May 25, 2025 • 33 mins
In this sermon on Hebrews 13:1–21, Pastor Benjamin Kandt explores how unshakeable faith takes root in everyday life. As the letter to the Hebrews draws to a close, the author turns from theological depth to practical exhortation — calling the church to live with love, hospitality, sexual integrity, contentment, and respect for spiritual leaders. Pastor Benjamin unpacks how these ordinary, often overlooked practices are actually extraordinary when grounded in Christ, who is “the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
The sermon culminates in the majestic benediction of verses 20–21, where God is revealed as the One who equips His people through the risen Christ, our Great Shepherd. Pastor Benjamin reminds us that the Christian life is not lived in our own strength, but in the power of God's grace, enabling us to do His will. This message invites us to embody our theology in community — living out gospel truth in love, sacrifice, and faithful obedience.
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Damein Schitter (00:20):
Thank you, thanks for listening.
Ashley Lipscomb (00:22):
Please pray aloud this prayer with me.
Eternal God, the grass withersand the flower fades, but your
word will stand forever.
Holy Spirit, help us to loveand trust your word Through
Jesus Christ.
We pray Amen.
This is super helpful forpeople who are old and can't see
(00:47):
anymore.
Okay, our scripture for todayis a long one, so remain
standing if you're able.
It's Hebrews 13, 1 through 21.
Let brotherly love continue.
Do not neglect to showhospitality to strangers, for
thereby some have entertainedangels unawares.
Remember those who are inprison, as though in prison with
them, and those who aremistreated.
(01:07):
Since you also are in the body,let marriage be held in honor
among all, and let the marriagebed be undefiled, for God will
judge the sexually immoral andadulterous.
Keep your life free from loveof money and be content with
what you have, for he has said Iwill never leave you nor
forsake you.
So we can confidently say theLord is my helper, I will not
(01:31):
fear.
What can man do to me?
Remember your leaders, thosewho spoke to you the word of God
.
Consider the outcome of theirway of life and imitate their
faith.
Jesus Christ is the sameyesterday and today and forever.
Do not be led away by diverseand strange teachings, for it is
good for the heart to bestrengthened by grace, not by
(01:53):
foods which have not benefitedthose devoted to them.
We have an altar from whichthose who serve the tent have no
right to eat, for the bodies ofthose animals whose blood is
brought into the holy places bythe high priest as a sacrifice
for sin are burned outside thecamp.
So Jesus also suffered outsidethe gate in order to sanctify
(02:15):
the people through his own blood.
Therefore, let us go to himoutside the camp and bear the
reproach he endured.
Go to him outside the camp andbear the reproach he endured,
for we have no lasting city, butwe seek the city that is to
come Through him.
Then, let us continually offerup a sacrifice of praise to God
that is the fruit of lips thatacknowledge his name.
(02:38):
Do not neglect to do good and toshare what you have, for such
sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Obey your leaders and submit tothem, for they are keeping
watch over your souls, as thosewho will have to give an account
.
Let them do this with joy andnot with groaning, for that
would be of no advantage to you.
Pray for us, for we are surethat we have a clear conscience,
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desiring to act honorably inall things.
I urge you the more earnestlyto do this in order that I may
be restored to you the soonerNow.
May the God of peace, whobrought again from the dead our
Lord Jesus, the great shepherdof the sheep, by the blood of
the eternal covenant, equip youwith everything good that you
may do, his will working in us,that which is pleasing in his
(03:22):
sight.
Through Jesus Christ, to whombe glory forever and ever.
Amen, this is God's word.
You may be seated.
Benjamin Kandt (03:38):
Well, good morning.
My name is Ben.
I'm a pastor here with New City.
One of the things I've beendoing this whole spring thus far
is trying to shrink my sermonlength.
Those of you who serve in citykids are thankful, and one of
the reasons for that is becauseI wanted to create more space
for the all of life spotlight sothat you could hear the word of
God from the people of God,like David just offered to you.
(03:59):
So thank you, david, for yourencouragement of us.
Today we actually conclude ourspring sermon series.
We've spent February through Mayworking through the book of
Hebrews and we get to the end.
Today, and throughout thiswhole book, what we've been
hearing over and, over and overagain is how can we have a deep
rooted, unshakable confidence?
That's why we named the sermonseries Unshakable.
(04:22):
It actually comes from Hebrews12, 28, which says that we've
received a kingdom that cannotbe shaken.
How do we touch that?
How do we get more of that intoour lives, this unshakable,
deep-rooted confidence?
Well, over and over and overagain, the book of Hebrews has
been asking and answering thequestion which is is Jesus
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sturdy enough to be the centerof your existence?
And the resounding answer isabsolutely yes, absolutely yes.
And so as we close out thisseries, we're just going to keep
looking at the same thing we'vebeen looking at for the whole
spring semester here.
But I want to warn you, thecommentators three at least on
Hebrews 13, said that there isno rhyme or reason or structure
(05:05):
to how Hebrews 13 as a textunfolds, which is really hard
for a preacher.
So you can discern for yourselfwhether this is completely
self-motivated or if thisactually is a good idea.
But I structured the sermonaround our definition of a
disciple.
Our definition of a disciple isthat disciples are united to
Jesus in communion with God,community with one another and
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co-mission for the world.
And so those are my threepoints communion, community and
co-mission.
So if you have a Bible, adevice, the worship guide, get
Hebrews 13 in front of you, andwe're actually going to begin
with the end, which is this kindof benediction that this letter
closes out with.
Look at verse 20 with me.
It says this Hebrews 13, 20.
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Now may the God of peace, whobrought again from the dead our
Lord Jesus, the great shepherdof the sheep, by the blood of
the eternal covenant, equip youwith everything good that you to
do his will.
That's the summary of thatbenediction, but the big
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question is how.
How Well?
Verse 21 says simply throughJesus Christ.
Through Jesus Christ.
What does that actually mean,though?
Let me ask you, what if therewas something more true of you
than your story?
What if there was somethingmore real to you than your
thoughts and feelings anddesires?
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What if there was somethingmore relevant to you than the
swirling circumstances aroundyou?
What if you were defined bysomething deeper than all of
those things?
Well, if you belong to Jesusthrough simple faith, there is
something that defines you.
There is something that's moresignificant to you.
That is what we call union withChrist.
The fact that you are united toJesus is the truest thing about
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you if you belong to Jesus, andso the relevance of that it
matters, because the whole bookof Hebrews exists to tell you
that the only thing that willenable us to face the
intolerability of theuncertainty of our lives is the
truth in Hebrews 13, eight,which says Jesus Christ is the
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same yesterday and today andforever.
And if we are united to him,although the world seems to
constantly just be passing us by, what if there was a center
that we could penetrate intothat, had a stillness, a calm
about it.
What if that existed?
What if that was on offer toyou at any given moment of any
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day?
You and me, we ebb and flow, werise and fall, we wax and wane,
but our Lord is the same todayas he always has been.
He's unchanging.
And so, in moments ofuncertainty, the
unchangeableness of Jesus isactually a source of reassurance
that we can draw from, becausewe're united to him by faith and
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we can draw on that unionthrough communion with God.
That's the hope, that's thepoint of this text in many ways.
