HEBREWS 9:15-282008 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Hebrews 9:15-28

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2008. The author of Hebrews has been going through lots of detail as we've been studying the past few weeks.

I've heard the book of Hebrews called the Leviticus of the New Testament. And so some of you might be ready to move on and take heart. We're getting towards the end of the book where there's lots more application and things. But as we're going through these doctrinal things, they're very important for us.

He is establishing, the author of Hebrews is establishing really above and beyond what's necessary, showing over and over and over again that Jesus Christ is sufficient for us.

He started all the way back in the beginning, how Jesus was superior to angels. And then going on, Jesus is superior to Moses. And all that was attained through Moses, far better is what is attained through Jesus Christ.

He went on to explain that Jesus is far better than Joshua who could not provide the people rest, that Jesus is far greater than Aaron and the high priest and the whole high priestly system, that what is offered in Jesus under the new covenant is far greater than what was offered under the old covenant. Over and over and over again, the author of Hebrews has been establishing the superiority, the supremacy of Jesus Christ from different angles, from different perspectives, from

showing that in all points, in every aspect, Jesus Christ is sufficient for us and he is superior to everything else. And this morning is no different. He continues to establish that as he looks at the death of Jesus, the blood of Jesus, and how it was necessary for us that he die. It was necessary for us that his blood be shed because he was the ultimate sacrifice for us. The ultimate sacrifice.

And he bases it, well, upon the scriptures and upon the truth of what Jesus presented. Now, as we begin this morning, I'm going to kind of go on a side note for a second and then we'll come back to the text. I'm wondering if any of you are prepared to die. He tells us in verse 27 that it is appointed for men once to die, to die once. Every one of us has this appointment and we're going to keep it. We're going to make it. We just don't know exactly when it will be.

Are you ready this morning? Are you prepared? Now many people, as they're making preparations to die for their death, they write up a legal document. You probably can figure out which one I'm referring to, the Last Will and Testament. And in this document, they write out and they specify how

their assets, their finances, how the things that they've accumulated, the things that they have, their estate will be divided or given or used. They are able with that will to share and to specify what is to be done with all of their stuff. And throughout history, man, there's been some

Some funny uses of this right and privilege of people. Anybody know who the richest dog in the world is? Gunther, Gunther IV. In 1991, Countess Carletta Leibenstein of Germany left her dog, Gunther III, a tidy sum of $80 million. $80 million.

$80 million. That was Gunther III in 1991. But Gunther had a son. His name is Gunther IV. And so Gunther IV is the new bearer of this wealth and lives in great luxury. Why? Well, because Countess, in her will, left all of her goods, everything that she had, her whole estate, to her beloved dog, Gunther III.

People have done some crazy things. There's another guy, Mark Grunewald. And maybe you don't know him. I'm sure, like I share with many people, Mario knows his comic books. And so he probably knows him and has heard of this already. But Mark Grunewald of Marvel Comics died in 1996.

And get this. In his will, he left instructions that his body was to be cremated and that the ashes from his body were to be mixed with ink and printed into a series of comic books. So in 1997, the...

The ink and ashes edition of a comic book that he had written was distributed. 4,000 copies distributed of this comic book that he had printed up with his ashes mixed in with the ink as per his instructions in the will. Now some wills, some people when they leave a will, they leave conditions that need to be met in order for the inheritance to be received.

There was a lawyer in Toronto named Charles Miller, and he had a fortune of about a million dollars, and he left this fortune in his will. He left the instructions that this million dollars was to go to the woman in Toronto that produced the most children in the 10 years following his death. So he dies.

In that 10 years, whoever has the most kids in that 10 year period gets the million dollars. I wonder if you would compete in that type of competition. Another condition or another guy who made a condition in his will, he was a California resident actually. His name was Robert Brett and he loved to smoke cigars.

But it was something his wife and him fought about constantly, and his wife would not allow him to smoke in the house, and it was always a point of contention. And so when he died in 1997, his will specified that the entire estate was to go to his wife on the condition that she smoked five cigars a day for the remainder of her life. Pretty cruel, huh? One last one. Jeremy Bentham.

He was an economist, he was very wealthy of course, and he was part of the University College in London. And in his will it specified that on his death, the fortune was to go to the University College of London with the condition that his preserved remains annually attend the Board of Directors' Meetings.

And so they preserved his body. They said it was much like the headhunters did. They would preserve, you know. And so they preserved his body. And for years on end, he was recorded as present but not voting. They honored his request and took the donation that was left in the will.

