The God of Peace will make us into His own image. He will make us perfect in every good work to do His will, which is pleasing in His sight.
Key verses:
Hebrews 13:20-25
I ask you to take your Bible now and turn one more time to Hebrews chapter 13, Hebrews chapter 13. To begin with, we’ll read just verse 20, but we want to look at verses 20-25, Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 20.
Hebrews 13:20: “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,”
I want to focus on that phrase of the verse, “Now the God of peace.”
Key to Understanding the Old Testament
This is the final study in our series we’ve been doing on Wednesday night; I haven’t even kept track of the many weeks now on Wednesday night. We were going through the Book of Hebrews.
“So, what are you going to do next week? We’ll start James.” Well, probably not, but that would be the next book, but that’s likely not where we’re going.
But the key word in Hebrews, as we’ve been telling you all the way through, is the word “better.” It’s interesting. There are 13 chapters in the Book of Hebrews, and the word “better” appears 13 times. Isn’t that interesting? Now, it’s not in every chapter. There is one chapter where it appears twice. However, 13 times the word “better” appears in 13 chapters of the book. There are things in the New Testament that are better than those of the Old Testament.
So, the Book of Hebrews was written to Hebrew believers in Christ to help them understand the New Testament – what the New Testament is, but also for our benefit. It gives us a key to understanding the Old Testament. You read the Old Testament and say, “Well, a lot of things there I don’t understand, and a lot of things I find difficult.” Well, you study the Book of Hebrews, and most, if not all, of those questions will be answered.
Often, people would say to me, people who have not studied the Bible, and they say, “Well, I want to start reading the Bible. Where do I start?” I usually recommend they start in the New Testament, and honestly, I usually tell them start in the Gospel of John. Why? John was written so that you might believe. It is written so that you will believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
You do not have to start reading the Bible by reading in the New Testament. You can start in Genesis, and you can read all the way through. Many people do that and let me state very clearly, there is nothing wrong with doing it that way. I’m not telling you don’t do that. You can do that. Many people do it and it isn’t, again, it’s not wrong to do so.
But the reason why I recommend people who haven’t studied the Bible to start in the New Testament is, again, it’s easier for them to understand. If you go back to Genesis, you’re going to start reading Genesis, the story of the creation story of Adam and Eve and their family, and then the story of Noah and the ark. You’re going to get on through that, and you’re going to get to the days after the flood.
You’re going to come to chapter 11. You’re going to talk about the Tower of Babel. You’re going to understand all that, and you’re going to get into the story of Abraham in chapter 12. And then Isaac and Jacob, you’ll understand all of that. Then you’ll get into the story of Joseph, that great story of Joseph.
Do you know Joseph and Daniel are the only two major characters of the Bible about whom no negative statements are given? Other than the Lord himself, of course. But nothing negative is said about Joseph. Nothing negative is said about Daniel. Now, were they sinful men? They were. They were sinners like the rest of us. That’s not the part of their lives that we’re told about. We’re told about their great faith. In both cases, Joseph and Daniel.
Then you get into Exodus and you’re going to start with the story of Moses and that’s going to be interesting to you. And then how God called Moses and used him. The people of Israel cried out for a Redeemer, and God sent them Moses. You’re going to like the stories of Moses leading the people through Israel.
You’re going to get up to about chapter 20, and then you’re going to get into the law. You’re going to get bogged down and say, “I don’t get this. I don’t understand why in the world all this washing that and washing that and this. Why do they have to put their hands on the head of a goat? Why must they slit his throat and take this one goat outside the camp and another one inside the camp? And why do I care what they did with the priest and what garments they wore? Why do they put oil on the earlobe, on the thumb, and on the toe? You don’t understand all that. Now, it all makes sense; it really does. But you kind of get bogged down.
Start In the New Testament
If you read the New Testament first, beginning with John, then I’d read Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Then I’d read Acts and Romans, and I’d go through the New Testament, and then you get through Hebrews.
