"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."
Hebrews 13:20-21
Part 3
Yesterday: God Raised Jesus, Our Shepherd, from the Dead
“That brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus.”
It is the “God of Peace” that raised Jesus from the dead.
“That great shepherd of the sheep.”
He is my Shepherd!
Today: Jesus’ Shed Blood, the Basis of the New Covenant
Our risen Lord initiated the New Covenant,
“Through the blood of the everlasting covenant.”
“The everlasting covenant – The Christian covenant, which is not temporary, like the Jewish, but designed to remain forever. By the application of that blood, by which this covenant was established, may He make you, in every respect, inwardly and outwardly holy!”[1] (Wesley).
His blood and His covenant:
The evening before Jesus went to the Cross, He instituted this new covenant.
“Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you” (Hebrews 9:20).
“And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:27-28).
Jesus Christ must have shed His blood for us to be forgiven from our sin and to have Redemption in Him.
Jehovah’s promise to Israel:
“And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me” (Jeremiah 32:40).
“Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore” (Ezekiel 37:26).
This was accomplished in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
The covenant or testament:
“For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth” (Hebrews 9:16-17).
A “Last Will and Testament” may be an acceptable document. Still, it holds no say until the owner of the will, the “testator,” dies. At the testator’s death, the words of the will come into their own. Upon his or her death, that will is in effect and can change things.
Jesus’ New Covenant (Testament) became valid after His death. And now, though He has risen from the dead, His Testament is in effect and will remain so. The promises in this Testament, His Gospel, will remain in effect eternally.
Believers, we are all “sinners saved by grace,” so how can we live our lives saying “no” to sin and striving to bring glory to Christ? This seems impossible. Come back tomorrow when we see how Jesus Christ works in us as believers.
Quote: “While the blood of bulls and goats were a ‘reminder’ of sin, ‘the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect’ (1 Peter 1:19) paid in full the debt of sin we owe to God, and we need no further sacrifices for sin. Jesus said, ‘It is finished’ as He was dying, and He meant just that—the entire work of redemption was completed forever, ‘having obtained eternal redemption’ for us (Hebrews 9:12).”[2]
[1] John Wesley. John Wesley’s Notes on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword. Hebrews 13:20.
[2] This quote on the “Blood of Christ” Downloaded: Saturday, April 17, 2021. From: https://www.gotquestions.org/blood-of-Christ.html.