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Good evening to everyone. You 
can turn in your Bibles with me to the book of Hebrews, Hebrews 
13. If you've been here the last 
couple Lord's Day evenings, the previous two, we looked first 
a couple Sundays ago at the anatomy of a salutation, the greeting 
or the introduction to a particular letter. Last Lord's Day, we looked 
at the anatomy of a doxology, that which was at the end of 
Jude, Words of praise rendered to God and so tonight we're going 
to continue that similar theme and look at the anatomy of a 
benediction in Hebrews 13 you'll remember a benediction is a simple 
definition is a good word you Probably recognize that word 
diction from our word dictionary words and bene meaning good in 
the Latin so a benediction is a good word and And in a religious 
context, and let's just say, of course, in the Christian context, 
it's used, benediction is sort of formally a divine invocation 
of blessing for the people of God. And we find one of those 
here in Hebrews 13 at verse 20. So you can find your finger or 
your eyes there, Hebrews 13, verse 20. I'll read verses 20 
and 21, and then we'll pray. This is the word of God. Now 
may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead 
that great shepherd of the sheep Through the blood of the everlasting 
covenant make you complete in every good work to do his will 
Working in you what is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ 
to whom be glory forever and ever amen Let's pray Heavenly 
Father we thank you for this time in worship, the preaching 
of your word. We thank you for this time in worship, generally 
speaking, blessedly speaking, as we can gather together as 
the saints of Christ to worship Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, 
the one and only living and true God, and to rejoice in our Savior, 
the Lord Jesus Christ. And we would pray once again 
that you'd help us by your spirit to acknowledge your word, to 
rejoice in it, to glory in it, to glory in the Christ to whom 
it points, and we pray that in this act of worship now you would 
be honored and glorified, and we pray in Christ's name. Amen. 
Well, as we just noted, we have here a benediction given by the 
Apostle Paul at the end of this letter to the Hebrews, and it's 
a glorious way to end a glorious epistle. As we've had many occasion 
to say in the past, in the book of Hebrews, the Apostle Paul 
is setting forth the superabounding excellence of Jesus Christ over 
all of those institutions of old covenant religion that came 
before him and that ultimately pointed to him. He is the the 
surety of a better covenant. He is that one, the champion 
of our salvation, that all of those mosaical institutions pointed 
to, and the argument of the Apostle Paul in the Epistle is essentially, 
why would you go back to those things that pointed forward to 
this one who has come, instead of simply resting blessedly in 
the one who has come. Why would you go back to shadow 
when the substance is here? Why would you go back to copy 
when the true is here? Why would you go back to type 
when the blessed anti-type, the Lord Jesus Christ, has come? 
And throughout the course of the epistle, he's exhorting these 
Hebrew Christians to remain steadfast in the faith that had been given 
to them by God, their faith in Christ, and that in the face 
of much opposition by a hating world, primarily unbelieving 
Jews, their own family, their own countrymen, their own religious 
leaders, formerly speaking. And here, a glorious way to end 
the Epistle, and notice just before this, the Apostle Paul 
at verse 18 asks for prayer for himself, for the apostles. He 
says, he writes, pray for us, for we are confident that we 
have a good conscience in all things, desiring to live honorably. But I especially urge you to 
do this, that is to pray for them, that I may be restored 
to you the sooner. So following after a prayer request, 
he in return, renders a prayer to God, provides them with this 
prayerful, divine invocation that they might receive the blessing 
of God. And so let's have a look at a 
number of things, at the anatomy of this particular benediction, 
what we find here in these wonderful words by the Apostle Paul. We'll 
just move through these six things as we look at this passage. The 
first thing we want to look at is the divine title. The divine title is given to 
us, as we see here in verse 20, Now may the God of peace who 
brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead. Isn't that a wonderful 
divine title? As we read the Holy Scriptures, 
we find a number of ways in which God often refers to himself in 
the manner that he does such as he identifies himself very 
often according to his glorious works that he has done. and the 
biblical authors likewise will do that, and we find a number 
of identifiers like this throughout the Holy Scripture, the God of 
glory, the God of glory thunders, the God of hope, the God and 
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We see a number of these divine 
titles, whether self-ascribed by God or given by the authors 
of Holy Scripture under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and they 
speak to something with respect to God. And here we see, first 
off, in the first clause, now, may the God of peace. Paul's 
request is, may the God of peace make them complete in every good 
work. And this is a wonderful identifier of our God, the God 
of peace. You know, in a world marked by 
such havoc and such chaos and such wickedness and evil and 
madness, isn't it a blessed thing to know that we have a God of 
peace, a God who can bring peace to the heart, a God that can 
bring tranquility of mind to his people? What a hopeless world 
it is to not believe in the God of Holy Scripture, because then, 
man, this chaos, this havoc, this wickedness, this is it. 
