We'll read two verses in a moment,
verse 11 and then verse 12. Today we'll conclude our worship
service by observing the Lord's Supper. We'll do it reverently,
praying that God will prepare our hearts to do what our Lord
commanded. And we'll also do it, I hope,
joyfully, joyfully, celebrating the accomplishments of the captain
of our salvation. Celebrating the blessed truth
that Jesus Christ came here to put away the sins of all of his
people. And he did. He got the job done. And that's not an easy task,
is it? The putting away of sin, that's
not an easy thing. That's not a light thing. As
Paul tells us throughout this book, and in this chapter especially,
No carnal sacrifice can ever put away sin. In verse 4 of chapter
10 he wrote, for it is not possible, it's not possible that the blood
of bulls and of goats should take away sins. One hymn writer
expressed it this way, not all the blood of beasts on Jewish
altars slain could give the guilty conscience peace or wash away
the stain. And you can be sure if those
sacrifices that God himself commanded under the Old Testament, the
Old Despensation, under the law, if they cannot take away sin,
nothing that you and I can do can ever take away sin. Our repentance
doesn't take away sin. Genuine faith, that gift of God
whereby a man embraces Christ, faith cannot take away sin. Not the labors of my hands, another
old hymn, can fulfill thy law's demands. Could my zeal no lanker
know?" Wouldn't that be something? Wouldn't that be something? Never
to experience a cold heart. Always be zealous. Always be
bowing in adoration and true heartfelt worship before the
Son of God. If that were possible, that could
not take away sin. Could my zeal no lanker know?
Could my tears forever flow? All these things together, all
these things combined could not atone, not for one sin. Christ
must save and Christ alone. I want to talk to you about eternal
redemption. Eternal redemption. First in
verse 11, we'll read this verse first. In Hebrews 9, it speaks
of a glorious appearing. Verse 11, but, but, Christ being
come, and high priest of good things to come, by a greater
and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is
to say, not of this building." This verse begins with the word,
but. But. Oh, and oh, what a blessed
but it is for every believing sinner. Because up to this time,
as Paul says in the previous verses here, up to this time,
religion dealt with just mere externals. with meats and drinks
and washings and carnal ordinances and priests who could only offer
the blood of bulls and goats. But when Jesus Christ, the Messiah,
when he came and tabernacled among us, being made likened
to his brethren, that was all about to change. Now we pass
from shadow to substance, from tithes to fulfillment. from pictures
to Jesus Christ himself. From shadow again, I say, to
substance. And that's what I need, don't
you? That's what I need. I need substance. I need real
grace. Real grace, not pretended grace.
No, not painted on, not pretend. I need a real grace. I need a
real redemption. I need a real salvation from
a real Savior. Jesus Christ came. Christ came. Oh, how that song sounds out
with joy, does it not? Christ came. That was the music
sung by the angels that night when they appeared to the shepherds
in the field. In Bethlehem, they said, there
is born unto you this night in the city of David. David. Bethlehem. That word means house
of bread. That's what the word Bethlehem
means. Christ, the bread of life, eternal life, came down from
heaven. In John 6, he said, I am the
bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never
hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Oh, what a song of joy there
is born unto you this night in the city of David, a Savior. Well, who is he? Who is he? Who can satisfy divine justice? Who is this individual? Who is
this unique person? Who is this one of a kind that
can actually put away sin, that can actually redeem his people?
But Christ can. Saving grace and truth. come
through and by because of the Lord Jesus Christ. God delights
to show mercy, but he only bestows his mercy through one person,
the Lord Jesus Christ. God delights to be gracious.
He will be gracious. He's determined to be gracious.
No one can stop him from bestowing his grace. He said, Moses, this
is my glory. I will be gracious to whom I
will be gracious, but His grace only comes through one fountain.
