Word of Salvation – Vol. 53 No.1 – January 2008

 

A Closing Prayer

 

A New Year’s Sermon by Rev John Haverland

on Hebrews 13:20-21

Scripture Readings:  Psalm 90 and/or Eph 4:1-16; Hebrews 13

 

Theme: A prayer that God, through the death and rising of Christ, may work in us to do his will.

Purpose: To encourage you to do God’s will in this new year on the basis of the death and resurrection of Christ.

 

Brothers and Sisters in Christ.

The words of Hebrews 13:20-21 may be familiar words to you. They are often used as a benediction or blessing at the end of our worship services. They are fitting words to consider as we look back over the past year and consider the year that lies ahead of us. They express the desire of the writer for his readers and our prayer for each other.

Prayer is always addressed to God – in this case to “the God of peace”. It is encouraging to remember this because we live in troubled times. There is much about the present and the future that is disturbing and unsettling. Think about the situation in the world: The sectarian strife in Iraq, the atrocities in the Sudan, the continuous conflict in the Middle East, the threat of global warming, the prospect of declining reserves of oil. What will happen in the world in the future and even in this next year?

Think about our situation in New Zealand (or Australia): The breakdown of marriage and the family, the liberal trend of government legislation, the growing number of people who are dependant on government handouts, the increase in crime, violence, drug use, prostitution and so on.

And think about what is happening the church: Some churches are enthusiastic about evangelism but superficial in theology; others are wrong in their theology and declining in numbers. Our own denomination and churches sometimes suffer from divisions, cliques, disagreements, apathy and lukewarmness.

In all this we recall that God is the God of peace. He has peace in himself and so he can give peace, produce peace. He can grant peace with himself so that we are reconciled to him through Jesus. He can bring together those in the church who are opposed to each other and restore harmony and fellowship among Christian brothers and sisters. And he can give each one of us that inner peace that passes all understanding. He is the God of peace and this prayer is addressed to him.

The prayer falls into two parts:

1. What God has done in Christ.

2. What God will do for us.

WHAT GOD HAS DONE IN CHRIST is the basis for what God will do for us, so we consider that first.

The writer mentions “the blood of the eternal covenant”. There were many blood sacrifices in the Old Testament. They had to be repeated day after day and year after year because they could not pay for sin. This is why Jesus had to come. He was born to die. He had to shed his blood in death because he had to die for the sins of his people. He took our punishment on himself. He took our place. He laid down his life for his sheep. We needed a Saviour who was both God and man and so God sent his Son.

God had promised this in his covenant arrangement with his people. He first made this promise to Adam and Eve in the garden, and then formalised it with Abraham, and then repeated it over and over to his people Israel. Just before his death Jesus established the “new covenant in his blood”, but it was a new phase of an eternal covenant, an agreement between God and his people that had been planned in eternity and would last forever.

But after he had died the God of peace “brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus.” The resurrection of Jesus was the proof that sin had been paid for. If you buy something from the shop and you change your mind and want to return it, the shop will ask you for “proof of purchase”. You need a receipt to show that you actually bought it from that shop. The resurrection of Jesus is “proof of purchase” that the price of sin had been fully paid – God’s justice had been fully satisfied. It was the proof that the Lord Jesus had defeated Satan and death and evil. That’s why Easter Sunday is always such a joyful celebration of the risen life of Christ; because Jesus has won the victory, he has triumphed!

Because of his death and resurrection Jesus is now “that great Shepherd of the sheep”. The term shepherd in the Bible usually refers to a king, a ruler, a leader. David is referred to as the shepherd of Israel, not because he used to be a shepherd, but because he was the king (Ps 78:70 ff).

After his resurrection Jesus was exalted to God’s right hand to be the king of all things for the sake of the church. He was given a position of rule and authority. The writer of this letter says that Jesus is “now crowned with glory and honour because he suffered death…” (Heb 2:9).

He is ruler over his sheep. His sheep are his people, those whom God has chosen, the elect, all true believers. Jesus is gathering his sheep from all over the world so that eventually “there shall be one flock and one shepherd” (Jn 10:16).

You probably noticed that this chapter of Hebrews mentions the human leaders of the church. We are to remember them and obey them and submit to them (vss 7 & 17). But Jesus is our Chief Shepherd, the Great Shepherd. He is the Head of the church, which is his body. The pastor is not the head, nor are the elders – we are only under-shepherds, serving under the Lord Jesus himself.

That is very encouraging. Jesus is looking after us and watching over us. Let’s keep that in mind in this year to come. Jesus is always there. He will continue to watch over us and care for us. He won’t abandon his people.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,

he restores my soul. (Psalm 23)

He will do that for each one of us if we look to him and trust in him and place ourselves under his care.

We have considered what God has done in the Lord Jesus Christ. Secondly we consider, WHAT GOD WILL DO FOR US.

The writer asks that God will “equip you with everything good for doing his will.” The word “equip” is a significant and interesting word and it has two shades of meaning. One is to make complete, to make fully ready, to put in full order. The word is used in Ephesians 4 to describe the work of pastors and teachers who are “to equip the saints for the works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up.” This pictures the church as a building that is under construction, it is being built, but is not yet finished.

