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Nine, beginning at verse 24 to the end of the 25th verse of the 10th chapter.
9 verse 24.
For Christ is not ventured into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the truth, but into heaven. It's now to appear in the presence of God for us.
Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the High Priest entereth into the Holy Place every year with blood of others, for them must be often have suffered since the foundation of the world.
But now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many.
And unto them that looked for him shall he appear the second time, without sin unto salvation.
For the law, having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, and never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year, continually make the comers there unto perfect.
For then would they not have ceased to be offered?
Because that the worshippers, once purged, should have had no more conscience of sins.
But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.
Or it is not possible that the blood of bulls and the goats should take away shins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he said, sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest not but a body. Hast thou prepared me in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin? Thou hast had no pleasure.
Then said I Lo, I come in the volume of the book. It is written of me to do thy will, O God.
Above when he said sacrifice and offering and bird offering offerings and offering for sin, thou wouldest not.
Neither has pleasure there is which are offered by the law. Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God, he taketh away the 1St, that he may establish the second, by the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily, ministering and offering, oftentimes the same.
Which can never take away still.
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.
Or by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.
Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us. For after that He had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, that the Lord I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, his pledge, and having an high Priest over the House of God.
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies walked with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for He is faithful to promise.
And let us provoke, and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the matter of some ends, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approach. What I was particularly thinking is brought before us in the end of the ninth chapter of Hebrews.
Is the Lord's 3 appearings.
That is, He appeared first to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, and now He appears in the presence of God for us, and then He is going to appear again for our deliverance. And these are brought before us at the end of the ninth chapter. And the result of knowing these things then introduces us into the blessedness of our position in Christianity.
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We have boldness and access.
Within the veil as worshippers, and then the result of it in our lives is the threefold character of Christianity, faith, hope, and love. I just mentioned this because that's why I thought the end of the ninth chapter is connected with it. Or if we see this wonderful provision that has been made.
Let me say again, the Lord Jesus appeared first to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
That He has accomplished that now at present, He appears in the presence of God for us, and we get all the grace that we need. For the pathway is our high freeze. And even if we have failed, He restores and then we know that He's coming again for us. And then we can enjoy as a present thing our standing before God as the result of His work and our access into His presence. And then we should each be.
Exercise that this might have this result in our lives or his glory book of Hebrews opening up to us through long lines connected with the children of this that is, Moses was the leader and the children of Israel were seen as his companions going through the wilderness. And we have the same principle in Hebrews. We don't have the church in Hebrews.
Exactly.
It is the church, but I mean a dissension That way. It's mansion rather that the people of God are the companions of the Lord Jesus. You have that in the first chapter.
And other places. And so it's a company that's seen on their way to that glory land, just like the children of Israel were seeing on their way to the land of Canaan. So the expression that's used.
Is brethren or we? It's as though they were following a leader.
So we find that with all the types and all the pictures that we have in the Old Testament, whether it be prophet, priest or king.
In themselves they have all failed, but they have pointed to one perfect person, and that's the Lord Jesus. Now what we have in Hebrews is more the thought of.
His office as priests.
But it's an office now that.
It's forever.
And after entirely new order.
The priest can never die. He can never fail.
And the intercession that he made is forever.
Could never be changed.
It's a final thing.
Really what we have in Hebrews for the believers that which is eternal.
So he introduces us, you've said in this.
9th chapter.
Person himself.
Place that he is now for us.
And he's there just like he was here when he was here.
He was serving in this world, serving his people.
Now he's up there, Sir. He's our great high priest.
And he's in the presence of God serving, which the very, very want marvelous thing for us to consider today, The Lord Jesus is in the presence of God serving his people.
I like to couple that with the thought of his original intent.
That we read up in the book of.
The 8th chapter of Proverbs.
His delights were with the sons of man.
Now.
We find in the Old Testament the Angel of his presence followed them.
It's true that Moses was a leader outwardly, but it's the Lord that followed them all the way through.
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And it was his present that preserved them as a people.
Another thought in that connection.
The Lord finds all his joy, we might say, in that way, as a man with his people.
And we get that inept and I as well.
The thought of his joy in his own.
I don't remember how to quote the verse, but I've forgotten at the moment, but remember the first in Zephaniah, Michelle Joy over there was singing. Yeah. So rest in his love. Yeah. And so we get that also in connection, do we not with the fact that the Lord Jesus not only is the priest and on high, but his inner are personally with us down here.
And His love is personally with us in every circumstance we pass through.
The first time that we have the coming of the Lord mentioned in its Christian character, I suppose, is in John 14.
And right there he is anticipating going to the Father's house, going to that place that's spoken out here as the holy place. We have a picture of this in the Tabernacle. We had the court which answers to the heaven of the atmosphere where the birds fly. Then we have the holy place which answers to the realm of the stars.
The heaven of the stars. But then we have the holy place, the holiest of all, which answers to the place where the Lord Jesus Christ is now. The high priest went into that.
