The title of the message, the
lesson this morning, is Why Believers Wait. Why Believers Wait. We've seen that Christ's blood
is effectual. In Hebrews 9.13, we saw that
God allowed those to come to Him in types under the Old Covenant. How much more shall God be pleased
to receive His elect in the blood of the Lamb which He's provided?
Seeing that the flesh of the Old Testament saints was purified
in type, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through
the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, effectually,
fully purge our conscience from dead works to serve the living
God? Our walk, our faith, our worship,
our prayers, our fellowship, it's not perfected by us or because
of us. Sin's mixed with all we do. But
if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship
one with another. In the blood of Jesus Christ,
His Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no
sin, we deceive ourselves. The truth is not in us. If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Even our worship is made effectual. It's sanctified by Him. And then we saw the necessity
of Christ's blood in Hebrews 9, 15-17. For this cause he is the mediator
of the New Testament, that by means of death, for the redemption
of the transgressions that were under the First Testament, they
which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the
death of the testator. For a testament is a force after
men are dead, otherwise it is of no strength at all while a
testator liveth. So we saw the necessity of Christ's
blood. As Moses lifted up the serpent
in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal
life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but
have everlasting life. And we noticed last time that
Christ's blood pictured or was typified in the dedication of
that first testament. We see that here in Hebrews 9.18.
Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.
For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according
to the law, He took the blood of calves and of goats, with
water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the
book and all the people, saying, this is the blood of the Testament,
which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover, he sprinkled with
blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry.
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood, and
without shedding of blood is no remission. It was therefore
necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should
be purified with these. But the heavenly things themselves
were better sacrifices than these. In Leviticus 17.1, it says the
life of the flesh is in the blood. I have given it to you upon the
altar to make an atonement for your souls. For it is the blood
that maketh an atonement for the soul. And now today we focus
on Christ appearing before God. And applying that blood, applying
that blood, Hebrews 9, 24. For Christ is not entered into
the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the
true. Those were just types as we've seen. But into heaven itself,
now to appear in the presence of God for us, nor yet that he
should offer himself often as the high priest enters into the
holy place every year with blood of others. For then must he often
have suffered since the foundation of the world. You think of how
many blood sacrifices were made from the beginning of time until
Christ came. But he didn't have to offer himself
often, but now once in the end of the world has he appeared
to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed
unto men once to die, but after this the judgment, 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. Once in the end of the world,
in these last days, when the appointed time had come, Christ
appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. We've seen
this throughout the Hebrew letter and it just keeps coming up over
and over and over again. It's repetition, repetition. We keep hearing these things
over and over and over again because it's needful for us to
hear it. It's not offering himself every year as the high priest
offered, but now once. Just one offering. It's not to
typify the putting away of sin. but he appeared to put away sin. And no sacrifice by those that
he represented would do. Not our work, or our repentance,
or our faith, not even our death under God's wrath could satisfy
eternal judgment. It had to be the sacrifice of
himself. You remember when Abraham was
going up the hill with Isaac, his son, and Isaac said, here's
the fire and here's the wood, where is the lamb? And Abraham
said, my son, God will provide himself a lamb. This is that
lamb. This is God providing himself
the lamb. And this appointment was no accident,
but the hour which God had appointed. This was the hour for which the
world was made. This is the hour from which our
calendar is dated. This is the hour. It's appointed
unto men once to die. But after this, the judgment.
Those that God put in Christ before the foundation of the
world were appointed to be judged in Christ in this hour that we're
talking about here. And they were judged in this
hour. They'll be raised again and will come into the judgment
before His white throne of judgment. But we'll stand complete in Christ,
those who believe Him and trust Him. Our judgment has already
happened in Christ. That's why it says here that
He once appeared to offer to bear the sins of many. Remember
when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane. I think there's three
times here that we see in Scripture. And He said to His apostles,
He told them to sleep on now and take your rest. It's enough.