Then go back and read the Old Testament, and it’s going to make a lot more sense to you. You’re going to kind of say, “Yeah, I get this. I’m following this.” Now, do you have to do it that way? You do not have to do it that way. “Well, if I don’t do it that way, am I never going to understand the Bible?” You can understand the Bible if you don’t do it that way. You certainly can. I’m just trying to make it easier for those who aren’t familiar with the Bible and don’t know its layout. But I’m not criticizing the order of the books of the Bible. They’re put together by Divine order. I’m not criticizing that at all; I’m just trying to help people who aren’t familiar with it get started.
But 13 times that word “better” is in Hebrews. There are things in the New Testament that are better than those of the Old Testament, and we’re told that in Hebrews. What are some of those things? Well, some of them are these: Christ is better than the angels; Christ is a better priest than the priest of the Aaronic order – that is, the priest of the old tabernacle and temple; Christ gives us a better covenant or testament than the old covenant or testament; Christ takes us into a better sanctuary, Christ gave a better sacrifice than the sacrifices of the Old Testament; Christ takes us to a better country, even better than the land that God promised to Abraham, even better than the land God promised to Abraham; and Christ gives us a better resurrection.
Now, that’s not all of it. There are 13, and I only gave you seven. “Well, that sounds to me like there are six more.” You’re pretty good at math, and you figured that out. We went through all that, and I encourage you to look at it again. So, the Book of Hebrews, again, is the key to understanding the Old Testament. It explains the major themes of the Old Testament, and now, we come to the last six verses of the book of Hebrews.
We’re going to find the theme here, which is God’s predestination for believers in Jesus Christ. “Did I just hear you say predestination?” Yes. “Well, I know what that means. That means God has appointed some people to Hell and some people to Heaven.” Well, let’s see if that is indeed what it’s all about. I encourage you to read the Bible, study the Bible, and you’ll see.
The Harmonious Relationship
So, go to verse 20 now, and our theme for tonight is the God of Peace. Verses 20 and 21 talk about the God of Peace, that exact phrase “God of Peace.” Now, you’ll find the words “God” and “peace,” I think, something like 155 verses in the Bible.
But there are five verses in the Bible where the exact phrase “God of Peace” appears, and all five of those verses are in the New Testament. In these five cases, peace means a harmonious relationship. The God of a harmonious relationship. “Well, what does that mean? What is a harmonious relationship?” Well, harmony is beautiful.
I thought about doing this, and then I changed my mind. But I thought about having brother Jeff play a chord and then play one that’s totally out of harmony and let you hear the difference. You will like the first one, and you will not like the second one if we did. Thank you, but we’ll go on now. Think about it: music that is in harmony.
Harmony fits things together perfectly. Let me say that again. Harmony fits things together perfectly. It is an interweaving of various sounds that blend with each other to produce magnificent splendor. How’s that for a wordy definition? Okay, let me run that by you again. Harmony is an interweaving of various sounds that blend with each other to produce magnificent splendor.
Now, keep that in mind when we tell you that – the God of all peace. The peace here means the God of a harmonious relationship. What is that harmonious relationship? It is the relationship between God and His children or, as it’s going to say in this passage, the Shepherd and His sheep.
So, let me share with you those five occurrences of the exact phrase the God of Peace. The first one is Romans 15:33. I’m not going to ask you to turn to these because we’re going to go fairly quickly, and they’re not on your screen, so listen carefully. Romans 15:33, Paul writes:
Romans 15:33: “Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.”
It is the exact same wording whether you’re talking about Greek or you’re talking about English. It’s the exact same reading as it is here in Hebrews 13:20, “the God of all peace be with you all. Amen.” That’s a blessing that’s spoken, “The God of peace be with you all.”
The Prophecy of the God of Peace
Then the next one is in Romans. In the next chapter, Romans 16:20 says, “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan.” Now, that ought to bring to your mind Genesis 3:15, where the promise is that the seed of the woman would bruise the head of the serpent, and the serpent would bruise the heel of the seed of the woman. Now, the seed of the woman clearly indicates a virgin birth because whenever you read of anybody other than Jesus Christ in the Bible, you read of anybody else being born as always the seed of the man.
