Hebrews 9
WE get here the contrast of the condition in which the Jews were; in the early part of the chapter are described the vessels with which they were all familiar. There was a veil there, and when Christ died, the veil of the temple was rent. It is what the apostle meant in Romans 3:2525Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; (Romans 3:25), “for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God.” The work was not done till Christ died on the cross.
God forbore with their sins, but His righteousness was not manifested in the forgiveness of sins. Now it is revealed perfectly and fully.
That veil showed that the thing was not fully revealed. They trusted in a promise and prophecy, but we trust in a thing done, as to the work that saves, cleanses, justifies. I look back at it done.
Then we have another thing; he speaks of man’s condition, what comes from sin, namely, death and judgment; this is our natural portion.
Man’s thought is, There is a day of judgment and I must prepare myself to be able to stand in it; but there’s no Christ in that.
The effect of all the dealings of God was to show that the heart of man was at enmity with God. Are you going to be in heaven as a sinner?
Impossible. “As it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment, so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many.” God is comparing the natural portion, and then He shows what He has done because of that state, how He has met it. He has dealt with us in grace before ever the judgment comes. He did not begin with a final judgment of man. He told them what they were as fully as He will at the great white throne. (See Romans 3.).
I get another thing, “To them that look for Him will He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” He will have no more to say to sin. What will He come for? To take them to glory. There are a set of people looking for Him. As to His Person, He was always without sin, but He will have no more to do with sin as regards those who are looking for Him. The first time He appeared He was made sin for us, His whole business was about sin and sinners, and the reason He has no more to do with it the second time is because He put it away the first time. We all know that death is here, —and unless we are scorning sin that judgment will follow.
“He appears now in the presence of God for us.” Now mark where He puts the believer.
He did not say, “Now do you be good and come to me, and then,” etc. He comes on the cross and endures such agonies and sufferings no heart can fathom, but we can taste the infinite love of Christ made the curse of God. This we get if our sense of sin is great, we get the shadow of it so to speak, and why He had to say, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me.” He comes here to lay down His life and take this curse and burden of sin on Himself. What put it into His heart to do it? Well, all you can say is, it was there. The Victim perfect, His love to His Father absolute, and then He meets this terrible thought, “I am going to be made sin.” But He goes on in perfect obedience and love to His Father and love, to us, and then He is made sin for us, totally alone―made sin in the presence of God to put it away. If I come to the cross, I own all my part was the sins.
And what makes it so clear is that God raised Him from the dead perfectly satisfied. All the work is finished and God has accepted it, and He is sitting at God’s right hand, and that is where I know Him now.
Nothing else could put away my sins but the death of the Son of God, they are so bad. I am sure He has put them away because God has raised Him to His right hand, and I know it by the Holy Ghost come down. “When He had by Himself purged our sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” God presents it to us in every shape that we may have peace―I am justified, cleansed from all defilement, forgiven all my sins, and made the righteousness of God. There I get what is done in His first coming. Now I get people looking for Him. As regards this work, He has nothing more to do. He could not do it if there was because He is raised in glory.
It is well to think of it that Scripture constantly repeated in the strongest possible way turns the eye to His coming again. He is coming again to receive me to Himself (John 14), not to judge me. You would like to be in a condition to receive Him if you really believed it.
There are two things needed to look for Christ, not I perfect, but a perfect conscience; if I thought Christ had something against me, I could not look for Him. By the work of Christ He has made our consciences perfect.
If I look up to God I have no idea of His imputing sins to me, because Christ is there who put them away. Always there in the presence of God for me as the perpetual witness that He put them all away. I have to watch against sin, of course, every day in conflict down here. You could not have peace with, God if you had sins on your conscience. You may have a dead and a dull conscience, but you can’t have a bad conscience and a free heart with the One that has authority over you. If I fail in holiness, I have to be humbled in the dust and hate myself and go to God. Supposing I go and sin, the Spirit of God makes me think of it, and it’s ten times worse because it is what made Christ’s agony. That’s what makes it so dreadful to me. To have indulged even for five minutes in what made Christ’s agony. Sin becomes more dreadful to me as regards God’s holiness. If I say, there is no imputation to me, I say what a dreadful thing that is I have done. I detest myself for having done it. That judgment of it in holiness is just, what the Christian has to do.
Now there is another thing that is needed really to look for Him, and that is I must, love Him. If I love Christ, I shall be looking for Him. My heart must have Him as the object of its delight, and I say, “Oh, if He were here.” He sees it good to leave us here to learn ourselves and God’s faithfulness in leading us along, but the dying thief had a title to go into Paradise that same day. We have poor feeble hearts, but still the love of Christ should be there, so that I should be glad to see Him. Nothing contributes more to a holy walk than waiting for Him. In spirit we go in there already. The conscience is perfect through the work of Christ, and the heart is won by the love of Christ so as to long for Him. Have your hearts so learned to love Him because He first loved us, that you are longing to see, Him? If He came to-night would you be glad to see Him? Could you honestly in heart look for Him?
The Lord give you to know the perfectness of His love which He has shown to us in Christ, He has not left us to spell it out so that you may wait for Him. God would not have sent His Son to save us if it were not necessary. J. N. D.