Now, when everything around youseems like it's shaking, we can
turn to Jesus and we canconfidently say to him you who
move all things, are yourselfunmoved, you're stable, you're
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steadfast, you're secure.
Jesus alone is firm in themidst of flux.
You know, scientists say thatone day our sun is gonna just
burn out, which blows my mind,by the way.
One day it's just gonna stopdoing what it's been doing.
But listen, if that's true, thebrilliance of Jesus will shine
for eternity, never growing dim,never growing cold.
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He's the same yesterday andtoday and forever.
This matters because that alsomeans, if he's our unchanging
center, then the high watermarkof our experience with Jesus is
not some past moment in ourlives, but a present possibility
at any given moment.
This is what I mean.
There is no nostalgia in Christ.
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There's never a time when yougo oh, I wish I could get back
to those glory days.
He's the same yesterday andtoday and forever.
And so if your history inChrist feels like anything, if
you want it to feel like now ornever, you need to realize that
Christ is himself anall-sufficient and unchanging
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friend right here, right now.
I want that to be a livedreality for everybody in this
room.
I want you to know what thatlooks like, what that feels like
, how to draw on that, and sothat's what we call communion
with God.
It's simply drawing on all thatGod has for us in Jesus Christ.
Now we use two words todescribe how to do that.
The first one is we receive andthen we respond.
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So throughout this sermonyou're going to hear me talking
about receiving from Jesus andresponding to Jesus.
Let me tell you a quick storyabout what that looks like in
practice.
In the 1800s, there was a guynamed George Mueller who
literally cared for 10,000orphans through prayer alone.
So amazing.
And in 1838, his donations justsuddenly stopped.
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He had no more money.
It had dried up, didn't have away to provide for them and so,
with no money left, he walkedaround his garden and he
meditated on Hebrews 13, 8, ourpassage Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday and today and forever.
And then he wrote in hisjournal this quote as I prayed,
the present need came to mindand I said to myself Jesus, in
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his unchanging love and power,has always provided.
He will provide again, and hewrites.
A flow of joy came into my soulwhile realizing the
unchangeableness of our Lord.
And moments later a letterarrived with the exact amount he
needed to feed the orphans.
You see, this is importantbecause George Mueller knew how
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to draw on all of Jesus for allof life.
But it's also important thatyou know that there is nothing
that anyone in the past has everexperienced any strength, any
love or joy, any brave hope orpatient endurance, anything, any
kind of deep, wellingconfidence that anybody had in
the past who walked with Jesus.
(11:22):
That Jesus himself does notstand by your side today, ready
to give you.
We simply receive all that Godhas for us.
Quote through Jesus Christ, endquote as verse 21 says it.
So if we're united to Jesus,we're also united to everyone
who is also united to Jesus.
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Our communion with God flowsinto our community with one
another.
Look with me at verse one andI'm gonna walk through this.
If this feels like staccato,disjointed, like I'm just bop,
bop, bop, that's because that'show the text reads.
Look with me at it.
In verse one, it says this letbrotherly love continue.
Now, I love this.
I think Hebrews 13 is a sermon,and one of the most enjoyable
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things as a pastor is to commendthe people that you get to lead
, and that's what the author'sdoing here.
Let brotherly love continue.
You're doing it.
Keep it up.
And I can say that about NewCity, because I, you know, I can
pop the hood on this place, Ican see how the sausage is made,
as they say, and it's actuallyreally good.
Like y'all love each other.
Well.
And so I can say let brotherlylove continue, just like the
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author can say that.
And so I can say let brotherlylove continue, just like the
author can say that.
But I wanna look at this.
What's happening here?
Well, he's using this wordbrotherly love, which is
Philadelphia in Greek.
I just think that's cool.
And it's this sharing in thiscommon life together, and really
what it means is, if I belongto Jesus, I also belong to you.
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In Kenya they have this term,ubuntu, which means I am because
we are.
It's a deeply Christianunderstanding of what it means
to be human, unlike ourexpressive individualism in the
West, which is very unchristianin many ways.
I am because we are.
That's why we let brotherlylove continue, because we've got
(13:11):
a stake in it with each other.
Your flourishing is myflourishing and vice versa, and
so we pursue the brotherly loveof one another.
Why?
Well, because Hebrews 2, wayback in February, if you
remember it, says Christ is notashamed to call us his brothers
and sisters.
So if Jesus can look at you inall of your sin and suffering
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and sorrow and, far from turninghis nose away in embarrassment,
actually moves towards you incompassion and tender
heartedness, how much more thencan we receive that from him and
respond by offering thatbrotherly love to our siblings
in Christ?
What would that look likepractically?
Well, look at the next verse,verse two Do not neglect to show
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hospitality to strangers, forthereby some have entertained
angels unawares.
I don't know why it's unawares.
That's the text, but I alwaysstumble over that word because
it's just really interesting tome.
But this idea of hospitality isin Greek.
It's actually stranger love.
That's what the wordhospitality means the love for
the stranger, the outsider.
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There's a woman named RosariaButterfield who came to know
Jesus out of the LGBTQ pluscommunity.
She wrote a few books on it.
The third one she wrote iscalled the Gospel Comes with a
House Key, one of my favoritebooks on hospitality.
And in there she asks really,the book is asking this question
Is the Christian communitystrong enough to call people to
repent and to come out of theLGBTQ plus community and into
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the Jesus community?
Do we have on offer a familythat can replace the possibility
of never having family again?
And she asked this question.
She says to you and to me shesays have you ever thought that
you, your house and your timeare not your own, but rather
God's ordained way of escape forsomeone Like your table today
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after worship, inviting somerando, a stranger, as the text
says, to come over and to sharea meal with you, might be God's
way of escape for their life.
To leave temptation, to leavesin.
Romans 15 puts it like thiswelcome one another.
That's how we respond as Christhas welcomed you.
That's what we receive.
Do you hear this?
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We welcome one another becauseGod in Christ has welcomed us.
Look at verse three.
It says this remember those whoare in prison, and here's the
reason why.
As though in prison with them.
And those who are in prison,and here's the reason why.
As though in prison with them.
And those who are mistreated.
Here's the reason why, sinceyou also are in the body, jesus
so identifies with us that,whatever state we're in, when we
visit a brother or sister inprison, we are visiting Christ
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himself.
That's what Matthew 25 says.
He says this quote I was inprison and you came to me, and
the righteous in that day willlook at him and go I don't
remember that Jesus.
He's like.
Well, when you did it to theleast of these, my brothers and
sisters, you did it to me.
That's how identified Jesus iswith his people.
And so the text is sointeresting though it says as
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though you're in prison withthem.
Why?
Because it says as thoughyou're in prison with them.
Why?
Because if I'm united to Jesus,I'm united to you.
And then it goes on.
It says, since you also are inthe body, people debate what
that actually means.
But John Calvin and I boththink it refers to the body of
Christ, which is the mostpretentious way I could say that
I understand, but I just wantedyou to know I got some
credibility behind having thatview.
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Is that this is you're in thebody of Christ, you're united to
one another.
Many members, one body.
That's why, when your brothersor sisters are being mistreated,
you feel it.
You feel it If you belong toJesus, you belong to one another
.
Look with me at verse four.
