PERFECTING THE WORK

"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 wellpleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." (Hebrews 13:20-21)

PAUL PRAYS THAT THE FATHER, working through the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ, will "make you perfect in every good work to do His will." Other versions read, "make you complete in every good work" (NKJV), and "equip you with everything good for doing His will" (NIV). Where spiritual maturity and involvement in the good will of God is found, the "great Shepherd" has been leading. That is the evidence of His activity!

WHERE SPIRITUAL JUVENILENESS and a lack of involvement in God's will are found in professed believers, only three conditions are possible. First, in such a case, it is possible that the person has never been born again, and thus has not been able to see or enter the kingdom of God (John 3:3,5). Second, the individual may be a new convert, in which case this prayer is in order. Third, such a person may actually have been born again, but through quenching and grieving the Holy Spirit, has become obstinate and spiritually ignorant. For whatever reason, it is never acceptable to be in a condition that is not advancing toward being perfect in every good work.

MARK IT WELL, the "great Shepherd of the sheep" is engaged in bringing His people to maturity, perfecting them "in every good work." His objective is to involve us in the "good and acceptable, and perfect will of God," so that we become "laborers together with God" (1 Cor 3:9).

JESUS WARNED ONE OF THE EARLY CHURCHES, "for I have not found thy works perfect before God" (Rev 3:2). This is an unacceptable condition because God is able to make us perfect in every good work through Jesus Christ. That is one of the reasons He gave Him to us in the capacity of a "great Shepherd."

THE WORD "PERFECT" comes from a word which means "to complete thoroughly . . . perfect . . . prepare, restore" (Strong's). For example, a "perfect" fruit is one that has been brought to full maturity, and is suitable for consumption. From another view, "perfect health" is a condition in which disease and debility are not found.

AN IMPERFECT WORK is one that comes short of the Divine requirement. It misses the mark, and is like an aborted child. It is not recognized by God because it does not comport with His objectives. A "perfect" work is one that meets the Divine objective. It pleases the Lord because it harmonizes with His purpose, and is thus accepted by Him. God is not glorified by flawed, juvenile, and partial works, or by perpetual simplicity and juvenility.

GOD IS ABLE TO MAKE every human expression measure up to His expectations! He accomplishes this through the "great Shepherd of the sheep," not rules or procedures. If our works are not "perfect," we cannot excuse ourselves on the basis of our humanity. God has provided the Shepherd to lead us out of the infirmities of humanity into the strength of the Lord, and the power of His might.

PLEASING TO GOD
God the Father, through the "great Shepherd of the sheep," works within us things that are pleasing to Him. Although we enjoy the things of God, the primary purpose of these works is not our pleasure, but His! It is essential that this be comprehended in a time when personal advantage is heavily promoted in religious circles. There is, of course, no greater personal advantage than being under the care of the "great Shepherd of the sheep." However, we must ever keep in mind that our benefit flows from our involvement with God and the promotion of His glory. Our benefit is never an end of itself.

I FIND AN INTOLERABLE trend developing in the Christian community. There is altogether too much talk about "fun" and having an enjoyable time. No one of sound mind will oppose having an enjoyable time, but everyone should oppose this being a primary objective. Whole assemblies are orchestrated today to accommodate the pleasure of the people. What is more, those who do not measure up to the lusts of the people are judged as unworthy of attention. All of this may seem quite bearable, but God is not well pleased with it. God's attitude toward our works commends or condemns them, regardless of the response of our peers. If something is not pleasing in His sight, any other pleasure is inconsequential.

WHEN WE WERE GIVEN a Shepherd – a "great Shepherd" – we were given One who will lead us to do what is "well pleasing" to God. Therefore, our gatherings must welcome the "great Shepherd of the sheep" to work in this manner while we are assembled together. Our mindfulness and care for one another must be within the context of our preoccupation with Jesus Himself.

– Given O. Blakely