Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Hebrews chapter 13. Hebrews 13. I would like for us to look at
the first four words of the 20th verse. Hebrews 13, verse 20. Now, the God of peace. Let's pray together. Our Father, how we thank You that, Lord,
we can call upon your holy name in the precious name of the Lord
Jesus Christ. And know that, Lord, for Christ's
sake, on his merit, by his intercession
mingled with our prayer, you hear us for his sake. Lord, would
you bless the services tonight. Lord, I ask thy will be done
for Christ's sake. Amen. The Apostle Paul had asked in
verse 18 to the Hebrews, pray for us, God's preachers have been called
to the highest calling that there is. There is no higher calling
in this world. To be called a preacher of the glorious gospel of God's
free grace. And with that high calling comes
also the very real understanding to the preacher who is sufficient
for these things. Men appointed by God everlastingly
to be a voice, a herald of the gospel of Christ And being men,
they are frail. They are frail creatures. Dust. And they know it. Brethren, pray for us. The Apostle Paul also declares
in verse 18, For we trust we have a good conscience in all
things, willing to live honestly, virtuously. We pray and thank the Lord, relying
on God's Spirit, who bears witness to our heart, that we be found
faithfully preaching the gospel, faithfully preparing, faithfully
asking God's blessing. Philippians 1.27 says that our
conversation or our manner of life, our walk, be as it becometh
the gospel of Christ. God's preachers are men, men
that are frail, but men that have a grave responsibility to
walk before God Almighty and men with realization of the ministry
that they've been called to. And they know the struggles.
And then the Apostle Paul does what he has asked the Hebrews
to do. And he prays for them. Now, I'm
going to read verse 20 and 21. We're just going to look at the
first four verses. And Lord willing, next time we'll
look at the rest of verse 20 and then 21. But let's read 20
and 21. 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. The Apostle prays. The God of peace. Now may we consider this evening
this blessed privilege. Praying for one another. Scripture
says in verse 23 of 1 Samuel 12, God forbid that I should
sin against the Lord. in ceasing to pray for you. Not that I should be careful
that I shouldn't sin against you, which we do by not praying for
one another, but ultimately, all sin is against God. God forbid
that I should not sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for
you. The Apostle speaks of Jehovah
in his relationship to his people. Here it is. In fact, those four
words, four marvelous divine words now, the God of peace. Five words. The God of peace. We always need to be reminded.
Man was ruined in the fall. Now, you know, by the grace of
God, a believer knows that. He knows that in Adam's fall,
by the imputation of Adam's sin, but by actual sin, my sin, my
iniquity has alienated me from God, alienated because of rebellion,
separated from God. And if there's ever going to
be any reconciliation, if there's going to be any peace, then the
God of peace is going to have to establish that peace. Peace. That word peace right
there. Set at one again. Set at one. Rest. The God of peace, may He be propitious
toward us. You know, we use that word, propitiation. Propitiation means appeasement. Appeasement. You remember when
the Lord told Moses to build the Ark of the Covenant. It was
a box and it had gold on the outside, gold on the inside. That box had a lid on top of
it. And on that lid there were two
graven cherubims. It was one piece of gold and
it was one lid. And the Lord said, I'll meet
you at the mercy seat. That word, appeasement, propitiation,
means appeasement. That's where I'm going to meet
you. The reason I'll meet you there is because peace has been
established. I'll meet you at the mercy seat. Peace. It was the Lord of Heaven, God
the Father, the Scripture sets forth, who was the one that actually
chose in perfect agreement with the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son
of God and the Holy Spirit. But the Scripture sets forth
that God the Father chose to show mercy to whomsoever He would. He was going to have to establish
peace, the God of peace. And for there to be any peace
between the offended God and the sinner, righteousness was
going to have to be established. See, this is the ignorance of
man as he is born in Adam. Man is ignorant. Man by nature
thinks that God just forgives, just arbitrarily just says, don't
worry about it. God is just. You have to understand
that without justice, without justice being served, God will
not Forgive sin. Without absolute justice, without
God's wrath poured out on God's Lamb, God will not forgive sin. Now you listen to this verse.
You've heard it. Without the shedding of blood
is no remission. There is no forgiveness. Without
justice being satisfied, God does not forgive sin. And that demand for fulfillment
and peace, justice being served, that demand is totally beyond
the capability of a man, a mere man, born in Adam, to fulfill.
Man is guilty. This is the problem. Man is guilty. Romans 3.19, now we know that
what thing soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under
the law, which is everybody born in Adam, that every mouth may
be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God.
But even here we see the grace of God. That Almighty God would
tell a man that he's guilty. Unless God Almighty reveals that
to a man, a man thinks he's not that bad. Men now justify themselves
according to other men. I said before, a worm comparing
itself to a worm is still a worm. Paul thanked God. Romans 7.25. He thanked God through Christ
Jesus our Lord. Which is the only way a man can
thank the Lord. God of heaven, through the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank God through Christ our Lord. With the mind I myself
serve, I bow to, admit to the law of God. I admit it's good.