Who of us here is complete? Has anyone reached full maturity in Christ? Would any of you say that your life is fully in order and that there is nothing lacking? No, everyone of us is aware of weaknesses, failings, areas of deficiency. There is plenty of room for growth in many areas of our lives and character. Let’s not sit back content with our present position but let’s resolve that we will seek to grow through this year. Let’s strive for greater maturity so that we may be complete.

And this applies to us as a church, too. There are many good things in our church, much to thank God for, to be encouraged about. But there is plenty of room for growth – in zeal for evangelism, in hospitality towards one another, in practical demonstrations of love, in a better use of our gifts. Again, in congregational life, let’s make this year to come a year of growth “until we all reach unity in the faith and a knowledge of the Son of God” (Eph 4:13).

The other meaning of this word “equip” is to repair. Think again of the church as a building but this time the picture is of an established building that is in need to repair: some windows have broken, paint is peeling, door handles are falling off, the carpet is worn.

The churches addressed in this letter were suffering from disrepair. Not worn carpet and falling door handles, but spiritual disrepair. There were conflicts in the church, disagreements, divisions. The writer prayed that the God of peace would repair what was broken. He can do that because he is the God of peace. He can heal divisions, mend breaks, restore relationships and bring people together once again. May God do that wherever there are broken relationships among us.

But God can also do that in your own life where there is brokenness and hurt. Jesus came to preach good news to the poor and to bind up the broken hearted, to comfort all who mourn and to provide for those who grieve in Zion (Is 61:1-3). May God do that in your life wherever there is brokenness.

The writer asks that God will “equip you with everything good for doing his will.” This is a comprehensive request. Imagine if you went to one of your children and asked him what he wanted for his birthday. He went away and thought about it and came back to you with a huge long list of toys and gadgets that covered everything he could think of! The problem with this is that when we ask for presents we are usually asking for things that benefit us.

The writer here prays that God would give these believers absolutely everything they needed, not for their own interests, but rather so they could do God’s will. “Everything good” includes the grace of the Lord Jesus, the love of God and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It includes all the gifts that are given by the Spirit and all the fruit he works in us.

Do you pray for these things? Are these aspects of your requests? Are these the graces you are asking from God?

These are the things we need in order to do God’s will. His will covers his commands and laws. God’s will is that you be holy as he is holy. His will is that you be more sanctified and that you grow to be more like the Lord Jesus. It is God’s will that you do this in all the areas of your life, in all your activities, in every situation you find yourself – in marriage, in family life, in all your relationships, in your leisure, in your social life, in how you speak and live. God’s will is for Sunday and for Monday. It is comprehensive and broad in its scope; and it is precise and detailed in its application.

In this year to come may the God of peace “equip you with everything good for doing his will …and may he work in us what is pleasing to him.

The previous phrase described how we are to live in obedience to God – our good works, our holiness. This second phrase describes what needs to happen inside of us; what is internal will show itself externally. What is inside will show itself on the outside. A good tree will bear good fruit. So this is a work that takes place in us.

Notice also that it is God who works in us. Anything good that happens within us is the result of his work. This is a frequent emphasis in the Scriptures. “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Phil 2:12 f). “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph 2:10).

Yet you need to do something. God will work in you but you too must work. Christian growth is the work of the Holy Spirit and us working together.

Some people use this time of the year to make New Year’s resolutions. Suppose you resolved to be fitter and healthier this year. You will join a gym, do press-ups every morning, jog round the block; you will try to sleep well, and you will eat a balanced and healthy diet. If you want to be fit and healthy you must then do all this. Without these there will be no improvement.

It is the same spiritually. If you are going to grow you need to do spiritual exercises. You must feed on God’s Word in personal devotions, family devotions and in the worship services. You need to pray. You need to strive to obey God’s commands and put them into practice. Without these there will be no growth.

In this coming year will you work hard to grow so that you can do what is pleasing to God?

All this happens “through Jesus Christ”. Anything good that happens to us occurs through him. He is the centre of all of God’s work in us. Everything is based on him, channelled through him, done in his strength. Any growth we experience or progress we make is ultimately not the result of our work or effort but is the result of what God is doing through his Son.

That is why this prayer closes by giving all the glory to the Lord Jesus: “to whom be glory forever and ever.” Maybe this praise is directed to “the God of peace” – he is, after all, the main subject of this entire prayer. But this praise could also be directed to the Lord Jesus, who has just been mentioned. Perhaps it is best to see it as directed to both the Father and the Son.

This is a fitting passage for the close of a year and the beginning of a new one, and here is a fitting phrase for the end of this prayer. All the glory must go to God. This is the final goal of everything we do. This is the ultimate purpose of our lives. This is our highest calling – to give honour and praise and glory to God in all our living and all our worship.

As we move from one year to the next may the God of peace equip you with everything good for doing his will so that you might grow in grace and in a knowledge of Jesus Christ, so that all you do and say may bring glory to God and to his Son.

Amen.