Sermon #40                                    Hebrews Notes

 

          Title:            Once Only And Once Enough

          Text:            Hebrews 9:26-28

          Readings:     Buddy Daugherty and Bob Duff

          Subject:       Christ’s Appearances

          Date:            Tuesday Evening – January 16,2001

          Tape #         W-22a

          Introduction:

 

          Our text tonight is Hebrews 9:26-28. I have been working on this message for several weeks. I cannot tell you how many commentaries and sermons I have read on these verses, or how many times I have outlined them. I have deliberately gone to bed with these verses on my mind every night, and usually woke up with them on my mind. How my heart has been blessed by that which the Holy Spirit here declares! I trust yours will be as well. Let’s begin reading at verse 24.

 

[Hebrews 9:24-28]  "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: [25] Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; [26] For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. [27] And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: [28] So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation."

 

          Here the Spirit of God tells us of three great appearances of our Savior.

 

1.     He appeared once in the world to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. – This is our atonement.

2.     In verse 24 we are told that our great Savior now appears “in the presence of God for us” as our Advocate. – This is our assurance (1 John 2:1-2).

3.     In verse 28 the inspired writer declares that the Lord Jesus Christ shall appear to them that look for him the second time “without sin unto salvation.” – That will be our advancement. What an advancement it will be!

 

Tonight, I want you to just hold your Bibles open on your laps and follow along as we look at our text line by line, beginning in the middle of verse 26. May God the Holy Spirit be our Teacher.

 

Verse 26 – “Now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

 

Sin is a horribly evil thing. Sin is rebellion against God, treason against his throne, man’s attempt to rape and defile the holy Lord God, to drive the Almighty from his throne, to murder the eternal. Sin is the expression of fallen man’s enmity against God, the display of our natural heart hatred of God. Sin is that which makes us obnoxious to the holy Lord God. Sin is the defilement of our race. Sin has brought us under the curse of God’s holy law. Sin has put us under the sentence of death, eternal death. Sin shuts the door of hope upon all the human race.

 

It is not easy for sin to be put away.  – No carnal sacrifice can put away sin.

Not all the blood of beasts

On Jewish altars slain

Could give the guilty conscience peace,

Or wash away the stain

 

– No work of man can put away one sin. – No amount of repentance can put away sin. – Not even our faith can put away sin.

 

Not all the labors of my hands

Can fulfil Thy law's demands;

Could my zeal no languor know,

Could my tears forever flow,

All for sin could not atone;

Christ must save, and Christ alone!

 

          Even God himself cannot, in his pure, absolute character asd God, can put away sin. If sin is to be put away, it must be put away by the sin-atoning death and substitutionary sacrifice of the incarnate God, the God-man Mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ. But his sacrifice was enough. He died but once; but once was enough!  That is the meaning of these words. --

 

But now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” Christ’s sufferings for sin are of infinite value, merit and efficacy. But suffered for sin only once. He appeared once, in the end of the world to put away sin. ----

·        The Guilt Of It, By His Atoning Sacrifice

·        The Punishment Of It, By His Sufferings And Death

·        The Penalty Of The Law; By His Satisfaction Of Justice

·        In Consequence Of It; By His Obedience Unto Death

·        The Dominion Of It By The Power Of His Grace

·        The Filth Of It By His Sanctifying Grace

·        And The Very Being Of It In Resurrection Glory.

 

This work of putting away sin was accomplished by him bearing in his body upon the cursed tree. He carried it and took it away; (as pictured in the scapegoat). He has removed it from us as far as the east is from the west; by finishing and making an end of it. He disannulled and abolished it, in so far as the law and justice of God is concerned. When he paid our debt, he cancelled it in one day, by his one sacrifice. In one great day, the whole work was done (Zech. 3:9).

 

[Jeremiah 50:20]  "In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve."

 

Verse 27 -- "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment."

 

And as it is appointed unto men once to die --  This speaks particularly of physical death, the death of the body, not spiritual and eternal death. Even this is the wages of sin.

 

God has appointed and decreed the length of every man’s life and the time, place and means of every man’s death. Our days can neither be lengthened nor shortened. Some imagine that there is a contradiction here because we are plainly told that both Enoch and Elijah escaped death and that some will be translated into heaven at the second advent of Christ. But all undergo that change which is equivalent to death. For the believer, death is but release from this body of sin. That is what Enoch and Elijah experienced. That is what the saints living at the time of Christ’s second advent will experience. And that is what our departed friends have experienced. The believer’s death is not death at all, but release from this body. Blessed release!

 

[John 11:25-26]  "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: [26] And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?"

 

This is to be experienced but once! On those who are born of God, on those who are partakers of the first resurrection, the second death shall have no power.

 

[Revelation 20:6]  "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."

 

[Revelation 20:11-15]  "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. [12] And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. [13] And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. [14] And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. [15] And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

 

It is the statute law of heaven for men to die and that but once. So our Lord Jesus Christ died once, only once. He will die no more; and it is the comfort of our souls. Though we must die the first death, we shall not be hurt of the second death, because Christ died for us, enduring all the penalty of God’s holy law as our Substitute to the full satisfaction of justice.

 

Since our days in this world are numbered by our God, let us be diligent in the days he has given us, serving him with meekness and fear. The day of our departure is certain to God, but unknown to us. None of us know how much time we have left in this world. But none has time to spare. – Read on ---

 

But after this the judgment” – There a day of judgment appointed by God as well. There shall be, in the last day, a great, general resurrection and judgment. We must all appear before the great white throne judgment. In that great day Christ will be Judge. I do not doubt that there is a judgment which all experience immediately after death, by which, the souls of men are condemned to their proper state of bliss in glory or banishment in hell. But there is also that final, eternal judgment, at which all must stand to be either declared holy or filthy, blessed or condemned. And the day of judgment has been appointed by God from eternity.

 

Verse 28 -- "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation."

 

So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many” -- As man dies but once, so our Lord Jesus Christ was offered but once. He suffered and died but once. This he did, not for himself, but for us, for the many he came to save by the sacrifice of himself. He bear the sins of many; certainly not of all, but of many! What a word that word “many” is! He did not bear the sins of  a few, but "many." This is said to magnify the grace  of God, to exalt the satisfaction and righteousness of Christ, and to encourage sinners to hope in him. If he bore the sins of many, why not mine? This I know, the Lord Jesus Christ bore and bore away all the sins of the many who believe on him unto life everlasting.

 

·        The Many Justified By His Blood.

·        The Many Forgiven By His Grace.

·        The Many Pardoned By His Mercy.

·        The Many Whose Sins God Remembers No More.

·        The Many Sanctified By His Spirit.

·        The Many Given To Him In The Covenant Of Grace.

·        The Many For Whom He Now Appears In Heaven

·        The Many Who Look For Him.

 

What sins did he bear in his own body on the tree?

·        All Kinds Of Sin

·        Every Act Of Sin

·        All That Belongs To Sin -- Its Filth, -- Guilt, -- Its Punishment – Even The Iniquity Of All His People!

·        What a horrid load of sin our Savior bore in his body! It was a nauseous, hideous load, that which he most abhors!

 

Our sins were imputed to him and became his; but he bore them all. He did not sink under them. He made a full satisfaction for them. He bore them completely away forever!

 

[Psalms 32:1-5]  "A Psalm of David, Maschil. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. [2] Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. [3] When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. [4] For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. [5] I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah."

 

[Romans 4:8]  "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin."

 

[Romans 8:1-4]  "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. [2] For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. [3] For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: [4] That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

 

And unto them that look for him” -- with faith, hope and love – “shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation!

 

[1 Corinthians 15:51-58]  "Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, [52] In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. [53] For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. [54] So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. [55] O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? [56] The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. [57] But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. [58] Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."

 

[1 Thessalonians 4:13-18]  "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. [14] For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. [15] For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. [16] For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: [17] Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. [18] Wherefore comfort one another with these words."

 

1.     Our Lord Jesus Christ appeared once in the world to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. – This is our atonement.

2.     In verse 24 we are told that our great Savior now appears “in the presence of God for us” as our Advocate. – This is our assurance (1 John 2:1-2).

3.     In verse 28 the inspired writer declares that the Lord Jesus Christ shall appear to them that look for him the second time “without sin unto salvation.” – That will be our advancement. What an advancement it will be!

 

[Revelation 22:3-5]  "And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: [4] And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. [5] And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever."

 

[Revelation 21:4]  "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."