The point of the will is so that you can specify how your assets are going to be used and the way that they are going to be divided. And here as we look at Hebrews chapter 9, the author of Hebrews is using this concept, this idea, and showing that Jesus Christ had a will. And it's based on his last will and testament that you and I are able to

To have salvation. Check it out in verse 15. It says, He says here that Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant. But it's not just any kind of covenant. It's a new covenant by means of death.

This is not the covenant like we saw in the first covenant. The word covenant here can be used in a variety of ways, several different ways. And it's used to talk about the first covenant. And we would think of the first covenant in terms of a contract. And a contract...

Party on one side and the party on the other side, they agree to do certain things and fulfill certain obligations. And as they do, then that contract is fulfilled as each side does their part and meets their obligations. The first covenant was like that. It required you as a person keeping the law.

And as you kept the law, as you did your part, then God said, "I will do my part." It was a contract that was entered into by both parties having obligations to fulfill.

The new covenant, though, is not that kind of contract where you have to do some certain thing or perform some ritual or be religious or do good works and then, you know, now you get to participate in the new covenant and have salvation. The new covenant is using the other form of the word for covenant here. It's using the other aspect of covenant, which is testament, right?

as in the last will and testament. And so that's why in verse 16 he says, for where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. So where there is a testament, that covenant, it's a covenant, but it's not based upon each party fulfilling their obligations. It's based upon one thing. What is that one thing? Well, it's based upon the death of

the one who has written that last will and testament. It's based upon the death of the testator. So this covenant, the new covenant, is not like the old covenant in that we are obligated to perform something in order to participate. It is simply based upon the death of the one who made the covenant, the death of Jesus Christ. Now let me ask you, did Jesus Christ die?

You can answer audibly. It's okay. Yes, Jesus Christ died. So this covenant then, this testament is in force. Jesus is the mediator, he says, of a new covenant by means of death.

And it's a new covenant that's for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant. So those who broke the law under the first covenant, those of us who cannot keep the law, those of us who have sinned against God, this new covenant is meant to redeem us from the transgressions of that first covenant. This new testament of Jesus Christ redeems us and forgives us for our sin.

that those who are called, he says, may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. See, it's an inheritance that we are receiving. Salvation is an inheritance. It's a gift given to us upon the death of Jesus Christ. This covenant is not based upon us fulfilling some part or having obligations. All that's required for this covenant is that you receive it. In order for an inheritance to be

received, it must be received. I know that's redundant, but you get what I'm saying. In order for you to have an inheritance, you must receive it. The last will and testament is when a person specifies what is to happen to their estate when they're dying. So they say this much goes to this person, but that person must receive it. And I didn't know this until recently, but you can refuse an inheritance. It's called disclaiming an inheritance.

And you don't have to receive what is given to you in a will, in a testament, or as an inheritance. And so all that is required for this New Testament, for this New Covenant, is for you to receive what is being offered. Jesus Christ, He died. Becoming the mediator of this testament, by which you and I have an opportunity for all kinds of

Well, glorious things that are really beyond description, including salvation, forgiveness, redemption, eternal life, all those things that we are so fond of and talk about, are all based upon the death of Jesus Christ. It was necessary for him to die that the testament, that the covenant, could be invoked, that you and I could have eternal life. So Jesus Christ, although we don't have it in these terms, he had a last will and testament.

I wonder what would the last will and testament of Jesus of Nazareth look like? And I think you could take John chapter 14. In fact, I encourage you, if you want to take some time and study through these things, look at John 14, 15, 16, and 17. These are the things that Jesus shared with his disciples the hours before he was to be crucified.

It was the things that he shared with them there in the upper room and in the garden right before he was about to be betrayed and put on trial. It's really the last words of Christ before he's crucified. And you can take from these things that he shared and the promises that he says. He gives many promises. Hey, after I go, this is going to happen and you're going to have this and you're going to be able to do this. It's his last will and testament.