It only flows the needy sinners through one channel, and that's
the Lord Jesus Christ. The way to God, the way that
a sinner, any sinner, Old Testament or New Testament, from Adam to
the last man living, the way to God, the way to heaven, the
way to everlasting salvation comes by Jesus Christ. Period. And no one else. There's
no getting there by any other way. Christ said, I'm the way. I'm the way. The way. Not one
of two, one of many. The only way. No man comes to
the Father. They never have, except by me. In chapter 10 here in Hebrews,
look at verse 5. Hebrews 10 verse 5. Wherefore
when he cometh, Christ came. When he cometh into
the world, he said, and this is his, these are the words of
Jesus Christ to his father. Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest
not, but a body hast thou prepared me. And burnt offerings and sacrifices
for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, lo, I come. In the binding of the book it
is written of me, I come to do thy will, O God. Only Christ
could say that. Only Christ could do that. Verse
26 of Hebrews 9, Now once in the end of the world hath He
appeared. Why? What was His purpose? When the eternal everlasting
God became a man, was made in the likeness of man, there must
be a great purpose for that. God must have a great reason
for doing that. And He did. Christ had appeared
to put away sin. Wow! Wow! To put away sin by
the sacrifice of Himself. To put it away. To put away the
guilt of sin by His atoning sacrifice. Oh, how sweet. Oh, how sweet. When God by His Holy Spirit sprinkles
the blood of the Lamb on our guilty consciences. And we then
are made aware, oh, He died for me. I can't know that. God chose a people. I can't know
that I'm one of those chosen. Christ redeemed those same people.
I can't know if I'm one of those redeemed. I'm one of those for
whom He shed His blood until I believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And then he says, Thy sins which
are many are forgiven thee. Oh, the sweet, sweet assurance
when you lay down at night to know it is well with my soul. I am His. And He's mine. And there's nothing going to
change that. There's nothing that's ever happened to me. There's
nothing I've done, good or bad, before, saved or after saved.
There's nothing that I can do that can ever change that. There's
nothing that can separate me from the love of God Almighty
that's in Christ Jesus. Yes, He appeared to put away
sin, the guilt of it by His atoning sacrifice, the punishment of
it by His sufferings and death. The penalty of it, the soul that
sinneth it shall die, and he died, and we died in him, every
believing sinner. The penalty of sin by his satisfaction,
the divine justice. The dominion of sin by the power
of his grace. Sin shall not have dominion over
you. How is that possible? How is that possible? How can
sin not have dominion over you? Sin is mixed with everything
I do. Every prayer I've ever prayed,
every sermon I've ever preached, everything I've ever done, there's
nothing I've ever done, nothing I've ever thought that's not
tainted, not mixed with sin. How can I be not dominated by
sin, by the power of grace? Sin shall not have dominion over
you. Why? Because you're not under law,
you're under grace. Oh, grace must be powerful. Grace
must not just be a doctrine, it must be an actual doing of
the Son of God. He appeared to put away the filth
of sin by sanctifying grace. And one day, one day, the Lamb
of God will deliver us from the very being, the very existence
of sin. when he takes us to be with himself
in resurrection glory. But Christ being come, no wonder
the angels sang to those shepherds. This work of putting away sin
was accomplished, was accomplished by Jesus Christ bearing those
sins in his own body upon the tree. He carried those sins and
took them all away. That's what the scapegoat that
was sent out into the wilderness pictured, remember, the high
priest. when he would place his hands on the scapegoat, and then
a man would take him away, and they would watch him and never
see him again. So are sins. Oh, the bliss of
this glorious thought! My sins, not in part, but the
whole, were nailed to his cross, and I bear them no more. Why? Because Jesus Christ bore
them all away in my place. He has removed sin from us as
far as the east is from the west, by finishing and making an end
of them. He disannulled them. He abolished
them. Insofar as God's justice is concerned,
when he paid the debt, he cancelled it by his one all-sufficient
sacrifice. He cancelled the debt. Remember
what Paul told Onesimus, or Philemon, a brother concerning Onesimus,
If He owes you anything, whatever He owes you, whatever wrong He's
done to you, put that on my account. I give you my word. I, Paul,
tell you I will pay it. Charge it to me. I'll take care
of it. That's what Jesus Christ did. To His Heavenly Father He
promised before the foundation of the world in that blessed
covenant of grace, that everlasting covenant of grace, He entered
into an agreement, a testament, with God Almighty, his Heavenly
Father, and said, when you send me, when you are pleased to send
me, I will do everything necessary, everything you demand. I will
accomplish it. I'll do it. I give you my word.
