Hitting Bedrock

I will discuss the method of
communion here shortly, but all in due time, let’s turn, if you
would, first of all, to the book of Hebrews one last, well, not
one last time. We come finally to chapter 13. And as I’ve indicated over the past
few weeks, In an already extremely passionate letter, the intensity
actually picks up. One last time here in chapter
13, the afterburners, you could say, have kicked in. His final
opportunity for exhortation is at hand. Soon he will have to
entrust these dear friends and believers to the Lord, knowing
well that great trial is coming. Soon the Roman soldiers will
overrun their city, and so the exhortations now come rapidly
and plentifully. Both our newfound favorite, the
subjunctive verb, that kind of blend of a command and an encouragement
all rolled into one, as well as straight out imperatives are
overwhelmingly present here in chapter 13. There are 20 subjunctives
in the first 12 chapters. The frequent use of them we have
seen is remarkable. Here in chapter 13, there are
five more. But the writer noticeably switches
here from an even Over the normal use of the subjunctive
mood, he switches here to an employment of the imperative,
a command. And he now begins to use primarily
the imperative. With both tools at his disposal
over and over again and again, one after the other, the writer
appeals to his readers to fulfill their calling in Christ. Our
faithful friends. Urgency is palpable. We can feel it here in Chapter
13. Listen to his heart. If you have
your Bibles open to Chapter 13, just follow along as I identify
a few of these imperatives and even a few subjunctives. Verse two. Do not neglect to
show hospitality to strangers. Verse three, remember the prisoners. Verse five, make sure that your
character is free from the love of money. Verse seven, remember
those who led you. Later on in verse seven, imitate
their faith. Verse nine, do not be carried
away by strange, varied and strange teaching. Verse 15. Let us continually offer up a
sacrifice of praise to God. Verse 16. Do not neglect good
and sharing. Verse 17. Obey your leaders and
submit to them. Verse 18. Pray for us. Verse
22. Bear with this word of exhortation. Verse 23. Take notice that our
brother Timothy has been released. And finally, greet all of your
leaders and all of the saints. The intensity has reached a fevered
pitch, we might say, even in what strikes us as a wide ranging
and seemingly disconnected series of exhortations in chapter 13,
we can organize and make sense of this very dynamic chapter. We find it in our final three
enduring exhortations, and we can back away and observe that
there are social responsibilities that are addressed in verses
1 through 6. There are spiritual responsibilities that are addressed
in verses 8 through 16. and there are ecclesiastical
or church-related responsibilities discussed in verse 7 and 17.
What remains, verses 18 through 25, could reasonably be captured
under the umbrella, the heading of concluding remarks. They’re
not unimportant, it’s a major part of this epistle, but he turns the corner, having
addressed his three concerns in chapter 13. With that, let’s
consider this first section, our social responsibilities.
And we find it in verses one through six. And in keeping with
the theme that we’ve maintained throughout this study, I would
put it this way. If we are to glorify Christ in
a great trial, Number 12, we must honor God’s institutions. Hebrews chapter 13 verses one
through six. Let the love of the brethren
continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality
to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without
knowing it. Remember the prisoners as though
in prison with them. and those who are ill treated
since you yourselves are in the body. Marriage is to be held
in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled, for fornicators
and adulterers God will judge. Make sure that your character
is free from the love of money, being content with what you have.
For he himself has said, I will never desert you, nor will I
ever forsake you. So that we may confidently say,
The Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid. What will
man do to me? If we are to glorify Christ in
the midst of a great trial, we must honor God’s institutions. I see three, three of these,
if you will, institutions here in this opening section of Chapter
13. an institution being a foundational element of an overall whole. We might even call these the
material elements of a foundation. We would think naturally of our
system of justice as being an institution in our country, perhaps
our educational system, our military, All of those are American institutions
or institutes. They are a foundational element
of our overall nation. And in like manner, there are
institutes in the realm of Christianity. Various elements that are not
the sole foundation, but together they make up the foundation on
which God’s sovereign plan is exercised throughout the world.
