Keep on Loving
Hebrews 13 (Hebrews 12 unavailable)
SCRIPTURE READING: Hebrews 13:1-8
INTRODUCTION:
We’ve reached the end of the book of Hebrews. It ends with a series of final instructions. Maybe you remember getting final instructions --- the kind of thing you call out as someone drives away.
· Drive carefully!
· Don’t forget to write!
· Remember your manners.
· Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.
· Look both ways before you cross the street.
· Don’t take any wooden nickels.
· Buy low, sell high.
· Keep your shiny side up and your dirty side down.
· If you get hungry … eat something.
I wasn’t really aware that I did this, but my girls tell me that when I dropped them off for school I’d usually say: Go out there and make it special. (Of course, they thought that was really “special.”)
Chapter 13 of Hebrews is filled with final instructions. This list of do’s and don’ts contains about 20 commands in 25 verses. It touches on everything from hospitality & visitation to leadership to marriage & money. But the “gist” of it all can be summed up in the first verse: 1Keep on loving each other as brothers.
Before we moved here, I worked in a rural church in Santa Fe, TX. where people tended to call each other Brother or Sister. I got used to being called “Brother Ed.” I must say that those people treated each other like kinfolk. (I shouldn’t have been surprised since most of them actually were kin to each other.) I noticed several things about their brand of “brotherly love.”
· Folks were quick to lend a hand and glad to loan things … even at a moment’s notice
· They were big huggers and kissers and they could jawbone for hours after church
· When they saw each other at the grocery store, it was like a family reunion. Everybody knew everybody, and nobody stayed a stranger for long.
That kind of homey atmosphere is hard to create in a city. People move more often. We’re busier and live further apart. But, whether city folk or country folk, our job is to love each other.
This morning we’re going to look at 4 specific ways we can keep on loving each other like brothers. If you’re looking for where to start, the writer of Hebrews suggests we start by loving strangers, prisoners, and those who are mistreated.
1. Keep on Loving those in Need Hebrews 13:2-3
2Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. 3Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
We are to love strangers: In the first century, Inns were expensive and travel was dangerous. Hospitality was a precious gift to the stranger who needed a safe place to stay.
That gift is just as precious today. I remember that on several occasions Rocky said that being a Christian means you always have a family. I experienced that feeling years back when I was doing an internship in Dodge City, Ks. I will always remember the Keller Family who took me in and made me one of their own. After church on Sundays --- if no one else invited me to lunch --- I was automatically invited to dine at their house. The food was always delicious (meaning fattening…) I was a stranger in that church … but not for long.
We are to love prisoners: If you were in Prison in those days, you could starve to death unless someone brought you food to eat. And you could freeze to death unless someone provided you clothes or bedding.
Prisoners today have their physical needs met. But they are in great need of the support visitors can give. I’ve had the experience of writing to and visiting prisoners, and I’ve found prisoners are thankful for anyone who will communicate with them. Prison ministry is a growing need, and prisons are a fertile ground for the Gospel
We are also to love those who are mistreated. These may be people who have fallen on hard times. Maybe they lost a job. Maybe their family abandoned them. Maybe they are addicted or mentally ill.
I read in the paper last week about new City Ordinances that address problems of the Homeless. The article mentioned the lack of public restrooms and bed space. I remember a statistic I heard recently that was really eye opening. In all San Antonio homeless shelters combined there are about 800 beds available, but there are about 20,000 homeless people looking for shelter. Homeless people are only a part of the group we could call “mistreated.” If we look around us, there are many who could use a ministry of mercy.
When Hebrews says keep on loving each other as brothers, it starts with strangers, prisoners, and those who have been mistreated. But then it moves closer to home. Look in verses 4-6 of our text:
2. Keep on Loving your Family Hebrews 13:4-6
4Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.
I heard this definition of marriage recently: "Marriage is nature’s way of keeping people from fighting with strangers." That’s a sad description of too many homes!
The truth is, we aren’t going to be able to love strangers until we learn to love our families. And Marriage is the bedrock of the family. Being faithful in marriage will benefit ALL of the family and ALL of the community around that family.
Marriage is under attack. Hebrews 13:4 speaks directly to the importance of preserving marriage as a sacred institution. This has become a political issue recently, and it is worth any efforts we can give. But the biggest thing we can do to preserve the sanctity of marriage is to be faithful in our marriages.
Recently I have heard about a new emphasis on covenant marriages. These are marriages where the couple agrees that marriage is for life --- and they REALLY mean it. Well, the truth is that EVERY Christian who gets married has entered a sacred covenant that lasts for a lifetime. The vows are not just poetic sounding verbiage that makes a pretty ceremony. Marriage is a covenant for life.
It’s interesting that the very next verse shifts from marriage to money. First the writer says: God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. The very next verse says: 5Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have …
I don’t think this is a change of topic at all. These verses address the two biggest threats to marriage. One obvious threat to marriage is sexual immorality. But when you stop to think about it, love of money may actually be the most common kind of “infidelity.” Love of money can ruin a home.
Have you heard the conventional wisdom about what makes a couple INCOMPATIBLE? A couple is incompatible if he doesn’t make enough INCOME for her to be PAT-ABLE. --- Anyway … it’s way to easy to start loving THINGS more than we love PEOPLE.
