When we are born again, into the family of God, then we realize that, skin color no longer has a bearing;that man or woman is part of our family. We see that socioeconomic issues do not separate us from those in need. Let me say however, that does not mean we are going to give those who have less than ourselves the farm, leaving our own family hurting and potentially starving. That is not what it means we can love someone as our family and not endow them with all that we own. We can however, help as much as it possible, without jeopardizing our own financial stability, all the while knowing that God will provide for our needs, if we are living in obedience to His commands.
I believe that brotherly love is the greatest need of our day and it seems to be in short supply. We live in a world that screams "me first!" A exhausted church looks to itself and surveys the wreck, as carnage lines the way. We ask ourselves how things could have become like this? Where did we go wrong? We had the best programs and the newest technology, we had such good ideas. What happened? I believe that the answer is too many are trying to put me first, and look at me, rather than exhaling Christ who has said, He will draw all men to Himself.
Open with me your Bibles to the thirteenth chapter of the book of Hebrews. I believe that there are so many practical things in this chapter for us to examine, it's going to difficult to move quickly through this chapter, because I do not want to neglect to give you what I believe, the Lord would regard as very important information.
I invite you to follow along with me as I read, to set the text in our minds, as we prepare our hearts for what the Lord has to say to each of us. Hebrews 13:1-4.
"Let love of the brethren continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body. Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge."
Now, in chapter 13, He gets very specific in terms of commands. You never give commands on any other basis than the basis of sound doctrine. All throughout the New Testament, it's doctrine first, then duty. Contrary to what many seem to think, Chapter 13 is not tacked on, it was not an after though, in fact, chapter 13 is the climax, it is the pinnacle of the book. In other words, because you have that kind of doctrine, because you have that kind of faith, this is what is required of you.
The Apostle Paul did essentially the same thing in the book of Romans, saying eleven chapters of doctrine, the he says "On the basis of the doctrine, because of the mercies of God, now I want you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice to God. There can be no ethics unless there is doctrine. That's the point. Ethics always followed doctrine in the New Testament. The Sermon on the Mount, Romans 12 through 16, Ephesians 4 to 6, Hebrews 13, that’s all ethics. However, in every case, it all presupposes that you have faith in Jesus Christ.
Verse 1 says "Let love of the brethren continue." The Greek word is composed of two root words phileo meaning tender affection and adelphos, meaning brother. This is a special New Testament word for love of the brothers and sisters in Christ. Brotherly love is the natural outflow of being saved. When a person is saved they are naturally drawn to fellowship with other believers. The word phileo, is where we get the name of the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia. Because the Church is made up of different people, with different personalities, backgrounds and interests. It is easy to love some people and then there others that we have work at it to love.
In Titus chapter 2, Paul says "in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us." In other words, we are to live our lives in such a way, that there aren’t any valid criticisms.Brotherly love is so important that John says in 1 John 3:14, “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.” The presence of brotherly love is an inner witness of validity of our salvation.
Jesus said that it was the presence of brotherly love that proved to the world that their faith was the real thing. John 13:35, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
In other words, this is not a love based on personal liking, is one based on a shared relationship with Jesus Christ.
We have a very serious responsibility in this world. We have a continuing, permanent obligation and privilege to live to the glory of God and to shut the mouths of the critics; and if anybody’s going to criticize Christianity, let them criticize Christianity unjustly, not justly. And allow me to tell you, from my own perspective, I believe that this is a real major problem. A good son brings honor to his father, we should so live, that when men see us they give glory to God. Let me put it another way, if you’re not going to live like a true Christian, then don't tell people you are one. And, I'm not talking about the kind of artificial facade we see so often today.
So, what are the standards for Christianity in relation to others? Again, we’re presupposing twelve chapters of solid doctrinal foundation, we're presupposing that you know Christ, you know the new covenant, and that you understand the difference between Sinai and Calvary.
The first ethic is sustained love, sustained love. Now, this is a dominant one, because it really overrides everything else. This is the supreme ethic for the Christian to follow, and that is that he love his brother. Allow me to give you a footnote on that. In chapter 3, verse 1, he makes an interesting distinction. Since the term "brethren" could refer to Jews, he distinguishes it when he wants to refer strictly to Christians.