I would encourage you to read through those chapters and try to pick out and find those promises that he gives. We find them not just there, but all throughout the scriptures. The last will and testament of Jesus says that those who receive the inheritance, those who believe, have the right to become children of God. And that's a wonderful thing, to be a child of God. Not only that, but Jesus takes his bank account, not with dollars and cents, but with righteousness.

infinite righteousness he has in his account. And he says, those who receive my inheritance will have my righteousness imputed, credited to their account. So you receiving the inheritance, receiving what Jesus has done for you, participating in this new covenant, have the righteousness of Jesus Christ credited to your account. Well, it won't change your bank account, but it does change

You're standing with God. Because now, Jesus, having infinite righteousness, has clothed you in His righteousness. Jesus there in John 14, as well as John 16, promised, Hey, if I go, it's better for you, because I will send the Holy Spirit. Part of this new covenant, part of what's given to us as part of this inheritance is that

The Holy Spirit is able to indwell within us, to fill us, that we're able to commune with God and have relationship with God. Jesus said later, and I think it's John 15, He said, It's peace I leave with you, it's peace I give to you. The peace of God that passes all understanding. We know that as a result of the death of Christ, as part of His inheritance to us is new spiritual life. 2 Corinthians 5 tells us we're new creatures now.

If we believe in Jesus Christ. And so there's all these things. There's much more that we could go into. But all of these things are given to us as an inheritance. For those who will believe in Jesus Christ. For those who will receive this inheritance that he offers as a result of his death. His death was necessary for us to receive these things. But not only those things. Those are things that we receive now. We get to participate in now. But there's also even better things in store.

For our graduation. Our graduation is when we get to be with Jesus face to face. And we graduate either when the rapture of the church happens or when we and our earthly bodies die and we get to then be set free from these earthly bodies and to be with the Lord forever. We graduate and then as part of our graduation, His last will and testament specifies that we will be given new bodies.

that do not break down, that do not wear out, that are glorious bodies. He specified that as part of our graduation, that we will always be with Him. Remember in John 14, He says, Hey, if I go away, I'm going to return to receive you unto Myself, that you may always be where I am. To graduate is to always be with Jesus. Not only that, Jesus said in John 14, I go to prepare a place for you. As part of the inheritance that Jesus offers to us is a place in heaven.

A place for eternity that He has prepared for us. And so Jesus offers to us this new covenant, this testament, this inheritance. And what is required for this inheritance to be offered to us, for this inheritance, for this testament to be enforced? Well, this is why I say it was a necessary death. Look at verse 17. For a testament is enforced after men are dead.

since it has no power at all while the testator lives. The testament only has power after the person has died. When they're still alive, it doesn't mean anything. It doesn't give you any rights or privileges. But it's after they have died that it has power. In the same way, Jesus Christ, his death was necessary so that this covenant, that this testament could be enforced. That the inheritance, all that he has, he offers, he gives to us.

who believe in Him. Which means that if Jesus did not die, you and I could not be saved. Because if He did not die, this testament would not be in force. And we would be subject to the contract that we have to fulfill our obligations, which we're not able to do. We have to live perfect lives, which we're not able to do. And then God will grant us eternal life. But we can't keep our part. So we could not be saved if Jesus Christ had not died. But because His...

Death is real, a reality. It is a fact and it happened. Because of his death, now we have the opportunity to receive this inheritance that is offered to us. So if Jesus did not die, you could not be saved, which is also why you can only be saved by Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 14, 6, No one comes to the Father except through me. He could say that because it's true, number one, but also because...

None of us can measure up to the standard that is required for eternity, for salvation. Doesn't matter how good we are, how hard we try, how determined we are, how sincere we are, none of us can measure up. His death was necessary and it is necessary for us to receive it. And this is not negotiable. You cannot one day stand before God and say, but I did...

This amount of good works, I think that should count for something. You can't determine on your own right now, well, if I sacrifice this much of myself, and I give this much to the poor, and I do this, and I do that, and you can't come up with your own scheme, saying, God, these are my terms, and this is how I'm going to get into heaven. This is how I'm going to get salvation, by my works, or my goodness, or whatever.

It's not negotiable. Jesus' death was necessary, which means it's necessary to receive what he did for you upon the cross in order for you to be saved. And for us to try to relate to God any other way on our own terms is in essence saying Jesus' death was meaningless and worthless. Jesus' death was not sufficient. It didn't mean anything. If I can come to God on the basis of my works, my goodness, or anything else.

No, Jesus' death was meaningful. It was necessary. It was the only way for you and I to be able to have relationship with God. And this is so important because we have the tendency, the natural desire, the natural pull and draw to try to relate to God on the basis of what I have done, how well I've performed, what I haven't done, and so on and so forth. But that's not how you receive the inheritance.