Let marriage be held in honoramong all and let the marriage
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bed be undefiled, for God willjudge the sexually immoral and
adulterous.
I have a practice of when Ifind somebody's, find out
somebody's anniversary, Iusually try to write it down and
text them happy anniversary.
The reason why is because Ithink it's probably maybe more
important to say happyanniversary than happy birthday,
because it's statisticallyharder to stay married than it
is to stay alive, and so that'sjust important to me.
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I'm just like I want marriageto be held in honor by all.
I want to just hold that up.
That's what the text says here.
But why is marriage such a bigdeal for the people of Jesus?
Well, it's because frombeginning to end, genesis to
Revelation, the Bible's a divineromance.
It's the story of a faithfulhusband pursuing his unfaithful
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bride, the church going afterher, doing whatever it takes
with an undying love to woo andwin her affection back to
himself.
And so when we receive Jesus'sfidelity through adversity
towards us, we can respond bybeing faithful to our spouses,
even when they don't deserve it.
And so it says in the text,though one of the motivations
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here is that God will judge thesexually immoral and adulterous.
If that's true, what hope isthere for those of us who have
experienced defilement in thisarea of our lives?
Well, if you look at verse 12,it says this Jesus suffered
outside the gate in order tosanctify the people through his
own blood.
You see, jesus alone cancleanse the defiled.
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He alone can bring undefilement.
I've got thousands of hours oftherapy sitting with people and
I can tell you there is nothingthat deals with guilt and shame
of your past, quite like theblood of Jesus Christ.
If you don't know what I meanby that, come talk to me
afterwards.
I'd be happy to share with youwhat that means.
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There's nothing, nopsychotherapeutic techniques,
that can deal with the guilt andthe shame, especially around
sexual sin, like this text istalking about, like the fact
that Jesus shed his own blood tosanctify us, to make us holy
and clean before him.
That's what he does for hisbride.
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Hebrews 13 doesn't stop there.
It goes from sex to money.
It's almost as if the Bible'srelevant for contemporary
problems.
Look at verse five.
Keep your life free from thelove of money and be content
with what you have.
For he has said I will neverleave you nor forsake you.
So we can confidently say theLord is my helper, I will not
fear.
What can man do to me?
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We actually preached a sermonseries on the art of divine
contentment last year.
I think Damien, this Sundaylast year preached on this text,
so you can go back and listento it, the series on contentment
.
But what we said there was thesecret of contentment is not
having what you want, butwanting what you have.
The secret of contentment isnot having what you want, but
wanting what you have.
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What do we have?
Well, the text here in versefive says the triune God, the
creator of the universe, whoupholds all things by the word
of his power, says to us I willnever leave you nor forsake you,
you have God.
You have God.
As we receive the fact that Godis for us and will never leave
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us, we respond by refusing toget caught up in the endless
drive for more and better.
We will not believe the greenergrass conspiracy, because, let
me just tell you, the grass isnot greener on the other side.
The grass is greener on theseptic tank, and you can trust
me, I have a septic tank.
That's just true.
And so we refuse that.
We've refused to live lives ofdiscontentment, thinking that if
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only I had X, y or Z, I'd haveenough.
God is looking at you and he'ssaying you have me, that's
enough.
But it's hard to believe thatsometimes, and so what we need
is some proof of concept thatJesus is enough, and that's why
this text goes right from beingcontent to our leaders.
Look at verse seven.
Remember your leaders, thosewho spoke to you the word of God
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.
Consider the outcome of theirway of life and imitate their
faith.
Remember your leaders.
I wanna take a moment to obeythis, because it's the Bible,
that's what you do with it, andI wanna actually invite you
right now to remember some ofyour leaders.
I love this biblical definitionof leadership your leaders are
those who spoke to you the wordof God Pretty simple, pretty
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straightforward.
So my question for you is whotaught you?
Maybe it was a faithful parentor grandparent who led you to
faith.
Maybe it was a friend or acampus minister who discipled
you.
Maybe it was somebody that youcan recall, bring to mind, a
pastor, or I'm saying thatleaders here is simply those who
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spoke to you the word of God.
Now we talk a lot about disciplemaking here.
Our mission is to call, formand send disciples who make
disciples, and the reason forthat is is because disciple
makers are simply those whospeak the word of God into
people's lives.
They're those who follow a waythat has a good outcome.
That's why we have this all oflife guide is to help you with
your way of life, hoping andaiming towards a good outcome.
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That's why we have this all oflife God is to help you with
your way of life, hoping andaiming towards a good outcome.
Disciple makers are people wholive by faith, so that other
people can see.
They've got models of what thatlooks like.
But what is the connectionbetween verse seven and verse
eight?
Look at the text again.
It says this in verse eightJesus Christ is the same
yesterday and today and forever.
How does verse eight follow?
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Well, across the generations,the true apostolic succession is
disciple makers, who have beenmodels of what this unchanging
character of Christ looks like,on display in the people who
lead us.
Leaders are models of Christ inour midst, what CS Lewis calls
little Christs.
We all need them.
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We need leaders that stand upin front of us, who have the
ability to speak to us the wordof God and have a way of life
that has a good outcome and liveby faith in a way that we can
actually imitate and emulatethem.
But leaders will come and go,and yet Jesus Christ remains the
same.
There's a saying, that is,leaders ought to be content to
preach the gospel, die and beforgotten.
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That's true.
That's true.
But this text is sayingremember them for your sake,
remember those people, payattention to them.
And it goes on to explain why.
In verse nine, it says do notbe led astray, do not be led
away by diverse and strangeteachings, for it is good Now.
There were two Carls who wereinfluential theologians in the
20th century.
One was Carl Barth, the otherwas Carl Henry.
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This is going to be a nerdyillustration, so bear with me.
They met once, actually at apress conference, and Carl Henry
, who was the first editor ofChristianity Today that's a
magazine if you've ever seen itbefore, and he was the first
editor and Carl Henry asked CarlBarth if the resurrection of
Jesus was a historical fact.
Did Jesus really rise from thedead?
He asked him in a really coolway.
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He pointed to the press tablewhich had reporters from
Religious News Service, theWashington Post, all these other
media outlets, and he asked ifthese journalists had their
present duties in the time ofJesus.
If they were journalists orreporters back then, was the
resurrection news in the sensethat anybody on the street would
understand the term news?
Karl Barth mockingly asked himdid you say you're a
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Christianity today orChristianity yesterday?
Got a laugh, everybody laughedin the room until Carl Henry
replied yesterday, today andforever, mic drop punk rock
moment.
I love that.
I don't know if I'm that witty,but that was great.
And here's why I tell you thatstory, because Christians have
always been pressed to updatetheir teachings.
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This is outdated, this isarchaic Christianity yesterday.
Come on, you should just assumethat Jesus is the channel
marker for our lives, that whenwe navigate strange and diverse
teachings.
We don't wanna run aground oneither shore.
We wanna let Jesus be thechannel markers, because Jesus
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Christ is the same yesterday,today and forever, and we dare
not lose the good news about him.
Why?
Because verse nine says it isgood for the heart to be
strengthened by grace.
You see, the grace of Jesusalone embraces us where we are
in our sin and suffering andsorrow.
But the grace of Jesus alsoalone empowers us where we are,
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not to have to stay there but tolive with fruitful mission in
all of life.
