Sacrifices Pleasing to God
13:1 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 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. 15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
17 Obey 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.
18 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. 19 I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner.
Benediction
20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Final Greetings
22 I appeal to you, brothers, bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. 23 You should know that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom I shall see you if he comes soon. 24 Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who come from Italy send you greetings. 25 Grace be with all of you. (ESV)
Good morning True North!!!
Well, I just wrote my first blog post of 2010. Check it out right here: http://kylejohnsonblog.blogspot.com/ If any of you want to read it….
Hebrews 13:
“1 Keep on loving each other as brothers.”
I believe that this verse needs to be emphesized more in the Christian life today. Jesus talked about loving others more a lot. Loving others is great joy. Loving others is so important in our life. We need to love others wheather it’s by just helping them out or listening to them. Wheather it’s encouraging them. I think this year, I’ve really learned to love others a lot more! I think I heard this is this weeks sermon @ True North so ya can’t wait to hear it!
nice comment(:
Great blog Kyle! Glad you will be joining us at Easter At The Bren!
Great Blog Kyle. Save me a seat at the Bren Center!!
ELLO I read
I like verse 6,”So we can confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?””
I like this verse because it tells the complete truth that I need to get into my head. I have the fear of man to an extent. I want to have people want my company and I want to have friends. I need to remember that JESUS is far more important and that the opinion of men and friends is nothing and the opinion of JESUS is everything. Nothing that man can do to can damage my soul I need to remember this and preach JESUS’s WORD without fear because nothing anyone can do to me is anything and if I suffer for GOD’s word it is amazing because I did something worthy to suffer for CHRIST.
CYA
Great comment Tannner!!
17 Obey 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.
This verse ties in with the sermon a few weeks ago on submitting to people like your teachers. Teachers are always going to be in your life and whether you like them or not is your decision, but we need to continually be respectful. If we don’t respect the things they do or the things they teach, focus on the position God has but them in. As students, teachers are a higher authority and it is much easier to submit to them with the mind-set that that we need to respect their position of authority. The Bible adds in to not only respect them, but to respect them with a smile on our face and a joyful spirit. I know i have a lot to work on whens it comes to respecting my authorities and to do it with a joyful heart!
Thanks for sharing this, Jenna. It DOES make SUCH a difference to obey with a joyful heart instead of a begrudging one. Kind of like when you baby-sit, right? When the kid is stoked and on-board with your instruction, it makes baby-sitting so much BETTER! But when the kid is acting like junk (sometimes, they do–just keepin’ it real, guys), ya almost wonder if the $20 was even worth it, right? Man, I never want to have my pastor wonder if his time and energy is worth it after he hangs hit hat after a day of baby-sitting ME, RIGHT? We have to step up our game and dump the selfishness. GREAT sharing, Jenna! THANK YOU!
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.
I’m praising God today for bringing this verse to my heart for sincere consideration. I give thanks to God for the leaders He’s called me to serve under here at Compass Bible Church, and specifically at True North. Bobby, Christa, and Ben are colossal and exemplary in heart, service, diligence, consistency, and love for Jesus Christ, which shines through in their love for the students God brings to True North in accordance with His sovereignty. I’m grateful for the time, blood, sweat, and tears they literally pour into this ministry, always endeavoring to do and be more, giving God and His people the very best they have to offer, speaking and living God’s truth and living out His Gospel Message. Talk about giving God their firstfruits!!! I am blown away–but more appropriately, incredibly encouraged and emboldened–to give God MY best by serving Him in my service to others. It is a privilege, blessing, and act of obedience to serve you guys at True North, and I pray God stirs up deep faith within ALL of us as an effect of the incredible leaders He’s blessed us with in Pastors Bobby and Ben and Christa. And of course, Pastor Mike.
Under such leadership, great things are required now of US. I’m praying, too, this morning, for the Word of God to take root DEEP DOWN into the soil of our hearts, so that when we face trials, our faith may be proved as saving, or so that the Gospel we hear every time we get together won’t be snatched up by Satan and his minions when we go back out to our posts in the world. Pierce our hearts, Lord God. Grow us for Your Name’s sake. Compel us by the blood of Jesus Christ.
Amen Stacy Perkins, we are so blessed!
Or did you mean SCOTT Perkins (my twin)…? I’ll have to find that picture and bring it to Small Groups with me for you guys!
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.”
Verse 5 stood out to me because it points out that the remedy for the love of money, or materialism, is contentment. Few of us would say that we love money literally, that we obsess over the feel of crisp dolla-dolla bills in our hands. But, many of us would have to admit that we do overly-focus on and love the things money can buy…clothes, cars, phones, computers, tvs, etc. The way we can stop being so materialistic is to be content with what we have. Not just materially,in terms of stuff, but spiritually…that is the key! When I am content I am trusting in God’s promised provision and thankful for all that He has given me. The end of verse 5 says that God will never leave or forsake us. That is huge! We are never left alone to fight through this life ourselves. God, in the form of the Holy Spirit, is with us constantly. Contentment is key in the life of a Christian. We must stop coveting, comparing, and complaining and then we will be more content. We have all we need for life and godliness in Christ and that is enough!
