The Book of Hebrews, 13:5-6 I will never foresake you

Good morning. I just was thinking of the song we did first off, you know, when I get to heaven, I got a question for you. Aren't we already there? Yeah, so we're really what's happening is we're already there we're catching up to in our physical bodies. What's already true, right? Do we already have a citizenship there? Yes. Right. This is great news.

We're going to be turning to Hebrews 13, 5, and 6. And just a couple of verses there, but there's enough powerful words there that we'll slow down and take a close look at them. Just to kind of look on the horizon here, we'll be finishing up the book of Hebrews by the end of September. And then in October, beginning the Gospel of Luke. So that's the pattern we'll be following here in just about a month.

So Hebrews 13.5 goes like this, Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have.

For he himself has said, I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you. Let's take a look at that. We've got a literal expanded and explained version of it, and that's on page one of your handout. So follow through with me. The manner of life of you all is to be without affection for silver, being content and satisfied with the things you have. For He has once said with continuing and permanent validity, There is not the slightest possibility that I will ever desert you, nor is there the slightest possibility that I will ever forsake you.

So let's take a look here at Jewish history here. The words of God through Moses and Joshua to Israel were in preparation for Israel going into the Promised Land. And we'll be taking a closer look at that shortly here. The Israelites were told to be strong and courageous. God would be with them. Be strong and courageous three times in Deuteronomy 31, some of Moses' last words. Be strong and courageous, and by the way, be strong and courageous, and be strong and courageous. When it came to Joshua, four times in Joshua chapter 1, be strong and courageous is said four times. Once more in Joshua 10. I think you get the idea that God wanted them to be strong and courageous, don't you? Right?

But the Israelites fell rather quickly into dependence upon other things than God for their security and eventually they were taken from the promised land to other lands, the diaspora as it's sometimes called. So the Jews were taken away from Jerusalem. Jerusalem was in great part destroyed. The temple, the walls, and the Jews were taken over to the area east of where Israel was located, first by the Assyrians and ultimately by the Babylonians. Now, by New Testament times, about two-thirds of the Jews lived outside of Israel, many of them moving from place to place.

They sought security in portable wealth like silver coins. If we take a look at a space eye view, we see here's the whole nation of Israel over here and so the Jews were taken by the Assyrians and by the Babylonians over to this area, and the Persians further spread them.

So they were spread in that area to the east of Israel. By Alexander the Great, they were spread into North Africa. He had them found significantly the city of Alexandria. Of course, that was one of about a half dozen Alexandrias that he had them found. And then on into Southern Europe and what is now called Turkey, the Jews were spread there. Even in the Book of Acts, we find that Claudius, Emperor Claudius, told the Jews in Rome, you got to leave.

So moving around from place to place was the pattern for most of the Jews by New Testament times. And they'd become rather accustomed to that's the pattern rather than staying in the land. So the author of Hebrews, having seen this pattern, and it in fact continued on for centuries, having seen this pattern, this trend, as a significant spiritual problem among the Jews, he urges these Hebrew Christians, that he's writing to here, to put their full and ultimate trust in God instead of silver. See, a great many Jews had put their confidence and trust in portable wealth, because after all, I've got to have something, right? And so wealth that you can haul with you was what they began putting their trust and confidence in. He says, uh-uh, wait a minute, not that.

So one's manner of life comes from character. So our manner of life on the outside comes from where we place ultimate trust and value on the inside and where we find our security and place our affections on the inside. It's what do we value? Where do we find our security? Those kinds of things are where we put our trust and confidence. As believers, we're called to place our ultimate trust and value in the Lord. And to place our affections on the things that He values. To set our minds on things above. We're to have a different perspective than the world. Our manner of life, how we live it out, will depend upon where we place that trust and value.

So, the love of money, the one Greek word translated free from the love of money, literally means not fond of silver, or not having an affectionate attachment to silver, or not having a family affection for silver. One of the ongoing character requirements for elders, pastors, shepherds, overseers in the church, is that they not be fond of silver. So this is not just something for the Hebrew Christians, but a requirement for elders as a matter of ongoing character. So the word for brotherly love earlier in the chapter, in Hebrews 13. And for a family affection for strangers, Hebrews 13, 2, is the same kind of love that he cautions not to have regarding silver. He talks in there about being content with the things that you have. There are those who are driven to possess things, or money, or both. And there is a place for both money and things.

