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All right, well, beautiful singing. So welcome to Red Village. If I’ve not met you, I’m Aaron, and I’m the preaching pastor here, and I’m glad that you’re with us today. So if you have a Bible with you—which I hope you do—you can open up to the Book of Hebrews. Today’s text for study is going to be Hebrews 13:1-19. If you don’t have a Bible with you, fear not. There are pew Bibles scattered throughout; it’s on page 586. And as you open your Bible, please keep them open.
So today, what we do here is we just kind of go verse by verse to walk through this passage. Throughout the sermon, all I’m going to do is just refer us back to the Scripture. I want you to keep your eyes on God’s word throughout this time. Right here, I’m just going to read verses 18 and 19. As mentioned, we’re going to do verses 1 through 19 for this sermon—so maybe verses 18 and 19, and then I’ll pray and then we’ll get to work.
So what the Bible says is: “Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. I urge you the more earnestly to do this, in order that it might be restored to you the sooner.” So that’s God’s word for us this morning.
Would you please pray with me?
“God, thank you for this time. Thank you for bringing us together to sit under your word. God, please help me to be a good communicator—help me to speak clearly and truthfully. Please help the listeners to listen well and pray, so that whatever truth is spoken from this pulpit will land in their hearts and bear fruit. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.”
So this morning, as we gather together, we come to the second-to-last sermon in our series through the New Testament book of Hebrews, which Rob kind of mentioned during the prayer time. This is a series that we started a while back—actually, it was last April, which did include a break last summer when we went through the Book of James. So we’ve been in Hebrews for quite a while now, and as we come to the second-to-last sermon in this series, I trust that by now we have at least a pretty good idea of the overarching hope of this book—the hope that the readers, who were Hebrews, would persevere; that they would endure; that they would stand firm in their faith even in the midst of mounting persecution that they were facing.
In the course of our study over the last several months, we have come to many different tools or ways that the author of Hebrews has helped his readers to stand firm in their faith—often pointing out how Jesus is better, superior to all things. He gave his readers the hermeneutic, or the interpretive skill, to know how to read the Old Testament and to better see Jesus—how the Old Testament is always there to point us to Him. The author of Hebrews gives some great encouragement and also some real warnings meant to help us stand firm. There are Old Testament characters given in the book of Hebrews—characters who stood firm in their faith—to help inspire us to also stand firm in our faith. Often throughout Hebrews, the author speaks about the message of the Gospel—the promise of eternal life to those who believe in Jesus Christ. And this message of the Gospel is really the message of what Christ has done in His death and resurrection, so that through Christ—through faith in Him—we can be made right with God. It comes by faith, faith alone in Jesus Christ, where His righteousness is counted as our righteousness. That’s the message of the Gospel that we are to stand firm on.
So really, throughout this book, in many different ways, the author has given his readers all these different helps to stand firm—to look to Jesus, who is the author and perfecter of our faith, the one who, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, but is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God for all eternity.
Now, today, as we come to the second-to-last sermon in this series, this theme—this hope that the author had of helping his readers to stand firm—continues to be before us. But this time it may be in a little bit more practical ways. We’re going to see a whole list of practical areas of our life that we are to live in, that we are to walk in, to help us stand firm. Perhaps this is even a litmus test for us this morning to see if indeed we are standing firm in the faith.
Before we get to the passage, there are a couple of things I do want to mention to you up front. First, I wanted you to know that I did have a debate in my mind on how to break up this section in Hebrews. As I work through our passage today, you’ll see it’s filled with multiple different practical things we are to set our hearts on as Christians. The debate that I had was whether we should go through these—like, a little bit more slowly over multiple sermons, to look at each of these practical realities more closely, and see what it looks like to stand firm in that practical reality—or just to give them to you all at once. While faithful sermons can be done either way, I decided to give everything all at once. I decided to do it this way because I think that’s how the author presents this section in Scripture—just throwing multiple things at us at once. I think He did so so that we can feel the weight of all the different things God gives us to help us stand firm. We’ll get back to this at the end. But as hard as it might be to stand firm, God has given us so, so many things to help us do it. All these things we see in His Word—He gives us the power of the Spirit to help us apply God’s Word.