This is what we're in. There is no divine, glorious 
One over us. If one excludes from the contemplations 
of their mind any God whatsoever, or the Christian God, there's 
nothing but havoc, there's nothing but chaos, there's nothing but 
disorder, there's nothing but madness and wickedness. But there 
is a God in high heaven, and He is the God of peace. And the 
Apostle Paul, I believe, rightly uses, Obviously he does because 
he's under divine inspiration, penning the letter to the Hebrews. 
But one of the reasons he's using this language here is because 
of the context that these Hebrew Christians found themselves in. 
You can turn back to Hebrews 10 for a moment. Hebrews chapter 
10. Notice in Hebrews 10 at verse 
32, but recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, 
after you came to trust the Lord Jesus Christ, after you were 
regenerated by the Holy Spirit and given faith, recall the former 
days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great 
struggle with sufferings, partly while you were made a spectacle, 
both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions 
of those who were so treated. So, we see that these Hebrew 
Christians, and Hebrews at this time, or excuse me, Christians 
at this time, and Christians throughout the ages, but specifically 
in this context, they were persecuted, they were opposed. They went 
through many a struggle at the hands of ungodly opposers. And so, at the end of this epistle, 
Paul calls upon the God of peace, to make these Christians complete 
in every good work. In the face of your opposers, 
in the face of your persecutors, in the face of a hating world, 
lean upon the God of peace. And may you, the God of peace, 
bring blessing and bring peace and tranquility mind to these 
who are here and often it's a it's a spiritual peace that's in view 
but sometimes not sometimes God is always the author of all peace 
and he is the author of a physical peace as well and and no doubt 
he can bring such things to his people, but I think in this contemplation 
of the God of peace, our minds should move from the earthly, 
that is, those things that take place with respect to the physical 
man, and lift our hearts up here a moment to those higher spiritual 
things of what peace with God is, and what the God of peace 
ultimately and finally means. Remember in the promise of That 
verse we often read or contemplate around the time of Christmas. Unto us a child is born, unto 
us a son is given, the government will be upon his shoulder, and 
he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace. 
What a wonderful title for the coming Christ, and it speaks 
to the point, one of the weightiest matters of the import of this 
language of the God of peace as the one who brings reconciliation 
between God and men. Isn't this the blessedness of 
the peace that we know as Christians? As glorious as peace in this 
lower world is, and as wonderful as peace between brothers and 
sisters is, the greatest peace that we can know is the peace 
that obtains by virtue of the perfect work of Jesus Christ. 
That one who Paul refers to elsewhere as using the language of he himself 
is our peace. Remember the language of the 
holy angels at the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ. All 
the angels of God are worshipping this newborn babe, this one who 
is a deity veiled in flesh, and they sing in their worship to 
the babe, glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill 
toward men. That on earth peace is not a 
nationalistic peace, though that is glorious, and God is the bringer 
of that. But it speaks to justification 
by faith alone. There is therefore now no condemnation 
for those who are in Christ Jesus. Therefore, being justified by 
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 
As Christians reflect, we can reflect upon ourselves, our former 
selves, where we violated the law of God in that state of total 
depravity, total inability, always walking in opposition to God, 
not seeking after Him, not blessing Him with our lips, but wholly 
opposed to God. We can think back upon that, 
and we can realize that we stood under the very wrath and condemnation 
of God. But what a blessing to know this 
side of amazing grace that we are justified, not by deeds of 
righteousness which we have done, but by virtue of the perfect 
deeds of the Lord Jesus Christ. His doing, His dying, and His 
rising again. We have peace with God because 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the God of peace brings peace 
to his people. Paul often uses this particular 
title for God in his epistles. One of the very interesting ones, 
and actually this is, I think, one of the many arguments for 
the authorship of the book of Hebrews, the Pauline authorship 
for the book of Hebrews, because he is particularly and exclusively 
the only author in the New Testament who employs this language, the 
God of peace, as an identifier for God. In Romans 15, in Romans 
16, and in 1 Thessalonians 5, and in Philippians 4, he uses 
this descriptor for God. One of the interesting ones is 
in Romans 6 Romans 6 20 the God of peace will soon crush Satan 
under your feet Sometimes and especially with the divine wholesome 
violence brings about peace and And with respect to our God, 
we can count on our blessed divine triune, the God of peace, that 
when this lower world is marked by such chaos and havoc, God 
can bring peace as the one who crushes Satan under his feet. 
