Sermon Central
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Appearances Of Christ, In Heaven And Earth
Contributed by Christopher Holdsworth on Oct 1, 2015 (message contributor)
Summary: Jesus appeared in the earth in the incarnation. Jesus "now appears" in heaven on our behalf. He will come again to the earth to gather to Himself those who are eagerly awaiting Him.
APPEARANCES OF CHRIST, IN HEAVEN AND EARTH.
The ‘worldly sanctuary’ (Hebrews 9:1) served for a time, in both tent and Temple, but now the ‘reformation’ has been accomplished (Hebrews 9:10).
The endless round of sacrifices would never suffice for the remission of sins (Hebrews 9:22).
To enter into heaven itself, Jesus needed a ‘better’ sacrifice than those previously offered (Hebrews 9:23).
We move forward from the earthly patterns of things in the heavens (Hebrews 8:5), to the heavenly reality which they foreshadowed (Hebrews 9:24).
Jesus has passed into the heavens, and “now appears” in the presence of God on our behalf (Hebrews 9:24).
This is one of three ‘appearances’ of Jesus mentioned in this passage.
FIRST, Jesus “appeared” in the earth, in the past, in the incarnation (Hebrews 9:26).
Christ entered into this world to vanquish sin through the sacrifice of His holy self (Mark 10:45).
The sacrifice of the Cross is described as a once-and-forever event (Hebrews 9:28).
Our salvation was accomplished in the earth at the Cross of Jesus (John 19:30).
SECOND, Jesus appears now in heaven, ever interceding on our behalf at God’s right hand (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25).
Jesus did not need to come repeatedly, and offer repeatedly blood not His own (Hebrews 9:25).
Nor does He need to suffer repeatedly, for His one sacrifice is perfect and efficacious for all (Hebrews 9:26).
Our salvation was ratified in heaven in the presence of God on our behalf (Hebrews 9:24).
THIRDLY, Jesus will appear again in the earth, in the future, when He comes to gather to Himself those who are eagerly awaiting Him (Hebrews 9:28).
This will not be to the exclusion of those who have gone before, as the Apostle Paul had to explain to one of his congregations (1 Thessalonians 4:14; 1 Thessalonians 4:17).
Our salvation will be brought to full fruition in one final application when Jesus returns to the earth (1 Corinthians 15:51).
‘Wherefore comfort one another with these words’ (1 Thessalonians 4:18).
