Good morning to everyone. Little crunchy out there this morning. We had frost on the cows, and everybody was white. So I guess it's wintertime. My wife keeps telling me, well, it is wintertime. But we've been spoiled a little bit lately with this warm weather. So it's nice to get into mid-January here before it gets too cold.

We're going to be looking at Hebrews 13 this morning. And we're going to really just be looking at a few words this morning. We're moving kind of into the application section. As we study the New Testament epistles, we find a consistent pattern. The authors all begin with doctrine. They lay out truth concerning the gospel, Jesus Christ, who He is, what He's done, and what the implications are for our life now and for eternity. 

We find in the first part of the epistles doctrine, truth teaching, and this is invariably followed by exhortation, imperative commands to act on this truth foundation. Paul's writings are clearest in this. When we look at a letter like Ephesians, we see in the first three chapters, Paul writes concerning our salvation. He explains the profound and amazing truths of who we are in Christ and what we have in Him. Then in the last three chapters, he exhorts us to live in light of these truths. He says, walk worthy of your calling. Live outwardly in consistency with who you are inwardly. 

This is the method of the New Testament authors, and it is consistent, and it's important for us to understand. When we look at the book of Hebrews, it's a little bit different. We see 12 chapters, largely consisting of doctrine, but with five warning passages mixed in. You'll remember directed primarily at those Hebrews who had come up to the point of faith but had not gone on to perfection in Christ. The author's very heavy on doctrine concerning Jesus Christ being better than all that the old covenant had and was, but with a pervasive exhortation to hold fast to Him, to believe Him.

In the 13th chapter, we come really to the application section, and it seems that the author's trying to pack in all the application for the believers in this one chapter because he spent 12 chapters laying down all this foundational doctrine. So what we see is a rapid-fire series of imperatives, exhortations, to the believers in this fellowship. It's an important chapter, and there's a lot here for us to consider and to apply. 

As I began to study, I was thinking about maybe how many messages I might want to spend on this chapter. I started to break it up a little bit. But after I began to prepare to preach on this first section, which really was going to be those first five or six verses, I got hung up on the first verse, and in particular, this word love. It struck me that this first command was coming out of all that was just said in chapter 12 concerning the old and the new covenants. I couldn't get past this command, let brotherly love continue. 

It comes out of all that—the truth of the new covenant—and it really leads forward into the commands that are practical. If we love, we do not commit adultery. If we love, we do not covet. We see this clearly in Romans 13, where we'll look in a little bit. The concept of love really encompasses the Christ's life, and it is the new covenant in his blood and all that it entails that allows us and commands us to exercise love toward one another. 

So I want to take our time this morning and talk about the importance of love and what it means to the Christian life. So our text this morning is this: verse 1, let brotherly love continue. I've given you three points on your outline. First, a command to love. Second, capacity to love. And third, continue in love. 

Well, first, I'd like to consider the command to love. In our text, the author uses the word Philadelphia, the word which speaks of brotherly love. Now, this is a rare word in our New Testament. It's only used four other times. And even if we include all the variations of phileo, it's only used 25 times in total, where the variations of agape are used 262 times. So this is a much more prevalent word than what we see in our text. 

Philadelphia speaks specifically of fraternal affection, of love between brothers in Christ, believers. It's a relational love. It's one of fellowship. And it's very important to note that it is something that you have. This is something that all believers have. Notice the author says, let brotherly love continue. He does not say we need to whip it up or create it. He says it's something that we have in Christ and that we need to foster and grow in, being mindful of our love for one another. 

Listen to one of the other uses of this word Philadelphia, 1 Thessalonians 4.9. But concerning brotherly love, you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another. Brotherly love, affection for and a bond with other believers is something that we have that has been given to us by God. 

Listen to Peter's words in another use of the word Philadelphia. He says, since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the spirit and sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart. This love is something that we have as a result of our regeneration, of our salvation in Christ. Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth, that is because you have been born again, regenerated through faith in the gospel, love one another fervently with a pure heart. 

The love we have for one another, for fellow believers, the bond we experience with all who have been born again is a result of salvation. So this is a relational word. In Romans 12.10, Paul writes, be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love in honor, giving preference to one another. Here, Paul uses agape to speak of bearing with one another in relations between believers. It literally means to put up with one another. And maybe that's really practical sometimes. 

