Hebrews 13

Hebrews 13:1-2

“Let Brotherly Love Continue” “Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Hebrews 13:1-2 How often our Lord encourages us to love one another! Nothing is more like our Savior than love. Nothing is more unlike him than the absence of love. As he brings his Epistle to its inspired conclusion, the Apostle Paul makes his final word of instruction an encouragement to brotherly love. The last chapter of the Book of Hebrews begins with these words—”Let brotherly love continue.” Paul has been encouraging us to persevere in the faith, to continue in the grace of God, to run with patience the race that is set before us. Then, he says, “Let brotherly love continue.” It is as though he is saying, “The way to run this race, the way to persevere in grace, the way to walk in faith is to keep on loving one another.” Multitudes live in religious bondage, trying to obey rules and regulations imposed upon them by their leaders. These rules of bondage people everywhere call “practical godliness.” Our Lord calls them “vain traditions,” “works of the flesh,” “a vain show in the flesh,” and “a form of godliness.” Here, in these seven verses of Inspiration, the Holy Spirit shows us that godliness is to be measured by love. This is very much the same thing that James says in James 1:26-27. Love Expressed by Deeds First, we see that love is expressed by deeds (vv.1-4). As was his custom, having finished his doctrinal instruction, Paul here applies his doctrine to our everyday lives. He begins the application of his doctrine with these words, “Let brotherly love continue.” He is saying, “Children of God, never cease loving one another. Let nothing divide your hearts. Make it your life’s business to love one another and to show your love to one another. Let brotherly love continue in you and among you.” We are to love all men, even our enemies; but the love Paul is talking about here is that special family love that God plants in the hearts of his people for one another. It is the love of hearts united to Christ. – “The fruit of the Spirit is love” Galatians 5:22; John 13:35; 1 John 3:7-11; 1 John 4:20; 1 John 5:1). I am not talking about lip love. Anyone can say, “I love you,” or “I love my brethren.” Lip love is no love. Love is manifest by deeds. And the deeds, by which the love of Christ in us is manifest, are not matters about which we have to guess. If we love one another, we pray for one another. — That’s how Christ loves us. Isn’t it? If we love one another, we bear one another’s burdens. — That’s how Christ loves us. Isn’t it? If we love one another, we are forbearing, patient, longsuffering, and forgiving with one another. — That’s how Christ loves us. Isn’t it? If we love one another, we meet together to encourage and exhort one another. — That’s how Christ loves us. Isn’t it? If we do not love one another, any profession of faith we have is but a meaningless, vain delusion (1 Peter 2:17; 1 John 3:14-18; 1 Corinthians 13:1-7). Paul says, “Brethren, see that you make this the fixed principle by which you live, the unbroken habit of your lives. Love one another. As you grow in love for Christ, grow in love for one another.” Hospitality “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Hebrews 13:2). Here the Holy Spirit tells us something about how this love for the brethren is to be expressed. Love is hospitable, given to hospitality. We know that a pastor must be a man given to hospitality; but the reason that is a requirement for one who preaches the gospel is simply the fact that faith in Christ makes people loving, gracious, hospitable. The Amplified Version gives us an excellent paraphrase of this verse. — “Do not forget or neglect or refuse to extend hospitality to strangers [in the brotherhood ¯ being friendly, cordial, and gracious, sharing the comforts of your home and doing your part generously], for through it some have entertained angels without knowing it.” We must never neglect or fail to care for and meet the needs of God’s people in this world. When the Apostle tells us to “entertain strangers” he is not suggesting that we open our homes and invite people into them who are strangers to us, though that may certainly be included. We have a responsibility to protect our families. The strangers he speaks of here are the “strangers” spoken of in Hebrews 13:13 of chapter 11. They are our brethren who are “strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” We must never fail to use that which God has trusted to our hands, as stewards in his house, to benefit, minister to, and comfort his people in this world. We are to make it a matter of conscious effort to be friendly, cordial, and gracious toward God’s people (especially those who cannot return the kindness), sharing the comforts and provisions of our homes generously. When you invite one of God’s people into your home and into your life, you may just be inviting an angel of God, a special messenger of God into your home and life ¯ “for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Genesis 18:1-8; Genesis 19:1-3; Luke 24:28-31). And our Savior tells us that entertaining one of his people is entertaining him (Matthew 25:38-40).

Hebrews 13:3-7

Matters Relating to Brotherly Love In Hebrews 13:1-7 the Apostle Paul is urging us to make it our habit of life to walk in the exercise of brotherly love. We read in Hebrews 13:1-2 ¯ “Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” In Hebrews 13:3-7 he continues with the same subject, reminding us of specific matters relating to the exercise of brotherly love. Brethren in Need Brotherly love expresses itself by tenderly caring for brethren in need. ¯ “Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body” (Hebrews 13:3). This is not talking about prison ministries and caring for legally incarcerated criminals. It is talking about those who are in bonds for the gospel’s sake and those who suffer adversity (particularly God’s suffering people in their adversities), because we are in the same body with them. We are in the same body of this flesh, the same body of Christ, and the same spiritual body, the church of God with them. As members one of another, as brethren in the same family, we ought to “weep with those that weep and rejoice with those that rejoice.” If we love as brothers and sisters in Christ, we will see that missionaries, old people, needy people, sick people, and people out of work have their needs supplied, as we are able to supply them. Marriage Honorable In Hebrews 13:4, Paul seems to throw in something that is unrelated to this matter of brotherly love. He speaks of the honor of marriage. But what he has to say is very much related to brotherly love. He says, “Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.” Brotherly love flourishes when home love flourishes. If I do not love my wife and care for her, if I do not devote myself to her, I do not love you or Christ and will not care for you and the things of Christ. So Paul says, “Take your marriage vows seriously.” Let marriage be held honorably and highly esteemed in all things. Your marriage bed is honorable. And there is never an excuse (religious or otherwise) for a husband neglecting his wife, or a wife her husband. Love means you keep yourself from sexual promiscuity! —”Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.” Contentment and Assurance Hebrews 13:5-6 speak of contentment rising from assurance. ¯ “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” Here again, Paul is still taking about brotherly love. Covetousness destroys it. Contentment promotes it. Let us live free from love of money, free from craving wealth and worldly possessions, free from greed and lust for material things. Be content with what God has given you. Be content with your present position and circumstance. Such contentment arises from the assurance spoken of in verse six. God has said, “I will not in any way fail you, nor give you up, nor leave you without support.’’ “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Matthew 6:25-34; Philippians 4:6; Philippians 4:11-12; 1 Timothy 6:6-8). Because we are so slow to believe him, our God has given this promise to us five times in his Word (Genesis 28:15; Deuteronomy 31:6-8; Joshua 1:5; 1 Chronicles 28:20; Hebrews 13:5). This is God’s promise to every believing sinner in this world. ¯ “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” It is given to us that we may, as Isaiah puts it, “Suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.” (Isaiah 66:11; Psalms 37:25; Philippians 4:6; Philippians 4:11-12; 1 Timothy 6:6-8). Pastors In Hebrews 13:7 the Holy Spirit calls for us to remember God’s servants as rulers worthy of allegiance. ¯ “Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation” (Hebrews 13:7). This is not talking about political rulers, but spiritual rulers, those men who are given the responsibility for ruling God’s house, pastors. The word would be better translated “guides” or “governors.” Gospel preachers are men who rule the house of God by the Word of God and the example of faith, by which they guide God’s people to glory (Jeremiah 3:15). Remember them, respect them, follow them, pray for them, provide for them, and honor them for Christ’s sake, as his servants by which he serves you (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13; Ephesians 4:1-13). ¯ “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you” (Hebrews 13:7).