I would call it, as I have in my title, hitting bedrock. We want to get down to hit bedrock. We want to build on God’s institutions. As I said, I see three such institutions
here in these first six verses. The material elements of life’s
foundation are here. First of all, you see the institution
of the brotherhood of Christ’s church, who warrant our loving
care. Second of all, we see the institution
of marriage, which demands our highest esteem. And thirdly,
we see the institution of divine providence, which calls us to
walk by faith. Now in this first of God’s institutes,
the Brotherhood of Christ, there are actually four groups of people
that our writer addresses in these first few verses. The first
one is fellow believers, or what he calls brethren. What he calls
strangers in verse two, those in verse three he refers to as
prisoners, and a fourth group, the seemingly most vague at the
end of verse three, those who are ill-treated. I take this
as a category of people in need that is separate and distinct
from the prisoners in the first part of the verse. But in what
sense can all of these different groups be nestled under the heading
of God’s institution? The answer is the common bond
that they have as believers in Jesus Christ. whether prisoners
or strangers or mistreated or brethren. It’s a brotherhood,
and these members call for our loving care. Of course, believers
are, first of all, image bearers of God, and as such, they call
for our loving care as every person does. That idea simply
refers to the fact that we were all, all people were created
in the image of God. And according to God’s providence,
after the counsel of his will, God purposed to create humanity
according to his image and likeness. Genesis 126. God created man,
subsequently created woman out of man, and he created them to
have dominion over creation, Genesis 2.15. And the fact that
man was created in the image and likeness of God refers to
man’s moral integrity, his ability to reason, that he was created
a rational creature, a spiritual creature, an immortal at the
state of creation. The fact that all people were
created in God’s image means that we have an inbuilt responsibility
to all who bear that image. But the fact that we are all
in close and intimate fellowship as brothers and sisters in Christ
only enhances that level of care and attention that we owe each
person. This is our writer’s great concern.
In these first six verses, the care of God’s people and for
one another. Let’s briefly consider our responsibility,
if we would, to each of those four groups. We’re looking at the material
elements of life’s foundation. I’ve established that. And the
first thing we want to look at is the institution of the brotherhood
of Christ, Christ Church. First of all, we see those of
the household of faith. It’s a simple sentence. Let the
love of the brethren continue. The first thing that I would
say here that there are only three words in the original.
There’s the definite article, the There’s the subject, brotherly
love, one word in the Greek, and there’s the verb, one word
in the Greek, let it stay, let it abide, let it remain. And
whether or not you know or read Greek, you know this word, Philadelphia,
the city of brotherly love, right? Well, it’s not so much the city
of brotherly love anymore, at least not right now. I’m not
sure any city is right now. But we have this word, a blend
of two words, phileo, the love of friendship, and adelphos,
brother. When the King James translates
it, though, as be kindly affection to one another, it obscures both
of those elements. And we would immediately conclude
here that it’s not the brotherhood of Jewish heritage that the writer
presents here. It’s the brotherhood as believers
in Jesus Christ. He is urging that as Christians,
fellow believers in a common savior, common savior, have a
bond, a brotherhood stronger even than family ties. It’s not merely the image of
God that should elicit a favorable response. The fact that any person
is an image bearer made in God’s image should naturally make us
to love and care and respect and be kind to any and all who
bear that image. But he provides here, as I said,
additional motivation for an even greater degree of kindness
and care They are brothers in Christ. And because of that,
they should treat one another accordingly. The word intimates
a warm and enthusiastic love for one another that ultimately
bears itself out in deeds, not just feelings. It is that special
love that is typically reserved to describe a family’s affection
for one another. especially between parents and
children. Brotherly love, for the most
part, was introduced to the world by Christianity. The heathen
world knew nothing of this kind of love, brotherly love. Because Christianity essentially
introduced this concept, almost all of the New Testament writers
extolled this great and blessed virtue. Paul said it to the Thessalonians
in four nine as to the love of the brethren. You have no need
for anyone to write to you. They were living it out already.