And that's where this text ends.
Is that Hebrews ends by sendingus out into the world.
Look at the third point here,which is co-mission for the
world.
Look at verse 12, it says thisso Jesus also suffered outside
the gate in order to sanctifythe people through his own blood
(25:41):
.
Therefore, let us go to himoutside the camp and bear the
reproach he endured, for here wehave no lasting city, but we
seek the city that is to come.
You see, jesus was mocked forhis faith, not so that we
wouldn't be, but so that when weare, we can do it with him.
It says in the text that we getto go and bear the approach
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that he endured.
And that only happens as if weidentify with Jesus publicly.
What we call witness.
That's what the scriptures callwitness too.
Co-mission is work and witness.
It's this ability to bearwitness to Jesus with our words
and with our lives.
And so the author of Hebrewssays therefore, let us go to him
.
Well, where is Jesus?
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According to the text, he'soutside the camp, among the
least and the last and the lowlyand the lost.
The same place he was all thetime when he was walking around
on earth.
He's still there.
You wanna find Jesus?
Go to the poor.
You wanna find Jesus?
Go to the lost.
Co-mission we're sent on missionwith Jesus, to the frontier of
mission, where he is, where he'spushing back the reign of
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darkness with the kingdom of thebeloved son, and he's inviting
you to join him.
Therefore, let us go to him.
That's what Hebrews 13 says,and so, as we do that, that
purpose, it says that we seekthe city that is to come, the
new city, you could say.
This is where we get our namefrom.
We here work hard in our jobsand with our children and with
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our neighbors, and we bearwitness, and we do all these
things in a way that says thiscity is not the end all be all.
We seek a city that is to comeand that actually sets us free
to love sacrificially, here andnow.
Well, what does that look like?
Look at verse 15.
It says through him now, that'sI'm calling that, drawing on
our union with Christ ThroughJesus Christ, then let us do
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three things Continually offerup a sacrifice of praise to God
that is the fruit of lips thatacknowledge his name.
Second thing is do not neglectto do good.
And the third thing is to sharewhat you have, for such
sacrifices are pleasing to God.
I wish I had more time, becausein the New Testament there are
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eight spiritual sacrifices thatreplace all of the sacrificial
system in the Old Testament.
We got three of them here.
The three of them here arepraising God, doing good and
sharing what you have.
That's how you live, in such away that looks like seeking a
city that is to come.
You praise God, you do good andyou give freely.
(28:15):
You share what you have and aswe do that, we join with Jesus
through work and witness on hismission in the world.
And these are, as it says,sacrifices that are pleasing to
God, I wanna land the plane herewith verse 17.
It says this obey your leadersand submit to them, for they are
(28:35):
keeping watch over your souls.
As those who will have to givean account, let them do this
with joy and not with groaning,for that would be of no
advantage to you.
I wanna ask this question whatdoes it mean that your leaders
are those who will have to givean account?
I have a daily reminder thatpops up and it says this simply
(28:56):
this day and that day, that dayis capital D day.
This day and that day and thisday is the day that the Lord
said he's made and I'm justgonna walk in it, rejoice in it,
but that day is the day when Iwill stand before King Jesus one
day.
A day's coming.
It's either coming or it's not,and I'm assuming it's coming.
(29:17):
And so, if it's coming, theBible is clear that there's this
day when we'll all stand beforeKing Jesus one day, and people
who reject Jesus will receivecondemnation, but people who
receive Jesus will receivecommendation.
There is therefore now nocondemnation for those who are
in Christ Jesus.
This is important, and so, aswe stand before Jesus on that
(29:40):
day, the word for the judgmentseat is not a courtroom bench,
it's actually the judgment ofjudges at an Olympic games.
Now think about that.
If you're competing in theathletic games in the Olympics,
you're not getting punished foranything.
You're getting rewarded for howyou ran the race.
That's the judgment seat ofJesus.
(30:02):
For Christians, it's a place ofreward.
It's a place where he gets torespond to your love of response
to him, where he gets to tellyou how he feels about your life
, of love towards him andtowards your neighbor.
That's what happens in this day.
But here's the thing that day'sgoing to come and I'm going to
be evaluated for how I stewardedmy life and for how you
(30:24):
stewarded your life.
I'm going to give an accountfor you.
That gives me a sobriety, ahopeful one, because Jesus is
really kind, but a sobrietynonetheless.
And so there's gonna be a daywhen I stand before King Jesus
and I'm gonna look at him in theeyes and he's gonna look back
at me and they're gonna be thekindest eyes that anybody's ever
seen and yet utterlyuncompromising.
(30:46):
And in that moment I'm gonnafeel searched and known as Psalm
139 said.
And in that day I'm going tostand before him and I'm going
to have to give an account formy life and the lives of the
people that I have the privilegeof leading, and so one of the
reasons why this text ends hereand why it's such an important
thing for us to make a big dealout of, is because I want more
(31:09):
than anything else to hear himsay well done, good and faithful
servant, you've been faithfulover a little, here's a lot.
Enter into the joy of yourmaster, and I think on that day
I'm going to experience that,and as I stand before him and I
give an account for my life, Iwant that day to be a day of joy
, not just for me, but for youtoo.
(31:30):
This is one of the reasons whywe talk so much about disciple
making here at New City, becauseJesus is not like one of those
teachers where you're like Ihave no idea how to get an A in
this class.
He's just super clear about it.
In Matthew 20, he says how weserve is what greatness looks
like in his kingdom.
In 22, he says how we love andin 25, he says how we steward
(31:51):
our lives.
So those are some of the thingshe's going to be reviewing with
us, but in Matthew 5 is themost explicit one I know.
Matthew 5, 19 says this whoeverrelaxes one of the least of
these commandments and teachesothers to do the same will be
called least in the kingdom ofheaven.
They're still in, they're justleast.
But whoever does them andteaches them will be called
great in the kingdom of heaven.
(32:12):
Translation disciples who makedisciples will be called great
in the kingdom of heaven.
Those who do his commands andteach his commands is right
there in the text.
And so we want to order andorganize everything we do here
at New City to champion you onthat day, so that we can quote
give an account for your life,not with groaning, give an
account for your life not withgroaning but with joy, and you
(32:37):
can too.
And New City, I can say withdelight I look forward to that
day.
It's gonna be a good day for meand for us.
Not because we're so successfuland self-righteous.
Jesus is so kind to us, hisgrace empowers us to be about
the things he's about, and thenhe rewards us with a generosity
(32:58):
that is utterly undeserved inevery way.
So let me end where this textends Now.
May the God of peace who broughtagain from the dead our Lord
Jesus, the great shepherd of thesheep, by the blood of the
eternal covenant, equip you witheverything good that you may do
, his will working in us thatwhich is pleasing in his sight,
through Jesus Christ, to whom beglory forever and ever.
(33:21):
Amen.
Let's pray, king Jesus, we dolook forward to that day when we
get to stand before you, whenwe get to say nothing in my
hands I bring simply to thecross I cling.
What a day of joy that'll be,because we get to rejoice not in
(33:42):
who we are and what we've done,but because of who you are and
what you've done.
Jesus, give us your spirit.
Work in us that which ispleasing to your Father.
