Focal Point

Pastor Mike Fabarez: Get emotionally involved in someone's trial. And if you think, wow, that is impinging on my comfort zone, hurting with those who hurt, that just sounds hard. It is. The word in scripture for it is sacrifice. Love is sacrifice. Love costs. And God asks you to love the people that you're seated next to in the church.

Guest (Male): Whether it's giving up an afternoon to help a friend move or relinquishing the last piece of pie, there's power behind every act of sacrifice. Putting others first challenges the very fiber of our me-centered culture. And yet, these acts of kindness can have a deep impact on those we serve.

Today on Focal Point, Pastor Mike Fabarez continues our series called Counter-Cultural Christians. And to go along with our study, we're offering any first-time listener a free copy of Pastor Mike's latest booklet, Battling Sin. Just reach out online at focalpointradio.org. We will now hear Pastor Mike.

Pastor Mike Fabarez: Sometimes we get to the end of a book that we're studying and a lot of the New Testament books are this way, and we start to see these kind of rapid fire, almost proverbial statements at the end of the book and it's kind of extra stuff, kind of thrown in there. And though we don't have elaborate explanations of all of these statements we're about to encounter, I can assure you that what we're about to get into here is not extra credit.

Be advised that this is really core stuff because Jesus said the whole adherence to the doctrine of the New Testament will be validated in the world's eyes as they look at you by your love for one another. It says by this all men will know that you're my disciples, if you have love for each other. Everything that we stand for is going to be validated, particularly as the world watches us, by whether or not this kind of doctrine that we've just learned in the book of Hebrews can be evidenced in our relationships. Is this seen in your church?

So open your Bibles if you haven't already to Hebrews chapter 13. Let's talk about what it means to be a counter-cultural Christian. The first seven verses are going to deal with a lot of topics. Let's start with the first topic that extends for three verses and it happens syntactically in an increasing sacrificial measure. In other words, we go from a simple statement in verse one to a more challenging statement in verse two to an even more challenging statement in verse three. Let's read it and then we'll study it.

Verse number one. Writer of Hebrews says keep on loving each other as brothers. That sounds simple. Keep loving each other as brothers. Well, it's essential. As a matter of fact, here's one demonstration of it, verse number two: and don't forget to entertain strangers. Now here's a bizarre motivation: for by doing so some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those who are in prison, as if you were their fellow prisoners. Now the first two verses, those painted pictures in my mind of something rather positive, this one doesn't feel so good. Empathy for those that are hurting. And those, middle of verse three, who are mistreated, literally badly treated, as if you yourselves were suffering. You should live through that with them.

Three concentric circles, if you will, from what may be for us the easiest hurdle to a little more difficult one to the highest hurdle on verse three. Let's start with the easy one. Verse number one: keep on loving each other as brothers. We ought to have a commitment to one another that is like a commitment and sacrifice that is demonstrated in a familial relationship, siblings. And we are now called in scripture, the most popular, by the way, word that God uses for us, we're called brothers. Brothers and sisters, siblings in the body of Christ. And those relationships need not just be like friendships you might have had in the world, they need to be deeper than that. They need to be the kinds of relationships that you can imagine God looking from heaven as our heavenly father seeing two of his children in the same church saying, come on guys, I want you to serve each other. I want you to look out for each other. I want you to be committed to each other. Let that brotherly love continue.

Verse two. If love is all about sacrifice, and it is, okay, that first one, okay, I guess that's a challenge, but I really like those people. Now here's one that gets a little harder. And again, you Greek students, if you have your Greek New Testament out, look at the distinction here. It's a great play on words. The first verse, the centerpiece of that is Philadelphia. Phileo, you know that biblical word, you've been to Sunday school, right? And Delphos, the word brother, love your brothers, brotherly love, okay. And then it adds this root at the end, Xenos. Xenos is the word for stranger or alien, outsider. And it says love the outsider. That's the play on words. Love your brothers, love the outsiders.

Now the problem with the translation is that the word Phileoxenos, you put those together, it also is the word that's just translated hospitality, which means in not only in English but also in Greek often times, having someone into your house. Okay, number two, second level of sacrifice. You and I, we need to risk hospitality with new friends. I mean, if you stay in your circles, God is making a commentary about your heart. Branch out, pull someone in you wouldn't normally pull in. Don't forget to practice hospitality to open up your home to people that maybe you're not even familiar with because if you do that like other people have done it, you might entertain a season of ministry, an incident of ministry you didn't even plan on, you didn't even know.