They didn’t need to be exhorted. Peter 1 Peter 1 22. Since you have in obedience to
the truth, purified your souls, for a sincere love of the brethren,
fervently love one another from the heart. He echoes what Paul
says in recognizing the love that they had for one another,
but urges them to press on still further. Of course, John, the
apostle John wrote about it. First John 3 14. We know that
we have passed out of death into life because we love the brethren. Paul uses the same word, Philadelphia,
to exhort Roman believers. He told them to be devoted to
one another in brotherly love. And what he urges there is that
even though believers may not be of the same blood family,
it should appear as such. They should exhibit that same
affection for one another. And when he says here, let the
love of the brethren continue, he acknowledges that not only
is this not a new concept for them, they were actually quite
practiced in it. In fact, this writer, you’ll
remember, actually acknowledged that back in chapter six. In
chapter six, verse 10, the writer of Hebrew said, God is not unjust. So is to forget your work and
the love which you have shown towards his name in having ministered
and in still ministering to the saints. God sees your brotherly
love. So he says, let it continue. Simple command continues, stay,
abide, remain. Is the same command that Paul gives to the Thessalonians. In that verse that we just read,
as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to
write to you. He concludes that thought in verse 10. For indeed
you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in Macedonia,
but we urge you, brethren, excel still more. And as you look around at a world
that is literally tearing itself apart, not just over social issues,
but now even over our response to this pandemic. We need brotherly
love, do we not? We need it to begin in our hearts
and to overflow. How much the church needs this
blessing, how much the church needs to see brotherly love in
our day. One Puritan wrote in his own
day, wracked with difficulty, just out of the fires of the
Reformation, he wrote this, envy, wrath, selfishness, love of the
world, with coldness in all the concerns of religion, have possessed
the place of it. Did you hear what he said? He
said those ugly, sinful tendencies have pushed brotherly love right
out the door. Envy, wrath, selfishness, love
of the world, coldness, and all the concerns of religion have
possessed the place of it. And in vain shall men wrangle
and contend about their differences in opinions, faith, and worship,
pretending to advance religion by an imposition of their persuasion
on others. I don’t know if you’re tracking
with him, but he basically says, No matter how passionate you
are about the gospel, if you don’t have love for your brother,
your words fall on deaf ears. And he concludes with this. He says, Unless this holy love
be again reintroduced among all those who profess the name of
Christ, all the concerns of religion will run more and more to ruin.
The very continuance of the church depends primarily on faith in
Christ, secondarily on the continuance of this love. Where this faith
and love are not, there is no church. There’s a second group to which
he turns his attention. In this institute of the brotherhood
of Christ, not only those of the household of faith in general,
but also those needy travelers. Look at verse two. Do not neglect
to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained
angels without knowing it. This institution, the image and
likeness of God is more than just those in one’s immediate
fellowship, their church. We owe the same kind of affection
to what he calls here strangers, Christians who are traveling,
whether they’re traveling through your particular city to another
city, Maybe they’re moving to your city or to another city.
