church

INI
Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
July 14, 2013
Ascension Lutheran Church, Tacoma WA
Paul Naumann, Pastor

BROTHERLY LOVE IS A CONTINUOUS CIRCUIT
Hebrews 13:1-6

To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus
Christ: mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you, Amen. Today's text comes
from the thirteenth chapter of Hebrews, beginning with the first verse, as
follows.

Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so
doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. 3 Remember the prisoners as if
chained with them-- those who are mistreated-- since you yourselves are in the
body also. 4 Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but
fornicators and adulterers God will judge. 5 Let your conduct be without
covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has
said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." 6 So we may boldly say: "The
LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" Here ends our
text.

In the Name of Jesus Christ, Whom we love because He first loved us, Dear
Fellow Redeemed,

I see from the newspaper that Radio Shack has a sale on at the moment. And
one of the items they have on sale is a circuit tester. Some of you probably
know what that is - maybe you even have one on your tool bench at home. A
circuit tester is a device that tests the continuity of an electrical circuit in an
appliance. In a radio, for instance, there has to be continuity of the electrical
circuit in order for music to play. The power has to flow in a closed loop from
the outlet, to the tuner, to the amplifier, to the speaker and back to the outlet
again. If one of those components is missing, or there's a break anywhere along
the line, your radio won't play.

In our text for today, the writer to the Hebrews tells us that brotherly love
works much the same way. The love we have for our fellow-believers flows
from its power source, which is the love of God. Brotherly love carries out
many different functions in our lives, but the circuit is essentially the same: God
loves us, we love our fellowman, and we love God in return. But if there's a
break in that circuit - especially if we're cut off from our power source - our
lives as Christians will work improperly, or not at all. Have you been feeling a
little disconnected lately? Have you been missing the warmth, the feeling of
family and kinship that you should have toward your fellow-believers in this
congregation? Well, today's text is like a circuit tester for brotherly love. It's the
perfect tool to help you diagnose and correct any problem you might have in
that area. That's why our theme for this morning is:

BROTHERLY LOVE IS A CONTINUOUS CIRCUIT
I. Connected to God's love, it shows love for its fellow-Christians.
II. Connected to God's promises, it is content with what it has.

The section immediately preceding our text is an interesting one. In it, the
writer to the Hebrews contrasts the Old Testament people of God - Israel, with
the New Testament people of God - the Christians. He goes to some length to
point out the very high and exalted position we enjoy owing to the grace and
love of our God. True, God brought Israel to the majesty of Mount Sinai at the
time of the giving of the Law. But God has brought you and me to an even
more majestic place - the Holy Christian Church, the fellowship of believers.
This the writer refers to symbolically as "Mount Zion". But you have come to
Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an
innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the
firstborn who are registered in heaven. Heb 12:22-23.

What does that mean for us? How shall we live, now that we find ourselves
among the "chosen few" of God? The writer tells us in verse 28 of chapter
twelve: Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken,
let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and
godly fear. Heb 12:28. And in our text for this morning, the writer details the
best way acceptably to serve God: Let brotherly love continue. We are not to
let His love stop with us. It is to continue through us, and flow from us to
others. He reminds us that brotherly love is a continuous circuit. For when it is
connected to God's love, it shows love for its fellow-Christians.

This first part is the most obvious way in which we show brotherly love - by
our relationships and attitudes over against our fellow-Christians. By
entertaining strangers, by remembering the prisoners and those who suffer
among our brethren, by holding marriage in honor and by Christian spouses
acting with love and consideration toward one another. How does your circuit
bear up under this test? Is there continuity in this part of your Christian life?
This congregation has members who are shut in and unable to attend worship.
Have you called them? Have you visited them? Do you remember them in your
prayers? You married people - do all your words and actions toward your spouse
reflect the great honor that is due within the holy bonds of marriage, which God
Himself established?

If you're like me, you may have to admit that you've got a short-circuit or two
in these areas. Let's go back to our power source: The love of our gracious God.
I’m reminded of a story that’s told about the great American jurist, Daniel
Webster. One winter’s day he left work early, in a hurry to get home to the
bedside of his wife, who lay dying. In his rush he forgot his scarf, and when his
wife noticed it, she gently scolded him. She warned him that he’d a catch cold if
he forgot to wear his scarf. Webster left the room sobbing. “Dying, and she
thinks of me!” he said.

Jesus’ love for you drove Him all the way to the cross. It was love for you that
kept Him there, suffering those interminable hours of pain on Calvary’s
mountain. What was in His mind during that time? You were! Dying, he
thought of you. And of me, and of sinners the world over who would be
released from the prison of their sins through His sacrifice.. In chapter twelve
the writer said, Look "...unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for
the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame. Heb
12:2.