But in Genesis 3:15, there is one who is the seed of the woman, not the seed of the man, and that one being virgin born. We’re told this explicitly in Isaiah 7:14 and in Matthew chapter 1, that the one who is born of the seed of the woman gets his heel bruised by the serpent.
Now, when our Lord was crucified, He was nailed to the cross. You know that, and they drove the nail: they crossed the ankles, and they drove the nail through the ankles, which separated the ankle bones and held the ankles to the cross. And then they put the other nails in the wrist. Some say, “Oh no. It says in the hand.” Well, in the manner of speaking of that day and time, the wrist was considered part of the hand. So, it’s not a mistranslation. It’s not a misunderstanding of the word, either.
Some years ago, I guess it must be decades ago now, and I got to see this. I don’t remember how many years ago, but a group of us from the church here got in the church van one day and went down to Fort Lauderdale to see a special exhibit, an archaeological exhibit that was in a museum down there of some pretty amazing archaeological finds.
Among them was the James ossuary. I’m not going to get into that now. We’ve talked about that before, and if you don’t know what that is, ask me after the service, I’d be glad to explain it to you. Just for the sake of time, we’ll move on.
But another one was the remains, and the only remains, so far, that have been found, and this is interesting, of a man who was crucified. Now, what’s amazing about that is thousands upon thousands of people were crucified and found remains of one. They happened to know that this man’s name was Johanan or John. No, it is not the Apostle John. I don’t think it’s any of the Johns you read about in the New Testament. You see, Yehohanon, or John, was a common name then, just like it is today.
But this Johanan had been crucified, and what made him unique was when the spike went in through his ankle bones. This is how we know where this nail went. It went and separated the ankle bones. Why is that significant? Because the prophecy of the Lord is that when he’s crucified, not a bone should be broken. The bones weren’t broken. They were separated but not broken. “Well, isn’t that broken?” No, it’s separated. By the way, Psalm 22 predicts the very words that Jesus would speak and the people around the cross would speak. Psalm 22, centuries before Jesus, came down to the very words that would be spoken. And it says there, “All my bones are out of joint.” Is that something? “All my bones are out of joint.
So, with this man, Johanan, the spike went through the ankle bones into the wood, but when it got into the wood, the point of the nail hit a knot and bent the point of the nail. So, when they took this man down off of the cross, and this is what they have today, what we’ve seen today. They couldn’t pull the nail out because it was bent inside the wood. So, they cut off his ankle bones, and that part of the cross that is preserved to this day. Now, why would God allow that? Well, it gives us some insight into crucifixion. It does.
“Now, why did you go through all of that?” Because I’m talking to you about Romans 16:20, “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan,” and He did. At the cross, He bruised Satan. Satan bruised His heel when that spike went through the ankle bones, going through from the front. Where did it come out? It comes out by the heel. Satan, the serpent, should bruise the heel of the seed of the woman. And here in Romans 16:20, “the God of peace shall bruise Satan.”
There’s something different in Romans 16:20. In Genesis 3:15, the seed of the woman will bruise the head of the serpent. Bruising the heel is a wound, a serious wound, but bruising the head is a death blow. I’ve said this here many times, and I’ve said it here recently. Just a few weeks ago, we said this, but I’m going to share it with you one more time just to help you understand more about Genesis 3:15. Bruising the head is a death blow.
I tell people all the time that if you’re going to protect yourself, if you’re being attacked, you’re going to protect yourself. Keep at least one hand up. You may have both hands up. It’s not necessarily wrong to do that, but keep at least one hand up and one about the middle of your body. Why? The middle of your body, we call that the center line. It’s where all your vital organs are: your heart is here, your lungs are here, your liver lies across here, and your vital organs are all right there. If you get hurt there it’s going to be serious, but those vital organs are protected by your rib cage. The rib cage is pretty tough.
