Christ the True and Better - Hebrews 13 - Christ Never Changes

This is the Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 3, Section 1.

One of the things I want to encourage you all, especially those who are going through

some things, is that God has ordained all things.

He's not the author of sin, He doesn't cause sin, but He uses it.

And He uses everything in this earth for His glory and honor, whether we like it or not.

But God gets the glory.

Amen?

So let's dive in.

Chapter 13, we finally finished Hebrews.

I was watching John Piper this morning, and it took him two years to go through Hebrews.

So you might want to turn me down, get a little feedback.

Thank you.

Can you imagine doing the, I can.

But we're going to do two years over a lifetime, as long as I'm alive and preaching at 92,

by God's grace, right John?

So anyway, let's pray.

Father, I want to thank you for this chapter, thank you for this book.

Thank you that we know that you never change.

You are the same today, yesterday, and forever.

You are God.

And that all of the things throughout all of our history point to one person, you.

And you point us to the Father.

And the Spirit points us to you.

And we are thankful that you are God, the triune.

And in your wisdom, Lord, you've redeemed a people.

So I pray, Lord, as we go through this chapter, we understand the way we should live, why

we should live, and the importance of where we're going.

To you be glory in Jesus' name.

Amen.

All right.

So we're just going to start right off, okay?

A heart committed to loving Christ is a heart committed to obeying him.

Very important.

I think one of the things that we have a tendency to do is we diminish the importance of obedience.

I'm going to get loud, so I'm just letting you know.

We think that the issue of what we should do as believers becomes legalistic.

When in reality, true faith is obedience.

I've said this before.

The reality of true worship is obedience.

That's how we worship.

If you love me, you will obey me.

That is the standard of love for God.

Not that we love perfectly, but we love intentionally.

And we purpose, through the process of sanctification, become more obedient and more like Jesus.

So a heart committed to loving Christ is a heart committed to obeying him.

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of the time

because the days are evil.

Ephesians 5, 15 through 16.

So in Hebrews 13, 1 through 6, clarifies this.

It's interesting.

Now that we're at the end of the book, I am fully convinced, and so is Matthew Henry,

if you ever read his commentary, Paul is the writer of this book.

When you get to chapter 13 and you read chapter 13 and you go back and you read the apostolic

letters that Paul writes, you go, wow, this is Paul.

I look at Paul being older in age and a possibility of Luke penning as Paul directs him.

And you kind of know that at the end because there's a statement that Paul says kind of

lets you know who the author is.

And I think some scholars are hesitant to say it.

I don't know why.

Because even in the earliest parts of what you would consider reformed history, Paul

was the writer.

Anyway, that being said, verse one says, let brotherly love continue.

Let brotherly love continue.

He uses this word let because you, through volition, you being a believer, must determine

to love the brotherhood.

It's your responsibility to love one another.

They will know you're my disciples if you have love for one another.

You must let brotherly love continue.

You must walk in it.

It's not about you.

It's about him.

It's not about what you like or dislike.

It's about what he wants.

And it's important because it's difficult, especially when you're doing so many different

things.

Sometimes we have a tendency to forget the importance of the brotherhood and the unity

of faith.

And not all of us are the same.

None of us are the same.

We are vastly different.

And it's important that we let our love for one another continue.

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers.

This term show hospitality to strangers literally means love to strangers.

Do not neglect love to strangers.

Why?

Because you don't know who you're going to be ministering to.

You don't know who you're going to minister to.

One of the important things is that we have a tendency to think that we are to go out

into the community and feed the hungry and feed the poor and take care of those who are

in need who have less than us.

But you know what happens?

We neglect love for the brotherhood.

We neglect to show hospitality to strangers who visit.

We have a tendency to forget the family.

And you can't, if you can't take care of the house that you're in, you're not going to

be able to go take care of a stranger's home or help them in their way.

It requires that you must live rightly among each other.

Right?

It's important.

Scripture says that God added to their number daily.

Not that we went out, even though we go out to preach the gospel, but God adds to the

number of the faithful.

So how do we balance this out?

Well, we don't neglect to show love or to love strangers because for thereby some have

entertained angels unaware.

