Equipped by God

Coming up today on Renewing Your Mind. May God who brought again the Lord Jesus from the dead. Any quip you make you fit make you prepared even restoring the broken places of your life. But God make you capable and ready and equipped with what with every thing we just heard from the benediction of it tells us that the God of peace has the ability to equip us for good. What a beautiful promise for frail, often feeling hearts today on Renewing Your Mind. We returned to a series by Dr. HB Charles Junior he's hoping to see God's promises in the benedictions and doxologies in Scripture. Welcome to this section of our study in this session will discover great truths from a wonderful benediction. The final chapter of the book of Hebrews in the New Testament. Hebrews chapter 13 verses 20 and 21. Many Christian worship services and with the benediction benediction is simply a blessing. Pastors have the privilege of announcing prayerfully divine blessings on the people of God as they scatter from the place of corporate worship.

Benediction is often announced simply by quoting the Scriptures my own pastoral practice. It is my custom to announce the benediction from numbers six verses 24 through 26 the Lord bless you and keep you below or cause his face to shine upon you and be gracious torch. The Lord lift his countenance unto you and grant you peace but there are other passages that make wonderful benedictions like Ephesians 320 and 21 now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, or Jude 24 and 25 now to him who is able to keep us from stumbling and to present us blameless before his presence with great joy for second Corinthians chapter 13 verse 14 the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all in a session I want us to consider a benediction that might not be as well-known as some of the others, but it is just as precious. Hebrews chapter 13 verses 20 and 21.

The writer declares at the end of this letter now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus the great Shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever a man this deep rich full benediction declares that there is power available in Christ to be all that God has called you to be and to do all that God has called you to do later said God helps those who help themselves. But that's not Scripture that's been Franklin. The Scripture says just the opposite that we are not able to help ourselves, but in Christ there is strength, power, help available from God to be all that God has called us to be and to do all that God has called us to do. Consider that your refrigerator dies you have to get a brand-new refrigerator and since you gotta make this investment you decide to get the best you can get and you get one with all the bells and whistles. It thing to do everything but walk the dog and turn off the lights and lock the door and when it arrives, you just want to see the full you go grocery shopping and stock up just to see what it looks like full of food that you wake up the next morning and food to spoil frozen items of melted this expensive refrigerator doesn't even work call up the company and try to be as patient as you can, but you're frustrated and they're trying to help you figure out what's wrong they cannot figure it out until finally the voice on the other hand says let's try one more thing open up the refrigerator and tell me if the light comes on, you do it doesn't lean into refrigerator.

See if you can hear the hum of the engine. You do you can't.

One more thing look behind the refrigerator and tell me a fistful of death you do. It's not. And that you want to save face so you say laugh at all the money I spent. It should work anyhow. Unfortunately, this is the reality of how to many Christians live potential, but no power, but it doesn't have to be that way. It is not God's intention for the Christian life to be that way. He has made available to us in the Lord Jesus Christ all the help and strength and power available that we might be what he has called us to be and do what he has called us to do. That's the message of this benediction and Hebrews 13 verses 20 and 21 declares to great truths one looks back and the other looks ahead. Looking back, the writer declares that God has done great things for us in Christ. The looking forward. He says God will do great things for us in Christ. First he says God has done great things for us in Christ. Verse 20 is just all invocation, he declares now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus the great Shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant in this invocation he gives us three reasons why we should trust God for the help that we need three reasons why we should trust God for the help that we need reasonable one.

God is the God of peace. He is the God of peace. Hebrews is written to at risk Jewish Christians who are tempted to walk away from their faith because of severe persecution the anonymous author of Hebrews writes to exhort the readers to continue in the faith, because simply what they have in Christ is infinitely better than what they had in Judaism. Having made that case, he now closes this letter to these troubled Christians commending them to God's care and in so doing, he declares that God is the God of peace what is peace pain is more than the absence of hostility and animosity in trouble and it is more than the absence of negative realities. The idea of peace in the Bible is wholeness and completeness of blessing and fulfillment when in the Old Testament.

One would say to another.

