The following is a sermon transcript from our Sunday Service at The Rock Church in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. Each week, we gather to worship, learn from God’s Word, and grow together. This transcript is provided as a free resource to encourage and equip you in your walk with Christ. While you’re welcome to read and share this content for personal use, we kindly ask that it not be redistributed or published elsewhere without prior written consent from The Rock Church.
Introduction
When it matters most, who is on your side? It’s that moment when life seems to be falling apart and your phone rings. It’s a friend who knows what you’re going through and wants to be there for you. Or it’s your spouse who stays faithfully by your side even when the future seems uncertain. It’s one thing to celebrate, to have people to celebrate with you when life is going well. But it’s quite another to have someone walk beside you through the valley of the shadow of death. Sooner or later, we’ll discover how important that is.
We all walk through difficult seasons: a crushing failure, a health condition that leaves you dependent on others, or that depression or anxiety that just continues to hold on to you. But at some point, even those who love us most cannot do what we need most. Listen, someone can be standing beside us in our suffering. They can stand with us as we approach death. But only Christ can represent us in the presence of God.
Death is not the end of our existence. Scripture tells us very pointedly that after death comes judgment. That’s the reality that every one of us will face. And it raises the most important question of our existence: how can sinful man possibly stand before a holy God? And the answer isn’t found in our goodness. It’s not that we have tried hard enough, led a decent life, or did more good than bad. Our only hope is to be found in Christ. Because Jesus Christ has done everything necessary to save His people. He has dealt with our sin. He now represents us before God, and He will come again to bring us safely home.
And that is the glorious assurance of this passage this morning. Christ for us. Christ died for us. Christ represents us now and will return for us. We’re gonna see that, those three things.
And rather than following the verses in order, we’ll follow Christ’s work from past to the present and into the future. So we’ll look at what he’s done. He appeared first to put away our sin. He now appears before God for us. And lastly, he will appear for us to complete our salvation.
So again, the big idea that you didn’t see on the screen: Christ died for us, represents us now, and will return for us.
1. He Appeared to Put Away Our Sin
(Hebrews 9:25–26)
So let’s begin with what Christ has already accomplished. The first point: he appeared to put away our sin. We’re going to go out of order, as I mentioned. Now,
“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.”
Can you imagine what it must have been like for those high priests? Year after year they entered the Holy of Holies, bringing the blood of another sacrifice. Each year repeating the same process. Wouldn’t it have been wonderful if one of the high priests could have emerged from the Holy of Holies and declared with a loud shout of triumph, fellow Israelites, this is the last one. The sacrifices, that was it. That one, I just did it. It’s no longer needed. But no high priest could make that announcement.
The Lord appointed these sacrifices for a purpose. They taught His people about the seriousness of sin, the necessity of shed blood, and their need for atonement, for payment of that sin. But they also pointed forward to something greater.
Look at verse 25. You’ll see it. The author tells us that Christ did not enter heaven itself to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest entered the holy places year after year after year with the blood that was not his own. You see the contrast? The high priest entered an earthly sanctuary. Christ entered heaven itself. The high priest brought the blood of another. Christ offered His own blood. The high priest returned year after year after year, but Christ offered Himself once for all.
Now why is that so important? Because those repeated sacrifices reminded God’s people that something greater was needed. Those sacrifices provided the ceremonial cleansing on the outside. But they could never fully remove sin.
And that brings us to verse 26. The author makes this remarkable statement: if Christ needed to offer himself repeatedly, then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world, since the beginning of all creation. Think about that. Can you imagine a Savior who would have to return to the cross again and again and again? Every generation requiring another sacrifice. Every year more suffering. But that’s not what happened. Notice that glorious declaration in verse 26: “But as it is, He has appeared once and for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”
And there it is. The long-awaited Messiah has appeared. He came at just the right time according to the Father’s plan. The author calls it the end of the ages. Now what do I mean by that? Well, the entire sacrificial Old Testament system was the beginning, was the first age. Once this happened, we entered into the end of the ages. The entire Old Testament system pointed forward to this moment. Generation after generation, God’s people waited for the promised Messiah. And now in the fullness of time, He has come. And the last days have begun. And Christ has accomplished what the old sacrifices could not anticipate.