This morning, just know up front we’re going to cover a lot. But as we cover a lot, please feel the weight of all that God has given to us, and I hope that weight encourages you.
Second, I do want to mention that this text assumes the readers are Christians—those who have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who believe in His death and resurrection from the dead. So this list of all these practical things we’re going through is not like a checklist for how you make or become right with God. As mentioned, one can only be made right with God by putting your faith—your trust, your belief—in Jesus Christ, by turning from sin and turning to Him, by calling upon His name, by believing in your heart who Jesus is as revealed in Scripture, and by believing what He has done for us—particularly what He has done in His death on the cross, to take on the punishment of sin and His resurrection from the dead. So this list we go over today is not a to-do list that, after crossing things off, you’re right with God or accepted by God, earning eternal life. It’s only through faith in Jesus Christ.
So this morning, if you’re not a Christian, we’re glad that you’re here, and we’d love to actually talk to you more about what it looks like to put your faith in Jesus Christ. Our text today is written for Christians to help us live out our faith in ways that we are standing firm.
Okay, with those things in mind, please look back to the text starting in verse one. We’re just going to walk through verses one through 19.
**Verse 1.**
We read: “Let brotherly love continue.” This speaks of the love we have between Christians—brothers and sisters in Christ—who are united to Christ by faith, and also united to each other in love. This brotherly love for one another is one of the most important things that we are to do as we live out our faith: to love each other, even in times when it’s hard and challenging. Friends, this is a very real, practical way by which we are to stand firm. We must love one another. However, as much as this is part of our faith, if you’ve been part of church life for any period of time, you know that this is not always easy. Practically, it’s not always easy to love one another. What’s easy, maybe natural, is to fight and divide. And if I can be kind of frank with you, in my years of church life—especially in winter, which is where we are right now—this often puts the most strain on us in our call to love one another. We’re in winter; we can be a little bit more moody, a little bit more down, a little more discouraged, maybe a little more quick to fight and divide, maybe a little less willing to embrace this call in verse one. But if we’re going to be a church standing firm in our faith, firm on the message of Christ, firm in persevering and enduring, this is what we must do practically: we must love one another, just as Christ has loved us by giving Himself up for us as He died in our place. In this text, not only is the author calling the readers to brotherly love, but he also tells us to continue in that love—meaning that the love we have for one another is not just a one-time act or something we do only when things are going really well. It’s an ongoing act that we must continue to show, even when we don’t feel like it, even when it might be really hard to do, even in the ups and downs of life. Friends, without brotherly love, we cannot stand firm in our faith. It’s a necessary ingredient.
**Verse 2.**
Not only are we to love one another—those who are in the faith—but we are also to show hospitality to strangers. Verse 2 tells us not to neglect showing hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have even entertained strangers without knowing it. This is a reference to a story in Genesis ( Genesis 18–19), where Abraham showed hospitality to strangers who proved to be angels. For us, as we stand firm, a very practical way is to be eager to show hospitality even to strangers—perhaps a neighbor we’ve yet to meet. In Scripture, hospitality during this time not only included sharing a meal, but also offering a place to stay, since there were no Airbnbs or hotels. Strangers or travelers were truly dependent on others for hospitality. And we know that it takes a lot to host people, to serve others, especially strangers. Yet, friends, that’s our call: if we’re going to stand firm, we must be generous and serve others with hospitality.