Verse three. Okay, those are all positive. I can picture good times, happy people laughing, we're sitting around, hey, that's great. This is not happy verse three. This seems kind of dark and gloomy. Verse three, that's why it's the third level of sacrifice and if you do this you'll definitely be counter-cultural. Remember those in prison, as if you were their fellow prisoners right there in stocks with them. That's how you should remember them. And those who are mistreated, got people that are being mistreated, as though you yourselves were the one suffering. Here's a statement of empathy, a statement of compassion, a statement of sympathy, and it's all about people that are hurting or struggling.

And before you think this is like the banner verse for prison ministry, okay, well we'll start a prison ministry, that's not what this is about because prison there in context of the Hebrews is different than prison here in Orange County, okay? It's a little different environment because it's happening for a different reason. Now, I'm not dissing prison ministry, don't write me emails, okay? I'm not dissing prison ministry. I'm just saying this is not an exhortation for us to start going out and helping drug addicts and convicted, you know, wife beaters. That's not what this passage is about. Let me prove it to you. Turn to Hebrews 10. Not that I'm opposed to that, you understand that, right? He's so mean, he doesn't want to help the poor wife beater. Let's do that, but this isn't the passage for it. Hebrews 13 is about something different and Hebrews 10 makes that clear.

Why were the people who were exposed to this first century teaching knowing people that were in prison? Why? Here's why. Verse 32, Hebrews 10: remember those earlier days, after you received the light. This isn't about light bulbs or photons, this is about knowing the truth of God's message that we should trust in Jesus Christ. You've received the gospel. When you stood your ground in the great struggle or the great contest in the face of suffering. What's the point? When you became a Christian and embraced Christ, you had all kinds of opposition, but you stood your ground. You didn't give in, you stood up for it, and you suffered for it. Sometimes, verse 33, you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution. That happened. At other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized, verse 34, with those in prison and you joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property. Why were they doing that? Because you received the light, you stood your ground. Because you knew also, here was your motivation in your own head, that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. Verse 35: so do not throw away your confidence. Confidence in what? In the gospel, in the truth of God's word. It'll be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you, here's a good phrase to bracket, have done the will of God. That's why they were being thrown in prison. That's why their property was being confiscated. That's why they were being mistreated, poorly treated, because they were doing the will of God. But you know, hang in there because once you do it, you'll receive what he's promised.

Why were people in jail in the first century that people knew that were getting the letter from the writer of Hebrews? Because they were standing up for what was right and they were suffering for it. Here's a parallel passage to put in the margin, 1 Peter chapter 4. Same thing, verses 13 through 16 gives you the context, but he says I don't want you to suffer, he says as a meddler or a thief or a troublemaker or a murderer, but if you suffer as a Christian then you're blessed. That's the picture here as well. We're talking about people in prison because they stood up for what was right. Now, the Orange County sheriff's facility where we detain people is not filled with people that stood up for what was right at work, right? They're not people that stood up for righteousness somewhere. That's why this isn't about a prison ministry and I know a lot of people love to use this verse for prison ministry, that's not what we're talking about.

If the jail is not filled with people today that have stood up for Christ, although maybe occasionally it might happen and it may happen in increasing measure in the future, we've got to look for people that fit that profile. Who is suffering because they've done the right thing? That's a proper application of Hebrews chapter 13 verse 3. Who's been mistreated because they've done the right thing? Who, not because of an act of their own, is suffering? They've had this put upon them, not because they were caught for shoplifting or selling cocaine. They're in trouble because they're just living their Christian life and they hit trouble. Okay, that's the audience.

So number three on your outline, this is going to demand another name. We need to get emotionally involved in someone's trial. And by trial I don't mean because they've broken the civil laws of Orange County. I'm talking about someone who's going through a trial just because they're a Christian, just because they're living a righteous life in an unrighteous world and they're struggling. This is going to be someone that you know that comes to mind right now who's in my congregation, my church and I know they're hurting right now, they're struggle. And it's not because they did something wrong, it's just because they were living their Christian life and this bad thing happened to them.