And what did Jesus come to accomplish? He came to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. He is both High Priest and the sacrifice. He didn’t have to bring the blood of another. He offered Himself because Christ is completely pure and unstained by sin. His sacrifice is entirely sufficient. And our confession captures this wonderful truth.
Chapter 8, paragraph 5. “The Lord Jesus, by his perfect obedience and sacrifice of himself, which he, through the eternal Spirit, once offered up to God, has fully satisfied the justice of God, procured reconciliation, and purchased an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven for all those the Father has given unto him.”
Did you hear that? Christ has fully satisfied God’s justice. He has secured our reconciliation, that which was broken between God and man, and purchased the everlasting inheritance for His people. Listen, our sin required a sacrifice that we could never offer. And Christ has offered the one sacrifice that we will never need to repeat. That’s the good news of the Gospel. Jesus didn’t merely offer Himself to make salvation possible. He came to save His people, and His sacrifice accomplished everything the Father intended. The Holy Spirit awakened us from spiritual death, gave us new life, and brought us to faith in Christ. The Spirit applies the salvation that Christ already secured.
Now, what does it mean that Christ put away our sin? Some of you may be thinking, Pastor, it sure doesn’t feel like my sin has been put away. I got angry at my spouse this morning. I looked at that other person with lust. I found myself complaining again because life isn’t going my way. And now you’re telling me that Christ has put away my sin? That’s exactly what the author is saying, but we need to understand what that means.
Listen closely if you would. There is a big difference between the reign of sin and the presence of sin. Now what do I mean by that? Before Christ, sin was your master. Period. End of story. You lived under its dominion and couldn’t free yourself. But when the Lord saved you, He broke sin’s power over your life. You are no longer a slave to sin. That doesn’t mean that sin has disappeared. You still struggle. You still do things that you don’t want to do, and you fail to do the things that you should do. The reign of sin has been broken, but its presence remains until glory.
But here’s what I want you to understand very clearly. Christ has already dealt decisively with the guilt and condemnation of your sin. Your remaining sin is real. And you must fight it. But it cannot overturn the sacrifice that Christ has secured for your redemption. The Lord has removed your transgressions, your sin, your violation of all of God’s law, as far as the east, as from the west. As Micah 7:19 declares, he has cast our sins into the depths of the sea. And he has done so through the blood of his Son.
Now that doesn’t mean we minimize sin. Of course not. We must keep fighting. We must put on the Lord Jesus. We must put to death the deeds of the flesh. But we do all this as those who already belong to Christ. We don’t fight sin so that God would now make us acceptable toward him. We fight sin because in Christ, God has already accepted us.
And this is where I think we struggle as Christians. We know that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. But some days when we’re reading our Bibles, we’re praying faithfully, enjoying fellowship with the Lord, we think, man, I’m doing pretty well here. And then there are other days. We lose our temper. Neglect prayer. Struggle with that same sin that we thought we overcame. And suddenly now we’re thinking, there’s no way that I’m a Christian. What just happened? Did Christ’s sacrifice become less effective? Did his blood, did it somehow lose its power? Of course not. What we’ve done is we’ve begun measuring our acceptance before God by our performance rather than Christ’s finished work.
Think about what we’ve already seen in this passage. The high priest returned every year with another sacrifice, but Christ never needs to offer himself again, and he never needs to reconsider the sufficiency of what he’s accomplished for you. Listen, dear Christian, your status as a child of God is not subject to review or renewal. Jesus doesn’t come into the office to conduct the annual performance review to determine whether you still qualify for his saving benefits. Can you imagine? Jesus looks over your spiritual record and says, well, this has been a pretty good year. You’ve been faithful in prayer. You’ve attended church regularly. You’ve even made some progress in holiness. Well done. So in light of your excellent, above average performance, I’m giving you a raise. You’ll now enjoy more of my saving benefits. But then next year comes around. Well, not so good of a year. We’re going to have to reevaluate your standing in my kingdom. That’s not the gospel.
Your standing before God isn’t determined by how well you’ve performed this week, but by what Christ has accomplished once and for all. Now, don’t misunderstand me. Our Heavenly Father is genuinely pleased with our obedience. He lovingly disciplines his children and calls us to grow in holiness. But our obedience is never the basis of our justification or adoption. That rests entirely on Christ.
And here’s the glorious reality. In Christ, we already have everything that we need to bring us safely into glory. We have forgiveness. We have eternal life. We have everything we need for life and godliness. Not because we’ve earned those things, but because Christ has secured them for us.
