The book of Hebrews is an important theological book that revolves around themes such as the New Covenant and the supremacy of Christ as our great High Priest. As we approach the end of the book of Hebrews, there are 6 distinct aspects of Christian duty that may be derived from the last chapter, Hebrews 13:1-12 concerning Christian sacred duties, as follows:

4. Be Cognizant (v7,17)

Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:12,13 exhorts us “And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves.”

Do we appreciate and know those who are serving the Lord in the mission field and also those serving the Lord in the preaching of His Word? Do we pray for our preachers and missionaries and reach out to them in concern and joyful gratitude in the Lord? You are reminded to remember those whom God has placed above you, who have blessed you and taught you, who have guided you in your tender years, and who have ruled over you. For this reason our church session have decided that we will be sending Christmas love gifts to our missions partners in India and Myanmar as the Lord provides to encourage and strengthen their ministry (and those who are interested to assist in this can let the treasurer know or designate that love gift to the Missions Fund) Thank God for these faithful servants of God and let us pray that we may likewise be a blessing to them and others too.  

5. Be Careful (v9)

There are many scams these days that we need to be vigilant against. But many Christians today are also ignorant of the Word, or they can be indifferent or careless about their knowledge of the faith that make them vulnerable to the wiles of the evil one. Statistics show that about 70% of the members of modern-day cult groups like the Mormons JWs, SDAs, Freemasons, Christian Science are made up of people originally from mainline denominations. We must constantly be on guard to shield ourselves and our families against the false doctrines concerning Christ, the Trinity, salvation and the second coming of Christ that abound today. Man-centred ways to save the earth that exalt a new age mother earth are unbiblical and can possibly draw people away from the living and true God, by advocating the divinity of the earth. Then we are in danger of being deceived by the evil one. The truth is that the earth is doomed for destruction by the Lord by fire (2 Pet 3:9-12), and we should be responsible stewards of what God has blessed us with and more importantly to focus our time and effort on the saving of souls who live on this earth instead as given in the Great Commission.

6. Be Consecrated (v10-13)

We are to be totally committed to the cause of Christ and His Word as the basis of our faith, to be consecrated is to be set apart or sanctified by the Holy Spirit in life. It is often easy to begin well but very difficult to end well. Nobody knows what tomorrow may hold, so worship, stewardship and our daily service to God should not be put off for “when I retire” or “when the kids grow up”. Pray for God to give you the godly wisdom to love and serve Him and to tenaciously press on in your devotion and service to Him in the church, looking constantly towards His soon glorious return.

Conclusion

There is much that believers should do for the Lord and for one another in our sacred duties for we live in perilous times. The Lord is coming soon and we are accountable to Him one day. Let us live each day for the glory of God and the building up of the kingdom of God with eternity in view.

By Rev Jack Sin

(reproduced with permission from Sovereign Hope BPC Weekly Bulletin 27 Nov 2022)

More Lively Hope

© Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church
14 Bedford Square, Colonel Light Gardens, South Australia 5041