Hebrews

[0:00] The word which the Lord has laid on my heart to bring before you, you will find in the chapter that you read, the ninth chapter in the Hebrew epistles, and the last two verses.

[0:21] The ninth chapter in the Hebrew epistles, the verses 27 and 28. And as it is appointed unto men for once to die, but after this the judgment, so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of men.

[0:44] And unto them that look for sin, shall he appear the second time, without sin, unto salvation. Now you know that the epistle to the Hebrews is a grace of taking forth by the Apostle Paul as he was moved by the Holy Spirit concerning the tabernacle worship and that pertained to the old levitical order.

[1:16] And we have before us in the context a mention of that tabernacle worship, then the high priest wanting to be tabernacle, the high priest and the other priest, to offer the sin of things on behalf of themselves and the children of Israel.

[1:45] And in the tabernacle, as you know, there were the two courts where sacrifices were offered. And the outer courts where the high priest and the priests came into daily and into the holiest of all, the very inner court, the high priest came just once a year.

[2:17] And again, Paul takes and uses as a type of the substitutionary death of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[2:30] And let us consider this just for a moment. As this Day of Atonement approached the high priest and all Israel knew when that day was to do, there must have been considerable thoughts given to the great occasion when Aaron would go into the holiest of all to go and dispass and the dispassers of children of Israel.

[3:04] And we read that for a few days, Aaron would make preparations for this entrance into the holy place.

[3:15] He would change his raiment instead of his wonderful robes that he normally wears, he would put on plain a towel. And he would prepare himself for this occasion.

[3:29] And then, on that day, he would go in with incense, which he would burn in the holy place, which would give up a cloud, as it were, to cover the mercy seat.

[3:43] And he would take the blood, which would give up a cloud, and he would take the blood, which would give him in a basin to sprinkle upon the mercy seat. So now, as the apostle says, that this is the pattern of the old tabernacle roaches.

[4:01] And he says that it is a count of that which the Lord Jesus Christ has done, and is doing, on the behalf of his people.

[4:13] We see that the Lord Jesus Christ, in the 24th verse, for Christ has not entered into the holy place made with hands.

[4:25] Aaron, he entered into an earthly tabernacle which had been made with hands. But not so the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is our high tune, about he has entered into heaven itself.

[4:45] He has not entered into just an ordinary world, and he has entered into heaven itself. And he has entered into heaven itself, there to appear on our behalf.

[5:00] You see, that the Lord Jesus Christ, then he, after he had risen again from the dead, and he had spent those days with his disciples, when he ascended up in the heavens, he ascended to the Father's right hand.

[5:19] And he is there even now, at this very minute, at the Father's right hand. And he is there, on the behalf of his people.

[5:31] All those whom he has loved, with an everlasting love. All those for whom he died. All those who feel then need of him as their Savior.

[5:45] He is there, on the behalf. He is there as the mediator of their advocate. And, if you like, an easier way to describe it is as a go-between.

[6:00] He is there to be between our souls and God. And, if you are the Lord Jesus Christ, who receives our prayers, and presents them before the Father.

[6:15] He is indeed our High Christ. You know, this is a wonderful thought to meditate upon. It's a wonderful sort of encouragement, dear.

[6:26] That the Lord Jesus Christ, who is there on his people's behalf. And, you know, there were times when Aaron could have failed in his beauty.

[6:37] You see, he went in once a year. But, the Lord Jesus Christ has entered. And, he is there always. There is never a moment when he is not there until a need and need of his people.

[6:53] There is never a time when he can come before the Father in prayer when the Lord Jesus Christ is not there as our advocate with the Father.

[7:05] Never a time when he is not there to receive our prayers and present them before the Father. There is never a time when he is not there pleading our cause.

[7:18] And, as he stands there, he has our name, the name that is seated upon his heart, presenting them continually before the Father.

[7:31] You see, Luke has read that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. Where Christ has once entered into heaven itself, having said his precious blood for his people's sins.

[7:49] Now, you notice this here in the context that, Where as Aaron entered into the holiest of all, once every year, and it was necessary that he should be saved, then until he reached the time of reformation, or until the time that Christ had given himself a ransom for men.

[8:13] It was necessary that he should come every year, but Christ, and the sacrifice of himself, has completed the work. It is done, it is finished.

[8:26] As the apostle says, more yet, that he should offer himself of sin, as the high priest then get into the holy place every year with the blood of others.

