So Hebrews 13.
Let brotherly love continue.
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,
!
So we can confidently say,
The Lord is my helper.
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
Remember your leaders,
those who spoke to the word of God.
Consider the outcome of their way of life
and imitate their faith.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
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.
We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat.
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.
So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.
Therefore, let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.
For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.
Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God,
that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have,
for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
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.
Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience,
desiring to act honourably in all things.
I urge you the more earnestly to do this
in order that I may be restored to you the sooner.
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,
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.
I appeal to you, brothers,
bear with my word of exhortation,
for I have written to you briefly.
You should know that our brother Timothy has been released,
with whom I shall see you if he comes soon.
Greet all your leaders and all the saints.
Those who come from Italy send you greetings.
Grace be with all of you.
This is the word of the Lord.
Good morning, everyone.
For those who don't know me, I'm Sean.
I'm one of the members of the congregation here.
I'd like to start by thanking the elders
for giving me the privilege of preaching God's word
to you this morning.
Some of you know how hard I found it
preparing for this morning's sermon,
and it's given me a much deeper respect
for the work that the elders do every week
to faithfully bring us God's word.
So let's pray.
Lord, your word is a light unto our path.
So we pray that as we read it and as we work through it,
you will shine your light upon us
and teach us to live in a way that is pleasing to you.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Well, for the last 12 chapters,
the writer to the Hebrews has gone to great lengths
to get us to realize that Christ is far better
than anything else heaven or earth has to offer.
In fact, he's been so eager to get us to recognize
the surpassing supremacy of Christ
that he has used the very word better more times
than the rest of the New Testament put together.
He's told us that Christ is better than all other prophets
because he is the very son of God
who has brought us a message of full and free forgiveness
of sins for all who trust in him.
He has told us that Christ is better than all other priests
because he has reconciled us to God
through his once-for-all sacrifice of himself upon the cross.
And he has told us that Christ is better than all other kings
because he has given us a kingdom that cannot be shaken
in which we can find true rest for our souls.
Along the way, he has called us to respond to what we have heard.
He has urged us not to ignore it
or to harden our hearts against it
as the Israelites did in the wilderness,
but to hold fast our confession
and to draw near with confidence to the throne of grace.
He has warned us of the danger of turning back,
of neglecting such a great salvation.
And he has encouraged us to press on in faith
to run the race marked out for us with perseverance,
fixing our eyes on Jesus,
the founder and perfecter of our faith.
But now, as he draws his letter to a close,
he wants us to understand that the ultimate goal
of everything he has been saying is the worship of God.
He hinted at this back in chapter 9, verse 14,
when he said that the purpose of Christ's atoning death
was to cleanse us from our sins
so that we could serve the living God.
He declared that unmistakably in chapter 12, verse 28,
when he called us to be grateful for receiving a kingdom
that cannot be shaken,
and thereby to offer to God acceptable worship
with reverence and awe.
And now, in chapter 13,
he lays out what it looks like to do that very thing.
But before we look at this blueprint
for offering acceptable worship,
it's worth taking a moment to consider
what acceptable worship even means,
because we could easily get the wrong idea.
After all, the word acceptable
often has negative connotations in English,
such as when we say that someone's performance
is acceptable.
But when we offer acceptable worship to God,
we shouldn't picture him
accepting it with a frown,
saying, I guess this will do,
I guess it's acceptable.
Instead, we should picture him overjoyed,
pleased, and delighted with us
and what we're doing.
That's the sense of the word acceptable.
That's the sense that the word acceptable carries here.
In fact, the word translated acceptable
in chapter 12, verse 28,
is translated pleasing
everywhere else it appears in Hebrews.
In chapter 11, verses 5 and 6,
we were told that Enoch pleased God
and that without faith,
it is impossible to please him.
And in chapter 13, verses 16 and 21,
we are told that God will work in us
what is pleasing to him
and that we can offer pleasing sacrifices to God.
So acceptable worship means pleasing worship.
And worship here is really just a broad term
that means service.
So if you want an easy way of remembering
what acceptable worship means,
just think of it as service
that is pleasing to God.
But now, turning to our chapter,
chapter 13,
we see that one kind of service
that God finds pleasing
is service to God's people.
Look at verse 1.
Let brotherly love continue.
When the writer to the Hebrews
thinks of acceptable worship,
the first thing that comes to his mind
is brotherly love.
Christians going to the same lengths
to care for each other
as they go to care for members
of their own families.
And in verse 2, we read,
do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,
for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
The second thing that comes to his mind
is extending that brotherly love
to those we don't even know,
but who come to us for help.
And now in verse 3, he says,
remember those who are in prison,
as though in prison with them,
and those who are mistreated,
since you also are in the body.
The third thing that comes to his mind
is being proactive in taking that brotherly love
to those in need,
rather than just waiting for them
to come to us and ask for help.
