Hebrews 13 1-8: Let Brotherly Love Continue

Q: What does the Bible say about brotherly love?

Hebrews 13:1 urges believers to let brotherly love continue, highlighting its importance in fostering community among God's people. In Hebrews 13:1, the author urges Christians to let brotherly love continue, emphasizing that love for fellow believers should be persistent and growing. Brotherly love is a special kind of affection and commitment found within the family of God. It is characterized by genuine care and concern for one another, which reflects Christ's love for the church. When believers love one another, it acts as a testimony to the world that they are disciples of Christ, affirming the call to glorify God through their relationships and interactions.

Q: How do we know that believers should love one another?

1 John 4:20 states that if anyone claims to love God but hates his brother, he is a liar, affirming the necessity of loving one another as evidence of true faith. The apostle John highlights the necessity of love among believers in 1 John 4:20, stating that if someone claims to love God yet harbors hatred towards a brother, he is lying. This assertion showcases the vital relationship between love for God and love for others; true faith will manifest in genuine care and concern for fellow believers. The commandment to love one another isn’t merely a suggestion but a reflection of the believer's transformation through regeneration by the Holy Spirit. As Christ loved us, so are we called to love one another wholeheartedly.

Q: Why is teaching necessary for believers?

Believers must be taught from the Scriptures to grow in grace and knowledge, as affirmed in 2 Timothy 3:16-17. The necessity of teaching within the Christian community is underscored in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, which states that all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. This instruction is vital as believers possess the seed of grace through regeneration but require teaching to cultivate and exercise these godly principles in their lives. Just as children need guidance for proper growth, so do believers need continual instruction from the Word of God to grow in their understanding of God's ways and to live out their faith effectively. The role of pastors and teachers is crucial in this educational process.

Q: What does the Bible say about the importance of marriage?

Hebrews 13:4 emphasizes the sanctity and honor of marriage, highlighting its divine establishment. In Hebrews 13:4, marriage is clearly stated to be honorable, an institution established by God. It is to be held in high esteem and protected from defilement. The sanctity of marriage reflects the covenant relationship between Christ and His Church, demonstrating the seriousness with which believers should approach the commitment of marriage. Additionally, the call for believers to honor marriage speaks to the importance of fidelity, selflessness, and love within this sacred covenant. The Bible teaches that the relationship between husband and wife is not only beneficial for the couple but also serves as a testimony of God’s love and faithfulness to the world.

Q: Why should Christians remember and respect their leaders?

Hebrews 13:7 instructs believers to remember and respect their leaders who have spoken the Word of God to them. Hebrews 13:7 emphasizes the importance of remembering and respecting those who lead and teach in the church, specifically those who communicate the Word of God. This respect is rooted in the recognition that spiritual leaders are entrusted with the responsibility to guide the congregation in truth and righteousness. By respecting their leaders, believers demonstrate their commitment to God's ordained order within the church. Additionally, following the faith of these leaders offers a model for living a life that is centered on Christ, which is essential for growth in the community of faith.