**Verse 3.**
We stand firm by remembering those who are in prison. I think this specifically refers to Christians who are arrested for their faith (as mentioned in Hebrews 10:30). We are to remember them as though we were in prison with them—remember those who are being mistreated as if we were the ones being mistreated. We do this because we are all part of the body, which further speaks to the unity we have—the brotherly love we share. When one suffers, we all suffer. Friends, when we stand firm, it stops being about you and becomes about us—serving others as they serve you, caring for others as they care for you. We intentionally get involved in the lives of those going through hard, challenging times, so that we can come alongside them and encourage them. This means we can’t be so focused solely on ourselves; we must think about others.
**Verse 4.**
To stand firm means that our marriages will be held in honor among all. We are to keep our marriage beds undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. The marriage bed is to remain undefiled—that is, sex is to be confined to a husband and wife, where both are honored and cherished. Friends, if you are struggling in this area—if issues like sexual abuse, immorality, pornography, or lustful thoughts are causing you to wobble—let me invite you to confess that sin and bring it to Jesus for healing and forgiveness. Aggressively seek to put away your sin, and allow others in the church to help you stand firm in this area. I know that confessing particular sins—especially sexual sins—can be hard and humbling, perhaps even embarrassing. But it’s far better to be humbled and receive help and healing than to be prideful and hold on to sin. Let us help one another; let us come alongside each other in every area.
**Verse 5.**
Another area that can be challenging is money. The text tells us to keep our life free from the love of money. It can be easy to love money, to put our hope and security in it, and to become obsessed with it. Scripture warns that the love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil—evil that does not help us stand firm, but instead tears us down. One of the great ways to stay free from the love of money is by being content with what we have. We see in Scripture, as in Deuteronomy 31, that God promises, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” When we are in Christ, we have all of God with us. Because of this promise, we can be content knowing that if we have the Lord, what more do we need? What are we missing that money could purchase?
**Verse 6.**
Because we have God, we can say with confidence: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” This is a quote from Psalm 56. It reminds us that, just as the love of money can consume us, so can the fear of man. We become overly concerned with what others might do or think, which hinders our ability to stand firm. Friends, when we are more concerned with what others think than with what the Lord thinks, we lose sight of the fact that He is our helper—He will never leave us or forsake us.
**Verse 7.**
Another means to help us stand firm is to remember our leaders—those who have spoken God’s word to us. We are to consider the outcome of their lives. This verse specifically points to leaders who have lived the faithful life and who have now passed on, much like the Old Testament saints in Hebrews 11. Their legacy is meant to inspire us to stand firm. I love reading biographies of leaders who have gone before us—they are a reminder of what a faithful life looks like. At the same time, this remembrance should be humbling and sobering for current leaders, myself included. Our current ministries should be such that our legacy continues to be used by the Lord, so that when we look back, our teaching and example help others stand firm.
**Verse 8.**
This is one of the most famous verses in Hebrews: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” This truth is not only a great comfort and encouragement in an ever-changing world, but it also helps us discern the value of truthful leaders and teachers who speak God’s word. They help us ensure that what we are taught is based on the unchangeable truths of our God.
**Verse 9.**
Because Jesus is unchanging, He warns us, “Do not be led astray by diverse and strange teachings.” False teachings can toss us about and make us unstable in our faith. Often, false teachers claim they have some new insight or perspective on the Gospel—that everyone else has gotten it wrong, but they somehow have it right. There’s an old adage: if it’s new, it probably ain’t true. This truth is crucial for us to discern, especially regarding the person and work of Jesus Christ. If we entertain false teachings, we risk not standing firm in our faith.
The text goes on to explain that, in order to stand firm, we must have a good heart and be strengthened by the grace of God. Too often, we fall into one of two traps: one, relying on self-effort—trying to earn God’s favor with our own righteousness; and two, taking God’s grace so lightly that it becomes a license to sin. But if we are to stand firm in our faith, our hearts must be strengthened by the grace of God found in Jesus Christ—a grace that not only forgives us but also sanctifies us and keeps us from sin.
