Honesty is the best policy

 

Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly. But I beseech you the rather to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner. – Hebrews 13.18-19

 

‘Honesty if the best policy’ we hear.

 

That makes a lot of sense when we think about it. Without honesty a person is pretty useless. Without honesty we can never be trusted, our word means nothing, and our testimony is a waste.

 

We have a lot of opportunity to not be honest in this social media age. When come to sharing posts if we like what it says we don’t even check it out to see if it is true, we can just share away.

 

Its little things like that that destroy our reputation.

 

The only way to achieve and keep a good reputation and a good testimony is by a walk of honesty and transparency. People must know me as a man of honour and truthfulness and honesty. If I am not honest about other things how can I ever hope that they will trust me when I share the gospel with them?

 

We need to remember Who we represent in all we say and all we do – even on social media.

Sacrifice of good works

 

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. – Hebrews 13.15-16

 

Yesterday we looked at two ‘spiritual’ ways to offer God sacrifices, praise and thanksgiving. The next two part of this are a bit more practical – doing good and sharing. The truth test of our faith comes in the doing and the true test of our love is doing good and sharing with others.

 

God has ordained that those who are His children will do good works. We can’t be saved and not good. We cannot be saved without an open and sharing heart and open and sharing actions. He ordained that we would do good works. 

 

God is not looking for a sacrifice of bulls or goats or incense or any of those things. All He wants out of us is to praise Him and be thankful and do good and the have a part in the loves of others. We don’t need to be superstars or heroes. All we have to do is be decent people.

Our works couldn’t save us – but they sure do impact our testimony to others. It’s really not that much of a sacrifice, is it? Can we do good? Can we share with others? That is our calling. 

Sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving

 

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. – Hebrews 13.15-16

 

There are a few little words here about the kind of sacrifice that God is looking for today. He is no longer looking for sacrifices or bull and goats. We are free from all that.

 Now we are called to offer:

A sacrifice of continual praise

A sacrifice of thanks

A sacrifice of good works

A sacrifice of sharing

 

Because these are the things that really please God.

 

Thanksgiving and praise are here because both may very well involve me giving up my own wishes and desires. It means that if I don’t get my way I will still praise God and I will still thank Him.

 

Continual praise and give thanks in all things go hand in hand. If I truly am trusting God I can do both. If I insist on my way I’ll never get it right.

A continuing city

 

Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. – Hebrews 13.12-14

                                 

It’s been quite a year. Things are nothing like they were on December 3 a year ago. Massive changes have taken place and will continue to take place. It just never seems to end. I think we would all love some peace and quiet and a time where things don’t always seem like they are coming to an end.

 

Now everything is in a state of flux – but we are seeking that continuing city.

 

What a wonderful day it will be when things are no longer unstable and temporary. Who knows what tomorrow may bring? Opposition and persecution are part of this temporary setting – it could happen any time.

But in our continuing city we will be with God for all eternity. The temporary visible things of this world and we will live in a city that will last forever with no more shocks or bad news or rotten phone calls!

 

What a day THAT will be!

Grace robbing

 

Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them. – Hebrews 13.9

 

We live in perilous times – but then again Christians always have lived in perilous times. One of the most perilous things we face is false teachings and doctrines that would rob us of the full enjoyment of God’s grace. That kind of adding works can make salvation a drudgery and it makes a waste of Jesus’ death on the cross.

 

This false teaching was one that Paul had to fight all the time. The Jews of course were law keepers. It was very hard for them to distance their newfound faith from their old time practice.

 

So a lot them tried to add works to faith, just like some folks do today. For some reason it is easier to think that we can do something to get us into heaven. That just seems to appeal to our flesh and our pride and sense of ‘I can do anything.’

 

Don’t let anyone rob us of the gift of God’s amazing grace. All the manmade rules in the world can’t get us saved or make us closer to God or make Him happier with us. It all because of God’s grace.

Let us never be guilty of cheapening the cross/

Always the same

 

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. – Hebrews 13.8

 

I remember back probably 43-44 years ago sitting in a chapel service at Bible college. It was missions conference week and the missionary speaking was from Brazil. He preached from this passage and he kept repeating the phrase, something like, ‘Jesus Cristo - o mesmo ontem, hoje e para sempre.’ I didn’t know Portuguese. I didn’t understand the words at first, I didn’t remember the words today, but that memory remains in my mind today. I always think about it whenever I see this passage.

