Now I want you to turn to Hebrews
10. Our text is taken from verse
12 and 13, Hebrews 10. Verse 12 says, But this man,
after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on
the right hand of God from henceforth expecting till his enemies be
made his footstool." Now, the book of Hebrews is very careful,
and I might add, very particular, to point out the superiority
of Christ over all things and over all creatures. For example,
turn to Hebrews chapter 1 with me just a moment. Hebrews, the
first chapter, It says in verse 1, now it shows in verse 1, 2,
and 3, the superiority of Christ over all the prophets. In verse
1 it says, God who at sundry times and in different manners
spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets. The
prophets were Moses, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Elijah, Elisha, all of
these men. Verse 2 says, He hath in these
last days spoken to us by one greater, His Son. Behold, a greater
than Solomon is here, whom He hath appointed heir of all things,
by whom also He made the world, who, being the brightness of
His glory and the express image of His person, Jesus Christ is
more than a prophet He is the prophet. He is that prophet. He is greater than all the prophets. He said, I speak those things
that I have seen. The prophets spoke those things
which they heard. Christ said, I speak those things
which I've seen. And the Father said of him, this
is my son. You listen to him. You hear him. He's greater than all the prophets
put together. And Luke wrote in the book of
Acts to him, give all the prophets witness. Now then, Hebrews 1
verse 4, look at verse 4. He is better than the angels. Hebrews points out his superiority
over the angels. Look at verse 4. Being made so
much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained
a more excellent name than they. is superior to the angels, he
is over the angels. For under which of the angels
did God say at any time, Thou art my son? This day have I begotten
thee, and again I will be to him a father, and he shall be
to me a son." Then look at verse 13 of Hebrews 1. To which of
the angels did he say at any time, Sit on my right hand? until I make thine enemies thy
footstool. Are they not all ministering
spirits?" The angels are ministering spirits, and they are sent forth
to minister for them, that's for you and me, who shall be
heirs of salvation. You know, John, in the book of
Revelations, and it might be important for you to turn to
this scripture, Revelation 22, verse John fell down at the feet
of an angel one time on the Isle of Patmos and would have worshipped
him. An angel appeared to him and
gave him much of the book of Revelation as he recorded it,
and John would have fallen down before that heavenly messenger,
that beautiful person, that angel, and worshipped him. But now listen
to this, Revelation 22, verse 8. And I, John, saw these things,
and I heard them. And when I had heard and seen,
I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed
me these things. And then said he unto me," the
angel said to John, "'See that ye do it not, for I am not God,
I am not Christ, I am thy fellow servant.'" and of thy brethren
the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book."
Worship God, not angels. Christ Jesus is superior to the
angels. Now let me show you something
else. Turn to Acts chapter 10, and this is very important. In
the tenth chapter of Acts, now, John was inclined to worship
that angel. That angel appeared to him and
was giving him the book of Revelation, giving him the visions which
he saw. The Holy Spirit inspired the
book, but he had a desire to fall down at that angel's feet
and worship him. The angel told him not to. Now,
there is a tendency today in some circles to fall down before
men. And they say, well, we're not
falling down before the man, we're falling down before what
he represents, the authority which he represents. That's wrong,
too. This angel represented God. This angel had come to John from
God. This angel was a heavenly messenger,
greater than men, but not greater than Christ. And John was forbidden
to fall down before that angel. And people today are falling
down before priests and before the Pope and before other people.
Listen to Acts 10, verse 25. Now listen to this. And as Peter
was coming in, this is the Apostle Peter, whom they claim was the
first Pope. And as he was coming in, Cornelius
met him and fell down at his feet. He bowed. He got down on his knees before
the Apostle Peter and worshiped him. And Peter took him up and
said, Stand up! Don't you dare do that, for I
myself also am a man. I'm a man, and that's all I am,
and don't you ever fall down on your knees before me again.
Now that ought to settle this issue a long time ago, but it
didn't. Now turn back to Hebrews 3. Christ is superior over the
prophets. Christ is superior to the angels,
and Christ is superior to Moses. You know, when our Lord was here
preaching, the people of Israel kept bringing up, we have Moses.