We pray in your name, amen.
Thank you, thanks for listening.
Ashley Lipscomb (00:22):
Please pray aloud this prayer with me.
Eternal God, the grass withersand the flower fades, but your
word will stand forever.
Holy Spirit, help us to loveand trust your word Through
Jesus Christ.
We pray Amen.
This is super helpful forpeople who are old and can't see
(00:47):
anymore.
Okay, our scripture for todayis a long one, so remain
standing if you're able.
It's Hebrews 13, 1 through 21.
Let brotherly love continue.
Do not neglect to showhospitality to strangers, for
thereby some have entertainedangels unawares.
Remember those who are inprison, as though in prison with
them, and those who aremistreated.
(01:07):
Since you also are in the body,let marriage be held in honor
among all, and let the marriagebed be undefiled, for God will
judge the sexually immoral andadulterous.
Keep your life free from loveof money and be content with
what you have, for he has said Iwill never leave you nor
forsake you.
So we can confidently say theLord is my helper, I will not
(01:31):
fear.
What can man do to me?
Remember your leaders, thosewho spoke to you the word of God
.
Consider the outcome of theirway of life and imitate their
faith.
Jesus Christ is the sameyesterday and today and forever.
Do not be led away by diverseand strange teachings, for it is
good for the heart to bestrengthened by grace, not by
(01:53):
foods which have not benefitedthose devoted to them.
We have an altar from whichthose who serve the tent have no
right to eat, for the bodies ofthose animals whose blood is
brought into the holy places bythe high priest as a sacrifice
for sin are burned outside thecamp.
So Jesus also suffered outsidethe gate in order to sanctify
(02:15):
the people through his own blood.
Therefore, let us go to himoutside the camp and bear the
reproach he endured.
Go to him outside the camp andbear the reproach he endured,
for we have no lasting city, butwe seek the city that is to
come Through him.
Then, let us continually offerup a sacrifice of praise to God
that is the fruit of lips thatacknowledge his name.
(02:38):
Do not neglect to do good and toshare what you have, for such
sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Obey your leaders and submit tothem, for they are keeping
watch over your souls, as thosewho will have to give an account
.
Let them do this with joy andnot with groaning, for that
would be of no advantage to you.
Pray for us, for we are surethat we have a clear conscience,
(02:59):
desiring to act honorably inall things.
I urge you the more earnestlyto do this in order that I may
be restored to you the soonerNow.
May the God of peace, whobrought again from the dead our
Lord Jesus, the great shepherdof the sheep, by the blood of
the eternal covenant, equip youwith everything good that you
may do, his will working in us,that which is pleasing in his
(03:22):
sight.
Through Jesus Christ, to whombe glory forever and ever.
Amen, this is God's word.
You may be seated.
Benjamin Kandt (03:38):
Well, good morning.
My name is Ben.
I'm a pastor here with New City.
One of the things I've beendoing this whole spring thus far
is trying to shrink my sermonlength.
Those of you who serve in citykids are thankful, and one of
the reasons for that is becauseI wanted to create more space
for the all of life spotlight sothat you could hear the word of
God from the people of God,like David just offered to you.
(03:59):
So thank you, david, for yourencouragement of us.
Today we actually conclude ourspring sermon series.
We've spent February through Mayworking through the book of
Hebrews and we get to the end.
Today, and throughout thiswhole book, what we've been
hearing over and, over and overagain is how can we have a deep
rooted, unshakable confidence?
That's why we named the sermonseries Unshakable.
(04:22):
It actually comes from Hebrews12, 28, which says that we've
received a kingdom that cannotbe shaken.
How do we touch that?
How do we get more of that intoour lives, this unshakable,
deep-rooted confidence?
Well, over and over and overagain, the book of Hebrews has
been asking and answering thequestion which is is Jesus
(04:42):
sturdy enough to be the centerof your existence?
And the resounding answer isabsolutely yes, absolutely yes.
And so as we close out thisseries, we're just going to keep
looking at the same thing we'vebeen looking at for the whole
spring semester here.
But I want to warn you, thecommentators three at least on
Hebrews 13, said that there isno rhyme or reason or structure
(05:05):
to how Hebrews 13 as a textunfolds, which is really hard
for a preacher.
So you can discern for yourselfwhether this is completely
self-motivated or if thisactually is a good idea.
But I structured the sermonaround our definition of a
disciple.
Our definition of a disciple isthat disciples are united to
Jesus in communion with God,community with one another and
(05:28):
co-mission for the world.
And so those are my threepoints communion, community and
co-mission.
So if you have a Bible, adevice, the worship guide, get
Hebrews 13 in front of you, andwe're actually going to begin
with the end, which is this kindof benediction that this letter
closes out with.
Look at verse 20 with me.
It says this Hebrews 13, 20.
(05:48):
Now may the God of peace, whobrought again from the dead our
Lord Jesus, the great shepherdof the sheep, by the blood of
the eternal covenant, equip youwith everything good that you to
do his will.
That's the summary of thatbenediction, but the big
(06:19):
question is how.
How Well?
Verse 21 says simply throughJesus Christ.
Through Jesus Christ.
What does that actually mean,though?
Let me ask you, what if therewas something more true of you
than your story?
What if there was somethingmore real to you than your
thoughts and feelings anddesires?
(06:39):
What if there was somethingmore relevant to you than the
swirling circumstances aroundyou?
What if you were defined bysomething deeper than all of
those things?
Well, if you belong to Jesusthrough simple faith, there is
something that defines you.
There is something that's moresignificant to you.
That is what we call union withChrist.
The fact that you are united toJesus is the truest thing about
(07:03):
you if you belong to Jesus, andso the relevance of that it
matters, because the whole bookof Hebrews exists to tell you
that the only thing that willenable us to face the
intolerability of theuncertainty of our lives is the
truth in Hebrews 13, eight,which says Jesus Christ is the
(07:23):
same yesterday and today andforever.
And if we are united to him,although the world seems to
constantly just be passing us by, what if there was a center
that we could penetrate intothat, had a stillness, a calm
about it.
What if that existed?
What if that was on offer toyou at any given moment of any
(07:44):
day?
You and me, we ebb and flow, werise and fall, we wax and wane,
but our Lord is the same todayas he always has been.
He's unchanging.
And so, in moments ofuncertainty, the
unchangeableness of Jesus isactually a source of reassurance
that we can draw from, becausewe're united to him by faith and
(08:06):
we can draw on that unionthrough communion with God.
That's the hope, that's thepoint of this text in many ways.
Now, when everything around youseems like it's shaking, we can
turn to Jesus and we canconfidently say to him you who
move all things, are yourselfunmoved, you're stable, you're
(08:29):
steadfast, you're secure.
Jesus alone is firm in themidst of flux.
You know, scientists say thatone day our sun is gonna just
burn out, which blows my mind,by the way.
One day it's just gonna stopdoing what it's been doing.
But listen, if that's true, thebrilliance of Jesus will shine
for eternity, never growing dim,never growing cold.
(08:50):
He's the same yesterday andtoday and forever.
This matters because that alsomeans, if he's our unchanging
center, then the high watermarkof our experience with Jesus is
not some past moment in ourlives, but a present possibility
at any given moment.
