It’s All About Relationships (pt.1)
Hebrews 13:1-8
Emmanuel Christian Church 11.30.25
INTRODUCTION: If you were to boil it all down, you’d have to say of this
life that “It’s all about relationships”. Hear’s the evidence for that argument:
The Greatest Commandments:
Matthew 22:37 Jesus (said): “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and
greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor
as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two
commandments.”
It’s all about your relationship with God, and your fellow human being.
2 Corinthians 5:16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point
of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone,
the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself
through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was
reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against
them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
Once again- relationships. Specifically, reconciled relationships. First with
God, then with others.
1 John 4:20 If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar.
For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love
God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us this command:
Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Wow! That was right to the point! Again- it’s all about relationships!
PROPOSITION: As we continue on in the book of Hebrews, the 13th (and
last chapter) has everything to do with relationships. In the next two
sermons, we’re going to take a careful look at the first eight verses. Theycall out seven different relationships that (as Christians) we need to get
right. Let’s see if you can identify the seven as I read for you these verses:
Hebrews 13:1 Keep on loving each other as brothers. 2 Do not forget to
entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels
without knowing it. 3 Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow
prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were
suffering.
Hebrews 13:4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed
kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. 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?”
Hebrews 13:7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to
you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Here’s our list of seven important relationships:
BROTHERS
STRANGERS
PRISONERS
MISTREATED
MARRIAGE
MONEY
LEADERS
This morning, we’ll take at the first four, next week the last three. So here
we go…
BROTHERS
- Actually, the word used here is “philadelphia”- which has a wider
understanding than simply “brothers”. In this context it really means
“love of the Christian Church family”.
- Now, in the case of the Hebrew Christians- they we already doing that-
but here’s the point - such love is not “one and done”, but rather “on
and on”!
- Why that exhortation? Simply because, this is the kind of love that never
gives up on the effort, and never runs out when the going gets tough.
- Hear the Word of the Lord:1 Peter 1:22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth
so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply,
from the heart. (It’s about discipleship.)
1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a
multitude of sins. (It’s about grace.)
APPLICATION: The challenge of loving your church family is one of both
proximity and patience.
Proximity:
“To live with Saints of old in heaven above- oh, that will be GLORY! To live
on earth below with saints we know- NOW, THAT’S A DIFFERENT
STORY!” Someone has said: “You can choose your friends, but you’re
STUCK with your family!”
Patience:
Ephesians 4:2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with
one another in love.
Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each
other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
STRANGERS
- “Do not forget to entertain strangers.” Who are “strangers”? People you
do not know. Why should you entertain them (that is, show them
hospitality)- because you do not know them!
- They might actually be an angel- that is “messenger” from God!
Wouldn’t you feel terrible if you missed that one!
- Regardless of angel or not, they are a fellow human being created in
the image of God and priceless in His sight.
- If they are a fellow Christian, you gain the benefit of meeting one of
your brothers or sisters!
- If they are not a Christian, you have the opportunity to influence them
for Christ- even if it is only a one-time chance encounter!
APPLICATION: Here’s a simple application of this principle: If you see
someone you don’t know in Church on Sunday morning- go introduce
yourself and find out who they are!PRISONERS
- “Remember those in prison…”
- “Prisoners” are you kidding me? Hey, if someone’s in prison isn’t it
because they deserve to be there? They made their bed- let them lie
in it!”
- In 2024, the Christian organization “Open Doors” estimated that 4,744
Christians were “detained without trial, arrested, sentenced, and
imprisoned for their faith…” Look at these statistics…
- “Okay, I’ll give you that- we should remember those imprisoned for
their Christian faith. However, the rest of those guys are on their own!”
- Really? REMEMBER- “those guys” are all members of the human
race, created in the image of God and VALUABLE to Him!
- Hear the word of the Lord:
1 Corinthians 6:9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the
kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor
idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10
nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will
inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But
you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
APPLICATION: So, how does our Lord look at “jailbirds”? Hear the Word
of the Lord again…
Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to
preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the
prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed…”
MISTREATED
- “…those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”
- The “mistreated” are definitely those who are suffering injustice at the
hands of the majority, or those who wield the “power”.
- Standing with the mistreated comes at a HEFTY price!
- Let’s look at the “price tags” hanging on the list of people we’ve already
talked about:
- The price for loving my brother in Christ is that of doing the hard
work of patiently showing grace and forgiveness.
- The price for entertaining strangers is my willingness to step outside
of my personal comfort zone.- The price for remembering those in prison is that of compassion
and the actions that go along with that (but, YOU still get to sit on the
other side of the glass!).
- Standing with the “mistreated” however… that will put YOU in
harm’s way- opposing the majority or taking on the “powers that
be”!
APPLICATION: In this, the Hebrews were HEROES…
Hebrews 10:32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the
light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of
suffering. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and
persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so
treated. 34 You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted
the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves
had better and lasting possessions.
Hebrews 10:35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly
rewarded. 36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will
of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37 For in just a very little
while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay. 38 But my
righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased
with him.” 39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed,
but of those who believe and are saved.
Yes, the Hebrews were HEROES, but even heroes need reminding and
words of encouragement!
CONCLUSION: Let’s keep this simple: “It’s all about relationships.” and
relationships are all about OTHER PEOPLE. Now, I’m about to slaughter
the sacred cow:
Social media is a cheap substitute for real relationships.
I dare you with this: Fast from your social media for just one DAY. When
you want to text, make a phone call instead. When you want to find out
the latest, go pay a visit.
Face to face. Heart to heart. Hands in action. It’s the stuff of real
relationships.
