The Putting Away of Sin

I want you to turn in your Bibles
to the book of Hebrews, chapter 9, verse 26. The Apostle Paul
writing makes this statement in the latter part of verse 26.
But now once, in the end of the world, hath he appeared to put
away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Now, my friends, the
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is good news. When the angels
first announced the birth of the Savior to the shepherds that
morning that Christ our Lord was born, they said, We bring
you good tidings of great joy, glad tidings, good news, unto
you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ
the Lord. The gospel is good news to sinners. It is good news to me that my
God is willing to forgive my sins. Though your sins be as
scarlet, I'll make them as white as snow." When the angel announced
the birth of Christ to Joseph, he said, Thou shalt call his
name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. And
David, exclaiming, declared, O God, when I consider the heavens,
the work of thy hands, what is man that thou art mindful of
him? What good news, what glad tidings
of great joy? that God will show mercy to sinners
like you and me. That's good news. And then the
gospel is good news in that it requires nothing from me but
faith. God does not require that I produce
a righteousness but that I receive one. God does not require that
I save myself but that I commit the work into his hands. God
does not require that I make myself fit for heaven. but that
I commit that work of fitness for heaven into the hands of
the Savior. And all I do is believe. He that
believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting life. He that believeth
not the Son shall never see life. The Philippian jailer asked Paul,
What must I do to be saved? And Paul replied, Believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. The gospel is
good news, in that it requires only that I believe. Our God
said in Isaiah 45, 22, look unto me and be you saved. I'm God. Look unto me, all the ends of
the earth, Jew or Gentile, rich or poor, black or white, just
look to me and be you saved, for I am God. God requires nothing
of you and me but faith. And then the gospel is good news
in that God is willing to save the greatest sinner. The Apostle
Paul said this is a faithful saying. It's a certain saying.
It's a sure saying. It's worthy of acceptation by
all men that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners,
of whom I am the chief. And our God says in Romans 5,
verse 6, that Christ died for the ungodly. God commended his
love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. And he is able to save to the
uttermost them that come to God by him. Our God is merciful to
sinners. What good news? what glad tidings. That's what the word gospel means,
good news, glad tidings. And it's good news in that God
is willing. He doesn't have to show mercy.
God must be just. But God doesn't have to deal
with me in mercy. He can deal with me in justice.
But he is willing to save my soul. He is willing to forgive
my sins. And he requires nothing from
me but faith. Just Just receive Christ, he
that receiveth the Son of God, he that believeth on the Son
of God, he that cometh to the Son of God hath eternal life.
And our God is willing to save the chief sinners, the greatest
of sinners, to the uttermost, them that come to God by him.
He is willing to put away sin. But my friends, when you talk
about putting away sin, you are faced with a momentous task.
When you approach this subject of putting away sin, your sin,
my sin, all the sins of all believers of all generations, you're faced
with a momentous task, with a tremendous task. How can sin be put away? That's an important subject.
That is a great subject. That's the most important subject.
How can sin be put away? Well, let's begin by saying this,
all of the Jewish sacrifices will not put away sin. How many
thousands of rams and thousands of bullocks and thousands of
goats were sacrificed on Jewish altars? Rivers of blood have
flowed down through the centuries, rivers of blood sacrificed on
the altar, rivers of blood flowing down through the centuries, but
none of these these sacrifices can effectually put away sin. Listen to Hebrews 10 forward.
It is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take
away sin. It is not possible. These sacrifices
were tithes. They were not effectual. They
could not put away sin. Paul said, if these sacrifices
were effectual to the putting away of sin and making perfect
those who offered them, then they would cease to have been
offered But they were offered continually, year after year,
year after year, because they could never make those who sacrificed
them perfect. There was a remembrance of sin
every year in every new sacrifice. So these sacrifices cannot put
away sin, and all the religious ceremonies, all the religious
holy days and feast days and laws and rituals cannot put away
sin. The Pharisees went about performing
all of these rituals and ceremonies, and Christ said to them, You
make clean the outside of the cup, but within, in the heart,
you are full of extortion and excess. And it's not the things
that goeth into the mouth that defileth a man, it's that which
cometh forth from his heart. And I cannot put anything into
my body and cleanse it either. It's got to be cleansed within
by the blood of Christ, by the Holy Spirit, by an operation
of grace. It is not external wine or bread
or any external deed that can put away sin. And then no form
of suffering, no form of penance in this world can put away sin.