Those who oppose his church, those who oppose all goodness 
which comes from God, God can oppose himself and bring about 
peace. This wonderful second clause 
that we have with respect to this divine title is glorious 
as well. Now, may the God of peace who 
brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead. in the apostolic preaching in 
the early church. This is something that, for example, 
Peter spoke about much with regards to the God who raised up our 
Lord Jesus, the God who raised up the one whom you, Jews, crucified 
and put to death. The God of peace is the one who 
brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead. And as we'll note as 
we move along here shortly, this is the manner by which peace 
is brought to the souls of God's elect. It is by virtue of the 
resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you were here this 
morning, remember then why it is absolutely so vital for us 
to lay hold of the doctrine of the resurrection of the Lord 
Jesus Christ. Remember the Apostle Paul's argument. 
If there is no resurrection of the dead, generally speaking, 
then Christ is not risen. And then, therefore, your faith 
is futile, and we are among all men the most pitiable. The resurrection 
of the Lord Jesus Christ is most certainly true, and it is the 
very ground of peace that we have with God, because it is 
that divine act that stamps, if you will, or that vindicates 
the perfection of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, proof 
positive, that the Lord Jesus Christ perfectly secured the 
salvation of a multitude that no man can number is God raising 
the champion of our salvation from the dead on the third day. Now may the God of peace who 
brought up our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. This further identifier 
is to show the sovereign authority of God in evidencing peace has 
been made by the death of Christ. This is John Owen. This is the 
great and ultimate end of the reconciliation made by Christ, 
namely, that God might be our God in covenant, whereunto peace 
with him is an inseparable consequent. Isn't that glorious to know that 
with Christ we are inseparable from the God of peace? Nothing 
can take us away from the love of Christ, nothing can steal 
us away from the sovereign grip of the God of peace, because 
Christ, the Son of God, has effected peace for his people. Another 
Owen quote, the resurrection of Christ was God's declaration 
of the accomplishment and acceptance of the work of reconciliation 
as the payment of our debt and the procurement of our peace. When Christ rises again the third 
day, it is again proof positive that his work, that when he said 
it is finished, He meant it, that was true. He had perfected 
the salvation of a multitude of sinners. Blessed peace that 
we have through God, by God, by virtue of the one that he 
raised from the dead, and by virtue of the perfection of the 
Lord Jesus Christ. Now, secondly, we have this mediatorial 
title given to us. Now may the God of peace, who 
brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great shepherd 
of the sheep, It's a wonderful, there's sort of a... an interruption, 
if you will, to the flow of the benediction here to further identify 
the Lord Jesus, the reference to the Lord Jesus in the resurrection 
there. There's a comma, obviously, there, 
and we see that great shepherd of the sheep, comma, referring 
back to the Lord Jesus Christ. And we need to stop a moment 
at this particular point with regards to this mediatorial title 
and reflect upon the greatness it is to have Christ as a shepherd. One of the things that's in view 
here is the promise of God in the Old Testament that there 
will no longer be all of these wicked and terrible shepherds 
who were leading the nation of Israel. There is a divine promise 
made in Ezekiel with regards to God himself being the shepherd 
of his people. In fact, you can turn back there 
for a moment, Ezekiel 34. Ezekiel 34 just to see this connection. It's not just a it's not just 
you know the Apostle Paul saying hey, you know what let's Let's 
use the language of Shepherd here. That would be cool Paul is reaching back into the 
Old Testament and pulling out psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want that language 
of yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death 
and with regards to God being the shepherd with his crook and 
with his rod, securing the safety of his sheep and protecting them. 
