Do This…

Text: Hebrews 13:1-6

Focus: Practical Actions for believers

Function: Preparation for communion

Form: Bible Study

Intro: Now that my boys are grown and our of the house, I can tell this story.

When I pastored near Indianapolis, the parsonage was across the parking lot/field just like it is here. Except, the church office was in the parsonage. It was actually an old porch, converted into an office, with big glass windows and a great view of the orchard, the church and the driveway. The driveway was the central place of activity for our three boys.

On the edge, was a basketball goal and net. Now, my oldest son, their father (point to Samantha and Haley) stands about 6'4”. He was the tallest kid in his class. His younger brother made it to 6'3”. And that size difference became quite a part of the boys as they learned to love each other. Both of them have long arms: The better to play basketball with.

The shorter son, developed more muscles and had to learn how to adapt in order to score in the post against his older brother.

He learned the value of a head fake and became very good at tricking his brother he was going one way when he was actually going the other.

Sadly, the oldest was born with a congenital birth defect and in the period of time that he could have been a basketball star, he was on and off crutches and his dream of being the center for the team was shattered.

In between the 10 times his leg broke, he, his brother and the youngest, who just barely hit 6' played a lot of ball.

And in the spirit of competition, sometimes, their tempers flared at each other as brothers are prone to do.

My office was right there, I could see them, but more than anything, I could almost set my watch by the time when one of them would get angry, run into the house shouting, or muttering, that they were cheaters.

So, when the backboard eventually broke, and I was broke financially, I decided to build one. I covered some oriented strand board with a lot of paint and then wrote right above the net: “Let Brotherly Love Continue, Hebrews 13:1.”

And it worked! Not that the tempers didn't flair, but the older brother patiently taught the younger brother, even though his dream was shattered. His younger brother learned to play as if he was taller than he was, and when he got into competition, he was team scorer, became the captain of the team and now believes he can do anything.

He adopted the number that his older brother wore the last time he played and the rest, they say is history.

Now look again at the passage: (read).

What is God talking about here?

In the midst of trial, in the midst of conflict, in the midst of our pain, in the midst of pain in others is the time we should be giving, forgiving, loving the most.

What does this NT author tell us that our Christian lives should look like? What practical suggestions does this author give us to “Love our Neighbor as ourselves?”

Do this.

He is talking about our what it means for us to live this sacrificial life that he spends chapter 12 convinces us we should live.

Simple things. Do this.

Share a room with strangers. I loved the house Ivan and Clara Patterson built. They took this seriously and built a sort of apartment, right inside their home for people to stay at.

Always be ready to help.

The author promises that in this way, some people actually entertained angels. Lot is a good example. When you provide a place for others, you provide it for the Lord.

Regard the prisoner as if you were a prisoner yourself.

I love this. Remember the hype around the US Census? This is how the world thinks. There was all these news stories intended to scare us because formerly incarcerated people were hired to help with the Census. There is a detective in Union and West Milton who is also an ordained Brethren minister. He has a great confession rate. He leads the accused to the Lord, they confess, repent and then pay their debt to justice in prison. Those Census takers also paid their debt to society. But people want to keep on making them pay.

So God said, remember them as if you too were with them. He doesn't say “the innocent prisoners.” He doesn't say “the political prisoners.” He says: “prisoners.”

What do we think of them? He says, as if you were one of them. Think about their suffering, don't gloat over their predicament. How would that change our minds, if we remembered to do this. Here is the thing, it is easy to think of them as enemies, but Jesus wants us to consider them with as much regard as we would ourselves. This is what it means to love the neighbor as ourselves. That is why my Facebook icon is a picture of Jesus in prison.

He says the same thoughts for people who are being abused. I know that is how we all are, and how we all want to be, but he places them in the same place as our regard for prisoners.

How do we regard them?

From “The Message,” he then says: “Honor marriage, and guard the sacredness of sexual intimacy between wife and husband. God draws a firm line against casual and illicit sex.”

A firm line.

The marriage vow is a promise to love honor and respect your spouse. Sex, is a beautiful act that God designed to strengthen and preserve the marriage bond. I always told my sons, “if you love her, you will respect her.” And my daughter, “respect yourself, if he loves you, he will respect the honor of a woman. That attitude of respect is the difference between a girl and a lady.”

God actually means this. It isn't a joke, or an old-fashioned principle. It is a way to make intimacy work to strengthen your family and your life.

Then: ^5-6Don't be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have.

From The Message: Don't be obsessed with getting more, be relaxed with what you have.

Since God assured us, "I'll never let you down, never walk off and leave you," we can boldly quote,

God is there, ready to help;
I'm fearless no matter what.
Who or what can get to me?

The answer is: Nothing!

Tuesday, I participated in an evangelism Seminar on the web with Paul Mundy, the pastor of the Fredericksburg Church of the Brethren. He was talking about sacrificial giving in the midst of this, “the Great Recession.”

He said, tell the congregation that it is not time to give less, but to give more. Giving is a symbol of our dependence on God's provision. And right now, the needs are greater, not less. Now is the time that we can do more, because more people are in need. Now, especially in these lean times, is the time that believers should increase their generosity.

Living in forgiveness, caring for the prisoner, keeping our marriages pure, and sacrificially giving out of obedience to Christ are all acts of faith. All of these say to God and everyone around them: “It makes no difference how the world, society, this `get what-ever we can for ourselves culture' lives, I am going to trust God to defend me, to help me help others and to feed me. Because God commanded me to, and He will never leave us.

Do this. Live by faith.

And that leads to the next part of this worship service:

Do this in remembrance of me. For as often as you drink this cup, and eat this bread, you proclaim that Jesus died on your behalf. You remind yourself and everyone else that there is no way to earn salvation by works or gifts. God provides.