Some friends and I were talking
about Christian graces, Christian living, Christian graces such as giving
and forgiving, loving and being lovable, caring and concern for one another. And one of the ladies asked me
this question. I'm so glad she asked it because
it gave me a start on this message. It's a tremendous question. Just
tremendous. She said, if a person is truly saved, knows
God, not just religious, not just professing religion now,
not just nominally, traditionally religious, but this person knows
God, knows the grace of God, knows God in Christ. This person
is a child of God. Will he naturally love people? Will he naturally rejoice in
Christ Jesus? Will he just spontaneously give
and forgive? Will he just, because he knows
Christ and because Christ dwells in him, will he just naturally
endeavor in his life to walk in honesty, integrity, truth,
and glorify Christ and adorn the gospel? Or must he be taught these things? That's a good question, isn't
it? Got your attention, didn't it? It got mine too. That's a good
question. Will he spontaneously Do these things that are commanded
or must he, Gerald, be taught to do these things? My answer,
yes and yes. That's my answer. Yes, he will. And yes, he must. That's the answer. That is the
answer. You see, no doubt about it, no doubt about it, when a
person is regenerated by God's Spirit, when he's regenerated
by God's Spirit, when the glorious, mysterious miracle of regeneration
takes place, he's a new creature. He has new principles, he has
a new nature. God said, I'll give him a new heart. A new heart. God said, I'll write my law in
his heart. That's not something the preacher
does, that's something God does. I'll write my law in his heart
so he'll love it. I'll write my law in his mind
so he'll think on it. I'll make him a new creature."
A person regenerated by God's Spirit and brought to a saving
knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ is a new creature. And the love
of God is shed abroad in his heart, not by education, by the
Holy Ghost. For if any man have not the Spirit
of Christ, he's none of his. He's none of his if he has not
the Spirit of Christ. There are certain principles,
the principles of God, the principles of a new nature, there are certain
graces, there are certain fruits and certain attitudes which are
established in the heart in regeneration. This is called conversion. That's
what it's called. Our Lord said, except you be
converted and become as a little child, you shall no wise enter
the kingdom of heaven. That's the work of God, conversion. But yes, yes, a believer is a
new creature. Yes, in regeneration there are
principles of grace and principles of truth. There's a love of God
that's shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Spirit. He's a new
person. Like John Newton said, I'm not
what I ought to be. I'm not what I want to be. I'm
not what I'm going to be. But I'm not what I used to be.
I'm not what I used to be. There's a love for the Word of
God. There's a love for the people of God. There's a love for Christ.
There's a desire to glorify God that comes with regeneration,
but the believer must be taught. He must be taught from the Word
of God, the mind of God, the ways of God, and the will of
God. Would you say the disciples were
converted? Would you say the disciples were
regenerated? We'll turn to Matthew 5, and
let's see what the Lord did for the disciples in Matthew chapter
5. Listen to this. In Matthew the
5th chapter, beginning with verse 1. Matthew 5, 1. Now these are His disciples.
Now listen to this. And seeing the multitudes, He
went up into the mountains. And when He was set, His disciples
came to Him. Who came to Him? His disciples. And they gathered around Him.
And what did He do? He opened His mouth. and taught
them, and taught them. And this whole 5th, 6th, and
7th chapter of the book of Matthew, the Sermon on the Mount, is not
how to be saved, it's how saved people behave. That's what it
is. And our Lord was, I think the
multitude might have been listening in, but He's teaching His disciples.
He opened His mouth and taught them. And then on another occasion,
He said to His disciples, I have many things yet to say to you.
These men had been with Him three years, and He said, I have many
things yet to say to you, but you're not able to bear them
now. You're not able to bear them
now. Howbeit, when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He'll guide
you into all truth, for He shall take the things of mine and what?
Show them to you. You weren't born knowing them.
He'll show them to you. And the Scripture tells us to
desire the sincere milk of the Word that we may what? Grow. That we may grow thereby. That
we may grow how? Grow in grace. Grow in grace. Giving's a grace. Loving's a
grace. Joy is a grace. Patience is a
grace. God sends us tribulation that
we may what? Learn patience. We have to be
taught these things. Turn to 2 Timothy 3. Let me show
you something here. 2 Timothy chapter 3. Oh yes,
the believer does have the seed, but it's got to be cultivated
by the Spirit, by the Word, and by preaching. You've got to be
