Sermon Cloud

Let Brotherly Love Continue

Hebrews 13:1-3

Grace Fellowship Church

February 22, 2009

Series 3 Sermon 71

 

Let brotherly love continue. ² Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. ³ Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.

 

Introduction

In the second century AD there was a satirist by the name of Lucian of Samosato. He wrote a letter to a person named Cronius in order to explain how strange or unusual the Christians of his day acted.  Now he did not talk about how evangelistic they were or how much they blended into the culture but rather pointed out some very strange behavior in regards to how they treated other Christians.  He said the strange thing was that not only did they call each other brothers but they even treated each other as brothers.  As a matter of fact he stated that they were so convinced by the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth about this brotherly love that “they despise all things equally, and view them as common property..”[1]

 

The early Christians understood the commands in the New Testament about loving one another to be very serious.  This works out especially well when no one else loves you.  It is no secret to you at this point that the early church was a persecuted church precisely because they no longer behaved like the world.  So the love that was shown toward one another was a very important part of the life of the church. 

 

As I have been thinking through this passage this week one of the truths that strikes me rather hard is the fact that I am having a hard time applying this text to us as a church this morning.  We are so far removed from the situation of the first century that it is hard for any of us to imagine how important these commands that we are given in the first three verses of Hebrews 13 are.  Even though we are far removed from that situation and live in an entirely different situation now we are not removed from the implications of these verses.  I want you to look at verse 1 with me again. 

Let brotherly love continue.

 

The Greek verb for “Let….continue” is an imperative verb.  Therefore the writer is giving us a command.  We are to “Let brotherly love continue.” Some of you probably know already that the word in the Greek text for brotherly love is the same word that the city of Philadelphia is named for.  What is Philadelphia called?  The city of brotherly love although I think at this point that title can be removed. When William Penn founded the city in the late 1600’s he did so that Christians could worship freely there in spite of their particular convictions.  As a Quaker Penn had experienced persecution because of his beliefs and so sought a refuge for all believers to coexist together and he named the place Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love.  Philadelphia is an interesting Greek word.  It is two words put together.  Phila from philos which means love or affection and adelphia from adelphos which means brother or literally “from the same womb.”  In certain places at certain time people of like mind had referred to one another as brothers and sisters when they were not at all related to one another.  But it was very strange in the ancient world and in the modern world to not only refer to a person who is not related to you as a brother but also to treat them as such.  This is why Lucian wrote that letter to Cronius.  And notice verse 1 again.

Let brotherly love continue.

 

Notice the writer commands the church not to let brotherly love start but to continue.  This means that this church was already engaged in brotherly love and had obeyed already the commands of the New Testament and the writer is encouraging them in continued faithfulness and perseverance. 

 

The Lord Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 23:8 that they were indeed brothers together.  Listen as I read that verse and the following verses from Matthew 23:8-12.

8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.  9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.     

 

I want us to understand this very clearly this morning.  What the Lord Jesus is saying is that His family and the relationships therein supersede all other earthly relationships.  Let me say it like this.  My earthly brother and sister and the responsibilities that I have toward them are less than my responsibilities toward my brothers and sisters in Christ.  The responsibility that I have toward my earthly father is less than my responsibility to honor and obey my Heavenly Father.  In some cases the familial relationship with believers will replace a relationship with earthly family members who are unbelievers and hostile to the Gospel. 

 

Let me say it another way.  You men and boys who profess Christ as Lord are more my brothers than the son my mother birthed.  You ladies and girls that profess Christ as Lord are more my sisters than the daughter my mother birthed.  The Lord Jesus exemplified this in Matthew 12:46-50.

46 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. 48 But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

 

So how important is this heavenly relationship between the people of God?  Listen to John 13:35.

³⁵ "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

 

This is not only the testimony of the Lord but also the testimony of the Apostles.  Listen to 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10.

⁹ Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; ¹⁰ for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more,

 

Listen to Romans 12:9-13.

⁹ Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; ¹¹ not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; ¹² rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, ¹³ contributing to the needs of the saints , practicing hospitality.

 

In 2 Peter 1 the Apostle Peter gives us a list of Christian virtues that we are to be adding and working on and then he gets to verse 7.  Listen as I read verses 5-8.

