The Sufficiency of Christ’s Sacrifice

Transcript

GR 1700
07/28/13
The Sufficiency of Christ's Sacrifice
Hebrews 9:23-28
Gil Rugh

We're in Hebrews 9 and according to my good planning we're going to complete chapter 9 and be ready for chapter 10 when I return. And it wasn't anything to do with my planning but it seems easier to break at a chapter break. If you remember, it won't be a change of subject so we're not done talking about Christ's high priestly ministry when we are done with Hebrews 9 because you'll note Hebrews 10 begins with the little preposition “for.” So he'll continue down through Hebrews 10:1-18.

The subject of the high priestly ministry has been the focus since Hebrews 5:1, it goes all the way through Hebrews 10:18. And as I've mentioned repeatedly, sometimes the book of Hebrews seems a little bit strange and out of our comfort zone because we're not that familiar with the Old Testament practices of the Levitical priesthood and how Israel operated under the Mosaic Covenant. But the Spirit of God has directed that this little book, extensive book be included as part of our New Testament which means it is very important for us even though it has been 2,000 years since the Levitical priesthood has been able to operate, the temple having been destroyed in 70 A.D. And yet what is being conveyed in the book of Hebrews is not primarily matters relating to the Levitical priesthood. Those things were just anticipatory to the high priestly ministry of Jesus Christ and to really understand the Gospel and what was entailed in Christ's death on the cross and the resultant ministry He has in heaven for us today as a result of His death on the cross. There is no book in all the Bible that explains as clearly the sacrificial death and high priestly ministry of Christ as the book of Hebrews. So it is very important for us to under the book of Hebrews. And a proper understanding of Hebrews would clarify a lot of confusion that exists in the evangelical world today.

We've looked down through Hebrews 9:22 and verses 11-14, just to go back a little bit, contrasts Christ's ministry in heaven with the ministry of the Levitical priests, the priests under the Mosaic Law, under the Old Covenant. Christ appeared as high priest in the presence of God in heaven, the Old Testament high priest once a year, on one day a year appeared in the presence of God on earth in an earthly tabernacle made with human hands. It was made according to the instruction commands of God given to Moses, but nonetheless it was made on this physical earth and it was made by human beings according to the instructions God gave.

So that contrast in verse 11, Christ appeared as high priest of the good things to come, He entered the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, not of this creation, not with the blood of animals. But with His own blood on the basis of His own sacrificial death on the cross He entered the Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. Where Christ entered was heaven itself. On earth in that innermost recess of the tabernacle, the Holy of Holies or the Holy Place as it is referred to here, was the Ark of the Covenant with the mercy seat. There God manifested His presence, there the high priest once a year brought animal blood to provide for atonement and forgiveness for the nation. We'll look at that a little bit more in a moment.

If the blood of animals could provide that ceremonial cleansing to enable the people of Israel to continue in a relationship with God, verse 14 says, how much more will the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God cleanse you conscience. Something that the Old Covenant could not do, that the Levitical priesthood could not do. It could not make the people perfect in conscience, it could not reach in into the innermost recesses of their being. But that's what the work of Christ does.

For this reason He is the mediator of a New Covenant. As high priest, back in Hebrews 7:12, when the priesthood is changed of necessity there takes place a change of law or covenant. Mosaic Covenant, Mosaic Law are used interchangeably. So when you move from the Levitical priesthood operating in the context of the Mosaic Covenant to Christ's priesthood after the order of Melchizedek, you have to have a new covenant. And that's what we have, the New Covenant prophesied in Jeremiah. He is the mediator of a New Covenant and the provisions that that covenant made as it was quoted in Hebrews 8:7-12. It was the Word of God inscribed on the heart and mind into the innermost being of what we are.

Important to note in verse 15, He is the mediator of a New Covenant so since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant. And we noted this answers the question that had not been addressed as yet in Hebrews clearly, and that is we've been told that the Levitical priesthood, the sacrifices that those priests offered couldn't make the conscience perfect. Well then how were those people saved? They were coming to the priests under the Mosaic Covenant, they were bringing the appropriate animal sacrifice but it couldn't cleanse their heart. How could people in the Old Testament be saved? People today are still confused, they think those people were saved by keeping the Ten Commandments and trying to keep the Law. But the whole book of Hebrews makes clear, that couldn't save people, it never could. The blood of bulls and goats couldn't take away sin.