The hour has come. And he said, Behold, the Son
of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. This hour was appointed
by God that he would be betrayed into the hands of sinners. John
said that Jesus answered him saying the hours come that the
Son of Man should be glorified. This was an hour appointed not
only for his betrayal, but that he would be glorified. And then
in John 17, verse 1, when He prayed, He said, these words
spake Jesus and lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, Father,
the hour has come. Glorify Thy Son that Thy Son
also may glorify Thee. So this was the Son being glorified
and the Father being glorified. And sinners betraying Him. We see here exactly what we are. Betrayers of God. But yet God
brought glory to His Son, and God brought glory to Himself,
because this was the hour He appointed. It says there that
He bore the sins of many. We read in Isaiah 53, verse 4,
this is what it means. Surely He hath borne our griefs,
and carried our sorrows. Yet we did esteem Him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon Him. And what's the result? If it was my sins upon Him, if
it was the chastisement of my peace and your peace upon Him,
with His stripes we're healed. We're healed. He didn't come
to make salvation possible. He came to put it away. And all
through the Old Testament, and all through the New Testament,
we find that He put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
He did it. And He appeared in these last
days, and He appeared for that purpose, to put away sin by the
sacrifice of Himself. That's what He did. And then
we see there's another appearance here. It says, He now appears
in the presence of God for us. It says, He entered into heaven
itself, verse 24, now to appear in the presence of God for us. This is those that He represents,
those He died for, those that He came to redeem, those given
Him from before the foundation of the world, those whose names
are written in the Lamb's book of life. He now appears in the
presence of God for us. It's not an earthly tabernacle,
but it's heaven itself. Look over at Romans 8.34. Just
a moment. Romans 8.34. Who is He that condemneth? It's
Christ that died. Yea, rather, that is risen again,
who is even at the right hand of God. appeared in the presence
of God for us, who also maketh intercession for us." Look over
at 1 John 2 and verse 1. 1 John 2 and verse 1. Do you believe on this one? Do
you trust this one? Then this Scripture right here
is for you to heed. It says in 1 John 2, verse 1,
My little children, these things write unto you that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He's
the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only. John said,
not for just us here in this place, but for the sins of the
whole world. Those that he died for that are
scattered throughout the nations. The guilt of our sin is gone
because his sacrifice put away our sin. He reconciled us to
God in his own body. He bore all the suffering and
all the death that sin would have required us to bear in His
own body so that no sin could be found on us to punish or in
us. Sin has no more dominion over
us because He put away sin and now His power governs and constrains
us. Sin's corruption is put away
because His holiness now cleanses us. Jeremiah 50 verse 20, it
said, In those days and in that time In that day that He came
and appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice Himself, and
having put it away, in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity
of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none, not
any, and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found. For
I will pardon them whom I reserve." I want you to look with me here
in Hebrews 9.24. And it says here, notice this
word, Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands,
which are the figures of the true, but into heaven itself
now, now, to appear in the presence of God for us. But now, once,
now, once in the end of the world, hath He appeared to put away
sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Go over to Romans chapter 3 with
me. And I want to just kind of scan
through Romans a little bit. I want you to look at something
here. Romans 3 verse 21. But now the righteousness of
God without the law is manifested. The way of God's righteousness
to be robed in His righteousness without the law. apart from the
law. It's now manifested. It's witnessed
by the law and the prophets. Look over at Romans 5, verse
9. Much more than being now justified
by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Look at verse 11. And not only
so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom
we have now receive the atonement. Look at Romans 7, verse 6. But now are we delivered from
the law, that being dead wherein we were held, that we should
serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.
