WEBVTT 00:00:09.740 --> 00:00:14.580 The focus of our exposition today will be in 00:00:14.580 --> 00:00:21.000 verses 25 and 26. I'm sure you remember that 00:00:21.000 --> 00:00:27.460 the author of Hebrews is bringing his argumentation, 00:00:27.500 --> 00:00:35.219 his rhetoric, his arguments to a conclusion at 00:00:35.219 --> 00:00:41.920 the end of this chapter. He's finishing up everything 00:00:41.920 --> 00:00:47.399 that he's been saying to this point. This is 00:00:47.399 --> 00:00:54.079 really his last push for the effectiveness of 00:00:54.079 --> 00:01:00.240 Christ's sacrifice. So far up to this point, 00:01:00.420 --> 00:01:03.979 we've seen the author's been using similarities 00:01:03.979 --> 00:01:07.659 between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. 00:01:08.269 --> 00:01:12.450 but he's also been using dissimilarities. He's 00:01:12.450 --> 00:01:16.689 been showing us continuity and discontinuity. 00:01:17.150 --> 00:01:23.870 Today, the author focuses really on the dissimilarities 00:01:23.870 --> 00:01:28.030 and the discontinuity between the nature of the 00:01:28.030 --> 00:01:33.209 Old Covenant sacrifice and the nature of Jesus 00:01:33.209 --> 00:01:37.290 Christ's sacrifice. So the text naturally... 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:41.519 Leads us to consider two things this morning. 00:01:42.219 --> 00:01:49.840 The first. What Christ's sacrifice is not. We'll 00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:55.959 consider. How Christ's sacrifice is unlike. What 00:01:55.959 --> 00:02:01.900 it is not like. And secondly. What Christ's sacrifice 00:02:01.900 --> 00:02:09.550 is. What it positively. is with reference to 00:02:09.550 --> 00:02:13.810 its effectiveness, its intent, the extent of 00:02:13.810 --> 00:02:21.650 it, the power of it for breaking and disannulling, 00:02:21.650 --> 00:02:28.150 canceling sin in the life of God's people. Beginning 00:02:28.150 --> 00:02:33.770 with the first, what Christ's sacrifice is not. 00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:39.439 Now in this text, in verse 25, we read, Nor was 00:02:39.439 --> 00:02:43.419 it that he would offer himself often as the high 00:02:43.419 --> 00:02:46.759 priest enters the holy place year by year with 00:02:46.759 --> 00:02:53.360 blood that is not his own. Immediately, we're 00:02:53.360 --> 00:02:57.199 aware that the author is making a negative assertion 00:02:57.199 --> 00:03:02.020 about what Christ's sacrifice is not like. Meaning, 00:03:02.159 --> 00:03:06.680 what's not... true of Christ's sacrifice. He's 00:03:06.680 --> 00:03:11.080 saying he would not offer himself often like 00:03:11.080 --> 00:03:13.860 the old covenant priest. And what's he doing? 00:03:13.960 --> 00:03:18.099 He's alluding to the day of atonement and the 00:03:18.099 --> 00:03:21.719 rituals of atonement that had to do with the 00:03:21.719 --> 00:03:24.340 day of atonement. The high priestly work again. 00:03:24.460 --> 00:03:27.599 He's alluding back to the old covenant. And what's 00:03:27.599 --> 00:03:30.439 he talking about? The fact that once a year, 00:03:30.580 --> 00:03:34.840 the high priest, would bring gifts and sacrifices 00:03:34.840 --> 00:03:37.199 into the presence of God, the Holy of Holies, 00:03:37.280 --> 00:03:40.319 and he would make those sacrifices for atonement. 00:03:40.979 --> 00:03:43.840 But here's the problem with those gifts and those 00:03:43.840 --> 00:03:48.860 sacrifices. There was no permanency to them. 00:03:49.560 --> 00:03:54.259 There was no finality or completeness to them. 00:03:54.340 --> 00:03:59.629 Why? Because as soon as he offered those, Again, 00:03:59.669 --> 00:04:02.830 the next year, he would have to repeat the offering. 00:04:04.069 --> 00:04:07.229 He would have to make another sacrifice on behalf 00:04:07.229 --> 00:04:10.030 of God's people. He would go in once a year and 00:04:10.030 --> 00:04:13.409 he would do this. He would perform this function 00:04:13.409 --> 00:04:16.550 as the high priest of God's people on behalf 00:04:16.550 --> 00:04:18.970 of God and on behalf of the men. And he would 00:04:18.970 --> 00:04:25.730 do it over and over and over again. Why? Because 00:04:25.730 --> 00:04:31.540 ultimately, Those sacrifices were entirely ineffective 00:04:31.540 --> 00:04:40.519 to deal with sin. Those sacrifices were entirely 00:04:40.519 --> 00:04:49.079 ineffective to destroy the power of sin in the 00:04:49.079 --> 00:04:53.160 life of God's people. They were symbols and they 00:04:53.160 --> 00:04:57.699 were types. The need for sin to be atoned remained. 