8 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. 19 I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner.
I like this verse because it is telling us that when we have a clearer conscience we can see God more easily. God will return to us and we shall see him and understand him in a deeper way when we act honorably (which is how we get a clear conscience). We all need prayer for this, including myself!
15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
It is helpful to know what kind of sacrifices God is looking for. God’s people used to bring animals and grain as offerings for the altar. With Christ, this old system is gone, but God is still looking for sacrifices. Here we see it is praise that acknowledge his name. It is also to do good and to share with others. These things please God and they are totally within are grasp to do.
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.
Verse 13 tells us that we need to go to him outside the camp and to bear the reproach that he endured. What this means is that we are to leave the world behind and all of the things that is has to offer, and to follow and suffer with Christ. The Christian life is not easy. As Christians, we must take up our crosses daily and follow our Lord Jesus Christ no matter what. But verse 14 gives us a great reason as to why we would do this! Verse 14 reminds us that this earth WILL PERISH! All of the things we have on this earth, money, cars, clothes, whatever will be gone when Christ returns! And we are looking to a better city, the New Jerusalem, where we will be worhsipping the holy God we serve FOREVER! This new city is an infinite amount of times better than this earth! The pleasures of God far outweigh anything that this world has to offer. I need to be forsaking the “fleeting pleasures of this world” and seeking God’s kingdom. I need to be suffering for the gospel and leaving my sinful live and pleasures behind, and instead look heavenward! I pray that I would apply this verse to my life, and live with the “Maranatha mindset”
Great comment!
Great comment!!! I am going read the Pilgrim’s progress now because of this comment. Awesome!!
14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. 15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
This is a great reminder for me to not focus so much on the things that this physical world can offer me. Back in the day when the people read this they were probably discouraged because of the persecution they received for not obeying the jewish law, and they were probably tempted to obey the law just to get social status. Well I am not exactly in Jerusalem or anything, but I do live in Orange County and I do have to deal with the desire/temptation to live for material things like popularity and surfing instead of living completely for God. This is hard to do now, but one day we will be in a city that will never be destroyed and Jesus will be our king, the person we live for will physically be there with us! Amazing! But for now I am going to let go of all the material things I hold on to, and instead hold on to Jesus, proclaiming that He is God and giving of myself for others.
mhmm! me too
great comment!:)
love this…great comment hunterrr(:
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.”
This promise quoted at the end of the verse holds so much more value compared to money and the physical things of the world that there really can be no comparison. For those that have saved from their sins through Jesus Christ, they have found the ultimate satisfaction. Jesus is the bread of life, the living water. When one has assurance of eternity in heaven because of Jesus Christ, there is nothing greater than that. The things here on earth are only temporary, and they don’t hold any lasting value. It seems that whenever someone gets the newest thing, it’s great. But when it’s replacement or follow-up comes out, no more satisfaction seems to be found in the old thing. However, Jesus is eternally satisfying, for nothing has ever compared, can compare, or ever will compare to how great he is! Christians will never hunger or thirst spiritually ever again. Tenth Avenue North’s “Satisfy” says this: “I’m begging You, to help me see; You’re all I want, You’re all I need; Oh, satisfy me Lord”
I need nothing more than Christ to be satisfied. It is easy to get caught up in the world, but I need to keep my eyes after what holds true value. As a sinner, there was nothing more that I could need than the forgiveness of my sins and salvation. And that is exactly what I now have in Jesus Christ. Because of his blood, my sins have been washed away, and I can now spend eternity in heaven in the presence of my King by his perfect resume. In Jesus are the words of life, the eternally satisfying truth. I need to hold onto these words of life. I can do this by reading Scripture and meditating on what it says, planning ways to apply what I’ve learned to my life. Also, I can hear these words of life being spoken by pastors, so I must be eager to hear what they have to so, listening attentively so I can put their words into practice!
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
I really like this verse! When everything fades and goes to ruin, Jesus Christ will always be here! He is unchanging! It is so comforting to know that I have a God who will never change. Even reading through the bible, Christ is the same throughout. He is the same and will be forever!
amen! i love this verse too<3!
Loooove it! Our God will remain the same forever!
Great comment Brooke Brooke!
18 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. 19 I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner
We need to pray for each other and make sure that we are thinking, acting and trusting like our Lord Jesus Christ. If we don’t concentrate on God, then we won’t have the life we wish we could have. We need God in our lives to be truly and completely happy, and we need to act and speak for Him on this earth. We are His representatives, His reputation and we need to make sure that we’re doing it right. I pray for each and every one of my friends because I want them to have the best lives by thinking and acting like our Lord. God is the only way and we need to be faithful to Him.
