Day 2286 – Hebrews-25 – Equipped To Do His Will – Daily Wisdom

Welcome to Day 2286 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
Hebrews-25 Equipped To Do His Will – Daily Wisdom
Putnam Church Message – 10/22/2023

Equipped to do His Will  - Hebrews 13:18-25

Today, we conclude our extended series through the book of Hebrews in the New Testament. Last week, we compared the shifting world/ to a collection of changeless truths concerning Jesus Christ and the plan_and_purpose of God.

This week is our final message in the study of Hebrews. What we have learned through this 25-week study allows us to be Equipped to do His Will.

Let’s read Hebrews 13:18-25. On page 1879 in your Pew Bibles.

Benediction and Final Greetings

18 Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way. 19 I particularly urge you to pray so that I may be restored to you soon.

20 Now may the God of peace,/ who through the blood of the eternal covenant/ brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus,/ that great Shepherd of the sheep,/ 21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

22 Brothers and sisters, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for in fact I have written to you quite briefly.

23 I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you.

24 Greet all your leaders and all the Lord’s people. Those from Italy send you their greetings. 25 Grace be with you all.

Throughout the book of Hebrews, the author’s tone has been relatively formal, even detached. At times, the book reads like a theological treatise, other times like a sermon that could be preached to any group of believers in Christ. But in the concluding verses of the book, we catch a glimpse of the author’s personal relationship with his audience. He was no mere thirdhand acquaintance who happened to hear of those struggling Hebrew saints and decided to toss in his two cents’ worth. Though we in the twenty-first century don’t know the identity of the author of Hebrews, the original recipients knew him well.

 

In 13:18–25, the writer shares personal prayer requests, even asking that he would see his beloved addressees again (13:18–19). Then he prays for them that they would be equipped to do Christ’s will (13:20–21). Finally, he encourages them once more to heed the words he has written to them (13:22), before extending a few final comments and greetings (13:23–25). These words show our anonymous author's heartbeat and great love for his audience.

 

13:18–19

In our often overly individualistic approach to the Christian life, when people ask us for prayer, we might assume something must be wrong with them. In the back of our minds,

Welcome to Day 2286 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
Hebrews-25 Equipped To Do His Will – Daily Wisdom
Putnam Church Message – 10/22/2023

Equipped to do His Will  - Hebrews 13:18-25

Today, we conclude our extended series through the book of Hebrews in the New Testament. Last week, we compared the shifting world/ to a collection of changeless truths concerning Jesus Christ and the plan_and_purpose of God.

This week is our final message in the study of Hebrews. What we have learned through this 25-week study allows us to be Equipped to do His Will.

Let’s read Hebrews 13:18-25. On page 1879 in your Pew Bibles.

Benediction and Final Greetings

18 Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way. 19 I particularly urge you to pray so that I may be restored to you soon.

20 Now may the God of peace,/ who through the blood of the eternal covenant/ brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus,/ that great Shepherd of the sheep,/ 21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

22 Brothers and sisters, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for in fact I have written to you quite briefly.

23 I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you.

24 Greet all your leaders and all the Lord’s people. Those from Italy send you their greetings. 25 Grace be with you all.

Throughout the book of Hebrews, the author’s tone has been relatively formal, even detached. At times, the book reads like a theological treatise, other times like a sermon that could be preached to any group of believers in Christ. But in the concluding verses of the book, we catch a glimpse of the author’s personal relationship with his audience. He was no mere thirdhand acquaintance who happened to hear of those struggling Hebrew saints and decided to toss in his two cents’ worth. Though we in the twenty-first century don’t know the identity of the author of Hebrews, the original recipients knew him well.

 

In 13:18–25, the writer shares personal prayer requests, even asking that he would see his beloved addressees again (13:18–19). Then he prays for them that they would be equipped to do Christ’s will (13:20–21). Finally, he encourages them once more to heed the words he has written to them (13:22), before extending a few final comments and greetings (13:23–25). These words show our anonymous author's heartbeat and great love for his audience.

 

13:18–19

In our often overly individualistic approach to the Christian life, when people ask us for prayer, we might assume something must be wrong with them. In the back of our minds, we might think, “Why doesn’t she just pray for herself?” However, as we grow and mature in the faith, we realize that praying for one another is a core purpose of the body of Christ. James 5:16 says, “Pray for each other,” and Paul was not ashamed to say to the Thessalonians, “Pray for us” (1 Thes. 5:25; 2 Thes. 3:1). They knew that abundant Christian living and fruitful Christian ministry were empowered by faithful Christians praying.

 

So, in Hebrews 13:18–19, the author of Hebrews asks that his audience support him in prayer. Though he knew that he and his ministry team were operating with a “clear conscience” (13:18), he also knew that the warnings he had extended to the recipients concerning backsliding applied equally to all believers. Without the mutual prayer support of fellow believers, the author could turn his attention away from Christ and His superiority in pressing on. Because of this, he desired to keep his conscience clear and to continue to conduct himself “honorably in every way” (13:18).