Put everything they owe you, everything they've wronged you,
every debt they have, put it on my account. And that's why
we read. In Jeremiah 50, verse 20, don't
you like this? In those days and in that time,
saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for,
and there shall be none. Kind of hard to find what doesn't
exist. You can find what's no longer
there, and there shall be none. And the sin of Judah, and they
shall not be found, for I will pardon them whom I reserve. When
the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son,
made of a woman, made under the law. So what could be the reason
for that? To redeem them that were under
the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. Now Jesus
Christ either redeemed His people at the very time He died, or
He didn't. There is no such thing as a partial
redemption. There is no such thing as being
half redeemed. Either he redeemed us or he didn't.
Christ came here not to try to do something, but to do something. He came not to attempt something,
but to actually accomplish it. There's a big difference in making
an attempt at something and actually getting it done. Accomplishing
something, isn't there? I asked my wife. She can tell
you about a lot of attempts I've made that didn't get it done. Oh, but Jesus Christ, not so
with him. Whatever he put his hand to,
he accomplished. Whatever he intended to do, he
got it done. That's exactly what he told his
disciples. Not many days before, he ascended
up to Calvary. In Luke chapter 18, verse 32,
he says to his disciples, for he, that is Christ, shall be
delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully
entreated, and spit at all. And they shall scourge him, and
put him to death, and the third day he shall rise again. That
very fact that God raised his son up from the dead, up from
the grave, is proof positive that he did everything God Almighty
required for him to do. It proves that he accomplished
all those things that were written by the prophets concerning him.
He got it done. In Philippians 2, this is why
we read these words. And being found in fashion as
a man, Christ humbled himself and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. And having satisfied the righteous
demands of the holy God by his death, God did this. God had
highly exalted him. Him. And given him a name which
is above every name. God exalted his son not because
he failed. Remember? 700 years before God
said through the prophet Isaiah concerning his righteous servant,
the Lord Jesus Christ, behold him, look at him, he's my servant,
he shall not fail. Call his name Jesus, he shall
save his people from their sins, in glory to his name, he shall
not fail. Father, all that you've given
me, I want to be with me where I am and bless his name. He shall
not fail. Everyone for whom he shed his
blood shall be with him in glory and they'll all cast their crowns
before him and cry, worthy is the lamb. Isn't he something?
He did not fail. God exalted his son because his
son succeeded at everything God put into his hands. In Hebrews
chapter 12, we read this concerning the son of God. It speaks of
this sure fruit which Jesus Christ was looking forward to while
he endured the cross. He knew the outcome of it. He
knew there was no doubt, no question about what it would accomplish.
