Collierville First Baptist Church

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I have a a drawer in my office that I affectionately call my blessing drawer when I get, An encouraging note and encouraging letter or an encouraging email. I put it in that drawer. You say, now why do you do that? Were there times when, as a pastor, you get discouraged and you just need some encouragement? So I'll go to that drawer and I'll pull out a few of those notes, emails, letters.

00;00;38;26 - 00;01;20;04
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And I'll just read them and I'll thank God and I'll praise God that His Word never returns void. And I'll tell you, it does something for me. I just got back. Darlene II and Tommy and Rose went to the Tennessee Baptist Convention, and, I talked with the pastor there, and this pastor is so discouraged. He's got a group of deacons who feel like it's their job to tell him what to do and what not to do, and he's so discouraged.

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I just put my hand on him, and I prayed over him. And as I was studying this tonight. I thought about the importance of encouragement in the life of a believer. This text we're going to look at tonight is an interesting text. In some ways, the the ending of Hebrews mirrors the ending of Romans. Take your Bible and look over at Romans.

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Chapter 16, Romans, chapter 16.

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Now, one cannot read Romans 16 without realizing that this this book of the Bible is an amazing, book that contains a lot of doctrinal truths. And then when you get to chapter 12, the book turns and it goes from doctrinal truths to practical application of those truths. And it's a wonderful book of the Bible. But one thing that you've got to realize when you read Romans is that it was written by the apostle Paul, and it was written to a church.

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Now, understand, a church is not a building. It's not a church. We would be a church if we didn't have any building. You understand that, don't you? Because the church is the body of Christ. It is men and women who have put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, and have come together to worship him, to share his gospel with our neighbors and the nations, and to disciple and encourage one another.

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We're a body. We're a family. The Bible calls us the family of God. And it's so important that we understand that in our day that we live in today. Now, when you come to Hebrews chapter 12, where we were last time, I want you to see how it ended. Hebrews chapter 12. Look at ending. Therefore, verse 28 of chapter 12.

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Since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, aren't you glad that we have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken? Since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude by which we offer to God what and acceptable service, with reverence and all for our God is a consuming fire. Now, as we as we look at the ending of chapter 12, it gives us some insight into what's going to happen in chapter 13, which is the ending, of the the book of Hebrews.

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When the author wrote chapter 13 of Hebrews, he loaded this last chapter with short, staccato like instructions designed to encourage believers who were paying a hefty price for their faith in Jesus Christ. One thing that I've tried to help you understand as we worked our way through this book, is you can never divorce yourself from the context of the book.

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If you do, you will not understand the meaning of the text that we go over each week. Remember, this book was written to to Hebrews, to Jewish Christians, and to those Jews who were considering becoming Christians, and they were paying a heavy price. It was a time of great persecution for them. You know, we look at what's happening in the world today, the persecution of Jews around the world today.

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Well, you can just multiply that in the first century. I mean, it was terrible what was happening to Jewish people and Jewish Christians. Now, ironically, some of the persecution of Jewish believers came from their Jewish family members. And and Cathy served in a part of the world as, as missionaries, where if a person in that part of the world who believed a different set of, religious truths, if they believe that if they became Christians, they would pay a heavy price from their family.

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Today, in in that part of the world and other parts of the world live, if you step outside of the family religion that you were born in, man, I'm telling you, they will treat you as if you're dead. Many of them would treat you as if you're dead. And that's what was happening in the first century. So. Verse chapter 13, verse one.

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Let us look at these instructions that the author of Hebrews gave to these believers as he was wrapping up this letter to them. Look at verse one. Let love of the brethren continue short, pithy statement that has a wonderful meaning and an application to all the word for love. Here is Phila. Philadelphia. It referred to the natural attachment to one's blood relatives.

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It was a kindred love. Now, now, we're familiar with, the another great word for love, agape. And that's God's kind of love, right? God's kind of love. Agape love is unconditional love. It's unconditional. I love the fact that Romans chapter eight, verse one, begins with, there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

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And I love that that same chapter ends by saying that nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. I mean, you can have your worst day as a believer. I mean, absolutely terrible day as a believer. You blow it in every way. And I'll tell you at the end of the day, God loves you just as much as he did at the beginning of the day before you blew it.

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He loves you. Nothing can ever change that. That's agape love. Well, this particular love, a dear fellow, is a kindred love. It's love that exists between family members. Now. When the word was brought into the Christian faith. Philadelphia, when it was applied in the Christian faith, it was used to speak of the attachment we have as a spiritual family.

