|
Hebrews: Max A Forsythe |
From
the Pulpit at Pilgrim's Rest
 Presbyterian Church in America |
The
City to Come
For the
Lord’s Day: the 14th of August 2005
Hebrews 13: 7-16
Introduction: A story of angels was told by former members of a Bible Presbyterian congregation. In the context of building their first church, the cement trucks arrived several hours early and hardly any men of the church were at the construction site to handle the heavy work. Suddenly out of nowhere there appeared two men in construction clothing with all of the right tools. They pitched in and worked for hours on end to ensure the correct pouring of the basement floor and related steps. When more men of the congregation arrived and their services were no longer needed, the two workers were suddenly not there any more. The only proof of their service was the excellence of their work!
Certainly, if the foundation of that congregation was laid by angels, the walls and roofing of that particular church was in all too human hands. Within thirty years, that congregation ceased to exist. The members were scattered to the four winds and several other churches in that county can be traced back to the factitious backbiting which the members fell into. Could the content of our passage in Hebrews been more appreciated and practiced, we might have a better report to set before you this Lord’s Day morning. The writer to the Hebrews would encourage us all who Name Christ as Lord to practice the near presence of our Lord and King.
And it is to Christian leaders, of every time and place to which the faithful are summoned to remember: men of grace, men of conviction, men worthy of imitation. This week, I received a preacher’s joke – like the lawyer and blonde jokes; they constitute a complete collection of humor. In this particular rendition three religious leaders were discussing the best body positions for prayer, only to be interrupted by a telephone repairman who insisted that his best position for prayer was hanging upside down by his shoe laces on a telephone pole. The point being of course, that position is not important – but sincerity and heartfelt interest count all the more.
It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out who the proper leaders of a church are, the whole congregation is empowered to sense this over a period of time. That is why in the Presbyterian tradition, all leaders stand for election. Pastors when they come to a church, ruling elders and deacons within a common principle of rotation and re-election. One of the problems of the church over the years is this: once a young pastor has completed his education, submitted to the examinations – there is still one more thing the church needs to know: does he have the ongoing presence of the Holy Spirit around and about him? It takes several years to determine this, and unfortunately – there is no simple remedy for removing those who do not! Of course, in the providential course of time – the Lord does clean house when it is most necessary, but still the church is often plagued with men whose calling is for their own interests instead of those of the true church.
One last point in our introduction and that is a necessary comparison between verses seven and eight. We all know that the churches wax and wane over the course of many decades. There are seasons of prosperity and seasons of decline. Not all of these are directly the result of leadership – but these pendulums like swings are meant to prove the only consistent fact of life within the City of God: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, and forever.” Mere men, mere members are not always so, and it remains for Christ to come and establish the Heavenly City for all time.
Development: Certainly, we know that even in this life we are living within the eternity of that City of God. And as we grow in grace, knowledge and sanctity – we begin to better reflect the permanent habits of the Holy Spirit, who would guide us into all truth and righteousness. That this is not a meritorious calling to perfection is evident in verse nine. “Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them.”
You see, it is no matter what catechism one believes – no one can benefit eternally there from. The Apostle Paul argues that it was the Jewish tradition that delivered him to Christ. And in our day, neither the Catholic Baltimore Catechism nor the Presbyterian Westminster Catechism is fool proof aids to accomplish salvation in Christ alone. They are mere tools and all manner of men and women have been led astray by theological systems that were flawed at one point or another. Thus, the Apostle here admonishes the goodness of being strengthened by grace because even if the spiritual foods of the best catechism cannot benefit those who loose sight of Jesus Christ. Indeed, catechisms come and go over the centuries and only “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, and forever.” To whom are you indebted for your salvation? Neither man nor catechism, but to the Sovereign Grace of God in Christ alone! Even as St Paul realized, neither is effective in the long run, unless thereby we are delivered into the grace of Christ. These are nothing more than doctors and nurses attendant at the birth of a child.
So let that statement clarify our first two points this morning. A third, which relates to your own citizenship in the Kingdom, is a work of art in progress. When a session interviews people for membership, the purpose of the interview is meant to determine as best we can if the person is in a State of Grace. Afterwards, we all have a life time to prove our obedience and service to our Lord and His kingdom. He it is who leads us onward through every trial and testament. And in that leading we are reminded that our citizenship comes not cheaply, but with full measures of the fruits of the Spirit.
Application: Now, if my application of the text appears strange, it is not because I do not appreciate the superiority of grace in the life of the church and every believer. F.F. Bruce notes that the sameness of Jesus Christ in verse eight links what precedes with that which follows. Because “Jesus Christ is the same,” we should not be carried away by strange teachings. “It is good that our souls should gain their strength from the grace of God, and not from scruples about what we eat” and so on. Paul admonishes the church in Romans 14: 17-19 that “the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.”
To this end, the Apostle in the verses before us commends four more behavioral mandates beyond those we looked at last week.:
1. contentment
2. grateful regard for the fathers in the faith
3. liberality
4. beneficence
Now let us make certain that we understand that these principles of behavior do nothing more than identify us as Christians. Whenever I make an appointment with someone that I do not know, I advise them that when we meet publicly, I will be wearing or carrying a Blue Bonnet from Scotland. So far, I have not arrived anywhere where there might be any confusion here in our country. As I stated last week, my intent in this last chapter is not to make much ado about mere lists of behavior, after all these should already be a part of our Christian demeanor and character. Anyone can run out and purchase a Blue Bonnet – but not everyone is able to truthfully demonstrate the credibility of a life lived under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
In addition to that short behavioral list just mentioned, F.F. Bruce also notes six religious duties from the context of our text. These include:
1. fidelity to God
2. unshaken steadiness in the faith
3. profession of the Gospel in the face of persecution and suffering
4. thanksgiving
5. subjection to church leaders
6. regular prayer for the Apostle and brethren
A couple of summers ago we went through a short series that marked out the nature of a Christian Church. These two short lists here simply personalize that survey to demonstrate what a Christian living in Christ’s spiritual kingdom here on earth might look like.
Let us return to verse seven: “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” Remember, it is their faith in looking to Jesus that is the most important aspect of that verse. Yes, indeed – as the Apostle here demonstrates early on we are to look through those we respect to see whom they have seen: our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a fact of church history, that those who practice the Lord’s presence are respected, loved and obeyed in all times and places. It is the spiritually humble of every age, who recognize the grace that has been given to them. And grace it is that saves and strengthened. Christ must always be our primary interest in all times and all places.
In verse fourteen, we are reminded that “here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.” By this admonishment, the Apostle admonishes us to continue to look forward and to not be content with things as they are. And finally, verse sixteen reminds us that good deeds should be more than random acts of kindness. All in all, these seemingly pithy verses of instruction – do define what the Kingdom of Heaven looks like here on earth. Are we willing to look closely at ourselves and our fellowship and see if we are recognizable in these terms? May the Lord lead us on to do so carefully – in order that our vision of Him may be better reflected in our little corner of time and space. Amen.
29 December
1996
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PREACHING RESOURCES
Brown, John. A Geneva Series Commentary: Hebrews.
Brown, Raymond. The Bible Speaks Today: The Message of Hebrews.
Bruce, F.F. The Epistle to the Hebrews.
Hewitt, Thomas. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: Hebrews.
Owen, John: Commentary on the Book of Hebrews.
The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version.
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