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Hebrews chapter 13, just a reminder 
we're not going to be meeting for about a month. So we left 
Solomon on his throne in 1 Kings chapter 2. So God willing in 
a month we will come back to Solomon on his throne and begin 
to consider Solomon's reign as the king over Israel. But tonight 
our focus is in the book of Hebrews, specifically chapter 13. I'll 
read beginning in verse 1. Let brotherly love continue. 
Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing, some have unwittingly 
entertained angels. Remember the prisoners as if 
chained with them, those who are mistreated, since you yourselves 
are in the body also. Marriage is honorable among all, 
and the bed undefiled, but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. 
Let your conduct be without covetousness. Be content with such things as 
you have. For he himself has said, I will 
never leave you nor forsake you. So we may boldly say, the Lord 
is my helper. I will not fear. What can man 
do to me? Remember those who rule over 
you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, 
considering the outcome of their conduct. Jesus Christ is the 
same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried about with 
various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart 
be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited 
those who have been occupied with them. We have an altar from 
which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. For the 
bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary 
by the high priest for sin are burned outside the camp. Therefore 
Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, 
suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to 
Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we have 
no continuing city, but we seek the One to come. Therefore, by 
Him, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, 
that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But 
do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices 
God is well pleased. Obey those who rule over you 
and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those 
who must give an account. Let them do so with joy and not 
with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. Pray for 
us, for we are confident that we have a good conscience in 
all things desiring to live honorably. But I especially urge you to 
do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner. Now may the 
God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that 
great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting 
covenant, make you complete in every good work to do his will, 
working in you what is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, 
to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. And I appeal to you, 
brethren, bear with the word of exhortation, for I've written 
to you in few words. Know that our brother Timothy 
has been set free, with whom I shall see you if he comes shortly. Greet all those who rule over 
you, and all the saints, those from Italy greet you. Grace be 
with you all. Amen. Now, the doctrinal portion 
of the book of Hebrews ends in chapter 9, chapter 10, and following 
are the practical chapters or practical application of everything 
that has preceded. And chapter 13 is the final chapter, 
obviously. It contains general exhortations 
in verses 1 to 6. instruction on community relationships 
with leaders, guarding against heresy, suffering for Christ, 
and the believer's sacrifice in verses 7 to 17. There is a 
request for prayer by the author, I believe it's Paul, in verses 
18 to 19, his prayer for them in verses 20 to 21, and then 
a final appeal and salutation in verses 22 to 25. So that's 
the larger context Our focus tonight very specifically is 
on verse 3. Remember the prisoners as if 
chained with them, those who are mistreated, since you yourselves 
are in the body also. What we find in this briefer 
section in verses 1 to 6, there's an emphasis upon love, hospitality, 
compassion, fidelity, and contentment. Now, I want to bring this to 
our attention because we do try to pray for the persecuted church. We try to make this a regular 
pattern or habit on our Wednesday night services and on Sunday 
morning services. The 13th of this month is what 
they call International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, 
and I think it's good for us to rehearse why it is we do that. Why do we pray for the persecuted 
church? Why would we pray for one of 
our own if they had been arrested for preaching the gospel and 
they were presently in a prison? We ought to pray for them, and 
this text calls us to do so. So I want to look at two things 
tonight, the context of the command, and then secondly, the content 
of the command, and then seek to draw out some practical application. But note the context, specifically 
in verses 1 to 3. The apostle says, let brotherly 
love continue. The fact that he says it's to 
continue is a good sign. The implication is that it's 
there, it's present among the people of God, and so he highlights 
them or exhorts them to let it continue. This is always important 
for churches. You may be doing what you're 
supposed to do, but we still need to be reminded. We need 
to be encouraged. We need to be exhorted so that 
we'll persevere. It's oftentimes the case that 
we go in fits and starts. We'll love a brother or we'll 
love the people of God for a Sunday, and then we fall back into our 
own ways. No, we need to be encouraged 
We need to persevere and we need to be consistent and faithful 
in these particular things. So he says, let brotherly love 
continue. That's the overarching or general 
exhortation in this particular section. Now there's two specific 
applications or two specific target audiences that he wants 
this love to continue toward. In the first place, we are to 
love strangers. Verse 2, ìDo not forget to entertain 
strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained 
angels.î Probably the implication there or the particular illustration 
is when Abraham met those three men and he entertained them, 
not, you know, doing a song and a dance, but killing food for 
them and fixing it for them and providing for their needs. There 
was a love shown, demonstrable through the action of preparing 
meals for these particular men. And then the second specific 
exhortation in terms of loving is to love sufferers, and that's 
what verse 3 indicates. Remember the prisoners as if 
chained with them, those who are mistreated, since you yourselves 
are in the body also. So if we don't remember the prisoners, 
if we don't pray for prisoners, if we are not concerned with 
the suffering among us, then arguably we are not letting brotherly 
love continue. This is not an optional command. It's not something that the super 
spiritual in particular churches undertake, but it's for all the 
people of God to make a priority in their lives. We are to let 
brotherly love continue. Certainly we love our families, 
certainly we love our church, certainly we love the various 
persons in our lives that are valuable to us, but the apostle 
wants us to extend ourselves, not just to love those who are 
near you, not just to love those who are within your own context, 
but rather to love strangers, those who are perhaps difficult 
to love because you don't know them, you don't know what they're 
about, you don't know if you click with them, nevertheless 
you are to love them. As well, we are to love the prisoners. We are to love those who suffer 
for the cause of Christ. Now, let's look at this particular 
command specifically. Note the duty involved. We are 
to remember them. Now, one famous dictionary defines 
it this way. Remember to care for them. It's not just remember that they're 
there, but remember in order to try and help them. It's remember 
with a view to taking action. Remember for good, to remember 
in a way which will benefit the person concerned in some way 
or other. Perhaps someone has asked you 
before, will you remember me in prayer? You say, yes, I'll 
remember you in prayer. If you don't pray for them, then 
you haven't remembered them in prayer, you see? It's not just 
saying that I will recall that there is this particular situation, 
but I will undertake, insofar as I am able to, to try and alleviate 
the problem that's involved, be it prayer, be it some other 
type of tangible ministry. We see the verb used in various 
places, specifically in Luke 23 at verse 42. The thief on 
the cross told Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. 
