R sbc
May 16th 2004
Sunday Night
The Book of Hebrews
Subject: “Brotherly Love”
Text: Hebrews 13:1
Intro: In the closing of this particular book, the writer sets out to lay down some doctrines of which I will as God leads try to deal with them. The first being that of Christian love one for another, Angels, Marriage, Christian Responisbilities to other Christians.
The Duties that churches have toward their pastors. This is a few things that we will be studying in this closing chapter. It is very difficult for Christains to maintain love one for another. There is reasons.
(1.) Because of differing personailites.
(2.) Because of sin unconfessed.
(3.) Because we want everyone to be like us and think like us.
(4.) Because of a restricted view of reality.
(5.) Because of a refusal to give and take for the good of others.
This is just a few but I am sure there are others. We must work at trying by the grace of God to overcome for each other.
I... “ DEFINE BROTHERLY LOVE”
When I try to define love it is easier to go to the chapter in the Bible that reveals the truth about real love.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Charity suffereth long, [and] is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8 Charity never faileth:
What a definition. No dictionary could explain what the true meaning of love is like the word of God can. The american Coligate dictionary says it is a strong passionate feeling for the oposite sex. This is true but it is not what the Bible is talking about.
This is the kind of Love that the Bible is telling God’s people to have one for another, not just some passing fancy until one is crossed because of some misunderstanding or some falling out then you no longer love one another.
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II.. “ THE APPLICATION OF BROTHERLY LOVE”
The duty of the believers... “ Let it keep on continuing” Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man.
The Bible teaches that we owe it to each other: Romans 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
I am in debt to you, and you are in debt to me. We can never pay this debt off, it will last forever.
(1.) Brotherly love should be motivated by the love that Christ hath for us:
John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
Note what he says: “As I have love you” Through out the ministry of Christ we can see the love that he hath for his people demonstrated... John 13:1 Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.
When Lazrus died and Jesus came to pay his respects and to raise him from the dead, he wept the Bible said, not for him but for Mary and Maratha. Note what the Jews said about him: John 11:36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!
Paul proposes the great question: Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? [shall] tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Romans 8:36-39 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(2.) Brotherly love testifies to the validity of our conversion:
John 13:35 By this shall all [men] know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
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It is so clear to me that if you are wondering if you are saved tonight, well herein is the test. Do I love my fellow Christains? It is virtually impossible to be a Christian to be saved, born from above without loving one another..that is an absolute.
(3.) Brotherly love will seek to place others ahead of self:
Romans 12:10 [Be] kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Is this not what the Lord Jesus Christ did for us? The answer is yes!
a. He preferred us so he so he came from heaven to earth as a man.
b. He preferred us so he set us an example.
c. He preferred us so he died in our place on the cross.
1 Peter 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
Paul again says concerning preferring one another these words: Ephesians 4:2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
It is so hard to deny self, to put others ahead of me, but if we do it we will benefit the body of Christ of which are his members.
(4.) Brotherly love is increased in us by God and taught to us by the Lord:
1 Thessalonians 3:12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all [men], even as we [do] toward you: Two things Paul requested for them... (1.) That God would make them increase. (2.) That this love one for another would abound in them. Then he declares also in 1 Thessalonians 4:9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
How does GOD teach us to love one another? Good question and we will try to answer it. Here I don’t think that he was teaching them there was some law, some principles of the gospel, but rather that with the very finger of GOD he would establish in our hearts a natural response to each other.
(5.) Brotherly love will provoke us to good works:
Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
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Good works are as much a part of the Christian life as being born from above is. We are to perform good works and if love as the Bible teaches us to in these text that we have been considering tonight we shall do well.
1st. Good works are ordained of GOD: Eph 2-8-10
2nd. Good works glorifies the Father: Matt 5: 16 & 1 Pet 1:12
3rd. Good works are to be maintained by Christians: Titus 3:8
(6.) Brotherly love also reveals the reall inner man:
1 Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, [see that ye] love one another with a pure heart fervently:
Love is to be pure not fleshly, not out of feingned heart, but real love pure love from our souls to each other. What a testimony we can have if we would but do as the Bible says.. This is all that it takes.
Two things that will produce this kind of purity and the kind of love that the Bible speaks of for you and I to have one to anther... (1.) Unity... 1 Peter 3:8 Finally, [be ye] all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, [be] pitiful, [be] courteous: (2.) Compassion on each other.
It is said of the Lord Jesus Christ : Luke 7:12-14 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. 14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare [him] stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.
1 John 4:11-12 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
Concluding remarks...
BROTHERLY LOVE DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE CANNOT CORRECT ONE ANOTHER”
If we sin, if we wrong someone, if we start missing church, if we have some habits we don’t need in our life and someone approaches us or I preach something to you that you feel is wrong or you are guilty of, this doesn’t mean that I don’t love you or some other brother or sister doesn’t love you. It really means that we love you.
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Galatians 6:1-2 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
Make Appilcation:
1. Try to understand others who differ from you so that you will not be offended and will maintain your brotherly love for them.
2. Make ever effort within you to rise above your own personal desires in order to maintain brotherly love.
3. Above all love the LORD...and the other things will be set in order..
The lawyer ask Jesus which is the greatest commandment? Matthew 22:36-40 Master, which [is] the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.