{"id":1597,"date":"2021-11-07T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-07T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/?p=1597"},"modified":"2021-11-21T19:43:55","modified_gmt":"2021-11-22T03:43:55","slug":"sunday-of-last-judgement-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/2021\/11\/07\/sunday-of-last-judgement-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunday of Last Judgement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Last-Judgment-Sunday-11-07-21.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Hebrews 9:24-28<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our God Remembers Our Sin No More!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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\u2019s presence.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world.&nbsp; But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.&nbsp; Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.&nbsp; (NIV1984)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While I was preparing our sermon for today, I came across an illustration that I would like to share with you.&nbsp; I\u2019m pretty sure it is apocryphal, but I think it applies quite well.&nbsp; It goes like this:&nbsp; A young woman went to her pastor and told him that she had had a vision of Jesus.&nbsp; Her pastor was a tad-bit skeptical, so he suggested that the next time she had a vision she should ask Jesus what sin the pastor struggled with when he was young.&nbsp; She agreed.&nbsp; A few weeks later she went back to her pastor to let him know that she did indeed have another vision.&nbsp; He asked her if she had followed his suggestion.&nbsp; She said, \u201cYes.\u201d&nbsp; What did He say?\u201d the pastor asked\u2014 somewhat hesitantly.&nbsp; \u201cJesus said,\u201d then the young woman paused for a second, \u201cJesus said, \u2018I don\u2019t remember!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wouldn\u2019t you love to have a God like that, my friends!&nbsp; Wouldn\u2019t you love to have a God who doesn\u2019t even <strong>remember <\/strong>your sins!&nbsp; You do!&nbsp; As a Christian you worship the God who declares in His holy Word, <em>\u201cI, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more\u201d<\/em> (Isaiah 43:25).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today as you and I gather together to celebrate the Sunday of Last Judgment our goal is to rejoice in the truth that we can and we do eagerly look forward to the Last Judgment\u2014 because we worship the God who <em>\u201cremembers <\/em>(our) <em>sins no more\u201d<\/em>!&nbsp; To help us rejoice in this truth let\u2019s use these words to study our text under the theme:&nbsp; <strong><em>Our God Remembers Our Sins No More!<\/em><\/strong>&nbsp; There are two questions we need to address this morning.&nbsp; First, let\u2019s see how this text addresses the question, \u201cHow can this be?\u201d&nbsp; Then let\u2019s see how this text addresses the question, \u201cWhat does this mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How can it be possible that the God who knows all things is able to say to you and to me, <em>\u201cI remember your sins no more\u201d<\/em>?&nbsp; The answer to that question is found in the opening portion of our text, <em>\u201cFor Christ did not enter a manmade sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God\u2019s presence.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world.&nbsp; But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once again, we need to remember that the letter to the Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who were being pressured to renounce their faith in Jesus, to set their Christianity down along the side of the road, turn around and go back to following Judaism.&nbsp; This not only meant going back to following the rules and regulations of the Law of Moses, but it also meant going back to following the worship life of the Temple of the Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m not sure that we can grasp the pivotal role that the Temple of the Lord played in the hearts and the lives and the faith of God\u2019s Old Testament people.&nbsp; Three times a year all the men of Israel were required to make a pilgrimage to the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem.&nbsp; (See Exodus 23:14ff)&nbsp; The Temple of the Lord is where God\u2019s people brought their offerings to their God.&nbsp; The Temple of the Lord is where the priests offered up sacrifices and prayers to the God of heaven on behalf of God\u2019s people.&nbsp; And, on Yom Kippur, the Great Day of Atonement, the High Priest would enter into the Most Holy Place in the Temple of the Lord and sprinkle blood on the Mercy Seat to atone for the sins that God\u2019s people committed against Him.&nbsp; Year after year, century after century God\u2019s people made their pilgrimages to the Temple, countless innocent animals were sacrifice, and the High Priest would enter into the Most Holy Place over and over again <em>\u201cwith blood that is not his own.\u201d<\/em>&nbsp; All of this was central to the history, to the identity and to the faith of God\u2019s Chosen People!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Were these Jewish Christians willing to walk away from that rich comforting heritage?&nbsp; Were these Jewish Christians willing to take the focus of their hearts, the focus of their lives and the focus of their faith off of the Temple of the Lord and put their focus on\u2014 a cross?&nbsp; (Pointing to the cross)&nbsp; The writer to the Hebrews answers that question with a resounding, Yes!&nbsp; Why?&nbsp; Because the cross on Calvary\u2019s hill is where Jesus, <strong>the <\/strong>Great High Priest, fulfilled the words, <em>\u201cHe appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.\u201d<\/em>&nbsp; The phrase <em>\u201cto do away with sin\u201d<\/em> very literally means, <em>\u201cfor the nullification of sin,\u201d<\/em> or <em>\u201cfor the removal of sin.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since our sin has been <em>\u201cdone away with,\u201d<\/em> since our sin has been <em>\u201cnullified,\u201d<\/em> since our sin has been <em>\u201cremoved\u201d<\/em> it\u2019s easy for us to understand that when Jesus victoriously <em>\u201centered heaven itself\u2026to appear <strong>for us <\/strong>in God\u2019s presence,\u201d<\/em> God the Father in His infinite grace, mercy and wisdom says, <em>\u201cI, even I, am he who blots out <\/em>(their) <em>transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers <\/em>(their) <em>sins no more.