 

He also shared with his audience a more specific and personal prayer request: so that I may be restored to you soon (13:19). We don’t know what specific circumstances had kept him away. Perhaps it was simply the busyness of ministry. Perhaps persecutions or hardships had delayed his return visit. Perhaps he was imprisoned. Whatever the case, though, he had absolute confidence in the power of prayer—specifically, the power of the church coming together before the throne of God.

13:20–21

As he jots down his closing remarks to his Jewish brothers and sisters in Christ, the writer turns his eyes to heaven and inscribes a benediction culminating in a doxology. This personal prayer to God on behalf of his readers climaxes with words of praise to God, uttered because of his confidence that his prayer will be answered.

 

We should remember the specific recipients of this letter as we read the benediction—Jewish Christians who were feeling the full weight of repercussions wrapped up in their decision to follow Jesus as the Messiah. They had been cut off from their former faith community—the synagogue. Their families had likely disowned them. They probably longed for the predictability and emotional comfort afforded by the old rites and rituals in which they had grown up. Now, they suffered from persecution, prompting them to wonder whether all this turmoil was worth it.

 

So when the author opens his benediction by referring to “the God of peace” (13:20), his audience would have recalled the sweet, refreshing breeze of the Hebrew word shalom. One writer says this about the Jewish concept of shalom: “Completeness, wholeness, harmony, fulfillment, are closer to the meaning. Implicit in shālôm is the idea of unimpaired relationships with others and fulfillment in one’s undertakings.” God alone is able to grant the kind of wholeness and healing—mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and socially—the beaten-up recipients of Hebrews needed.

 

The following phrase turns the focus again on the central theme of this book—the superior person and work of Jesus Christ (13:20). Regarding the superior person of Christ as the God-man, “Jesus our Lord” is “the great Shepherd of the sheep.” This image of Christ comes from Psalm 23, where the Lord God is the Shepherd who provides for His sheep (Ps. 23:1), nourishes and refreshes them (Ps. 23:2–3), and protects them from their enemies (Ps. 23:5; see also John 10:11–15). This association between Jesus as “our Lord” and as the “great Shepherd” is a final strong affirmation of the deity of Christ.

 

Regarding the superior work of Christ, the author reviews the central tenets of the gospel of salvation that comes “through the blood of the eternal covenant” (Heb. 13:20). Not only did His blood suffice to pay for sin and usher in a new covenant that would never pass away; His resurrection from the dead means He is ever alive before the throne to grant us the peace and strength to accomplish His will (13:21). Through this covenant, the Holy Spirit has “equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” This is similar to Paul’s thought in Philippians 2:13: For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Peter also reiterates this in 2 Peter 1:3: By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.

 

The Greek word translated “equip” in Hebrews 13:21 is katartizō, which means “to prepare for a purpose” or to “make, create, outfit.” Leon Morris notes that this verb “is often used of mending what is broken and torn, and some see a reference to putting right what was amiss in the spiritual life of the readers. A prayer that God would put things right would be quite in place. But in this context, perhaps the meaning is ‘supply you with what you need to live the Christian life.’ ” Possibly, both ideas are in view here. If some of the Hebrew believers had been backsliding from a state they were once in, the author’s prayer would be that they be restored to their original standing. If others lacked anything needed to carry out God’s will more effectively and efficiently, the prayer would be that God would provide what they lacked.

 

13:22–25

After his prayer request and benediction of blessing and praise (Heb. 13:18–21), the author wraps up this monumental testimony to the superiority of Christ with three final commands. Here, we see the heart of the anonymous writer—his earnest desire for the good of his audience, his concern for his fellow laborers, and his genuine love for the body of Christ. Here, too, we ourselves bid “farewell” to this great unknown author whom, ironically, we have come to know quite well through his inspired and inspiring words.

(Bulletin Insert)

The first parting command exhorts readers to bear with my word of exhortation (13:22). These words are not spoken with a scolding finger or a stern scowl. Instead, the author addresses his recipients with the warm embrace of “brothers and sisters.” He urges them to “bear with my word of exhortation”—that is, the letter of Hebrews. The word translated as “urge” is parakaleō —a word of gentle encouragement. Leon Morris notes, “The letter has had its share of rebukes and stern warnings, and the writer now softens the impact a little with this appeal.”

The writer’s deep desire is that his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ not merely close the book of Hebrews and check it off their “Read-the-Bible-in-a-Year” list. He wants them to plant its truths deep in their hearts—to “bear with” the teaching. The Greek term for “bear with,” anechomai, is an interesting word choice here. It means to “endure, bear with, put up with,” almost in the sense of tolerating something uncomfortable, frustrating, or irritating (see Matt. 17:17; 2 Cor. 11:1; Col. 3:13). The author knows that his letter’s stinging warnings and intricately constructed biblical, theological, and logical arguments don’t make for an easy read. However, he had confidence that his recipients could take it in—hearing it and heeding it, applying what they heard. He even adds a line that indicates he could have written much, much more on the subjects addressed in Hebrews, saying that in this (now) thirteen-chapter treatise, he had written only “briefly” (Heb. 13:22).

