13:1 Let brotherly love continue.
13:2 Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for in doing so,
some have entertained angels without knowing it.
13:3 Remember those who are in bonds, as bound with them;
and those who are ill-treated, since you are also in the body.
Abstain from Covetousness
13:4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the bed be
undefiled:
but God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.
13:5 Be free from the love of money, content with such things as you
have, for he has said,
"I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake
you."(Deut 31:6)
13:6 So that with good courage we say,
"The Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to
me?"
(Ps 118:6)
Imitate your leaders
and focus on right teachings
13:7 Remember your leaders, men who spoke to you the word of God,
and considering the results of their conduct, imitate their faith.
13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
13:9 Don't be carried away by various and strange teachings,
for it is good that the heart be established by grace, not by food,
through which those who were so occupied were not benefited.
Endure through persecutions
13:10 We have an altar from which those who serve the holy
tabernacle
have
no right to eat.
13:11 For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into
the holy place
by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside of the
camp.
13:12 Therefore Jesus also,
that he might sanctify the people through his own blood, suffered
outside
of the gate.
13:13 Let us therefore go forth to him outside of the camp, bearing
his reproach.
13:14 For we don't have here an enduring city, but we seek that
which
is to come.
13:15 Through him, then, let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to
God
continually
, that is, the fruit of lips which make confession to his name.
Share and Submit
13:16 But don't forget to be doing good and sharing,
for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they watch on behalf
of your souls,
as those who will give account, that they may do this with joy,
and not with groaning, for that would be unprofitable for you.
Pray
13:18 Pray for us, for we are persuaded that we have a good
conscience,
desiring to live honorably in all things.
13:19 I strongly urge you to do this, that I may be restored to
you sooner.
13:20 Now may the God of peace,
who brought again from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep
with the blood of an eternal covenant, our Lord Jesus,
13:21 make you complete in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight,
through
Jesus Christ,
to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Final Instructions
13:22 But I exhort you, brothers, endure the word of exhortation,
for I
have written to you in few words.
13:23 Know that our brother Timothy has been freed, with whom, if he
comes shortly, I will see you.
13:24 Greet all of your leaders and all the saints. The Italians
greet
you.
13:25 Grace be with you all. Amen.
Discussion Questions
vs 1-3 What hinders you from experiencing a close, empathetic
relationship
with other Christians, whom you may only consider as strangers now?
vs 4 What steps do you recommend to avoid inappropriate
relationships
with the opposite sex?
vs 5 How might you measure a person's contentment?
Greed is a common motivation to be ambitious in life,
but how might it have it's real root in "fear"?
Should a Christian give up all his secular ambitions
and learn to be content with what he has rather than striving for
more?
vs 7 What does it mean "to consider the outcome of their lives"?
For example, Jesus was shamefully tortured to death and his
followers
deserted him.
Paul suffered a great deal in life and had his head cut off at the
end.
What else about their lives is important to consider?
Name an example of faith in the Bible that you would like to
imitate.
vs 9 What may constitute a "strange teaching"?
vs 13 What does it mean "to go outside the camp"?
How might this be particularly significant if you were a Jew
living
in Israel?
vs 16 What kinds of things do we have available to share?
vs 17 Do you have any over you that you would consider a leader?
What are the limits to his realm of authority?
What are some things that your leaders have told you to do?
vs 18-21 How would you categorize Paul's prayer requests?
Are these the kind of things you would ask people to pray for?
Comments
vs 1-3 Brotherly love, hospitality and empathy. Loving other
Christians
is the primary mark of a true believer.
vs 4-6 The most blatant violation of honoring marriage in
the
Christian community is the adulterous practice of remarriage after
divorce.
But there are also subtle ways in which marriage is not honored.
Inappropriate
relationships can develop between the sexes outside of the context
of
marriage
like in the name of "counseling". And with more women in the
workplace,
affairs on the job can be common. But these grow only if one
hold's a
contemptuous
attitude towards their spouse.
Covetousness is wanted what someone else has. Adultery is a
product
of covetousness. Christians must learn to be content, whether it's
with
one's marriage partner or one's finances. Paul writes:
"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in
whatsoever
state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be
abased, and
I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am
instructed
both
to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need."Php
4:11,12
vs 7 There seem to be few leaders today worth following. But
this
fact makes the Biblical leaders - Jesus and the apostles - to be the
shining
examples to follow. The idea of imitating Christ or even Paul, for
that
matter, is sometimes discouraged in the Christian community, as
surprising
as that may sound. For often Christians are treated as capable in
only
doing menial tasks as a cog in the big machine we call the church.