The author notes that we are not strengthened by food—a reference to those who might fall into legalism by focusing on diet or ceremonial practices from the Old Covenant. In the Old Testament, the people of God were given instructions on what to eat and not eat as an indicator of God’s favor. However, under the better covenant that Christ brings—the true sacrifice and the true altar upon which He laid down His life—we stand firm on the work of Christ, not on our own efforts. Jesus suffered on the altar where He died, outside the camp, to sanctify us through His own blood. That is the message of the Gospel, and it is on this truth that we must stand firm.
**Verse 13.**
Because Jesus went outside the camp—outside the place where ceremonial laws were upheld—we are called to go to Him outside the camp and bear the reproach He endured. To stand firm in our faith means to follow in His footsteps, even if it means being rejected by society. It also means reaching out to those whom society deems unclean, bringing them to Christ, so that they, too, may receive grace and find strength to stand firm.
**Verse 14.**
For those who are in Christ Jesus, we have no lasting city here on earth. We are not building our hope on an earthly utopia; instead, we seek the city that is to come—the eternal city where Christ rules and reigns. That is where our hope truly lies.
**Verse 15.**
As we stand firm in our faith through the Lord Jesus Christ, let us continue to offer up a sacrifice of praise to our God—a sacrifice formed by lips that acknowledge His name. Friends, Scripture teaches us that no corrupt or crude talk should come from our lips. Instead, our words should edify and build up, acknowledging the name of our Lord. These words of praise are a vital part of standing firm in our faith.
**Verse 16.**
We also stand firm by not neglecting to do good. We are to share what we have with others who need it—whether that be money, time, talents, or gifts. Doing good pleases our God. In my years of pastoral ministry, I’ve noticed that those who struggle to stand firm in their faith are often those who are least willing to share with others. Remember, as Ephesians teaches us, we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.
**Verse 17.**
The text then circles back to leadership, this time urging us to remember and obey our present leaders—those who speak God’s word to us and live lives aligned with right doctrine. We are to obey and submit to our leaders, not through blind obedience, but because they are our examples, our shepherds who watch over our souls. God has given us leaders to help us stand firm, and these leaders will one day give an account for the souls under their care. This should be both humbling for leaders and encouraging for followers. Leaders and followers need each other, and both must work together in love and mutual respect.
**Verses 18–19.**
Finally, we come to the end of our text. The author says, “Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. I urge you the more earnestly to do this, in order that I may be restored to you sooner.” This passage gives us some clues about standing firm. First, do not underestimate the power of prayer and how God works through it. Even the author, who was away from his readers and longed to be near them, asked for prayer so that they might be reunited soon.
Second, standing firm requires humility. The author’s prayer request shows his humility and his dependency on the Lord to work in ways that allow for reunion. Third, standing firm means being honest. The author not only had an honest prayer request, but he also had a clear conscience because his ministry was honest and honorable. He acted in such a way that nothing shady or questionable could be found against him. May that be true for us as well. If we’re going to stand firm in our faith, we must live in a way that produces a clear conscience—by acting honorably in all things.
This morning marks the second-to-last sermon in our study. As I close, I want to encourage you with the overarching hope of the letter and all the practical things we’ve studied throughout our weeks in Hebrews. Red Village Church—stand firm! Stand firm no matter what you are currently going through or will face in the future. Stand firm by knowing, believing, and receiving the weighty truths that God has given us in His Word, so that through the power of the Spirit, we may stand firm all the way to the end. Trust that in the end, Christ promises that He will never leave us nor forsake us. He is the one who will help us in our times of need and keep us secure.
As you feel the weight of all that God has given us, embrace it. Let us pray:
“Lord, thank you for this text. Thank you for all the many things You have given Your people to help us stand firm. Lord, we are weak and frail; often we fail to stand firm as we should, even as we desire to. Please forgive us, and I pray that You would give us hope, encouragement, and the practical strength to stand firm in our faith. Lord, I ask that Your grace today would strengthen us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”