Sermons

The Letter to the Hebrews What The God Of Peace Does For Us Hebrews 13:20-25 Today we come to the end of our sermon series on the book of Hebrews. So one last time, let’s review what the author has been telling us. The author starts by telling us that the God of the universe has spoken to us by coming to the earth in the person of Jesus Christ. And in chapter one through chapter 10 v.18 the author teaches that Jesus is God’s Son, who lived among us in flesh and blood, who was tempted in all things as we are yet without sin, and who was punished in our place for our sins. Then in the rest of chapter 10 he says, therefore, because of who Jesus is, we should draw near to God, cling to His promises, encourage each other to trust God’s promises, and stir up faith in Him as our better possession. And then in ch.11 he explains why faith is so crucial – it’s because faith is the only way we can please God, see God’s miracle-working power, obey God, and endure trials. And then in ch.12 vv.1-17 the author says therefore, because of how important faith is – lay aside sin and run the race of faith in Christ. But that’s not easy. That can be costly. So in vv.18-29 the author tells us why this is worth it -- it’s because what we gain is an unshakeable and infinitely valuable salvation. And then in ch.13 he covers specific areas in which his readers need help. And in vv.20-25 he brings the letter to a close. So let’s read what he says. In vv.20-21 he gives a benediction – a prayer-blessing that he speaks over them. Let’s read it -- 20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Notice that word “amen.” That means vv.20-21 are the main point he wants to end with. In vv.22-25 he gives some closing remarks, but his main closing point is vv.20-21, so that’s where we will focus this morning. But let’s read what he says in vv.22-25 -- 22 I appeal to you, brothers, bear with [or listen carefully to] my word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. 23 You should know that our brother Timothy has been released [from prison], with whom I shall see you if he comes soon. 24 Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who come from Italy send you greetings. 25 Grace be with all of you. Those are his closing words. And I want us to focus this morning on the benediction he gives in vv.20-21. And to understand why these words are so important, think about what it means to trust Jesus Christ. Through trusting Christ, we have been forgiven by God for all of our sins, we have been filled with his love so we can love others, and we are on the road to heaven where we will have the heart-filling joy of knowing him forever. But as we look at the road to heaven – we can become worried. Because this road is daunting. This road is not easy or comfortable. And we can worry about whether we will make it. After all, the road takes us through painful thorn bushes of suffering -- will we endure or turn back? We will face wild animals of temptation – will we be able to fight them off? We will have to cross deserts of difficulties– will we have the strength we need? We will face swamps of persecution – will we give up? And so as we look at the road to heaven – we can become worried. Yes, the prize is worth it all. But will we be able to make it? And to comfort us, the author gives us vv.20-21. Let’s read those verses again -- 20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. He starts by answering the question – Who is God? And notice his answer in the first six words – “Now may the God of peace.” God is the God of peace. Which means that when we trust who God is and what he has promised us in Christ, we will be filled with peace. There’s a bumper sticker that’s been around for a while – it says “No God, no peace. Know God, know peace.” And that’s the truth. When we see who God is, and trust what he promises in Christ, we will be filled with peace. You can look ahead to the thorn bushes of trials, the wild animals ready to devour you with temptation, the deserts of difficulties, the swamps of suffering – you can look ahead at the path to heaven – and feel completely at peace. And the author gives us two reasons why. One is because of what God has done for us. What has God done for us? He mentions three things in v.20. First, God has brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus. You can see that in v.20 – 20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus … No one has ever been like Jesus Christ. He healed a man who had been blind from birth. He took five loaves of bread and two fish and multiplied them to feed over 5,000 people. He fearlessly exposed religious hypocrites. He cared about lepers – touching them and healing them. And he said he would be crucified to pay for our sins. And that if we would receive him into our lives as our Savior, our Lord, and our Treasure – then we would be forgiven. And he said that 3 days after being put to death he would rise from the dead – to prove that everything he taught was true. So what happened? Just as he said, he was crucified. He died. He was buried. And three days later the God of the universe reached down with his power and raised him from the dead. So everything Jesus said was true. Second, God gave us Jesus as our great shepherd. Read v.20 again – 20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep … When it comes to spiritual strength and wisdom and resourcefulness -- we are all like sheep. Which means we are not very strong or wise or resourceful. And so as we look ahead to the path to heaven, it