What I admit is that I'm not able to keep it. But I know it's
good. I know God's law is good. What's
wrong with serving the Lord, loving the Lord thy God with
all your heart and mind? What's wrong with that? What's
wrong with that killing, murdering? What's wrong with that? What's
wrong with not stealing? The law of God is holy. Man is
guilty. Paul thanked God with the mind,
I myself serve the law of God, admitting to its holiness and
purity. But with the flesh, you also
thank the Lord that He knew He served the law of sin. I thank
the Lord that He reveals this to us. When we realize our need
of mercy is when God has given us a new heart. Cry out for mercy. But man is born ignorant of that
fact. He's ignorant of his guilt, but
that does not change the certainty of his guilt. And it doesn't
change the severity of the penalty either. Even in the Old Testament. Hold your place right here in
Hebrews. Hold your place and turn to Leviticus 5, verse 17. Leviticus. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus. Leviticus 5, verse 17 to 19. And what I said was, man is guilty. Born ignorant. of that guilt. But that ignorance doesn't change
the fact. In the Old Testament, there was
a sacrifice that was needed to cover the sin of ignorance. Leviticus 5, 17. Scripture says,
if a soul sins and commits any of these things which are forbidden
to be done by the commandments of the Lord, Though he wist it
not, though he didn't know it, yet is he guilty and shall bear
his iniquity. And he shall bring a ram without
blemish out of the flock with thy estimation." According to
the priest's declaration of what needed to be brought, is what
he's saying. for a trespass offering unto
the priest, and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning
his ignorance wherein he erred, and which did not, and it shall
be forgiven him." It is a trespass offering, and he hath certainly
trespassed against the Lord. I was driving through Fairmont
the other day, minding my own business, Driving the speed limit, 30 miles
an hour, 30 miles an hour. And I just drove right past the
sign that said, end of 15 miles an hour school zone. I didn't even know where I got
in it. But do you know what didn't change the fact? Thankfully,
I wasn't pulled over, but I was just as guilty and I knew it.
I mean, as soon as I saw that sign. I could have told the police
officer, I just didn't see the sign. Wouldn't have changed a
thing. Guilty. Man is guilty. And his ignorance is only aggravated
in his attempt to cover his sin. He's got a conscience. He's ignorant
of the righteousness of God. But he knows that he's guilty.
There is a conscience in every man. When Adam and Eve sinned
in the garden, the scripture says that Eve was beguiled. That means that she was deceived. Adam sinned with his eyes wide
open. But do you know that both of
them tried to cover their nakedness before God with fig leaves? Why? Because they were both guilty. Eve was beguiled, deceived. Adam sinned against God, knowing
the Lord had told Adam, in the day you eat of the fruit, you
are going to die. Man can attempt to reform outwardly
and clean up his act, but the Scripture says that the whole
head is sick, the whole heart is faint from the sole of the
foot even unto the head. There is no soundness. There
is no health in it. Man, guilty, and cannot cover
his guilt before God. He's ignorant on how God Almighty
must be just and can justify a sinner. He does not know. He does not know how sin is dealt
with How his sin can be covered, how there can be an atonement
made. So, what does he do? Well, Romans
10. Here's what he does. Romans chapter
10, verse 1 to 3. Every man by nature, this is
what he's going to do. He's talking about the Jews,
The Jews, the Gentiles, all in sin and unbelief. This is what
they do. Romans 10, verses 1 to 3. Brethren, my heart's desire
and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. Boy, what a heart of tenderness.
You know, I think about men, women that hear the gospel that
we preach. The gospel of free grace, sovereign
grace. electing grace, predestinating
grace. And usually you're going to find
when men hear those words, election, predestination, sovereignty,
man, I'm telling you, they bow up. They hate those words. They just frown on God's preachers
and God's people as though they're some kind of a, you know, like
they hate everybody. Y'all trying to close everybody
out. We want everybody to come in.
Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that
they might be saved. I've said before, I mean this.
I pray God have mercy on your family, on your kids, on your
wife, your husband. I pray the Lord have mercy. Save
your grandchildren. For I bear them record that they
have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they, being
ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish
their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto
the righteousness of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our
righteousness, our sanctification, our wisdom, our redemption. They
have not submitted themselves unto Him. God's people know that
all works-oriented religion, and that's everything that's
not free grace, all works religion is man's attempt to hide his
guilt before God, God with whom he's going to deal. Man's guilty
and ignorant. But I've got some good news.
