The Final Word
Hebrews 13:20-25
May 3, 2016
This morning we come to the end of the book of Hebrews.
I hope it has been as encouraging to you as it has been to me.
In this great book we’ve learned the tremendous value
Of what it means that we have Jesus.
• In Jesus we have One who is greater than the prophets because He is the complete and perfect message of God.
• In Jesus we have One who is greater than the angels because they are servants who go, He is a Son who has taken His seat at the right hand of God.
• In Jesus we have One who is greater than Moses because Moses was a servant to the house of God, Jesus is a Son over God’s house.
• In Jesus we have One who is greater than Joshua because Joshua took Israel into the land, but never gave them rest. Jesus granted us that rest from our labors.
• In Jesus we have One who is greater than Aaron because Aaron never actually atoned for our sin, he only did it symbolically. But Jesus actually entered the presence of God for us and actually atoned for our sin and then He sat down having perfectly finished His work.
• In Jesus we have a better covenant because it is one based on God’s work, not mans. It is a covenant that brings forgiveness instead of condemnation.
• In Jesus we have a better sacrifice because unlike the blood of bulls and goats, the sacrifice of Jesus’ blood was actually acceptable to the Father and purchased forgiveness forever.
• In Jesus we have a better city, namely a heavenly one that will last long after this earthly one is gone.
IN SHORT, JESUS IS GREATER.
And after proving that and giving us a few words of encouragement
About how to live as a Christian,
The writer now brings his letter to a close with his final word.
And his final word is great.
God is going to help you be obedient, now go do it!
It is the ULTIMATE ENCOURAGEMENT
To those of us who desire to live a life that pleases God.
AND it is an encouragement that is ONLY AVAILABLE because of Jesus.
Think for a moment about the struggle of being Jewish
And living under the Law.
Every single moment of your life was filled with the anxiety of failure.
Paul described this anxiety perfectly in Romans 7
Romans 7:14-24 “For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?”
Paul is there describing the agony of a life that
Has a desire for righteousness but no ability for righteousness.
It’s one thing to be a pagan who doesn’t even care what God thinks and has no desire at all to please Him.
They can live sinful and to a certain extent not care at all.
But a person in religion (like Judaism) who has a clear understanding of what is right and wrong, and who even wants to be pleasing to God, and yet has no ability to do it is miserable indeed.
We talked with the youth Wednesday night about this very type of person.
Psalms 119:1-8 “How blessed are those whose way is blameless, Who walk in the law of the LORD. How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, Who seek Him with all their heart. They also do no unrighteousness; They walk in His ways. You have ordained Your precepts, That we should keep them diligently. Oh that my ways may be established To keep Your statutes! Then I shall not be ashamed When I look upon all Your commandments. I shall give thanks to You with uprightness of heart, When I learn Your righteous judgments. I shall keep Your statutes; Do not forsake me utterly!”
The fears and regrets of the Psalmist are obvious.
• He lives in shame every time he opens the Bible and he lives in fear that God
will just eventually throw him aside for good.
• He actually looks around that those who are obedient and says, “Man how
blessed those people are! I wish I was one of them.”
Such is the anguish of having a desire for righteousness,
But no ability for righteousness.
AND JUDAISM TRAPPED PEOPLE THERE.
It gave them line after line after line of command after command after command
And simply said “Do this” or “Don’t do this”.
And even those who desperately desired to be obedient
Found that they could not.
It was a life of guilt and shame and condemnation.
But that is not the truth for Christianity!
Christianity is not a religion set up for failure, but for victory!
Look at verses 20-21
“Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good things to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
It is quite a doxology of praise to end the letter,
But it is also packed full of some wonderful truth.
The point of the two verses is clear.
God will equip you
• If you have a desire to “do His will”
• If you have a desire to perform “that which is pleasing in His sight”
Then you should be encouraged to know
That “through Jesus Christ” God will “equip you” to do just that.
• Gone are the days of expectations without ability.
• Gone are the days with a list of commands and no strength to obey them.
