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Return in your Bibles to Hebrews
chapter 13. Hebrews chapter 13. If you're
a McShane calendar user, you would have read Hebrews 13 this
morning. Or you can still read it tonight.
I don't want you to feel convicted if you didn't read it this morning.
You still have a few hours before the day is over. to satisfy your
requirement. Now, don't approach the McShane
calendar as satisfying a requirement. Rather, approach it as a helpful
tool to read through the Bible in a year. And if you want, there
are McShane calendars up there. You can take them home and use
them for the coming year, 2013. Well, Hebrews 13, I'll pick up
reading 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 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 have 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. Well, let us pray. Our Father,
we thank you for your word. We thank you for the practical
import of these words. We pray now that your spirit
would guide and direct us that we would receive with thanksgiving
the implanted word and that it would have an effect upon our
hearts and upon our lives that we would be transformed by the
renewing of our mind so that we be not conformed to this world.
We thank you God for the power of scripture and we thank you
for the power of your spirit How we thank you for the power
of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that has cleansed us,
that has washed us, that has made us presentable in your sight. How we praise you for his work,
for his gospel, for all those things connected to his life,
his death, and his resurrection. We pray in Jesus' holy name,
amen. Well, some have seen the book
of Hebrews as one long sermon, and if the doctrinal portion
has ended in chapter 12, chapter 13 are some concluding exhortations. There are general exhortations
in verses 1 to 6. We'll be looking at and focusing
on verses 1 to 3 this evening. But just to give you a lay of
the land, chapter 13, 1 to 6, general exhortations, There is
then instruction on community with relationships with leaders,
guarding against heresy, suffering for Christ, and the believer's
sacrifice in verses 7 to 17. There is then a request for prayer,
verses 18 and 19, a prayer indicated for them, verses 20 to 21, and
then a final appeal and a salutation in verses 22 to 25. In that section
of general exhortations in verses 1 to 6, we see an emphasis upon
love, upon hospitality, upon compassion, upon fidelity, and
upon contentment. Pretty straightforward section.
Again, I think it flows naturally out of what the writers already
stated concerning the high priestly office of Christ, His redemptive
work on behalf of sinners. This then, as the ones who have
been bought by the blood of Christ, this is how we ought to conduct
ourselves. This is how we ought to live.
These virtues are the practical outworking of chapter 12, verse
28. Notice, therefore, since we are
receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace
by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. Certainly that speaks to corporate
worship, how we approach our God on the Lord's Day Sabbath.
When we enter into His house, it should be acceptably. God
defines what acceptable worship is. It ought to be with reverence.
It ought to be with godly fear. He gives us a reason there in
verse 29, for our God is a consuming fire. Then, by extension, all
of the Christian life is to be lived in light of verse 28. We
ought to live unto God in an acceptable manner. We ought to
live unto God with reverence and godly fear. The way we conduct
ourselves toward brethren, and toward strangers, and toward
prisoners, and toward spouses, and toward material possessions,
all of that ought to reflect this kingdom ethic that we are
striving to live before this consuming fire in a manner that
is pleasing to Him, in a manner that is consistent with the blood-bought
children of God. And so let's just take up the
first three verses in chapter 13. The first necessity or the
first command or the first imperative is to let brotherly love continue. We are to love the brethren.
That ought not to surprise any of us. That ought not to come
as a shock. They were already engaged in
this particular act. He doesn't say there's something
I need to tell you, something that is absent from your churches,
something that you really need to inculcate, or you're in danger
of hellfire. No, he says, let brotherly love
continue. In other words, it was present
among the churches, it was there among the people of God, but
like all of us, they needed recurring emphasis, they needed repetition,
they needed to be reminded. Believers need to be encouraged
to persevere in this responsibility of the Christian life. We can
very quickly become self-centered. We can very quickly become forgetful. We can very quickly become negligent
in those things that God says are absolutely crucial in our
Christian life. Brotherly love and then hospitality
to strangers and remembering the prisoners are themes that
come up in the life and the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. Remember
when he's encouraging those sheep in Matthew 25. It's for these
types of things. You've loved brethren. You've
been hospitable to strangers. You have visited those who are
in prison. So the author here is just reiterating
and just highlighting and emphasizing and repeating our Lord Jesus'
mandate in terms of our horizontal relationships. Brotherly love
is to continue. Do you remember the upper room
discourse? Jesus makes a stunning statement
in John 13, 35. He says, by this all men will
know that you are my disciples. I wonder if we were the Lord
Jesus how we would have fleshed out or teased out that statement.