 

But it is a passage well worth remembering because its truth is so powerful. Jesus never changes because He is always the same.  Jesus never fails because He is always the same. Jesus never disappoints because He is always the same.

 

That means that the Jesus was there at the beginning is the same today as He was then. That means that the Jesus who born of a virgin, who healed the sick and raise the dead and cast out demons, who willingly went to the cross for us and suffered and died in shame and rose victorious from the grave and ascended to heaven and is coming again for us is the same Jesus we depend on every day in 2020 and beyond. He never changes.

 

Doesn’t it seem obvious that if the same Jesus is with us today that He can do all the things we need today? Sometimes life is too much. Sometimes we really can’t handle it. But Jesus can. We can look back at all He has done in the past and remember that He is no less powerful today.

 

He is always the same.

Remember your pastors

 

Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. - Hebrews 13:7

 

God has a definite plan for His church. He has since He started planting church throughout the middle East, Asia Minor, and Europe in the first century.

 The basic idea is this – believers need a local assembly where they can assemble and pray and sing and fellowship. They need a group that can be a part of in order to pray for and help when they need help. They need teaching and they need leadership.

 So God assigned pastors to care for the church. These men are what we might call under-shepherds, who serve under the authority of the Great Shepherd.

 Many of the pastors give up jobs to better serve in the ministry. It is a life of giving and sacrifice, or should be. It is not meant as a place to get rich.

 These points and others remind us that the church needs to honour and respect the pastors. It can be hard to find the difference between honouring men and elevating them. I’ve seen far too many pastors take this to the point where they demand absolute obedience and rule the church with an iron fist. 

I’ve also see pastors who don’t take any type of leadership I have churches flounder.

 Pastors have the responsibility to preach the word of God, to live by faith, and to set a pattern of conduct for their churches to see.

 The churches need to be careful that they do not take their pastors for granted, but to consider them and encourage and be there to help them

 

 

Our Helper

 

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” - Hebrews 13:5-6

 

The Lord is my helper. What an astounding notion – that God Himself is my helper!

 

There are a lot of times when we feel pretty helpless. The last few months have felt like we are totally hopeless and helpless in how to deal with this current situation. But we are never, ever helpless because Jesus said I will never, ever leave you or forsake you.

 

What a Helper to have. No one can help like He can help. He loves me, He cares for me, I am His, and He is my helper in every situation. Nothing is too much to handle – because I don’t have to handle it. Nothing in too hard – because nothing is too hard for Jesus. There is no impossible situation because nothing is impossible with God.

 

The Lord in MY helper. It is not a vague concept but a very profound truth. Even when we feel at our weakest and most vulnerable, we need not be afraid, because Jesus is right there by our sides.

 

The problem is that we too often don’t recognise that and we try to get along on our own. When that happens we are going to fail.

 

We must lean on Him and let Him help in those times of trouble. He is always there waiting to help.

 

Be content

 

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” - Hebrews 13:5-6

 

Live your lives without coveting. Be content with what God allows you to have, because you always have Jesus and He will never leave you  or forsake you. 

 

Now, let’s look at the word contentment. It doesn’t mean that we sit back with a devil may care attitude and do nothing about our circumstances. We need to work and do all we can do to improve our circumstances.

 

But there comes a time when we need to stop wanting what others have and learn to be content with what we have. That means we need to trust that God knows best about what we need. It means I really don’t know what is best for me – God does. It is far too easy to see what others have and wonder why we can’t have the same thing.

 

The truth is though that we really already have all we will ever need. We have Jesus – and that is really enough. Not only that but Jesus has said ‘I will never, ever, ever leave you and I will never ever, ever forsake you no matter what happens in this world.’

 

That’s means I need not covet anything else – I have Jesus and He knows exactly what I need. That’s a great comfort. There is PLENTY that I think I need, but He knows WHAT I NEED and He is always there with me.

