We're turning to the book of Hebrews chapter 13, Hebrews chapter 13, and as you turn there, we're going to just briefly unite in prayer as we come to remember the Savior. How wonderful, O God, we think of thy dying love now around this table of remembrance. It is no altar. but simply a table upon which emblems rest, reminding us of the finished work of Christ the Redeemer, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. We rejoice in Christ today. As we remember him, may we do so reverently and joyfully. to think that Jesus Christ has paid the price of our redemption. Lord, bless us now around the book. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Just one verse. It's the verse 20 of Hebrews chapter 13. 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. The words that are written here, they sit within the context of Paul's, believed to be Paul, who wrote the book of Hebrews, Paul's prayer for the sanctification of the believer. If you look at the verse 21, Paul goes on to write, make you perfect in every good work to do as well. working in you, that which is well pleasing in sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. And it is within the context of Paul's prayer for the believers' sanctification that these words in the verse 20, they appear because the success of that work, the work of sanctification, rests on the work of Christ at the cross of Calvary. The success of that work is guaranteed because of the cross work of Jesus Christ. It is because Christ has died and because He has risen again that God can make us perfect in every good work to do His will. But it is these words in verse 20 that I want us to think about four simple thoughts. as we focus our mind upon the Lord today. I want you to think first of all of God's peace, the God of peace. This title is employed seven times in the New Testament and is always employed by the Apostle Paul, by no other New Testament writer but Paul. Paul writes the God of peace seven different times, the God of peace. It is a title that signifies that God's justice has been satisfied by Christ's death. And therefore, God brought him again from the dead, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the God of peace. Now think of that title, child of God, and gladden your heart with it today, that he's the God of peace. He's not the God of wrath. He's no longer the God of wrath. He was whenever we were in our sin. His wrath, His wrath was upon us. But today He's to us the God of peace. In His dealings with those who are His own, He is no longer the God of wrath. Because we have been reconciled to God by the death of His Son, He is to us the God of peace. He's the God of peace. He brings us peace and He fills our hearts with peace. And thank God to us who were at enmity with Him, we are now reconciled to Him and thereby it is peace between us and God. We have been possessed with the peace of God. We are at peace with God, and we are possessors of the peace of God. He is the God of peace, God's peace. Secondly, God's power. We read, now, the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus. To bring anyone back from the dead is not within the power or the ability of any human being, and yet it is something that is within God's power to do. God brought again from the dead his Son in a manifestation of power that has never been equaled. We see his power in the resurrection. And the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead raises us first from the deadness of our sin, and then will raise us from our grieves when we have passed death's veil before the Savior's return. That power that raised Christ from the dead will raise us from the dead. God's power. Thirdly, think about God's provision and protection. Because we go on to read, now the God of peace brought that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep. As the good and as the chief and as the great shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ sees to the providing and to the protecting of his sheep. The Son of God, he discharges the office of a shepherd to his sheep diligently and faithfully. He protects us, he leads us, he sustains us, he supports us, and will do so until we are eternally enclosed into heaven's fold, until we find ourselves with the great shepherd. And so we have provision and protection. And then finally we have in this text God's pardon. 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. Christ shed his blood to ratify the covenant of redemption. All covenants were ratified by blood. Read it throughout the Old Testament. Blood had to be shed. It ratified, it sealed it. All that was promised was now ratified by blood. And Christ, by His blood, has ratified the everlasting covenant of redemption. This is my blood. This is my blood. and thank God by the sharing of his precious blood, he has procured and secured all covenant blessings for his children. The pardoning of sin is only by and through the blood of Jesus Christ, crimson blood, cleansing blood, covenant blood. covenant blood which saw to the pardoning of my sins and the pardoning of your sins. And so today, this resurrection Sunday, we remember God's peace. We're at peace. We're at peace with God. We think of God's power, power to raise us out of the grave of our sin and will raise us out of our physical grieves. If we die, see of his return, he will raise us from the grave. Think of his provision, his protection, we think of his pardon. Do we not then sit before this table of remembrance and say, thank you, Lord, for saving my soul. Thank you, Lord, for making me whole. May we do so, and may our hearts go out now to him as we partake of the emblems that are before us. In 1 Corinthians chapter 11, the Apostle Paul, he writes, This is my body which is broken for you. This do in remembrance of me. Son brother, please lead us to the throne of heavenly grace and thank God for the bread that we're about to partake even at this communion feast. Gracious God and loving Heavenly Father we bow humbly again in thy presence. We thank you Lord for the return of thy day. We thank you Lord for health and strength that has enabled us to gather again in the place of worship. We thank you, Lord, for thy word that has been opened and read and preached. We thank you for the faithfulness, again, of thy servant who has brought that message that you've led upon his heart, even to our hearts this morning. And we thank you for that word, Lord, even as Job was able to say, For I know that my Redeemer loves us. And that is the case for each of us gathered here this afternoon. That we know that our Redeemer loves us. At a time in