Maybe they are fleeing fleeing persecution or hardship elsewhere
without even a place to go specifically. Maybe they are itinerant. Maybe
they are servants of Christ ministering from city to city. I take it
to mean that these are true believers. who are not from one’s particular
hometown. And it’s his imperative here,
a command, that we do not neglect such. It’s a simple enough word,
and we get that from the translation, but there’s a homey kind of colloquial
aspect to it. This idea of forgetting or neglecting. And it’s almost like what people
would say today. I spaced it. Christ disciples spaced. That is, they forgot bread for
a journey across the lake. You can almost see him looking
each at one another. I thought you were bringing the
bread. I thought you were bringing the bread. God does not overlook
or forget even a small bird, a sparrow that dies. Same word. And in this very epistle, our
writer assured these readers that God would not forget their
work, remember? Whatever you do, don’t forget
the strangers, he says. He’s urging them to hospitality,
literally a love of strangers. And that sends shivers down our
spine, doesn’t it? I mean, can you imagine going
home today putting an ad on Craigslist, inviting just anyone in town
to drop by your home for a meal. Relax. That’s not what the writer
is saying. This is indeed a love of strangers,
first and foremost. And I would say even primarily
here, he’s talking about fellow believers in Christ who are in
the midst of travels, strangers in that sense. Hotels in the
first century were notorious places of debauchery. If they
knew of an itinerant evangelist or a missionary on deputation,
they would not have conceived putting them up for the night
in one of those places. Enter the need for hospitality.
Hospitality is the practical love of strangers. This is not
even so much the kind of hospitality that jumps at the chance when
asked. Many people would do that kind
of hospitality. Paul in Romans 12 says that we
are to practice, we are literally to pursue, same word as persecution. We are to chase down opportunities
for hospitality, not sit and wait for them to come to us.
What he says here is that we must be on watch for any such
opportunity in which a fellow believer, even though a stranger
to us, is in a place of need. The word is also used in scripture
as an adjective, hospitable. especially as a character qualification
for elders, both in First Timothy and Titus, you know this. Peter
urges this of his readers as well. First Peter 4, 9, be hospitable
to one another without complaint. So this exhortation is not a
demand to open your home to a house party, a big dinner, have a cookout. That’s typically what we think
of when we think of hospitality. But in fact, it really isn’t
about social gatherings at all. In fact, Christ’s brand of hospitality
is very different from our idea of it, isn’t it? Luke 14. He went on to say to
the one who had invited him. When you give a luncheon or a
dinner, do not invite your friends or brothers, your relatives,
your rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return. and
repayment come to you, you say, I thought that’s what it was
all about. I’ve told this so many times, but I’ll tell it
again for the sake of you who haven’t heard it, and then you’ll
hear it 12 more times probably by the end of the year. We’ve
lived in so many different places, and every different place that
we’ve lived is characterized by, and I mean characterized
generally, by a different form of hospitality. If you go to church in the South
and I mean in our case it was Texas. You go to church you’re
going home with somebody for lunch. You better be ready in
California. They will talk about it. They
will invite you and pretty readily fairly soon and in your friendship
they will talk about having a lunch and they will meet you at a restaurant
and they will even pay. But they don’t have you into
their home. In the Midwest, in the Midwest, they talk about
it. They talk about what they’re
going to do when you come. They talk about it. They forecast
it. They plan it. They suggest it. They reiterate
it. And then finally, the day comes,
and it is an all-day event. You go after church, and you’re
there all afternoon into the evening. Before night church,
you just stay. You fellowship. It’s a generalization,
I know. In Colorado, the way we do things,
it’s all about reciprocation, right? Well, we had them over
there. It’s their turn to have us. Or
they had us. It’s our turn to have them. It’s
a strange thing. And Jesus says that’s not even
what hospitality is about. It tends to be all about reciprocation.
