Hebrews #39: an exposition of Hebrews 13:1-3. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, January 25, 2015.
Intro:
At times life is overwhelming. Shakespeare said, “Sorrows seldom come as single soldiers, they come as a battalion!” It’s seldom, if ever, one thing. When life comes crashing down we usually say, “Well, what’s next?” The little church in Rome was bruised and bleeding. They had been through so much and there were dark clouds on the horizon. No wonder they wanted to quit. No wonder they questioned whether they had made a mistake in believing. The inspired narrator pleads with them to continue in the faith. He also makes it abundantly clear that they are not to go it alone! They are not to, “Pull themselves up by their own bootstraps and do the best they can.” They are to look to Christ. They are to trust in the grace and power of God and they are to lean on one another. The writer has gone to great lengths to show that Christ is better than the best that Judaism and the world has to offer. We have a great high priest who has entered in, behind the veil into the very presence of God and He intercedes for us night and day. We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses – men and women of faith whose lives testify to the power and grace of God. Their example cheers us on. In chapter 12 he reminds us we have not come to the fire and smoke of Sinai but to Mt. Zion, the city of God, the heavenly Jerusalem where we find grace and forgiveness through our mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our text this morning in found in the 13th chapter of Hebrews beginning with verse 1.
Text: Hebrews 13:1-3
The consistent message throughout Hebrews is that our faith is a “communal” faith. I’m not suggesting we go by a piece of farm land and move in together – I mean that we are part of a community. We are a body, a family. We are responsible to and for one another. In the 13th chapter the writer gives a series of exhortations and concluding remarks. It is something of a laundry list – covering a variety of subjects. He gives moral advice related to our social life, our private life and our religious life. The point is that our faith impacts every area of life. We cannot compartmentalize and say well my faith impacts my family and my church but not really my professional life. It impacts the whole of your life.
This morning I want us to focus on his admonitions found in the first three verses.
As we work our way through this text we discover that…
Thesis: Our love for Christ and our obedience to His commands is clearly seen in our treatment of others.
- There are 3 things I want to point out along the way.
- Obedience to Christ demands we chose to love one another unconditionally. (13:1)
- Obedience to Christ demands we show genuine hospitality. (13:2)
- Obedience to Christ demands we care for those who suffer and are mistreated because of their faith. (13:3)
Conclusion:
This is why we need the church. This is why you must not live this life with just you, your Bible and your personal Lord and Savior but you live this life as part of the body of Christ!
Choosing to love one another unconditionally.
Demonstrating genuine hospitality.
Caring for those who suffer and are mistreated because of their faith.