Hebrews 13:5-6

“Never!” “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” Hebrews 13:5-6 Here is a promise from the triune God to every sinner who trusts his darling Son. “He hath said.” I like that! God has said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” This is a remarkable, unconditional promise. Literally, “God has said, I will never, no never, no never leave you or forsake you.” The Amplified Version gives this paraphrase of Heb 13:5-6… “Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down ( relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]” This promise assures us of God’s constant help. It guarantees the greatest possible good. It secures all our needs. It gives comfort for every trouble. It is substantiated by God’s immutability, faithfulness, and love. And it is confirmed by the observation of faith. These are not the words of an angel, a mere man, or any creature. These are the words of God himself. ¯ “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” God the Father will never leave his children, nor forsake them (Isaiah 49:13-15; Isaiah 54:7-10; Isaiah 54:14-17). God the Son will never leave nor forsake the people for whom he suffered and died (Matthew 28:18-20; Philippians 4:4). Once the Lord Jesus comes to a sinner to be his all, he will never forsake that sinner and be nothing at all. His immutable love will not allow it. His precious blood will not allow it. His covenant engagements will not allow it. His faithfulness will not allow it. And God the Holy Spirit will never leave nor forsake those in whom he dwells (John 14:16). God forsook the tabernacle in the wilderness, and the temple at Jerusalem, but he will never forsake his living temple. We are the habitation of his delight. God once forsook his darling Son, when he was made to be sin for us. But, since Christ has put away our sins, God will never forsake any sinner for whom Christ died, because he can never have any reason to do so! This is the sweet promise of God to every believer. ¯ “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Read it as it is given repeatedly in his Word and rejoice (Psalms 27:10; Psalms 73:25-26; Luke 10:42). ¯ “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee!”

Hebrews 13:6

God’s Promise to You “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” Hebrews 13:6 Paul is rapidly bringing his epistle to the Hebrews to its conclusion. This epistle was written specifically to Jewish believers in the first century. But we must never imagine that it was not also specifically written for us. It was. Paul’s personal intent was to minister to those earliest men and women among Abraham’s physical descendants who were born of God. But the Holy Spirit’s intent in all the Scriptures is to minister to the needs of all God’s people in this world, throughout this gospel age (Romans 15:4). Throughout these thirteen chapters, the Spirit of God is speaking directly to us (as he does in all the Word of God). He is encouraging those who have been saved by the grace of God to persevere in the faith of Christ. Though we are required to constantly engage in spiritual warfare, though the religious world we have left despises us and ridicules us, though family and friends forsake us, we cannot go back. We must run with patience the race that is set before us. We must follow Christ, who “endured such contradiction of sinners against himself.” Be Faithful The message to us is this: “Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come.” In this chapter Paul admonishes us to faithfulness in all things. He urges us to be faithful in love to one another (Hebrews 13:1) and faithful in hospitality, charity, and kindness (Hebrews 13:2). We ought always to use what God has given us to minister to the needs of others. With open heart, open hand, and open doors, let us serve the needs of others. God never gave us anything, except that which he intends for us to use for others. Be faithful in intercessory prayer for your suffering, tried, afflicted brethren (Hebrews 13:3), and be faithful in your homes (Hebrews 13:4). Let every man have his own wife and every woman her husband. And let them love, serve, and care for one another with tenderness and faithfulness in every aspect of life. Marriage is honorable among all and the marriage bed is undefiled. Be faithful to Christ in all things (Hebrews 13:5-6). The word “conversation” means “manner of life”. Paul says, “Let your life be without covetousness; and be content with such things as you have; for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” God’s Promise Here is a word of promise from our great God. ¯ “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Here is a word from God that is full of spiritual meaning and instruction. This is bread for the Father’s children. This is a staff upon which weary pilgrims may lean. It will give us strength for our journey, comfort for our souls, and vigor for our hearts. This sentence is a chest full of rich treasure. May God the Holy Spirit graciously open it and cause our souls to be enriched by it. “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” The Lord our God promises his perpetual presence and care to every believer forever. This is a quotation from the Old Testament Scriptures. How many times have you heard someone deny the application of a promise, a warning, or a doctrine by saying, “That is in the Old Bible,” or “That is in the Old Testament”? Many are of the opinion that only a very small portion of the Bible was really intended for us in this day. They say, “The Old Testament was for the Jews. The four Gospels are for the ‘tribulation saints’. The Book of Revelation is for the ‘Millenial saints’. The epistles of Peter, James, and John were for Jewish believers in the first century. And Paul’s epistles alone are really intended for the Gentile believers of this age.” Rubbish! In this text the Holy Spirit led Paul to quote a promise from the Old Testament. In doing so, he is teaches us to honor the Old Testament Scriptures as the Word of God, just as we do the New Testament. And he is tells us that the promises of God made to his ancient people are the promises of God made to his people today (2 Corinthians 1:20). Five Times We find this promise given five times in the Old Testament. ¯ (1.) It was given to Jacob at Bethel when he was on his way to Laban’s house and fourteen years of great trial (Genesis 28:15). ¯ (2.) It was given to Moses just before the Lord took him up into the mountain to kill him, a promise by which God assured Moses that everything would be well with Israel after he was gone (Deuteronomy 31:6-8). ¯ (3.) It was given to Joshua when he was commissioned to lead the people of God in Moses’ place and again just as he began the work to which God had called him (Deuteronomy 31:7-8; Joshua 1:5). ¯ (4.) It was given to Solomon when he was about to assume the throne of Israel and was commissioned to build the house of the Lord (1 Chronicles 28:20). ¯ And (5.) it was given to God’s afflicted people when they had to face their mighty enemies (Isaiah 41:10-14; Isaiah 43:1-5). Lessons What are we to learn from the fact that Paul, by inspiration, gives us the same promise that God gave to Moses, Jacob, Joshua, Solomon and Israel? You will notice that Paul gives us the sense of the promise, not the very words of the promise, teaching us that the sense of Scripture, the spiritual message of Scripture, is the meaning of Scripture. Many know the Scriptures “by heart” who do not know the heart of the Scriptures! I know there is a danger here. We believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of Holy Scripture. But we do not interpret the Scriptures in a strictly literal way. The Spirit of God gives us spiritual understanding to discern the message of Scripture. And the message is always a spiritual, Christ centered, Christ honoring message (Luke 24:27; Luke 24:44-47). It is also evident that every word from God to any believer is the Word of God to every believer. God who made the promise never changes (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8). All the promises of God in Christ Jesus are yea and amen (2 Corinthians 1:20) ¯ conditioned on Christ alone! The promises made to one are made to all, for all believers in Christ are one body (Ephesians 4:4). This makes the Bible a Book written for me. It is a word from the Lord directed to me. “Every word of divine love and tenderness that he has written in this book belongs to me” (M’Cheyne). So this promise from the Lord is God’s promise to me particularly. “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” And this, my brother, my sister, is the promise of God to you.