Look at Romans 8, verse 1. Because Christ has appeared because
the righteousness of God without laws manifested, because He justified
us, because He delivered us from the law wherein we were held. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh
but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and
death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through
the flesh, God sending His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh,
and for sin condemned the condemnation in the flesh, that the righteousness
of God's law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit. Look at Romans 13.11. You read on over there in that
verse, and it says, now is our salvation nearer than we believed. And right now, brethren, as our
text teaches us here in Hebrews, now, our advocate, our intercessor,
our mediator between us and God appears in the presence of God
for us. Does that fill your heart with
some joy? Those are certain things now, right now. Salvation is
now. That gives some bearing on what
the Lord meant when Martha said, I know my brother will rise again
in the resurrection. And He said, Martha, I am the
resurrection and the life. You who believe on Him, you have
the promised blessings of God now. It's a present reality right
now. because he put away sin. He appears
in the presence of God for us. He didn't go into a holy place
made with hands and put it on the mercy seat. That pictured
what he'd do. He went into God's presence for
us with his own blood, being the sacrifice that God's pleased
with. And there's where he is right
now, in God's presence, our advocate with the Father. And then, back
here in our text, It says in verse 28, So Christ was once
offered to bear the sins of many. Now it says something else. He's
going to appear again. And unto them that look for Him
shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation. Christ's visible and personal
appearance on earth the second time will be a glorious one. You know, that's what the physical
descendants of Abraham, the Jews according to the flesh, that's
what they anticipated the first time He came, was to see Him
come in this splendor and this glory. But He didn't come that
way. But when He comes the second
time, that's how He's coming. That's how He's coming. And He'll
appear in His own glory and in His Father's glory and in the
glory of His power. And it will be to the joy of
His saints, to those that believe on Him. It will be a great day
of joy, a great day of blessing. And to the wicked, the unbeliever,
it will be a day of torment. It will be a day that won't bring
any pleasure whatsoever. And the manner in which He will
appear will be without sin. I like what Calvin said on this. He said, Christ at His coming
will make it known how truly and really He has taken away
sins so that there will be no need of any other sacrifice to
please God. As though He were saying, when
we come to the tribunal of Christ, we shall find that there was
nothing wanting in His death. No lack whatsoever. Fully accomplished
that which God gave Him to accomplish. There will be no sin upon Him
and there'll be no sin in those that believe on Him. Not even
infirmities, which are the result of sin. Be no tears, be no worries,
be no interruption in our communion with Him by our sinful thoughts.
Don't you hate that? Don't you hate it when you try
to pray to God, when you're just alone by yourself and you're
trying and pray and pour out your heart to Him and your mind
just wanders off and you can't control your own thoughts. No
more interruption. No more interruption by sin. No more interruption. No more
blissful communion with our God face to face. With the conqueror
of sin, with the conqueror of Satan, the Savior of His people,
the King of kings and Lord of lords. Let's look at a few Scriptures. Philippians 3.20. I'll quote something to you while
you're turning there. Paul said in Romans 8.32, he
said, He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up
for us, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? These are the all things that
I'm interested in. These are the all things I'm
interested in right here. This is what Paul told the Philippians.
He said, our conversation, verse 20, Philippians 3.20. Our conversation,
our citizenship is in heaven. It's not here. It's in heaven. And it's from when? From heaven.
Where Christ is. Also, we look for the Savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why believers wait. Who
shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto
His glorious body according to the working whereby He is able
even to subdue all things unto Himself? Look with me over at
1 Corinthians 15. Verse 51. I show you a mystery. We shall
not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. There's going to
be some folks still alive when he comes. We won't all be in
the grave, but one thing's for sure, we'll all be changed because
he's going to appear the second time without sin. And in a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, the year of jubilee,
Trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible
and we shall be changed for this corruptible this flesh of our
corruption must put on incorruption and This mortal must put on immortality
so when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption and
this mortal shall have put on immortality and then shall be
brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed
up in victory. O death, where is thy sting?
O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and
the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved
brethren, be ye steadfast. Immovable. Always abounding in
the work of the Lord. For as much as you know that
your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Look over at 1 Thessalonians
chapter 4. Look down at verse 15. This we say, brethren, well,
let's look at verse 14. For if we believe that Jesus
died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus
will God bring with Him. 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,
those that have died, their bodies from being raised. For the Lord
Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel, with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ
shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds." I like this
part, to meet the Lord in the air. So shall we ever be with
the Lord. So shall we ever be with the
Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another
with these words. That's why back in the first
chapter of 1 Thessalonians, It says here in verse 10, chapter
1, verse 10, 1 Thessalonians. It says, He's commending them
to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead,
even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. He's
coming a second time. He appeared first time to put
away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. He went into the grave
and He died. And His people died in Him. We
were baptized into His death in Him. And He came out from
that grave, and He ascended, and He went into the presence
of God to appear in the presence of God for us. And that's where
He is right now. And He's coming again. He's going
to appear a second time on this earth. And all those that are
looking for Him, you believe on Him? You're waiting on Him?
He'll appear the second time without sin. And He'll bring
us to Himself. And we'll ever be with the Lord. Now that's comforting. Is that
comforting? That's a triumphant, victorious
Redeemer. And that's why believers wait. That's what we're waiting for,
Art. What we're waiting for. Alright.