Let us turn again to the Word
of God and I want to turn to the portion that we were considering
last Lord's Day evening at the end of Hebrews chapter 9. On
that occasion we were considering those words at the end of verse
26 so I'll read from that passage Hebrews 9 and the end of verse 26 that now
once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away
sin by the sacrifice of himself and as it is appointed unto men
once to die and 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 We considered
on that occasion those words at the end of verse 26. Now I want us to consider the
words that we have at the end of verse 28. In verse 26 we read, Once in
the end of the world, as he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice
of himself, And then at the end of verse 28, our text for tonight,
unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without
sin unto salvation. And so here in the compass of
these few verses we have the two comings of the Lord Jesus. His first coming and then His
coming again the second time. Now last time, as we were looking
at those words in verse 26, I sought to say something with regards
to the uniqueness of His first coming. There was a sense in
which Christ came many times in the Old Testament. those theophanies and we remarked
on some of those occasions certainly we know that the Lord Jesus Christ
appeared to Abraham that was the case in Genesis 18 remember
when God was about to destroy the wicked cities of the plain
Sodom and Gomorrah three strangers come to Abraham's tents And we
see there that men would entertain angels unaware they were angels,
or at least two of them were angels. But the third was the
angel of the Lord, the one that remained behind when the other
two angels went on their journey to Sodom where they would rescue
Lot and his family before the destruction came upon those wicked
cities. But there we see Abraham standing
before the Lord. It was an appearance of theophany. It wasn't the incarnation, but
it anticipated the incarnation when the eternal Son of God would
be manifested in the flesh. And again in Genesis 22, the
Mount Moriah where Abram was commanded to sacrifice his only
son Isaac. Remember the Lord God makes provision. Abram will obey the command of
God, difficult as it was, but he doesn't sacrifice his son.
The angel of the Lord appears again and directs him to that
ram that was caught by its horns in the thicket which was to be
sacrificed in the place of Isaac. And Christ himself remarks to
the Jews on those incidents, your father Abram rejoiced to
see my dad and he saw it and was glad. There were those occasions
in the Old Testament then when the Lord, as it were, appeared
in strange, mysterious ways by the angel of the Lord. And also in the Old Testament
there were types and figures and these things remember are
spoken of in this ninth chapter. We read of the tabernacle at
the beginning of the chapter and part of the furnishings of
the tabernacle, verse 9, which was a figure for the time then
present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices that
could not make him that did the service perfect as pertaining
to the conscience. Figures for the time then present,
it says. And then again in verse 24, Christ
is not entered into the holy place made with hands, which
are the figures of the true. The holy place made with hands,
that was the tabernacle initially, and then the temple. But Christ
has not entered into those holy places made by the hands of men,
which are but figures, but he has entered into heaven itself,
now to appear in the presence of God. We have then in the Old
Testament those shadows of things to come but the bodies of Christ
and that's what we were considering last Lord's Day. This unique
appearing in the fullness of the time God sends forth his
son made of a woman made under the law. Now once in the end
of the world that He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice
of Himself. He is the fulfillment. He is
a true tabernacle not made with hands, not of this building,
that tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not men. He's human
nature. Our body was prepared for Him. And so he comes in God's appointed
time and he comes to do a unique work. As his coming, his real
coming was something quite different and unique, so also the work
that he came to do. Now once in the end of the world
that he appeared, it says. And then in verse 28, so Christ
was once offered. to bear the sins of men. There's a uniqueness of His coming,
the person, the mystery of the person, the God-man, and there's
the uniqueness of that work that He came to do. And what was that
great work? It was to make an end of sins. Verse 10 of chapter 2, by the
which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body
of Jesus Christ once for all. He is one sacrifice for sins
forever. As we see there in chapter 10
verse 12, this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for
sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God. He has entered
then into the holy place. He has entered into heaven. And He is to return from heaven.
That's what we have at the end of the chapter, the end of verse
28. And to them that look for Him shall He appear the second
time. He is to come again the second
time without sin unto salvation. And as we consider these words
for a while tonight, these words at the end of verse 28, I want
us to consider His return, His second coming. His second coming. First of all then, Let us consider that great doctrine,
that great truth, that the Lord Jesus Christ, as he himself stated,
is to come again. He will return. Now, after his
ascension, you remember after his resurrection from the dead,
he shows himself to his disciples for 40 days by many infallible
proofs it says they see quite clearly that this is the very
same Jesus that had been crucified who is now literally risen from
the dead and in his resurrected his glorified bodies he still
has the marks of his crucifixion and they see him, he appears
to them, and it's a real body, though it's a glorified body,
and he partakes of food with them, he eats before them, so
that it's clearly established in their minds that this is no
phantom spirit, this is nothing less than Jesus risen again from
the dead, and then after 40 days he ascends to heaven. and at the beginning of Acts
we have the record and they behold him as he ascends into the heavens
he has entered into heaven itself now to appear in the presence
of God for his people and there he ever lives to make intercession
his very presence there is a constant ploy for all those who would
come to God they come by him now after his ascension have
been times, there are times when the Lord does make himself known
to his people, he appears to his people. Now that was certainly
the case in the experience of Stephen when that man was martyred
in Acts chapter 7. Remember what we're told concerning
his experience, strange experience, but he does witness a remarkable
scene, there at the end of Acts chapter 7. Verse 55, He, being
full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and
saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of
God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son
of Man standing on the right hand of God, And they cried out
with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him
with one accord, and cast him out of the city, and stoned him.
