Sermon Audio: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ministrybymail

“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. 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. ²⁷ And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, ²⁸ 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.”

What, in your opinion, is the most important festival of the church year? If you were allowed to attend only one of the festival services each year, which one would you attend? Some of you, especially if you are young, might suggest Christmas Eve or Christmas Day since it is coming up and involves the giving and receiving of gifts. Indeed, at Christmas, we do celebrate the gift of God’s Son sent as our Savior. Others of you, upon reflection, might suggest Good Friday, focusing on Jesus’ death, or Easter, focusing on Jesus’ resurrection, or perhaps even Pentecost, focusing on God’s gift of the Holy Spirit and the founding of the New Testament Church.

If we, however, were believers living in Old Testament times, none of the festivals mentioned would have existed, for Jesus Christ had not yet been sent into the world. If you were to answer these same questions in Old Testament times, there would have been one festival that would stand out above all others—the Day of Atonement. On that day, you and your family would have gone to Jerusalem and stood in the temple courtyard with thousands of other worshippers. You would have seen the high priest slaughter a bull before your very eyes to offer as a sacrifice for himself on the altar of burnt offering. You would then have watched the high priest disappear into the temple—a building you could never enter—to go into the Most Holy Place—a room he could only enter one day each year—to sprinkle the blood of that bull on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant to atone for his own sins. You would have seen him return to select one of two goats and then slaughter it—this time for you and the other worshippers. He would then return to the Most Holy Place to sprinkle the blood of that goat on the mercy seat to atone for your sins. He would then have returned to place his hands on the head of the remaining goat and confess the sins of the entire nation upon it. That goat would then be led out into the wilderness, bearing your sins and the sins of everyone else away from you. The pictures of the Day of Atonement were ones of a priest representing you before God, a blood sacrifice made to atone for your sins, and the placement of those sins upon a substitute who would then carry them away from you.

Those pictures were fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ, as the writer to the Hebrews explains in our sermon text. As we conclude our current church year, let us consider the fact that JESUS CHRIST IS OUR PERFECT PRIEST AND POWERFUL KING! We shall see that He appeared once as our perfect Priest before God to put away sin by sacrificing Himself, and He will appear a second time as our powerful King to save those waiting for Him!

I.

In our text, the writer to the Hebrews describes how Jesus fulfilled God’s plan for our salvation by assuming the role of the Old Testament high priest, but in a much higher and heavenly way! Yes, Jesus appeared once as our perfect Priest before God to put away sin by sacrificing Himself! The author writes: “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.” Note three distinct and essential differences between the Old Testament high priests and Jesus, as noted by the author of this epistle.

First, while the Old Testament high priest entered a building made by human hands, which represented the presence of God among His Old Testament people, Jesus entered directly into the presence of God in heaven on our behalf. Now, there are some, and perhaps even many, who will ask, “When did that happen? How did that happen?” Jesus, after all, was crucified outside the walls of Jerusalem in a place called Golgotha (cf. Mt. 27:33). That place of human torture would seem to be as far away from heaven as you could possibly get! Yet, remember that the temple symbolized God’s presence among humankind, and the mercy seat within the Most Holy Place symbolized the very seat of God. It was upon that mercy seat that the blood of the sacrifices was sprinkled. Consequently, when the blood of the “Lamb of God” (cf. Jn. 1:29) was shed on Calvary’s cross, that which was pictured by the high priest within the Most Holy Place was being fulfilled. Remember, as well, that when Solomon dedicated the temple, he acknowledged that “heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you (God), how much less this house that I have built” (2 Chron. 6:18b). Our God is present everywhere, and so when Jesus cried out from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (cf. Lk. 23:34), He was doing so in the very presence of God, and what He did was on our behalf!

