Grace Baptist Church, Nokomis, IL.

Text:

We have many things to look forward to as believers. We look forward to how God will use us for His glory. We look forward to being made perfect. And at the end of this life, God will call us home to be in His very presence! But in the mean time, we have to wait for all these things. So the text calls us to examine ourselves and ask ourselves, “What are you waiting for?”

Read Hebrews 9:23-28

Our text this morning ends by giving us one description of those who are saved (v. 28). They are eagerly waiting for Christ to return. There are many interpretations regarding the Second Coming. Some think it will be before a time of tribulation. Some think it will be after. Some think it will be midway. Some think the Second Coming is only an analogy of how Christ enters our lives when we come to know Him.

But we should be sure that Christ is coming again. We eagerly wait for this. If the second coming refers only to Christ coming to live in us, why would we eagerly wait for Him? We wouldn’t! But Christ is coming back just as He left (Acts 1:11). They saw Him go up, and we’ll see Him come down. We eagerly wait for Christ to return because it means that we will be saved in every way possible (v. 28).

If you trust Christ today, you have been saved. Your salvation is sure. God will keep you in His powerful, loving hands until He brings you home to Heaven. But it’s not until Christ’s return that our salvation is finalized and has come to pass. So we ought to hope for it, eagerly waiting for it. What are waiting for? What is it that you hope for? Do you hope more than anything that you’d be able to pay your bills? Do you hope more than anything that your kids would be happy?

But this text demands that we ask this question in other ways as well.

Many who confess Christ still cling to their sin. Christ came to deal with our sin once and for all (v. 25-26). Don’t miss the present implications of these verses. Christ came to sacrifice Himself once, whereas the Jewish sacrifice for sin was to be every year. The annual Jewish sacrifice was for the sins committed in the previous year. This was what they did to look forward to forgiveness through Christ. That’s why it says in verse 23 that it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified by these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. Any who would enter Heaven must be purified by the blood of Jesus. There’s no other name under Heaven by which we must be saved (v. 24).

But in those old Jewish sacrifices was also a reminder to strive to be faithful. They saw the blood every year. They were reminded that this blood was shed for their sins. So the intended effect was that they would be humbled and would recommit themselves to God. Christ died so that we would be set free from sin, not just the consequences, but the committing of those sins.

We often want to be more pleasing to God, but just not yet. Until Christ returns, we’re still in a lot of danger here. Satan wants us to give up our faith or else become ineffective in our faith. Temptations from within and without draw us away from Christ and invite us not to find our joy in the greatest joy, but in the moment. In ourselves. In worldly pleasures.

But when Christ returns, He will save us from all that. We will be made perfect. We will have no more and we’ll be able to worship God forever with truly clean hands and completely pure hearts. But in the mean time, we do still have sin in our lives.

Yet we know that our greatest joy is Christ. So we long to put off more of our sin, and put on more of Christ, becoming more holy in the way that we live. If you’re like me, you’ve even made plans to do so. You may have said things like this: “Once I get my work schedule straightened out, I’ll serve in the church more.” “I want to read the Bible more, so starting January 1, I’ll be faithful to have a time of devotion with God.” “I know this sin doesn’t belong in my life, so I’ll just do it this one last time, and then be done with it.”

What are you waiting for? If you want to become more godly in your lifestyle, the time isn’t tomorrow, but today! Christ died so that we would be saved from the eternal consequences of our sin, yes, but also so that we might not walk in the sins of this world. If you know an area where you can serve in the church, step up and serve! If you know a person God’s urging you to minister to, pray for them, look for opportunities to serve them and share Christ with them. Don’t get discouraged by setbacks. They’re going to come. But make a plan to be faithful, and rely on the Holy Spirit in you to become more pleasing to God.

Finally, some know the truth they ought to embrace, but put it off. The truth is, there’s no such thing as being on the fence when it comes to Christ. You either trust Him, or you don’t. You’re either saved from your sin, or you’re not. What are you waiting for? You only live once. You only die once (v. 27). And we don’t know when death with find us. So what are you waiting for? Don’t put off knowing Christ. Embrace Him, and be saved.