On Shepherding

"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, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen." Hebrew 13:20-21

The writer of Hebrew begins to conclude his great letter with this benediction. We often us it here at Perimeter at the end of a service as a way to give you a blessing and sent you out in the world.

Let's take a look at it, as it is full of His love.

God is a god of peace. He is the one who reconciled us to Him while we were at war. He did it before time, in the eternal covenant. You see, before time and space began, He had it all worked out. The Father said "I will create my people will sin against me!" The Son said, " I will pay the price for their sin!" The Spirit covenanted to apply the work of Jesus to elect throughout all time. The blessed triune God made an eternal covenant that will never be broken. That is bigger than big for you to know. You do not need to keep that covenant. In fact you cannot keep the covenant. He keeps it for you. How does He do that?

God the Father brought Jesus back from the dead after He had suffered the agony of hell. Jesus is the covenant maker and keeper. Further, Jesus is the great shepherd of the sheep. He loves His lambs, and He tenderly cares for them. He is the great shepherd. He is the one who can equip you with every good thing for doing His will and not yours. He wants you to what is best, and that is His will. He knows it is the healthiest thing you can do.

Finally the writer says this in so many words, " Let's give Him complete liberty!" He asks that His will works in us to what is pleasing to Him. Amen.

So there you have it. It is just a slice of Hebrews. Can we encourage you to read the rest today?

Blessings!