That's not how salvation is given. In fact, all of those good works and those righteous acts that you've done are the ones that are meaningless and worthless. Because Isaiah tells us that our righteousness is as filthy rags. And so we cannot come to God on the basis of our works, but we come to God on the basis of faith. And we receive the inheritance that Jesus offers to us by His death upon the cross. And it's all taken care of.

As we'll continue to see later. So his death was necessary. Number two this morning, we find that his blood was necessary. It was necessary for his blood to be shed. Look at verse 18. Therefore, not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. The first covenant was dedicated with blood. He's referring here, and he's going to be talking about it in verse 19 and following, but he's referring to Exodus chapter 24.

And in Exodus chapter 24, Moses dedicates the covenant and the people and the articles that are going to be used in the ministry with blood. Look at verse 19.

For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people, according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you. Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry."

So we see here in verses 19 through 21 that the shedding of blood was necessary under the first covenant for dedication. To inaugurate, in essence, this new covenant, to dedicate this covenant and the articles that were going to be used in their relationship with God, blood had to be shed. And so calves and goats...

We're sacrificed. And Moses takes, he takes some hyssop, which is like a tree branch or like, yeah, just like a tree branch. Just figure that, picture that for a second. And so he dips it in the blood. It's kind of like a broom. And then he uses that to sprinkle the blood on the people, upon the book, on the tabernacle and the articles and the instruments that will be used for the ministry.

And it's a form of dedication. Now, what did the blood actually do? Well, nothing really. I mean, it's not like the blood touched the altar and then it was transformed or all of a sudden it was super clean. The blood actually made it bloody. It wouldn't be clean in our minds, but it was symbolic. It was the meaning that was important. It was saying, this is dedicated. It's set aside for the purposes of God, for this covenant that we are entering into with God.

So the first covenant was dedicated with blood. This new covenant as well was dedicated with blood. You remember there in the upper room? Jesus, he's having the last supper with his disciples and he holds up the cup and he says, in Luke chapter 22 verse 20, he says, this cup is the new covenant in my blood which is shed for you. His blood was necessary. It was for dedication.

to inaugurate, to begin this new covenant. Just as the old covenant began with the shedding of blood, this covenant began with the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ. But it's not only for dedication, but verse 22 tells us it's for purification and remission. It says, And according to the law, almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.

Now again, we're talking about purification. This is not saying that the blood literally is like soap and cleans you. Under the law, they had to sprinkle blood for ceremonial cleansing. It was symbolic. It was saying your sin is taken care of. You are pure. You have right standing with God. And he says without the shedding of blood, there is no remission.

Some translations say remission of sin because that's what it's in reference to. There is no forgiveness. This word remission could also be translated. There is no forgiveness. There is no taking away of sin. There is no release from the penalty and the punishment that was due because of sin without the shedding of blood. And so Jesus Christ had to shed his blood as a means of dedication, purification and remission.

It was necessary that His blood be shed so that we could participate in this new covenant, so that we could receive the inheritance that He has offered to us. In the same way that it was necessary under the first covenant, it's necessary under this new covenant. Now, here's the thing. The blood that was required to dedicate for purification and remission for this new covenant...

could not be the same type of blood that was used under the first covenant. The first covenant, they sacrificed goats and calves, and that blood was the blood they sprinkled on the people, on the book, on the tabernacle, and on the articles for ministry. The blood used for this new covenant could not be of the same caliber. It had to be something of higher quality. And so we see that in verse 23.

Therefore, it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. So it was necessary that the sacrifice, that the death, that the blood was a higher quality than what was given under the first covenant.

Now, he says there in verse 23, it was necessary that the copies of the things in heaven should be purified with these. What is he talking about? Well, we've been looking at that for the past few weeks, so I won't go into depth here, but the tabernacle that God instructed Moses to build, God gave Moses the instruction that he build it according to the pattern. Because

The tabernacle that he was building was a model of a reality that existed in heaven. The tabernacle was not the reality. It was not the substance. It was the place that God used to meet with his people and to give his people an opportunity to meet with him and find salvation. But it was not the reality. The reality existed in heaven. And so the author of Hebrews calls...

The tabernacle, the earthly temple, those things, copies. We also looked at them, and the author of Hebrews has called them a model, or shadows. We've talked about the empty box. That's what the tabernacle was. It was an empty shell. It pointed to the reality and the substance, but in and of itself, it really had no value. It was only there to point towards that which was to come and that which was real.

And so the copies, he says, of the things in the heaven, the shadows and the empty box, well, it was okay for the empty box and for the shadows to be purified and dedicated with the blood of calves and goats for the sacrifice of animals. That was sufficient because it was just the copy. It was just the shadow. But he says, the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. And so the blood of calves and goats and sheep

The animal sacrifices were not sufficient for this new covenant. There needed to be better sacrifices, a higher quality. Just as heaven is infinitely higher than earth, infinitely better than earth, the sacrifices required for this new covenant, which was in the reality in heaven, needed to be infinitely better than the sacrifices that were offered for the shadows that existed on earth.

again, we covered this last week, for a temporary system, the shadows of the reality, the blood of bulls and goats, it was sufficient. But there needed to be something more valuable, a higher quality. Why? Verse 24, For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.

See, the blood of bulls and goats was not sufficient because Christ did not enter into the holy place made with hands. The holy place made with hands, again, it's the copy. It's the shadow. It's the earthly temple that existed in Jesus' day, the earthly tabernacle that God instructed Moses to build. Jesus, although he was qualified in the sense that he was perfect, he did not enter into the temple.

He never went into the holy place where there was the table of showbread and the altar of incense and the lampstand that was burning the seven lamps. He never entered in there. That wasn't where his ministry was. He never went beyond the veil into the holiest of all because his ministry wasn't on earth. Christ didn't enter into the holy places made with hands. They're the copies of the things that are true, the substance, but the reality is in heaven. And that's where Christ entered.

And so it was necessary that a higher quality of sacrifice be made. And of course, that higher quality is the sacrifice of Himself, Jesus Christ. He gave Himself. And He, being the Son of God, living a sinless life, is the ultimate sacrifice. Exactly what is required. Infinitely better, infinitely higher than the sacrifice of animals. Even for you to say, well, I'll sacrifice myself. It's not enough because we're a blemished sacrifice.

We've sinned. We've fallen short of the glory of God. But Jesus Christ, being God, became a man, lived a sinless life, and offered himself for us. He was the ultimate sacrifice. And so he stands now in the presence of God. He's entered into heaven itself. And there at the end of verse 24, he says, he appears in the presence of God for us. Again, this is part of our inheritance. He appears in God's presence. He's there before the Father on our behalf.

And there's several different aspects of this ministry that Jesus is performing there on our behalf before the Father. We've seen several of them here in the book of Hebrews. In chapter 7 verse 25, it tells us He ever lives to make intercession for us. He's there at the right hand of the Father interceding on our behalf. In Hebrews 9 earlier last week, we saw that He was a high priest on our behalf. He's there serving and ministering as our high priest there in heaven before the presence of God.

Here it also tells us that He is the mediator for us. He's there in the presence of God and He mediates between us and God. We find that all throughout the scriptures. 1 John 2, verse 1 tells us that we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ. He's our advocate. He's our defense. He is there before the Father continually in His presence as our mediator, as our intercessor, as our advocate, and as our high priest. This is what we receive when we receive God.

The inheritance that Jesus offers to us. So, his death was necessary. The blood was necessary. It was necessary that it be a high quality sacrifice. And fourthly, we see that it was necessary only once. Look at verse 25.

Here the author of Hebrews goes on to say, he is not offering himself often, but once.

The high priest, under the old covenant, every year, as part of the Day of Atonement, would offer sacrifices and go into the holiest of all, into where the presence of God was manifested, and he would sprinkle blood on the Ark of the Covenant. Every year he had to do this sacrifice. Every year he had to go before God with this offering, with this sacrifice, with the blood of another.

So throughout Israel's existence, very many times this offering was made and the high priest would go in with the blood of another. Jesus does not minister on the same way because then he says in verse 26, he then would have to suffer often since the foundation of the world. His sacrifice is such that it's not temporary like the old sacrifices were.

It's not a temporary covering. He's going to deal with sacrifices more in detail in chapter 10, so we'll get into more details later. But his sacrifice was once and for all. Once and for all. It's done. There's nothing further that needs to be offered for sin.