So, dear Christian, stop measuring the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice by the inconsistency of your obedience. Your obedience will fluctuate. Your feelings will fluctuate. Even your assurance will change. The sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice never changes. He doesn’t need to offer himself again because you’ve sinned again. He doesn’t need to return to the cross because you’ve fallen short again. He appeared once and for all to put away your sin through his sacrifice. And that sacrifice is finished. Christ for us.
2. He Now Appears Before God for Us
(Hebrews 9:23–24)
But Christian, there’s even more good news here. Because we can spend a great deal of time considering what Christ has done for us while forgetting what he’s doing for us right now. You see, Jesus isn’t enjoying some retirement in the sky. His sacrificial work is finished, but his priestly ministry continues. Our great high priest is seated at the right hand of the Father, and now he appears in God’s presence, listen, on our behalf.
And that’s where verses 23 to 24 take us, as we consider the second point: that he now appears before God for us.
“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.”
The author has just told us that the earthly sanctuary and its furnishings needed to be purified with blood. But notice something interesting happens in verse 23. He says that the earthly copies were purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things required better sacrifices. Now that seems a bit strange. How could anything in heaven need cleansing? Well, the author isn’t suggesting that heaven itself is morally corrupted. Now, some difficult questions remain. I’ve read some commentaries. There are varying opinions on this. But what I don’t want you to miss is the author’s main point. Christ’s sacrifice is greater than anything the Old Covenant could provide. And that’s the significance of the better sacrifices. He’s not saying that Christ offered himself repeatedly. We all just learned that his sacrifice was once and for all. And through his blood, sinners like you and me can draw near to a holy God.
Think about a couple preparing to build their first home. For months, they’ve been studying the blueprints. They know where the kitchen is going to be and the windows and how large the bedrooms, all the details involved. But can you imagine that couple finally receiving the keys to that house and deciding to keep admiring the blueprints instead of moving in? And that would obviously be ridiculous, because the blueprints served a purpose. They showed what was coming. But they were never intended to replace the real thing. And that’s what the author is telling us here. The earthly tabernacle, the priesthood, the sacrifices, all pointed to something greater.
Look at verse 24. Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands. He entered heaven itself. The earthly high priest entered the Holy of Holies, but the people remained outside. Even the high priest could enter only once a year under the specific prescription God had given. But Jesus Christ has entered God’s very presence, having offered the one sacrifice accomplished with all the former sacrifices could not do.
And here’s what makes it so powerful. He didn’t enter heaven for his own sake. He entered on our behalf. And now verse 24 ends with that remarkable declaration: “Now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.” Did you catch that? He’s there now. It’s not just merely a historical fact from long ago. It’s a present reality. Christ is in heaven for you now, representing you before God.
It really doesn’t get much better than that. Sure, you can have good representation here on earth. You might hire the best lawyers to defend you, hoping to secure a favorable verdict. But that is nothing compared to the eternal Son of God seated at the Father’s right hand. Christ isn’t hoping to secure a favorable verdict for his people. Through his finished work, their justification is already secured. And don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. Jesus isn’t continually trying to convince a reluctant father to accept us. No, the Father himself loved us and sent his Son to redeem us. Our salvation is the gracious work of the Father, of the Son, of the Holy Spirit. And Christ continues representing us, that representation that rests upon the sacrifice he’s already completed.
Now think about a believer who has sinned again. Maybe it’s the same sin you’ve struggled for years with. You’ve confessed it. You’ve prayed about it. You’ve pleaded with the Lord to help you to overcome it. And yet, here you go again. And you begin to wonder, how can I possibly approach God after what I’ve done? Surely he’s grown tired of hearing me, of forgiving me. But listen to what the Apostle John tells us in 1 John 2:1: “My little children, I am writing these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
Did you catch it? John doesn’t tell you to find another sacrifice, to work a little harder, to try to be in God’s good graces once again. He tells you that you already have an advocate. And that advocate is Jesus Christ, the righteous. Now John isn’t minimizing sin. He writes that so that believers will not sin, but he also knows that believers continue to struggle. And verse 2 reminds us that Christ is the propitiation for our sins. The one who represents us before the Father is the very one who satisfied divine justice through his sacrifice.