00:04:57.939 --> 00:05:02.920 Therefore, the sacrifices continued and they 00:05:02.920 --> 00:05:09.079 were repeated over and over and over. The author 00:05:09.079 --> 00:05:14.600 clearly states that Christ's sacrifice is not 00:05:14.600 --> 00:05:19.959 something that is repeated. It's not something 00:05:19.959 --> 00:05:26.319 that Christ does over. And over and over again. 00:05:26.740 --> 00:05:32.779 It is unlike the old covenant sacrifices in that 00:05:32.779 --> 00:05:38.339 way. His is effective. Theirs were ineffective. 00:05:39.680 --> 00:05:44.720 That's what the author wants to get by. He also 00:05:44.720 --> 00:05:50.319 presents us with an absurd alternative. to the 00:05:50.319 --> 00:05:53.060 true nature of Christ, if someone's going to 00:05:53.060 --> 00:05:56.019 think like that. If someone's going to say, well, 00:05:56.079 --> 00:06:00.019 Christ's sacrifice is like the old covenant sacrifices. 00:06:00.279 --> 00:06:03.540 He says, okay, we'll go down that road. Let's 00:06:03.540 --> 00:06:07.360 follow that to the logical consequence that that 00:06:07.360 --> 00:06:10.939 brings. Now, he uses a hypothetical argument 00:06:10.939 --> 00:06:13.740 in the first half of verse 26. Listen to what 00:06:13.740 --> 00:06:16.879 he says. Otherwise, meaning based on what he's 00:06:16.879 --> 00:06:22.620 just said, in verse 25. Otherwise, he would have 00:06:22.620 --> 00:06:25.959 needed to suffer often since the foundation of 00:06:25.959 --> 00:06:29.699 the world. Now, I'm going to give you the technical 00:06:29.699 --> 00:06:31.699 language for the kind of argument that's being 00:06:31.699 --> 00:06:34.439 put forth here. And this is important. Because 00:06:34.439 --> 00:06:38.399 I want you to think about what the author is 00:06:38.399 --> 00:06:43.120 trying to convey to his readers and to us. He's 00:06:43.120 --> 00:06:45.879 using what is called a second class conditional. 00:06:47.810 --> 00:06:53.490 Argument. Contrary to fact. Now, keep that in 00:06:53.490 --> 00:06:57.569 your mind. Why is the argument being put forth? 00:06:58.490 --> 00:07:01.509 Why is the argument being put forth to his readers? 00:07:01.610 --> 00:07:06.430 Why is he saying, if this is true, then this 00:07:06.430 --> 00:07:10.050 must be true. Now, that argument is called contrary 00:07:10.050 --> 00:07:14.009 to fact because it's based on a false presupposition. 00:07:14.800 --> 00:07:17.660 The false presupposition the author is using 00:07:17.660 --> 00:07:21.300 is that Christ's sacrifice is like the old covenant 00:07:21.300 --> 00:07:24.079 sacrifices, that it is ineffective. And he says, 00:07:24.180 --> 00:07:28.139 if that's true, if Christ's sacrifice is ineffective, 00:07:28.360 --> 00:07:31.800 do you know what then must also be true of Christ? 00:07:32.220 --> 00:07:36.139 He would have to suffer and die over and over 00:07:36.139 --> 00:07:40.339 and over since the very foundation of the world. 00:07:42.569 --> 00:07:48.550 He's showing them the absolute absurdity of thinking 00:07:48.550 --> 00:07:54.550 that Christ's sacrifice is ineffective and like 00:07:54.550 --> 00:07:59.730 the old covenant sacrifices. He wants them to 00:07:59.730 --> 00:08:05.970 see that it's ridiculous to think that the Lord 00:08:05.970 --> 00:08:08.829 of glory would take on flesh and dwell among 00:08:08.829 --> 00:08:12.259 us. That he would live unto the law of God. That 00:08:12.259 --> 00:08:15.319 he would die on the cross. That he would go to 00:08:15.319 --> 00:08:17.720 the right hand of the Father. And he wants them 00:08:17.720 --> 00:08:19.920 to know it's ridiculous to think that God would 00:08:19.920 --> 00:08:24.939 send his Son in the flesh and fail. He wants 00:08:24.939 --> 00:08:29.139 them to think that it's absurd that Christ would 00:08:29.139 --> 00:08:34.279 take on this work of dealing with sin and not 00:08:34.279 --> 00:08:39.090 be. effective at what he came to accomplish. 