This transcript was generated by whisper.ai.

(upbeat music) Welcome to day five of our Look Through Hebrews chapter nine,
this great chapter about God's love for us shown to us on the cross, shown in
the blood of Christ. I want to share with you as we come to the end of this
chapter in verse 24, verse 26, and then the verses we're going to focus on today,
27 and 28, three appearances of Jesus Christ. Let me read those verses together
listen for the word appear, it happens three times.

First verse 24, for Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a
copy of the true one. He entered heaven itself there to appear for us in God's
presence. And then last half of verse 26, but now he has appeared once for all
at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.

And then verses 27 and 28, just as man is destined to die once and after that to
face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many
people and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation
to those who are waiting for him. The three appearances of Jesus in these
verses, he appeared to take away sin, he is now appearing in heaven for us, he
will appear a second time. Let's look at those, first he appeared once for all
at the end of the ages to do away with sin and he will appear a second time.

Now notice this doesn't say at the end of time, the end of the ages, what does
that mean? It's talking about the new covenant that came in, it's talking about
the right time that he came to open up the way to God, to open up the way to
heaven. It's talking about the fact that Jesus finished the plan of salvation.

And you and I, when we look at the way that he appeared for us to do away with
sin, how do I respond to that? I respond by accepting the gift accepting that
gift, the blood of Jesus Christ. He appeared to do away with sin, that's why he
came the first time.

There's a second appearance that's talked about here, in fact it's the one
that's talked about first in this chapter up in verse 24. It's what Jesus is
doing now. That verse says now he appears for us in God's presence.

We've talked about that as we've looked through the book of Hebrews, he is now
interceding for us at the right hand of God. And what do I do about that?
Because of that I can live with confidence in his presence.

I can live with joy in his presence because I know that Jesus is appearing for
me right now at the right hand of God. He not only appeared on this earth when
he was born in Bethlehem, when he lived his life, when he gave his life, when he
was resurrected, he's also appearing now for me. He appeared for me, he's
appearing now for me, and he'll appear a second time for me and for all those
who have come to know him.

One day he will appear to bring salvation. And notice verse 27, it says we die
once and after that we're going to face the judgment. There's no such thing, no
such ideas of reincarnation in the Bible.

It's very clear. We live our life on this earth and after that we face the
judgment. And that scares many people, that word judgment.

It doesn't have to. A judgment can be a good thing. You can get a good judgment.

And because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross, when you face the
judgment, you don't have to face it as a negative thing. You can face the
judgment knowing that you're going to be set free, that you have been forgiven,
that you're going to live in relationship with him. The Bible tells us that
everyone must die once.

That's one appointment I'm not going to be late for. You're not going to be late for.
You might be early to appointments in your life.

You might be one of those people who are habitually late for appointments. But
one appointment you're not going to be late for is this one. One appointment you
cannot cancel is this one.

This is an appointment that was made before you were born, before God even chose
to create you. He already knew how many seconds you were going to live on this
planet. And one day you're going to die.

You and I are going to face him. He's going to appear again. Now it may be that I
don't die, that he appears again, that I'm raptured.

It may be that I die and that I experience this when he appears again. But
either way, there's a reason that he appears a second time. And that is to bring
salvation.

He doesn't appear to bring judgment. Notice here, this is talking to believers.
And as believers, we need to understand.

There is a judgment that God has for unbelievers. But as believers, we need to
understand that Jesus appears again to bring, not judgment, but salvation. Not
negative judgment, but the positive judgment of reward.

At the end of time, what's going to happen to believers? In one word, reward. An
eternity of reward.

Jesus brings salvation to us. That's a reward. We worship him in perfect
eternity.

That's a reward. He gives us crowns of glory. That's a reward.

Now, you don't deserve this. I don't deserve this. The rewards come to us solely
based on God's grace.

Any share that you and I get in God's glory, God's honor, only serves to give
him more glory, him more honor throughout all eternity. And so I should live,
you should live a life of faith because we have this kind of hope. When the
Bible tells us he's going to appear a second time, it's reminding us that you and I
can live in anticipation of looking towards that kind of salvation.

The truth is, the promise of that salvation has already been given because of
what Jesus did on the cross. Some people think that living a righteous life
comes out of a fear of the future. God's going to appear someday.

And if I don't live right, I'm not going to make it into heaven. I've found in
teaching and talking to many, many people that a true life of faith does not
come out of fear. It comes out of security in the future, knowing I'm in God's
hands, knowing that he's bringing his salvation.

And based on that kind of security, I can live in a new kind of way. So my
question to you is, how are you living? Are you living based on some fear of the
future?

If you've been living as a believer, a follower of Jesus, if you've been living
in fear of judgment, you no longer need to live in that kind of fear. John
chapter five tells us that you've already passed out of judgment into life. It's
already settled.

You're going to be in eternity with him if you've got a relationship with him. The
scripture tells us that we will be judged as believers and there will be loss in
that judgment, no doubt about it. There will be loss in those places where I did
not have faith.

But alongside of that loss and the sting of that that may last for merely a
second in terms of eternity, there is great reward. Jesus is not looking forward
to judging you, slapping your hand on the way into eternity. Jesus is looking
forward.

He will appear a second time to bring salvation. He's looking forward to
rewarding you, rewarding you because of all that he has done on the cross, all
the grace that he has given and every decision you've made out of that grace,
every way you followed him out of that grace, there is reward in that again and
again and again, piled on top of each other, on top of each other, on top of
each other. Jesus wants us to be with us where he is.

He wants to reward us for what he has done. The reward doesn't bring any sense
of pride in my life because he did it. We don't get to heaven and compare
rewards and think, well, you got more rewards than I did.

We get to heaven and recognize it's all to Jesus's glory anyway. That's why he
came. So how are you living right now?

Are you living in fear of the future, in fear of God's judgment, afraid of what
he might do to you? Are you living a life of faith, recognizing what he's
already done for you? How do you live that life of faith?

One day at a time. That's the only way you can live it, is one day at a time.
How do you live that life of faith?

By reminding yourself of the three things we talked about today, the appearances
of Jesus. You live a life of faith by reminding yourself, he appeared to give
his life for me on the cross, to be resurrected for me. By reminding yourself,
he is appearing right now in heaven, talking to God on my behalf.

That should strengthen your faith. And you live a life of faith by reminding
yourself he will appear a second time, not to bring judgment, not for me as a
believer, but to bring salvation, because that's what he died on the cross to
bring. Jesus, as we talk to you, we pray, I pray.

You help me to live a life of faith today. Live a life based on what you have
done for me. And because of that, to live the way you made me to live.

To have the kind of thoughts that you made me to have, to say the kind of words
that you made me to say, act in the kind of ways that you want me to act. Jesus,
release me from the prison of trying to do that on my own power. And give me the
joy today of doing that based on who you are, that you appeared, are appearing,
and will appear for me.

Thank you, Jesus, in your name, amen. Next week, next week we're going to talk
about coming out of the shadows into the light.