Here's the good news. The psalmist declares, Psalm
130 verse 4, But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be
feared, respected, honored. There is forgiveness with thee. Oh, what a blessed word. But,
but, there is. That verse right there, Psalm
130 verse 4, the one that was just before that. Psalm 130 verse
3 said, If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who
shall stand? Lord, if you in absolute strictness
should call every man to account, for any shortcoming, for any
missing the mark, for any lack of conformity. Think about, for
yourself, think about me. When I think about the deviations
that I know about, the sins that I'm aware of, and then those
that I'm not aware of, I mean the mere fact that I've come
short of the glory of God. If it was left up to me, I don't
even know where the line is. I don't even understand the word
holy. I know He is. And for that, I'm
thankful. And I thank God that my sin of
ignorance is covered by the blood. But all thanks be unto God that
God does not mark iniquity. Lord, if you took one transgression,
if you marked sin, if you marked iniquity, Lord, who could stand? You mark one transgression, and
Lord, I'm condemned. But there's forgiveness for thee.
Full, free, sovereign, pardon in the precious great King, the
Lord Jesus Christ. And here's the bottom line. It's
God's prerogative to give it. I will have mercy on whom I'll
have mercy. I will have compassion on whom
I'll have compassion. Do you know what that makes a
believer do? To run afresh in his heart to
the Lord And thank God, thank You, Lord Jesus, that You'd have
mercy on me. Lord, thank You. When you hear
the glorious doctrine of election, it makes you thankful that God
Almighty did not leave you to yourself. And you continue to
pray for those that are without, without a knowledge of Him. It
does not make you hard. unsympathetic. It does not. Tender. Oh, Lord of heaven and earth,
where is this mercy found? Where is this peace found? One
place, in the Prince of Peace Himself. Not in man's ability,
in God's power, God's mercy, God's grace. Not by works of
righteousness which we've done, But according to His mercy, He
saved us by the washing of regeneration, renewing of the Holy Ghost. Thanks
be unto God, sinners are saved apart from any work, any merit
on their part. They have no merit. Christ Jesus
came to this world to save sinners. Everything we do is polluted.
with sin, every thought we think, every prayer that we would pray
not mingled with His merit. Without me, He said, you'd do
nothing. Salvation is all together in
the God of all grace, all mercy, all peace. He chooses to show
mercy to whomsoever He will. And then those that He chooses
to show mercy to, He draws them to sit under the gospel. The gospel of Christ that Paul
said, I'm not ashamed of. This is the power of God unto
salvation. And when He's pleased to do so,
when it pleases Him, to call one of his own out of darkness.
This is what he said he does. He said, I'm going to give you
a new heart. I'm going to give you a new mind,
a new will. You're going to have a new love,
born from above. And that new heart, born from
above, believes God and does not sin. It trusts the God of peace. It trusts the one who has established
peace, and He has established it by taking His Son, making
Him sin, a Calvary, laying on Him the iniquity of all of His
elect, every transgression that Almighty God knows and knew before
they ever did it. He knows. And made Him sin. There's another one that I can't
explain. But I know it so. And He poured out His wrath upon
His beloved Son. His Son cried, My God, My God,
why hast Thou forsaken Me? because he is a God of peace
toward his people. And sin is going to be dealt
with. And without the shedding of blood, there is no remission. And now that regenerated sinner
knows that the righteousness of God without the law, that
is, with no regard to the sinner's obedience to the law because
he couldn't obey it. Righteousness of God without
the law is manifested to the sinner's heart through the preaching
of the gospel. This is how you know. This is
God's revelation of how He has established peace being witnessed
by the law and the prophets. The Lord said, Moses spoke of
Me. Abraham believed God. This is what Abraham believed. Substitution. Peace through the
blood of the Messiah. And now this glorious gospel
sent from the God of peace declares that all for whom Christ died, God is going to have them. All that the Father chose and
the Son redeemed, the Spirit of God is going to regenerate
them. He is going to seal them. Going
to keep them. That blood atones. That blood
answers. It answers the demand for justice. He shed that blood. Crying from
that cross, it's finished. Peace. God's been satisfied eternally. And in time, the Lord Jesus Christ
accomplished it. Peace. All who believe that salvation
is totally by grace, they know by the revelation of the Spirit
of God. There's peace with God. And they know, don't ever look
in here for any answer. You look inside and I'm telling
you, you're disappointed. You're embarrassed. You look
inside, you'll cry again, Lord have mercy, which we always do. For all who believe God, I can
tell you this, Peace has eternally been purposed by God for you. To all that the Father has chosen
in Christ, peace has been procured by Christ for you. And peace
shall everlastingly be secured by the blood of Christ, that
blood that the Father ever sees. What I see the blood is our great
high priest stands before God. I say stands before God. Scripture
says he's seated. He's finished at the right hand
of God. Ever living to make intercession
for his people. His blessed witness of his accomplishment,
his work, and his merit His righteousness. These glorious truths that we
have been robed in the righteousness of Christ. And Mitch, we look
at ourselves. We say, like old John Newton,
can I deem myself a child? Robed in His righteousness? If
I believe Him, He said, I am. If I trust Him, I am. Lord, have mercy upon this needy
sinner and thanks be unto God, the God of all peace.