I might have said, by this all men will know that you are my
disciples if you subscribe to the 1689 Confession. We might
have said, you know, we'll know that you're my disciples if you
read theology. Do you really like the Puritans?
No. Jesus said, by this all men will know that you are my disciples
if you have love for one another. This is the badge of Christianity. This is the identifying characteristic. This is the mark. This is how
people are to spot and know and see that we are Christians. by the love we have for one another. This command is repetitious in
the New Testament documents. Romans 12 verse 10. Romans 12
verse 10, be kindly affectionate to one another with, here it
is, brotherly love. Ephesians chapter 5 and verse
2. Ephesians chapter 5 verse 2,
walk in love. as Christ also has loved us and
given himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling
aroma." 1 Thessalonians 4, verse 9. 1 Thessalonians 4, verse 9. But concerning brotherly love,
you have no need that I should write to you For you yourselves
are taught by God to love one another. This is a taught by
God virtue, when we love one another. And then in 1 Peter
chapter 1, the Apostle Peter repeats it twice in a small epistle. 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 22. Since you have purified your
souls in obeying the truth, through the Spirit in sincere love of
the brethren. Love one another fervently with
a pure heart. Now why is the repetition here? Because we're thick-headed, we're
hard-hearted, we're stubborn, we're selfish, we're neglect...
neglectful, or forgetful. We need to be reminded often.
This is why in Hebrews 13, as citizens of this Hebrews 12,
28 kingdom, as those who have received salvation by grace alone,
through faith alone, in Christ alone, let brotherly love continue. Don't let it wander. Don't let
it dry up. Don't let it vanish. Don't let
it disappear, but rather cultivate it in your heart. Seek out your
brethren and love them. 1 Peter chapter 4, verse 8. 1 Peter 4, 8. And above all things
have fervent love for one another. And then here specifically, there
is a reason given for love will cover a multitude of sins. You
want to be able to conduct yourself well in your family life? You
want to be able to conduct yourself well in church life? Have love
for one another. Why? Because love gives the ability
to let you cover a multitude of sins. Now, not huge sins. If your wife commits adultery
or a husband is unfaithful, well, honey, just love me. Now, there's
certain things that we need to do in order to repair this or
fix this. But with reference to the garden
variety, day in and day out sorts of sins, we are to love one another
so that we can let love cover a multitude of sins. And then
in the epistle of 1 John, several instances where the apostle there
highlights the necessity that we are to love one another. So this isn't isolated in Hebrews
13.1. Let brotherly love continue. So the New Testament is filled
with this command that we love one another. That love is described
in 1 Corinthians 13. If you scratch your head and
you wonder, okay, I got the command down. I understand that it's
supposed to be the case. Now, how do I love? How do I
know what to do in terms of love to the brethren? Well, 1 Corinthians
13 describes it. 1 Corinthians 13, 4. Love suffers
long and is kind. I know this is a passage we're
all very familiar with. In fact, some of you can lift
your heads right now and repeat the text. I have no doubt. There are certain texts that
are in everybody's head. My question is, are these texts
in everybody's lives? Are they being fleshed out? Is
it being applied? Just because you can recite Bible
verses, good on you. Yeah, great. Join Awanas. They'll give you a vest and put
a lot of little pretty trinkets on you. That's not the purpose
for it. I'm not here in condemning Awana.