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Man. They're having some fun out there. Auntie. As Christians, as Christians, these Hebrew people no doubt have been rejected by their friends and their families. But the deepest kind of fellowship is not based on race or family relationship. It is based on the spiritual life that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. A church fellowship based on anything other than love for Christ and for one another simply will not last.

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It will not last. Over and over, the scriptures talk about this Philadelphia kind of love that we have in the body of Christ. You say, well, it's hard for me to love people. That's not my spiritual gift. Can I tell you that we're not talking about spiritual gifts here? You realize that if you're the most cantankerous person in this church, you are honor bound.

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If you're a true believer, you're honor bound to love people. And if you're the sweetest person in this church, you're honor bound to love the most cantankerous person in the church. You say, but I can't do it. Yes you can. Yes you can. Not because you can do it, but because through the Holy Spirit you can do it.

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Now look, take your Bible. Look at Romans chapter five. Romans chapter five. I'll show you some. Romans chapter five. Verse five. And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. So through the Holy Spirit's ministry and every, every breath, every believer has the full empowerment of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit lives inside you.

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Your body has become a temple of the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit, when you were saved, and you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and every believer receives the gift of the Holy Spirit, when you received the Holy Spirit, he brought with him this amazing ability to love people. You can love people, even people who are hard to love.

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Now we know you. We all have crazy uncles in our families, right? And they just way off the tracks. And yet we're honor bound to love our crazy uncles right? I'm telling you, folks. If we don't love each other, we can't call ourselves a New Testament church.

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Now, let me repeat that. Have you have you ever seen a church that did not have unity? And there was always a mess going on? Can I tell you that that does not reflect New Testament teaching at all. Now, let me let me read some verses today. Look at John 1334 and 35. Jesus said this just before he was crucified to his disciples in the upper room.

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A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you. Wow.

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That you love one another even as I have loved you. That you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples. If you have love for one another.

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Let listen, people and car of all will not know that you are a disciple of Christ. Just because we've got a cross out front. Or because we've got crosses, several crosses inside the building itself.

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People will know that you're a believer. The mark of a true believer is love. Now, I didn't come up with that. The Lord Jesus came up with a.

00;14;14;06 - 00;14;49;17
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Now here, here's another verse, first Thessalonians four nine. Now, as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you. You, you're yourselves are taught by God to love one another. Love one another. First Peter 122. Since you have an obedience to the truth, purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren fervently love one another from the heart.

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Now look just like we got crazy uncles in our family. In the body of Christ, there are always people that are hard to love. And maybe God allows them to be a part of the body to test our obedience. Will we love people who are hard to love?

00;15;15;06 - 00;15;44;18
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We're called to do that. I think you can see that right here. Fervently love one another from the heart. First Peter 122. First John 311 for this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Listen, my first church I was in seminary at New Orleans and it ran 18. When I went there.

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And there were about three different families that made up the church. And every week when I went there, we go over on Friday and Friday night we had prayer meeting Saturday I would visit. Sunday I would preach Sunday morning, preach. Sunday night we get our car and we go back to the seminary across Lake Pontchartrain. And every week I went just about every week I went.

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One family was mad at another family. It was like the Hatfields and the McCoys.

00;16;28;08 - 00;16;57;00
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And it beat anything out. You know what I did? I went there and I said, Lord, how do I how do I leave these people? How do I help? And I just started preaching verse by verse through first John. I don't know if you've read through first John, but first John just talks over and over and over again about loving each other.

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I'm sure they got sick of me preaching on on the fact that they needed to love each other, but they really needed to love each other. Did it get better? It did get a little bit better. I mean, we didn't have a great spiritual awakening there, I assure you that. But it did get better. And I just had to go there.

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And I had to love all of them. Even though sometimes I wanted to twist their ears, you know, seriously. To Jewish believers who were going through what may have been the most difficult times in their lives.

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That author of this spirit inspired letter exhorted them to continue to love each other.

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Lee Iacocca.

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The business man once asked legendary football coach Vince Lombardi what it took to to make a winning team. Vince Lombardi said this, I quote there are a lot of coaches with good ball clubs who know the fundamentals and have plenty of discipline, but still don't win the game. Then you come to the third ingredient. He said if you're going to play together as a team, you've got to care for one another.

