Brotherly Love

Hebrews: An Anchor for Our Soul

Hebrews 13:1-3

 

The writer to the Hebrews concludes his letter with personal and practical concerns in order to encourage these people in the faith and exhort them to grow in holiness. Hebrews 1-11 emphasize specific commands and are almost entirely directed to Jews who have received the gospel but need to understand the superiority of the New Covenant.  The exhortations in chapter 12 apply to believers in general, and encourage them to run the race of faith with patience and holiness.  In chapter 13, the author gives specific practical exhortations.  This fits the pattern of many New Testament books:  true faith demands true living. 

“The world takes its notion of God most of all from those who say they belong to God’s family.  They read us a great deal more than they read the Bible.  They see us; they only hear about Jesus Christ.”           -Alexander Maclaren

 

Matthew 5:16

 

Right living is based on . 

 

Every moral command in the New Testament presupposes . 

 

1. Brotherly affection: love (v. 1)

 

Faith in Christ makes you part of GOD’S FAMILY. 

 

“It is the kind of love…

• that binds each other together as a family, as a brotherly clan.
• that binds each other in an unbreakable union.
• that holds each other ever so deeply within the heart.
• that knows deep affection for each other.
• that nourishes and nurtures each other.
• that shows concern and looks after the welfare of each other.
• that joins hands with each other in a common purpose under one Father.”            -Leon Morris

 

John 13:34, 35

 

1 John 3:18, 19

Ephesians 4:1, 2

 

2. Hospitality: love (v. 2)

 

Galatians 6:9, 10

 

Our primary concern should be to help and not to avoid being taken . 

 

Titus 1:8

 

1 Timothy 5:10

 

Hospitality should be a mark of . 

 

1 Peter 4:9

 

A. Hospitality .

 

Mark 10:28-30

 

B.  Hospitality is .

 

Matthew 25:40

 

3. Ministering to the forgotten: love toward prisoners and the mistreated (v. 3)

 

Galatians 6:2

 

James 1:27

 

We should do our best to put ourselves IN THEIR PLACES. 

 

Matthew 7:12

 

Some practical ways we can be

an encouragement to people?

 

• We can just .
• Give .

 

Philippians 4:14-16

•  .

Colossians 4:18

 

Hebrews 4:15

 

Mark 10:45

Daily Meditations

 

Memory verse: “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”

Hebrews 13:2 

 

Monday

Read Hebrews 13:1-3.  Why is it important to remember that the book of Hebrews is a letter written to a congregation of individuals?

How does thinking of Hebrews as a letter affect the way you approach this final chapter?

What about the book as a whole?

 

Tuesday

Read Hebrews 13:1-3.  What can you do to show love to a person who is in prison or being mistreated?

What does it teach us about the shift in the covenants?

What makes brotherly love a distinctly Christian love?

Wednesday

Read Hebrews 13:1-3.  How is showing hospitality a way of showing love?

How can you show “brotherly love” or love toward strangers through hospitality?

Thursday

Read Hebrews 13:1-3.  Which people in your life have shown you particularly great hospitality?

Why do you think some cultures (e.g., Muslim, Middle Eastern, Hispanic) tend to be so hospitable?

Friday

Read Hebrews 13:1-3.  What can we learn from cultures that have more of a reputation than we do for being hospitable?

Hebrews 13:3 commands us to remember. How is remembering a form of love?

Saturday

Read Hebrews 13:1-3.  Who are some of the most often neglected and forgotten people in your life?

What can you do to remind yourself of their situations so that you remember them in prayer or visit them?