Please don't make that sort of implication. What's the psalmist
say? Thy word I have hidden in my
heart that I might not sin against you. Listen to the text. Not,
well, I already know that love suffers long and is kind. But
ask yourself, is this the way I am toward brethren? Love suffers
long and is kind. Love does not envy. Love does
not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does
not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice
in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things,
it believes all things, it hopes all things, it endures all things. Really, is that what your love
looks like? I get about, you know, to the
O in the first love and I'm already paralyzed. that look kills me, this is a high calling. The Apostle
says, let brotherly love continue. That doesn't mean just tolerate
one another. It doesn't mean just show up
in the same place with one another. It means this. This is what love
looks like. This is what love, may I say,
feels like in the believer. Paul gives a concrete application. Not that that isn't a concrete
application. It's more of a description, more
of what love looks like, what love is. He gives a concrete
application in Romans 13, 8. Oh, no one anything except to
love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the
law. For the commandments, you shall not murder, I'm sorry,
you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall
not steal, you shall not bear false witness, you shall not
covet, and if there is any other commandment, they're all summed
up in this saying, namely, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Love does no harm to a neighbor, therefore love is the fulfillment
of the law. Peter T. O'Brien says, this is
not simply a call for sentiment or a particular emotion, but
has to do with attitudes that are shown in tangible behavior,
especially the mutual sharing of possessions and activities.
I'm sorry, yeah, possessions and activities. So the first
element in this general exhortation is with reference to love. Let
brotherly love continue. Notice, secondly, the apostle
then says we are to exercise hospitality towards strangers. Verse 2. do not forget to entertain
strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained
angels." I think what he's speaking of there, those who unwittingly
entertained angels, were men like Abraham in Genesis chapter
18. Gideon in Judges chapter 6. Manoah, remember he was dealing
with the very angel of the Lord himself, unawares to be sure,
but he was hospitable, he was gracious, he was kind, he was
entertaining strangers. The Lord Jesus highlights this
as something with reference to Christianity, with reference
to the life of discipleship. Again, in Matthew 25 in verse
35. For I was hungry, and you gave
me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me
drink. I was a stranger, and you took
me in. We need to be hospitable, not
just to the people that we really like. Not just to the people
that have the same interests as we do. Not just with the people
that we click with. In fact, Jesus speaks to that
in Luke 14. You may turn there. Yeah, I'm
trying to load our consciences with these imperatives because
they don't come easy. Even as Christians who have the
Spirit, we are hard-hearted. We are stubborn. We can be incorrigible. We are forgetful. We are full
of pride. We are full of selfishness. We
need the weight of biblical data resting upon our shoulders so
that we feel what our God would have us to do. And here in Luke
14, 12, he says, then, he also said to him who invited him,
when you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your
brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also
invite you back and you be repaid. Don't invite people that are
just like you, because they're going to invite you back. No.
He says, but when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed,
the lame, the blind. I confess at the outset, brethren,
this is a difficult task. I don't leave here on Sunday
and find, you know, the most dirty guy downtown Chilliwack
and say, jump in the car, let's go have lunch. But that seems
to be what my Lord is saying. I mean, I'd like to have some
exegetical prowess out of it. I'd like to be able to justify
my lack of obedience to the Lord, you know, driving by people saying,
I wish these guys would get out of the road. Whatever Jesus means, He means
what he's saying. But when you give a feast, invite
the poor, the lame, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed,
because they cannot repay you, for you shall be repaid at the
resurrection of the just. This is the Lord's Word. This is the Lord's mandate. This is reiterated by the Apostle
in Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 2. It is in other places in the
New Testament. Romans 12, 13. Distributing to
the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. 1 Peter chapter
4. We already read verse 8, where
it says, above all things have fervent love. And then in verse
9, be hospitable to one another. It doesn't stop there. Just be hospitable to one another.
All right, we can do that, but we're not going to like it. That's
not what he says. Be hospitable to one another,
here it comes, without complaint. In other words, do it happily.
Do it joyfully. Do it the way the Lord enjoins. Don't just do it because it's
on your checklist of good things to do as a Christian, but rather
do it out of heart of love, a heart that's been redeemed, a heart
that wants to serve Christ, and a heart that wants to do what
the Savior says. Be hospitable to one another
without grumbling. This is a responsibility to be
modeled by leaders in the church. 1 Timothy 3.2, Titus 1.8, elders
are to be hospitable. I've already mentioned the Old
Testament precedents, Abraham in Genesis 18, Lot in Genesis
19, Gideon in Judges 6, and Manoah in Judges 13. The paradigm, or
rather the imperative, is very clear, very simple. Do not forget
to entertain strangers. What seems to be implied? The
tendency is there to forget. The tendency is there to overlook. The tendency is there to not
engage in this very practical duty of Christianity. Do not forget to entertain strangers. So the first, love to brethren.