can be frightening to think that we are sheep. Imagine a sheep travelling hundreds of miles through swamps and wild animals and deserts – it’s not pretty. But the good news is that by raising Jesus from the dead, God has given us Jesus as our great shepherd. Oh, I’ve been comforted by this over the past couple of days! Yes, I’m a sheep. But I have a great shepherd. And because you are trusting Jesus Christ, so do you. So when you don’t know which way to go, the shepherd will guide you. When you’re facing wild animals of temptation – the shepherd will protect you. When you’re struggling to make it through thorn bushes of pain and trial – the shepherd will pull you through. So it’s not just you – weak, sheepy you – walking by yourself on this path to heaven. You have a great shepherd who will help you, provide for you, love you, protect you. Third, God did this by the blood of the eternal covenant. To see that, read v.20 again – 20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant … The blood of the eternal covenant is the blood of Jesus, which was poured out as he died on the Cross. Here’s why this is so important. We have all sinned against God. God has created the spectacular heavens and the magnificent earth and given us life and bodies – and through this he has shown us that he is perfectly good, flawlessly wise, beautifully loving. So God deserves complete trust, passionate love, and perfect obedience. But we’ve all sinned against God. We have not trusted him, loved him, obeyed him anywhere near perfectly. And because God is just, he must punish us for our sin. But God loves us. God cares about us. And so God sent Jesus to be punished for our sins in our place. And because of Jesus’ blood God can establish with us an eternal covenant. A covenant is like a contract. So God offers us a contract. On his side – he promises to do everything we need to bring us everlasting joy in him. He promises that in Jesus Christ he will – • Forgive us for all our sins. • Change our hearts. • Satisfy us with his love. • Draw us close to him through suffering. • Provide everything we need. • Help us overcome every sin. • Forgive us when we do sin. • Sustain us through trials. • Guide us in our decisions. • Raise us from the dead. So that’s his side of the contract. And what’s our side of the contract? One thing – trust him. Trust all that God promises to be to us in Jesus Christ. Can you feel the peace increasing? So that’s what God has done for us in the past. But the author wants to make sure we understand what this means for the future. So what will God do for us in the future? Remember, we are facing a daunting path between here and heaven. The road takes us through thorn bushes of trials, wild animals of temptation, deserts of difficulties, swamps of persecution. So this path is daunting. So what will God do for us in the future? Read vv.20-21 – 20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. First, God will equip us with everything good that we may do his will. The path to heaven is the path of his will. It is the path which brings us his heart-satisfying presence. It is the path of loving others and helping them come to faith. It is the path which glorifies him. So we want to do his will – we want to stay on his path. But how can we be sure we will be able to do that? It’s because God will equip us with everything good that we may do his will. And he does this through His Word, through prayer, and through fellowship with other believers. Do you need • Strength? God will provide it. • Wisdom? God will provide it. • Comfort? God will provide it. • Love for others? God will provide it. Do you need • Endurance? God will provide it. • Discipline? God will provide it. • Hope? God will provide it. • Boldness? God will provide it. God will provide everything we need through His Word, through prayer, and through fellowship with other believers. But what if down the road I decide to neglect His Word? What if I turn from prayer? What if I decide I’m not interested in fellowship? That would be disastrous. So how can I have peace? It’s because there is something else God does -- God will work in us that which is pleasing in his sight. If it was up to our own will-power, our own discipline, our own spirituality, we would fail. So God promises that because you are trusting Christ now, you can be confident that through Christ for the rest of your life he will work in you that which is pleasing in his sight. If you start to turn from Christ, he will turn your heart back. If you start to turn to sin, he will convict you and bring you back. Or if he allows you to sin, he will convict you and bring you back. If you are trusting Jesus Christ now, you can be certain that he will not let you fall away. He will keep you persevering all the way to the end. You will make it to the end of the path. And you will enter heaven – where you will see Jesus Christ face to face, where he will wipe every tear from your eyes, where you will hear him say “Well done, good and faithful servant, well done,” and where he will reward you with joy in him forever and ever and ever and ever. And who gets the glory for all of this? Read vv.20-21 again -- 20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Jesus Christ will get all the glory, because we deserved none of it, and he purchased all of it and gave it to us as a free gift. So don’t worry about whether you will make it. Trust him to give you everything you need. He promises. He will. 20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.