00:08:40.269 --> 00:08:43.090 Because if Christ's sacrifice is ineffective, 00:08:43.330 --> 00:08:47.110 brothers and sisters, and it were like the high 00:08:47.110 --> 00:08:50.190 priest's sacrifice in the day of atonement, that 00:08:50.190 --> 00:08:53.149 means that his sacrifice would only be provisional 00:08:53.149 --> 00:08:55.669 for a time, or it would only be provisional for 00:08:55.669 --> 00:08:58.049 certain sins, it would only be provisional for 00:08:58.049 --> 00:09:00.750 a certain generation, it would only be provisional 00:09:00.750 --> 00:09:03.850 for a certain period, and he'd have to come back. 00:09:04.679 --> 00:09:08.159 And sacrifice himself again. He would have to 00:09:08.159 --> 00:09:10.919 die. Over and over and over. Time after time. 00:09:11.000 --> 00:09:13.019 Christ would come to the cross. And he would 00:09:13.019 --> 00:09:18.720 say. It is finished. This time. But the author 00:09:18.720 --> 00:09:23.700 saying. No. That is not the truth of the matter. 00:09:24.679 --> 00:09:29.120 No. That is not reality. No. That is not true. 00:09:29.240 --> 00:09:34.490 That is false. That is wrong. Christ's sacrifice 00:09:34.490 --> 00:09:41.429 is effective. It is full. It is final. It is 00:09:41.429 --> 00:09:46.549 complete. He wants them to see that there are 00:09:46.549 --> 00:09:53.769 implications to thinking wrongly about the death 00:09:53.769 --> 00:09:58.809 and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He wants them 00:09:58.809 --> 00:10:02.090 to understand, brothers and sisters, That there 00:10:02.090 --> 00:10:05.509 are consequences. There are implications to believing 00:10:05.509 --> 00:10:10.850 wrong things about what Christ has done. There 00:10:10.850 --> 00:10:14.070 are implications to believing wrongly about the 00:10:14.070 --> 00:10:17.389 gospel of Jesus Christ. There are consequences 00:10:17.389 --> 00:10:20.610 that come about in your own soul. And there are 00:10:20.610 --> 00:10:24.870 consequences theologically. And there are consequences 00:10:24.870 --> 00:10:30.919 in reality for believing wrong things. The author 00:10:30.919 --> 00:10:33.580 wants us to know this. He wants us to think on 00:10:33.580 --> 00:10:37.860 this. Wrong views of Christ's sacrifice, His 00:10:37.860 --> 00:10:41.259 death. Wrong views of Christ's work leads to 00:10:41.259 --> 00:10:46.419 wrong views of sin. Lead to wrong views of the 00:10:46.419 --> 00:10:52.340 character of God Himself. If you desecrate the 00:10:52.340 --> 00:10:56.000 cross of Christ, you desecrate... The purpose 00:10:56.000 --> 00:10:59.039 for which he came. You desecrate the person of 00:10:59.039 --> 00:11:04.419 God himself. Because he sent Christ. We can't. 00:11:04.740 --> 00:11:08.720 Have a wrong view. Of the effectiveness. The 00:11:08.720 --> 00:11:13.059 extent. The power of Christ's sacrifice. And 00:11:13.059 --> 00:11:18.279 have a right view. Of sin and God. It does not 00:11:18.279 --> 00:11:23.440 work. And the author. Wants his readers. To know 00:11:23.440 --> 00:11:28.700 this. This is why he writes to them. And he wants 00:11:28.700 --> 00:11:34.460 them to consider what is not true of Christ's 00:11:34.460 --> 00:11:37.320 sacrifice. What does he want his readers to do? 00:11:38.100 --> 00:11:40.279 What does he want us to do, brothers and sisters? 00:11:41.279 --> 00:11:46.100 He wants us to engage our minds. He wants us 00:11:46.100 --> 00:11:52.519 to think about what is not true of the gospel. 00:11:53.929 --> 00:11:58.269 He wants us to think and to use our minds about 00:11:58.269 --> 00:12:06.230 what is not true of Christ's death. What exactly 00:12:06.230 --> 00:12:09.830 does he demand of us in this thinking? What does 00:12:09.830 --> 00:12:12.190 he demand of us to think about? How do we know 00:12:12.190 --> 00:12:15.250 he's demanding of us to think about Christ's 00:12:15.250 --> 00:12:18.809 work and Christ's death? Why do we know? How 00:12:18.809 --> 00:12:22.230 do we know that he wants us to engage our minds? 00:12:23.080 --> 00:12:25.440 Well, you remember that argument that I gave 00:12:25.440 --> 00:12:32.600 you? What does that require of his readers? What 00:12:32.600 --> 00:12:37.100 does it require of you and me? When we hear the 00:12:37.100 --> 00:12:40.879 author's argumentation regarding the death of 00:12:40.879 --> 00:12:43.639 Christ, what do we have to do, brothers and sisters? 00:12:44.460 --> 00:12:48.000 We have to engage our minds and think logically 00:12:48.000 --> 00:12:51.700 and sensibly and rationally about... What Christ 00:12:51.700 --> 00:12:58.159 has done. He wants us to think. About what Christ. 00:12:58.279 --> 00:13:04.080 Has not done. Critically. He wants us. To consider 00:13:04.080 --> 00:13:08.940 the consequences. And the implications. Of wrong. 