Individuals
with their spiritual gifts are often treated contemptuously in this
way,
while the institution is glorified. Often this attitude is
instigated
by
institutional leaders, who seemingly make themselves out to be the
institution
simply because of their position, while treating people under them
with
contempt, not allowing them to speak or practice their spiritual
gifts.
Strangely enough it seems to have evaded them that this was the same
mentality
of the religious leaders who were the enemies of Christ.
What would the Christian community look like if, instead of
simply
being
satisfied with attending a church service, each Christian actually
tried
to live like Christ or like the apostle Paul?
vs 8 The God of the Old Testament is the same as the God
of
the
New. The Santa Claus figure that many modern Christians call
"Jesus" is
not the Jesus of the Bible. It is the Jesus of the Bible that
hasn't
changed.
The Jesus of popular Christianty has changed.
vs 9 "Strange Teachings" in this case had to do with
developing
weird applications concerning ceremonial foods which were not
consistent
with the principles of the Bible.
Love
as
Brothers
Heb 13:1 Keep on loving each other as brothers.
This is perhaps the most significant command in the New Testament.
Jesus said, "A new command I
give
you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one
another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if
you
love one another."John
13:34,35 John writes,
"This
is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one
another."1John 3:11
and he writes of such being a measure of one's salvation status
saying,
"This is how we know who the
children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone
who
does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who
does
not love his brother."1John
3:10
But what practically is implied by this verse is first of all that
one
must maintain contact with fellow Christians. That is, "Let us not give up meeting
together,
as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one
another"Heb 10:25 Do you have as
much
commitment to the Christian community as to your own family? If not
then perhaps you don't really believe the Christian community is
your
family. In fact Someone told Jesus, "Your mother and brothers are standing
outside, wanting to speak to you." He replied to him, "Who is my
mother, and who are my brothers?" Pointing to his disciples, he
said,
"Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of
my
Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." Mt 12:47-50
"Therefore, as we have
opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who
belong to the family of believers." Gal 6:10
Be
Friendly
Heb 13:2 Do not forget to entertain strangers,
for by so doing some people have entertained angels without
knowing it.
There are a number of incidents in the Bible where angels appear in
human form. For example in Genesis 18 Abraham was visited by angels
in
human form and served them a meal. We learned previously, "Are not all angels ministering
spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?"Heb 1:14 There are those
who
make too much of alleged visions of angels. "Do not let anyone who delights in
false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the
prize.
Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and
his
unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions." Col 2:18 Typical among false
visions are that of Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormons. But angels
are present and active in serving the elect.
More generally concerning hospitality, even the law of Moses
instructs
to take care of strangers. Lev
19:34 "The alien
living with you must be
treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you
were
aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God." The Christian
community is not to be Xenophobic, as many societies are
particularly in
the East. In fact the word "entertain strangers" here is the Greek
word
"philoxenia", which is to like strangers. In other words, be friendly. Elsewhere
it
is written, "Share with God’s
people who are in need. Practice hospitality." Rom 12:13
Be
Empathetic
Heb 13:3 Remember those in prison as if you
were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if
you
yourselves were suffering.
And these Christians were not strangers to this concept, "Sometimes you were publicly
exposed to
insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with
those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison
and
joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you
knew
that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions."Heb 10:33,34
Both this and the previous verse have to do with empathy - feeling
for
others who are not in your circumstances. But the Christian life
goes
beyond mere feelings. Story tells of a woman who watch Les
Miserables
comes out of a theatre in tears but pays no mind to a beggar who
asks
for money. A Christians fruitfulness is measured by actions. "What good is it, my brothers, if
a
man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save
him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and
daily
food. If one of you says to him, "Go,
I
wish
you
well;
keep
warm
and well fed," but does nothing about
his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by
itself,
if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." Jam 2:14-17
Also with regards to "prison" here, he doesn't really have in mind
what
normally constitutes "prison ministry" today. He's talking about
Christians who have gone to prison because of their faith. When Paul
says, "Are they servants of
Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have
worked much harder, been
in
prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and
been
exposed to death again and again."2Cor 11:23, he's not saying he
went
to prison to pay for evil deeds. "If
you
suffer,
it
should
not
be
as a murderer or thief or any other kind
of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a
Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that
name." 1Peter 4:14,15
This is the sense in
which the author is speaking. There are those who suffer as a result
of
sin, but then there are those who are mistreated.
Today this is particularly the case for Christians living in
non-Christians cultures. In fact in the case of Islamic countries
one
of the tenets of Islam is to treat Christians as second class
citizens.
Mistreatment of Christians is the West is minor in comparison. So
consider your priorities.