Ezekiel 34 as well. And notice in Ezekiel 34, once 
I find myself there, in Ezekiel 34, notice what we read at verse 
11. We've already, prior to this, 
there's been an elaboration upon the wicked shepherds, the irresponsible 
shepherds, if your uninspired sort of chapter summary says 
that at the top. These irresponsible wicked shepherds 
who were misleading the nation of Israel ill treating them to 
put it lightly We have this promise at verse 11 for thus says the 
Lord God indeed I myself will search for my sheep and Seek 
them out as a shepherd seeks out his own flock on the day 
His flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep so will I 
seek out my sheep and deliver them from all the places where 
they were scattered and on a cloudy and dark day. And I will bring 
them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, 
and will bring them to their own land. I will feed them on 
the mountains of Israel, in the valleys, and in all the inhabited 
places of the country. I will feed them in good pasture, 
and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. Isn't 
that wonderful, a wonderful promise of God? With regards to this 
Pauline language of that good shepherd of the sheep, I think 
we are to see the word that, there, used instead of just the 
great shepherd of the sheep, as pointing back to that great 
shepherd of the sheep. Paul is drawing the finger back, 
pointing back to old covenant promise, And speaking to that 
Hebrew audience, this is the promised great shepherd. This 
is the promised good and great shepherd who would deliver his 
people. And notice the language at verse 
25, connected still to the language of Shepard. I will make a covenant 
of peace with them and cause wild beasts to cease from the 
land. There's a connection. The Apostle 
Paul is not operating in a vacuum when he's writing that. He's 
pointing back to Ezekiel. He's pointing back to this covenant 
of peace that we'll speak about in a moment, connecting the great 
shepherd of the sheep, the champion of the covenant, to that very 
covenant peace. These Hebrews found themselves 
in the midst of wild beasts, those wicked religious leaders 
who were no shepherds at all, but much rather wild beasts surrounding 
the people of God seeking to bring spoil to Christianity. So back to Hebrews chapter 13, 
this language of great shepherd of the sheep points to the Lord 
Jesus Christ, and don't we have evidence for the deity of Christ 
everywhere? Ezekiel 34 is speaking with regards to God, saying that 
I will be, in essence, the great shepherd of my sheep. Here in 
Hebrews 13, Paul is describing that reality to Jesus Christ, 
the great shepherd of the sheep. Even when there is no, you know, 
there is no deliberate Point on the part of the author to 
be arguing for the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ it nevertheless 
comes out why? because Jesus is God the second 
of the blessed triune equal with the Father and the Spirit the 
Spirit in the glorious oneness of of the divine essence. So 
we have this blessed mediatorial title. Owen writes, the Lord 
Christ is the great and good shepherd who gave his life for 
the sheep and who by the power of his spirit and grace leads 
them in the paths of righteousness and preserves them unto eternal 
life. You know, it's not only that, and as glorious as it is, 
it's not only that the shepherd died for his sheep, but that 
after dying for his sheep, he continues, by grace and by the 
power of the Holy Spirit, to feed his sheep. He doesn't leave 
his sheep alone after dying for them, but rather is with them, 
even unto the end of the age, feeding them, giving them the 
nourishment, giving them his spirit and grace, them in the 
paths of righteousness. Notice thirdly here, we have 
this language of the foundation of the resurrection. So the divine 
title, the mediatorial title, and then now the foundation for 
the resurrection. Notice, back at our benediction, 
now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from 
the dead, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood 
of the everlasting covenant. Now, We can ask the question 
here. Does through the blood of the 
everlasting covenant go with that great shepherd of the sheep? 
In other words, are we to read it this way, the great shepherd 
of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant. 
In other words, Christ is the great shepherd of the sheep by 
virtue of or by means of the blood of the everlasting covenant. 