Well then how could God declare Abraham righteous, 500 years before even you have the Mosaic Law? How could Moses have a relationship with God? How could David be a man after God's own heart? How could Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel be men that communed with God? The answer, the death of Christ. Christ's death provided for the forgiveness and salvation of those who lived in the Old Testament. He hadn't died yet but in the plan of God He would send His Son to earth to die on the cross to pay the penalty for sin. And on the basis of that He could forgive those who believed in Him. So in Genesis 15:6, Abraham believed God, God credited it to him as righteousness. On what basis? On the basis that God's Son would die a death that would provide for the forgiveness of sins for all who believed in God from Adam on.

So the death of Christ not only forgives us 2,000 years after He died, it could also forgive those who sinned 2,000 years before He died. Because you see when God ordains that something will happen, it will happen. So from the perspective of God's purposes and plans the salvation He would provide in Christ would be the basis upon which Old Testament saint could be forgiven. They didn't understand that. All they knew was that they had to place their faith in God and the promises He gave and He would save them.

Come back to Romans 3 which we looked at last time, a little bit of review. Verse 21, but now apart from the Law, that's the Mosaic Covenant, the Levitical priesthood and the sacrifices and all that takes place in connection with that covenant or law, the righteousness of God has been manifested. And that word manifested is going to become key as we come to the end of Hebrews 9. It is something that has been unveiled, has been revealed. So now you have revealed with the coming of Christ and His sacrificial death how God was going to provide righteousness. All the Old Testament saint knew was God promised it to them, He credited it to them when they believed Him. But how can He do this? How can God declare a hell-deserving sinner righteous? Now we know, the righteousness of God has been manifest. It was witnessed by the Law and the prophets because it was the anticipation of this in the Old Testament. It's the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. And there is no distinction, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We are justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith, note, to demonstrate His righteousness because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed. He didn't pass over them in the sense that they couldn't be forgiven, but He hadn't revealed to them how they could be forgiven.

For the demonstration, verse 26, of His righteousness at the present time. You know what you and I understand is how God can forgive sins which deserve His judgment, His punishment and eternal hell. It has been demonstrated, it has been manifested, here is how it happens. It's what we've been studying in Hebrews. His Son would leave glory, be born into the human race, be both God and man and die on the cross, bearing our sins in His body on that cross, paying our penalty so He could declare us forgiven.

So that's the last part of verse 26, so that He would be just and the justifier, righteous and the One who declares righteous of the one who has faith in Jesus. We say, Old Testament saints didn't believe in Jesus because they didn't know about Him. No, but when they believed in God and His promises, they were believing in what God would provide for them. You know God's Word is sure when He speaks it.

Some of you have studied the Old Testament and in the Old Testament the prophets often gave prophecies of the future, the far future. Some of those prophecies have yet to be fulfilled. But you know often they gave those prophecies in the past tense. So if we translate the prophecy literally of something that has yet to happen, it was prophesied as though it happened in the past. We call it the prophetic past. Do you know why? When God says something is going to happen, it is as good as done. It's just as sure as if it had happened yesterday. As God said, shall I prophesy and not do it? So the death of Christ was sure from the foundation of the world. That was God's plan for redemption. So Old Testament saints were saved in anticipation of that and we are saved looking back on the basis of that.

So back in Hebrews 9. He goes on in verses 15-22 contrasting and talking about what happened under the Old Covenant and the importance of a sacrificial death, when he talks about blood. Verse 19, every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people, he took blood of calves. It's referring to death but used the word blood because it refers to a sacrificial death. That's different than just killing an animal to have a meal. That wasn't a sacrificial death. The blood draws attention, the life of the flesh is in the blood, this is an animal being sacrificed in connection with the worship of God. He talks about the necessity of that under the Old Covenant. The Old Covenant when the Mosaic Covenant was established, there were animals sacrificed. We talked about that.