Holiest of all, once a year and not without blood. Well, the High Priest there is simply a figure of the Lord Jesus Christ who has now gone in to minister on our behalf.
Up there in the glory. But what I was thinking about was.
The anticipation that the Lord had when he even spoke of that in John Port P, He says, I go to prepare a place for you.
Anticipating that he would have us with himself there.
Well, no wonder He's up there now serving us at best present time as High priest to get us through this wilderness. He's anticipating the journey will be ended and He'll have us with Himself there in the glory. I got to thinking about that. When it speaks of Christ is not entered into the holy place made with hands which are the figures of the truth, but into heaven itself.
Now to appear in the presence of God for us.
Oh, the Lord is longing to have us with Himself there in the glory, because he says, if I go away, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also. Well, we have that brought before us too, a day of deliverance that her brother was Speaking of. He's looking forward to that thing when he will come to receive us to Himself.
To take us to the Father's house.
But I think this is wonderful to be meditating upon the Lord's care for us while we're on the way.
Isn't that the thought that we have in Jude and the 24th verse? The Lord caring for us now in every detail?
It reads now under Him that's able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy. That's His desire, isn't it? And it's it's His purpose, and it will be.
Wonderful. Without him we wouldn't even get there, but he's able to keep us as well.
Let's look at a couple of verses they in Exodus to have this contrast brought before us.
As it has been spoken of realizing that the book of Hebrews was written to that people from that nation who had professed in the Lord Jesus, and we're now professively Christians, but have been brought up under the old order of things. Reference was made to Moses and the angels. Let's look at Exodus 23.
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And get that.
And then see the contrast of the better things that we have in Christianity. The 20th, 1St of Exodus 23. Behold, I send an Angel. Notice that capital A there I send an Angel before thee, to keep these in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.
Now look in Isaiah chapter 63 to see how.
The Lord Jesus carried that out. We believe he was that Angel who came down and went with the children of Israel.
Those 40 years, Isaiah 63, nine.
In all their affliction he was afflicted.
And the Angel of his presence, in his love and in his pity he redeemed them.
And he spare them, and carried them all the days of old.
Now the promise was to come down and the Angel of the Lord to walk with them and to bring them into their promised land, the land of Kenan. And he did that in spite of all their failures and murmurings, he did bring that nation in.
Now, when we think of the reference to John 14.
When the Lord was going away, he says, I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also. So now it's not an Angel out of that character at least that the Lord is bearing us and.
Serving us and bringing us into that.
Heavenly possession. He has lost the work of redemption on the earth.
And now, as our faithful and merciful High Priest is serving us, and.
We'll.
Certainly bring us in so that we get this last appearing at the end of the chapter.
Under them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. There we get the full redemption of the body too. But now it's wonderful to think that not just an Angel.
Has come down to bring us through the desert, but the Lord himself has come down to save us and has gone up on high as the man to service and to protect us. Test the Spirit of God down to be with us, to intercede here below, and finally He will bring us in as to the body too, right into the full redemption.
The characteristic word of the Epistle to the Hebrews is better.
And for the people that were accustomed to things that they could see, that is, they had a leader whom they could see, and that was Moses. It's true he represented the Lord. But it says when they crossed the Red Sea, they were baptized under Moses in the cloud and the sea. They saw the building where the sacrifices were made.
Everything was given to them for sight, and the high priest went in and then he came out again. There was everything that they could see.
And there was a tendency with them now that Christianity had been brought in. We walked by faith, not by sight, to want to go back to that which they could see. But brother, and I believe it's very important for us, if we are going to be happy Christians, we must walk by faith. We must realize that that blessed work the Lord Jesus has accomplished has been a word that you and I have not seen, but we have.
The Lord said after he rose from the dead. And Thomas wouldn't believe, unless he could see the Lord, that blessed are they that have not seen, and get up, leave. And every one of us in this company who know that we're saved and that our sins are forgiven, are relying wholly upon a work that we did not see, but we believe he appeared to.
To put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. We believe He has done that. We believe he has glorified God.
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And is now seated at the right hand of God as the one who has accomplished redemption. And then to the priest was to have compassion and the ignorant and those that were out of the way he they were the high priest was a man who they could see and they could talk to him. Eli was there and he didn't fully understand the burden that was on the heart Al Hannah when she prayed in the temple. But there he was the person that we he that she could.
But rather than the one we go to is one who is now up there in the glory. We can't see him, but He's really there. Do we need help? I'm persuaded that many of us have come to these meetings with deep burdens upon our hearts. We really need help, and we really need the one who can provide that help, and that is the Lord Jesus. And as we look up in our need, He's there at the right hand of God.
Or us.
And he says, let us come bully into the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. And then too, it's all a matter of faith. We see things going on in this world. We see things getting worse and worse. What is going to encourage us all? We're looking to see that Blessed One.