Secondly, hospitality towards strangers. And then thirdly,
by way of a general exhortation, is to remember the prisoners. And in a certain way, verses
two and three flesh out the general overarching theme of verse one.
Let brotherly love continue. Here's two concrete examples.
Entertain strangers and remember the prisoners. But remember the
prisoners. This is an important one. Remember
last Sunday night, what we studied? Real quick, what did we study? 1 Peter 4, verses 12 to 19. Good
job. Very good. I know because I preached it.
If I was sitting out there, I'd be going, what was that? Sometimes
even as a preacher, what was that? What was it? It was about dealing
with tribulation. We're to expect it, right? 1 Peter 4, verse 12. Do not think
it a strange thing, brethren, when these fiery trials come
upon you. We're to expect tribulation. We're to expect trial. We're
to expect persecution. As God's people living in an
ungodly world, we are pilgrims and sojourners. We are passing
through. There is an antithesis between
the seed of the serpent, of the serpent himself, and the seed
of the woman. There is a contrast between the
believer and the unbeliever. There's the Cain's in the world,
there's the Abel's in the world. There's the sheep, and there's
the goats. And the goats oftentimes persecute
the sheep. That is a reality. We're to expect
it. Peter also says we're to exalt
in it. We're to rejoice in it. We're
to count ourselves blessed. Jesus says the same thing in
the 8th Beatitude in Matthew chapter 5. We're as well supposed
to evaluate its cause. Let none of you suffer as a murderer,
as a thief, as a busybody. Don't suffer for that and somehow
pat yourself on the back that you're a godly Christian. No,
evaluate its cause and then entrust your soul to a faithful creator.
Brethren, we have to all admit, we don't have the sorts of persecution
that our brethren elsewhere face. I mean, I think any of us would
agree. Yes, we see encroaching attacks on our liberties. Yes,
we see more and more increased pressure on naming the name of
Christ in public. We see Christianity being marginalized. We see Islam and other religions
being looked upon favorably. And you can do, you know, you
can't insult the Prophet Muhammad unless, you know, there's a death
sentence pronounced upon you. But you can insult Jesus, you
know, from morning until night. I'm not going to argue that that
is a form of persecution. That's a terrible thing. But
so far, praise God most high, we're not in prison. We are not
currently. This isn't a prison. You're free
to leave. Please just stick around for
a few more minutes, but you are free to leave. You're free to
get into your air-conditioned or your heated car. You're free
to drive home. You're free to turn on your fireplace.
You're free to walk to your refrigerator. You're free to get water. You're
free to get bread. You're free to do whatever it
is you want in the confines of your home. You're free to read
your Bible. You're free to read Puritans. You're free to evangelize. We have that freedom and that
liberty. We ought to praise God for it. Yes, pray that God will
indeed protect these benefits, but never forget to praise God
that we have the benefits and to use them. See, I've got this
idea that if we are not using the opportunities afforded to
us in peacetime, it's very difficult for me to believe we'll use them
during wartime. In other words, when we have
freedom to read our Bibles and pray, And we don't always do
that? You can't convince me when we're
being threatened with martial power that we're gonna exercise
those freedoms. That's a whole nother thing.
Now, this text pertains to those sorts of people that don't live
in Canada. Those sorts of people that don't live in the United
States. Those sorts of people that are living in oppressive
regimes. People, brothers, sisters, friends,
loved ones, that are living in Islam country. In nations in
Islam. Roman Catholic countries, secular
countries, places where they do not have the liberty to name
the name of Jesus Christ. What does the apostle say? Yes,
thank the Lord for your liberties, but remember the prisoners. Don't
forget them. Don't put them out of your mind.