I do have a story that fits us really well.

One day I was driving a bus for handicapped individuals, developmentally disabled individuals,

and we went to Atlantic City.

It's a true story.

And so we get to Atlantic City, we're walking down the boardwalk because we got to go down

to the Civic Center.

And there's this gentleman who's sitting on the, and I had just started reading and studying

this scripture.

This gentleman is sitting on a bench, which is on the, well, it would be my left side,

so it'd be the ocean side of the boardwalk.

And he says, hey, do you have a dollar?

And I was like, no, I don't have a dollar.

It was true.

I had a $5 bill.

And I'm walking, I take three steps, and I get this thought in my mind, you don't know

if that's an angel.

I'm like, oh, there goes my lunch.

So I turn around, I walk back to the guy, and I say, I don't have a dollar, but I do

have $5.

Here is yours.

And I didn't even walk five steps, turned around, and the guy was gone.

I'm like, there goes my $5.

Now if you understand Atlantic City Boardwalk, it's like a 20-yard space between the stores

and the edge where the railing is.

There's no way that if I walked five steps, that guy could have like, I couldn't see him

anywhere.

He was gone.

So I was like, okay.

Lesson learned when a stranger says, hey, be wise, right?

As I read to you earlier, look carefully than how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise,

right?

Discerning.

You've got to discern.

So third, remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them.

So how can you remember those who are in prison, who are believers in Christ, who have been

put there because of their faith, that you also, as if you were in prison with them,

must remember them?

I mean, would you like to be forgotten if you were in prison?

No.

It's one of the things I'm thankful for about our church is we've committed during these

last couple years to make sure that we lose none, that none are forgotten, that our deacons

and our elders work hard, especially our deacons, to make sure that every family that God has

assigned to us is remembered and contacted.

And they've done a really good job at doing that.

So thank you, deacons.

Let since you are also, let's keep reading, and those who are mistreated, meaning those

who are mistreated for the faith, since you are also in the body.

In other words, if one person is suffering and one person is being persecuted, or a family

is being persecuted for their faith and they're suffering for the faith, remember they're

part of the body.

We're going to feel it one day, and we do.

Now here's one thing I think that most people don't want to talk about, and I'm just going

to talk about it because I really don't care.

You're like, that sounds mean.

No, in our society, I think we've accommodated people so much that we're not willing to stand

on what God says in his word, and I am willing to stand on that and that alone, whether

you like it or not.

It's not an issue of arrogance, it's an issue of genuine love for you.

Let marriage be held in honor among all.

All who?

All of the family of faith.

So I'm going to make this real clear.

If there's a church out there that does not honor marriage between a man and a woman,

that is not a church.

They are not people of faith.

I don't care what people say.

The woman who did the inaugural prayer is not a pastor.

She is not of the faith, and she is a lost woman.

We're not even going to get into the issue of the responsibility of the pastor being

a man.

This is a blatant disregard of the truth of this one statement.

Let marriage be held in honor among all.

Why?

Because next to the church, the first institution that God had created was marriage.

It is the one institution by which God had instituted to reflect his glory and how a

husband and wife work together and surrendering themselves to the Father, the source of all

life, by which they proclaim God in how they live with one another.

There's a reason why he was taken, that she was taken from the man.

They are one flesh, bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh, is what Adam says.

There is not an option here.

This is not to decide whatever society says should and shouldn't be.

Not your job to determine the sanctity of marriage.

The reality is marriage is an institution established by God since the beginning.

That being said, as churches and as this church, we have in our constitution and will always

continue to honor marriage among the faithful believers of Christ.

This is not me accommodating your desires.

Now that being said, look what it says in the second part.

How do we honor marriage?

By keeping the marriage bed undefiled.

Isn't that interesting?

That the one place that we can show honor is how we as husband and wife live together

and be together.

I'm trying to be sensitive to the little ones.

Look what it says.

Why?

If we do not, if the church does not honor marriage among all, if the church does not

commit to raising up godly men and godly women to keep the marriage bed undefiled, then God

will judge the sexually immoral and the adulterous.

It's not an option.

Get your house right.

