Today we are finishing up our journey through the book of Hebrews. It is an appropriate passage for today which is our “Cultural Sunday”, where we celebrate the way God has built IBCD over the last several years with people from many different countries, traditions, and backgrounds into one family in Christ. The words which wrap up this theologically complex letter are more than just a “goodbye” but it is also an encouragement to hold fast to a relationship which allows for speaking into each other’s lives, to fellowship, and a reminder that the family of faith goes beyond the walls of any specific church building, but around the world wherever Christ is declared King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Hebrews 13:22–25 “Brothers and sisters, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for in fact I have written to you quite briefly. I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you. Greet all your leaders and all the Lord’s people. Those from Italy send you their greetings. Grace be with you all.”

One of the words we use, which is fairly unique to Christianity and Judaism, is the word “covenant”.

We are going to be looking at this very deep word found in our faith today.

We have been going through the last chapter of Hebrews calling it “Living the Way” and today we are calling this sermon “Living the Way of Covenant”.

Hebrews 13:20-21 20 May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

The passage today is one where I am going to be a little self-indulgent. I am going to talk openly about what it is like to be a pastor, my point of view is on leadership, and how we walk this out together.

Now, to be clear, this is my point of view, and you might not think my point of view is correct, but it is what it is.

Hebrews 13:17-19 17 Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account.

The Bible reminds us often that we should do good deeds. However, there are some pitfalls that Christians tend to fall into regarding that subject. Also, the Bible makes it clear that doing good and sharing with others should be more than just a transactional giving. Instead, we are called to sacrificially give ourselves.

Hebrews 13:16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

All praise is rooted in Christ’s finished work. We tend to base whether or not God is “worthy” of our praise based on what is happening in our lives right at the moment, or what is happening in the world around us, but this is not the basis of praise. The basis of praise is on his completed work in which he has, and forever will, meet our need for intersession, to stand in for us, at the throne of God.

Hebrews 13:15 “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.”

The idea of trying to live within this temporary world with eternal values is a very strong theme in Christianity. Jesus spoke about it very directly when he said:

Matthew 6:19-33 19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Hebrews 13:14 14 For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.

Today’s passage, in spite of how it begins, is complicated. This passage is a calling away from the human desire to make our “religion” look pretty, look dignified, and tells us to look at Jesus and the ugliness of sin. It is not what we move away from which is important, but who we move toward.

Hebrews 13:13 13 Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore.

All of us have been influenced by spiritual leaders. Today’s passage calls us to remember, consider, and imitate them. There is much we can learn from their ways of following Jesus.

Hebrews 13:7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.

Money is an inescapable part of our lives. So think about the role of money in your life. Pray about it. When you financially plan, do so with more than just financial returns in mind. You have only this one life to live so consider carefully who and what you want to live it for.

Hebrews 13:5-6 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." 6 So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

Today’s verse is very straightforward and can seem almost harsh and judgmental. Personally, I think there were many marriage issues in the early church. So, maybe as a remedy to all the ambiguity around marriage and problems this was causing, the author of Hebrews here breaks down a very straightforward approach to marriage. He has no fluff or compromise around it. He says:

Marriage is honorable.

Hebrews 13:4 4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.