No man ever suffered like Job, and yet Job said, at the end
of all this suffering, I am poor myself. I repent in sackcloth
and ashes. I know that my Redeemer liveth. No man ever suffered like Job.
And yet Job looked to the Redeemer, not to himself, nor to his suffering,
nor to his penance, but he looked to Christ. I know that my Redeemer
lives. And on this earth he shall stand,
and the worms destroy this body. That's the result of sin. Yet
in my flesh I shall see the Lord. No amount of holy living can
put away sin. Paul tells us, you who would
be saved by the law or you who would live by the law, you are
better to keep the whole law, every jot and tittle, and to
offend in one point is to be guilty of the whole law. We cannot,
by holy living, put away sin. Death will not put away sin.
Judgment will not put away sin. Eternity will not put away sin.
For the book of Revelation declares, when all things are over, he
that is filthy, let him be filthy still. He that is unrighteous,
let him be unrighteous still." So the putting away of sin, the
Jewish sacrifices will not do it, the law will not do it, the
ceremonies, the rituals, the ordinances, suffering will not
do it, holy living will not do it, death, judgment, hell, eternity
will not put away sin. Well, who shall roll away the
stone? How can sin be put away? As Job declared, how can man
be just with God? How can he be clean that's born
of a woman? Behold, the stars are not clean
in God's sight, the moon that shineth not. How much more vulnerable
and filthy is man that drinketh iniquity like the water? Well,
our text tells us how sin can be put away, and if you're really
interested, if you feel you're sinning, if you're convinced
of your sinning, if you're aware of your sinning, if you weep
over your If you really want your sins to be pardoned and
forgiven and put away, I can give you the answer. How can
sin be put away? The three appearances of Christ.
Now, will you follow with me? Hebrews chapter 9, first of all,
verse 28. It says, once in the end of the
world, or in the last days, hath he appeared to put away sin. Now, that ought to get your attention.
That ought to get my attention. He hath appeared for the purpose
of putting away sin. He hath come down to this earth
to put away sin, to erase and to blot out our sins. How? By the sacrifice of himself. Now remember who it is, who it
is that puts away sin. This is my beloved Son. That's
who he is. God was in Christ reconciling
the world unto himself. God sent forth his Son, made
of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were born
under the law. Who is it that puts away sin? Who has come to put away sin?
Who is this one sent on this special mission, on this mission
of grace? It is our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is the beloved Son of the Heavenly Father. God so loved
the world that he gave his only begotten that whosoever believeth
on him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Christ
would not have come into this world if sin could be put away
some other way. Wouldn't it be foolish for God
to send his Son into this world to endure the sorrows and to
endure the suffering and to endure the temptations and trials? Wouldn't
it have been foolish for God to send his Son into this world
to be humiliated and embarrassed and put to the worst kind of
shame, and to suffer the agonizing death of Calvary's cruel cross,
if sin could be put away some other way. Sin cannot be put
away any other way, and that's why Christ came. There is none
other name unto heaven given among men whereby we must be
saved. Christ said, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No man cometh to the Father but by me. He plainly declares, other
foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, Christ the
Lord. Remember who it is. The efficacy of his sacrifice
is not in the blood, it's not in the amount of blood, it's
not in the length of suffering, it's in whose blood was shed. It is the blood of God, the blood
of the Son of God, God in human flesh. Christ came, all right,
how did he come? It says, once in the end of the
world hath he appeared. He hath appeared in this world.
How did he appear? Well, the scripture says, made
of a woman. He was born like we are born,
except he had no earthly father. He was conceived of the Holy
Spirit. He is the Son of God. He is the
Son of Man, born of woman. He is the Son of God, conceived
by the Holy Spirit. He is the Son of Man in that
he was made in the likeness of our sinful flesh. He is the Son
of God in that he thought it not robbery to the equal with
God. He is the Son of Man in that he was numbered with the
transgressors. He is the Son of God in that
beginning the Word was with God and the Word was God, and all
things were made by him, and without him was not anything
made that was made. In John 17 he prayed, Father,
glorify thou me with the glory which I had with thee before
the world was. He's the Son of God eternally.
He's the Son of Man born in Bethlehem. Who came? Christ came. How did
he come? In the likeness of sinful flesh,
numbered with the transgressors, bone of our bone and flesh of
our flesh. As we were represented by a man
in the Garden of Eden called Adam, we were represented on
this earth in the person of God's Son called Jesus Christ. And
as in the first Adam we died, in the second Adam were made
alive. By the disobedience of the first Adam we were made sinners.
