Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• We have come to the conclusion of this book
• The author often asked people to pray for Him
• For a good testimony
• To be restored to them
• The author is now praying a blessing over the people
• The author appeals to the people (v22)
• The author gives greetings
• v20-21
• A very compact statement - so much truth there
• Speaking of Jesus as a Shepherd
• Reminds them of the resurrection
• Reminds them of the blood and everlasting covenant
• What a wonderful pray
• Doxology - the author cannot help but praise God
• We have a centrepiece - Jesus
• The whole book of Hebrews has been pointing towards Jesus
• The Sceptre as a symbol of His Kingdom
• Not to turn back to Moses as Jesus is greater
• Jesus as the only High Priest
• A New Covenant
• He is bringing the readers' minds back to Jesus Christ
• v20-21 - are often spoken at the end of a service as a benediction
• Why does this happen?
• It is the desire to know God's blessing and to do His will
• Outline
• What God has done for us (v20)
• What God wants to do in us
• The grand reason why

What God has done for us (v20)

• Jesus was fully dead - He had the power to lay down His life and to take it up again
• The Father and the Holy Spirit gave power to lay down His life and to take it up again
• The message of Christianity: "Christ is Risen"
• If the resurrection did not happen our faith is in vain
• The glorious truth is that Jesus has conquered death and sin

The God of Peace

• The God of peace
• Many titles for God in the Old Testament
• The New Testament epistles often use the title "God of peace"
• Rom 15:33, Phil 4:9, 2 Thess 3:16
• Before this time God was a God of wrath to the people but now peace has been made in Jesus Christ
• God has been utterly satisfied with the death [and resurrection] of His Son
• This brings comfort
• We know that we have peace
• We do not need to know God's judgement and have fear at our dying - provided we look to the Lord Jesus

The great Shepherd of the sheep

• The great Shepherd of the sheep
• John 10:7-30
• We have heard about elders and under-shepherds, but there is one great Shepherd
• We have read John 10 and heard about the hirelings
• The pharisees were like this
• Christ was the Good Shepherd

The New Covenant

• The Old Covenant could never bring a person close to God and deal with a person's sin
• The New Covenant brings people to God and deals with their sin
• The New Covenant is fulfilled in Jesus' blood
• All our sins were placed on Jesus that we might be forgiven
• This is an everlasting covenant made in eternity
• A covenant of peace
• Isa 54:10, Jer 30:40
• A lamb slain before the foundation of the world
• John 10:15, 27-29
• Safe for ever
• Micah 5:4

• Can we say the Lord is your Shepherd, I will not want?
• Can we say we know Jesus as the Good Shepherd
• Do we know His care and provision?

What God wants to do in us (v21)

• God wants to make us complete in every good work to do His will
• 1 Thess 5:23
• God is working in us
• Justification always leads to sanctification
• God will always make His children Holy
• We are not made sinless but we do feel our sin more keenly
• 'Make you complete'
• In the Greek about fitting the person - bones out of joint to be fitted back together
• The character of Christ is being formed in us - fitting us to do every good work
• We are not just saved to go to heaven but to do good works
• The Lord wants us to be active and doing Christians
• We are not to overemphasis grace at the expense of good works
• The Lord Jesus Himself was full of good works - healing, teaching
• 'To do His will'
• We must ask God to show us His will
• 'Working in you'
• God working in us
• Our sufficiency is of God - even though we are working out our salvation with fear and trembling
• 'Through Jesus Christ'
• We are not alone
• These verses are extremely encouraging, but also challenging

The grand reason why

• God wants to be glorified in us and we want to glorify Him
• Is this our chief focus - to glorify God?
• Let us be a blessing, a benediction and a doxology to others
• We reverence God by loving each other and [by obeying the scriptures]
• May it be that we give God the glory