Jump Start # 315 

Hebrews 13:7 “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.”

  Our passage today is found in the last chapter of Hebrews. The writer is concluding. He gives a series of bullet points that are easy to identify but harder to do.

• Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers (2)
• Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings (9)
• Do not neglect doing good (16)
• Remember the prisoners (3)
• Remember those who led you (7)

  Our verse is one of these bullet points. It involves reflection. Remember those…now this was not a memorial service, nor were they planting a tree in the honor of a loved one. Rather, by remembering, they were adjusting their life and living holy.

  The people they remembered had done three things. First, they had led them. They may have been some early elders in the church. Their job was to oversee the saints and help them grow, while protecting them. Others lead. Preachers have a way of leading. Parents lead.

  Second, the ones remembered had taught them the word of God. These may have been the ones that led them to Christ. They may have been responsible for their conversions. Teaching requires effort, time and patience. To teach is to help. To teach is to change.

  Thirdly, the outcome of their conduct was to be considered. This implies that they had passed away. Someone still on the journey, has not reached their destination. They have not made it to the outcome. Why they influence and lead and teach, their own story is still being written. Those who have passed on, we see their outcome. We see the choices they made. We see where they stood with the Lord and what the Lord meant to them. The expression, “considering their outcome” indicates a life and a journey that reached it’s destination. They made it. They are safe. As Paul would write about his own life, the faith was kept, the fight was fought and the course was finished.

  These Hebrew Christians were not to forget the early leaders who had by this time died. They were to remember them. They had taught, led and left examples for these Hebrews. And now, these people are in the roles that these departed Christians once held. It is up to them to lead, to teach and to complete the journey in such a way that others can imitate, follow and remember what they had done. The baton had been passed to them.

  These thoughts lead us to two simple truths.

  First, do you remember? Do you remember those Christians who taught you, encouraged you and spent time answering your questions? By now, some of them may have departed. They have finished. Do you remember their kindness? Maybe they came to your home in the evening to teach the gospel. It may not have been to you, but to your parents. But you remember. How about the first preachers that you can remember? They worked hard at preaching God’s word. Dedicated. True. Honest to the cause. If you have had good examples in your life, you remember that they were good Christians. They loved the Lord. They held the church together. They always seemed to teach Bible classes. They always showed up at Gospel Meetings. They sacrificed and gave and put their whole hearts into the kingdom. You remember. When you were a child some of these men seemed to be 200 years old to you. But you remember them always carrying a Bible, often worn out just like they were. They weren’t fancy. They weren’t cutting edge. But they were God’s people. Good people. Godly people. They had it right. They did things right. Remembering, makes us realize that sometimes we’ve gotten away from that. Maybe we have too much of the world in us or more so, maybe we have too much of us still in us. Do you remember?

  Second, we are to imitate their faith. They had something right. They loved the Lord. They put the Lord first. That faith led them to lead. That faith moved them to teach. That faith kept them going to complete their journey. It’s more than just remain a Christian, who now is going to lead? Who now is going to teach? They are gone. But we say, I can’t. They did. But, we’re really busy. So were they. Teachings not my thing. They made it their thing.

  Have you ever gotten a chain letter? Folks don’t do that anymore, I think it may be illegal. But you get this letter, add your name to the bottom and send it away to seven friends. If you didn’t do it, you broke the chain and bad things would come your way. Silly concept but in some ways this is what is going on here in Hebrews. The leaders, teachers and early examples had passed away. Now it fell to these Hebrew Christians. Would they lead? Would they teach? Would they imitate the faith of the early Christians?

  This is where we are as well. We remember. Now will we do? Will it stop with us. Will we ‘break the chain?’ Some day another generation will look upon us. Will they want to imitate what they see? Will they think about us as we think about the generation of Christians before us?

  Three great words here: remember…consider…imitate. It does us well to do that.

Roger