True hospitality is others oriented. It’s not self oriented. It’s
about our care of them, not their eventual care of us. And he rounds
this out with just a gripping warning here. You know it. Do
not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some
have entertained angels without knowing it.” That’s compelling. He says that without knowing
it, it is entirely possible that your practical care of a stranger,
you hosted an angel. Or even if you want to reduce
this word to its most basic meaning, a messenger. Ascent one with
a message for you This was Abraham and lots stupendous experience
remember Genesis 18 and 19 This is some traveler in need who
may well have been sent by the Lord himself to deliver you some
timely message I Remember in our early years
of ministry We were in our church who had a tradition of an expectation, really, that
the pastor always hosted traveling missionaries. And at first that
was well and good. That’s fine. But in a very short
order, we learned that we were the ones actually being blessed
time and time again by these missionaries. They almost always
brought some manner of encouragement which we could not help but see
as coming from God Himself. There’s a play here on the main
verb of the sentence. Remember verse two? At the beginning
of verse two, do not neglect, don’t forget. Well, here They
entertain someone without knowing their true identity. It literally
escaped their notice. It’s a play on a previous verb. It’s a funny thing in my now
35 years of being a Christian. How many believers really and
truly believe that they have seen and interacted with an angel? And maybe you have a story. Well,
wait a second. Because almost every one of those
stories, mine included, is built around this narrative. Crisis,
need, desperation, angel shows up, need met, angel disappears. Is that your story? I’m not saying that those are
not or cannot be true, but we tend to forget about this kind
of story. built around a completely and
opposite narrative, the narrative built around the angel who presents
himself as being in need. There’s a third group here that
we are to love in practical terms, not just generally the brethren,
the household of faith, not just those needy travelers, but third,
Those who are held captive, verse three, remember the prisoners
as though in prison with them. It is vital here as anywhere
to give attention, careful attention to the context. And he has urged
us in this section to love the brotherhood. And in the greater
context of this epistle, this particular exhortation becomes
very clear, doesn’t it? This is a church, a body of believers
who are particularly facing intensified persecution. Many believers had
been martyred already. Some had been beaten. Others
had their property seized. And so I take this to mean that
some in God’s providence had even been imprisoned for their
faith. This exhortation is in reference
not to just any prisoners, and I’m not taking away anybody’s
prison ministry. But what he’s pointing to here
is those who were incarcerated for their faith. The argument
is buffeted by the fact that the chief of these kinds of prisoners
was none other than the Apostle Paul himself, right? We might
even say that Paul was a regular in the cells of whatever city
or town he visited, such as recorded in Acts 16. You remember it?
About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying, singing hymns of
praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. What
it literally could say is that the other prisoners the rest
of the prisoners because Paul and Silas were in prison. Act 16 goes on to tell us that
the prisoners, including Paul and Silas, had escaped. Well,
enough of that. You know the story. Paul was
repeatedly arrested. Recording throughout the book
of Acts, even in his own epistles, Paul was a prisoner. So much
so that it became one of his subtitles, right? Ephesians 3.1,
I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus. Ephesians 4.1, therefore
I, the prisoner of the Lord. So I believe that it’s Christian
prisoners primarily that our writer is referencing here. Prisoners
like Paul and others, and this church would have known exactly
what he was referencing. Back in chapter 10, you recall
our writer recounts their faithfulness in the face of these Trials or
persecution 1034 said you showed sympathy to the prisoners and
accepted joyfully the seizure of your property This too was
something they were already doing They needed only to persevere
in it But he addresses also their empathy He says effectively put
yourself in their shoes That’s what we try to do with these
missionary reports. I We want you to understand what they’re
enduring, what they’re experiencing. He addresses their empathy and
he says, let it be as though you are in prison with them.
Well, we have a long way to go in that regard, don’t we? We
have no idea what some of these people are enduring. Paul says
it this way to the Romans, that we ought to weep with those who
weep. We don’t even know whether or
not they’re weeping. To the Corinthians, he says,
if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. We ought to be so familiar with
the trials of our fellow believers that it is as if we are facing
the same trial. John Brown, that Scottish pastor
and commentator, makes an excellent point here. He says that Jesus
modeled this perfectly. Remember when Saul, prior to
his conversion, Paul, remember when he was on the road to Damascus?