I doubt that the thief was concerned that when Jesus came into his 
kingdom, he would just remember that there happened to be this 
thief hanging on the cross next to him. No, it was remember me 
with a view to helping me. Remember me with a view to care 
for me. The Apostle Paul in Galatians 
2, when he's highlighting the fact that he met the Jewish leaders 
or the Jerusalem leaders of the church, and they said to Paul 
and his companions, they desired only that we should remember 
the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do. Again, 
he's not just saying, we remember that there were poor people out 
there. But when you trace through the book of Acts and you look 
at the epistles in light of the book of Acts, Paul is doing something 
very specific and tangible, and he makes good on what he's doing 
in Acts chapter 21. There was a prophet by the name 
of Agabus who prophesied that there was going to be a famine 
in Judea, and that did take place. That actually occurred. So Paul 
went to the Gentile churches and he asked them to cough up. 
He asked them to give their dough, give their money. He specifies 
or spells this all out in the book of Romans in chapter 15. 
If the Gentiles have benefited from the Jews, now that the Jews 
in Judea are in trouble, the Gentiles ought to dig deep and 
ought to give money to try and alleviate the poor people suffering 
famine conditions. So he's not saying, I was just 
eager to remember that there were poor people out there, No, 
I was eager to remember that there were poor people out there 
with a view to helping them, a view to caring for them. Another 
thing we ought to observe with reference to the command itself, 
remember, is that it's a present tense verb. That means it indicates 
a continual action. You're not supposed to just remember 
this on a Sunday morning or on a Wednesday night when we read 
Voice of the Martyrs. Now, thankfully, God willing, 
that's a means and a help to all of us to try and keep these 
things before our minds and hearts, but it ought not to be the case 
that, you know, Monday and Tuesday and Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 
we give no thought whatsoever to anybody but ourselves. No, 
we're really supposed to remember those who are in chains. It's 
a present, a verb that indicates a continual action. As well, 
the implication involved. Now, generally, let brotherly 
love continue. I said the implication is that 
brotherly love was there, but they're being exhorted and encouraged 
to keep on in it. The fact that he says, remember 
the prisoners, might indicate that it's easy to forget them. 
It's easy to not remember them. In fact, John Owen makes this 
observation. He says, it seems those that 
are at liberty are apt to forget Christ's prisoners, that they 
had need to be enjoined to be mindful of them. In other words, 
they had to be told to remember the prisoners. Owen also makes 
this very perceptive observation. He says, usually more fail in 
neglect of their duty towards sufferers and so fall from their 
profession. Imagine that, somebody falls 
from their profession because they weren't consistent in remembering 
the prisoners. He goes on to say, well let me 
just read it again because you got to feel the whole sense here. 
usually more fail and neglect of their duty towards sufferers 
and so fall from their profession than do so fall under and on 
the account of their suffering. In other words, more often it 
is the case that persons fail to remember and therefore fall 
from their profession than actually fall from their profession because 
they're suffering. See, it's easier to suffer than 
even remember those who suffer. That's the nature of the command. 
We are to remember. Now, notice the objects we are 
to remember. Remember the prisoners. The original 
audience would be able to identify with this reality. Look at Hebrews 
10. Hebrews chapter 10, specifically verses 32 to 36. They knew what it was like to 
suffer persecution for the cause of Jesus Christ. But recall the 
former days, 1032, in which, after you were illuminated, you 
endured a great struggle with sufferings, partly while you 
were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, 
and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated. 
For you had compassion on me and my chains, and joyfully accepted 
the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better 
and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven. Therefore, 
do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward." So there 
is this emphasis or there's this idea, even within the context 
of the book itself, that these were realities. People were suffering. People were hurting. People were 
in prison. People had their stuff confiscated. 
People had discomfort inflicted upon them as a result of their 
commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, the background to 
all of this is broad. I think we find it already in 
Genesis chapter 3. God says that He will put enmity 
between the seed of the woman and the serpent. It's a God-imposed 
enmity. There's an antithesis between 
those who are in line with the devil and those who are in line 
with Christ. You see it already after Genesis 
chapter 3. Cain murders Abel. Why is that? Because Cain was a God-hating 
rebel and Abel feared the Lord. And then it just rolls on from 
there. The people of God are targeted. 
