059 - Once and for All! (11 Sept 2021)

You pick up your Bible is more here than meets the is there something here for me. I mean it's just words printed on paper right well it may look like just print on the page but it's more than eight. Join us for the next half hour, as we explore God's word together as we learn how to explore it on our own.

As we ask God to meet us there in its pages welcome to more than never have to do it again exactly will the right of you today is to say that Jesus did something for us that stuff is for all such great today on more than Inc. good morning Dorothy, were sitting here in our dining room table. I really always are.

You are so welcome to be with us and I don't know where you are back here.

The weather is kind of changing it's starting to be a little bit chilly in the morning and it feels like summer is coming to a close one. My favorite time of year in the fall thing. I know you will love the fall because it's just evidence that things are just down there quieting down, and it's time for a change so well so were glad that you put on your gardening tools are your long morning nationality for little while as we take a look into the book of Hebrews in this this solid food section contrasting the old and the new covenant in the role of Jesus and all that is our high priest in all this and the blood.

We talked about a lot of blood last week while we were left off like that thought at the end of verse 22 in chapter 9 says. Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no giftedness of sin. And that's the key issue if that sin is the issue of sin is not dealt with them in our sin. If that's not forgiven somehow we are. There is no way to participate in the promises of God for it for good for the goodie and you know you have in store for us and that's you know that that in fact we go back we look at the whole Exodus story, we should tell people all Were at work. After we finish Hebrews will decide where to go in and explore accidents with you. I think that would just be a great thing is we keep coming back to it here what the story is so central. I mean, that is the job thing out of the salvation story it is. It is key to the whole Bible in many, many respects, but is a real event that there really happened and it teaches us about the bigger, more more substantial reality of us participating in God's promises for great life. You know, which is what he promised to them and going to promise. I thought I was very organic to go there after studying Hebrews, and that's often being large passages of Scripture. They often do me into what my next big study should be have been teaching women's Bible studies for a lot of years and that's very often. I don't have a clue what the next one will be. People are always asking where we going maximum upon we get to from here and so that's kind of how studying the Scriptures can work to take you into the Old Testament been referencing all of this stuff about the temple and the sacrifices go to accident that has a raise to curiosity got Exodus. I don't know what will.

She presented few weeks. I will keep pointing back to what were talking about today in the next couple weeks as we go back to Texas because it because he's doing here. He's presuming you're a Jewish reader and you know exit light my heart, which we don't have the story got make sure that we can understand it, so we can catch up and go read it anyway, so we're in the middle of chapter 9 and and he's he's trying to type tie together why it is the new covenant is so much better better better that her old company ever held Jesus as our high priest, and as our sacrifice can bring us bring us nearer through the blood of Christ in the presence of God himself, and into his promises. So that's what were looking at and in the issue was the forgiveness of sins, and that's where the role of Christ blood changes the whole game for us because we have life imputed to us through his blood right we can become the righteousness of God in him. As we ended last week with second contents. 521 so so that's where were going. Today's were picking up the whole story in the chapter 9 verse 11. Next he worked moving into verse 23, 23, pages 11, didn't we do that so 20 there's all I'll pick it up from here okay see what's going on choices. Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rights, the copies was the old right temple and stuff but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these for Christ is entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. This is stop right there so so this was.

I remember he talked about the fact that the that the temple and what went on with Israel only because of the special, the temple, the imagery, the temple specifically designed by God to be a teaching tool to tell us about the more substantial but visible realities the spiritual realities of living with God is. This represents all the stuff that was very carefully put together to be kind of a tutor to us to be a teacher to us about how we participate in the promises from God for life and and so were coming back is he saying right.

Here's a look at Christ entered not into an earthly made temple or tabernacle, but he actually entered into the heavenly went the real ones. The ones in which we also follow with him to come into the presence of God saying that I'm thinking about do you remember the Gospels record that when Jesus died, the veil in the earthly temple was torn was torn bottom in the holy of holies was exposed so God means sure that when the reality happened in the real heavenly temple, the earthly temple call is made to Shelley copy followed yeah I had never really put those two things together quite that way before Realtime happened in the instant real time infected written down you can go look at those if you want to Matthew 20 so yeah, Mark 15, or Luke 23.