Poor Christians we would be if we could not now think of others! Can we not
bear in our hearts the needs and distresses of our fellow-Christians? Can we not
show hospitality to strangers? We may not actually “entertain angels unawares,”
as Abraham did on the plains of Mamre, or as Lot did in Sodom. But
opportunities may come along to open our homes to Christians we’ve never met
before. It may not be long before our congregation has another opportunity to
host the Pacific Coast Pastoral Conference. We support the needs of the poor in
our community by regularly contributing food to a local charity – Northwest
Harvest made another pickup just this week. What else can you do? You can
bear in mind those of our brethren who are in prison or sick or shut in or
suffering – visit them, write to them, remember them in your prayers. You can
help prepare meals for Ascension members who are facing challenges right now
in their lives – contact Patty Darling to help with that. Above all, let charity
begin at home: you can show the honor and love due to your spouse, and the
other members of your family. Not grudgingly or as a “duty”, but out of love for
the One who first loved you. Remember the words of our Savior, 'Assuredly, I
say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you
did it to Me.' Matt 25:40.

In testing the continuous circuit of brotherly love, the writer next turns his
attention from our attitude toward people to our attitude toward possessions.
Our text says, Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such
things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake
you." Another lesson of brotherly love is this, that connected to God’s
promises, it is content with what it has.

And in our materialistic world of 2013, right here is where a short-circuit is
most likely to occur. How easily things that used to be considered luxuries turn
into "necessities" in our lives, isn't it true? We find we have to have the newest
car, the biggest house, the latest cell phones and computers and electronic
gadgets, the finest coffee (even though it costs four dollars a cup!) And the
result? Could it be that covetousness begins to creep into our lives? Could it be
that the thorns and thistles of the cares and pleasures of this life begin to crowd
out the Word of God, begin to choke the fruits of the Spirit, as Jesus warned
they would? Only you can answer that question for yourself. In my case, I
already know what the answer is!

Once again, we need to complete the circuit to our source of power. We need
to reconnect to the only power capable of real happiness and contentedness in
life, and that is the sure promises of our God!

If you’re a Christian, it’s really very simple: everything you've got to have, God
is going to give you. Let me say that again: everything you've got to have, God
is going to GIVE you. "How can you say that, Pastor? You don't know my life,
my financial situation, my needs." But it's true nonetheless. How do I know?
BECAUSE IT SAYS SO RIGHT HERE! Be content with such things as you
have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." 6 So
we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do
to me?

That's a quote, by the way. From the 31st and 118th Psalms. The 118th Psalm
was Luther's favorite Psalm, and for good reason. Luther had some very
daunting challenges in his life, not the least of which was the opposition of
virtually all of organized Christianity at that time. But no matter what your
situation in life, no matter how great your needs or how daunting your
challenges, God has promised to be with you and to help you. God knows that
you have problems and difficulties to overcome in your life. That's why He
promises you in this place, I will never leave you, nor forsake you. I wish I
could give you a Greek lesson at this point, because the original language in this
passage is so very precious. There are FIVE negatives in this one little verse.
The writer says "NOT" and "NEVER" five times, in order to emphasize the
absolute impossibility of you - the Christian - ever being forsaken by your loving
God! It reminds me of that beautiful hymn in which we hear our Lord say,

"The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not, desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll never, no never, NO NEVER forsake!"

One Christian writer said that this single promise of God is better than the
signed promissory notes of any bank. Because unlike the bank or the insurance
company, God knows exactly what's going to happen to you! Next week, next
month, next year. What a comfort to know that He already has planned the way
He's going to protect you and provide for you in every need you will encounter.
What security, what freedom this gives us as children of God! Now we are free
to truly serve the Lord, and to truly serve our neighbor in brotherly love. For we
know that God is going to take care of us, no matter what.

No matter what! Would it surprise you if you woke up tomorrow morning and
Mount Rainier, instead of being east of Tacoma, was suddenly west of Tacoma?
Seems a bit unlikely, doesn’t it? That’s not going to happen. Well the Bible says
that it’s more likely that will happen than that God would ever take His grace
and mercy away from those who are His dear children by faith in Christ: For the
mountains shall depart And the hills be removed, But My kindness shall not
depart from you, Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed," Says the
LORD, who has mercy on you. --Isaiah 54:10. And you can take that to the
bank!

I’ve told the story before about how my brother Dave and I once got a lesson
in electrical circuits.. As young boys we were visiting a farm near my
grandparents' home in Iowa. I happened to be wearing rubber boots that day. I
reached out to touch an electric livestock fence to see whether it was on. When
I didn't feel anything, I assumed it was off and grabbed it with my whole hand.
At that moment my brother happened by, and for some reason I reached out
and touch him. Well, my brother was not wearing rubber boots. So at that
moment the circuit closed between the wire and the ground, and as you might
expect we both got a jolt that rattled our teeth and incidentally taught us
something about electrical circuits. That lesson was a painful one - today's
lesson is not. My Christian friends, God's love is the power that can electrify
and energize our lives. It can jolt us out of our humdrum complacency, and
revitalize our relationships with our fellow-believers. God grant that that power
may always be "on" in our lives. Then, for us, brotherly love will be what it
God always meant it to be - A CONTINUOUS CIRCUIT. AMEN.