It's not necessary for him to suffer often. It was necessary only once. He says, but now once at the end of the ages, he has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. So unlike the high priest who offered annually,

The sacrifice to go before the presence of God. In addition to that, of course, was the morning and evening sacrifices. The sacrifices people would bring as an offering to the Lord. The sacrifices they would bring to atone for their transgression and sin. All of the sacrifices that were going on continually. It was continual, repetitive, over and over and constantly. Sacrifices being offered. But Jesus, being infinitely greater than those sacrifices...

was a once and for all sacrifice. And once and for all, he put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. He put away sin. He took care of it. Sin is taken care of completely and wholly once and for all by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Which is why you and I cannot make up for our sin with our good works. And sometimes we try to do that. We try to make up for what we've done and how we've blown it by being extra good or giving an extra amount or serving extra time or however we make up in our minds that we're trying to compensate for how we blew it or the things that we've done wrong.

Jesus put away sin once and for all. There's no further offering. There's no further sacrifice. There's nothing you or I can do any longer to take away sin. It's taken care of. And you have had your sins completely washed if you have received this inheritance that Jesus offers to you. It's taken care of. You don't have to earn God's pleasure. You don't have to work to

And do good works in order to take care of sin and make up for your failures. Jesus did it once and for all at the cross. Once and for all. He goes on to make that point again in verse 27 and 28. He says, So he says,

And after that, the judgment. In the same way, Christ was offered once. It's not necessary for Him to be offered over and over and over again like the old sacrifices. It was once to bear the sins of many so that as many as received Him, to them He gave the right, the power to be called children of God. So that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life because sin is taken care of. Because those who receive His work

Sin is completely abolished. It's obliterated. Completely done away with by the blood of Jesus Christ. And he says, to those who eagerly wait for him, he will appear a second time apart from sin for salvation. He's coming again, but not to deal with sin. Not to take away sin. He already did that. He's coming for salvation. He says, to those who eagerly await for him. And I want to close this morning with a couple scriptures. Really asking you to examine this.

Your life. Are you ready? Are you ready to meet the Lord? Are you ready to stand before God? Are you eagerly waiting for Him? For His return? Have you received the inheritance that's being offered to you? Because more important than the preparation for your estate after you die is your preparation for your eternal state when you die. More important than your estate is your eternal state.

Have you made preparation? Because again, in verse 27, it is appointed for men to die once, but after this, the judgment. Every one of us has this appointment. It's on your calendar. You just don't know the date. You don't know exactly when, but you have this appointment. And we don't like to talk about this. We don't like to think about this. In fact, it's why most of us, we really dread funerals because we don't like to be faced with the reality that every one of us has an appointment with death and we're going to die.

And when a person dies, their life ceases. Everything that they lived for, it's done. It will go no further. The passions that they had, the successes that they had, they will never have any further success in this life. They will never get another promotion or another raise. All of the energy that they spent in anger and bitterness, trying to get back and perform revenge, it'll be done. There will be no more. It's finished.

The point is, all we have is this life to prepare for eternity. We don't get second chances in the sense that, well, after you die, then you could try to make up for it. You can spend some extra time in purgatory. No. It's appointed for us to die once, and then after that, we face judgment. We stand before God to give an account of our life. Are you ready? Have you prepared your eternal state? Or are you more focused on preparing your estate, focused on this life?

and not the life to come. He says it's appointed for men to die once. You have this appointment. Are you prepared for it? And so this morning, there's two portions of Scripture now for two different groups. And so this morning, if you're a believer in Jesus Christ, if you've received this inheritance that He offers to you, then turn with me to 2 Corinthians 5.

However, this morning, if you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, if you've not been born again, if you've not received His offer of salvation, then would you please turn with me to Revelation chapter 20? Because I want us to be prepared. It's important that we make preparation because every one of us has an appointment and we will keep it. We cannot escape it. There's a commercial that cracks me up when I see it. It's a businessman. He comes into an office and

He stands in front of his secretary and he says, well, what's my day look like today? And she says, well, from this time to this time in the morning, you're texting your kids during their recess. And then from 12 to 1, you're texting your wife on her lunch break. And then from 1 to 3, you're texting your daughter on her lunch break at school. And then at 4 o'clock, you have a budget meeting. And he stands there and I can't do the look, but he has this look like, hmm.

And so then she goes, "Well, I can move the budget meeting." He says, "Oh yeah, let's do that." So all he wants to do all day is just, you know, send text messages. Funny commercial to me. He's putting off his appointments, changing the dates. But this is one appointment you can't adjust. You can't put it off, you can't postpone it, you can't delay it. It's gonna happen. I'm sure you've heard the statistics on death are quite incredible. 100%. 100%. Everyone dies. Are you prepared?