They are persecuted. They suffer. Notice the various 
places in the New Testament that highlights this reality for the 
people of God. Matthew chapter 5. We'll just 
look at a few here. There are plenty that we could 
look at in terms of the reality that the people of God oftentimes 
suffer for the cause of God, and those who are not suffering 
ought to remember them, ought to seek to encourage them, and 
ought to bring them before the throne of grace. It's our responsibility. It's a command. It is an application 
of the love that we are supposed to demonstrate. Jesus said in 
John 13, 35, "...by this all men will know that you are my 
disciples." If you're a Reformed Baptist, if you study the 1689 
Confession of Faith, if you come on Saturday morning and study 
Berkhoff's system, no, "...by this all men will know that you 
are my disciples, if you have love for one another." And it's 
easy to love people that we love. It's more difficult to love the 
strangers and the sufferers, and this is precisely what the 
apostle is saying. In other words, get our eyes 
off of ourselves, get our eyes off of our immediate context, 
and get our eyes onto something that God says is necessary. Notice in Matthew 5.10, Blessed 
are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for 
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile 
and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely 
for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, 
for great is your reward in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets 
who were before you. Now many of you might not know 
this, but C. H. Spurgeon suffered a lot. I 
mean, he wasn't in, you know, Iran, he didn't get his head 
chopped off for the cause of the gospel, but the press, the 
secular press in London at that time used to continually poke 
fun at him. They used to, persons outside 
of sort of Reformed and Baptistic circles used to consistently 
attack him. I mean, he suffered a lot for 
the cause of God and truth. His faithful wife, Susie, commissioned 
a man to print this out on a great big picture, a great big framed 
thing, and put it up above their bed so that when he got up in 
the morning and he was sitting there putting on his socks or 
whatever Spurgeon did to get himself ready for the day, he 
could refresh his thoughts or he could refresh his heart with 
a view to this particular promise, blessed are you who are persecuted 
for righteousness' sake. Notice in Acts chapter 5, we 
could spend all night in the book of Acts just to indicate 
the persecution and the suffering that the faithful people of God 
undergo as a result of the gospel of the Lord Jesus. But just specifically, 
Acts 5 verse 40, this is when the apostles are told not to 
preach the gospel. Gamaliel says, you shouldn't 
do this. You shouldn't oppose this. And 
then in verse 40, it says, they agreed with him. And when they 
had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that 
they should not speak in the name of Jesus and let them go. 
So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that 
they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily 
in the temple and in every house, they did not cease teaching and 
preaching Jesus as the Christ. Acts chapter 12. Acts chapter 
12. Remember when the two sons of 
Zebedee come to the Lord Jesus and say, grant, Lord, that we 
may sit on your right and on your left when you come in your 
kingdom. And Jesus says, you don't know 
what you ask. Are you going to undergo the 
baptism that I undergo? Are you going to drink the cup 
that I drink? And they said, oh, we're able to do so, Lord. 
And then Jesus does say, you will indeed be baptized. He's 
not talking about water baptism. He's talking about baptism with 
suffering, baptism with pain, baptism with hardship. Now, those 
two sons of Zebedee were James and John. Here's that particular 
James, and here's what he got in the early church, Acts 12.1. Now, about that time, Herod the 
king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. 
Then he killed James, the brother of John, with the sword. And 
because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further 
to seize Peter also. Now, it was during the days of 
unleavened bread. So when he had arrested him, 
he put him in prison and delivered him to four squads of soldiers 
to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover. 
So one man is butchered. Another man is in prison. Notice 
in Acts 14, first missionary journey by the apostle Paul. 
First, Acts 14, specifically verse 19. Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium 
came there, and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul 
and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. However, 
when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into 
the city, and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. 
Now note verse 21. And when they had preached the 
gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned 
to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch. strengthening the souls of the 
disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, 
we must, through many tribulations, enter the kingdom of God." I 
suppose that when Paul preached that, nobody raised their hand 
and said, what do you mean? What do you possibly... Paul 
was just stoned. That takes an effect or an impact 
upon a man. And when he stands up and he's 
bearing on his body the brand marks of Jesus, and he says, 
we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God, his 
body's preaching the same message. And so you don't have to, you 
know, ask, what do you mean by that? They knew exactly what 
he meant by that. If you follow the rest of the 
book of Acts, you see Paul the apostle very specifically on 
the run, under arrest, all sorts of things. I think he summarizes 
it well in 2 Corinthians 11. 2 Corinthians 11, beginning in 
verse 22. Again, just showing you that 
the early church knew something about prisoners for the Lord 
Jesus Christ They knew something about persecution and suffering. 
The Apostle here tells them to let brotherly love continue, 
and one of the concrete illustrations of that love is the fact that 
they would remember the prisoners. 2 Corinthians 11.22, are they 
Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? 
So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? 
So am I. Are they ministers of Christ? 
I speak as a fool, I am more. Now, you've got to remember what 
Paul's doing in 2 Corinthians. Persons had come along and basically 
put down Paul to the Corinthian church. They had come along and 
they had said, he's not really in this for your well-being. 