It's at the end of all those in it and also had a really interesting way of statuses that the says that the curtain was torn from top to bottom which says Terry created from the top right wall can reach up to the top that nobody Wasn't a man-made thing but it's something that God himself symbolizing the way into my presence is now open because the death God opened it. Yeah I don't think anyone missed that symbology it was pretty evident. Now I can only imagine the horror on the faces of those who were serving in the temple when they suddenly realized that the holy of holies was exposed well and any smock could just walk into anything like I could see the Pharisees just having fainting spell sing all the masses of the unwashed will now just walk into the presence of God. You will yeah actually evolving in there to see it is a lot of room for kind of imagination here, but that those three Gospels recount that for us and that was clearly important in their minds but but one of their one of their roles in their thinking was, was to protect people from going right.

Holy of holies right so now that his debt has all been busted and busted by God, so their job about a minute out of God's presence. That was a job now has been superseded and turned unsaid with Christ a high priest who gets man into God's presence just really it's a remarkable reciprocal change in us through something so yeah okay so the writer says here that he went into heaven itself, now to hear in the presence of God in our behalf that we stopped so in this passage were look at today.

This word appear in English is up three times but they're all different rates in the Greek dent, but they're all different, but this one is he he exhibits himself in person in the presence of God. Yeah, like I've been there, I've done it, and here I am right. Remember he is the writer called him a forerunner yeah ahead of us, the captain, who, following is exactly what he's done he's going to the presence of God, not in a man-made temple buttering the real temple in the real we want to call it the real living place of God right to come and see the Son of Man, our representatives right standing before God, exhibiting the reality that now we are welcome.

There through what he has done for us his sacrificial death.

So Christ is entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are just copies of right.

True things I into heaven itself. In the presence of God on our behalf. Is there representing us to speak for our good. He's going to ahead of us and said there's more to follow. Just come here and do the thing and go home right right right. The whole purpose of it was to open the way for us right, which is what I was saying as a high priest. His job is as a mediator is to bring men into the presence of God and in the Old Testament. I priest you know they they were told to let anyone in here except by priest once a year so they fell from a very privileged position that their job was to keep people away from the presence of God because what you'll I holy, holy, holy, can't come in here, great prices. Note were bringing them in.

So he's appeared on in the presence got in the presence of God in in the presence of God, which according again in the Old Testament was something you never know what I do consider you just don't want to know and and is because of our sin. So now on our behalf. He goes in the presence of God on our behalf.

That's a perfect role of a mediator.

Someone who is between us and God and who facilitates our coming to the nearness of God, just a great picture. 25 yeah we we seen these things and I just come to a complete stop and It is stunning. What can we say but just hold still hold times presence of this reality. Yeah, yeah. And I have to admit when I put on my Jewish And I think about how would you would think you know the presence of God. The presence of God is toxic to man because man is wholly sinful. There's no one there's no one who escaped that sinfulness and so that's that's a message out to the Old Testament and in the new is that our sinfulness is toxic and it actually deserves the right of her assets separates us and man is just a tremendous problem so for a Jew to think you mean to tell me that you're saying that Jesus this man is some kind of superduper high priest who can go into the very presence of God on our behalf for us for our benefit. It's like no this is oh so really all the way through the Jewish mind just kept breaking only through this as I know this against everything we've ever thought you cannot come in the presence of God and live.

That's just we know that because were sinful creatures, but that's a complete and that's how perfect the payment of his blood is and how superior it is on our behalf because now we can because as we said from last week. There is forgiveness of sins, the blood of Christ to move forward yeah just keep blabbering okay-nor was it to offer himself repeatedly as the high priest entered the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world, but as it is.

He has appeared once for all. At the completion or the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Okay, we have to stop there because first of all we have. This appeared again as he will yeah he's married once for all. So this is a slight kind of a variation on the previous word needs to make it real.

Yeah, visible and real.

Once for all sin phrases can show up.

We've Artie seen a couple times in Hebrews, but it shows up, three, four more times shows up in Romans shows up once for all. Yeah so that when in Romans six, Romans 610 for the death he died, he died to sin once for all. Right, but the life he lives, he lives to God.

