“Do Not Throw Away Your Confidence” [Matt's Messages]

“Do Not Throw Away Your Confidence”

Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus

The Letter to the Hebrews

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

September 13, 2026 :: Hebrews 10:26-39  

“It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Did you hear those solemn words that were just read to us? They are sobering. They are intentionally and rightfully scary. It’s verse 31. 

“It is a dreadful [which means “terrifying”] thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Make no mistake. You don’t want to end up in danger in the hands of God. You don’t want to end up in trouble in the hands of God. He’s the living God. Never dying. The Ancient of Days. And He’s holy, holy, holy. He’s all powerful. All wise. All good. All just. All angry at sin. And you do not want to fall into condemnation in His hands. 

Sometimes we get the wrong idea about God– that He is all sweetness and all gentleness and all harmless. Like a great big softie Santa Claus in the sky.

He is sweet. Noone sweeter.

He is gentle. Noone gentler.

But He is not harmless. He is holy. 

And it is a dreadful thing to sin against Him and the fall into His holy hands in wrathful judgment. You don’t want go there.

“It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

We’ve reached a key “So What” section in the sermonic letter to the Hebrews where this pastor who has been pleading with this congregation  to see just how great Jesus is and encouraging them to keep their eyes fixed on Him is now going to warn them once again of what will happen if they do not.

He’s warned them like this before. We saw it in chapter 2 and chapter 3 and especially chapter 6.

He’s warned the Hebrews to fix their eyes on Jesus or else. To not fall way or else. He’s pulled the fire alarm. There are all kind of sirens blaring. He’s warning these Jewish Christians. He wants them to feel alarmed. And he wants us (to the degree that we are in similar danger) to feel alarmed as well. To feel what’s at stake if you turn your back on Jesus.

I’ve pulled the title for this message from the plea of verse 35 where he says, “So do not throw away your confidence.” And that kind of sounds like a motivational poster. But he’s not talking about your confidence in yourself. He’s talking about your confidence in Jesus.

The word for “confidence” is the same word we saw in chapter 4, verse 16. “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” [See also 3:6.] Sometimes translated, “boldness.”

It’s the same word we read last week in verse 19 of this chapter. “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus...and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith...” (Hebrews 10:19-21).

We said last week that the word “confidence” could be translated, “authorization.” We have confidence since we have access. We have access to God through our Great High Priest Jesus Christ. 

Hebrews says, “Don’t throw that away! Don’t let that go. Don’t toss your confidence in Jesus into the trash. Or else." And he’s saying the same thing to us today.

Last week, we studied our memory verses, chapter 10 verses 24 and 25. Where the author encourages us to encourage each other in light of the work of Christ and the return of Christ.

“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the [sad] habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Jesus is coming back soon, and we need to get ready and stay ready. So we need to keep meeting and keeping thinking about how to spur one another on to love and good deeds.

BZZT. We need to go around provoking and stimulating each other to love others and encouraging each other to keep doing good works in the name of Jesus.

BZZT. The electric cattle prod of love! 

BZZT. You can do this! 

BZZT. Keep following Jesus!

BZZT. Let’s do this together!

Did you come in this morning on the lookout for who you can encourage? “Encourage!” 

Verse 26 is the very next verse.  And he goes from encouraging to warning. And laying out for the Hebrews what is at stake if you walk away from following Jesus. 

What is at stake if you walk away from following Jesus? What is at stake if you turn your back on Jesus for good? What we call “apostatizing.” Deliberately, decisively, finally, fully rejecting Jesus. Repudiating Jesus. Perhaps under persecution. Turning your back on Him, and rejecting Him.  What’s at stake if, after following Jesus, we reject Jesus? Look at verse 26.

“If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God” (vv.26-27).

That’s what’s at stake. “A fearful expectation of judgment.” That’s the same word as “dreadful” in verse 31. Fearful. Scary. Frightening. “Raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.” I think that’s a description of Hell. [See Zephaniah 1:18 and Isaiah 26:11 for the OT background here.]  That’s what’s at stake. Experiencing the fiery wrath of God. Yes, that’s frightening! And rightly so.

And who can expect that? People who have (v.26), “received the knowledge of the truth” but “deliberately keep on sinning.” 

Now, that doesn’t mean just any sin. It doesn’t mean that if you sin after coming to Christ, you are doomed. Of course not! The Bible is clear that we remain people who sin. Hebrews is clear that even after we are saved, we still sin. We are being made holy day by day. But we are not there yet. We may be all the way there in position, but not yet in practice. We still sin.

But notice what kind of sin this is talking about in verse 26.  “If we deliberately...keep on sinning after we’ve received the knowledge of the truth.”

This is sinning and not caring any more. This is sinning and sinning and sinning. This is defiantly, willfully, arrogantly, unrepentantly sinning in the light of knowledge. This is turning your back on Jesus even though you know all about Him!

If you and I do that, what do we have to look forward to? Judgment and raging fire.

Why? Because (verse 26), “no sacrifice for sins is left” for us.

Not even animal sacrifices. Remember, these Jewish Christians were apparently tempted to stop following Jesus and go back to the Old Covenant sacrifices.

But we’ve learned all summer long that those sacrifices never could really save because they were always pointing to Jesus’ sacrifice. And His sacrifice now that it’s been offered is once-for-all. He sat down! 

He sat down! And that means that those sacrifices are over now. They are gone. You can’t go back to them. So if you stop putting your confidence in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, then  no sacrifice for sins is left for you.

#1. DO NOT THROW AWAY YOUR CONFIDENCE!

Or else.

Does that sound like too much? Is the writer to the Hebrews overreacting?  I mean, is it such a big deal to stop following Jesus? Look at verse 28.

“Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ and again, ‘The Lord will judge his people’” (vv.28-30).

He sure doesn’t think that he’s overreacting.

This is the only place in the letter to the Hebrews were the comparison is from something severe to something that is more severe. Normally the comparisons are how good something in the Old Testament is and how much better Jesus is. And it’s the same logic, but it’s about how much worse the punishment will  be. 

Here’s the logic: If in the Old Testament, you broke the law, and it was a capital offense, then if you had two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6), then you were put to death without mercy. It was justice. 

How much more severely should someone be judged if they don’t just break the the Law of Moses but trample on the Son of God Himself? It’s worse! You get a judgment worse than the death penalty.

What is worse than the death penalty? The eternal death penalty. That’s what you deserve. Because He is so much greater, the punishment is so much worse.

See in verse 29 how terrible this sin really is. When we who know about Jesus rejected Jesus, it’s like we are trampling on His head.

And it’s like we are saying that His blood is unholy. Do you see that in verse 29? “Who has treated as an unholy thing” or a “profane thing” the blood of the covenant that sanctified him.

Instead of “O precious is the flow, that makes me white as snow.” It’s saying, “Oh the blood of Jesus? That’s nothing special.”

And who insulted the Spirit of grace. The Spirit (according to chapter 9, verse 14) empowered the sacrifice of Christ to give us His grace. But those who apostatize, who fall away, insult the Spirit which outrages Him. And which will rightly lead to vengeance.

Deuteronomy 32:35, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay...The Lord will judge his people.” 

Now, all of this raises the question, “Can a true believer sin in this deliberate way and fall away from true salvation?”

He says, “The Lord will judge his people.” Verse 29 says, that the apostate was in some way “sanctified.” Does that mean that He was saved and then lost that salvation by falling away?

It sure seems that way though I am not convinced. 

We talked about this same question when we studied chapter 6, and I laid out three different answers that faithful Christians have come to on that question through the centuries. I’m not going to go over all of arguments again today, I recommend going back and re-listening to or re-reading that message or talk with me afterwards.

What I want to point out this morning is that it doesn’t really matter!

As interesting as that question may be for developing our best theology, the warning of Hebrews 10 should be received as the warning it is. Do not throw away your confidence or else.

Whether you are a genuine Christian who somehow has gotten yourself to that place where you are close to doing so or you are an “almost Christian” who has been greatly blessed (even “sanctified” in some sense by being so close to the kingdom) but now are in danger of walking away from it all, hear and heed this warning! 

Do not throw away your confidence in Jesus. Because the Lord will know, and He will judge.

And, “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Don’t risk it. It’s not a game.  Christianity is not a game we’re playing. This real.  And the stakes could not be higher. Do not throw away your confidence.

Are you thinking about? Are you close to throwing in the towel? Are you close to giving up?

