The Last Word of Hebrews

For the final time, turn to Hebrews 13. Would you believe we began this journey almost exactly four years ago? I was looking it up, and I think it was March 13 when I gave the introduction to Hebrews. Of course, in December, we set aside other occasions and moved away from it. It has not been every single week for four years. But we come to Sermon 94, I believe, and then we will bring it to a close.

I am not sure I can say what the apostle writes here in verse 22, where he says he has written a letter to you in a few words. It has not exactly been a few words. I am not sure his epistle was truly a few words either, but there is so much truth contained in this passage. I think it took eight sermons just to cover the first three verses, so you can be thankful I did not keep that pace, because if that had set the tone for the entire book, we would probably still be only halfway through.

But here we are. Let us read God’s Word again in Hebrews. We are going to read just the section we are examining, which is from verse 22: “I beseech you, brethren, endure the word of exhortation: for I have written a letter unto you in few words. Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you.

Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you.

Grace be with you all. Amen.”

And amen. What you have heard is the word of the eternal God, which you receive, believe, and obey. And the people of God said, Amen.

Let’s pray. Lord, do give help to us now. May this not merely be tying up loose ends in a perfunctory fashion, but even these closing remarks be the very Word of God. And we believe they contain things that are good for us to muse upon, to consider, and to apply. Bless the Spirit of God. Fill me now. For without the aid and help of the Spirit of God, we cannot lead men and women and children to the Lord Jesus Christ, and our words will fall to the ground. We pray for the extension of thy kingdom, that thou wilt give power. We pray for a message from God. So come now. Show thyself, O Lord. For we pray in our Savior’s name, amen.

It has been a journey, a journey in which we have been brought to consider time and time again the enthronement and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, in which we have been brought to see the covenant that He has secured and its preeminence over what was established in the old covenant era, and brought to a consideration of anticipation as well. All that the Lord Jesus Christ has accomplished is leading somewhere. Like Abraham of old, we seek for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. And we have been pressed through this epistle, pressed into Christ, pressed into Christ with such vigor that it conveys the sense that the one who is pressing upon us, humanly speaking, understands what is at stake.

The apostle knows that if you abandon Christ, you are without hope. And even though one may say, well, God established this way of worship, God appointed this manner of approach, if you are without Christ, you are without hope. And that is true today. If you are without Christ, you are without hope. And what we have considered over and over again is this pressing into Christ. Do not give up on Christ. Always look to Him. Always surrender to Him. Always live your life in light of His person and His work.

And as we come to the end, we have before us what seems like just closing remarks that we could pass over. Indeed, what is the point in giving an entire sermon to these few remarks? Is there any worth to it?

And I believe that there is, and that will become apparent, I trust, before we close today. What we will consider here is what I have titled simply, The Last Word of Hebrews, The Last Word of Hebrews. And we will see three things. First, we will note a final appeal. Then we will see a family update, and then a fitting goodbye.

So we begin with the final appeal, which you see in verse 22: “I urge you, brothers and sisters, bear with the word of exhortation, for I have written to you in few words.” Here is this final appeal.

The preacher makes his point, and then he likes to make it again in another way to show that there is something at stake here. This matters. What I have said is not merely to engage your intellect. What I have put before you is not merely to increase your knowledge. It is more than that.

Note first in this final appeal the manner of it. He says, “I beseech you, brethren.” I beseech you. This is earnest, is it not? You do not use language like “beseech” without having a sense of earnestness behind what you are saying. The language is strong. He is pressing this point. He is urging them with firm but affectionate words. “I beseech you, brethren.” And he is not urging them merely to like what he has said or to appreciate it, but to receive it.

What I have put before you, you must answer to God for. Now consider this. Reflect on his words, and then consider the fact that, as we have gone through this epistle and the four years or so that it has taken, we will answer to God for what we have heard, if it is in accordance with His will. I trust that this has been the bulk of it. Every preacher must lament the awareness, whether he knows of it or not. Of course, if he knew of it, he would not include it. But he is conscious of the fact that there is the likelihood of chaff in his remarks and in his exposition. Yet the bulk of it, the main point, the plain truths that have been set before us, we will give account to God for how we have received them.

And so he would say to you and to me, the Spirit of God would use this language and say, “I beseech you, brethren,” as it were. I beseech you. Consider that this is important.

Of course, the apostle uses the word “brethren.” He is placing himself within the group bound by a common union in Christ. We are brethren. He speaks in the same language he used in chapter 2, where our Lord Jesus, having taken our nature, is not ashamed to call us brethren, and neither is Paul. He is not ashamed to call them brethren. These are people whom he has been urging. He is aware that they are under threat.