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?”
These verses are totally comforting! i could slap myself in the face a thousand times for all of the past times i didnt fully trust in the Lords plan and i viewed wordly things more pleasing than His word. Each day, I realize how much more i want to be in heaven with God and i realize how corrupt the world is. I used to care about what people thought of me, but now i wont compromise my faith or my beliefs for anyone. Christ is my life and it is so important to realize that He is with me always, and that the people i once feared wont even be in my life a year or two from now, which is why its so important to spread the gospel when we have time, because we never know when the Lord will return! And we never know if we will see the same non chrisitians again.
Anyways, i feel so comforted from these verses. The Lord is so good to me, and i love how his promises are so reassurring
Marantha!
Amen! It’s so comforting to read God’s promises
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.”
In times like these when our economy is a mess and people are losing jobs, it’s more important than ever to just trust in God to take care of us. Living in Orange County, the focus on material things is hard to avoid. The world cares about material things and advertises them on TV, billboards, radio, etc. Sometimes it’s hard not to wish we had more money so we could work less, buy some convenient things, go on great vacations, etc. My prayer today is that I would be able to find all of my contentment in God–knowing that in Him I have everything I need already.
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.”
This verse stood out to me the most out of the whole chapter. I think living in world we get so caught up in money. Also wanting to have everything that is new and better. It can even be a struggle for me sometimes. I will feel like i need a new IPod or a new phone. instead of appreciating what Christ has provided me with and given me!! Also recognizing that nothing on this world will last. But God lasts forever!!!! My prayer is that this week I can remember what Christ has given me and appreciate it.
~~~~~MARANATHA~~~~~
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.”
This is just a good verse especially since as a senior, people keep pressuring me to go to a good college and get a prestigious job to make a lot of money. In OC, it’s pretty hard to not get caught up in that ambitious mentality of making a lot of income/money. I want to be content with what I have because I realize that my salvation is enough. Plus God always keeps His promises when He says that He will never leave me. Like Bobby said yesterday, I am never alone in my problems because God is always there for me!
Very true
Life is more than money etc… “Jesus is all that matters.”
Good morning to all! This is the kind of morning after a rain that reminds me of God’s promise to Noah after the flood. It is such a beautiful day!
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.
) Jesus will never ever ever ever change! He is the constant in our lives that keeps us going and is there for us no matter what. He never stops loving us, the Bible will always be true, and His amazing mercy, grace, and power never lessens because He never changes. This reassures me so much, my loving Savior won’t ever change no matter how much I do. He is there no matter what!
The Lord is amazing, His creation is awesome, He never changes, and He will never let me down. AMEN!
I love this passage so much! Exactly what I needed to hear right now(amazing how that works huh?
In verse nine it talks about how we should not be led away by strange teachings, but be fed and learn from grace. I applied this to my life as not being fooled in biology class. All this stuff about evolution and why species are diverse is easy to buy into if you’re not strong. I sometimes struggle with that but I need to be fed by grace, or getting into His word constantly and talking to Him everyday
MARANATHA!
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.
MMMM this verse reminded me of the people in the articles I read in my Voice of the Martyrs magazine!! Everyday there are christians out there serving God and getting beaten, put in jail, or killed for it. Sometimes, I forget my brothers and sisters over seas, and I need to continue to remember them and pray for them that they may spread the gospel boldly, and that God may protect them. We are so blessed here in America to have a church like Compass and to worship God freely!!
Hey guys. =) This was a really great scripture, because it gave us sort of guidelines to live by. I also liked verse 6, so we can confidently say, “The lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” It is a faith-describing verse, showing his ever-present love and mercy. I pray that this infinite love will be taken in, and not be taken for granted.
Great comment Robin(: its awesome to see you on SOTD! cant wait for small groups on Wednesday!!!
<3
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.”
This was a great ending chapter of Hebrews! This is an awesome verse too! This world and everyone in it are all about getting the best of the best and wanting more and more money. It’s as if the world is saying this is our only life, and if we dont live it up here with the most money possible, we wont life a happy life. This isnt true though. Sure having nice things is enjoyable, but is that our only joy? Joy comes from God and everything nice and good comes from Him. Were so obssesed with the good things He has provived us with, that its almost like we’ve forgotten to thank Him for everything. My aunt and uncle dont have an abundance of money but they have 8 kids and have everything they need. Sure they could use more, but for what they have, they are praising God for everything. Am I praising God for everything He has given me? God has blessed me, but for some reason it seems like Im always wanting more. I need to stop and praise God for everything and be content with it, becuaes God will never leave me! If im trusting in God for everything He will never leave me nor foresake me. Knowing that, I dont need anything more then what He has already given me!