It's not that those are bad automatically or wrong. Today's advertising, I have to warn you, is aimed to make you dissatisfied with what you have. Get that. What's coming off that screen, or whether it's coming maybe even on your phone in the advertising that you get, is aimed to make you dissatisfied with what you have. Do you see that? Advertising is designed to do the opposite of being content with the things that you have. It's designed to do the opposite of being content with the things that you have.

Advertising will appeal to fear and to greed and power and pleasure and popularity and intelligence and idiocy. so that you will be dissatisfied. I have to tell you, if you buy the car, the gal doesn't come with it. If you buy the car, the guy doesn't come with it. And they put a good-looking gal and a good-looking guy in the car, next to the car, and if you buy the car, it doesn't automatically make you look like that guy or gal. Another advertising scheme you'll get is, you deserve it.

Well, let me ask this question. If I deserve it, then aren't you giving it to me? Right? You're going to give it to me for free because I deserve it, right? No. Yeah, you deserve it is really a kind of a lie. Because they say you deserve it. And that's why it's going to cost you $30,000, whatever the price tag is, right? And you deserve a break today. And tomorrow and the next day, right? But get your wallet out, right?

Philippians 4, 11-14 touches on this very subject. Not that I speak from want, the Apostle Paul says, as he's under house arrest, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. And by the way, let's ask a question about that verse. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. What does that mean? Does that mean I can go out and lift up all the cars out in the parking lot? No, I can do all the things of having and not having through Him who strengthens me.

Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction." Of course, Philippians is a letter to say thank you in a culture where it was not polite to say thank you. So he says, you've done well to share with me in my affliction. First Timothy. Paul writes to Timothy and has some other similar good pieces of wisdom along this line. But godliness actually is a means of great gain. Great gain is profit. Great gain when accompanied by contentment.

For we have brought nothing into the world so we cannot take anything out of it either. That reminds me of something. There was a guy who made a deal with the Lord. that he could bring one briefcase from earth. He could bring one briefcase from earth to heaven.

And so anyway, he's standing in line, and you know how the story goes. Here's Peter at the gate, you know. And so this one guy comes up. He's the only guy in the whole line, and he's got a briefcase. And so Peter says, what's this? Well, the Lord said I could bring this thing up here. He did. Wow. Get it out and what's in it. So open it up. It's full of gold bricks. And so Peter says, I guess you can take it in if the Lord says you can take it in, but I don't know why you'd want paving stones. Alright. Anyway. Okay. So we have food and covering. With these we shall be content. Contentment.

But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Now, let's take a look at the last part of Hebrews 13.5. For he himself has said, I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you. Let's focus on that part here. Now, where those words come from is, here's Moses' words to Israel in Deuteronomy 31, 3 through 6.

It is the Lord your God who will cross ahead of you, he's telling the Israelites. He will destroy those nations before you and you shall dispossess them. Joshua is the one who will cross ahead of you just as the Lord has spoken. The Lord will do to them just as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land when He destroyed them.

And the Lord will deliver them up before you, and you shall do to them according to all the commandments which I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you." So Moses tells them, God will not fail you or forsake you.

Now, God's words to Joshua and Israel were God speaking directly. He says this in Joshua 1, 2-5, Moses, my servant, is dead. Now therefore arise, cross the Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel, every place on which the sole of your foot treads. I have given it to you just as I spoke to Moses.

From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the great sea toward the setting of the sun, shall be your territory. No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you. I will not fail you or forsake you." Those are the words that the author of Hebrews is drawing from here. Now, it says there in the English translation, I will never, nor will I ever.

In English, it's not proper to use a double negative. And now, actually, it is proper under certain circumstances. But the way it's used here, I don't have nothing for you, which really means I have something for you. So that use of it is not proper. So double negatives are a no-no. But in the New Testament Greek, a double negative was used to be emphatic about something. And so it has this idea of you saying not not, and that was to emphasize the negativity.

