| Introduction In one single-frame "Peanuts" cartoon strip, Linus shouts, "I love mankind; it's people that I can't stand!" We often feel just like Linus. When we hear messages about "love," we all tend to think, "Amen, preach it, brother! My wife needs to hear this one! My kids need to hear it, too! Lord, help them to pay attention! But, me? Well, I'm a basically loving person. It's just part of my nature!" We all overrate ourselves in the area of love. We love "man-kind." But, do we love our spouses and kids? Do we love difficult family members? Do we love those in this church? If so, how did we show it in your words and behavior last week? If they irritated us, did we respond with patience and kindness? Go through at least 55 New Testament commands to love one another and you will see that you have room to grow in loving people, not just "mankind." After listening to last week's sermon, I thought that there are more things that need to be said about loving the brethren before we go on to the real-life applications of that love. I. The Command to Love the Brethren Is Given in the Context of Loving God. A. The original text of Scripture did not have chapter breaks. 1. I am very thankful for chapter breaks because the often make the handling of the Scriptures much easier. 2. But sometimes the chapter breaks lead us to divide things that are not divided. B. Chapter 13:1 is part of a though unit that started at 12:28. 1. Looking at these verses as one thought unit, you notice that these are the two great commandments: Love God; love others. 2. The first is the foundation for the second. 3. If you have experienced God's love in sacrificing His Son for your sins (Heb. 1-12), then show it by loving others. 4. Therefore, our love for each other must be firmly grounded in the supreme love for God in Jesus Christ. {TRANSITION: As we move toward seeing how this love for the brethren works out in practice, I would like us to see three things in these verses: We must focus on loving fellow believers, being hospitable, and helping those who suffer because of their faith.} II. We Must Focus on Loving Fellow Believers, 1. A. Next to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, biblical love is the supreme mark of the Christian. B. It is mandatory for every Christian to grow in love! 1. Biblical love requires attention and effort. a. The Hebrew church had been practicing this virtue admirably. Heb. 6:10– For God isnot unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in thatyou have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 1) In 10:32-34, he reminds them of how, in a former time of suffering, they became "sharers with those who were so treated," and how they "showed sympathy to the prisoners...." 2) So, they had been doing well at loving one another, but now he exhorts them to make sure that it continues. "But this precept is generally very needful, for nothing flows away so easily as love; when everyone thinks of himself more than he ought, he will allow to others less than he ought; and then many offences happen daily which cause separations." Steven Cole a) "Nothing flows away so easily as love!" b) That's why there are 55 New Testament commands to do it. b. Sometimes we think that love should be spontaneous and effortless, but biblical love is not automatic! 1) If we don't focus on it and work at it, it easily flows away. 2) So, let me ask you this: a) Did you give any thought last week as to how to love your mate and children? b) Did you pray that God would increase your love for that difficult person in your family or at church or at work? Phil. 1:9– And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment… 2. Biblical love is founded on God's great love for his church in the gospel. a. The word "brotherly" implies that God has caused us to be born spiritually into his family. b. To be a Christian means that God has performed a supernatural work of grace in your heart that the Bible describes as the new birth. Jn. 1:12-13– But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 1) Being born of God means that God is your heavenly Father, and all others who have been born of God are your spiritual brothers and sisters. 2) When my children show love for one another, I am very pleased. 3) In a much greater and sinless way, our heavenly Father is pleased when His children love each other. 4) On the night before He went to the cross, Jesus told His disciples Jn. 13:34-35– A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. c. The foundation for biblical love is the incomparable love of Christ! 3. Biblical love will not continue unless we fight against the common hindrances to love in our own hearts. a. The Hebrews had been doing well in this area, but now the author exhorts them to continue in it. b. Otherwise, it will easily flow away. c. There are many hindrances to love, but note these five: 1) We must fight against self-love and selfishness. a) Biblical love may be defined as a self-sacrificing, caring commitment, which shows itself in seeking the highest good of the one loved. i. That is a description of Christ's love for us on the cross: he sacrificed himself because he cared for us and was committed to redeem us and bring us to glory. ii. His commitment to us was so strong that he was willing to bear the wrath of the Father in our stead on the cross! b) Contrary to the nonsense of "Christian" psychobabble, you do not need to learn to love yourself in order to love God and others. i. There is no command to love yourself in the Bible. ii. The two commands are: Love God; love your neighbor. iii. Loving yourself is assumed, because we all love ourselves quite well! iv. If we ever love our neighbor as much as we inherently care about ourselves, we will be obeying the second great commandment. c) Almost all relational conflicts can be traced back to some degree of selfishness James 4:1-3– Where do wars and fights comefrom among you? Do theynot comefrom your desires forpleasure that war in your members? 