400: Bob Lloyd - Exhortation: Let Brotherly Love Continue (Heb. 13)

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:03

   Welcome to good Christophian. Talks thank you for. Joining us this week. On this podcast, we select one talk a week to help us get the Bible in our Daily News feed. Each week we post a talk that we previewed from suggestions sent in by listeners from around the world. Then we record a short intro beforehand as a personalized recommendation to you on why we are sharing the talk.

2. 0:26

   And now let’s talk. More about this week’s talk. Hello everyone, this is Simon and welcome to episode 400. Would like to take the opportunity to thank all the listeners for your support and also everyone who sent in suggestions. Also thanks to the whole team at GCT for all the time and effort as well.

3. 0:51

   We really hope and pray that all the talks help to encourage and strengthen our faith on our walk to the Kingdom. This week’s talk is by Uncle Bob Lloyd on Hebrews 13. Let brotherly love continue. Uncle Bob straight up challenges us to about showing love in our actions, saying if we have love we will show it, but if we don’t show it, it might be a sign that we don’t have it. Uncle Bob talks about the importance of loving and helping other people, and as a byproduct, it’ll actually make us happy.

4. 1:31

   I’m sure you would all agree that Uncle Bob was admired for his compassion, love and care that he showed to all people. And we are reminded of this in this talk in Hebrews 13. We pray God’s Kingdom will be here so soon where we will see many loved ones once again, including Uncle Bob.

5. 1:52

   So here is Uncle Bob Lloyd on Hebrews 13. Let brotherly love continue. My beloved brothers and sisters of the Lord Jesus Christ, we finished reading the book of Hebrews this morning in our Sunday School class led by our brother Dick Patterson. The adult class. We’ve been reading this, been studying this book for some time now. He’s also backed up very capably by brother Peter Robbins, Peter Wilson when he’s away.

6. 2:24

   And today we finished this book. Let’s open our Bibles to Hebrews chapter 13 and let the apostle who wrote it bring us the word of exhortation. The first verse is very short, 4 words. Let brotherly love continue.

7. 2:49

   Let brotherly love continue. Now that word brotherly love is the word Philadelphia. Let Philadelphia continue if we were speaking somewhat in Greek, because the word Philadelphia comes from 2 words Philo, love, adelphia, brother, love, brother. And so let brotherly love continue. Let Philadelphia continue and we get her name from that same Greek word, adelphia, because we are Christ’s brethren, Christadelphians.

8. 3:20

   But what does that verse say? It says you’ve already got it. He’s not saying get brotherly love. He says you’ve got it, now keep on doing it. So here’s something we are to continue to do because already you have it. Do we? How much brotherly love do we have? The word love is an action word. You don’t just love, period.

9. 3:50

   Love does things. And so right away we’re going to have a little test. Just ask yourself this question this morning. What did you do this past week to show brotherly love for others? Your family, your ecclesia, your fellowship? Now, I hope your list is so long as you can’t even finish from the time I left there. But if we can’t think of anything this week we did, that should give us a little message that maybe there’s room for improvement.

10. 4:28

    Maybe next week we can do more than we did this week in showing our love for each other. Because if you have it, you must show it. If you don’t show it, it might be a sign we don’t have it. But now the apostle who wrote the book of Hebrews is going to continue and get specific about letting brotherly love continue. So we look at verse 2.

11. 4:56

    Do not forget to entertain strangers, for in so doing, some people have entertained angels without knowing it. And that’s in a a wonderful verse. We’ve often heard it quoted, but what it’s saying is that you may have entertained an Angel and didn’t even know it. See, angels look like us. They don’t have wings.

12. 5:16

    We realize that. And many times in scripture, an Angel appeared to someone and they did not realize the person was an Angel. So how many times in our lives have you actually seen an Angel? Most of the time, I believe they keep themselves invisible. But there are times when the Angel may have actually talked to you and you didn’t know it was. So be careful how you treat strangers. You might be talking an Angel and not know it. That’s what that’s what the apostle’s saying here. And so it’s like now I I believe as soon as you’re baptized, you get a private Angel.