⁵ Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence , and in your moral excellence, knowledge, ⁶ and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, ⁷ and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. ⁸ For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

There are many verses in the New Testament that command us to have love for one another.  But for the sake of time let’s move on. 

 

Context

The first twelve chapters of Hebrews have been highly theological.  Christ has been shown to be the great prophet, the great High Priest, and the great King of the coming unshakeable kingdom.  We saw that last week in chapter 12:28 and 29.  Look at those verses with me. 

28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.             

Last week we saw that in light of this unshakeable kingdom that we are at present receiving we are commanded to be thankful or grateful and we are commanded to offer acceptable worship to God.  The reason is in verse 29 and that is because our God is a consuming fire and is to be feared and approached with awe and reverence. 

 

Chapter 13 teaches us how we are to do this with our whole lives.  Worship is not just what happens on Sunday morning.  As Christians we worship with every aspect of our lives.  Every action that we take as believers in Christ is an act of worship.  The commands of chapter 13 are encapsulated between chapter 12:28-29 that we just read and chapter 13:15.  Look at that verse with me. 

15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.

 

And then the writer finishes up this letter in chapter 13:20-21 with this benediction.

20 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, 21 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.

 

 So everything sandwiched between chapter 12:28-29 and the end of chapter 13 has to do with worship and worshipping with our lives.  And the first act of worship that the writer mentions is brotherly love. 

 

So what does brotherly love look like?  What are the implications of brotherly love within a believing community?  What does the Bible say is the result of a denial of brotherly love for those who claim to be Christians?  In other words is brotherly love optional?  Can we shirk our God given responsibilities toward other believers and still call ourselves Christians? 

 

Purpose

My purpose this morning is to show you from the text that you can not rightly call yourself a Christian and not be actively sacrificing yourself for other believers.  My purpose for preaching is to call each of you to radical selfless love for not only the believers in this room but for believers everywhere. 

 

PNP

This morning from our text, Hebrews 13:1-3, I want you to see that brotherly love is fleshed out in two very important Christian disciplines. 

 

1.  Brotherly love is made evident in the Christian discipline of hospitality. 

2.  Brotherly love is made evident in the Christian discipline of fellowship. 

 

I want you to remember that these two Christian disciplines are acts of worship toward God.  To practice these shows obedience to the Father and to neglect these is to be living in outright disobedience and to call your confession of Christ as Lord into question. 

 

RPNP

So look with me this morning at how brotherly love is fleshed out in two very important Christian disciplines. 

 

1.  Brotherly love is made evident in the Christian discipline of hospitality. 

Look at verses 1 and 2. 

Let brotherly love continue. ² Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

 

So this first spiritual discipline or act of worship in obeying the command of letting brotherly love continue is the act of hospitality.  Specifically the command in verse 2 is to not neglect to show hospitality particularly to strangers.  Look again at verse 2. 

² Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers…

The way the writer has constructed chapter 13 is very interesting.  You can see this in verse 2 all the way to the end of the chapter.  There is a command, verse 2 the command is to not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, and then there is a reason for the command.  So why are we to show hospitality to strangers?  Look at verse 2 again.

² Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

 

Remember the three strangers that Abraham and Sarah entertained?  What about the angels that Lot showed hospitality to in Sodom?  Because he showed hospitality to these angels his and his daughters lives were spared when God destroyed the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.  What about the two disciples on the road to Emmaus who showed hospitality to a stranger who turned out to be the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ?

 

So there is a chance in our extending hospitality to strangers that we may be entertaining heavenly messengers.  But the better reason to show hospitality to strangers is because the Lord has commanded us as Christians to do so.  We are called to live lives of sacrifice in light of our Lord Jesus Christ’s ultimate sacrifice on the cross.  After all it is through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ that we are able to be a part of our heavenly Father’s house. 

 

The Jews looked back on their days as slaves in Egypt and living there as foreigners as the reason for extending hospitality to strangers.  As Christians we look back on our alienation and enmity with God and the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ that allowed us as foreigners and strangers to be brought into the Lord’s house as the reason for our obedience to this command. 