[8:39] For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world. But now once in the end of the world has he appeared to put away sins by the sacrifice of himself.

[8:54] For Christ, when he died on the cross of territory, finished the work, it was done, it was completed. And he went to his father's right hand as our medium.

[9:07] And there remains therefore no longer any need for sacrifice for food, because it is completed. And that is the setting of the subject in which the words which we have read for a text did find.

[9:28] And we see that this text is an outworking of those things as if we have completed. For Christ has died on his previous behalf, and that he is now at the father's right hand in heaven.

[9:45] Now, these blessed things only apply to those who have been made sensible of their neediness.

[9:57] The blessed things of which I have been speaking only apply to those whom the Lord has loved with an everlasting life. They only apply to those who know themselves by the operation of the Spirit to be sinners in the sight of God.

[10:17] But this first verse which we have read as a text applies to everyone that is here to start the need. And it applies to everyone that has ever been born into this world, or who will ever be born into this world.

[10:34] It has a universal application. And as it is appointed unto men once again, but after this, that they are God's name.

[10:47] I see here, in these three verses, that there are four certain things. There are four certain things. And the first things is that it is appointed unto men once again.

[11:04] Death is a certainty. After death the judgment. The judgment is a certainty. So Christ is once offered to bear the sins of men.

[11:18] Christ is one prophet. That's a certainty. And then, until then it looked for him, shall appear. Christ shall appear. That's another certainty. And I want to try and send to my remarks around those four certainties.

[11:35] You see that, firstly, there are two certainties set one over against the other. The one is that, as certain as it is appointed unto men once again, so certain it is that Christ, the one, offers himself to bear the sins of men.

[11:58] But let us consider these first two for now. Because in these two certainties I see that there are two certainties. Now, do all know what an appointment is.

[12:12] An appointment is a kind which is made, an arrangement which is made, with another person, then you will meet them. There is a kind appointment.

[12:23] There is a kind fit. A kind fit. And an appointment is something that you must be kept. I know that, in a natural sense, maybe we cannot always keep our appointments.

[12:39] There is something that happens that would tinder us and detain us from keeping our appointments. But, my friends, this word kept before us, two appointments, which are made with every one of us, and they must be kept.

[13:00] And furthermore, they will be kept on time. They are absolutely certain we need to pay great attention to them, because we might realise what these appointments are, and that we might be ready for them.

[13:17] You know, if you have made an appointment to see someone, maybe you make an appointment to see an employer about taking different appointments.

[13:31] Well, if that was the case, you would prepare for that appointment, and you would pay great attention to the fact about you should be there, and that you should be there on time.

[13:44] Well, these are two appointments that we need to prepare ourselves for, or should I rather say that we need to be prepared for?

[13:56] You would not consider keeping an appointment with someone in such a position, in your old phase, for that time to? You would watch yourself and make yourself ready.

[14:11] Well then, let us consider these two appointments. And whether you are ready or no. The first appointment is this, the death of Jim.

[14:23] You may remember some of you, some time ago now, I mentioned this, and speaking this all year, how I was running up in church, in reading a magazine which referred to the death of the late John Kennedy, President of the United States.

[14:48] And I said, who would have thought that on that day, that it was written in heaven, that John Kennedy should appear before the Lord Jesus Christ?

[15:03] I think, who would have thought that? I think, who would have thought that? You see, these are appointments, appointments which are not made known to us. They are kept, each of them, but nevertheless they are made.

[15:17] And there is a time, when every one of us, without exception, every one of us shall appear before the throne of God.

[15:32] There is a time, when every one of us shall appear before the throne of God. There is a time which is appointed when we must dance, and we need to think upon, we need to be made ready for a... I was speaking to someone a little while ago, a little while ago, complaining that not a Christian, I am said to say, not one who really loves the Lord Jesus Christ.

[16:07] And I said that I thought we all needed to be made ready for when that day should come to us, to run out this path, that I don't really think any of us can be ready.

[16:23] But now then, the body is not true according to the scripture. The word of God says that we can be ready, that we can be made ready, and we must be made ready.

[16:35] And again, the first appointment is with his death. And we must remember, and ever living the light of this fact, that it is an appointment this one day, and who can say how good we should have the truth.

[16:53] And the second appointment is with his death. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this, the judgment. There is a day also when we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

[17:13] And you know there will be a multitude there, made up from all the creatures of the earth, all the people of the earth. They will be there before the judgment seat of Christ.