taught. Oh, the believer does have those
principles. But those principles have to
be exercised. Here in 2 Timothy 3, verse 16,
all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. It's God-breathed and
it's profitable for doctrine. Now, what's that? That's teaching
all doctrine concerning God, concerning man, concerning redemption
through Christ, concerning His righteousness, eternal life,
and things related thereunto. That's doctrine. All right. And
the Scripture is given for reproof. What is that? Reproof of error.
Reproof of heresy. Reproof of false teachers. Paul
tells us, beware of dogs, beware of the flesh merchants. Our Lord
said, beware of false prophets. We have to be warned. We have
to reprove error. And then the Scripture is given
for correction. To correct us. We ever need correcting? Your children ever need correcting?
Oh, I have to be corrected. My attitude gets bad sometimes,
my spirit, my practice. I need to be corrected. The Word
of God is for my correction. I need to be corrected. I need
to be chastised. I need to be disciplined by God.
And that's what the Word's for. All right, what's the next line?
And for instruction in righteousness. Now, this is not instruction
in imputed righteousness and instruction in righteousness
performed and perfected by Christ. This is instruction in godly
living. Instruction in godly living.
The duties and lifestyle of believers with regard to God and with regard
to one another. Instruction. Paul said that. He said, turn back to Hebrews
13, Paul said, I haven't arrived. I'm not perfect. I haven't laid
hold upon that for which I've been laid hold of by Christ,
but I'm telling you what I'm doing, I'm forgetting those things
which are behind and I'm pressing forward towards that mark of
the prize of the high calling of Christ my Lord. Oh yes, I
know this. I appreciate that question. I
know this. Yes and yes. Yes they do and
yes they must. I know that a believer has the
desire to will is present with me." Isn't that what Paul said? How to perform that which is
perfect? I find not. Believer has a desire,
he has the will, he has the intent, he has the interest in doing
the will of God, in adorning the gospel of Christ, in pleasing
the Father, in being a good example, but he must, as a child, be taught. from the Word of God. He must. Let me show you a few Scriptures.
I want you to turn to these. Acts chapter 28. You know, we
take great pains to teach our children. Our children, no doubt about
that, they have our genes. That's the reason we have to
whip them and correct them. They have our nature. They're
our children. They have our blood flowing through
their veins. But they've got to be taught.
They've got to be taught. We're going to send them to school
this week, that these fellows and ladies might teach them.
And God's children have to be taught. You know, John talked
about in the family of God, they're babes. They're young men, and
they're elders. And even the elders have to be
taught, and reminded, and exhorted. That's true. Look at Acts chapter
28 verse 30. And Paul dwelt two whole years
in his own house, his own hired house, and received all that
came in unto him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching those
things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence,
no man forbidding him. Preaching and teaching. That's
what we're called, pastors and teachers. The scripture said,
he that ascendeth up is the same that descended. And he gave some
apostles and some prophets and some evangelists, traveling missionaries,
and some pastors and teachers. Teachers of good things. Make
disciples of all men. What did our Lord say? And what,
Jim? And teach them. And teach them. All right, here's
another one. Titus 2. Let's turn over to Titus
chapter 2. I believe I'm enforcing my answer
to that question. I believe you see it from the
Word of God that we must be taught. Titus chapter 2, listen to this.
Verse 1 through 4, But speak thou the things which become
sound doctrine. And these are the things that
become sound doctrine. There's some things that are
becoming to sound doctrine. There's some things that adorn
sound doctrine. There's some things that ought
to be present where sound doctrine's present. And it's Christian behavior. It's godliness and holiness and
kindness and love and compassion. You speak these things which
become sound doctrine. That the aged men, you older
men here, be sober, vigilant, grave, serious, temperate, sound
in faith, in love. impatience. Oh, I have to be
taught these things? Yes, I have to be taught these
things. You mean these old fellows around here have to be taught
to love and be patient and gracious and kind? Yes, sir, we have to
be taught. And you aged women, nobody wants
to fit that description, do they? We've got to teach these ladies,
too, likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness,
not false accusers, not gossipers, accusing people falsely, not
given to much wine, teachers themselves of good things, that
they may teach the younger women to be sober, to be wise, to love
their husbands. We've got to be taught these
things. That's what it says. to love their children, to be
