Hebrews 13

We made it,

I'll have to look back at when I started this study in Hebrews...but I'm sure it has been longer than expected.  I have learned a lot about myself during this study.  Much from the text, indeed, but also about my reliance on 'routine'.  I had things all worked out and fit in and arranged...until life started happening.  All my 'nice little life' needed was a little nudge in a couple areas and I was out of sync.  I will spare you all the details.  But let me just say that the message I (finally) heard from the Lord was "can you walk with Me in the midst of the disruptions?"  It changed my focus from praying the disruptions away, to walking with Him through them.  Duh.

I think my routine was honoring to Him; I was studying and growing and walking with Him.  But life will not always offer me a nice little routine on a cheese tray (I've lived in Wisconsin too long...).  I still have to walk with Him when there is no routine in sight.

So, that said, here is the study for Hebrews 13.  The thematic outlines have been funny the past few chapters (not 'ha ha' funny, but 'are you sure?' funny).  Chapter 11 had one section, then chapter 12 had three!  Well, it turns out that we're going to end the letter with three as well.  The outline is built on the 'R' of "SON IS MEDIATOR";

• Right conduct in the body (1-7)
  
• Render praise to God (8-16)
  
• Respect your leaders (17-25)
  

The  memory passages for each section are:

• Right conduct in the body
  Hebrews 13:1 (ESV)
  1Let brotherly love continue.
  
  
• Render praise to God
  Hebrews 13:15 (ESV)
  15Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
  
  
• Respect your leaders
  Hebrews 13:17 (ESV)
  17Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
  

Brief Commentary

The first thematic section, Right Conduct in the Body (1-7), reads more like a smattering of individual thoughts on five different areas of life.

• Hospitality to travelers
• Ministry to those in prison
• Marital purity
• Financial contentment
• Treatment of leaders

Just looking at this list, I see a common thread is stated in verse 1; 'Let brotherly love continue'.  We are to have love for traveling strangers, those in prison, our spouse, the Giver of financial blessings (not the things themselves), and those set among us to lead. The writer is giving us examples of how to live out the command of Christ:

John 13:35 (ESV)
By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

The second thematic section, Render Praise to God (8-16), seems to turn the focus to our vertical relationship to God.  The writer begins with this bold proclamation:

Hebrews 13:8 (ESV)
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

This eternality includes Christ's teaching, ministry, and worthiness.  We are to hold fast to the free gift of grace that He offers, not to be led astray by strange teachings.  We are to seek the 'city that is to come' (14) because Christ has gone ahead and made the way for us as our High Priest.  We are to continually offer Him the praise He is due by honoring His name and loving each other. 

The final section, Respect Your Leaders (17-25), contains the charge to obey and respect the leaders of the church along with the writer's benediction and personal greetings.  The readers are to obey and submit to their leaders because;

1. the leaders are keeping watch over their souls
2. the leaders have to give an account for their leadership
3. the followers will be better led by empowered leaders
   

 Those words, obey and submit, are not very popular these days; nor is having to 'give an account' for that matter.  The first two reasons are true and critically important.  But in case someone needed one more bit of motivation, the writer appeals to common sense; 'if you treat your leaders well, they will be better leaders'.  Then the writer, seemingly including himself as a leader, humbly asks for prayer.  He assures the readers that they (their leaders) have a clear conscience and desire to act honorably.  And the writer longs to be restored to the people he is writing to.

The two-verse benediction reviews some of the main themes of Hebrews; the work of Christ on our behalf, His role as shepherd and High Priest, His mediation of the new covenant, and His enabling us with faith and strength to follow Him in a way that pleases Him. 

How does this affect my worship?
Hebrews 13:15 is on 'the list' of my all-time favorite worship verses.  It paints such a vivid picture of worship; 'the fruit of our lips'.  Our life in Christ will bear all kinds of fruit in His kingdom including our praise and worship of Him.  The thing about this translation is that I'm not thrilled with 'acknowledge' as a rendering.  Other translations render it 'confess His name', or 'give thanks to His name'.  Acknowledge (in its modern usage) sounds too casual...like waving at someone as you pass them in the car.  I want the fruit of my lips to honor Christ continually. 

How does this affect my discipleship?
Once again I, as a disciple-maker, am warned about the dangers of false teaching.  New or young believers can easily be influenced by strange teachings and false doctrines.  As a discipler, I must keep my eyes open for such infiltrations (through the disciple's language and questions).  It is one more way in which the leaders will be held accountable, and must be taken seriously.

Following Him,

Ethan

Hebrews 12

Hello again!

For the record (if anyone is keeping track), I am finding more 'freedom' in my study by not rushing to get a whole chapter completed in one week.  That goal was very good for me in the beginning of this study (to give me motivation and get this whole thing jump-started) but I have found myself camping on certain verses and passages more.  I know full well that the next time I do this study through the Bible I will be drawn to much different things.  So I trust Holy Spirit to lead me to the things He wants me to dig into this time, and leave the things He might have for me next time.  It's great to have the Author as a person Guide and Tutor :)

Up through Hebrews 11, I gave each chapter two main outline sections.  Chapter 11 had just one.  Chapter 12 has three.  But I checked with the administrator of this study, and he said that was ok....