 

But there is another reason.  The other reason that we should show hospitality to strangers is because in that hospitality we have the opportunity to minister the Gospel to that stranger.  God in His sovereignty and providence has sent people to different places to hear the Gospel and be saved.  And you never know when the Lord will privilege you with the opportunity to be the one to proclaim the Gospel to a lost sheep of the Lord’s. 

 

Not only that but the Lord Jesus has made it very clear that to not practice hospitality only shows that you are not a true Christian.  Listen to Matthew 25:31-35.

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,  

And from the sheep comes the question, “Lord when did we do this for you?”  The answer is in verse 40.

40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

 

Of course the opposite of that is the goats.  Verse 43 says:

 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me,

What does the Lord Jesus say about those that refused hospitality to strangers?  Listen to verse 41.

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

 

Not only are there individual and family implications for this showing hospitality but there is also congregational implications as well.  When a new person comes into our worship service for the first time they are to be welcomed in and cared for.  They are to be shown hospitality.  This is the fellowship of the Lord and we are to treat our guests very well.  And this is regardless of their financial or social status.  To show partiality is a great sin against the Lord.  We are to show hospitality to those who come in a way that is pleasing to the Lord.  Listen to James 2:1-9.

¹ My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. ² For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, ³ and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, "You sit here in a good place," and you say to the poor man, "You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool," ⁴ have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives ? ⁵ Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? ⁶ But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court ? ⁷ Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?
⁸ If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF," you are doing well. ⁹ But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

 

So we see how important this spiritual discipline is.  Now let’s look at the second point this morning.

 

2.  Brotherly love is made evident in the Christian discipline of fellowship. 

Notice verse 3.

³ Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.

 

Notice the command.  We are to bring to mind, remember those who are in prison and those who are mistreated.  And in our remembering we are called to care for them.  However we are capable of caring for them whether it is just through prayer or if we have the opportunity to visit them and provide physical and spiritual nourishment we are to do so. 

 

So who are these that are in prison or mistreated?  Are these just your everyday run of the mill criminals or people that have just had a hard time?  Verse 3 tells us who they are.  Look at verse 3 again.

³ Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.

 

Verse 3 clearly points out that these are fellow believers who are either in prison or mistreated.  And the writer in verse 3 uses the same pattern that he used in verse 2 of giving a command and then telling us why we are to do it.  Look at verse 3 for why.

 

³ Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.

 

These are fellow believers who have been thrown into prison or mistreated not because they were common criminals but because of their faithful lives as Christians.  The early church did not tolerate criminal behavior and then honor that behavior through recognizing the suffering for it as holy.  It was only when a person lived correctly and suffered that the church recognized that. I want you to listen to 1 Peter 3:13-17.

¹³ Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? ¹⁴ But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, ¹⁵ but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence ; ¹⁶ and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. ¹⁷ For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.

 

So what we have in verse 3 is a command for fellowship within the body of Christ.  Look at verse 3 again. 

³ Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.

 

As Christians when another Christian suffers, because of the special fellowship that we are privileged to have in the Lord we suffer with that person.  And Christ suffers with His people also. 

 

When Saul of Tarsus was persecuting the church and throwing believers into prison and some were stoned to death the Lord Jesus Himself halted that persecution on Saul’s journey to Damascus.  When the blinding light came out of the Heavens and Saul was struck down the first thing the Lord said to Saul was this, “Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”  Notice that Christ Himself identifies the suffering of His people with Himself.  When we suffer He suffers with us.  This is the fellowship of His sufferings.  That is why Paul wrote in Philippians 3:10 these words.

¹⁰ that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;

 

As believers we experience different kinds of fellowship.  There is the fellowship of faith, the fellowship of the Spirit, and the fellowship of His sufferings.  And when we have the opportunity to experience the fellowship of His sufferings we are commanded to do so because if one of our brothers or sisters is in prison for the sake of the Gospel we are imprisoned with them as well in the fellowship of sufferings. If they are mistreated we are mistreated and we are to care for them to the very best of our ability and even sacrificially. 

 

This is what James says in James 1:27.

²⁷ Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

 

These are not just any widows and orphans.  The word distress in verse 27 is the Greek word “thlipsis” which means tribulation or persecution.  These women and children are not just widows and orphans off the street but are widows and orphans because their fathers have been killed for the sake of the Gospel.  And James recognizes the words of the Lord Jesus from Matthew 25 and points out that these are to be cared for in the church. 

