Go with me if you would now to
Hebrews chapter 13. Hebrews 13. I know that this is strange to
say this may be a very strange thing to hear. But the Lord really
personally blessed me last Sunday. He blessed my heart in worship. And I know it's strange because
I was the preacher. But I feel like he let me get
out of my own way. Anybody who's had to preach,
knows that one of the hardest things to do is just get out
of the way. And I believe he let me get out of my own way
and he just let me enter into worship. And I walked away from
our services Sunday feeling so happy and so thankful to be a part of this congregation. to be able to not only worship,
but worship with you. It made me, I don't know if the
right word is nostalgic or sentimental, emotional, something, it made me something toward you, toward our Lord and
toward you. I love you. I really do. I really do. I love you and I just thank the
Lord. For the privilege he's given
me to be your pastor. I mean this, I'm very sincere
right now. Being allowed to go through this
life worshiping the Lord with you. We get to go through this
together. And it's made me all week really
want to guard that love. I want to guard that love and
I want to guard this like that I have. I don't just love you,
I like you. And I mean it. I think that's a stronger statement
than love. It's such a wonderful thing.
You know, according to the scripture, we have to love each other. But
what a bonus. What a sincere blessing when
we like each other. We love each other and we like
each other. We like each other's company.
I just told the men who met in my study, what a, what a wonderful
thing to be together right now. What a good moment this is. We like being together. It's
a special blessing that we have in this life. Having the blessing
of having each other. Having the blessing of worshiping
the Lord with each other. Loving Christ with each other. Loving the gospel together, loving
the truth together. We don't have many people that
we can love the gospel and love the truth concerning Christ with.
What a blessing. And it makes me want to thank
God for it. And it makes me and I'm very sincere right now. It
makes me want to guard it. And it makes me want to promote
it. I'm promoting it right now. And
it makes me want to beg the Lord to let it continue. Lord, let
it continue. For that reason, our text tonight
is Hebrews 13 verse 1. This is my cry to our Lord. I
pray this is all of our cry to our Lord. It says, let brotherly
love continue. What a precious verse. Lord, please let brotherly love
continue. Wouldn't we be so grateful? Let's read a couple of scriptures
together here. Turn with me to Psalm 133. Psalm 133 verse one, it says,
behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together
in unity. That word unity means one. The one that all of God's people
dwell together in that's Christ. Behold how good and how pleasant
it is for brethren to dwell together in Christ. He is our unity. He is our love. He is our joy. We walk out of this place with
joy. It's because we're walking out
of this place with Christ. That's the reason why. He is our tie that binds. Blessed be the tie that binds. Well, that's Christ. Blessed
be Christ. He's the tie that binds. Behold
how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together
in unity. It is like the precious ointment
upon the head. that ran down upon the beard,
even Aaron's beard, the high priest, that went down to the
skirts of his garments as the dew of Hermon and as the dew
that descended upon the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord commanded
the blessing, even life forevermore. This unity in love is the blessing
of God that has run down from Christ the head. all the way down to the skirts
of his people. We love him because he first
loved us. Started at the head. This love
started at the head and ran down. We love him because he first
loved us. We love each other because he
first loved us. Turn with me to Romans 12. Romans 12 verse 9, it says, let
love be without dissimulation. That means without hypocrisy, without disguise. Don't let it
be fake. That's what it means. Don't let
it be fake, which is what religion is. That's what religion is,
just fake. What he's saying is, let it be
sincere. Let love be sincere. Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil and
cleave to that which is good. Verse 10 says, be kindly affectioned
one to another with brotherly love in honor, preferring one
another. When Christ is in his people,
that is not hard for his people to do at all. God's people prefer
God's people. You know that? We really do.
God's people prefer God's people for Christ's sake. That's the
key to the whole thing, for Christ's sake. There is no brotherly love
like the love of our elder brother. No brotherly love like the love
of our elder brother. Love started when he said in
his will and his purpose before the foundation of the world,
let brotherly love continue. That's where the whole scheme
of salvation started. In his will and his purpose before
the foundation of the world. God the Son, God the Father,
God the Spirit said, let brotherly love continue. Let's make a covenant. Let's make it happen. Let brotherly love continue.
Turn over to Hebrews 2. Verse 10 says, for it became
Him for whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing
many sons unto glory to make the captain of their salvation
perfect through sufferings, the sufferings of the cross. Greater
love had no man than Christ. Greater love had no man than
Christ. Verse 10, it became him for whom are all things and by
whom are all things, that's Christ, in bringing many sons unto glory
to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings
for both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are
all of one. for which cause he is not ashamed
to call them brethren, saying, I will declare thy name unto
my brethren. In the midst of the church will
I sing praise unto thee. Can you imagine? He is not ashamed
to call us brethren. He's not ashamed to love sinners
like us. He's not ashamed to love sinners
like us. Wretched, despicable, disappointing. Disappointing. Disappointing
sinners like you and me. He's not ashamed to love us as
brethren. He proved that by dying for us. by dying with us, by dying as
us on the cross of Calvary. He died for his brethren. Go back to Romans, this time
chapter 8, Romans chapter 8. Romans 8 verse 14, it says, for
as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of
God. If a soul is led by God's Spirit,
that is a son of God. For you have not received the
spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the spirit
of adoption whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth
witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. And
if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,
if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified
together. Sons of the Father, children
of God, joint heirs with Christ. Brethren, brothers, brothers
and sisters, look at verse 29. For whom he did foreknow, he
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that
he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom
he did predestinate, them he also called, and whom he called,
them he also justified, and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these
things, if God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared
not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall
he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It
is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even
at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for
us. That is brotherly love. That
right there is brotherly love. And thank God, because of the
intercession of Christ, he has declared that that brotherly
love is going to continue. It's going to continue. Verse
35 says, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall
tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness,
or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake
we're killed all the day long. We're accounted as sheep for
the slaughter, but we're not. In all these things, we are more
than conquerors through him that loved us. For I'm persuaded that
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor
powers, nor things present or things to come, nor height, nor
depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us
from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. All
of the love of God is in our elder brother. Jesus Christ our
Lord. Brotherly love, that sounds so
wonderful, doesn't it? Am I a part of it? Am I a brother? Are you a brother, are you a
sister? Let's find out, go with me to
Mark 3. Mark 3 verse 31, it says, there
came then his brethren and his mother, and that's speaking of
his earthly family from Nazareth. There came then his brethren
and his mother and standing without, without this house that he was
preaching in, they sent unto him, calling him, And the multitude
sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother
and thy brethren without seek for thee. And he answered them
saying, Who is my mother or my brethren? And he looked round
about on them which sat about him and said, Behold, my mother
and my brethren. For whosoever shall do the will
of God, the same as my brother and my sister and my mother."
