Hebrews 13:1-25
I. The New Covenant Has A Superior Person: Christ (1-6)
A. \\#Heb 1:1-3\\ Christ is superior to the prophets.
B. \\#Heb 1:4-14\\ Christ is superior to the angels.
C. \\#Heb 2:1-18\\ Explanation and Emphasis
D. \\#Heb 3:1-6\\ Christ is superior to Moses.
E. \\#Heb 3:7-4:16\\ Explanation and Emphasis
F. \\#Heb 4:14-5:10\\ Christ is superior to the High Priest
G. \\#Heb 5:11-6:20\\ Explanation and Emphasis
II. The New Covenant Has A Superior Priesthood: Christ over Melchizedek (7-10)
A. \\#Heb 7:1-11\\ Christ’s Priesthood Is of A Superior Origin
B. \\#Heb 7:12-14\\ Christ’s Priesthood Is by A Superior Covenant
C. \\#Heb 7:15-23\\ Christ’s Priesthood Is by A Superior Promise
D. \\#Heb 7:23-28\\ Christ’s Priesthood Has A Superior Nature
E. \\#Heb 8:1-5\\ Christ’s Priesthood Has A Superior Tabernacle
F. \\#Heb 8:6-10:18\\ Christ’s Priesthood Is A Superior Ministry
G. \\#Heb 10:19-39\\ Explanation and Emphasis
III. The New Covenant Has A Superior Principle: Faith (11-13)
A. \\#Heb 11:1-40\\ The examples of faith
B. \\#Heb 12:1-29\\ Finish your race!
C. \\#Heb 13:1-25\\ Final thoughts
1. \\#Heb 13:1-17\\ Be Right
2. \\#Heb 13:18-25\\ Closing
From the beginning of our study, we have noted that this book does not list an
author. However, in this chapter, we see some reasons why some attribute the book
to the Apostle Paul.
1. The manner in which the book concludes. The Apostle Paul’s practice was
to close his epistles with practical commands. Chapter 13 fits that
pattern.
2. The writer mentions Timothy \\#Heb 13:23\\ in a fashion like the Apostle
Paul might would, that is, as a traveling companion.
3. The writer mentions Italy \\#Heb 13:24\\, which is the country of Rome,
where Paul was imprisoned at least once, if not twice.
While neither of these indicators are proof, they have served to help keep the
Apostle Paul listed as a possible contender as the writer.
As far as the content of this chapter, the writer now speaks to the true church.
He still knows that some in the fellowship may not belong to Christ; but having
done what he could to persuade them to trust their Messiah, he moves on to help
those who have. So the writer closes with a list of many practical commands.
Very little comment is offered on the commands as most need no explanation.
They just need to be adhered to.
C. Final thoughts
1. \\#Heb 13:1-17\\ Be Right
a. \\#Heb 13:1\\ Be loving.
(1) "brotherly love" is a family love. The term "brotherly" might
imply more of a pragmatic love than an emotion one.
(2) "continue"-To continue loving means that these Hebrews were
already practicing this trait. The writer merely encouraged them
in it.
b. \\#Heb 13:2\\ Be hospitable.
(1) "to entertain strangers" was to open one’s home to them, to care
and provide for them.
(2) In a day when lodging was rare, most relied on the hospitality of
strangers when journeying.
(3) "for thereby some have entertained angels unawares"-This is most
likely a reference to Abraham who entertained two angels and the
Lord (Genesis 18).
(4) The idea is that if it happened once, having an opportunity to
minister to an angel may happen more often than we realize.
c. \\#Heb 13:3\\ Be compassionate.
(1) "Remember them that are in bonds" is a plea to pray for and aid
when possible all those who are afflicted and "suffer adversity."
(2) To remember that all are not as free and blessed as we are is a
mark of a tender, compassionate heart.
(3) "as being yourselves also in the body"-And how much should our
hearts ache for those who are suffering? As much as if it were
our own body suffering, for we are all apart of the same body of
Christ.
d. \\#Heb 13:4\\ Be pure.
