Father who chose us in Christ,
who loved us and was pleased to purpose our redemption. We
also believe and preach and rejoice in the effectual redeeming blood
of our Savior. The Godhead is not divided. whom
the Lord chose, the Savior redeemed. But we also preach, believe,
and rejoice in the Spirit of Christ, who dwells in every believer. Paul said, if any man have not
the Spirit of Christ, he's none of His. As many as are led by
the Spirit of God, They are the sons of God. And here in John
14, our Lord, about to go to the cross and
suffer and die and go back to the Father, said
to the disciples in John 14, 16, He said, I will pray the Father
and He shall give you another Comforter. that He may abide
with you forever. And this Comforter is the Spirit
of Truth, the Holy Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot
receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him. The
world neither knows the Father, nor the Son, nor the Holy Spirit. But you know Him. That's what
we've been saying. If any man have not the Spirit
of God, does not know the Spirit of God, he is none of His. But
you know Him. For the Spirit of truth dwelleth
with you and shall be in you." The Spirit of God is in you. And then John 16, and he says
the Holy Spirit will be our comforter. Our guide, our teacher, our helper,
our teacher. In John 16, verse 13, the Master
said to those same disciples, how be it when He, not it, He,
the Holy Spirit is no more an it than the Son of God is an
it. He. When He, the Spirit of Truth,
has come, What will He do? He'll guide you into all truth. For He shall not speak of Himself. His message will be the same
message the Savior brought, that the Father gave. But whatsoever
He shall hear, like Christ said, what I speak, I've heard of my
Father. The Holy Spirit speaks the Father's
Word. Whatsoever He shall hear, that
shall He speak, and He'll show you. things to come. See, back there in verse 12,
He told these disciples He had many things to say unto them.
They were not able to bear them. Not at this time. Spiritual growth
takes time. Spiritual growth involves the
Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, and the Word of God. Spiritual
growth involves experience. Trials, troubles, times, suffering. Involves our being taught of
the Holy Spirit. He'll show you things to come. Listen. He'll glorify me. He shall receive of mine and
show it. He'll show it to you. Not all
in one sitting. Or two or three or ten or a thousand. But in His own time. Severally
as He will. All things that the Father hath
are mine. Therefore said I to you, if the
Holy Spirit shows anything to you, it'll be mine because all
things that the Father hath are mine. They're in me. There's nothing outside of Christ
worth knowing, worth having of God. Read it again. All things that the Father hath,
as John Flavel says, everything that a holy God has for a sinner
is in Christ. Therefore, said I, that He, the
Holy Spirit, will take of mine. Show it to you. He'll show it
to you. He'll show it to you. We grace preachers through the
years And it's not all bad, but it
has its dangers. We're prone to lean heavily upon
the fact, and we say it so frequently, and it's true, that those who
truly love Christ will love one another. And that's a fact. Those who love Christ will love
each other. But the Savior, often instructed
His disciples to love one another. He never took for granted that
they would. He never did. He never did say,
well, you're saved, you'll love each other. No, He said, I command
you to love one another. That's right. I command you to
love one another. This is My commandment, a new
commandment I give you, that you love one another as I love
you. He never took that for granted.
He instructed them. He exhorted them to love one
another. We say true believers will witness. Man's a Christian. He'll witness.
He'll preach the gospel. He'll tell others about Christ.
But our Lord never took that for granted. Before He went back
to the Father, He gathered those disciples about Him and He said,
Now, you go into all the world and preach the gospel. You go preach the gospel. You'll
be my witnesses in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and to
the uttermost parts of the earth. Go. Pride. Pride is a terrible attitude. It's inconsistent with grace.
We say that. Humility is consistent with grace. Pride is contrary to grace. But
how often did our Lord warn His disciples about pride? He never
took for granted, well, a man saved, he'll be humble. Not necessarily. You ever find any pride in you? You're saved, aren't you? And our Lord exhorted His disciples,
He that would be greatest among you, let Him be the servant. He had to constantly remind them
and teach them. And that's what the Holy Spirit
does. He takes the things of mind, Christ said, and shows
them to you. Over and over and over again until you learn it.