13. 5:54

    I believe that at at your baptism, you’re assigned an Angel from God for the Angel Lord and campeth roundabout those that fear him and delivereth them, says David and the Psalms. So just imagine wherever you go in your life, an angel’s with you. You’re never alone. This chapter tells us we’re never alone, and so you have this Angel with you all the time. When I drive alone in my car, I pretend that the Angel is sitting there besides me, and sometimes I even talk to them. They don’t reply, but it makes me feel close to God to realize that there’s an Angel there and go. It’s like praying, you know, we’re told to pray without ceasing.

14. 6:35

    One brother said When I drive my car, I pray. His wife said so do I, but it’s a good thing to pray as you drive. It’s a good thing to be aware that you have an Angel beside you or wherever you go because you’re never alone. And so it’s just be careful how to entertain how you who you entertain strangers.

15. 6:58

    Now entertaining is hard work. The older you get, the harder it seems. It seems even entertaining close friends and family and yet we are to entertain angels because or to entertain strangers because they they just might be an Angel. Now it doesn’t say you have to cook a big hot roast for them. You could just just give a cup of glass, just a glass of water. This is not too hard to do you all, you all have water in your house.

16. 7:29

    In fact, a lot of people carry them with them. They’ve got bottles with them everywhere they go. Are you willing to just share a cup of cold water to someone else because you love the Lord? Jesus comments on this. He says if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, because he’s my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will not lose his reward.

17. 7:53

    So you see everything you’re doing them the simplest thing which is not earth shaking, thinking of others showing. Let ability, love continue. Are you thirsty? Can I get you a drink may be an act of faith in showing your love for each other. And so we’re we’re just starting. But now we’re down to verse 3 of the book of Hebrews chapter 13. And he says to us, remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners and those who are mistreated as if you you yourself were suffering.

18. 8:32

    I don’t know about you, but I can honestly say that I do not know anyone who is in prison. There’s a lot of people in prison, but I haven’t, I don’t, I can’t name a single person that I know personally who’s in prison. We did have a brother in prison up in the middle of the California while back. He’s out now and some did go to visit him when he was in prison. Not a pleasant thing to go.

19. 8:57

    I went to jail once ’cause I, I assured the head jailer for the city of Los Angeles and I was calling on his home and has he ever been to jail? I said no Sir. He said would you like to visit one? I said well, I guess so. He said well come down and I’ll give you a tour. So I went down to the Los Angeles City Jail and I went in and you have to register and you just don’t walk into a jail and you can’t get in.

20. 9:20

    You might not get out And told him who I was wanting to see the Sergeant and I signed it. And then he came out and met me and he, he took escorted me in. And it was an eye opening experience. And I was wearing a business suit because I was working. And as I walked through this jail, all these prisoners were calling out to me, hey, mouthpiece, mouthpiece. They thought I was an attorney.

21. 9:43

    And they went and he said just ignore him. Just ignore him. But I won’t forget that experience. And I was real glad when he let me out. But the the point that this writer is making is that we have to put ourselves out for others. You may not be able to go to our prison to visit someone and that’s all right. But you know anybody in distress, you see the rest of the world, you know anybody’s suffering. You know anybody that’s that’s having problems. Do you care what what are you doing about it? That’s the point he’s trying to make for us. Because you see, God is interested in your personal everyday work, a day life.

22. 10:25

    What are you doing to show your brotherly love? Jesus is going to tell you who to invite to your house. You say, Want to wait a minute? This is my house and it’s my food. I’ll invite who I want to invite Jesus, I’m going to tell you who to invite. It’s in Luke chapter 14. You all know this.

23. 10:43

    He says when you have a supper, who’s When you make a supper or a dinner, don’t call your friends. Well, that’s why I like to have my friends over for meals. He’s not wrong to do that. But no, no, no, you, just your family. You’re, you’re your kinsmen, but nor your rich neighbors. Those kind of people will pay you back. You come to my house today, tomorrow, next week. You come to my house, their house. He’s you.