Matthew's account says he stretched forth his hand. I can see him,
you know, gesturing to the crowd, to the multitude, and this is
what he said. These are my brethren. Four. Whoever does the will of my father,
they are my brethren. What he was saying in that is,
they are doing the will of my father. These are my brethren, because
whoever does the will of my father, they are my brethren. He was
saying, they are doing the will of my father. What were they
doing? They were sitting at his feet, hearing him. Just like the Lord said concerning
Mary, who was sitting at his feet, hearing him, he said, there's
one thing needful, and this is it. This is it. This is the will of God the Father
for all the brethren. He said out loud, this is my
beloved son, hear him. This is the will of the Father.
The Father said, with your knee, bow to him. With your tongue,
confess that he is Lord. He said, believe the record which
I have given concerning him. By God's grace, we do, don't
we? We do. We hear him. We don't hear men,
we hear him. We don't have an ear for man,
we have an ear for Christ. We bow the knee to Him. We bow
the knee to Christ. We confess He's Lord. He is Lord
of all. He is Lord of everything. He's
the Lord of me. He's the sovereign God, ruler,
controller of everything. We believe every word that has
proceeded out of the mouth of God concerning Him. Every word. We believe Him. We believe in
Him. We believe on Him. This is what unites us truly. That is what unites us truly.
Faith in Christ. Faith in the Christ who loved
us. Faith in the Christ who created us. Yes, in that order. Faith in the Christ who saved
us. Faith in the Christ who will
keep us. Faith in the Christ who one day
very soon will come back and get us and take us to forever
be in glory with Him. You talk about brotherly love. That's what unites us as brethren.
That's what creates love in us for each other as brethren. It's
everything that Christ has done to make us to be brethren. Everything that Christ has done
and gets the glory for in making us to be brethren. Let me read
from a few places in the book of Ephesians and I'll close.
Go with me to Ephesians 1. Ephesians 1 verse 3, it says,
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places
in Christ, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before
him in love. That was the will and desire
of the Father, that we were chosen into love. Look at Ephesians 2. Paul started
this chapter by saying, you're dead, you're sinful, you're vile,
you're an outcast, you're a stranger, you're hopeless, and you're helpless.
But God. Verse 13. But now in Christ Jesus, ye who
sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
For he is our peace who hath made both one and hath broken
down the middle wall of partition between us, having abolished
in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained
in ordinances, for to make in himself of twain one new man,
so making peace. and that he might reconcile both
unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby,
and came and preached peace to you which were afar off and to
them that were nigh. For through him we both have
access by one spirit unto the Father. Now therefore you are
no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the
saints and of the household of God. That's a big statement. Of the household of God, chosen
into love, purchased into love, adopted into love, the love of
God. Look at chapter three, Paul said,
I cannot believe I get the privilege of preaching this love to God's
people. I can't believe it. Verse 5,
which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as
it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the
Spirit that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same
body and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel. whereof
I was made a minister according to the gift of the grace of God
given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me,
who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given,
that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches
of Christ, and to make all men see what is the fellowship of
the mystery from the beginning of the world, which from the
beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things
by Jesus Christ. Verse 14, For this cause I bow
my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the
whole family in heaven and earth is named. that he would grant
you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened
with might by his spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell
in your hearts by faith, that you being rooted and grounded
in love may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth
and length and depth and height and to know the love of Christ
which passeth knowledge. that you might be filled with
all the fullness of God. Behold what manner of love."
Look at chapter four. Paul said, endeavor to keep it. Verse 1, I therefore, the prisoner
of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation
wherewith you're called, with all lowliness and meekness, with
longsuffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring
to keep the unity of the Spirit, in the bond of peace. There's
one body and one spirit, even as you're called in one hope
of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and
father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all. So he said in verse 30, grieve not the Holy Spirit of
God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all
bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking
be put away from you with all malice. And be ye kind one to
another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ's
sake hath forgiven you. Chapter five. Verse one, he said,
be ye therefore followers of God as dear children and walk
in love. as Christ also hath loved us
and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to
God for a sweet-smelling savor. Verse 25. Husbands, love your wives even
as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. that
he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water
by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church,
not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should
be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives
as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth
himself, for no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth
and cherisheth it even as the Lord the church. Chapter six,
he closed the letter by saying in verse 23, peace be to the brethren and
love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. Oh dear Lord, let this brotherly
love that you started and you have worked in us, let it continue. Isn't that our prayer? Lord,
let it continue for Christ's sake. Let it continue. I really
mean this. I want to love you till the day
I die. I do. By God's grace and my prayer
is that you want to love me and that all of us want to love Christ
till the day we live. To him be glory. Amen.