Romans 12, I told you to fold the corner down one last time we'll look at a parallel passage here. Paul writes the Romans and says something very similar for us about sympathy, empathy, compassion. He says in verse 15, Romans chapter 12 verse 15, he says rejoice with those who rejoice and that's no problem, right? It is a little bit, but you know what, that's fun. Here's the hard part. Are you there? Romans chapter 12 verse 15: and mourn with those who mourn. That's a little harder. I like to be positive, right? I stay away from the bad news and the hurting people. And there are people by the way who do that in the name of God, you know that, right? They don't want any negative influences in their life. Then dude, you have no clue what the Christian life is all about because Jesus was exactly the opposite, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Rejoice with those who rejoice, no problem. Mourn with those who mourn. Have you done that lately?

You're doing fine, but there's someone you know in your church that isn't and you're willing to hurt with them. Or are you like some people that you're so myopic about your own hurt you've got no time for anybody else's hurt? It's amazing what God will do when you're willing to emotionally get involved in someone else's trial. It's risky as well. You could have put this word on there too, risk, because it sometimes is not reciprocated. We've all experienced that. Let me give you one example and it's not to focus on the non-reciprocation, but let's at least look at how David in the Psalms, last passage I'll turn you to, in Psalm 35 expressed what it means to sympathize emotionally with someone's pain. It affects their life in a real practical tangible way and David had experienced this virtue and when someone was hurting he got involved in their hurt and he walked through it with them.

It's a sad context because Psalm 35 is really all about the fact that a lot of people that David sympathized with ended up stabbing him in the back and didn't reciprocate his good. That's why in verse 12, by the way, he says they repaid me evil for good and that hurt his soul. My soul was forlorn and hurt. But look at the expression of his compassion and gives us some meat and some directive here in what how to do it. He shows us how to do it. Verse 13: yet when these people who didn't reciprocate, when they were ill, look at what David says. He says I put on sackcloth, that's the clothes of mourning, right? And I humbled myself with, here's a surprise, fasting. Now wait a minute, it wasn't your trial? No, it wasn't my trial, but you got sick and I was so walking through that with you that I was willing to take off in David's case his royal robes and put on the clothes of the mourner and come to you and skip my meals and care about you.

That's big. Look at the next phrase here. He says when my prayers returned to me unanswered, when God didn't restore your health, verse 14: then I went about in mourning as though for my friend, more than that, or my brother because I guarantee if you got a call this afternoon from your biological sibling and your biological sibling said hey I just found out I got cancer I just found out just now, that would affect you. Wouldn't it affect you? Be like, oh really? Wow! Hurt. I don't know that you're going to head out for lunch right after that call. It's going to affect you. And the Bible says that your relationships with your friends in the body of Christ ought to have that same kind of impact. We've got to have that kind of commitment and care for each other that when you find out one of these people on your list is hurting, it affects you greatly. He said in the middle of verse 14: I bowed my head in grief as though weeping for my, not just my brother but my mother. That's how badly I hurt over your pain. Unfortunately they didn't reciprocate, but David says I did that.

Let's pick a few things out of here real quick. First of all, you've got to identify the person, we've already done that I hope. And if not, if you've got a clean slate of hurting people, we'll provide the list for you. Then we've got to do this. Look at one thing there in the middle of verse 13: you've got to pray for them. When my prayers returned to me unanswered. David prayed for people that he knew that were hurting, ill, suffering unjustly. That's where we start with this one. Take that one name you wrote down and say I'm committed to pray for that person every day during their trial. That might bring you from the Happy Land in your prayer time to the, oh this really hurts. That's what God is asking for, sympathy, emotional involvement in someone's hurt.

Next thing you've got to do, and I would suggest look at verse 13, David did it: he was willing to deprive himself of food in the midst of of people suffering. This is not some kind of ascetic practice, not talking about being a monk whipping your back. I'm talking about the fact that you're willing to have your meals displaced if it need be to care for that person. That I'm going to put your need so above mine that I'm not out planning my fun day or my fun evening, I'm willing to focus on your hurt tonight because you're not out wondering which restaurant you're going to, you're laid up in bed or you're struggling over a divorce or you're hurting over financial collapse and I'm going to walk through this with you. I'm willing to set my fun aside for you.