Don't say too bad for them. Thank the Lord for what we've
got. No, there is a duty enjoined upon the free man. We are to
remember the prisoners. The idea is to remember to care
for them. Remember with a view to taking
action. Remember for good. Remember in
a way which will benefit the person concerned in some way
or other. Not just remember consciously
that somebody somewhere doesn't have it as good as you do. But
remember in order to pray for them. Remember in order to write
to them, remember in order to write to an ambassador, to write
to a congressman, remember to send some tangible aid. Remember
this is what the Apostle says. It ought not to be the case that
once a week we throw out a few countries and we say, Lord, be
merciful to the brethren there. It ought to make its way into
our closet. We ought to remember the prisoners.
We're not simply to give a verbal assent that we know Christians
are suffering somewhere in the world. but rather we are to remember
them with a view to doing something about it. You may not have silver
and gold, you may not be able to write big checks, you may
not be a pioneer missionary, but you can certainly pray. What
can I do to help the prisoners? Get on your face. And always
pray. I hate that idea that, oh, you
know, I want to do more than pray. Well, pray first. God blesses
you so that you can do more great, but prayer is a great weapon
in this fight. Note the objects, the prisoners,
or those who are mistreated. The audience would be able to
identify. They would know something about
this. Go back for just a moment to chapter 10 at verse 32. Chapter
10 at verse 32, but recall the former days in which, after you
were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings. He's writing to people who had
been there, done that. You see the context of the book.
It's written to, get this, Hebrews. It's written to Jewish Christians. Jewish Christians who are suffering
persecution from Jewish non-Christians. Jewish unbelievers are pressuring
the Christians, go back to the temple, go back to the ceremonies,
go back to Moses. The whole argument of the Epistle
is that Jesus is supreme. Jesus is superior. Jesus is the
temple of God. Jesus is over Moses. Jesus is
over the angels. Jesus is over the prophets. Jesus
is a great high priest. He's over Aaron. He's over the
Levites. He's over all. Do not go back
to the temple. Do not go back to the sacrificial
system, but rather press on to Zion. So when these people took
a stand for Christ, it cost them something. They endured a great
struggle with sufferings. Note verse 33, 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. You don't miss that. Would you
want somebody to come over to your house tonight and take your
stuff? It's so far removed, isn't it?
We don't ever have that threat. I mean, there's thieves. We personally
have been broken and entered twice. Not in our current residence,
but... Thugs came in and stole our stuff. This is the authorities. This
is the fuzz. This is the Jewish persecution
of the Christians. 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, for you have need of endurance,
so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive
the promise. For yet a little while, and he
who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall
live by faith, but if anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure
in him." So we are to remember the prisoners, those who are
mistreated. The children of the devil hate
God. And since they can't ascend into
heaven and tear God off His throne and throw Him to the ground and
step on Him, they attack His people. Shouldn't be a surprise. Sometimes they get in prison.
Sometimes they are mistreated. Sometimes they're brought up
on blasphemy. Sometimes they're executed. Sometimes they have
their houses bombed. Sometimes their churches are
bombed. Sometimes their churches are
burned. Sometimes whole neighborhoods, Christian villages, are bombed
and destroyed. This didn't happen, you know,
20, 50, 100 years ago. It's happening right now. Every
single day. We need to remember the prisoners,
as if chained with them, those who are mistreated, since you
yourselves are in the body also. Remember them as if chained with
them. You certainly would remember
if you were in chains, wouldn't you? I mean, if you were sitting
in a prison cell right now and you had shackles on your wrists,
you would know that. I think I would know that. That's
the image that he uses, as if you're there with them. Don't
let them be out of sight and out of mind. And then the reason,
since you yourselves are in the body also. I think there's two
ideas here. The first, we are one with them
in the body of Christ, the church. Remember the prisoners, those
who are mistreated, since you yourselves are in the body also.
They're your brethren. They're your comrades. They're
your beloved. They're those for whom Jesus
died. Of course you're supposed to
remember them. Of course you're supposed to pray for them. But
as well, we also lead a bodily existence and know how difficult
it must be to suffer. You know what it's like when
you're persecuted or when you have trial or when you have difficulty? Magnify that a hundredfold and
be in a Muslim place where you're in a prison or where you've been
brought up on blasphemy. Certainly that ought to draw
your heart out to remember them, to care for them. The potential
is always there for us to encounter such things ourselves. So those are the three imperatives
in this concluding section. Love the brethren, be hospitable
to strangers, and remember the prisoners. I want to close with
a statement with reference to the prisoners. This is from a
sermon I preach probably a couple of times. November generally
has the international day of prayer for the persecuted church.
