Go with me, if you would, back
to Hebrews 13. Hebrews 13, the apostle is closing
his letter to the Hebrews with a prayer for them. A prayer for them. He, in the
Bible study, he asked them, we saw this morning, he asked them,
pray for us. Pray for me. And then right after
that, he closes with a prayer for them. This is a prayer for
us. The prayer that he prays for
the Hebrews, he's praying for us. It's an announcement. It's
a notification. For every sinner that the Father
chose throughout the ages. Every single one. This is a prayer
for every single one of them. Verse 20 says, Now the God of peace. How glorious is that? Now the
God of peace. What a benediction. Now the God of peace, how glorious
is it that that does not say, what has been written there for
thousands of years by the Spirit of God Almighty, how glorious
is it that that does not say, now the God of wrath, even though
He is. But it does not say, now the
God of judgment and punishment, even though He is. It does not say, now the God
of eternal damnation, even though He is. But that's not all that
He is. Thank God. Thank God. That is not all that He is. Verse 20 says, now the God of
peace. Do you know who will hear that
and think, That is the sweetest thing I've ever heard in my life.
You know who will hear that notification and think that is the most glorious
thing that anyone could ever tell me? The one who knows he's wicked. The one who knows he's guilty. The one who knows he is a worker
of iniquity. To find out that the holy God
who is angry with the wicked every day and will cast all workers
of iniquity into outer darkness. To find out that that God is
the God of peace. The God of peace. That'll make
a sinful man want to find out how. Just like Job said this
morning, how can man be just with God? How can I, a sinful
man, have peace with God? And how can God be at peace with
me? Now, I'm not going to build this
up. I'm not going to drag this out. Here's the answer. Verse
20 says, Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead
our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood
of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good
work to do His will, working in you, that which is well-pleasing
in His sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and
ever. Amen. That's how the God of peace
made peace for us. Every human being on this earth,
every single human being on this earth, comes from the same lump. There is only one sinful lump
of man. All mankind comes from one lump. There is no difference in any
of us. None of us. All have sinned. All are enmity against God. Everybody. No one naturally bows. No one
naturally begs. No one naturally believes. All
flesh has willingly joined the ranks against God, against His
Son, against His Spirit. All flesh has willingly joined
the ranks. The Apostle Paul said, There
is a war raging inside me. That's what he said. There's
a war going on in here. I've got a war going on in here. Look at it with me in Romans
7. Romans chapter 7. Romans 7 verse 14 says, For we
know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do, the things
that I do, I allow not, I know not, I don't know why I do them.
For what I would, That do I not. But what I hate, that do I. Do you all go around feeling
spiritual all the time? Neither did the Apostle Paul.
Verse 16. If then I do that which I would
not. If I keep doing the things that
I can't stand, I think, get out of my mind. Get these things
out of my mind. If then I do that which I would
not, I consent unto the law that it is good. God's law is good. I condemn myself before it. That's
what he's saying. Now then it is no more I that
do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. Sin has control of me. This flesh is captive to sin.
The flesh is. Verse 18, For I know that in
me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. For to will is
present with me. But how to perform that which
is good I cannot find any way to do good. For the good that
I would, I do not. But the evil which I would not,
that's what I do. Now if I do that, I would not,
it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find
then a law that when I would do good, evil is present with
me. For I delight in the law of God
after the inward man, but I see another law in my members warring
against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to
the law of sin, which is in my members. Oh, wretched man that
I am. Not used to be. Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? Who shall deliver me from this
war? There is a war raging inside
me. Who shall deliver me from the
warring in this flesh, the warring in my mind, the warring in my
soul? Who shall deliver me? The God
of peace. The God who ends the war. The God who finishes the fight. The song that we love says, against
the God who rules the sky, I fought with hand up lifted high. That's
where he found me. I was sitting there with my fist
in the air. Despised the mention of his grace, too proud to seek
a hiding place. But thus the eternal counsel
ran. Almighty love, would you arrest
that man? Put an end to this war. Break down that middle wall of
partition between us and abolish in your flesh the enmity. Make in yourself one new man,
so making peace. The glorious news of eternity
is God made peace. That's what every saint will
be crying. God made peace. That's what the angels cried
when they announced the birth of the Savior. They came and
cried, peace has come to the earth. Goodwill has come to man. That was the angel's announcement
while they stood guard at the empty tomb. God has made peace. They said, He is not here. Don't you know they loved that
assignment? You go down and anybody who walks
up to that tomb, this is what you tell them. He is not here.