 

So there’s no need to compare or complain to lack contentment. I just Jesus that I have all that I need.

Marriage is to be honoured

 

Marriage is honourable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. – Hebrews 13.4

 

One of the greatest of all gifts is the gift of marriage. It was the very first gift that God evee gave men when He saw that Adam was alone and needed a partner.

Marriage as an institution is to be held in honour by all. I am bothered by even ‘good natured’ comments that call a marriage being trapped or stuck or anything of the like. It is an honoured and honourable gift.

Part of that gift is the ‘marriage bed’ which refers to sexual relations between a married couple. God says here that this an undefiled thing. It is designed to produce offspring and for physical and emotional pleasure – and that is good and right.

Outside of marriage though it is a whole nother kettle of fish. Sex is a perfect part of God’s plan, when it is used according to His plan.

 Apart from His plan though it is a sin that God will judge. Adulterers and fornicators are terms that God uses for sex outside of marriage. When we read that God will judge these sins it does not mean that God will strike people dead. It may just mean that God will allow them to suffer the consequences of their sin. The only real safe is between one man and one woman for a lifetime. Anything else risks negative consequences physically, and spiritually. 

So be thankful for God’s great gift – in His setting.

As though bound with them

 Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also. – Hebrews 13.3

 

On Sunday the 15^th we as a church remembered the International Day of Prayer for the persecuted church. The featured country this year was Nigeria so on Sunday night as part of our Zoom Bible study we paused and prayed for Nigerian believers.

 

We who live in relative comfort and freedom really have no idea of what it is like to be ‘chained’ for our faith. At worst our worship may be made difficult or we may be limited by regulations, but for the most part none of us will be arrested and jailed just because of our faith.

 

But all over the world, in numbers greater than any other time in the church, believers suffer for their faith. They are beaten and arrested and assaulted and thrown in prison and tortured and even killed just because they name the name of Christ.

 

Are these folks a major part of our prayers? Do we pray for them with the same intensity and we would if we were in chains with them or if someone we know and love were imprisoned for their faith? 

Most of our prayer lives need major changes. We need to remember these dear folks daily and ti intercede on their behalf. 

Hospitality

 

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. - Hebrews 13:2

 

We don’t think of the virtue of hospitality as being something ‘spiritual’ very often. Yet, here it is listed in the Life of Faith chapter and it is also listed as one of the gifts of the spirit.

 

When you think about hospitality though you can see why this is such an important virtue. It is not easy to open your home up for all the world to see. It requires a sacrifice of privacy and a sharing of our homes and goods and possessions. We always risk the chance that something might happen to our stuff. We may feel like we have to change our behaviour. We may not feel like we can really relax when someone is in our home.

 

I’m not going to make it sound like it is a little thing. It is a lot to consider before we open our doors and our hearts and our lives

 

But hear we read that we need to be careful that we do entertain even strangers. This is even a greater challenge, and of course must be done with discretion and wisdom. God says that we need to look for chances to be hospitable to all, because we may just have the chance to entertain angels unawares.

 

Does that mean that somehow there are angels in our midst? It sure sounds like it, doesn’t it?  

 

I don’t know about all of that, but I do know that God expects us to open our hearts and our home to other, for who know who they might be?

Brotherly love

 

Let brotherly love continue. - Hebrews 13:1

 

Now we start the chapter we might title the Life of Faith. At the top of the list, as you might expect, is a reminder for brotherly love to continue.

 

This is not the agape love we often we often ready about. This is the familial love that gives us and family and friends. It the love that binds us together in friendship.

 

There are very few things as precious as real friends. I have many friends who have been my friends now for many decades. Their friendship is this filial love that the writer of Hebrews speaks of here. It is the love that ties physical and spiritual family together. True phileo love will carry on and on and one.

I think continuing is the true test of brotherly love. If we have it we endure through hard times and choose to overlook the weaknesses and quirks of our friends. It doesn’t mean we overlook sin, but it does endure even the times when they do not do what we like.

In fact, that is when continuing is really put to the test. What happens if a friend is failing and won’t listen? Do we give up on them and forget them?

No. that is when continuing love just keeps loving and praying. The words of ‘Prayer for a Friend’ say it so well.

 

Lord, I lift my friend to You, I've done all that I know to do
I lift my friend to You
Complicated circumstances have clouded his view
Lord, I lift my friend up to You

I fear that I won't have the words that he needs to hear
I pray for Your wisdom, oh God, and a heart that's sincere
Lord, I lift my friend up to You

Lord, I lift my friend to You
My best friend in the world, I know he means much more to You
I want so much to help him, but this is something he has to do
And Lord, I lift my friend up to You

'Cause there's a way that seems so right to him
But You know where that leads
He's becoming a puppet of the world, too blind to see the strings
Lord, I lift my friend up to You
My friend up to You

Lord, I lift my friend to You, I've done all that I know to do
I lift my friend to You

 

https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/castingcrowns/prayerforafriend.html

Our unshakable kingdom

 

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire. - Hebrews 12:28-29

 

This verse came to me at a very needed time last week. I was fed up. I had had enough. I had enough of Covid and missing church and the responses to Covid and politics here and in the States and frustration and a lot of other things. I told Mary that I simply has enough and I felt like doing nothing – I even didn’t feel like doing anything spiritual.

 

All I could do about it though was to seek an answer in God’s word. And here. Surely directed by the Holy Spirit came just the verse I needed.

 

Therefore, we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken. Everything else may be shaken and falling to pieces but our kingdom is unshakable.

 

Along with an unshakable kingdom we have the joy and God’s unending grace. The amazing grace that saves us also allows us to serve. It is by His grace alone that we have this unshakable kingdom. Now we have the right focus. Now we can stay in the race. Now we can serve His with an awe of His power and walking in the fear of the Lord. God is a consuming fire. One day He patience will yield to His holiness and His judgement. While we enter the unshakable kingdom, the world enters into judgement.

 

What more motivation could we have than to know that what we are doing is of eternal import while everything else is failing?

Registered in heaven

 

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel - Hebrews 12:22-24

 

Earlier we read about the need for the church to meet together here on earth. I think that it is a forerunner and maybe important because it is a picture of what the whole church will do one day in heaven.

 

At the end of the race we are going to have a great celebration. The church, the general assembly of the firstborn, in the presence of the angels, registered in heaven, to meet with God and with Jesus His Son.

I can’t even begin to imagine the joy of that day. We all get to meet all the church that has gone on before. It’s a wonderful thing to go to church now, but can you imagine this church meeting!

 

Here we have the angels, the saints, God the Father, and God the Father meeting the presence of the Holy Spirit. What a day that will be! The race is over, the battle is won, and we can celebrate the victory together.

 

Our missing church today makes me long for that day even more!

Peace in the race

 

Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees,  and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. - Hebrews 12:12-13

 

Sometimes the race can get really wearying. Times like 2020 are beating us down. Our shoulders can be slumped, we are getting weak in the days and we may be tempted to just lie down and quit.

I’ve been reading and listening to a podcast about Earnest Shackleton, the Irishman and Kildare man who led a couple of Antarctic expeditions with the ultimate goal of being the first man to the South Pole. He didn’t make it but his tales of his journeys, especially his trip on the Endurance have inspired generations.

 

They knew at one stage that there were not going to make it. The ship was stuck in an ice floe and was eventually crushed in the ice. Temperatures were far below freezing and they had near hurricane force winds. They were forced to camp in tents that eventually were torn apart and the used the lifeboats to build a sort of hut. Months went by.

 

But all during that time Shackleton knew that if he let his men get down they would die. He and the others found ways to encourage the men. They kept schedules. The planned meals together. The planned celebration times together. He insisted that one man keep his banjo so they would have music. The story is replete with examples of lifting each other up.

 

That’s kind of what we need to seek to do for each other. We are all going to get down. This has been a trying year in so many ways. We are not in persecution. We are not in real danger for the most part. Our problem this year is frustration and weariness over how life has changed because of the virus. Most of us have been basically out of church for months. We can’t get together. We can’t fellowship. We are forced to wait it out.

We need each other now more than ever. We need to pick ourselves up and then pick each other up. We need to stay on track as time goes by. We need to all become encouragers now more than ever.