Looking unto Jesus, the Arthur and finisher of our faith, who
for the joy that was set before him, What joy would there be
for the Son of God if at the very moment He was passing through,
that travail of soul, suffering under the wrath of God, being
made sin, if He saw any for whom He was passing through that,
that would not be with Him in glory. Oh no, looking unto Him,
who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the
throne of God. The joy of knowing He wasn't
suffering for nothing. That's exactly right. He knew
that what he was enduring would result in bringing many sons
to glory. He knew that. He knew that he
would see it through the veil of his soul and be satisfied
with the outcome. That's what the prophet Isaiah
again foretold. By his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. In John chapter 19, Our Lord
hangs up on the cross. Concerning all those things the
prophets foretold that the Son of God shall accomplish, He checks
them off one by one by one. There was a prophecy concerning
Him being given vinegar to drink. Jesus, knowing all these things,
He says in John 19 verse 28, after this, Jesus, knowing that
all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled,
said, I thirst. This must be fulfilled. When
Jesus, therefore, had received the vinegar, he said, it is finished. It's done. It's complete. And
he bowed his head and gave up the ghost. On the day of atonement,
when the high priest would go into the most holy place after the sacrifice, and present
that blood before God, he never did say afterwards, it's finished. It's finished. He knew a year
from that day he would have to do it again. Oh, but read these
words in Hebrews 10. Look concerning the sacrifice
of the Son of God, or rather concerning that Old Testament
sacrifice. For the law having a shadow, Hebrews 10 and 1, of
good things to come, and not the very image of the things
can never would those sacrifices which they offered year by year
continually make the comers thereunto perfect? For then would they
not have ceased to be offered? And the answer is yes, because
that the worshipers once purged should have no more conscience
of sin. But in those sacrifices, there is a remembrance again
made of sins every year. But Christ being come changed
that, didn't he? But now once in the end of the
world, verse 26 of Hebrews 9, but now once in the end of the
world have he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of
himself. For by one offering he hath perfected
forever them that are sanctified. Christ delivered and will perfectly
deliver all those that are brought to him from all the guilt, all
the power, the punishment of sin, and will put them in possession
of a perfect holiness in heaven with Him. They stand before the
throne of God without spot or blemish or any such thing." No
taint, no evidence of sin whatsoever. It is finished. That is, the
counsel and commandment of His Heavenly Father concerning His
sufferings were now fulfilled, accomplished, as it was determined. It is finished. That is, the
ceremonial law is finished. Christ, in his death, put a period
to that. The substance has now come and
all the shadows have fled away. The veil is rent, the wall of
partition is taken away, even the commandments containing ordinances
that was against us, it is finished. That is, sin is finished. And
the end made of transgression by the bringing in of an everlasting
righteousness. Eternal redemption. Daniel chapter
9 verse 24 concerning the Messiah. He shall finish the transgression,
make an end of sins, and make reconciliation for iniquity,
and bring in an everlasting righteousness. It is finished. That is, the
work of man's redemption is now completed. Completed. A full satisfaction is made to
the justice of God. A fatal blow has been given to
the power of Satan. A fountain of grace has been
opened that shall forever flow. A foundation of peace has been
laid in happiness that shall never be disannulled, that shall
never be put away. Oh, and here's the second thing.
Look at verse 12 here in Hebrews 9. First, there's a glorious
coming. Christ came. And now here's an
eternal redemption obtained. Verse 12, neither by the blood
of goats and calves, but by His own blood. He entered in once
into the holy place having obtained eternal redemption for us. The word once and better you'll
find it throughout this epistle, the book of Hebrews. The theme
of the book of Hebrews is about salvation through the Lord Jesus
Christ and what He obtained, what He accomplished for the
redemption and the salvation of His people. Christ's sin atoning
blood obtained eternal redemption for us. It purges the conscience
and opens to us the heavenly sanctuary. Mr. Spurgeon said
this. He said, the marvel of heaven
and earth, of time and eternity, is the atoning death of Jesus
Christ. This is the mystery that brings
more glory to God than all the creation. That's so, isn't it? We're reminded of four great
facts about Christ and his work throughout this epistle. And
the first is this, everything the Lord Jesus Christ did for
us as our substitute and Savior, He did by Himself. He did it
alone. In the very first chapter we're
told, when He had by Himself, all by Himself purged our sin. Isaiah chapter 53, He had trodden
the winepress alone, and of the people there were none with Him. There was none to help Him. He
purged our sins by Himself. He offered Himself and obtained
eternal redemption for us. His glory is great in salvation
precisely because it is His work alone. Only one glorious victor
concerning the salvation of His people, the redemption of His
people, and it's the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything that our Savior
did for our salvation, He did it perfectly. God wouldn't have
accepted it otherwise. Nothing needs to be repeated.
