It's possible to be very sincere in your beliefs,
but ultimately it does no good if the beliefs
are not true. through the ministry of TWR. Let's
get started with today's episode. We're traveling
together once again through the pages of the
precious word of God, the Bible. And today we've
come to the end of our study through Hebrews.
In a world where self -help is so valued and
the truth is so hard to find, how do we know
who to believe and who to trust? Our teacher,
John Matthews, will present Chapter 13 of this
letter with the theme, Final Recommendations.
Esther, thanks so much. Great to be with you
and a very warm welcome to Mission 66. As Esther
mentioned there, we're finishing up the book
of Hebrews, which was written mainly to Jewish
Christians of the first century and situation
with these guys where they were being tempted.
to go back to elements of Judaism rather than
continue in this new path of freedom that they
discovered through their faith and their belief
in Jesus, recognizing him as the Messiah. Why
were they tempted to go back? Well, they're facing
trials really and tough times in their lives
and they were causing people to doubt. And so
here, Hebrews underlines and shows the superiority
of Jesus as compared to any other elements of
Judaism that the Hebrews might have been trusted
or might have been led to trust in before or
go back to. And so it underlines that Jesus is
better than the angels. He's better than Moses.
He's better than Moses's law, better than the
Old Testament priesthood, because Jesus is the
great high priest and he was better than the
temple sacrifices because Jesus as the lamb of
God became the ultimate sacrifice and for the
penitent sinner Jesus's blood makes every spot
clean and there needs to be no more sacrifice
than the one that he made and so now here at
the end of this book of Hebrews in chapter 13
the author gives us some final recommendations.
Let's read. Let brotherly love continue. Do not
neglect to show hospitality to strangers for
thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
It's an interesting verse isn't it and makes
me think sometimes we become so self -centered
sometimes that we don't habitually welcome strangers
these days because Well, house guests involve
work. But here the writer is reminding us that
sometimes angels might walk among us and we might
never know it. And we just have no idea how our
kindness to strangers will be rewarded. And then
it says, remember those who are in prison as
though in prison with them, and those who are
mistreated since you also are in the body. Here
the idea was to remember to bring them some food
or clothing because often those who were in jail
were deprived of basic necessities. Verse four,
let marriage be held in honor among all and let
the marriage bed be undefiled for God will judge
the immoral and adulterous. Keep your life free
from love of money and be content with what you
have for he has said I Will never leave you nor
forsake you and so we can confidently say The
Lord is my helper. I will not fear What can man
do to me? See contentment is the opposite of
covetousness And if we've got Jesus as our good
shepherd, well, then we have everything that
we need. God knows what we need, even before
we ask. Charles Spurgeon once said that contentment
in all states is not a natural propensity of
mankind. So what does he mean by that? Well,
if someone, for example, had a million, they
would probably want two million soon. If they
had two million, then they'd soon want four.
The devil himself was not content in heaven,
neither were some of the angels who followed
him. Adam was not content in paradise, he just
had to sample that one forbidden fruit. Mankind
always needs once more and more and more, and
yet is still not content. But remember the Apostle
Paul, though abased and completely emptied of
riches. He had learned, in whatever state that
he found himself, to be content. And Christians
have reason to be content. If we have treasures
in heaven, surely we can put up with our lot
in life here for a little while. But the true
longing of every soul ever born will only find
its fulfillment and belonging in Jesus. Coming
to Him is coming home to the one who created
us in the first place, who knew us long before
we were born, who knows us far better than we
will ever know ourselves and loves us with a
love that is perfect and immeasurable. Verse
7, remember your leaders. Those who spoke to
you the word of God consider the outcome of their
way of life and imitate their faiths. Jesus Christ
is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Isn't that a great verse? You know, Jesus does
not change with the winds of public opinion.
He doesn't have bad days and good days. And what
he considered sin in the Old Testament still
is sin today. And yet he is always good, merciful,
and so willing to receive anybody who comes to
him in repentance and faith. Verse 9 Do not be
led away by diverse and strange teachings, for
it is good for the heart to be strengthened by
grace, not by foods which have not benefited
those devoted to them. This speaks to those who
put a great deal of hope in observing strict
dietary laws. You know, it's possible to be really
sincere in our beliefs, but it does no good whatsoever
if those beliefs are not true. Verse 10, we have
an altar from which those who serve the tent
have no right to eat. Tent meaning tabernacle
there. for the bodies of those animals whose
blood is brought up into the holy places by the
high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned
outside the camp. So Jesus, the Lamb of God,
also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify
the people through his own blood. Therefore,
let us go to him outside the camp. and bear the
reproach that he endured. This means just as
Jesus suffered outside the city gates, we must
likewise be willing to suffer the same kind of
indignities that he suffered from those who opposed
him, and if we suffer with him, we will certainly
share in his rewards and victory. Verse 14, for
we have no lasting city. But we seek the city
that is to come. Through him then let us continually
offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is,
the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
Do not neglect to do good and to share what you
have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Obey your leaders and submit to them. for they
are keeping watch over your souls as those who
will have to give an account. Let them do this
with joy and not with groaning, for that would
be of no advantage to you." To hear the writers
talking about, let's say, those church leaders,
those pastors and overseers who have, you know,
enough trouble overseeing the flock without us
adding to that burden by having bad attitudes.
