Worship that Pleases God

So Hebrews 13.

Let brotherly love continue.

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,

!

So we can confidently say,

The Lord is my helper.

I will not fear.

What can man do to me?

Remember your leaders,

those who spoke to the word of God.

Consider the outcome of their way of life

and imitate their faith.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

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.

We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat.

For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places

by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp.

So Jesus 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 he endured.

For here 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.

Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience,

desiring to act honourably 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.

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.

This is the word of the Lord.

Good morning, everyone.

For those who don't know me, I'm Sean.

I'm one of the members of the congregation here.

I'd like to start by thanking the elders

for giving me the privilege of preaching God's word

to you this morning.

Some of you know how hard I found it

preparing for this morning's sermon,

and it's given me a much deeper respect

for the work that the elders do every week

to faithfully bring us God's word.

So let's pray.

Lord, your word is a light unto our path.

So we pray that as we read it and as we work through it,

you will shine your light upon us

and teach us to live in a way that is pleasing to you.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Well, for the last 12 chapters,

the writer to the Hebrews has gone to great lengths

to get us to realize that Christ is far better

than anything else heaven or earth has to offer.

In fact, he's been so eager to get us to recognize

the surpassing supremacy of Christ

that he has used the very word better more times

than the rest of the New Testament put together.

He's told us that Christ is better than all other prophets

because he is the very son of God

who has brought us a message of full and free forgiveness

of sins for all who trust in him.

He has told us that Christ is better than all other priests

because he has reconciled us to God

through his once-for-all sacrifice of himself upon the cross.

And he has told us that Christ is better than all other kings

because he has given us a kingdom that cannot be shaken

in which we can find true rest for our souls.

Along the way, he has called us to respond to what we have heard.

He has urged us not to ignore it

or to harden our hearts against it

as the Israelites did in the wilderness,

but to hold fast our confession

and to draw near with confidence to the throne of grace.

He has warned us of the danger of turning back,

of neglecting such a great salvation.

And he has encouraged us to press on in faith

to run the race marked out for us with perseverance,

fixing our eyes on Jesus,

the founder and perfecter of our faith.

But now, as he draws his letter to a close,

he wants us to understand that the ultimate goal

of everything he has been saying is the worship of God.

He hinted at this back in chapter 9, verse 14,

when he said that the purpose of Christ's atoning death

was to cleanse us from our sins

so that we could serve the living God.

He declared that unmistakably in chapter 12, verse 28,

when he called us to be grateful for receiving a kingdom

that cannot be shaken,

and thereby to offer to God acceptable worship

with reverence and awe.

And now, in chapter 13,

he lays out what it looks like to do that very thing.

But before we look at this blueprint

for offering acceptable worship,

it's worth taking a moment to consider

what acceptable worship even means,

because we could easily get the wrong idea.

After all, the word acceptable

often has negative connotations in English,

such as when we say that someone's performance

is acceptable.

But when we offer acceptable worship to God,

we shouldn't picture him

accepting it with a frown,

saying, I guess this will do,

I guess it's acceptable.

Instead, we should picture him overjoyed,

pleased, and delighted with us

and what we're doing.

That's the sense of the word acceptable.

That's the sense that the word acceptable carries here.

In fact, the word translated acceptable

in chapter 12, verse 28,

is translated pleasing

everywhere else it appears in Hebrews.

In chapter 11, verses 5 and 6,

we were told that Enoch pleased God

and that without faith,

it is impossible to please him.

And in chapter 13, verses 16 and 21,

we are told that God will work in us

what is pleasing to him

and that we can offer pleasing sacrifices to God.

So acceptable worship means pleasing worship.

And worship here is really just a broad term

that means service.

So if you want an easy way of remembering

what acceptable worship means,

just think of it as service

that is pleasing to God.

But now, turning to our chapter,

chapter 13,

we see that one kind of service

that God finds pleasing

is service to God's people.

Look at verse 1.

Let brotherly love continue.

When the writer to the Hebrews

thinks of acceptable worship,

the first thing that comes to his mind

is brotherly love.

Christians going to the same lengths

to care for each other

as they go to care for members

of their own families.

And in verse 2, we read,

do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,

for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

The second thing that comes to his mind

is extending that brotherly love

to those we don't even know,

but who come to us for help.

And now in verse 3, he 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.

The third thing that comes to his mind

is being proactive in taking that brotherly love

to those in need,

rather than just waiting for them

to come to us and ask for help.

The worship that is pleasing to God

involves committing to loving God's people,

those we know,

those we don't,

and those who are suffering.

Now the encouraging thing about this

is that the text assumes

that we're already doing this.