2You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend iton your pleasures. i. I didn't get my way, and I want my way! ii. We're like three-year-olds fighting over a toy! d) So, if we want to let love continue, we have to fight our own love of self that manifests itself in selfishness. 2) We must fight against pride. a) Pride is closely joined to self-love and is at the root of all other sins. b) Pride makes me think, "I know better than God does what's good for me, so I'm going to disregard His Word and do what I think is best!" "That person is such a jerk! I would never behave as he is!" c) The fact is, I am just as much a sinner as he is, and if it were not for God's grace, I'd be caught in some sin. d) Pride makes me a Pharisee, who sets up my own standards and then judges everyone who doesn't keep those standards. e) So, if we want to practice biblical love, we must constantly judge our pride. 3) We must fight against impatience and intolerance of others' imperfections. a) It is not by accident that Paul put patience and kindness as the first two descriptions of love in 1 Cor. 13. b) These two qualities are usually enough to stop us in our tracks when we are acting in unloving ways. i. Husbands, are you patient and kind towards your wife? ii. Dads, are you patient and kind towards your children? c) When we grow impatient and intolerant of others' imperfections, we are judging them by our standards, which stems from our pride. 4) We must fight against the love of the world. 1 Jn. 2:15– Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. a) This verse has clear implications that cannot be avoided: If I love the world or the things in the world, God's love is not in me! And if God's love is not in me, it will not flow through me to others. b) So, to love God and others, I must constantly fight the lure that the world dangles in front of me. 5) We must fight against a sectarian spirit. a) For some reason, God determined to save people who do not agree with me on every point of doctrine! b) If He had checked with me first, I would have told Him to save only those who agree with me! c) Listen me carefully now so that you don't misunderstand what I am saying: i. Since biblical love means seeking the other person's highest good, and since holding to sound doctrine is essential for the other person's highest good, it is right to seek to help my fellow believers grow in adherence to sound doctrine. ii. But, if in my attempt to help the other person understand and embrace sound doctrine, I unnecessarily alienate him, I have failed to love him biblically. iii. There is a far greater chance that he will come to embrace the truth that I love if he knows that I love him. iv. When we are talking to a brother or sister in Christ who is misguided in his/her belief, we are not trying to win an argument. v. We are trying to love them. d) A sectarian spirit stems from pride and causes division. e) Biblical love seeks to help others know God as He has revealed Himself in His Word, but it does not seek its own glory. {Transition: So, biblical love requires attention and focus. It is founded on God's great love for us and that fact that we are brothers and sisters in His family. Biblical love will not continue unless we remove the common hindrances to it.} 4. Biblical love must be developed. a. The entire Bible can be summed up in the two commands, to love God and love others. b. Read and study it to further those goals. c. But let me mention three things: 1) Grow to be like Jesus. a) Jesus Christ is our example of what God's love looks like in human life. b) If we think that love is always syrupy sweet, we need to read the gospels again! i. Jesus always acted in love, but he often said some tough things. ii. Jesus loved Peter when he said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan…" (Mark 8:33) iii. Jesus' love was not wimpy, and by studying his life, we get a complete portrait of biblical love. 2) Seek to serve, not to be served. Mk. 10:45– For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. a) This is a basic mindset that we have to develop. b) We need to get our focus off of ourselves and onto the needs of others. c) Servants sacrifice their own desires and time to please their masters. i. Are we servants in our families, to our spouse and kids? ii. Do we come to church to have our needs met or to meet the needs of others? 3) Develop a genuine interest in others. a) Practice the golden rule Matt. 7:12– Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. b) Do we see someone who is new or alone at church? i. How would we feel if we were in that situation? ii. How would we want to be treated? iii. Treat them like that! v. And yet our selfishness blocks us from practicing it. {TRANSITION: This focus on loving the brethren will translate itself into hospitality and compassion.} III. We must focus on being hospitable, 2. A. This command stemmed from the fact that in the first century, inns were notoriously dangerous and immoral. 1. They were targets for thieves and prostitutes. 2. So, Christians would welcome traveling believers, especially those laboring in the gospel, into their homes, even if they had never met them before. 3 Jn. 5-8– Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren and for strangers, 6who have borne witness of your love before the church. Ifyou send them forward on their journey in a manner worthy of God, you will do well, 7because they went forth for His name's sake, taking nothing from the Gentiles. 8We therefore ought to receive such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth. B. To practice this made Christians vulnerable to being taken advantage of. 1. By the second century, the satirist Lucian poked fun at Christians who subsidized the lavish lifestyle of professional moochers. 