Jesus confronted him and asked, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting
me? Well, Saul, remember, was persecuting
the church. But Christ, in his empathy for his church, felt
as if Saul were persecuting him personally. That’s empathy. There’s
a fourth group. I told you that already in the
Institute of the Brotherhood of Christ, his church, which
warrants are loving care, not only those of the household of
faith in general, the needy travelers, those who are held captive, but also those who are abused. He just says those who are ill
treated at the end of verse three. Now earlier, I referred to this
group as the seemingly most vague group of the four. Because when you use the word
abuse, you could think of all kinds of physical abuse and mental
abuse and all kinds of those things. And I already declared
you that I take this as a separate category, one of the one of four
of people in need, separate and distinct from prisoners who are
part of this same verse. He’s asking them to remember
two distinct groups, prisoners and those who are ill treated.
So who are these? We have only the slightest bit
of help. because this word is only used one other place in
the entire new testament right here in this epistle hebrews
11 37 just listen there he’s speaking of those faithful saints
of old who took god at his word and walked by faith and often
paid the penalty for it a writer says that they were stoned sawn
in two tempted put to death by the sword they went about in
sheepskins goatskins being pardon me, being destitute, afflicted,
ill-treated. They were ill-treated, same word.
And so I take this, given the immediate context and given the
use of this word, to refer to persecuted believers, at least
who so far were not in prison. Remember practically? to minister
to them, to love them in substantial and practical ways, to stand
with them in the midst of their trial. Those who have suffered
the pressures and the afflictions of persecution be with them,
stand with them, love them and serve them. This is the foundation. This is part of the foundation
of God’s work in this world. It’s the brotherhood of Christ,
whether brethren in general or strangers or prisoners or those
who are ill treated. But there is a second element
to this foundation, and we see it in verse four. In these material elements of
life foundation, not only is there the brotherhood of Christ
Church, there is the institution of marriage. which demands our
highest esteem. Verse four, marriage is to be
held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled
for fornicators and adulterers God will judge. We spoke about this verse several
weeks ago when we were in chapter 12. The interesting thing about
verse four is there is no verb. And in order for the sentence
to make sense, such must be supplied. And it’s likely, in your particular
translation, it’s likely in italics. And the same thing goes for verses
five and six while we’re at it. Without supplying a verb, there
would be an abruptness, an incompleteness to the thought. It would literally
say something like this, valuable the marriage of all. Marriage or writer presses should
be a highly esteemed institution in the society. It should be
held in high honor in the most practical ways by those who are
married and by those who are not. And as such, marriage is
to be especially guarded against any impropriety. We’ve only recently
interacted with this and its companion verse back in chapter
12, that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau.
That passage dealt with immorality in general. But here, the foundational
element is the institution of marriage itself, which must be
guarded from immorality and adultery. because it is the great means
of guarding against immorality in the society. The institution
of marriage is God’s provision to keep men and women from degenerating
into immorality, adultery, and even perversion. When our writer
says that marriage is to be held in honor, many take this to mean
that marriage is an institution even in the first century was
being devalued. It was, even as it is in our
own day. In first century, there were
already heretics claiming that marriage was evil and that celibacy
was the only real way to godliness. I love the way one Puritan pastor
put it. Marriage as an institution has
in every age received the approving sanction of every enlightened
philosopher and every wise legislator. And the opinion of those who
would banish it or degrade it has always been considered by
sober thinkers as a sentiment indicative of a dark mind and
a depraved heart. hostile to the worth and happiness
of mankind. Did you hear what he says? When
you have a society that begins to downplay and degrade and devalue
marriage, you have a society that does not care about the
hope and success of humanity. There was that challenge to the
institution of marriage. But our writer’s purpose is clear.