I think that's terrible. There's only one day of prayer
for the persecuted church. We all need to repent. We're
not living in light of Hebrews 13, 3. Every day ought to see
us to some degree or other remember the prisoners. There are positive,
blessed applications or blessed remedy with reference to us following
this imperative of remember the prisoners. First, remember because
prisoners are easily forgotten because they are out of sight. Take the whole abortion situation. Most of us don't go to abortion
clinics. It's an out-of-sight, out-of-mind
sort of a thing. Right? It's sanitized. It's removed. Most of us don't
fly to various countries and visit those who are in prison.
We need to take Hebrews 13.3 seriously and remember because
they are out of sight. Secondly, remember because Jesus
commends such a mindset. Jesus commends such a mindset. We already saw Matthew 25. 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. Remember when Jesus comes to
the Apostle Paul or Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus. Saul
asks him, who are you? He says, I am Jesus whom you
are persecuting. So Jesus identifies with the
persecuted church. Christ identifies with his suffering
people and so should we. We ought to remember them in
order to pray for them. Pray for them. Fourthly, we ought
to remember them in order to give tangible aid to them. There is nothing inhibiting,
there is nothing keeping, there is nothing stopping us from sending
checks or some other form of help to suffering brethren. Fifthly, remember them in order
to visit them. Perhaps the Lord God is going
to facilitate a way whereby you can go to one of these places
and go see them and encourage them. Remember them. Sixthly, in order to write to
them. You say, well, they'll never
get it. Well, write to them. You never know. I think it's
been the case that someone replied, didn't they? Did they? In our
little group of writing, Mrs. Lawson, somebody wrote back and
said, thanks for writing to me. You send a letter to Timbuktu
and somebody sends back something, thank you for praying for me.
It happens. Seventhly, remember them in order
to demonstrate Christian compassion. Brethren, sometimes our selfishness
and our pride and our focusing upon our self only gets a bit
old, and it's good for us to remember the prisoners as if
chained with them. We need to remember them eighthly
in order to help them persevere. It's been interesting following
the course of some of these that get out of prison, and what do
they do? They thank the Lord and they
thank God's people for their prayers. Ninthly, we need to
remember them in order to pray for their persecutors. God would
either A. save them or God would B. judge
them. For every man that is being brought
up on a blasphemy charge for this young 14-year-old mentally
handicapped girl that's being treated like, you know, just
terribly, somebody is behind this persecution. God save that
person and stop them from persecuting or stop them in your justice
and in your righteousness. And then tenthly and finally,
and by way of a real practical thing, I've already alluded to
it, remember them in order to get your eyes off of yourself.
A.W. Pink said this, 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 its 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. I know that doesn't always jive
with our flesh. I know that's not always the
thing that we might think, but it certainly is a helpful means. Well, there you have it. Let
brotherly love continue, exercise hospitality towards strangers,
and remember the prisoners. And we will never do this. We
will never want to do this unless we first embrace the Christ of
the kingdom. referenced in Hebrews 12, 28.
The only way we will love brethren, entertain strangers, and remember
the prisoners is if we have first come to the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is characteristic. This is an identifying trait.
These are virtues associated with Christ's kingdom. We don't
put these things on if we have never put on Christ. And the
way to put on Christ is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, to
believe the gospel concerning his life, his death, and his
resurrection. We must come to Calvary, and
therein we will be taught what it is to love brethren, entertain
strangers, and remember prisoners. Well, let us pray. Our Father,
we thank you for your word, and we thank you for these very practical
exhortations in Hebrews 13. We ask now that you would go
with us, help us in our church, help us in our homes to let brotherly
love continue, help us to exercise hospitality, help us to remember
the prisoners, those who are mistreated, those who are suffering
for the cause of Christ, God in heaven. We just pray that
you would watch over your saints. We pray that you would watch
over those who are in prison, those who are suffering, those
who are being tried for faith in Christ Jesus. Go with us now,
we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