 

The second parting command tells the audience to take notice of the people of God (13:23). Specifically, the author refers to Paul’s protégé “my true son in the faith” (1 Tim. 1:2), close friend, and fellow laborer in the ministry, Timothy. The author knew that Timothy had been released from prison. He wanted Timothy to join him to visit the Hebrew believers in person. The “I want you to know” command is translated from a word meaning “to know.”

 

The implication is that, just as the author had kept tabs on the whereabouts and condition of his friend and fellow worker Timothy, his audience is encouraged to do the same. They should keep up with ministry partners and missionaries, as well as the circumstances and situations of those outside their fellowship. This command is meant to draw the attention of the Hebrew believers from the narrow confines of their community and its struggles to a broader awareness of the tragedies and triumphs of Christians in the world around them.

 

Finally, the third parting command encourages the church to express and accept greetings (13:24–25). Hebrews 13:24 begins with an imperative: Greet all your leaders and all the Lord’s people.  It ends with an indicative: Those from Italy send you their greetings. The same Greek verb is used in both cases: aspazomai. It’s a word that means “to engage in hospitable recognition of another.” This illustrates the nature of early Christian fellowship. It extended beyond the “nuclear family” of a local church (leaders and all believers) to include the “extended family” of other congregations spread throughout the world. They embraced each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, encouraged, supported, and prayed for one another—locally and universally.

 

These mutual, intimate greetings between far-flung family members of God were genuine, sincere, and more natural than any manufactured associations or denominations could enforce.

 

After these three final commands, the author concludes in 13:25 with a short farewell. He doesn’t end on a negative note, repeating one of his sharp warnings like “Beware of a hard heart!” Nor does he remind them of one of his hard teachings like “Don’t forget about Melchizedek!” Instead, he ends with a simple but powerful prayer for grace: “Grace be with you all.”  As that well-known hymn, Grace Greater Than Our Sin, starts with:

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!

Then the refrain tells us:

Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!

It ends with:

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see His face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?

 

APPLICATION: HEBREWS 13:18–25

Hebrews in Review: Some Practical Conclusions

The letter to the Hebrews is an intricately constructed work of Old Testament_ biblical interpretation and theology pointing to the superiority of the person and work of Christ over everything and everyone. We could invest significantly more than 25 weeks analyzing its arguments, digging deep into its doctrines, and exploring its mysteries. However, in our study of this book, we must never forget that it was written not simply for our education but also our edification, not simply to inform, but also to transform. Reflecting on the /theme, /message, /and goal of the book of Hebrews,/ let’s consider three final, practical applications as we say farewell to this epic book.

 

The theme: the superiority of Christ. The author has emphasized the supremacy of Christ in every way and every realm. He is superior in His person because He is not merely a good man but the God-man. He is more significant than any other person who has gone before or come after Him (1:1–4:16). He is superior in His work as our High Priest, by which He offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice for sin and rose again from the dead to intercede for us before the throne of grace (5:1–10:39). And He is superior in His work of empowering us and motivating us to press on in faith, hope, and love (11:1–13:25).

 

But for Hebrews to transform us, /the superiority of Christ needs to take hold of us. We must trust Him as the God-man, embrace Him as our sole sacrifice, and draw near to Him as our High Priest. We must model His grace and mercy in our relationships with family, friends, and even those outside the church. When we drift away, we must return our focus to Christ alone. Can you honestly claim that Christ occupies the preeminent place in your life? Is He superior to all other priorities, people, and things? If not, let me urge you to draw near to Him again. Slowly read through the Gospel of Mark or John, perhaps in a translation you’ve never read. Let His life, words, and example inspire and transform you again.

 

The message: the practicality of Christianity. Hebrews may delve deeply into the riches of theological truth and reach broadly in its treatment of biblical passages; but if we merely stand in awe of the construction of its message and fail to heed that message, we will have missed entirely the author’s purpose. Hebrews beckons us to a life of trusting and obeying the Lord Jesus Christ every moment of every day … until the end of our lives. With each step we take, we keep our eyes fixed on Him. When we stumble and fall, we turn to Him for forgiveness. When we falter, we ask Him for strength.

 

In very practical terms, a life of faith, hope, and love should affect our prayer life. We should go to Him with everything. It should affect our attitudes as we turn from worries, fears, anger, and bitterness and let the brilliance of Christ’s eternal kingdom illumine the dark days of the here and now. And our relationships should be transformed by love—the warm, affectionate love expected of members of a spiritual family under one Father. Pray for one another. Provide for one another. Encourage and correct one another. Don’t shy away from the personal relationships that mark lives of love.

 

The goal: the maturity of...