In 2 Corinthians chapter 5, the Apostle Paul is speaking about this very thing, about the fact that we will stand before God. And so in verse 9 he says, "...whether good or bad."

Here the Apostle Paul says, we make it our aim to be pleasing to God because we know every one of us will stand before the throne of God. And here he says, the judgment seat of Christ, which is a reference not to judgment as in the law, but judgment as in athletics. Just as a judge in an athletic competition awards the prize, awards the reward, the

The judgment seat of Christ is a judgment for reward. It's a judgment for how well you lived your life according to what God had given you. And that's why Paul says we make it our aim to be well-pleasing to God. We're seeking in our life to be right in the center of God's will, to be well-pleasing to Him. In another portion, Paul says...

There's some who will just barely make it into heaven as though by fire. Everything that they have will be burnt up. That judgment seat of Christ, it's going to leave them with no reward. But others will have an abundant entrance into the kingdom of God. Great reward because they live their life for the glory of God, to be well-pleasing to God. That's why Jesus said, if you love your life, you'll lose it. But if you lose your life for my sake, you'll find it if you live for Him.

If you'll seek His will, follow His plans and His purposes, put His desires ahead of your own. If you'll deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Him, you'll have an abundant entrance into the Kingdom of God as you stand before the judgment seat of Christ. You will die or you'll be raptured. You'll be caught up to meet with Him, but you will stand before the Lord. And so I encourage you this morning, for you believers, make it your aim to be well-pleasing to God.

Jesus gave what was necessary, His death, His blood, the high quality of His sacrifice, and it was necessary only once because He, the Son of God, gave Himself for you. So I encourage you to give yourself for Him this morning, to live your life for Him, that you may have an abundant entrance into the Kingdom of God. But this morning, if you are not in that position, having received what Jesus did for us upon the cross, if you're not in the position of having been born again,

if you haven't received this inheritance, and you don't have the forgiveness of sin, the conscience cleansed, I want to share with you that for those who die in that state, not having received what Jesus offered, not having received and partaken of this new covenant, their judgment is quite different. Revelation chapter 20 records this for us in verse 11.

The Apostle John says,

And then verse 15, "...and anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." For those who meet this appointment without receiving what Jesus offers, they stand not before the judgment of reward, the judgment seat of Christ, but they stand before the great white throne, a judgment of an altogether different type, a judgment of eternal punishment.

And it says, they're the dead, small and great. Everyone stands before God and they're judged according to their works by the things that were written in the books. No detail is lost. But it's not really necessary that every detail be expressed because one sin is enough to keep us out of eternity with God. And so anyone who has ever sinned once without what Jesus offers, without his inheritance, this new covenant, they will stand before the great white throne.

And it says in verse 15, anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. If you leave this earth, if you meet your appointment with death and you've not taken care of your spiritual life, you've not been born again, if you haven't received what Jesus Christ offers, your name is not written in the book of life and you will be cast into the lake of fire and it will be just and it will be right because Jesus offers to you this incredible inheritance and you refused it.

This morning, I want to encourage you. I challenge you. I beg you. Make preparations. Your estate, it's going to pass away. It's not going to last. But what about your eternal estate? Where are you going to spend eternity? Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I pray for all those who are listening to this, Lord, for all those you've gathered together here this morning. God, I pray that you would help us, Lord, not to try to

distract ourselves from this question or change the subjects. Lord, help us to face this question. Am I prepared for eternity? And God, I pray that you would be speaking to all of our hearts exactly where we're at. Lord, that we would know how we need to respond to that question. God, for those who know you, for those who are walking with you, I pray that you would help us. Lord, help us to make it our aim to

to live our lives to be well-pleasing to you. Not just sometimes, not just occasionally or when it's convenient, but Lord, may we give ourselves completely and wholly to you as living sacrifices because we're going to stand before you. Lord, help us not to get caught up in this life and distracted by the things of this world. But Lord, I pray that you would set our focus on eternity, that we may go 100% completely sold out for you.

Lord, that we may have an abundant entrance into eternity. God, I pray that you would help us to share with those around us your truth and your love, knowing that even those around us have an appointment with death, and they will meet it, and eternity is at stake. God, I pray for those who do not know you, those who are listening to this and they know they're not right with you. God, I pray that you would pierce their hearts. Lord, not with condemnation, but with your love.

Lord, may their eyes be opened to how much you love them and what you have given in giving yourself for them. And I pray, Lord, that they would stop the rebellion and receive what you have offered. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of his word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.