Hebrews 13:1-6 Part 2

I.  Value marriage as precious.

-honor = timios = precious, valuable, held in high honor

-I Pet. 1:19

-Koester "To urge that marriage be honored by all, tacitly recognizes the importance of social support for marriage, since fidelity in marriage is more difficult if marriage is not valued by the community."

   a.  Purity before marriage.

-forincators = pornos = sexually immoral

   b.  Fidelity within marriage.

-adulterers = moichos

-I Cor. 6:18

 

  II.  Be content with what you have.

-O'Brien "Both the sexually immoral and those greedy for money pursue a myopic self-gratification that takes them outside the bounds of God's provision."

-Hughes "It is difficult to have it (wealth) and not trust it. Material possessions tend to focus one's thoughts and interests on this world alone. It can enslave so that one becomes possessed by possessions, comforts, and recreations."

-Eccl. 5:10, Luke 16:11-14

Why is contentment important?

1) Contentment shows recognition for who provides for us.

2) Contentment displays trust in God's sovereignty.

3) Discontentment implies God has failed to provide.

4) Discontentment focuses attention away from Christ and onto what we don't have.

   a.  Develop a disposition that is free from the love of money.

-character = tropos = disposition, way or manner of life

-free from love of money = aphilarguros = not loving money, not greedy for money

-content = arkeo = to have enough, (passive) to be content

-what have = pariemi = to be present, to be at hand

-Matt. 6:19-21

How do we develop this disposition?

1) Realize God's goodness.

-Ps. 73:1, 28, 86:5

2) Realize God's omniscience.

-Luke 12:30

3) Consider what we deserve.

-Gen. 32:10, Rom. 3:10, 19

4) Recognize God's supremacy.

-I Sam. 2:7

5) Remember the true riches we already possess.

6) Enjoy what God has given.

-I Tim. 6:17

    b.  Trust God's promise to always be with us.

-Deut. 31:6, 8, Joshua 1:5

-desert = aniemi = to send up, to send back, to let go, to leave without support.

-forsake = egkataleipo = to leave someone in distress, to desert

-Matt. 27:46

       i.  The Lord is our help.

      ii.  Because the Lord is our help, we can renounce fear.

     iii.  Since we can renounce fear, man will not succeed against us.

-C. S. Lewis "He who has God and everything has no more than he who has God alone."