Well, I invite you to turn this morning to the last chapter of the book of Hebrews, as we have a few sermons left in this study, and this morning we are looking at the first six verses, found on page 1197, 1197, and as I said, this is, we have been a long time preaching now the atonement, the sacrifice of Christ, responses to that, we were looking at worship last time what is true worship in spirit and in truth now he moves to hear what the community as a sanctified community a separate community what it should be in this world what it is designed to be and certain things that we are to pursue as the community of faith and so this is a very important section now of sort of pastoral applications that are very important for us as the church today so this is a hebrews 13 beginning at verse 1 through verse 6 let brotherly love continue do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers for thereby some have entertained angels unawares remember those who are in prison as though in prison with them and those who are mistreated since you also are in the body let marriage be held in honor among all and let the marriage bed be undefiled for god will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous 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 so we can confidently say the lord is my helper i will not fear what can man do to me there will end the reading of God's word well today I am focusing both of the messages on the responsibilities and witness that we are called to have as the body of Christ that is the church of course what is the church the church is the body of Christ um peculiarly we see that when we gather together as God's people as we've been been studying and there is nothing that more damages our witness and purpose as christians when we are not thinking about and pursuing and fulfilling what it means to be the body of christ what it means to be the church in this world um to um to live in a certain way a consecrated way is what he's thinking about as you know we are living in a day when hypocrisy abounds we're used to now so used to the scandals and the failures have you noticed that what seems to be lacking in society now is a complete trust for any institution there's just no institutional trust the whole thing has come down on its head and now to trust anything today so rare as sincere and true and we love the word authentic we just don't see much of it anymore well the worst place that that should be happening hypocrisy is in the body of christ that's why there's been a cry in our day especially from younger generations for something real for something genuine and and and again we've been looking at what we think is real is not accomplished the way we think it will be accomplished or what is genuine the the things that we think will win the next generation are not the things there's been surveys on this that that will we think the the greater the experience as we've been talking about uh in worship the greater that will draw in people and we looked at last time pragmatism just doesn't work very well well the author of hebrews now addresses this issue for us as the body of christ he's interested in christians actually lo and behold behaving like christians he's very interested in that he's interested in christians genuinely living before the lord and godly fear that was the the the tie to the last section that when we worship god we have to worship we're if anyone tells you that worship's the free-for-all we can do whatever we want in worship they're lying to you hebrews told us very clearly last time when you come to worship there are standards you worship him with reverence and awe for he's a consuming fire he's dangerous in holiness that's lost today that's lost that's what we considered the last few weeks well he's he's moving from that now to a series of pastoral we might say injunctions or helps to us that directives for the body of christ that we would maintain that separate status as a holy people and that we would maintain our witness in the world which was the very thing these early hebrews were compromising everything about living in this world is pulling us away from who we are to be and how we are to live as a confessing body a confessional people and so the author now turns to this all-important subject in hebrews chapter 13 to help us to understand our responsibility of what it means that you are holy to the lord set apart and sanctified now Hebrews 13 is such a fascinating section um some have tried to find an order to this and I want to say up front this is not simply a bunch of loosely connected suggestions for the church it's a well thought out and well crafted way forward for the church in light of what he's been developing in the book in light of the problems a way forward for the community to behave as those who have been separated from the world and distinguished to the Lord as holy in their witness and as his people. So what we have here this morning, you might be able to, if you're a note taker, you might be able to categorize this very simply in three ways that he is really commanding our love and our purity and our trust. Love, purity, and trust are the sort of things that he has in mind. And that's really what he's after in Hebrews 13 in this first section. We ended on this powerful note last time. The author gave great attention to worship. A sensitive issue in our day. Explaining what worship is in the spirit. Remember, they were struggling with that. They wanted the mountain touch. They wanted a more sensory experience. they're sensual and he's going after that you don't understand what worship is in the spirit it's not doing whatever we want we can't worship god whatever way we want precisely because he's holy he's a consuming fire just like the old testament god doesn't change in his attributes and character so he was helping us to appreciate the special blessing of being able to come into the holy presence of the lord right now gathered with the angels gathered with the lord all of his saints gathered with think about this you have come to jesus the mediator of the new covenant we are in his presence unlike the mountain touching experience that people think they they need or that they experienced in the old testament which was dangerous and he ended by saying the church should give great attention as a gathered people to how they conduct themselves when they come into the presence of the lord remember that it mattered to him