Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus

The way we pray also is a lot about our understanding of Scripture we see that clearly. As we look at the prayer found in the final verses of Hebrews chapter 13 today on Truth for Life.

Alistair Begg concludes our series titled fix our eyes on Jesus by unpacking this powerful prayer that reminds us of everything God has accomplished through Jesus. I want to pick up where we left off in our previous study, where we noted that the leadership was both pastoral and accountable when you look at verses 18 and 19, you're able to add 1/3 word to that description.

It wasn't simply pastoral and accountable. But it was humble leadership and we never express the humility of our hearts better than when we bow our knees in prayer, nor do we make it clear to others. Our dependence upon God to any greater degree than when we seek to solicit from them, promising to show evidence of their prayers. I find it particularly striking that the authors first personal reference doesn't come until the 13th chapter and when it comes it comes as a prayer request. The first time the writer is aware personalizes things in this particular way he does so to acknowledge his dependence upon the prayers of God's people, in order that he might better serve them and in so doing, he provides for as a further example of the nature of leadership within the Christian church the right to recognize that all the blessing that he ever needed could be obtained from God alone, and that prayer was the means of obtaining the blessings and encouragements that he required, pray for us. He says I particularly urge you to pray Christian leadership should never be above the need of the prayers of God's people to the degree that leaders ever given the notion that we are, then we do a disservice to our people, to ourselves, and indeed to the whole testimony of God is concerned here about a clear conscience. I think probably has something to do with the great freedom that he was exercising and relationship to the Jewish practices because you will remember as we gone through the letter.

Many of his readers would have been scrupulous and live in relationship to some of the old practices of Judaism and they were having great difficulty in feeling that they would flee from some of the stuff that I marked them before their encounter with Christ, the writer had clearly been able to release himself from much of that old system and he wanted them to know that he had a clear conscience in relationship to that and that he did desire to live honorably in every way that is a wonderful reminder to his incidentally that the clarity of our conscience and the desire for honorable living are to be hallmarks again of Christian leadership. The 19th versus simply a reminder to us that while letters are okay. Being face-to-face is the best and that is his concern that I particularly urge you to pray so that I may be restored to you soon. I want to see the sex and this reference at the end of this letter is akin to what we find with frequency throughout the rest of the New Testament letters now having expressed his humility by means of this prayer request. He then in verse 20 moves with ease from requesting that they might pray for him to offering what is essentially on his part.

A prayer of benediction because here in this little prayer he gathers up a number of themes which have run throughout the letter. If you'll notice, for example, the nature of the blood of the Lord Jesus and what it is meant for it to be shed. This notion of covenant and particularly an eternal covenant. The Lordship of Jesus Christ. The importance of doing his will. All of this and more is gathered up in this prayer that he offers on their behalf, and he directs his prayer. You will notice in this wonderful opening phrase to the God of peace may he says the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for the doing of his will. Incidentally, the way in which we pray does not simply reveal our hearts. It reveals something about heads, how is it that God is the God of peace. How is it that God can reconcile sinful man to himself a holy God. How can there be peace, whereby the very definition of our lives. We added M that he with God. We are under his rock and we face only his judgment. How could he be the God of peace. The answer is through the blood of the eternal covenant, and presumably the writer has in his mind a number of passages doubtless Isaiah 53. Speaking of the suffering servant as the prophet Isaiah pointed to one who was to, not realizing that he would be the one who would be the fulfillment of all of his prophecies and would be the apex of the Revelation in the letter of the Hebrews. This one who had no beauty or majesty. Nothing in his appearance that we would desire him.

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Yet he was the one who took up our infirmities.

He was the one who carried our sorrows and we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. What wondrous love is this, but he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities. Notice the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed and all of these Hebrew Christians and Isaiah and the prophets when they stand around the throne of God and when we join hands with them and as we proclaim the wonder of God's grace and when we declare the amazing wonder of the fact that he is the God of all peace upon what will we reflect upon the shedding of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. I wonder if the penny has dropped for some who began these studies in Hebrews. Having no grasp of things are tall feeling that some external religion some embracing of rules. Some attempt at cleaning up and dressing up and appealing our best and doing our best and seeking the air not acceptance with God, would be sufficient for welcome into his present has gone by his spirit. Open your eyes to the wonder of this that all your righteousnesses are as filthy Ray's there is not one thing that IRU could do to commend ourselves in the presence of God and therefore we are without hope in the world unless another should take our place, for not all the blood of beasts on Jewish altar slave could give the guilty conscience, peace, or wash away the stain.