00:13:09.679 --> 00:13:19.139 Ideas wrong belief. And wrong. Thinking. The 00:13:19.139 --> 00:13:25.779 necessity. Of Christians using their mind. May 00:13:25.779 --> 00:13:31.960 sound. New today. Because it flies in the face. 00:13:32.279 --> 00:13:35.799 Of evangelicalism. And modern day Christianity. 00:13:36.500 --> 00:13:39.980 But brothers and sisters. The Lord Jesus Christ 00:13:39.980 --> 00:13:44.360 himself. The author of Hebrews. Requires and 00:13:44.360 --> 00:13:49.340 demands. That Christians. Engage their minds. 00:13:50.190 --> 00:13:54.809 To think about the work of Jesus Christ. We are 00:13:54.809 --> 00:14:00.629 called to think on these things. One of the reasons 00:14:00.629 --> 00:14:02.610 I think this is so difficult for us to wrap our 00:14:02.610 --> 00:14:04.990 minds around, and one of the reasons this sounds 00:14:04.990 --> 00:14:07.490 so novel, this idea of engaging our minds at 00:14:07.490 --> 00:14:10.210 church, engaging our mind in reading the Bible, 00:14:10.289 --> 00:14:12.570 engaging our minds in thinking about God, is 00:14:12.570 --> 00:14:15.169 because American Christianity does not lead with 00:14:15.169 --> 00:14:17.190 its mind in the truth. American Christianity 00:14:17.190 --> 00:14:22.320 leads with what? Emotionalism in their hearts. 00:14:22.340 --> 00:14:26.200 They leave their minds at home when it comes 00:14:26.200 --> 00:14:32.580 to church. The author of Hebrews does not think 00:14:32.580 --> 00:14:36.919 that's acceptable. If you want to understand 00:14:36.919 --> 00:14:39.759 what the author of Hebrews is saying, you have 00:14:39.759 --> 00:14:43.860 to engage your mind in the truth of God's Word. 00:14:44.700 --> 00:14:48.539 You have to give yourself... to thinking strenuously 00:14:48.539 --> 00:14:55.840 about the things of God. This is part of faith, 00:14:55.940 --> 00:15:01.700 isn't it? There's three aspects of faith. Historically, 00:15:01.700 --> 00:15:03.740 this is what we've said in the Reformed tradition. 00:15:04.320 --> 00:15:07.019 There's three aspects of faith. If we think about 00:15:07.019 --> 00:15:10.159 the object of our faith, the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:15:10.399 --> 00:15:13.559 the Word of God, the promises of God, there's 00:15:13.559 --> 00:15:17.419 three aspects. There's the content of that object. 00:15:18.139 --> 00:15:20.840 What it's made up of. What it's compiled. We 00:15:20.840 --> 00:15:23.779 have to understand it. We have to see it. We 00:15:23.779 --> 00:15:26.960 have to comprehend the knowledge. We have to 00:15:26.960 --> 00:15:29.559 comprehend the object, the content of it. Then 00:15:29.559 --> 00:15:33.320 that knowledge that we understand, we learn, 00:15:33.519 --> 00:15:36.679 that we think about, that knowledge has to become 00:15:36.679 --> 00:15:41.659 conviction. That it's the truth. And that conviction 00:15:41.659 --> 00:15:46.779 has to become trust. And that we actually believe, 00:15:46.940 --> 00:15:51.480 we actually trust in these realities to be true, 00:15:51.539 --> 00:15:55.659 to save us, to sanctify us, to grow us, so we 00:15:55.659 --> 00:16:02.779 can very legitimately say that if a person is 00:16:02.779 --> 00:16:07.500 not growing in their knowledge, in the grace 00:16:07.500 --> 00:16:11.240 and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, then 00:16:11.240 --> 00:16:15.539 they are not growing in their faith in Jesus 00:16:15.539 --> 00:16:23.100 Christ. We must continue to grow in our understanding 00:16:23.100 --> 00:16:27.960 of the object of our faith, the Word of God, 00:16:28.139 --> 00:16:33.299 Jesus Christ, the promises of God, if our faith 00:16:33.299 --> 00:16:36.460 is to be strengthened. And what does that require 00:16:36.460 --> 00:16:41.779 of us, brothers and sisters? Thinking about these 00:16:41.779 --> 00:16:46.259 things. The great need of our hour. The great 00:16:46.259 --> 00:16:48.639 need of our day. Brothers and sisters, the great 00:16:48.639 --> 00:16:54.399 need of your life is to think deeply about the 00:16:54.399 --> 00:16:59.220 things of God. You need to take time in your 00:16:59.220 --> 00:17:05.740 life to think long and hard about gospel realities. 