2 Thessalonians 1.3 says, we are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting because your faith grows exceedingly and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other. Again, we see that the love for the brethren is expressed in agape, abounding toward one another. 1 Peter 4.8, Peter says, and above all things have fervent love for one another for love will cover a multitude of sins. 

1 John 3.16, by this we know love because he laid down his life for us and we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. No one has seen God, 1 John 4.12, no one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us and his love has been perfected in us. Philadelphia emphasizes the affection that we have for one another, the bond between brothers. And agape stresses the resulting action of self-sacrifice toward one another, esteeming others above ourselves. 

And we're all together in this, working towards one common cause to glorify God and to lead others to Jesus Christ. The command of love is consistent throughout the New Testament. I'd like to consider the command of love from the words of Jesus in John 13. If you'll turn back to John 13 at verse 34, this is Jesus talking to his disciples. John 13.34, he says, "'A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. As I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this, all will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.' By this, all will know," he says. This is part of our witness, this is part of our testimony in this world. 

"'By this, all will know that we are the disciples of Jesus Christ when we love one another.'" John comments on this passage, really, in 1 John 2.7. He says, "'Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I write a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another.'" 

I switched to 2 John on you there, I'm sorry. "'From the beginning, Jesus taught us that we should love one another.'" And we see right here in John 13, "'A new commandment I give you,' Jesus says, "'love one another. As I have loved you, you love one another.'" And we see this love, his love, demonstrated at the cross. This is the essence of Christ's love. This is the essence of Christian love. 

The commandment of love is consistent throughout the New Testament. Over and over, we see the theme, as Christ loved you, so love one another. Paul calls love the bond of perfection. You know, John Lennon said all we need is love, right? All we need is love. No, love is not all we need. What we need is love founded in truth because apart from truth, there is no love. We must speak the truth in love. Love must come out of, be based on the foundational truths of salvation in Jesus Christ and who we are in Him. 

Well, I want to highlight two crucial truths concerning the command of love in our text. One is that our love for Jesus and for one another is founded in Christ's love for us. We love Him because He first loved us. He brings us a new commandment, love, but He also establishes this love in the new covenant in His blood. And this is why this ties so beautifully back to chapter 12 that we've been studying. 

He demonstrates His love at the cross in His death, burial, and resurrection, and then He pours His love out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given to us, and He expresses His love in and through us as He lives in us, and He empowers us to live for Him through the Holy Spirit imparting strength to our inner man. Now, the second point is that love is something that we have in Him. We already talked about this, but I believe this is so important to understand, and it is consistent with the new covenant truths of the grace and new life in Christ, His life in us that we've been studying in the last three messages. 

You see, this new command of love in the new covenant is not like the commands under the law covenant of Moses, because in the new covenant, we have not only been given the command, but we have also been given the capacity to live it out. First John 5.3, for this is the love of God that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome. Why are they not burdensome in this new covenant? We saw how burdensome the old covenant commands were under the law back in chapter 12. They could not bear them. They begged that they would no longer be spoken to them. Peter called them a yoke of bondage put on the necks of the disciples that neither we nor our forefathers could bear. 

Yet John says in the new covenant, His commands are our joy. They are not a burden. Why? Because we have been given the capacity to live a holy life of love for one another through regeneration and Christ's life in us as we abide in Him day by day by faith. I'd like for you to turn to a tremendously encouraging passage in 1 John 3. 1 John chapter three at verse 22. 1 John 3, 22, and whatever we ask, we receive from Him because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment, that we should believe on the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as He gave us commandment. 

Now, He who keeps His commandments abides in Him and He in Him, and by this we know that He abides in us by the Spirit whom He has given us. What is the commandment of the new covenant? Believe Jesus and love one another. And you know what? That's just what I wanna do. That's just what I want to do. God has put this desire in me. And not only has he given me the desire, but he has equipped me, given to me all things that pertain to life and godliness, given me the capacity to fulfill his command to love through faith in Jesus Christ. 

We see the command to love throughout the New Testament, and I just wanna look a little closer at the truth that we have the capacity to love as new covenant believers in Jesus. Let's back up a bit and start in Adam. We're going to hit this one more time. Back in Adam where we all began, turn to chapter five of Romans at verse 12. I was just looking at this text this week and kind of seeing it in a different way, Romans 5, 12. I want you to follow with me at what the next several verses all say about the man in Adam. 