Here’s where I’m going with that. If you had to defend yourself against somebody, particularly if they had a weapon, but even if they didn’t, and if they broke your arm, you would be in pain. You would have one less thing to defend yourself with. But you could still defend yourself. It’s been done before. If they broke your leg, you would have trouble standing, and it would be extremely painful, but you could still defend yourself. If they break a rib, every breath you take is going to hurt, but you could still defend yourself. But you must protect your head because if they break your head you’re done, it’s over. Does that make sense to you?
The blow to the head is a death blow. I have many times, more times than I like, too many times, I’ve seen somebody hit one time in the head and they’re knocked out like that. With one bang, they drop to the floor out cold.
What I’m telling you this for is to tell you in Genesis 3:15, the seed of the woman delivers a blow to the head of the serpent. The serpent delivers a blow to the heel of the woman, but that is Genesis 3:15.
Bruising Satan Under Our Feet
Romans 16:20, I haven’t finished it for you yet. Listen: “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly,” – and that something under your feet, well, how does the God of Peace bruise Satan under your feet? “I thought it was the seed of the woman who bruises the head of the serpent.” You thought correctly. You didn’t get it wrong. “Well then, why does it say under your feet?” Well, listen carefully. Again, I still haven’t finished Romans 16:20.
Romans 16:20: “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”
How does God bruise the head of the serpent? The head of Satan under your feet through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. That’s how. Now, that’s Romans 16:20.
The next occurrence is in Philippians 4:9, where it says this:
Philippians 4:9: “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”
Paul is writing to the church of Philippi, and he says, “Those things which you have learned,” – you’ve learned the teaching of the Word of God, those things which you have learned by the teaching of the Word of God, those things which you have received because you weren’t just sitting there letting it all blow by you.
But you received it, you received the Word, you heard, and you saw it in me, in Paul. He’s saying do “those things, those things which you have learned, and received, and heard, and seen me, do.” And when that happens, when you do, “the God of peace shall be with you.”
Now, you might think Paul was a little bit too full of himself to say do what you’ve seen me do, but in another place, he says, “Be ye followers of me,” no period there. You might think this is an arrogant fellow. But he says, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” You know what? He’s literally saying, he’s saying, “I’m following Jesus.” There’s the Lord. I’m following Him. You get behind me, and we’ll both be following Him.” That’s what he’s saying, that’s it plain and simple. And that’s what he’s saying:
Philippians 4:9: “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”
The next one is 1 Thessalonians 5:23 which it says:
1 Thessalonians 5:23: “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly,” – catch hold of that, “sanctify you wholly.” To sanctify means to cleanse and set apart for God’s service. So, the very God of Peace cleanses you and sets you apart for God’s service.
1 Thessalonians 5:23: “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
“Your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” When is that going to happen? How’s it going to happen? When the very God of Peace sanctifies you holy. Now, that’s very important, and to what we’re going to finally see about the God of Peace here because those are the first four, I told you five times, the phrase God of Peace appears.
Having Peace with God
And the fifth time is here in Hebrews 13:20:
Hebrews 13:20: “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,”
“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus,” – He’s called the God of Peace because the God of Peace wants us to have peace with Him in the New Testament. The New Testament was written during the days of the Roman Empire when the Romans worshipped many gods. I don’t mean m-i-n-i gods. I mean many gods. They had a god of everything, a god of this, and a god of that.
I want you to think about something. I’m not going to dwell on it, just plant a seed thought here. The Romans worshiped many gods, and they had a god of the harvest, and they had a god of travel, and they had a god of this, and a god of that.