This is what I mean.
There is no nostalgia in Christ.
(09:12):
There's never a time when yougo oh, I wish I could get back
to those glory days.
He's the same yesterday andtoday and forever.
And so if your history inChrist feels like anything, if
you want it to feel like now ornever, you need to realize that
Christ is himself anall-sufficient and unchanging
(09:34):
friend right here, right now.
I want that to be a livedreality for everybody in this
room.
I want you to know what thatlooks like, what that feels like
, how to draw on that, and sothat's what we call communion
with God.
It's simply drawing on all thatGod has for us in Jesus Christ.
Now we use two words todescribe how to do that.
The first one is we receive andthen we respond.
(09:56):
So throughout this sermonyou're going to hear me talking
about receiving from Jesus andresponding to Jesus.
Let me tell you a quick storyabout what that looks like in
practice.
In the 1800s, there was a guynamed George Mueller who
literally cared for 10,000orphans through prayer alone.
So amazing.
And in 1838, his donations justsuddenly stopped.
(10:17):
He had no more money.
It had dried up, didn't have away to provide for them and so,
with no money left, he walkedaround his garden and he
meditated on Hebrews 13, 8, ourpassage Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday and today and forever.
And then he wrote in hisjournal this quote as I prayed,
the present need came to mindand I said to myself Jesus, in
(10:39):
his unchanging love and power,has always provided.
He will provide again, and hewrites.
A flow of joy came into my soulwhile realizing the
unchangeableness of our Lord.
And moments later a letterarrived with the exact amount he
needed to feed the orphans.
You see, this is importantbecause George Mueller knew how
(11:01):
to draw on all of Jesus for allof life.
But it's also important thatyou know that there is nothing
that anyone in the past has everexperienced any strength, any
love or joy, any brave hope orpatient endurance, anything, any
kind of deep, wellingconfidence that anybody had in
the past who walked with Jesus.
(11:22):
That Jesus himself does notstand by your side today, ready
to give you.
We simply receive all that Godhas for us.
Quote through Jesus Christ, endquote as verse 21 says it.
So if we're united to Jesus,we're also united to everyone
who is also united to Jesus.
(11:43):
Our communion with God flowsinto our community with one
another.
Look with me at verse one andI'm gonna walk through this.
If this feels like staccato,disjointed, like I'm just bop,
bop, bop, that's because that'show the text reads.
Look with me at it.
In verse one, it says this letbrotherly love continue.
Now, I love this.
I think Hebrews 13 is a sermon,and one of the most enjoyable
(12:08):
things as a pastor is to commendthe people that you get to lead
, and that's what the author'sdoing here.
Let brotherly love continue.
You're doing it.
Keep it up.
And I can say that about NewCity, because I, you know, I can
pop the hood on this place, Ican see how the sausage is made,
as they say, and it's actuallyreally good.
Like y'all love each other.
Well.
And so I can say let brotherlylove continue, just like the
(12:31):
author can say that.
And so I can say let brotherlylove continue, just like the
author can say that.
But I wanna look at this.
What's happening here?
Well, he's using this wordbrotherly love, which is
Philadelphia in Greek.
I just think that's cool.
And it's this sharing in thiscommon life together, and really
what it means is, if I belongto Jesus, I also belong to you.
(12:51):
In Kenya they have this term,ubuntu, which means I am because
we are.
It's a deeply Christianunderstanding of what it means
to be human, unlike ourexpressive individualism in the
West, which is very unchristianin many ways.
I am because we are.
That's why we let brotherlylove continue, because we've got
(13:11):
a stake in it with each other.
Your flourishing is myflourishing and vice versa, and
so we pursue the brotherly loveof one another.
Why?
Well, because Hebrews 2, wayback in February, if you
remember it, says Christ is notashamed to call us his brothers
and sisters.
So if Jesus can look at you inall of your sin and suffering
(13:33):
and sorrow and, far from turninghis nose away in embarrassment,
actually moves towards you incompassion and tender
heartedness, how much more thencan we receive that from him and
respond by offering thatbrotherly love to our siblings
in Christ?
What would that look likepractically?
Well, look at the next verse,verse two Do not neglect to show
(13:54):
hospitality to strangers, forthereby some have entertained
angels unawares.
I don't know why it's unawares.
That's the text, but I alwaysstumble over that word because
it's just really interesting tome.
But this idea of hospitality isin Greek.
It's actually stranger love.
That's what the wordhospitality means the love for
the stranger, the outsider.
(14:16):
There's a woman named RosariaButterfield who came to know
Jesus out of the LGBTQ pluscommunity.
She wrote a few books on it.
The third one she wrote iscalled the Gospel Comes with a
House Key, one of my favoritebooks on hospitality.
And in there she asks really,the book is asking this question
Is the Christian communitystrong enough to call people to
repent and to come out of theLGBTQ plus community and into
(14:39):
the Jesus community?
Do we have on offer a familythat can replace the possibility
of never having family again?
And she asked this question.
She says to you and to me shesays have you ever thought that
you, your house and your timeare not your own, but rather
God's ordained way of escape forsomeone Like your table today
(15:01):
after worship, inviting somerando, a stranger, as the text
says, to come over and to sharea meal with you, might be God's
way of escape for their life.
To leave temptation, to leavesin.
Romans 15 puts it like thiswelcome one another.
That's how we respond as Christhas welcomed you.
That's what we receive.
Do you hear this?
(15:25):
We welcome one another becauseGod in Christ has welcomed us.
Look at verse three.
It says this remember those whoare in prison, and here's the
reason why.
As though in prison with them.
And those who are in prison,and here's the reason why.
As though in prison with them.
And those who are mistreated.
Here's the reason why, sinceyou also are in the body, jesus
so identifies with us that,whatever state we're in, when we
visit a brother or sister inprison, we are visiting Christ
(15:47):
himself.
That's what Matthew 25 says.
He says this quote I was inprison and you came to me, and
the righteous in that day willlook at him and go I don't
remember that Jesus.
He's like.
Well, when you did it to theleast of these, my brothers and
sisters, you did it to me.
That's how identified Jesus iswith his people.
And so the text is sointeresting though it says as
(16:08):
though you're in prison withthem.
Why?
Because it says as thoughyou're in prison with them.
Why?
Because if I'm united to Jesus,I'm united to you.
And then it goes on.
It says, since you also are inthe body, people debate what
that actually means.
But John Calvin and I boththink it refers to the body of
Christ, which is the mostpretentious way I could say that
I understand, but I just wantedyou to know I got some
credibility behind having thatview.
(16:28):
Is that this is you're in thebody of Christ, you're united to
one another.
Many members, one body.
That's why, when your brothersor sisters are being mistreated,
you feel it.
You feel it If you belong toJesus, you belong to one another
.
Look with me at verse four.
Let marriage be held in honoramong all and let the marriage
(16:51):
bed be undefiled, for God willjudge the sexually immoral and
adulterous.
I have a practice of when Ifind somebody's, find out
somebody's anniversary, Iusually try to write it down and
text them happy anniversary.
The reason why is because Ithink it's probably maybe more
important to say happyanniversary than happy birthday,
because it's statisticallyharder to stay married than it
is to stay alive, and so that'sjust important to me.