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You've got to love each other. Each player has to be thinking about the next guy and saying to himself, if I don't block that man, Paul Hornung is going to get his legs broken. I have to do my job well in order that he can do his. And Lombardi went on to say, the difference between mediocrity and greatness is the feeling that these guys have for each other.

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In the healthy church, each Christian learns to care for each Christian. We must take seriously this instruction right here to let love of the brethren continue. Let it continue. And this instruction is supported by by all of the New Testament. Now I think verse one is somewhat connected to verses two and three. In these verses, the author spells out some specifics about this love that should flow out of the heart of a believer.

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Look at verse two. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers. For by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. Now I know what you're thinking right now. You're thinking man entertained angels without knowing it. And your mind's running wild with what that must mean. But you can't skip to that without doing the first part of the verse.

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Look at it. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers where there is true Christian love. There will also be hospitality. This was an important ministry in the first century. Church. Now think about this. In the days of the first century, church, there were no Courtyard by Marriott. There were no Hampton Inns. If there was an inn in a in a city or town, many times it was not safe at all.

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You remember what the Bible says about Mary and Joseph when they got to Bethlehem? There was no room for them. Where? In the inn. No room for them.

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Now, think about this. If you're, a pastor, an evangelist, and a first century prophet, and you're going around and you're ministering to local New Testament churches, where do those churches meet? In homes? There are no buildings like this in the first century. They met in homes or like a Paul there in in Ephesus. He taught in the hall of Tyrannus.

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A hall, I guess they rented it or something. Or maybe they had free access to it. I don't know. So when these traveling evangelists, pastors, prophets came into town, many towns, there were no ends at all. And if there was, in the end, it was not safe. So what were they going to do? Well, here's here's what the New Testament teaches.

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The New Testament teaches that Christians, true Christians who have the love of God in their heart and they love believers, would open their homes and they would host these prophets, these pastors, these teachers, when they came into town. Now Romans chapter 12, verses 9 to 13. Look at it. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.

00;23;19;06 - 00;24;02;08
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Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Give preference to one another in honor. Not lagging behind in diligence. Fervent in spirit. Serving the Lord. Rejoicing in hope. Persevering in tribulation. Devoted to prayer. Contributing to the needs of the saints. Now look at the last two words. Practicing hospitality. Practicing hospitality. Look at first Peter four nine. Be hospitable to one another without complaint.

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Third John, chapter five. The third John, verses five through eight. There's only one chapter. Beloved, you're acting faithfully. Whatever you accomplish for the brethren, especially when they are strangers. You say, pastor does the New Testament teach that I'm to open my home to a stranger? Listen, in the first century, in the first century, when a person came into town and they were greeted by the church, and I'm sure the the pastors and elders of the churches sort of check them out as well as I could.

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Then the Christians in that church would open their home to complete strangers who identified as believers. Now, I don't find anywhere in the New Testament that it teaches that you were to open your home as a believer to a complete stranger who was not a believer. I don't find that anywhere in the New Testament. I may have missed it.

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So you go search for it. If I'm wrong, you come and tell me. Next week I'll correct myself.

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But for believers who came to town, it was very important. And it was part of the instructions here in Hebrews chapter 13 that you open your home and you invite these pastors, these teachers, these prophets into your home, and you take care of their needs until they go to the next place.

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So third John chapter five, verse eight, beloved, you're acting faithfully. What ever you accomplish for the brethren, especially when they are strangers, and they have testified to your love before the church, you will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. For they went out for the sake of the name, the name of Jesus, a nothing from the Gentiles.

00;26;23;03 - 00;26;55;06
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Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth. Now we live in a different day in time. Are there times when we should still open our homes to believers? Absolutely. Absolutely. But it's different today. There are Hampton ins. I'm not. I'm. Be honest with you. When I'm invited. Let me just tell this story.

00;26;55;09 - 00;27;07;25
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I went to Detroit one time and preached a revival. And I stayed with the pastor and his wife and his kids.

00;27;07;27 - 00;27;31;26
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It was the most awkward thing I've ever done in my life. I'm going to be honest with you. It wasn't that they weren't kind of gracious or anything, but the husband and wife fought all week. I'm serious. I just I just stayed in my room. You know what I did? About halfway through the week, I got my stuff early in the morning.

00;27;31;26 - 00;28;01;16
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I need a little bit of cereal or something. I got my books and I went to the church, and I just hung out the church and study. I drove me crazy. So I would say, if we're going to be hospitable to people, let's at least make it halfway comfortable for them. Okay. So are there times when we should do that?