00:17:07.660 --> 00:17:11.099 You need to dedicate time in your life to think 00:17:11.099 --> 00:17:14.980 about the effectiveness of Christ's work. You 00:17:14.980 --> 00:17:17.599 need to dedicate and give yourself to thinking 00:17:17.599 --> 00:17:22.819 deeply, intently, and proactively about the doctrines 00:17:22.819 --> 00:17:26.420 of grace, about the Word of God, about the five 00:17:26.420 --> 00:17:30.740 solas, about scriptural principles. We need to 00:17:30.740 --> 00:17:34.299 think deeply about who God is, what sin is, and 00:17:34.299 --> 00:17:39.240 what the law of God requires of us. Why don't 00:17:39.240 --> 00:17:43.640 people think deeply about the things of God? 00:17:44.599 --> 00:17:49.599 Why don't you and I think deeply about the things 00:17:49.599 --> 00:17:55.519 of God? Why don't we take time to think deeply 00:17:55.519 --> 00:18:01.640 about the things of God? Maybe it's because we're 00:18:01.640 --> 00:18:06.079 so preoccupied with other things. Maybe it's 00:18:06.079 --> 00:18:14.220 because our mind is always distracted and preoccupied 00:18:14.220 --> 00:18:20.359 with more significant issues in our life. Maybe 00:18:20.359 --> 00:18:24.779 it's because we're unwilling to discipline our 00:18:24.779 --> 00:18:28.440 minds to think deeply about the things of God. 00:18:29.480 --> 00:18:31.759 Maybe it's pride and arrogance and thinking, 00:18:31.799 --> 00:18:33.980 I don't need to think about these things. I've 00:18:33.980 --> 00:18:39.150 got it figured out. I've made it this long. Brothers 00:18:39.150 --> 00:18:40.990 and sisters, the thing we need, the thing you 00:18:40.990 --> 00:18:47.630 need in your life, is to think deeply about Jesus 00:18:47.630 --> 00:18:51.789 Christ, His Gospel, the Word of God, the Law 00:18:51.789 --> 00:18:59.329 of God, and who God is. You need that in your 00:18:59.329 --> 00:19:03.210 life. And the reality is this. Somebody may say, 00:19:03.289 --> 00:19:07.650 well, I don't have time for that. I don't have 00:19:07.650 --> 00:19:10.809 time to think deeply about the things of God. 00:19:10.890 --> 00:19:13.069 I've got a million and one things going on. A 00:19:13.069 --> 00:19:16.470 million and one things in the pot. A million 00:19:16.470 --> 00:19:20.109 things are stirring. Brothers and sisters, we 00:19:20.109 --> 00:19:24.470 make time for what matters most in our lives. 00:19:25.809 --> 00:19:30.569 We always do. How much time do you spend thinking 00:19:30.569 --> 00:19:33.509 about things that are no good for your soul, 00:19:33.630 --> 00:19:36.130 that are actually detrimental for your soul that 00:19:36.130 --> 00:19:41.549 God has given you? And how much time do you give 00:19:41.549 --> 00:19:45.529 to thinking about the precious blood of Jesus 00:19:45.529 --> 00:19:48.410 Christ who saved you from your sin, who saved 00:19:48.410 --> 00:19:51.930 you from wrath and saved you from hell? How much 00:19:51.930 --> 00:19:55.150 time do we give to think intently about the Word 00:19:55.150 --> 00:19:58.789 of the living God that has the power to save? 00:19:59.529 --> 00:20:05.869 We must think deeply about these things. The 00:20:05.869 --> 00:20:08.750 reason we must think deeply about these things 00:20:08.750 --> 00:20:11.869 is because there's implications. There's consequences 00:20:11.869 --> 00:20:17.529 for thinking and believing wrongly. What happens 00:20:17.529 --> 00:20:22.779 when we start thinking? That Christ's sacrifice 00:20:22.779 --> 00:20:26.259 is ineffective, brothers and sisters. What are 00:20:26.259 --> 00:20:28.519 the implications for our own soul? What are the 00:20:28.519 --> 00:20:30.859 implications for our view of sin and our view 00:20:30.859 --> 00:20:33.680 of God when we start thinking Jesus' sacrifice 00:20:33.680 --> 00:20:41.440 is not enough? Hopelessness. Despair. We have 00:20:41.440 --> 00:20:46.359 a sense of condemnation. Guilt. There's room 00:20:46.359 --> 00:20:52.059 for works. And my own righteousness. We must 00:20:52.059 --> 00:20:57.819 take time to think deeply and to guarantee and 00:20:57.819 --> 00:21:01.440 to ensure and to do our best that we believe 00:21:01.440 --> 00:21:08.000 rightly regarding the things of God. The things 00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:12.059 that have to do with the gospel of Jesus Christ. 