The End of All Roads
Highway Through Hebrews - The Seventh Highway • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 30 viewsNotes
Transcript
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Introduction
Introduction
This morning, we have arrived at our final highway through Hebrews. As a matter of fact, this one is not really a highway through, but it’s only the two verses that I’ve read for you today already. You see, we are at the end of the road…The End of All Roads in these verses, and that is what the final highway is called - The End of All Roads.
The day in which the letter to the Hebrews was written was a time of uncertainty. Old religious regimes had been terminated; people hardly knew what to expect next. Many Christians were becoming martyrs, the hatred released against them was frightening, and they all wondered if they’d be the next victim.
In the midst of this uncertainty, God stressed the certainties of life, and by doing so, summed up what had been said throughout the epistle; we have the Gospel in a nutshell in these verses. Let me remind you of a few things before we get into the message...
If you’ve listened to anything I’ve preached over the past several weeks, you’ll know that the writer of Hebrews has been telling his readers that Jesus is better!
He was a better sacrifice! He wants them to know that the salvation Jesus purchased when He died on the cross is real, powerful and perfect. Jesus is better than the Law with all its sacrifices. His blood is better than all the blood of all the sacrifices offered since the dawn of time.
The writer wants his readers to know that Jesus did not have to offer Himself “often,” v. 25. But, just as men die “once,” v. 27, Jesus died “once,” and in that one death, He purchased eternal redemption for all those who will believe in Him.
The Old Testament priest and the worshippers under that old system offered many millions of animals over the years that could “never take away sins,” Heb. 10:11. When Jesus died, He “offered one sacrifice for sins forever,” and “sat down on the right hand of God,” Heb. 10:12, having forever finished the work of salvation.
Now, for a sinner to be saved from the wrath of God is for that sinner to believe on Jesus Christ, and on His death and resurrection.
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
That is the primary message of this passage of Scripture. So let’s take a look at this final, seventh highway called, “The End of All Roads.”
Our Problem is Acute (9:27)
Our Problem is Acute (9:27)
Notice that verse 27 says, “it is appointed unto men once to die.”
This is a known fact…Nobody can deny that the end of mortality is death. No matter if you are wealthy or poor, educated or illiterate, adult or child, people of all creeds and color will reach the end of their earthly journey.
The old saying is “death is the great equalizer.”
The word “appointed” is very interesting. It means, “to fix a point or to prepare.” We know it as “a meeting arranged ahead of time.” Appointment.
The writer is telling us that we have a meeting that has been arranged ahead of time for us by another. This is a meeting that we would not choose to attend if we had any say about it.
My times are in thy hand:
Deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.
But no matter what we do, the day will come when we will keep our appointment. There’s no possibility of calling and rescheduling, there’s no delaying. We all have an appointment with death.
The possessions you accumulate here on earth will be left behind; friends and family, at best, can only attend our funerals, they can’t bring us back once we’re gone. David reminds us of this when the child he had with Bathsheba died; he wrote:
But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.
Look at the phrase again, “it is appointed unto men...”
These words are written to people. He is not talking to angels or animals, He is warning us, people, to be aware that our lives will end someday. God wants us to know that we are frail, fleeting flesh and that one day our time on this earth will come to an end.
This life is a time of preparation. Our years are given to us so that we might glorify God by believing on His Son and by living for Him. If you have never looked to Jesus Christ for salvation, I would challenge you to do that today. Soon, your life will end. When it does, everything will come down to one question. That question is: “What have you done with Jesus?” What you do with Him determines what He does with you,
He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
Our Predicament is Alarming (9:27)
Our Predicament is Alarming (9:27)
“…But after this the judgment.” What’s this? It’s death - after death, the judgment...
Not only do you and I have an appointment with death, we also have an appointment with God and will be judged by Him. This is probably considered by many people the most unpleasant message in the Scriptures.
For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Everybody likes to think of heaven with its glories, but the contemplation of a day of judgment is unwanted and unpleasant. People today like to think that God loves us so much that He overlooks our sin, forgetting that He sacrificed His own Son for the sins of the world! If God didn’t overlook it in the case of His own Son, He’s not going to overlook it in your life! God cannot look upon sin! He’s righteous, just, and holy!
God has warned people of a day of reckoning...
If you are a Christian, your life will be judged for the purpose of determining your rewards from God. Your service for the Lord and motives will be examined and rewarded accordingly.
If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior, then you will stand before God at the Great White Throne Judgment to be sentenced to the Lake of Fire for eternity.
Don't presume you are going to Heaven because you are a good person. Don't presume that you have plenty of time to trust in Christ as your Savior if you are not a Christian. Today, could be your last day. This is why Paul said in 2 Corinthians 6:2, "Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation."
Once your life has ended, you will not have a second chance to put your faith in the Lord. It will be too late. You have two divine appointments: your death and your judgment. Are you ready?
Our Pardon is Achievable (9:28)
Our Pardon is Achievable (9:28)
Verse 28 says, “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many...”
The entire book of Hebrews explains that Christ, the Lamb of God, fulfilled the types and shadows found in the Old Testament and He took our sins and nailed them to the cross of Calvary!
With His precious blood, He satisfied the requirements of the law and, having sacrificed Himself for our sin, sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. There He intercedes for His people and gives forgiveness to all would have it.
Thank God today that our pardon is achievable!
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
He’s paid our debt, we are pardoned, and we are free from condemnation!
Our Promise is Assured (9:28)
Our Promise is Assured (9:28)
“And unto them that look for him shall he appear the second tim without sin unto salvation.”
After He died, Jesus rose from the grave and ascended back to Heaven where He sits at the right hand of God the Father interceding for us and preparing our homes. The Lord promised that He will come back again for us. We are not to let the affairs of this life trouble us.
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Jesus is returning, but not to deal with our sins. That has been taken care of for good. He is coming back a second time to bring the salvation of all Christians to full completion. All Christians, dead or alive, will be removed from this world faster than a blink of an eye and will be given a new, glorified body that will enable them to live with our Lord in Heaven for eternity.
Behold, I shew 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 trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
It’s easy to understand why the writer of Hebrews urged his readers to look “unto Jesus.”
The safest way to avoid trouble is to look “unto Jesus...”
It’s better to look for a sunrise than to close one’s eyes and remain in the dark!
It ought to be a disappointment to us who believe, everyday that the Lord doesn’t come back…The Bible here says unto them that look for Him…If you’re not looking for Him today, there’s two things wrong, either you’re not saved, or you’re a cold Christian. It’s a sad thought that most professing believers are caught up so much in this world that they aren’t looking for Him...
Conclusion
Conclusion
What are you going to do “at the end of all roads”? What are you going to do “after this” as verse 27 says? If we were talking about the church service, then most will go eat lunch. After that some will take a nap, visit family, or something else. I hope you will come back tonight.
The bigger question is this: What are you going to do “after this” life? Where will you spend eternity? Are you ready for Jesus to come for you? Are you living for Him? Where will you be “at the end of all roads”?