6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
I really liked this verse because in a way i think it can relate to many of our lives. A lot of times things happen in our lives that cause us to worry. But who are we to worry? We have the creator of the universe on our side. He is willing to step up and help us in times of need, He will never leave us! Besides, man can not do anything to us when we have God. So what is there to fear? If you have God; Nothing!!!
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.
I like this because it is saying you need to help everyone. Not just the close friends you have or someone u know, but even the people who you may see who you aren’t close with. We are here to represent Jesus, because we are also in the body. WWJD?
Heb 13:5 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.”
It is enough! The real contentedness comes from knowing Christ more and more. And just wait for the day He comes back!!!!
I’m feeling that! Maranatha!
As we close up Hebrews I just want to say that I really enjoyed reading it. I have come to understand more and more that: Jesus is our high priest, our intercessor, our lamb, our Shepherd, and our God, and it continues to change my life.
The Righteous Man of God:
The final list of ‘exhortations’, here in Hebrews 13, if all of them were put into practice would describe the ‘street cred’ of a Righteous Man of God. Brotherly love, hospitality, compassion, sexual purity, the absence of a love of money, etc… They all describe a person who upholds righteousness. This is who I want to be!
Yet, desiring to follow all of these practical instructions could, be worthless, if done for myself, my improvement, my glory, because I am storing up treasures on earth rather than heaven.
Therefore, I want to be righteous: love, joy, peace, etc… not so others will see me, but so that I glorify the God who has equipped me, and made me to, to do good works. In short, everything is to the glory and praise of my God. This is my prayer!
Maranatha!!
Great comment, Spence. Love your last paragraph!
Thanks Boyd! It was awesome hanging out with all the righteous crew on Sat. Thanks for liking my comment. All to the glory of God!!
5 …be content with what you have
Contentment. This is so important in our Christian life. I feel like the Lord has totally been showing me a lot these past few weeks on contentment. There is so much that I complain about throughout the day. Things that are SO meaningless. What I don’t realize is that this can be bringing down others around me and also myself. No one wants to hear me complain. Instead, I should be rejoicing in things the Lord has blessed me with and be completely satisfied in him alone. That’s where my contentment should be, in God sending his son to die for my sins so that I may be set free.
TOTALLY, Jazzy! Totally.
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.”
This is important especially for us teenagers. The youth of today always want something more and I am no stranger to this. We may think to ourselves that we are definetly not as bad at others which is true, but we still are always in the need of something else. It is important that I realize that God will provide any and all things that I need. He will also provide me with what I want IF and only if it is what is best for me. I need to be humble and content with what I have and trust in the LORD.
13:1 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.
This is a great verse. Here we see a few promises and commands that are especially important today. We need to show compassion and hospitality for people we do not even know. We need to help them and be kind to them. Second, by doing so, we may be helping out servants of GOD (angels) and be unaware of it. Just think how great the reward for that! Also, we should remember in our prayer those of the body of CHRIST who are persecuted for the name. I need to make sure I do all of this on a daily basis.
13:1 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Wow this ending chapter of Hebrews has so many meaningful verses! I loved these first two and they reminded me of Pastor Bobby’s sermon this morning:) I need to reach out to those Christians I do not know very well and keep up the relationships with Christians I do have. I need to show brotherly love to everyone and not just some people. Relationships are a lot of work, but I need to follow Christ’s example. Some people get creeped out by strangers, which I can understand, but I should still love them too. Although you should be cautious of strangers, we should not judge them by their external appearances but respect them and treat them how we would want to be treated. I also think it is so cool to think of angels being here on earth without us knowing it. How would I know if someone I mistreated in the past was really an angel sent by God to test me? This encourages me to love all others and treat everyone how I want to be treated. God is so gracious, faithful, and amazing<3
I read…
Verse 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.”
Throughout our lives, we need to hold on to the teachings of Compass because the pastors at this church are teaching truth. Let us not be lead away by others, but instead we need to be looking up things in the Bible that they are talking about. We also need to be discussing this with others so they will not get lead away either.
13:1 Let brotherly love continue.
MARANATHA!
Such a simple statement that is so short and yet so true! Pastor Bobby did a message on this today that goes perfectly with this one! How can IIII love my brothers and sisters in Christ? A great way of doing it is by keeping them accountable and checking up on them! ORRR giving them a ride to wherever they need to go. XD I give a lot of rides and I gotta admit, sometimes it’s frustrating for me, and my mom. haha BUT I should be doing it joyfully, knowing that this ride actually leads them to spiritual growth in the long run! I want to be a taxi driver for the Lord!
17Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
This kinda applies to my example as well. I shouldn’t be complaining about the things that I do for others because it is what God calls me to do! God wants me to do it and it glorifies His name when I do it without complaining and with a righteous heart! AAA righteous heart….I shall strive for that for the rest of my life!
