HEBREWS 33


     We will begin this lesson in Hebrews 13:1 "Let brotherly love
continue."

     When Jesus' mother and half brothers and sisters in the flesh
came to see Him, He gave an explanation of who His brothers and
sisters were. Matthew 12:50 "For whosoever shall do the will of my
Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and
mother." If you are aq Christian, then, you are a brother or sister of
Christ. We are the adopted children of the Father. Jesus is our older
brother. 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."
John 13:35 "By this shall all [men] know that ye are my disciples, if
ye have love one to another." The one another mentioned here are the
fellow believers. Romans 12:10 "[Be] kindly affectioned one to another
with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;" We find that
Jesus tells us that just 2 commandments cover all the laws and
commandments of the Old Testament. Matthew 22:37 "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." Matthew 22:38 "This is the first and
great commandment." Matthew 22:39 "And the second [is] like unto it,
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Matthew 22:40 "On these two
commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

     Hebrews 13:2 "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for
thereby some have entertained angels unawares."

     One of the most vivid lessons on this subject in the Bible is;
Matthew 25:35 "For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was
thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:"
Matthew 25:36 "Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited
me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me." Matthew 25:37 "Then shall
the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred,
and fed [thee]? or thirsty, and gave [thee] drink?" Matthew 25:38
" When saw we thee a stranger, and took [thee] in? or naked, and
clothed [thee]?" Matthew 25:39 "Or when saw we thee sick, or in
prison, and came unto thee?" Matthew 25:40 "And the King shall answer
and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done
[it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it]
unto me."

     Hebrews 13:3 "Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with
them; [and] them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in
the body."

     Christians are all part of one body, The Body of Christ. If you
stump your toe, your whole body hurts. If we are one body in Christ,
we will behave as these 2 following Scriptures direct us. Romans 12:15
"Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep."
I Corinthians 12:26 "And whether one member suffer, all the members
suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice
with it."  Paul was in prison for a great deal of the time for his
bold ministering. We will see that he was not forgotten by his fellow
Christians while he was there. II Timothy 1:16 "The Lord give mercy
unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not
ashamed of my chain:" II Timothy 1:17 "But, when he was in Rome, he
sought me out very diligently, and found [me]." II Timothy 1:18 "The
Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day:
and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest
very well." Paul had a large group with him while he was imprisoned in
his own home in Rome. Luke the physician went nearly everywhere with
him, and Rome was no exception. I will give one verse from Peter's
writings telling us how to behave toward each other. I Peter 3:8
"Finally, [be ye] all of one mind, having compassion one of another,
love as brethren, [be] pitiful, [be] courteous:"

     Hebrews 13:4 "Marriage [is] honourable in all, and the bed
undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge."

     Whoremonger is speaking of male or female prostitutes.
Adulterers, here mean those whosleep with someone they are not married
to, and it also has to do with those who follow other gods. This, then
is physical and spiritual adultery. One of the 10 commandments is
{Thou shalt not commit adultery}. We see from the following Scriptures
that God created man and woman to marry and populate the earth. It is
no sin to marry. God planned that a man would marry one woman and they
two should become one flesh. This is God's plan for the creation of
the people on the earth. Sex should be reserved for the marriage bed.
Sex is for the creation of new beings on the earth. That is the very
reason homosexuality and lesbianism is so wrong. God calls both things
the unnatural use. Now let us look at some scriptures on man and woman
marrying. Genesis 1:27 "So God created man in his [own] image, in the
image of God created he him; male and female created he them."  Man in
this verse means a human being. Notice that all humans are made in the
image of God. Genesis 1:28 "And God blessed them, and God said unto
them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue
it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of
the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."
Notice in this that the sin of Adam and Eve was not in the fact that
they slept together. It was in that they disobeyed God and ate the
forbidden fruit. God wanted them to populate the earth, even before
they sinned in the garden. Notice the judgement that God will make on
the whoremonger. Ephesians 5:5 "For this ye know, that no whoremonger,
nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any
inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God."

     Hebrews 13:5 "[Let your] conversation [be] without covetousness;
[and be] content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will
never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

     We are living in a materialistic generation. Many are teaching
that all you have to do is ask for anything you want and God will give
it to you. This is not what God promised at all. God has promised to
give us our needs, not to furnish our greed. Paul gave the best advice
to all of us when he said whatever position he found himself in, he
was satisfied. Philippians 4:11 "Not that I speak in respect of want:
for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, [therewith] to be
content." Philippians 4:12 "I know both how to be abased, and I know
how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to
be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need."
xPhilippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which
strengtheneth me." We are told to seek first the things of God.
Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew
6:25 "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye
shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye
shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than
raiment?" Matthew 6:34 "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for
the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient
unto the day [is] the evil thereof." One of the worst sins in our
society today is that people want what their neighbor has. Most are
not very willing to wait until they can afford it, they want it now.
Many will even take things that really do not belong to them by force
if necessary. Greed has overcome. Luke 12:15 "And he said unto them,
Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not
in the abundance of the things which he possesseth." Luke 12:16 "And
he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man
brought forth plentifully:" Luke 12:17 "And he thought within himself,
saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my
fruits?" Luke 12:18 "And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my
barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my
goods." Luke 12:19 "And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much
goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, [and] be
merry." Luke 12:20 "But God said unto him, [Thou] fool, this night thy
soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be,
which thou hast provided?"  You see we brought nothing into this
world, and it is for certain we will take nothing out with us. Lay up
your treasures in heaven. I Timothy 6:6 "But godliness with
contentment is great gain." I Timothy 6:7 "For we brought nothing into
[this] world, [and it is] certain we can carry nothing out."
I Timothy 6:8 "And having food and raiment let us be therewith
content."


















                             Questions 33

1.  What are we told to let continue in verse 1?
2.  Who did Jesus say were his mother and brothers and sisters?
3.  How are we younger brothers ans sisters of Christ?
4.  How will men know you are Christ's disciple?
5.  Who are the one another mentioned here?
6.  How many commandments, that Jesus gave, cover all the law and
    commandments?
7.  What are these commandments that Jesus gave?
8.  Why should you entertain strangers?
9.  What does Matthew chapter 25 verses 35 on tell us about doing for
    others?
10. Christians are all part of one ____.
11. We are to _______ with them that rejoice.
12. Where did Paul spend a great deal of his time?
13. Why did Paul say for the Lord to give mercy to the house of
    Onesiphorus?
14. Who was the physician that went nearly everywhere with Paul?
15. How did Peter tell the Christians to behave toward each other?
16. Marriage is ___________ in all.
17. What does whoremonger mean here?
18. What 2 things does this adulterer have to do with here?
19. Why did God create man and woman?
20. What are a man and his wife one in?
21. What is sex for?
22. What does God call homosexuality?
23. Man in Genesis chapter 1 verse 27 means what?
24. Who are made in the image of God?
25. What were they to have dominion over?
26. What was the sin of Adam and Eve?
27. What is God's judgement on the whoremonger?
28. Do not covet, be content with ____ ___ ____.
29. What kind of a generation are we living in?
30. What did Paul say about this?
31. I can do all things through _____ ___ _______ __.
32. What is the Christian to seek first?
33. Tell what the parable of the rich man was all about?
34. Having _____ and ________ let us therewith be content.