That's what God is saying here.

It's interesting that he uses this at the end of chapter 13.

And there was a lot going on.

Lord knows we can absolutely read about Eli and his sons and how they didn't honor marriage

nor did they honor the marriage bed.

So all kinds of things we can walk down and I'm not going to get into that right now,

but I will not and we will not as a church defile that or dishonor the institution of

marriage, but which God has instituted.

It is not ours.

It is given to us to steward so that we can enjoy and work together.

My wife is my partner.

She is not my slave.

Verse five says, keep your life free from the love or from love of money and be content

with what you have.

Keep your life free from love of money.

Money is necessary to survive in a world that is driven by money, but I don't love money

to the point that I stored away with the hopes that one day, because when you die, someone

else is going to get your stuff.

Steward the money.

Take care of it.

Properly use it.

Give it when God says to give.

Do it joyfully.

Be content with what you have.

Be happy for the house you have.

And if God by some work in your life, because you have stewarded what he has had, you have

not buried it, but you have invested it, he is giving you the opportunity to enjoy a little

bit more, go for it.

God is a capitalist.

Like, how dare you?

It's the truth.

He owns it all.

Everything on the earth is his.

The cat on a thousand hills, your life, this table, the carpet that we're going to get

rid of this year.

It's all God's.

He does as he pleases.

That being said, keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what

you have, for he has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.

Why would he say this?

Because the reason why people hold on to money and the reason why people are not content

from what they have is because they don't believe that Jesus is with them.

If I don't have this to hold onto, one of these days, we have a fridge.

It's in the back.

It's dead.

I'm throwing it away.

Don't come to me and go, hey, we can use that.

For what?

A flower bed.

I didn't think about taking the doors off.

It's a raised flower bed.

That might be, no, it's got to go away.

We don't hold onto things because we can or we should.

We hold onto things because they are necessary and that God is honored.

I got this thing turning purple on me.

That's cool.

But look what it says.

I will never leave you nor forsake you so we can confidently say, so that we can confidently

say the Lord is my helper, my helper.

I will not fear what can man do to me.

When we are content, when we don't love money, when we live in a way that honors and glorifies

him not only in our marriage, in our household, but among the people of God and as an example

to strangers, we can say with confidence that the Lord is my helper.

I will not fear what can man do to me.

Nothing.

You can take my life.

You're not going to take me from eternity.

This is going to die eventually anyway.

That doesn't mean kill me.

Because if you do, I'm going to haunt you.

You know a pastor is a man of God by how he exemplifies Christ in the way he lives.

Therefore, be imitators of God as beloved children and walk in love as Christ loved

us and gave himself up for us a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God, Ephesians 5, 1 through

2.

Ephesians 13, 7 through 9.

Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God.

It's one of the things when God had called me here, I wanted to make sure that we did

and that was to honor Doug.

Twenty years of faithful service and preaching here.

The issue is you're not always going to agree with me either.

That's God's man.

And so am I by his grace.

You honor the leader.

You give respect to the pastors, to the men that God has given you.

And I want to make sure you understand this too.

There are five, going to be five, what's up Owen?

Five men that God has given to help shepherd you.

They are just as much shepherds as I am, whether they like it or not.

But they are.

They are faithful servants to the Lord.

And though my responsibility is far greater, that does not diminish the authority of the

elder upon their life.

They are called and ordained just like I am.

And they are faithful.

Honor that.

Remember your leader, especially those who speak the word of God.

Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.

If you have a man of God who is faithful to the word of God, who lives in a way that you

can see Christ clearly in their life, imitate their faith.

Jesus tells that to Timothy.

Timothy, follow me as I follow Christ.

Verse eight, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

He's not going to change.

You think God doesn't know who are the good shepherds and who are the false shepherds?

He knows.

He's not taking off.

He's not like, oh my gosh, I can't believe Stephen Furtick, Joe Osteen.

Lord knows.

It's not the end of the world.

It is for them.

God will hold them accountable.

But when you have a man of God who is faithful to the word, who lives in such a way exemplifies

Christ, who calls out the evildoer and exposes the false teachers, is committed to teaching

you and shepherding you and giving you what you need to continue to grow in life and godliness,

hold on.