And the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet,
whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling
upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled
down and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their
charge. And when he had said this, he
fell asleep. The first Christian martyr Stephen. But he sees the heavens opened
and he sees the glorified Son of Man standing at the right
hand of gods. And there's another there called
Saul, Saul of Tarsus. And just a few chapters later
we see how the Lord Jesus also appears to this young man in
Acts chapter 9. He's breeding out threatenings
and slaughter against the disciples of Christ. And he has obtained
letters from the high priest and gone to Damascus to the synagogues
that he might find these Christians and bring them bound to Jerusalem.
And he journeys and comes near to Damascus. And suddenly there
shined round about him a light from heaven and he fell to the
earth and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest
thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord?
And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. It is
hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling
and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And
the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the city, and it
shall be told thee what thou must do. The Lord appears to
him in some senses. It was a real experience. It
was some sort of spiritual experience. How one explains it, I don't
know, but it obviously meant a great deal to Paul, because
later in the Acts, on two separate occasions, he makes some detailed
reference to it. Before the Jews at Jerusalem
in chapter 22 of Acts, and there at verse 6 following, and then
before King Agrippa in chapter 26 at verse 12 following. So
it was quite an event in that man's life, in that man's experience. And when he speaks of his apostleship,
remember how he says that one of the marks of an apostle is
that he has seen the Lord Jesus. And he saw the Lord Jesus. We have then these various portions
of Scripture where clearly, after His ascension, the Lord Jesus
in some way or other showed Himself unto men. He certainly showed
Himself unto John. We're all familiar with the opening
chapter of the book of the Revelation, John there, exiled on the Isle
of Patmos, an aged saint, now the last of all the apostles,
still living, an old, old man. And Christ appears to him. and
speaks to him and conveys to him the book of the revelation
and isn't the promise given that the Lord would do these things
he comes now even in our day he comes and appears in a spiritual
sense to his children Remember what he says as he speaks in
those chapters in the Gospel of John concerning the coming
of the Holy Ghost? I will not leave you comfortless,
he says. I will come unto you. I will
not leave you comfortless. I will not leave you orphans.
I will come to you. The Lord comes to his people.
That is a promise that he has made. He that loveth me, you
see, shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and I will
manifest myself to him. These are words that we find
written there in those chapters, in John chapter 14, and verses
18 and 21. And remember how in the next
chapter, chapter 15, he goes on to speak of the particular
office of the Holy Spirit under the Gospel. What is the Spirit? He is the Spirit of Christ. He
shall testify of me, says Christ. That's the ministry of the Spirit.
Though he be equal with the Father, equal with the Son, yet what
a ministry he exercises under the Gospel. He doesn't draw attention
to himself, so self-effacing. He shall not speak of himself,
says Christ. He shall take of mine, and shall
show it unto you. He comes to reveal the things
of the Lord Jesus Christ and so there have been these comings,
these manifestations and it's not improper that we should desire
that the Lord would be made very real to us and favour us with
that felt sense of His presence that we might know Him and that
we might enjoy all the blessings of fellowship with Him But what
we read off here, of course, at the end of this ninth chapter,
in no way is referring to those sort of spiritual appearings.
It's not referring to those sort of revelations, but it actually
speaks of the physical return of the Lord Jesus Christ. it would be inadequate to understand
the words that are being spoken in any other sense because the
context is one in which he has spoken of his first coming and
that first coming was one in which he appeared as a very real
man he was conceived by the Holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin
Mary She brought forth her firstborn son, he was a real babe, and he lived his life, that blameless,
holy life that he lived, and then he dies, and he dies for
the unjust. That was all real. And what do
we read here? As he came in that unique fashion,
Now once in the end of the world has He appeared. Unto them that
look for Him shall He appear the second time. He's going to
come in that same fashion again. It will be a real coming. He
will return from heaven. This is what was promised. This
is the language that we find there in the opening chapter
of the Acts where we have the record of His ascension. There
are the disciples and they behold him and they see him lifted up
to heaven. And what does the angel say?
