Hebrews 13: Conclusions

• v.1-19 Concluding Exhortations
• v.20-25 Benediction and Final Greetings

v.1-19 Concluding Exhortations

v.1-4 Living as community

v.1 Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.

v.2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

v.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.

v.4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

[Note: As we sum up our encouragements on how live, start with love for one another as God’s people. Show hospitality even to those you don’t know. Remember those being persecuted for their faith. Keep your marriages pure and holy

v.5-9 As God is with you, be content and at peace

v.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.”

v.6 So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”

v.7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.

v.8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

v.9 Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods, which is of no benefit to those who do so.

[Note: Avoid love of money, be content with what you have, remembering God is with you, and there for you, and let Him be your helper and be secure [Psa 118:6,7]. Follow your leaders’ examples of faith, remembering that Jesus [head of the body] never changes, so don’t get led astray by false legalistic teaching.]

v.10-14 Remember what we’ve been teaching about Jesus, and wait for a secure eternity

v.10-12 We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat. The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.

v.13 Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore.

v.14 For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.

[Note: Just as part of the old ceremonial meant a sacrificed lamb taken outside the camp, likewise Jesus. Let’s remember that that typified Jesus being taken out of Jerusalem in disgrace and not be afraid to share his disgrace as believers. Our current habitations won’t last but we have an eternal city that awaits us that will.]

v.15-19 Some final encouraging directions

v.15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.

v.16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

v.17 Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.

v.18 Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way.

v.19 I particularly urge you to pray so that I may be restored to you soon.

[Note: In Christ, therefore, let’s continue to be thankful, and live sacrificial lives seeking to bless others, trust your leaders and thus bless them, pray for us, to help us live honorably, especially for me to be restored to you soon. [?echoes of Paul here?]

v.20-25 Benediction and Final Greetings

v.20,21 Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

v.22 Brothers and sisters, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for in fact I have written to you quite briefly.

v.23 I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you.

v.24 Greet all your leaders and all the Lord’s people. Those from Italy send you their greetings.

v.25 Grace be with you all.

[Note: Now may the Lord who is shepherd and redeemer give us everything we need to serve him and glorify him. Hold on to my exhortations. Timothy has been released and I hope to come with him soon to you. [?more echoes of Paul?] Greet all the saints as it comes from all of us in Italy and may God’s grace be with you all.]

[Additional Note: The Flow of Writing: Having exhorted his readers to remain people of faith and persevere when life gets tough, he winds up his letter with a real mixture of further miscellaneous directions and encouragements. The following is an abbreviated summing up of this chapter’s directions that apply as much to us today as it did to the church then:

• v.1 love one another
• v.2 show hospitality even to those you don’t know   
• v.3 remember those being persecuted for their faith   
• v.4 keep your marriages pure and holy   
• v.5 avoid love of money, be content with what you have 
• v.6 let God be your helper
• v.7 follow your leaders’ examples of faith  
• v.8 remember that Jesus never changes  
• v.9 don’t get led astray by wrong teaching  
• v.10-13 share in Jesus’ disgrace 
• v.14 keep looking for our eternal city
• v.15 let’s continue to be thankful
• v.16 live sacrificial lives seeking to bless others   
• v.17 trust your leaders and thus bless them.  

For those who may wish to make a study of this chapter, to perhaps think some more about what you have been reading, use the link below: