Appearing’s

Hebrews 9:24-28

24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, 28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.

Examine / Explain

Jesus finished His work on earth with a lasing sacrifice of His blood on the cross. The “Holy Place” on earth was a copy and made with human hands. Jesus appeared on the so that He could die and appear in the actual “Holy Place,” which is the presence of God, on our behalf. The priest on earth had to make a yearly sacrifice for the people to be acceptable to God. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice and was appointed to die once, just like every other man. But He took our judgment in death, and we can live in eternity with his second appearance. He is coming back.

How do I apply this to my life?

Jesus appeared three times in this passage. In our past, He came and died for our sins, currently in heaven in the presence of God for our benefit and the future for His second coming. My salvation is critical in all three of these appearing. He covered my sin. He is covering me in His righteousness, and He will cover the entire world with His glory and righteousness. How am I preparing for His second coming? Am I prepared to be face-to-face with the savior of my soul? I know God is omnipresent and always with us, but we cannot comprehend the magnitude of seeing the spiritual realm. We are appointed to die once and then the judgment. We who are in Christ are covered with the atonement of our sins, but we must give an account of our earthly ministry. How have we been treating others? How have we loved others? How have we represented the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world? Not how often did I read through my bible, how many small groups I attended, what church I attended, or even if I graduated from a fight club challenge? We have been called to make disciples of the nations. Not make churches. We are the church! We are the gentile believers grafted into a chosen people. We have the chance to live for eternity through Jesus because of God’s grace and mercy. He did this when we were His enemies! He came and died as a sacrifice for those who absolutely hated Him. How are we doing with our enemies? Do we love them enough to kill our opinions and pride so that they may be saved? Not by our doing but by allowing Christ to work through us as ambassadors in a foreign land and on the assignment He has placed before us. We have got to get over ourselves and remember our place. We must remember where we came from and what was done for us to find freedom from the pit of despair and share it with the next person. How are we living above the culture? Are we living above the culture? What do we have to change? Us! Our pride and flesh must die on the altar, and we must pick up our cross and follow Him.

What is my response?

Father, how quickly I can lose focus and worry about earthly things. I need You daily, and I need to talk to You daily. I felt convicted yesterday. I sought you only because of the discomfort I was having and thought I was going to have instead of seeking to sit in Your presence. I am always wanting to be comfortable. We all are. And in that, I lose sight of You. I lose sight of my position in Christ. I am to work on my assignment until either the next assignment or His return. He is coming back, though I don’t know when. I must be ready. I must be the bride of Christ waiting for the marriage ceremony with the bride-groom. I have work to do, and I must do it with my eyes locked on His in eternity. Why do I worry or play around with the anxiety of what could happen? Why do I care about the physical and financial problems near me? Because I want to be comfortable. I don’t want to have to share a car with my wife. How about people in other countries who don’t even have the option to own a car, much less multiple cars? How do I worry about my faith when people actually die for what they believe about Christ? I have multiple bibles. Some die for having one bible. A perspective shift has to happen! Not only with me but for American believers. And I should be praying for that, but with my skewed perspective, my conversations with You are far between. Change my heart! Change my thoughts about spending time and talking with You! Conform me to the image of Your Son. I have to want to live in the uncomfortable. Do I dare ask it?