He was much more direct. His concern was the dishonor
brought about marriage by adultery, both prior to a marriage or in
the midst of a marriage. In so doing, he elevates marriage
to its right and high place in the foundation upon which God
conducts his overall plan in the world. But there’s a third
part of that foundation, you know it. In the material elements
of life’s foundation, we have the brotherhood of Christ’s church,
the institution of marriage, and thirdly, the institution
of divine providence. We find that in chapter, or in
verse five. The institution of divine providence,
he says it so simply, make sure that your character is free from
the love of money. This will seem like a roundabout
way to get to this point, but I believe that what our writer
is pointing out here is, again, faith. Not faith in general or
even faith directly in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, but
faith in God’s good providence. It’s a living trust that God
is in control and fully providing our needs. And so he begins,
make sure. See to it. Watch carefully and
adjust as needed. Repent of your sin. That your character is free from
the love of money. This is a delicate point, isn’t
it? How prone we are to run aground
here. How likely we are to lose faith in God and His provision.
How eager we are to wrest control from Him to take matters into
our own hands. Note his concern is our character.
This is a different word than is normally used for referencing
a man’s character, his moral integrity. This word just simply
points to the manner or the way that he does things. Character
in that sense. And he says pointedly that the
love of money should not be his guiding principle. That should
not characterize him. We are not to be greedy, and
that’s part of the definition. That kind of behavior is one
of those ugly attributes that is very evident to everybody
else, even if we think that we’re hiding it. It was the ugly legacy of both
false teachers and the Pharisees before them. Peter, in his second
epistle, warned of these false teachers that in their greed
they will exploit you because they have a heart trained
in greed. This is one of those master character
traits that is especially important for would-be elders. Paul names
it in 1 Timothy 3. Such a man must be free from
the love of money. I remember one of the many plain
lessons given to us in seminary chapel. The three most destructive
things in ministry. You’ve heard this gold, girls
and glory. Here’s what he meant. The love
of money, marital unfaithfulness and pride. Those three things
will destroy a ministry. Anyone who desires to serve the
Lord cannot be in it for the money. Blinding greed will bring
out the worst in a man. The challenges of first century
Christianity were no different than our day. The love of money
produces all kinds of corrosive sins, doesn’t it? Theft, fraud,
dishonesty. envy, greed, presumptuousness,
lack of faith. But those all begin with the
root cause, the love of money. And that sin is due to a lack
of trust in God’s provision. And so there’s one great remedy
for greed. It’s contentment, godly contentment. That’s the writer’s whole purpose
in these verses. to stir us to faith in a God who cares for
us, a wholesome trust in God’s sovereign providence. And he
supports it with two Old Testament truths cited in verses five and
six. I will never desert you, nor
will I ever forsake you. So that we may confidently say
the Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man
do to me? The first one, isn’t a direct quote of Deuteronomy
31, 16. And the second one is really
almost an amalgamation of four or five statements in the Psalms. But in the end, the call here
in this third foundational point is to know and live as those
for whom God in his benevolent goodness will provide. He will
provide. Paul said it this way, godliness
is actually a means of great gain when it is accompanied by
contentment. You know, most people think of
contentment as being able to look at your pile of stuff. You
know what I mean? You look at your pile of stuff
and you bite your lip and declare, it’s enough. You don’t really
believe it, but you say it. Nope. Contentment means living
out our faith, not as if we have enough in the bank, but that
we know that God himself is ultimately the one who provides for our
every need. Contentment is not about resources,
but rather about the one who provides them. Would you examine the foundation
of your life in light of God’s Word as we go before the throne
of grace? Let’s pray. Our merciful King,
we humble ourselves at your feet. And Lord God, we plead with you
that you would examine every corner of our heart and life
Lord, there are so many things that need to be shored up, frankly,
that need to be repented of, that need to be corrected, for
which we need your grace in the way that we treat Christ’s church,
in the way that we think about and treat God-given marriage, and in the way that we ponder
your providence as it shakes out in our life. Lord God, we
come before you with great solemnness in this, and we do ask you to
search our hearts and to show us, not whether, but where, knowing there are places that need your grace. Lord God,
we thank you for your mercy towards us. It is indeed great. And we
pray that you would stir in our hearts to use us for your glory
at this time in history to stand upon the very foundation of God
and his work in this world. Help us to hit bedrock. It’s
in Jesus name that we pray. Amen.