00:21:12.880 --> 00:21:17.880 So we see what Christ's sacrifice is not. But 00:21:17.880 --> 00:21:20.460 the author also wants us to see what Christ's 00:21:20.460 --> 00:21:24.579 sacrifice is. We see this in the second half 00:21:24.579 --> 00:21:29.400 of verse 26. We read these words. But now, once 00:21:29.400 --> 00:21:33.000 at the consummation of the ages, he has been 00:21:33.000 --> 00:21:36.920 manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of 00:21:36.920 --> 00:21:41.259 himself. So I've seen what Christ's sacrifice 00:21:41.259 --> 00:21:46.250 is not. How it's not ineffective. And now we 00:21:46.250 --> 00:21:50.289 see what Christ's sacrifice is truly like. The 00:21:50.289 --> 00:21:52.970 true nature, the true character of his sacrifice 00:21:52.970 --> 00:21:58.930 as being once for all effective to destroy and 00:21:58.930 --> 00:22:04.549 do away with sin. We see what the gospel, what 00:22:04.549 --> 00:22:11.170 Christ's sacrifice positively is. So the author 00:22:11.170 --> 00:22:14.740 shows us this in a few ways. He shows us this 00:22:14.740 --> 00:22:19.740 by clearly stating that Christ's sacrifice has 00:22:19.740 --> 00:22:26.480 been carried out once in and for the divine and 00:22:26.480 --> 00:22:32.180 redemptive purposes of God. We read in the second 00:22:32.180 --> 00:22:39.200 part of verse 26 there, but now once at the consummation 00:22:39.200 --> 00:22:44.940 of the ages. The author ties the death of Christ 00:22:44.940 --> 00:22:52.799 into the context of the setting of the historical, 00:22:52.839 --> 00:22:58.279 redemptive, eschatological end of the world. 00:22:58.779 --> 00:23:02.819 The consummation of the ages. It's talking about 00:23:02.819 --> 00:23:08.160 the fact that Christ's death came at a redemptively 00:23:08.160 --> 00:23:13.359 strategic point in time. The summing up of one 00:23:13.359 --> 00:23:16.799 age, the old covenant, and the starting of another 00:23:16.799 --> 00:23:21.380 day or another age, the latter days. And it's 00:23:21.380 --> 00:23:24.759 really the consummation of the earthly, worldly 00:23:24.759 --> 00:23:30.140 ages that we know that men live and dwell in. 00:23:30.200 --> 00:23:34.319 Christ's sacrifice took place at the consummation 00:23:34.319 --> 00:23:37.500 of ages, but it's also the event which brought 00:23:37.500 --> 00:23:42.309 about the consummation of the ages. His death 00:23:42.309 --> 00:23:47.430 is essential, vital, integral to the history 00:23:47.430 --> 00:23:52.069 and future of the world. The death of Christ 00:23:52.069 --> 00:23:56.089 did not happen in the old covenant, the previous 00:23:56.089 --> 00:24:00.809 age. The death of Christ occurred at the consummation 00:24:00.809 --> 00:24:05.470 of the ages. Why? Because God had a specific 00:24:05.470 --> 00:24:09.910 redemptive purpose for Christ to accomplish. 00:24:10.509 --> 00:24:13.170 When he came into the world. And the incarnation 00:24:13.170 --> 00:24:17.430 when he took on flesh. That one purpose will 00:24:17.430 --> 00:24:24.069 never be repeated ever again. What was the purpose 00:24:24.069 --> 00:24:28.769 of Christ's first coming into this world? At 00:24:28.769 --> 00:24:32.390 the consummation of the ages. Well the text tells 00:24:32.390 --> 00:24:36.950 us doesn't it? He has been manifested to put 00:24:36.950 --> 00:24:43.750 away sin. By the sacrifice of himself. Why did 00:24:43.750 --> 00:24:47.710 the Lord Jesus Christ come into this world? Why 00:24:47.710 --> 00:24:51.390 did he inaugurate the last days as Hebrews 1, 00:24:51.509 --> 00:24:55.349 1 and 2 says? Why is it that in his last days 00:24:55.349 --> 00:24:58.869 that the God has spoken through his son? Why 00:24:58.869 --> 00:25:01.589 did he manifest himself up here and come into 00:25:01.589 --> 00:25:06.589 the world? To deal with sin, brothers and sisters. 00:25:07.440 --> 00:25:10.019 He came into the world to put it away. This is 00:25:10.019 --> 00:25:15.819 a very unique word. It carries this idea of formally 00:25:15.819 --> 00:25:21.000 or officially, legally, canceling, annulling, 00:25:21.039 --> 00:25:27.099 abrogating sin. It doesn't have anything to do 00:25:27.099 --> 00:25:31.960 with the natural removal of sin. It has everything 00:25:31.960 --> 00:25:35.259 to do... with the cancellation, the breaking, 00:25:35.359 --> 00:25:40.200 the annulling of sin's legal demands on a person's 00:25:40.200 --> 00:25:45.839 life. Meaning, Christ came into the world the 00:25:45.839 --> 00:25:52.220 first time. He manifested Himself to remove the 00:25:52.220 --> 00:25:56.039 penalty of sin from the people of God. To remove 00:25:56.039 --> 00:25:59.079 the guilt of sin, the stain of sin in their lives. 00:25:59.400 --> 00:26:03.559 and to destroy the power of sin in their lives. 00:26:04.759 --> 00:26:09.839 That's why Christ came to die, to sacrifice Himself 00:26:09.839 --> 00:26:16.039 when He first came. Now, let me ask you a question. 