Colossians 3:5-6  Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.  (6)  On account of these the wrath of God is coming.

Covetousness, the apparent least of the sins is actually idolatry (one of the worst).   So the last commandment touches the first in a circular rather than linear connection.  As Jesus said in Matt 22:39, this is the first, but the “second is like it.”  Such is the continuous and comprehensive nature of God’s will for our lives. 

Hebrews 13:5-7, 15-25

Contentment:   Rest or quietness of the mind in the present condition; satisfaction which holds the mind in peace, restraining complaint, opposition, or further desire, and often implying a moderate degree of happiness.

There is deep value in seeing and appreciating what you have before it is gone. Children often fail to value their parents until they are gone. Parents sometimes overlook the treasure of their children until time has slipped away. Spouses can let days pass without expressing gratitude for one another. Congregations may grow weary of their preacher, forgetting the blessing of steady shepherding. Everyone loves something for free — except when it’s counsel they don’t want to hear.

Here is the point: now, today, be purposefully conscious of the blessings God has poured into your life — first and foremost, His own presence, but also the presence and purpose of others.

When you're dying of thirst it's too late to think about digging a well. — Japanese Proverbs

“The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.” ― George Orwell, Animal Farm

Sometimes we can act like we are just another creature on animal farm. 

Ivan Krylov   (A Hog under and Oak) “Had you been fit to turn your mug around, you'd have a chance to figure out where your beloved fruit is born.”       Instead….

1. 7 Remember = G3421 μνημονεύω  mnay-mon-yoo'-o

to exercise memory, recollect; make mention, be mindful, remember.

V.16  (don’t) Forget = G1950 ἐπιλανθάνομαι ep-ee-lan-than'-om-ahee

to lose out of mind; to neglect: - forget

As Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:12–13, we should “esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake.”

1 Kings 10:8  Happy are your men! Happy are your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!

If this was the case under Solomon’s leadership, how much more under the Reign of Christ (1 Kings 10:8)?  How happy should we be to serve in His court? 

 

Genesis 4:3-4  In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground,  (4)  and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering,

Not every approach is the right approach and not all sacrifices are accepted.  Gratitude, generosity and the Grace/Gospel are essential components of an acceptable sacrifice.  The reality of the Gospel in our lives leads to the reality of Gratitude which naturally leads to the reality of Generosity.  Generosity, not just in the gift, but first and most importantly, generosity in the heart.   Life looks different when viewed through the Grace of God. 

 

Romans 6:19  I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

Romans 12:1  I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

 

Psalms 50:14  Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High,

Psalms 50:23  The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!”

Psalms 69:30-31  I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.  (31)  This will please the LORD more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs.

Psalms 107:21-22  Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!  (22)  And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!

Psalms 116:17-19  I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD.  (18)  I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,  (19)  in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!

 

Finally, the benediction in Hebrews 13:20–21 brings the focus back to God Himself: “Now may the God of peace… make you complete in every good work to do His will.” When we remember His presence, honor our leaders, and cherish our brethren, our gratitude becomes more than words — it becomes the “fruit of our lips” (v. 15), a continual sacrifice of praise. That is the thankful life God calls us to live — grounded in His faithfulness, expressed toward others, and continually offered back to Him as worship.

Hebrews 13:10–15 — “Outside the Camp”

The analogy—or rather the revelation—that here identifies the OT shadow is rather complex when we attempt to make all of the details align. However, a cursory view lends us easy understanding: in the ceremonial provisions of OT law, the worshipper was only brought close to divine fellowship. Understand, the Jews could not partake of the blood of their sacrifice, but we have been given to drink from the Lamb of God. Again, the sacrifice of atonement could not be consumed at all; but Christ, as Altar, Sacrifice, and Priest, has told us, “My flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed” (John 6:55). Lastly pictured, He was sacrificed outside the camp; following us, bearing our reproach, He now invites us to follow Him and bear His reproach.

We are called to a holy crusade. It is not for us to linger in circumstances of ease and self-indulgence when our Master suffered without the gate! Let us go forth unto Him, bearing His reproach! Has not the Church tarried in the city long enough, enervated by its fashions and flatteries? (F. B. Meyer)

“If you can dwell with the wicked, if you can live as they live, and be ‘hail-fellow well met’ with the ungodly, if their practices are your practices, if their pleasures are your pleasures, then their god is your god, and you are one of them. There is no being a Christian without being shut out of the world’s camp.” (Spurgeon)

To go outside the camp, or outside the gate, means outside an organized system of religion. (KingsComments) (I disagree.) Why would you take that approach?