our own lives that we came to the foot of the cross, acknowledging our sin, repenting of it, and by faith and trust coming to the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you, Heavenly Father, for sending thine only begotten Son into this world. We thank you for He'd been sending them to the cross there of Calvary and for his obedience and how he went there and died that atoning death shedding his precious blood that we might have our sins forgiven. Thank you for all that Christ accomplished for us there on the cross of Calvary. Thank you for that body that was broken, that body that was bruised, the pain and the agony that our Savior endured that we might be saved. We thank you Lord for all that he went through. I think even of those nails that were put through his hands and his feet, that spear thrust in to his side, a crown of thorns placed upon his head, even his back being whipped like a ploughed, we thank of all that Christ did for us Lord. We can't even comprehend it, nor we just pray that even this Resurrection Sunday we thank you that we do indeed serve a risen saviour, one who rose triumphant over death and over the grave, and that the tomb is empty and that Our Savior is seated at the right hand of the Father, interceding for his people. Lord, we thank you for all that thou hast done for us, even through Christ and through salvation. Lord, we just pray for the rest of this day. We pray for the open air service this afternoon. Be with thy servant again. Be with Edwin as he will go. into the street and preach the gospel, preach the message you led upon his heart. We pray for this town, Lord, how men and women and young people in this town need the Savior, how they need Christ. We just pray that as the gospel goes forth again in the open air, you would please, Lord, to come down. As has already been prayed in this house this morning, come down in the mighty way, and we will see the moving Lord in our midst, that we will see sinners saved, Lord. And we pray for the gospel meeting tonight, pray for thy servant again, as he will take up The gospel as you take up thy word, Lord, we pray you be pleased to come and move in power, move by thy Spirit, and that sinners will be wonderfully converted even in this place today. For thy honour and for thy glory. So Lord, continue with us now as we take up this bread. We ask all these things in your Saviour's precious name. Amen. Some brother, lead us in prayer with respect to the cup as we come to remember the Savior's blood that he shed on the tree. Please, some brother, lead us to the throne of grace in prayer. Heavenly Father, as we wait on in thy holy presence, we do thank thee again for thy people, Lord, assembled in this fashion, assembled around the emblems of thy death. Lord, we know as you look upon us that today your heart will be gladdened, Lord, that we have indeed got this assurance that we know that our Redeemer liveth. And how we thank thee for thy great work of salvation, Lord, we understand fully that how we are redeemed, we are not redeemed with corruptible things such as silver and gold, but by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. How we thank you for that precious blood, incorruptible blood, indestructible blood. We praise thee again, Lord, that it is the blood of the everlasting covenant. We read there again, In Matthew, Lord, you took the wine that night and you said, this is my blood, my blood, the blood of the God man, my blood, of the everlasting covenant that is shed for many for the redemption of sin, for the remission of sins. Oh, Lord, we thank thee again for the power that's in the blood of Christ. Lord, may we ever be a people, Lord, that values the blood of Christ. And Lord, we thank thee that we have been redeemed with a purpose. And we read there again, Lord, in Galatians, Lord, how you sent forth your son, made of a woman, made under the law to redeem us that were under the law. And Lord, that we might be made the adoption of sons. We thank the Lord indeed that we have been brought in to the family of God. Such is the power of the blood of Christ. forgiveness of sins. Lord, that is our position in Christ. Lord, no longer are we servants, but Lord, we're sons. And then if we are sons, the scripture tells us, then we are heirs of God through Christ. Oh Lord, we praise Thee again for Thy great work of salvation. And Lord, we would ask Thee again Even, Lord, to help us to even live under the shadow of the cross. Lord, you have done so much for us. Lord, let us be a people, Lord, that value what we have. Let us be a people that know what we have in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. So as we partake of this wine, Lord, let us think in these things. Let us again lift our hearts unto thee with joy. for all the Lord has done for us. Amen. After the same manner also he took the cup when he had stopped saying this cup is a new testament of my blood this do ye as oft as you drink it in remembrance of me for as oft as you eat this bread and drink this cup you do show the Lord's death till he come. Let's bow in prayer. Our Heavenly Father, we're always taken up with the very simplicity of the whole communion supper. And yet, Lord, the depth to which it takes us to, the depths of the mystery of redemption, Could we ever fathom that? Oh, God, it is beyond. We're out of our depth. And yet, Lord, we're overwhelmed by bellows of thy love and thoughts of thy good grace towards us fallen creatures of the dust. And he would die for a worm like I. Oh, how marvelous, how wonderful is my Savior's love to me. And to my brethren and sisters, we're amazed at it all, the grace of God, and we pray, see, for the grace that came with Jesus Christ. And Lord, as we leave this house, and as we leave the table, may we go forth with this settled conviction within our souls that our Redeemer liveth, and all that that means to us even today. Bless thy people, encourage them in their walk. We thank thee that soon we'll be with him, we'll be with the Redeemer. But until that day, may we walk carefully and prayerfully, and may we walk as Christ walked in this world. Keep us from sin, and keep us from compromise, we pray. And may we just love thee more and more, and grant dear God our hearts to be ablaze with Calvary love. As one of old said, kneel my hands to the plough with Calvary love. Lord, do it, Lord. May we not look back, but forward ever and backward never. May it ever be our desire. Part us with the blessing of the triune Godhead, the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. We pray this in and through the Savior's wondrous name. Amen, amen.