and a day in the deep,
• in journeyings often, in perils of water, perils of robbers,
perils of mine own countrymen, perils by the heathen,
perils in the city, perils in the wilderness, perils among false brethren,
• "I’ve been hungry, I’ve been in pain, I’ve been tired,
I’ve been cold, I’ve been naked"
And yet this great servant of God could affirm in his letter to the church at Philippi:
I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content! (Phil. 4:11)
What is your secret Paul? How do you not get caught up in the rat race and the battle to keep up with the Joneses’? Well, I can hear Paul answer, "All I have is simply stewardship of what belongs to God, and the more He gives me, the more I can do for Him"...did ya’ll hear me...
not the more I can do for me...the more I can do for Him!
You see, my life is not mine anymore (Galatians 2:20). I understand that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, and that’s where I want to be...that’s my aim in life. Not to have the biggest mansion money can buy, not to have the largest car money can buy, if I’m able, wonderful, if I’m not wonderful, because those are not my goals...my goal is to see Jesus, and I know that if I keep Him first, whatever my bank account says, whatever my address is, whatever my portfolio is worth, whether I am in the red or the black, my most valuable asset is Jesus:
And when the stock market crashes, He’s still alright!
When the bottom drops out, He is my anchor!
When everything comes back marked ’Insufficient Funds’ and they come
to pick up my car, snatch my house keys, and strip me bare...
I STILL GOT JESUS, AND HE AIN’T GOING NOWHERE,
BECAUSE HE MADE ME A PROMISE!
I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU! And that’s what I mean
when I say...
III. IT OUGHT TO AFFECT YOUR CONFIDENCE.
The word is in verse number six:
So that we may boldly say, The LORD is my helper, and I will not fear what
man shall do unto me.
As a matter of fact, the NASB reads:
What shall man do to me?
If we have the Lord, we have it all. Loss of anything else can be no worse than a bad inconvenience, an inconvenience that, surrendered to the Lord, will always be for our good. Material possessions are temporary, anyway. We are going to lose them sooner or later. If the Lord decides we should lose them sooner, we should not worry. Proverbs 23:5 says, "wealth certainly makes itself wings."
No Christian can live effectively, much less lead effectively, who is longing after money. Love of money weakens our faith, weakens our testimony, and weakens our leadership. When we love money, our eye is on the wrong kind of gain.
"Godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment.
For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of
it either. And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content"
(I Timothy 6:6-8).
Discontentment is one of man’s greatest sins. Contentment is one of God’s greatest blessings.
And so then, "how do we get to this point of enjoying contentment? How do we become satisfied with what we have?" Let me give you five quick bullets, and then I’m going to close.
1. We must realize God’s goodness.
If we really believe that God is good, we know He will take care of us, His
children. We know with Paul that "All things work together for good to them
who love God and are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).
2. We should realize--not just acknowledge, but truly realize that
God is omniscient.
He knows what we need long before we have a need or ask Him to meet it.
Did not Jesus say, "Your Father knows that you need these things"
(Luke 12:30).
3. We should think about what we deserve.
What we want, or what we even need, is one thing; what we deserve is
another. We should confess with Jacob, "I am unworthy of all the
lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which Thou hast shown to Thy
servant" (Gen. 32:10). The smallest good thing we have is more than
we deserve. The least-blessed of God’s saints are rich.
4. We should recognize God’s supremacy, His sovereignty.
God does not have the same plan for all of His children. What He lovingly
gives to one, He just as lovingly may withhold from another. In regard
to material blessings, we should listen to Hannah’s wisdom, "The LORD
makes poor and rich" (2 Samuel 2:7). If He were to make us rich, we
might be of outstanding service to Him. On the other hand, our becoming
rich might be our spiritual undoing. The Lord knows what we need, and will
provide us with no less.
5. We should continually remind ourselves what true riches are.
It is the worldly, including the wealthy worldly, who are poor, and it is believers,
including poor ones, who are rich. Our treasure is in our homeland, in heaven,
and we should set our minds "on the things above, not on the things that are
on earth" (Colossians 3:2).
Supremely, however, contentment comes from communion with God. The more we focus on Him the less we will be concerned about anything material. When you are near Jesus Christ, you are overwhelmed with the riches that you have in Him, and earthly possessions simply will not matter. Contentment is having the confidence that the Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What shall man do to me?
Conclusion
The greatest riches a person can have lie in possessing Him who said, I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU!
In this verse the construction is very emphatic: it combines five negatives to indicate the impossibility of Christ deserting His own! CHRIST SAID IT, AND THAT’S GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME...
