THE GOD OF PEACE AND OUR SANCTIFICATION. A Ser DELIVERED ON LORD'S-DAY MORNING, AUGUST 5TH, 1877, BY C. H. SPURGEON, AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON, "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 for ever and ever. Amen."-Hebrews xiii. 20, 21. THE apostle, in the eighteenth verse, had been earnestly asking for the prayers of the Lord's people. On the behalf of all his brethren he said, "Pray for us; and for himself he added, "I beseech you the rather to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner." If the apostle needed the prayers of his brethren, how much more do we who are so greatly inferior to him in all respects. We may, indeed, even with tears appeal to you who are our brethren in Christ, and entreat you to be earnest in your supplications to God on our behalf. What can we do without your prayers? They link us with the omnipotence of God. Like the lightning-rod, they pierce the clouds and bring down the mighty and mysterious power from on high. But what the apostle was anxious to receive he was careful to bestow, and therefore he proceeded in the words of our text to plead for his brethren; from which we learn that if we desire others to pray for us we must set the example of praying for them. We cannot expect to be benefited by other men's prayers unless the spirit of supplication dwells in us also. In this matter the Lord will give to us good measure pressed down and running over according as we give unto others. Other hearts shall be stirred up to intercede for us if we are ourselves diligent in intercession. Pray, if you would be prayed for. The prayer before us was an exceedingly wide one, for Paul had learned to ask great things of the Lord. The Holy Spirit had filled him with much love to the Hebrews, and with strong desire for their welfare; and, therefore, he asks for that which is the greatest of all blessings to the people of God, that they may be fit for every good work, and that God may work in them to do that which is well-pleasing No. 1,368. in his sight. When we plead for God's own beloved people we are safe in asking for the best of blessings: if we feel straitened in pleading for ourselves there can be no reason in being so in reference to them, since we know that the Lord loves them and abounds towards them in grace through Christ Jesus. It is noteworthy that this prayer or benediction comes at the close of the epistle, even as in Christian assemblies the benediction is pronounced at the end of the worship. Let the end of all our acts be a blessing to men and a doxology to God. As long as you live, dear brethren, endeavour to bless others, and when you die conclude life with a blessing, even as your Lord and Master did, who as he ascended to heaven was seen with outstretched hands blessing his people. As Jacob would not let the angel go until he blessed him, so we should not cease from preaching or writing in the name of the Lord until we have a comfortable persuasion that a blessing has come upon our brethren. This prayerful benediction is an exceedingly instructive one. It has within itself the whole compass of the gospel, as one might show if this were our object at this season. It is condensed spiritual meat; much in little; all things in one blessing. Every word is as a pearl for value, and as the sea for depth. It is not the object of prayer to instruct our fellow men: a decided distinction ought always to be drawn between praying and preaching, and those err greatly who under the name of prayer not only instruct, but argue and exhort; yet it is a remarkable fact that there is no inspired prayer in Scripture but what is full of teaching to those who are willing to study it. Take any one of the psalms, though they be addressed to God, yet within them the preacher finds thousand texts from which to inculcate the doctrines and the precepts of the Lord. As for the prayers of our Lord Jesus, they drop fatness; that which is commonly called "the Lord's prayer" contains a world of doctrine, and that glorious prayer in the seventeenth of John is as honey from the honeycomb. Now, since the same Spirit that wrought of old worketh also in us, I conclude that he will lead us also to pray to the edification of those who hear us. Though the foremost object of prayer be not the instruction of our fellow men, yet prayer ought to be full of good matter and worthy of the consideration of those whom we invite to join in it! Public prayer would be a far better means of grace to the people if those who utter petitions in public would seek preparation of heart from the Lord and enter upon the exercise with careful thought. Surely it is not sufficient to repeat a round of godly expressions which have become current in the church, but we ought to speak with the Spirit and with the understanding in our approaches to God, so that the thoughts of our fellow Christians may be excited, and their hearts united with us in our public devotions. He who prays in public a dull prayer, devoid of all thought and meditation, damps the flame of devotion, whereas it was his duty to have added fuel thereto. I invite those who take part in our