Are you thinking about dropping out of the race?

Are you, maybe, backing out of it? Remember, you can drift off into this kind of apostasy.

You stop meeting with other Christians. 

(Oh, it’s just once in a while. Then it’s more often. And then it’s once in a while you come. And then it’s Christmas and Easter and maybe not even then.)

You stop reading your Bible.

You stop praying.

You stop confessing your sins.

You stop repenting of your sins.

You stop resisting temptation.

You stop caring that you’re sinning.

You stop trusting in the blood of Jesus. 

You stop putting your confidence in your great high priest.

And start trampling Him under your feet and treating His blood as unholy and insulting the Spirit of grace.

And you’ll find that there is no sacrifice left for you, just the fearful expectation of fire.

Don’t go there! Do not throw away our confidence in Jesus. 

Last week I said don't be afraid to come to God. 

This week I say be afraid to not come to Him.

“It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Do not throw away your confidence.

How? How can we keep from getting there? 

Well, obviously, we fix our eyes on Jesus and we meet together and encourage each other to fix our eyes on Jesus. We draw near and we hold on because we have such a great High Priest.

And verse 32 says we, “Remember.” We look back and see what God has done in our life and we keep doing what we did before. Look at verse 32.

“It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering.”

This pastor reminds these Christians what it was like when the gospel first took hold of them. 

It’s kind of like a Celebration Sunday thing. He says, “Take some time and think back about how God has been faithful to your church and started a good work in you.” He says it was really hard. Those early times were hard times. They had “a great contest in the face of suffering.” But they stood their ground. They didn’t throw away their confidence then.

Here’s how hard it was. Verse 33.

“Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions” (vv.33-34).

Wow! It was bad. They had experienced persecution. They were called bad names because they followed Jesus.  And even when they weren’t persecuted, they stood in fellowship and solidarity with those who were. Even when their Christian friends got thrown into prison for following Jesus, they stood with them. They didn’t go into hiding. They didn’t say, “I didn’t really know them.”

And they even had their stuff taken away from them. Have you ever had anything taken away from you because you were a follower of Jesus? It’s not clear if it was the authorities who did it or if they authorities just looked the other way when the crowd did it. Maybe the Jews were doing it to these Christian Jews? Kicking them out of their synagogues. They were probably getting kicked on all sides.  

But look how they responded?!! Did you see that in verse 34? They “joyfully accepted the confiscation of [their] property.” What?! Not that they rejoiced that their stuff got taken away, but that if it was going to be taken away, it was because they were following Jesus.

Because (v.34), “you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.”

Here’s the principle: Following Jesus is often costly and sometimes seems crazy, but it’s always worth it.

The Lord Jesus said in His Sermon on Mount, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven...” (Matthew 5:11-12).

The Apostles in Acts chapter 5 were arrested and flogged and ordered “not to speak in the name of Jesus...” and then left their punishment, “rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. [And they didn’t stop.] Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ” (vv.40-42).

“Worthy of suffering for the Name.”

That’s how these Christians had been before. They didn’t stand on their rights. They didn’t call an attorney or elect a politician. They didn’t whine about how the culture was against them. They rejoiced that they were counted worthy of suffering for the Name of Jesus. 

And Hebrews says, “Remember that.”

“Remember that you knew that Jesus and His kingdom was worth the suffering.”

Do you believe that? Do you believe that following Jesus, even into suffering, is worth it? That’s going to be the theme for the next three chapters.

And if you believe that, you really believe that, then you are not throwing your confidence!

Hebrews says, “Remember how you were at the start of your Christian life, and keep doing that. You did it before. Do it again. And do it again. And do it again.” Verse 35.

“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. [He’s worth it!] You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”

#2. PERSEVERE IN YOUR FAITH.

That’s the flipside. The other side of the coin. Don’t throw away your confidence. Keep your confidence. Lean into it. Persevere. 

He says in verse 36, “You need to persevere.” Some translations say, “You have need of endurance” (ESV). Same root word as what they did in verse 32 when they “stood their ground.” They need to do that again. 

“What you guys need is endurance. What you need is staying power. You need to put your faith in Jesus, keep your faith in Jesus, and keep keeping your faith in Jesus."