Hebrews 13:7-18

“Them Which Have The Rule Over You” In these verses we are told that gospel preachers are specifically responsible for four things. — (1.) It is the responsibility of every gospel pastor to rule the house of God. A Gospel church is a kingdom under the rule of Christ her King. God called pastors are the overseers, governors, and rulers of his churches. Christ is the Shepherd. Faithful pastors are his under-shepherds. The pastor’s rule of God’s house is like a husband’s rule of his own house.

It involves direction, provision, and protection. — (2.) The way God’s servants rule his church is by the declaration of God’s Word, by the preaching of the gospel. — “Who have spoken to you the Word of God” (Jeremiah 23:28). — (3.) To preach the Word of God is to instruct eternity bound men and women in the way of faith. When Paul says, “whose faith follow,” he is both telling us that the gospel preacher must be a man of faith and faithfulness, and that the faith he preaches and the faithfulness he exemplifies are to be followed by those over whom the Lord has placed him. —(4.) These things God’s servants are responsible to do as watchmen, as men who “watch for your souls, as they that must give account.” But Paul’s primary object in these verses is to show God’s people what they ought to do, how they ought to behave, in relation to “them which have the rule over you.” The Scriptures give clear instructions about these things. Here are five things every church and every believer within the church ought to do for the man who preaches the gospel of Christ to them, laboring for their souls’ eternal good.

1. Remember him (Hebrews 13:7) — Ever keep your pastor close to your heart in fond remembrance. Remember him at the throne of grace when you pray, but particularly, the admonition here is to remember his messages and the doctrine he preaches. Listen carefully to what he preaches. Take notes to aid your memory. Discuss his sermons at home and among your brethren, and store up his doctrine in your mind, so that you can apply it to yourself as you seek to live in this world for the glory of God.

As you read the Word of God in your private worship, if you remember what has been preached to you, the Word will open before you and be blessed of God to your heart. Here are two reasons for remembering your pastor, particularly, for remembering his messages. First, he has the rule of the church. His word is to be remembered, because God has made him your spiritual guide in this world. Second, he speaks to you the Word of God. He does not come in his own name, teaching his own opinions, or the philosophies of men.

If he is God’s man, your pastor comes to you with God’s message, armed with God’s authority, and what he says you are responsible to hear, remember, and obey. He preaches to you the Word of God. 2. Follow him (Hebrews 13:7) — Believers and churches are to follow their pastors. Your pastor is your leader and guide in the kingdom of God. You are to follow his example of faith and faithfulness. Follow the pure gospel doctrine that he preaches to you. It leads to life everlasting.

Follow his example of devotion to Christ. Your pastor, if he is truly the servant of God, is a man of resolute, heart devotion to Christ, his church, his gospel and his glory. He guides God’s people by his own example of consecration to Christ. Follow his example of faithfulness. The one thing God requires of his servants is faithfulness, and if you would be serviceable to the cause of Christ in your own sphere of responsibility, you will learn how by following your pastor’s example. This is not blind allegiance to a man.

This is obedience to Christ. If you would follow Christ, you must follow the man he has made your guide, “considering the end of his conversation, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8). Christ is the object of our faith, the pattern of our faith, and the end of our faith. Follow your pastor in the life of faith, as he presses towards the mark, Christ Jesus. 3. Obey him (Hebrews 13:17) —Obedience is not servitude, but it does mean submission. God’s people are expected and required to obey their pastors. In spiritual, doctrinal matters, in all things regarding the affairs and work of the church, the pastor is to be obeyed. If he is not worthy of obedience, he should not be the pastor. Elders are to serve the church in obedience to the pastor.

Deacons are to serve the church in obedience to the pastor. Teachers are to serve the church in obedience to the pastor. Every member of the congregation is to serve the church in obedience to the pastor. The pastor is the captain of the ship. All the crew must serve in obedience to him. Obey his message, the gospel of the grace of God.

