Morning Message Text: Hebrews 13: 1-8, 15-16
Concluding Exhortations
1 Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.
2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.
3 Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.
5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
6 So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”
7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.
16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Morning Message:
Last week, because of the encouragement of a member of the congregation, I told you the story of my dog, Bobo, who ran away from home. He was thankfully found nearly two miles away and he is safe and sound. My focus last week was mostly on the why, why would Bobo run away from a loving home that he’s known for 12 years and why do we run from God who seeks to give us an everlasting, loving home? I received a message Sunday evening from someone who was interested enough to raise some other questions that I didn’t think of. As I started to prepare this message, I realized that some of the answers were right in front of me. The first question posed was, “What might have been the thoughts of the finder of the dog?” Bobo was blessed to have fallen into the hands of nice, decent people. The young man who saw him walking by was immediately concerned and worried that he might get hit by a car. He ran out of his house and scooped him up from the side of the road. The young lady, his fiancée, said she knew that he belonged to someone because he was well taken care of. Their hearts were in the right place, and they did everything that they could to get him back home. Out in the world it didn’t have to happen that way. He could have been hurt or killed, or he could have fallen into the hands of more worldly people. When we leave God and take our chances in the world, many things can happen and most of them are bad. The world changes, but God never does.
The second question: “How does the found feel about being rescued?” That is a very good question. I wish that Bobo could talk so that I could ask him what was going through his mind. He must have had a destination in mind, somewhere or something that caused him to leave the safety of home and go off into an unknown world. I wonder how long it took him to realize how much danger he was in, or if he ever did. At some point as his little legs started getting tired, I wonder if he realized that home was the better choice. As Christians our minds need to be constantly renewed. When we fail to do this, we find ourselves making choices that we regret in our hearts. We may find ourselves far away from home and wondering how we got there.
The third and final question: “What was the inner need felt by the seeker of the dog to act to find the lost one?” I could spend all day addressing this one. For me it was panic. Losing something that you value is one of the worst feelings. Losing something that you love takes that to a whole other level. You feel anxious and worried; you feel guilty; you feel sick just thinking of all of the things that could have happened. I forgot to mention this last week but as I was riding around looking for Bobo, I spoke to a woman who was out walking to ask if she had seen him. She said, “no” but then she reached into the car and took my hand and said, “Can I pray for him and for you to find him?” When we choose the world over God I wonder how that makes him feel? He wouldn’t worry, he already knows how things will turn out, but he probably feels the pain of rejection.
In our scripture in Hebrews today Paul is exhorting us to continue living Godly lives. How many times are we told to love one another as brothers and sisters in Christ? We should be nice people. What does that look like? Show hospitality, take care of people, give back their dog when you find it. Don’t forget about people who have fallen on bad times. Some have been imprisoned for the Lord; they are mistreated and suffering; we shouldn’t turn a blind eye to their pain. When we come across someone who is hurting and worried (and maybe frantic), offer to pray with them. The world changes. Society is constantly adjusting its views on what is right and what is wrong. The world becomes more and more corrupt every day. Things that were once thought to be wrong are now considered ok. Everything is turning upside down. Marriage is not respected, and it hasn’t been for a very long time. But, God never changes. God’s ways never change. Right and wrong in the sight of God never changes. Sin will always be sin in the eyes of God, no matter how accepted it is in the eyes of the world. The world changes, but God never does. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
When you belong to Jesus you have a heavenly home that awaits you. The world will try to entice you, and you may be very attracted and even find yourself far away from your heavenly home. Remember this: This world and all its attractions are temporary. Everything that this world has to offer will one day melt away and be destroyed. There is only one sure thing in this universe. The world changes, but God never does!
In Christ’s Love and Peace,
Pastor Bob
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