discreet, chaste, keepers at home, not busybodies, good, obedient
to their husbands. Let the word of God be not blaspheme. Also the young men. Teach them,
speak to them, exhort them to be sober-minded. In all things,
you show yourself a pattern of good works, in doctrine showing
uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, sound speech that cannot be condemned. Look at verse 9. Exhort service
to be obedient to their masters. Teach them. And to please their masters well
in all things, and not sassing. Answering again is snapping back. Do what you're told to do. Somebody
said the boss may not always be right, but he is always the
boss. And learn to obey without sassing. Not purlarning, that's
stealing. Some people think because they
work for the company, whatever the company has belongs to them,
they take it home with them. That's thievery. We ought to
be taught not to do those things. Showing all good fidelity, that
they may what? Adorn. What is adorn? Well, this suit is an adornment, this
tie I put on, Miss Luther gave me this tie for my birthday,
gave me a red, isn't it beautiful? You tell her I got my red tie
on this one. But I matched my suit, I wanted to look nice.
I adorned this old body, old 63 year old crumbling, decaying
body, and I make it look nice. And that's, we adorn the gospel.
Make it look nice. See what I'm saying? We don't
want to live in such a way that people say, well, even if what
you believe was true, I wouldn't have it. Because the way you
act, the kind of person you are. Are we a good ambassador or are
we a good representative of what we believe? That's what he's
talking about there. All right, let's go to Hebrews 13. And this is what he's saying
here. Teach me. Don't you turn to Him. Let me
read one more Scripture that I looked at here yesterday. You just listen to David. Show me Thy ways, O Lord. Teach
me Thy ways. Lead me in Thy truth. Teach me. For Thou art the God of my salvation. And on thee do I wait all the
day. Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindness,
for they've been of old. Remember not the sins of my youth,
nor my transgressions. According to thy mercy, remember
thou me, for thy goodness' sake. Good and upright is the Lord,
therefore will he teach sinners his way. That's Psalm 25. Alright,
let's look at, and in our text, Hebrews 13, we've been going
through the book of Hebrews. And we come now to chapter 13,
and Paul has finished the doctrinal part of this epistle. He's dealt
with all these things we've talked about, and now he closes with
exhortations to godliness. to godly behavior and conduct
and conversation in several things. And in these first eight verses,
I'll be brief, he deals with love. He deals with hospitality. He deals with compassion and
care. He deals with marriage. He deals
with contentment. He deals with authority, leadership,
and perseverance. Let's look at them. First of
all, in verse 1, he says, let brotherly love continue. Now,
we're to have love and pity and compassion for everybody. Our
Lord said, you love them that love you. What thank have you?
Sinners do the same. You give to people from whom
you hope to receive something in return. What thank have you?
Anybody does that? That's just an investment. But
I say unto you, love your enemies. Love them. Pity them. have compassion
on them, love them. Malice, anger and hatred, that's
not the way of the believer. That's not the way of God. That's
just not the way of God. To hold grudges, to have malice,
that's not the way of God. But right here, he's talking
about something else, rather than loving all men, having pity
and compassion on all men. He says, let brotherly love continue. This is a relationship, a special
God-given relationship of love. This is brotherly love. This
is a special family. We're brothers and sisters in
God's family. And brothers and sisters in God's
family do actually, in reality, fervently, genuinely love each
other. Our Lord said, by this shall
all men know you, my disciples, that you love one another. That's
one of the marks of a believer, that he loves God's people. He
loves him that begat, he loves him that's begotten of him. Why,
he said, this is my commandment that you love one another as
I've loved you. And if a man does not love his
brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath
not seen? And he says about this brotherly love, this genuine,
fervent love, let it continue. Let it continue. Let it never
cease. Let it grow. Oh, Paul writing
in 1 Corinthians 13 says, if I have not love, if I have not
love. That's the reason I've told you
so many times, oh, that God would give us faith, faith to believe. Oh, that God would increase that
faith. Oh, that God Almighty would teach us to pray. to pray. I mean to pray. I don't
mean to go through the motions. I don't mean to say the words.
I mean to pray. I'd rather pray five words genuinely
to God than six hours in a feigned prayer. Just teach me to pray.
And that third thing, to love one another. He said, now about his faith,
hope, and love, the greatest of these is love. And if I have
not love, if I have not love, I may be the greatest orator