Peace be with you is not saying merely hope you don't get into a fight today is a positive statement of blessing for God's help and strength in favor be yours. Peace be with you. Question is where does this peace come from that. The emphasis here he is saying that true peace comes only from God. God is the God of peace where there is God there is peace where there is true peace. There is God thought is the source of peace. God is the substance of peace. God is the sustainer of peace. God is the supply peace Isaiah 26 verse three you will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trust in you, the one who runs to the cross and trust the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation is a beneficiary of peace with God syndrome is five and one having been justified by faith, we now peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Sin, excess enemies of God, but the blood and righteousness of Christ brings peace with God. Not only does the Christian have peace with God. He has access to the peace of God. Philippians chapter 4 verses six and seven says be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and minds through Christ Jesus. John Blanchard commented there that the peace of God is being grateful for past mercy, conscious of present mercy and certain of future mercy. God is the God of peace. Secondly he says you should trust God to do for you what you cannot do for yourself, because God raised Jesus from the day this letter to the Hebrews is about the superiority of the Lord Jesus Christ focuses on his exaltation and his present intercessory ministry on our behalf as our great high priest. Interestingly, this 20th versus the only direct reference to the resurrection in the book of Hebrews focusing on the exalted Christ. He assumes the resurrection of Jesus. But here he explicitly states that God raised Jesus from the dead.

The Gospels emphasized the fact of the resurrection of the epistles are emphasizing the significance of the resurrection, and this is what we find here proof that the Lord is able to help you to live obediently to resist temptation to suffer joyfully is that he raised Christ Jesus from the dead.

Romans eight verse 11. The spirit of him who raised Christ from the dead dwells in you, he is able to give life to our mortal bodies by that same spirit that lives in us the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the stress test of divine omnipotence. Whenever we face it doesn't require more of God than what it took to raise Jesus from the dead. We have guarantee that he is able to handle it.

He raised Jesus from the dead. Here we are reminded that as Christians we don't just believe in the fact of the resurrection of Christ we live in the power of the resurrection of Christ, we are Easter people we live.

As Paul says in Philippians 3 and 10 by the power of his resurrection. Speaking of this raised Christ. He parenthetically refers to him as the great Shepherd of the sheep. John 10 verse 11 Jesus says I am the good shepherd.

The good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10 verse 11 says he is the good Shepherd that died for us here.

Hebrews 1320 says sees the great Shepherd that was raised from the dead for us in first Peter chapter 5 verse four, the apostle says he's the chief Shepherd who is coming back again for us little boy was reciting Psalm 23 verse one in the Sunday school program and couldn't remember it and just declare that the Lord is my shepherd and S all I know. But if that's all you know that is enough.

The is the great Shepherd of the sheep who is been raised from the dead after dying for our sins is one more reason why we should trust the Lord to do for us, but we cannot do for ourselves because of who he is. He is the God of peace because he is raised Jesus Christ from the dead and then finally in the bottom part of verse 20 we should trust God because of the blood of the eternal covenant really interpreters don't know the relationship of this clause to the rest of what's being said here may be saying that he raised up Christ from the dead by the blood of the eternal covenant or that going forward, he equips you with everything good by the blood of the eternal covenant either way you read it you get it right. It is interesting to note though that the resurrection here is mentioned before the blood course historically chronologically good Friday happens before Easter, but here he says, first, that he was raised from the dead by the blood of the eternal covenant truth of the matter is good Friday is not good Friday without Easter Sunday morning. How do we know the God was pleased with what Jesus accomplished at the cross. It is because he raised him from the dead.

In a real sense as the language of the text says he raised up the Lord Jesus by the blood of the eternal covenant can one lose their salvation. It all depends on what saved you the viewer saved by your own work that is not going to save but we are saved forever by the blood of an eternal covenant. Do you hear Lord Jesus in John 10 verses 28 through 30 declaring I will give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one complex them out of my hand.

My father, who gave them to me, is greater than all the no one can pluck them out of my father's hand I and the father are one, so this benediction assures us that we could trust God to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves, because God has already done great things for us in Christ and this is if he says his faithfulness in the past is his resume for the future God has done great things for us in Christ. Verse 20 then verse 21 teaches that God will do great things for us in Christ. Verse 20 is the subject now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus the great Shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant verse 21 is the predicate of the sentence made that God and all of his goodness, greatness and glory equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever.