Or are we to read that as through the blood of the everlasting 
covenant, May the God of peace make you complete in every good 
work. Is that what we're supposed to read with regards to this? I think we are to see it as connected 
to the previous clause that the resurrection, that the raising 
of Jesus Christ from the dead, is by virtue of Christ perfecting 
the everlasting covenant in his blood. So in other words, that 
work of the Lord Jesus Christ is that which is vindicated by 
the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The perfecting of the shedding 
of the blood of the everlasting covenant is that which brings 
about, if you will, the means whereby the blessed resurrection 
takes place. In other simple words, Christ 
died, and Christ rose again, and His resurrection is the vindication 
of the perfection of His death. That's why we are to see such 
glory in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. In His living, 
because He obeyed the law in the stead of all who believe 
in His name, perfectly He obeyed that. In His death, because dying, 
He bore the wrath and the curse of God in our place, in the stead 
of all who believe. And in that rising, in that vindication 
of the perfection of His work, God puts that stamp of blessed 
approval upon the perfection of the work of his son. What 
is meant here, though, by the blood of the everlasting covenant? Through the blood of the everlasting 
covenant. Is this the covenant of redemption? Or is this the covenant of grace. I think some differ with regards 
to this, but I believe as Owen says, this is a reference to 
the covenant of grace because the covenant of redemption required 
no ratification in blood, but the covenant of grace does. The 
covenant of grace is that which, is that covenant made whereby 
the Lord Jesus Christ would be the champion of the elect of 
God and he would become that champion, he would be that champion 
and secure the salvation of a multitude by the shedding of his blood. 
And there's a contrast being made here, a blessed contrast 
between the blood shed with respect to the old covenant and the blood 
shed with respect to the new covenant or the covenant of grace 
ratified. The everlasting covenant here, 
Christ sheds the blood of the everlasting covenant in contrast 
to those, in contrast to the blood shed according to the old 
covenant. In Hebrews chapter 9, we read 
this at verse starting at verse 18, Therefore not even the first 
covenant was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken 
every precept to all the people according to the law, he took 
the blood of calves and goats with water, scarlet wool, and 
hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 
saying, This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded 
you. Then likewise, he sprinkled with 
blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry, 
and according to the law, almost all things are purified with 
blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission." 
And so Paul, in a letter where he's trying to ensure that Christians 
do not apostatize back to Judaism, of course no true Christian could 
or can, but writing this letter in the face of this danger to 
Christians, He is dealing with the divinely designed cessation 
of, that is, the divinely designed end to the old covenant in all 
of those mosaic articles of religion and their fulfillment in Christ. 
that by the shedding of the blood of bulls and goats, there is 
no remission of sin. That was an old covenant ratification. The covenant, the everlasting 
covenant is that which is ratified by the perfect blood of the Lord 
Jesus Christ. So there is a comparison being 
drawn here between the old covenant or the Mosaic covenant and the 
covenant of grace. And what a wonderful language, 
the blood of the everlasting covenant. That with the work 
of Christ, we have a salvation, a perfect salvation of everlastingness. Have you ever thought about that 
in the context of man's eternal soul? There is an everlastingness 
that obtains with regards to divine judgment eternally. Those outside of Christ, in opposition 
to Christ, in unbelief, are cast into the lake of fire reserved 
for the devil and his angels everlastingly. They are not covered 
by the blood of the everlasting covenant. And then we look at 
ourselves, and once again, we recall our former selves. We 
recall even our present selves after amazing grace, marked ever 
and always by remaining corruption until that blessed day when we're 
brought into glory. And we can see that we rely every 
day upon the shed blood of the everlasting covenant. Praise 
God and praise Christ that the Son of God came into this world 
to assume our humanity to live for us, to die for us, to rise 
again for us, to shed the blood of the everlasting covenant. 
The foundation for the resurrection is this shedding of the blood 
of the everlasting covenant. Oh, and again, had not the will 
of God been satisfied, atonement made for sin, the church sanctified, 
the law accomplished, and the threatening satisfied, Christ 
could not have been brought again from the dead. But the will of 
God had been satisfied, atonement had been made for sin, The church 
has been sanctified, the law was accomplished, and the threatening 
satisfied. And that means, of course, that 
Christ has been raised from the dead. Some of the most blessed 
words ever spoken by angels is, He is risen. Remember that language 
at the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, the angels speaking 
to the disciples, the women as well, at the empty tomb? This language of be not afraid, 
and those wonderful three words in the English, he is risen. 