So here's the use of the same Greek words, same Greek words in Revelation 3.5. Jesus is speaking to the church at Smyrna when he says, He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments and I will not not, I will absolutely not, erase his name from the book of life.

That's the same use of the double negative in Revelation 3.5. But there's a pattern even in the way that the Hebrews wrote.

Here's Isaiah 26.3, which we'll sometimes sing in a song. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace. It's actually peace, peace. So the double negative was also used in Hebrew. Whose mind is stayed on thee. In English, we might say something like this. It is not even remotely possible that. Or there is not the slightest chance that. to say the same thing. Or we might say, absolutely not. That kind of emphatic statement here.

So Hebrews 13.5 has not not twice. In order to be double emphatic on what's already a double emphatic. You got that? You got that? Okay.

Now, let's look at these words, dessert and forsake. The two English words reflect two different Greek words. So they're two different Greek words that are translated in the new American standard, dessert or forsake. Dessert comes from a word that carries the idea of leaving and abandoning, and it doesn't mean not a desert. It doesn't mean a dessert full of calories.

Not that. It does mean, rather, to leave or abandon. That's the idea. I will not leave or abandon you. Now, forsake comes from a word that carries the idea of leaving behind. In other words, going forward and leaving someone behind. These two words are actually synonyms. They have similar meaning.

They convey that God stays with us, to put it in the positive here. I will not desert you means He will stay with us. So one way to put a double emphasis is God absolutely, absolutely stays with us, if we were to say it positively. So here would be the literal expand and explain for that last part there.

For He has once said with continuing and permanent validity, There is not the slightest possibility that I will ever desert you, nor is there the slightest possibility that I will ever forsake you. Now this, this he has once said, that's in the perfect tense, which we've said in the past, it's a completed past action, ongoing results in the future, implying permanence. So he said it once and he doesn't need to say it again. He said it once, he doesn't need to say it again.

Let's take a look at verse six now, once we've taken a look here. So that we confidently say, not tentatively, the Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid. What will man do to me? So our confidence in the Lord is not a confidence of probabilities. We will often hear people say, well, I hope this happens, or I hope that doesn't happen. That's where we're talking about possibilities. Of the possibilities, I'd prefer this one over that one. So our confidence in the Lord is not that kind of hope.

It is an absolute certain hope. Absolute certain hope. The confidence of a believer is 100% and not 95% plus or minus 5%. And that's not the case because we're gullible. We just like to think in absolute terms, but because he's 100% worthy of our trust. He realizes that people have been trusting the Lord for centuries, and they have found him worthy of their trust.

Now, he uses the word helper here, capital H. Helper does not mean assistant. In this context, helper does not mean that God provides some assistance here and there, now and then. ask you for very much, but I need you to do this right now. Helper does not mean he's there to pick me up every time I fall. Helper doesn't mean that God comes running every time I call. Helper means that I need him all the time. That's the difference. This is a special kind of helper. It's not optional assistance. Sometimes we can get of a mindset where we say, well, all we can do is pray. It's come to that. Right? Well, yeah, so that's the last resort, right?

The thing is, God never delegates anything to us. God did not have us crucified with Christ, have us made to be in Christ and in the Holy Spirit and dwell us with the Holy Spirit and with Christ so that we can carry out his delegated duties independently. This is not the mission impossible kind of assignment. Your mission, should you choose to accept it. No. It doesn't happen that way. God desires that we have ongoing fellowship with Him all the time while Christ lives His life in and through us.

Galatians 2.20 By means of the Holy Spirit's energizing, empowering, and enabling. God does it all the time. God does it all the time. That's what God intends.

He doesn't delegate something to us and then see how we do and then check back have us check back with Him after a while. That's not how God operates. He didn't do all this having us in Christ and in the Spirit and having the Holy Spirit indwell us and Christ indwell us in order to just send us off by ourselves.

Now He says in here, I will not be afraid. So, will I not be afraid? Because God will stop anything bad from happening in my life. Does God stop anything bad from happening in our lives? That's not his job. Some people think it is. God's place is to keep anything bad from happening. And if God doesn't do that, I'm going to be mad. I'm going to be really upset if God doesn't do that. And I'll let him know. No, it's not God's job.

