Sermon Tone Analysis

My wife and I watched a feel good movie on NetFlix on Wednesday night.

It did not start out too well.

A young lady went to look for a lost dog and soon found it hiding under a car next to the street.

When she turned around with it in her arms, she and the dog were hit by a city bus.

(This was not shown.)

The next scene they are at the gates of heaven waiting to get checked in but the arch angel in charge (who had replaced St. Peter at the gates 100 years earlier) could not find her name on the list.

She had not done enough good things to get into heaven and stood in jeopardy of going to hell which was described as sitting on a bench just waiting for all eternity with some real evil looking people.

Well, according to the movie, she would have a second chance . . .

or more.

She could go back to earth as an angel (visible to only one person) and correct some things so that she would “earn her wings”.

In spite of the horrible theology, it was entertaining.

But it conveys some ancient misunderstandings about our eternal future which many people still believe today.

The main misunderstanding was is that our entrance into heaven is dependent on who we are and what we do and believe rather than on who Jesus is and what has done to save us.

Thankfully, we have the guidance of the Bible to teach us what God has to say about that day when we will be called from this life and about to face our eternal destination.

That guidance centers on Jesus Christ.

We Must all Appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ

Context: To best way to understand the book of Hebrews is to be well versed in the Jewish religious system and to have a working knowledge of temple worship including sacrifices and the priesthood.

This is because the author compares repeatedly that system (which foreshadowed Jesus and his office of high priest) with what Jesus did and still does for us.

In this text alone we have references to the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place, the Day of Atonement, the high priest, and sacrifices.

Note how the author compares this with Jesus.

This is a reference to the Day of Atonement (summarize)

From it appears that even the high priest could not enter the holy of holies at all times and without special ceremonies; he and his household needed reconciliation, as did the people of Israel and even the sanctuary itself.

The Day of Atonement was proclaimed a fast, reminding the Israelites of Yahweh’s holiness and their own sinfulness (including the most holy persons).

A number of sacrifices were offered, fifteen altogether (sixteen counting the goat of Azazel): twelve burnt offerings and three sin offerings (; ).

Including the ram (mentioned separately at ), there were thirteen burnt offerings and four sin offerings.

The Israelite sacrifices of reconciliation were similar in function to the purification ceremonies of the ancient Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans.

The Day of Atonement was “a sabbath of solemn rest” (), which included a purification ceremony in the tabernacle as well as a general fast.

After the high priest had bathed and had put on his linen clothes (rather than his radiant office vestments; v. 4), he chose for himself and his house a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.

From the congregation he took two goats as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering.

He then had the two goats placed at the entrance of the tent of meeting where he cast a lot, assigning one goat for Yahweh and “one for Azazel.”

The goat assigned by lot to Yahweh was to be sacrificed as a sin offering, but the other goat was placed before the Lord alive in order to reconcile, i.e., to be dedicated as a scapegoat (vv.

20–22) and subsequently to be driven into the desert, bearing the guilt of Israel’s sins.

Significance

The Day of Atonement was the central atoning rite for the entire nation.

As the people created a religious calendar, atonement seemed to be a natural part of a new year’s worship.

The Day of Atonement thus became a central feature of the seventh month new year celebrations, which were built around the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles.

The Jews established such a feast on a yearly basis to give it regularity and ensure that the sanctuary and people were regularly purified and restored to their holy condition.

God could only visit His people when the place of worship, the priests, and the people were pure.

The ritual was also the major cleansing and atoning ritual in the Bible.

After lots were cast between the two goats, Aaron killed the bull of the sin offering for himself and his house.

Taking next a pan of glowing coals from the altar of burnt offering, he placed ground-up incense on the fire before the face of Yahweh—inside the veil while a cloud of smoke from the incense covered the mercy seat.

Then with his finger he sprinkled blood of the bull seven times on the front side of the mercy seat and seven times in front of it, killed the goat of the sin offering, and added the blood of that animal to that of the killed bull, sprinkling the holy place and the horns of the altar of burnt offering.

An indispensable detail of the ceremony was the placing of the live goat before the altar of burnt offering.

Leaning with his two hands on the head of the animal, Aaron confessed all the iniquity of the Israelites as well as their transgressions, symbolically placing them on the head of the goat.

After this act an appointed person took the animal to the wilderness outside of the camp where he was to free it (cf.

).

(In later years the person customarily threw the goat from the cliffs so that it died.)

Finally, the high priest went to the tent of meeting, took off his linen clothes, bathed himself, put on his regular vestments, and offered the two rams as a burnt offering in the court, thus reconciling himself and the people.

The bull and the goat of the sin offering were placed outside the camp, to be burned totally, including skin, flesh, and dung (; see ).

Like the person who had sent the live goat to the wilderness, the one who burned the animal had to wash his clothes and bathe himself.

It may have been that the feast offering prescribed at was given.

On this day the High Priest would enter the Most Holy Place to make sacrifices to God.

The only fast day prescribed in Mosaic law, the Day of Atonement (cf. ) gained particular importance in postexilic times (cf.

).

Although the fast retained significance in New Testament times (cf.

), the event came to be reinterpreted among Christians in terms of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ as the Great High Priest (.; cf.

5:5).

Myers, A. C. (1987).

In The Eerdmans Bible dictionary (pp.

106–107).

Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

As our high priest, Jesus sacrificed himself as the payment for the sins of the world.

He did this on the cross.

Because his sacrifice was holy (perfect life and innocent death), he did not have to sacrifice for himself first nor does he need to sacrifice himself again and again.

The author tells us that even though Jesus died on earth, he entered heaven to present this sacrifice.

He is still in heaven and now he intercedes for us.

This is the central teaching of Christianity.

Our relationship with God isn’t about us.

It is about Jesus.

Unlike other religions and even misunderstandings in popular culture, our relationship with God is not dependent upon how good we are, our intentions, or even how sorry we are and the promises we make after we have sinned.

It is dependent on who Jesus is and what he has done to save us.

As we sing “In Christ alone my hope is found.

He is my light, my strength, my song” . . .

“ Or the more traditional “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

I dare to make no other claim But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

When he shall come with trumpet sound, Oh, may I then in him be found,

clothed in his righteousness alone, Faultless to stand before his throne.

This hope is based on what St. Paul teaches in Romans.

St. Paul concludes this thought with the reminder that God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ.

But instead of being judged based on our own works (which he argues are worthless and therefore no one will be saved), we are judged based on the works of Jesus which we trust in through faith.

Note the difference.

We are saved by faith in Jesus and not by our own works or even faith plus works.

This does not rule out our godly response to what Jesus has done.

The Holy Spirit brings us to faith in him.

And the Holy Spirit strengthens us through word and sacrament to respond in thankfulness.

But God does not judge us based on how well we measure up.

This does not rule out our godly response to what Jesus has done.

The Holy Spirit brings us to faith in him.

And the Holy Spirit strengthens us through word and sacrament to respond in thankfulness.

But God does not judge us based on how well we measure up.

But we will be judged.

(NIV)

27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

In the movie mentioned earlier, it wasn’t just the lady that was killed by the bus.

What else was killed?

The dog.

He was admitted into heaven without reservation.

Why? “Because all dogs go to heaven.”

It saddens me that this is a common belief among many people today.

Those who have shown no evidence of faith and some who were even avowed atheists, what is said at their funerals or in the obituaries?

“So and so is now in a better place.”

“He or she is with Jesus.”

Well, the Bible doesn’t teach that all people go to heaven.

Jesus himself often concluded teaching sessions with ominous warnings (see example).