They are, at times, at least some of them, weaker disciples. They are struggling and are not everything they could be. There may not even be everything they once were, which has led to the need for this epistle. It has caused him to take up his pen, so to speak, and to address these matters and to give warnings about apostasy. I mean, do not forget, the strongest language, or at least some of the strongest language, concerning the reality of apostasy and the reality of people who have professed faith falling away is found in this epistle.

And yet at the end, he looks at them, as it were, in the eye and calls them brethren. “I beseech you, brethren.” He knows that some of them are weak. He knows that some of them are struggling. He knows that some of them are not exactly everything the preacher would want them to be. Yet he still calls them brethren.

And this is for us all to remember as we look at one another, parents looking at their children and seeing their flaws, weaknesses, and shortcomings. It is not just my son. It is not just my daughter. They have made a legitimate profession of faith. They are brethren. They are sisters in the Lord. This union brings us together. This union will endure, even though other family ties will differ in eternity. Yet there is this bond that unites us all.

So we look at one another, with our different backgrounds, different positions, different statuses, and certainly different levels of maturity in the faith. The tendency is for us to look down, to find fault, to make criticism, and to view others as if they are not like us. But the apostle concludes, no, we are the same. We are brethren. We are bound together by our union in Christ. We are family. We are family.

So, the manner of this final appeal. But the matter of it. What is the matter of it? Suffer the word of exhortation. Suffer. In this final appeal, here is the main point. The matter behind this appeal is that he is asking them to endure the word of exhortation.

He is asking them, kindly asking them, to bear with what I have said. Please bear with what I have said. Endure the message that I have presented to you.

Now, he is not making an apology for what he has said. Do not understand it that way, as if he has made a great presentation of the gospel and the obligations upon people, how they should respond to the truth, and then he comes to the end and apologizes for everything he said. That is not what he is doing.

But he is calling upon them to endure it. He knows it has been searching. He knows it has been demanding. He knows that at times it has been severe. You may go back, and if there is time at the end, I will reflect on some of the exhortations to bring to the surface again in your mind some of the language he uses. It would not be easy to be on the receiving end of some of the things he says in this letter. He is saying, do not interpret the language as if I am harsh or unloving. Endure the truth. Suffer what I have said. It has been necessary.

Yes, he has comforted them, but he has also warned them. He has not only lifted their eyes to view the excellence found in Jesus Christ, but he has also rebuked the spiritual dullness that he believes exists in some of them. Consider this, because these two things go together.

When a man lifts up the glories of Christ, when the truth of Christ is presented, and you try to pull back so that greater light is given and greater understanding is granted, and we are able to comprehend a little more the glory of God’s Son, seated, enthroned, and reigning, then to look at people who are considering this and not responding as they should, dullness of hearing is part of the problem that arises early in the epistle. They are dull. How can you be dull? How can you hear this truth and still contemplate leaving Him?

So he has been harsh in a certain sense. He has been direct, certainly. And he has brought the matter home in a way that is unambiguous. He is saying, suffer it. Do not hold a grudge against me because I state to you the truth. You have needed this. It is my obligation to expose you to the danger, and I encourage you to avoid it. Do not resist the message.

This word of exhortation plays into the sentiment I expressed at the beginning when I said that the letter comes across more like a sermon. It is as if, instead of simply writing a letter, I want to convey the message more in a sermonic style.

The term “word of exhortation” is used in Acts 13 in the context of the law having been read in the synagogue. After the law has been read, the floor is opened, and someone is invited to give a word of exhortation. This opening allows one qualified among them to come forward and expound on the truth that has been read.

So there is a sense of not just the word of God in its plain meaning, but actually driving it home. This is what the Holy Spirit has inscripturated. He has inscripturated one who has been arguing from the Old Testament Scriptures, who has been making a case, exalting the Messiah, and showing that He has a rightful place to be the high priest of the people of God. And if you turn from Him, you are turning back and turning away from the truth. He has presented all this in a way that comes as exhortation, driving home the truth.

This is not the preacher’s job, simply to get up and read, then leave it there. We are called to give the meaning and to drive the meaning home. There are some, of course, who believe the preacher’s job is merely to explain and to leave it there, but that does not agree with the record of Scripture. It is right for the preacher, indeed I would say it is vital, as he studies the Word himself and as he applies that Word to his own heart, to see the relevance of application, and then to take at least some of that and drive it home to those before him, applying the Word.