Will I not be afraid because I know that God's going to check with me first before allowing anything in my life? So here's an imaginary letter to Vern from God. How are things going, dear Vern? I just want to check with you first before that front-end collision you're about to have on Tuesday at 2.13 p.m. Is that going to be okay with you or should I plan something else? Just let me know what you prefer. Love God.

Is that the way God works? No. Not so much. Will I not be afraid because God will give me what I ask in Christ's name, whatever it is? No. Or will I not be afraid because my spiritual position and blessings and citizenship can't be touched by any human being? Will it be that instead?

Yes. Yes. He asked the question, what will man do to me? Now, you may have found this out already. Other human beings, through ill intent, negligence, and selfishness, can cause us all kinds of very real problems. Have you noticed that? I hope you have. God is going to use those things, and we are free to say that some things are really bad. God is going to use those things as a part of conforming us to the image of Christ.

Romans 8.28, we know that God causes all things to work together for good, and we shouldn't stop there. Because not everything is good. We're free to say that some things are not good. For those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose, for those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son. That's the good. So will bad things happen? Yes. This is the world. This is planet Earth. Bad things will happen and we're free to say that certain things are bad. Some things you can say they're really bad.

But God causes all things to work together for the good that we're ultimately conformed to the image of Christ. That's good. That's good. And we can take confidence that God's not going to mess this up. Even to the point Where predestination doesn't mean that God controls every breath you take and every move you make, but predestination is conformity to the image of his Son. That's where it's headed.

There is no way that any human being can touch my spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ, my heavenly seating, or my citizenship. They can't touch it. Ephesians 1 3 blessed be the God and Father our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Ephesians 2 6 he seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus Philippians 3 20 for our citizenship is in heaven those things are all in heaven anybody touch those ah Can't get there. Hey Not even Isis. Hey can't touch it.

I So, after looking at these verses, we've got to ask some questions. Should I save money for anticipated future needs and for giving? The answer is yes. 1 Corinthians 16.2, 2 Corinthians 12.14. I have no idea how they call that a kosher piggy bank. Then, is it okay for me to have and to spend money and to buy and sell things? And the answer to that is yes, the same references, plus we've got Luke 22 15 and John 14 8 and other passages in Proverbs.

So it isn't a problem that money itself is essentially the evil, right? At issue is, as we want to take a look at here, contrary to what some have said, money is not the root of all evil. Money is not the root of all evil. And there's the mathematical equation, right?

Oh boy. Okay. But Paul wrote that the affectionate attachment, the family affection to it, to money, is the root of all sorts of evil, a variety. Okay? That's what he's talking about here. Not saying that money is at the root of all evil. but all sorts. And the affectionate attachment is the problem, not the money. Think about it. If I lay out some money here, does the money have a problem? No, it's just a piece of paper with some ink on it. It doesn't have a problem. The problem comes with the heart connection to that. That's the problem.

Believers are called to love God, we love because he first loved us and others as a response to his love for us our love is responsive to God's love for us and to have family love for our earthly families that's what in Titus 2.4 that is what is encouraged on the part of the younger women have a family affection for their husbands and that family affection for their children that's a good thing Hebrews 13.1 We were encouraged, as we saw, to have the brotherly love among us as believers be continuous. And, and what this verse is talking about here, to find our ultimate security in the Lord. Ultimate security in the Lord.

As we put it in the expanded version here, he has once said with continuing and permanent validity, there is not the slightest possibility that I will ever desert you, nor is there the slightest possibility that I will ever forsake you. He said in the most emphatic way possible that he won't desert or forsake us. He will be there with us. all the way along, all the way up to heaven's gates. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for your faithfulness, faithfulness even to the point where there is not the slightest possibility that you'll be anything less than faithful.

We thank you for this very solid promise to us. We thank you for your stating this because it's real. There is a real, genuine love being expressed here. And we can find our security in that love that you have and that promise that you have made just for us. And we thank you for that. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.