He likes money, and he likes prestige, and he likes power, 
and he's just trying to use you. So 2 Corinthians, in many respects, 
is Paul's defense of Paul. He's not defending himself because 
of his honor and his integrity. He's defending himself because 
of the Corinthians. He preached the true gospel to 
them. And if they now believe that 
the apostle was a fake, a deceit, or a fraud, they would reject 
the gospel that he preached. That's why 2 Corinthians sounds 
apologetic. not apologizing, not I'm sorry, 
but a defense of Paul and his ministry. And this is precisely 
what he's countering here. These super apostles that had 
come in, these super men, these eminent ones saying how great 
they were. And so Paul is saying here, they 
think they've got something, here's what I've got. Again, 
not so that he can parade himself and his accomplishments, but 
so that the Corinthians will believe the gospel that he himself 
preached. It says, are they ministers of 
Christ? I speak as a fool, I am more. In labors more abundant. You know what else Paul got besides 
what these super apostles had? He says, I had more in terms 
of this, but he says this, in labors more abundant, in stripes 
above measure. In prisons more frequently, in 
deaths often. From the Jews five times I receive 
40 stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with 
rods. We read this stuff, we don't really ponder it. I don't 
know that I could take one lash from a whip and be happy afterwards 
or be worshipping and praising. I'd probably need time in ICU. 
to lick my wounds." Do you see what he says? Five times he received 
40 stripes minus one. Three times he was beaten with 
rods. That's probably a reference to the Roman magistrate. Remember 
that the Jews were under the law of God. The law of God specified 
You are not supposed to exceed 40 lashes. That's why they went 
40 minus 1. We don't want to get anywhere 
near violating the law of God. I mean, the fact that they're 
beating and scourging an innocent man didn't really comport, but 
we're not going to go over 40 here. But when these Romans administered 
the rod, I don't think they cared one whit about the Mosaic law 
and its stipulation concerning no more than 40. So we don't 
know how many times these Romans beat Paul in terms of the actual 
number of strikes. But he says, three times I was 
beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, 
a night and a day I've been in the deep, in journeys often, 
in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own 
countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, 
in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils 
among false brethren, in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, 
in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness, 
Besides the other things, this just kills me, what comes upon 
me daily, my deep concern for all the churches. Not only am 
I beaten up, I'm worried about you Corinthians because you're 
actually entertaining these guys instead of listening to the gospel 
that I preach to you. I'm out there getting hammered 
and I have to deal with you because you're listening to these liars 
that have come in. I think this would be a good 
passage when we feel like, you know, nobody has ever suffered 
like we do. You know, my life is full of 
toil and tribulation and difficulty and nobody has the aches and 
the pains that I suffer with. Just open 2 Corinthians 11, 22 
and following and let that minister to your soul. Look at what the 
apostle went through for the glory of God and for the good 
of the churches. He says, Who is weak, and I am 
not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I 
do not burn with indignation? If I must boast, I will boast 
in the things which concern my infirmity. The God and Father 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that 
I am not lying. And Damascus, the governor, under 
Eratos, the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with 
a garrison, desiring to arrest me. but I was let down in a basket 
through a window in the wall and escaped from his hands." 
I mean, if we get bumped from, you know, preferred seating somewhere, 
we get a little bent out of shape. The Apostle Paul is being lowered 
out of a city in a basket and escaping through a window in 
the wall. I mean, this is real. This is 
what the church has historically known. I would argue, I haven't 
done the research, I'm sure there's data that may support this, probably 
what we experience here in Canada and in the United States over 
the last couple hundred years is unprecedented in terms of 
a lack of harassment on the church. I mean, I'm not saying it's not 
growing. I'm not saying that there's not, you know, it on 
the horizon. I certainly think that if things 
keep going the way they're going, we better be a lot more schooled 
in this theme than we already are. But brethren, I mean, we 
really have a lot of freedoms and a lot of liberties, and we're 
still lazy and apathetic and so lacking in terms of zeal and 
commitment. I mean, we have been given much. 
What does God say? He who's been given much is supposed 
to produce much, not just to abuse it and neglect it and not 
use it. I mean, it's just amazing the 
good things we have. And yet, boy oh boy, we just 
can't come to church because, you know. My pinky hurts. I just don't understand some 
of the mindset that we go through. Anyways, back to Scripture. 2 
Timothy 3.12, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus 
shall suffer persecution. Another is 1 Peter 4.12-19. But 
you get the point. The objects we are to remember 
are the prisoners, those people who suffer for the cause of God 
and truth. Now, they're prisoners for the 
gospel. Peter makes that distinction. 
Notice in 1 Peter 4. just kind of alluded to it, but 
look at something here. This is something where the people 
of God need to take heed as well. Notice in 4.12, Beloved, do not 
think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you 
as though some strange thing happened to you. You know what 
Peter's saying? Expect it. If some bad things happen to 
you for the cause of Christ, don't freak out. You really ought 
to be more surprised that nothing bad ever happens to you for the 
cause of Christ, right? I mean, this is what he says. 
Do not think it's strange. If there's trial because you're 
faithful, that's not the odd thing. That's normal. You see, this world hates God. This world is against Yahweh 
and against His Christ. This world raises its fist at 
God. This world cannot get to God 
and throw Him off of His throne, so they will take His representatives, 
His followers, His people, and they will try and dash them onto 
the ground. So, it really ought not to surprise 
us. But notice what else Peter says, 
we are to exult in it. Exult, E-X-U-L-T. That means 
to rejoice in it. Notice in verse 13, but rejoice 
to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that 
when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding 
joy. Sounds like Peter was paying 
attention when Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus spoke 
Matthew 5, 10 to 12 in the hearing of Peter, and this passage certainly 
indicates that Peter understood. Notice as well, verse 14, "...if 
you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for 
the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their party 
is blaspheme, but on your party is glorified." Now, Peter now 
says, you need to evaluate the cause of your suffering. So expect 
it, verse 12, exult in it, verses 13 and 14, but evaluate its cause, 
verses 15 to 18. Let none of you suffer as a murderer, 
a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters. Yet 
if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let 
him glorify God in this matter. Sometimes people come home from 
work and they say, wow, my co-workers are so mean to me because I'm 
a Christian. Maybe it's not because you're a Christian, but because 
you're a busybody. Peter's saying you need to evaluate 
its cause. It may not be that you're as 
faithful as you think you are. It may be that you're just obnoxious. 