Or as He’s going to say in chapter 12, “Fix your eyes on Jesus...and run the race with endurance.”

Persevere. “So that [v.36] when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”

Which is what? It’s everything. It’s salvation. It’s the kingdom. It’s eternity with Him. It’s what we call “Heaven.” The New Heavens and the New Earth. It’s Zion. “We will feast in the house of Zion. And weep no more!” That’s our better and lasting possession. It’s Jesus Himself! We get Jesus. 

And all we have to do is believe in Him and hold on to that faith.

Because He’s coming back soon. The Bible says so. He quotes Isaiah 26:20 and Habakkuk 2 to prove it. Look at verse 37. 

“For in just a very little while, ‘He who is coming will come and will not delay.  But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.’ But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved” (vv.37-39).

I love how he gives them this word of hope and encouragement after those heavy words of warning.

He says, “Don’t shrink back.”

“Don’t retreat.”

“Don’t fall away.”

God will not be pleased if we throw away our confidence. But, he says what he thinks about himself and about (at least most them, even though they are tempted and in potential danger), “That’s not us. We are not those who shrink back (and are destroyed in the hands of righteously angry God) but those who believe and are saved.”

Those are the only two choices! Stay on the path of faith in Jesus, persevere with endurance and be saved, or drop off the path and be lost. 

I know which one I want to be and what I want us all to be. Let me tell you, brothers and sisters, following Jesus is worth it. It’s hard. It’s often costly and sometimes seems crazy, but Jesus is worth every trial. And He’s standing there with open arms calling us to run to Him.

It’s a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

But it’s wonderful joyous thing to run into His arms! 

***

Messages in this Series:

01. "The Son" - Hebrews 1:1-4
02. "Superior to the Angels" - Hebrews 1:5-14
03. "Such a Great Salvation" - Hebrews 2:1-4
04. "We See Jesus" - Hebrews 2:5-9
05. "Flesh and Blood" - Hebrews 2:10-18
06. "Fix Your Thoughts on Jesus" - Hebrews 3:1-6
07. “Today, If You Hear His Voice” - Hebrews 3:7-19
Bonus Historical Message: The Gift of My Rest - A Fictional Letter of Sabbath Theology
08. "A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God" - Hebrews 4:1-13
09. "Great High Priest" - Hebrews 4:14-16
10. "The Source of Eternal Salvation" - Hebrews 5:1-10
11. "On To Maturity" - Hebrews 5:11-6:3
12. "We Speak Like This" - Hebrews 6:4-12
13. "An Anchor for the Soul" - Hebrews 6:13-20
Bonus Message: "Fix Your Eyes on Jesus" - 2026 West Branch Baccalaureate
14. "In the Order of Melchizedek" - Hebrews 7:1-19
15. "A Priest Forever" - Hebrews 7:20-28
16. "Better Promises" - Hebrews 8:1-13
17. "By His Own Blood" - Hebrews 9:1-14
18. "Cleansed with Blood" - Hebrews 9:15-26
19. "Once" - Hebrews 9:27-28
20. "He Sat Down" - Hebrews 10:1-18

21. "Since We Have a Great Priest" - Hebrews 10:19-25

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“Since We Have a Great Priest” [Matt's Messages]

“Since We Have a Great Priest”

Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus

The Letter to the Hebrews

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

September 6, 2026 :: Hebrews 10:19-25

So What?! What difference does that make?

How often do we ask that question every single day? 

“We have two dozen eggs.” So what?

“It’s going to rain this afternoon.” So what?

“Tomorrow is a holiday.” So what?

“Ok. I hear what you’re saying. Sounds very important to you. So what?”

We’ve reached an important “So What” section of the sermonic Letter to the Hebrews.

For several chapters which we’ve been studying for several months, this thoughtful pastor has been trying to show these anxious Jewish Christians that Jesus Christ is greater than anyone and anything in their beloved Old Testament. In fact, Jesus is what everyone and everything in their beloved Old Testament was pointing towards. That was all shadow, and Jesus is the substance. 

And he’s especially been trying to show them that Jesus is our (three words, say them with me now), “Great High Priest.”

If you want to see his argument, re-read the last seven chapters or re-listen to the last 12 sermons. 

Jesus is our Great High Priest. Our Greater High Priest.

