Good Morning my beloved,
Throughout our study of this marvelous book of Hebrews, Christ has revealed Himself to us again and again for our encouragement, our hope and our perseverance, that we would have the strength and love to stir each other up to live well and to die well by faith, which is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
For thirteen chapters, the author of Hebrews has encouraged us, warned us, and exhorted us to persevere in the Christian faith. Jesus fulfills all God’s promises to save us from our sin, therefore, we should willingly bear the same rejection, the same reproach of the world which Jesus bore, because it is only in Jesus that we will find peace with God.
Let us pray.
Heavenly Father,
Father, we thank You for Your Word. We are reminded again of a principle of which we have reminded on many occasions throughout Your Word, doctrine is always the foundation upon which duty is built. Obedience to a given standard is meaningless unless there’s a reason for that standard. Lord, we thank You for the clear standards set before throughout this wonderful portion of the Scriptures. Thank You for reminding us that if we’re going to proclaim gospel to the world, that we ought to be able to match it with our life. Lord, help our witness to the world, that we would be able to communicate the gospel by a life that backs up what we proclaim.
We are reminded that we have an obligation, a responsibility to witness to the watching world. We know that he does not live according to Your standards lives apart from the joy that is his. Thank You for reminding us just how rich we are in Christ. We pray that You would bind these truths to our hearts, we might be able to live as as the Spirit has shown us.
There are many pastors who neglect teaching on these final verses, I believe that these words are as inspired as the rest of this epistle. Since we hold to the doctrine of the inspiration and, therefore, the sufficiency of all Scripture, we must approach these words with the conviction that they too are profitable. These words are a divinely directed towards us becoming Christlike. May we embrace them, as they equip us to do God’s will.
Open with me your Bibles the the thirteenth chapter of the book of Hebrews. As we conclude our study today, we come to the final four verses, verses 22 through 25, this writer's farewell blessing. As imperfect as we all are, prone to stumble and wander daily, I believe that we have seen enough of Jesus throughout this wonderful epistle, to put our trust in His promises and our lives in His hands. That the peace of Christ, would rule in our hearts.
I invite you to follow along with me as I read, to set the text in our minds, as we open our hearts and prepare them for what the Holy Spirit has to say to each of us. Hebrews 13:22-25.
"But I urge you, brethren, bear with this word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. Take notice that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom, if he comes soon, I will see you. Greet all of your leaders and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you. Grace be with you all."
At the close of this marvelous letter to the Hebrews, we are reminded to bear these words of exhortation. I believe that we are being called to pay closer attention and remind ourselves of these marvelous truths, this final exhortation to faithfulness. As we read these final words, we should be reminded that it is God Who has sought to bless us and welcome us back into His loving presence, through Jesus Christ. God is a God of peace, the One Who provides us with stability in the trials of life, in a sinful world and the struggles of faith.
Verse 22, "But I urge you, brethren, bear with this word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly."
Notice, the word used, "urge," is rather a strong one, as if he is saying "I appeal to you, one last time, for your patient attention, to heed this exhortation. He is expressing his tender care for these brothers and sisters of faith, calling them "brethren." Perhaps, He is realizing the number of times that he has previously exhorted them. As I am sure that you will remember, throughout this letter, it has had its share of rebukes and stern warnings, now the writer softens the impact with this appeal and with the affectionate address.
The words "bear with." indicate to put up with, to endure. He views them as family, and understands exhorting them to faithfulness, contains words that are not all easy to accept, so he urges them to listen willingly to all he has penned, he desires them to endure his "word of exhortation." This is a strong statement, which expresses urgency and is the same terminology is used in Acts 13:15, which says "After the reading of the Law and the Prophets the synagogue officials sent to them, saying, "Brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say it." This reminds us that is precisely what preaching is; proclaiming God’s Word.
It would seem, that in the author’s opinion, he had actually written very little in comparison with what could have been said. However, had he dealt with all the topics in depth, he would still be writing today.
I believe that those of us who teach the Word of God can relate to this, in comparison to what we could have said, we have spoken only briefly. Though the hearers may often think otherwise. As pastors, we are called to take care of the flock, giving both strong encouragement and stern warning. We are given the task of with the responsibility to be antithetical, pointing out errors both of belief and behavior. Therefore, the congregation may be tempted to view us as taskmasters rather than as under shepherds.