You're offensive. Instead of working, you're whining, 
grumbling, moaning, and complaining. And if they don't like you as 
a result of that, don't boast in being a Christian. Don't bring 
that discredit upon our dear Lord, who tells you whatever 
your hand finds to do, do it with your mic. You ought not 
to be the whiner at the lunchroom, you ought to be the faithful 
employee. So, evaluate its cause. If you're in prison for murder, 
yeah, we're going to remember you for sure. God grant them 
repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus. But when the Apostle is 
telling us in Hebrews 13, remember the prisoners, we are to assume 
from the rest of the Bible, they're prisoners for the cause of God 
and truth. because they're murderers or 
rapists or pedophiles or something like that. Again, we could still 
visit and remember and all that sort of thing, but the point 
in Hebrews 13 is that brethren you love are now in the pokey 
because of their commitment to the Lord Jesus. And then if you're 
interested, the last E in that section is entrust yourself to 
God. Verse 19, therefore, let those 
who suffer, look at this, according to the will of God, She can't 
believe I'm going through this. It's according to the will of 
God. Is there anything that happens outside of the will of God? Do 
you live in a world, a universe governed by chance or fate? No, 
you live in a world governed by God. How does God execute 
his decree? Through the works of creation 
and providence. All things happen according to 
the will of God. I mean, look at this passage. 
Again, I don't know how anybody could ever balk against sovereignty. Therefore, let those who suffer 
according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in 
doing good as to a faithful Creator. Isn't that a beautiful implication 
as well? You're suffering, you need to commit your souls to 
God in doing good. You're suffering. What's the 
temptation or tendency when we're suffering? Whining, grumbling, 
complaining, sniveling. No, no. You're supposed to do 
good even when you're suffering. You mean I don't get a break? 
I'm going through these hardships. Can't I just chill out? No. Doesn't 
matter that you're suffering. It's according to the will of 
God and you're still supposed to do what's good in trusting 
your soul to this faithful creator. So there's quite a theology of 
suffering that we could develop in the scriptures. But back to 
Hebrews 13. So we see the duty to remember, it's a remember 
to care for them, remember with a view to taking action. The 
specific persons we are to remember are the prisoners, those who 
are mistreated. And then notice in the final 
place with reference to the command, the reason we are to remember. 
says, remember the prisoners as if chained with them. In other 
words, see yourself in solidarity with them. And he develops this 
a bit further. Those who are mistreated, since 
you yourselves are in the body also. Now this could mean you're 
in the body, you know what it's like to be physically deprived. 
You're in the body, you know what it would be like to have 
your goods confiscated. You're in the body, you know 
what it would be like to be, you know, close to dying for 
the cause of the Lord Jesus. That's certainly there. I mean, 
I think if I consider Asia Bibby, for instance, and she's been 
away from her family for however long, I'm in the body. I know 
what that would be like for me to be away from my wife and kids 
for that long. That's certainly something that 
we identify with. Or it could be the reference, 
I think, in light of what he's already said, as if chained with 
them, since you yourselves are in the body also. The solidarity 
of the church. In other words, if one of us 
suffers, we all suffer. Doesn't the Lord Christ identify 
with this church? Isn't it beautiful when Jesus 
comes to Paul on the road to Damascus? Well, at that time, 
Saul of Tarsus, and when Saul says, Who art thou, Lord? What 
does he say? I am Jesus, whom what? whom you 
are persecuting. It's an amazing statement, isn't 
it? At that point, Jesus had been enthroned at the right hand 
of God Almighty. Jesus comes and makes an appearance 
to the Apostle Paul, and he tells him, I am Jesus, whom you are 
persecuting. What's the implication? Jesus 
says, if you persecute my church, you are persecuting me. If you 
persecute Asia Bibi, you're persecuting us. If you persecute someone 
in our local body, you have all of us in your crosshairs. And 
so therefore, we are in the body also. We ought to therefore uphold 
brethren that suffer. The language of Romans 12.15 
I think is very appropriate. Rejoice with those who rejoice. 
If somebody came here tonight and said, I need to share something. 
I found a sack of money and the police said that I could keep 
it because it had been drug dealers and they got caught and they're 
all gone. We'd probably say, that's great, good. We would 
rejoice in that. Hopefully, we wouldn't begrudge 
you and go home and whine about it. Why can't I ever find money? 
No, we would rejoice with those who rejoice. But it goes on to 
say, and weep with those who weep. Brethren, that's not just, 
again, for a few in the church. Well, you know, they got a ministry 
of weeping, and they really sympathize, and they're compassionate. This 
is for all of us. Let brotherly love continue. 
I don't know why we oftentimes think, well, there's elders that 
will do that, or there's deacons that will do that, or there's 
really spiritual people in the church, or there's these people 
that are... No, it's for all of us. Do you understand that? The commands that come to us 
in the New Testament aren't specifically directed at one group of people. It's like Jude 3. This is just 
an illustration. Is that to the pastors? To the 
seminary professors? To the doctors? It's for every 
Christian. We're all supposed to do that. 