By the righteousness and obedience of the second Adam we were made
holy and righteous. How did he come? In the flesh,
God in human flesh. Behold, the Lord himself shall
give you a sign. A virgin shall conceive and bring
forth a son, and thou shalt call the name of that son Immanuel,
which is God with us." Under us a child is born, under us
a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders,
and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty
God, the Prince of Peace. Who came? Christ came. How did
he come? In human flesh. What did he do? To put away our sins. It says
he put away our sins by the sacrifice of himself. Once, in the last
days, the Son of God, appeared on this earth in human flesh
to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Nothing else could
do it but Christ. No one else could do it but Christ.
And the only way Christ could put away sin is by the sacrifice
of himself. He didn't put away sin by his
birth. He must be born of the Virgin. He must be born as we
are. He must grow up from childhood
to manhood. He's our representative. but
neither the infant nor the infant's mother could put away sin. He
didn't put away sin by his example. He lived a perfect life. He offended
not in word or deed. He knew no sin. No one could
convince him of sin. He was tempted in all points
as we are, yet without sin. But the perfect Christ, who set
the perfect example, who never offended man or God truthfully,
could never put away sin only by perfect obedience. He gave
us a perfect righteousness by that obedience, but that's not
how sin was put away. And then he could not put away
sin by his teaching. No man spake like this man. He
spake as one with authority, and the reason he spake as one
with authority was because he had all authority. He said, All
authority is given to me in heaven and earth, and his words were
true. He said, I speak the things I do know and the things I have
seen. The words that I say are not
mine, but the words of the Heavenly Father. But you can't put away
sin by words. You see, sin requires death.
Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. The
Bible declares that over and over again. The blood makes atonement
for the soul. The soul that sinneth, it shall
die. Sin, when it's finished, bringeth forth death. So Christ,
if he's going to put away sin, cannot do it by a burden. incarnation. He cannot do it by an example,
an exemplary life or a holy life. He cannot do it by healing or
teaching. The only way he could do it was
to take that cross of shame, that cross of humiliation, and
go to Calvary and there be nailed to that cross and die under the
wrath and judgment of the Heavenly Father. He was wounded for our
transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was laid on him by his stripes. We are healed. Peter said, We
are not redeemed with corruptible things, such as silver and gold,
from our vain conversation received by perdition from our fathers.
But how are we redeemed? We are redeemed with the precious
blood of Christ. Can words be plainer? We are
redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, as the Lamb slain. How are we redeemed? How is sin
put away? Not by the waters of baptism,
not by keeping the law, not by church membership, not by burning
candles, not by good deeds. Sin is put away by the sacrifice
of himself. There is a fountain filled with
blood, drawn from Emmanuel's veins, and sinners plunged beneath
that blood lose all their guilty states. The dying thief rejoiced
to see that fountain in his day. There may I, though vile as he,
wash all my sins away." Now watch this in verse 26. Once in the
end of the world hath he appeared. Don't leave that verse until
you look hard at that word, once. Once in the end of the world,
once hath he appeared. He put away sin once by the sacrifice
of himself. Christ does not have to die over.
and over and over again, because his sacrifice is effectual, because
his sacrifice is sufficient, because his sacrifice, because
of who he is, the infinite Son of God, is meaningful. It puts
away sin. One time, he hath by one offering
perfected forever them that are sacrificed. I mention three verses. Now go back to verse 24. How
is sin put away? Once hath he appeared to put
away sin by the sacrifice of himself." Now look at verse 24.
It says, "...he appears in the presence of God for us." Right
now, this is what's going on, this is what he did, he appeared
to put away sin. Now he is appearing, right now. We have a high priest, we have
a mediator, we have one right now who is interceding for us,
who pleads not our works but his wounds. who pleased not our
methods and our merit, but he pleased his righteousness and
his merit. When the Apostle Paul set forth
that great challenge in Romans 8.34, he said, Who is he that
condemneth? He challenged heaven, earth,
and hell to lay anything to the charge of God's elect, to condemn
one of God's elect, one of the believers. He said, Who is he
that And in that verse, he gives us four marvelous pillars of
his hope. And these cannot be improved
upon. You have a hope, what is it? Here's Paul's hope. He said,
who is he that condemns? Christ died. The debt is paid. The efficacy is in the person.