00;28;01;17 - 00;28;24;29
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Absolutely. Absolutely. Now, maybe what we what we do at the church when somebody's a guest speaker comes in, we put them in a Hampton Inn or something. Because it gives them freedom to study and do what they need to do.

00;28;25;01 - 00;28;56;08
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And yet their time at. I've been to other places and I've stayed in homes, and I was treated like royalty. And I don't think that couple meant bad. They were just meant get along with each other. And I was an eye witness to it. Okay. Moving right along. So now let's get to the part you're really interested in.

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Look at the last. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers.

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For by this some have entertained angels without knowing. All right. Now I'm just about. I've got about one more sermon in are two more sermons in John's gospel. So I've been reading John over and over and over and over again the whole time I've been preaching through John. Well, I've moved on, and now I'm starting over, reading the Bible through.

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And I started in Genesis and Psalms. And so I was reading this morning in the book of Genesis. Take your Bible, look at Genesis chapter 18. Genesis 18. Now Abraham. And Sarah. Have not had their son yet. Now.

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Abraham has gone in to, Hagar. And he's had a son by the name of Ishmael. All through Hagar, the handmaid of Sarah. But that that was not God's will. That was their little deal. Okay. Now look at chapter 18. Look at verse one. Now the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mummery while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day, when he lifted up his eyes and look.

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Behold! Three men were standing opposite him. And when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the earth. And said, my Lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please do not pass your servant by. Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree, and I will bring a piece of bread that you may refresh yourselves.

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After that you may go on, since you have visited your servant. And they said, so do as you have said. So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, quickly, prepare three measures of fine flour, knead it, and make bread, cakes. Abraham also ran to the herd and took a tender choice calf and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it.

00;31;57;17 - 00;32;31;13
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He took curds and milk, and the calf which he had prepared, and placed it before them, and he was standing by them under the tree as they ate. Now you say, well, what's important about that? Well, let me explain who those three were. Those three men who came to Abraham there in the heat of the day, with him sitting in the tent door, one of those was the pre incarnate Lord Jesus Christ.

00;32;31;16 - 00;33;06;07
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Do you realize that Jesus didn't just come to earth when he was incarnated in human flesh? There were times in the Old Testament when he came to earth and he met with people, I believe with all my heart that when Joshua there at Jericho was he. He met, someone with a sword. Remember that? And he said, are you for or against us?

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And the person said, neither one. I'm the captain of the Lord's army. And Joshua fell to his face. You know who that was? That was a pre incarnate Lord Jesus Christ. This is a pre incarnate Lord Jesus Christ that Abraham is preparing this meal for and offering this water. Who are the other two? They're angels. They are angels.

00;33;43;28 - 00;34;17;01
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Some have asked me, do angels eat? They do. They write here two of them. Then they had a great meal. Did the pre incarnate Lord Jesus eight appear? It appears that he did. Now remember. Remember the purpose here. Jesus sent two those two angels into Sodom and Gomorrah. You remember to see if he could find ten righteous people.

00;34;17;04 - 00;34;53;25
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He started out with 50, worked his way down to ten, and the Lord was so gracious. He said, if you find ten, I won't destroy those two cities. But they did. And these two angels Abraham entertained angels unaware, at least for a brief period of time. I think he figured out that these were angels at some point in time.

00;34;53;27 - 00;35;20;22
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You say, does that happen today? I have no doubt, but that it happens today. You know why? I have no doubt but that it happens today. Because the Bible says right here, look at it. Show hospitality because you may be entertaining angels on a wire without knowing it.

00;35;20;25 - 00;35;52;11
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Look at verse three. It sort of ties in with verse one and two. Remember the prisoners. All right, now look now, verse one. Let love of brethren continue. Verse two. Do not neglect to show hospitality in stranger three. Remember the prisoners as though in prison with them, and those who are ill treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.

00;35;52;13 - 00;36;18;11
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Now that's an amazing verse. The context here seems to point to Christian relationships and Christian love. Remember the prisoners? That is, prisoners who were in prison because of their faith in Jesus Christ.

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Prisoners in the first century. If you were thrown in prison in a Roman prison. The Roman guards didn't come and give you a meal. And in the morning. And a meal at lunch and a meal at dinner, you didn't get a meal. If you ate or if you had water to drink, it was because you had somebody outside that prison who would bring you the food, the nourishment, the water and hydration that you needed to survive.