Then Christianity was made the official religion of the Roman Empire. All of a sudden, you had a saint of travel and a saint of, just think about it, okay? But the god of war, the Roman god of war, is Mars, Mars, the Roman God of war. We’re not looking at the god of war here we’re looking at the God of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6: “And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
So, the God of Peace, not the God of war, not Mars. We’re not worshiping Mars. The only good thing about Mars was the chocolate bar. Thank you, that was supposed to be funny. Apparently, two of us thought it was. The fact of the matter is the God of Peace. He is the God of Peace because of what it says in Romans 5:1. Listen carefully:
“Therefore being justified by faith,” – how are we justified? By faith. Somebody’s listening. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God,” – when you are justified by faith, now, you have peace with God. That’s not the end of the verse.
Romans 5:1: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”
How do you have peace with God? When you’re justified by faith. How are you justified? By faith through our Lord Jesus Christ. That’s Romans 5:1.
If you were reading Romans 5, I’d ask you to drop down to verse 10, where it says, “For if, when we were,” – past tense. “When we were enemies,” – with whom? We were enemies with God.
“For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God,” – reconciled our differences, put away, “we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son.”
Romans 5:10: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”
Romans 5:11: “And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.”
That’s the God of Peace. He made peace with the enemy. Who’s the enemy? We were separated from God by our own sin. Enemies of God by our own rebellion, and yet sanctified, reconciled, cleansed, set apart, for his service. All of that is by faith in Christ through the grace of God, and “we have now received our atonement.”
So, the God of Peace, it says in verse 20, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus. And the resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate proof of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:14: “And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.”
You have believed a lie. Either Jesus rose from the dead and it’s all true or Jesus didn’t rise from the dead and none of it’s true. Do you understand that everything we believe hinges on the resurrection of Jesus Christ? The resurrection of Jesus Christ changed the history of the world. It changed the history of mankind. It is the concrete proof that the Bible is true. It is the Word of God, and our faith is not in vain in Him.
I said in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul writes that if Christ be not risen then is our faith in vain. You’re yet in your sins. We are of all men most miserable because we believed a lie. But later on in the same chapter, a few verses later, it says, “but now is Christ risen from the dead.” It is true, He did rise from the dead. It’s for real.
So, the God of Peace brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus.
The Great Shepherd
Then it says in verse 20:
Hebrews 13:20: “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep,”
“That great shepherd of the sheep,” – I don’t like being called a sheep. You know, sheep aren’t known for their great intelligence, and they’re not known for their great strength. I think I’m pretty smart and pretty strong, and I don’t like being called a sheep, really. I do like being one of His sheep. I do. There were 99 in the fold, but He needed a hundred. His Shepherd came seeking the one that was lost. I’m so glad He did. I’m so glad He did. So, it says:
Hebrews 13:20: “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep,”
Jesus said:
John 10:14: “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.”
John 10:15: “As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.”
John 10:16: “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.”
That’s a tremendous statement, I wish I had time to expound on that, “Other sheep have I 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.”
Now, that’s John 10:14 to 16.
I and My Father Are One
A few verses later in John 10:27 to 30, He says:
John 10:27: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:”
John 10:28: “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”
John 10:29: “My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”
John 10:30: “I and my Father are one.”
No mistake about it. You know, there are those who will tell you, and I’ve had them tell me, “Well, yes, you misunderstood that.” Let me tell you something. You read the Bible, and you read a phrase like “I and my Father are one” – what it means is this: Jesus said, “I and my Father are one.” That’s it, plain and simple.
But I’ve had people come to me, “You see, you don’t really understand that verse, what He was really saying there.” Be careful about people who say, “Well, you read it, but you don’t understand what He was really saying.” They say what he’s really saying is that it’s like a husband and wife. They’re married so long, and they think alike, and they talk alike, and it’s like they were one person. So, what he’s saying is my father and I are so much alike it’s like we were one.
Now, here’s the problem with that theory. First of all, it’s not what it says. Number one problem, Jesus said, “I and my Father are one.” Secondly, the next verse after that says:
John 10:31: “Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.”
They’re going to stone Him. Why? By the way, it says, “took up stones again to stone him.” That means they had done that before. Where did they do that before? Back at the end of John chapter 8. This is John chapter 10. Go back two chapters, end of John chapter 8. They were going to stone Him then, too. Jesus said:
John 10:32: “Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?”