holiness is on his mind holy holy holy the lord and remember when isaiah saw a glimpse of that glory he ducked and covered and he covered his lips and he said woe is me he called down prophetic curses on himself i'm a man of unclean lips and i dwell in the presence of those of unclean lips well what are these responsibilities we tend to think the real stuff happens everywhere else that's kind of what the the church has said today the real stuff happens everywhere else so we've been taught that the church itself as institution is not that important we've been making the case that the most important thing we do in life what we were separated to do was to worship the lord remember that was why they were brought out of egypt they're going to be a worshiping people and that happens when the church gathers it's the gathered community it's a beautiful thing it's a really beautiful thing but now how he understands what does involvement in the church look like in the gathered community what does that involvement look like and what should it be as the as the pursuit of the body of christ and that's in the context of us as a gathered people well he begins in verse one let brotherly love continue um it's kind of the heart of the entire book here hebrews were thinking about abandoning the body of christ they hadn't considered that they were what they were sacrificing and what they were giving up you kind of want to say that to people who who move away from the body of christ and want to go out on their own that they've forgotten what they're sacrificing who they're giving up this is this is just wonderful i have to say it's how we look at the church you know god puts all these age groups together and different peoples together you know you can learn from some of the oldest of saints as they've gone down the way and they've they've been so such a blessing it's amazing what people will sacrifice to move away from the body of Christ. And he's saying that's not appropriate. Love needs to continue in the gathered community. Love needs to continue in the body. So he's addressing this concern. But I want you to notice that he's addressing these three things of love and purity and trust all under the great category of holiness, of separateness, of sanctity. One of the primary ways then that holiness is pursued is in the category and pursuit of love. It was Jesus himself who said this. You want to know if you're a true disciple? All people will know you're my disciples not by your disconnect from the body, not by just showing up for the event one hour a week, but by your love for one another. That's how you're going to discern a true Christian. That's how you're going to discern a true witness. What does love look like? Jesus said, if you love those who love you, what reward is that? Even the Gentiles do that. They love their buddies. Continue in brotherly love. explains it well how do we how do we do that he's explaining that for us he says what is one of the most important ways of love hospitality don't neglect to show hospitality to strangers for thereby some have entertained angels unawares we know in the early church they met in homes and they would have all kinds of people coming in from a variety of different circumstances and situations they would have traveling itinerant pastors and and and missionaries you think of the apostle paul going about from place to place you had refugees constantly coming in you had all kinds of people fleeing persecution coming in and and different situations where the lord was bringing people in all the time bringing people in all the time they not only needed shelter they needed the most basic needs of clothing and food what the author is doing here is having us think first and foremost about the validity of christian confession remember paul wrote in romans 12 let your love be without hypocrisy let your love be without masks they put masks on in the ancient world in these plays let your love be without masks let it be sincere the first way to think about it i think is to ask this all-important question what is the lord like what is the lord like where do you think these sort of injunctions come from these pastoral imperatives well it comes out of the very fact this is the kind of god we serve psalm 146 he's the maker of heaven earth the sea and everything in them he remains forever. He upholds the cause of the oppressed. He gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free. The Lord gives sight to the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down. The Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the foreigner and he sustains the fatherless and the widow but he frustrates the ways of the wicked someone who's a christian guess what that means you imitate him we're gonna look at that tonight it's really important do we care to be the body of christ that's that that's what this means well you see his concern in verse 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 you're the body of jesus you're the body of christ so some were actually persecuted for the faith some have been in prison for this he had mentioned that before had they forgotten them there are all sorts of needs in the body of christ right god has his eye on the afflicted The poor, the widow, the widower, those who are suffering great injustices. I mean, this is why he said pure and undefiled religion is this. If you want to have pure religion, true religion, right religion, and a claim where everyone's religious, it is to go and visit the widow and the orphan in their distress. That's true. Well, here's kind of what it looks like. It's the prisoner God has his eye on. It's the afflicted. I'll never forget in Linden, there was this dear old widow. And, you know, by one of these scams, somebody called. And I'm your grandson. And she sent all this money to him. And she was so distressed. It was heartbreaking. See, his concern, you know, as one pastor expressed, is the absence of demonstrations of love to other believers in Christ. And that's why I say when we come to the church, we're always saying, what do we want? We want, we don't like this, and we don't like this, and the worship isn't this. Whoa, whoa. That's not the mind of Christ. Not even close. It was a big challenge for the Jews, of course, because everything was about family and everything was about blood. Jesus was constantly going after it. While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and his brother stood outside wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, your mother and your brothers are standing outside wanting to speak with you. He said, what? Who's my mother? Who are my brothers? Pointing to his disciples, he said, Here are my mother and my brothers. Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and my sister and my mother. We think the church is just about a gathering with our families so that they're all in the row with us and blood and grandchildren, and that's living the dream. If we think that's what the church is, we're wrong. It's serving those, yes, of our family, but it's serving those who are also our family that are not our blood. that's what the kingdom of God is about that's true Christianity Jesus was going to the prisoners and the outcasts and the blind and the poor valid profession of faith he's saying cares for people as God does now remember the Heidelberg Catechism why does he want it preached so pointedly because that's what you're feeling right now. It's pointed, isn't it? His eye is on these people. One pastor said, public profession of faith is an empty gesture if our heart is not upon the needy. The proof that a confession is grateful and real is witnessed in how we are participating in the body. To be sure, God is not just calling us to be hearers of the word, to come listen to a sermon and to go back to our homes without ever caring about his body. That's our American challenge. We have nice things and nice homes and many things to distract us, but you ever think that God is constantly bringing in among us the needy for a reason? The Didache was an early Christian document. It was common at the time. Let anyone who comes in the name of the Lord be received if he comes as a traveler help him as much as you can this is hospitality it's um opening our lives and opening our homes to people in gratefulness as an act of love it demonstrates that we're pursuing holiness that's what he's saying that demonstrates we're pursuing what god loves that separateness the world just doesn't do this in this way you ever think about showing hospitality to those in in need i remember fred trost you know this is you know the lift van would come down and and he wanted to be in worship so badly fred you ever think about fred anymore i do kind of a hero to me wouldn't miss worship our leaders we need to be in worship so important because we have people who need our care god sends many people among us some who've been orphaned some who have lost parents for being a christian you know that's happened here some who have many needs some have even been in prison i think of rosaria's story you know how the lord has made her a voice in the midst of this sexual revolution. How did she get here? She got here from a pastor feeding her. I still couldn't get over it when she told me 500 meals. It has to be targeted. Don't get me wrong. You can't be everywhere and say, but there's people in your lives you can target this kind of love and think about. Our actions prove the genuineness of our faith. Be targeted. focus on someone and care for them. Jesus himself and his humanity on earth could only be in one place at a time. Doesn't expect more from you. I really think this will affect us when we realize that we're the needy ones who were taken in, most importantly. Until we've got there, it won't affect us. When I was a college student, I still think of this family in college who had me over every Sunday. They fed me. And you know what I would witness in that family? They would sit down and they would read the scriptures and they made me a part. I was really alone up in college. They made me a part of that family, a godly family. And I witnessed what a family should be. You ever thought about the witness of that today? it was a huge effect on me i don't speak for dr godfrey you know but i think i know why he loves dutch people so much because the alameda church was such a blessing to him when he was taken in god doesn't just give us big homes and much material blessing to make it for us and our families jesus said when he was dying on the cross john i want you to care for my mom That's what he was concerned about, my mother. And I think the encouragement to this here is the shocking thing. Don't neglect to do this because you may be entertaining angels unawares. You stop and you say, what? We're amazed by that. You mean we might be entertaining angels? Well, it's what happened to Abraham. And he lifted up his eyes and looked and behold three men stood by him this is where the author's thinking and when he saw them he ran to meet them from the tent door and bowed himself toward the ground and said my lord if now i have found favor in thy sight pass not away i pray you for you from your servant let a little water i pray be fetched and wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree and i'll fetch a morsel of bread and comfort your hearts and after you shall pass on and therefore you are to come to your servant and they said so do as your heart has said and Abraham hastened and turned to Sarah make quickly three measures of fine meal needed and make cakes upon the heart and Abraham ran to the herd and fetched a calf tender and good and gave it to the young man and he hastened to dress it and he took butter and milk and the calf which he addressed and he set it before them and he stood by them under the tree and they ate I think that's right on his mind do you know who they were they were angels he doesn't want us too obsessed with that though like today i might have had an angel in my house you know the point is they didn't even know the point is they didn't even know and that's the kind of heart we should have true angels are those god calls us to love this is what jesus raises on the last day come you blessed of my father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. I was hungered and you gave me meat. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you took me in. Naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was a prisoner and you came to me. And the righteous answer is saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you and thirsty and gave you a drink? When we saw a stranger and took you in or naked and clothed? Or when did we see you sick are in prison it's interesting isn't it and like in light of our text and the king answered and said verily i say to you and as much as you've done it to one of the least of these my brethren you've done it to me that's authentic love and this challenges all of us challenges me just as much are we opening our homes are we thinking about others other than ourselves second i'm in the second point and it's about time but this is a really quick point okay he emphasizes our purity as crucial to our witness as a holy people notice what he says marriage is honorable among all and the bed undefiled but adulterers god will judge let your conversation be without covetous and be content with such things as you have for he has said i will never leave you nor forsake you you see what he did right there he drew together the two twin sins of israel's failure in the wilderness sexual morality and idolatry and he put them together in the second pastoral directive both of which the bible says run away from it's interesting marriage comes into this isn't it what is the greatest all of satan today where is his most targeted attack right now it's marriage he wants not only to redefine it he wants to destroy it altogether you hear what he's saying to you one of your best witnesses in this world is your marriage marriage bed is to be undefiled it's a euphemism for saying sexual purity should characterize our lives as designed in the marriage relationship what's one of the greatest witnesses as a holy people and where is that great example found as one pastor said there may be no better gauge today for the spiritual health of a congregation than the health of its marriages that is so true and he's saying you should repent if there's any form of sexual impurity you're bringing into your marriage and it applies to our young people god wants you pure he does not want you out having premarital sex until he blesses you with a covenantal spouse for marriage really important today we don't talk about this ever don't give yourself to somebody else that god has not joined you to and and there's a warning here those who live in sexual immorality with and without the holy state of marriage god will judge you ever thought about our witness as a church and what you can do to have a strong witness today in the church it's not rocket science love your spouse it's a green light now wives to tell your husbands pastor said you have to take me out on a date okay green light keep your marriages pure of sexual impurity and he joins the other twin sin of greed let your conversation be without covetous and be content with such things as you have for he has said i will never leave you nor forsake you life is more than possessions in the body more than clothing you see what he's concerned about if people are just given in this life if christians are just given in this life like the world that life is just about storing up and it's just about making money and we fall into the trap that all every every day is just about going to get the dollar and it's eating and drinking with the goal of eating and drinking and being married to live the dream you will never have your eye on helping those in need all of your life and all of your energy will be giving to protecting investments and possessions and and this stuff rather than helping the stranger and the orphan this is what he says don't love money it's when we love money it's an idol it's incompatible with trust is what he's saying those who live by a love of money Never pray, give me this day my day of daily bread. People who are always living to make the mighty dollar are not living in trust. And that's where he turns us today. It's a beautiful way to end the gospel right now. Instead of all that, be content with what he's given you. It's something we all have to work on. Why? Because he has said, he himself, Jesus, promise of the new covenant, I will never leave you nor forsake you. See, isn't what all these pursuits are, if you're honest, about fear? He says, you have me. We have everything. I'll provide for you. Will I not care for you? You're worried about money. Do I not feed the sparrows in the air? You can boldly say in life, the Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can anyone do to me? That's how much confidence he wants you to have. There's nothing to fear. Everyone's going to die at the appointed time. You're not stopping that. The Lord says, trust me. I'm sufficient for you. i've given you everything this is what he's been telling us in the book of hebrews i will care for you i have given you myself think of what jesus is saying to us here as a sacrifice for your sins i will care for your bodies too so live trusting me says the lord i'm with you i've got your back I'll provide for you. Be free from these earthly entanglements. I want you free from them because they're holding in bondage is what they're doing. They don't promote your separate status. They'll not move you to serve and love one another. This is the grateful response to the gospel. See, that's why Hebrews is a response to the gospel, 13. Of those who've received forgiveness. Of those who understand the gospel. Of those who understand the indescribable gift. And he wants you, because it's hard for us to do, to appreciate who you are. Who you belong to. Your holy status as a holy people marked by love, by purity, and by trust. Because you indeed are holy to the Lord. I pray that's helped you today. And if it's convicted you, as the Heidelberg said, well, it leads us back to where we looked at when we read the law. We confess our sins and we look all the more to Jesus for forgiveness and for grace and for help. And in this life, we don't stop striving by the grace of the Holy Spirit to be made more and more conformed to the image of God's beloved Son. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for instructing us in sanctification. Thank you for helping us. And forgive us where we have by far been selfish, right here at the pulpit, all the way through. We confess, O Lord, that often we are too focused on us. Thank you for the gift of righteousness. Thank you for separating us as a people. Thank you for telling us today that you will care for us in all things. Remove these fears and bondage from our lives. Whether it be, O Lord, selfishness or sexual impurity or a lack of trust. Take these all away. Give us true, genuine repentance and let us, Lord, be a people sanctified, set apart in thanksgiving for the gospel which has already made atonement all sins paid for by the precious blood of the Savior. Thank you for inspiring us to love and appreciate your church. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.