Nothing can be added to it. It's done. The Lord Jesus Christ
is the perfect God and perfect man, the perfect son, the perfect
priest, the perfect sacrifice, the perfect altar, the perfect
tabernacle, the perfect captain of our salvation, the perfect
surety, and he has perfected forever those that come unto
God by Him. Here's the third thing. Everything
the Son of God did as the God-man, our Savior, our substitute, everything
He did for the salvation of God's elect, He did for all believers
alike. He tasted death for every child
of God. The Son of God died to bring
all God's elect to glory. He entered into heaven for them
all as their forerunner. He sanctified every sinner for
whom He died by His blood and perfected them forever by His
one sacrifice on their behalf. The Lord Jesus Christ has made
a way for all them to approach God and to find acceptance with
God." Oh, I like that, don't you? I like that. Accepted and to be loved. Oh, once in Him, in Him forever. Nothing from His love can sever. All gods have left. Every sinner
who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ shall obtain the same
eternal inheritance." People talk about degrees or rewards. What would that be? All concerning
the glory of heaven, the very heaven of heaven, we're told,
they shall see His face. Oh, John, what greater reward
would you have than that? What could be greater than that? Every sinner who believes on
the Lord Jesus Christ shall obtain the same eternal inheritance
in Christ, the same as Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, along with
Peter, and James, and John, and Paul, and every believer that
comes to the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything that the Lord Jesus
Christ did for us as our substitute and Savior, He just did it one
time. One time. Once. Once. There was
no need for anything he did to be repeated. He did it perfectly. Perfectly. Once was enough. He lived one time. He obeyed
once. He brought in righteousness once.
He died once. He arose once. He obtained eternal
redemption once. Once is enough. Once got the
job done. Another key word in this epistle
is the word better. Better. One purpose of this book
is to show that Jesus Christ is better than everything that
came before him. Everything. They were just pictures
types. He's better than the prophets.
He's better than the angels. He's better than Moses. He's
better than Joshua. He's better than Aaron. He's
a surety of a better covenant, established upon better promises,
giving us a better hope. Christ our Savior is better than
the tabernacle, the altar, and the mercy seat. He's a better
sacrifice, offering a better blood, giving us better access
to and a better standing before the Lord God. In all things,
Christ is better than all others. He's infinitely better. He's
the best. He's the best. Compared to what?
Compared to anything. Compared to who? Compared to
everyone. Everyone. He's the best. He's perfect. He's perfect. God spoke from
heaven and said, this is my beloved son. I'm well pleased in him. And God's not easily pleased.
God's hard to please. You know what God said? It's
got to be perfect before I'll accept it. He accepted his son
because his son perfectly obeyed him. He perfectly satisfied him. He perfectly brought in everlasting
righteousness. He perfectly put away all the
sins of all of his people. Yeah, he's better. He's better.
The daily entrance of the priest in the first tabernacle and the
yearly entrance of the high priest in the second tabernacle, once
a year, were just atypical of Christ. Without an eye to Him,
they have no meaning whatsoever, do they? You'd never figure it
out. Without looking to Jesus Christ,
they have no meaning. What could those priests accomplish?
What virtue or efficacy could the blood of bulls or goats or
calves do to take away sin. When Aaron went with the blood
of bulls and goats, he had not obtained eternal redemption.
He had only obtained a symbolic, temporary purification for the
people, and that was all in a ceremonial way. Our Lord enters in because
first his work was all done. We don't read that he entered
in that he might obtain. Did you notice that? That's not
what the text said. Having attained, having obtained
already, Having found, some old manuscripts read it that way. Having found eternal redemption,
he found it in himself. He found it where the only place
that it could be found. No one in heaven, earth, or hell
could there be found a ransom for our souls except through
the Lord Jesus Christ. He entered into glory because
in him God declares. God declares concerning guilty
sinners, deliver his soul. deliver his soul from going down
to the pit. He won't go to hell. He won't
go to hell because I've found a ransom. I found the ransom. Remember what our Lord said?
