New Salem Baptist Church

Divine Guardrails

Dec. 29, 2024

Read Hebrews 13:1-6.

After providing numerous warnings throughout this letter, the apostle gives some final commands that he knows will protect his readers. It isn’t that he just feels that these might be good ideas. The average person might feel that. But the author of this letter is directed by the Holy Spirit to write these words. Therefore, he knows that these directives will protect us.

In verse one he directs: “Let brotherly love continue.” The NT was written in the Greek language and it is a more precise language than English. There are six different words for love in Greek and four of those appear in the NT. The word here is phileo, which means a strong kind of love that is made known through deep friendships. It is even used to describe the love that the Father has for the Son of God (John 5:20). It is far more than just liking someone.

For Paul to instruct the Hebrew believers to continue, what does this imply? It implies two things. It implies that they were already loving each other. Can we say that about New Salem Church? I think we can. Our church has a reputation for being a loving church. But this just means that a fair number of us exhibit this kind of love. It doesn’t mean that every member does. Therefore, we must put ourselves to the test as individuals and as families.

How do we put ourselves to the test? One way is by considering what we actually do for our brothers and sisters.

¹⁵ If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? ^[1]

Real love (and true faith, James’s context) is made known not by our feelings nor by our words, but by what we do. For example, Mike, Kris, and the Simkos have gone out of their way to help Allan. And John Holmes has gone out of his way to help our other John. There are many more who lend a hand thereby manifesting genuine love. I only used these few as examples.

The second thing that the word, continue, implies is that it might not continue! If it was a sure thing that it would continue, then the apostle would not have to tell them to continue! Love can come to an end or, at least, it can become protracted. It can dissipate. Remember our Lord’s words to the church at Ephesus. He says that they had left their first love (Rev. 2). Therefore, the apostle commands that love continue.

² Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.^[2]

Hospitality is a wonderful and blessed thing. Its such a good feeling to be at the receiving end of it. But it is even more blessed to be at giving end.

By being hospitable some have blessed angels! The classic example is when Abraham fed the three angels who came to his tent. When they first arrived he didn’t know they were angels (one of them was the Lord himself). Sometime during their visit he realized it.

Angels are still here today. See the sermon, Angels, given one year ago.[3] Whether you are giving hospitality to humans or angels, it pleases God! Do you wish to please God? Then be hospitable. Invite people over for lunch or dinner. Invite them to stay with you if they are travelling.

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.^[4]

Prison is a disagreeable place to be. The environment itself is vexatious but perhaps the loss of freedom is the most disturbing thing about prison. Therefore, if we know someone in prison we ought to remember them in such a way that we put ourselves in their circumstances. Wouldn’t we want to be visited? We would. Therefore, we should visit those in prison.

Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.^[5]

The first part of the verse, “Let marriage be held in honor among all,” can be understood as a statement (“Marriage is honorable among all’; NKJV) or as a command as it is here in the NASB and in most versions (e.g., CSB, ESV, LSB, NET, Recovery, NIV, NLT).

The correct rendering is as a command, and not as a statement, because marriage is not honorable among all. To say that it is, is contrary to fact. It is not honorable to all now and neither was it honorable to all at the time the epistle was written. Admittedly, even among the pagans of the New Testament era, most held marriage to be honorable, but not all.

But marriage should be held in honor among all people, not just Christians, because marriage was instituted by God as part of the created order. This means it is for all people, not just disciples.

Marriage is honorable and beautiful because:

• It is God’s plan and design. It is not a human institution.
• It greatly protects us from fornication (1 Cor. 7:2).
• It satisfies the deep need for love that both men women have.
• It satisfies the need to express love for both men and women. Not only do we need to feel loved, but we need to express our own love.
• It satisfies the need to live out the roles for which God created us. Men need to both protect and provide for women since they are a weaker vessel. Men, marriage is the perfect place to live out that for which we were designed.
• Women need to support and help their man. This is one of the main purposes for which God created woman (Gen. 2:18). Without marriage, this purpose remains unfulfilled. Without marriage, a woman may try to express her helping and supporting role at her job. But this does not satisfy because this was not why she was created. If a wife does not support her husband then she will not feel fulfilled and the husband will not feel the champion he is meant to be.
• Marriage provides the only environment suitable for bearing and raising children (1 Tim 5:14). Having children outside of marriage entails both fornication and the wrong environment to raise them. God designed children to be nurtured and admonished by two parents who live in harmony with one another. Not one parent. (Although, sometimes this is unavoidable, as in the cases of the death of a parent or the unsuitability of a parent due to gross moral failure.)
• Because of the stability of a healthy marriage, it is the way to both enable and encourage the bearing of many children. It is God’s will for us to bear many children, not just one or two. For the proof of this statement see the sermon, Children, earlier this year.[6] The only way to have many children outside of marriage is by being promiscuous. This is a great sin both against oneself, a sin against one’s sexual partner, a sin against the children who will be born, and a sin against God. Therefore, marriage is essential for the purpose of having many children.