Verse 1 of chapter 3: "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling." So here when he’s talking to Christians, he throws an extra word in there just to make sure that's obvious. He didn’t want to say, "Wherefore, brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling," or all the Jews in town might have said, "Hey look, we’re in." So he qualified them as holy brethren; and a man is only made holy in Christ. And so the writer of Hebrews then is likely implying in this statement, a continued love for Israel, the brethren.
However, I believe that there’s a greater significance. And that is, we need to love our brothers in Christ. Though they are not physically from the same womb, they are spiritually from the same womb, therefore, we are all brothers in Christ. We’re all God's children; we’re brothers of Christ. And, I find this most surprising, He is not ashamed to call us brethren. Before we move on, there's something I'd like you to notice, He says in verse 1, "Let love of the brethren continue." The word "continue," means that the love is al ready there, you cannot continue what hasn't already begun, right? He doesn't say"I want you to start loving the brethren, he says "continue."
You know, I see so many Christians are scrounging around looking for what think they haven't got. They want more, love, more peace, more joy. No, you already have it, access it and use it. It's a part of being saved. Now, there's no nice way to say this, so, I'm just going to say it, if you don’t it, then more than likely you have corrupted what you have by living cross grain with your nature as a believer.
Peter said in I Peter chapter 1, verse 22 "Seeing that you have purified your souls in obeying the truth, through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren." In other words, stretch yourself. Reach out to the unlovable one. One of the by products of obeying the truth is unfeigned love of the brethren.
Jude 21 says "Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life." What a beautiful truth. I'll just give you one more, Romans 12:10, "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;" "Give preference to one another in honor," Brotherly love is me caring more about you than I do about me.And, you caring more about me, than you do you. That's brotherly love! Self‑love and pride just destroys love. Don't exalt yourself.
OK, so in verse 2, "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it." The Bible says that we are to show love to strangers, even who are unbelievers. So, the term "strangers" could refer to both believers and unbelievers.
Paul says in Galatians 6:9-10, "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith." Not just to them, to all men.
And, in I Thessalonians 5:14-15, "We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people."Look, we know this stuff. Sometimes, we just need to be reminded. There’s a sense in which we are called upon to love even those who are outside Christ; "even strangers."
I know, some of you are saying to yourselves, "Well, pastor Brian, I've tried that, and I've been taken advantage of!" Well, welcome to the club, you're certainly not alone. In fact, you've got good company. Love is like that: it gets stepped on. That's doesn't mean we eliminate it. How many times have you or I stepped all over Christ's love for us? Anyone? Oh, that's different eh? No, it's not. If we are to be the image of Christ, then we are to love others as He has loved us. And sometimes that means being taken advantage of. A loving heart, is willing to get burned, for the joy of expressing love. Christians should have a love for strangers.
Then, He says "For by this some have entertained angels without knowing it." Remember Genesis 18, Abraham had the three come in, and it turned out to be God and two angels? And Abraham was showing all kinds of hospitality, and he later found out that it was Jehovah God that he was showing hospitality to. Later on, Gideon and Minoah did the same thing.
As far as Christian ethics, sustained love is first, next is sympathy. Verse 3, "Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body." When you can be bound with this who are bound, that's compassion. That’s compassion. As we know from the Scriptures, many Christians in those days were having trouble staying out of jail, they were always being thrown in for their faith. We've seen this happening with the Apostles. So, He says your body can feel the pain that they’d be going through.
I have to say, that in recent years, I have been devastated by the un-Christlike characteristics I have witnessed in a number of believers, the selfishness, the uncaring callousness, the attitude of "I've got my own problems, I can't get involved with helping anybody else. That is terrible, callous, selfish indifference to the needs of others, and the antithesis of the ethic of Christianity. You need to replace your self‑pity with a genuine love and concern for others. The best way to get rid of your own problems, is by helping someone else get rid of theirs. So many people are preoccupied with their own problems, too busy to lend a hand to someone in need, I find it terribly saddening.