Great heart Trembling B – keep seeking His approval!
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?”
I really loved this chapter and this verse especially because it explains that we need to be content with the things God has provided for us! We shouldn’t be greedy! God wants us to be content with the things He has given to us and won’t give us too much to handle in our lives because God is merciful.
I love this verse because its says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” This is so encouraging to me to know that there is a God out there watching over me at all times who won’t ever just leave me! He will always be there for me when i need Him the most and when i need Him the least ,and that is so amazing to me!
mmmmm im feelin this tiff(: way to be faithful to post on SOTD and get into God’s word everyday! its been great to see you grow in Christ girlie <3
20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,
21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
This is a great conclusion to Hebrews! Verses 20 and 21 stood out to me because it is something that is so important because it shows two things I need to be doing all the time. 1- pray for other Christians, 2- make sure everything I do trully please God. When I pray I can sometimes get carried away with stuff I need to pray for in my life. I also need to be focusing on caring for others and praying for them too. By doing that, it is one less selfish thing, and one more thing God wants me to do. Secondly, my behavior needs to always be pleasing to God. He sent His only son to die a painful death for my sins, when I didn’t deserve it! By calling myself a Christian, I always need to be obeying His commands! If He comes back, and finds me sinning, it will be akward, and I will be judged on it if I haven’t repented of that sin yet. So the main point is that I need to be living and thinking of others and always live for God! Maranatha!
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.
This is encouraging because Christ never changes, and it is important not to be swayed by all the constantly new ideas in this world. Those who offer their own opinions mixed with religious beliefs are not true Christians because they are participating in strange teachings. I need to constantly be reading God’s word and listening to those I know are Christians and not be ever be persuaded by wrong beliefs.
17 Obey 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.
This made me think of all the awesome leaders at True North
It’s comforting to have small group leaders for example who genuinely care about each young person’s spiritual life. I’m glad to know I have people who are watching over my soul. This also includes my parents because I obey them and they have raised me in the hope that I always grow in my spiritual life. I need to show joy in obeying them all, and not whine or groan.
13:1 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.
These verses remind me of Bobby’s point this weekend about the golden rule. To love as Christ loves, I need to regard and treat others as I want others to treat me. My love should be empathetic and sacrificial. I shouldn’t only give love when it’s convenient for me or when others make it easy to love them; my love should “continue” steadfastly. I should serve others as if I’m serving Christ Himself (or angels as it states in v2). I’m praying that everyone at TN will allow brotherly love to continue so that we might draw other to the church and salvation.
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.
So often I would skip over this type of verse because it “doesn’t apply to me now.” But it so does! Marriage in so many high schoolers minds is a bad thing because you are “tied down.” I honestly do not understand that. I want to get married so bad! Haha but right now there are many things I can be doing to be preparing for my future husband. I can first, be remaining pure-and staying as far away from the line of sexual immorality as possible. Second, I can always be praying that I would have a gentle and quiet spirit so that I am beautiful in God’s eyes first. I want to make sure that when I get married my husband knows that I am striving to be beautiful and pure in God’s sight and be a woman after God’s own heart!
Noe that’s a heart for Christ! Way to seek Him Morgan!
17 Obey 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.
I think that this is a big thing that many of us overlook in our lives as Christians. We are to honor and respect those who are put above us, for as it says here they watch over our souls. I think I really need to work on respecting teachers and my Parents at all times, wether I want to or not. Also the second part of this verse is important because very often I do obey my parents, but I have a bad attitude about it, which usually does me no good and gets mi in trouble. So i really need to work on my respect and my attitude
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
I LOVE this verse! Things of this world fade away so quickly, people move on clothes go out of style an things of this world just wither away, but Jesus Christ remains the same.
Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.”
I think this totally goes along with verse 8 it says the Lord will never fail or forsake me. Instead of putting my faith in people I need to put all my trust in the Lord.
13:1 Let brotherly love continue.
we need to love others at all times, even when its not convinient for us, beceause loving others is important to God and we need to do what he wants
2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Like Bobby was talking about this weekend, treating others well is important. Not to just our fellow Christians, but even to people we don’t even know. Cuz if we do things for people who we don’t even know, it’s like we’re doing it straight for Jesus. And here it says that sometimes people have been nice to angels without knowing it! That’s pretty crazy! I wonder what it would be like to have that happen.
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
How encouraging is that! We can completely trust Christ and his word all the time because it never changes from before, now and forever!
Whoa! So many true northers commenting and encouraging one another on SOTD! Keep it up!!! :]
6 So we can confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”
I love this verse because God is there. He helps in times of need. With God no one can truly hurt me. God is the true and only way. And that is why I am on His side! :]
***GLORY BE TO GOD!!!***
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?”
