The God of the Comeback: An Unshakable Benediction Text: Hebrews 13:20-21
Introduction: The Grammar of Our Confidence
We come now to the end of this magnificent letter. After a long and glorious argument, demonstrating the absolute supremacy of Jesus Christ over every shadow, every priest, every sacrifice, and every covenant that came before, the author concludes not with a whimper, but with a thunderclap. He ends with a benediction, a blessing. But this is no mere pious platitude tacked on to the end. This is not a sentimental "God bless you" whispered as you head for the door. This is a dense, tightly-packed, theological depth charge. It is the sum of the entire book, compressed into two verses of pure, high-octane gospel.
A benediction is a "good word." It is God speaking well of His people. And because God's Word is never merely descriptive but always performative, this benediction is an active force. It is a commissioning. It is God declaring what is, and therefore what shall be, for His people. This blessing is not a wish; it is a creative and powerful declaration rooted in the mightiest act of history: the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
In our day, we are surrounded by a culture of chaos and rage. The world is at war with itself because it is at war with God. And so, the world has no peace. It manufactures strife, it brews conflict, and it thrives on division. Into this maelstrom of hostility, the author speaks of "the God of peace." This is a direct confrontation. The peace God gives is not a fragile truce or a temporary ceasefire. It is a peace purchased through a bloody war, a peace established by a decisive victory. This benediction, therefore, is the firm ground on which we stand as we engage in the great task of taking this world for Christ. It is the grammar of our confidence, the foundation of our work, and the guarantee of our ultimate success.
The Text
Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, our Lord Jesus,
equip you in every good thing to do His will, by doing in us what is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
(Hebrews 13:20-21 LSB)
The Foundation of Peace (v. 20)
We begin with the basis of this blessing in verse 20:
"Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, our Lord Jesus..." (Hebrews 13:20)
The very first thing we must see is who is acting. It is "the God of peace." Why is He the God of peace? Because He has resolved the fundamental conflict of the universe, which is the hostility between a holy God and sinful man. He did not achieve this peace through negotiation or compromise. He did it through conquest. He made peace by crushing the rebellion. He did this by sending His Son to absorb the full fury of His wrath against sin. The war is over. The hostility has been dealt with. And the proof of this victory, the evidence that peace has been secured, is the resurrection.
Notice the action: He "brought up from the dead." This is the central miracle of history. It is the Father's great "Amen!" to the Son's "It is finished!" The resurrection is not merely a resuscitation. It is God's public vindication of Jesus. It is the proof that the payment for sin was accepted in full. Death is the wages of sin, and because Jesus exhausted that penalty, death could not hold Him. This is the bedrock of our faith. If Christ is not raised, we are still in our sins, the war is still on, and we have no peace with God.
And who was brought up? "The great Shepherd of the sheep." This is a direct echo of Old Testament promises. God promised to shepherd His people (Psalm 23:1), and He condemned the false shepherds of Israel who fed themselves and scattered the flock (Ezekiel 34). He then promised that He Himself would come and be their shepherd. Jesus declared, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" (John 10:11). But here, He is not just the good Shepherd; He is the "great Shepherd." He is the ultimate, final, supreme Shepherd. And His greatness is demonstrated by the fact that He not only laid down His life, but He took it up again, bringing all His sheep with Him.
How was this accomplished? "Through the blood of the eternal covenant." The resurrection was not a standalone event. It was the outcome of a covenant transaction. The covenant is the legal framework for our salvation. This is the New Covenant, promised in Jeremiah 31, which Jesus inaugurated with His own blood (Luke 22:20). But it is an "eternal" covenant. It was not an afterthought or a plan B. This was the plan from before the foundation of the world. The blood of Christ is what sealed this covenant. It is the price that purchased our peace. Because His blood was of infinite value, the covenant it secures is unbreakable and everlasting. The resurrection is the proof that the terms of this eternal covenant have been met completely and forever.