Until you experience it. True believers are redeemed by
Christ. That's so. And they'll never
perish. That's just so as God reigns. But our Lord still turned to
his disciples one day and said, will you go away? Will you go away? He did, didn't
he? And he said to them, he that
endureth to the end, the same will be saved. He said that to
people whom he loved and whom he came to redeem. He that endures to the end, the
same shall be saved. Somebody said, well, believers
will pray. John Bunyan said, sooner expect a natural man to
live without breathing as a spiritual man to live without praying. Believers will pray. And yet,
our Lord taught His disciples to pray. He took the time to
say, now when you pray, you say, our Father which art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name. And then he began the 18th chapter,
the first verse of Luke, with these words, men ought always
to pray and not to faint. And then he said, ask, keep on
asking, and it will be given you. Seek. Keep on seeking. Knock. Keep on knocking. And it will
be opened. Oh, as I thought about these
things, like I said, believers do love. They do pray. They do witness. But yet our Lord continually
exhorted these men to do these things. And I could go on showing
you how our Lord taught the disciples in grace. Grace grows. Every part of grace grows. Faith
grows. Love grows. Humility grows. Patience
grows. Everything. Add to your faith
patience and the patience experience and so forth. And now the Holy Spirit takes
the things of Christ and shows them to us. And look here at
Hebrews 13. And Paul says here, here is my
title for the message. Verse 22. We are going to look
at this chapter. In Hebrews 13.22, Paul says,
I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exaltation. What
does the word suffer mean? Well, you remember when our Lord
came to Jordan's river and told John he came to be baptized of
him, and John said, I have need to be baptized of you. Comest
thou to me?" And our Lord said, what did He say? Suffer it to
be obey me. Suffer it to be suffered. And
that's what He said here. Obey the word of exhortation. That's our title now. Obey the
words of exhortation. Sometime when you have a little
time, you notice how the Apostle Paul in most every epistle Romans
for example, Ephesians for example. He lays down the foundation. He instructs all believers in
the gospel of grace. How God saves sinners. How God
purposed to save them, and chose them, and gave them to Christ,
and Christ died for them. He lays that foundation. in the
first few chapters of nearly every epistle, the first three
chapters of Ephesians. And then in the last three, he
carefully instructs those believers in their everyday walk. You find
that in Romans, you find that in Ephesians, you find it here.
Here in chapter 13, Paul who has laid the foundation of the
excellence and glory of Christ Jesus above all prophets angels
and laws and everything. Now he turns and says verse 1,
listen. Verse 1 of Hebrews 13. Let brotherly
love continue. Do it. Do it. Let brotherly love continue. We ought to love, forgive, and
show mercy to all people. except by the grace of God, we'd
be the worst of people. So we ought to have pity and
compassion and love for all people. Like one, I believe it was, if
I'm trying to think who it was, Baxter, Richard Baxter, saw a
drunk on the street one day, a man just drunk as he could be,
Staggering down the street, ragged and dirty, and here stood this
child of God, Richard Baxter, great writer and well-known preacher. And he saw that drunk and tear
came in his eyes, pity in his voice. And John, what did he
say? He said, there but for the grace
of God goes Richard Baxter. There but for the grace of God
goes Richard Baxter. So we ought to love and be kind
and pity all men. But this love he's talking about
here is brotherly love. Let brotherly love. This love
is a special family love between the people who know God, who
are in Christ, they're brothers. Let brotherly love continue.
By this shall all men know you, my disciples, if you love one
another." One another. One another. And I tell you,
Paul in 1 Corinthians 13, a chapter which needs much study, it needs
much study, continually, much study. He begins this way, I
may be a great orator, But if I have not love, I'm a sounding
brass and a tinkling cymbal. He said, I may be a gifted and
talented person. I have not love, I'm nothing.