[17:28] And you know there will be a multitude of the earth. And you know there will be a multitude of things that are going to be there. And there will be a multitude of things that are going to be there. And there will be the Lord Jesus Christ as the Lamb's flame from all eternity on his throne. And there are going to be some books open. And from those books that are opened, the peoples of the earth will be done according to their will.

[17:57] And it will be revealed in that day. And it will be revealed in that day, those things which we have done and we have failed to do. Every man, every woman, every royal girl will be judged from that bliss.

[18:15] And as we have failed to do, and as we have been told, those things that are going to be done. And we have failed to have a multitude of things that Lord Jesus Christ as the judge.

[18:27] But you know in that day there will be another book open. And that book is referred to as the Lamb's Book of Life.

[18:38] And in that book there are the names written of all those for whom the Lord Jesus Christ gave his life and entered into heaven. All of the names are written there.

[18:56] And it is from that book that it will be made known to other Lord's people and the days of the world which is written in glory.

[19:10] Now, on that way of judgment there will be a great division there. We read in the word of God that everyone will be divided as a man decides to choose from the gold.

[19:27] There will be those on the right hand and those on the left hand and a line of division between. And on the one hand there will be those that will dwell forever with the Lord.

[19:42] And on the other hand there will be those that will dwell forever in eternal mission in hell itself.

[19:53] Then I said, can you think upon this any of you without a measure of seriousness? Can you think upon this without realising something of the solemnity of it?

[20:11] Oh I know, that we can easily put these things in our minds and we can say, Ah yes, that there's plenty of time to think about that in years to come.

[20:23] I'll think about it when I'm older. I'm far too young to worry about that in years though. But, my dear friends, my dear young friends, it is necessary that we should think about them while they're young.

[20:41] Because we know not when disappointment must be kept. We know not when that day shall come, when we shall be called to dawn and ask about the good God's name.

[20:59] So, my dear friends, let us think furiously about this. Let us pay attention to it. Let us ever remember these things.

[21:11] And seek to apply our hearts for that we might be prepared. So, my dear friends, we might be prepared for these things.

[21:22] How are we to be made ready for them? Well, there is only one way. There is only one way in which we can be fitted and prepared to go.

[21:36] And that is through the Lord Jesus' John. For the word of God, it's splendid in this way. The repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

[21:50] You see, if you are made by God's Holy Spirit to be offensible as far as your sin is concerned, and by that we mean that you are made to know that you are a sinner, that you are in a lost state, and that if you live and die where you are, then you will go to hell.

[22:15] There is no question about it. Or if you are made to know that you are a sinner, then it is a blessed unto them. And that is faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

[22:28] That is faith in this blessed sin, which I said earlier, that Christ has given himself a one simple memory, and that he is new and new at the farthest right home.

[22:44] The Lord Jesus Christ died and by his blood brought rebel sinners nigh to God. It is true that the sacrifice and the shedding of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, that that sin can be cleansed and washed away, and that those who feel to be sinners in God's sight, that they can be runned from their sin and made white.

[23:15] What does God say to the prophet of old? He says this, Come now and let us reason together, said the Lord, that though your sins be as scyth, that they shall be as wolves, that though they be red like sinning, that they shall be as white as snow.

[23:40] You see, there is this wanting to be made known to the application of the purpose of God's passion.

[23:52] Would you be prepared then, my friend, for that great day? Again, and may you be helped by the Holy Spirit of God to turn to the Lord Jesus Christ, to come to him and to confess your sins, and to ask for that forgiveness.

[24:17] Ask him to cleanse you from your sins and to wash you from all iniquity, because he has promised that who should ever come upon to him, he will in no wise pass out.

[24:30] And he has also said this, if we confess our sins, he has praised faith and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all iniquity.

[24:45] And remember something which we often hear our pastor say, that the knuckle on mercy's door is low enough for a size to reach.

[24:56] It's low enough for the very smallest size to reach. And if you know that you're a little sinner, maybe ever such a small that is in such a sinner, but then God is willing to hear your cry if you come to him, pleading for forgiveness through the Lord Jesus Christ.

[25:23] You know, there is just certainty then of these two attempts, but there is just certainty also. And the apostle Paul that came to me says this, just as certain as you see who have got to die, and appear before the darkness to eat his cross, just as certain Christ was once offered to bear the sins of men.

[25:53] O what a blessed certainty this is! This will have an unable five faith to realise it's this Sabbath after me.