24. 11:07

    I’ll tell you who to invite when you make us feast. Call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and thou shalt be blessed, for they cannot recompense you. But you shall be recompensed at the resurrection of the justice of this thing. Don’t forget to entertain strangels unawares. You just might be entertaining an Angel and not know it. And even if it’s not an Angel, are you putting yourself out to show your brotherly love for others? What are you doing tangibly each week to show I love the Lord and I love my brothers and sisters?

25. 11:43

    Nothing can’t be the right answer. We do something, a phone call, a note, e-mail. Now you can keep in touch with lots of people on emails, but pray for them. That’s one thing we can always pray for them. What are you doing because you love the brethren so much that you’re putting yourself out for them that that’s that’s what the we’re not making these words up.

26. 12:12

    We’re, we’re reading Hebrews chapter 13 and now we’re going to go back and listen to Jesus in Matthew 25 when he talks about the judgment seat of Christ. And this is the only picture we’re given of the details of what’s going to happen when we stand before the judgment seat of Christ. And brothers and sisters, you’re going to be there. We’re all going to be there.

27. 12:39

    There’s no way you can get out of not being there. You are going to be there. And this is what Jesus will say to the faithful. Come. I’m looking at Matthew 25 verse 34 come he blessed my father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, for I was in hungered and you gave me meat.

28. 13:01

    I was searching and you gave me a drink. I was assured you took me in naked and you called me I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to see me and the righteous are going to be surprised. What we don’t remember ever doing that to you.

29. 13:15

    We never saw you in those conditions. When did we ever do that? Oh, but in as much as you did under one of the least of these, my brethren, you did unto me. And then the reverse is repeated, He says to those that he’s rejecting all those same things. And you never came. You did nothing.

30. 13:32

    You did brotherly love because you had none. That’s not our words. It says the Lord speaking inspired words of Jesus recorded for our salvation. So the point is, we now have the opportunity to be doing these things. There’s a time coming when we can’t. So are we letting our brotherly love continue? And that’s a question we need to ask ourselves really everyday when you wake up in the morning.

31. 14:00

    What can I do today because I love the Lord? How can I put myself out? I don’t really want to do this. I remember when my mother was in a rest home in South Pasadena. She was in there for years. And I spoke to a dear sister and our colleges long since falling asleep herself.

32. 14:23

    I said, if you ever get a chance, go see my mother. She’s lonely and she would appreciate it. Oh, she says, I don’t go to those places. I said, you don’t. No, it’s too dreary. It’s too depressing. Well, you know, she’s right. They are. It is depressing. I can remember going in to see my mother and other people and the people are sitting there in a wheelchair in there as you walk by the Help, help. It’s it’s pitiful.

33. 14:44

    You, you, there’s nothing you can do for them except be kind and say, I always spoke to them. And of course they, they just, they’re out of their minds. A lot of them are. Well, my mother, mine was sharp. She was in a room with two other women whose were in La La land. But she knew what was going on in in a way they were happier than she was because she she knew what was happening. But you see, some people won’t go there because it’s too depressing to me.

34. 15:12

    My feelings are more important than putting myself out for somebody I need to help. Brotherly love is self sacrificing. Acape love is completely self sacrificing. So we need to remember, brother and sisters, that we have to put ourselves out for each other. We don’t do what’s convenient. And if we have time, we do it because we’re asked to do it or we want to do it, or we believe we can help by doing it. The smallest little thing, it may not be a big deal to you, is such an important thing to someone else. You called me, you remembered me. You can cheer people out there.

35. 15:51

    I I talked to people and said you made my day. How do I make days? Well, they were down and out and the president happened to make a phone call. You got an ecclesial Jesper. Do something. Each one of you can think what you want to do, but doing nothing can never be right. And so an expert in the law came to Jesus, Luke 10 and he’s, he wants to test Jesus.