Persevering when the race gets tough

 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees,  and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. - Hebrews 12:12-13

 

Sometimes the race can get really wearying. Times like 2020 are beating us down. Our shoulders can be slumped, we are getting weak in the days and we may be tempted to just lie down and quit.

I’ve been reading and listening to a podcast about Earnest Shackleton, the Irishman and Kildare man who led a couple of Antarctic expeditions with the ultimate goal of being the first man to the South Pole. He didn’t make it but his tales of his journeys, especially his trip on the Endurance have inspired generations.

 

They knew at one stage that there were not going to make it. The ship was stuck in an ice floe and was eventually crushed in the ice. Temperatures were far below freezing and they had near hurricane force winds. They were forced to camp in tents that eventually were torn apart and the used the lifeboats to build a sort of hut. Months went by.

 

But all during that time Shackleton knew that if he let his men get down they would die. He and the others found ways to encourage the men. They kept schedules. The planned meals together. The planned celebration times together. He insisted that one man keep his banjo so they would have music. The story is replete with examples of lifting each other up.

 

That’s kind of what we need to seek to do for each other. We are all going to get down. This has been a trying year in so many ways. We are not in persecution. We are not in real danger for the most part. Our problem this year is frustration and weariness over how life has changed because of the virus. Most of us have been basically out of church for months. We can’t get together. We can’t fellowship. We are forced to wait it out.

We need each other now more than ever. We need to pick ourselves up and then pick each other up. We need to stay on track as time goes by. We need to all become encouragers now more than ever. 

Produce of chastening

If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?  But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.  Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. – Hebrews 12.7-11

 

Chastening has a goal. Human chastening, as we saw yesterday can fail be cause we are men.

 

God chastens us for our profit – always and forever. It’s not fun, it can even be painful. But if we are faithful and yield to it God will produce the peaceable fruits of righteousness.

 

These peaceable fruits of righteousness ought to be our desire. We have so many goals and notions, but how many of us could say ‘my desire is to bear the fruits of righteousness?’

 

God’s chastening is always for our good. It is also done in love, and it should bear fruit by allowing His righteousness to be seen in my life. It proves that I am His son and that He cares enough to do something about it.

I can let it get me down and defeat me or I can let God bear fruit in my life. In large measure it is up to me.

May my chastening produce God’s fruit in my life. 

Prompting in the race

 

And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?  But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.  Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, – Hebrews 12.4-9

 

Nobody likes the notion of chastening or discipline. I think it is because we have been on the receiving or even the giving end of chastening which was not discipline but just pure punishment.

 

Punishment sometimes has to be meted out. It is a sad, but a true, fact.

But we really mess up if we confuse it with chastening or discipling. Punishment is to exact a penalty. It may or may not teach anything.

But discipline, as seen by the very nature of the word, is intended to teach. Discipline is done in love. Sometimes it is going to be painful, but it is always done in love.

 

As we can see in the next few verses our fathers disciplined us and we disciplined our children. We did what seemed ‘best to us’ and I know, for one, I really blew it on more than one occasion.

 

But God always acts in love. He always chastens perfectly.

 

We can’t despise God’s discipline – He always does it in love and He always does it right and it is always for our benefit.

 

We’ll come back here tomorrow.

Persisting in the race

 

For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls – Hebrews 12.3

 

Don’t be weary in well doing for in due season you will reap if you faint not.

 

How do we do that?

 

Here we see one way – consider what Jesus has been though.

 

Okay – got me there. Nothing I’ve been through can compare to what He has been through for me. Sure, I feel worn out. Sure I get tired and defeated and discouraged and angry and frustrated and bothered and sometimes I feel like I have just had it.

 

When that happens I am driven my one thing – self-centredness and  a focus on me.

 

That happens because I don’t consider Jesus who endured the greatest hostility against. He was constantly opposed and rejected. He was betrayed, arrested, and abandoned. They He was stripped and mocked and beaten and scourged and spat on and falsely accused and falsely convicted and nailed to a cross and raised and shame and had His Father turn His back on Him.

 

No, what if I do consider that? If I do, how can I honestly compare by weariness. How can I not carry on?