This same Jesus, this same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so
come in like manner as you have seen him go to heaven. That's what's being spoken of.
And we need to establish that quite clearly, the Lord will
return the second time. Without sin, He's not coming
now as the great sin-bearer, He's coming as that one to whom
the Father has committed all judgment. But in the second place, having
established the the truth of what is being said concerning
his return I want us to consider faith in that return faith in
the return of the Lord Jesus Christ it says unto them unto
them that look for him shall he appear the second time without
sin unto salvation there is to be a looking for his appearing. Now, what is it to be those who
are looking? Well, there is the look of faith,
is there not? In the Old Testament we are told,
look unto me and be beside all the ends of the earth for I am
God, there is none else. There's that look of faith. There's
the language that we have later here, and we refer to it many,
many a time, the words that we find in chapter 12, and the second
verse. And it's again a looking, looking
onto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy
that was said before him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and he sat down at the right hand of the throne of God, For
consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against
himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. And that
word, the verb here, to look, literally to look away onto Jesus. Looking away, away from every
other object. Looking to one object alone,
looking only onto Jesus. And then he goes on in verse
3, consider him. The look that he's being spoken
of is that that concerns faith. Looking unto Jesus the author
and finisher of our faith. And what does faith have to do
with? It has to do with the person and the work of the Lord Jesus.
Consider him. that endured such contradiction
of sinners against himself? Who are we those who know what
that look of faith is? And it's by faith, it's by faith
that we can experience fresh comings of the Lord Jesus. Are
we looking and watching and waiting for His appearing? We want the
Lord to appear, we want the Lord to come and and reveal himself
to us we want there's so much more that we we need to know
we want to feed upon him we want to know the reality of that blessed
person the only savior of sinners and those who are looking alone
to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation will also be looking
for his second coming longing for his second coming To them,
that prospect, the prospect that he is going actually to return
again, it is such a blessed hope. This is the language that we
have, this is the language that Paul uses. Look at the words
there in Titus chapter 2 and verse 13, looking for that blessed
hope, he says, and the glorious appearing of the great God and
our Savior Jesus Christ. How Paul describes Christ's return
there is appearing, the great God, our Saviour. And he says quite clearly, it
is a blessed hope. Who are we? Those friends who
are looking for it, longing for it. And I want to consider how this
looking consists of at least four things. If we're looking,
as we read here in the text, unto them that look for him,
shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. First of all, there must be a
love. A love to the idea of the return
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, is that true of us? We love
the very doctrine, you see, that the Lord is going to return.
It is a truth that is so neglected amongst us, is it not? But how poor, you see, love the
very idea of his coming again. When we see the apostle writing
to Timothy, and the second epistle to Timothy is the last of all
the epistles, they reckon, that were written by the Apostle Paul. He knows then that he's near
the end of his life. What does he say, 2 Timothy 4
and verse 8, henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness. which the Lord, the righteous
Judge, shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but
unto all them also that love His appearing." Mark the words,
the crown of life, the crown of righteousness is laid up for
all them that love His appearing. Oh, do we love that! We love
His appearing now, we should do it. We should long that the
Lord would come and appear to us and reveal Himself to us time
and again and discover to us something more of the wonder
of His person and of His work. But all to love is appearing,
the end of time, when He sees altogether the fruit of His sufferings,
when He presents to the Father that church without spot, wrinkle
or any blemish at all. The whole company of the election
of grace gathered here, The Lord Jesus Christ exalted, all to
them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without
sin unto salvation. Do we love? Do we love the thought
of His appearing, the doctrine of His second coming? You see,
all these doctrines that have unfolded to us here in Scripture,
they are full of such gracious comfort and encouragement. No
wonder Martin Luther said, the doctrine is heaven. and the doctrine
of the Lord's appearing do we love it? but then more than that
are we those who are really longing for it? or if we love it we will
long for it we know what it's like if we're
in love with someone we long to be in their presence we want
to be in their company when a young couple meet and
there's such an attraction one to the other maybe they live
at some distance from one another so there are periods when for
a long time they're separated but the love is such that they
long for the day when that one will again be present with them
or do we so love the Lord Jesus Christ that we long we long for
his return What does He say at the very end of Scripture? The
very last words that we find in Revelation chapter 22. He
says, Surely I come quickly. Amen. That's the Word of the
Lord. Surely I come quickly. That's His promise. And he is
the Amen, the faithful and true witness. And having made that
great promise, he adds the word Amen. So be it, it certainly
will be. Surely I come quickly. Amen. And then we have the response
of the church. And what is the church's response?
