066 - Citizens of God’s City Live like This

Bible is there something here for me.

I mean it's just words printed on paper right well it may look like just print on a page, but it's more than Inc. join us for the next half hour, as we explore God's word together as we learn how to explore it on our own. As we ask God to meet us there in its pages welcome to more than entertained angels not to my knowledge, she knowledge all you would be surprised to find out that today's passage in Hebrews. It could very well be that you continue to think well okay today on more than Inc. Dorothy sheep running as a herd of sheep that are that they actually walk them right through to helping the middle of town. We fall and it's kinda crazy view. When you see all the sheep just completely feelings residential streets like edge to edge curb to curb right down in front of all these houses it's a it's crazy it's lovely now.

I look forward to it every year and account just sets me thinking about sheep in a fresh way since we don't live on a farm and we don't have any XML. These kinds of things on a regular basis so I just I love to hear that. Full of bare feet on the pavement and watch how the shepherds move them in and guide them through their leaves them yet guide them through this neighborhood that's totally out of their normal experience. So it's always good to fall to watch the sheep come through so we know when the flooring elsewhere. Hope you're enjoying the change of seasons as well and as the calendar comes down to a close in 2021 here. Hebrews Hebrews here is coming down to a close in the last chapter, Hebrews, and they were going and accident and then were going to ask where I'm very excited about that yet. If you've never read Exodus is it's really fun.

It will make a really excellent next place to go. After studying Hebrews yeah yeah we might even be able to get back and forth a little bit because Hebrews is so full of the Old Testament pictures that Exodus recounts me I am.

He's appealing to to Hebrew Christians to Jewish Christians who know their Old Testament history and so were just going to go back. The Old Testament history. Yes, this is it's really really good stuff so sober in Hebrews 13 you remember when we got to the previous chapter being chapter 12. He says you need to fix your eyes on Jesus's promise.

It comes all the way from Abraham, from God to us. For those who live by faith that there's life there's rest you know there's a great thing. So he says. So from here. Until then, fix your eyes on Jesus and don't let all the stuff of this world. Entangle your feet right that's reason being chapter 12 well and in 2012. He had said no. Remember that you haven't come to a flaming mountain right and voice. That scares you.

You've come to the city of the living God.

You come to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant which ours is what is been talking about all the way through the letter so this is assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven, and to this unshakable kingdom. So that's that's kind of a summation of the whole book and now he's getting a very practical and just makes it really pointed applications.

Since that is the reality, and our God is a consuming fire right there and then there is should be living in a certain way. So these are practical.

These are practical helps for us about how to walk in life and in there and they're just they're just really good so so how do we walk as citizens of this new kingdom. You know this this city designed and built by God that were headed towards. How do we how we supposed to walk and carry ourselves in such a way that reflect the fact that we are actually citizens of another place to place because we've just come through this season when even those in the church that was blood bought ones indwelt by the Spirit of God have Manny behave themselves like their citizenship in this place is the eternal finish thing on everything right when in reality we're passing through the place her passing through. So how we conduct ourselves as citizens of another place or just jumping into Hebrews 13. Okay, so take it for us.

Okay so right at first one he says 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 is now in prison with them and those who are mistreated since you also are in the body.

Let marriage be held in honor among all 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.

Remember your leaders, those who spoke to the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith X that's all passage were told today is enough to talk going back and take take a look at is how to citizens of this other kingdom follow Jesus how to conduct themselves and will is no mistake that he starts right out of box love. Let brotherly love you and this is not the agape word that we so often expect this is Philadelphia.

This is brotherly love. This is because you are related and connected to one another in the same family buy in at work continue is is me know. It's the same word that was used in John 15, when Jesus is now abide. Abide by state put driving your tent pegs and let this be your dwelling place, yes, continue on doing what you're doing. Don't drift away from it and it makes me think that you know Jesus said in the in the latter days men's love will grow cold because life becomes hard and Paul's letter to Timothy said essentially the same thing you know, men will become lovers of self instead of lovers of one another: Jesus is if you love one another, you're my disciple right so I mesh that's just the key is the key distinctive of citizens of the kingdom of Jesus is the fact that they love and we could say that all these other encouragements kind of flow out of that one.

Let brotherly love continue yeah because he goes on I think this is astonishing I would change the order of his head just seems like the more important stuff in this but this is really not we underplay this next verse two.