(1) "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled"-God has
created marriage and within marriage, He created the physical
relationship between a man and a woman.
(2) That martial relationship is pure and clean. It is part of the
blessed joining of a man and woman into one body and unit.
(3) "but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge"-But those who
use that physical relationship outside of marriage have violated
God’s holy union, and God will deal with them for doing so.
e. \\#Heb 13:5-6\\ Be content.
(1) \\#5\\ "Let your conversation be without covetousness"
(a) "conversation" means "manner, fashion, deportment, or
lifestyle."
(b) "covetousness" is greed and excessive desire.
(c) While these may mark the lifestyle of many, they should not
belong to those who lay claim to Christ.
(2) Rather, we should "be content with such things as" we have.
(3) "for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee"-
(a) Contentment does not belong to the person who has everything.
(b) Contentment belongs to the person who knows he/she is being
perfectly cared for by the Creator and Sustainer.
(c) To be discontent with what we have is to be discontent with
the Lord.
(4) \\#6\\ "So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper"-Once
we earn this contentment, we will have…
(a) Boldness-An assurance or confidence that regardless of what
we have or lack, things are as they should be. This comes
because we know that the Lord is looking after us.
(b) The Lord’s help-Confidence or faith in the Lord is never
misplaced. We are not describing some state of delusion as
the skeptics would say. Rather, God IS looking after our
needs and we not only have that assurance, we have His help.
f. \\#Heb 13:7\\ Be submissive.
(1) "Remember them that have the rule over you, who have spoken unto
you the word of God"
(a) "Remember" means "to be mindful."
(b) "rule" means "to lead, to have authority over, to command."
(c) Some question whether the church pastor has authority over
the church. This verse tells us we need to bear in our
minds that those whom God has appointed to handle the Word
of God in the local fellowship have the authority over the
church.
(2) "whose faith follow"-God calls a pastor and gives the pastor
insight into what the church is to do. These are things the
pastor senses only by his own "faith"; yet the church is
commanded to follow the pastor’s leadership in such matters.
(3) "considering the end of their conversation"
(a) The word "conversation" is not the same Greek word as the one
used in \\#5\\, but is based on the same root word.
(b) It means "behavior, deportment, or lifestyle."
(c) This statement serves as both an encouragement to follow the
pastor as a caution, for God does not give any church leader
infallibility.
(d) Look at the shepherd’s lifestyle and see how God has lead
him.
(e) If this man’s own life bears the record that he can hear God
and that he has been blessed by God’s power, follow him.
(f) If not, then perhaps the church has the wrong man in the
position of leadership.
g. \\#Heb 13:8\\ Be consistent.
(1) There is some question in my mind how this statement is to be
considered.
(a) There is not command in this phrase. Rather, it is a
statement of truth.
(b) Our Savior, like all of the Godhead, is "the same yesterday,
to day, and for ever."
(2) Did the writer intend this has an isolated truth in the midst of
these commands? If so, it stands by itself, not linked to any of
the other commands; but it rises out from among them as an iconic
lighthouse of truth around which we may all safely sail.
(3) Did the writer intend that this truth be the conclusion to his
previous command, that is, that the church should obey the one
whom God has appointed to lead the church?
(a) If so, it serves to remind us that God does not change.
(b) As much as God expected Israel to follow Moses, Joshua,
David, or to adhere to the prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah,
Obadiah, so God expects His church to follow those who are
endowed with the Holy Spirit and evidence that calling in
their lives.
(4) Did the writer intend this truth to introduce the next command,
that is, that as Christians, we are to be sound and consistent
in our doctrine?
(a) If so, the writer gives us an example of consistency which
should encourage and steady us, namely, our own Savior.
(b) Knowing that God does not change His mind, we can know that
God does not rewrite, re-edit, or revise those things that
He has taught and commanded in His Word.
h. \\#Heb 13:9-15\\ Be sound and faithful.