Hear it. Receive it. Love it, and order your life by it. Obey his direction in the worship of Christ. Every aspect of the worship and work of the church should be carried out in accordance with the pastor’s instruction. The order of the services, the selection of music, the administration of the ordinances and the activities of the church are to be performed in the way required by the pastor, as he is guided by the Word of God.

There is no need for committees and societies within the church body. The pastor’s voice, as he seeks the will and glory of God, is to be obeyed in all things. Obey his admonitions and reproofs. No pastor is infallible. He will often err. But if he is a faithful man, his errors will be errors of judgment, not errors of principle.

You can safely follow such a man and obey him. His admonitions and reproofs, if he is God’s servant, are not personal attacks or fits of passion. They are thoughtful, needed, God-given warnings and directions for your soul’s eternal good. 4. Submit to him (Hebrews 13:17) — The admonition here is to submit yourself to the Spirit led, faithful care of your pastor. Do what he tells you to do, even if you do not really understand why. That may seem a little too much to expect, but a little consideration will show that it is not. A few years ago, I was dying with cancer. The doctors wanted to treat my disease by injecting me with a series of drugs and cobalt treatments.

The drugs and the treatments could prove deadly themselves, if they were not properly administered. I do not understand how they work, but, being confident of my physicians’ abilities, I submitted myself to them and did what they told me to do, because I knew that they knew better than I did what was needed. You are to submit to your pastor in just that way. If he is a faithful man, he probably knows better than you what is best for your soul, the cause of Christ, the welfare of the church and the furtherance of the gospel. He will not willfully mislead you, and he will not abuse you, or take advantage of you. Your pastor’s concern is for the welfare of your soul.

He watches for your soul as one who must give account, both to his own conscience and at the judgment bar of God. Every faithful pastor exercises great care and diligence as he watches over God’s people, for he desires to give account of his hearers with joy and not with grief. 5. Pray for him (Hebrews 13:18) — Let every child of God pray continually for all who faithfully preach the gospel of Christ; but every believer should especially pray for his own pastor. Pray for your pastor as he seeks a message for your soul in his private study and preparation for the pulpit, as he preaches the gospel to you, and with regard to his life and conduct in this world. He is a man like yourself, weak, frail, sinful and tempted. Pray for him. Pray that God will ever give him grace to seek neither to avoid the disfavor of men, nor to crave the favor of men. Call upon God to preserve him in grace, in usefulness, and in health and strength. And pray for your pastor’s constant and increasing usefulness in the cause of Christ.

Hebrews 13:8

Our Immutable Savior ¯ Our all-glorious Savior, The Lord Jesus Christ, is immutable in his Person. He is himself God. He never has changed and never can change in the essence of his Person, because he is perfect. Perfection cannot change. It is true, when he came into this world, the Son of God assumed our nature; but he did not change at all. He took our human nature into union with his divine nature; but nothing about his Person changed (Malachi 3:6).

Though he died as our Substitute upon the cursed tree, his Person never changed. Our Master is forever the same. Nothing changes him. His attributes never change. His purpose of grace never changes. His great love never changes.

And the objects of his purpose, grace, and love never change. Christ’s Person never changes. What he was before the world began he is now. What he is now, he shall forever be. And what he shall forever be he now is and always was (Lamentations 3:22; Romans 11:29). As our Savior is immutable in his person, he is immutable in all his works. His Covenant Offices Our dear Savior is immutable in all his covenant offices and relationships. Our God is very accommodating to our weakness. In order to communicate to us, he condescends to use human language. He describes himself to us in human terms in his Word. But whenever you read anything that implies change or limitation about God, it must not be taken literally. This must especially be understood of the covenant offices and relationships of Christ toward his elect. What Christ is to us and for us, he always was and forever shall be. He is a Prophet who shall be heard, a Priest who makes satisfaction, and a King who rules from everlasting to everlasting. Jesus Christ is the eternal Husband of his church, a Husband who “hateth putting away.” The Lord Jesus is an eternal Brother, born in time for adversity, but set up from everlasting. He is an eternal “Friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” He was from everlasting the Friend of sinners, and still is! He is just as ready today to pardon sinners, as he was when he forgave the woman taken in adultery. He is just as anxious to comfort his afflicted ones, as he was when he came to Bethany to comfort Martha and Mary. He is just as willing to meet the needs of his people today as he was when he washed his disciples’ feet.

All that Christ ever was, he always was, and is at this moment. He is the eternal Surety of an eternal covenant (Hebrews 7:22). He is the eternal Lamb who obtained eternal redemption (Revelation 13:8; Hebrews 9:12; Romans 8:28-34). He is an eternal Advocate who makes eternal intercession (1 John 2:1-2). He is an eternal Savior who gives his people an eternal salvation (2 Timothy 1:9-10; Hebrews 5:9). We rejoice to know that all these things were revealed in time, accomplished in time, and applied in time.

Our joy is in the experience of grace. But the pillar of our faith does not rest upon anything in time. We rest our souls upon the sure foundation of an eternal, immutable Savior. His Doctrine The doctrine of Christ is immutable. Certainly Paul had this in mind when he wrote, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.” I know that he meant for us to understand that our Savior’s immutability includes the immutability of his doctrine, because in the next verse he tells us that it is the message of Christ that establishes our hearts with grace and prevents us from being “carried about with divers and strange doctrines.” Truth never changes. You can mark this down, in the matter of doctrine anything that is reported to be “new and improved” is false and damning. We walk right only when we walk in the old paths (Jeremiah 6:16). Divine truth does not change. The doctrine of Christ does not change. The gospel does not change. His Grace The Son of God is immutable in the operations of his grace. His doctrine never changes. And his method of operation never changes. He is “the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Whenever God has a work to do among men, he always does four things. In the Bible and in history we see these four things. Whenever God is pleased to pour out his grace upon sinners, whenever God has a work to do among men (1.) He always raises up a man to use—Moses. (2.) He always sends that man with a message – The Gospel. (3.) He always inclines his people to pray (2 Samuel 7:27). (4.) He always grants the power and grace of his Spirit to accomplish his purpose.

