The Fully Saving Work of Christ

INTRODUCTION

Marriage—covenant—then, now, until death parts us.

Because Jesus Christ has already died to save us from sin’s penalty. He is now alive in heaven, interceding to save us from sin’s power. And He will come again to finally and fully save us from sin’s very presence.

This is the heart of Hebrews 9:23–28. Christ has saved. Christ is saving. Christ will save. So the question you must answer today—as surely as John Harper asked it in those waters is—Are you saved?

Hebrews 9:22–28 ESV

Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has 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. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters 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 end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

In these verses, the author shows us the three-fold saving work of Christ—Christ appeared in the flesh to save us from the PENALTY of sin, Christ appears presently before God the Father to intercede and save us from the POWER of sin, and one day he will appear again to save us from the PRESENCE of sin.

Christ's work of salvation is complete. He is saving, He has saved, and He will save.

We will take each one of these in the order they appear in the text.

Christ presently appears before God to save us.

(vs. 23-24)

Hebrews 9:23–24 “Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has 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 doesn’t mean that there is an actual temple/tabernacle in heaven and a replica here on earth. What is on earth, though, represents the holiness of heaven. Remember—Moses didn’t draw up the blueprints for the tabernacle. God did.

We cannot limit the saving work of Jesus to what he did on the cross 2,000 years ago. The cross was absolutely necessary for our salvation—and we are going to see that in just a moment—but in His work as MEDIATOR (what we talked about last Sunday), Christ is presently/actively saving us. What does that mean?

Christ is continuously mediating/representing on our behalf before God the Father. Now, this isn’t to say that we need to be saved over and over and over again. This is, though, saying that every single day that we are saved, Christ’s blood is covering us and saving us from the wrath of God.

The most important word in these two verses—“NOW.”

So, the author has already told us, in Hebrews 1:3 “After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…”

Hebrews Exposition

Christ has gone to heaven to put in an appearance on our behalf. As in a court of law, when a man appears by his attorney, or legal representative, he is in the court, even though he may be miles away.

So are we, today, in possession of our eternal inheritance through Him, who has put in an appearance for us. God sees His saints in heaven in the person of their glorious representative. In Him we are raised up together, and made to sit together in the heavenly places.

(Spurgeon)

SIN’S POWER

APPLICATION

Power over temptation to sin.

Hebrews 4:15–16 “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Christ appeared, in flesh, to save us.

(vs. 25-26)

English Standard Version Chapter 9

25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26 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 end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was once—and—for—all. The priests had to go into the holy of holies once a year with the blood of a sacrifice—on Yom Kippur—the Day of Atonement.

Incarnation

Gregory of Nazianzus — “That which is not assumed is not healed.”

1 Timothy 1:15 “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”

The cross

Again…“without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin.”

SIN’S PENALTY

Application

This should give us assurance:

Christ’s blood is powerful enough to save the vilest of sinners.

Christ’s blood is powerful enough to secure your salvation for eternity.

Christ will appear one day to save us.

(vs. 27-28)

Hebrews 9:27–28 “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”

The Christian hope in a sentence—Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ is coming again.

What does it mean that Christ will “save us”? It doesn’t mean that our salvation/our justification is incomplete right now but, that, one day Christ will return and our salvation will reach its fullness—our glorification. He’s already dealt with our sin. He’s already washed us, sanctified us, justified us…but one day He will GLORIFY us.

Romans 8:22–23 “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”

1 John 3:2 “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”

1 Corinthians 15:51–52 “Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”

Philippians 3:20 “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,”

SIN’S PRESENCE

How should this shape us?

Repent and believe today.

He is coming again

Our mission

Our holiness

Our faithfulness