The worship that is pleasing to God
involves committing to loving God's people,
those we know,
those we don't,
and those who are suffering.
Now the encouraging thing about this
is that the text assumes
that we're already doing this.
The force of these verses in the Greek
is really something like,
keep showing brotherly love,
keep showing hospitality to strangers,
keep remembering those who are in prison.
The writer to the Hebrews is convinced
that his readers are already pleasing God
in all these ways,
and we can have confidence
that we are too.
Just think of our recent support
for Lincoln and Leah in Myanmar.
By raising and sending the money that we did,
we showed brotherly love,
we cared for strangers,
and we remembered the afflicted.
When the Philippians sent aid to Paul
when he was imprisoned in Rome,
Paul wrote back to them saying
that the gift was a fragrant offering,
an acceptable sacrifice,
pleasing to God.
He would say the same
for the thing that we did
for Lincoln and Leah
and all those in Myanmar.
Indeed, verse 16 of our passage
says the same thing.
Do not neglect to do good
and to share what you have,
for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
But how is it that we were able
to be so generous?
Isn't it because we were worshipping God
in another way that is pleasing to him?
By being content
with what he has provided for us?
How could we have raised
so much money so quickly
during a cost of living crisis
if we weren't content
with what we have
because we trust that
whatever happens,
God will never leave us
or forsake us?
Look at verse 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.
God wants us to love one another
in risky ways
and that is never going to happen
if we love money.
If we always want to have
more possessions
or are always afraid
of losing them,
we will never commit
to one another like a family.
We will never show
biblical hospitality to strangers
and we will never go into harm's way
to care for those in need.
We simply won't be able
to afford it.
But if we don't mind
losing everything
this life affords
because we know
that we have a better kingdom
that cannot be shaken,
we can risk everything
in the pursuit
of loving others
and pleasing God.
But where do we find
that confidence?
Hebrews gives the answer
in God's promises.
When we remember
that God has said,
I will never leave you
nor forsake you,
we will be able
to respond with the words
of verse 6.
The Lord is my helper.
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
It's worth lingering
on this promise
and response
in verses 5 and 6
because we really don't feel
the force of it
when we read
our English translations.
In Greek,
it's extremely emphatic.
In the sentence,
I will never leave you
nor forsake you,
there are five negatives.
It's really impossible
to bring them across
into English,
but the closest thing to it
is the last verse
of the hymn
How Firm a Foundation,
Ye Saints of the Lord.
The soul that on Jesus
hath leaned for repose,
I will not,
I will not
desert to his foes.
That soul,
though all hell
should endeavour to shake,
I'll never,
no never,
no never forsake.
But we shouldn't
misunderstand verse 6.
It's not promising
that nothing hard
or difficult
will ever happen to us
if we live the life
of reckless commitment
to God's people
and contentment
with God's provision
that we're being called to.
After all,
the writers of the Hebrews
has just given us
models of faith
in Hebrews 11
who were robbed,
thrown in prison,
tortured,
killed.
What he's saying
is that all those
things are all
that man can do.
Man can only rob us.
Man can only
throw us in prison.
Man can only kill us.
All man can do
is take away the things
that we're going
to lose anyway
when God shakes
the heavens and the earth.
The kind of confidence
we're being called to
is the kind that Paul had
when he said
that to live is Christ
and to die is gain.
Or the kind of confidence
the early church martyr
Ignatius had
when he was being
taken to Rome
to be thrown
to wild beasts.
While he was on his way
to Rome,
he wrote a letter
to the Christians in Rome
and he said this,
Now at last
I am beginning
to be a disciple.
May nothing visible
or invisible envy me
so that I may reach
Jesus Christ.
Fire and cross
and battles
with wild beasts,
mutilation,
mangling,
wrenching of bones,
the hacking of limbs,
the crushing
of my whole body,
cruel tortures
of the devil.
Let these things
come upon me.
Only let me reach
Jesus Christ.
Neither the ends
of the earth
nor the kingdoms
of this age
are of any use to me.
It is better for me
to die for Jesus Christ
than to rule
over the ends
of the earth.
Him I seek
who died on my behalf.
Him I long for
who rose again
for my sake.
The pains of birth
are upon me.
It is pleasing
to God
when we take
the risk
of loving others
because confidence
in his promises
has made us content
with what we have.
But although
all this may be
very encouraging
it can also be
very intimidating.
The life we're called
to live in response
to Christ's work
is simple
but it's not easy.
I think that's why
verse 7
turns our attention
to our leaders.
Remember your leaders
those who spoke
to you the word of God.
Consider the outcome
of their way of life
and imitate their faith.
The leaders
that we're being told
to look to here
are not our current leaders
but past ones.
These are those
who spoke to us
the word of God.
We need to call them
to mind
to remember them
because they're
no longer with us.
