God’s Resurrection of Christ: Our Plea

Let's go to Hebrews and I'm going to have you uh go to Hebrews 13. But I'm going to give you first of all an overview of the whole book. I'm going to talk to you give you an overview of your of the whole book to help you understand why the book was written.

A lot of people keep coming. I'm glad they're here. And I think they just came on time. All right. So before we read Hebrews 13, we're going to read verse 20 and 21. And in fact, Jim, let's begin reading that for them and let's put it on the screen.

And then I'm going to kind of go back a little bit and explain the book of Hebrews before we talk about this one portion here. Go ahead. 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. >> That's a prayer he's praying.

Make you perfect in every good work. >> Go ahead. 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. >> Okay. Now, let me let me talk to you because a lot of people don't know why the book of Hebrews was written.

The book of Hebrews was written to Jewish believers in the early church that were leaving Christianity or wanting to leave Christianity for Judaism. In 60 AD, something happened. Lord, help him see this. Help them understand it. Help them receive it in Jesus name. And God's people said, >> "Amen." >> All right.

So, in the early church, Jewish believers were protected because they were still looked upon looked upon as Jews. The Romans had an agreement with the Jews of the day that the Jews were allowed to practice their religion freely to go to the synagogue or the temple. They did not have to worship Roman gods.

They could worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and be free as Jews in their own land. But they also had an agreement that if the leadership called the Sanhedrin or Supreme Court of the Jewish people would dismiss a Jew, he would lose that protection. So if someone was dismissed, they would throw them out of the synagogue, not allow them in the temple.

That would mean they would lose their job >> and family. To be kicked out of a synagogue in that day and kicked out of the temple means you lose your protection as a Jew and you come under Roman authority and now you have to worship the gods of Rome or die or or be persecuted because you're no longer protected now under the umbrella of the Jewish Sanhedrin under the protection that you have as a Jew.

That's why they were afraid to be kicked out of the synagogues. In 60 AD, the Sanhedrin made a decision that all believers in the Messiah were no longer Jews. They were looked upon as a sect. Therefore, they lost protection. In 60 AD, it happened. And that's when the book of Hebrews was written just before that.

Now it's interesting that 10 years later the temple was destroyed. In 70 AD was destroyed and later 1.5 million Jews were killed by the Romans and they were scattered for 2,000 years after that. So the minute the Supreme Court, you could call them, of the Jewish nation said, "You're no longer a Jew.

You're all out because you you no longer are considered Jews." The early Christians were now looked upon as a sect. Now Rome can decide what to do with them. That's why Hebrews was written to them and it begins immediately with Jesus is better. >> Amen. >> It begins the first word is what?

If you begin with the with Hebrews 1:1, God spoke in the in the past through the prophets now by his son. It sets and establishes that God is no longer speaking as he did in the Old Testament. And now it gives us an amazing picture. Jesus is better than angels.

And then in chapter two, if they disobeyed angels, they would have been punished. How much more shall we escape if we neglect our salvation? It's talking to the people who wanted to neglect salvation and walk away. And what the writer said is those who disobeyed the angels who gave the Old Testament because an angel gave it to Moses were punished.

How much more shall we if we escape? How much more what kind of punishment will we suffer if we neglect the salvation spoken of by the Lord himself? Then he gives example after example after example. And in chapter six and chapter 10 says once you go you basically he talked about apostasy there's there's no return after you've tasted the good word of God and the parts of the world to come.

Dangerous. And then he goes through again in chapter 10. He paints them a whole story of the old covenant and and but with one message. Jesus is better than angels. He's better than Moses. He's better than the priesthood >> and so forth right through the book. And finally with chapter 11 gives them the whole issue of the champions of faith in the old covenant and how not one of them walked away and gave up.

In the chapter 12, here's the cloud of witnesses. How dare you leave if they didn't leave? Don't give up your confidence. He says, >> and now he comes to this prayer. Are you with me? >> Ah, great. So, let's go to this prayer. So, he ends up with this last prayer for them.