Wonderful thing. Not only annually or once a year 
as we gather together for an Easter Sunday, something like 
that, but each and every Lord's Day, we gather together on the 
Lord's Day by virtue of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. This 
was the day on which the Lord was raised from the dead. And 
we have those blessed three words that we ought to write eternally 
upon our Christian hearts. He is risen. Blessed words spoken. As we move on along now and look 
towards a close, we want to see fourthly here the petition for 
completeness in Christian obedience. Gets here a little bit to the 
point of the prayer. the way that the Apostle Paul 
is moving here, what he wants the God of peace who brought 
up our Lord Jesus from the dead to do for his people. Notice, now may the God of peace 
who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great shepherd 
of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 
make you complete in every good work to do his will, working 
in you what is well-pleasing in his sight. So there is this 
petition, this petition being made to God by Paul that these 
Hebrew Christians would be made complete in every good work to 
do His will. This language of to be made complete, 
it's rendered elsewhere in some versions also as to be made perfect. That doesn't speak to absolute 
and essential and actual perfection. It has the language, and perhaps 
in this context, of being made fit or being made meat for something, 
fit and able for something. And so we read here that Paul 
petitioning God to make us fit and able in every good work to 
do the will of God. What does this mean then? I think 
those two first words are important in verse 21, make you, that God 
would make you or that God would make us. What does that mean? 
We require divine enabling to do the will of God. We don't 
wake up in the morning and rest upon our brilliance and the strength 
of our own ability and our own power and our own, you know, 
mastery over ourselves and nature and everything else. What do 
we rest on? We rest on God daily. As we raise 
our heads in the morning, we rest upon the God of creation 
and providence and redemption. And with respect to the doing 
of the will of God, we're not resting upon ourselves, but we 
have to pray to our blessed God that he would enable us for the 
work that he would have us to do in this lower world. And hopefully 
that's your prayer. We can go about our days just 
sometimes so nonchalantly or without regard to God, and we 
need to steel ourselves back to the reality that we rest upon 
God daily, and we ought to come to him daily and daily often, 
in order to plead for fresh resources as we go about our lives in this 
lower world. We're not going to get them from 
each other. We're certainly not going to get them from ourselves. 
We need those resources from on high. We need those graces. 
We need those mercies. We need that strength from on 
high for us to be able to endure. in this lower world, the necessity 
of divine enabling in our doing of the will of God. Owen writes, 
he designs the application of the grace of God through the 
mediation of Christ unto our sanctification. This has in view 
our sanctification in the midst, in the case of the Hebrews, in 
the midst of these family opposers, in the midst of these countrymen 
opposers, in the midst of so much opposition, and persecution. You are not to revile when you 
are reviled, but you are to respond with grace in your hearts, working 
in you, or doing that which is pleasing in the sight of God. With regards to the danger of 
apostasy, with regards to the danger of falling away, you are 
to pray that God would make you complete in every good work to 
do His will. this language probably first, 
we have the enabling of God for us to do the will of God, and 
then the actual doing of the thing that is willed or that 
we are enabled for, making you complete or making us fit and 
able in every good work to do his will, and then working in 
us what is well-pleasing in the sight of God. So not only are 
we divinely enabled to do the thing, but God helps us to do 
the thing. Remember, Paul in the book of 
Philippians speaks with regards to that. In Philippians chapter 
2, after giving that glorious exemplar of the Lord Jesus Christ 
in his incarnation as the perfection of humility, We read in Philippians 
2 at verse 12, Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, 
not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, 
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is 
God who works in you, both to will and to do, for his good 
pleasure. So we are enabled by God in order to do good works, 
and by the virtue of God working in us to will and to do, we do 
that which is pleasing in his sight. And notice as we find 
our way back to the benediction, that this comes through the Lord 
Jesus Christ. Notice, working in you what is 
well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory 
forever and ever, amen. What does this language of through 
Jesus Christ means? It could mean one of two things, 
or it could mean both things. It could mean that by virtue 
of or through the mediatorial work of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
we are enabled to do the good works that God calls us to do. 