The truth is not merely a message to read, a word to inspire, but an exhortation to heed and an instruction to be obeyed. Scripture should be read and then expounded for the purpose of exhortation and teaching. An exhortation for God’s people to hear and to heed God’s Word. However, I believe that it is imperative, that we also respond to God's Word. We are called to do something with what we have heard. Therefore, we need exhortations.
Verse 23, "Take notice that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom, if he comes soon, I will see you." Just as we need preaching, we need those who admonish and encourage us to persevere in the faith. It is for this reason that we are "not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together but to rather exhort one another and so much the more as they see the day approaching."I believe that the exhortation to fellowship is very strong here. He says to take notice that Timothy, who they must have known well, had been released, we can therefore, conclude that Timothy had been jailed for his faith. Timothy's release should have encouraged their prayer life. It is obvious, that the writer wanted to be with them to partner in their perseverance. I believe that this is a reminder, that in the Christian life, we do not run the race alone. We need to surround ourselves with this who will strengthen us in our walk, as we worship the Lord.
We need others, if we are to remain faithful to God's Word, we should not keep our brothers and sisters at arm's length, but draw near to each other, showing love to the members of our family. And, we are a family within the household of God.
This epistle was not written to the leaders but to the congregation, which included leaders. I believe that this is very important, as God’s final Word reigns supreme over all in the church. The Word of God stands over and above the church and its leadership.
In verse 24, he says " Greet all of your leaders and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you." The leaders are singled out because they are important for the welfare of the congregation. I am convinced that there must have been some underlying tension between the leaders and the congregation. The threefold mention of the leaders, a defensive statement earlier in verse 18, no doubt, the author had some sort of apostolic authority, and perhaps this is why the author makes mention of them here. As a rule, people dislike confrontation, perhaps repeated exhortations not to drift were the cause of tensions in the church. It appears to me, that the writer was seeking to undergird the authoritative ministry of the leaders by singling them. When the church embraces its leaders, who likewise embrace the congregation, drifting becomes less of an issue.
He also included "and all the saints."I believe the writer is attempting to cement the relationships between various congregations, even those who did not receive this word directly were to be greeted, for each of them mattered. I believe that we can all take a lesson from this, we need to realize that the church is more than just our local assembly! This is not to diminish the value of the local church, however, it is important that we greet those who worship elsewhere.
"Those from Italy greet you." I believe that serves to remind us that wherever we are in the world, as believers, we have been saved by the same grace.
In verse 25, we have a final encouragement, "Grace be with you all." This is a rather ordinary ending for nearly all of the New Testament epistles. I mention this because, I believe that we must take care not to gloss over the "ordinary" words and phrases in Scripture, otherwise we miss out on extraordinary encouragement. Though these words may be "ordinary," they are significant because they are packed with tremendous power. By the grace of God, as experienced through His final Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, we can live confidently for the Lord in the face of challenges to our faith.
The author of this letter through all of its warnings, exhortations and encouragement, when the word of God preached in the power of the Spirit ends it with grace. God's grace flows through every chapter of this marvelous epistle, and it is at the heart of God’s final Word. God's grace is available to everyone of His children, without compromising truth, without reducing the demands of the gospel.
In Closing..
With God's grace, there is hope for every believer, therefore, I encourage all of you to view one another, with hope. God's grace is at the heart of His plan for Salvation, therefore, these words should be on the lips of every believer, speaking hope into our hearts of the brethren. God's grace is sufficient to empower all of us to finish the race of faith, however, I believe that as Christians, we need to be sharing hope to those who are not convinced that they will make it across the finish line.
God's grace means that we can confidently face insurmountable and humanly hopeless situations. It means that we can confidently proclaim the name of Jesus Christ, in a hostile culture, knowing that God’s grace is sufficient for you. We can confidently face our failures, because God’s grace will not condemn but He will lovingly correct us. For we are saved by the gospel of the grace. The
abundance and power of grace of divine peace, the
grace of a deathless Shepherd who guards and guides you, the grace
of an eternal covenant that secures an unbreakable relationship,
the grace of God's commitment to equip us with all the resources we
need to do his will.
For when you say grace, you have said it all. For those who are in Christ, grace has the final word. May God’s saving and sustaining grace will be with us all.
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