Verse 18, pray for us. For we are sure that we
have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably
in all things. I urge you the more earnestly
to do this, in order that I may be restored to
you the sooner. Now, may the God of peace, who
brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the
great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of
the eternal covenant, equip you. with everything
good that you may do his will, working in us
that which is pleasing in his sight through Jesus
Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
And then finally, the writer says, I appeal to
you, brothers, bear with my word of exhortation
for I have written to you briefly. You should
know that our brother Timothy has been released
with whom I shall see you if he comes soon. Greet
all your leaders and all the saints. Those who
come from Italy send you greetings. Grace be
with all of you. So even though we don't officially
know exactly who wrote this book of Hebrews,
I guess these final verses are giving us a couple
of hints that it could have been the Apostle
Paul. He mentions Timothy, doesn't he, who was
his disciple and the pastor at Ephesus, who'd
evidently been imprisoned temporarily and was
being released, and also because he talks about
his hope of being restored to them soon. He mentions
Italy as well, where Paul himself had been imprisoned
in Rome. Now scholars have not yet been able
to arrive at a firm conclusion that it was Paul
who wrote this book, but whoever the writer was
would have had to have had an extraordinary grasp
of Judaism as well as Christianity. the main
points, and we've just finished off Hebrews.
Now, I do want to take just a moment to thank
you for your prayers and your financial partnership
with Mission 66, as this allows us to reach listeners
in multiple languages around the world. Now,
if you would like to make a financial gift to
this ministry to help us sustain our broadcasts,
please visit mission66 .org. That's mission66
.org. Now, dear friend, here are just a few questions
that will help us understand better what we've
just read in the book of Hebrews. So John, in
the beginning it says to show hospitality because
we never really know whether we're entertaining
angels and you know I can imagine that most of
us are kind of thinking back to our encounters
with strangers to see if perhaps we were entertaining
angels. But regardless of that, what part do
angels play in the grand scheme of things? Well
Esther in the Bible angels are called ministering
spirits that are sent by God To assist those
who will inherit salvation and we don't always
know who they are Jesus said children have special
angels watching over them whose face is always
behold the Father in heaven And so we can be
glad for that angelic help if it happens, but
we're warned in Hebrews chapter 1 not to worship
angels or to seek their help or consider them
to be mediators between us and God, but to hold
our worship for God alone. Elsewhere in this
chapter, I actually noted Paul talking about
the devil being transformed into an angel of
light. Yeah, that's right. You know, if we try
to contact angels when the Bible says not to,
there is the danger of ending up with the wrong
kind of angels, so the demons can get involved
whenever we go beyond what the Bible recommends.
For sure. All right, well, let's have a look
at verse four, because the writer of Hebrews
says that the marriage bed is undefiled, but
adulterers will be judged. Would you care to
expand on that? Yeah, let me do that. And this
verse contains much caution for us that we not
dishonor God by dishonoring the marriage covenant.
And so the marriage relationship is this sacred
union, ordained by God, created in the perfection
of God, which brings not only pleasure to the
couple, but a kind of communication without words
that is only possible on that intimate level.
There is another way perhaps of putting this,
that the Spirit of God is present during that
act, when it is placed in its proper bounds.
And sex was meant to be the ultimate God -honouring
joy between a man and a woman in a covenant of
faithfulness to one another. But the reality
is that many suffer with the guilt and the shame
caused by adultery and sexual immorality, maybe
perhaps even seeing themselves powerless to escape
from its grip or the grip of pornography. But
that is a lie, that inability, you're not escaping
from this. And in the words of American pastor
John Piper, this is what he said, I am not helpless.
God did not make me to drift. I'm not a jellyfish
in the currents of lust. That is not what God
created human beings to be. That is not why Christ
died for me. That is not why I have the Holy
Spirit. That is not why I am a new creature in
Christ. I am not helpless because I have Christ.
I have the Holy Spirit. I have the blood of the
cross of the Son of God. I have the entire Word
of God, the promises of grace. I am not helpless.