in this world. I may preach with the tongues
of men and of angels if I have not love. Well, you may as well
ring an old Chinese gong. It's irritating to the ear. It's
irritating to hear somebody who does not speak in love. It irritates
me." And he said, I may have the gift of Faith, so that I
can remove mountains. But if I have not love, and I
may give my body to be burned, but if I have not love, while
they bestow my goods to feed the poor, but if I have not love,
it profiteth me nothing. So let it continue. Brotherly
love. We're put up with a whole lot
out of a brother. A whole lot out of a brother. See, love covers
a multitude of failures, infirmities. Love does. You know, love believeth
all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things, and never
fails. Love wants to believe the best.
Love doesn't rejoice in iniquity. Love rejoices in truth. Love
weeps over iniquity. When someone comes in and tells
you one of your sons or your brother or sister has committed
some crime, do you hasten to tell someone? Do you run down
the street and say, you know what Floyd did? No. You love him. He's your son
and your brother. You keep it quiet. Love concealeth a matter. But
the only reason you go and tell something is you don't love that
man. You don't love him. And you're rejoicing in his weakness
and rejoicing in his fall and rejoicing in his iniquity because
it makes you look better. He did it, you didn't. And that's
evil. That's not love. Oh, I tell you, we need to memorize
1 Corinthians 13. Let brotherly love, brotherly
love, brotherly love, brotherly love continue. Let it continue. And verse 2, be not forgetful
to entertain strangers. You know, a lot of times we think
about entertaining strangers, we think of hospitality. But
this he's talking about here is more than hospitality, more
than sharing home, bread, and board, and fireside. This is
friendliness. Hospitality, remember, be not
forgetful to entertain with friendliness. and warmth and fellowship and
a welcome strangers. That's brothers who are strangers. I don't mean you're supposed
to open your front door and invite every hobo walking down the railroad
into the house. He's talking here about brethren. We've had an opportunity to do
that here lots of times. We've been, I mentioned I think
in the bulletin today, We've had the Danny Parks family, and
the Walter Gruber family, and the Ken Wymer family, and the
John Watson family, and the Milton Howard family. And today we've
got the Larry Simpson family. And isn't it great to have people
from afar come through our midst? Well, entertain them. Welcome
them. Be friendly. Because he says,
some have entertained angels unaware. I wish I had time to read about
Abraham when the angels came to him. He didn't know they were
angels of the Lord. And I'll just show you. Let me
turn to it. You just listen to it. He didn't know they were
angels of the Lord, but he said here, He lifted up his eyes and
saw these three fellows, and he said, if I've found favor
in your sight, don't go away. Pass not away. Let a little water,
I pray you, be fetched, and watch your feet. And rest yourselves
under my tree. And I'll get a morsel of bread.
Sarah, make ready quickly three measures of fine meal. Make some
cakes for our friends. He told one of the boys, he said,
go get a cab and prepare it. Let's have a feast. We've got
some friends here. You know, they turned out to
be angels? They turned out to be angels. Well, I don't suspect
that we'll actually entertain any heavenly beings around here,
but I'll tell you this, in the Bible, the messengers of God
are called angels, aren't they? His preachers are called angels.
The angel of the church? When you ask to the angel of
the church at Philadelphia, that's the pastor. So be hospitable. Our Lord said
in Matthew 25, when you do it to the least of these, you did
it to Me. Lord, when did we see you hungry?
When did we see you naked? When did we see you in prison?
When did we see you sick and bested? He said, inasmuch as
you've done it to the least of these, my brethren, you did it
to Me. There's an angel driving your
car this morning. It blesses you, doesn't it? It's a blessing. Be hospitable,
friendly. Don't forget to entertain. And
that's not just talking about room and board. Like I say, it's
a whole lot more. It's a heart reception. Alright,
read on. Remember them. Remember them
that are in bonds. Now Paul, he specially I'm thinking
here of his prison time. He spent a lot of time in prison.
In fact, he wrote to Timothy and he said, don't be ashamed
of me or my chains. Don't be ashamed of me or my
chains, but you be ready to suffer affliction for the testimony
of the gospel. But here he's saying, remember
those that are in bonds. Remember those who suffer for
the gospel's sake, as if you were a fellow prisoner with them.
And remember them that suffer adversity. Look down here at
the next line, verse 3. Them that suffer adversity. Who
are these? Older people. Our sick brothers
and sisters. Needy people. Those out of work.
Remember them. When he says remember them, you
know the thief on the cross turned to Christ and said, remember
me when you come into your kingdom. He didn't mean for the Lord just
when he got into his kingdom to remember that this fellow
died by him. He was saying, think on me. Wasn't that what he was
saying? Consider me. Receive me. Help me. And this is what this
is saying here, the missionaries, the preachers of the gospel,
those who are despised for Christ's sake, our older people, our sick
brothers and sisters, don't forget them, remember them. And remember
them in that you think upon them and minister to them, as many
of you do, how kind you are, needy people, those out of work.
Oh, how you've blessed me in this regard. I say, there's a
man who came by this morning. And I was over here about ten
till nine. He came in. Paul, you saw him when he went
out, I think. He came by. Dirty white shirt, dirty pants. He said, I'm hungry. And Martha handles all this usually.
And I get, you know, I get, I'm busy. This morning I was busy
on Sunday. But I wanted to just leave me
alone. I'm trying to get ready for church. I'm too busy right
now. I said, can you come back in the morning and see my secretary
and she'll take care of this for you. We help people. He said,
I'm hungry now. I'm hungry now. So I reached
in my pocket and helped him. And you do. So many of you, I
appreciate that so much out of you, those out of work, those
lonely, those bereaved, Remember them, think on them, share with
them, encourage them, help them. That's what he's saying here.
Watch it. Why? Well, for Christ's sake,
also as being yourselves in the body. As being yourselves subject to
these same things. And I wanted to tell this man
that came by. This is what I wanted to tell
him. My friend, if you loved Christ and knew Christ and was
a part of this congregation, you'd never be in this shape.
Isn't that right? Y'all wouldn't let him be in
that shape. You'd help him. And that's what he's saying.
You help one another. And you will, you do. Thank God you do.
Verse 4, marriage is honorable. In other words, this is what
this is saying. Let marriage be held in honor. I address myself to all of us
here, especially the younger married people. Marriage was
instituted by God. It has the favor of God. God
instituted marriage. It's no trial basis. It's no
careless, frivolous thing. It needs to be entered with much
prayer and concern and consideration because we make vows before God
Almighty. Y'all made a vow standing here
in front of me. You made a vow to be true to each other till
death parted you. You made a vow to God and before
these witnesses that you'd build your home and build your marriage
and raise your children. That was a promise. And it's
expected to be kept. Marriage was instituted by God.
Marriage was honored by our Lord Jesus Christ and He performed
that miracle at Cana in Galilee. Marriage was chosen by the Apostle
Paul as a symbol of Christ's union with the Church. And he
tells the husband to love his wife like Christ loved the church.
Love her like Christ loved the church. And he tells that wife
to be obedient to her husband as the church is obedient to
Christ in all things. Marriage is honorable. Marriage
is to be held in honor. So let marriage be held in honor. Let it be esteemed highly, of
great price and dear in all things, and let nothing divide it. There's no reason for two genuine,
born-again, saved believers ever being divorced. No reason. Exactly right. No reason. Not both saved. It is our responsibility
as believers to live together in love and peace and unity. I hear people say, well, married
people always fight. No, they don't. Believers don't
fight. And I beg your pardon. It's our
duty and responsibility to live together in love and peace and
unity, building, protecting our homes for the glory of God, the
good of the gospel, ourselves and our children. And this relationship,
marriage, is to be held in honor and the bed is not to be defiled. Those who are married, that relationship
between husband and wife is good and honorable and not to be defiled
by promiscuity and adultery and fornication. It's not to be defiled. Because whoremongers and adulterers
God gonna judge. We have to be taught these things?
Yes, sir. And then verse 5, quickly. Let
your conversation, your conduct, your attitude be without covetousness. Be content with what you have.
Be content with what you have. God said, I'll never leave you.
I'll never forsake you. And because He said I'll never
leave you and I'll never forsake you, then I can say the Lord's
my helper. He's my supplier. He'll meet
my every need. And I don't have to be afraid.
Now let me speak honestly, as I try to with you all the time.
I realize there's a natural concern which all of us have here for
the needs of this body, for the care of our families, and what
we're going to eat, where we're going to live, what we're going
to drink, what we're going to wear. That's natural. That's
natural. You men are concerned about your
jobs. You've got to have a job. You've got to bring in so much
every day. You men, you women, you've got a concern Your children's
well-being, health, that's normal. I'd be concerned about you if
you weren't concerned about it, to some extent. But what he's
saying here, and Paul recognizes that, but what he's saying here
is let our character and our conduct be free from an excessive
love of money. When you say that, John, you've
got to have money. Bread costs a dollar a loaf, milk two dollars
a gallon. You got to have money, but let
your conduct and your character and your life be free from an
excessive desire for and love of money, from craving these
things, worldly wealth, worldly possessions, free from greed
and lust after material things. Covetousness is idolatry, panting
after, lusting after. These things is idolatry. He
said, having food and raiment, the simple things, food and raiment,
a shelter over your head, be content. Be content with what
you have because you have the promise of God, I won't leave
you. I won't leave you. I'll always
be with you. And David said, I'm old, I've
been young, I've never seen God's seed begging bread. Have you?
Not God's seed. Verse 7, remember them also that
have the rule over you. Now you know who this is, it
tells you in the next line, who has spoken unto you the word
of God. That's your pastor, that's your elders, that's the men who
minister the word of God. Remember them, respect them,
pray for them, care for them, follow their leadership, obey
them, remember them. Go back to that word remember
again. Think on them. Respect them. Follow their leadership.
Those who have the rule over you, who have spoken to you the
Word of God, follow their faith. Follow their faith. Follow the
truth that they preach. And I say this, this Scripture
is bifocal. Some of us wear bifocals. We
look straight and we look down. We've got a different perspective. Well, scripture is that way.
It has its primary meaning. And this primary meaning is for
you to remember them that have the rule over you, your pastor,
your elders, your teachers, your missionaries. But it's bifocal. It also means children obey your
parents. They have the rule over you. It also means wives, submit yourself
to your husband. God said he has the rule over
you. It also means you young people
who start to school this week, obey your teachers. They have
the rule over you. See, there's authority in this
old world. God put it here. That means citizens obey the
magistrates. That means workmen obey the bosses.
That's right. You see, when a man is saved,
he learns authority. And he's willing to follow it
because he knows it has to be. It's God's way of doing things.
Authority. The head of every man is Christ,
the head of every woman is a man. That's just authority. And it
applies mainly to spiritual leaders. All right, let's watch this in
closing. You remember them, verse 7, that
have the rule over you, who have spoken to you the word of God,
whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
That word is goal, object of their conversation. Their conversation
is their behavior, their conduct, their message, their everything.
What is the end of their conversation? Jesus Christ. The same yesterday,
today, and forever. That's it. Jesus Christ. I tell you now, all these things
I've been talking about, brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers
and children and all these things relate to time and they're temporal
and they fade away. But my central message, my goal,
all that is within me is in Him dwelleth all the fullness of
the Godhead bodily and you're complete in Him. Oh, that you
may win Christ and be found in Him. For swift to its close ebbs
out life to the day. Earth's joys grow dim, its glories
fade away. Change and decay in all around
I see. And I have a responsibility to
these things around me, which I see. And I want to adjust my
personality and my conduct and my attitude and my dealing to
glorify God to these things. But they are decaying. O thou
that changest not, the same yesterday, today, and forever abide with
me." Makes all this possible. Possible.

Hebrews 13 1-8: Let Brotherly Love Continue

What does the Bible say about brotherly love?

How do we know that believers should love one another?

Why is teaching necessary for believers?

What does the Bible say about the importance of marriage?

Why should Christians remember and respect their leaders?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

Joshua

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Music

Recent Comments

About

Legal

Subscribe

Account

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Recent Comments

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Collections

Music

About

Legal

Subscribe

Hebrews 13 1-8: Let Brotherly Love Continue

What does the Bible say about brotherly love?

How do we know that believers should love one another?

Why is teaching necessary for believers?

What does the Bible say about the importance of marriage?

Why should Christians remember and respect their leaders?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

More from Henry Mahan

Related Sermons

Same Scripture

Articles by Henry Mahan

Books by Henry Mahan

Joshua

Where this book stands in the tradition

Plato

Augustine

The Western Christian Tradition

This Book