He is risen. Come see the place where he lay.
God made peace. He's finished. Totally finished. Go back to Hebrews 13. Hebrews 13. What I'd like for us to see in
these two verses, verses 20 and 21, is why, who, when, what,
and where. why Christ died, who He died
for, when this work was accomplished, what it was unto, and where all
the praise must go. Verse 20 says, Now the God of
peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus. Why did Christ die? That's the
question to ask. Why did Christ die? Why did Christ die? The natural
answer is to make peace. That's the natural answer, to
make peace. But what did it take to make
peace? What was accomplished in His
death? Why did Christ suffer all the
way to the grave? Why did He take it all the way
to the grave? Was it so He could make salvation possible? Is that
why Christ died? possible for people. He could
offer peace to anyone who is willing to take it. Peace is
on the table. He could just lay peace out there on the table,
and if anybody's interested, they're welcome to take peace. If that is the case, if that's
what He did, then no peace will be had. If that's what He did,
no peace. We can cry, peace, peace, all
day long, but there is no peace. And the reason is because Peace
will not be had by man. He's the enemy of peace. He's
at enmity against God. Man does not want it. But that's not why Christ died.
That's not the reason Christ died. He did not die to offer
peace. He died to make peace. He died to make it. Now I just
quoted this to you, but go with me to Ephesians 2. Ephesians 2 verse 14 says, For He is our peace. He is our peace. How did He make
peace? By becoming peace. He is our
peace. The verse above it, verse 13
says, But now in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off
are made nigh by the blood of Christ. He did not just mediate
both sides of the war. There's one mediator between
God and men, the man Christ Jesus. But He did not just mediate between
both sides of the war. He brought the war into His own
body. God's purity and man's iniquity
met in Him. They clashed. In him, God's righteousness,
man's wickedness. They engaged in him. In that moment in him. The holiness
of God cried for this cause came out into the world. And in him, the sinfulness of
man cried, my iniquity is more than I can bear. God was in Christ reconciling
His people to Himself. Reconciling the world to Himself
out of every tribe, nation, kindred, tongue, people. And His people
were in Christ being reconciled to God. Everything met in Him. The enmity was slain. Sin was
conquered. Victory and peace was won. And Christ proved that to us
when He bore our sins all the way to the grave. He proved that
it was finished when He bore them all the way to the grave. And then as us, He died as us.
He died as us. Not just for, He died for us,
but not just for us, He died as us. And as us, as our substitute,
God raised Him from the dead. God raised us from the dead. Declaring peace. Verse 13 right here in Ephesians
2 says, But now in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off
are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For He is our peace,
who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of
partition between us, having abolished in His flesh the enmity,
even the law of commandments, contained in ordinances, for
to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace, and
that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross,
having slain the enmity thereby, and came and preached peace to
you which were far off and to them that were nigh, for through
him We both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. That's
why Christ came. To be our peace. As long as He
stands, we have peace with God. As long as Jesus Christ is standing,
we have peace with God. He is our peace. Now go with me back to Hebrews
13. Who did Christ die for? Who has peace with God? Look
with me at verse 20. Now the God of peace that brought
again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that grey shepherd of
the sheep. God chose a particular people
to save. He chose a particular people.
He continually calls them His sheep. Over and over He is constantly
calling His people His sheep. Go with me if you would to John
chapter 10. John 10 verse 11, our Lord said,
I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd giveth his life for
the sheep. He said, I'm giving my life for
the sheep. Verse 14, he said, I am the good shepherd and know
my sheep and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even
so know I the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. And
other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also I
must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be
one fold and one shepherd." Well, is everybody a sheep? Is every
human being on this earth one of his sheep? Verse 24 says,
Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long
dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us
plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you,
and you believed not. The works that I do in my Father's
name they bear witness of me, but ye believe not, because You
are not of my sheep, as I said unto you." And it's very important
we notice that he did not say, because you're not of my sheep,
you believe, or I'm saying it backwards. He said, you believe
not because you're not of my sheep. That's the reason you
believe not. It's because you're not of my
sheep. He goes on to say, verse 27,
my sheep hear my voice, And I know them, and they follow
me. And I give unto them eternal
life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand." God has accomplished peace through the blood of His
Son, and He has accomplished it for His sheep. For His sheep. Now, when did He accomplish it? Go with me back to the text.