These are not only eight reasons to hold marriage in honor, but these are eight very good reasons to do so. They are very good reasons because they are revealed to us in the word of God.

To further see the importance of point number two (avoiding fornication), consider what the apostle wrote to the Ephesian church:

⁵ For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. ⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. ^[7]

To the Ephesians Paul writes that those who are fornicators will not inherit the kingdom of God. Right after this he says that the covetous, too, will miss the inheritance. And this is also what he writes in the next verse in Hebrews 13 (thus providing more evidence that Paul is the author of Hebrews):

⁵ Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”^[8]

Just as with the other commands here in chapter 13, Paul gives us this precept because it is a common temptation into which many fall. People seldom love money for its own beauty because in appearance there is not much appeal to it. Just green bills with a President’s portrait (other countries have colorful bills, but still not much to look at). People love money because of what it enables them to get. You can get any material possession with money, intellectual properties, and access to places to which the average person may not have access.

However, this love for money (which is actually just a love for more things) is contrary to trust in God. If we trust in God then we will be content with what he has given to us. He may bless you with nice things. He may bless you with more money than your neighbor. But our hearts ought not to be set upon money.

Even if we have very little, we say, “Thank you, Lord, for what you have given to me. Thank you most of all for your presence in my life!”

⁶ So we can confidently say,

       “The Lord is my helper;

I will not fear;

       what can man do to me?” ^[9]

Paul is quoting the Psalms and applying it his readers, those now in the new covenant. This is for us.  I find this encouraging. I pray through the Psalms every morning. They make beautiful prayers! They make encouraging prayers. They lift my spirit!

But sometimes I have this thought: “The Lord loved King David greatly. Maybe these things are just for him and maybe I’m not in the same league. So, maybe these prayers and promises are not for me.”

By the apostle quoting David and applying it to his readers, he proves that the promises and prayers found in the Psalms are for us! They belong to us!

When things are not going so well in life, when it seems like both people and circumstances are against us, we can boldly and confidently proclaim: “The Lord is my Helper. He has helped me thoughout my life and he will help me again.”

And; “I have no fear because the Lord is with me in my every step.”

 [Application and Conclusion]

When the children were young we were driving though Arizona headed east. We stopped at the Grand Canyon. It was only a brief stop because I had to report for duty in a Midwest state. The canyon is a majestic sight to see! I have a slight fear of heights. When I walked up to the edge of the canyon I was grateful for the guardrails there. I would grasp them as I peered over the edge. Those rails were a comfort to me. I was also glad they were there for the sake of the children.

Kai was about seven or eight, if I remember correctly. He went over the rail to get closer to the ledge. I immediately called him back. Those guard rails are there for a reason. They keep you safe!

These final commands from the apostle are like guardrails. They are divine guardrails to keep us from getting hurt or even dying!

These are the rails:

• Let your love continue on. If you lack, stir it up!
• Demonstrate hospitality.
• Do not forget those in prison.
• Honor marriage, especially your marriage!
• Keep your life free from the love of money.
• Be confident of the Lord’s provision and protection for you.

What do we actually do? If we just hear these things they won’t help us as much as if we actually do these things, because they please God.

Practically, we can and should:

• Consider who among us needs help and then actually do something for that person! This week.
• Take someone a meal.
• Do you know someone in prison or someone in a place where their experiences are not the best? Then visit that person.
• Honor marriage by not only appreciating the boundaries, but by communicating and showing love to your husband or wife. Also, put them first, above yourself, in all your decision-making…the big things and the small things.
• Do not make money your main ambition.
• Affirm the Lord’s protection and provision for you. By affirm, I mean say it out loud. And thank him for it.

We must really do these things and not just listen to them. If we just listen to them then we are like the person to whom the apostle James refers. They wish well to others but their love is hollow and fake.[10]

When we do these things, we are honoring the guardrails. If we just hear them, we are going past the guardrails.

“Lord, help us to honor these guardrails that you have given to us through the apostle! Amen.”