prayer-meetings to lay this matter to heart. We must, however, further note that though the prayer of Paul for the Hebrew believers is full of doctrine, yet the whole of it tends to the end which he had in view. He did not garnish his prayer with extraneous ornament, nor drag in needless doctrinal statements; but every word was meant to support his plea for personal, practical holiness, which was the one object of his prayer. While he shows us whence holiness must come, and how it must come, and how it is wrought in us, and what it is like when it is wrought in us, he is all along bringing forth his strong arguments with the Lord that in the Hebrew believers this holiness might be wrought abundantly. I am sure I shall have your earnest attention while I endeavour to weigh the very words of the text, since each one is full of meaning: I cannot hope in the short space of one sermon to bring out the whole fulness of its meaning, for who can hold the sea in the hollow of his hand, or compass the fulness of such a text in one brief address? Yet I would labour to give you sufficient insight into it to let you see that its lengths and breadths and depths and heights are not easily to be measured by mortal mind. I. I call your attention to THE PECULIAR TITLE UNDER WHICH GOD IS ADDRESSED IN THIS PRAYER: Now, the God of peace." The names of God employed in prayer in holy Scripture are always significant. Holy men of old were not so poverty-stricken in language as always to address God under one name, nor were they so careless as to speak with him under such a title as might first come to hand; but in their approaches to the Most High they carefully regarded that attribute of the divine nature from which they expected the blessing which they desired. If they needed that their enemies should be overthrown they pleaded with the arm of his strength; if they were wrongfully entreated, they prayed to the God of righteousness; if they needed pardon for their sins, they pleaded with the God of mercy; and such names as Jehovah, Elohim, Shaddai, are not used indiscriminately in the prayers of the saints of old, but always with selection and judgment. Why, then, did the apostle here call God "the God of peace"? He had a reason; what was it? It is a Pauline expression. You find that title only in the writings of Paul. It is a name of Paul's own coinage by the teaching of the Holy Ghost. There were reasons in Paul's experience which led him to dwell upon this peculiar trait of the divine character. Each man, seeing with his own eyes, sees something peculiar in the name of the Lord; and the apostle of the Gentiles when writing to Hebrew believers saw with special clearness "the God of peace," who had made both Jew and Gentile to be one in Christ, so making peace. If you look in the Epistle to the Romans, fifteenth chapter and 33rd verse, you find him praying, "Now, the God of peace be with you all." In the same epistle, chapter xvi. verse 20, he says, "The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly." Again, in the second Epistle to the Corinthians, xiii. 11, he says, " Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you." In Philippians iv. 9, he thus concludes his exhortation: Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you;" but especially in 1 Thessalonians v. 23, there is a passage strikingly parallel to our text. He there prays, "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly." Sanctification is the subject of the present prayer. Just as in our text he prays, "Perfect you in every good work to do his will," so in Thessalonians he says, " And I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." It is evident, not only that the apostle delighted in the expression peculiar to himself, but that he saw a close connection between the peace of God and the sanctifying of believers, and for this reason, both in the Thessalonians and in the Hebrews, his prayer for their sanctification is addressed to the God of peace. The title is a gospel one. God is not spoken of as the God of peace in the Old Testament; but there he is "a man of war, the Lord is his name;" "he shall cut off the spirit of princes; he is terrible to the kings of the earth." He is frequently spoken of in the Psalms and the prophets as "the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle," and it is a part of Israel's praise of him that he slew mighty kings, "for his mercy endureth for ever." Constantly, in the older volume of inspiration, do we read of "the Lord of hosts," and of this title an old divine saith, "It hath the sound of hostility in it "; but now no longer speak we of the Lord of hosts, but of the God of peace: for, since Jesus is our peace, the enmity is slain. Messiah's reign began with songs in heaven of "peace on earth, goodwill towards men," his errand was peace, his spirit was peace, his teaching was peace, his last testament was peace, and, through his atonement, from the opened heavens the God of peace and consolation looks down upon the sons of men. The appropriateness of the title to the particular prayer will readily strike you, for holiness is peace. "May the God of peace make