So we're going to lift some verses, some phrases out of here. First in verse 12, it says, therefore, just as through one man, sin entered the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because all sinned. I look at verse 14, it says, death reigned from Adam to Moses. Verse 15, by the one man's offense, many died. Verse 16, judgment came from one offense and resulted in condemnation. Verse 17, by the one man's offense, death reigned through the one. Verse 18, through one man's offense, judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation. Verse 19, by one man's disobedience, many were made sinners. 

Verse 20, the law entered that the offense might abound. And verse 21, sin reigned in death. Not a very pretty picture, is it, for the man and Adam? But let's go back. These things are all true of the man and Adam, but look at this text again and see the contrast for the man in Christ. Go back to verse 15. The free gift is not like the offense. Much more, the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. The end of verse 16. The free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. 

17, those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ. Verse 18, through one man's righteous act, the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification unto life. Verse 19, by one man's disobedience, many will be made righteous. Verse 20, where sin abounded, grace abounded much more. And verse 21, even so, grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. 

This is what's true of the man in Christ. All men were born in Adam. And in Adam, we lived under the power of indwelling sin, under the bondage and condemnation of the law, and our destiny was the eternal lake of fire. We were slaves of sin and we were held there by the law and we experienced continual bondage to the fear of death and eternity. And the manifestation of who we were on the inside, dead in our trespasses and sins and bondage to law, sin, and death, was outward, consistent, continual sin, primarily manifested by selfish pride. 

We can really boil it all down to this: the lost man, the man in Adam, cannot love because he is dominated and controlled by indwelling sin. It is who he is in Adam. And thus, the outward expression of the inward reality is selfishness, self-centeredness, and pride in everything he does. I have known many religious men. I used to be one. And I've known some who were truly sincere religious men, who really believe what the religion teaches them about earning their salvation and doing works and rites and rituals to please God. 

But if they are sincere, if they are honest, they know that they are not measuring up to the law standard. The things they want to do, they do not do. The things they do not want to do, they continually find themselves doing as the law of sin and death in their members rules over them. I once had a devout religious man's wife tell me he is the most conflicted man I know because he knows what to do, but he does not do it. This is the fruitless, powerless life under the law in Adam, an Adam we could not love. 

I've always thought of this in the context of agape love, and this is primarily true, that we can't sacrifice ourselves for others. But you know, in Adam, we never knew the bond that exists between believers and Jesus Christ. We never really understood phileo love either. But in Christ, in Christ, we have been given the capacity to love. We have been empowered to love. For those who have believed Jesus have been justified by faith. They have been taken out of Adam. They have been placed into Christ, united to Him in His death, burial, and resurrection. 

As we read in Romans 5, we have been made righteous. We have been justified unto life, given new life, new life in Christ. Romans 6 and 7 tell us that we died to sin. We're now freed from the controlling power of indwelling sin in which we lived in Adam. And we're now alive to God. So that just as Christ was raised to newness of life, even so we also will experience resurrection life in Him. 

We have died to the law. We've been released from the bondage to fear of death. We once lived under law, sin, and death, but now we are under grace, righteousness, and destined for eternal life. Romans 8 tells us that Jesus has come in the flesh and condemned sin in the flesh for the express purpose that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who no longer walk according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. 

And we referenced it before, but I'd like to tie it all together by looking again at Romans 13. Romans 13 at verse eight, please. Paul writes, oh, no one anything except to love one another. For he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, you shall not covet. And if there's any other commandment, they are all summed up in this saying, namely, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law. 

The righteous requirement of the law, the fulfillment of the law, is love. And as new creations in Christ, having been born again, we have been given a capacity to love. And I want to emphasize again that we have this love. Let love continue. This love is the expression of who we are in Christ and the desire that he has put in us. 

In Romans 5, one, it says, therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And not only that, this is really practical, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope. Now, listen to verse five. Now, hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 

Ephesians 3.14, Paul's praying for the Ephesian believers. He says that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might through his spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width, the length, the depth, the height, to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 

Now, to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us, to him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. Turn over to 1 John 4 with me. There's too many scriptures on love. 1 John 4, at verse seven. John says, beloved, let us love one another for love is of God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 

In this, the love of God was manifested toward us that God has sent his only begotten son into the world that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and his love has been perfected in us. By this, we know that we abide in him and he in us because he has given us of his spirit. 