So Paul is pulling from that émigré in the temple you right there in Romans six yeah it's really something in it and even as you read through the rest of Hebrews to this once for all. Theme is pretty dominant. We've already seen it a couple places already in the there will be more so this once for all. And I like it too because he says you know in these at the end of the ages to put away sin. He's appeared once for all. So he's kind of saying you know, if you stand back and you look at the entire timeline of of human history. It turns out that in the timeline of human history. Jesus comes into that timeline.

In this one spot, and in that one spot he puts away sin for all time. Yeah you, Paul uses the expression Galatians that at the fullness of time when at the fulcrum. Everything the Word became flesh.

No, for the Jewish mindset of Messiah.

This is wrong because the Messiah supposed to be a kingly guy who brings justice through his power and in and rakes over the coals. The guys who you personally benefit from injustice that Bruno would be bumming. He's a righteous judge in that sense and he's powerful in his kingdom never ends. So so when you see right here that the Messiah himself is not only a high priest which they could probably swallow that, but he is indeed our sacrifice and the sacrifices I see you're saying that the Messiah has to sacrifice himself right to put away sin in order to put away sin and to complete his mediator role this just a brand-new thought put away sin once for all. Yeah is literally abolishing yeah repetitive sacrificial system yeah is just is just a massive bully kind of what effective thing is with us so so he's done this he sacrifice himself is just a brand-new thought for a Jew, and it that's blowing your mind once again but he's appeared once for all at the end of the ages.

Do you realize that the first century was the end of the ages, the fullness of the whole process to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Allow yeah and and then he and then he can and 27 says so you know, just as it's appointed for men to die once and after that comes judgment will so Christ, having been offered once.

That's the death once having been offered once to bear the sins of many. He will appear a second time, but not to do with sin and save those who eagerly waiting for right is going to reappear to be clearly discerned right right and there. There is no do over. He doesn't do it on its done. So now the processes in place for us to benefit and participate in the promises of God and sometimes soon we hope is coming back and he and and that's really good news for those of us who eagerly eagerly wait for me that that remind me in the end of Paul's second letter to Timothy when he closes it out.

He talked about.

I was going to have the this crown getting at the end and I and he says and not just me but all those all those who loved his appearing like that so it's really an interesting idea when you think about the second coming of Christ to to a vast amount of mankind.

It's not good news. It's I mean there is a sense in which their consciences telling judgment is coming, but for those who eagerly await his coming is the best news is only good news because it is the completion of the whole story and because you know 2000 years ago. He bore our sins so that phrase that always has really attracted my attention here is in verse 27 just as it's appointed for man to die one and after that comes judgment, so you know what Jesus have to say about that.

When do we die we already made reference to Romans six, where Paul says he died to sin once for all. So when do we as believers die right. It is when we come into Christ and enter his substitutionary death for us so let me just remind you here Jesus said in John 24 John 524 he who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. So we have in some hugely real way died when we entered the life of Christ, and that was a huge shift in my inking was been a number of years ago. Now when I stopped thinking about me getting more Jesus into my life and started understanding that what really took place was I entered the life of Christ and all that remains for me now is the death of this body. Because the dying to my old life already took place linking to trust him for my salvation. I just don't think that that is clearly understood you believers die right as I've been crucified with Christ crucified with Christ and it's no longer guy who live, but Christ who lives in just think we grasp the reality of that so I for listeners.

I would say go to Romans six and read the first 10 or 11 verses where all kind of money packs that have Romans six like 1 to 10 or 11 (if you look at John 524 you those things together and then we just quoted Galatians 220, it's not I who live, but Christ I put those together and and ask yourself what does that mean for me. Have I died to my old self and become a new creation yeah and and Paul use so often that phrase Christ in you Christ in you and in you and you and this not just to cover Thruway Frank well aces that's the mystery of God has been unfolding in him and you in Christ. Yeah exactly yeah you this mutually in each other in writing. So when we talk, the new covenant were talking about something that radically different than trying to please God by sacrificing or sacrificing anything or sacrificing anything immediately that sacrificing brought a constant reminder of the fact that you know it it it it affirms our consciences, says boy deep down inside we are really nasty things were nasty work and so it is broken. At the very core just very broken yeah and so the new covenant actually goes to say this to fix that problem discusses I might give you a new heart right my laws on your heart and you will know me exact was no longer about checking off the boxes on the list is about who you are, in turn, and an elderly were returning back to the Jeremiah 31 thing voted and says yes I you will see which of the know me because the loan know how do we know God.