you holy," for he himself is peace and holiness. When holiness reigned over the whole universe peace reigned also. There was no war in heaven till one who had been an angel became a devil, and fomented a rebellion against the thrice holy God. Sin brings forth strife, but holiness is the mother of peace. In perfection there is peace, and therefore Paul prays the God of peace to make his children perfect: holiness is well pleasing to him, and when he is pleased all is peace, therefore he prays him to work in them that which is well-pleasing in his sight. The God of peace has also graciously restored peace and reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, but it has been by the putting away of sin, for while sin remained peace was impossible. "The blood of the everlasting covenant," of which the text speaks, was the sealing of a covenant of peace which God made between himself and man; for of old were there thoughts of peace in the mind of God towards his chosen. In the fulness of time the gift of Christ and his atoning death was the actual establishment of peace, for he hath made peace by the blood of his cross. He is the ambassador of God to us, and by his substitutionary sacrifice peace was effectually made, "for he is our peace": by the blood of the everlasting covenant was there a treaty made between God and his elect, which shall stand fast for ever and ever. As for our Lord's resurrection and ascension, of which the text speaks-"The God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus," that was the open proclamation of peace. So long as Jesus was in the grave peace was not openly declared: it was assuredly established, but not publicly announced; but when the Mediator rose, and especially when he ascended on high and received gifts for men, and sat down at the right hand of God, even the Father, then before the whole universe was it declared that God was at peace with the sons of men. For Jesus is in all things the Adam, the model man, the representative of his people, and peace with him means peace with all who are in him. He died for our sins, but he rose again for our justification, which is none other than the replacing of us in a condition of reconciliation with God. He went into heaven to take possession of our inheritance; and what better evidence could there be that we are reconciled to God? If our representative sits at his right hand we may be confident that the Lord is reconciled unto us. Beloved, if you pursue the subject you will see more and more clearly the significance of the title, "the God or peace"; for, to make us perfect in every good work to do his will is to give us peace. Although every Christian by faith in Christ is justified, and so has a judicial peace with God, yet we never can enjoy perfect peace with our own consciences so long as any sin is committed by us, or dwells in us. So long as there shall remain a solitary tendency to sin within these members we shall be disturbed, sin will contend with grace, and newborn grace will war with inbred sin. Sin and grace can no more agree than fire and water. Even the God of peace never tries to establish a peace between good and evil, for it would be monstrous even if it were possible. The way to peace is the way of holiness. Cast out sin, and you cast out contention. Subdue iniquity, and peace wins the victory. Beloved, it is of no use for us to seek happiness of life except by the way of holiness of conversation. I have already declared that we have peace with God through the atoning work of our Lord Jesus Christ; but for deep calm of heart and quiet of conscience there must be a work of sanctification within us wrought by the power which raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Sin is our enemy, and the new life within us is heartily at enmity with evil, and therefore peace can never be proclaimed in the triple kingdom of our nature until we always do that which is well pleasing in the sight of the Lord, through Jesus Christ. Nor is this all. When the apostle, praying for our sanctification, prays to the God of peace, it is as much as to say to us that we must view God as the God of peace if we are to be led to do his will. O man, is God your enemy? Then you will never serve him, nor do that which is well pleasing in his sight. Do you at this moment feel a horror of God, a dread at the mention of his name? Then you can never do that which will please him, for without faith it is impossible to please God, and faith is the reverse of horror. You must first of all know that there is peace between you and your God, and then you can please him. This knowledge can only come to you through Christ Jesus, for peace is made only by "the blood of the everlasting covenant." When once you know that the Lord hath made with you an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure, then you have leverage to work with, then are you founded upon a rock whereon you may be built up in every form of obedience, but not till then. Peace with God is the root of virtue: reconciliation by the death of his Son is the door to conformity to the life of his Son. May we know our great Shepherd |