To the time when faith will be changed to sight, when we look into the face of the one who died for us.
You'll see those marks in his hands and feet inside. We'll know that He supplied the help that we needed and often restored us when we had failed. And then we're going to look into his blessed face. And so how much better this was. Now, there was a tendency with these Jewish believers to want to go back to something that they could see. And I believe rather than it has a message for us too, because there's a tendency today in Christendom.
To want to have that which appeals to the site and to the senses, the rudiments of the world, as it's called in Colossians. But God would have us here to lay hold of these things by faith, to be led by the Spirit of God into the present enjoyment of these things in our souls. To go away. Rejoice not 'cause we've actually seen the face of the Savior.
By natural sight, but that we can say like it says in the second of Hebrews, but we see Jesus.
Who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death. Brown with glory and honor. We don't steam with our natural eyes, but I hope in these meetings, by faith we'll see him and that he'll lay hold of this help that's available to us, and we'll be living in the expectancy of his return. And so I believe the important Hebrews is to bring before these people who are used to a system of things that they could see.
And alas, Christendom has introduced a great deal of that sort of thing.
So that there's a sort of a mixture of Judaism and Christianity, but the spirit of Gods that's to lead us out of that into set. But what is such so much infinitely better to be occupied with the Lord Jesus, but he has done what he is doing and what we can expect when he comes for us to take us to be with himself.
You speak of health and time of need.
I think I'll tell a little story.
About that, it's not very long ago that down in Tampa I was driving down the street and all of a sudden my car stopped right in the middle. Well, we're right outside the city limits and it was a two lane Rd. and there my car was stopped right in the middle of the road and I couldn't start it. It wouldn't start. It wouldn't do a thing, just did.
So as the car stopped, I just.
Perhaps consciously or unconsciously, I just lifted up my heart. Lord help me.
Well, there was a time of need right there.
And I was usually impressed with that, Gordon, by what your father said, that all we have to do is lift up our hearts, say, Lord, help, we don't have to sit, pray a long prayer. Well, I did that that day. And while I was pushing the car off to the side of the road onto the grass.
There was a man that came in the opposite direction on the other side of the road and there was a side street right back of me and he turned into that side street and he parked over there on that side street and he came running over to me and he said, were you asking the Lord for help?
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But when my message had gone to the glory.
And the Lord had sent a message down to that brother Jesus. He was a child of God.
Ask the Lord for help, he says. I know what's the matter with your car. My wife has a car just like it and there's a resistor on the inside of the dashboard on the motor side and it's dead. I'll go home and get one. We have a spare there. In 5 minutes he was back again and he put that resistor on and off the car started.
We'll have a little talk with him, a little business with him. He's the Lord.
The message was sent to the Lord for help in that time of need and he sent it right down. Well, he does perhaps doesn't always do it that way, but perhaps others have had an experience like that and it's precious to see that the Lord really is looking after us, and shame on us that we don't trust Him more than we do. I'm sure that.
These practical things.
Are good for us to recall, realize that he cares for us every detail.
I believed all that. In Hebrews we have also.
Spiritual side of things that we must not neglect, but go with it. Now when Moses was called, he said to God.
I can't speak because they do make them out.
But he finally said, well, where's Aaron? Your your brother.
And so we find that the two together.
Become a type of Christ.
And in the book of Hebrews.
When the apostle brings these Pikes into the light of Christianity, as we have in the second and third chapters.
We see Moses set aside as the one who gave the mind of God, and the Lord replaces him.
We see Aaron set aside as the one who brings the people into the presence of God.
The Lord Jesus replaces him.
All the way through Hebrews, we find the Lord Jesus replaces not only these individuals, but the.
The sacrifice. The altar sanctuary.
He is everything now.
There are two things I'd like to mention.
And one is that.
Not only does the Lord Jesus, as has been said, care for us in all of our circumstances down here.
And there's a very touching thing to experience these things.
Especially those who have suffered, because you'll never have that experience in heaven.
You'll learn the sympathies of Christ here in this world as you pass through trial.
But there's more than that to his present work.
The question of his intercession for us before God as to our sins is the thing that's passed. That was done long ago.
But he's interceding for us.
All the way home we might be preserved.
In separation from evil and preserved in communion.
That's what his intercessions about, besides what's been mentioned.
And not only that.
But the part of the priest was.
To instruct the people.
And so the present work of the Lord Jesus.
Not only interceding that we might be maintained and kept there even in the physical way.
But also that our souls may be kept from, stray from the path, be kept in in communion.
But also that our hearts may enter into those better things that have been mentioned. That's part of his intercession for us.
Is interceding now that.
Each one of our hearts may be taken up with Christ himself.
Because it's our object that forms us. And I believe that this is important for us to see in the book of Hebrew. It's stressed, of course, more in other places, but still it's here. And that was the part that the priest was to do. He was to instruct the people what was to instruct from the mouth.