36. 16:19

    So he says, teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Well, at least he had the truth. People in the world think they have eternal life all the time. You know, it maybe go up and they go down, but they got eternal life. Well, this man realized you don’t have eternal life unless it’s given to you by Christ. It’s a judgment seat.

37. 16:36

    What, what, what can I do to inherit eternal life? Well, now Jesus didn’t just answer the question like Van Gogh. He often answered a question by answering. He answered the question by asking mine. So he said, what is written in the law? Jesus asked. So this man was expert. He says he was an expert and he was. This is what he says.

38. 16:56

    He said love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. Boy, that’s right on. And Jesus said you have answered correctly. You are right. But the man still wanted to test Jesus, so he says he wanted to justify himself. So he said and and who is my neighbor? Well, you think Jesus might say, well the fellow living next door, the person, people across the street, No, he told him a story.

39. 17:29

    See, Jesus taught by asking questions and telling stories. This is the story of the Good Samaritan. You know this story well. And so he told about the man going from Jericho from Jerusalem down to Jericho. Jerusalem is 2550 feet above sea level. Jericho is 1000 feet below sea level. They’re 20 miles apart. You go down 3550 feet in 20 miles, it’s a real steep downhill road and you’re going up as Jesus did many times. You’re in the Bible.

40. 18:04

    Jesus went up from Jericho to Jerusalem. He had to be in physical top, physical condition to climb that. But this fellow was on his way down and he became out because he got beat up by criminals, robbers. He left him bleeding, half dead, took his money and got away. And then along comes a Pharisee.

41. 18:26

    They’re very and they’re busy. Pharisees are busy doing God’s work. You just ask them one and they’ll tell you they are. And he saw this man, and he went by the other way. And then a Levite came by, priest and a Levite. And he saw the man and went the other way. And then a Samaritan, the people that Jews hated, came by, and he saw the man and he felt, he felt pity for me. He realized he was in a bad way.

42. 18:58

    He stopped, he bound up his wounds, he got his hands dirty, he put him on his own animal. He took him to an inn. He put his own money and paid the innkeeper to take care of. He said take this money and when I come back after you spend more, I’ll give you some more. And he went on his way.

43. 19:15

    And then Jesus asked the question, who was his neighbor? And the fellow was smart enough, he answered the one who had mercy on him. Jesus said go and do likewise. And so you see, two important people didn’t have time. An unimportant person in the Jewish side took time to put himself out, to get his hands dirty, probably got him bloody because man had been beaten up and took him and took care of him. And now I want to tell you a true story that actually happened.

44. 19:52

    And this happened in the Midwest in a college. It was a seminary college, a place where they teach young men to become preachers. And they were studying this very little parable, the rich man and the last, I mean, the Good Samaritan. And so the the professor in the college class assigned two young men in the class.

45. 20:11

    He said, I want you to prepare a paper on the story of the Good Samaritan. We’re having a big assembly in the auditorium tonight, and you have to come down to the auditorium and make a presentation on this parable. Well, they were honored to be picked. Now everybody lived on campus and the campus, the dormitory is on one side of the campus and the big auditorium is on the other side. So they spent the afternoon working on this paper and then at 7:00 they were supposed to be at the auditorium to give their paper on the Good Samaritan.

46. 20:42

    So they had studied, they knew this story backwards and forwards, but one lived on one side dormitory or that way, and one lived on dormitory over this way. So the way from their rooms to the auditorium was a footpath that took them to the auditorium, but not the same 1. So they took two young men and they made, they made them look like they’ve been beat up and they got them down on the ground and they poured ketchup all over them and they left them there lying still. So these young boys on their way from their dormitory to the class to the auditorium to give a talk on the Good Samaritan had to go out by him.

47. 21:19

    And you know what happened? Both boys went around, the man lying on the ground because they had to give a talk on the Good Samaritan and they left him lying there and they had other people’s as he despised in the bushes watching to see what they did. Now that what’s the point? The point is it’s not enough to know.