(17:15):
I'm just like I want marriageto be held in honor by all.
I want to just hold that up.
That's what the text says here.
But why is marriage such a bigdeal for the people of Jesus?
Well, it's because frombeginning to end, genesis to
Revelation, the Bible's a divineromance.
It's the story of a faithfulhusband pursuing his unfaithful
(17:36):
bride, the church going afterher, doing whatever it takes
with an undying love to woo andwin her affection back to
himself.
And so when we receive Jesus'sfidelity through adversity
towards us, we can respond bybeing faithful to our spouses,
even when they don't deserve it.
And so it says in the text,though one of the motivations
(18:00):
here is that God will judge thesexually immoral and adulterous.
If that's true, what hope isthere for those of us who have
experienced defilement in thisarea of our lives?
Well, if you look at verse 12,it says this Jesus suffered
outside the gate in order tosanctify the people through his
own blood.
You see, jesus alone cancleanse the defiled.
(18:21):
He alone can bring undefilement.
I've got thousands of hours oftherapy sitting with people and
I can tell you there is nothingthat deals with guilt and shame
of your past, quite like theblood of Jesus Christ.
If you don't know what I meanby that, come talk to me
afterwards.
I'd be happy to share with youwhat that means.
(18:41):
There's nothing, nopsychotherapeutic techniques,
that can deal with the guilt andthe shame, especially around
sexual sin, like this text istalking about, like the fact
that Jesus shed his own blood tosanctify us, to make us holy
and clean before him.
That's what he does for hisbride.
(19:02):
Hebrews 13 doesn't stop there.
It goes from sex to money.
It's almost as if the Bible'srelevant for contemporary
problems.
Look at verse five.
Keep your life free from thelove of money and be content
with what you have.
For he has said I will neverleave you nor forsake you.
So we can confidently say theLord is my helper, I will not
fear.
What can man do to me?
(19:24):
We actually preached a sermonseries on the art of divine
contentment last year.
I think Damien, this Sundaylast year preached on this text,
so you can go back and listento it, the series on contentment
.
But what we said there was thesecret of contentment is not
having what you want, butwanting what you have.
The secret of contentment isnot having what you want, but
wanting what you have.
(19:44):
What do we have?
Well, the text here in versefive says the triune God, the
creator of the universe, whoupholds all things by the word
of his power, says to us I willnever leave you nor forsake you,
you have God.
You have God.
As we receive the fact that Godis for us and will never leave
(20:05):
us, we respond by refusing toget caught up in the endless
drive for more and better.
We will not believe the greenergrass conspiracy, because, let
me just tell you, the grass isnot greener on the other side.
The grass is greener on theseptic tank, and you can trust
me, I have a septic tank.
That's just true.
And so we refuse that.
We've refused to live lives ofdiscontentment, thinking that if
(20:27):
only I had X, y or Z, I'd haveenough.
God is looking at you and he'ssaying you have me, that's
enough.
But it's hard to believe thatsometimes, and so what we need
is some proof of concept thatJesus is enough, and that's why
this text goes right from beingcontent to our leaders.
Look at verse seven.
Remember your leaders, thosewho spoke to you the word of God
(20:50):
.
Consider the outcome of theirway of life and imitate their
faith.
Remember your leaders.
I wanna take a moment to obeythis, because it's the Bible,
that's what you do with it, andI wanna actually invite you
right now to remember some ofyour leaders.
I love this biblical definitionof leadership your leaders are
those who spoke to you the wordof God Pretty simple, pretty
(21:13):
straightforward.
So my question for you is whotaught you?
Maybe it was a faithful parentor grandparent who led you to
faith.
Maybe it was a friend or acampus minister who discipled
you.
Maybe it was somebody that youcan recall, bring to mind, a
pastor, or I'm saying thatleaders here is simply those who
(21:34):
spoke to you the word of God.
Now we talk a lot about disciplemaking here.
Our mission is to call, formand send disciples who make
disciples, and the reason forthat is is because disciple
makers are simply those whospeak the word of God into
people's lives.
They're those who follow a waythat has a good outcome.
That's why we have this all oflife guide is to help you with
your way of life, hoping andaiming towards a good outcome.
(21:55):
That's why we have this all oflife God is to help you with
your way of life, hoping andaiming towards a good outcome.
Disciple makers are people wholive by faith, so that other
people can see.
They've got models of what thatlooks like.
But what is the connectionbetween verse seven and verse
eight?
Look at the text again.
It says this in verse eightJesus Christ is the same
yesterday and today and forever.
How does verse eight follow?
(22:16):
Well, across the generations,the true apostolic succession is
disciple makers, who have beenmodels of what this unchanging
character of Christ looks like,on display in the people who
lead us.
Leaders are models of Christ inour midst, what CS Lewis calls
little Christs.
We all need them.
(22:36):
We need leaders that stand upin front of us, who have the
ability to speak to us the wordof God and have a way of life
that has a good outcome and liveby faith in a way that we can
actually imitate and emulatethem.
But leaders will come and go,and yet Jesus Christ remains the
same.
There's a saying, that is,leaders ought to be content to
preach the gospel, die and beforgotten.
(23:04):
That's true.
That's true.
But this text is sayingremember them for your sake,
remember those people, payattention to them.
And it goes on to explain why.
In verse nine, it says do notbe led astray, do not be led
away by diverse and strangeteachings, for it is good Now.
There were two Carls who wereinfluential theologians in the
20th century.
One was Carl Barth, the otherwas Carl Henry.
(23:31):
This is going to be a nerdyillustration, so bear with me.
They met once, actually at apress conference, and Carl Henry
, who was the first editor ofChristianity Today that's a
magazine if you've ever seen itbefore, and he was the first
editor and Carl Henry asked CarlBarth if the resurrection of
Jesus was a historical fact.
Did Jesus really rise from thedead?
He asked him in a really coolway.
(23:52):
He pointed to the press tablewhich had reporters from
Religious News Service, theWashington Post, all these other
media outlets, and he asked ifthese journalists had their
present duties in the time ofJesus.
If they were journalists orreporters back then, was the
resurrection news in the sensethat anybody on the street would
understand the term news?
Karl Barth mockingly asked himdid you say you're a
(24:15):
Christianity today orChristianity yesterday?
Got a laugh, everybody laughedin the room until Carl Henry
replied yesterday, today andforever, mic drop punk rock
moment.
I love that.
I don't know if I'm that witty,but that was great.
And here's why I tell you thatstory, because Christians have
always been pressed to updatetheir teachings.
(24:35):
This is outdated, this isarchaic Christianity yesterday.
Come on, you should just assumethat Jesus is the channel
marker for our lives, that whenwe navigate strange and diverse
teachings.
We don't wanna run aground oneither shore.
We wanna let Jesus be thechannel markers, because Jesus
(24:55):
Christ is the same yesterday,today and forever, and we dare
not lose the good news about him.
Why?
Because verse nine says it isgood for the heart to be
strengthened by grace.
You see, the grace of Jesusalone embraces us where we are
in our sin and suffering andsorrow.
But the grace of Jesus alsoalone empowers us where we are,
(25:18):
not to have to stay there but tolive with fruitful mission in
all of life.
And that's where this text ends.
Is that Hebrews ends by sendingus out into the world.