This is not just some theological treatise. It is a message from the Lord that they have heard. And he says, “Suffer, bear with this word of exhortation. Bear with what I have put before you.” And what glorious themes have come to us, of Christ’s priesthood and His sacrifice and His intercession, of the better hope that we now have through Him, as well as all the warnings that have come to us.

“I have written a few words to you,” which is his way of saying, You think this is long? I have much more to say, much more that I could have said. These are only a few thoughts. You know, when the preacher goes up and says, “I’m just going to share a few thoughts,” and then speaks for forty minutes, there is more that can be said. So bear with it. This is the final appeal.

There is also a family update that he gives in verse 23. In this family update, there is a providence to note: Timothy has been released. Our brother Timothy. There is a sense of familiarity here, is there not? The congregation and the recipients know who Timothy is. The writer refers to him as “our brother,” which conveys this closeness. Our brother Timothy has been released.

This detail supports, once again, I believe, the argument, though many dispute it, that this letter is Pauline. It is not a definitive argument, as there are stronger arguments in favor of Pauline authorship, but I think it is clear that the writer has a close relationship with Timothy and has traveled with him.

The question naturally arises, what happened to Timothy? It appears he had been imprisoned. He spent time in prison. We do not know the exact details, nor the duration, nor the circumstances. But the point is that in God’s providence, He has chosen to release His servant so that he may continue the work to which he is called.

Timothy had been warned, had he not, by the Apostle Paul? Not directly, but if one considers the language of 2 Timothy, and whether it follows the order of other writings such as Hebrews, that is another matter. The point is that there was a context in which Timothy and others were being persecuted.

In 2 Timothy 4, the Apostle Paul reminds Timothy that Demas has deserted him, having loved this present world. It has always been meaningful to me that the context of Demas forsaking Paul seems to have been because, as I have mentioned before, it is one thing to say, I will suffer for Jesus Christ. It is another thing to see suffering up close and personal, and to understand the true cost, and to come to terms with whether or not you are prepared to follow the same path.

Because in 2 Timothy 4, if you recall, Paul is making mention of the fact that he is ready to be offered. I have fought a good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. He is presenting the fact that his time is near the end of his journey.

And it is in that context of his own imprisonment and suffering, and the looming reality of his own death, that he makes mention of the forsaking of Demas. It would appear to me that Demas, in part, was making the assessment that he was willing to be a preacher. He was willing to be a preacher’s intern, an assistant. He was willing to travel and to make others aware of the glories of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. But when it came to the point of suffering, he found that he had a higher love in his heart for the world than for Christ.

Timothy, however, was willing to go to prison. He was willing to suffer. He remained true. God, in His mercy, as the church no doubt had been praying for him, was aware of this context. This implies that they were aware he was imprisoned. It implies, I would suggest, that they were concerned about his imprisonment, that they were no doubt praying for him during his imprisonment. And now, by providence, God has answered prayer. Timothy is set at liberty. What an encouragement this is. God has heard, and God has answered.

Also, I was thinking about this. Sometimes people are, and I understand, as you grow more serious in your commitment to God and begin to earnestly strive to be serious for the Lord, you start to examine everything you do. You make assessments about why we do this, why we do that, what is the proper thing to do, what does God require of us, and so on. And you seek to have your conscience, I trust, taught by the Word of God.

You assess matters and weigh them carefully. Sometimes you may find yourself becoming, as we might say, more focused in your thinking. Those who are serious in their faith often follow this path. They tend to take more seriously matters that others treat casually or ignore. I have walked this path many times, testing, examining, and evaluating. I am thankful for that journey.

You cannot avoid this if you are serious about your Christian life. Yet some have concluded that during worship, no announcements should be made. They believe announcements have no place in worship. I have reflected on this idea many times.

It was interesting. This morning, I asked a question of the college and career group. One young person replied, “I can’t tell you why, but I just feel that this is the right answer.” As believers, we sometimes experience this. We may not be able to explain clearly why, but we have a sense about something, and often that sense is correct. Their feeling was right, even though they could not provide an argument to support it.

As I reflected further, I realized it seems natural to share information that concerns the family of God. God does not disapprove when His people inform one another about matters that concern them, or that concern all of us.

I was reading this passage and thinking about this matter. There is a clear instruction in the text, and the writer includes a statement: “By the way, I want to share this information. Timothy has been released.” I thought, would you want to hear that? Yes, you would. This kind of information is not separate from worship. It is not disconnected from the purpose of this letter.