He said, I may show great courage and give my body to be burned,
and I may show great generosity, but if I have not love, it's
useless. So, obey this word of exhortation.
Let brotherly love continue. Uninterrupted. Love beareth all
things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all
things. Now, verse 2. Be not forgetful to entertain
strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unaware. In
other words, don't forget to be hospitable. to strangers in
the faith. Open your hearts and your doors
and your hands to those who come your way. It could be that God
sent them. The word angel is a messenger. When the Lord writes to the angels
of the churches, He's talking about messengers, pastors. Abraham
entertained Some angels one time. God's messengers. They came,
but the point I'm making is those angels came with a message for
Abraham. But Abraham didn't know they
were heavenly messengers. That's not why he entertained
them. If you read Genesis 18, you'll find that these men appeared
to Abraham as men. And Abraham entertained them. and had everybody prepare him
a meal, and showed hospitality and kindness to him, and they
turned out to be messengers of God. So he said, don't forget
to be hospitable. Open your hearts and your doors
and your hands to those who come your way. It could be God sent
them. And I know you will. This church
has always had the reputation of being hospitable. And sometimes
you suffer a disappointment, but that doesn't change your
hospitality. That doesn't change it. You'll
continue to be kind to strangers. But I tell you this, if they
are a true messenger of God, you'll know it pretty soon. In other words, you don't have
to keep being burdened with the same encroachments. Because if it's a messenger of
God, you'll find it out pretty soon. But go entertain Him first. Open your heart, open your hands,
open your doors. But if it's a messenger of God,
it won't be very long until you'll know about it, if He sent them. So that doesn't mean you'll be
burdened very long with people who are not messengers of God.
Alright, verse 3. These suffer this word of exhortation. Constant reminder. Alright, verse
3. Remember them that are in bonds,
as bound with them, and them which suffer adversity, as being
yourselves also in the body. There are two kinds of bonds. Two kinds of bonds. Remember
them that are in bonds as bound with them. Them that suffer adversity
as being yourselves also in the body. There are two kinds of
bonds. One, there are those who are
in bonds for the gospel. Men who labor in the gospel.
Preaching the gospel. And they're hated for that reason. They're hated for the sake of
the gospel. They despise for the truth that
they preach. They are persecuted and despise
for the message. Now, you remember them. Be identified
with them. And be kind to them. And show
your affection for them. That's what Paul is saying to
Timothy in 2 Timothy 1. And that's been experienced in
every day. The message is always hated by
the religious world, no matter who's preaching it, if he's really
preaching it. And Paul wrote to young Timothy
in 2 Timothy 1 verse 8, and he says, now Timothy, 2 Timothy
1 verse 8, Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our
Lord, the gospel of our Lord, the gospel of His grace. of his
sovereign, particular, discriminating grace in Christ. Don't be ashamed
of it. And listen, and don't be ashamed
of me, his prisoner. I'm in bonds. I suffer as an
evildoer. Was he an evildoer? He was a
preacher of the gospel. But he was in bonds. And he said,
you don't be ashamed of me now. You defend me. And help me and
be identified with me, and listen, you be, be thou partaker of the
afflictions of the gospel. According to the power of God
who saved us, this is the gospel I'm talking about. He saved us
and called us with a holy calling. Not according to our works, but
according to His own purpose and grace which was given us
in Christ before the world began. Don't you be ashamed of that,
and don't be ashamed of those who preach it. They're in bonds. And the reason
that they're persecuted and hated and despised is because of that
gospel they preach. That gospel. The second bonds he's talking
about here in Hebrews 13, remember them, they're in bonds, is they're
those who suffer in the flesh. The sick. Bound by sickness,
affliction, troubles. The old, bound by old age, slowed
down. The handicapped, the afflicted
in many ways. Let's identify with them. Let's
encourage them. Let's reach out to them. Remember
them. Don't forget them. Don't go down your merry road
of strength and confidence and health and happiness and all,
and forget those who are laid aside. Remember them. Remember them now as being yourselves
in the body, subject to like passions and
problems. It may be that your time is coming