This is my blood in the New Testament. I came not to be ministered unto,
but to minister and to give my life a ransom for many. You're bought with a price. Redemption
is the deliverance through payment. ransomed through the one standing
in another's place and discharging all their debts, all their obligations. This is a great redemption, is
it not? We're rescued from the power
of sin, that we should no longer live as a slave to it. We're
overcome through the blood of the Lamb. Oh, what a redemption. We're now saved from the curse
of sin, for He was made a curse for us. We're redeemed from the
bondage of sin, And think of the nature of that redemption.
You notice what our text said? He obtained eternal redemption
for us. Eternal. It reaches in both directions. Eternity past to eternity to
come. He has obtained a redemption
which entered into an eternal covenant with the Father. Redemption
is the reason for creation and the hinge of providence. Things
created serve as a platform for things redeemed. The temporal
creation gives way before eternal redemption. In the everlasting
covenant, the Lord always had an eye to this seal, the blood
of its surety. The blood of its surety. The
eternal counsels of God have ever looked to the everlasting
righteousness and to the everlasting redemption of the everlasting
Son. Redemption was no new thought
with God. It wasn't entered into as a patching
up of a broken down purpose. Oh no, redemption is the centerpiece
of the divine plan, the focus of the manifestation of God,
the summit on the Mount of Revelation. When our Lord entered in, he
dealt with eternal things. He offered himself by the eternal
spirit. And by that offering, he took
off the mortgage. from the eternal inheritance
and bade us freely enter upon the purchased possession. Sin,
death, hell, these are not temporal things, are they? These are not
temporary things. The atonement deals with these
and therefore it must be and it is an eternal redemption. Oh, leap forward to the end. Think of the future of this prophecy.
Anticipate the heavens and the earth being burned up. The great
white throne judgment the books being opened, death and hell
giving up the dead that are in them. When the prophecy is all
fulfilled and we pass into eternity, we still need not fear that Jesus
Christ has obtained eternal redemption for us. How should you be lost
for whom an eternal redemption or ransom has been paid? Christ
stayed doing all things that pleased the Father until he could
cry, it is finished. And then, but not till then,
he gave up the ghost, and now appears in the presence of God
for us." Oh, that was a shout of triumph, wasn't it? That wasn't
a shout or a cry of defeat. No, no, it announces to the kingdom
of darkness its complete overthrow, and to the kingdom of heaven
on earth its eternal establishment. At the very moment, at the very
moment, when for the hero of Judah, when it seemed that All
things were now defeated, he cries, oh no. No, it's completed, it's finished
successfully. Then, by one offering, he perfected
forever the salvation of his church. Then, did he entirely
roll away the curse from his people. Then, then, did he bury
their sins in the infinite depth. Then, did he complete the work
the Father gave him to do. and we joyfully keep this ordinance
in remembrance of that. We're remembering, we're celebrating
His success. Oh, when we eat the bread and
drink the wine, we're remembering that Jesus Christ successfully
put away the sins of all of His people. We read, without the
shedding of blood, in verse 22 of this chapter, without the
shedding of blood is no remission. When our Lord first gave this
ordinance to His church, This is what he said that night, just
before he went to the cross. Drink ye all of it, for this
is my body of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the
remission of sins. 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 a second time to appear without sin unto salvation. Again the prophet Isaiah in chapter
43 says this, but now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O
Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, fear not, fear not,
for I have redeemed thee. I have called you by thy name,
you're mine. you're mine. When you pass through
the waters, I will be with you. And through the rivers, they
shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire,
you'll not be burned. Neither shall the flame kindle
upon you. We rest our souls on a finished
work if we rest them upon the Lord Jesus Christ. We need not
fear either sin or Satan or the law. They can't condemn us. We can lean back on this blessed
truth that our Savior did it all, and paid it all, and accomplished
it all, and performed it all that is necessary for our salvation. In chapter 13 of this book it
concludes with these blessed words. Hebrews chapter 13 will
conclude the message with this. Hebrews 13 verses 20 and 21.
Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord
Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood,
of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good
work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing
in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and
ever. Amen. Oh, that with yonder sacred
throne we at his feet may fall, we'll join the everlasting psalm
and crown him Lord of all. Thank God for his son. and the
eternal redemption that he obtained for his people.