Hebrews 13

Mark Howdeshell (August 10, 2008)

Hebrews 13:1  Keep on loving each other as brothers..   

Introduction

This morning I want to test your trivial knowledge a bit.  An American iconic institution was established on August 31^st, 1993.  What was it? 

I’ll give you a hint, if you’re up after the late news, you can see it on CBS.

This was the first night of David Letterman’s Top 10 List.  The Late Show has never been the same since!!

This morning I want to look at the “Believer’s Top 10 List.”  The text for our message is from Hebrews 13…but we’ll be looking at a bunch of scripture this morning.

The Meat of the Message

1. Love each other as brothers

HEBREWS 13:1-2   1Keep on loving each other as brothers. 2Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it

1. We are all adopted by God, therefore we’re a FAMILY!

                                                              i.      Love others more than ourselves (Matthew 22:39)

2. Do not forget…

                                                              i.      Get outside of your comfort zone and talk to people

                                                            ii.      We are to love them enough to tell them the Good News!

3. “Strangers”

                                                              i.      Those that do not know Christ

                                                            ii.      Others outside of our fellowship (church)

                                                          iii.      You may entertain angels or even JESUS

MATTHEW 25:35-40   35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'  37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'  40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

2. Remember those in prison

HEBREWS 13:1-3Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

1. We are NOT to judge others. 

                                                              i.      Do you automatically think that they have what’s coming to them?

                                                            ii.      Do you think you’re better than they are?

                                                          iii.      Shouldn’t we be better than that?

ROMANS 14:7-13  7For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.  9For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. 11It is written:
   " 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord,
   'every knee will bow before me;
      every tongue will confess to God.' "[a] 12So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.  13Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another.

3. Keep the marriage bed pure

HEBREWS 13:4 4Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

4. Be content in what you have

HEBREWS 13:5 5Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have

1. Does anyone want to know the secret to contentment?
2. Trust in Him without stipulations

                                                              i.      We put our own rules in place

1.      “If you’ll only give me _________, Jesus.  Then I’ll be set.”

2.      We set ourselves up for disappointment and blame God for it

                                                            ii.      Know that everything that you have now………is HIS.

1.      Be grateful that He has let you use His house, His car, His money, the health that He provides

3. The secret is that we can do everything through HIM!!

 PHILLIPIANS 4:10-13 10I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

4. The love of money can only lead to a path of grief, ruin, and destruction.

                                                               i.      Tithe unto the Lord

                                                             ii.      Give to others

1 TIMOTHY 6:6-10  6But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

5. Imitate the faith of your leaders

 HEBREWS 13:7 7Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

1. We studied at length about the faith that we’re to imitate
2. The leaders in the scripture are not just found in Hebrews 11
3. There are also leaders in your lives today
4. Ultimately, people will fail you…imitate the faith of Jesus and you’ll NEVER be disappointed!!!!
5. Stay true to the Word

 HEBREWS 13:9 9Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace…

1. The only way you can recognize false teachings is to know the real ones
2. Know your faith and be ready in season and out of season to tell others about the hope and joy that you have in Jesus Christ
3. BE WARNED!!!  False teachers are out there…and God isn’t happy with them!

2 PETER 2:1-3   1But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

7. Go meet Jesus at the cross

HEBREWS 13:11-13 11The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. 12And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. 13Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. 14For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.

1. We are told to GO to Him

                                                              i.      Bearing the disgrace He bore

                                                            ii.      Repent for we are not worthy nor clean

                                                          iii.      We have to be washed clean by His blood and accept His grace

2. Look for the city that is to come…the NEW JERUSALEM

                                                              i.      Heaven

                                                            ii.      We are strangers in this city, so we have to leave it to get to ours

                                                          iii.      Look forward to the city that is promised us by Jesus!

REVELATION 21:1-4 1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

8. Continually offer God the sacrifice of praise

HEBREWS 13:155Through 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.

9. Obey your leaders and submit to their authority

HEBREWS 13:17  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.

1. Leaders at every level

                                                              i.      Parents

                                                            ii.      Government

                                                          iii.      Supervisors

                                                          iv.      Bosses

10. Pray for others

 HEBREWS 13:18  18Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way.

The Bottom Line

So there you have it…the Top 10 List for Believers.  The last message the writer of Hebrews wanted to leave us with gives us a basic guideline on how to lead a productive Christian life.  He concluded with this prayer…and so will I.

 HEBREWS 13:20-21  20May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Invitation

Last week we saw exactly how easy it was to come forward during the invitation time.  As Trinity joined by transfer of letter from UBC, as Jenn and Joann came desiring to join through baptism, and as Cheryl joined by way of her baptism on July 13^th, we were truly blessed.  By joining First Baptist Church, they have formally identified themselves with our mission of reaching the lost.  They have made a statement by their actions that they believe in what we’re doing and that they want to do it to.  This morning I invite you, each one of you, to join us in our mission to do God’s work.  You can come like these 3 did, or you can come by your statement of faith that you’ve accepted Christ and that you’ve been baptized by immersion.  MOST IMPORTANTLY, if you have never put your trust in Him as your Lord, this morning is the day.  We are told to SEEK, KNOCK, and FIND HIM.  He’s here this morning, waiting to open the door.