It is possible to say or even think that we are going “outside the camp” and bearing His reproach but actually just sticking to our own desires. In other words, we play the martyr while seeking our own desires; we “have our cake and eat it too.”

The phrase “you can't have your cake and eat it too” means that you cannot enjoy two desirable but mutually exclusive options at the same time. It suggests that once you choose one option, the other is no longer available.

Matthew 16:24–26 — Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (25) For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (26) For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”

In our flesh, it is easy to get hung up on the “repentance” thing.

We should answer: what does it mean to go outside the camp? Some err by broad-brushing “camp” as “organized religion.” Let's be clear, if religion has a bad rap, it came from man and not from God. We are the creatures with a profound ability to tangle up His beautiful plans on our end of things.

Specifically, I have heard this verse used as a personal excuse or justification for not conforming to biblical standards agreed upon for nearly 2,000 years (4,000 if we include the OT assembly). Outside the camp refers to the bearing of reproach and, specifically for Christ, the cost incurred in being our Kinsman Redeemer. With Ruth, Boaz did not have to go outside the town—just to the gate; however, culturally and economically, he was extending himself outside the camp.

The author links Jesus’ death-place with the OT practice of removing the defiled/sin-bearing carcass from the camp—then uses that to urge believers to identify with Christ by going where He went, even if that means shame, exclusion, or loss.

Key point: “Outside the camp” is not primarily a geographical footnote but a theological symbol — outside the camp was the place for lepers, Gentiles, and things unclean; concerning Christ, it was the place of impurity, rejection, and costly atonement. The writer uses this to ask Christians to accept the same marginalization that Christ accepted for our sake.

It is not a call to “live on the fringe” but rather a call to follow Christ, which will lead us outside of ourselves. The call is to leave the comfort of the “camp” and accept the reproach that comes with faithful allegiance to Jesus. We are not invited or excused to live outside the camp just because it suits us. Rather, we are invited to Christ, which will inevitably lead us outside the camp from time to time. Remember, contrary to modern pop culture, the goal is not just to get outside the camp; no, the goal is to follow Jesus.

According to the OT law, it would not have been a sin to follow Jesus to Mount Calvary. It would not have been a sin to confess Him as Messiah, your Lord and Savior. But it was outside the camp.

Matthew 27:32 — As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross.

What a privilege to bear His reproach. We can see what that would have looked like for Simon of Cyrene nearly 2,000 years ago, but what does that look like for us today?

Modern-day examples of going outside the camp:

• Losing business, job, or platform because you publicly confess Christ or refuse to participate in an immoral practice. John the Baptist went outside the camp. John could have remained silent about Herod’s infidelity; he could have rationalized his silence as the cost of staying within the camp. Instead, he did the right thing: he took the less-trod and dangerous road of speaking truth to Herod. John went outside the camp.
• Family or friends may shun a believer for their convictions. Ask yourself: if they shun you for the truth, were they really your friends? Or, if you choose not to share the truth with them, are you really being their friend? Or how about a church that is unwilling to sacrifice truth for the sake of attendance? As a church, we go to Him — outside the camp — when we are unwilling to sacrifice God’s (heaven’s) expressed desires in order to meet people’s (earth’s) expressed desires.
• Choosing ministry among prisoners, the poor, the sick, or the socially unpleasant. Follow Jesus’ example of entering unclean spaces to bring cleansing, mercy, and truth.

 

Matthew 9:9–13 — As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. (10) And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. (11) And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (12) But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. (13) Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Hebrews 11:26 — He (Moses) considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.

Luke 6:22 — “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil… on account of the Son of Man.”

Acts 5:41 — Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.

1 Peter 4:14–16 — If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. (15) But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. (16) Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.

So let us go to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach.  This is no invitation to reckless separatism but a call to costly fidelity: to deny ourselves, to take up our cross, and to live for the praise of his name.  Here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come, fixing our eyes of Jesus. 

Hebrews 13:8-14

V. 8 The Unchanging Christ:

The only time it is good when something doesn’t ever change is when it is entirely good, no need for change, no way to improve.  So is the case with our Savior.  He is Good. 

Jesus Christ, being fully God, shares in the Father’s divine attribute of immutability.    

Numbers 23:19  God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Psalms 102:27  (in contrast to the sky, which seems so permanent, but is not)  But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.

Malachi 3:6  For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

James 1:17  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Revelation 1:8  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

In a world that constantly changes, Jesus' permanence provides security, stability, and confidence.