Because hearing of Timothy’s release would have greatly encouraged them, showing that God is answering their prayer, even amidst their persecution and suffering, in which they had suffered greatly and much had been lost, and they were feeling discouraged. One challenge they faced was the reality of persecution themselves.

The question arises, while the Jews still have privileges and appear to be favored, this does not mean they are excluded from God’s care. This is the point made in Hebrews 12, that the Father chastens those He loves, giving them understanding of the purpose of discipline in this world. Chastening does not mean one is unfavored by God. Indeed, He chastens those He loves.

This truth brings encouragement, showing that God has answered their prayer. Do not abandon Christ, for in His mercy, He governs all things, and not all is suffering. He is not judging His people. Indeed, some who had suffered are now released in His mercy. This would encourage them to continue steadfast. If they were facing imprisonment, they would want to be like Timothy, standing fast. If released, it would be by God’s grace. If not, it would also be by God’s grace.

These announcements, which provide information about the family of God, can actually serve to stimulate worship and encourage God’s people more broadly.

In this family update, there is not only a recognition of God’s providence, but also a hope to anticipate, because he said, “If he comes soon, I will see you.”

So he has that desire, which is the intent of the apostle. He wants to get there, but this letter would seem to function as a substitute in case that does not happen. It is the message he would bring if he were standing before them. But if Timothy can reach him, then they will make their way, or at least Paul would make his way to them. But here is the message he wants to leave with them.

And of course, informing them of this is another way of encouraging them to stand firm, because he intends to come. I do not want to say to check on them, but there is a sense of review. You do not want to be the name mentioned when the apostle comes and says, “Where is brother so-and-so?” and the report comes, “He has gone.”

Some of these may have been converted under Paul’s ministry. The idea that their father in the faith was coming to see them would instill in them greater determination to keep pressing on, out of fear of disappointing him.

This brings us also to see a fitting goodbye. There is a fitting goodbye. “Greet all who have authority over you, and all the saints. They evidently greet you. Grace be with you all. Amen.”

So in this goodbye that comes at the very close, it is first of all to the entire church. “Greet all who have authority over you, and all the saints.” He broadens the scope. I do wonder, I cannot say for certain, this is preacher’s license here, this is the third time he has mentioned rulers in a short space.

He mentioned, Remember those former leaders you have known. Remember them. Follow their path. Do not fall away. Do as they did, and keep pressing on to the end. And just a little before this, he called for obedience to rulers. Now he mentions them again.

It makes me wonder, what is the purpose of this repetition? Is his mention of the greeting to rulers and to all the saints his way of affirming the leadership of that congregation? Perhaps there was trouble and strife, and the leaders were trying to navigate the dangers of that time as believers struggled under the pressure of persecution and economic hardship, along with other challenges. These difficulties were present, ongoing, and felt within the life of the church. They surfaced in ways that expressed frustration, anger, and disappointment, such as the belief that the leaders should be doing more, or in whatever other form they might appear.

I can see that as a plausible interpretation. Therefore, his greeting is directed to the rulers and to all the saints. He respects them. He is, in effect, supporting them, not opposing them. Perhaps he is gently urging the congregation to hold firm, to reduce the rising pressure against those in leadership.

But the greeting, of course, is for all, every saint, every holy one. It extends Christ’s love to all who have been washed in His blood, who have been made holy and are being made holy. Made holy in the sense of justification, and being made holy in the sense of sanctification. Without holiness, no one shall see the Lord. He has emphasized this truth, and now he says, here are the holy ones. I greet you.

This is from all the church. “Those from Italy send their greetings to you.” The question arises, does this mean that the apostle is in Italy, speaking as one familiar with the church there? Or is he elsewhere, with Italian leaders of the church at his side, sending their greetings with the letter? I do not know. But the point is clear. There is a sense of togetherness. We are united in this.

Even if you do not know these brothers and sisters from Italy, you may not know their names, their lives, their testimonies, or their experiences, they still send their greetings to you. They are with you as well. They are praying for you. They love you. And it is like the prayer boat, this recognition that we are not alone here. We are interested in the work of God in other places. We can send greetings to one another and encourage one another, even though we may never have met, as is sometimes the case. These are practical things.

Then there is the mention of what undergirds all the church: “Grace be with you all.” This entire epistle has been built upon the reality of the grace of God toward sinners, has it not? That God intervenes in the affairs of men, in the sending of a Son made flesh, exalting Him who upholds all things by the word of His power, who is higher than the angels, higher than Moses, and higher than Aaron, and so on and so forth.