Don't neglect to show hospitality to strangers for thereby some of entertained angels unawares. So we talk about hospitality.

Yet Christians ought to be us in a bowl you know you are to be nice, but people over for dinner and stuff like that. But this is this is a deeper issue than just being nice to each other and eating dinners together well and I think perhaps that the writer of Hebrews has in mind Abraham, who because he's talked about Abraham so much a letter who saw these visitors coming not knowing they were angelic visitors and greeted them at the door. Here, sit under the tree said linger a while. You've been walking across the dry at the dry desert and going and he said them well fed them well and encouraged them to linger, don't be in a hurry to go. You know, we we have a hard time sometimes opening our homes to that degree, and especially Jesse crazy pandemic season that were just coming out of and to strangers to people we don't know whether there clean to our heart current health state one of us are not one of you strangers. Strangers are clearly this is a big deal in the Old Testament, special strangers or people who have no one there one going through your area that have no family to support them in the area are passing through and there alone, yet hospitality was one of the characteristics that God had said, his people at the very beginning.

You need to show hospitality to the strangers to those who have nobody who don't belong.

It's a gigantic deal and it is very much the heart of God. So follow Jesus ought to be displaying the same heart having up having genuine and not just a in all put on but I genuine affection and love and concern for those who have nobody God's yeah because dry just like that. We only love because he loved us first right God came to us right offering a welcome and that's that's the idea hereto.

Hospitality is a welcome openness of heart and home will and I would actually put it it's it's an elevation of the call with the humanity of the stranger how is your initial reside anywhere where like you exactly yeah and so it's it's can or we were like you. Well, you know that that verse in Exodus what the Lord says now you show hospitality to strangers because you were strangers yet it's real is in Deuteronomy well yeah I'll read one of okay but one a month. Deuteronomy 10 I got this one from Leviticus 19 oh, right. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and and you shall love him as your self right for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

I'm bored so you are one strangers as well so love others like I loved you, your strength well and that is so important that you remember when that young man came to Jesus and said what is that most important law. Yet Jesus quoted this very one from Leviticus. Second, he's first love the Lord your God, write the shirt off Deuteronomy 6 and then he said, and the second is just like it. Love your neighbor as yourself well in that instance, he goes on to tell that story of the good Samaritan and then the neighbor in view being of the fair clean is not someone who cannot help himself who requires something of you in order to reclaim his humanity actually exactly great respect, great dignity, yeah.

And Jesus, when he is talking on the final judgment 25.

He says I was a stranger and writing welcome to me right so this is this is at the core of the heart of God. He loves those who cannot qualify for his love with their alone and there. There pork spirit is what he said in attitudes, a menu just without any other hope and God says what you got me so for the stranger who has no one. We should be displaying God's love to them, and not just being kind to them or talk to them when he says in Leviticus, we need to love them like you love yourself. I mean that's on rhyme astonishing amount of, and you know it today. We will go on this too much, but there we are such a divided culture special United States worldwide to and we divide over such what seemed like surface linguica. We are a divided church and were you writing right now how many of you who are listening are acquainted with and maybe in your own church. There have been deep divisions over secondary issues secondary issues and and what that does is it causes you to ask yourself with every encounter are the night. Are they one of me or they want to them as it is a mere them things are the know are they stranger to me or they like me and so and that's just really wrong. Same right here, you should make that determination people you like me, are you not like me. If you're not like me because of what I've seen you put on Facebook. Right then I can talk to you in part because of the way. I suspect you voted exactly and so you know, so we actually separate ourselves into strange you are strangers right or not. One of so you don't deserve none of my attention but now you don't deserve my hospitality deserve my respect and that's that's all very wrong. He saying here is people who are at the bottom of the barrel in terms of rent.

No relationship you need to love them like yourself stage so this is really I debated you know when the writer of Hebrews put this first but I think this really ought to be first was one of the verse three. So remember, those were imprisoned as though in prison with them. Those who were mistreated since you also are in the body.