Jesus is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the World.  He does not change, but how we view Him does.  At large, it has changed throughout the chronology of the Bible, and personally, it even changes as we mature in life.   So now we as Brother Paul, “press on that we might know Him”.    

  

V. 9  The Unchanging Story:

Be careful, there is every flavor of doctrine out there; a different doctrine to match every different human perspective.  But we are not as interested in man’s perspective as we are in God’s.  Humanities' fickle fallen nature is drawn to what is latest and greatest, fresh and novel.  We are very much like the 1st-century Greeks who “spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing” Acts 17:21.  Be content with the Old Old Story and linger long at the Old Rugged Cross.   Remember as Allister Begg frequently states, “The main things are the plain things.”  Brethren, the little bit that we know of Jesus is more than enough to keep us enamored and occupied for our entire lives.  “It is good that our (shifting) hearts be stabilized with Grace”. 

 

  V. 10-11 The Unshared Altar:

Are modern Jews saved because of their ethnicity?   Can they be saved in their mere keeping of the OT law?  In short, “no” and “no”. 

Romans 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Acts 4:11-12  This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.  (12)  And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

John 14:6  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

This has always been the case.  There has never been an alternate path to Salvation.  In essence, it has always been “by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone”. 

Romans 3:9-10  What then? Are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;  (10)  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Romans 3:19-26 

While Jesus never changes, we understand that the passage of time and the ratification of a New Covenant has brought clarity and revelation in how we approach God.  A longer discussion would address whether Modern Jews can come to a saving faith in Messiah as seen dimly through the OT shadows.  However, the question and the answer practically do not do much for us.  Would we ever direct someone, Jew or Gentile anywhere other than Jesus for Salvation, no.  While it is Biblically and historically obvious that God has not abandoned Israel, it is not fully clear how He is dealing with them today; and frankly, that is between God and them.  As far as we are concerned, we lift up Jesus, for ourselves and for the World. 

If we have the opportunity to interact with a faithful Jew, we would encourage them to look on Him whom they pierced (Zech 12:10) that the veil might be taken away (1 Cor 3:15) and they might abide no longer in unbelief and God would graft them back in to His Tree of Life. 

Ex 12 Christ Himself is our Passover and we understand that all of Israel partook of the Passover.

Lev 2:10  There were some sacrifices that could only be eaten by the priests, and others that could not be eaten at all.

1 Cor 10:4  We understand that in the Wilderness Israel was partaking of the water and the bread which pictured Christ.

So what is the difference?  What can they not partake of and why???

Specifically on this matter of partaking of the “Altar”, clearly even faithing Jews have no right to eat.  They ate the Manna (Angel’s food), but have not reached for the True Bread of Heaven.  Communion with our Lord is reserved for His disciples.  King Uzziah had authority to do many things, but he did not have authority to enter the Temple (2 Chr 26:16-18).  Nor would a Jew (as privileged as they are) have any right (or even any desire) to partake of the Lord ’s Table (communion). 

Some believe that the abomination that makes desolate was referencing how the Sacrifice of Christ made all of the before OT sacrifices no longer necessary; in essence, making the law system desolate.  When the Peg fell (Isaiah 22:23–25), all of the OT utensils fell with it and when that Peg rose from the dead, those utensils stayed down.  He took the handwriting of ordinances that were against us out of the way and nailed it to the Cross (Col 2:14).    

Understand that the veil remains until they and until we turn to Christ (2 Cor 3:14-16).  But when the veil is taken away, we are brought near by the blood of Christ.  We who were afar off are now called to a table of communion with our God.    

A few examples of others who had no right to eat:

Ezra 4:1-3 During the time of the return after the Babylonian captivity, it was Israel that served in the Tabernacle/Temple service and who refused the assistance of those beyond the river; In part they were of the wrong heritage but more importantly, they were of the wrong spirit.  Barzillai’s children were refused temple service based on their lineage (Ezra 2:62).

Acts 8:21  (Peter to Simon) You have neither part nor lot in this matter: for your heart is not right in the sight of God.

The straying brother in 1 Cor 5 was communing with Christ and his Corinthian brethren but set his eyes on things on Earth and not things in Heaven; the result, “with such an one no not to eat”; his brethren stopped communing with him until he set his eyes back on Christ.

Galatians 5:1-4 

We have been given the incredible opportunity of communion with our Lord.  Others, either by disbelief or rebellion, do not have this opportunity and we commit to not wasting our own.   When presented with the opportunity to go back and walk with Him no more, we instead respond like Peter, “Lord to whom shall we go?  You have the Words of Eternal life” (John 6:68).