Hebrews 13 

·      The writer of Hebrews concludes his letter with instructions regarding different areas of the life of the believer.

·      If we have applied the New Covenant to our lives, then our lives will be lived to please the Lord.

·      Faith alone saves, but faith without works is dead. 

·      The power of the Gospel not only saves the sinner, but the power of the Gospel transforms the sinner.

·      Our behavior is not our savior, but our Savior will change our behavior.

Concluding Moral Directions 1-6

1 Let brotherly love continue. 

A] The Lord never intended that we should run the race of faith alone.

o   Do not abandon the gathering with other believers.

B] Our mutual faith in Christ makes us a family.

C] Keep on loving each other as the family of faith.

·      Nothing compares to Christian love.

·      Any church that is not based on the love of Christ, love for Christ, and love for Christ’s people, will not last.

·      Keep on being concerned for each other as the Lord’s followers.

·      Honor each other by giving preference to one another.

·      Stay on good terms with each other, held together by true love.

·      John 13:34-35 ”A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”“

2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, 

for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels {Gr: aggelos; messengers, by implication a pastor, see Revelation 1-3}. 

A] Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, welcoming them.

·      “I was a stranger, and you took Me in.” -Matthew 25:35

B] Some have shown hospitality to angels without realizing it.

·      Abraham, Lot, Gideon, and Manoah hosted angels, some of which took on the form of men (Gen.18:2; 19:1-3).

C] This may refer to showing hospitality to God’s messengers.

3 Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—

those who are mistreated—

since you yourselves are in the body also {it could happen to you too}. A] “I was in prison and you came to Me.” – Matthew 25:36

B] Hebrews 10:34 ”for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven.“

4 Marriage is honorable among all,

and the bed undefiled; 

but fornicators {KJV: whoremongers} and adulterers God will judge. 

A] Marriage is to be held in honor among the church.

·      Celibacy doesn’t make an individual more honorable than a married person.

·      The Holy Spirit uses marriage as an illustration of the relationship between the Lord and His church.

·      The word of God teaches us to remain faithful to one another in marriage.

·      Guard the sacredness of sexual intimacy between husband and wife.

B] God will judge those who are unfaithful in marriage and those having intimate relations outside of marriage.

·      1 Corinthians 6:9-10 ”Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.“

·      Galatians 5:19-21 ”Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.“

5 Let your conduct {manner of life} be without covetousness {greed}; 

be content {satisfied} with such things as you have. 

For {Because} He Himself has said {Dt.31:6}, 

“I will never {Gr: never, never, ever} leave you nor forsake you.” 

A] Make sure that your character is free from the love of money.

·      1 Timothy 6:10 NLT ”For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.“

B] If we have the Lord, we will have everything that we need.

·      His presence is enough to satisfy the human heart, so we don’t need to live with anxiety or worry, about worldly possessions.

6 So we may boldly {confidently} say {Ps.118:6}:

“The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. 

What can man {mere mortal} do to me?” 

·      The Holy Spirit is our promised Helper.

·      The Lord can take what men do to you or intend to do to you and turn it for your ultimate good.

Concluding Religious Directions 7-17 

7 Remember those who rule over {lead} you {3x in chapter 13}, 

who have spoken the word of God to you, 

whose faith {trust} follow {imitate}, 

considering the outcome of their conduct. 

A] It’s believed by many that this refers to the spiritual leaders who had gone home to the LORD, and that their example of faith and godliness should still be followed.

B] Appreciate the pastoral leaders who have taught you God’s word.

·      Do not follow a pastor who doesn’t teach the Scriptures, in their context, and whose character and conduct is a contradiction to what the Bible teaches about how a Christian is to live.

C] There must be consistency in the lives of the leadership of God’s church.

·      1 Peter 5:3 NLT ”Don’t Lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example.“

8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

·      Let the Lord Jesus Christ be your unchanging master pastor, because He’s been perfect, is perfect, and will be perfect forever. 

·      John 8:58 ”Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”“

9 Do not be carried about {away} with various and strange doctrines. 

For it is good that the heart be established {strengthened, fed} by grace, 

not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them. 

A] This is a warning against seeking ways to be right with the LORD apart from the grace of Christ.

·      The opposite of being established by grace is being carried about with teachings that are the opposite of grace.          

B] One reason that it is important to be plugged into a solid Bible teaching church is that you will be able to recognize various and strange teachings and reject them as false.

·      False teachers have a way of making their false teachings attractive by presenting them as neglected teachings.

·      Ephesians 4:14 ”that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,“

C] It is better to receive strength from God’s undeserved kindness, then to try to become strong by submitting to ceremonial rules and religious diets.

·      Colossians 2:23 ”These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.“

10 We have an altar {the Cross of Christ} 

from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.

A] Under the Old Covenant, the priests were not allowed to eat the meat from the animals that were sacrificed on the Day of Atonement.

B] This new life of faith is no longer related to the practices of Judaism. 

o   Faith and legalism are mutually exclusive under the New Covenant of Christ.

o   We benefit from the finished work of the Cross of Christ through faith, and never legalism.

11 For the bodies of those animals, 

whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, 

are burned outside the camp. 

·      After the high priest offers the blood of animals as a sin offering, the bodies of those animals are burned outside the camp.