Look at the third point here,which is co-mission for the
world.
Look at verse 12, it says thisso Jesus also suffered outside
the gate in order to sanctifythe people through his own blood
(25:41):
.
Therefore, let us go to himoutside the camp and bear the
reproach he endured, for here wehave no lasting city, but we
seek the city that is to come.
You see, jesus was mocked forhis faith, not so that we
wouldn't be, but so that when weare, we can do it with him.
It says in the text that we getto go and bear the approach
(26:03):
that he endured.
And that only happens as if weidentify with Jesus publicly.
What we call witness.
That's what the scriptures callwitness too.
Co-mission is work and witness.
It's this ability to bearwitness to Jesus with our words
and with our lives.
And so the author of Hebrewssays therefore, let us go to him
.
Well, where is Jesus?
(26:24):
According to the text, he'soutside the camp, among the
least and the last and the lowlyand the lost.
The same place he was all thetime when he was walking around
on earth.
He's still there.
You wanna find Jesus?
Go to the poor.
You wanna find Jesus?
Go to the lost.
Co-mission we're sent on missionwith Jesus, to the frontier of
mission, where he is, where he'spushing back the reign of
(26:46):
darkness with the kingdom of thebeloved son, and he's inviting
you to join him.
Therefore, let us go to him.
That's what Hebrews 13 says,and so, as we do that, that
purpose, it says that we seekthe city that is to come, the
new city, you could say.
This is where we get our namefrom.
We here work hard in our jobsand with our children and with
(27:12):
our neighbors, and we bearwitness, and we do all these
things in a way that says thiscity is not the end all be all.
We seek a city that is to comeand that actually sets us free
to love sacrificially, here andnow.
Well, what does that look like?
Look at verse 15.
It says through him now, that'sI'm calling that, drawing on
our union with Christ ThroughJesus Christ, then let us do
(27:34):
three things Continually offerup a sacrifice of praise to God
that is the fruit of lips thatacknowledge his name.
Second thing is do not neglectto do good.
And the third thing is to sharewhat you have, for such
sacrifices are pleasing to God.
I wish I had more time, becausein the New Testament there are
(27:54):
eight spiritual sacrifices thatreplace all of the sacrificial
system in the Old Testament.
We got three of them here.
The three of them here arepraising God, doing good and
sharing what you have.
That's how you live, in such away that looks like seeking a
city that is to come.
You praise God, you do good andyou give freely.
(28:15):
You share what you have and aswe do that, we join with Jesus
through work and witness on hismission in the world.
And these are, as it says,sacrifices that are pleasing to
God, I wanna land the plane herewith verse 17.
It says this obey your leadersand submit to them, for they are
(28:35):
keeping watch over your souls.
As those who will have to givean account, let them do this
with joy and not with groaning,for that would be of no
advantage to you.
I wanna ask this question whatdoes it mean that your leaders
are those who will have to givean account?
I have a daily reminder thatpops up and it says this simply
(28:56):
this day and that day, that dayis capital D day.
This day and that day and thisday is the day that the Lord
said he's made and I'm justgonna walk in it, rejoice in it,
but that day is the day when Iwill stand before King Jesus one
day.
A day's coming.
It's either coming or it's not,and I'm assuming it's coming.
(29:17):
And so, if it's coming, theBible is clear that there's this
day when we'll all stand beforeKing Jesus one day, and people
who reject Jesus will receivecondemnation, but people who
receive Jesus will receivecommendation.
There is therefore now nocondemnation for those who are
in Christ Jesus.
This is important, and so, aswe stand before Jesus on that
(29:40):
day, the word for the judgmentseat is not a courtroom bench,
it's actually the judgment ofjudges at an Olympic games.
Now think about that.
If you're competing in theathletic games in the Olympics,
you're not getting punished foranything.
You're getting rewarded for howyou ran the race.
That's the judgment seat ofJesus.
(30:02):
For Christians, it's a place ofreward.
It's a place where he gets torespond to your love of response
to him, where he gets to tellyou how he feels about your life
, of love towards him andtowards your neighbor.
That's what happens in this day.
But here's the thing that day'sgoing to come and I'm going to
be evaluated for how I stewardedmy life and for how you
(30:24):
stewarded your life.
I'm going to give an accountfor you.
That gives me a sobriety, ahopeful one, because Jesus is
really kind, but a sobrietynonetheless.
And so there's gonna be a daywhen I stand before King Jesus
and I'm gonna look at him in theeyes and he's gonna look back
at me and they're gonna be thekindest eyes that anybody's ever
seen and yet utterlyuncompromising.
(30:46):
And in that moment I'm gonnafeel searched and known as Psalm
139 said.
And in that day I'm going tostand before him and I'm going
to have to give an account formy life and the lives of the
people that I have the privilegeof leading, and so one of the
reasons why this text ends hereand why it's such an important
thing for us to make a big dealout of, is because I want more
(31:09):
than anything else to hear himsay well done, good and faithful
servant, you've been faithfulover a little, here's a lot.
Enter into the joy of yourmaster, and I think on that day
I'm going to experience that,and as I stand before him and I
give an account for my life, Iwant that day to be a day of joy
, not just for me, but for youtoo.
(31:30):
This is one of the reasons whywe talk so much about disciple
making here at New City, becauseJesus is not like one of those
teachers where you're like Ihave no idea how to get an A in
this class.
He's just super clear about it.
In Matthew 20, he says how weserve is what greatness looks
like in his kingdom.
In 22, he says how we love andin 25, he says how we steward
(31:51):
our lives.
So those are some of the thingshe's going to be reviewing with
us, but in Matthew 5 is themost explicit one I know.
Matthew 5, 19 says this whoeverrelaxes one of the least of
these commandments and teachesothers to do the same will be
called least in the kingdom ofheaven.
They're still in, they're justleast.
But whoever does them andteaches them will be called
great in the kingdom of heaven.
(32:12):
Translation disciples who makedisciples will be called great
in the kingdom of heaven.
Those who do his commands andteach his commands is right
there in the text.
And so we want to order andorganize everything we do here
at New City to champion you onthat day, so that we can quote
give an account for your life,not with groaning, give an
account for your life not withgroaning but with joy, and you
(32:37):
can too.
And New City, I can say withdelight I look forward to that
day.
It's gonna be a good day for meand for us.
Not because we're so successfuland self-righteous.
Jesus is so kind to us, hisgrace empowers us to be about
the things he's about, and thenhe rewards us with a generosity
(32:58):
that is utterly undeserved inevery way.
So let me end where this textends Now.
May the God of peace who broughtagain from the dead our Lord
Jesus, the great shepherd of thesheep, by the blood of the
eternal covenant, equip you witheverything good that you may do
, his will working in us thatwhich is pleasing in his sight,
through Jesus Christ, to whom beglory forever and ever.
(33:21):
Amen.
Let's pray, king Jesus, we dolook forward to that day when we
get to stand before you, whenwe get to say nothing in my
hands I bring simply to thecross I cling.
What a day of joy that'll be,because we get to rejoice not in
(33:42):
who we are and what we've done,but because of who you are and
what you've done.
Jesus, give us your spirit.
Work in us that which ispleasing to your Father.
We pray in your name, amen.
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