[26:04] What miserable wretched some of us would do if it was not for the blessed certainty of this time, that Christ was once offered to bear the sins of men.

[26:18] Do you know it with certainty? My friends, do you know this personally for your souls to be a certainty? As the Lord buys his spirit, feel this home to your heart, that the Lord Jesus Christ is one father to bear the sins of many.

[26:39] Do you know it with certainty? I would say this, that there are many in the world who know it not. There are many in the world that know it in the letter of it, but they do not believe it.

[26:54] They will have nothing to do with it. Or they think that it is modern thinking, to believe that the death of the Lord Jesus Christ was of no merit whatsoever.

[27:11] And some will even tell you that it was because the Lord Jesus Christ was in a corner, it was the only way out. Blasphemous thinking, but nevertheless, it is a modern concept.

[27:25] Oh, my friends, do you know this in your own heart, in your own experience when you thank God for it? Because it is only of his mercy and his grace that he has made it known to you, that Christ was once offered to bear the sins of men.

[27:47] Now, let us go back again for a moment to the Old Testament chapter of mine. And as Aaron went into the holiest of all, he had in the basin the blood of an animal, and that he sprinkled upon the sheep, and that was pitiful of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[28:11] Now, Aaron, he used an animal. He had to take an animal which was as perfect as it could be.

[28:22] But you see, the Lord Jesus Christ, he took his own blood. The Lord Jesus Christ was the fastest hand.

[28:33] You know how the Grand Baptist referred to him, Behold the Lamb of God, without hell he took away, without sin as a word.

[28:44] And the Lamb is ascended throughout the word of God of sacrifice. The Lord Jesus Christ offered himself as the sacrifice for sin.

[28:59] And you see, it was, without sacrifice, and that blood, to go and glad, which is shed, which then tis his people's sins.

[29:13] Which has a tone for his people's feet. Thrive was once offered to bear the sins of men. Now, notice the word here, to bear, to bear the sins of men.

[29:29] You see, that this is very significant, because it means this, that the Lord Jesus Christ died not only to slend his sins, not only to wash his ways the sins of his people, your sins, my sins, your sins, your sins, not only to wash them away, but to bear them.

[29:52] You see, the hymn writer says this, In the day of his anger, the Father did lay our sins on the land, and he bore them away.

[30:05] He died to atone for sins, not his own. The Father had punished for us his dear son. The Lord Jesus Christ then bore his people's sins.

[30:16] The sins of his people were laid upon him, and as he died on Jesus' death, he died in better things. You see, there's another hymn that says this, When the Saviour died, Titted the believer, just as cried unsatisfied, now sent forth forever.

[30:47] When the Saviour died, Titted, in other words, it left alone, it left the believer. Vengeance, it was after those, that had sinned, and was to demand payment for their sins.

[31:06] Oh, it was critical to believe that it left the believer in Christ. And that vengeance was poured out upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

[31:18] Do you see the necessity for being prepared? Do you see the necessity for having a fighting phase?

[31:29] Because there is one day going to be payment demanded for your sins. And that payment can only be made in two ways.

[31:41] By the Lord Jesus Christ in his death, By the Lord Jesus Christ in his death, Or by your enduring hope. For all eternity.

[31:52] Well, for those who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, That payment cannot be demanded of them, Because Christ has already paid us.

[32:06] For those who have refused things, For those who have rejected me and my word, The Savior says, Cast one, The word that I have spoken, It says, The word that I have spoken, It says, In the last day.

[32:25] The word which I have spoken, It says, That God has spoken, So then, If we reject, If we stone, If we despise, If we despise, If we only save you, Because there is none other, The word of God says this, There is none other man given unto heaven among men, Whereby we must be saved.

[32:44] Then if we reject Him, There can only be one consequence, And that is, And that is, That my friends, If by the Spirit of God, We are unable to receive Him, Then the word of God shall give to as many as receive Him, To then go to power, To become the sons of God.

[33:14] Or may we be unable by God's grace, To turn the sin, To this only sacrifice, Now the Lord Jesus Christ bare the sins of His sins, And He bore the punishment for them, And when He died on the cross and He said, If it is finished, Again the work of redemption was complete, Punishment had been born, And punishment could no longer be reminded of His truth, Now then, Do you take counsel in this?

[33:50] Do you take counsel in the realization, That the punishment for your sins, If you are a believer in Christ, That the punishment for your sins, Has been carried away, That it has been jailed, By the Lord Jesus Christ, On the cross of character, Do you not take counsel in Christ, Or wonder of wonders, That the Saviour said, If it is finished, The work is done, It's complete.

