November 7, 2015

Your Salvation Awaits!

2nd Sunday of End Time, Last Judgment, 11/8/15
Hebrews 9:24-28


Your Salvation Awaits!
I. Perfectly completed by Christ
II. Ready to be delivered at Christ’s return


Because we want to make the best possible use of our time each day, we try to avoid waiting for something. But what we’re waiting for has at least a little to do with how willing we are to wait.

For instance, these are some wonderful words to hear, “Your table is ready now. Please follow me.” Those words indicate our wait is nearly over. It won’t be long now and we’ll have a delicious entree ordered and soon after that it will be placed before us for our enjoyment.

But what’s your reaction to these words, “The doctor will see you now”? That depends. If it’s a pre-natal visit, you’re eager to hear what the doctor says about the health and growth of the little life inside you. But there are other health situations when those words only increase the fear that’s raging within us.

And I’m not sure how you feel, but for me, listening to lousy music over the telephone while I wait is annoying. It’s so much better when the recorded voice informs me, “Your call will be answered in approximately 4 minutes.” At least then I have some idea of when my wait will end and I’ll hear the cheerful voice say, “Welcome to customer service. How may I help you?”

Allow me to toss one more of your “waits” into the ring—the Last Judgment. Jesus plainly told us that he will return on the Last Day to judge the living and the dead, just as we confess in the Apostles’ Creed. Are you waiting for that day with warm, fuzzy feelings, or does it fill you with spiritual angst?

We’re here today to lay your fears aside. In fact, the Lord wants you to be confident of your judgment on the Last Day, so confident that you can look forward to it with rejoicing.

That will occur when you ponder this truth as presented to us in these words from Hebrews 9. Your salvation awaits. What confidence that gives us! What a glorious, blessed event to wait for! Let’s see what it’s all about.

Part I.

Think of all the tasks you repeat monthly, weekly, even daily. About this time of year I’m always glad that the lawn mowing season is almost over. Then again, the prospect of shoveling snow 2 or 3 times in one week a couple months from now tempers my joy. We get tired of preparing meals and then cleaning up when they’re done. I used to wash my vehicles frequently. Not anymore. Vacuuming, dusting, doing the laundry. Even with our modern appliances, these tasks seem so difficult. And then the futility hits you. You’re going to be doing this all over again sooner than you think.

Did you catch the repetitive tasks in this morning’s text from Hebrews 9? Maybe not because some of it was under some veiled descriptions. We read, “For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world.” The original readers of these words were Jewish people who had come to faith in Jesus as their Savior. As such, they were very familiar with the repetitive Jewish religious observances. Every day the priests entered the holy place in the temple to offer prayers. What’s more, twice a day, in the morning and at sunset, a lamb was sacrificed and burned on the altar. Every Sabbath day they replaced the twelve loaves of the Bread of the Presence. Once a year the High Priest entered the Most Holy Place “with blood that was not his own.” It was the blood of a bull that had been sacrificed. He sprinkled it on the top of the Ark of the Covenant. All these religious acts were observed countless times, but not one of them earned forgiveness for the people. They only served to point the people to the sacrifice of the One that would. That One is Christ.

The writer reminds us that Christ has not entered some man-made temple meant to look as close to heaven as possible. He entered heaven itself. The reason his Father was pleased to receive him into heaven is that Christ had completed the work his Father had given him to do. There was no longer a single sin that needed to be paid for; Christ had done it all!

What’s more, the Father didn’t assign Christ to the second best room in heaven. The writer tells us he lives in the Father’s presence. As the One who is equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit in every way, that’s the only proper place for him. He shares all glory and honor with the Father.

That honor and glory are his not only because of who he is but also because of what he did. The writer explains, “He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people.” And by “many people,” the Bible means “all people.” Not even two sacrifices were needed, because the one Christ made was the only one needed. He paid for every single sin. Every single sinner has been redeemed.

There’s your confidence in the judgment on the Last Day. Yes, you already possess salvation right now by faith in Jesus. That is absolutely certain and sure. But like any good thing you enjoy, the Lord Jesus will share again the blessed results of that salvation on the Last Day. He’ll remind you that there is nothing left for you to do because he’s already done it all for you. Your salvation awaits, perfectly completed by Christ.

And yet it’s probably still true that our uneasiness over the judgment on the Last Day persists. Why is that? Because of sin. For a sinner to stand in the presence of the holy God, the only natural reaction is fear. But in a way, that’s good. It’s evidence of the fact that you recognize your sinfulness. You realize you have nothing to offer him that could appease his wrath and judgment for your sins. That’s a good thing! Because it drives you to Christ, your Savior. Your comfort is in the truth the writer places before us—Jesus made one sacrifice for all sins of all time and the fact that he is now in heaven in the presence of God is your assurance and mine that God accepted his sacrifice as payment in full. In the judgment on the Last Day Jesus is not going to produce a lengthy, dirty list of your sins. He’s going to claim you as his own. That’s what his work on earth was all about—to redeem you from Satan’s kingdom to his kingdom. Your rescue has already occurred. There’s nothing to worry about. Instead, there’s every reason to rejoice. Your salvation awaits!

Part II.

‘Tis the season. Have you noticed? It didn’t surprise me to see the Christmas displays in the big box stores. And I’m not surprised that some of the ads that come with my newspaper are promoting a pre-Black Friday sale already. What surprised me was to see a fully decorated Christmas tree on display in a local nursing home two weeks ago. That means it won’t be long before merchants and others begin counting down the days until Christmas. Meanwhile, most of us aren’t ready to begin waiting for Christmas to arrive.

For Christians there’s another season to observe, another event to look forward to. The season to which I’m referring began nearly 2,000 years ago when Jesus ascended into heaven and promised to return. To be honest with you, the older I get the more often and more fervently I look for his return. How about you? That’s the day when Jesus will right every wrong. That’s the day when everything that’s wrong with our world will end. Death, mourning, crying and pain will cease. No more war, no more abuse, no more of man’s inhumanity to man.

Yes, the return of Christ on the Last Day will bring the last judgment. But for you as one of God’s people by faith in Jesus, it means so much more than that. The writer states, “He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” He’s using the word “salvation” in the fullest sense. Everything that Jesus won for you the first time he came to this earth he will bring to you when he appears again. Yes, you have salvation now, but it won’t be until the Last Day when he raises you from the dead, glorifies your body and brings you into the new heaven and new earth that he will create.

And on that Last Day Jesus will appear to speak to you personally the most glorious words you’ll ever hear. “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you.” Hard to believe? Doubt no more. Just as surely as Jesus suffered and died for you, just as surely as he rose again from the dead for you, just as surely as he ascended into heaven and rules over all things for you, he will also surely speak those words to you as he has promised.

Your salvation awaits, ready to be delivered at Christ’s return.

Are you disgusted with the way things are going in our world? Are you convinced things can’t possibly get any worse? You’re not alone. Many of your fellow Christians today feel that way. I’m sure Christians have felt that way ever since Jesus ascended into heaven. And in a way, that’s a good thing. It keeps us from thinking that we can find our happiness here. It keeps us from focusing our efforts and energy only on this life. It makes us long for heaven. It helps us lift our eyes and our prayers heaven-ward. Jesus said, “Behold, I am coming soon” (Rev. 22:7). And all God’s people say, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus!”

Your salvation awaits! May that blessed truth strengthen your burdened hearts and comfort your weary souls! Amen.