Verse 19, when commandments have been given then the blood had to be sprinkled on the various items associated with worship in the tabernacle and so on. And verse 20, this is the blood of the covenant which was commanded to you. He sprinkled both the tabernacle, all the vessels of the ministry with blood according to the Law. One might almost say all things are cleansed with blood. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. There can't be forgiveness of sins without sacrificial death. In the Old Testament God, under the Mosaic Law, accepted that animal and the death of that animal as a substitute for that person. But the ultimate foundation for God forgiving that person was their faith in Him and His promises. That animal just provided a ceremonial cleansing and a picture for the people of the necessity of a substitute to take their place, to pay their penalty if they were to be forgiven. So without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness, without a sacrificial death you cannot be forgiven your sins. People think they are going to go to heaven because they try their best to be good and all of that, just ignore what God says. The wages of sin is death, you will die and all that is entailed in that penalty unless you have a substitute to take your place. And it has to be an acceptable substitute.

Verse 23, therefore, therefore. And these verses will be similar to what have been talked about beginning back in verse 11 down to this point. But particularly build upon the last statement in verse 22, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these. In other words remember all those things in the Levitical system, the worship of the tabernacle and priests under the Mosaic Covenant. The things there had to be cleansed with the blood of animals. That is just what he has talked about in the immediately preceding verses, the blood was sprinkled on them. There was a ceremonial cleansing. Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these. The earthly tabernacle was a copy and a shadow of the heavenly tabernacle.

But the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. The comparison being drawn is primarily with the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement because the whole Levitical system, as we have talked about, the priestly system and sacrifices, found their focal point and culmination in the one day of the year—the Day of Atonement when the high priest on behalf of the nation could go into the very inner sanctuary of the tabernacle where the mercy seat was where God manifested His presence among His people, the nation Israel. And he would go in and sprinkle blood on the mercy seat and so on.

Come back to Leviticus 16, we keep referring to this chapter, maybe you have had a chance to come back and read the chapter. We get the details, we have only been restricting ourselves to talk about the points being made in Hebrews. I want you to see here the blood will be sprinkled on items in the tabernacle. This is true with various sacrifices, but particularly on the Day of Atonement is the focus. Now a piece of wood, a piece of gold and so on doesn't sin, so sprinkling the blood on those items wasn't because those items were sinful. What it represented was they were defiled by the presence of the sinners and it was drawing attention to the sinfulness of the people. That's drawn out here because as you come down through Leviticus 16, in verse 15, he shall slaughter the goat of the sin offering which is for the people, bring its blood inside the veil, the blood, sprinkle it on the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. What is he doing? He shall make atonement for the Holy Place because of the impurities of the sons of Israel and because of their transgressions in regard to all their sins.

So the blood is sprinkled on these other items, we call them inanimate items, they have been constructed, but it's the sin of the people that has to be dealt with. These particular items, I mean the mercy seat and so on, there is no sin in that. It's inanimate, it's in the presence of God there. But all these applications of sin, the blood, the items associated with worship is to reflect the sin of the people. And this is for your transgressions, it's for your impurities.

You come down to verse 19, with his finger he shall, and you'll note here he would put it on the horns of the altar at the end of verse 18. With his finger he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it seven times. Well those horns on the altar, I mean, they were like this piece of wood, they don't commit sin. But it's reflecting the need for the people to be cleansed from impurity. The end of verse 19, to cleanse it from the impurities of the sons of Israel consecrate it. The point was you are sinners, defiled and corrupted before God by your sin. And all these things associated with the cleansing of you from your sin have to be cleansed.

Now when you come back to Hebrews 9:23, therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these. Those earthly things were cleansed with the blood of the animals. But the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. Now I think it is important why we went back to Leviticus, it was the sins of the people that had to be cleansed and forgiven. And that's the point at the end of verse 23, for true final forgiveness to come to the people. For us to be forgiven our transgressions, cleansed from our impurities, we needed a better sacrifice than the sacrifice of animals. So the heavenly things had to be cleansed with better sacrifices. That is plural, even though the repeated emphasis is on the one sacrifice of Christ. But it's plural, sacrifices, because all those sacrifices need better sacrifices. And as we have talked about, all the sacrifices under the Old Covenant ultimately anticipated the one sacrifice that accomplished what all those sacrifices and their variety and their repetitiveness could not accomplish.