He said: for good. They said:
John 10:33: “The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.”
And Jesus said, “Oh, hold on fellas, you misunderstood. I know that’s what I said, but that’s not what I really meant.” No, He didn’t. He did not. So, two times: at the end of John chapter 8 and then in John chapter 10, they were going to stone Him. Both times, for the same reason, they said you’re making yourself God, and He didn’t deny it. So, if you have any doubt about it, there’s your proof that when He says, “I and my Father are one,” what He really meant was, “I and my Father are one.”
So, the God of Peace who makes peace between our holy God and us who are sinful in our hearts. The God of Peace who brought up Jesus, brought up again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep. The God of Peace breaks the sin barrier, saves us, and makes us His sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant.
The Everlasting Covenant
The end of verse 20, “through the blood of the everlasting covenant.”
Now, let’s start again at the beginning of verse 20, and we’ll go to verse 21 you’ll get the flow of thought:
Hebrews 13:20: “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,”
No period there, a comma so continuation of the same thought, The God of Peace, that brought Jesus again from the dead “through the blood of the everlasting covenant,”
Hebrews 13:21: “Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
Being Made Perfect
“Make you perfect?” What does that mean? It means God wants to make you perfect. It means more than that. It means God will make you perfect. What does it mean? That He’s going to make you perfect. Well, let’s keep reading. He’s going to 21, “Make you perfect in every good work to do his will,” – He’s going to bring you to the point that in your life you do every work, He’ll do this great work in you through the Lord Jesus Christ. He will make you perfect in every good work to do his will. You’re going to do His will. Let’s read verse 21 from the beginning:
Hebrews 13:21: “Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
Now, how is He working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight? “Through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” So, He will make you perfect in every good work to do His will. You will do His will, and you will be doing that which is well pleasing in His sight, and He will do great work in you “through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever.”
So, when you’re doing His will and His work, that is Him in you, empowering you to do it. What did we tell you just I think it was last Sunday night, two Sunday nights ago I guess it was? We talked to you about the Lord God of Elijah, and why does the Spirit of God dwell in you? And why do you ever have the power of the Holy Spirit? It is so that you can do the will of God. You are empowered and equipped to do God’s will, and that is available to every believer.
You know what’s sad about that? I say the vast majority of believers never tap into that. It’s there available for them. The Holy Spirit indwells every believer. Every believer can have the power of the Holy Spirit to do the work and the will of God, to do that which is well pleasing in His sight. You won’t do it in your own strength; you don’t have it in you.
Read Romans chapter six and chapter seven. He’s going to make us perfect. The God of all Peace will make us perfect. What does that mean? Listen carefully. I quoted it to you before or read to you, I should say, from the Book of Romans.
Predestinated to Conform in His Image
I’m going to read to you from the book of Romans again for a second. Romans chapter six and chapter seven, when you get to the end of chapter seven, you may start to get a little discouraged with yourself. That’s why you then have to read chapter eight. Because the end of chapter six talks about us being separated from God by our sins. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord.”
At the beginning of chapter six, you are either surrendered to the flesh or you surrendered to God. You surrender to sin, and sin overrules your life. You surrender to God, and He will overrule your life.
Chapter seven discusses the struggle that’s inside every one of us between the new nature, which is Christ, and the old nature, which is Adam or the sin nature. It ends chapter seven where Paul says:
Romans 7:24: “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”
And then chapter eight:
Romans 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
That’s verse one, and two, verses 29-30:
Romans 8:29: “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate,” –
“There it is preacher. I’ve been trying to tell you this. You’re so hard-headed. Do you want to listen? God has predestinated us.” Okay, yeah, that’s what it says. He predestinated us.
Now, can we see what He predestinated us to do? What are we predestined to do? Listen, you can look at it, Romans 8:29 to 30, “For whom he did foreknow,” – God knows everything? Yes, He does. He knows what you’re going to do and what you’re not going to do. Absolutely. But He still gives you a choice in the matter.