We now learn that God will give us everything we need
To live the life that He expects.
God is throwing failure out the window.
AND IF YOU’LL RECALL, this was precisely the point of this entire New Covenant we’ve been talking about since chapter 8.
Hebrews 8:10 “FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS, AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS. AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.”
It was a picture of God doing in us what we could never do in ourselves.
He would grant us the ability to live holy and righteous lives.
And this is what the writer wants you to understand here at the close.
God is NOT working against you.
Through Jesus, God is working FOR YOU!!!
And this entire reality stems from the TRUTH ABOUT WHO GOD IS.
Notice what the writer calls God.
(20) “Now the God of peace”
• Do you understand God in this way?
• Is this the name you would have given Him?
That reality, above all others, is the theme of the book of Hebrews.
No book in the Bible does a more thorough job outlining
What God did in order to bring peace than the book of Hebrews.
• This book has been about how God went about reconciling sinners to Himself.
• This book has been all about how God made peace with fallen man.
There was enmity
There was wrath
There was condemnation
But God, through His Son Jesus Christ, brought peace
Romans 5:1-2 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.”
• It was Jesus who satisfied God’s wrath
• It was Jesus who satisfied God’s righteous requirement
• It was Jesus who offered Himself without blemish to God
AND THIS WAS ALL THE PLAN OF GOD.
Romans 5:8-11 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”
When you talk about a God who went to such great lengths
To forgive sinful humanity there are few titles that you could give Him that are more fitting than “God of peace”
• He obviously wasn’t out for a war
• He obviously wasn’t in favor of eternal destruction
• He obviously wasn’t seeking grounds to punish
Above all else God desired peace with sinful humanity
And Jesus became the solution for providing it.
He is the “God of peace”
The writer wants you to understand that THIS HAS NOT CHANGED.
God didn’t make a one-time demonstration on the cross and then say,
“All right, don’t mess it up again.”
He is still the “God of peace” and He is still in the business of bringing it.
HOW?
BY EQUIPPING US TO DO HIS WILL.
PUT ON YOUR JEWISH CAP FOR A MOMENT
Think about how their religion worked.
They had that Day of Atonement when their sins were forgiven,
But you know and I know that the peace only lasted a moment.
In virtually no time at all sin would again be committed and God would again be angry and you’d have to go do that sacrifice all over again.
But that is not the way it is any longer.
The one sacrifice of Christ was enough to bring peace,
And God continues to work us toward it.
AND LET ME SHOW YOU HOW GOOD GOD IS AT IT.
We already know it is “the God of peace,” but he reveals more.
He is also the God “who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord,”
We already studied and know what “the blood” of Jesus accomplished.
Hebrews 9:11-14 “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
• We know that when Christ died He entered the greater and more perfect tabernacle (heaven) and there actually atoned for our sin.
That act put an end to the old covenant of the Law
And ushered in the New Covenant that we’ve been talking about.
Remember when Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper the night before He died,
Matthew 26:27-28 “And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.”
So Jesus offered His blood to God to ratify that New Covenant.
• Through that offering we were sanctified.
• Through that offering we were made righteous in God’s sight.
THOSE ARE ALL THINGS THAT
JESUS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH HIS DEATH.
BUT HOW WERE WE SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT?
(After all, we can’t see into the heavenlies, to know what happened)
IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT YOU KNOW HOW EFFECTIVE JESUS WAS.
So what did God do?
He “brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep…even Jesus our Lord”
• That act was the ultimate demonstration that God had accepted the blood of
the covenant.
• That act was the ultimate demonstration that salvation had been achieved.
So it was a PROVING ACT, but it was also a POWERFUL ACT.
Who had ever heard of power so great that could make death turn loose?
We are talking about a powerful God.
Well, the powerful God who raised Jesus from the dead
Is the same God who will now:
(21) “equip you in every good thing to do His will”
He is the “God of peace” who has dedicated His tremendous power
To equip us “to do His will”
He is “working in us that which is pleasing in His sight”
Philippians 2:13 “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
2 Peter 1:2-4 “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”
Both of those promises speak of a God who is at work within us
To help us be all that He has required us to be.