I heard about a young couple who were standing over their infant’s crib one night. As the wife watched her husband looking down at their first baby, she saw on his face a mixture of emotions: disbelief, doubt, delight, amazement, enchantment, and even skepticism.
She was touched by his unusual display of deep emotion. With eyes glistening, she slipped her arm around her husband and asked him what he was thinking.
“It’s amazing!” he replied. “I just can’t see how anybody can make a crib like this for only $46.50.”
That reminds me of our first Christmas as a married couple. Susan and I were cuddling on the couch, watching the lights of the Christmas Tree … and she asked me what I was thinking. I can’t believe this is true, but she claims I said I was thinking that the car needed another oil-change pretty soon.
The point is, it’s easy to get our minds on our finances and lose sight of what really matters. Believe it or not, there are worse things in life than driving around in old cars, wearing less trendy clothes, or living in less fashionable neighborhoods. Perhaps we would be less inclined to want to keep up with the Joneses, if we learned the secret they are keeping from us --- which is that they are in debt past their eyeballs trying to hold on to their Stuff --- and that their family is about to fall apart because they don’t have time for each other.
I read a statistic recently that working couples spend only about 12 minutes a day talking with each other. Another 36 minutes a day is spent together in cooking, cleaning, shopping, paying bills, and demonstrating affection. American Demographics, reported in Homemade, December 1988 Out of 24 hours they spend a total of 48 minutes doing anything as a couple. No marriage will flourish on 48 minutes a day!
Putting your family above your finances is a conscious choice you have to make. I’ve known people who turned down a promotion or refused to take a job assignment because the change would be hard on the family. I’ve known 2-income couples who cut back and learned to live on 1 income. They were determined to put time with family above financial comfort.
There is no doubt that love of money erodes the home … but it’s a slow, silent erosion. Don’t let it sneak up on you and ruin your family!
Next, the writer of Hebrews turns his attention on the Church. He urges: 7Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. I cannot over-emphasize the importance of church leadership. Let’s look carefully at verse 17 which tell us how to Keep on Loving our Church Leaders:
3. Keep on Loving your Church Leaders Hebrews 13:7, 17-18
17Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.
Everyone in the church benefits when leaders are appreciated and respected. Their work should be a joy not a burden. YOU are the key to making that true here at CHCC.
I want you to know how much I admire and appreciate the people in leadership positions here at CHCC. A part of my ability to stay here for 20-plus years is the fact that you have surrounded me with godly men who have earned the right to be called “elders” … because they have lived consistent lives in your presence.
I consider myself blessed to work beside them in your behalf. I could spend time talking about them, but I rather do what Hebrews 13:18 says: 18Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way.
I’d like to ask the Elders who are here in this service to come up here with me … along with Ronnie. (Come on up while I’m explaining.) I want to interrupt this sermon to take time to pray for these wonderful godly Elders right here and now.
(I know it may feel a little awkward, but we’re going to do something I heard from an old preacher-friend named Russ Martin. He’d say, Lord, please let something happen this morning that’s not in the bulletin!)
Now, I’d like for any of you who like to pray for people to come up and surround these men and lay hands on them. (Some of our Deacons can come and join in the prayer time.)
The rest can join in prayer right there from your seat.
Prayer …
Now that we have prayed for these elders, I also ask you to …
· Remember them daily in your prayers
· Consider their Godly example and imitate their lives and their faith.
· Respect them, submit to their authority, and hold them in high esteem
And do the same for other leaders in our church: people who teach our classes and lead our Pueblo groups … ministry leaders… people who lead worship and take care of the church grounds and oversee the nursery and so many other positions of leadership.
Make their work a joy and not a burden! I honestly believe that this can do more to promote the health of our congregation than any programs we could come up with.
The final focus in Hebrews 13 is this:
4. Keep on Loving the Gospel of Christ Hebrews 13:8-15
8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 9Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace
People will always come up with alternatives to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the first century there were the Gnostics, the Mystics, and the Judaisers.
Today you can listen to trendy New Age teachings of all kinds. You can hear the enlightenment of self-proclaimed Gurus or the so-called realism of Secular Humanists. Remember the message of Hebrews. Jesus Christ is GREATER.
· He is greater than the angels and the prophets
· He is the greater man
· Jesus is greater then Moses, the liberator
· He gives us a greater rest
· He is the greater Priest and King
· He is the originator of a greater Covenant
· And Jesus gave a greater Sacrifice … once and for all
CONCLUSION:
The sacrifice of Jesus ended the Old Covenant. We no longer need to bring animal sacrifices to the altar in order to seek forgiveness for our sins.
But there is still one sacrifice God requires from us. We started the service today with this verse: 15Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise–the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
When we praise God in song, we are offering the sacrifice of praise.
When we confess His name by telling others about Him, we are offering the sacrifice of praise.
When we love each other as brothers, we are offering the sacrifice of praise.
We love Jesus Christ by loving each other. Jesus is the One who opened up for us a new and living way. He is the author and finisher of our faith. He is the same, yesterday, today and forever.