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The person of pride, we're going to be just like him up there.
Well, there's a moral likeness that's taking on down here. The result of that present work of intercession on his part.
It says he's entered. He's now to appear in the presence of God for us.
That's the purpose wonderful is for us. I was thinking when Peter was heading for the great fall, he said I pray the Father that thy faith fail thee not now he's interceding for us and our faith won't fail. Peter failed, but not his faith. It was the faith of God. That's a wonderful thought, isn't it, even though.
At times we fail and how sad it is.
We had a failing testimony, perhaps we did not confess our Lord, but He's interceding. He's there for us always the wonderful thing to realize that that's the purpose of His being now at the right hand of God for it.
But I don't think our faith could never fail. Ultimately that isn't being lost. But I do believe that there is a danger when one has failed to become so discouraged that his faith in that sense fails, is confident in God to restore and to be able to use him again. And so we find that with Peter, he might have thought, it's all over with me because I've so dishonored the Lord.
But we see that when the Lord restored him, he said, when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. So that now he's encouraged to see that it wasn't all over, although he had failed. And no doubt would never forget that failure because he speaks of the grace of God a great deal in his epistles. And we shouldn't forget past failures, but we're also thankful that the Lord can and does.
And there might be someone here who has failed and you think, well, I'm no use anymore. It's all over. Well, the Lord not only interceded to keep Peter and also is our advocate when we have failed, but I do believe that he wouldn't have us to be discouraged but have us to know that he is able to restore and.
So David could say, when he had failed, restore unto me the doing of thy salvation.
Withhold me with thy free spirit. And I believe it's a blessed thing to to realize that the Lord can restore, and He can give us that renewed confidence in Him, not in ourselves. Every failure ought to teach us how weak we are in ourselves, but it also ought to give us to realize that He never fails, and that His grace is always sufficient to keep us.
And sufficient to restore. He restoreth my soul.
Has developed in a fuller way in John. Isn't it the Epistle of John, second chapter, the first epistle? Yes. Perhaps it's important to see that that in Hebrews the truth of advocacy is not really developed, because the important thing in Hebrews is settling the question of sin.
And that was settled once for all of the cross. And so the advocacy of praise has nothing to do with putting away our sins before God. It's the restoration to communion. And when it's the question of sin, it's completed, as it says in the next chapter here by one offering yes, purple to forever and that are sanctified.
So that the work of Christ has settled that. Nevertheless, I think the thought is implied.
Of his priestly work, and I like to think of him as our advocate when we have failed.
When it speaks of him and John, it says if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. It doesn't say if any man confess his sin we have an advocate. But if any man sin we have an advocate. And so that when the believer sins, the Lord Jesus appearing in the presence of God for us.
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As it were, can say I paid for that sin.
He's righteous because that sin was settled at the cross. Now the work has to be wrought in our souls to bring us to confession and restoration, to communion, but not again to raise the question of sin between ourselves and God, that as to our standing has been settled.
Once for all I believe, brother Gordon, that I remember your father making a statement like this, that all our failure brings from unbelievable of the goodness that's in the heart of God for us and I believe that in Hebrews we do have the contrast between unbelief and.
Fate all the way through the accorded.
That just to live by faith. We get that 11Th chapter here. Perhaps the emphasis on faith in the 12Th chapter we're warned about the sin which does so easily beset us. Likely that is in this book especially unbelief. It might be something else, but considering your Father's statement.
All our failure springs from unbelief.
Of the goodness that's in the heart of God for us. So peace comes in here.
In Galatians, where that verse is quoted, the just live by faith, it may be the emphasis is on faith. In Romans, where it's quoted, the just shall live by faith. Perhaps it's unjust, but it's the same verse, and you get it in the Old Testament as well in Habitat.
So that those.
Saints of the old dispensation, they believed God according to the revelation they had from Him. And there was that sanctuary down on earth after the Tabernacle was set up, typical of what we have here in its fullness, the Lord Jesus now not entering into that holy place made by hands, but into heaven itself.
Now, if we believe that, if we really believe that our priest is up there and that he is there as a man, the man who has, as our brother has stated here.
Taking the place of Moses.
Aaron of the sacrifice of the century, of everything, if we believe that he is up there for us as this first states, won't that keep us walking on in faith and the just living by faith so that we enter into the good of that now and.
Can find our way through the wilderness with His help, knowing that He will bring us there ultimately where He has gone.
It's true that he will put away the.
He will is laid the basis for the putting away of sin from the presence of God forever. That's true.
Labor, He has already put away our sins. That's the fruit of of sin, and that's already put away so, so much so that God has promised that He will remember them no more. There'd never be a remembrance again made of the fruit.
Of sin in our lives.
Never again.
The guilt that attached to us has been put away forever.
And he appeared once for this.
By the sacrifice of himself, and that includes all of his work.
The whole work of the Lord Jesus.