Even so come Lord Jesus. even so come Lord Jesus and again
the church will utter it's Amen also even so come Lord Jesus the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you Amen oh that's the church's
response you see the church wants him to appear he has promised
to come quickly and the church can't wait for his coming is
appearing But then also there's to be that patient waiting, that
patient waiting for the Lord's return. Oh, with those, you see, who
do patiently wait for it. We long for it, but we are patient
also. He will come in the appointed
time, Again, Paul, when he writes to the Thessalonians, says, the
Lord direct your heart unto the patient waiting for Christ. The patient waiting for Christ. And remember, Peter speaks of
it quite specifically. Peter writing there in his second
epistle, in chapter three, And verse 3, it says, knowing
this first, that there shall come in the last day scoffers,
walking after their own lust, and saying, Where is the promise
of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep,
all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
Or they mock, you see, where is the promise of his coming?
But the Lord has said that he will surely appear again. And so What does the Apostle
go on to say? Verse 11, Seeing then that all
these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought
ye to be, in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for, and
hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens
being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat? Nevertheless, we according to
his promise look for new heavens And a new earth wherein dwelleth
righteousness. Or there is, in spite of all
the mockings and the scoffings of men, there is that patient
waiting for him. And we read that passage in 2
Thessalonians. And it's so striking, isn't it,
what we have at the end of 1 Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. Here Paul speaks of his coming
again. "'I will not have you ignorant, brethren,'
he says, "'concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not,
"'even as others which have no hope.'" He's speaking of those
who have died in the faith. "'For if we believe that Jesus
died and rose again, "'even so them also which sleep in Jesus
will God bring with Him.'" There'll be that general resurrection.
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, shall not go before them which are asleep. 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 to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever
be with the Lord." And then he adds these words, "...wherefore
comfort one another with these words." Oh, this is part of the
consolations of the Gospel. That blessed promise of the Lord
coming, we're to love the idea of His return. or we're to long
for it, though we have to wait patiently for it. And so, therefore,
when it comes to these matters, we should be those who are ready,
those who are prepared for Christ's return. And doesn't the Lord
Jesus Himself make that so plain in the parable of the ten virgins? that parable that the Lord speaks
at the end of his ministry there in the opening verses of Matthew
chapter 5 the parable of the ten virgins the kingdom of heaven he says
is likened unto ten virgins which took their lamps and went forth
to meet the bridegroom five of them were wise and five were
foolish They that were foolish took their lamps and took no
oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their
lamps. While the bridegroom tarried
they all slumbered and slept, and at midnight there was a cry
made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him.
Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps, and
the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil, for our
lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying,
Not so, lest there be not enough for us and you. But go ye rather
to them that sell, than buy for yourselves. And while they went
to buy, the bridegroom came, and they that were ready went
in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. Afterward
came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know
neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh."
And of course the Apostle echoes those words in that portion that
we read at the beginning of 1 Thessalonians 5, of the times and the seasons
brethren you have no need that I write unto you yourselves know
perfectly that they the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night
all the suddenness of it but though sudden it is sure it is
certain beholds he cometh with clouds
it says and every eye shall see always going to come as that
one who is the great judge He came the first time, of course,
as that One who is the Saviour of sinners, but He is to return
in power and glory. And the Father has committed
all judgments into His hands. The Lord Himself declares that
blessed truth, as there in the fifth chapter of John's Gospel.
Verse 22, The Father judges no man, but have committed all judgments
unto the Son. But all men should honour the
Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not
the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. Verse 25, he says, Verily, verily,
I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall
hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall
live. For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given
to the Son to have life in himself, and hath given him authority
to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of Man. Or he comes, or he will come
as that one who will sit as the Great Judge. But, Those who are prepared,
those who are waiting, and looking, and longing for Him, those who
are living by faith in Him, what will be their experience at His
coming? Well, they shall again see Him
as that One who is their great Saviour. That's what it says
in the text, unto them that look for Him. Shall He appear the
second time? without seeing unto salvation. Or when the books are opened
and he makes that final division he will set his sheep on the
right hand and the goats on the left hand. And what will he say
to the sheep? He will invite them to inherit
that kingdom that was prepared for them. from before the foundation
of the world. What a blessed prospect. Are
we those then who have faith? Faith in His coming again. The book's open. Every matter
made right. All things made straight. Many
things in this day in which we're living, so confusing. Oh, but
there is that day that God himself has appointed. He committed the
judgment into the hands of him who is the only Saviour of sinners.
Oh, God grant then that we might heed what the Apostle says there
at the end of that fourth chapter in 1 Thessalonians. Wherefore,
he says, comfort one another. with these words, or that we
might know then that consolation that belongs to those who are
looking for the appealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the
Lord be pleased to bless his word to us.