See, we were created to live for the glory of
God and to bless others. When we get away from
those things that we were designed for, the world,
the flesh and the devil are always there. to
help us go astray. But the truth is here, when
faced with these temptations and when even embroiled
in them, we are not helpless to break free from
them. Yeah, and you know, the author not only
warns about adultery, but he also talks about
the love of money. And these two things often
walk side by side, don't they? Sometimes adultery
and greed run in the same lane. You know, I believe
the Lord instituted the tithes and offerings
to keep us in that habit of giving him the first
fruits of everything that we earn. And that's
one of the ways of helping us against greed.
Ah, so Hebrews mentioned something incredible
when it says that Jesus is the same yesterday,
today and forever. How far back does Jesus go?
Well, Jesus is an eternal being. What does that
mean? Well, he pre -existed before the creation
of the world and will continue to exist into
an eternal future. So this is nearly impossible
for us to get our heads around with our limited
minds. But Jesus Christ was the same in the Old
Testament as he is in today's age of grace, and
he will be that way into the future. And so he
shows up, doesn't he, in the Old Testament as
an angelic being known only as the Angel of the
Lord. He was talked about by Moses and by the
prophets who foretold his coming to earth as
a man. He was not able to be killed. And then
he rose bodily from the grave and ascended into
heaven before witnesses saw him rise. He will
be equally merciful, powerful, all -sufficient
and defined by love forevermore. John, I'd like
to take a moment to just discuss church leadership.
How do we know who is a true leader that we can
listen to? And, you know, which are the false
teachers who want to lead us astray? Yeah, I
think sometimes there's a danger of judging leaders
by the wrong criteria first up. I mean, you know,
sometimes we're more inclined to listen. to those
leaders if they seem smart or they talk well
and fluently or they've got an educational degree
or look impressive. Now obviously it is important
for someone to have knowledge and to take care
of themselves. Nothing wrong at all with doing
your best if given to academia and having a degree.
But I think the first important thing is to be
faithful to biblical teaching and the true leader.
is the one who speaks according to the word of
God and the people in the church, well, they
need to pay attention and see if a leader's teaching
are in accordance with the Bible. Second thing
I think to observe is lifestyle and overall behavior.
How does that leader treat his wife, his family?
How does he handle his responsibilities, his
financial affairs? How does he approach his children.
Does he show an unusual love for expensive possessions
or financial gain? You know these kind of things
are indications of character and Jesus said that
by their fruits you shall know them and a good
tree brings forth good fruit. Yeah and you know
they could confidently say that they shouldn't
fear you know what can man do to me? This seems
to say that believers would suffer some kind
of persecution. I mean, we know that it happened
back then, but is persecution of Christianity
still a reality today? Very much so, Esther.
You know, it has always been a reality and to
some degree or other. That has been the story
of Christian history and whilst we hear an awful
lot about human rights today, it's estimated
that in the last century alone, 45 million Christians
were martyred for their faith. Now, depending
where we live, we may not be faced with losing
our lives or being imprisoned for our faith,
but there is... undeniably a growing attitude
of intolerance toward Bible believers. In some
parts of the world it is dangerous to carry a
Bible in public or you can be jailed for sharing
your faith with somebody else. But I think it's
really noteworthy that wherever persecution has
been heaviest, often that is where belief in
Jesus has grown the quickest and where believers
are strengthened more than in areas, let's say,
where it's perhaps easier to be a believer. So
persecution has a way of separating the true
believers from the ones who are just in it for
their own reasons, because it forces everybody
to get far more serious about their relationship
with God. Now I know there are plenty of people
who have been in prison for political reasons
or for exposing the misdeeds of ruling regimes,
but I think if I'm going to have to give my life
for something, Well, I want to make sure it is
for the right thing, the right thing. In my mind,
Jesus is the right thing. Well, we have now come
to the end of our study of the book of Hebrews.
And John, thank you so much for just leading
us and giving us a greater understanding of the
Bible. So how can we summarize this entire book?
Well, Hebrews shows both the Jewish Christians
and also anybody else who came into Christianity
that Jesus is better. He's better than the angels.
He's better than the old priesthood. He's better
than the Old Testament law because he mediated
a better covenant than the Mosaic covenant. The
new covenant has a better sanctuary. That is,
God's Spirit dwells within the heart. of every
believer and Jesus made himself a more sufficient
and permanent once for all sacrifice for sin
whereas the temple sacrifices could only be temporary
and in his final recommendations in chapter 13
the writer says it is necessary to go with Jesus
outside the camp and suffer scorn and derision
with him because after all Jesus suffered those
things outside the camp for us and the time had
come for the Jewish Christians to let go of the
old Judaism that they had known and declare their
loyalty to Christ their Messiah and consider
him above all the other things that they may
have been tempted to trust. May God, Esther,
give us all grace to do the same. Well, dear
friend, we want to thank you for being with us.
And I can tell you we are already preparing a
new series of studies in the book of James. So
please be sure to join us as we begin with chapter
one next time on Mission 66. Has God used today's
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