Unless you can come into his presence and how can we come into his presence.

Unless we are sinless. Our sin is for given and cleansed away and God does not remember it anymore. Right. That's what he explains at the end of the passage is just run this is not this not to be between us anymore. I like that because I talk to people about real forgiveness real forgiveness isn't denying effects and rightists. I mean, sin exists. You been offended you been hurt you and those are those are real things you don't want to say well it's… Well it is that it is that it's really that bad and and God's perspective on forgiveness is is is not saying that it didn't exist now or that it didn't matter or that it didn't matter what God says is the payment has been paid for that sin and now were just knocking to bring it up and he did matter to sell not show that there was no other remedy than for God himself to absorb the cost of it right for us because we could never pay in that contrast, the contrast of our conscience, telling us that deep inside of us at our root.

We are twisted and yet deep that our insides in a place that we can't fix, but God can. The blood of Christ is changed and we died we die, we die died with him and entered a new life right Paul says in sync with his 517 if you're in Christ all things have passed away died, new things have come.

You are new creation yeah Christ. So the new covenant applies to my life the moment that I give my heart to Jesus moment that when I die, believe him. What he did counted for me is it that that's why the new covenant is just so remarkable. It fixes us. Finally, where all the frustration in the past was that and he said this is that you know the law and the old.

The old covenant can't fix anything. All you can do is tell you where you really messed up. In fact, I like it when Paul when Paul in second Corinthians talks about the covenant he calls the old covenant ministry of death. That's right thing in a series of thrift is all it does is it points to the fact what you're doing is causing death.

But then he contrast that the ministry of death because a newcomer the mystery of the spirit right in the spirit gives life. Gives life and in another place he calls is the same place actually calls know the ministry of death the old covenant with the ministry of condemnation right. That's what the law did.

It tells us how messed up are in contrast to its now the ministry of righteousness he's creating in us righteousness because of the righteousness of Christ when it what a huge contrast, a huge contrast that is in the new and the old so no when he says where it were eagerly waiting for him working to see him face-to-face. When he comes back that second time, clearly discern that's possibly that completion of that time of reformation that the writer galleries had referred to in back in chapter 9 he says all of that is the picture until the time of reformation until time until things are really tell things are really put right always rightly and finitely, which is that word perfect again to use the endpoint until we get to that end point, but were not at that point it's coming pretty soon so you know there's a lot of people who think even some Christians who think when they die.

They're going to face God in this building to be this you know well that's a good stop for you. Bad enough.

Are they good enough to get away and I have scales that I'll but this passage says hey you die once and then comes the judgment night so for we who are in Christ that death happens in us at the cross of Jesus will come to the cross and believe that that is sufficient for my life right then. We've died, and judgment has taken place on our sin. Now we will face-to-face with Jesus and be evaluated. We will come. Paul says that we are all you have to give an account what we did in the judgment unto life or death for believers so this is really important for us to understand its appointed to die once and after that comes judgment, and in the simple truth is in the new covenant you what you need to do is embrace Jesus as your high priest and embrace him as your sacrifice land-grant on your behalf and if you think any amount of your works on your behalf can make you any cleaner than his blood can make you and your actually blessed so this is what we are proclaiming when we drink this symbolic wine communion that his death counted for me.

His life, I am taking into myself and it is becoming me, I am becoming alive. That's the covenant, where proclaiming by that symbolism, remarkable changes well next week, he's going to continue this discussion because this is all mindbending others are in many ways so so we hope that you join us as we continue look at this, but the symbology of the Old Testament is not lost and you a little lost on us but we keep coming back taxes require some work, but it's really it's astonishing God's big plan for us. The shadow copy to him. Jim is next week more than he