THE POINT is that God raised Jesus from the dead
To show you how effective Jesus was for you
And to give you a demonstration of what He would do in your life.
HE IS DOING FOR YOU WHAT HE DID FOR CHRIST.
He says that God will “equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, THROUGH JESUS CHRIST,”
Let me show you what the writer is referring to.
TURN TO: ROMANS 6
• The chapter begins with a question regarding whether or not a Christian can freely sin now that they have received the promise of grace.
• It is an unthinkable question that any true believer would want to use grace as a license to sin, but yet that is the debate at hand.
Paul sets out to explain what this not (nor should it ever be)
A Christian consideration.
And the reason is found in verse 2 which is that we “died to sin”
HOW DID WE DIE TO SIN?
(3) “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?”
Paul is referring here to that conscious decision you and I made
To enter a relationship with Jesus Christ. We were united with Him.
We died to self, and became one with Christ.
We came to identify with Him.
Perhaps to help you understand Paul also said that
The children of Israel were baptized into Moses.
The idea was that in their submission to Moses and obedience of His leadership
They became linked to him, and thus linked to God through him.
In an infinitely greater way Paul says that we are united with Christ.
And the reason for that was so that through Christ we might die.
Death is the only means of escaping sin and judgment.
So in Christ we died.
Paul told the Galatians that he had been “crucified with Christ”
That is what salvation is.
According to Romans 6 the reason that we die with Christ
Is so that we might be raised with Him.
(4) “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”
“we died so we could rise and get a new life”
(5-7) “For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.”
When we yield our life to Christ and enter that relationship with Him,
We become sharers in His death AND IN HIS RESURRECTION.
The first brought forgiveness
The second brings new life
THIS IS WHAT THE WRITER OF HEBREWS IS REFERRING TO.
The God of peace sent Christ to die and bring forgiveness,
But He also brought Christ up from the dead symbolizing new life.
Through Jesus then, you not only have forgiveness,
But also this new life.
It is this new life “through Jesus Christ” in which
God is equipping you and working to allow you to do His will in all things.
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
In Christ we die to sin
In Christ we get new life
Let me show it to you another place.
TURN TO: EPHESIANS 2
• In the first 3 verses Paul clearly explains what we were.
• We were sinners who wanted sin and who were destined to judgment because of it.
“But God…”
(4-7) “being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
This is the mystery of being “in Christ”
When we died to ourselves and yielded our lives to Christ,
We became united with Him.
Both in death AND in resurrection.
So we receive both forgiveness and new life.
This new life is the life where God promises to “equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight”
THIS IS SO IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND
SO THAT YOU WILL REALIZE
YOU ARE NO LONGER A PRISONER OF SIN AND FAILURE.
Adrian Rogers shared a fictional conversation between the devil and his angels.
“If those Christians ever really let Jesus out of that grave; Hell help us, all Heaven’s gonna break loose!”
The point to be seen here is that in Jesus
God has done something for us that He never did in plain old Judaism.
• They had symbolic forgiveness of sin through ceremonial sacrifices, but they
never had any sort of spiritual equipping to not sin any more.
That is absolutely unique to the church.
God is now doing that for His church.
But God has given you new life in Christ so that obedience is possible.
And that reality plays right into the next thing the writer says.
(VERSE 22) “But I urge you, brethren, bear with this word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly.”
This is the flip side of the coin.
God is working in you
God has made obedience possible
So… You should OBEY.
Philippians 2:12-13 “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
• Since God is working in you
• Since God has made obedience possible
• Since God has opened the door to new life
THEN BY ALL MEANS WALK IN IT!
Colossians 2:6 “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,”
Colossians 3:1-11 “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him — a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.”
Since God has provided a new life for you through Christ Jesus,
Then by all means take advantage of it!