In other words, Christ at the right hand of the majesty on 
high is the one who sends his spirit to his people. By virtue of that sending of 
the spirit of God and the grace of Christ, we are enabled to 
do those works that we're called to do. It could also be that 
Those good works that are pleasing in the sight of God are acceptable 
through the mediator. Remember that our prayers go 
up to God and our good works, our spiritual oblations or our 
sacrifices to God in this lower world, our Christian service, 
goes to God through the Lord Jesus Christ. They're made acceptable. They are sweet-smelling aromas, 
not because we render the spiritual sacrifices, but because they 
go through the Mediator Christ to God by virtue of the perfection 
of Christ's mediation. So, this could mean one of those 
two things or both. The good works that we're enabled 
to do come to us by virtue of the power of the Holy Spirit 
sent by the risen and exalted Christ, and those good works 
go back to God through the mediatorship of the Lord Jesus Christ. They're 
made acceptable to God by virtue of the Lord Jesus Christ. And 
to close, we see that this doxology is given to whom be glory forever 
and ever. Amen. This doxology, isn't it 
interesting, the benediction is closed with a doxology. This 
good word given, this divine invocation prayed by the apostle 
Paul to God, written to the Hebrews, that the God of peace would make 
them complete in every good work, it closes with this doxology 
to Christ. Through Jesus Christ, to whom 
be glory forever and ever. Amen in the simple exercise of 
a doxology. There is the the clear argument 
for the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ but the point here is 
that this glorious one who shed the blood of the everlasting 
covenant who was raised from the dead by the power of God 
is to receive a glory forever and ever. Amen. What does that 
mean? We noted last time. It means that we, as the people 
of God, as the people of Christ, are to recognize the divine perfections 
of God, which are the divine perfections of the Son of God, 
this Jesus Christ, and return our praises back to God for the 
perfection of Christ's divinity. It's also the fact that we are 
to reflect upon those extrinsic glories, or those extrinsic things, 
the manifestation of God's perfections outwardly, namely, the death 
and resurrection here of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Christian 
minds are to engage in sweet contemplations of the perfect 
work of the Lord Jesus Christ, that He lived for us, that He 
died for us, that He rose again for us, and we are to give glory 
to that Christ for the exercise of the perfections of righteousness, 
holiness, justice, love, mercy, goodness, and all of those blessed 
things that accord with truth. And we are simply and generally 
to lift our Christian hearts to the worship of this blessed 
God, the God of peace, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. who has 
blessed us with such a glorious salvation in Jesus Christ, bringing 
peace to our hearts, bringing peace between God and us, both 
parties at odds, God rightly, us wrongly, God, by the work 
of the Son, by the shedding of the blood of the everlasting 
covenant, has made peace. Remember, Paul uses that language 
in Colossians, having made peace by the blood of his cross. Wonderful 
thing. We have peace by virtue of the 
blood of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, this blood of the 
everlasting covenant. And so let us return praises 
to God. Let us give glory to Christ, 
not just now, the text says now and forever. Isn't it a blessed 
thing that we can now give glory to Christ, but we will forever 
give glory to Christ. as we're brought into Emmanuel's 
land on that blessed and last day, we'll enter in with all 
the saints of every age and all the holy angels, we'll enter 
into praises to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit forever. Our 
Christ will be there, very God and very man, yet one Christ, 
the only mediator between God and man, and we'll praise the 
Lamb eternally. singing with those holy angels, 
glory to God in the highest. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, 
we thank you for your word. We rejoice in your word to us. We thank you for this benediction. 
We rejoice in you, our God of peace. We rejoice in our Lord 
Jesus Christ, the perfection of that shed blood of the everlasting 
covenant. We rejoice in his resurrection 
from the dead. We rejoice in the salvation that 
you have freely given. We thank you for your blessing 
us with these things, not by virtue of deeds which we have 
done, but according to your mercy, according to the washing of regeneration, 
the renewing of the Holy Spirit, by virtue of the shed blood and 
the perfect work of Christ. Go with us. for the remainder 
of this day. Go with us into this week. Help 
us by your enabling to do those things that are well-pleasing 
in your sight and might all glory be given to Father, Son, and 
Holy Spirit. We pray in the name of Jesus 
Christ, our Savior. Amen.