(1) \\#9\\ The negative
(a) "Be not carried about"-The image is of a ship being bounced
on the waves of the sea. Christian doctrine is not to be
held in such an erratic fashion.
(b) "with divers and strange doctrines"-Many are looking for a
Bible fad. They follow every new "doctrine" they hear.
(c) "not with meats, which have not profited them"
i. The "meats" is a reference to the Jewish laws. The
Jewish law is being given as an example of a false
doctrine that some were following.
ii. But these rituals had "not profited" the Jews. As a
whole, the nation of Israel were not godly as a result
of the Old Covenant and its commands.
iii. So why attempt to add them to the New Covenant?
(2) The positive
(a) "For it is a good thing that the heart be established with
grace"
i. "established"—Rather, a Christians doctrine is to be
firmly "established."
ii. Our doctrine is as sure as the Bible, and the Bible
never changes.
iii. Surely our understanding of the Scripture grows in time
and we adjust our belief system on that understanding,
but most of those adjustments will be minor if we
were grounded in proper Biblical study from our
new birth.
(b) "that the heart be established"-Established doctrine
produces an established heart.
(3) \\#10\\ A Difference
Heb 13:10 eat which serve the We have an altar, whereof they have no right to
tabernacle.
(a) "which serve at the tabernacle" - A reference to the Jews
who continued the old covenant worship even after Messiah
had come. This might be a reference to Judaizers who were
attempting to slip legalism into the church.
(b) No doubt, the argument often used by the Judaizers was
that the Christians have no altar on which to offer a
sacrifice for sins.
(c) This writer has gone through great lengths to show that
we do have such an altar and that our Sacrifice for
sins is so superior to the Old Covenant that it has
secured our forgiveness forever.
(d) Hence, the writer reverses the argument. The Old Covenant
practitioners have no right to partake in our Sacrifice.
(e) The only ones worthy to partake of our Sacrifice are those
who will place their faith and trust in what Jesus has done
for them on the cross.
(4) \\#11-12\\ A Similarity - After giving a difference, the writer
gives a similarity. The bodies of the both the Old and New
Covenant sacrifices were burned outside of the camp.
(a) \\#11\\ "For the bodies of those beasts"
i. Which beasts? Those "whose blood is brought into the
sanctuary" This is a reference to those Old Testament
sin offerings which were sacrificed to make atonement
for the saints.
ii. What happened to bodies of the beasts? They "are burned
without the camp." \\#Lev 4:21, 16:27\\
iii. The removal of the sin sacrifice without the camp was a
sign of the sacrifice’s reproach. The separation
indicates that the sacrifice, having become sin, was
unclean and unfit to be among the people, even though
the sacrifice was made unclean because it took the sins
of those very people upon it.
(b) \\#12\\ "Wherefore Jesus also… suffered without the gate"
i. Jesus in similar fashion was taken outside the city of
Jerusalem to be crucified.
ii. Jesus fulfilled the law of the sin sacrifice so that He
might take the sins of the people upon Himself or "that
he might sanctify the people with his own blood."
(5) \\#13-15\\ An Application
(a) \\#13\\ An Action - "Let us go forth… unto him without the
camp"
i. The writer exhorts us to join Jesus. He was crucified
outside of the comforts of the city, rejected by the
very people for whom He was dying, bearing our reproach.
ii. "bearing his reproach" - Now let us go outside of the
comforts of our life and bear His.
iii. This application is not just figurative. As can be seen
from the remainder of what the writer says, he intends
that believers should leave their homes and take the
name of Jesus into the world. If that means reproach
or shame or persecution, so be it.
(b) \\#14\\ A Reason - "For here have we no continuing city"
i. Many reasons could be listed for us to leave our comforts
and join in Christ’s reproach, but the writer offers
one we might not have considered.
ii. His reason is that we have no permanent city in which
to abide.
iii. By permanent city perhaps the writer was thinking of
Jerusalem, the capital city of the Jews. Three times
each year all of the men were to "report" to Jerusalem.