We have Moses as our Father. We have the writings of Moses.
We have Moses. And look at Hebrews 3, verse
5. Moses, Hebrews 3, verse 5, was
faithful. He was faithful. He was a faithful
servant. He was a godly man. He was faithful
in all his house, but only as a servant. As a servant, that's
what he was in the house of God. Verse 6, But Christ is the Son
over the house. Christ is not the Son. He's the
Son. Moses is but a servant, like
you and me. But Christ is the Son over his
own house, whose house are we. if we hold fast the confidence
and rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. And then Hebrews
7. Let's go over here again before
we get to our text. What I'm saying is this. This
whole book of Hebrews is careful to point out the superiority
of Christ over the prophets, over the angels, over Moses,
and over all of these Old Testament priests. Aaron, the sons of Levi,
and all the rest of them. In Hebrews 7, verse 22, by so
much was Jesus made a surety of a better covenant, they truly
were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue
by reason of death. But this man, Christ Jesus, this
man of whom I am preaching This man, because he continueth ever,
hath an unchanging priesthood. Now look at this. These Old Testament
priests were many. There were many of them. There
were literally thousands of them over the centuries. Why? Because they died. A priest would
come forth and minister for so many years, and then he died,
so might take his place. Another one who had died, somebody
take his place. He had died, somebody take his
place. But Christ is the one great high priest. He has a continual
priesthood. He hath no beginning or ending. He hath no mother or father.
He hath a continual priesthood. These men had a temporary priesthood. They offered many sacrifices.
They offered thousands of rams, and lambs, and bullocks, and
goats, and heifers, and turtledoves, and Christ offered one sacrifice. Over here in Hebrews chapter
10, turn over there a minute. In Hebrews chapter 10, verse
11, listen to this. And every priest, thousands of
them, standing, and we're going to see why they stand, daily,
every day, they'd offer sacrifice in the morning, one in the afternoon,
one in the evening. But there had to be another one
offered the next morning, and the next evening, and the next
morning, and the next evening, and the next year, and the next
year. And these men daily ministered and offered oftentimes the same
sacrifices, the same blood, which can never take away sin. Christ offered, look, but this
man, verse 12, after he had offered one sacrifice for sin, his blood. Verse 14, for by one offering,
one sacrifice, and Christ isn't crucified again every Sunday
in the offering of the wafer and the wine either. Christ offered
one sacrifice, and by that one offering and that one sacrifice,
he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. These priests
had sins of their own. Listen to Hebrews chapter 7.
In chapter 7, verse 27, look at this. Christ needed not daily,
as those high priests, to offer sacrifice first for their own
sins. These men had sins of their own
for which to offer a sacrifice. Christ had no sin. And these
priests were made priests by the law. Christ was made a priest
by the Heavenly Father with an oath. Look back at verse 21,
Hebrews 7. These priests were made without
an oath, but Christ was made a priest with an oath by him
that said unto him, The Lord swear and will not repent. Thou
art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. These priests
never finished their work. That's the reason they stood.
They stood because their work was never done. In the tabernacle
in the Old Testament, in the tabernacle in the wilderness,
there were seven pieces of furniture, not one chair, because these
priests never sat down. In our text this morning, it
says Christ offered one sacrifice and sat down. Why'd he sit down? We're going to see that in a
few moments. He sat down. His work was finished. Their
sacrifices could never take away sin. He has took it away for
good. Now, turn back to the text, Hebrews
10, 12. And I have three things that
I want to point out from this text, just three things, and
I want you to remember them. And they're easy to remember
because they're part of the text. Hebrews 10, 12, look at the first
three words, but this man, but this man. Now, they say that
the word man is not in the original scriptures. that the word man
should be priest, this priest. And they're probably right, because
read verse 11 again, and watch these two verses together. It
says in verse 11 of Hebrews 10, and every priest, talking about
the Old Testament priest, standing, daily ministering and offering
the same sacrifices, which can never take away sin. But this
priest, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever,
sat down on the right hand of God. Nothing wrong with that
at all. It would be all right to translate
that, but this priest. But we know this. In order to
be our priest, he had to become a man. No question about that. In order to become our priest,
he had to become a man. Now Hebrews 2, verse 16. Now this is important here. Turn
with me to Hebrews 2, verse 16. Christ became a man. Christ Jesus
the Lord did not take on himself the nature of angels. It says
in Hebrews 2.16, "...verily he took not on him the nature of
angels." He didn't become an angel. When he came to do his
work of redemption, he didn't come to redeem the angels. He
took on him the seed of Abraham, the nature of the seed of Abraham.