I don't think we want to understand verse 23 as saying the blood of Christ, He had to carry that into heaven, and there are some who teach this, and then it had to be sprinkled around in heaven to cleanse things in heaven. Heaven is not defiled, we are in the presence of the God of holiness, the God who has no sin. The seraphim cry out continually according to Isaiah 6, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. We talk about the love of God, we talk about the holiness of God which means He is totally separated, undefiled in every way from any taint of sin. We are to be holy as His people, separated from sin and all defilement with sin. But He is perfectly holy. So heaven does not need to be cleansed, but the people who want access to the presence of God and His throne in heaven must be cleansed. And the blood of bulls and goats cannot do that. It takes something better, a sacrifice that is superior. That's why Hebrews 9:12 tells us, not with the blood of goats and calves but through His own blood He entered the Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. And this word once will be used in verse 26, be used in verse 27, used in verse 28.

And so all the sacrifices, the variety of the sacrifices, the repetitiveness of the sacrifices, all come together in the one sacrifice of Christ, accomplishing what the multitude of sacrifices offered over so many years could not do—provide cleansing. Then would enable us access. Because remember the presence of God among His people in Israel was manifested above the mercy seat in the innermost recesses of the tabernacle. And the people could not go in there, the people couldn't even come out into the outer portion of that tabernacle. We often distinguish it as the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. Only the priest could go in there and only the high priest once a year into the innermost recesses. The rest of the people were cut out. For someone to provide access into the presence of God, before His throne of holiness in heaven is going to take a sacrifice that is so powerful, so effective that sin is completely dealt with, completely removed. We can be declared righteous and holy by a righteous and holy God.

So you pick up in verse 24, for Christ did not enter into a Holy Place made with hands, a copy of the true one. We're not talking about Christ following the pattern of the Old Testament priests and He entered into a physical, earthly tabernacle that men had constructed. He entered into heaven itself. That would take a better sacrifice. If He is coming as high priest, representing people, He must come with a better sacrifice than an earthy priest did in a human tabernacle. He is coming into heaven itself.

Now to appear in the presence of God for us. There He is and He remains. The point, that sacrifice that accomplished and provided what could not be done by any other sacrifice. This was where Hebrews started out, remember. Come back to Hebrews 1:3, the last statement in the verse, when He had made purification of sins He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Now we are in the midst of unpacking, unfolding the truth of that marvelous statement that He made purification of sins and such complete purification that He sat down. There were no chairs in that inner presence, that inner portion of the tabernacle where the mercy seat was for the high priest. His work was never done and he wasn't staying. He went in, offered sacrifice for his own sins and the sins of his family; he went back out, another sacrifice was offered, he came back in with the blood for the sins of the people. He went back out. Christ on the basis of His one sacrifice on the cross came before the very throne of God in heaven, sat down at the place of honor—the right hand of the Majesty on high, emphasizing what? He is not going out to make another sacrifice, this is it. Now He resides permanently in the presence of God. When that high priest in the Old Testament went in there with blood on the Day of Atonement, he went in on behalf of himself and of the people. Christ didn't have to offer sacrifice for Himself, but He is in the presence of God and He stays there on our behalf.

Do you know what the people were reminded of on that annual Day of Atonement sacrifice? This isn't permanent. What the priest does for us today is good for a year, then under that you have to have all the other daily sacrifices being offered, but this culmination sacrifice to cover the sins of the nation. Then he'll be back next year. But that sacrifice isn't good indefinitely. He'll be back next year. And in between we have to keep offering the daily sacrifices. We have to appreciate what we are privileged to know and understand as God's people, the finality of Christ's work.

Come over to Hebrews 2:17, there He had to be made like His brethren in all things so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. He could do what needed to be done and do it finally. Hebrews 5:9, having been made perfect He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation. The Old Testament believers couldn't have that sense and understanding of the completeness and finality of the salvation they had in their God. They believed Him but they came back with repeated sacrifices. It was never clarified and explained to him as an Old Testament believer the finality of what God would do for them. You just know you are a sinner, you need forgiveness, you need a substitute. All of this preparing for the time when God would unveil. We say, now I see. It wasn't clear, it couldn't be understood.

Come over to Hebrews 7:25, therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him since He always lives to make intercession for them. Then in Hebrews 9:12, we already read it, He entered the Holy Place once for all, the presence of God. That's where He is today.

So you come down to verse 24, Christ did not enter a Holy Place made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us. In other words we who have believed in Him experience the permanent, unending, unbroken benefits of His sacrifice. That's the point. He is in the presence of God for us. Just like that Old Testament high priest was in there for that brief time, that one day of the year for the benefit of the people. Our high priest is in the presence of the Father in heaven assuring that our redemption is completed, finished. I'm assured.