Hebrews 13. Verse 20 says, Now the God of peace that brought
again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of
the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant. God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Spirit made a covenant with each other. The three of
them. They made a covenant with each
other to do this for their sheep. And they made that covenant before
the foundation of the world. It is the everlasting covenant
in both directions. The everlasting covenant before
this world was ever created. This is one of my favorite thoughts
to think about. Before this world was ever created,
there was a lamb slain. Before there was ever a man on
this earth to sin, there was a covenant made to put away sin.
I love that. The promises of God, the gifts,
the calling, the covenant, it's all without repentance. What God does is forever. Peace
is forever. When God made peace, it was forever.
Sin, trying to ruin the peace of God's sheep, trying to creep
in and create war again. That's what sin does, is it tries
to start the war back up. It cannot happen. It is not a
possibility. It's everlasting peace through
an everlasting covenant. Look with me at Hebrews chapter
10. Hebrews 10 verse 11 says, And
every priest standeth daily, ministering and offering oftentimes
the same sacrifices which can never take away sins. But this
man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat
down on the right hand of God, from henceforth expecting till
his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected
forever them that are sanctified." Christ made peace through his
own death, He made peace for every sheep His Father chose
to save. It was ordered and sure before
this world was ever created. It's going to be ordered and
sure long after this world is gone. Still ordered and still
sure. It is the everlasting covenant
in His blood. Now what is all of that unto? What does all of that produce
in a child of God? Back in Hebrews 13, verse 20
says, Now the God of peace that brought
again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of
the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working
in you That which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ. Every good work in a child of
God. Is God working in the child? Outside of that, there is no
good work in a child of God. There is nothing that a sinful
man or woman can produce that God will call good. It is God,
Philippians 2.13 says, it is God which worketh in you both
to will and to do of his good pleasure. Now, this is how I
can know if I'm one of the sheep that Christ made peace for. Am
I a sheep? Am I one of His sheep? This is
how I can know if I'm a sheep. He will perform a perfect work
in me, causing me to do His will. And what is His will? What is
His will? He said, This is My beloved Son,
hear Him. He'll do a work in me, causing
me to do His will. That's what He'll do. He said,
This is my beloved Son. Hear Him. He said, Believe on
Him. Follow Him. That's what He said.
The Lord Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh, came to His disciples
and said, Follow Me. That's what you're going to do.
You're going to follow Me. We just read a second ago in John
10, our Lord said, my sheep, believe my word, hear my voice
and follow me. That's what he told him. He said,
you believe not because you're not my sheep. My sheep hear my
voice. and they follow me. They believe,
they hear, and they follow. If that's us, if we believe His
Word, what does the Word say? Stop trying to do the works of
the law to be saved and believe on the work of Christ. If we believe His Word, if we
believe that peace with God is finished, it's finished through
Him, If we hear His voice as our Great Shepherd saying, Come
unto Me and I'll give you peace and rest. If we trust that the
Father is drawing us to follow Him, then we're one of His sheep.
I believe His Word. I hear His voice. He is our peace. And no man can come to Him except
the Father which sent Him draw that man. And I believe the Father's
drawing me to Him. I believe He's the only place
I have to go. I can't find one page in the
law that will allow me to stand before God on my own. He's all
I have. If that's the case, then we're
one of His sheep. And if we're one of His sheep,
We will know beyond any shadow of a doubt where all the praise
and glory must go. If we're one of His sheep, I
mean, we'll be convinced. We will be convinced. Verse 21,
look at the end of verse 21. It says, To whom be glory forever and ever. To whom? Praise and glory belongs to whom? Our worship does not revolve
around what? And that's a big statement. Most
places, the worship revolves around what? Well, what do you
say we have to do to be saved? Do y'all preach baptism? Is that what it is? You got to
be baptized and be saved? Or do y'all preach tongues? Is
that what it is? Is that the thing you have to
do? Our worship does not revolve
around what? It revolves around whom? The God that made peace for us. Christ Jesus our Lord. To Him
be glory. forever and ever. Amen. All right, let's all stand together.