Now, I don't know much about the fall of I know a few things. Number one, I know that angels
were created before men. I know that the angels were given
a free will. I know that the angels were mighty
and strong and great and beautiful. I know that some of the angels
fell. I know that. The Bible tells
me that. The Bible tells me that some
of them did not fall. That Lucifer led a great rebellion
in heaven, and that many angels fell, and they were cast out
of heaven. And those that fell and were
cast out of heaven, turn to the book of Jude. According to the
book of Jude, those angels which fell and were cast out of heaven
because of their sin and because of their rebellion, all of have
been reserved in chains of darkness, awaiting judgment and eternal
condemnation." That's what the Bible says, Jude verse 6. And
the angels which kept not their first estate, that is, their
principality or their position, but left their habitation, left
heaven, left the employment of God, he hath reserved in everlasting
They'll not be broken under darkness, under the judgment of the great
day. Now, some of the angels didn't
fall. And they're called by the old Anglican theologians and
by the old Presbyterian theologians and by the old Baptist theologians
who were men of scholarship and ability, they were called the
elect angels. And that's what they are. But
those who fell, God hath forever condemned, and God hath reserved
them to judgment. And Christ did not come to save
them. That plainly says that in Hebrews
2.16. He did not take on him the nature
of angels. Had he taken on him the nature
of angels and fulfilled for them a perfect righteousness, angels
would have been redeemed and not men. But he took on him the
seed of Abraham." Now, I do know something about the fall of man,
because I'm a man. I know what the Bible says, and
I know what my heart has taught me, and I know what the Holy
Spirit has taught me. God made but two. He made Adam, and he
made Eve. They were given a free will. They could obey God, or they
could turn from God. They chose to turn from God.
They sinned, they fell. And with them, not some men as
some angels fell, not a portion of the race as a portion of the
angelic race, but all men fell. For Adam was a representative
person, and in him lived the whole human race. And as by one
man sin entered this world, and death by sin. So death passed
on all men for all sin. God, in His sovereign mercy and
in His grace, announced the coming of the God-man, Christ Jesus. In Genesis 3, verse 15, right
after Adam and Eve sinned and were fallen, God said, "...the
seed of woman shall bruise the serpent's head, the seed of woman
is Christ. Now Christ came to this earth.
Turn to Galatians chapter 4. In Galatians, the fourth chapter,
it says, In the fulness of time, God sent forth, verse 4, Galatians
4, when the fulness of time was come, when God's purpose was
fulfilled, He sent forth His Son made of a woman, made in
the likeness of sinful flesh. Christ became a man. I want you to listen very carefully
right here. The point that I'm making in
Hebrews 10 is Christ was a man. He was a man. He was the God-man.
Perfect God, perfect man. I don't claim to understand the
complex person of Christ. And when I get on this particular
subject, I feel very inadequate. But I do know this. Christ as
God always was on the throne. Always. He is God. In the book of Isaiah,
chapter 9, it said, under us a child is born, under us a son
is given. His name shall be called Wonderful
Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father. And Jesus
Christ as God always was on the throne. He never ceased to be
God, and while he was on this earth in the flesh as a man,
he was still on the throne in heaven as God. The Son of God never ceased to
be omnipotent. He never ceased to be omniscient. He never ceased to be omnipresent. Even when he was wrapped in garments
of clay, he was still on the throne. He never left heaven
in that sense. He never left the throne in that
sense. He was still, while he was walking
this earth in Adam's flesh, he was still God blessed forever
over all. The Son of Man who came down
to this world was also at that moment seated on an omnipotent
throne. As I say, I cannot explain that
because I'm not God, but I do know it's so. I do know that
Jesus Christ is the mighty God, He's the everlasting And he is
omnipotent and omniscient and omnipresent. And even while he
was clothed in human flesh and walking on this earth as a man,
he never ceased to be God. He never left his throne. But
as a man, this man, he worked out a perfect righteousness.