48. 21:44

    To know and not to do is not to know. Did they know the story? Did you know how ended? Oh, they do it all. Did they do it? No. Now we need to bring that down to us to know the truth. Is that perative? It’s important, but it’s not enough. We have to try to live it. And how do you live the truth?

49. 22:11

    By the way you treat each other. The only way you can show your love for God is by trying to obey His commandments and showing Him you love Him by the way you treat one another. And it’s a judgment seat of Christ. We’re all going to be reminded of what we did or did not do to show brotherly love. And that was the opening verse.

50. 22:39

    Be let brotherly love continue. Are we doing it? Could we do better? Well, of course we could. I hope you realize that when I point a finger at you, 3 fingers point at me. So we’re all in this together. I’ve never visited anybody in prison. I went to visit prison was, but I wasn’t, excuse me, I’m not visiting anybody I knew. So I’m not done that.

51. 23:09

    How thoughtful are we of each other? How much do we think about what can I do to make someone else’s burden a little lighter to help another one along the way, to help to just a helping hand. You know, you don’t have to carry somebody, just a helping hand as you get older and you’re less steady on your feet. Nobody has to pick me up.

52. 23:32

    But a helping hand is greatly appreciated, just steadies you a little bit along the way. And we can do that with each other physically and, and and and metaphorically. We, we always should be looking, how can I help somebody else? What can I do to make someone else’s burden lighter? You see this, this is not place you just find one place in the Bible and there it is. James says if her brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food and why are you saying departed peace be warmed and filled, take care brother, you’ll be fine. And you don’t do anything about it. He says how can you?

53. 24:11

    How can you do like that? What does what prophet is that says James. So so so James is on this subject. James, the Hebrew writer writer is on this subject, Jesus on this subject. And now John’s going to chime in first John chapter 3. We know that we have passed from death to life.

54. 24:30

    How do we know that because we love the brethren. That’s what John says you that’s the way you know you pass from death to life because you love each other. He would not love his brother abides in death. So if you don’t love your brother, you’re you’re doomed and and and and love has to be action.

55. 24:45

    So it means you have your doing. Whoever hates his brother, he’s a murderer. And you know that no murderer has the eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love. Here’s a here’s a test. Because he laid down his life for us. We ought to lay down our lives for our brethren.

56. 25:02

    We’re going to take these emblems. He, he died for us. He can’t do more than that. He gave everything he had his life. How much are you giving of yourself for others? You see, God doesn’t ask you to sacrifice your life literally for another. He asks you to to sacrifice your life by pleasing others instead of yourself.

57. 25:25

    Am I warm and full? Am I happy? Forget yourself. Go help someone else be warm and filled and happy. And so here we are. Time is getting away and we’ve only gotten to a couple 3 verses or so of the book of chapter 13 of the book of Hebrews. So we’ll move down to another couple more chapters and a couple more verses because we can’t possibly short time.

58. 25:53

    A lot of this. And that was a short chapter too. It’s every page of the Bible, really. There’s so much exertation. Even sometimes when you think a thing, it doesn’t have any exertation. It’s it’s there. So don’t miss doing your readings every day. It’s so terribly important. So down in verse 5 of this same chapter, we just read it. Keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have.

59. 26:18

    You know, the world teaches us today to be discontent with what we have. They always want you to have more. Whatever you have. You want a bigger 1A, better 1A, newer 1.

60. 26:28

    And that’s the way the economy of this world works. And Bible says be content with what you have. Are you content? Are you thankful for the blessings you have? And then are you willing to share them with others? He said, I won’t, you know, listen these words, this, this, we read this already.

61. 26:47

    I will never fail you nor forsake you. God won’t ever forsake you unless you forsake him first. When ASA was the king, the prophet came to ASA. He says, the Lord be with you while you be with him. And if you seek him, you’ll be found of him. But if you forsake him, he’ll forsake you.