The
Marriage
Bond
to
be Honored
Heb 13:4Marriage should be honored by all,
and
the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and
all
the sexually immoral.
The New Testament has a great deal to say about adultery and sexual
immorality.
"It is God’s will that you should
be
sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each
of you
should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and
honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not
know
God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or
take
advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as
we
have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to
be
impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this
instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy
Spirit."1Thess 4:3-8
"Do you not know that the
wicked
will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither
the
sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male
prostitutes nor
homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor
drunkards nor
slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."1Cor 6:9,10
"Anyone who divorces his wife
and
marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she
divorces
her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery." Mk 10:11,12
"I tell you that anyone
who
looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with
her in
his heart."Mt 5:28
"I
have
this
against
you:
You
tolerate
that
woman Jezebel, who calls
herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants
into
sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I
have
given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is
unwilling. So I
will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who
commit
adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her
ways. I
will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know
that I
am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of
you
according to your deeds." Rev
2:20-23
Be
Content
Heb 13:5,6Keep your lives free from the love
of
money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
"Never
will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with
confidence,
"The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to
me?"
A person who loves money is a person who is discontent. Learn
contentment. Paul says, "I have
learned to be content whatever the circumstances."Php 4:11:b "Godliness with contentment is great
gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take
nothing
out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content
with
that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap
and
into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin
and
destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.
Some
people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced
themselves with many griefs."1Tim
6:6-10
Discontentment can lead to all kinds of sin, like greed and
covetousness, resulting in theft, lying and murder. Thus John the
Baptist advised the soldiers, "Don’t
extort
money
and
don’t
accuse
people
falsely—
be content with your pay."Lk
3:14 And though we may living in a consumer oriented
society,
consider that all those advertisements that say that you can save
50%
by buying their product fail to mention that you can save 100% by
not
buying it at all. The more you have, the more you have to invest in
maintenance. "Do not store up
for
yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and
where
thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures
in
heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do
not
break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart
will
be also."Mt 6:19-21
Imitate
Good
Leadership
Heb 13:7,8Remember your leaders, who spoke
the
word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and
imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today
and
forever.
For example Paul writes, "Follow
my
example, as I follow the example of Christ."1Cor 11:1 And in particular as a
point of application the context of which he says this is, "Do not cause anyone to stumble,
whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— even as I try to please
everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the
good
of many, so that they may be saved." 1Cor 12: 32,33
Ironically the ones who often fail to follow the examples of their
leaders are those who end up in leadership themselves. For example
after
the last supper Jesus washed the disciples feet and said, "I have set you an example that
you
should do as I have done for you." John 13:15 Yet when given the
opportunity to serve the neglected widows the Twelve gathered all the disciples
together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the
ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables."Acts 6:2 And rather assigned
other
men who turned out to be capable of doing both. In his speech the
Ephesian elders Paul said, "You
yourselves
know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and
the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that
by
this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the
words the
Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to
receive.’"Acts 20:34,35 Yet few
religious
Christian leaders have since followed his example despite this
potentially hindering the gospel of Christ, as Paul said, "If others have this right of
support
from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more? But we did not use
this
right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder
the
gospel of Christ." 1Cor
9:12
What kind of faith does Christian leadership display today? "For you yourselves know how you
ought
to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor
did
we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we
worked
night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a
burden to
any of you." 2Th 3:7,8
Paul encouraged his disciples to set the example. To Timothy he
says, "Don’t let anyone look
down on you
because you are young, but set an example for the believers in
speech,
in life, in love, in faith and in purity" 1Tim 4:12 And to Titus, "encourage the young men to be
self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what
is
good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness
of
speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may
be
ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us." Titus 2:7,8
Peter says of unjustified suffering, "How is it to your credit if you
receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer
for
doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To
this
you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an
example, that you should follow in his steps." 1Peter 2:20,21
Beware
Strange
Doctrines
Heb 13:9,10Do not be carried away by all kinds
of
strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by
grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who
eat
them.We have an
altar
from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to
eat.
Strange doctrines often involve some kind of ceremony. Sacramental
theology is strange doctrine, such as the Catholic doctrine deifying
the eucharist, as are things like "holy laughter" of Charismatism,
using the symbol of the cross as a kind of luck charm, and the
like. As for ceremonial foods,
"food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not
eat,
and no better if we do." 1Cor
8:8
Paul instructs Timothy, "Have
nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather,
train
yourself to be godly." 1Tim
4:7 "The Spirit
clearly says that in later
times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and
things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical
liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They
forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain
foods,
which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who
believe
and who know the truth."1Tim
4:1-3
What does it mean for one's heart to be strengthened by grace in
contrast of that by food? The latter is sort of an occultic idea
that
the food contains some kind of magic in it, and thus the object of
one's faith is the food. When Popeye got into difficulty he did not
look to God. He looked to his spinach! What do you look to when you
face difficultly. How else would you end this sentence:
It
is
good
for
our
hearts
to be strengthened by grace, not by
__________________.
Drugs? Money? Sex? Food? Entertainment?