1 Peter 3, always be ready to give a reason for the hope that 
is within you, in meekness and fear. He's not addressing, okay, 
I'm talking to the rabble, but now I'm going to talk to the 
right reverends, and here's what you need to do in terms of your... 
No! It's all of us that are addressed in the New Testament Scriptures, 
and all of us need to let brotherly love continue. We need to illustrate 
or extend this love to strangers and to sufferers. And the specific 
reasons are given to us by the Apostle as if chained with them, 
since you yourselves are in the body also. I think both things 
are appropriate. Think about what kind of a hardship 
it would create to you if you were taken out of your home and 
you were put into a prison. That would really be a terrible 
thing, wouldn't it? Again, I can't identify with 
that. I don't know what it's like to 
be Asia Bibi. I don't know what it's like to not come home at 
the end of the day to a wife and kids. It's just foreign. But this is happening to people 
all over the world as we sit here tonight. I mean, our problem 
is, wow, that rain's pretty loud tonight. I don't know if I'm 
going to hear it. He's got a bit of a cough. Brethren, there's real 
life suffering all over the place. And what the Apostle says is 
that we need to let brotherly love continue. And one of the 
means by which that brotherly love continues is to remember 
the prisoners. Remember them. Now, as I said, 
some practical application. Some examples, in case we haven't 
given enough, let's look at some Old Testament examples of suffering. This is right there in the book 
of Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 11, 35b-38. As I suggest, or as I submit, 
these people reading the book of Hebrews would have seen, would 
not have had to be saying, whoa, what do you mean? There's prisoners? 
Of course they knew this. Look at this. The people of God 
were mocked and scourged. Again, just going to quickly 
glance through Hebrews 11, 35 to 38. The people of God were 
chained and in prison. Joseph was in prison. Micaiah 
the prophet, 1 Kings 22. Jeremiah the prophet. Could you imagine putting your 
filthy mitts on Jeremiah to chain and imprison him? I mean, this 
was the weeping prophet. This is the man who composed 
Jeremiah and the Lamentations. How do you take that man and 
put him in a prison? You've got to be a wretch. And 
then the people of God were stoned. Paul the apostle, we just saw 
it in Acts 14. Zechariah the priest, 2 Chronicles 
24. Tradition says that Jeremiah 
was stoned in Egypt by the apostate Jews. Remember, Jeremiah ends 
up in Egypt. Well, tradition suggests that 
he was stoned there by apostate Jews. Now, the apostle here says 
the people of God were sawn in two. I mean, the godless are 
imaginative in the way that they dispatch the people of God. They 
saw them in two. I mean, this really shouldn't 
be surprising to us over the last couple years watching or 
seeing these ISIS videos where they just cut heads off. I mean, 
that's just the reality. The wicked despise the righteous 
and will do horrific things. Now, I remember when I first 
started going through the book of Hebrews, got to Hebrews 11, I 
would read in my Bible reading the sawing in two, and there's 
no marginal reading or no note or any particular reference there, 
like who it was. Commentators pretty much suggest 
that it was Isaiah the prophet. Again, I mean, could you imagine 
taking that man, Isaiah the prophet, the man who penned Isaiah 53 
and sawing him in two? That's criminal on a whole host 
of levels. I mean, that's just as reprehensible 
as it gets. The people of God were tempted, 
probably tested is the idea behind the word there. And then the 
people of God wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, 
being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy. 
They wandered in deserts and mountains and dens and caves 
of the earth. something we just really don't 
identify with. I mean, this is, you know, so 
not the way it is in Canada and in the U.S. We have homes and 
stability and clothes and comfort and warmth. If it gets cold, 
we turn on the heat. If it's hot, we turn on the air. 
We need milk or water, there's a box that always has it. If 
that box runs out, we go down to the big box at the end of 
the block and we can purchase one, and it's not that much. 
I mean, come on, in the grand scheme of things. This is what 
the people of God suffered. Philip Hughes in his excellent 
commentary on the book of Hebrews says, the language is vividly 
descriptive of the savage indignities and severe hardships which men 
and women of faith have been willing to endure rather than 
deny the truth by which they have been liberated. It depicts, 
moreover, the fierce hatred of the unbelieving world in its 
guilty hostility to the truth as it ruthlessly hunts and assaults 
those whose trust is in the immutability of the divine promises." I think 
he's brilliant there. It points out, yes, the hostility 
and the enmity and the wretchedness of men, but the faith of the 
people that endure that. And why does the book of Hebrews 
tell us they did that? Because they counted the reward 
of Christ better. It wasn't just, you know, I just 
love to suffer. I just love pain. I just, you 
know, torment me, torture me. I mean, Hebrews 11, where it 
speaks of Moses, he chose rather to suffer affliction with the 
people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. Why? Because he esteemed the reward 
greater. The people of God always have 
better in their future. That's why they'll go to prison. 
That's why they'll be sawn into. That's why they'll get stoned. 
That's why they'll wander in goatskins and sheepskins and 
be destitute and be mocked and be stoned and be skirted, all 
that. because Christ is altogether lovely and chief among 10,000. 
I mean, did you get that in Acts 5? They were beaten, and what 
did they do? They rejoiced that they had been counted worthy 
to suffer shame for his name. I mean, that's what's behind 
this. Yes, the enmity, the wickedness, 
the world, the antithesis, even wrought by God himself in the 
garden at the very beginning, but it's also a display of the 
faithfulness of those prisoners who are now in chains. We need 
to remember them. We need to thank God for them. 