Note as well that while the Old Testament high priests entered the Most Holy Place once each year—every year for over 1,400 years—to offer first the blood of a bull and then the blood of a goat to symbolically atone for the sins of himself and the people, Jesus shed His blood only one time on the cross in order to atone for the sins of all people of all times. The apostle John states emphatically: “He (that is, Jesus) is the propitiation (a satisfactory payment) for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 Jn. 2:2). The apostle Paul states: “In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:19). This truth is so important for each of us, for it speaks directly to the confidence we can and do have as forgiven sinners. You and I are right with our God, because Jesus’ blood has washed away all our sins!

Sadly, this truth is unknown by most people in our world and even more sadly denied by a major segment of the Christian world. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that Jesus’ death on the cross removed only our original sin, but that our actual sins must be atoned for through good works enabled by God’s grace. They define God’s grace not as the undeserved love of God, but as a power from God enabling us to do sufficient good works to make up for our sins. Consequently, they claim that in each celebration of the Lord’s Supper, or the mass as they call the Lord’s Supper, the priest is offering up an unending, unbloody sacrifice of Jesus’ blood, and that by participating in the mass, believers receive the power of grace to enable them to do good works which will merit forgiveness. My dear friends, God tells us in our text that Jesus “appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin.” When you and I attend the Lord’s Supper, we are not securing the power to help us gain our salvation, but rather we are receiving the assurance that we are saved through the shed blood of Jesus Christ—shed once and for all on Calvary’s cross.

Finally, note that unlike the Old Testament high priests who sacrificed bulls and goats, Jesus sacrificed Himself. It was the blood of the Son of God which has redeemed our souls! The apostle Peter writes: “You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Pet. 1:18-19). JESUS CHRIST IS OUR PERFECT PRIEST AND POWERFUL KING! He appeared once as our perfect Priest before God to put away sin by sacrificing Himself!

II.

He also will appear a second time as our powerful King to save those waiting for Him! Our text concludes with these words: “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.”

Those first words—“just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment”—assert the sovereign power of Jesus over man. After Jesus’ death, He arose the third day, and upon His ascension back into heaven, God the Father “seated him (that is, Jesus) at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Eph. 1:20b-21). Furthermore, God goes on to inform us through the apostle: “And he (that is, God the Father) put all things under his (that is, Jesus’) feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all” (Eph. 1:22-23). There is no one and nothing outside the sphere of Jesus’ power and authority. Every human being, believer and unbeliever alike, will one day stand before Jesus and give an account of his or her every thought, word, and action. That is a frightening thought for everyone who is not clothed with the blood and righteousness of Jesus Himself. For to the unbeliever, Jesus will say: “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!” (Mt. 25:41b)

For the child of God who has placed his or her faith in Jesus, however, that second coming of Christ is not only a source of great comfort as we live our lives in this world, but it is a source of great anticipation as we look to the next! Jesus, our text assures us, “will appear a second time!” He will not come, however, as an infant placed in a manger, but rather He will come with all His holy angels in full glory! He will not come to “deal with sin,” for that He already did on Good Friday. Remember, Jesus cried out, “It is finished” (Jn. 19:30), before entrusting His spirit to His heavenly Father in death. The punishment for our sin has already been endured by our perfect Priest, and so when Jesus returns, He will do so as our powerful King “to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.undefined

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us look forward with great anticipation to Jesus’ second coming! Let us strive to be prepared by fostering our relationship with Jesus—listening to Him speak through His Word and reaching out to Him regularly in prayer. Let us fulfill our individual callings in the places of our work, in our homes, here at church, and within our communities. Let us shine as Spirit-enabled lights, so that others may see our good works and give glory to our Father in heaven (cf. Mt. 5:16).

Yes, JESUS CHRIST IS OUR PERFECT PRIEST AND POWERFUL KING! He appeared once as our perfect Priest before God to put away sin by sacrificing Himself, and He will appear a second time as our powerful King to save those waiting for Him! Amen.

—Pastor Paul D. Nolting

Grace Lutheran Church, Valentine, NE
Peace Lutheran Church, Mission, SD
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, White River, SD

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