This is our Lord’s method of grace. “It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” The church of God needs three things, only three, to accomplish her work in this world: ¯ God’s Man ¯ God’s Message ¯ and God’s Power. Everything else is a hindrance and liability. His Power Our great Savior is immutable in his position, possessions, and power (John 17:2; Philippians 2:9-11). He is on his throne. He possesses all things. He has all power. He is “the blessed and only Potentate,” the only possessor of power! We live in dark times, perhaps the darkest this world has ever seen.

I cannot exaggerate the gravity of this hour. Never has error been more widespread and popularly received. In the “dark ages” papacy reigned by the sword over the bodies of men. In these darker ages free-willism reigns over the hearts of men. But there is no cause for despair. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever.

He has not abdicated his throne. He has not lost his spoils. He has not relinquished his power! He still holds all the resources of the universe, all the resources of God in his hand. Does the church need messengers? Christ has plenty!

Do we need grace? Christ has plenty! Do we need power? Christ has plenty! We have changed. The world has changed.

But Christ has not changed. He is eternally the same. For Me Allow me to interject a personal word. The Lord Jesus Christ is immutable to me. For thirty-seven years now, I have found him immutable. I have never known him to change. He abideth faithful. And all that he was to me when I first came to him, he is now and shall forever be (2 Samuel 23:5). Christ is all my Wisdom. Christ is all my Righteousness. Christ is all my Sanctification. Christ is all my Redemption. Christ is all my Hope. Christ is all my Desire (Psalms 73:25). I trust nothing but Christ. I have nothing but Christ. I want nothing but Christ. Immutable Forever This immutable Christ shall be the eternal glory, reward, and joy of our inheritance in heaven. Soon we shall depart from this changing world and enter that world where change is unknown. And if we are in Christ, we shall forever be with Christ and find him to be “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” All that he has been, all that he is he shall forever be. When everything around you seems to crumble like dried flowers in your hand, when it seems to you that the very foundations of all things temporal crumble beneath your feet, look away to our great, immutable Savior, and be at peace. “Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day. Earth’s joys grow dim; its glories pass away; Change and decay in all around I see. O Thou who changest not, abide with me.”

Hebrews 13:9

Established Hearts “Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.” Hebrews 13:9 Multitudes are “carried about with divers and strange doctrines,” the many different doctrines of men that are strange, totally foreign to the Scriptures and contrary to the gospel of Christ, the character of God, and the person, work,and offices of Christ as our Mediator. The doctrine of Christ is one. Truly, it is a good thing to have our hearts established with grace. “Hearts” It is written, ¯ “With the heart man believeth unto righteousness” (Romans 10:10). The Lord God requires, ¯ “Apply thine heart to understanding” (Proverbs 2:2). ¯ “Let thine heart keep my commandments” (Proverbs 3:1). ¯ “Write mercy and truth upon the table of thine heart” (Proverbs 3:3). ¯ “Let thine heart retain my words” (Proverbs 4:4). ¯ “Keep thy heart with all diligence”(Proverbs 4:23). ¯ “My son, Give me thine heart” (Proverbs 23:26). All true religion is a matter of the heart. Faith is a heart work. Repentance is a heart work. The confession of sin is a heart work. Prayer is a heart work. Worship is a heart work. Our Lord declares in Matthew 5:8 that the pure in heart shall see God, and no one else. In all things spiritual the heart is the principle thing. “Established” The grace of God establishes the hearts of men. It does not leave us floundering in religious mysticism, religious intellectualism, and philosophical speculation. Believing hearts are convinced, persuaded, and settled regarding the righteousness of God and the way to God. Being built upon that foundation God himself has laid, Christ Jesus, we are established in the love of God, convinced of acceptance with God, the complete expiation of our sins, and our righteousness before God in and by Christ. Trusting Christ, we are no longer looking for the way to God and eternal life, but are established in the way. We no longer grope about in the blindness and darkness of religious confusion, but walk in the light of revealed truth, firmly looking for and expecting eternal happiness by, with, and in Christ, rejoicing in hope of the glory of God. “Grace” Our hearts are established with the gospel of the grace of God, the doctrine of the grace of God, the truth of the grace of God, and by the work of the grace of God. We understand that salvation, justification, and eternal life are the result of God’s grace to us in Christ Jesus, not by deeds of the law or works of the flesh (Titus 3:5-7; 2 Timothy 1:8-11). Let us never be unsettled, tossed about and carried way from the gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ, by the many winds of strange doctrine, which come our way from the lips of men. “Not with Meats” Work-mongers and religious legalists are occupied with outward, carnal things: eating and not eating certain meats, the keeping of sabbath days, and the observance of religious ceremonies. Such carnal practices gratify the flesh, but do not profit their souls. These things cannot justify, sanctify, establish the heart, or give peace to the soul (Colossians 2:16-23; Romans 14:17). It is Christ alone who is all our acceptance with God (1 Corinthians 1:30).