The force of these verses in the Greek

is really something like,

keep showing brotherly love,

keep showing hospitality to strangers,

keep remembering those who are in prison.

The writer to the Hebrews is convinced

that his readers are already pleasing God

in all these ways,

and we can have confidence

that we are too.

Just think of our recent support

for Lincoln and Leah in Myanmar.

By raising and sending the money that we did,

we showed brotherly love,

we cared for strangers,

and we remembered the afflicted.

When the Philippians sent aid to Paul

when he was imprisoned in Rome,

Paul wrote back to them saying

that the gift was a fragrant offering,

an acceptable sacrifice,

pleasing to God.

He would say the same

for the thing that we did

for Lincoln and Leah

and all those in Myanmar.

Indeed, verse 16 of our passage

says the same thing.

Do not neglect to do good

and to share what you have,

for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

But how is it that we were able

to be so generous?

Isn't it because we were worshipping God

in another way that is pleasing to him?

By being content

with what he has provided for us?

How could we have raised

so much money so quickly

during a cost of living crisis

if we weren't content

with what we have

because we trust that

whatever happens,

God will never leave us

or forsake us?

Look at verse 5.

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.

God wants us to love one another

in risky ways

and that is never going to happen

if we love money.

If we always want to have

more possessions

or are always afraid

of losing them,

we will never commit

to one another like a family.

We will never show

biblical hospitality to strangers

and we will never go into harm's way

to care for those in need.

We simply won't be able

to afford it.

But if we don't mind

losing everything

this life affords

because we know

that we have a better kingdom

that cannot be shaken,

we can risk everything

in the pursuit

of loving others

and pleasing God.

But where do we find

that confidence?

Hebrews gives the answer

in God's promises.

When we remember

that God has said,

I will never leave you

nor forsake you,

we will be able

to respond with the words

of verse 6.

The Lord is my helper.

I will not fear.

What can man do to me?

It's worth lingering

on this promise

and response

in verses 5 and 6

because we really don't feel

the force of it

when we read

our English translations.

In Greek,

it's extremely emphatic.

In the sentence,

I will never leave you

nor forsake you,

there are five negatives.

It's really impossible

to bring them across

into English,

but the closest thing to it

is the last verse

of the hymn

How Firm a Foundation,

Ye Saints of the Lord.

The soul that on Jesus

hath leaned for repose,

I will not,

I will not

desert to his foes.

That soul,

though all hell

should endeavour to shake,

I'll never,

no never,

no never forsake.

But we shouldn't

misunderstand verse 6.

It's not promising

that nothing hard

or difficult

will ever happen to us

if we live the life

of reckless commitment

to God's people

and contentment

with God's provision

that we're being called to.

After all,

the writers of the Hebrews

has just given us

models of faith

in Hebrews 11

who were robbed,

thrown in prison,

tortured,

killed.

What he's saying

is that all those

things are all

that man can do.

Man can only rob us.

Man can only

throw us in prison.

Man can only kill us.

All man can do

is take away the things

that we're going

to lose anyway

when God shakes

the heavens and the earth.

The kind of confidence

we're being called to

is the kind that Paul had

when he said

that to live is Christ

and to die is gain.

Or the kind of confidence

the early church martyr

Ignatius had

when he was being

taken to Rome

to be thrown

to wild beasts.

While he was on his way

to Rome,

he wrote a letter

to the Christians in Rome

and he said this,

Now at last

I am beginning

to be a disciple.

May nothing visible

or invisible envy me

so that I may reach

Jesus Christ.

Fire and cross

and battles

with wild beasts,

mutilation,

mangling,

wrenching of bones,

the hacking of limbs,

the crushing

of my whole body,

cruel tortures

of the devil.

Let these things

come upon me.

Only let me reach

Jesus Christ.

Neither the ends

of the earth

nor the kingdoms

of this age

are of any use to me.

It is better for me

to die for Jesus Christ

than to rule

over the ends

of the earth.

Him I seek

who died on my behalf.

Him I long for

who rose again

for my sake.

The pains of birth

are upon me.

It is pleasing

to God

when we take

the risk

of loving others

because confidence

in his promises

has made us content

with what we have.

But although

all this may be

very encouraging

it can also be

very intimidating.

The life we're called

to live in response

to Christ's work

is simple

but it's not easy.

I think that's why

verse 7

turns our attention

to our leaders.

Remember your leaders

those who spoke

to you the word of God.

Consider the outcome

of their way of life

and imitate their faith.

The leaders

that we're being told

to look to here

are not our current leaders

but past ones.

These are those

who spoke to us

the word of God.

We need to call them

to mind

to remember them

because they're

no longer with us.

We need to consider

the outcome

of their way of life

because they have

already finished

the race

and entered God's rest.

