18-19 Pray for us. For we trust that we have a good conscience and in all things are willing to live honestly. But I implore you to pray, that I may be restored to you very soon. 20-21 Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep, make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

22 I implore you, brothers, to heed this word of exhortation, for I have written to you in few words. 23-25 Know that our brother Timothy has been set free, with whom I shall see you if he comes soon. Greet all those who rule over you and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you. Grace be with you all. Amen. Hebrews 13:18-25 Modern English Version

We come to the final part of this letter which seems to have been written to mainly Jewish converts to Christ, some of whom were finding the going so hard that they were thinking of going back to the rituals of Judaism. So how does the writer describe his letter in vs 22.

It was a word of 'exhortation'. One dictionary defined that as: “A speech, discourse or appeal that encourages, incites, or earnestly advises.” The same Greek word is used 29 times in the New Testament and in many places is translated as ‘encouragement’. A good example is Romans 15:4 where, speaking of even the Old Testament writings, the apostle Paul said: “For whatever was written at an earlier time was written for our instruction, that through endurance and the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.” How then should this affect our approach to reading the Bible and listening to sermons?

We ought to 'heed' what we read or hear. To 'heed' means to pay careful attention to something. But the Greek word is even stronger and means to 'bear with', or 'put up with' something that may be difficult. There are times when what we read in the Bible really knocks us, or pricks our conscience. It can happen too when someone is preaching, or challenges us personally on something in our life they are concerned about. At such times we mustn’t shut our ears and harden our hearts. Rather, let’s remember what the purpose of such challenges and encouragements are when they are given in love. (See vs 20-21)

In that benediction from the writer we see what his longing for the people he was writing to was. He wanted their lives to grow in a way that their behaviour and actions would be perfect! That may sound a very tall expectation, but is it not what a Christian longs for? He echoes Paul's words in Romans 12:1-2 where Paul wrote: “Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice - the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

Notice too how he reminds them what his exhortation is based upon, and why they should be eager to heed what he has written. He says it was “through the blood of the eternal covenant, that the God of peace brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep.” He points them to how their salvation was sealed by the blood of Christ, and how God raised Christ from the grave to be the source of eternal life. It’s because of all God has done for us, and will yet do, that we should heed His exhortations and aim to be pleasing to Him.

What the writer said, and what preachers preach, isn't just for their hearers. The writer of Hebrews, and his friends like Timothy, were also living in a way that they would have a good conscience. (vs 18-19) May that be our aim. And let us be encouraged by the knowledge that the God of peace is able to make us perfect in every good work through the Shepherd He has given us.