So this is another category of people who were kind of forgotten in the culture, and even forgotten the body, but there's this emphasis on their humanity again right. You also are in a body that could be subject to imprisonment or mistreatment, but I wonder here if there isn't also a reference to in the body of Christ right way. Paul says in first Corinthians 12. If one suffers, all suffers because we are members of one another so you know we we have it very easy in this country in so many ways and is easy out of sight out of mind to forget our brothers and sisters who are genuinely being mistreated and even killed worldwide, and or their faith in Jesus and I think that out of sight out of mind. That's kind of the key issue here. Those are in prison are ones that cannot drain derisively in CMV but but you can't see them. So this really begs the point about not just a strange. You can see, is traveling through your area, but the one whose locked up and you don't seem so, to what degree do you actually pursue people that are not in your face. You don't see them bring Mexico looking for them to realize their people to their poor and lonely and are separated and locked away. Do you have any heart for those kinds of people and you know again this this reflects a gigantic character of God's heart and that he came he came to know break us out of prison. The prison is in the maintenance only respect even Exodus he came, he took the initiative right to boot groundless people allow enslavement of Egypt.

So this is very quoted God's heart, he's there to free you from the things that keep you isolated and which which remove you from the eyesight of other people you care about those people do take initiative for people like that and those were mistreated because in the body. I think that's that's that really is a sharp rebuke to a lot of us will get content with what I've got my stuff I'm living in my home. I got all my stuff in my life figured out and I don't need to go outside of my own self created bubble, and especially now has that become a reality right and what he singer here's know you do have to get out of your bubble, you have to go find these people who were in place. As you can see them in ME and you don't have the sense of reminder that they exist, could you just don't send them to remember them right. Consider them, bring them to mind and commemorate what they are experiencing and see how that then would require you to act in her memory.

And I might remind you there are more prisons than just simple prison there people who were imprisoned by emotional issues, depression issues, close themselves into their own homes just like it was a prison so the people you don't see that's releasing the people that you don't see keep a heart for them and remember them was a list go to the next verse for so let marriage be held in honor among you will at the marriage bed be undefiled for God will judge the sexually immoral, and the adulterous notes. I would put this first right after love like this is a bigger problem is a bigger issue as well. But not everybody is married right is instruction to everyone to honor and recognize the value and really the sanctity of marriage and that if I don't know if you made this connection before but when God created the relationships of mankind in and created this relationship of marriage. It was deliberately for the purpose of illustrating force in a way we can understand what our relationship with God is right that mutual exclusivity. Yes, I'm yours.

Your how and when I was thinking of the marriage vows that are so traditional right forsaking all others and cleave only unto this one. This covenant relationship that is sacred, dear. I say confident that you do so for those of you are listening. If you've never really encamped on this and thought about this. You might go and read Ephesians 5 where Paul talks about this relationship of marriage being scary. That speaks very clearly, but in a very mysterious way of that deep deep unity within God himself and so it's not an accident that when we talk about spiritual warfare. What's he wants to do preferred or an ending of our relationship because it's intended. He will ask you pervert this particular relationship right model that tells us all about that. So as a result of following a fallen community of people fall in terms of their sexuality almost 1st Thomas first is it's it's an indication of the destruction of what God's trying to communicate to you in this mutual kind of covenant relationship so yeah and you know you mentioned Ephesians 5. Another great place it will look more about that is Galatians 5B talks very strong as well about what it what he calls the works of the flesh and and and what's you know what's immoral. What's impure, so I mean that it's God will judge those things will he will judge sexual morality and adultery. Regardless of what guys they carried. Now all this redefining and re-expressing marriage that's been going on for the last number of years God will sort that out so we as his people need to be honoring and recognizing the value of this unique relationship that God designed got put in place yet whether you're a participant in it are not exactly. This was what the big deal is, in fact, one of our children once told us is said you know when you make marital pretty that was the sweetest moment I know I'm inside MS and that was a very honest thing that's true, because in our culture. I know marriages doesn't get very good rep. In fact, people are hesitant to get married because I see the train wrecks in their own parents loves divorce and stuff like that. Just so it's really know it it marriages designed by God is just an incredibly great relationship, even even created the relationship by how he designed us individually as males and females, so let's move on. The first 50.

Keep your life free from the love of money that will be content with what you have that we can stop right there but he just says that's the beginning place for for he said I will never leave you nor forsake right that the bottom line here is that Jesus is if you have him then you don't need everything. Perhaps you thinking but but his urging hereto as is keep your life free from the love of money. Love is the love money look like when you love something like money.