Take care of them.

And I'm not saying that because my sabbatical is coming in June.

It's because God is faithful to you.

He loves you.

He's given good care.

Look what it says here.

In doing so, in understanding, honoring those men who lead you, here's what happens.

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 who devote, those devoted to them.

Here was, what the issue here was, these false teachers were saying, you must do, you can't

eat this, you have to eat that.

And there was these strange teachings and these diverse teachings of how to be a good

Jew.

And what the writer's saying here is, Jesus is the same.

He hasn't changed.

He's not moved by what you think you want.

He does what he wants and what's best for you.

And in doing so, be mindful that when you have good teachings, don't be led away from

bad because of bad teachings.

The old way was fleeting and temporary, but the new way, Christ, is permanent and eternal.

Let not your hearts be troubled.

Believe in God, believe also in me.

In my Father's house are many rooms.

If it were not so, I would have told you that I go to prepare a place for you.

And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and I will take you to myself,

that where I am, you may be also, and you know the way to where I'm going.

John 14, one through four.

In Hebrews 13, 10 through 14, it says this, we have an altar.

Isn't that interesting?

What is an altar?

What altar is he talking about here?

We got little ones here, they're getting excited.

Well, Jesus is the altar.

He is the brazen altar for sacrifice and he's the golden altar for intercession.

He is our altar.

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

Here's what it means.

Those who claim they know that this is the way to God, which is the works-based faith,

right?

Judaism, they have to do this.

Guess what?

They don't get to eat at the altar of Jesus.

They don't get to partake in grace.

They miss out on mercy.

But what do they do?

Well, verse 11 says, 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 of the camp.

So here's what would happen.

They would take a bull.

This is the sacrifice of atonement.

Each year they take a bull and a ram.

A ram is a male adult lamb.

And they would sacrifice and they would take the blood and they would walk into the holy

of holies and they would sprinkle the seat, the ark, to cover the sin of the people.

Then they would take the animals and they wouldn't burn them there right outside the

door.

They would take them outside of the tent, out, and burn them there.

Why?

Why are they eating this animal?

Isn't that interesting?

So next time you read Isaiah and you want to know why there's a ram in the thicket?

Because that was the sin sacrifice.

Now look what it says.

So Jesus also suffered outside the gate.

He also was placed in the fire.

Not literal, figurative.

He was consumed by the wrath of God.

In the same way that the bull and the ram were consumed by the fire that was presented

for God.

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.

Let us go outside the camp and suffer with him.

That's the idea.

How many of you guys willing to suffer for Jesus?

Many of you guys like, yeah.

Would you really?

I'm sorry.

Look what it says in Romans 12 verse 1.

Romans 12:1

Therefore I urge you brothers in the view of God's mercy to offer your bodies as a

living sacrifice, holy and pleasing unto God for this is your reasonable act of worship.

So we can go outside the camp and we can bear the reproach he endured by giving our lives

as a sacrifice on the altar.

Not of redemption, but the altar of sacrifice, of surrender.

For here we have no lasting city.

Do you hear that?

We don't live for what we have here.

We're not looking for the city to come here.

We're looking for the city to come there.

For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.

I go to prepare a place for you.

If it were not so, I would have told you that where I go, you will be also.

Verse 15 through 16.

In Psalm 34 verses 1 through 3 says this, I will bless the Lord at all times.

Psalms 34:1–3

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

My soul makes boast in the Lord.

Let the humble hear and be glad.

Oh, magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together.

In 2 Timothy 4, 2 says this, preach the word.

Be ready in season and out of season.

Reprove, rebuke, exhort and complete with complete patience and teaching.

You have a responsibility.

I have a responsibility.

Preach the word.

Verse 15 and 16 says this, though or through him, then let us continually offer a sacrifice

of praise to God.

That is the fruit of the lips that acknowledge his name.

You're like, pastor, why would you use Psalm 34 and 2 Timothy 4, 2?

Because Psalm 34 and 2 Timothy 4, 2 is Hebrews 13, 15.

Through him, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God.

That is the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.

How can you acknowledge his name?