I mean, I think we've got the wrong heroes today. We pay guys, 
you know, billions of dollars and, you know, wear shirts with 
their names on them because they can throw a ball. And you got 
the people of God that are like faithful unto death and nobody 
knows their names. It's really, you know, we ought 
to teach our children who the real heroes are. The real heroes 
are in our church that are faithful, they're consistent, they do what 
God says. Those are heroes, not somebody 
that can, you know, hit a puck. I mean, as noble as a task as 
that might be, it is nothing compared to the faithfulness 
of God's people. And then some practical benefits 
of obedience to this command. When we actually take Hebrews 
13.3 seriously, when we remember the prisoners, what are some 
practical benefits? Well, in the first place, we 
need to remember the prisoners because they are easily forgotten. 
You've heard that adage, out of sight, out of mind. I think 
abortion is the same thing. Most of us don't look at pictures 
of abortion. Most of us don't educate ourselves 
on abortion. It's out of sight, out of mind. 
We don't pray against abortion and abortionists because we don't 
think about it. Well, perhaps we ought to think 
about it. Write it on our, you know, daytimers 
or put it in our iPhones and, you know, the alert. Think about 
these. We live in a God-hating world where babies are being 
murdered, where, you know, the elderly are now being murdered, 
the infirm are being murdered, and where people are in prison 
for the Lord Jesus Christ. If it's out of sight, it's out 
of mind. Secondly, we need to remember the prisoners because 
Jesus commends this activity. He commends this. We're going 
to see this in Matthew 25. Jesus says, I was naked and you 
clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. 
I was in prison and you came to me. Assuredly, I say to you, 
inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, 
you did it to me." Now brethren, I preach justification by faith 
every week. I saw a quote by Luther, I preach 
justification every week because my people keep on forgetting 
it. I think that's a good way to approach that. Justification 
by faith, by grace through faith alone. But that does not militate 
against or disregard the place of good works. It is justification 
by faith alone in Christ alone that's the foundation for the 
works that follow. If we don't have this, we won't 
produce that. This doesn't get us to heaven, 
but it's the evidence that by God's grace we're going to heaven. 
And this is what Jesus says, I was naked and you clothed me. 
I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came 
to me. This is what Christ commends 
as well. Remember the prisoners in order 
to pray for them. When you remember them, hopefully 
you'll remember them enough to say, oh Lord, please bless Asia 
and help her to get out of this predicament. Fourthly, remember 
the prisoners in order to give tangible aid to them. Say it 
wasn't Asia Bibi over in Afghanistan or Pakistan, and it was Cam Porter 
in a prison in Vancouver. Drive there and bring him something 
warm. Drive there and feed the guy. 
I mean, we really are supposed to do those sorts of things. 
Fifthly, remember the prisoners in order to visit them, just 
to go and see them. You don't have to talk to them, 
counsel them, just go visit them. I mean, anybody who's been in 
the hospital or anybody who's sick knows the value of somebody 
who's come to visit them. It's just a blessed thing. Remember 
the prisoners in order to write to them. That's a legit thing. I remember years ago, we need 
to get this back. Youth group night, we would just 
write to prisoners. We'd get lists and write to prisoners. 
That's a good thing. Or write to magistrates and tell 
them to let them go. Remember the prisoners in order 
to demonstrate Christian compassion. Remember the prisoners in order 
to help them to persevere. I gotta think, if I was in the 
prison and they said, hey, you got five letters from, you know, 
I don't know what a Chilliwack is, but you got five letters 
from there, and, you know, five people saying, you know, press 
on, brother, be faithful. I mean, what would that be like 
if you were in their situation? And then remember the prisoners 
in order to pray for their persecutors. I mean, Saul of Tarsus was on 
his way to do serious damage to the church. Praise God that 
Jesus came and saved him. Now, I think we can pray for 
either A, their salvation, or B, their restraint. And that 
restraint may come via punishment, so I think that's a legitimate 
expression of an imprecatory prayer. As well, remember the 
prisoners to express the love that is the identifying mark 
of the believer. And then A.W. Pink makes an observation 
that I think is golden. He says, remember the prisoners 
to get our eyes off of ourselves. If you haven't figured it out, 
you probably will at some time. Self is the greatest enemy in 
the Christian life. I mean, we've got the world and 
we've got the flesh and we've got the devil. The devil might 
be busy on a given day and not messing with us. We might be 
on a desert island somewhere and not have the world, but we 
got us. No matter where we are, we got 
us. And we got enough in us to be just as terrible as we could 
possibly be. Put us in the best environment, 
Adam in the garden, we will sin. Put us in the worst environment, 
we will sin. It's just an inevitability. But 
it gets our eyes off of self. Do you know what you're not thinking 
about while you're praying for the persecuted church? You're 
not thinking about yourself. Pink says, most reprehensible 
and unchrist-like is that selfish callousness which says, I have 
enough troubles of my own without concerning myself over those 
of other people. Putting it on the lowest ground, 
such a spirit ministers no relief. The most effectual method of 
getting away from our own sorrows is to seek out and relieve others 
in distress." That's a great lesson. You got problems? Go serve somebody. Go help somebody. Go do something nice. Look at 
2 Timothy chapter 1. 2 Timothy chapter 1, the example 
of Anesiphorus. 2 Timothy 1.15, This you know, 
that all those in Asia have turned away from me, among whom are 
Phygelus and Hermogenes. The Lord grant mercy to the household 
of Anesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed 
of my chain. See, this is probably what lay 
behind Paul's statement in Philippians 1. Some preach Christ with goodwill, 
with heartfelt joy, and others out of envy and spite. People 
were ashamed of Paul because he was in chains. Right? They were ashamed of the apostle 
because he was in prison. He knew why he was in prison. 