I love these verses because they are so true! During times of want or during times that are hard, God NEVER leaves us and that is so encouraging. I need to be working on have faith that he will be there to protect me and that I can be satisfied through him. Everything here on earth will soon be gone and all were gonna need is Christ! That is gonna be sooo amazing!! I love that I can have confidence in him and his plan that everything will be ok if I just pray for the LORD’S will and just follow everything he says. I also need to be working on looking for my rewards in heaven and not what is down here, like Pastor Bobby has said, “You can go green, but it’s gonna go red!” Love that and I’m praying that I can be living a life where all I am doing is looking forward to the day when I see my Father and nothing else will matter!!
MARANATHA!!!
15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
I liked this verse a lot to I just read a verse from Osaka today too that totally reminded me of it. Psalm 63:3 “Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.” Christ’s love is a step above love. He died for our sin so we don’t have to suffer for it, even though we deserve to. No one but him has ever show true love like that. I want to glorify Christ’s name 24/7 in my life.
Oopps my iPod was on auto-correct and I meant to put Psalms not Osaka
hahahahahah!!!! Osaka!!! ah.. that made me laugh
nice comment though Laura 
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.
Okay pretty much EVERY verse stuck out to me in the chapter
haha Hebrews is so awesome, I’m bummed were done. Anyways… I chose to comment on verse 7 because no one has really said anything on it yet. First off, I wanted to say how thankful I am for the awesome leaders that God has provided for us students at True North! If you ask me, I dont think we could ask for leaders who are more devoted to our spiritual growth, but more importantly, we couldnt ask for leaders more devoted to God. They teach us soooo much at small groups, or anywhere else if we hang out with them. Thank you Lord for our amazing leaders at true north who are committed to making our walks with Christ stronger!
This verse is cool though, because it says we need to imitate our spiritual leaders. For me, my spiritual leaders would be my parents, Pastor Bobby, Pastor Ben, Christa, Alicia, and some of the other leaders at TN. I need to be watching these people in their walks with Christ, and try to imitate them. They all have so much discipline in their Bible reading, prayer, quiet times, etc. They are all such great examples for me. I need to know that God put each one of them in my life as examples for me to help me further myself in my walk with him. So I need to take them as an example and imitate them, if you will, in my relationship with Christ.
This was an AWESOME chapter:)
Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Totally tied in with the message this weekend. I have always been told “What if that person was Jesus?” when I want to say something rude or say something about someone. I just kind of blow it off and assume it’s not… This verse kind of changed the way I view this. What if that person was an angel and I just “felt like” having a bad attitude that day and not caring? I would feel horrible and SUPER embarrassed. I need to think this way all the time and be hospitable to everyone I come in contact with… Who knows, I may get to entertain an angel:)
MARANATHA!!!
18 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things.
Just like Pastor Bobby mentioned in his blog a few days ago, the Lord has given all church leaders a warning that they will be judged with greater strictness. I need to make sure that I am faithfully praying for these men as they have been given this great responsibility! I need to be praying that they continue to preach God’s Word faithfully, that they would live lives above reproach, and they would be protected from the temptations of the world.
13:1 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
This is a cool verse to think about. I would love it if I entertained angels. In my family we have had many people stay at our house and so we might of had angels over. It has blessed me by showing hospitality in our home and I love it how my parents have taught me hospitality. Just having believers from all over the world stay at our house is encouraging to me from the story’s that they tell us about being a christian were they are from or just things they have gone through.
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
This stuck to me to the most because it reminds me that no matter what the Lord will always be there. He is there to help us, and to make sure that we are doing faithful acts and bringing in more brothers and sisters of Christianity. But at the same time we must remember that his “requirements” remain the same and are still to be obeyed. Let us praise and lift up his name! MARANTHA!
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
This is a great verse because it is true that God is never changing, and that he will always be there. Unlike us, he does not change, and he is always reliable.
17 “Obey 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.”
What a verse! This verse does not reflect a normal human, much less a highschooler. I am to submit to every authority, even if they are cruel or I don’t agree. There are so many examples of submission in the Bible that we can apply to our lives. Not only do I need to submit, but I also need to do it with joy. I need to make sure I submit to EVERY authority and have joy while doing it to be a witness for all the other highschoolers. I believe if I start doing this at SVCS there will be a Revival!
!!!MARANATHA!!!
I like in thE first verse when it was talking about our brotherly love for eachother. It reminded me of the sermon today about being a righteous person. I know I wish some people do stuff for me. The thing is I never think to do the same for them. I know when I do good things for people it’s to the people from True North. I know I can reach out to people and just say how is your day or do something nice for them. Lastly I like the ending how it was talking about obeying our teachers. I’ve been working on that a lot and been doing really well on it so far and hope to keep it going. I hope we can get the 100 comments back like we used to.