Oh, how holy and pure were his thoughts, his words, and his
deeds. The Father said, This is my Son
in whom I am well pleased. As a man, he died a cruel death,
as a man, under our sins. All our sins were laid on him,
and he was executed by the righteousness and the justice of God. As a
criminal, he stood before the bar. As a criminal, He was numbered
with the transgressors. As a criminal, the charges were
hurled upon him, and he remained silent. As a criminal, he heard
the sentence, let him be crucified, cast him out. As a criminal,
he climbed the gallows to be hanged. As a criminal, he suffered
every indignity. As a criminal, he died in the
flesh. Hebrews 10, 12 says, this man,
this man, this man, what a man. Pilate said, behold, the man,
the man. If you think that's complex and
difficult, I'll give you one even more complex and difficult
than that. If you can't understand how that
Christ can be in heaven and be on this earth as a man, here's
one more difficult than that. I'm in heaven right now. I'm
seated in Christ on the right hand of God. He is my representative
as at the right hand of God, and I'm in him. I'm already glorified
in the purpose and plan of God. Here's one even more complex.
There's a man in heaven There's a man on God's right hand. That's
what the scripture says. There's one God and there's one
mediator between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus. There's a man seated where a
man's never sat before, on God's right hand. There's a man glorified
where a man has never been glorified before, at God's right hand.
That's the man, Christ Jesus. This man. You see, he's more
than just this little mealy-mouthed carpenter that people talk about.
He's more than this little frustrated, disappointed Jesus that's crying
his eyes out because you won't let him have his way. He's more
than this little frail man that came down here and failed. He's
God of all. And he walked this earth in the
flesh as a man. fall at his feet and worship
him. Hail Jesus Christ, King of kings
and Lord of lords." Now the second thing I want you to see, this
man, this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sin, as a man, sat down on the right hand of
God. Now we see in this statement
the completeness of his work. I'm simply saying this, that
Jesus Christ as a man, God in the flesh, has done all that
was necessary to be done to make an atonement for my sins and
to put an end to all my sins. He sat down. It'll never need
to be done again. For any believer who looks to
Christ is totally, completely, absolutely, and forever free
from all sin. His side, the prophet wrote,
once opened, sent forth a stream deep enough and wide enough to
wash away all my guilt. It doesn't have to be done again.
His stripes are sufficient His wounds are sufficient to heal
any sinner, and no whip will ever trace its marks across his
back again. His work is finished. It is clear,
because he sat down. He sat down. Now, my friends,
sitting down is a posture of rest. A man goes about his work,
and when he's completed his task, he sits down. His work is done. Christ would not be seated if
he had more to do. The old priest in the old tabernacle
never sat down, because they never finished their work. In
fact, there were bells attached to the bottom of their priestly
robes As they moved about their ministry in the Holy of Holies,
the people outside listened to the jangling of the bells. And
as long as those bells were jingling and jangling, the people outside
knew the priest was in there going about his work. He never
sat down because he never finished his work. Christ sat down. And
more than that, he sat down on the right hand of God. Now the
right hand of the King is reserved for the Beloved. To sit on the
king's right hand is reserved for the one closest to the king. The right hand is the place of
honor. It is reserved for the chief
of all in the kingdom. The right hand is the place of
acceptance. No enemy sits on the right hand.