soon. And it will be measured to you
with whatever measure you measure to others. Could be. God does
that so often. With what measure you meet, it
shall be measured to you. So remember them that are in
bonds, as bound with them. You weep, I weep with you. You
hurt, I'll hurt with you. You suffer, I'll suffer with
you. Now verse 4, marriage is honorable. In all things, and
the bed is undefiled, the marriage bed. What whoremongers and adulterers
God will judge. Now my friends, our generation has discarded the gospel. Our generation needs to get back
to the gospel. The Word of God. And our generation
has discarded the importance of marriage. And we need to get
back to that which God teaches about marriage. God ordained marriage. Let's
turn to Genesis chapter 2. Marriage is honorable. Marriage
is God ordained. Marriage and family is an institution
that God established. One man, one woman, who are brought
together in love. and become one flesh. And they're
supposed to stay together till death parts them. Absolutely. Genesis 2 verse 22,
listen, And the rib which the Lord God had taken from a man
made he a woman, and brought her to the man. And Adam said,
This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. She shall
be called woman, because she was taken out of man. Shall a
man leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife? There'll
be one flesh. Now marriage is honorable. God
ordained marriage. And we're supposed to stay married
when we take vows before God. I know my generation has discarded
those laws like they have the gospel. Not only did God ordain
marriage, but Christ recognized marriage. Our Lord Jesus Christ
performed His first miracle at a marriage feast. Did you know
that? In Cana of Galilee, He went down to celebrate a marriage
with a young couple. Our Lord went to their marriage
feast. And they ran out of wine. And
that's when He turned the water into wine. took part in that
marriage feast. And the Apostle Paul turned to
Ephesians 5. Here's what he said about marriage.
Ephesians chapter 5. He says in verse 22, Wives, submit
yourselves to your own husbands as unto the Lord. For the husband
is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He's
the Savior of the body. You wouldn't want Christ to desert
us, His bride, would you? Well, don't you desert yours.
That's what he's saying. Therefore, verse 24, as the church
is subject to Christ, let the wives be their own husbands in
everything. Husbands, love your wives even
as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. This is
God's way. I brought this out in a message
recently. This is God's way, and you can't
improve on it. And when you leave this way,
it says here, God will judge you. Marriage, Hebrews 13, is honorable
in all things. The bed is undefiled. It's ordained
of God. It's recognized by Christ. It's
promoted by the Apostle Paul. It's God's way, and anything
else, or any other arrangement, God will judge. People living
together who have not been married before God will be dealt with
in judgment. And people who carelessly, flippantly
go from one wife to the next to the next, God will judge.
That's what He said. And we need to be reminded of
that. You say, well, Christians will
do right. I sure hope so. I hope so. All right, verse 5. We need to be reminded of it. We need to be taught. We allow the world to shape our
thinking sometimes. We get the idea this is all right
because everybody is doing it. All right, verse 5. Let your
conversation. What is your conversation? It's
our character. It's our general character. It's the bend of the wheel. It's
the tenor of the life. It's the walk of the person.
It's his character. Let your character, your conversation,
be without covetousness. What is covetousness? Well, covetousness
involves two things. Covetousness involves two things.
It involves, first of all, a dissatisfaction with what God's given me. That's
the first thing involved, a dissatisfaction, discontent, unhappy with what
God, by His good providence, has given to me and what He has
made me and what I have from His hands. That's covetous, to
be discontent, murmur against God. Secondly, it's an over-anxious
desire and care about things of this world. And both are sinful. To find
fault with God's providence, to be discontent, dissatisfied
with what God has given me, where God has placed me, and with what
God has blessed me, and to have an overanxious desire and concern
and anxiety about the things of this flesh and this world."
Both are sinful. Paul said in Philippians, and
it's idolatry, that's what the apostles said. But Paul said
in Philippians 4, listen to this, Philippians chapter 4, and this is a A materialistic
age. It's a materialistic age. So
little contentment. We've got to have more and more.