The outline theme for Hebrews 12 is built on the 'O' of 'SON IS MEDIATOR':

• Our Founder of faith (1-2)  
  
• Our Father who disciplines (3-17)  
  
• Our future kingdom (18-29)  
  

The memory passages are;

• Our Founder of faith
  Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV) 
  1Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
  
  
• Our Father who disciplines
  Hebrews 12:7 (ESV)
  7It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
  
  
• Our future kingdom 
  Hebrews 12:28-29 (ESV) 
  28Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29for our God is a consuming fire.
  
  

Occasionally in this study I come upon a passage that just begs to be memorized.  I tried a few ways of sticking vv1-2 with the larger section on discipline, but it just didn't work.  So I made it its own section; Our Founder of faith.  The writer refers to the previous list of faith heroes and encourages us to put aside the things that weigh us down, deal with sin, and run hard.  Our goal?  Jesus, Who founded and perfected our faith by His work.  But He did not go about His mission grudgingly or reluctantly; He endured the cross and the shame because He knew that the end was worth it.  He looked to the joy before Him (of being exalted and united again with His Father) as we are to look to Him (being united with Him in eternity) as our hope (1 John 3:2-3).

A much larger section (vv 3-17) deals with Our Father who disciplines.  But it appears that vv3-4 are somewhat of a continuation of 1-2.  The writer again points to Christ to say that His suffering under sinners and struggle against sin (though He did not sin) should be an encouragement and an exhortation to us.  We can be encouraged of heart that Christ, our Example, endured to the end of His mission on earth.  But we are also exhorted to not lose heart, even if we struggle against sin to the point of shedding blood (as Christ did in the garden (Luke 22:44) and on the cross (Col 1:20)). 

The word 'discipline appears 9 times in this passage.  While I still have a lot to learn about studying God's Word, I'm pretty sure that when a word shows up that many times that I should pay attention.  I also find it very interesting that the writer doesn't start off with our need for discipline but our standing as sons (which appears 6 times).  "Don't forget, you are children of God!  If He disciplines you, it is out of His love for you and for your own good.  It's better to be loved and disciplined by a loving Father, even if it isn't fun for the moment; the alternative is being spiritually Fatherless."  Verse 11 sums up the fruit of discipline from God:

Hebrews 12:11 (ESV)
For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Right after describing the work of God in our discipline and training, the writer lists several things we are responsible for in the process.

• Lift our drooping heads
• Strengthen our weak knees
• Make straight paths for our feet
• Strive for peace
• Strive for holiness
  

Walking with God is a shared endeavor; what He does (and can only do) in combination with what He wants us to do.  Again, the metaphor of a father and his children applies.  What dad is not thrilled with the first steps of his tottering child?  And yet, that same dad does not want his 16 year-old still learing to walk.  I see it so plainly with my own children.  I can show my 5 year-old exactly how to do something but until she decides to work with me in the process, we don't get anywhere.  I could do it for her (and do it well), but then she would never learn herself.  God knows what (and how) we need to learn in order for us to produce the good fruit He intends for us. 

The writer then exhorts believers to obtain the grace of God so that no 'root of bitterness' springs up and causes trouble.  The examples he gives of these roots are sexual immorality and unholy selfishness (like Esau).  Walking in the grace of God, in holiness and humility, helps believers avoid the sinful seeds of bitterness and unholines.

The last section of Hebrews 12, Our Future Kingdom, contrasts two mountains representing two kingdoms.  Verses 18-21 remind the readers about the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai.  This mountain was inapproachable because of the fire, darkness, gloom and tempest.  In fact, God commanded that if even an animal touched the mountain it must be stoned.  Moses, God's friend, even trembled with fear.  The Law that was given was also inapproachable in that it could not be fulfilled by the people.  It's purpose was to keep their sin before them (and remind them of their need for a Savior). 

The new kingdom, represented by Mount Zion, is different.  Because of the work of Jesus as our Mediator, we are now invited to draw near to 'the city of the living God'.  The old kingdom will be shaken and pass away, but we can be grateful for receiving a kingdom that will not be shaken.  For this (among other things) we should worship God with reverence and awe.  The writer then describes God as a 'consuming fire', which seems to reference Deut 4:24:

Deuteronomy 4:23-24 (ESV)
23Take care, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make a carved image, the form of anything that the Lord your God has forbidden you. 24For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

 This passage from a larger section warning against idolatry.  Indeed, anyone who worships anything of this world is giving their devotion to things that will be shaken.  We are exhorted to worship God, the Judge of all (23) who is the One who will do the shaking.  He alone is worthy of our worship.


How does this affect my worship?
We must not forget awe.  There are many approaches to worshiping God including praise, adoration, supplication, complaint, exaltation, etc.  It's true that we can approach the Father boldly because of the work of Christ (4:16), and that Jesus Himself calls us 'friends' (John 15:15).  But He is still God; who created heaven and earth, God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob, who Authored and Perfected our salvation, and who will one day shake the earth and take to Himself all who are  His.  He is the Originator of the universe and Creator of my smallest cells.  He alone is worthy of worship.

How does this affect my discipleship?
I suppose there is an element of the 'shared enterprise' in discipleship, too.  There are the thing that the discipler does (teach, guide, counsel) and things the disciple must do (study, seek, ask questions, practice disciplines).  The disciple-maker has an important role, but cannot 'make' the disciple.  For both the disciple-maker and the one being discipled there is the on-going walk with God that included the things only God can do and the things He wants us to do.  This idea is best transferred by example.  Discipleship is following God in front of each other.

Grateful for our future kingdom,

Ethan