No doubtful friend sits on the right hand. Only the beloved,
given the place of honor and acceptance. And that's where
Christ, our representative, Our substitute, our federal head,
our high priest, is seated in dignity, honor, and acceptance
on God's right hand. I'll tell you why I know his
work is completed. He sat down, he sat down on the
right hand of God, and he enjoys satisfaction and pleasure. Turn to Psalm 16. Listen to this,
Psalm 16. Now some preachers would picture
Jesus Christ up there in heaven still struggling, still weeping,
still sad, still disappointed, still unhappy, because things
are in a mess. But it says here in Psalm 16,
verse 10, this is speaking of Christ, we know it is, "...Thou
wilt not leave my soul in hell," that is, in the grave, Neither
wilt thou suffer thine holy one to seek corruption. Thou wilt
show me the path of life. In thy presence is fullness of
joy. At thy right hand there are pleasures
for evermore." There's no sorrow on God's right hand. There's
no disappointment on God's right hand. He shall see the travail
of his soul and be satisfied. their pleasures at thy right
hand." And then turn to Ephesians 1. This man, this God-man, this
great one who satisfied the law and who perfectly fulfilled God's
law and who satisfied God's justice, who offered one sacrifice for
sin, who purged our iniquities forever, who put away all our
transgressions who reconciled us to God, who made a perfect
atonement, who entered into the holiest with his own blood, not
with the blood of others, and made an effectual sacrifice by
which he perfected them that are sanctified forever, sat down. Having finished his work, he
said, It's finished! And he sat down at the Father's
right hand, the place of honor and acceptance and glory and
dignity. He sat down. And we sat down
in him, look at Ephesians 1, 3, blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Verse chapter 2 now,
and verse 6, And he hath raised us up together, and made us sit
together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We are seated in
Christ. Here is the great glory of salvation,
that while we're here on this earth and while we're walking
through a veil of tears and a valley of sorrows, we are triumphantly,
victoriously, eternally seated with Christ in the heaven. I'm represented in Washington
by a man named Carl Perkins. He's a good congressman. With
all of his frailties, with all of his shortcomings, he represents
me, he speaks for me. I'm represented in heaven by
one who can never fail, who has no frailties and no shortcomings.
And he's not just seated in the House of Representatives. He's
not seated only in the Senate. He's not even the chairman of
a committee. He's got a role. He's running
the whole outfit. He's got the whole world in his
hands. He is at the Father's right hand. And he's seated there at my right.
You think about that. He's got my name on the palm
of his hand. He's got my name on his breastplate. He's up there, and his work's
finished. It's done. All he needs to do for me, he's
done. All the Father requires of me,
he's finished it. All that I need, all that I need,
wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, redemption, all that I need,
Christ has furnished and finished, and he's seated. I'm in Him. Romans 8, want to look at that?
If you're not afraid of a little meat this morning, it says, desire
the sincere milk of the word. But some of you have been around
long enough to get weaned from the bottle. You ought to be on
a little steak now, by now. And you ought to quit wanting
that milk all the time and take a little meat. Say, the preacher
got too deep. No, you didn't bring a big enough
bucket. That wasn't it at all. If you
just bring something to hold it in, you could take more away,
you know. And the more you exercise your mind, the sharper it will
get. In Romans 8 verse 29, Whom he did foreknow, he also did
predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son. that
he might be the firstborn among many brethren, moreover whom
he did predestinate he called, and whom he called he justified,
and whom he justified them he also glorified." All in the past
tense, it's already done. It's already done. Whom the Father
foreknew, he predestinated to be like Christ. whom he predestinated
to be like Christ, he called, he said, My sheep will hear my
voice and they'll follow me. O the sheep I have which are
not of this foal, them I must bring. I love God's shalls and
God's will. Nowhere in the Bible does it
say maybe God will and God might and perhaps, it says he will.
And those whom he called, he justified by his death, he sanctified,
and those whom he justified, he's already glorified. God declares
the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things
that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I
will do all my good pleasure. I was one with him when he died,
I was one with him when he rose, I was one with him when he triumphed
over his foes, I'm one with Him in heaven when He took His seat.
and I'm one with him while the angels sing of all of hell's
defeat. I'm with Christ." Now, the last
point. This man, this precious, wonderful,
majestic, exalted man, after he'd offered one sacrifice for
sin, just one, he sat down. He sat down. Now look at verse
13. From henceforth expecting till
his enemies be made his footstool." His enemies. I don't want to
be his enemy. I don't want to be his enemy.
