We’ve come to the last chapter. We’ve looked at 12 chapters of an unparalleled Christ who accomplished an unparalleled salvation for all who trust him. He is the High Priest to end all high priests, who offered one sacrifice for sins to end all sacrifices. He has ascended to the Father’s right hand and from there intercedes continually for all who draw near to him. For all who truly trust him, our salvation is secure. We have come to the heavenly city by faith and we will fully enter it in the future. And then chapter 12 ends on the note of worship [overview - Mt Sinai, Mt Zion, unshakable kingdom]. And so as we come to chapter 13, the author tells us what a life of reverent worship looks like. Worship is more than singing songs. It is a life given to God. 1 Corinthians 10:31. What we see in the first three verses are three things we offer to God in worship: 1) active love, 2) moral purity, and 3) a heart of contentment. 

We offer to God active, affectionate love for one another (v. 1-3)

Let brotherly love continue. (v. 1)

Brotherly love. The Greek word Philadelphia. The city Philadelphia is the city of brotherly love. This is the kind of love by which Christians cherish each other and have deep affection for one another. It’s an outward moving affection. This affection is to continue. Don’t slow down, don’t wane in this. Two specific ways the author gives to show this affection. First, brotherly love continues by showing hospitality (v. 2):

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

The word hospitality is a Philoxenia (love for stranger). Don’t neglect or overlook this. Notice the reason given by the author - “some have entertained angels…” Abraham (Genesis 18). Entertained - “to receive as a guest or to give lodging to as a guest”. This is not encouraging us to look for angels in our house. Rather, I think the possibility of this happening shows us how much God prizes hospitality in his people.

At a time when more and more people are moving away from each other. Isolating. Retreating. Christians are to be moving, ever moving toward one another. Loving, sharing, inviting, entertaining. I realize that some are at a heightened risk and are using extra caution with this COVID-19 virus. Some ought to. But can we as Christians exempt ourselves from this activity of showing hospitality indefinitely? I don’t think so. We must all live before God and seek to please him. But just know, Christians have always counted the cost and paid the price to follow Jesus. And it can be no different for us. Think of what it cost Jessu to come to you, to rescue you and welcome you, a stranger. (Romans 15:7) Do not neglect to show hospitality. 

The second way we are to continue in brotherly love is in showing sympathy for sufferers (v. 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. 

Those in prison or mistreated. This is interesting… because remember earlier in their walk with Jesus, these Jewish Christians were rockstars in their sympathy for sufferers. Remember Hebrews 10:32-34:

But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.

The author seems to be concerned that their own suffering and trials may be turning them in on themselves and putting them in self preservation mode. And so he says, “remember those in prison as though in prison with them.” In other words, use your imagination to yourself in their skin (in prison, at the guillotine, on the rack, being interrogated, on the run). So glad for VOM and Open Door. The reason for this command is that we share a common humanity - we have a physical body, we know what it’s like to be uncomfortable and in pain. Don’t be so concerned with your own safety, your own comfort that you are incapable of putting yourself in the shoes of those who are in harm’s way and suffering. We offer to God in worship sincere, affectionate love for one another.

We offer God our moral purity (verse 4)

Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

Marriage is to be honored and the marriage bed is to be undefiled. And the reason why he includes the marriage bed is because the biblical ethic for sexual activity is that it is a good and beautiful thing inside the context of marriage. Outside of marriage, sexual activity is always transgressive. 

We need to hear this today. In our day where sexual perversion abounds, we need clarity on what marriage is as defined by God. Marriage, everywhere in the bible is defined as one man and one woman in a covenantal one flesh union for life. That’s what marriage is. And sexual relations is celebrated in that context alone. The bible never speaks positively of two men, two women, five partners, an unmarried man and woman, and so forth. But with a constant barrage of counterfeit messages, I fear many have been numbed. For decades now, television shows and movies have normalized for us unmarried men and women living together. Have you noticed more and more commercials celebrating homosexual partners? For many, it seems normal. And sadly, a growing number of professing Christians have fallen prey.

How did we get here? In Al Mohler’s book, “We Cannot Be Silent”, he says that the sexual revolution we are now living through in America did not start with so called same sex marriage. He argues that it was fueled by the separation of sex from procreation with birth control and contraception - of course abortion being the most aggregious form. Then, Mohler says, came the no fault divorce, where divorce rates sky-rocketed, even among Christians. Next was the normalization of cohabitation - a man and woman living together and having sexual relations together while remaining unmarried. Once these things became normal, so called same sex marriage to many seemed like the logical next step. Of course, ever since the Obergefell decision June 26, 2015 things have moved at lightning speed. The sexual revolutionaries have put the pedal to the metal. 