Back in Romans 6 after talking about being raised with Christ, Paul went on to say:
Romans 6:12-14 “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”
Live the life God has equipped you to live.
God provided it, now take advantage of it.
And when you do this it gives glory to God.
That is also why the writer stays “to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen”
Somewhere along the lines there was a perversion of Christianity
That began to believe that sinners were glorifying to God.
It was sort of this belief that when I sin and continue running to God for forgiveness that that just makes God look all the more better.
But if God takes sinners, does this supposedly amazing work in their life,
AND AT THE END OF THE DAY THEY ARE STILL SINNERS,
One must ask the questions: WHAT DID GOD DO?
And WHAT KIND OF POWER DOES HE REALLY HAVE?
If you want to glorify God in your life then live holy.
Anyone in the world can live sinful, there is nothing impressive about that.
There is no higher form of worship to God than your holy life.
Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
This is THE FINAL WORD from the writer of Hebrews.
GOD HAS EQUIPPED YOU TO BE HOLY, SO BE HOLY.
And then he closes with an encouraging salutation.
(23-25) “Take notice that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom, if he comes soon, I will see you. Greet all of your leaders and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you. Grace be with you all.”
There are a few things here that you need to notice.
THE FIRST is that life for a Christian isn’t all bad.
These Hebrews had certainly had their fair share
Of disappointments and difficulties.
From a worldly standpoint they had lost in order to gain Christ.
Their reputation, their property, even their freedom as some had been put in jail.
And it is true that we must count the cost of following Christ.
But here we are reminded that it isn’t all bad.
Timothy had “been released”
I don’t want to stray too far of course here,
But if you are familiar with the book of 2 Timothy
Then you know that at the time of that letter
Timothy was in a similar boat as these Hebrews.
He was facing enormous opposition to his ministry.
In 2 Timothy Paul asked Timothy to endure and face that opposition anyway,
Much in the same way the writer of Hebrews asked these Hebrews to do.
2 Timothy 1:8 “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,”
Well it is apparent that Timothy did what Paul asked, suffered for it,
But now had “been released”
This is encouraging news.
A SECOND THING we must recognize here is the universal presence of the church.
The writer says, “Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you.”
Regardless of how it might feel at times, you are not alone in struggle.
• Others are facing it as well.
• Others are enduring.
• Others are gaining victory.
Regarding suffering, Peter wrote:
1 Peter 5:8-9 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.”
It is encouraging to know that other believers across the world
Are facing the same difficulties you are facing and are finding victory.
There is the church, and she is a tremendous source of fellowship,
Encouragement, and support.
THE THIRD thing you should recognize is the continual presence of grace.
(25) “Grace be with you all.”
• Grace is more than just a form of favor that allows God to forgive sinners.
• Grace is also a source of power that allows believers to endure various trials.
When Paul was afflicted with a thorn in the flesh, he wanted it gone.
2 Corinthians 12:8-10 “Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
We are reminded that there is always grace and grace is enough.
It is a final encouragement that good does come,
There is a church to encourage, and grace is always available.
And this is the close of the book of Hebrews.
These Hebrews who faced such hardship for their decision
Have now learned that despite their struggles
They have gained something of far more value.
THEY HAVE GAINED CHRIST!
He is greater than any aspect of Jewish religion they have ever known
And through Him they are not only made pleasing to the Father,
But through Him they can also now live pleasing to the Father.
The final exhortation is to now go do it!
• Obey God in hope that He can and will deliver you as He did Timothy.
• Be encouraged as you obey God knowing that you are supported by the church.
• Obey God in the strength that He supplies through His unfailing grace.
So, there’s the message.
Now, what about your life?
We would be terribly missing the point if we didn’t ask
WHAT YOU ARE DOING WITH JESUS?
• You will never encounter another treasure of greater value.
• You will never encounter another pearly worth more.
• The cost of following Jesus is real, but the value far exceeds them all.
He is greater than anything and anyone this world has ever known,
And the call is for you and I to forsake it all and pick Him.
Romans 10:11-13 “For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”