Lift your hands. Say, Lord, >> I got to know this. Okay, now let's let's put Hebrews 13 verse 20. And he says, "Now the God of peace," can I please see it on the screen now? Yeah. He says, "Now the God of peace," that's a very powerful statement.

And if I can just read that for you one more time. Now the God of peace that brought and you pay attention now to the to the words the God of peace the God of peace was used only by Paul the apostle in his epistles. No other apostle had written such words in their epistles.

You'll not find it. That's why many believe that Paul wrote Hebrews because of the words God of peace. He was the only one to use it in all the epistles. No one else not Peter or John or James used the name God of peace. So that brought again brought again from the dead.

Very powerful. These words are very powerful. Our Lord Jesus that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant. Uh there's five things here that are very important to look at and I want to just give them to you. Number one, the character of the Savior.

Number two, the act of God in bringing the Lord forth from the dead in this verse. Number three, the connection between the resurrection and the God of peace. Number four, the resurrection and the cause, the blood of the everlasting covenant. And number five, the powerful reason provided that would bring us boldly into his presence.

Now, I've said a lot here, so I have to go back and explain it. And that's why I told you earlier some of you have been drinking milk for too long. So I want to make you hungry for meat. I'd like I'd like to to to say something here that needs to be explained.

The Bible says there's therefore now no condemnation in Romans 8 verse one to them who are in Christ. To them who are in Christ. That's correct. Let's go to John 3:36 please. John 3:36, Jim, it says, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not, the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him."

Now, that's the Lord speaking. So the God of peace is the God of peace to those who are in Christ. To those who are outside Christ, the wrath of God abides on them. Not only that, not only that, Ephesians 2:3 please. among whom also we all had our conversation in time past and the lusts of the flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind and were by nature the children of what? >> Aha.

So the God of peace was not our God of peace was he till we got saved. Only salvation brought us to know the God of peace. Prior to salvation he was the God of wrath. Nobody talks about that today. So the God of peace, how did that peace come?

Colossians 1:20 answers our that question. He says very clearly, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things to himself. By him, I say whether they be things in earth or things in heaven. So very clearly the God of peace came through the gospel because the gospel is called the gospel of what?

Peace. Romans 10:15, the gospel of peace. So that word the God of peace is very important to us. Why is it important? All right, let's go to Zechariah. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts, and smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.

Now this is something very amazing to me that God Almighty here is looking for someone for someone to be punished for the sheep. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, said the Lord. Smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered, and I will turn my hand upon the little ones.

But God wanted to smite the shepherd, not the sheep. You have to understand when Jesus took our sin, justice was met. I'd like to take you very quickly, all of you, to Psalm 88, if that's all right. Because in Psalm 88, David the psalmist speaks of, let's just go together there.

The psalmist in this amazing portion prophetically speaking about Christ suffering on the cross for us and dying for us. And you you begin here with a prayer in verse one. Oh Lord God of my salvation, I've cried day and night before you. Let my prayer come before you.

Incline your ear onto my cry. My soul is full of troubles. My life draws nice to the grave. I'm counted with them that go down into the pit. I'm a man. I'm as a man that hath no strength. Free among the dead. Like the slain that lie in the grave, whom you remember no more, and they are cut off from thy hand.

You have laid me in the lowest pit. That's not David. That's the Lord. In darkness, in the deeps. Watch this. This one verse. Thy wrath lith hard upon me, and thou has afflicted me with all thy waves. Powerful. And now you you for yourselves need to really read the whole psalm, but look at verse 16.

Thy fierce wrath goes over me. Thy terrors have cut me off. That's Christ. his sufferings that the wrath of God was poured on his own son. Wow. Now, I'd like I'd like to say something to you here. Before the foundation of the world, it says in Revelation 13:8 that Jesus was crucified before the foundation of the world, a covenant was made between God the Father and God the Son called the covenant.