“Well, prove that.” Easy. You read all through the Old Testament. God says to people: if you will do this, then I will do this, but if you won’t do this, then I’m going to do this. Very simple. He gives you a choice. He actually says (paraphrasing), “I set before you two ways, and you pick which one you’re going to go.” We could spend a lot of time on that. We may do so at some future date if the Lord allows.
But “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be” saved or not saved. You know that’s not what it says. Can I say it again? That is not what it says. What does it say? Here we go:
Romans 8:29: “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
What has He predestinated us to do? He’s predestinated us to be conformed to the image of His Son. What does the word “conform” mean? It means to be molded into His image. Now, you think back, how did God originally create us? In His image.
Genesis 1:27: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
And now, we’ve lost the image of God through sin. But when you are a believer in Christ, you are born again. And that image of God is reborn in you. Now He wants you to be conformed, molded, into His image. And that’s what He’s predestinated you to do.
Romans 8:29: “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he [Jesus Christ] might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
That’s verse 29, verse 30:
Romans 8:30: “Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”
Now, that’s Romans 8:29-30.
Perfecting of the Saints
In Ephesians 4:11-15, and I go to this passage often. Part of this passage, verse 11, Ephesians 4:11, is a verse that God used to speak to me about staying here in this church 40-some years ago, coming up on 42, I think. Ephesians 4:11-15:
Ephesians 4:11: “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;”
Ephesians 4:12: “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:”
What are all these gifts to the church for? The perfecting of the saints. What is the perfecting of the saints? He also did predestinate to be conformed, molded, into the image of His dear Son. The perfecting of the saints.
Ephesians 4:11: “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;”
Ephesians 4:12: “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:”
Ephesians 4:14: “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine,”
Like I see happening to people all the time. A new wind of doctrine blows along, and they just blow right along with it. And it’s not even a hurricane-force wind.
Ephesians 4:11: “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;”
Ephesians 4:12: “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:”
Ephesians 4:14: “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;”
But here it is:
Ephesians 4:15: “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:”
Grow up into Him. Into who? Into Jesus Christ. You mean we’re going to be Jesus Christ? No, we’re going to grow up into His image. We’re going to be conformed to the image of His Son.
Romans 8:29, that’s what He’s predestined us to do. The believer is going to be conformed to the image of His Son. We “may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.” Let’s get the whole thought:
Ephesians 4:11: “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;”
Ephesians 4:12: “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:”
Ephesians 4:14: “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;”
Ephesians 4:15: “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:”
And what does it say? The God of Peace will make us into His own image. He will make us perfect in every good work to do His will. He is going to make us so that we do that which is well pleasing in His sight.
Verse 22, “And I beseech you brethren,” – I’m pleading with you brethren. I’m pleading with you brethren, not the lost world, not talking to the unbeliever, not talking to that one who has not been born again, but talking to the brethren, fellow believer:
Hebrews 13:22: “And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation: for I have written a letter unto you in few words.”
“Oh, I’ve got such a headache. I’m suffering today. That’s not what it means. It’s not what it means, not what it means. I know what you’re thinking. If I had a head like yours, mine would hurt too.” But the truth of the matter is, “suffer” here means allow. So, “I beseech you,” – I plead with you, brethren, allow “the word of exhortation.”
The Paraclete
Do you want to hear something beautiful? Allow the word of exhortation. Do you know what exhortation is? In this case, comfort. It’s “paracletus.” It’s the same word that’s used by Jesus of the Holy Spirit when He says the Comforter shall come – the paraclete. Who is the paraclete? The one who’s called alongside to stand beside you, to put His arm around you, to be with you, to comfort you.