62. 27:13

    So it’s it’s an if question. The Lord will never leave us if we never leave him. One person said if you don’t feel close to God who moved, he will never move away from you. If you don’t want to be feel close to God, you can move away from him and he will be sad, but he’ll let you do it.

63. 27:34

    When Jesus said some hard sayings and some went back, this is a hard saying. Who can hear it? They’re out of there. They left him, Jesus turned his disciples. Are you going to go away too? Dear beloved Peters, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. There’s no place to go except to Jesus, to God.

64. 27:54

    But you see, people do go away and the love of money has caused many of them to go away because he says here, keep your life free from the love of money. And then in Timothy, Paul says to Timothy, I like to ask people did does the Bible say that money is the root of all evil people?

65. 28:12

    Oh, yeah, it does. I said, no, it doesn’t. It just you will never find that. But what do you mean? It’s the love of money. She is only one people, people who love money more than rich people. And that’s poor people, which means everybody loves money in the world. And we’re to be different. We’re thankful that God is blessed with some of it. But are you using it to serve Him? How much of you holding back for a rainy day? It’s raining.

66. 28:43

    In regards to your point, it’s raining right now. Christ, Christ, Christ is almost here. It’d be too late to give away your money. When the Lord has come, you won’t need it in the bank, and He doesn’t want it. So use it now. Use it for the Lord, because money doesn’t bring happiness.

67. 28:59

    It helps you to be miserable and with comfort, but it does not bring happiness. So, because in Timothy he says that the love of money is the root of all evil. Through this craving some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves through with many pangs, many sorrows, many Greece, other translations. So if we’re only trying to accumulate for ourselves, we will be indeed miserable people.

68. 29:30

    But when you forget about yourself and think about how to help others, as a byproduct you become happy because there’s happiness in helping other people and thinking of them first. And so godliness with contentment is great gain. We brought nothing into this world. You can carry nothing out. Having a food agreement. Let us be there with content.

69. 29:59

    Contentment with godliness is great gain. We should be happy. We should be contented because we trust in God. He will take care of us. But we have to share the blessings that God has given to us with others. And so we have just touched a few little spots here in the book of Hebrews chapter 13.

70. 30:24

    We started off by listening to the writer tell us to let brotherly love continue. Keep on loving your brothers and sisters. How you going to do it? You have to do something. Just loving him and doing nothing is not really loving him. That’s what the scripture tells. So it means that you’re active doing something. So think what you can do.

71. 30:48

    We all can’t do the same things. And as you get older, there’s less things you can do than when you could when you were younger. But there’s something you can do. A cup of cold water. We all can do that. Even if you buy a case of waters and carry them in your trunk and give them out to people that you know that are thirsty, in the name of God you won’t lose your reward.

72. 31:12

    And so remember that you have an Angel. He’s watching you everyday. Will you ever seen him or not? I can’t tell you you have or haven’t. I sometimes felt he must have been there because I came through a pretty tight spot and believe he delivered me. But whether he he, I saw him or not, he’s there.

73. 31:36

    And you have one. And treat him with respect and make sure that you don’t do anything. It would make an Angel ashamed to be with you. And so we’re just going to let the writers of the Hebrews close our exhortation because his words are better than any words that we could make. And so we’re going to read from the closing words of this wonderful little book.

74. 32:01

    And these words, these words spoken and written so long ago, apply to us this morning. May the God of peace, who’s the but through the blood of the earth, eternal covenant brought back from the dead, our Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with every good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing in him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glorious forever and ever.

75. 32:40

    Amen. Thank you for listening to the Good Christadelphian Talks podcast. We hope this talk helped you in your walk and brightened your day. If you would like to hear more, please subscribe for new episodes. We are on all major podcast platforms and also on YouTube. If you enjoyed this particular talk, please share it with someone else who you think might enjoy it too.

76. 33:16

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77. 33:49

    God bless and talk to you next week.