Come back to Romans 8 and I want to read a couple of verse here that will come up in what we are going to get to in a moment. Verse 33, who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the One who justifies. In other words when God declares me righteous, remember the word just and justify same basic word as to be righteous or declared righteous. When God declares the believer righteous, His elect, who can bring a charge against me? I mean, when God says I declare you righteous, who can stand up and say, I think you are guilty. We have those kinds of debates and judgments made on earth. I tell you when the judge of all men, One who in His very nature is righteousness, holiness declares, I declare you righteous, there is no one, no one who can bring a charge. Who is the one who condemns? Verse 34, Christ Jesus is He who died. God made Him who knew no sin to become sin on our behalf that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Yes rather He was raised, He is at the right hand of God who also intercedes for us. He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.

So who can condemn? Christ Jesus is the One who died. Are you saying His death was not sufficient? Was not adequate? I have claimed that death for myself, I have cast myself in faith upon God's mercy, believing that Christ died for me. God has declared me righteous because I was better than a lot of people. No, I was just as wretched, sinful and hell-deserving as anyone because God was looking into my heart, what I really am. But when He looks at me on the basis of what Christ did, His payment was so full and so complete He could say it has been paid. I can credit you with My righteousness. Remarkable.

And that is a permanent relationship because Christ is present in heaven interceding for us. And that's why he can go on to say in verses 38-39, nothing can separate us from the love of God. Because as 1 John 1:7 says, the blood of Jesus His Son keeps on cleansing us from all sin. You know a system like Roman Catholicism knows nothing of the finished finality work of Christ. They build up a whole system and you come confess to the priest so he can absolve you and give you some penance to work off the consequences. I have nothing to work off, it has all been done. I have no one who mediates the grace of God to me but the Savior who is the One who has provided God's grace and mercy through His death. What a system that says people are in purgatory because there are things they still have to pay for and work off. It's a denial of the finished work of Christ. It's done, His blood keeps on cleansing me. I don't need some phony priest standing here going, abba, dabba, do. It's done. That paganess ought to be recognized. This idea, we don't want to . . . We don't want to do anything but be as clear with the truth of God as we can. You understand that's what the writer to the Hebrews is doing under the inspiration of the Scripture, making clear if you are following the Levitical system you are on the road to hell. You have no access to God through that system and you never did apart from true faith in what He said. Going through those motions could do nothing for you apart from faith in His truth. It's when Abraham believed God that God credited it to him as righteousness. You never were saved by works, you are saved by grace through faith. A point that is being made here.

Come back to Hebrews. This is why we can come with confidence to a throne of grace. Come back to Hebrews 4:14, therefore since we have a great high priest who is passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. He is in the very presence of God in glory, seated at His right hand, making intercession for us. Verse 16, therefore let us draw near with confidence. That is something that the Old Testament saint could not do. He could never go into the inner recesses. Remember what happened to Aaron's two sons when they didn't come as God had prescribed with the right incense? They burned up, picturing clearly there is only an eternal hell for people who think they can make their own adjustments and come their way to God. Now those Old Testament saints, what a declaration. Come with confidence to the throne of grace. Not before an earthly copy of shadow, come right into the courts of heaven, bow before the throne of the God of glory with confidence. Not cockiness, but assurance that the work of your high priest, Jesus Christ, was sufficient. He is there to represent you. For you it is a throne of grace, believer, and you can find what you need. You will receive grace and mercy for help in time of need.

