Question
The way of love
Hebrews 13:1-25
Key Verse 13:1
1. Read verses 1-3. How many categories of people are mentioned and what are they? What does the author of the epistle exhort his flock to do in regard to each group?
2. Read verse 4. What does it mean to "honor" marriage? Can you think of any examples recorded in the Bible where God judged the adulterer and all the sexually immoral?
3. Read verses 5-6. What does the expression "keep your lives free from" [especially the word "free"] indicate about "the love of money"? Why should we keep our lives free from the love of money? How can one "free himself from the love of money"? (5b-6)
4. Read verses 7-8. Verse 7 indicates that leaders are charged with the duty to speak "the word of God". How is "the word of God" related to "Jesus Christ" described in verse 8?
5. Read verses 9-16, and describe: 1) example(s) of "strange" teachings; 2) the meaning of the "altar" (as described in verse 10); 3) the purpose of Jesus' sufferings (outside the city gate); and 4) the duties we have in the Lord (15-16).
6. Read verse 17. Why should we obey our leaders?
7. Read vs. 18-25. What does this passage tell us about: 1) God; 2) our Lord Jesus; 3) [people who are described as] "we" (in verse 18) or "I" (in verse 19); and 4) the people described as "you" (mentioned in verses 19,21-25)?
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Message
The Way of Love
Hebrews 13:1-25
Key Verse 13:1
“Keep on loving each other as brothers.”
Today we would like to think about the final exhortations given by the author of this epistle. Notice the title of this message: “The Way of Love.” This title refers to the way in which love streams from God the Father to us in and through Jesus. Of all the resources that nurture men, the most important is love. For this reason 1 Corinthians 13:13 says, "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." In regards to what we need most Proverbs 19:22a reads, "What a man desires is unfailing love." Knowing the significance of this love the author of the epistle concludes his blessed epistle by exhorting us to tap into the love God has for his children and share it among the members of the church and to all peoples on earth. Let us then think about the author’s exhortations in two parts: Part I, the way to abide in his love; and Part II, applications in our daily life.
Part I. Grace be with you all (The way to abide in his love).
In trying to understand the main point of a book it is a good idea to go all the way to the end and read the conclusion first and then go back to the beginning. The same is true with this chapter. In fact, this is where the author has been leading us so far, that is, the author has already laid down the way in which we can avail ourselves to the love God has for us which is through faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God. Throughout chapters 1-11 the author explained systematically the importance of faith in Jesus Christ. In Chapter 12 the author urged us to run the race marked out for us by faith, for in the Lord we have come to the heavenly city where we can worship God in spirit and truth.
All of these blessed transactions have become a reality for us thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ. Referring to the great provision found in the Lord the author says in his benedictory prayer (which is found at the last part of the epistle), "May 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, equip 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."
This passage summarily tells us how God practically lets his blessings flow into our life. There are seven points to consider. Let us give a quick run down of these points.
First, the God of peace.
God is the God of peace. Naturally, God wants to make peace with his children. By way of sinning, however, people wage war against God, for sinning is like a man declaring war against God. But even if we sin and thereby render ourselves hostile to God, God still wants to make peace with us. But unless we set aside the problem of sin, it is impossible for God to make peace with us. So what did God do?
Second, the blood of the eternal covenant.
God sent Jesus Christ to die for our sins. Each act of sin comes with consequences, that is, death and then judgment. Speaking of the dreadful results, the Bible says, "The wages of sin is death." “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” “It is destined for man to die once, and after that to face judgment.” But if a sinner dies then how can God make peace with him? So in order for sinners not to die and suffer from eternal loss God sent Jesus, the sinless Son, to die for the sins of the world. About two thousand years ago Jesus indeed came and died on a tree for the sins of the world. The Lord God did this so that all who believe in him will be saved and come to a peaceful relationship with God.
Referring to God’s efforts to make peace with men the passage for today mentions "the blood of the eternal covenant." A covenant requires two parties, and the parties involved in this covenant are God and a believer. The contents of this covenant are that if a sinner looks at Jesus who shed his blood on the cross and believes in Jesus, God forgives him of his sins. This covenant is called the "eternal" covenant, for it never changes. Therefore it is important for us to have Jesus' blood among us. When we believe in this blood it guarantees that we enjoy full access to the presence of God.
Third, he brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus.
This transaction refers to the greatest miracle of all miracles, that is, the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus came to this world wearing a weak body, as weak as ours. And yet God raised him from the dead. The Risen Jesus is called the first-fruit of what is to come, that is, the resurrection of all who through faith cling to him.
Fourth, Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep.
This title refers to Jesus' on-going ministry. After rising from the dead Jesus pours God's Spirit into the hearts of those who believe him. Through the Holy Spirit Jesus continues to shepherd his flock and lead them to his kingdom.
Fifth, may he equip you with everything good.
One of the ways in which God takes care of his children through Jesus is mentioned here, that is, equipping. God equips you with everything good. For this reason the author of the epistle prays, saying, "May he equip you with everything good." Let us notice that it is God who equips you. God is the Wonderful God. He is the most powerful person of all. The other day I felt frustrated because I realized that my capabilities are so limited. But as I studied this passage I realized that I feel limited only because of my own fault, that is, it is I not God, who put the limit. My limited way of thinking limited my capabilities. God does the opposite. While God desires to equip me with "everything" good, in my ignorance I obstruct God and so he is unable to equip me with everything good. So I discovered that I worked as an enemy of God and I repented. Then God gave me lots of strength; he gave me new spirit and new power. Then the Lord enabled me to do seemingly impossible looking things such as finishing a message in an hour or so. Let us turn to our neighbors and say, “May the Lord equip you with everything good.”