[34:24] And there are times you may feel low, In your soul's feeling, But it makes no difference to the fact, To the work is finished, The Saviour's done it, And He is now exalted, At the Father's right hand, But I want to come to this, Last certainty, And unto them that look for Him, Shall He appear, The second time, Without sin unto salvation, Now what does this mean?

[34:53] Well, the will of God pray back, But then the disciples went out to Bethany, The work of the Lord Jesus Christ, And who was part of Sander, An angel appeared, And He said to the disciples, You men of Galilee, Why stand you gazing up into heaven?

[35:13] For as the Lord Jesus Christ has gone into heaven, He shall come in like man, And His feet shall stand upon the man to go in like man, And again in the Revelation, We will do great, That He shall come in the past, And as we are His feet, And as if the identity is to the point, The day all shall exist in, As we are, That's yours, That's mine, As we are His feet, And there won't be any one, Without, Or there will, Be an exception in that place, He steps in that place, every eye says peace.

[36:01] And as the Lord Jesus Christ is coming again, and He's coming, I believe, for two reasons largely, at least I want to think of two reasons this afternoon.

[36:13] He is coming to receive under Himself His peace. He is coming that He might gather together His people that are still living upon the earth, and that He might raise up from the dead all those that are dead in Christ, all those that have loved Him and have done.

[36:37] And then He's going to take them to be with them where He is. They're going to be gathered up to meet Him in the church. And He's also coming for the Word of God's place after calling to call the epistles of the Thessalonians, to judge those who are going not the gospel.

[37:01] To judge those who are going not the gospel. Now then listen to this first gentleman. He's coming to take his church to him church. And who would he be going to appear to?

[37:15] And unto them that looks for Him shall He appear the second time. Now, my dear Christian friends, this means, as you've set before us, a gracious posture of mind, in which the Lord's people should be found.

[37:35] And unto them that looks for Him shall He appear. Are you looking for Him? Are you looking for Him? Do you live each day with this thought in your mind that He's coming?

[37:49] Are you looking for Him? Do you look for Him with prayer or with blessed anticipation? My mind is making this before, I don't know, but it's a bad decision.

[38:05] Without that good status minister, Horatio Bonner, you should say, or it's better things should I say, without as he went to bed every night and he drew his curtains and said this, Perhaps tonight, Lord, perhaps tonight.

[38:25] And as he rose in the morning and said, Perhaps today, Lord, perhaps today. That man lived in aggressive anticipation that his Lord was coming. He was looking for Him.

[38:37] And as far as he was looking for Him, Christ came and took Him to be with Him, and until then that looked for Him shall He appear, the second time.

[38:49] Oh, my friends, are you looking for Him? This is the posture that I submit to you from the Word of God that you should be finding, looking for Him, in blessed anticipation of His count.

[39:05] And you know when He comes again it will be without Him. He will not come then as a sin bearer. He will come without sin unto salvation.

[39:19] He will come to perfect His people's salvation. He will come to tell them to be with Him, where He is, and when their salvation shall be complete, because there is well forever with the Lord.

[39:33] But that is the term, just very briefly, to the chapter 4, to his coming also, to just those the Word of God says, that obey not to God.

[39:47] What does it mean to obey the gospel? The early apostles called again says this, The times of your ignorance God went from, that now command us all men everywhere to the temple.

[40:05] That now command us all men everywhere to the temple. To the temple, then, is to obey the gospel. The attendance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

[40:21] So, my friends, let us ask ourselves a question for this afternoon, because everything changes upon us. Has we obeyed the doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ?

[40:35] Has we been made sensible upon you? Has we come to sin and confess our sins? And has we sure to Him that He would have saved us from our sins?

[40:49] Then, my friends, we will obey the doctrine. And when He shall come, we shall see Him with gladness. We shall greet Him with joy unto us.

[41:01] But otherwise, my friends, we will be to hear those dead words, depart from me, for I've never knew. My friends, when that day shall come, on which side of the line will you be found?

[41:19] Will it be amongst those who are the Lord, or amongst those who are the freedom of the devil? On the one hand, eternal blessedness and solicitude.

[41:33] On the other hand, condemnation, misery, and such and star. Let us ask ourselves this question.

[41:45] And may God pray to guide His way to turn to sin, while yet there is time. May the Lord have His blessing. Amen.