They have everlasting covenant. It was also called the covenant of peace. Isaiah 54:10, Jim, please. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee. Neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, sayaeth the Lord that hath mercy on thee.

The covenant of peace was made between the father and the son on our behalf. That's why in Zechariah 6:13, it it says it calls it the council of peace. I know this is too deep for some of you. >> Get it? He shall build the temp even. He shall build the temple of the Lord and he shall bear that's the that's the Christ the Messiah the Lord and shall sit and rule upon his throne and he shall be a priest a priest upon his throne and the council of peace shall be between them both.

Who's both? The father and the son in eternity past. You see how exciting the Bible is when you know it. Cuz if you read it and don't know what it mean, it's just like, what is this all about? It's about Jesus. >> Open your eyes. It's a treasure.

You're missing the treasure. Stop looking at social media and dying. >> Stop looking at the wood and start living. >> I'm spending my time with this. spending my life searching it. Why don't you know the Bible talks about the unsearchable riches of Christ in in Ephesians 3:8? I think we're looking at just a little part of it.

The Jews were looking for the Messiah to come as a shepherd. As a shepherd. They knew that the Messiah would be their shepherd. Ezekiel 34 verse 23. >> Set up one shepherd over them and he shall feed them. Even my servant David, he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. >> Keep going because it's not about David, it's about the Lord.

Keep going. >> And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David, a prince among them. I the Lord have spoken it. >> Now, whenever you see David, it it implies and means Messiah, the Lord. Now, it's very interesting in John 10:1, Jesus says that he's the shepherd who will give his life for the sheep.

So, Israel is looking for a shepherd. Zechariah says, "Smite him." The cross and Jesus said in John 10, please read that for them. Verse 11, >> I am the good shepherd. The good shepher shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. >> Let's go to Isaiah 53:6. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. >> And what does it say in Isaiah?

All we like sheep, keep going, Jim. >> All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. >> And the Lord Keep going. >> And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Now, how amazing that uh we we go back to Zechariah 13:7.

Now, please one more time, Jim. All we like sheep have gone astray. We've turned everyone to his own way. The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Let's go to Zechariah 3 uh 13:7 one more time. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts.

Smite the shepherd, and the shepherd sheep shall be scattered, and I will turn my hand upon the little ones. >> When Jesus hung on the cross, the wrath of God was poured on him on our behalf. He paid the full penalty. that the Lord required for you. For you who are coldhearted.

For you that neglect him and have forgotten him. For you that use his name in vain. For you that go to church and still are unclean with your language. For you who act holy and are miserably wicked. Even for you he suffered and died. Now, the Bible says something most remarkable.

Isaiah 53:7, it says he's brought as a lamb. He's brought as a lamb. Read that, Jim. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He has brought as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before her sheerers is dumb. >> You know, it's very interesting, Jim.

He's brought as a lamb. Someone brought him to the cross. He's brought he's brought who brought him? God himself. Paul and Peter. You know, Peter called the Lord in 1 Peter 2. He said, "Jesus, the shepherd and bishop of your souls." He was brought. Why do do you recall I just said the covenant of peace between them both and how through him we have peace with God and so forth.

Do you do you remember the scripture in Isaiah 53:5? The chastisement of our peace was upon him. He was chastised for our peace with God. God brought him. Why? Okay, I think you'll catch this one, too. Um, let's go to Hebrews 13 verse 20 one more time. Now, this is this is profound here.

I I I I hope you're awake. You are, right? >> I'm sorry to be so bold. I have to to get through to you. So, it says he's brought as a lamb. God brought him as a lamb to the slaughter. But notice that he was brought again from the dead.

It's amazing that the writer didn't say raised, he said brought again. Brought again. Very powerful. You recall in Acts 16, Paul the Apostle went to prison and the jailer was saved after the earthquake. Remember all that? And the next day after the jailer was saved and his family, the authorities said they can go free.

