Hebrews Chapter 13 Verse 1

•Words to live by. The answer to your thousands of “what should I do” questions! Let brotherly love continue. They have done this, she has done that, he said my breath is a-stinky! What should I do? Let brotherly love continue. Many of the Jews were certainly going through it because of their professed faith in Jesus as the Messiah. So no doubt folks would be put out of their homes, put out of their families…so listen up…don’t forget this…let brotherly love continue!

•Goes for us too…we can get so wrapped up in Calvary Chapel and “we got it right,”…and blah blah blah…but know this, the family of God consists of many that are not a part of Calvary Chapel! So let brotherly love continue! I heard this great story given by a guy names Emo Philips…

•Once I saw this guy on a bridge about to jump. I said, "Don't do it!" He said, "Nobody loves me." I said, "God loves you. Do you believe in God?" He said, "Yes." I said, "Are you a Christian or a Jew?" He said, "A Christian." I said, "Me, too! Protestant or Catholic?" He said, "Protestant." I said, "Me, too! What franchise?" He said, "Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?" He said, "Northern Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?" He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region, or Northern Conservative Baptist Eastern Region?" He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region." I said, "Me, too!" Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879, or Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?" He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912." I said, "Die, heretic!" And I pushed him over! HA!

•But boy we just tend to do the same thing, don’t we? Wiersbe wrote, “A church fellowship based on anything other than love for Christ and for one another simply will not last.” Why? Because in my doctrinal opinion, a fellowship of believers whether it be two or two hundred that’s not based on love, putting the Lord first, others second, being utterly psychotic about serving each other, a fellowship not based on that, is not of the Lord.

•And the natural outflow of that will be hospitality! I love that word….hospital is a place for the sick to come to be made well…don’t forget in all of your diagnosing to also make them well…share the truth and sometimes that medicine stings…

Hebrews Chapter 13 Verse 2

•Well that’s awesome! Secret shoppers from heaven. Boy I wonder what the report is on you…on me…because, a little thing here and maybe this is just me, I believe all true believers get a shot at this at least once in their life. You ever meet someone, spend some time with someone and then they leave and you’re left with a heavenly song in your heart, a heavenly smell in your nose even? I know you’re thinking of me right now but focus! HA! I have! That’s happened to me, several times!!! Such a cool verse there…

Hebrews Chapter 13 Verse 3

•The writer here is most likely talking about literal prisoners but you have to look at this metaphysically as well. Remember when Lazarus came out of the tomb? The scripture tells us that he was bound. Bound with what? Chains? No. With grave clothes. But nevertheless, he was bound. Folks wrapped up in consequence of sin and consequence of ignorance of the Word and consequence of disbelief in the Word, understand, they are just as imprisoned as folks chained in jail.

•And I’m quick to jump to, “Bro, you got what you deserve. I told you to do this and you did it your way…” I am faced with that often, but that’s my heart, not God’s. Take their chains and try them on while you’re thinking upon them, ministering to them, and what you’ll find…a heart for prayer for them…a heart of gratitude for where you’re at many times…a complaining heart has lost this and is self-focused…

Hebrews Chapter 13 Verse 4

•A simple truth. One we cover in pre-marital counseling in depth…but the simple biblical truth laid out before us is that intimacy within the confines of biblical marriage is pure and undefiled and something of honor…but any other is a problem…fornication is sexual intimacy when unmarried and adultery is sexual intimacy when you are married just not with your spouse…the bible clearly condemns with a strong warning in several places…

•The end of 2 and into Chapter 3 helps us truly identify what it is to overcome and remain pure…whether it be some sort of hidden sin or drugs or alcohol or lust or just a cruddy attitude…turn over to Colossians 2:23 and look at this! The answer, the help? Colossians 3:1-3.

Hebrews Chapter 13 Verses 5 – 6

•Now really a key to understanding this and walking this out is the fact that contentment cannot come from material things in the first place. Only God can bring contentment to a heart and life and then the things we have become a source of joy and gratitude not because they bring contentment but because we have it already.

•So we may boldly say…The Lord is mine, what can man do to me? A woman once said to DL Moody, “I have found a verse that helps me when I am afraid. It is Psalm 56:3, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.”” DL Moody replied, “I have a better promise than that! Isaiah 12:2, “I will trust, and not be afraid!” Mic…drop…

Hebrews Chapter 13 Verse 7

•I noticed something at the funeral I officiated last weekend in Georgia. The funeral home guys, who were amazing, put my car right in front of the hearse…and I basically led the body to the gravesite…it was odd but at the same time in doing that I felt and sensed the heaviness of my responsibility.

•This word “rule” is translated rather strongly for me. Matthew 20:25-28 Jesus said to His disciples, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

•This word in Hebrews, “rule” in the Greek speaks of leadership, going first, being the one willing to take the responsibility of leadership and yet also it speaks of authority. The church is a living organism but it is also an organization because if an organism is not organized, it will die! And so the writer says literally, “Be mindful of those who God has raised up as leaders, those worthy to follow (because some are not) and consider where their faith has taken them…” And know this...man I have this written in my code…to know this and to walk in this is to strive for life! To fight for life in your church and in your homes and in your jobs…in your walks! Order and structure and authority and submission, this is how life happens! How life comes about…and how life sustains! I fight for it! Most of the time against my own flesh!

•And ultimately, look, eyes on Jesus! (Verse 8) Sin puts hell into your soul! If all you get right on this side of eternity is Jesus then what have you missed? Man in the midst of all of this…all that we have learned, seen, walked through, one thing remains, Jesus.

•The weekend before last reminded me of that as I preached over a casket. We need more than a belief in Jesus as fact. Allow God to pay your debt of sin…just like with the payment of any debt, when the debt is truly paid, title ownership transfers.

•And check this out…ultimately, if your eyes are on Jesus, if my eyes are on Jesus, then neither you nor I will have any issues with our leadership…none…unless there is some sort of sin. Other than that, no issues because submission is not something you do, it is a result, a symptom, a tell…that love abides.

•One of my favorite and most comforting things about Jesus Christ…man may change, but God remains the same. There is a movement today to change God. Won’t work. There is a division coming in our day and that division will be over the Word of God…but it hasn’t changed, and neither has God!