How can you bring praise to his name?

Preach the gospel.

What is the greatest way to show love to a stranger?

Preach the gospel.

You can feed people all day long, but if you feed them and you don't give them the gospel,

they're going to die with a full belly.

What good is the food then?

I just want to make sure that the Lord says, well done, my good and faithful servant.

Giving food without the gospel is no use.

It only makes them fool.

Do both.

Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have for such sacrifices are pleasing

to God.

Gentlemen, sitting at the steps of the temple, or right outside the temple, really, Peter

and disciples walk by.

Hey, you got any money?

Nope.

Not a silver and gold have I none, but what I do have I will give unto you.

You notice he didn't give them any food.

He gave them the one thing that mattered, everlasting water.

So I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ,

as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed.

Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion,

but willingly as God would have you, not for shameful gain, but eagerly, not domineering

over those who are in charge, but being an example to the flock, 1 Peter 5, 1 through

3.

This is to the elders.

Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who

labor in preaching and teaching.

For the scripture says, you shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.

You muzzle the ox when it's busy trying to give you food and plant your crops.

He will not do it anymore.

That's what it means here.

Don't make it difficult for him.

Work with him.

That's the idea.

You don't, you work with the ox and he will work for you.

Why?

Because the labor deserves his wages.

First Timothy 5, 17 through 18.

It's like, why, Lord, do I need to use that?

It's because it's right here.

In Hebrews 13, 17 through 19, obey your leaders and submit to them.

This is not giving us the, this is not giving us a power to control you.

It's not our job to dominate you.

It's our job to lead you, to shepherd you, to care for you, to give you tools to be faithful

in your living.

So obey your leaders and submit to them, especially when, well, always when they're good to you.

They're causing you to sin and you have a conversation with them, bad leaders.

For they are keeping watch over your souls.

That word souls means entire being.

God has entrusted me as your pastor and God has entrusted these elders as your shepherds

also to oversee your lives.

We are held at a very high account as those who will give an account.

God will give me, will hold me accountable to each and every life that he brings here.

It's very serious.

This is not a game.

And me saying that, let them do this with joy and not with groaning.

And I got to tell you, I haven't grown a bit in three years, going on three years.

I love shepherding you.

It's a joy.

I adore it.

And you make it easy.

I got to tell you.

Don't they John?

Ben, our people make it easy.

God is so good.

Jodie's saying not for me.

So let us elders do it with joy and not groaning.

For that would be of no advantage to you if it was a struggle.

So pray for us.

So what Paul says here, pray for us for we are sure that we have a clear conscience,

desiring to act honorably in all things.

We want to live in such a way that we are honored, honoring you and honoring the Lord

in all things.

I urge you to come earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you sooner

is what the writer says here.

And then lastly, end of the chapter.

For it is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Philippians 2.13.

Are the responsibility of leaders.

And I say this to every leader, every teacher.

Hear this.

Your responsibility is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for building

up the body of Christ.

That is your job.

One job.

Do that.

Be faithful with the gospel.

And this is what it says.

That's Ephesians 4.12.

Hebrews 13, 20-25.

It's the nun.

Now may the God of peace who brought you again from the dead, who brought, sorry, not you.

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.

It says you are to do his will, not yours.

His working in us, that which is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ, to whom

be the 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.

There's the answer.

Who's the writer?

Paul.

May all your leaders and all the saints, those who come from Italy, send you greetings.

Grace be with you all.

What an amazing book.

Go back, read it.

There's a lot more there, and we will cover more in the years to come.

But God is faithful to his people, isn't he?

There's anything we learn from this entire book.

Christ is the better.

Christ is the better.

Lord, I want to thank you so much for your word.

Thank you for this amazing book.

Thank you that we have opportunities to dig even more into this book and the truths that

you have for us are inexhaustible, and we praise you.

So Lord, I pray that you be with your people as we sing this last song and as we break

bread together and get ready for our meeting.

I pray you would give us wisdom.

Let us keep the brotherhood, the love of the brotherhood to work for your goodness and

your faithfulness to walk in your wisdom.

And we praise you and thank you in Jesus' name.

Amen.