Text: Hebrews 9:24-28
Date: November 7, 2021
Event: Last Judgment Sunday, Year B
Hebrews 9:24-28 (EHV)
For Christ did not enter a handmade sanctuary, a representation of the true sanctuary. Instead, he entered into heaven itself, now to appear before God on our behalf. 25And he did not enter to offer himself many times, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own. 26Otherwise he would have needed to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once and for all, at the climax of the ages, in order to take away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27And, just as it is appointed for people to die only once and after this comes the judgment, 28so also Christ was offered only once to take away the sins of many, and he will appear a second time—without sin—to bring salvation to those who are eagerly waiting for him.
We Have Complete Confidence in Christ!
Some things in life are just inevitable. Those inevitable may be personal while others are more universal. For insistence, when growing up I always had to be reminded that when we went out for pizza with Grandma, we couldn’t get pepperoni on it because the it would make Grandma feel sick. Likewise, my Dad will go into anaphylactic shock if he eats anything that has come into contact with any shellfish, an adult-onset allergy that is tough for someone like him who grew up on the east coast eating plenty of seafood.
But those are two examples specific to two specific people. There are more universal truths. A day at a theme park is probably going to produce some very tired parents and kids. Being too hot or too cold likely makes someone cranky.
There’s an even more universal truth that we want to spend a few minutes on this morning. The writer to the Hebrews in this brief section from his letter notes that “it is appointed for people to die only once and after this comes the judgment.” Not a lot of wiggle room there, is there? This is a universal truth. Everyone will die and after death comes not reincarnation nor the nothingness of becoming “one with the universe.” No, after death comes judgment. And judgment is a scary concept because it carries with it the unknown. If you stand before a judge or a jury, you’re never quite sure how they’re going to rule. Whether you committed the crime or not in that moment is immaterial. What matters is the verdict handed down upon you.
So the inevitably of judgment after death paired with that unknown outcome can make the whole concept of Judgment Day very, very unnerving. But the writer to the Hebrews doesn’t want us to walk away from our focus on Judgment Day here this morning being worried or concerned. No, just the opposite. His desire is for us to see the inevitably as something very positive, a blessing to be longed for rather than something to be feared.
But what would make Judgment Day fearful? Well, let’s go back to the earthly courtroom setting. What would be the reasons someone on trial would be fearful of the results? First and foremost would likely be if they are, in fact, guilty. If you know you did something wrong and figure it’s only a matter of time before someone finds out and then brings punishment down on you, that’s an uncomfortable feeling. The second reason is if perhaps the evidence looks bad, despite the fact that are innocent. Will the judge or jury believe a fictitious accounting of events? Will you be punished for a crime you did not commit?
As we sit and wait for our day in God’s courtroom, we recognize that we have not been framed. No one is making things look worse than they are. We are guilty as guilty can be because we are sinners. God demanded perfection from us and we have been far from that. And he was clear was the punishment for sin is—eternal death in hell. And unlike a human trial, with a human judge or jury, there’s no chance that someone is going to miss something or that you’ll be excused on a mistrial or a technicality. Such errors and lack of knowledge do not happen in God’s courtroom. So concern and trepidation is an appropriate response for human beings as we consider “meeting our Maker.”
So, how then could the writer to the Hebrews want to instill confidence, even joy, at the thought of Judgment Day? Because you and I know what should happen to us but we also know what will happen to us, because those are two radically different things!
In our lesson, the writer begins with a summary of Jesus’ work. For Christ did not enter a handmade sanctuary, a representation of the true sanctuary. Instead, he entered into heaven itself, now to appear before God on our behalf. And he did not enter to offer himself many times, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise he would have needed to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once and for all, at the climax of the ages, in order to take away sin by the sacrifice of himself. There’s a lot to unpack in those three verses, so let’s begin where the writer begins:
Christ did not enter a handmade sanctuary, a representation of the true sanctuary. Instead, he entered into heaven itself, now to appear before God on our behalf. When God gave his Old Testament people their worship regulations, he had a very specific system set in place. Whether it was in the Tabernacle (the temporary tent worship space they used while in the wilderness and in the early years of the Promised Land) or in the temple built by Solomon and then rebuilt after the Babylonian exile, there was a standard setup for all of them. There was a “Most Holy Place,” a special room in the temple that was to represent God’s presence. Daily sacrifices were brought to the worship space at large, and a special once-a-year sacrifice was brought to the Most Holy Place on that one-day-per-year festival of the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). The idea was that coming to the temple and bringing these sacrifices was like bringing sacrifices to God himself.
But this was, at best, playacting. These were pictures of a solution to the problem of sin, but they were not the solutions themselves. They pointed ahead to the real sacrifice, the real payment for sin that was coming. Jesus did not come on stage and put on a show; he went and did the real work. He came to make the sacrifice, to actually accomplish what we needed him to do. He went to heaven itself, actually went before God, and offered his sacrifice for us.
And he did not enter to offer himself many times, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise he would have needed to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once and for all, at the climax of the ages, in order to take away sin by the sacrifice of himself. There’s another distinction between Jesus’ sacrifice and that of Old Testament worship. It’s not just that the sacrifices offered were pictures pointing ahead to something different, it’s that they were officered over and over again because the people needed those reminders over and over again. They were reminders of a coming solution to sin, not the solution to sin itself.
But it’s the real deal with Jesus. He had the actual payment to get rid of sin and he actually brought it to God himself. His one-time sacrifice actually paid for sin, all sin. His one-time payment was the be-all, end-all of having sin removed. He took away sin by the sacrifice of himself. His death paid for the sins of the world.
That’s the complete landscape that we need to take in when we think about Judgment Day. It’s not just that we are sinners who have disobeyed God and deserve his wrath and punishment. That is all true, but it’s also true that Jesus took our place. He took our place living a perfect life, and then gave that life to us. He took our place by offering his life as a sacrifice to pay for our sins; he took our place in the punishment of hell. He suffered so that you and I could be assured that we won’t. So it’s in that context that the writer continues: And, just as it is appointed for people to die only once and after this comes the judgment, so also Christ was offered only once to take away the sins of many, and he will appear a second time—without sin—to bring salvation to those who are eagerly waiting for him.
Note the contrast between your death and Jesus’ death. Your death leads to judgment, something that is totally out of your control. Jesus, however, was in full control of both his death and its results, to take away the sins of many. And here “many” is not contrasted with “all,” as if there is a limit to the forgiveness Jesus provides. No, “many” is contrasted with “once.” this was a one-time action with cascading effects. Jesus’ one death provides life for all people.
And so here is the confidence you have when it comes to Judgment Day. You lift your head up high, eagerly waiting for that day, not because you are so good or have made God so happy with your life, but because Jesus did everything you needed. Your confidence doesn’t come from you, it comes from him who gave his life to save you.
There is no doubt about the verdict in God’s courtroom. In Jesus, sin has been annulled; it’s as if it never happened. In Jesus, you are justified, declared “not guilty” for time and eternity. For you, my brothers and sisters, Judgment Day is not a day of angst, worry, and uncertainty. No, for you it is a day of joy, peace, and confidence because that will be the start of your eternal, perfect life with your God in heaven. Thanks be to him who loved us and set us free from our sins by his blood! Amen.