He was.
As we have in the end of Romans 4.
The end of that versus he was raised again for our justification.
He went through the whole work and was raised and seated at God's right hand. That's what we have here. He's on high.
And he was once offered to bear the sins of many, not all.
But for whoever has faith.
Whoever believes, because even in the book of Hebrews there is the question mark.
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That even those who were called brethren, there might be some among them who are still unbelievable.
That's solid.
And it's a warning to any in a company like this who make a profession of Christianity.
But still are unbelievers. They've never taken the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, have never applied that precious blood to their own guilt that might be put away forever.
And unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin. That is, I take it to mean, without a sacrifice, with sins not the thought as opposed, not taking up the question of sin again, as because it has been settled.
And saw that really in the 26th verse, as you mentioned, we have sinned and in the 28th verse sins, is it not? But we have on the Day of Atonement in Israel, we had the two goals. One, the blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat, providing a way of approaching to the presence of God. And then all the vessels of chemistry were sanctified were sprinkled with blood too. And so the Lord.
By his work at the cross has laid the basis of blessing for whosoever will, and also for the bringing in of a time when there will be no trace of sin or its result. It's the same thought as in John chapter one and verse 29. It says, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
That looks on to a future day and that work the Lord Jesus accomplished.
Laid the basis by which there will be a new creation in which there will be no trace of sin or its results. And now the blood is on the mercy seat. And so we can go to any creature of Adam's race and say price died for you. A way of approaching to the presence of God has been provided, but we cannot scripturally say to him the Lord Jesus for your sins.
Their brother pointed out.
It says he bear the sins of many and so only those who will be brought into blessing are included in this 28th verse.
If we don't understand this, why? How could God put sinners into hell if the Lord Jesus bore their sins upon the cross? God would be requiring double payment, first at the hands of the Lord Jesus, and then again that the Sinner must bear his own sins. Now let us be clear that the Scripture shows us He died for all. He opened up the way of blessing for all.
He has provided the blood on the mercy seat so that again I say you can say to any Sinner.
There's a way of approach for you. The blood is there and God can receive you and the scripture says him that cometh to me. I will in no wise cast out.
But we can't say to him the Lord Jesus for your sins, because we don't know that. We don't know whether they're among the many. If they receive the Lord as their Savior, they take their place there by faith and God who has the knowledge of all things. Why he knows He has, He knows before, as it says, Oh man can come unto me, except the Father which has sent me draw him.
But it's open to all, and that's why.
There's sin and sins, and so it says in this 27th verse. It is appointed on demand once to die when sin entered the world. Why death was pronounced. In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. And how could we escape that awful penalty that had been pronounced? Only that there should be another, the 2nd man, the last Adam, the Lamb of God's providing.
Who has taken up and settled the question of sin?
And now we look to see him the second time not to take up the question of our sins. That has been settled, and this is said to, as a brother has remarked, to not to supply help for us. We won't need that in heaven not to restore us when we have failed. We won't fail there. He's going to appear to make known to us and to lead us into the full and eternal enjoyment of the result of the work that He has accomplished.
Oh, what a blessed thing. And so I believe that this last verse, brethren, not only refers to His coming for us as believers at the rapture, but also His coming for the deliverance. Deliverance of the remnant of Israel who will share in the results of that glorious work. Because there will be the two companies, the heavenly caught up with the rapture to that heavenly portion, and there will also.
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Those who will wash their robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb, who will be blessed in the earthly sea. And so when the Lord appears for the remnant of Israel, for their deliverance and blessing, it will not be to take up the question of their sins. Little though they realize it, their sins too were settled at Calvary. And as they look at Him and see those marks in His hands, why he'll show them.
That the one whom they rejected accomplished that work for them too.
So there's a great scope in this 28th verse. There is the blessing that will come, both heavenly and earthly.
As the result of that one glorious work accomplished by the Lord Jesus.
That's Revelation 14, the 144,000 with the Lamb on Mount Zion.
Looking forward to the day when those who were delivered out of the great tribulation will stand with Him in that place of blessing when he appears now in this verse, I believe that the Spirit of God would have our conscience as exercised. There's not a question in my mind.
But what? Everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior?
Are saved not for eternity, but notice what it says.
And unto them that looked for him.
I believe this is a word for our consciences.
If we are taken up with this world and the things of this world and making an object of anything here, whatever it may be.
We can hardly place ourselves in this verse as those who look for him in a practical way, I mean.
And I believe we should be conscious of our position as Christians, that we're not a part of this world, we don't belong here, we don't have our objects here and our interests here. We have our responsibilities, that's true. But to allow anything to become an object, we'll just in that measure, take the eye away from looking.
For the Savior to come.
And this is the day when we especially we should be looking for him because He's coming now, brethren, at any moment we can expect him at any moment. Now, with regard to the word many, it seems that we have other language of Scripture to help us on this. I think of the Scripture in person. Corinthians chapter 15.
