“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?'”  Hebrews 12:28-13:6

“The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbor’s glory should be laid daily on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken. It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare."  C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

Because of the glory of the gospel and the supremacy of the triune God, we are to order our lives to reflect certain attitudes/commitments:

1. Let brotherly love continue (v. 1).

We are to employ the means to build and keep brotherly love in a healthy state. Helping Broken People Treasure Jesus.

The way we build brotherly love is to be grace-filled and grace-intoxicated (Hebrews 12:28).

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith."  Galatians 6:9-10

2. Marriage is to be held in high honor by all. 

"An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones."  Proverbs 12:4

“I believe it was Michael Novak who said that marriage is the greatest department of health, education and welfare. If you care about social justice, if you care about poverty, if you care about the poor, then let’s say that’s more on the left side of the political spectrum, so to speak. If you’re on the right side, if you care about crime, if you care about employment, if you care about government spending on welfare programs, then everything you care about, whether you’re on the right or the left, whether you’re a social justice person or a limited government person, is better served by a strong marriage culture – better served when men and women commit to each other and then commit to their children.”  Ryan Anderson, Veritas (pg. 6)

3. We work towards developing an ongoing, generous spirit in the areas of time, talents, and resources (vv. 5-6).

This attitude fosters a spirit of contentment as we trust in the Abba Father, goodness of God. A contentment that fights against coveting.

“This contentment does not consist in a slothful neglect of the business of life, nor of a real nor pretended apathy to worldly interests. It is substantially a satisfaction with God as our portion and with what he is pleased to appoint for us. It is opposed to covetousness or the inordinate desire of wealth, and to unbelieving anxiety–dissatisfaction with what is present, distrust as to what is future.”  John Brown (1722-1787)

Q 147: What are the duties required in the tenth commandment?

A: The duties required in the tenth commandment are such a full contentment with our own condition and such a charitable orientation of our whole soul toward our neighbors, so that all of our inward motions and desires relating to them tend to, and work for, the support of everything of theirs which is good.

Q 148: What are the sins forbidden in the tenth commandment?

A: The sins forbidden in the tenth commandment are discontent with our own state and envy and grief at the good state of our neighbors, together with all excessive feelings and desires for anything that is theirs.  Westminster Larger Catechism

ECBC Values:

In order to live out the gospel in all that we do…

1. ...We submit to the Bible.

2. ...We are a family.

3. ...We serve others.

4. ...We make disciples.

QUESTIONS:

1. How is living the life of faith an overflow of our relationship with the living Christ? 

2. What attitudes maintain and build brotherly love?

3. How is a commitment to fostering and adopting children a tangible statement of being biblically saturated and pro-life?

4. Why does Satan hate marriage?

5. How do we hold marriage in high honor in a culture that is moving away from seeing marriage as a covenant between a man and woman?

6. Why is coveting a subtle sin?