Hebrews 13:10

“We Have An Altar” “We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.” Hebrews 13:10 Since the fall of our father Adam, God has never allowed man to approach him without an altar and a sacrifice of blood. In the old days of the patriarchs, from Adam to Moses, God’s saints built altars of hewn stone, upon which they offered sacrifices to God. Whenever men drew near to God, whether to offer praise or to seek mercy, they built an altar and offered a sacrifice of blood. Even in those days, men of faith knew that God’s justice could only be satisfied for sin by blood, even the blood of God’s own Son, the Redeemer who must come into the world to put away sin. Typical Altars Then, when God called Moses up into the mount and spoke to him face to face he appointed one altar of sacrifice to be built, and appointed a place for that one altar in Israel alone. One spot was selected, and only one. All the rest of the world was left without an altar and without a sacrifice. At first the altar was placed in the tabernacle. Later it was placed in the temple at Jerusalem. This was the only altar of sacrifice by which men might approach the holy Lord God. From time to time, the prophets of God, by God’s special command, raised up other altars. But for all others the rule was unbending – One altar! All other altars erected by men were erected in defiance of God’s command; and their pretended sacrifices to God were an abomination to him. The True Altar As in the typical, legal dispensation, so it is now. There is but one altar upon which the holy Lord God meets sinners in mercy, only one altar upon which God can and will be worshipped; and that Altar is Christ. The altar of sacrifice, in the tabernacle and in the temple, was typical of our Lord Jesus Christ (his Person, his work, and his merit) as our Substitute before God. This is what Paul teaches us in Hebrews 13:10. — “We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.” The only access which sinners have to God, and the only acceptance we have with God is Christ our Altar. A Heavenly Altar Our Altar is in heaven. We recognize no altar upon the earth. He who has an Altar in heaven needs no altar upon the earth. He who has an altar upon the earth has no altar in heaven. The Holy Spirit tells us this plainly. — “We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.” We cannot approach God without a Mediator, without an Altar, and without a Sacrifice. We are all guilty men and women, our best and holiest acts are but the sinful deeds of sinful men, and our purest worship is but the worship of depraved hearts. Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one. Before we can ever be accepted with God, before we can ever bring an acceptable offering or service to God, there must be a shedding of blood for the removal of our sin and guilt. We must come to God by way of the Altar and Sacrifice he has appointed, the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no door of acceptance for us except through the merit of our great Surety, who laid down his life for us. There is but one way by which we who are washed in the blood of Christ can offer unto God our prayers, our gifts, our praises, or our service, and that is by the Lord Jesus Christ, who alone is our Altar. We must give ourselves to him as living sacrifices to God, because only in him will God accept our reasonable service (1 Peter 2:5).

Hebrews 13:11-13

Without The Camp With Christ “For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.” Hebrews 13:11-13 There are many who take great pride in being “without the camp,” after a fashion. But that is all that can be said of them. They are “without the camp” in exactly the same sense that one might say a Mormon, a Russellite, or a Hindu is without the camp. They seem to think that godliness and gossip, holiness and haughtiness, separation and isolation are all synonyms.

They think that meanness and meekness is the same thing. Merely being “without the camp,” is meaningless. We must be found “without the camp;” but we must be found “without the camp” with Christ. That is the instruction of Heb 13:11-13. As the Lord Jesus Christ voluntarily identified himself with us, bearing our reproach for the salvation of our souls, let us ever go forth unto him, bearing his reproach for the glory of God. The Day of Atonement First, the apostle Paul points us once more to typical sacrifices of the Old Testament offered unto God on the day of atonement. The opening word of Heb 13:11, “For,” refers us back to Hebrews 13:10. There, Paul spoke of Christ our Altar, that Altar which we have in heaven, by whom we come to God. Here he speaks of the sacrifices offered on that old, carnal altar. As that altar was typical of the true Altar, all those sacrifices were typical of Christ, our one, great, sin-atoning Sacrifice. The bodies of those animals, which were sacrificed year after year as sin-offerings for the priests and the people of Israel, were completely burnt without the camp of Israel. “Without the camp” was the place of uncleanness, the place of God’s curse, and the dwelling-place of lepers. The sacrifice was carefully chosen, precisely according to the rigid requirements of the law. The sins of the people were imputed to the innocent victim. The blood was carried by the priest into the holy of holies and sprinkled upon the mercy-seat. And the body of the slain sacrifice was burned without the camp, symbolizing the wrath of God against the cursed thing. The Sufferings of Christ “Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate” (Hebrews 13:12). Here, the Holy Spirit shows us the parallel between the burning of those sacrifices on the day of atonement in the Old Testament and the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ, our sin-atoning sacrifice, for us. In order to fulfill the type, the Lord Jesus who came to save his people from their sins, that he might sanctify and save us with his own blood, suffered all the horrid wrath of God for us, as our Substitute, as our sin-atoning Sacrifice to God “without the gate,” out in the place of uncleanness, the place of God’s curse, where lepers dwelt. In order to redeem and save his people from their sins, it was necessary for the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to suffer all the horrid terror of God’s holy law, inflexible justice, and infinite wrath against us. In order to redeem and save his chosen people, the Son of God had to suffer all the consequences of our sins to the full satisfaction of divine justice as our Substitute “Much we talk of Jesus’ blood, but how little’s understood! Of His sufferings so intense angels have no perfect sense. Who can rightly comprehend their beginning or their end?

`Tis to God and God alone that their weight is fully known. See the suffering Son of God — Panting, groaning, sweating blood! Boundless depths of love divine! Jesus, what a love was Thine!” Our sins were imputed to the Son of God! That fact in itself is overwhelming. But I am certain that there is more to the sufferings of our Lord for us than the mere legal, or forensic term “imputation” implies. His heart was not broken simply because he was made to be legally responsible for the debt of our sins. Our sins were not pasted on him, or merely placed to his account. The Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Darling, our all-glorious Savior, was “made to be sin for us!” Our Reasonable Response “Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach” (Hebrews 13:13). — Since the Lord Jesus Christ so willingly bore our reproach and suffered the wrath of God for us, let us go forth unto him without the camp bearing his reproach. Let us ever “glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14). Though the offense of the cross is ever increasing, let us never flinch to bear the offense of Christ and his gospel, and do it with patience, counting it our great honor to bear his reproach (1 Peter 2:21; 1 Peter 4:12-19). Is anything too much for us to suffer for Christ? Is any sacrifice too great for us to make for him? Is any devotion to the Son of God extreme?

Hebrews 13:15-16

“With Such Sacrifices God Is Well Pleased." May God the Holy Spirit cause us to hear and heed the admonition here given and give us grace to “offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” “By Him” “By him” — Everything begins with Christ. We cannot worship God without Christ. We cannot come to God without Christ. We cannot be saved without Christ. In all our approaches to God, we must have Christ. When Paul says, “by him,” he means by faith in him, through his mediation, by the merit of his blood, and upon the ground of his righteousness. My first word is to you who have not yet come to God “by him.” I bid you now, right where you are, to come to God by him (Hebrews 7:25). The Lord Jesus himself calls you to come to him (Matthew 11:28-30). This is the day for you to come to Christ (1 Corinthians 6:1-2). The Lord God, in his Word, promises salvation and eternal life to all who come to him by faith in Christ (John 3:16-18; John 3:36; 1 John 1:9; 1 John 5:10-14). Let us who have come to Christ ever come to him. Let us ever have our hearts and minds fixed upon Christ, consciously coming to God by him (1 Peter 2:4). At the very threshold of all worship and of all sacrifice to God, we begin with Christ. We cannot go a step without Christ. Without a Mediator we can make no approach to God. Apart from Christ there is no acceptable prayer, no pleasing sacrifice of any kind. “By him therefore” — we cannot move our lips acceptably without him who suffered without the gate.