Where Paul says Christ died for our sin.
And Peter in his first epistle the 2nd chapter says he bore our sin and his own body on the tree. That gives us the proper language to use in preaching the gospel in Speaking of this, because that word our defines a company referring to the menu and.
I'm glad that our brother brings this out, because in Christendom you hear this all the time.
Some preacher saying Christ died for your sins while he's speaking to an audience that's full of unsaved people and it's it's not right. It's not scriptural even it's not scriptural language. So we have the scriptural language to use. Christ died for our sin. He bore our sins in his own body on the tree and how precious it is when Paul was writing, when Peter was writing.
Who did they have in mind? Or they had in mind those who had believed?
And those who had trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ and received him as our Savior and had their sins forgiven and the blood of Christ applied for the cleansing, and they could address them in this way and said our our sin, we are in a company that belongs especially to the Lord Jesus Christ. We've been cleansed in the precious blood of Christ, and we can testify to that and that very testimony.
Can use to speak to others that they might want to be in that company too, and they can come into that company by simply receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, leaving that he died for them and that his precious blood was shed that their sins might be washed away. It is the scriptural to say he died for all that stated in Second Corinthians chapter 5, but that's different from saying before the sins of all.
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Or that he died for their sins?
It's just the fact that He died for all. Because if we're not for that, there would be no way of offering salvation to sinners. There must be a way of approach provided, and the death of Christ has provided that way of approach for whosoever will. That's why babies who die go to be with the Lord. It isn't because the babies haven't sinned because they were born with sinful fallen natures, but they go there because Jesus died.
And they're not old enough to express their own will. And the Scripture says it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. And so because they have not expressed their own will, they be coming to the blessing of the Father's will. But brethren, I say again, it has to be founded on a righteous basis, and it's founded upon the death of Christ. And that it says.
That the Lord is not willing that any should perish, and so he died for all to open up the way of salvation.
But when man says no, I won't have it, then he rejects the provision that has been made. But the Scripture is always accurate. We're not always accurate in things that we say, but the Scripture is always perfect and it's good for us to lay hold of these things. Really it.
The reason many get into the doctrine of being saved and lost is because they don't see this side of the truth because once you see that the Lord Jesus or your sins and you have received that by faith, why, if that has been settled at the cross, it couldn't be charged to you again. What is. Our brother London has remarked there might be a professor who has made.
An empty profession never received the Lord in his heart, and the Lord knoweth them that are his.
And he looks for reality. It isn't enough just to make a profession. It must be a belief in the heart. With the heart man believeth, under righteousness. With the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.
We could turn to First Timothy along that line. Second chapter.
To have the thought at the end of verse three, God our Savior, who will have all men to be saved and come under the knowledge of the truth. Let's the full gospel have a gospel being preached by many today, but to come under the knowledge of the truth, that's really God's will after we're saved. But notice there's one God.
And one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
Who gave himself a ransom for all?
That's the thought we've been thinking of. Now have you turned to Romans on the 3rd chapter? You'll see in verse 21 it's Speaking of righteousness not coming by the law, but the law having a purpose of making all guilty before God. So the law can bring us to Christ in verse 21, but now the righteousness of God without the law.
Is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God by faith of Jesus Christ unto all, but upon all them that believe. So you see, it's for everyone who gave himself a ransom for everyone. It's being offered to everyone.
But it's upon all that belief matter of faith.
And how wonderful it is if you're among those that have believed, that's a gift of God. You know the faith itself. And it's a solemn thing to go along with those that are the Lord learning the language.
Not being real.
We've had in the last three years at least four who were saved at one of the conference gospels who were at the table. Solemn thought it could happen. It did happen. So anyone here, if there's any question in your soul, have it settled. It's too important if you don't believe, if you're not settled in your soul.
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Ask the Lord, you'll settle it right now.
It's on to everyone here.
Solemn thing at the beginning of this verse, isn't it? That it?
Christ himself do this work, Isaiah says. I looked and there was number man.
So my own arm brought salvation.
And as we think of the price that was paid for our salvation.
This brings all this to light and in a way that to touch our hearts that that the Lord Jesus went through all the suffering, the pain.
Giving up his his life and his lifeblood.
So that you and I might have eternal life.
And hard the heart that would reject such a savior.
I was wondering about these two verses, what we have in verse 27 and 28.
As it is appointed unto men once to die, then we get in verse 28. So Christ was once offered to bear the sin of many, the sins of many.
Would it would it appear that in that we find.
Thought about the Lord Jesus Christ, that He became a man and he came under the judgment of God, but not for his own sin, for somebody else's sin, for our sin. He became a man, as it is appointed unto men once to die. This means that the Lord Jesus Christ had to become a man that He might go to Calvary's cross in our place to take that judgment that was due to us.