So they come, the jailer comes and says to Paul and to Barnabas, "Well, you can go now." And Paul says, "No, no, no. We are innocent. They have to come and take us out." >> That's right. >> Because if they did not come and take him out, then they were guilty.

So the authorities had to come and take them out declaring them innocent. Paul says we are innocent. Written there in Acts 16. Look, look at Acts 16:39. It's right there for you. It says that they brought them out. Acts 16:39. And they came and besought them and brought them out.

Why? Because they were innocent. God, back to Hebrews 13:20, please. God brought again. Again mean he took him to the cross and brought him again from the grave declaring him >> innocent. These words brought again means God was telling the world my son did not die for his sins. >> He died for the sins of the world. >> Hallelujah.

Lift your heads and say thank you Lord. Thank you Lord. >> I pray you are enjoying the teaching from Hebrews 13 today. I pray the Lord is ministering to you. What a precious Lord we serve. What a blessed Lord we serve. None like Jesus saints. None like Jesus.

To love him, to serve him, to follow him, to belong to him. There's no words to describe the joy of knowing the Lord and loving the Lord. And to him be all the praises. All we can say. All the glory and honor and majesty belongs to our precious Jesus.

And uh make sure to share this with your friends and join me tomorrow as we continue this powerful teaching. It's a prayer as you know from Hebrews 13 20 and 21 and tremendous riches in the words of verse 20. So keep watching and again thank you for your love and support.

I'll be on my way in the next few days. In fact, on Tuesday, uh, in a few days on the 17th of March on, uh, I'll go on my way to Brazil, I start with S. Paulo on the 18th, and then I go from there to Salvador. It's a city up north, and then I come to a city south, uh, Santa Katrina.

It's going to be a glorious three city visit. and pray that many will be saved. Please pray that many people will come to the Lord and many will be healed and blessed and strengthened in the faith. And thank you for your love and your support. I was just talking to Murray Don who heads our uh meetings overseas and uh she was telling me about the amazing invitations. uh one came from Cameroon today and has so many invitations from Africa right now and they all want me this this year.

I said look there's only so many days in the year but I really am enjoying going to Africa a lot. I feel u God is really fulfilling something in my in my heart and my soul to be honest with you. Great things are coming this year. uh many lives will be transformed and I want to say thank you for your love and support and asking you to become a partner today with our ministry.

If God speaks to you, you can go to our website and we have a gift for you. And as as you're led, for the Lord will speak to you to sew a seed in the Lord's work so we can take the gospel to the nations. And wonderful Jesus, bless your people, I pray today.

Bless them, Lord. meet every need in their life. Yes, Lord. I pray that your presence and power and your substance will be reality in every heart and every life in Jesus wonderful name. And God's people said, "Amen." And amen. And again, we'll see you tomorrow as we continue the teaching.

And make sure to share this with your friends. I'll see you then. God bless you. What a time to become a partner with Benihinn Ministries. Right now, a wave of revival is sweeping across Africa and around the world. From the staggering crowds in Uganda, where over 1.5 million people gathered to crusades in Zimbabwe, God is shaking the nations with his power.

And Pastor Benny is traveling more than ever under a greater anointing than we've seen in decades. Multitudes are being saved, healed, and delivered by the power of the gospel. These are last days, and we're seeing the prophetic promises of Joel 2:28 come to pass. I will pour out my spirit on all flesh.

And as you partner with this ministry, you're not just sewing seed, you are participating in the harvest. Every soul reached, every healing witnessed, every life changed. You are a part of it all. Jesus said in Matthew 6:20, "Lay up for yourself treasures in heaven." And Philippians 4:17 declared, "Not that I desire a gift, but that fruit may abound to your account."

When you give, God himself becomes your rewarder. He will multiply your seed sown, and you will walk in the supernatural blessings of a gospel partner. This is your moment. This is your day. Join us and let's take the gospel to the nations together.