Amen there is in verse 21. A prayer for equipment and a prayer for enablement. The twofold prayer there is first a prayer for equipment.

This is the primary petition made the God of peace equip you with everything good that you may do his will. This word equip is rich. It is the picture of soldiers being equipped with weapons for battle. It is a picture of a fisherman mending his nets. It is the picture of a doctor repairing the broken bone.

It means to make ready to make fit to mend the fact picture of the fisherman mending his net or Dr. setting a bowl is the picture of restoration. That being used after it has been broken with this rich term. He says make God, who brought again the Lord Jesus from the dead, equip you, make you fit make you ready make you prepared even restoring the broken places of your life. May God make you capable and ready and equipped for what may he equip you with what with every thing good. James 117 says every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. God is the source of everything good to hear he is not picturing God is the source of everything good. He is referring to here the comprehensiveness of God's good gifts.

He equips us with everything good love, joy, peace, goodness and kindness and gentleness and patience and self-control and any other good thing we need to resist temptation, live obediently, serve faithfully witness boldly suffer joyfully. He will equip you with everything good for what purpose that you may do his will notice he doesn't say anything here about finding God's will, God's will is not lost. He assumes God want you to know his will for emphasis here is that you cannot accomplish God's will in your own strength. Good intentions are not enough good works are not enough good effort is not enough.

Here we have the assurance that his will will never lead us where his grace will not sustain us. He will equip us with everything good that we might do his will for verse three verses five and six trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not leave on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path in a real sense that proverb is saying if you are on God's path. If you are obediently trusting and obeying him.

Even if you are in the path and it leads to a river in front of you can trust that God will either send the shift build a bridge or teacher.

The soil ill equip you with everything good that you might do his will.

So there is a prayer for equipment and then as a prayer for enablement. How does God equip you with everything good that you might do his will.

The next phrase says he does about working in us. So in a real sense God is not so much. Equip us with everything good as he equips us with himself, God dwells with in two equip us with everything good that we might do his will, he himself is working in us that we might do what is pleasing in his sight is is not what Paul affirms in Philippians chapter 2 verses 12 and 13. Philippians 212 exhorts us work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, and then Philippians 213 assures us, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure fact that homework.

Homework is the set. Philippians 213 to memory and just learn how to rehearse that verse in the morning as you start your day. Just ask yourself questions than let Philippians 213 answer like who can I count on to be with me today answer.

It is God. Where will he be today working where will he be working in you, how will he be working both to will and to work that is God shapes our desires and our ability he shapes our attitude and our conduct and why does God work in us for his good pleasure.

He equips us with everything good that we might do his will.

But, of course, this only comes through Jesus Christ. It only comes through Jesus Christ. Colossians 117 says he's the one that holds all things together comes through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. And so this benediction actually ends with a doxology.

The God who equips us. The God who enables us through Jesus Christ is worthy of glory forever and ever one who is enabled and equipped by God does not have the right to remain silent. The psalmist declares let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom the Lord has redeemed out of trouble and you know to be easy to skip through the benedictions and doxologies that we find in Scripture all this week on Renewing Your Mind. Dr. HB Charles Junior is reminding us of the rich theology that we find in these sections of the Bible all week were highlighting his new series blessing and praise benedictions and doxologies in Scripture. This is the first time we bury these messages so I know you want to reserve your copy of the complete series will be happy to send you the DVD which contains eight lessons for your donation of any amount or number is 800-435-4343 and you can also find us online@renewingyourmind.org benedictions and doxologies provide us with the beautiful descriptions of God and his attributes. You can also explore several articles on this same subject. The table talk magazine.com I typed in doxology of a search block and fell nearly 40 articles you and your entire family will enjoy and benefit from table talk and when you requested. We will send you a free three month trial subscription. Just go to try table talk.com roller time with Dr. Charles studying these benedictions and doxologies has already been rich but will continue the study tomorrow and here's a preview God is our Creator God is our ruler. God is our judge.

But he is more than that to those who are in Christ, he is ours saying in a sense, he is worthy of exclusive praise in this God was worthy of exclusive praise is also worthy of highest price. Would you join us tomorrow for this lesson is titled preserved by God it's Wednesday here on Renewing Your Mind