But Christ, the heavenly land bears all our sins away.

I sacrifice of nobler name than they parts the significance of the phrase by raising Jesus from the dead, God gave proof that he had accepted the sacrifice of Jesus that the atonement for sin had been accomplished if Jesus had not been raised from the dead, then there would be no salvation for sin. If Jesus had simply died as a natural man and been raised from the dead, then there would be no sacrifice person but because of the death of the died and because of the resurrection that he experience there is for is the atonement for arson and indeed that's why the writers pointed out in chapter 10. In verse 18 that because in his death, Jesus Christ accomplish this atonement.

There is no more sacrifice for sin that can be offered or needs to be offered I could take a long time time trying to expound this, but let me give you a quote.

It's a little prosaic but it is a wonderful quote is from John Nolan the death of Christ. If he had not risen would not have completed our redemption, we should of been still in our sins for evidence would have been given that atonement was not made the bear resurrection of Christ or the bringing of him from the dead would not have saved us for so other men may be raised by the power of God, but the bringing again of Christ from the dead through the blood of the everlasting covenant is that which gives assurance of the complete redemption and salvation of the church. The writer is making it clear that Christ has performed an act which could be repeated by no other, and he has received a position which could be held by no other note he has use this descriptive phraseology in order that he might then make statement of his request. All of this theology underpins what he's asking for. He has asked for anything yet he is just keeping up these wonderful truths made a God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead who our Lord Jesus Christ, and who is he he is a great Shepherd of the sheep. Now he says this is my request. May he equip you with everything good for doing this will what a wonderful and essential prayer. The word here for equip means may he put you in a proper condition. May he make a complete may he restore you.

May he manage you may hear it. It is a word that is used for example in Matthew four when Jesus comes in the disciples are at the shore and they are mending their necks and the word that is used. There is from the same verb after test and they were repairing that which was broken so he says, looking upon these believers. In his day writing out of the fullness of God's heart to them.

He says it is my great prayer and I'm not just praying into the area. He sets I'm praying that Ms. God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal, brought back from the dead, the Lord Jesus the great Shepherd of the sheep.

This is the one to whom I go in. And I am asking him that he will give you everything that you require because he says I know that God is able not only to supply what is necessary, but to repair what is broken. What a wonderful truth that is, it would be one thing if God could only supply what was necessary. He gave his one shot at it and as soon as we violated our nested upper fooled around with it and put it on the side. He said that you you're done I'll move you aside now and I'll find another to use no God to whom we come is the God who understands that yes we have compromised our testimonies. Yes, we have lived, dislocated from one another. We are not perfect.

We haven't been and were not about to be and it is this God who equips us with everything good for doing his will.

What is his will that we would be holy. What is his will that we would show hospitality that we would minister to those who are in prison that we would live true to our marriage valves and so on.

It's no mystery. It's not some magic box kept under the tree somewhere that only a few select people can go and find the will of God is on the surface of the pages of Scripture and he supplies us with everything good for the doing of his will to make us holy. Not ultimately happy gives as the resources noticed toys to be played with.

But as tools to be employed in order that we might become useful to the master and he says, may he work in us what is pleasing to him. This great paradox of Philippians 2 that all that we ever work out for good is what God has worked in for his pleasure. We do it. He doesn't who doesn't I eat it then that paradox is we depend upon him and as we are equipped with all of this that he work in us what is pleasing to them. I notice through the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever on. In other words, he said. I started with Jesus. I told her Jesus all through the middle and I'm finishing with Jesus to because he is the one who is greater than Moses. He is the one who is more significant than the angels. He is the name above every name, he is the one who is crowned with glory and honor. He is the one who is seated at the right hand of the father on high. Let us praise him. Indeed, if the studies in Hebrews have not made Jesus more precious to us. Then we have failed in our studies, what about a little PS versus 22, 23, 24 and 25 we summarize it for you.

Verse 22.

Heed the instructions 20 say I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation.

I only wrote you a short letter take about an hour to read out loud. He could have developed these themes a lot more from his perspective. This was quite short, imagine how long it might've been heed the instruction verse 22 versus 23 and 24 cherish the fellowship I want you to know that our brother Timothy is been released if he arrives soon I will come with him to see that you fill your heart with expectation because you love to be with God's people cherish the fellowship. Greet your leaders in verse 25 stand in grace while there is the great themes of revelation and redemption. Wonderful picture of the Lord Jesus turning our lives to him as the one who is the Savior from our sin, one who is the lord and master of our lives throughout my studies in Hebrews. Our studies in Hebrews. I made a new and ancient friend, an individual with whom in one respect I have very little in common.