God wants sus up have a clean conscious and not to steel or do anything bad thy the lord wouldn’t like. I love the lord with all my heart I want to put to death all my bad sins and always be in the book of the lord. I live to have the feeling of waking up in the morning and know that god is with me.
6 So we can confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”
I love this verse
To me, it’s a great reminder that God is always on our side and that mankind has NOTHIN on us
So what if the whole world’s against us?
We have Jesus. And He’s ALL I need
God, You are so good in providing for me
Protection, love, grace, mercy…
The list of things is never ending of things I don’t deserve from You.
But You love me enough to keep me well equipped for the world and it’s lies and trying to get me to turn against You so that I only stand stronger in You.
You are so good to me Lord, help me to only shine for You and to not fall into the pressures and temptations of the world.
Help me to remember You are always on my side and that the world can’t ever take me away from You.
Not my will Lord, but Yours be done.
2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
This is really cool. That’d be awesome to entertain angels one day. In the real world, however, (nowadays) can we really trust strangers? I think this verse has a much more broader meaning than to just let anyone stay at your house. For example, some guy comes to your door in the middle of the afternoon selling some obscure thing that no one wants. You can either say no, or you could get the guy some water and then say no. At least that’s what this verse is telling me to do.
6 So we can confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”
Why should I fear any harm and cruelty that man could cause me. Man can do nothing to damage my soul or my eternal life. These matters are in the hands of Gods. I need to fully put my trust in the Lord because just as this verse says, the Lord is my helper. He is the almighty power of the universe who has control over everything. This is why he should be the one fear in my life.
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.
I am so thankful for the awesome leaders we have at Compass Bible Church. It is such a blessing to be able to follow Pastor Mike and Pastor Bobby and Pastor Ben. I can see God working in their lives and I know that as they are following God I can follow them.
17 Obey 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.
I like this verse. In the sense that it tells me what I need to do, and how straight foward it is. Obey your leaders, and do everything you can whole hearted, no less. Its really what I need to do more…not to have my parents asking me for the third time to take the trash out. Im sure we can all avoid being asked three times if we do it with our whole heart.
! ! !
Keep the Lord Fresh in your Head!
! ! !
14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. 15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
Life on this world is only temporary and won’t last. I’m only here for what, 60 years? 70? 80? What is that in relation to ETERNITY in heaven with the Lord! I can afford to spend the little time I have here praising His name and serving Him. It seems only fair, since Jesus Christ DIED for me to able to even go to Heaven! I really need to keep everything in perspective sometimes (especially this weekend
) and realize that NOTHING here matters except what I do to serve my Lord! Stress shouldn’t be problem since no matter what happens here, if I have repented (which I have) and put my faith in Christ (also did) then there is such an amazing light at the end of the tunnel!! Maranatha! Come get me quick and bring me up to be with you Lord!
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.
Wow what an awesome Chapter to conclude Pastor Bobby’s message at True North this weekend. “Let Brotherly love continue;” let us all ‘get real’ with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
The verse I picked out really stood out to me. I’m taking it a little bit out of context, but the verse says “Do not be led away by strange and diverse teachings.” Applying these few words to Pastor Bobby’s message: it is so easy for us to believe what our friends say and what society says. We need to do what is right in God’s eyes, even if it isn’t popular.
“18 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. ”
The writer of Hebrew shares the same desire as Paul does in Acts 24:16, to have a clear conscience! Paul “took pains” to have a clear conscience, likewise I need to do the same. I need to have a clear conscience so that I can desire “to act honorably in all things”.
6 So we can confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”
I loveee this verse!. my favorite part is definitely the last line “what can man do to me”, it seriously gets me all pumped up. I can read this verse and apply it to any aspect of my life across the board. No matter what I am doing or going through I know that God is there and is with me. Sometimes I get worried about what other people may think of me or that they may get mad at me for tryign to follow Gods commands, but that is totally wrong. God is the ultimate ruler and the worlds opinions are nothing compared to Him. I want to focus on doing whatever God commands of me and put aside any and all of the rules that the worlds tries to push on all of us everyday. God is my ruler and protector.
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.”
Can we be free of the love of money and materials in 21st century southern California? Yes….Often I have gone about saying…oh I wish I had more money or oh I wish I had that same sick ride my friend has….In those instances I have not been content with what I have but none of those things truly matter. We are commanded to have nothing before God and money is one of those things. I pray that I will always be content with what God has given me and realize that the things of this world will fade, but the things of the next will last forever.
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”
THis is definitely one of my favorite verses in the bible! The Lord is my helper and protector. He is always watching over me, so why should i fear? Man can do nothing to me, so why should i fear? With the protection of God, there is absolutely NOTHING to fear. Every time i think of fear, it reminds me of matthew 10:28! Man can only destroy my body! It is so important to fear the Lord because he is the only one who can destroy both body and soul! In this chapter it also says in verse 8 how God is unchangeable and he is always the same! God never changes which is so encouraging to know. THis reminds me of how i must have street cred and not change my attitude when i am outside of church or when im with different friends. I cannot just put on a mask, i must be a christian and live by faith ATAPAT!