How sad, we wring our hands, we fuss, we fret, we worry. We claim we believe in the sovereignty and His control. Well then just go talk to Him. As a father I didn't want my kids to think, I can't talk to my father. Certain things would be out of place. I don't just go on my own cocky way to tell God what He ought to do and what He must do. I go in recognizing He is my heavenly Father, He is the God of glory and He is my Father. And I come knowing He recognizes me as His child and He want to give me what I need and what is best for me because His Son is my Savior. The clarity we have and the understanding we have, I wouldn't trade places with David or Isaiah or Jeremiah. They didn't know what we know. They are believing the God we believe in, it was the foundation for what God was doing for them, but now it has been revealed. I could sit down and explain it to Jeremiah. He knows it now, too, since he is in glory. But in their day they didn't. How sad, some people don't today, they are still going to church thinking this is necessary. I'm going through this action and that action because this is how I get to God. We don't come here to get to God. You realize you can get to Him in you home. You say, what am I doing here? Well you are here because God said to come, we'll get to that in Hebrews 10 and he'll say we are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. And He has put us together in a body so we might serve Him, worship Him together. But the great thing is I can do that on my own, too. I can wake up in the morning and talk to God about the day before me, talk with Him as I go through the day. Just think, here I am entering the very presence of the God who controls every single, little detail of what is going on in this world of confusion and turmoil, as men look at it. And He is my heavenly Father, I belong to Him. And I'm walking along with these people who think I am just like they are, but I'm a child of the living God. I'm walking in fellowship and communion with Him, I'm talking to Him about the concerns of my heart. I'm looking to Him for the strength and the wisdom I need for what is before me. I don't want to live like a pauper in confusion. And this is what Hebrews is unfolding for me.

Come back to Hebrews 9. He appears in the presence of God for us, the end of verse 24. You ought to underline that. Is there any more precious truth than that? He is there for us, believers. Nor was it that He would offer Himself often as the high priest enters the Holy Place year by year with blood that is not his own. The high priest in this year on the Day of Atonement bringing blood, but it wasn't his own blood. He wasn't coming on the basis of the sacrifice of himself, he was coming on the basis of the sacrifice of that animal. But that's not how Christ came in before the throne in heaven. And He didn't have to come often. That high priest went in and then went out and he'd have to come back in again, then he'd have to go out. The next year back in, back out; next year back in, back out. But He didn't have to offer Himself often.

Verse 26, otherwise, now note this, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world. We have already established, it's only the sacrifice of Christ that can take care of sins. If you don't believe that one sacrifice took care of it, you would believe that Christ had to sacrifice repeatedly like that Old Testament system. That would mean you would have to go back to the days of Adam where sin in the human race began, Romans 5. That would mean Christ would have had to be doing it repeatedly, dying repeatedly if you have to follow the pattern of the Old Testament. Otherwise He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world. Note where he takes it back because that's where sin begins—back in the beginning, the first three chapters of Genesis. You would have to have repeated sacrifice.

But now once, once. Down in verse 27, once; verse 28, offered once; verse 12, once for all. Same word compounded, for those of you following that. It's once, not repeated. I keep mentioning Roman Catholicism because they have tried to adopt their pagan form of the Levitical system. What do they have? The mass, the unbloody sacrifice of Christ who supposedly actually literally is present in that wafer. And that's why they build that little tabernacle on the altar where that wafer is put. And everybody who comes in is supposed to genuflect before that because that's really the body of Chrit there. And we're going to partake of it in an unbloody sacrifice. You cannot truly be a believer in the finished work of Christ and believe that demonic nonsense. You cannot. That is a denial of what is being taught here. There is no excuse for those who claim to be evangelical Bible-believers believe we have things in common with such a pagan system. It's what Paul identifies in Timothy as the doctrine of demons. Lies don't come from God and no lie partakes of the truth as 1 John says.

These are serious matters. If we are confused or blurry on what is entailed in the provision of our salvation by our Savior, what do we have? I mean, He was offered once. Now once at the consummation of the ages. It's not repeatable, and it happened at the consummation of the ages. This was the point toward which everything was going, which everything was anticipating. I mean, even what we are hoping for in the future was going to be mentioned as we close this chapter is built upon what happened in the past. God clothed Adam with skins to replace Adam's own efforts at clothing himself with leaves. That was all preparing and anticipating this would be the climax of it all. God breaking in to the activities and the affairs of the world. His Son left glory, came to this earth and awesome it is, the Son of God died on a cross to pay the penalty for sin so that Adam could be forgiven, so that Abraham could be forgiven, so you could be forgiven and I could be forgiven.