Certainly when I consider his intellectual capacity and his piety, but I gained some encouragement from recognizing that we were both born in Scotland that we both shared the privilege of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that we both were called to the ministry of the word of God that I hope to some degree we both that I would share his passion to teach the truth which is actually in the versus that were trying to study rather than to teach a truth that we wanted teach, and we look for a few verses to try and teach there would be some sense of affinity with this individual, of whom Marty McShane preaching in an ordination sermon said John Brown of Haddington used to preach as if he had read.

No other book than the Bible.

But the one thing that intrigued me most was this the biographical introduction to the commenter begins like this early one morning in the year 1738 Shepherd boy with homespun clothes and bare feet stood at the counter of Alexander McCulloch's bookshop in the University City absent Andrew this Dr. shopkeeper was yet more surprised when you hear the youths requested was for the Greek New Testament boy exclaimed. The professor of Greek who happened to be in the shop at that moment if you can read that book you shall have it for nothing sooner rather thick leather volume was in the Lance hands into the astonishment of all present. He read a passage and one is price.

By afternoon, 16-year-old John Brown was back among his flock on the heroes of Abernethy having walked some 48 miles since the previous evening to obtain his treasure 16-year-old shepherd boy 48 miles on foot to buy a Greek New Testament.

While this was John Brown's grandfather. I said that's nice I am. My grandfather was a shepherd to but I don't know if you ever read the Greek New Testament, and as I read through his biography and found my heart stirred by I came to the way in which he concluded his studies and I want to use his conclusion is my conclusion because I don't think this can be improved upon.

And with these words. I draw this to a close. He says I know I close these illustrations of the epistle to the Hebrews happier hours than those which I have spent in composing these expository discourses. I can scarcely expect to spend on this side of the gray I trust the study of the epistle has not been without some improvement, as well as much enjoyment to myself, I shall rejoice if it lasted shall be found that others also have been made better and happier by all is now over with the author and his readers as to his illustrating the epistle and their listening to these illustrations, but there remains the improvement to be made in the account to be given God require of the things which are past and so should we. Let me request those who have accompanied me thus far seriously to review the whole epistle and ask themselves, do we understand it better. Do we feel most strongly the sanctifying and consoling influences of the doctrines which it unfolds. Can we say with greater conviction of the truth and formerly we need a high priest, we have a high priest, we are well pleased with our high priest, we have acknowledged Jesus as our high priest.

We will hold fast our acknowledgment. He died for us.

We will live for him and if he calls us, we will die for him. We will trace his steps on the air. We will await his coming in the clouds.

If this be the case even in one individual. I shall not have labored in vain if it has been the case with a number of individuals. I shall have received a full reward.

It's because we understand that Jesus is our high priest.

We both live and die, but the key lesson from our study in the book of Hebrews listening to Truth for Life with Alistair Begg. Stay with us.

Alister will be right back to close with prayer. But first I want to tell you a little bit more about a book I've mentioned throughout the week a book called God's Bible timeline. The big book of biblical history.

This is a colorful picture book that presents a series of 18 biblical timelines traces biblical history from the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2, Jesus fulfillment of his promise in the New Testament and then onto the expansion of the early church. The bright illustrations and maps and diagrams make God's Bible timeline. A great resource for your Bible study or Sunday school class, you can request your copy today by giving to our mobile app or a Truth for Life.org/donate or give us a call at 888-588-7884. Now let's join Alister as he closes in prayer. Organon father, we thank you for the immense privilege of being able to study the Bible, we thank you that in these studies. In this epistle to the Hebrews are gaze is been turned again to these wonderful truths that you are God and you've made yourself known to us in the world in which we live in the word which we read and in the person of your son, upon whom we turn on getting. We thank you for what you have done for us in the Lord Jesus Christ, that in him there is forgiveness of sins, the cleansing of a guilty conscience, the removal of the fear of death. The anticipation of the hope of glory.

How then we should praise you for the love of our Redeemer grant that we might do so, to the glory of his great name we ask about the pain. Have a great weekend. As you worship with your local church sure to join us again Monday as we begin to think special on how to foster Christ shape the Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by truth for lying work. Learning is pulling