Would that be a thought in that I'm sure it would be was necessary. It's been said God has God could not die, but God became a man. So it tells us in Hebrews chapter one it says in our translation he spoke by his son, but in the new translation is he he spoke in sun at these last days spoken unto us in sun.
So that God became a man and the person of his Son.
In order to glorify God about the question of sin and bring in this blessing, I just.
Like to add a comment in connection with what's being said about being sure of salvation, because I know there are some Christians who have doubts about their salvation and yet I believe they're real believers but they do have doubts.
The fact that a Christian has a doubt is not the manifestation of the fact that he's not real. But what Hebrews brings above brings in is that the apostate is one who gives up Christ. Now this is something that a real believer would not do.
And perhaps some have heard me tell a story about a dear brother that lived among us many years ago who went to see a sister in the hospital who had lost the joy of her salvation. Everyone who came to see her tried to help her, but she continually was saying, well, I'm afraid that I was never saved at all because she was so overcome with these doubts that.
She was in utter misery and yet most who knew her and knew her life believed that she was a real believer.
But the enemy had robbed her of the toy of her salvation. Though this brother, when she presented him with this, saying that I'm afraid I was never a real believer at all because I have so many doubts. His reply was, well, just why don't you give up Christ and die without him? Oh, she said I'd never do that, said I knew you wouldn't, and.
God used that to break the spell of Satan.
Who was seeking to bring her into misery by these doubts? And I believe that God has recorded in the Scripture such a wonderful man as John the Baptist, who when he was cast into prison and couldn't understand God's ways with him, he sent a message to the Lord saying, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
Now we can see real doubts that came into the mind of John the Baptist. Was there any question that he was a believer?
The Lord said among those born of women, there hath not risen the greater than John the Baptist. But John the Baptist was overcome with a situation. He couldn't understand why the Lord had allowed him to be put into prison. And so the enemy used this to bring those doubts into his mind. So if there should be someone here like that, I just want to say this, that.
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What we're speaking about is not really a Christian having doubts, but one who is only has a lit profession.
For one who, having made a profession, is quite prepared to give up Christ all together.
Not to believe in him as their savior or as their as his blood to put away their sins that have really turned away from him. And that was what was happening with these Hebrews. And if you go on to the 10th chapter, we stopped at the 25th verse, but in the 26th verse it says.
What if we sin willfully? After that we have received the knowledge of the truth. There remaineth no more sacrifice for sin.
The willful sin was turning away from the one sacrifice of Christ. And what he is saying is, if you do that, God has no other The sacrifice of an animal will never put away your sins. And if you turn away from Christ, there's no Savior for you, because you've turned away from the only One who can, and by whose work alone you can be brought into blessing.
So I just say this, if there's one who has doubts, it's not right that we should have doubts and we should get before the Lord and just tell Him that we accept His word and realize that these are attacks of the enemy. That's what the shield of faith is for, brethren. It quenches the fiery darts to the wicked. And I suggest there's anyone who has those doubts. The only way you can meet them is to quote a verse of Scripture.
The word of God they received in simple faith that quenches those fiery darks. I remember shortly after I was saved. I was saved when I was 16.
And about a week after I confessed the Lord, I was standing by the old stove in the meeting place and it just seemed like somebody said, how do you know you're saved? Well, I knew it come from the enemy.
And right away it seemed that the Lord helped me and turned me to a verse of Scripture. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. While it just drove that thought away, the Lord took care of it by the Scripture and it showed dependence. Well, at that time my faith was weak, and we're always weak. But it doesn't matter how weak we are if we're dependent upon the Lord and upon His Word. That's the power.
This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith, faith in the Lord Jesus facing His word. Could I just add another little incident because there may be some even have a difficulty with that verse. A dear brother who has been gathered with us for many years, he said to me, he said I just went through an awful period of doubts and every time that word believed was given, he said.
It can't apply to me because I have doubts, so I'm afraid I don't believe and.
He was just constantly in doubt and he said one time he heard the preacher take up that verse in Romans chapter 10. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Oh, he said, that's for me, that's for me, said I know I've called upon the name of the Lord. He said, I'm not quite sure that I always believed because I have doubts, but I know I called upon the name of the Lord. I'm saying, So what?
Converse and what God by His Spirit might give to one, He may give a different verse to another, but it's always God's Word.
The book of Hebrews was written at a time when there was a great persecution, and probably about the time when Titus swept away the whole Jewish economy. And so we can understand the feeling of the Jews at that time who had escaped, and some had made a profession of Christianity.
Many of them, no doubt, were not real, but they made the profession.
And so Paul was used to write this epistle.
Not just for that one reason, but at this time so that they might have something stable to rest upon.
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And even adds in the 13th chapter after God has swept away all the outward signs of the Jewish.
Rituals, Paul adds. We have an offer. In other words, he wanted to impress upon the Jews that they still have something visible.
