December 13, 2013
ABSOLUTE SUPREMACY AND SUFFICIENCY
Hebrews 13:1-14
Michael Waters
Central Truth
Faith is necessary to please God, and it produces perseverance. As His people, we should never fear for we have in Christ a helper to persevere who loves us constantly and cares for us perfectly.
Key Verse | Hebrews 13:5
[F]or He Himself has said, 'I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.' (Hebrews 13:5b)
Hebrews 13:1-14
Sacrifices Pleasing to God
1 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 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 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. 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.” 6 So we can confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”
7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 9 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. 10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tent 1 13:10 Or tabernacle have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. 12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. 13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. 14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.
Dive Deeper | Hebrews 13:1-14
Love one another, kindness to strangers, compassion to those in bondage and suffering, faithfulness in marriage, God's judgment for the immoral, not idolizing money, contentment in Christ, the person of God and His Word, beware of false teaching, understand God's grace for us, and through Jesus Christ alone we have been justified to God. The author of Hebrews clearly lays out specific encouragement for the faithful to persevere in their Christian life. He emphasizes that God will never leave us, and we should not fear as we have a helper in Christ. We are His, and He is supreme and sufficient for us.
Like most teenagers today, I am preoccupied with myself. My mom would suggest this is an understatement. Much of the time, I think the latest that money can buy in clothes, sports gear, or technology will change my life. When I am looking at new equipment online, I soon become discontent with my existing gear. Just as Hebrews 13:5 says, I need to be content with what I have and guard myself against the love of money to please myself and the false sense of identity it can give me. My identity needs to be found in Christ alone because there is no power in money to change who I am.
When I trust in His provisions, I realize they are always perfect. And I find myself more content knowing He provides exactly what I need, not what I want. When I let discontentment control my life, it clearly takes my focus off pleasing God. When it is off God, it is usually back on pleasing me. His provisions are His to build His kingdom. I want to learn to be pleased in seeing His provisions used to further His purposes and not in pleasing my desires. I am learning that when I reflect on His perfect sufficiency in the past, it allows me to look to the future with a more content heart. I am His, and He will never leave me or forsake me. He is sufficient for me.
Discussion Questions
1. If the writer of Hebrews was talking to you personally and concluded with the exhortations in chapter 13, which area/areas would you identify with?
2. A lot of the time we are impatient about persevering for the faith. In what area of your life has Christ matured you because you have persevered? What area do you need to stay the course with obedience?
3. How do you attempt to provide your own sufficiency? Why do we elevate self-sufficiency? Why do we rely on our own self-effort above God's sufficiency for us?