The great High Priest of our profession meets us at the temple door, and we place all our sacrifices into his hands, that he may present them to our God for us. That is just the way we want it. If we could do anything without him, we would be afraid to do it. We are safe only when Christ is with us. We are “accepted in the beloved,” only “in the beloved.” And our sacrifices are acceptable to God only because of his great sacrifice. Yet, because of his great sacrifice, our sacrifices are acceptable to God by him (1 Peter 2:5). Behold our great Melchizedek meets us! Let us give all to him and receive his blessing, which will repay us a thousand-fold. Let us never venture upon a sacrifice apart from him, lest it be the sacrifice of Cain, or the sacrifice of fools. Christ is that altar which sanctifies both gift and giver. “By him” therefore let us offer our sacrifices unto God. “Therefore” “By him therefore” — The word “therefore,” as you know, points us back to the context. First, “We have an Altar” (Hebrews 13:10). Christ is the Altar upon which we offer sacrifice to our God. Second, Christ has sanctified us “with his own blood” (Hebrews 13:12). Therefore we are worthy to come to God. Third, we must go forth unto Christ “without the camp.” We must go forth unto him, bearing his reproach, serving the interests of his kingdom, his glory, and his people. “The Sacrifice of praise to God” “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God.” — We have no carnal, material altar; and we offer no carnal, material sacrifices. The sacrifices God requires are sacrifices of the heart (Psalms 51:15-17; Psalms 51:19). The first sacrifice we present to God is Christ, our sin-atoning Substitute. The second sacrifice is ourselves (2 Corinthians 8:5; Romans 12:1-2). As Christ gave himself for us, we now give ourselves back again to him. Here, we are called to offer the sacrifice of praise to God, the God of all grace (Psalms 100:1-5). The sacrifice of praise involves the adoration of his person, ascribing to him all the honor, and glory, and majesty that belongs to him as God alone. Adoration, praise, implies a delight in him. This praise, adoration, and delight in God imply a confident trust in him as God our Father. We believe that he is; and we believe that he is the Rewarder of them that diligently seek him. We trust him, delight in him, and find satisfaction with him. When we understand who God is and delight in him, we understand that he always does right and always does us good. As we trust him and delight in him, giving praise to him, we praise him for all his works, both in providence and in grace (Psalms 92:1-15). This praise, adoration, delight, and confident trust of God our Father arises from a heart of true, intense love for him as God (John 4:19; John 16:5; John 16:8; John 16:12-13; John 16:16-18). “Continually” “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually.” — O for grace to do so! Worship is not something we are to do at specific, appointed times only. It ought to be the habit, the dress, the adornment of our lives. Let us worship our God “continually” —In Prosperity and in Adversity — In wealth and in poverty — In sickness and in health — In good times and in bad times. Our circumstances do not reflect any change in our God. He is good, always good, only good, and righteous altogether. “The Fruit of Our Lips” “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips.” — There is a reference here to Hosea 14:2. — “Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.” Let us praise our God and Savior continually (1 Chronicles 16:9; Psalms 105:2; Romans 11:33-36; Ephesians 1:3). “Giving Thanks To His Name” “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name.” — Thanksgiving is the essence of worship and praise. Let us engage in it continually, privately and publicly, continually give thanks to God for— all that he is, his darling Son our Savior, his blessed Spirit our Comforter, his purpose, his grace, his providence, and his presence. “Do Good” “But to do good and to communicate forget not.” — Here Paul puts his admonition into shoe leather. He is telling us that gratitude and thanks giving, praise and worship make people gracious, kind, and generous. When he speaks of us doing good, notice that he is not talking about what men look at, approve of, and applaud as good, but doing good to one another. That is exactly how our Lord describes good works in Matthew 25:31-46. To do good is to love one another, help one another, and communicate with (provide for) one another. “God Is Well Pleased” “For with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” — Our sacrifices of praise, thanks giving, and love are not meritorious before God. What we give is but what God has given us, and cannot be profitable to him. Yet doing good in this way, when it is done in faith, springs from love, and is directed to the glory of God, and is well pleasing to him (Hosea 6:6). God is pleased with our feeble efforts at pleasing him when, as our sacrifice of praise, we do good to one another because we are in his Son, in whom he delights, and our sacrifices are bathed in his blood and robed in his righteousness (1 Peter 2:5).

