Are You “Innocent” Enough for the Judgment?

26th Sunday after Pentecost, 11/17/24 Hebrews 9:24-28 Are You “Innocent” Enough for the Judgment? I. Indeed you are—Jesus is in heaven for you. II. Indeed you are—Jesus returns only to bring salvation to you. The truth is the truth, right? If only that were always true! Our reality is that the truth too often lies somewhere in the middle, between what is true and what is false. And that even happens in our US system of justice. Don’t get me wrong. I’m convinced we have the finest system of civic justice in the world, but that doesn’t mean it’s flawless. That doesn’t mean that injustices don’t occur. It has happened, sad to say, that people have been accused and convicted wrongly, and that’s horrific. But it happens even more often—at least in our way of thinking—that someone was found not guilty when we’re certain they’re guilty, at least to some extent. They may not have done the heinous crime they’re being charged with, but we know that where there’s smoke, there’s fire. The truth about their situation lies somewhere in the middle. Today we’re worshipping under the truth that we know that Jesus will return to judge all people in the world. And that means he’s returning as our Judge. Not the most comforting truth, is it? In fact, it might make you uncomfortable at best and terrified at worst. We know and believe that Jesus died as the punishment for all our sins. We know and believe that we are fully and completely forgiven. We know and believe that Jesus is our Savior from sin. As Lutherans, we know the truth that our God justifies us for the sake of Jesus, that is, he declares us not guilty. Innocent! But is that really the truth? Or does the truth lie somewhere in the middle? We know that Jesus has taken away our sins and guilt. But why are we still bothered by our sins and guilt? Why do we at times feel so uneasy about our status before God? And now today we hear the truth that Jesus will return on the Last Day as our judge. We know his word states that we are not guilty by faith in him, but is that really true? We have our doubts. And one of them is: am I really innocent? Will I be innocent when it counts in the judgment on the last day? And if “innocent” is a relative term in our world, how innocent do I need to be? Rather than bury that question deep inside us in the hope that it will go away, let’s come right out and ask it. Let me state out loud what might be weighing heavily on your mind and heart. Are you “innocent” enough for the judgment? There. I asked it. Now let’s hear God’s answer in this morning’s text from Hebrews 9. I. You’ve probably noticed that authenticity is a huge concern among the people of our society. Hearing something is one thing, but seeing it is another. And when you see something that is difficult to believe, you desire proof of authenticity. For instance, receiving an email from a bank you never heard of before stating it has a check for $1 million for you is one thing. Standing in the lobby of a reputable bank and receiving a check for $1 million is another. The source and the location are important. They matter. Often a great deal. But we also know that source and location don’t matter regarding spiritual truth, because spiritual truth comes from only one source—our God—and his location doesn’t matter, because we know he’s omnipresent—everywhere. And yet listen to the opening words of our text once again. “For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands 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.” The writer makes a comparison between the Old Testament repetitive practices of the high priest and the once-for-all work of Jesus. The “most holy” place on earth in the Old Testament was called the “Holy of Holies.” It was an inner room in the tabernacle and only one person—the High Priest—was allowed to go in there and only once a year—on the great Day of Atonement. It was something he had to do year after year. In contrast, Jesus appeared on earth and fully completed what he came to do. There’s nothing more for him to do, and one of the proofs of it is that he is now in heaven. He ascended into heaven forty days after his resurrection. Location matters! Obviously, that means that Jesus is not still here on earth. As much as we might want him to be right here doing whatever we ask him to do, he’s not here, at least not visibly. He ascended into heaven because his work of saving the world was finished. There’s nothing more for him to do on earth for us to have eternal life. What’s more, he told his disciples before his ascension that he was going to heaven to prepare a place for his believers. Imagine for a moment if that weren’t the case. Imagine if he were still here, standing before us, only telling us that there is a place called heaven waiting for us. Wouldn’t you wonder if heaven really existed? And, if it did, then why is Jesus here and not there? The fact is, he is in heaven, and he will bring us to him there. That’s why he came to earth in the first place. And now that work is done. Jesus is in heaven, and there’s our first answer to the question, “Are you “innocent” enough for the judgment? Indeed, you are—Jesus is in heaven for you. As we noted before, God declares in his word that we are not guilty. Innocent! But that news doesn’t mean the same to everyone. There are some who hear it and reply, “Of course I am! I’m a good person.” They deny or downplay their sin. Others might reply, “God must be talking about someone else. I know what a mess I’ve made. I’m as guilty as sin.” Those are hell’s two extremes—self-righteousness or despair. And this time, the truth DOES lie in the middle. Not our mistaken human middle, but in God’s divine middle. The middle road of truth—with falsehood on either side—is that our God has already declared us not guilty—innocent—by faith in Jesus. Your God loves you so much that he doesn’t want you to waste a moment of your life worried about the judgment. He’s already told you what he will declare about you—you are innocent because of what Jesus did for you. His death on the cross was the punishment for all your sins. His resurrection from the dead is solid proof of it. And now he is in heaven as the One who has completed everything that needed to be done so that you are innocent in the judgment. You are completely innocent, because Jesus is in heaven for you. II. What’s your instant reaction when someone tells you, “Sit down. I have something to tell you”? Are you eager to hear what is spoken next, or do you wish you were a thousand miles away? Usually, it’s the latter. We wish we weren’t about to have this conversation because we’ve come to expect bad news rather than good news. This morning your God comes to you and says, “Sit down, I have something to tell you. It’s about the return of Jesus to this earth.” Now, if Jesus were coming back to finish the work he came to do the first time, we would and should shudder at that news. That would mean our eternal future was still hanging in the balance. If God sat us down and told us that Jesus needed to come back and do more work because our sins were worse than God first thought they would be, we would and should shudder at that news. How much worse are we than God expected us to be? But, when it comes to the truth that Jesus is returning in judgment, it’s all good news for us. Why? Listen to the words of our text, “But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 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.” There you have it. No more sacrifice for sin is needed, not from you or Jesus. Jesus did it once for all. He left no sin unforgiven. He left no sinner out of his saving plan. He did it once and for all. There’s nothing left for him to do so that on the Last Day he can look you in the eye and declare, “Not guilty of sin. Innocent!” And then he will take you into the glory he has prepared for you. You see, he’s not coming back to get a pound of flesh out of you. He’s not coming back to make you squirm a little or be embarrassed by your sinful life. He’s simply coming back to save you—to spare you from the damnation that your sins deserve. He’s coming back to declare before all people, “You are innocent!” So, are you innocent enough for the judgment? Indeed, you are—because Jesus returns only to bring salvation to you, and not anything else. I began by speaking for all of us that the thought of the judgment on the Last Day isn’t our favorite spiritual truth to consider. Standing in judgment before anyone can be unnerving, let alone the almighty, all-knowing, holy Son of God. Some of you have heard me say this before, but I’m certain it’s worth hearing again, especially if you’re uncomfortable with the thought of the judgment on the Last Day. The judgment will not be investigation. It will be proclamation. Jesus has already told you what he will say to you on the Last Day and it’s simply this, “Come, inherit the kingdom I have prepared for you.” That’s it! Just the proclamation that eternal life in heaven is yours by faith in him. So, are you innocent enough for the judgment? Indeed, you are. That’s what Jesus tells you. That’s what he will come back to declare to you and everyone else. Comforting, isn’t it? Now go and live in that comfort which is yours by faith in Jesus! Amen.