To look at, and that's Jesus. We'll have for all eternity a person, a man that they can go to now by faith, but in the coming day they'll be in his presence forever. And all the signs, all the ritual, everything that belonged to the Jewish economy simply spoke of Christ.
And that's what Paul is bringing out in this book of Hebrews to encourage those who had faith.
In fact, he writes to them, not like you, like he wrote to the Ephesians in Ephesians 2 dead and trespass and sins, but he writes to them as those who were still going on as believers.
Ignorant of the meaning of the Old Testament scriptures, but still.
Believers like we have in the 90th song, Lord Dousman, our dwelling place in all generations. Well, that's simple faith, trusting God, even though there may have been much ignorance with them. So we do have the bright examples that are given to us in the Gospel of the Mary's and the Simians and the Zacharias of all these who had that simple faith.
Even in spite of all that's going on around them, trusting in the law.
There's something very beautiful in that 27th verse that was just quoted to as is appointed under man wants to die. But after this the judgment doesn't say all men and that's wonderful as we sit here and think about it. God used the word all whenever he could because.
He said all have sinned, all we like sheep have gone astray. As by one man sin came into the world, death by sin. So death is passed under. All uses it because it it it brings in everything of our failures, our needs. But here he didn't use it. I don't expect to die. This isn't appointed. I don't think necessarily under me.
Christ died for me and He's coming for me.
Elijah didn't die. Enoch didn't die. Translated. So as we sit here, it's a wonderful thought to me, but it doesn't say it's appointed under all men. I believe the very fact we're here going to Christ is one of the reasons it isn't all men.
The law was a shadow, wasn't it?
And as has been mentioned in Hebrews we have The better things are that which was intended.
Be seen by faith.
But the shadow was a picture of.
And they were heavenly things that were open to Moses on the mount.
We have then heavenly things in Hebrews.
We have the better things than Hebrews. We have the eternal things in Hebrews, whether it be salvation, whether it be an inheritance, whether it be a throne that Jesus sits on, or whether it be judged. In Hebrews we have that which is eternal in its character, so our souls can fully trust now.
In the revelation of God in connection with the Old Testament types that have been open to us.
Now in the book of Hebrews and other places in the New Testament, so the law.
Was a shadow notice of good things to come. And what, brethren, could be better than what we have in Christ?
What could be better?
And as the Spirit of God opens to us little by little, what we have in Christ, we realize.
That we couldn't have anything better, the good thing to come. And so it still is faith resting upon God in view of that coming day, but the faith that enjoys now as though it were already a sure thing that which is to come.
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It was only a shadow of good things because the tendency with them to go on with the shadow and not be in the enjoyment of the reality which had come.
And so it was, it was only the shadow of these better things. And now that they had come to go back to the shadow was really to deny that they all these things had been fulfilled now in Christ and much of Christendom has gone back to the shadows. That is, they have all these things. They have an ordered priesthood of man, they have a special building and they have special class.
Priesthood and so on.
But now in Christianity, all these things that were a shadow have come to an end because the reality has come. All these shadows have been fulfilled in Christ. And to go back to the shadow is to fail to enter into and enjoy the blessing. It seems that with these Jews, they put say to Paul, but we're following a religion that was given us of God.
And more than that in the 6th chapter of Hebrews.
They even spoke of the word of the beginning of Christ because when the Lord Jesus was here, he said the Pharisees sit in Moses seat all therefore that they bid you observe that observe and do so they could say well we have a God-given religion. The Lord Jesus endorsed that by saying that we were to follow that, but they needed to realize that now the Lord Jesus had fulfilled all those types and.
And if you turn over to the 12Th chapter, I think there's a very important verse here, Hebrews chapter 12 verse, beginning of the 24th verse. And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel, see that she refused, not him that speaketh.
Or if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth much more shall not re escape.
If we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven.
It is the voice of a glorified praise speaking from heaven that leads our souls into the enjoyment of the truth that flows as the result of his finished work. And I always remember a remark that our brother Chapter Brown made. He said that when he was in one of the systems. Why? He said we studied the birth of Christ, the life of Christ, the death of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, and.
Ascension of Christ, we followed him, he said, till a cloud received him out of their sight. But he said Christianity begins the other side of the cloud. I believe that was a very important remark and for us to realize that it's the voice of a glorified Christ from heaven, brethren, that leads us into the full blessedness of Christian position, knowing that the one who.
Upon earth who put his full approval on all that had been set up under Judaism as a shadow now has fulfilled the shadows and all the type himself. He is as you said, the sacrifice he's the altar he's the priest he's the he's the great high priest he's the advocate he's everything now in Christianity and what he is telling them here is that they need to hear that voice from heaven and they.
Enjoy true Christian liberty and position. Unless they did. And in this 10th chapter he is seeking to lead their souls out from the shadow into the reality, and then, as we remark, the full fruit of it, in the place of nearness inside the veil, enjoying those 3 characteristics of faith and hope and love.