We're rushing, have no peace, no patience, no quiet time, no
fellowship, no meditation. We're just dissatisfied with what we have,
trying to get some more. Philippians 4.11. Listen. Paul
says, not that I speak in respect of want, I have learned in whatsoever
state I am therewith to be content. I know how to be abased. I know
how to do without. I've known poverty, he said.
I've known what it is to be without. I know how to abound. I know
what it is to have plenty. Everywhere and in all things,
I'm instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound
and to suffer need. But I'll be alright. Because
I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. And I love
what Solomon said over here in Proverbs chapter 30. Proverbs
chapter 30, verse Verse 7 through 9. This deserves
to be circled in your Bible. Proverbs 7. This deserves to
be read frequently. Proverbs 7. Proverbs 30. Verse 7 through 9. Let me find
it so I can read it. Proverbs 30 verse 7. Two things. Have I desired? Have I required
of thee? Deny me them not before I die. Withhold not from me. Number one, remove far from me
vanity and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with food convenient,
my allowance. What's convenient for me, what
you judge is enough for me. Lest I be full, rich, increased
with goods, and deny thee, and say, well, who's the Lord? Or
lest I be poor, and murmur, and grumble, and steal, and take
the name of my God in vain. Be content, back at Hebrews 13, Hebrews 13, let your conversation
be without covetousness, your character, be content with such
things as you have. Because He said, I'll never leave
you, I'll never forsake you. So you can boldly say, the Lord's
my helper. I'll not fear what man shall
do unto me. Now this is not idleness. I don't
advocate idleness or living off of the generosity and kindness
and using others. We need to be busy in our Father's
vineyard and about our Father's business and doing what our Father
gave our hands to do. If a man won't work, he shouldn't
eat. But I'm talking about walking
daily with a contentment with what we have and avoid covetousness,
murmuring, being anxious, fear with worry and care about keeping
up with somebody else. I don't have to have what they
have to have, I have to have what God thinks I have to have.
And I need to be pleased with it. Alright, verse 7. Remember
them that have the rule over you. Now Christ is our King. Christ
is the head of the church. He has supreme rule. He's the
only potentate. Only one. High potentate. King of kings
and Lord of lords. But he's ordained in the church. Pastors. Elders. Spiritual fathers. He's given
them to the church to teach the word, pastors and teachers, to
lead that church and to guide that church. God puts His man
and His men, pastors and elders, He gives them the office and
the authority to guide that church and lead that church and offer
counsel, counsel to the people and advice And people are wise
if they have such a man chosen of God, sent of God, ordained
of God to be their guide and their leader. They would be wise
to remember them. What does it mean to remember?
Respect them. And follow their leadership.
You see, God sent them. And if God sent them, they have
more discernment and understanding if they're the leaders than those
whom they lead. Or God wouldn't have sent them.
He never sends a man to do a job without equipping him to do the
job and giving him discernment and insight and understanding.