Sixth, may he work in work in us what is pleasing to him.
This is another great point that is true of those who put trust in the Lord. A capable person may end up doing what is not beneficial to him or others. But the good thing is that the Lord not only equips you with everything good, but also works in you. And when he works in and through you, the result is going to be only beautiful. You need to rest assured that no result is going to be better than the result of the work the Lord is going to fulfill in and through you. We can be confident of this outcome for as we look around ourselves we can quickly find out tons of evidences which all testify that all the works the Lord does are good, pleasing and perfect.
Seventh, to him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
What then is the ultimate outcome of his work? The answer to this question is “glory.” Then who is to receive the glory? It is the Lord who deserves all of the credit.
Now that we have a quick run-down on the way in which we have full access to the riches of God's grace, let us now think about the application that follows.
Part II. Love one another.
There are basically four areas of application.
First, in our relationship with saints in the Lord.
Of all the blessings the Lord blesses us with, the relationship with fellow believers in the Lord counts first. In our ministry we have different people – different in character, personality, likes and dislikes, talents, opinions, etc. Since it is the Lord who put them in our life we can rest assured that the Lord has an absolutely good reason(s) to put them in our life. In other words, as the Lord desires to thoroughly bless us, in order to make sure that what he has in mind comes true, the Lord put this person or that person in our lives. This realization motivates us to value, cherish, and dearly love them, and we are called to do so continually.
On many occasions however one finds it not always easy to keep on loving fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord. As we come to see their sin problems, character flaws and weaknesses we get frustrated. But it is at this very moment that we should think about the great provision the Lord God has already made available for us. That is, as we ask the Lord, the Lord readily equips (if he has not already equipped) us with everything (such as wisdom and understanding, the spirit of love, the right words to encourage others with, etc.) necessary to enable us to keep on loving the saints in the Lord.
Second, in a marriage relationship.
The next area of application is in the context of marriage. In our ministry some are married and some are not. But both must listen to this exhortation. "Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral." This passage says that we should honor marriage. This means that we must accept it as God's institution designed to serve God's purpose. One of the requirements to fulfill this purpose is to keep the marriage bed pure. It is to keep the marriage free from the spirit of adultery; it is to purify ourselves from the practices of adulterers and the sexually immoral, such as fornicators. In this electronic age many however find it difficult if not impossible to keep oneself sexually pure. But again the purity itself comes from God the Father. This is a very important point to remember, for many people try to keep the marriage bed pure on their own but end up failing against their will, becoming victims to promiscuous environments of the present age.
Third, in finance.
Another big area of application we must consider for a blessed life in the blessed Lord is 'money.' God knows that we need to eat. Since we are in flesh, unless we keep putting something in our stomachs we cannot survive physically.
But in order for us to live a blessed life in the Lord we need to understand two things about money: first is its value and second is its provider. What is the value of money? Or how much attention does it deserve? The book of Genesis, especially the first two chapters, answer the question, that is, God counts first, then men second, and then money third. Genesis 1 and 2 teach us that there is a direction and priority among the three. The direction and priority among the three are this: money exists to serve man, man exists to serve God, and God works to support man. And we should "never" get mixed up on this order. For this reason the author of the epistle says, "Keep your lives free from the love of money..." This is an exhortation to not make us be slaves of money; in other words, we should not let money control us. Rather we must let money serve us.
But not all find it easy. However, on the matter of money as well, the Lord God has already provided us with the means by which to set us free. Look at verses 5-6, "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’ ” Practically, this passage teaches us that God is as practical as to provide us with what we are in need of, such as a job, a career, a place to stay, food to eat, clothes to wear, etc. So in regard to everything we are in need of, we must trust and ask God for his provision. Then, according to our needs, God provides us with what we need.
Fourth, in our relationship with leaders.
In verses 7-19 the author touches upon the relationship with leaders within the church. God has charged leaders with the task to speak the word of God. The servant of God’s word should not serve this duty like a man shooting a machine gun at random. Rather, he must serve the word of God with a clear goal, that is, to lead his congregation to Jesus Christ.
This is very important and no one should compromise on this point. Why is it so important? We find the answer to this in who Jesus is: that is, he is the same yesterday, today, and forever. One of the meanings of this characterization is to say that Jesus himself is perfection. We are all born imperfect. But God sent Jesus to transform us into Jesus’ likeness. To fulfill this purpose, as we read in the passage, Jesus was led out of the city of Jerusalem to the mount of Calvary where he shed his blood and thereby bore disgrace on our behalf. Jesus did this to open a new and living way for us to come to the city of God that is enduring. This is the message the church must carry. This is the reason for all of us to offer the sacrifices of praising the Lord, the offering of the fruit of our lips to the Lord. To enable the church to proclaim the way of perfection in Jesus, the Lord God established within the church fellowship leaders. And the leaders should proclaim the message of God’s kingdom. In order to encourage the leaders to serve the Lord with joy, the members of the Lord's church must obey the leaders and pray for them. But this is more easily said than done. But when we put trust in the Lord, the Lord provides us with the wisdom, love, and power to pray for and support our leaders.
In conclusion, let us read verse 1. “Keep on loving each other as brothers.” In the passage we saw that love runs from God the Father, through the Son, into the lives of those who love the Lord, so that through the members of the church God’s love would stream to the four corners of the world. Based on this provision, the author exhorts us to love one another, keep the marriage life pure, set ourselves free from the love of money, and obey the leaders in the church.
One word: Keep on loving each other
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