What you're doing is you're investing all of your hopes and dreams and it providing for you what you want and when you do that with money. Unfortunately, all you can look at celebrities and stuff like that who actually have an unlimited amount of money and it doesn't seem to increase their something something you fix on your attention on you pay attention to it. You treasure it guarded its front and center all the time.

You know, so it's not only people who have an excess of money who love knowing that as people who have very little money, who are very often focused on it completely.

Like if I only have X more dollars I ready content so that the love of money is money's not bad intrinsically slow love. Now the love of money, the love of money, but the issue is that he's saying that when you love money at the source of life right then you have usurped God's position in your life in terms of bringing life and the word leaves for that is I doubt idolatry placed something or someone else in the position that only rightfully belongs to God and it deliberately, it deliberately rebukes this phrase he says in verse five for God's as I will never leave you nor forsake you. But you then you go running after money instead right so it is really is a rebuke against God's promise to provide for you well and earlier in Hebrews. He had the writer had cited Moses and said he counted the riches of Christ greater wealth than everything Egypt had to offer right and even Paul says in the beginning Philippians. Hey, I don't know whether they choose to stay here to go home.

I know one is what is good and the other is back is better. So, do we really regard what we have in Christ as a greater riches than any material thing we could have here yet and are you willing to really put it into real action right relying on the Lord he see quote someone 18 or Psalm 27 to be what you want, but the Lord is my helper, I will will not fear what can man do to me.

So he saying you can you can put your love and trust in one of three things you can put it in God who promises to you, you know he's going to come through or you put it in money and that will that will always betray you, and man can take your money. How many of us have lost resources or finances to let you know about this deal artists after her email.

Yet Jesus is moth and rust right to keep things wrong so don't don't don't fall for that right. Don't fall for that the Lord your helper, so put your trust in him, so it's interesting even this point about the love of money. It really is something strikes at the heart of a of wrecking your relationship with God you love, love the Lord your God, the Lord your God heart, my soul, mind and strength.

Yeah, big deal is a particular problem. We have been in the Western culture and United States. We have a lot of stuff a lot of yeah and and that yields an ungratefulness in us because we expect worry, we just assume we are entitled to a lot of yeah this is normal life will move on this last one in verse seven yeah remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Consider your leaders writing. He defines leaders as those who spoke to you the word of God right those who initially brought you the gospel and unfolded it to your understanding. Yeah, I think it's an interesting connection we go past a really fast that the leaders of the one to bring the word of God to grant and again you know I don't be too abusive here, but there's a lot of leaders in the Christian community that hardly ever talk to the word of God. So there. There is a there is a leadership if your leader almost never talks about the word of God, then are they leaving you based on their own personal abilities. Or maybe you need to find another leader to truth. Yes it's it's really a very big deal here quite that you're just in passing and that's just an enormous thing enormous.

I just consider the outcome of their way of life. Right. The fruit will tell you why there is life. Consider the outcome.

The resulting effect. How do they live and imitate their faith right well I mean we just talk about one of her children are said to make marriage will there's the outcome right there know they saw the outcome, not as we were trying to make marriage look good. We just have found that that is her independence upon Christ Jesus marriage is very good but imitate their faith again were not just talking generic religious term we say faith faith again.

Remember, this is putting your trust in God's promises that he's going to bring life to you right it's a forward-looking it's an outside of yourself looking kind of thing. So those that that walk and lead among you with the word of God.

Those who constantly set their sights on Jesus and toward those promises of God imitate that attitude that that outlook on life and look at the outcome of their life. As a result of well and that as he had discussed at some length in chapter 11. Look our yeah 11.

What is there. What is faith that deeply rooted confidence in God and delivering on his promises, because it's real and what's not to hear that right right so you know, that begs the question, who do you imitate right because we will become like that which we focus our attention on you as it does a marvelous thing called sanctification to $10 word but it's really just talks about the fact that God want you put your trust in him.

He's go to the slow process of weeding out your connection to this world in the center with that so it's nice to see how those lives change right in front of were out of time, my goodness, and we hope you join us again next to Karen a look at the other half of Hebrews 13 in severance a remarkable passage all by itself and for me it's interesting because it makes connections back to the old wrapping up this whole idea.

So were glad you with this Hebrews is blasted take two more shows finish it and then will be indexed so I'm Jim and I'm Dorothy and were delighted that you can do this.

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