2. This became so common that the early Christian handbook, The Didache stated (11:4-6): "Let every Apostle who comes to you be received as the Lord, but let him not stay more than one day, or if need be a second as well; but if he stay three days, he is a false prophet. And when an Apostle goes forth let him accept nothing but bread till he reach his night's lodging; but if he ask for money, he is a false prophet." 3. Though is not inspired Scripture, it does show that the command to hospitality must be blended with some common sense about fallen human nature. 4. We should be generous and ready to share, but we should not foster someone's irresponsible habits! C. What kind of hospitality is being encouraged? 1. Not merely having your friends and family over for dinner. Lk. 14:12-14– When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. 13But when you give a feast, invite thepoor, themaimed, thelame, theblind. 14And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just. 2. Hospitality is literally showing love to strangers. 3. Being hospitable is so important that it listed as a qualification for leadership in church. 1 Tim. 3:2– A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach… 1 Tim. 5:9-10– Do not let a widow under sixty years old be taken into the number, and not unlessshe has been the wife of one man, 10well reported for good works: if she has brought up children, if she has lodged strangers, if she has washed the saints' feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, if she has diligently followed every good work. D.The author adds that by showing hospitality to strangers, "some have unwittingly entertained angels." 1. He seems to be referring to the story of Abraham in Gen. 18-19. a. These men welcomed strangers and treated them as family, not knowing (at first) that they were two angels and God the Son in preincarnate form. b. Ligon Duncan says that, "The rabbis not only held Abraham to be the supreme example of faith, they held him to be the supreme example of hospitality, because he entertained angels in his tent." 2. The author's point is not that we should be hospitable to strangers in the hopes of meeting an angel. 3. Rather, he is saying that we often do not "know how important or far-reaching a simple act of helpfulness may be" John MacArthur. 4. And, as Jesus said, when we minister to the needy brother, we are actually ministering to Christ Himself (Matt. 25:35-40). E. How can we show such hospitality? 1. Give a very warm welcome to those who visit our church. 2. Be willing to open your home to brothers and sisters who need a placed to stay. 3. Be sensitive to those in the church who would especially benefit from hospitality. 4. Give of your best to your guests. Philemon 7– For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother. F. Beware of sins which can spoil your attempts at hospitality. 1. Don't grumble or complain. 1 Pet. 4:9– Behospitable to one another without grumbling. 2. Don't allow your pride or perfectionism limit your hospitality. 3. Don't let fear stop you from caring for strangers. 4. Beware of mixed motives. Rom. 12:9– Letlove bewithout hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. G. Being hospitable mirrors the gospel. 1. We, who were strangers and aliens, have been brought near by Christ's blood. 1 Pet. 2:9-10– But you area chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10who once werenot a people but arenow the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. 2. Thus, in showing hospitality to strangers or people who we don't have a lot of affinity with, we are showing the love that God in Christ showed to us. IV. We must focus on helping those who suffer because of their faith in Christ, 3. A. By "the prisoners" and the "mistreated," the author means those who are suffering because of their faith in Christ. B. He is not referring to criminals, although we should go to prisons and share the gospel with them. C. First-century prisons were terrible places. 1. Prisoners were dependent on friends and family for food, drink, medicine, and clothing. 2. They needed the ministry of the Word, and the fellowship of God's people. a. We are to remember those who are in chains because of Christ as if we were there, in chains with them. b. The author is saying, "Don't let out of sight be out of mind. Think about them and meet their needs." D.What does it mean to be in the body also? 1. The commentators argue over what that means. a. Calvin and other great commentators say, "That means because you are part of the body of Christ, you ought to minister to those parts of the body of Christ which are being persecuted, imprisoned, and ill-treated." b. Other commentators say, "No, what he is saying is that because you are flesh and blood, you need to minister to the flesh-and-blood needs of those who are being ill-treated because of their faith. 2. Both of them are true, so we won't try to solve the dispute today. "We ought to minister to one another because we are part of the body of Christ and we ought to minister to one another practically in our love because we are flesh and blood. We do have human needs. What he is saying is put some shoes on this love. Make sure that this love is practical." Ligon Duncan E. At the present time we do not suffer much persecution in our country, although it could soon come to that. 1. We can apply verse 3 to the need to help those who are suffering for any reason, but perhaps more specifically for the shut ins of the church. 2. But around the world, there are thousands of believers suffering for their faith. a. Groups like Voice of the Martyrs and Gospel for Asia publish many stories of persecuted believers. b. At the least, we can read such stories and pray for our brothers and sisters who are suffering for the name of Christ. c. God may put it on your heart to help support those who can assist these saints and their families.
We love because God first loved us. We love him and we love those who he placed around us. We love selflessly. We love hospitably, and we love compassionately.
http://olympiabp.blogspot.com/2019/03/loving-people-in-real-life-heb-1228-133.html
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