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And so what the writer is saying here, look, there are many Christians who are in jail because of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

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And you are to take care of them. That's what he's saying to the church. Don't ignore them. Don't neglect them. Take care of them. That's Christian love. Now, does that mean today that that that we don't. Because you go to prison today, you get food, right? You get water. You can even watch TV. Does that mean that we shouldn't visit those who are in prison who are not believers?

00;37;45;27 - 00;38;17;07
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No, I believe that's a that's part of our evangelistic strategy. I think we should visit people in prison and give them the gospel. Look, we have seen some miraculous things take place in people's lives because Christian us have gone into prisons and shared the gospel. I remember there was an evangelist by the name of Bill glass. Some of you may remember him.

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Man, he went into prisons left and right. Preach the gospel.

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And that's what we should do. But in this particular context, look at Hebrews chapter ten, verse 32 to 34. But remember the former days when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming shares with those who were so traded. For you showed sympathy to prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one.

00;39;08;07 - 00;39;44;10
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Now understand this if you're a Christian, and let's say that you're living in, in, Ephesus. Okay? And you go into prison and you minister to a Christian, you're sort of labeling yourself, and the authorities are looking. And now your picture goes up on the post office wall as a follower of Jesus Christ, and you put yourself in harm's way.

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But the Bible says that part of being a Christian. Take your Bible. Just been look at Matthew 25.

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Matthew 25.

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Verse 31. But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep on his right, and the goats on the left.

00;40;52;19 - 00;41;19;07
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Then the king will say to those on his right, come, you who are blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I would look at this, for I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger.

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Here's hospitality. I was a stranger. And you invited me in. Naked. And you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. Look at this. I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him. Lord, when do we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty, or give you something to drink? And when did we see you?

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A stranger, and invite you in our naked and clothe you? When do we see you sick or in prison and come to you? Look. Look at this. The King Jesus will answer them, truly, truly, I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of mine, even the least of them, you did it to me.

00;42;10;25 - 00;42;51;21
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Wow. When you show hospitality to a believer, you show hospitality. Jesus. When you visit a Christian who is in prison because of his faith in Christ, you're visiting Jesus. When you give food to someone who's hungry. You're giving food to Jesus and you'll be rewarded for that one day. Now, when you had to pay a price for it, there's there's a very real chance, and it's persecution.

00;42;51;21 - 00;43;27;21
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And opposition to the Christian faith increases, and it's going to get much worse, much worse. You have to pay a price. But what he's saying, it's a matter of obedience. It's a matter of obedience. I read this morning, Or yesterday? Yesterday or this morning. I read about Abraham. When? When? God bless them with Isaac. It was this morning.

00;43;27;24 - 00;43;59;05
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God bless him with Isaac. Abraham was 100 years old. Sarah was 90 years old. That sister got pregnant. She had a baby, and she was absolutely enthralled and full of praise that she, as a 90 year old, was nursing her baby. Can you imagine?

00;43;59;08 - 00;44;09;23
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Now, listen to me very carefully. You know what God told Abraham to do when Isaac was maybe a teenager?

00;44;09;25 - 00;44;27;13
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He said, he said to Abraham, this God, I want you to take your son, your only son, and I want you to take him to Mount Moriah. And I want you to offer him as a burnt offering to me.

00;44;27;16 - 00;44;38;03
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You know what Abraham did? He obeyed God. He took him.

00;44;38;05 - 00;45;03;21
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And when he got there, he told his servants. He say, you guys stay here. We'll be back. He didn't say, I'll be back. He said, we'll be back. You know what he believed? He was a man of great faith. He believed that even if God allowed him to offer his son as a burnt offering, that God would raise him from the dead.

00;45;03;24 - 00;45;16;05
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So he took him out to Mount Moriah. He fixed the altar and was about to take his son's life.

00;45;16;07 - 00;45;59;10
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And God stopped him. Now I know that you fear me, that you Revere me. You know what? It was a test. It was a test to see if Abraham really, really believed God. He was willing to obey God, even if it was difficult. You remember the story. There was a ram caught in the thicket, and Abraham took the ram and offered him in the place of his son.

00;45;59;13 - 00;46;16;14
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You realize what it pictures? It pictures the blood atonement and and sacrificial, substitutionary atonement of Jesus on the cross. Do you know where Mount Moriah was?

00;46;16;16 - 00;46;24;18
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Calvary. Where Jesus was. Sacrifice.

00;46;24;21 - 00;46;28;04
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To mazing.

00;46;28;07 - 00;46;40;21
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Now the question. Here's a question. Will we obey God? Even when it's difficult?

00;46;40;24 - 00;46;51;19
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I hope and pray. That we would put no conditions on obedience.

00;46;51;22 - 00;47;20;16
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So Abraham entertained angels unaware. Now let's look at verse four. I got a Russian. So I want you to notice what we've seen so far. Let love of brethren continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality. Strangers. Remember the prisoners. Verse four. Marriage is to be held in honor among all. And the marriage bed is to be undefiled for fornicators and adulterers.

00;47;20;17 - 00;47;25;25
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God will judge.

00;47;25;27 - 00;48;05;20
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In a society in the first century, when marriage was often a mere convenience for procreation and adultery and fornication was so common. The author says honor marriage, honor marriage. Now let me make a statement before I go any further. Every time that I preach on marriage, I want to make sure that people understand that in no way, shape or form or fashion.

00;48;05;22 - 00;48;42;10
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Am I saying, or does the Bible say, that if you have a failed marriage in your past, that that you are a second class, Christian citizen? I'm not saying that at all. I believe that God forgives all sin. Don't you? Aren't you glad of that? But let me say this. Wherever you are in your in your your life right now.

00;48;42;13 - 00;48;57;21
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What this is saying right now is you start today and you honor marriage. You honor it. You honor marriage.

00;48;57;24 - 00;49;08;15
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This certainly applies today. Does we look today in our culture, and marriage is being redefined.

00;49;08;18 - 00;49;24;02
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Or it's being discarded altogether? Do you realize that the number of people getting married in our culture today in American culture is plummeting? It's plummeting.

00;49;24;04 - 00;49;35;00
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As marriage is being redefined or discarded. We in the Christian church are to honor marriage.

00;49;35;02 - 00;50;09;29
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How do we do that? How do we do it? Well, let me give you three ideas here. Number one, love your spouse. It may be your second spouse. It may be your third spouse. I don't care if you're married. Love your spouse, love your spouse. Number two, keep your vows. Keep your vows. You're married. Keep your vows until Jesus comes or you die.

00;50;10;00 - 00;50;44;28
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Keep your vows. That's how you honor marriage. And then thirdly, teach a high view of marriage to your kids and your grandkids. Teach them the truth. The whole culture is teaching them something totally new. Social media is flooding them with an alternative message that is from the bowels of hell. And if we don't teach them the truth, who do you think's going to teach them the truth?

00;50;45;00 - 00;50;53;08
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Nobody.

00;50;53;11 - 00;51;13;19
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No, no. Look at. Look at, the last part. Marriage is to be held in honor among all. And the marriage bed is to be undefiled for fornicators and adulterers. God will judge.

00;51;13;22 - 00;51;35;29
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Now. Sexual intimacy. Here's what we need to teach our kids and our grandkids. Teach him that sexual intimacy is reserved for marriage. Marriage? That's true if you're 16 years old. That's true if you're 65 or 70 years old.

00;51;36;02 - 00;51;42;03
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I was so shocked.

00;51;42;06 - 00;51;58;17
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The the big. The villages down in Florida, a senior adult retirement villages. You know what one of their biggest problems is down there?

00;51;58;19 - 00;52;05;13
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Venereal disease.

00;52;05;15 - 00;52;15;24
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Because immorality is so prevalent. In that clientele.

00;52;15;27 - 00;52;31;05
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Now, you look at me, you say, pastor, have you lost your mind? I have not lost my mind. I'm telling you, I've not lost my mind. That's a reality.

00;52;31;08 - 00;52;42;26
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Now, let me say this to you. If we're going to honor marriage, we have got to practice.

00;52;42;28 - 00;53;13;00
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Sexual intimacy within the confines of a marriage relationship and nothing outside. Nothing outside. I'm afraid. How do I say this? I'm afraid that. That when a person has been married before.

00;53;13;02 - 00;53;45;20
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And they start dating someone else after he's a widow or widower. I'm afraid that we bought into the culture of lie. That it's okay to have sexual intimacy. Because I've been married before. That's not true. I know you may be a little uncomfortable with me talking about this, but I'm talking about it because of what this verse says.

00;53;45;22 - 00;54;13;27
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Let me read it again. It says marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled for fornicators and adulterers. God will judge you. Realize that the Bible says that those who practice immorality will not go to heaven.