The Fruit of Peace (v. 21)
Because God has secured this victorious peace, the benediction now moves from the foundation to the application. Verse 21 tells us what this God of peace is now doing for us.
"...equip you in every good thing to do His will, by doing in us what is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen." (Hebrews 13:21)
The prayer is that God would "equip you in every good thing to do His will." The Greek word for equip, katartizo, means to make complete, to furnish, to repair, or to put in order. It's the word used for mending nets (Mark 1:19). The God who brought order out of chaos in creation and brought life out of the tomb in the resurrection is the same God who brings order to our chaotic lives. He mends us. He furnishes us for service.
And notice the scope: "in every good thing." This is comprehensive. God does not save us and then leave us to our own devices to figure out the Christian life. He doesn't just give us a pardon; He gives us a tool belt. He provides everything necessary for the task He has assigned us, which is "to do His will." Sanctification is not a self-improvement project. It is a divine construction project. God is the one doing the work.
But how does He do it? The verse clarifies: "by doing in us what is pleasing in His sight." This is a crucial distinction. God works on us from the inside out. He does not just give us an external list of rules. He changes our desires. He works in our hearts to make us want to do what pleases Him. This is the promise of the New Covenant: "I will put my laws into their minds, and I will write them on their hearts" (Hebrews 8:10). Our good works are the result of His good work in us. We work out our salvation with fear and trembling precisely because it is God who is at work in us, both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13).
And all of this happens "through Jesus Christ." Christ is not only the basis of our peace with God; He is the conduit of all grace from God. He is the one who equips us. He is the one working in us. He is the means and the agent of our sanctification. We can do nothing apart from Him.
The Goal of Peace
The benediction concludes by stating the ultimate purpose of all things. Why did God make peace? Why did He raise the Shepherd? Why does He equip us to do His will? The answer is the final doxology.
"...to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen." (Hebrews 13:21)
The final goal is the glory of God. All of history, from the eternal covenant to the resurrection, from our justification to our sanctification, is aimed at this one great end: that glory might be ascribed to Jesus Christ. Our salvation is not ultimately about us. It is about Him. Our good works are not for our own praise, but for His. When we do His will, we are simply reflecting the light that He has shone in us. We are instruments in His hands, and the skill of the artist is displayed through the work of the instrument.
This glory is "forever and ever." It is not a temporary applause. It is an eternal reality. The universe was created as a theater for the display of God's glory, and the drama of redemption is its central act. And our response to this glorious, all-encompassing plan is the final "Amen." This is not a word of resignation, but a word of enthusiastic affirmation. It means "So be it!" or "Let it be so!" It is our hearty agreement with God's entire program. We are saying yes to the God of peace, yes to the resurrected Shepherd, yes to the eternal covenant, yes to His work in us, and yes to His everlasting glory.
Conclusion: Equipped for the World
This benediction is not a tranquilizer. It is a trumpet blast. The book of Hebrews was written to a people who were tempted to shrink back, to return to the old ways, to abandon their confession in the face of pressure. This final blessing is designed to stiffen their spines. It reminds them that the God who is for them is the God who conquered death itself.
Therefore, He is more than able to equip them, and us, for whatever He calls us to do. We are not called to a life of quiet retreat, hoping to hang on until the end. We are the sheep of the "great Shepherd," the one who rose from the dead and now holds all authority in heaven and on earth. He is the God of peace, which means He is the God of victory. And because He is at work in us, equipping us for every good work, we are to go out from our worship and do His will in the world.
We are to build families, plant churches, create businesses, teach children, and challenge the idols of our age, all in the unshakable confidence that the God who raised Jesus from the dead is the one working in us. The power that fuels our obedience is the same power that emptied the tomb. Therefore, let us live as a people who have been blessed by the God of peace, working out His will in a world of war, knowing that our labor is not in vain. To Him be the glory, in the church and in our lives, forever and ever. Amen.