And so marriage has clearly been degraded in our society as well as the sanctity of the marriage bed. It shouldn’t be for us! Marriage is God’s idea. He is the one who defines it. He honors it and it is to be honored among all. It is to be held in high esteem, especially dear. The opening pages of the bible in the creation account, God says “good, good, good”, and then all of a sudden, “not good”. And what was “not good”? That man was alone. And so God made woman out of man. And what comes next is the beautiful reality of the one fleshness of marriage in Genesis 2:24 which Jesus repeats in Matthew 19:

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Hold marriage in honor. Do you remember where Christ’s first miracle took place in the gospel of John? At a wedding. And do you know what the final scene is in the drama of redemptive history? A wedding. The marriage supper of the Lamb when we, the Bride of Christ, are brought to the Lord Jesus Christ, our Bridegroom. Ephesians 5 says Christian marriage is a vision drama of Christ and the Church. Think marriage is important to God? You bet. It must be held in high esteem by all. 

The reason given is a one of judgment. God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. The word sexually immoral is a more general word that would include a range of unlawful activities. The Greek word is “pornos”, from which we get the English word “pornography”. Fornication and other sins. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says,

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

The recalcitrant, hardened person who persists in unrepentant sexual immorality will be judged; will not inherit the kingdom of God - do not be deceived! God is a consuming fire. And yet, if you are in the hearing of my voice today, God is reaching out in mercy to you. If you are caught in some kind of sexual sin, he entreats you to come to him through Jesus now and be cleaned and forgiven. Jesus, our high priest died not just for our “little” sins (as if there are any) or our “respectable” sins (as if there are any). He died for the most egregious and shameful sins. And the Father welcomes you to find cleansing and shelter and freedom in His Son. We offer to God in worship our moral purity. 

We offer to God a heart of contentment (verses 5-6)

Keep yourself 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?”

The love of money and things money can buy is a serious danger. Not money. The love of money. It is a grave danger. Listen to the words of Paul in 1 Timothy 6:9-10:

Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. 

Here’s what Jesus says about loving money in Matthew 6:19-24:

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Keep free from this deadly danger. And be content. Contentment. The reason given is that you have God. And he will never forsake you. Do you see that? Don't love money, be content, “for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” It doesn’t say, “because you will get lots of riches in heaven” or “because if you show contentment with little, God will give you more.” It says, “be free from the love of money and be content, because God is your God and he will never leave you or forsake you.” Money may leave. It often does. Especially for the discontent. It flies away like an eagle (Proverbs 23:4-5). And those who have much are often very unhappy. There was an article written years ago in the WSJ entitled, “Don’t Envy the Super-Rich, They are Miserable.” As Christians though, we know we were made ultimately for God and to be satisfied by God. In the wonderful book The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment - Jeremiah Burroughs, listen to what Burroughs says, 

My brethren, the reason why you do not have contentment in the things of the world is not that you do not have enough of them. The reason is that they are not things proportional to that immortal soul of yours that is capable of God Himself.

The Lord of Heaven and Earth - the one who owns everything says, “You have me. And I will never leave you. I will never abandon you” And this is what is going to matter when the storm comes. When the seas rage, that boat which is weighed down with paper money, will capsize. But the boat weighed down with God will weather the storm. And this is what leads to confidence no matter what. No matter what. Whether we are poor or rich. Whether we are in good health or bad. Whether we are surrounded by friends or foes. And why? Because of who our Helper is. The Lord is my Helper, I won’t be afraid, what can man do to me. John Chrysostom was the archbishop of Constantinople in the 4th and first part of the 5th century. He was brought to the Roman Emperor and faced banishment. Listen to the dialogue between the two:

“You cannot banish me for this world is my Father’s house.” “But I will slay you”, said the Emperor. “No, you cannot, for my life is hid with Christ in God”, said Chrysostom. “I will take away your treasures.” “No you cannot for my treasure is in heaven and my heart is there.” “But I will drive you away from man and you shall have no friend left.” “No, you cannot, for I have a friend in heaven from who you cannot separate me. I defy you, for there is nothing you can do to hurt me.”

Do you hear contentment? This kind of confident, content, boasting is for those who have made the Lord their hope, their life, their all - not money or possessions. We give God a heart of contentment, satisfied in Christ. 

We live in dark days.  The days are evil. All the more reason for Christians to seek to seek to live distinct lives, lives that shine for Christ and overcome evil with good. The Lord Jesus said:

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

Let’s pray.