00;54;13;29 - 00;54;31;08
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You say, are you kidding me? Look here. First Corinthians six 9 to 11. Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?

00;54;31;10 - 00;55;01;01
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Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revolvers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Not going to heaven. Now let me make a statement to you. Let me clarify to. He's not talking about somebody who does this kind of stuff one time or two.

00;55;01;05 - 00;55;34;07
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He talking about people. It's their practice. This is the way they live their lives. Now look at verse 11. Such were some of you. Who's he talking about? He's talking about Corinthian believers in the Corinthian church in the first century. Some of you were homosexuals. Some of you were effeminate. Some of you were idolaters. Some of you were were, drunkards.

00;55;34;09 - 00;56;06;26
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Adulterers. Fornicators. Such were some of you. But look. But you were washed. You know what it's all about. You were cleansed by the blood of Jesus. Because you put your faith and your trust in Jesus. But you were washed. You were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the spirit of our God.

00;56;06;28 - 00;56;18;05
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You do you understand that God takes his stuff seriously?

00;56;18;07 - 00;56;51;26
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Let me say it loud and clear. Honor marriage. Honor marriage. Verses five and six. We'll start with this. Make sure that your character is free from the love of money. Oh, preacher, you're going to meddling now. Make sure that your character, free from the love of money, being content with what you have for himself, has said, I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.

00;56;51;27 - 00;57;27;17
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So that we confidently say, the Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid. What will man do to me? Now these verses, these two verses go together. Make sure that your character is free from the love of money. Don't love money. Don't love money. First Timothy chapter six, verses 6 to 10. But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.

00;57;27;19 - 00;57;42;02
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For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. I.

00;57;42;04 - 00;58;03;26
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Know when you die. You ain't taking anything with you. You can have the biggest house, the finest cars, the most money, and none of it is going with you into into eternity. I promise you.

00;58;03;28 - 00;58;33;28
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Look at this. Verse eight. If we have food and covering with these, we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare, and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge man into ruin and destruction. Boy, that little statement is so true. You've seen it. I've seen it. I've seen people who love money.

00;58;33;28 - 00;58;52;24
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And all they thought about was getting rich, getting rich, getting rich. And they just create for themselves deep holes that they fall into and they can't climb out of them.

00;58;52;26 - 00;59;11;14
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Look at verse ten. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some, by longing for it, have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

00;59;11;17 - 00;59;22;02
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Money is the root of all evil. People say, no, it's not. The love of money is the root of all evil.

00;59;22;04 - 00;59;56;25
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Let me ask you a question. You love money. Do you love things? Do you live to accumulate more? Let me tell you the greatest protection for you. Be a giver, not a taker. Be a giver. That's why I believe in tithing. Darlene and I started tithing when we were dating. Before we. Before we got married. We don't have much to tithe back then.

00;59;56;27 - 01;00;21;09
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I'm telling you, it was. It was about that much. Our our at Mississippi State. Our our apartment cost us $86.50 a month. That one. It wasn't what you call plush. We didn't care.

01;00;21;12 - 01;00;59;09
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And we started tithing. We've been tithing now almost 50 years. You know what? If I had to do all over again, I'd do it again. Because it's been the greatest protection we have had to keep us content with what God provides for us and to protect us from the danger of loving money.

01;00;59;12 - 01;01;42;05
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Look at verse six. It's a quote from Psalm 118, verse six. So that we can confidently say, the Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid. What will man do to me? Whatever we have, whatever we don't have, whatever we're facing. The Lord is our helper, and we can trust him. Amen. Well, I know that you're probably glad this is over.

01;01;45;13 - 01;02;19;25
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This is important, y'all. It was important in the first century. It's important in the 21st century. So let's make sure that we do what it says. What does it say? Let's review. Love the brethren. Show hospitality. Remember the prisoners. Honor marriage.

01;02;19;27 - 01;02;54;19
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Be content with what God provides you. Don't love money. And trust God. Trust him. You can trust him. Hey, let me ask you questions. If you can trust God with your eternal soul, can you not trust him with next month's bills? I think you can. Let's trust him. Father. In the name of Jesus, I thank you for your word.

01;02;54;22 - 01;03;22;08
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Even when it cuts like a two edged sword. And I pray, Lord, that we would take this, these instructions that we've been given tonight and we would live them out in our lives. In Jesus name. Amen. All right. Thank you.