Above that, all sacrifices had to be killed and
offered at Jerusalem. Most of the Levites and priests
stayed near Jerusalem simply because that was the best
place from which to minister.
iv. Christians have no such headquarter city; hence, we have
liberty to take the news of Jesus’ death to all the
world.
v. "but we seek one to come" - Rather, we are looking for
that heavenly city not made with human hands.
(c) \\#15\\ How should we go forth into this world?
Heb 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God
continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
i. With praise on our lips!
ii. What better way to share Christ with others.
i. \\#Heb 13:16\\ Be good and considerate.
(1) To "do good" is to do what is right and helpful to others.
(2) To "communicate" is to fellowship with or participate with others,
(3) Both of these phrases would indicate that the Christian is to
be considerate of and to help others.
(4) "with such sacrifices God is well pleased" - God considers that
what is given to another for their needs was a sacrifice given
to Him.
j. \\#Heb 13:17\\ Be obedient.
(1) "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves" -
Similar to \\#Heb 13:7\\ but with more applications.
(a) The earlier reference applied mainly to the authority within
the church.
(b) This reference applies beyond the church to all authority.
(2) "for they watch for your souls" - All authority, whether religious
or secular, has been charged by God to care for and work to help
the soul.
(3) "as they that must give account" - And all authority, whether
religious or secular, shall stand before God and give account of
that task.
(4) "that they may do it with joy, and not with grief" - Out duty in
the matter is to obey, making their job as easy as possible.
(5) "for that is unprofitable for you." - Not only does a rebellious
attitude make it difficult for them, it makes what they are
attempting to do unprofitable for us. The truth is you cannot
teach a rebellious person. They are too busy being contrary to
learn anything.
2. \\#Heb 13:18-25\\ Closing - The writer closes this epistle by both offering
and requesting prayer.
a. \\#Heb 13:18-19\\ A request for prayer.
(1) \\#18-19\\ "Pray for us" - Although no name is given, the
readers knew who this letter was from.
(2) Now, the writer ask his readers to pray for him. He has three
requests:
a. "a good conscience" - This is both a request and a statement.
The writer desires to finish his race with a GOOD and clear
CONSCIENCE that he had obeyed his Lord.
b. "in all things willing to live honestly" - And that
he would finish his life race in honesty.
c. \\#19\\ "that I might be restored to you sooner" - Lastly,
that they might be reunited again soon.
b. \\#Heb 13:20-21\\ A prayer for the Hebrews
(1) \\#20\\ "God of peace" - The prayer is offered to the God who
gives us peace.
(2) "that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus" - He is also
the God who raised Jesus from the dead.
(3) "that great shepherd of the sheep" - Speaking now of Jesus, who
is our Great Shepherd.
(4) "through the blood of the everlasting covenant" - Who does all
things by the power of the blood He shed for us.
(5) \\#21\\ "Make you perfect in every good work to do his will"
The writer prays for the reader’s ability to do the good things
that God would have them do.
(6) "working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight" - And
that God would continue working in their lives those things
which would please Him.
(7) "through Jesus Christ" - And that God the Father would do all of
this through the power and person of His Son, Jesus.
(8) "to whom be glory for ever and ever" - And that Jesus would
receive the glory for this work forever.
c. \\#Heb 13:22\\ A prayer to the Hebrews
(1) "suffer the word of exhortation" - The writer then asks the
readers to heed the exhortations that he has written, even if
it pains them to do so.
(2) "for I have written a letter… in a few words" - No doubt, the
writer had many more things he could have spoken.
d. \\#Heb 13:24-25\\Farewell
(1) \\#24\\ "Salute all them that have rule over you" - The idea is
to demonstrate respect to the those who have authority over
them.
(2) "They of Italy salute you." - The book was probably written from
Italy. If not, the writer had recently been to Italy.
(3) \\#25\\ "Grace be with you all" - A common closing but one which
signifies the necessity of God’s grace to sustain us.
With these words, we close our study.
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