00:26:17.400 --> 00:26:22.039 Can that purpose, within the realm of redemptive, 00:26:22.039 --> 00:26:26.019 eschatological history in the world, can that 00:26:26.019 --> 00:26:33.569 ever, ever, Be repeated. No. God will no more 00:26:33.569 --> 00:26:37.650 delete the universe and restart than Christ will 00:26:37.650 --> 00:26:43.750 come back and suffer and die again. He has bore 00:26:43.750 --> 00:26:49.549 the sins of his people and he has accomplished 00:26:49.549 --> 00:26:52.170 redemption. It's done. It's final. It's over. 00:26:53.680 --> 00:26:57.220 There's nothing left for him to do with regards 00:26:57.220 --> 00:27:01.519 to the condemnation that sin heaps upon the people 00:27:01.519 --> 00:27:03.960 of God. Christ has dealt with it, brothers and 00:27:03.960 --> 00:27:10.480 sisters. It's done. Will he return again? Yes. 00:27:11.279 --> 00:27:16.720 But will he return again to atone for sins? Will 00:27:16.720 --> 00:27:20.299 he return again to bear the sins of his people? 00:27:20.579 --> 00:27:26.539 Absolutely not. He will come again to deliver 00:27:26.539 --> 00:27:31.019 His people from the presence of sin and from 00:27:31.019 --> 00:27:36.819 their enemies and to judge the world. But He 00:27:36.819 --> 00:27:42.460 will not come as a lamb slain. He will not come 00:27:42.460 --> 00:27:49.779 as one bearing sin. Christ's death cannot be 00:27:49.779 --> 00:27:53.710 repeated. he will never again submit himself 00:27:53.710 --> 00:28:00.890 to the wicked intents of evil men. The days of 00:28:00.890 --> 00:28:04.170 his humiliation, brothers and sisters, are over. 00:28:05.750 --> 00:28:09.529 The days of him concealing his glory are done. 00:28:10.390 --> 00:28:13.589 The days of him coming in and suffering at the 00:28:13.589 --> 00:28:16.170 hands of evil rulers and wicked men are done. 00:28:17.490 --> 00:28:21.900 He no more bears sin. He's accomplished it. It's 00:28:21.900 --> 00:28:28.299 once for all. That purpose is final. It's full 00:28:28.299 --> 00:28:37.000 and it's complete. The author clearly wants us 00:28:37.000 --> 00:28:42.099 to think about what Christ's sacrifice truly 00:28:42.099 --> 00:28:46.420 is. He doesn't want us just to think about what 00:28:46.420 --> 00:28:50.369 his sacrifice isn't. He knows there's implications 00:28:50.369 --> 00:28:53.849 for thinking wrongly about that. But the author 00:28:53.849 --> 00:28:57.690 also wants us to think about the effectiveness, 00:28:58.069 --> 00:29:05.329 the power of Christ's sacrifice in the life of 00:29:05.329 --> 00:29:08.869 his people. How do we see this in this text? 00:29:09.730 --> 00:29:15.549 Well, he wants us to use our minds to think about 00:29:15.549 --> 00:29:19.210 the relationship of Christ's death. And his purpose 00:29:19.210 --> 00:29:22.970 in his first coming. He wants us to use our minds 00:29:22.970 --> 00:29:25.109 to think about the purpose of Christ's first 00:29:25.109 --> 00:29:27.789 coming and the purpose of his second coming. 00:29:28.529 --> 00:29:32.670 He wants us to think about what Christ has accomplished. 00:29:32.890 --> 00:29:39.049 Why? Because there's implications. Just as there 00:29:39.049 --> 00:29:41.809 are implications and consequences for thinking 00:29:41.809 --> 00:29:46.369 wrongly about the gospel. Negative consequences. 00:29:47.470 --> 00:29:50.730 There are positive implications and positive 00:29:50.730 --> 00:29:53.910 consequences for thinking rightly about the Gospel 00:29:53.910 --> 00:30:02.309 and Christ's death. When we view the sacrifice 00:30:02.309 --> 00:30:08.390 of Jesus Christ as fully, completely, and finally 00:30:08.390 --> 00:30:13.490 effective, there will be freedom from the condemnation 00:30:13.490 --> 00:30:17.799 of sin in your life, brothers and sisters. It 00:30:17.799 --> 00:30:21.779 will give you a right view of God and a right 00:30:21.779 --> 00:30:26.140 view of yourself and a right view of sin in your 00:30:26.140 --> 00:30:30.920 life. There will be no room for works or self 00:30:30.920 --> 00:30:35.059 -righteousness whatsoever. The guilt will be 00:30:35.059 --> 00:30:42.099 removed. The power of sin will be no more. Because 00:30:42.099 --> 00:30:46.240 Christ's sacrifice is fully... and completely 00:30:46.240 --> 00:30:50.619 effective. His death, when we realize that His 00:30:50.619 --> 00:30:55.420 death and His sacrifice is effective for all 00:30:55.420 --> 00:31:04.200 types of sin. All types of people. When we realize 00:31:04.200 --> 00:31:08.160 that His sacrifice is effective for all degrees 00:31:08.160 --> 00:31:11.720 and amounts of sin, brothers and sisters, do 00:31:11.720 --> 00:31:14.220 you not find joy and gratitude in your heart? 