I don't want to follow another Jesus I want to follow the Christ
to the Bible. I don't want to know another
Jesus. I want to know this man, this man, this God-man, this
omnipotent, eternal God-man. I want to know him. This man
who, with one sacrifice, puts sin away. This one, this man
who, with one sacrifice, atoned with a perfect, because this
man who's seated at God's right hand, I want to know him. I don't
want to be his enemy. In a large sense, his enemies
are already his footstool. The Scripture says all authority
is given unto him in heaven and earth. He said, all power is
given unto me over all flesh. What is the devil now but the
servant of Christ? Huh? That's right. He can do
no more than God permits him to do. What are wicked men now
but the slaves of God? For they can do what? whatsoever
His hand and His counsel determined before to be done. What is the
world now but His world? Scripture says, In Him we live
and move and have our being. All things were created by Him
and for Him, and the world is simply the stage on which His
purpose is being carried out. And every human being is a part
of that purpose and that There's a sense in which Christ died
for all, and that is He bought this world. It is His. It belongs to Him. There isn't
a man in this world who does not belong to Christ. There's
not a man in this world who does not belong to Jesus Christ, for
He is God and He is Lord over all, and He died that He might
be Lord of the dead and of the living. And every man is either
Christ's brother or Christ's slave, but he belongs to Christ. And if a man will not follow
the Christ of the Bible willingly, he will be dragged out in triumph. And one day, the Scripture says,
shall own that Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus shall reign wherever the sun doth its successive journeys
run. His kingdom stretched from shore
to shore, till moon shall wax and wane no more. His enemies
shall be his footstool." I dreamed that the great judgment morning
had dawned and the trumpet had blown. I dreamed that the nations
had gathered to judgment before his great throne. And from that
throne came a bright shining angel, and he stood on the land
and the sea, and he swore with his hand raised to heaven that
time would no longer be. The morrow man came to the judgment. but his self-righteous rags would
not do. You see, the men who had crucified
Jesus, they'd passed off as moral men too. The rich man was there,
but his riches had melted and vanished away, a pauper. He stood
at the judgment, and his debts were too heavy to pay. The men
who had put off salvation, not today, I'll get saved by and
by, naked They stood at the judgment. At last they found time to dine. Oh, what a weeping and a wailing
as the lost were told of their fate. They cried. They cried for the rocks and
mountains. They prayed, but their prayers were too late. His enemies,
his enemies shall be made his footstool. This man, after he
had offered one sacrifice, He went back to glory, and he sat
down. Having finished his work, having
completed his task, having reconciled sinners to the Father, having
presented a perfect offering, he sat down! And he's there waiting
till all that oppose him, and the last enemy that shall be
destroyed at death, till his enemy be made his Oh, the David,
the psalmist says, kiss the son. Fall at his feet. You won't worship
somebody, worship the Lord Jesus. You won't kiss somebody's foot,
you kiss his feet. You fall at his throne. You be
found as the humble penitent at the feet of Christ. You be
found as Mary sitting at the feet of Christ. Don't you be
found sitting at the feet of a denomination or a church or
a theologian or a minister or an earthly priest or a representative
of any high ecclesiastical power. You be found seated at the feet
of Christ. That's where you belong. And
that's where we all belong. Till he comes. Our Father bless
the word, bless the message. Speak to our hearts with thy
word. Break them over sin. Create within
us, O God, that blessed, wonderful gift of repentance and a broken
heart and a humble spirit before thee, and love and faith in Christ
Jesus our Lord and Savior. Let him be exalted above all,
for he alone is worthy. Let him have the preeminence.
Let our hearts beat with love for Christ, and our minds let
them be exercised in thoughts of Christ, and our words let
them be words of praise for Christ, for he alone is worthy. In his
name, amen.