We need to consider
the outcome
of their way of life
because they have
already finished
the race
and entered God's rest.
So we should
imitate their faith
because they have
given us examples
of living lives
that are pleasing
to God.
If we want
to please God
all we have to do
is follow in their footsteps.
We don't have to
work it out
by ourselves.
Paul told the Corinthians
to imitate him
as he imitated Christ.
We're being called
to do the same here.
And we're given
reassurance
in verse 8
that doing
what they did
will be pleasing
to God
because God
does not change.
Verse 8 reads
Jesus Christ
is the same
yesterday
and today
and forever.
His character
is the same.
His teaching
is the same.
His expectations
are the same
and what pleases
him
is the same.
So if a life
of faith
was pleasing
to him
in the past
it will be
pleasing to him
today.
But we can also
find guidance
in the present.
The author
comes back
to talking
about leaders
in verses 16
and 17
and there
he has our
current elders
in mind.
He reminds us
that they are
keeping watch
over our souls
to make sure
that we stay
faithful to Christ
and offer
to God
acceptable
worship.
So he calls
us to obey
them,
to submit
to them
and to pray
for them.
This is not
a call
to mindless
or implicit
obedience.
Our elders
would be the
first people
to tell you
that.
But it is
a call
to have
an obedient
disposition.
When they
teach us
something
or tell us
to do
something
we shouldn't
adopt a
take it
or leave
it approach.
We should
believe them
and obey
them unless
we have
very good
reasons to
do otherwise.
If we
don't
we are
likely to
be led
astray
by false
teachers
and wander
into trying
to please
God in
ways that
he doesn't
desire.
I think
that's why
verse 9
suddenly turns
to the idea
of not being
led away by
diverse and
strange
teachings.
That if we
don't cling
to those
who have
been qualified
to teach
us
sound
doctrine
doctrine,
we will
follow those
who teach
unsound
doctrine.
But if
we live
this way,
if we
love the
way that
we're called
to love,
if we're
content in
the way
that we're
called to
be content
and if
we follow
God's
leaders the
way that
we're called
to follow
them,
we should
expect
hostility.
Christ
lived this
way and
he was
mocked,
he was
ridiculed,
he was
despised,
and he
was crucified.
Why should
we think
that it
would be
any
different
for us?
In
the second
century,
Christians
were well
known for
living this
kind of
life.
So well
known that
it was
possible for
a satirist,
a pagan
satirist,
to write a
novel making
fun of
Christians for
being gullible
fools,
because of
how hospitable
they were.
In that
novel he
says,
talking about
Christians,
the poor
wretches have
convinced
themselves first
and foremost
that they are
going to be
immortal and
live for all
time, in
consequence of
which they
despise death
and even
willingly give
themselves into
custody.
Furthermore,
their first
lawgiver persuaded
them that they
are all brothers
of one another
because they
have transgressed
by denying
the Greek
gods and
by worshipping
that crucified
sophist
himself and
living under
his laws.
Therefore,
they despise
all things
and consider
all things
common property,
receiving such
doctrines
traditionally
without any
definite
evidence.
So, if any
charlatan or
trickster able
to profit by
occasions comes
among them,
he quickly
acquires sudden
wealth by
imposing upon
simple folk.
people who
don't have
to do
It was
thought that
Christians were
so reckless
with their
money, so
reckless with
who they
took care
of that you
could make a
quick buck
out of them.
So, there's
no escaping
this.
If you want
to please God
out of thankfulness
for everything
he's done for
you, you'll
live in a way
that invites
ridicule.
You'll be
mocked for
everything you
believe, you'll
be criticised for
every decision you
make.
But, the
thing we're
called to do
is to walk
into that, to
bear Christ's
reproach.
In verse
12, Jesus
also suffered
outside the
gate in order
to sanctify the
people through
his own blood.
Christ was
despised.
Christ was
kicked out of
the world.
And so,
what's our
response?
Therefore, let
us go to
him outside
the camp and
bear the
reproach he
endured.
For here we
have no
lasting city,
but we seek
the city that
is to come.
We're to
follow him, to
go out into
that mockery,
into that
reproach, and
we're to bear
it, but not
bear it
sullenly, being
upset, being
morose.
We're to bear
it.
And while we
do that,
through him,
we are
supposed to
continually offer
up a sacrifice
of praise to
God that is
the fruit of
lips that
acknowledge his
name.
We are
supposed to
live a
life...
We're...
I think I've
lost something.
But we're
supposed to
live a life
of pain
and suffering
for Christ,
and we're
supposed to be
happy about
it.
Because really,
the only thing
that we're
losing are
things that
don't matter.
pleasing God
is simple.
You have to
love, be
content, follow
your leaders.
That's pretty
simple.
But without
grace, it is
impossible.
So 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, equip
you with
everything 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.