And then lastly here in this text, I know that David, I mean if you read the rest of the Psalm, is spending face time with these people. He's face to face with them. And Paul illustrates this, a great passage 2 Corinthians 7. He says when he was downcast and harassed, when he was fearful, he said God who comforts the downcast comforted us, he says with the sending of Titus. Okay, face to face contact where you're going to say I just want to spend time with you, I want to be here as a comfort to you if I can. And if you can't, like the example I just gave you in 2 Corinthians 7, send someone, send an emissary who can go to that person that's hurting and spend time with them. If you're so busy you can't do that, make sure someone does. Face time is important. Get emotionally involved in someone's trial.

I know these things all involve sacrifice, counter-cultural sacrifice. Most people are hanging out with people that kind of reciprocate some good feeling in their lives and I'm talking about not reciprocating good feelings but really being committed, impinging on my comfort zone, hurting with those who hurt. And if you think wow, this is kind of going the extra mile, I know it is as it relates to other people but when it relates to the King it's not. To him it's small beans. Why? Because that's what his life was all about. Christ demonstrated the ultimate sacrifice. He said who could love like that? He laid down his life for his friends. Remember that passage? That's the ultimate sacrifice.

Listen to this passage. Let me read an extended section here of Philippians 2. Here's the reason. Notice the juxtaposition of of the great sacrifice of Christ laid right next to, okay, listen to this, right next to the great advantage, the wonderful benefit of us being brothers and sisters in Christ. Listen to this, Philippians chapter 2. Paul appeals to the people and he says, hey if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if there's any comfort from experiencing his love, if there's any comfort there, if you have any fellowship that comes from the Holy Spirit, if there's any tenderness or any compassion at all, then make my joy complete by going all the way. Be like-minded, be all in, have the same love, the same commitment, the same spirit, the same purpose. Oh and don't do anything out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others as better than yourselves. Each one of you should not only look to your own interest but you also ought to look after the interest of others. Your attitude, it should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, who being in very nature God did not regard equality with God something to be hung on to, something to be grasped, but he made himself nothing. He emptied himself, taking the very nature of a servant and being made in human likeness. And being found in the appearance as a man he humbled himself and he became obedient to death. You want to talk about sacrifice? Even death on a cross.

But God loves that kind of sacrifice. It was not only redemptive for us spiritually, it was the perfect example and God exalted him to the highest place and he gave him the name that is above every name, that the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

Let's pray. God help us to recognize that this is in no way superfluous extra credit in the Christian life. This is the core essence of biblical Christianity. To see that my life and my commitment to the brothers and sisters in Christ if I claim good biblical doctrine it is going to express itself in sacrificial love for those around me. Please make it a large percentage of people that are willing to be not just hearers of the word, not just affirming philosophical or theological statements in their minds, but people that are willing to put this into action. God and I pray as they do this church would become so laden with examples of love, sacrifice, care and concern that there isn't a person that knows about this congregation who doesn't say wow, that place, full of Christians that love each other, care for each other, look after each other. God may that be the hallmark of our church because it was the essence of your son's sacrifice for us, who saw the need, who willingly and humbly without selfish ambition or vain conceit put our interests above his own. May that be the call and the practice of our lives this week. Thank you so much God for this. It's a reminder of what we're about to participate in right now. The great reminder of the sacrifice of Christ of his death on a cross, the ultimate most humiliating sacrifice. And God we're worried about opening up our house or spending time with people or praying for them. God please help us to recognize how broad and how wide and how deep and how long is the love of Christ that we might this week begin to reflect it in a real practical way and challenge our minimal and and small expressions of love to something larger. Make that a reality for us God and motivate us by the cross in Jesus name. Amen.

Guest (Male): You're listening to Focal Point with Pastor Mike Fabarez and the end of a message titled Sacrifice Instead of Selfishness. You can revisit or share today's lesson anytime by going to our website focalpointradio.org or download the free Focal Point app which lets you access all of Pastor Mike's Bible teaching resources wherever you go.

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Pastor Mike Fabarez: Hi, Pastor Mike here. God's word promises it'll never return void. So how is God's word moving in your heart right now? Drop us a line, let us know, we'd love to hear from you, we'd love to be praying for you here, just go to focalpointradio.org. And then be sure to join us again tomorrow right here as we continue to explore the depths of scripture. We'll see you then.

Guest (Male): Today's program was produced and sponsored by Focal Point Ministries.