I love verse 15 and 16! God does not need our praise and worship. But we do it because he is worth it and we love him! He is then pleased! I am going to try to please the Lord with the way i live out of my life because he is worth it! (:
Wow! I would love to copy this entire chapter, but what stood out to me where these beginning verses:
13:1 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…
… be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
truly a great encouragement and things to keep in mind and live out daily as we live our lives glorifying the LORD in all we do! And we need to remember to trust the Lord in all we do and to be content with what we have for He is with us. Definitely can be tough sometimes, and we feel like we need so much more, the latest phone, the next video game, book, iPod, cd, you get my point… What we really need to be more thankful for is our faith in Jesus Christ! And to remember that He has everything under control, trust HIM.
6 So we can confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?
This verse is encouraging to me and how i need to not fear what people think of me and focus more on how I am pleasing God and not worry about how I fit in and how I can please my friends!!!
MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!!
Keep it up Mark!
18 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things.
This verse goes hand-in-hand with Acts 24:16. Having a clear conscience before both God and men is a righteous characteristic. To be righteous before God is the best compliment anyone can have, and my goal for my life is to strive for righteousness before him. This verse talks about one crucial element of righteousness. To have a clear conscience is to know that in everything I do, no one can accuse me of hypocrisy, wrong doing, deceitfulness, etc. I know that I will sin, but I need to strive and “take pains” as Paul says in Acts 24 to keep my conscience as clear as I can. I want to be a point in my spiritual walk that when I go to bed at night, there is very little I regret doing because it wasn’t pleasing to the Lord. If I am to pursue true righteousness and Godliness, every action I take needs to be with the utmost care as to please my Lord. I owe everything I am to him, and he has blessed me so much. I want to make my life one that demonstrates the love and grace that he has shown to me to other people, and I pray that the Lord will help me develop into a man of righteousness after his own heart.
6 So we can confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”
Reading Hebrews, I’m starting to think that this is one of the most encouraging books in the Bible, mainly because it talks so much about Jesus and what he has/ is doing for us. This verse convicts me of all the times I have ever feared man. If I have the all-powerful LORD Jesus Christ with me to guide, protect, and empower me, how foolish is it when I worry about standing up for Jesus against before antagonistic nonchristians. I have already been promised the words to speak in the Holy Spirit, and I know that no one can do anything to me apart from God’s will. I pray that I wouldn’t stress about anything at all, because God’s will will always come to pass without heed to anything that other people may or may not want to happen. If it is God’s will that I be persecuted, then it will happen, and if its not it wont. I pray that I would submit to God’s will because I know it is perfect and seek His will first by obeying His commands and trust that He will take care of me.
Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
This verse is a great verse because sometimes I get intimidated by other people and the gifts or talent that they have. Or maybe its more like me getting jealous. But this is the wrong perspective and definitely unbiblical. Instead I need to serve God wholeheartedly and do the best that I can humanely do with the gifts and abilities that he has given me. And instead of being jealous of others I should be praising God for the work He is doing. I need to be excited when God is using others to bring glory to His name!! Dear Lord please keep my focus on you and allow me to find joy in all of your works.
There is just way too much great stuff in here, so I’ll tie in to what pastor Bobby preached on yesterday.
1 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Notice how the writer phrases verse 1. It’s almost like he/she is assuming that these people are already loving their brothers in Christ, and simply encouraging them to continue doing so. I wonder, if some leader of the church were to write a letter to us here at Compass Bible Church–no, I’ll be even more specific–at True North, would they immediately know that we all had a strong bond of love for each other? It starts with each of us individually. I would definitely say that I care about many of the people at True North, but there are so many people that I don’t even know. Verse 2 talks about hospitality, but I think the same thing can be applied to us high-schoolers and our circles of friends. No matter where you are, there is almost always a new person there who probably feels uncomfortable or awkward. What I can take from this verse is that God wants me to welcome people in with love, even complete strangers. God, please give me the love to reach out to my brothers and sisters in Christ and a heart that truly cares for them!
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
i like this verse because it says jesus christ is the sane forever and for always
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?”
Woooow…
i really liked the whole chapter, it made me think alot
Hebrews in one of my favorite books. it will never get old!!!!
i really liked Heb 13:5-6
beause it says keep your life free from love of money..
and thats what the world is today they live for money when they should live for
Jesus Christ!!!!!!
Sorry it took soo long for me to comment on this…
Yes i’m psyched for James!
19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;
This verse is pretty convicting for me because i generally run off speaking my mind immediately and actually comprehending what i said seconds later. This is really annoying, but it’s the way God made me, so it’s my duty to control this habit.