The infinite God. Christ Jesus died. And if he
died, I don't have to. If he paid the debt, I don't
owe it. If he satisfied the justice of
God, it satisfied him. Christ died. Not just a man,
not just a messenger, but Christ, the Son of God. What is the next
pillar? Yea, rather, not only did he
die, but rather, he is risen again. His resurrection is proof
of the acceptance of his sacrifice. I'll tell you this, when that
Old Testament priest went into the Holy of Holies If God the
Father had not accepted the offering, the atonement, which he put on
the mercy seat, he'd have never come out, he'd have never walked
out. And if Jesus Christ, who went to Carl Gotha's hill on
Calvary's mountain and died for our sins and paid our debt, if
God the Father had not been pleased with the sacrifice and accepted
the offering, Christ would have never risen. He arose for our
justification. He's risen again. Wait a minute,
Paul's not through. every force, he says, who can
condemn me? Christ died for me. Christ is
risen, who is even at the right hand of God. You know what the
right hand means? It's the position of power, it's
the position of honor, it's the position of acceptance, it's
the position of love. And Christ, who was my representative,
who took my place on this earth before the law and before the
justice of God and before the Father himself, who was identified
with me and numbered with the transgressors, who died under
my guilt, he bore my sins in his body on the tree, who was
buried in my tomb, is risen by the power of God and is exalted
above every name and is seated at the right hand of God." But
that's not all. There's a fourth pillar. He said, maketh intercession for us."
For us, that's right, the ones for whom he died, the ones for
whom he arose, the ones who are in him seated at the right hand
of the Father. He's calling their names, he's praying for them,
he's pleading for them. He didn't die and leave redemption
in the hands of a man or an angel. He has redemption in his hands,
and he appears before the heavenly throne, the throne of God Almighty. carrying our names, just like
the high priest of old carried the names of the twelve tribes
of Israel. He's our mediator. He's at the right hand of God,
and he's our mediator. And a mediator, now listen, you
know who a mediator is. First of all, a mediator must
be acceptable to both sides, the father and the sinner. Secondly,
a mediator must have both parties at heart. He's got to have the
interest of both parties. He's got to have God's justice
and righteousness and holiness at heart, and yet also his people. And he does. He does. And then
thirdly, a mediator must have a suitable solution. And he does. He died. He gave himself. He put away sin with the sacrifice
of himself. His obedience. Seeing we have
such a great high priest, let us come boldly before the throne
of grace, that we may find mercy to help. in time of need. And
now, thirdly, I said there are three appearances. He appeared
to put away sin. He appears to pray for every
believer. And it says in verse 28, look
at it, he will appear to them that look upon him without sin
unto salvation. He's going to appear. Yes, our
Lord will return. He's coming back. He appeared
on this earth in human flesh as our representative and as
our substitute as our Redeemer, and he appears right now at the
right hand of the Father, the man Christ Jesus, he prays for
us. But he's coming back to this
earth. He said so. He said to his disciples,
if I go away, I will come again and receive you unto myself,
that where I am there you may be also. The angels, they said
he was coming back when the disciples stood there on the hillside and
watched the Lord ascend up to heaven. the angels appeared to
them and said, Ye men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into
heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven,
shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go." The
same Jesus is coming back just like you saw him go. Now, the
two comings of Christ have very much in common. First of all,
they were both personal comings. He came himself the first time,
he is coming himself the second time. They were both according
to promise. God the Father promised the Messiah
would come. He came. God the Father promised
he'd come back. He will. Both of them were unexpected
by the majority of people. Not many folks were looking for
him when he came the first time. Not many folks are looking for
him now. But listen, both of these comings are blessed to
those who look for him. It says he will appear to them
that look for him. Blessed are the eyes that saw
him, and will see him. Blessed are the ears that heard
him and will hear him, blessed are the hearts that loved him
and still love him, and blessed are the knees that bowed and
will always bow and proclaim his Lordship. But there are some
ways in which these two appearances are different. He came the first
time in poverty, he'll return in glory. He came the first time
to a cross, he's coming back a ruling king. He came the first
time to die, he's coming back to judge. He came the first time
to bear our sins, and it says he's coming back without them. To them that look for him shall
he appear without sin. Where are they? Well, they're
separated from us as far as the east is from the west, to be
remembered no more. If you want this message on cassette
tape, you write to me. The mailing address will be given
to you. There are two messages on each tape. The cost is three
dollars. Until next week, I bid you a
very pleasant good day.

The Putting Away of Sin

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The Putting Away of Sin

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