So dear Christian, when you sin, don’t lose your advocate. Don’t forget about him. You’re reminded of just how desperately you need him. The one who died for you is the very one who represents you before the Father.
And Paul makes this even clearer. Romans 8, verse 34: “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died. And more than that, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” Think about that. Christ died, was raised, and now seated at the Father’s right hand. And what is he doing? He’s interceding for us. And Paul asks, who’s going to condemn? Can Satan accuse you? Yeah, he can. Can your conscience remind you of your failures? Absolutely. But can any accusation overturn God’s verdict of not guilty? No. Christ died, he was raised, and now intercedes for his people. His sacrifice is finished, but his ministry for us continues.
And because he represents us before the Father, we can draw near. Yet isn’t it strange that we can know Christ has forgiven our sins and still live as though God is distant? We hesitate to pray. We carry our burdens alone. We struggle with guilt and shame, wondering whether the Father really wants to hear from us. Maybe you’ve been there. You sit down to pray. But the words won’t come. Your mind is overwhelmed with all of life’s responsibilities. Or maybe you’re spiritually weary. You just haven’t enjoyed that sweet communion with the Lord in some time. And you begin to think, I need to get myself together before I draw near to God.
But listen, dear Christian, you don’t need to earn an audience with your heavenly Father. You already have a Savior who now appears before him on your behalf. And that’s why Hebrews 4:16 gives us this wonderful invitation: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace in our time of need.” Draw near. Not because you’re worthy, but because Christ is worthy. Not because you’ve had a particularly better week or good week, but because you have a high priest who represents you before the Father. And when you draw near, what do you find? Mercy and grace to help in your time of need.
As we gather to hear his word, pray together, worship as his church, the Lord graciously, wonderfully, supernaturally strengthens our faith and deepens our communion with him. These aren’t ways of earning access to God. They’re gracious provisions through which we enjoy fellowship, the fellowship Christ has secured for us. So dear Christian, draw near, bring them your burdens, bring them your weaknesses, confess your sins. You have a great high priest who appears on your behalf. Christ for us.
3. He Will Appear for Us to Complete Our Salvation
(Hebrews 9:27–28)
And yet there’s still one more appearing. The Savior who came to die, now lives to intercede, will one day return for his people. And he says he will bring our salvation to completion.
Let’s consider our final point. Verses 27 to 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.”
You ever thought about the one appointment that you cannot cancel? We change them all the time. It’s so easy. We just go online, cancel, reschedule, miss one without even thinking about it. But there is one appointment that none of us will be able to cancel. And that, of course, is our appointment with God. If we look at verse 27, it says clearly, just as it was appointed for man to die once and then the judgment. Death is not the end of our existence. Every one of us will give an account before the living God. And that’s a sobering reality. Even Jesus says in Matthew 12:36 that we’ll give an account for every careless word we’ve spoken. Think about that. Nothing escapes God’s perfect knowledge and righteous judgment. And apart from Christ, there is no refuge from the judgment to come.
And if you’re here this morning and you’re not trusting Christ, hear this. You cannot escape God’s judgment by trying to be a better person. But there is a Savior who has borne the sins of all who trust in him. So turn. Turn from your sin and trust in Christ, because he alone is the only refuge for sinners like us.
Now here’s wonderful news the author gives us. Just as every person dies once, so Christ was offered once. And that’s exactly what verse 28 tells us: “So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many.” Notice the language. He doesn’t merely observe our suffering. He doesn’t merely sympathize with our condition. He bore our sins once. The very sins that expose us to God’s righteous judgment were laid upon the Savior. And he bore them once for all.
Isaiah 53:12 describes it beautifully: “Yet he bore the sin of many and makes intercession for the transgressors.” You see how wonderfully that connects with everything we’ve considered this morning? Christ bore our sins through his sacrifice and now intercedes for us before the Father. So when he returns, those who belong to him will not face condemnation for the sins he already has borne. As Paul reminds us in Romans 8:1, “There is now therefore no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.” That doesn’t mean that believers will never appear before God’s judgment seat. Scripture tells us that we will. But our sins will not be charged against us for condemnation, because Christ has already borne them.
And that brings us to the glorious promise in the second half of verse 28. The author tells us that Christ will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly awaiting him. Now, don’t misunderstand what he’s saying here. Christ is not returning to offer another sacrifice for sin. He’s already accomplished that work. His first appearing dealt decisively with his people’s sin. And his second appearing will bring the salvation he has already secured into its glorious fullness.