It is done once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested. This is a word that keeps appearing. Verse 24, the end of the verse, He is now to appear in the presence of God. The same idea as these words now to be manifested. This manifested now, remember we read in Romans 3:21, now He is manifested, now it is made clear, the provision of God's salvation and the wonder of it. Who would have thought that when Isaiah saw that vision of God enthroned in glory with the seraphim crying holy, holy, holy, that very One is the One who would step from the throne and come to earth. How would you put that together? Yet John says that Isaiah was writing about Christ in Isaiah 6. Didn't understand how that salvation would ultimately be accomplished, that the enthroned Son of God, the seraphim crying holy, holy, holy, the holy One would leave that throne and come to earth to pay the penalty for sin. Now we understand it. How terrible it would be if it becomes common place to us. Well I know, I've trusted Christ, as though life goes on. No. That's the danger these Hebrews are thinking—maybe we could go back to Judaism, it would be a little easier. It's like shaking them, saying, have you really been saved? Anybody who thinks they can go back has never been saved. The writer of Hebrews doesn't blur things like people like to today. Well maybe they are just confused. Well you better clear the fog.

So he goes on. Once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. That's it. Let me read you 1 John 3:5, some of you are studying 1 John. You know that He appeared in order to take away sins. That's the purpose of His being manifested, unveiled, being born into the human race, going to the cross. He appeared to take away sin. So here He was manifested, He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

And as much as it is appointed unto men once to die, to die once, after this comes judgment. Reincarnation is a doctrine of demons. Nobody is coming back in that sense. You die once physically, after this comes judgment. People don't want to hear about that, but God has ordained that to be the pattern. You will experience physical death, after death you have to face the judge of all men.

So Christ also having been offered once. Follows the pattern. God requires physical death of men once. Christ suffered once, He offered His life as a sacrifice once to bear the sins of many. The many there refers to all. Some of you are familiar with limited atonement and so on. Let me read you John Calvin, and Calvin says that many means all. We should understand that. Calvin says, he, the writer of Hebrews, says many, meaning all as in Romans 5:15 when he uses many to refer to all. It is of course certain that not all enjoy the fruit of Christ's death, but this happens because their unbelief hinders them. His comments on this passage in Hebrews. He had been offered once to bear the sins of many. There is only one Savior, only one sacrifice that is acceptable to God as payment for sin, the sacrifice of Christ. That's why Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life no man comes to the Father but by Me. There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. We often say that is narrow. Jesus said the gate, the way to life is narrow and there are few who enter that gate and travel that way. But it is the only way.

And isn't God gracious and merciful to provide a way for us to be forgiven? And even though it's a narrow way, everyone who desires can come through. Well, that's not the way I believe so I guess I can't be saved. Well, change the way you believe, change what you believe. Quit refusing to believe. You just sat and heard the truth, believe it. Humble yourself before the living God and say, I believe in Him.

He has been offered once to bear the sins of many, He will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin. In other words Christ is going to appear again and just as He appeared in the past to die on the cross, He appears in the presence of God to represent us, He is going to appear again when He comes to this earth. And it will be to bring to completion our salvation which we will experience at the Rapture. Ultimately the Second Coming of Christ, the first phase with the Second will bring to completion our salvation. When He comes the second time it won't be to deal with sin. When He comes to this earth the next time it won't be to be the Savior from sin by dying. That has been done. It will be to bring to completion the salvation which we have in Christ.

Romans 8:18ff talk about this. The whole creation groans in anticipation of the time when we the people of God will receive our glorified bodies. Because when that happens to all God's people, Old Testament and New Testament alike, Christ will be on this earth to set up His kingdom. And we will enter in to all that God has promised.

That's what we are anticipating. First physical death, then judgment. But we read in Romans 8 there isn't any condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. That's how the chapter starts. And who can bring a charge against us? Wretched, vile, hell-deserving sinner like I am completely forgiven, not one sin is left undealt with. That's how great God's salvation is, how great His grace is. Don't tell me I have to go to a priest and confess and then do certain acts of penance to get it wiped out. I have a high priest, the Son of God representing me before the throne of God who says, I took care of it. How great is our salvation, so great salvation. We need to praise God every day for it.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for what you have done for us in Christ. Thank you, Lord, that that is a complete work, completed that in all that needs to be done has been done and now in mercy and grace you offer as a free gift by your grace eternal salvation, eternal redemption, eternal forgiveness to all who will recognize your Son as their Savior, place their faith in Him and Him alone, experience that supernatural power, the Spirit of God who makes us new again. May we be thankful every day and live every day in light of the Savior who loved us and died for us and is our representative before your throne today. We pray in His name, amen.