He wasn't there because he was a wrongdoer. But not Onesiphorus. He was not ashamed of my chain. 
But when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously 
and found me. The Lord grant to him that he 
may find mercy from the Lord in that day, and you know very 
well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus. So those are 
some things that we ought to consider with reference to the 
practical benefits. And one final observation. We 
need to consider the grace of God available to sufferers. The 
grace of God available to sufferers. My wife and I had a very excellent 
time this morning. We went and we got sworn in. 
as Canadian citizens. And one of the things that the 
judge did not say is that you will never have persecution in 
Canada. You will always be left alone for your Christian faith. 
No, there's no promise. Judge couldn't give it. The whole 
system can't give it. The Lord Jesus has never given 
it either. We need to understand. There 
may be suffering. And I know we suffer. I'm not 
neglecting the physical pains and the trauma. You know what 
I mean. you know, breathing down on our necks in terms of prison, 
hardship, deprivation, confiscation of goods and property. Owen says, with reference to 
this potential inevitability, he says, it is better, and I 
hope we all agree, more safe and honorable to be in bonds 
with and for Christ than to be at liberty with a brutish, raging, 
persecuting world. Better to be in bonds with and 
for Christ than to be at liberty with a brutish, raging, persecuting 
world. We need to understand that God 
does give grace in times of suffering. Turn to Acts 7. Acts chapter 
7. I love the way that Stephen finishes 
his sermon. It's also intriguing the way 
he begins his sermon. Look real quick at 7.2. Brethren 
and fathers. He didn't come right out of the 
gate with what he does at the end. So brethren and fathers, 
but as he's rehearsing the history of Israel and their continual 
rejection of the prophets, culminating even in what's going on with 
him, he brings it home in 51 and says, you stiff-necked and 
uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 
Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they 
killed those who foretold the coming of the just one, of whom 
you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received 
the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it. Now, do 
you think they all love that? He just called us stiff-necked 
and uncircumcised and heart and ears. What a nice Bible study 
that was. No? When they heard these things, 
they were cut to the heart and they gnashed at him with their 
teeth. See, in Acts 2 they were cut to the heart and they cried 
out, what must we do? And Peter says, repent and be 
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. 
Not so here. They're gnashed, or rather they're 
cut to the heart, but instead they respond with venom and rage. 
They gnashed at him with their teeth, notice, but he being full 
of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God 
and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. You see the grace 
that God gives to sufferers. And notice it's the triune God. All three persons of the Godhead 
are present at the stoning of Stephen in this instance. He's 
filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazes into heaven, he sees 
the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Why 
is Jesus standing? Doesn't the book of Hebrews make 
much out of the fact that once Jesus finished his redemptive 
work on behalf of his people, he ascends on high, he sits at 
the right hand of God Most High. I mean, there's a big theological 
distinction there. The high priest on the Day of 
Atonement would go into the Holy of Holies, he'd offer up the 
sacrifice, and then he'd get out. He didn't sit out on the 
mercy seat. He didn't chill out. He didn't, 
you know, do anything that would cause him to linger in there. 
He did his business and he got back out lest he should die. The book of Hebrews says that 
Christ sat down after his work. It's to illustrate the theology 
of the completion of the once for all sacrifice. Doesn't mean 
Jesus never stands up because we see that in fact he does. 
Gil, I think, is right when he says that Jesus standing here 
evidences or indicates two things. In the first place, it indicates 
to Stephen Jesus' willingness to receive him unto himself. That after he goes through this 
ignoble death, after he suffers the stones of these violent men, 
Christ is there to receive him into his presence and into his 
glory. He'll also suggest that Jesus 
is standing in judgment over these wretched men, because it's 
a tribunal. Stephen's before the Sanhedrin. 
This is a religious court. They have him in the dock. But Jesus' standing is suggestive 
of the fact that it's them who are on trial, and it's them that 
are ultimately going to pay. But all that to say that God 
gives grace to sufferers in the midst of their trials and difficulties, 
and the final thought we ought to entertain is that the Lord 
Jesus is worth suffering for. The Lord Jesus is worth suffering 
for. Whatever they may throw at us, 
whatever difficulties we may undergo, whatever hardship, if 
it's state enforced, state imprisonment, heads chopped off, whatever it 
may be, Christ is altogether lovely and chief among 10,000, 
and he is worth suffering for. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you for the Word of God, and we pray that you would 
help us to let brotherly love continue, not just among those 
whom we know, but among strangers and even to prisoners, God. Give 
us grace to remember these things, to read these voices of the martyrs, 
to read other reports that we find even on secular news nowadays, 
God. I pray that these things would 
affect us, that we would be prayerful, that we would consider such things. 
and that it would have that beneficial effect to take our eyes off of 
ourselves at least for a few moments during the day. We ask 
that you would go with us now and watch over us, bless and 
protect your people in this church, and we pray through Christ Jesus 
our Lord. Amen.