Because of this great plan of redemption God has devised in eternity past through the sacrifice of His Son, the Lamb of God, all glory and praise belong to God in the past and now by us in the future. And when you go to the end of the Bible, to the Book of Revelation, you find the people of God praising God in heaven. In chapter 4 we read, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being" (v. 11).
That brings us to the next part, which is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is mentioned as a second ground for the petition. It's part of the covenant because the Father committed Himself to do that with Jesus before the incarnation. It's part of His eternal agreement with the Son, but it's more than that. Certainly the way it's presented here in this great benediction shows that it is a demonstration of the power of God in accomplishing our salvation. The resurrection is proof that He's done it. It's a firm foundation for saving faith.
Yesterday, we looked at the biblical idea of a covenant, and gave some examples. Now those are all great covenants. They were great blessings to the people who received, believed, and obeyed them. But they are not as great as the covenant that's spoken of in Hebrews 13. Why? First of all, because it's an eternal covenant. That is, it goes back into eternity past. It was established among the persons of the Godhead before this world even came into being. And because it's eternal, it's going to last forever.
However, the most serious war of all, though we seldom give attention to it, is the warfare of the human heart against God. We are against God and His rule because we want to rule ourselves. It's what sin is all about. So when we read a phrase like "the God of peace," this isn't any merely placid or serene sentiment that the author is talking about. This is a phrase that says God is a God of peace because He's made peace. He's done it through Jesus Christ. That's a wonderful thing, indeed.
All of the benedictions in the Bible are great because they pronounce a blessing on the people of God based upon the attributes of God. But this benediction is particularly strong. It has an abundance of doctrine and a wealth of spiritual treasures.