00:31:16.269 --> 00:31:19.109 Does this not give you joy and thanksgiving in 00:31:19.109 --> 00:31:24.849 your heart? Because that's what comes as a result 00:31:24.849 --> 00:31:30.970 of believing rightly about the sacrifice of Jesus 00:31:30.970 --> 00:31:41.329 Christ. Ultimately, believing wrongly has consequences, 00:31:41.569 --> 00:31:49.299 doesn't it? Believing the wrong things about 00:31:49.299 --> 00:31:54.099 Jesus Christ. Believing the wrong things about 00:31:54.099 --> 00:32:01.359 His death, His life, have consequences. There 00:32:01.359 --> 00:32:06.539 are eternal implications. There are eternal consequences 00:32:06.539 --> 00:32:13.720 for wrong belief. And there are eternal consequences. 00:32:15.470 --> 00:32:20.349 For believing upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Truly 00:32:20.349 --> 00:32:26.049 believing on Him. So we've seen what Christ's 00:32:26.049 --> 00:32:29.650 sacrifice is not. But we've also seen, brothers 00:32:29.650 --> 00:32:35.549 and sisters, what Christ's sacrifice is. We have 00:32:35.549 --> 00:32:40.730 every reason, as believers, to lift up our heads 00:32:40.730 --> 00:32:49.069 and not be dismayed. All of us. Because sin cannot 00:32:49.069 --> 00:32:54.589 condemn you and me. It doesn't matter what season 00:32:54.589 --> 00:33:00.049 it is. I know the election is coming up. Brothers 00:33:00.049 --> 00:33:02.690 and sisters, listen. We have no reason to be 00:33:02.690 --> 00:33:05.329 discouraged or dismayed. Do you know what Christ 00:33:05.329 --> 00:33:07.869 has done? What He has accomplished on our behalf? 00:33:09.809 --> 00:33:13.690 Do you know who our Lord is that we come to worship? 00:33:15.630 --> 00:33:18.609 Lift up your face. Christ has dealt with your 00:33:18.609 --> 00:33:24.890 sin. We have every reason to walk in power, authority, 00:33:25.150 --> 00:33:29.470 and liberty, joy, peace, and hope because of 00:33:29.470 --> 00:33:35.309 what Jesus Christ has done. Every reason. Your 00:33:35.309 --> 00:33:38.230 sin cannot condemn you. And if you are in Christ, 00:33:38.349 --> 00:33:41.609 you will never spend a second in hell or under 00:33:41.609 --> 00:33:46.420 wrath. You will experience all the eternal joys 00:33:46.420 --> 00:33:49.640 of heaven and every spiritual blessing in Christ 00:33:49.640 --> 00:33:54.559 because our Lord, our Savior, died on the cross 00:33:54.559 --> 00:33:57.700 and sacrificed Himself and effectively dealt 00:33:57.700 --> 00:34:01.900 with our sin. Lift up your chins, brothers and 00:34:01.900 --> 00:34:05.200 sisters. Lift up your faces. Be joyful. Be glad. 00:34:07.420 --> 00:34:10.860 Don't let... the things of this world creep in 00:34:10.860 --> 00:34:17.500 and dominate your thinking. Think deeply. Think 00:34:17.500 --> 00:34:23.300 long about the things of God. Think about the 00:34:23.300 --> 00:34:26.000 Lord Jesus Christ, brothers and sisters. Think 00:34:26.000 --> 00:34:30.079 about who He is and what He's done. It will crowd 00:34:30.079 --> 00:34:34.420 out the rest. Discipline your mind. Discipline 00:34:34.420 --> 00:34:37.699 your heart. Make time. Determine you're going 00:34:37.699 --> 00:34:44.329 to do it. Ask God for the Spirit of God's help. 00:34:44.989 --> 00:34:49.010 Cry out to Him. Cry out that God would carry 00:34:49.010 --> 00:34:52.090 you along by His divine Spirit, that you would 00:34:52.090 --> 00:34:56.269 be encouraged and walk in peace and faith. We 00:34:56.269 --> 00:35:00.150 have every reason to walk with confidence and 00:35:00.150 --> 00:35:04.130 hope because Christ has dealt with our sin. Sin 00:35:04.130 --> 00:35:07.769 does not have to be removed for us to have hope. 00:35:09.670 --> 00:35:12.429 We have eternal hope, not a hope for tomorrow. 00:35:14.170 --> 00:35:18.190 We can live where we live at the time we live 00:35:18.190 --> 00:35:21.250 in, in this day and in this age, and we can still 00:35:21.250 --> 00:35:24.389 walk with hope and confidence in Christ because 00:35:24.389 --> 00:35:29.070 we know who our Savior is and what He has accomplished. 00:35:30.329 --> 00:35:33.510 Lift up your chins. Be not dismayed, brothers 00:35:33.510 --> 00:35:38.010 and sisters. We have a Lord. We have a Savior. 00:35:38.699 --> 00:35:45.780 who has effectively dealt with sin. Take heart.