It’s the wonderful reality of the already and not yet. We have been justified. We are being sanctified. And when Christ returns, we will be glorified. Think about what that means. The battle against sin that has followed you throughout your whole Christian life will finally be over. The weakness of your body, the weariness of your soul, the suffering that you’ve endured will give way to everlasting life in the presence of God. Our mortal bodies will be raised and transformed into glorious bodies. As 1 John 3:2 reminds us, we will be like him because we will see him as he is.
Dear Christian, the salvation Christ purchased, you will not remain unfinished. The one who began his saving work in you will bring it to completion. And that’s why his return is such glorious good news.
But I want you to notice something else in verse 28. The author doesn’t merely say that Christ will return. He says that he will appear to save those who eagerly await him. Now let me ask you something. When was the last time that you genuinely longed for the return of Jesus Christ? We do spend a lot of our lives looking forward to the next thing: the vacation, the weekend, the retirement, the wedding, the birth of a child. And none of those things are wrong. They’re wonderful gifts from the Lord. But what happens when the things we’re anticipating in this life become more precious to us than the return of our Savior? Some believers are suffering so deeply, they long for Jesus to come every day. Others are enjoying God’s good gifts and rarely think about eternity. And perhaps that’s where you find yourself this morning. Maybe you’ve become so comfortable with life that there’s little thought of Christ’s return, rarely crossing your mind.
But listen, dear Christian, our greatest hope isn’t merely a better life in this world. It’s everlasting life with Christ. And don’t misunderstand this eager awaiting. We’re not earning our salvation by how intensely we long for his return. Our longing for Christ is the fruit of faith, not the price of admission. And as we grow in our love for Christ, we find ourselves longing more and more for his appearing.
And here’s what I want you to consider. An important difference exists between waiting for an event and waiting for a person. We aren’t merely waiting for heaven. We aren’t merely waiting for the end of suffering. We aren’t merely waiting for the resurrection of our bodies. As glorious as all those things will be, we are waiting for Christ himself. Think about that. The one who loved us and gave himself for us. The one who bore our sins upon the cross. The one who now appears before the Father on our behalf. He’s coming back for us. The greatest joy of his return will not simply be what he brings us. It will be him. He is coming for us. That’s the glorious hope of every believer.
Conclusion
And it brings us right back to the question that we began this morning as we close. When it matters most, who is on your side? When you consider the weight of your sins, Christ has already put them away. When you’re weak and weary, Christ appears before God on your behalf. And when you face death and eternity, Christ will bring you your salvation to completion. Christ died for us, represents us now, and will return for us. He will bring us safely home. Christ for us.
This morning we’ve heard that Christ has appeared to put away our sin, and that he now represents us before the Father, and that he will complete our salvation. And yet, we often live our lives as if these things aren’t true. We trust in our own strength. We measure God’s love by our circumstances. We allow the cares of the world to crowd out our longing for Christ.
But because Christ is for us, we don’t need to hide our sins or pretend that we’re better than we are. We can come so brutally honest before our Father, confess our sins, and trust in His mercy. So let’s pray together as we confess our sins, our weakness, failures, and know that God is faithful because Christ is for us. Let’s pray.
Closing Prayer
Our gracious and merciful Father, we come before You this morning acknowledging that we have sinned in every way. In thought and word and deed, though You’ve given us Your Son, we’ve often and many times looked elsewhere for our security and satisfaction.
Lord Jesus, we thank You that You’ve opened the way to the Father’s presence. And we do confess that we’ve neglected prayer. We’ve tried, as we sang even that song, to carry our burdens in our own strength. O Lord, that we would take all of our burdens to Jesus. And though You’ve promised eternal life, we have become so attached to the things of this world that we rarely long for the return of our Savior.
O Lord, forgive us for our pride, our unbelief, our selfishness, our failure to love You and neighbor as we ought. We confess that we cannot cleanse ourselves from sin. We cannot earn Your favor or make ourselves righteous before You. But we thank You that Jesus Christ has done what we could never do. He’s offered himself once for all. And His sacrifice is sufficient.
So Lord, grant us renewed faith in Your promises. Strengthen us by Your Spirit to put sin to death, to walk in obedience, and to eagerly await the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. We ask these things in His precious name. Amen.
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