Bear
Disgrace
for
Christ
Heb 13:11-13The high priest carries the blood
of
animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies
are
burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside
the
city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. Let
us,
then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore.
Likewise there's the analogy of the scapegoat mentioned in Leviticus
16. For on the day of atonement, now Yom Kippur, the priest would
take
two goats. One would be sacrificed and the other kept alive but led
outside the camp into the desert representing sin being taken away.
Just as with Christ, so also the Christian should experience this
outcasting. The Hebrew Christians would have particularly been able
to
relate with this as they had been largely driven out of Israel. But
here the author is saying, "That's OK". Consider Moses. He regarded disgrace for the sake
of
Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he
was
looking ahead to his reward.Heb
11:26
To quote a few places in the New Testament which speak along these
lines:
"No one who has left home or
wife
or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of
God
will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the
age to
come, eternal life." Luke
18:29,30
"Do not be yoked together with
unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in
common?
Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is
there
between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common
with an
unbeliever?" 2Cor 6:14,15
"Therefore come out from
them and be separate", says the Lord. 2Cor 6:17a
Anticipating
the
New
Jerusalem
Heb 13:14For here we do not have an enduring
city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.
Again an allusion back to chapter 11, like Abraham, "he was looking forward to the city
with foundations, whose architect and builder is God."Heb 11:10 and the others, "they admitted that they were
aliens
and strangers on earth. If they had been thinking of the country
they
had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they
were
longing for a better country— a heavenly one. Therefore God is not
ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for
them." Heb 11:13b-16
Or consider the analogy of Sarah versus Hagar. "Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in
Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because
she is
in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem that is above is
free,
and she is our mother. .. Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are
children
of promise. At that time the son born in the ordinary way
persecuted
the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now." Gal 4:25-26,28-29
As for the New Jerusalem, Jesus said in Rev 3:12a, "Him who overcomes
I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he
leave
it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the
city of
my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from
my
God" and John prophecied in Rev
21:1-4Then I saw a
new
heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth
had
passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City,
the
new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a
bride
beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from
the
throne saying, "Now the dwelling
of
God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his
people,
and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe
every
tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or
crying
or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
Spiritual
Sacrifices
Heb 13:15Through Jesus, therefore, let us
continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise— the fruit of lips
that
confess his name.
Among other things expressions of thankfulness are a form of praise.
Remember the ten lepers of Luke 17. After being cleansed only one
returned to. "One of them, when
he
saw he was healed, came back, praising
God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and
thanked him— and
he was a
Samaritan."Luke 17:15,16
It's
written
in
Psalm
107 of the redeemed, "They
cried to the LORD in their
trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent forth his
word
and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. Let them give
thanks
to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for
men. Let
them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of
joy." Ps 107 19-22
"Sacrifice thank offerings to
God,
fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of
trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."Ps 50:14,15
What can you thank God for today? Do so.
Do
Good
and
Share
Heb 13:16 And do not forget to do good and to
share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Just as giving thanks is a form of sacrifice, there are many other
ways
in which we offer sacrifices to God today. "I urge you, brothers, in view of
God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and
pleasing to God— this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not
conform
any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind."Rom
12:1-2a
Doing good and sharing with others are examples. For Christ "gave himself for us to redeem us
from
all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his
very
own, eager to do what is good." Titus
2:4
and "I want you
to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may
be
careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things
are
excellent and profitable for everyone." Titus 3:1 For "Our people must learn to devote
themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide
for
daily necessities and not live unproductive lives."Titus
3:14
Now in particular as a practical matter concerning living productive
lives, one must have resources in order to share with others.
Therefore
Paul advised the Ephesian elders,
"You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own
needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I
showed you
that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering
the
words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give
than to
receive.’" Acts 20:34,35
Therefore rather than receive payment for his ministry Paul worked
for
a living so that, among other things, he may practice generosity.
And
to the Ephesians he says, "He
who
has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing
something
useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share
with
those in need." Eph 4:28
And concerning the rich Paul says to Timothy, "Command them to do good, to be rich in
good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share."1Tim 6:18
Submit
to
Authority
Heb 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to
their
authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an
account.
Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that
would be of no advantage to you.