It is grace. Grace be with you all. The grace that has called you, I desire it will keep you. The grace that permeates this message is yours.

What I want to do in the few moments that remain is simply reflect upon the word of exhortation, because as we close, we can just leave this greeting and leave it there. Rather, what I want to do is put in your mind afresh what is at stake when the world, the flesh, and the devil are trying to draw you away from Jesus Christ.

Our context is not the same as the first century, and the particulars of our experience do not match exactly with what is before us. But as we have discovered, there is such application. And there is no generation in which there is not the threat of those in the church abandoning the Lord Jesus Christ.

There is safety in the house of God. There is safety under the word of God. And as long as someone is consistently under the means of grace, there is always hope that either, A, they are already converted, or, B, they will be.

Therefore, the apostle, using the word of God, has urged those who are on the brink of leaving. He could not wait until he arrived, because they might already have departed. He had to use all his homiletical and sermonic ability and write down, put on paper, this message, as if he were standing before you.

And what has he said? Let me summarize. I know this is not very homiletical, to give three headings outside of the three we have already considered. But I am doing this as a kind of summary of what this book is about. In terms of its exhortation, it is, first, to hear Christ. It is, second, to persevere in Christ. And third, to draw near through Christ. Hear Christ. Persevere in Christ. Draw near through Christ.

You will remember: listen, this is God speaking to you. There may be someone here this morning already. You are aware of it. You feel it in your soul. You feel the drift. You are flirting with the world, and you are not sensing what is at stake.

Listen: Hebrews 2, verse 1, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.” There is the reality that you may let what you have heard slip. This does not mean you have necessarily abandoned your assent to it. You may still say in your mind, I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, I believe He died on the cross, I believe He rose from the dead, I believe He ascended to heaven, but you are doing your own thing. We can let that slip.

Hebrews 3, verse 7 and 8: “Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”

Hebrews 3:12: “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” This is what I am saying. Some of these exhortations carry a clear warning. Lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, for an evil heart of unbelief is present in you and is manifested in departure from the living God.

Hebrews 4:1: “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.” You children, the promise of entering into Christ’s rest, the promise of pardon, the promise of eternal life, is given to you. You can have life. You can be saved. You can be forgiven. You can be pardoned. You can be a child of God.

“Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.”

Hebrews 5:12: “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God.” Indeed, you need to be taught again. You are there, with your mind filled with theology. You have read systematic theologies and biblical theologies. You can almost systematize your faith from the top of your head in an articulate and extensive fashion. Yet you still need to be taught again the first principles, because you have left Christ.

Hebrews 10:24: “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

Hebrews 12:25: “See that ye refuse not him that speaketh.”

Hear Christ. Hear Christ.

But also, persevere in Christ. Hebrews 3:6: “But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.” Persevere. Hold fast. When you cast anchor by faith into Jesus Christ, you stay there, and you never leave.

Because some leave. I look upon this congregation and do not know what the days ahead may reveal. Storms come, and everything appears fine until the storm arrives. The building seems secure, as though everything has been done properly. But when the wind comes and the flood arrives, the true foundation is revealed.

This is what happens in church life when people face trials, which are only a small glimpse of the final judgment of God. Hold fast to your confidence.

Hebrews 4:14 says, “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.”

Hebrews 6:1 says, “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection.”

Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering.”

Hebrews 12:1 says, “Let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”

Then we are to draw near through Christ. Again, Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

Hebrews 10:22 says, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”

These are just a few exhortations, to hear Christ, to persevere in Christ, and to draw near through Christ. This is the Christian life. This is the message of the book of Hebrews. So do we hear Christ today?

What is He saying to you? For some of you, He is working through His word in your life. He is offering guidance, and perhaps you are resisting His word. You do not like what it says. Submit.

For others of you, you are resisting the call to repent and believe the gospel. I say, enough is enough. Stop opposing God. Hear Christ. Press in. Believe. And be set free.

Let us bow together in prayer. Looking to Jesus. Are you looking? Is your vision filled with excuses? Arguments? Trying to reason yourself away from turning to Christ today? Or perhaps, as a Christian, you are arguing your way out of the logical responsibility. Your life, your heart, is filled with excuses. You know what God has said, and yet your reply is, “But.” I know God is sovereign, but. I know all things work together for good, but. I know He loves me, but. Stop fighting. Start resting.

Look to Jesus.