So we should

imitate their faith

because they have

given us examples

of living lives

that are pleasing

to God.

If we want

to please God

all we have to do

is follow in their footsteps.

We don't have to

work it out

by ourselves.

Paul told the Corinthians

to imitate him

as he imitated Christ.

We're being called

to do the same here.

And we're given

reassurance

in verse 8

that doing

what they did

will be pleasing

to God

because God

does not change.

Verse 8 reads

Jesus Christ

is the same

yesterday

and today

and forever.

His character

is the same.

His teaching

is the same.

His expectations

are the same

and what pleases

him

is the same.

So if a life

of faith

was pleasing

to him

in the past

it will be

pleasing to him

today.

But we can also

find guidance

in the present.

The author

comes back

to talking

about leaders

in verses 16

and 17

and there

he has our

current elders

in mind.

He reminds us

that they are

keeping watch

over our souls

to make sure

that we stay

faithful to Christ

and offer

to God

acceptable

worship.

So he calls

us to obey

them,

to submit

to them

and to pray

for them.

This is not

a call

to mindless

or implicit

obedience.

Our elders

would be the

first people

to tell you

that.

But it is

a call

to have

an obedient

disposition.

When they

teach us

something

or tell us

to do

something

we shouldn't

adopt a

take it

or leave

it approach.

We should

believe them

and obey

them unless

we have

very good

reasons to

do otherwise.

If we

don't

we are

likely to

be led

astray

by false

teachers

and wander

into trying

to please

God in

ways that

he doesn't

desire.

I think

that's why

verse 9

suddenly turns

to the idea

of not being

led away by

diverse and

strange

teachings.

That if we

don't cling

to those

who have

been qualified

to teach

us

sound

doctrine

doctrine,

we will

follow those

who teach

unsound

doctrine.

But if

we live

this way,

if we

love the

way that

we're called

to love,

if we're

content in

the way

that we're

called to

be content

and if

we follow

God's

leaders the

way that

we're called

to follow

them,

we should

expect

hostility.

Christ

lived this

way and

he was

mocked,

he was

ridiculed,

he was

despised,

and he

was crucified.

Why should

we think

that it

would be

any

different

for us?

In

the second

century,

Christians

were well

known for

living this

kind of

life.

So well

known that

it was

possible for

a satirist,

a pagan

satirist,

to write a

novel making

fun of

Christians for

being gullible

fools,

because of

how hospitable

they were.

In that

novel he

says,

talking about

Christians,

the poor

wretches have

convinced

themselves first

and foremost

that they are

going to be

immortal and

live for all

time, in

consequence of

which they

despise death

and even

willingly give

themselves into

custody.

Furthermore,

their first

lawgiver persuaded

them that they

are all brothers

of one another

because they

have transgressed

by denying

the Greek

gods and

by worshipping

that crucified

sophist

himself and

living under

his laws.

Therefore,

they despise

all things

and consider

all things

common property,

receiving such

doctrines

traditionally

without any

definite

evidence.

So, if any

charlatan or

trickster able

to profit by

occasions comes

among them,

he quickly

acquires sudden

wealth by

imposing upon

simple folk.

people who

don't have

to do

It was

thought that

Christians were

so reckless

with their

money, so

reckless with

who they

took care

of that you

could make a

quick buck

out of them.

So, there's

no escaping

this.

If you want

to please God

out of thankfulness

for everything

he's done for

you, you'll

live in a way

that invites

ridicule.

You'll be

mocked for

everything you

believe, you'll

be criticised for

every decision you

make.

But, the

thing we're

called to do

is to walk

into that, to

bear Christ's

reproach.

In verse

12, Jesus

also suffered

outside the

gate in order

to sanctify the

people through

his own blood.

Christ was

despised.

Christ was

kicked out of

the world.

And so,

what's our

response?

Therefore, let

us go to

him outside

the camp and

bear the

reproach he

endured.

For here we

have no

lasting city,

but we seek

the city that

is to come.

We're to

follow him, to

go out into

that mockery,

into that

reproach, and

we're to bear

it, but not

bear it

sullenly, being

upset, being

morose.

We're to bear

it.

And while we

do that,

through him,

we are

supposed to

continually offer

up a sacrifice

of praise to

God that is

the fruit of

lips that

acknowledge his

name.

We are

supposed to

live a

life...

We're...

I think I've

lost something.

But we're

supposed to

live a life

of pain

and suffering

for Christ,

and we're

supposed to be

happy about

it.

Because really,

the only thing

that we're

losing are

things that

don't matter.

pleasing God

is simple.

You have to

love, be

content, follow

your leaders.

That's pretty

simple.

But without

grace, it is

impossible.

So 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 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.

Amen.