Hebrews 13:18

Your Conscience “Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.” Hebrews 13:18 Is it right to follow your conscience? Should we let our consciences be our guide, as we make our way through this world? What is the conscience? What does it do? Should I trust my conscience? Your Conscience We all have a conscience. Someone said, “The conscience is the voice of God in a man’s soul.” I do not know whether that is true or not; but I do know that God has put a conscience in every person, which either accuses or excuses him in all his actions. Conscience is that voice inside you that you simply cannot silence. You can muzzle it. You can sear the conscience. But you cannot silence it. It is that faculty of the mind, which God has put in us all, by which we judge the moral character of human conduct, our own and others. It is an inborn sense of right and wrong. As Charles Buck put it, the conscience is “the secret testimony of the soul, whereby it approves things that are good, and condemns those that are evil.” Your conscience is the law of God written on your heart (Romans 2:14-15). All men have a sense of right and wrong which, to a greater or lesser degree, reflects the law of God written upon the heart in creation. The conscience of a man often produces a sense of guilt, legal fear, which many mistake for conviction (John 8:9). Conviction But the conviction of sin is more than a sense of guilt and just condemnation. The conviction of sin arises from the revelation of Christ in the heart and is accompanied by a conviction of righteousness and of judgment. Holy Spirit conviction is that gracious work of God the Holy Spirit by which he effectually applies the gospel to the hearts of chosen, redeemed sinners, causing them to see that Christ alone is and must be the object of faith, that righteousness has been established by the obedience of the God-man, and that divine justice has been satisfied by the sin-atoning blood of Christ (John 16:8-11). It was their conscience which caused Adam and Eve to hide from God after the fall. It was their conscience that made them know their nakedness and filled them with shame. And the fact that they could appease their consciences with fig leaf garments, made by their own hands, shows that the conscience of fallen man is, like every faculty of human nature, utterly perverted and depraved. Do Not Trust We must not trust our consciences. The conscience cannot be trusted any more than the thoughts of the depraved mind or the emotions of the depraved heart can be trusted, because our depravity has made us perverse in all our faculties. The Scriptures tell us plainly that the conscience of fallen man is “an evil conscience,” from which we must be cleansed by the blood of Christ (Hebrews 10:22). The consciences of lost religious men are “defiled” (Titus 1:15), so defiled that they may, in a sense, have “a good conscience” while performing abominable things (John 16:2; Acts 23:1; Acts 26:9). The Apostle Paul, writing by divine inspiration, tells us that when he was persecuting the church, wishing himself accursed from Christ, his conscience was bearing him witness. He was fully convinced that he was doing the right thing (Romans 9:1). Some are so hardened by free will, works religion or by ungodly behavior, often by both, that they live with a “seared” conscience (1 Timothy 4:1-2). Such men and women, even children (as we have seen in our newspapers in recent years) have consciences which are so cauterized and hardened that they are past feeling. They have no regard for the rightness or wrongness of what they say or do. They have no conscience of anything. John Gill wrote, “Under a cloak of sanctity they commit the most shocking impieties.” If you work at it, if you hold down the truth of God long enough and persistently enough, you can cauterize your conscience. You can so sear your conscience, so harden yourself, that your conscience will excuse your wickedness and even justify your self-righteousness. We must never trust our consciences. Let us ever be careful not to violate our consciences, not for anyone. But do not trust your conscience. He who trusts his own conscience, like he who trusts his own heart, trusts both a fool and a devil. Our guide in all things must be the Word of God alone! —Not our feelings!—Not our desires!—Not the opinions of others!—The Word of God alone!

Hebrews 13:20-25

“The God of Peace” Some time ago, a friend whose husband was diagnosed with a terminal disease, a form of cancer the doctors expected to be a prolonged death, asked me with tears in her eyes, “Bro. Don, how do I prepare for what I am going to have to face?” I paused for a moment and said, “There is no way you can prepare yourself; but our heavenly Father, the God of peace, will prepare you.” As Paul closes the book of Hebrews, he directs our hearts to the God of peace. What could be more fitting? We have no idea what trials, temptations, and troubles we may yet have to face before our time on this earth is done. We do not know how Satan may assail us. We do not know what heaviness and heartache lie before us in this world. We do not know what work the Lord has for us to do by which we are to glorify him. But I do know what we need. I do know what it will take for you and me to persevere unto the end. We need “the God of peace.” The God of Peace “The Lord will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people…Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for consider how great things he hath done for you” (1 Samuel 12:22-24). The God of peace is he who bids you cast all your care upon him, assuring you that he cares for you. Try to get the sweet milk that is here set before us. Our heavenly Father, the God of glory, is here called “the God of peace” because his thoughts toward you are thoughts of peace (Jeremiah 29:11). He has made for you a covenant of peace (Numbers 25:12-13; Ezekiel 34:25; Ezekiel 37:26). The Lord God has laid on his Son the chastisement of our peace and thereby made peace for us (Isaiah 53:5; Colossians 1:18-21). His gospel is the gospel of peace, the good news of peace accomplished (Isaiah 40:1-2). Our heavenly Father has given us his Spirit, who dwells in us as the Spirit of Peace. He assures us that he will keep us in peace in this world and will bring us into a world of peace at last. The Resurrection of Christ Here is the basis of and assurance of that peace revealed and proclaimed in the gospel. Our heavenly Father, the God of peace, has raised Christ from the dead. He “brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant.” Assured Grace After giving us those words of assurance, Paul tells these saints what he desired for them. — “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” (Hebrews 13:21). Let us remember that, though this is Paul’s prayer for these believers, people he knew and loved, it is more than that. This is what he was inspired of God to write. With these words, the Holy Spirit assures every believer that the God of peace, who brought Christ forth from the dead, shall complete his work in us and for us. He who has a good work in you will make you everything you ought to be and want to be (Philippians 1:6). He will work in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight (Ephesians 5:25-27; Jude 1:24-25).

He will do it through Christ Jesus your Mediator and Savior, and do it in such a way that Christ shall have glory forever and ever. Then, he says, “Amen,” so shall it be. The Word of Exhortation “And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation: for I have written a letter unto you in few words” (Hebrews 13:22). — We are sometimes hesitant to believe and to obey the Word of God. So Paul here urges us to receive and heed the word of exhortation he has given us in this epistle and persevere in faith. “Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you. Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you” (Hebrews 13:23-24). — It appears that Timothy had been imprisoned for preaching the gospel and was now at liberty again. Paul hoped to visit these friends, his beloved brethren, his truest family, again soon, and says so, sending greetings to the people and their pastors, conveying with his own the greetings of the saints in Italy. Grace be With You Here is the source from which all that I want for you must come. — “Grace be with you all” (Hebrews 13:25). This was Paul’s usual salutation (2 Thessalonians 3:17-18) expressing his desire that God’s elect might enjoy renewed discoveries of his mercy, love, and favor, and fresh manifestations of grace in Christ. GRACE — That is what we need! That is what we must have: covenant grace, saving grace, sustaining grace, forgiving grace, reviving grace, daily grace, sufficient grace, everlasting grace, and nothing but grace! This grace, as one older writer put it, “is a stream of living water flowing through the desert, a power which enables us to withstand every adversity and to reach the promised land, the place of our rest, the heavenly Jerusalem.” This grace is for all and assured to all who trust the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen