Sermon #40 Hebrews
Notes
Title: Once
Only And Once Enough
Text: Hebrews 9:26-28
Subject: Christ’s Appearances
Date: Tuesday Evening –
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,
– 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;
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
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."