The love of God has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Jesus dwells in us, and he manifests his love through us as we abide in him. God has put the desire to love one another in us, and we have this bond of perfection with the brethren. And this is why the author says, let love continue. 

So we see the command to love. We see the capacity to love. And last in our text, we see the exhortation, let love continue. How do we increase? How do we abound in, continue in love for others? First Thessalonians 3.12, Paul said, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all just as we do to you. 

Well, as we observed at the beginning of our message this morning, we see a consistent pattern of doctrine followed by exhortation in the New Testament. Imperatives are always built on indicatives. Truth always gives rise to practice. So first, we must know the truth concerning love as we've been discussing this morning, that God in salvation has equipped and empowered us to love by releasing us from the power of indwelling sin, the law, and death, that he has placed us in Christ and we now live under grace, righteousness, and life. 

He now lives in us, and he works by his power to effect his will in our lives to conform us to the likeness of his son and manifest his love through us to others. So if we are to continue in love, abound and increase in it, we must first know that we have this love poured out in our hearts and that we now have the capacity to love, that it's our greatest desire. This is not something foreign to who we are. This is not something contrary to what we want. God has put this in us. Knowing these truths, we must continually choose to believe them. 

We must reckon them to be so, as Romans 6, 11 tells us. If we want to see the fruit of love manifest in our lives, we must believe Jesus. We must abide, remain in Him as a branch abides in a vine every day. This is the key to loving others—a focus on Jesus and who He is and what He has done for us. Not focusing on ourselves, not looking to our feelings or our experiences, not looking to the past and what we've done, but looking to Jesus and trusting him and what he has said in his word. 

2 Timothy 1, 7 says, for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. John says, there's no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment, but he who fears has not been made perfect in love. If we are to continue and abound in love, our life must be one of looking to Jesus, of looking to the gospel truth of our salvation, knowing the width and length and breadth of the love of Christ, which passes knowledge. 

It is a matter of dependence on him. It's a matter of abiding in him one day at a time. The man in Adam is wholly focused on self, self-willed, self-consumed. We see that around us in the world every day. The man in Christ must be consumed with Jesus, filled with all the fullness, the knowledge of God. And in this way, will we see the love of God manifest in our lives, poured out to others. This is one of the major problems with law, even in the Christian life. If we try to live by law, it brings us to a self-focus. We're trying to evaluate our performance. We're looking to ourselves. We're continually disappointed. 

When we need to be looking to Jesus and trusting him and living under grace and allowing him to live his life through us by faith. The world continually focuses on me, me, me. What I want, how I want it, how much I deserve it. It drives me insane when someone says to me, you really deserve that. Because I don't deserve that, if it's good. Sometimes I get what I deserve, hey? It's gotten to almost a state of the ridiculous in our world today, the utter focus on self. 

If we're honest with ourselves, we must admit that focusing on self all the time is really quite depressing, and it's certainly disappointing. But I want to remind you of Romans 9.33 where it says, as it is written, behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, and whoever believes on him will not be put to shame, will not be disappointed. We will never be disappointed if we look unto Jesus. 

And this is how we are to run the race set before us, the marathon of the Christian life, looking unto Jesus. It's interesting as we begin the application chapter of the book of Hebrews, this final chapter, to see how these things are tied to the new covenant truth in contrast with living under the law. This truly is an expression of the fullness of what Jesus has done in His sacrifice, in His high priestly work, and what He continues to do as our forever high priest, ever living to make intercession for us. 

Jesus is better, and He has brought a new and better covenant built on better promises. This is the main point of the book of Hebrews, all that the author has been saying. How we live each day, my brothers and sisters, is directly tied to a result of these truths. That is why the author can say on the heels of chapter 12 in the glorious truth of the new covenant and the coming to Jesus by faith, in verse 1 of chapter 13, let love continue. 

May this be the consistent character of our lives each day at Living Hope Church as well. As Jesus has told us, a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this, all will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. 

Let's close in prayer. Father, we thank You for Your Word, how deep it is, how comprehensive it is, and how practical it is, and encouraging to us every day. Help us to be in Your Word, to study these truths, to continually come back to the gospel, to our salvation in Christ and all that we are and have in Him. 

And help us to trust You and believe You one day, one moment at a time, and know that You will work out Your will in our lives for Your purposes. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.