The Apostolic Confession commanded the Christians to go out and redeem slaves, buy back people in prison, spend their money for their comfort. You know, I find it’s astonishing just how many people in the early years of Christianity sold themselves into slavery to get the money to free somebody else. While we may not have slavery today, we do have a lot of things for which we need to be sympathetic. One thing the modern church needs to do, is to learn how to share each others burdens. We need to feel what they feel. Christ Himself did. He’s felt every pain we’ve ever felt and then some.
In verse 4, we come to your responsibility to yourself. " Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge." He's talking about sexual purity. Sexual impurity is not only a sin against others, but it is predominately a sin against ourselves.
In I Corinthians 6:18-19 Paul says "Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?" It is your responsibility to yourself, to be sexually pure. I want to point something out because I believe that it's very important. Notice the "is" is in italics, which means it was added.
The literal Greek says "marriage honorable in all," which means that the verb "to be" is implied. It could also be that “is” can be used. In the Authorized Version, it has "marriage is honorable." If that’s true, then it’s a statement of fact: "Marriage is honorable in all," and that’s a true statement. God looks at marriage as an honorable thing; after all, He invented it. However, it’s not honorable in the world today. People laugh at marriage, they make a mockery of it, its some kind of a joke. Now, I won't get into the details now, but people have defiled the sanctity of marriage. In God’s eyes marriage is honorable.
In fact, I Timothy 4:1-6 says "But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer. In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following."
For the expression of that love there is no impurity whatsoever in any thing that you would do together. That’s a true statement. God honored marriage by creating it. Jesus honored marriage by attending one, and as you will recall, He started His miracles there. The Holy Spirit honored marriage by making it the picture of the church in Ephesians. The whole Trinity has called together the testimony that marriage is honorable. Don't defile your marriage with sexual impurity outside of that union.
Scriptures gives us several reasons for marriage. One, is for the propagation of children. In Genesis 1:27, He said, "Now you get together, you’re one flesh. Now propagate, replenish the earth." Marriage is not only for the propagation of children, it helps prevent sexual immorality. I Corinthians 7:1-3 says "Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. But because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband. The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband."
Marriage eliminates solitude. In Genesis 2:18, God said "It is not good for man to be alone.."
Verse 4, is the answer of the writer of Hebrews to those attacks on marriage both ancient and modern. When the letter to the Hebrews was written there were probably two major issues associated with marriage. One was asceticism, which is the view that celibacy is somehow spiritual superior to marriage. And the other, more like our modern age was liberalism, was the belief that every one had the right to pursue whatever made them happy sexually.
If you publicly express today a belief in the sanctity of marriage, that it is honorable thing, that is to exist between one man and one woman, you will automatically open yourself to ridicule. To even suggest that sexual sin comes under the judgment of God is to be branded as intolerant, if not guilty of hate speech. The call to Christians is to demonstrate in their lives a radically different understanding and commitment to marriage.
In Closing..
This world is so bent on sex. You can't even turn on the television without them them trying to sell you something through the avenue of sex, it’s unbelievable. Listen, God judges those who fool around with sex. Oh, they might think they’re having a great time, with their anything goes attitudes, but they're not getting away with it in the end. The results of such a philosophy are untold numbers of unwanted pregnancies and abortions, the murder of unborn children. Pregnancies preceding more than one-fourth of all marriages, forcible rape, molestation, child pornography. Not to mention sexually transmitted diseases like HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and herpes, the list goes on and on. Most teenagers believe it’s okay to live together, to have sex with someone their not married to, and believe that their morals are no lower than their parents. They're handing out birth control to 13 year olds like it's candy.
Ephesians 5 says "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light."
Control your body in such a way so it honors God. Stay away from sexual immorality. In other words, don’t act like the rest of the world. And don’t take advantage of other people. There are some people just use people to get what they want to satisfy themselves.
Stay away from sexual immorality and sexual sin. Control your body in such a way so it honors God. Honor God with your body: the way you dress, the way you walk, the things you do. Don’t act like the rest of the world acts, guided by lust and self pleasure. And, don’t take advantage of other people. Don’t use other people to fulfill your sexual desires and pleasures. That’s God’s standards.
May it be so..
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen