“You Want to do Good? Here’s Your
Checklist!”
2017 August 27
Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16
Continue to love each
other. Don’t forget to show hospitality to believers you don’t know. By
doing this some believers have shown hospitality to angels without being aware
of it. Remember those in prison as if you were in prison with them.
Remember those who are mistreated as if you were being mistreated.
Marriage is honorable in
every way, so husbands and wives should be faithful to each other. God will
judge those who commit sexual sins, especially those who commit adultery.
Don’t love money. Be happy
with what you have because God has said, “I will never abandon you or leave
you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper. I will not be
afraid. What can mortals do to me?”
Remember your leaders who
have spoken God’s word to you. Think about how their lives turned out, and
imitate their faith.
Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday, today, and forever.
Through Jesus we should
always bring God a sacrifice of praise, that is, words that acknowledge
him. Don’t forget to do good things for others and to share what you have
with them. These are the kinds of sacrifices that please God.
Message: “You Want to do Good? Here’s Your
Checklist!”
Here is your list:
1. Be Hospitable to Strangers
2. Remember the Oppressed
3. Be Faithful Spouses
4. Don’t Love Money or Things
5. Be Content
6. Remember Your Leaders
7. Bring Your Sacrifices to God
In three of the gospels a young
rich man asks Jesus what he needs to do to inherit eternal life. We gathered
here today already know the answer to that: Believe in our heart that Jesus’
death removed our sins, and confess with our lips that Jesus, not us, is in
charger of our lives. However, we still
wonder, “What do I need to do to be good?”
Listen as this Spiritual Song echoes what
the Apostle was telling his readers in his letter to the Hebrew Christians.
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my
heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart, in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart, in my heart
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart, in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart, in my heart
Stanza 1 is a prayer expressing the
initial desire to become a Christian;
the others are prayers for growth in Christian
character:.
Lord, I want to be more loving in my
heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be more giving in my heart, in my heart.
Lord, I want to be more forgiving in my heart, in my heart.
Lord, I want to be more giving in my heart, in my heart.
Lord, I want to be more forgiving in my heart, in my heart.
Lord, I want to be more holy in my
heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart, in my heart.
And more verses akin to these
Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart, in my heart.
And more verses akin to these
This African American spiritual could
well have originated in Virginia
"A black slave asked Presbyterian
preacher William Davies, 'I come to you, sir, that you may tell me some good
things concerning Jesus Christ and my duty to God, for I am resolved not to
live any more as I have done. . . Lord, I want to be a Christian.'
First, a little about this epistle:
Paul was most often credited with the
letter. However, more recent evidence indicates that it was more likely to have
been authored by Apollos and Barnabas.
Although the author of Hebrews is unknown
to us, he was obviously well known to and well respected by his readers.
At the time of its writing the first
century church was being severely persecuted and the writer sent this letter to
those Jewish Christians who were considering abandoning the teaching of Jesus
and lapsing back into strict Judaism. So, this portion of the letter gives a
checklist of how to be a Christian.
The apostle recommends several excellent
duties to them, as the proper fruits of faith
2. Remember the Oppressed
3. Be Faithful Spouses
4. Don’t Love Money or Things
5. Be Content
6. Remember Your Leaders
7. Bring Your Sacrifices to God
Christ, in giving himself for us, was
able to save to himself a special people who are enthusiastic to do good
works. Now the apostle calls the believing Hebrews to carry out these good
works as is expected of Christ’s followers.
1. Be hospitable to others.
Hospitality of this sort is made up of
parts: 1. Brotherly love, 2 Charity
This is the brotherly love which is
different than that love we show to all mankind.
It is also different than that shown to
our relatives.
This is that special and spiritual
affection which ought to exist among the children of God.
It is important to remember that this
letter is written specifically to the Jewish Christians. Family connections were very important to the
Jews.
It was how they identified themselves,
first as Jews, then by tribe of the 12,
then by the larger family and finally by
their own parentage.
So, it was assumed that this family form
of brotherly love was ingrained in them.
That is why the writer clarifies and
defines what he means by showing hospitality to believers by saying, “hospitality
to believers you don’t know.”
We can suppose that these early
Christians had this love for one another because they had all things common. They
sold their possessions and created a general fund in which all shared equally.
The spirit of Christianity is a spirit
of love.
Faith works by love.
The true religion is the strongest bond
of friendship.
·
However, this brotherly love was in
danger of being lost during this time of persecution, when it would be needed
most; it was in danger of being lost because of disputes among them concerning
the ceremonies of the Mosaic law. Then, as now, disputes about
religion too often produce a splits in the body of Christ; but this must be
guarded against, and all proper means used to preserve brotherly love.
Christians should always love and live as brethren, and the more they grow in
devout affection to God their heavenly Father the more they will grow in love
to one another for his sake.
We must add to brotherly kindness
charity.
·
The duty required is to entertain
strangers, both those that are strangers to Israel
·
The reward for this lifestyle is that some
have entertained angels unawares. Abraham did so as we read in Genesis. 18, The Lord appeared to Abraham by the
oak trees belonging to Mamre as he was sitting at the entrance of his tent
during the hottest part of the day. Abraham looked up, and suddenly he saw
three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran to meet them, and he
bowed with his face touching the ground. “Please, sir,” Abraham said, “stop
by to visit me for a while. Why don’t we let someone bring a little water?
After you wash your feet, you can stretch out and rest under the tree. Let
me bring some bread so that you can regain your strength. (later)Then the
men got up to leave. As Abraham was walking with them to see them off, they
looked toward Sodom
“No,” they answered, “we’d rather spend
the night in the city square.”
3 But he insisted so strongly that
they came with him and went into his home. He prepared a special dinner for
them, baked some unleavened bread, and they ate.
Though we can not assusme that we will
ever entertain the Lord himself, yet what we do to strangers, in obedience to
him, he will count it and reward it as if done to himself. In Matthew 25:34-40
we read, “Then the King will say to those
on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance,
the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I
was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me
something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed
clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was
in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you
something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or
needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and
go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you
did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for
me.’
God has often bestowed honors and favors
upon his hospitable servants without their being aware. I have told this before
but, once I had done a kindness for a woman who thanked me by saying, “Thank
you for being Jesus for me.” I replied, “No. You were Jesus for me.” It is why
I do what I can and give what I can to those in need, because I do and give as
if I were doing and giving to Jesus. If I do this, then the gift I have given
is in the Lord’s care and I do not have to concern myself about what the other
person or persons do with that gift. It is in God’s hands.
2. Remember the Oppressed
“Remember those in prison as if you were
in prison with them.” Christian sympathy has several parts: remembrance
and empathy.
·
Remember those that are in bonds. This
is the duty—to remember those that are in bonds and in adversity.
They need not be in an actual prison of stone and steel. There are many ways in
which people are imprisoned by the choices they have made, by physical or mental
distress, by poverty, and more. It so happens that while some Christians and churches are in
adversity others enjoy peace and liberty. All are not called at the same to the
same thing.
·
Empathy. Those that are at liberty must
sympathize with those that are in bonds and adversity, as if they were bound
with them in the same chains: they must alleviate the sufferings of their brothers.
We must understand that our time of chains may come and think on how we would
want to be treated by our brothers in Christ. It would be unnatural in
Christians not to bear each other’s burdens.
3. Be Faithful Spouses
“Marriage is honorable in every way, so
husbands and wives should be faithful to each other.” It
is honorable, for God instituted it in paradise, knowing it was not good for
man to be alone. He married and blessed the first couple. Christ honored
marriage with his presence and first miracle. It is honorable as a means to
prevent impurity and a defiled bed. It is honorable and happy, when
persons come together pure affection, and preserve the marriage bed undefiled,
not only from unlawful but lustful thoughts. Proverbs 23:7a reads, “for as he thinks within himself, so he is.” And Jesus said in Matthew
5:28 “I say to you, anyone who stares at a woman with lust for her has already
committed adultery with her in his heart.”
The writer also warns his readers that, “ God will judge those who commit sexual sins,
especially those who commit adultery.”
4. Don’t love money. 1 Timothy 6:9-10
advises us, “But people who want
to get rich keep toppling into temptation and are trapped by many stupid and
harmful desires that plunge them into destruction and ruin. 10 For
the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, in their
eagerness to get rich, have wandered away from the faith and
caused themselves a lot of pain.” And Jesus
warns us in Matthew 6:25, “No one
can serve two masters, because either he will hate one and love the other, or
be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and riches!”
5. Be Content
“Be happy with what you have.” Paul
in his letter to the Philippians 4:11-13 wrote, “I am not saying this because I am in
any need, for I have learned to be content in whatever situation I am
in. 12 I know how to be humble, and I know how to prosper. In each
and every situation I have learned the secret of being full and of going
hungry, of having too much and of having too little. 13 I can do all
things through him who strengthens me.”
And Christ in Matthew 6:25-30 said, “That’s why I’m telling you to stop worrying about
your life—what you will eat or what you will drink—or about your body—what you
will wear. Life is more than food, isn’t it, and the body more than
clothing? Look at the birds in the sky. They don’t plant or harvest or gather
food into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. You are more valuable
than they are, aren’t you? 27 Can any of you add a single hour to the
length of your life[b] by worrying? 28 And why do you
worry about clothes? Consider the lilies in the field and how they grow. They
don’t work or spin yarn, 29 but I tell you that not even Solomon in
all of his splendor was clothed like one of them.30 Now if that is the way
God clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and thrown into an
oven tomorrow, won’t he clothe you much better—you who have little faith?
6. Remember your leaders
It is clear from the contents of this
letter that the author is not speaking of all of those who claim authority over
us. He is speaking of those within the body of Christ who are our leaders and
have shared the Word of God with us, for he later writes that these leaders
must give an account to God.
Jesus in Matthew 23:2-3 tells the crowds
that followed him, “The scribes
and the Pharisees administer the authority of Moses, so do whatever they
tell you and follow it, but stop doing what they do, because they don’t do what
they say. This again indicates that we listen to and
follow the truths that they share even as we witness their human weaknesses.
7. Bring God a sacrifice
Now what are the sacrifices which we
must bring and offer on this altar? Not sacrifices for atonement for our sins. Christ
has already made that great sacrifice which washed away our sins. We need
only to offer our praise in acknowledgment on that sacrifice.
Our adoration and prayer, as well as our
thanksgiving are the fruit of our lips. These must be offered only to
God, not to angels, nor saints, nor any creature, but to the name of God alone,
through Christ our savior.
The second part of our sacrifice is to
do good deeds for and in the name of God’s Son. As God is well pleased; he will
accept the offering with pleasure, and will accept and bless the offers through
Christ.
Let me here recap:
1. Be Hospitable to Strangers
2. Remember the Oppressed
3. Be Faithful Spouses
4. Don’t Love Money or Things
5. Be Content
6. Remember Your Leaders
7. Bring Your Sacrifices to God
And all God’s people said, “Amen!”
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