\u201d<\/em>&nbsp; <strong>Only<\/strong> the cross on Calvary\u2019s hill enables us to hear those glorious words and instantly know the answer to the question, \u201cHow can that be?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What about the question, \u201cWhat does this mean?\u201d&nbsp; Our text gives us two answers to that question.&nbsp; The first answer to that question applies to the here-and-now.&nbsp; What does it mean for your day-to-day life that your God remembers your sins no more?&nbsp; The <em>\u201conce for all\u201d<\/em> sacrifice that your Great High Priest made for your sins on the cross of Calvary\u2019s hill (Pointing to the cross) gives you every right to say to Satan, \u201cGet behind me!&nbsp; You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of hell!\u201d&nbsp; No matter how many times Satan may have pierced you with one of his <em>\u201cflaming arrows\u201d<\/em> (Ephesians 6:16), you have the confidence of knowing that your Brother Jesus has victoriously <em>\u201centered heaven itself\u201d<\/em> to <em>\u201cappear for <\/em><strong>you <\/strong><em>in God\u2019s presence\u201d<\/em> and say, \u201cFather, that sin has already been <em>\u201cdone away with\u201d<\/em> by My sacrifice.\u201d&nbsp; The Father will then reply, \u201cWhat sin?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <em>\u201donce for all\u201d<\/em> sacrifice that your Great High Priest made for your sins on the cross of Calvary\u2019s hill (Pointing to the cross) gives you every right to turn a deaf ear to your conscience, to turn a deaf ear to anyone who tries to shame you because of something you have said or done.&nbsp; No matter how true it might be, you have the confidence of knowing that your Brother Jesus has victoriously <em>\u201centered heaven itself\u201d<\/em> to <em>\u201cappear for <strong>you <\/strong>in God\u2019s presence\u201d<\/em> and say, \u201cFather, that sin has already been <em>\u201cnullified\u201d<\/em> by My sacrifice.\u201d&nbsp; Again, the Father will say, \u201cWhat sin?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Does the fact that Jesus\u2019 <em>\u201conce for all\u201d<\/em> sacrifice on the cross has completely <em>\u201cremoved\u201d<\/em> all of your sins mean that you can go out and sin however you want and as often as you want?&nbsp; Of course not!&nbsp; That is <strong>not <\/strong>how someone whom Jesus loves this much (Pointing to the cross) shows their love and their thankfulness to Jesus.&nbsp; (See Romans 6:1-4)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The second answer to the question, \u201cWhat does this mean?\u201d ties in more directly with the fact that today is the Sunday of Last Judgment.&nbsp; Look at the closing two verses of our text.&nbsp; The writer to the Hebrews says, <em>\u201cJust as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These verses look at the Last Judgment from two different perspectives.&nbsp; The first perspective is very personal, <em>\u201cJust as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.\u201d<\/em>&nbsp; The instant a person dies, their soul is summoned before the judgment throne of God where they will find out where they will spend eternity\u2014 either with Jesus in the glory and perfection of heaven or with Satan in the eternal fires of hell.&nbsp; Since this is the central focus of next week\u2019s sermon text, we\u2019re not going to go into any depth right now.&nbsp; Suffice it to say that as the dearly beloved adopted children of the heavenly Father, when you are summoned to stand before the judgment throne of God you have nothing to fear!&nbsp; Why?&nbsp; Because the cross assures you that your God does not remember your sins!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The second perspective is found in the words, <em>\u201cHe will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.\u201d<\/em>&nbsp; These words transport us to Judgment Day when Jesus will return to this earth in all of His power, majesty and glory as the Judge of the living and the dead.&nbsp; If we are still alive when that day arrives, we will have nothing to fear!&nbsp; We will instantly recognize what is happening.&nbsp; We will instantly rejoice in knowing that our Savior, our Jesus, is <em>\u201cbringing salvation to those who are waiting for him\u201d<\/em>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now as I said, we are going to talk about this in more detail next week, but I do want to remind you of how important your personal relationship with Jesus is <strong>now<\/strong> \u2014 before your day of Last Judgment arrives.&nbsp; The <strong>only <\/strong>way for us to have the confidence of knowing that the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth will say concerning us, <em>\u201cI, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more,\u201d<\/em> is to cling for dear life to our Great High Priest and trust in the <em>\u201conce for all\u201d<\/em> sacrifice He made for us on the cross.&nbsp; Clinging to anyone else and trusting in anything else will only prove to be disastrous\u2014 eternally disastrous!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The story is told about a person who went to their pastor and told him that they had had a vision of Jesus.&nbsp; Their pastor was a tad-bit skeptical so he suggested that the next time they had a vision they should ask Jesus what sin their pastor struggled with when he was young.&nbsp; A few weeks later they went back to their pastor to let him know that they did indeed have another vision.&nbsp; The pastor asked them if they had followed his suggestion and the person said, \u201cYes.\u201d&nbsp; When the pastor asked, \u201cWhat did Jesus say?\u201d the person responded, \u201cJesus said, \u2018I don\u2019t remember!\u2019\u201d&nbsp; While the story may be apocryphal don\u2019t forget how well it applies to you and to me and to all those who trust in Jesus.&nbsp; We have nothing to fear when the day of Last Judgment arrives.&nbsp; Why?&nbsp; Because the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross guarantees to us that our God remembers our sins no more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To God be the glory!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hebrews 9:24-28 Our God Remembers Our Sin No More! 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\u2019s presence.&nbsp; Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-worship-service-podcast"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1597"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1597\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1598,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1597\/revisions\/1598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}