This should be the case both with regards to religious and secular
authority. "Remind the people
to
be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready
to do
whatever is good"Titus
3:1 "Everyone must
submit himself to the
governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which
God
has established. The authorities that exist have been established
by
God."Rom 13:1 "Submit yourselves for the Lord’s
sake
to every authority instituted among men" 1Peter 2:13 Of course all human
authority only has a limited realm of authority outside of which it
is
not legitimate authority. But within it's God-given limits, one must
submit.
If you've been in a position of authority you know that it is a joy
to
have those under you function with a spirit of compliance and
cooperation. Those characteristically compliant have an advantage.
For
they would tend be looked upon with favor if some need arises. Do
those
in authority over you, be they parents, government officials, your
employer, or religious authority have joy in watching over you? How
can
you improve on that?
Pray
for
Us
Heb 13:18,19 Pray for us. We are sure that we
have a
clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way. I
particularly urge you to pray so that I may be restored to you
soon.
While our conscience is not a perfect guide into what is good, as
Paul
says, "My conscience is clear,
but
that does not make me innocent."1Cor 4:4, yet it is important to try
and maintain a good conscience, "holding
on
to
faith
and a good conscience."
1Tim 1:19"The goal
of
this command is love,
which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere
faith."1Tim 1:5"Therefore, it is necessary to
submit
to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but
also
because of conscience." Rom
13:5
And when it comes to questionable areas, let you conscience be your
guide. Examples are given in Romans 14 and 1Corinthians chapters 8
and
10 concerning eating meats which may have been sacrificed to idols.
The
principle being - don't violate your own conscience and avoid
violating
the conscience of another.
"desire to live honorably" is more literally "will to live well".
It's
not simply a desire, it's an intention. "For the grace of God that brings
salvation has appeared to all men.teaches us to say "No" to
ungodliness
and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and
godly
lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope— the
glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ"Titus 2:11-13
But to some degree this all depends on prayer. This is a mystery,
how
exactly being prayed for affects one's spiritual life, but it does.
So
take time to pray for someone else now. Even the apostle Paul says,
"Brothers, pray for us."1Th
5:25"And pray for us, too, that God may
open a door for our message"
Col 4:3"Finally,
brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread
rapidly
and be honored, just as it was with you." 2Thess 3:1
Pray
for
Equipping
Heb 13:20,21May the God of peace, who through
the
blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord
Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything
good
for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him,
through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
And "Praise be to the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the
heavenly
realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ."Eph 1:3 Part of that blessing is
the
equipping we obtain from Christian fellowship. For "it was he who gave some to be
apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to
be
pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of
service, so
that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity
in the
faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature,
attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."Eph 4:11-13 Also with
regards to
material resources Paul says of the generous, "God is able to make all grace abound
to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you
need,
you will abound in every good work. ... You will be made rich in
every
way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us
your
generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." 2Cor 9:8,11
Now "continue to work out your
salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works
in you
to will and to act according to his good purpose." Php 2:12a-13
Coming
to
See
You
Heb 13:22-25Brothers, I urge you to bear with
my
word of exhortation, for I have written you only a short letter. I
want
you to know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he
arrives
soon, I will come with him to see you. Greet all your leaders and
all
God’s people. Those from Italy send you their greetings. Grace be
with
you all.
Much as some would characterize Hebrews as a long letter, in fact it
is
not nearly as long as one intended. For not only are there more
subjects which need to be covered, but the author also desires to
elaborate upon these. For example he previously said, "we cannot discuss these things in
detail now."Heb 9:5b
and "We have much to say about
this"Heb 5:11 and
"I do not have time to tell
about
Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets" Heb 11:32and so forth.
Interesting that he mentioned Timothy, Paul's disciple and coworker.
One wonders whether the author was in fact Paul, who for example
wrote
to Philemon, "Paul, a prisoner
of
Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother". Phm 1:1 And often Paul sends
Timothy. "I hope in the
Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon" Php 2:19 And there are a number
of
other indicators, including the quote of Hab 2:4 quoted in Heb
10:38 of which Paul also quotes
in Rom 1:17 and Gal 3:11. Pauline Authorship is
the
oldest and widest held, (Clement of Alexandria and Origin were of
that
opinion). Paul is the
most likely author. But no one can say for sure.
"Greet your leaders" indicates that the epistle was intended to be
read
by all and not simply by the institutional leadership. The Bible
should
be read by all, and not simply filtered through the leadership who
may
end up putting some dogmatic spin on it without the church realizing
it. "All God's people" in that the family of God is not limited to
one
church, but is composed of all believers. Thus this letter is
relevant
throughout the Christian community.