When I hear of somebody who’s lost a loved one, my prayer is for the Comforter to come and do His work with him. But you know, as a believer, you have the paraclete, the Comforter, with you all the time. That’s the same word here in the exhortation, I plead with you brethren, I beseech you brethren, allow (suffer), allow the word of comfort, and here I think it’s a little bit humorous, for I have written a letter unto you in few words. How many weeks have we been studying this? I’ve written a letter to you in a few words.
I had to look this up, I just had to, “few words.” Do you know how many words are in the book of Hebrews? 4,953. You know, whoever wrote that “few,” they must have been a worthy person. That’s okay because these are God’s words. “I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation: for I’ve written a letter to you in few words.” Period.
Grace Be With You All
Now, verses 23 to 25 are a personal closing to the book because it is an epistle. It is a letter to certain believers, Hebrew believers. In verse 23, he says:
Hebrews 13:23: “Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you.”
“Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty.” Let me tell you what that’s not talking about. It’s not talking about that Timothy just got saved. Timothy gets saved and we read about him in the book of Acts and then in 1 and 2 Timothy. What does it mean “Timothy set at liberty”? Well, apparently Timothy must have been in prison with the writer of Hebrews. That gives us a clue to the writer of Hebrews. People debate because the writer is not named in the book. There’s a clue in chapter 10, and there’s another clue here as to who the writer of Hebrews is. But our brother Timothy is set at liberty. He’s been released from prison.
Hebrews 13:23: “Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you.”
The writer hopes to come and visit these Hebrew brethren. He hopes to see them again. He hopes to spend time with them. If Timothy comes, I hope to come with him. Now, more than one person would have traveled with Timothy. But there’s one in particular that we know that was Timothy’s close companion, or better said, Timothy was his close companion. So, verse 24, he says:
Hebrews 13:24: “Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you.”
“Salute all them that have the rule over you,” – and we talked about that earlier. He talked about it earlier in this chapter. And “them that have rule over you” means the pastors or the elders of the church, not dictators, but those who minister the Word. Then he says, “Salute all the saints,” – all the believers, all the brothers. Then, I think it’s interesting that it says, “They of Italy salute you.” That gives us a clue as to where this was written from.
Now, you have to understand that in the days of the Roman Empire, every citizen of the Roman Empire was a Roman. You’re a citizen of the Roman Empire. You were a Roman, but not every Roman was of Italy. “Say, what do you mean by that?” I mean, the Roman Empire covered a vast amount of acreage, shall we say, in many different countries. So, you could be a Roman citizen and not be from Italy.
But this is written from Italy. Why is that significant? Paul was in prison in Rome. The truth of the matter is that Timothy was also in prison in Rome at some point. We know that other people mentioned in the New Testament were imprisoned in Rome, so somebody who was imprisoned in Rome knew Timothy. Timothy’s apparently been released. And they’re going to hope that Timothy is going to go visit the Hebrew brethren. They’ll be there with Timothy and the brethren.
“Salute all them who that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy,” – where I am when I’m writing to you, they “salute you.”
Finally he says, he gives an expression of godly love for all the Hebrew brethren when he says:
Hebrews 13:25: “Grace be with you all. Amen.”
Grace, the love and kindness of God our Savior toward man. “Grace be with you all. Amen,” Be it ever so.
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Let’s pray. Our Heavenly Father, thank you so much for your grace. Thank you so much for your love. Thank you so much for your kindness. Thank you so much for your mercy and saving us. Thank you for Jesus who loved us and gave himself for us, who says, “He that believes on me, has everlasting life.”
Thank you that we have the Comforter, the paraclete, the one called alongside. Thank you that we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Let us trust you for the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us live spirit-filled lives and spirit-led lives. Let us grow up into you. Let us continue to grow, be more like you, and truly be Christians who are like Christ.
Lord help us to pray one for one another as you’ve told us to do. Now, Lord, bless us as we go to a season of prayer, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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About the Speaker
Dr. Michael L. McClure
Senior Pastor
Dr. Michael L. McClure, our lead pastor, is known for his in-depth knowledge and effective teaching style of biblical truths applicable to everyday living.