12 Therefore Jesus also, 

that He might sanctify {set apart, make holy} the people with His own blood, suffered outside the {city} gate.

·      The blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, has made us holy.

13 Therefore let us go forth to Him, 

outside the camp {Judaism, legalism}, 

bearing His reproach {disgrace}.

A] For these Jewish Christians, this separation from Judaism to faith in Christ, would include rejection and persecution, to be shunned as unclean, or defiled.

B] For Gentile Christians, this means separation from the pagan philosophies and the godless sinful lifestyles of the world.

C] When we pledge our allegiance and loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ, it brings both the blessings of God, and reproach from those who are rejecting Him.

·      1 Peter 4:14 ”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 part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.“

14 For here we have no continuing {lasting} city, 

but we seek the one to come.

A] This may be anticipating the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D..

B] This world is not our home, we are looking forward to the coming, heavenly city of God, for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

15 Therefore by {through} Him let us continually {consistently} offer the sacrifice of praise to God {not for sins but because our sins are forgiven},

that is, the fruit of our lips, 

giving {confessing} thanks to His name. 

A] Let us do this in and out of the 4 walls of the Church building.

B] In a world of rotten fruit complainers, let us be those who are known for the sweet fruit of thankfulness to God.

16 But {and} do not forget {neglect} to do good and to share, 

for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. 

·      Part of practicing our faith is indeed praising the Lord but it’s also doing good to others and sharing with those in need.

·      Doing good, and sharing is an outflow of our appreciation for our salvation.

·      2 Corinthians 9:12 ”For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God,“

17 Obey {Be responsive to} those who rule over {lead} you, 

and be submissive {cooperate with their God-given authority}, 

for they watch out for your souls, 

as those who must give account {answer to God}. 

Let them do so with joy and not with grief {burden, drag, hassle}, 

for that would be unprofitable {no advantage} for you.

A] Paul said, “Imitate me, as I imitate Christ.” 

§  We are not called to blind obedience. 

§  Our first loyalty is to the Lord. 

§  Our loyalty to Christian leadership flows from loyalty to Christ.

·      Philippians 2:29 ”Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem;“

B] Ezekiel 3:17 ”“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me:“

·      Acts 20:28 ”Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.“

·      God-given authority comes with God-given responsibility, and God-given responsibility comes with accountability to God.

·      A responsibility of pastoral leadership is to be aware of the spiritual condition of the people under their care, and the desire to present them mature in Christ.

C] God’s people shouldn’t make the work of their spiritual leaders harder than it has to be.

Prayer Requested 18-19

18 Pray for us;

for we are confident {trust} that we have a good {clear} conscience,

in all things desiring to live honorably {honestly}. 

·      Ephesians 6:18 ”praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—“

19 But I especially urge you to do this {pray},

that I may be restored to you the sooner. 

Benediction, Final Exhortation, Farewell 20-25

20 Now may the God of peace {5x in the NT} 

who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, 

that great Shepherd of the sheep, 

through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 

A] Romans 4:25 NLT ”He was handed over to die because of our sins, and He was raised to life to make us right with God.“

·      Romans 5:1-2 ”Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.“

B] John 10:11 ”“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.“

C] This is the New, everlasting Covenant, we don’t live by the Old Covenant that God has rendered obsolete.

21 make you complete {prepared, equipped} 

in every good work to do His will, 

working in you {us} what is well pleasing in His sight, 

through Jesus Christ, 

to whom {the Son of God} be glory forever and ever. Amen. 

·      It is the Lord working in the life of the believer that enables him to do anything worthwhile for the kingdom of God.

·      Ephesians 2:10 ”For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.“

·      Philippians 2:13 ”for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.“

22 And I appeal to you, brethren, 

bear with {pay patient attention to} the word of exhortation, 

for I have written to you in few words {brief, short letter, 4,953 words}. 

·      The average sermon in America is between 20-25 minutes long.

·      The average movie is around 90-110 minutes long. Most of the greatest movies of all time are over 2 hours and many of them at least 3 hours long. 

·      The average NFL football game is 3 hours and 12 minutes long.

·      The average gamer spends 2 hours a day playing video games.

·      I have no problem teaching the Bible for an hour, or an hour and a few minutes.

·      Coincidentally, the book of Hebrews takes about an hour to read.

23 Know that our brother Timothy has been set free {out of jail}, 

with whom I shall see you if he comes shortly. 

24 Greet {Salute, give my greetings to} all those who rule over {lead} you, 

and all the saints {God’s holy people}. 

Those from Italy greet you.

·      We see early on in the history of the church, there was spiritual leadership in the church.

25 Grace be with you all. Amen.“

·      This is a fitting ending to this letter to Hebrews.

·      The grace of God was manifested in the Son of God.

·      May this be our prayer for each other.

·      Let us be praying for each other that we continue to; 

o   Hold to the superiority of the Son of God, 

o   Hold to the faith until the end, 

o   That we don’t turn back to unbelief, 

o   That we continue to mature in our faith, 

o   That we continue to grow in the grace of God.       

Conclusion:

Isaiah 53:6 ERV ”We had all wandered away like sheep. We had gone our own way. And yet the Lord put all our guilt on Him.“

1 Peter 2:25 ”For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.“

1 Peter 5:4 ”and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.“