Village Schools of the Bible

Hebrews 13:20-25 - Letting God enjoy us.

20) May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21) equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 22) Brothers, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written you only a short letter. 23)I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you. 24) Greet all your leaders and all God's people. Those from Italy send you their greetings. 25) Grace be with you all. (NIV)

Hello, my friend. We come today to the end of this study of Hebrews and we find one of the greatest Benedictions in all of Scripture. There are other books, of course, which end with a Blessing, such as that with which Paul closes nearly all of his letters, "The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you." He extends this in 2 Corinthians 13:14 by saying, "May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."

But here in Hebrews we have a final greeting that is remarkable in its content. He bases his greeting on the emphatic assurance of the resurrection of Christ. It is more than just a farewell thought, it is a huge reassurance that all that we have in faith, hope and love is based on the resurrection of Christ. Paul asserted this, for example, when he shouts his life-goal, "That I may know him and the power of His resurrection, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead." (Philippians 3:11). He defines what is the heart of the Christian's life, knowing Christ, His resurrection, sharing in His death.

So here in this Hebrews benediction the writer reminds us of God's Grace, Christ's blood and His resurrection, which alone can bring us peace, the peace that comes when we share the Psalmist's joy as he writes, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." Or as the little boy, quoting the verse at a Sunday School program said, "The Lord's my Shepherd, what more do I want." Indeed, He is not only our Shepherd, He is our enabler. Our verse continues so assuringly, "May He equip you with everything good for doing His will, may He work in us what is pleasing to Him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."

Oh, my friend, this is much more than just a pleasant platitude. I have reminded myself so often during our study together of the fact that God created us, He formed us, He redeemed us, He summoned us by name "because you are Mine!" (Isaiah 43:1) We have been created for the pleasure of a sovereign, sufficient and satisfying God (Phil.2:13, I Thessalonians 2:13). And the wonder of it is that He in no way expects us to bring Him pleasure on our own. He finds His greatest pleasure in bringing us both blessings and a future. I love that verse in Psalm 107 where, describing people who "were hungry and thirsty, their lives ebbed away and they cried out to the Lord in their trouble and He delivered them from their distress." Then the Psalmist shouts, "Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men, for He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things." (Psalm 107:5-9). God finds pleasure in blessing us, His unworthy children. And our Hebrews verse reminds us that He equips us with everything good for doing His will. It is better to give than to receive!

As we read in Hebrews 12:2, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and fulfiller of our faith...." "He who has begun a good work in us will carry it on to completion..." (Phil.1:6) What greater promises do we need. God is at work in us, He is equipping us, He longs to use us to bring Him Glory. What greater prospects could anyone want. "Oh, thank you, Lord, for the joy of pondering your Word and praising your Name. We long to bring you Glory forever and ever. Bless my faithful fellow-pilgrim, and we'll soon be Home together, to praise you as we ought."

Cheerio, my friend. Monty