His appearing

It's a test as to our heart affection, isn't it? Our love, we have considered and thought a lot about our love. What about the love of His appearing that Paul would talk about, unto them that love His appearing? I'd like to share with you, please, in Hebrews chapter 9, verses Hebrews chapter 9, and to read briefly at the end, verse number 24, Hebrews 9 and 24, and we will consider His appearing. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.

Nor yet that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest entered into the holy place every year with blood of others, 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 sin by the sacrifice of Himself, 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 look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation. The Lord bless what we have heard and the reading and what might be said on this passage of Scripture.

There's a great theme, as you're aware, in the book of Hebrews. Whoever the writer might be, he would extol and exalt the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, most precious. He is the Son, and He would speak about the glories of our Lord Jesus Christ and the brightness of those glories.

Who being the brightness of His glory? The glory of God, the express image of His person and upholding all things by the word of His power. And yet the one who stooped when He Himself purged our sins sat down at God's right hand, and He's all taken up throughout. No doubt you had a thought and a meditation upon that already today.

The glories of our Lord Jesus Christ, and He is that divine person. Hebrews 1 again, verse number 8. Thy throne, but unto the Son. But unto the Son, He says.

Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. Our Lord Jesus Christ is addressed then as God, and He has all those divine attributes that we won't go into right now, but He has the very character and nature of God. And so we bless God for the person of His Son.

And you look upon the Lord Jesus Christ, and you can see something of the character of our God. We sometimes think and consider great are the offices He bears. He is a mediator.

He is a high priest. And He is our advocate. As our mediator, the mediator of the new covenant, He would make the link.

One God, one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. And as our great high priest now, He would maintain that link. Our Lord Jesus Christ, because He lives, and Hebrews tells us again, He lives to make intercession for us.

He is a faithful high priest. As our advocate, that's needful. Reminded of that already? He would mend the link.

They mend sin. We have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ, the righteous. Again, the thought of an advocate, I like what the New International says about the advocate.

Really, it doesn't even use the word advocate, and it's kind of just an explanation of the work. And so the NIV says, we have one who speaks to the Father on our behalf. Isn't that precious to think of the ongoing ministry and work of the Lord Jesus Christ then in these capacities? Now, I'd like to bring you right to the thought here of the appearing that we read three times over.

We read about it in verse number 26, He appeared to put away sin. I'm taking them out of order. Verse number 24, now to appear, now to appear in the presence of God for us.

And then verse number 28, when He appears the second time. Those are the appearings, and I just take them in that order because that's the past, present, future. Interesting about our words, isn't it? You have the word appear.

You know, working with some of the international families and students and so on, a great thing about words. And sometimes in our New Testament, you know, you have a whole lot of different words. And in the original, it's one word.

Like, for example, we sang it. John 15, abide, abide in the vine, continue, remain. All these different words, same Greek word.

And but it's different here. And this is somewhat more confusing because in our text, the good King James here, the word appear is all the same. And yet three different, three different words that are used.

And I would like to draw that to your attention. Let's go through it just sort of orderly as we can. Verse number 26.

He appeared to put away sin. This is a thought that he was manifested. First, John three and verse five.

He was manifested to take away our sins. He was manifested. And verse number 26 again.

Once in the end, once in the end of the world. The consummation of the age, really, that the consummation of the age. And where is that going to bring us? I believe that that brings us right to Calvary and to the cross.

Beloved. He appeared and sin was put away by the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. Verse number 20.

Twenty six, then at the consummation of the ages, this man and what what was required? It was the Hebrews makes it plain. It was one sacrifice. The work is finished.

We sometimes saying done is the work that saves once and forever done. Finish the righteousness that close the unrighteous one. This man, Jesus, offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.

His work, his sacrificial work is complete, but you come to enjoy his present work. As you have outlined in verse number. Twenty four.

Now to appear in the presence of God for us. And some give it as the word shine. And I thought of that, you know, all his majesty and all his glory.

There is today in the presence of God for us engaged in a in a priestly work. Again, the Hebrew writers taken up many times with the priestly ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. Chapter four, verse 14, seeing that you have a great high priest.

Let me look for and 14, seeing that we have a great high priest that has passed into past through the heavens. Jesus, the son of God. Let us hold fast our profession, for we have not in high priest, which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities and all points tempted like as we are.

Without sin, sin apart, all the glorious, impeccable person of our Lord Jesus Christ. And there we have now a living high priest at God's right hand. And really, in the context here, it's it's contrasted with the priests of the old order.

And you go back to the old economy. Leviticus chapter 16. Great day of atonement.

The priest going in, you know, the priest going in, he changed his garments. He put aside he put aside his garments of glory and beauty. And he was arrayed in the white linen garments as he goes into the.

To the holiest of all to do that service annually, the blood, the blood. Well, he goes in with the incense and he goes in with the blood. Sprinkle on him before the mercy seat.

You could think a moment of those two, two goats, the slain goat and the blood of the slain goat. And God would now God would now look down on the blood, the mercy seat and be absolutely satisfied. And that was the first thing done in that service and a lot of ceremony in that great day of atonement.

But the priest would take the blood inside. And God, God would be propitiated. Propitiation would be made.

God, God would be satisfied. Oh, but a moment, just a moment. What about that live goat, live goat over the head of the live goat? The sins of the people were confessed and born away.

I think of the substitutionary work of the Lord Jesus Christ in bearing our sin, bearing our sin. Oh, the good of it. That God, first of all, was satisfied.

And now I can come in to the good of that. Well, that was the priestly ministry in time past. And after all that was over, he put on his garments again.

Those garments of glory and beauty. And just a little thought. He bore both on his shoulder piece, the onyx stones, the names of the children of Israel, the tribes.

And he bore it on his breast as well. In particular, all the different varied colors and all their character. The priest bore the names.

And you just carry that over now. The priestly ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ at God's right hand for us. I move on quickly.

I'm thinking of this last phrase here in verse number 28. Unto them that look for him. And again, this word appear, appear the second time has to do with be seen, be seen.

Oh, we're looking for that appearing, aren't we? Unto them that look for him. You know, his coming, his return. And we understand, don't we, that there are stages for two particular stages in relation to this coming back again.

First of all, the rapture. First Thessalonians, chapter four, John, chapter 14. You know, again, the Lord himself, the Lord himself should ascend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God.

And the dead in Christ in Christ shall rise first. We, which are alive and remain caught up to be with our Lord Jesus Christ. And so that's truly a blessed hope that we have.

But there's also the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ when he comes back again. Again, following the tribulation period, when he comes back for Thessalonians, chapter three, many examples of that. Verse 13 is that he says the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

Beloved, he's coming back again and we're waiting for that. Unto all them that love his appearing when he comes the second time without sin. That won't be the question.

It will be the salvation. Now, our bodies changed again. Philippians three fashion like unto his own body and glory and will be with the Lord forever.

A little verse just in closing. I noticed that recently, Matthew 25 and verse number verse six. Words like this.

Behold. The bridegroom. That's it.

Behold, the bridegroom comes. I noticed that Mr. Darby others leaves that comes out of that. You know, beloved, what will it be? Behold, the bridegroom to look on his face.

To see the woods in his hands and feet inside. To behold him whom we haven't seen. We love.

Are we really loving his appearing and looking for him? It just seemed to me. Behold. The bridegroom.

What are we taken up with? Be taken up with the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. His appearing. He appeared once to put away sin.

He appears now in the presence of God for us. And he will appear the second time. We look for him.