 

Now I am not saying we should not care for regular widows and orphans.  We should at every opportunity as we show hospitality to strangers.  But the priority is for those who are Christians and are suffering. 

 

Now we don’t have that much Christian imprisonment going on in our area today.  None of us have been beaten for our testimony this week or lately.  So how do we put this command into practice.  After all if you read Matthew 25 again you will see that the Lord Jesus notes that the sheep visited those in prison and clothed and fed and housed the mistreated but the goats who will be cast into everlasting fire meant for the devil and his angels did not.  So how do we act as sheep and not as goats. 

 

First we remember those this very day that are in prison.  Even though we are not in close proximity to believers who have been imprisoned we are able to hear about brothers and sisters around the world who are in prison and being mistreated this very hour because of their faith in Christ.  And we should pray for them and do so diligently. You can subscribe to “The Voice of the Martyrs” ministry and receive prayer updates and pray for specific believers who are experiencing the fellowship of sufferings. 

 

Second, we are to care for those in our congregations who are not suffering for the Gospel sake but are afflicted with physical suffering.  Maybe it is an illness or a medical problem that will be quickly taken care of.  But anytime someone is sick in our midst we should take care of that person.  And as we have seen over the past several months we know that is true of our congregation. 

 

Let me tell you that some of the sweetest times of Christian fellowship I have experienced as a pastor and a Christian is when someone is sick or dying and I have sat with them and visited them.  Those of you who have done that know what I am talking about.  I remember sitting with an elderly woman who had just returned from the doctor and was told she had two weeks to live.  It was a sweet time of fellowship as we read John 14, “In my Father’s house are many dwelling places.  I go there to prepare a place for you and I will return to receive you to myself that where I am you may be also.”  It is a strange yet fascinating experience of fellowship as you see the joy on the face of the Christian who is told their home going is very soon. 

 

It is also a sweet time of fellowship as you pray with a brother or sister in Christ that is about to have surgery or is in the hospital and together you ask the Lord to care for them when you can not. 

 

The spiritual discipline of Christian fellowship is not just for good times and fellowship meals but also when trouble and persecution and sickness and death comes. 

 

Let me tell you that there are many people who call themselves Christians and even those who would call themselves pastors who see visiting the sick and the fellowship of suffering something they are not called to do.  One so called pastor in a message not to long ago said to his congregation that they did not want to be sick enough for him to come visit them in the hospital. He said the only time he goes to the hospital is when they are about to roll you out in a body bag.  He got a lot of chuckles from this congregation but let me tell you from Scripture he will get no such chuckles from the Lord who also said in Matthew 25 to the goats, “I was sick and you did not visit me.” 

 

Conclusion

So what will you do?  Will you ignore the call of the Word of God to show hospitality to strangers and to participate in the fellowship of His sufferings with other believers?  Will you chose rather to ignore what the Lord has called you to and live in disobedience to Him? 

 

In the introduction I asked a series of questions about brotherly love and now as I conclude I want to answer them.

 

So what does brotherly love look like? 

As we have seen brotherly love is fleshed out in hospitality and in caring for those who are suffering.

What are the implications of brotherly love within a believing community? 

 

We are to live sacrificial lives giving of ourselves and our time and resources in obeying this command.  If we have this world’s goods and see our brother in need and deny him then we have denied the faith. That is 1 John 3:17.  

 

What does the Bible say is the result of a denial of brotherly love for those who claim to be Christians?  In other words is brotherly love optional?  Can we shirk our God given responsibilities toward other believers and still call ourselves Christians? 

We saw in Matthew 25 that we can not disobey this commandment and still call ourselves Christians. 

 

I think the greatest example of this truth in Scripture is the Lord Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan.  He sees the man lying on the side of the road that has been robbed and beaten and left for dead and does what the priest and the Levite refused to do.  He stops, picks up the man, and uses his own resources to care for this man.  He is able to nurse this man back to health and expects nothing in return.  This is what Christians do. We give sacrificially to care for those who can not care for themselves.

 

So as an act of worship:

Let brotherly love continue.      

 

Let’s pray.