And that's the reason he says here, now you remember them,
you respect them, you listen to them, you follow their leadership,
you pray for them, and you speak well of them, and you cooperate
with them. They have the rules. They're
like a father in a home. You don't do things in the home
without consulting the head of the home, the father. And they've
spoken to you the Word of God, now you follow their faith. And
listen, consider the end of their conversation, the end of their
ministry, the end of their work. Why God sent them? And that is
to preach Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and today and forever. That's our message, that you
may know Christ. that you may win Christ and be
found in Him. He's the same yesterday, ancient
times. His purposes are the same. He's
the same today, in time established, from the day God said, let there
be light, to the day God says, let the heaven and earth pass
away. He's the same then as He was in ancient times. And He's
the same in eternity. Yesterday Today and forever. Then look at verse 17. Obey them. Seek their counsel. Seek their advice. Seek their
leadership. Obey them. Listen to their counsel. If God leads them and God sent
them and God ordained them to guide the church, wouldn't God
give them some understanding and discernment? Obey them that have the rule
over you and do what? Submit yourselves. They watch for your souls. A
good pastor does. He cares about your souls. He
sees dangers that you don't see because God teaches him. He has
understanding about things that you don't have understanding
about because God shows it to him. If he's a good pastor, if God
sent him, if God made him the ruler and the guide and the leader,
then God will give him wisdom. And you need to submit. They
watch for your souls. They give us warnings about things
that they discern and know and information they have they can't
tell you about. They have information about a
lot of things that they can't share with you publicly. But
they know them. God teaches them. And they've
got to give an account. An account of what? Of you. Of how Christ said, you love
me, you feed my sheep, feed my lambs, and feed my sheep, and
you care for them, you watch out for them, you warn them about
the wolf coming. You warn them. I hope they listen
to you, because they don't. They got problems. And that's
what he talks about. Next, he says they have to give
an account that they may do it with joy. And not with grief. That sure would be unprofitable
for you. Don't resist the Lord's voice. Whether it's in teaching,
or counsel, or warning. Because you're probably not going
to hear another one. If you won't hear the one He
sent, why should He send another one? In verse 9, Obey the exhortation. Don't be carried about with divers
and strange doctrines. Don't take up with new voices, strange doctrines and divers
doctrines. It's good. Listen, this is the
good thing. Don't be carried away with these
things. It's good that our hearts be established with grace, the
grace of God in Christ. the grace of God, and not occupied
with meats, the ceremonial law, eating certain meats, keeping
certain days, circumcision, Sabbath days, engaging in ceremonies. These
things have not profited those folks that were occupied in it.
The Jews They didn't gain anything. They perished in the wilderness.
They were wrapped up in days and doubts and duties and works
and self-righteousness. It didn't profit them. It won't
profit us. The law, the ceremony, the religious
exercises, they cannot profit. They can't sanctify or justify
or establish the heart or give peace. Christ gives peace. Look to Him. Don't be taking
up with these things. Now verse 10, we have an altar. We have an altar. We have a sacrifice. We have a high priest. We have
a tabernacle, don't we? It's Christ Jesus. He's my altar. He's my altar. In the heart. He's my priest. He's my sacrifice. His blood is my atonement. And
listen, verse 9 to verse 10, they have no right to eat which
serve the tabernacle. In other words, this is what
he's saying, those who still come to the law, come to the
Sabbath, come to the tithe, come to the circumcision, come to
the Holy days. Come to these things. Ceremonies
of religion. Those who cling to the law cut
themselves off from Christ. You can't come to both. You can't
come to the altar of works and come to Christ. You can't come
to the altar of days and deeds and duties and come to Christ.
You can't do it. We have Christ. It says here, the bodies of those
beasts whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high
priest for sin, brought into the holy of holies, put blood
on the mercy seat, those bodies are burned without the camp.
Wherefore, listen, Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people
with his own blood, suffered without the gate. When they slew
those animals outside the gate, there is a picture of Christ
outside Jerusalem's walls. suffered, died for his people. Wherefore, let us go therefore
unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here we have
no city. We have no Jerusalem, no holy
city. We have no earthly temple. We
look for a city. We seek one to come like Abraham
of old. He's looking for a city. We have
no holy land to visit. We have no empty tomb. before
which to kneel. We have none of these things.
No continuing city. It's not continuing. It's done
away. God burned it down. But we have a city to come. New Jerusalem. Heavenly Jerusalem. Zion. Alright, verse 15. By Him, therefore, let us offer
sacrifices. Do we offer sacrifices? Yes,
we do. He's the great high priest, offered
his blood, but we offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. That is the fruit of our lips,
giving thanks to his name. Let me show you a verse in 1
Peter. 1 Peter, and I'll let you go in a moment. 1 Peter chapter
2. Listen to this verse here. Verse
5. We are priests, and we offer
spiritual sacrifices, the fruit of our lips, 1 Peter 2, 5, you
also as living stones are built up a spiritual house, a holy
priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God
by Christ Jesus. He's the high priest. And we
bring sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving and prayer and glory
to Christ.