A greater priest than the Sons of Levi and the Sons of Aaron because He’s on Team Melchizedek, the order of ever-living priest-kings.

A greater priest of a greater covenant, the New over the Old.

A greater priest serving in a greater sanctuary, not the copies on Earth, the Tabernacle or the Temple in Jerusalem, but the original and ultimate Most Holy Place in the Universe–the heavenly throne room of God!

A greater priest offering a greater sacrifice. Not the inadequate, ineffective, insufficient blood of bulls and goats but the perfect once-for-all sacrifice of His own precious blood.

A greater priest because he doesn’t stand day after day after day offering the same old sacrifices.

No, this priest sat down. He sat down at the right hand of God (v.14).

That’s what Hebrews has been showing us. He’s been building up to this.

And now he wants to ask and answer the question, “So what?” So what if we have a great high priest? What difference should that make for the lives of these primarily Jewish Christians then and for our lives today?

I’ve pulled the title for this message from verse 21:

“Since We Have a Great Priest”

You can feel the logic in it. “Since we have a great priest over the house of God...”

That, by the way, is you and me. Remember how he called us the “house of God” back in chapter 3? Moses was a faithful servant in the house of God. But Jesus is faithful as a son over the house of God. And, we find out here, a great priest over the house of God.

“Since we have a great priest over the house of God...”

What? How should we live today?

The writer to the Hebrews has three main things he thinks we should definitely do because Jesus is our Great High Priest. And here’s the first one:

#1. LET’S DRAW NEAR IN FAITH.

Let’s draw near to God in faith. He says (v.22):

“...since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith...”

Draw near. Now, those words should sound familiar, because it’s what he started this whole section saying. Way back in chapter 4 when he first wrote the words, “great high priest,” he said, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

This is the whole point of this section.

You and I should draw near to God.

We should come close to Him.

We should come into His presence.

Not physically, but spiritually. We should come to Him in prayer, in worship, in intimate personal relationship. 

For the first time, if you never have.

Or for the five millionth time, every single day.

And forever! 

Let’s draw near to God.

What an astonishing thing for him to say! Because you and I are sinners. We are unholy. On our own, we are not welcome in the presence of God. God is holy, holy, holy. And because of our sin, we should not have access to Him.

“Draw near to God???!!! We can do that?!” Oh yes, we can, since we have a great priest.

Now, that word “since,” actually appears in verse 19 in the original. It’s repeated in our English versions in verse 21 to make sure we get the logic of the sentence. In the original Greek, verses 19 through 25 are actually one long complex sentence. We have to break it up into smaller sentences to follow it in English. Let’s back up to verse 19 to follow this astonishing logic. Verse 19.

“Therefore, brothers [and sisters; he’s getting personal again, therefore spiritual family], since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water” (vv.19-22).

Let’s draw near in faith. 

This is mind-blowing! Even though he’s been saying it for seven chapters, this whole concept is completely astounding when you really think about it. He says that you and I have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place!

The Most Holy Place? You and I are welcome in there?  Do you have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place? That sounds almost crazy.

Were we welcome in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle? No. Only the Jews. Only the Levites. Only the Sons of Aaron.

How about the Holy of Holies? Were we allowed there? No, only the high priest was and that only once a year.

Would you and I be welcome in there?! And that’s just the earthly one. Would we be welcome in the heavenly throne room of the holy God?

Verse 19 says, “Yes!” We have confidence. Or the word could be translated, “authorization.”

We have the boldness because we have the access!

How? “By the blood of Jesus.”

I’m glad we’re going to take communion today.  Because we’re going to hold up the cup, and say, “We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus.” He’s made a way in. Verse 20 calls it, “a new and living way.” A new covenant. A living Savior. “Opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body.” His flesh. We’ll talk about that more when we take up the bread today. We do not enter the Most Holy Place on our own. And not because of animal sacrifices, but because of the shed blood and torn flesh of our great priest over the house of God. We have access.

And since we have access, let’s use our access! Let’s draw near.

Have you come to know Jesus as your Great High Priest? Have you come to God for salvation through Jesus’ body and blood?

Verse 22 says to come with a sincere heart. That is a heart that truly believes all of this. Come by faith. That word “faith” is going to be increasingly important in this letter, especially in the next chapter. We need to believe. We need to put our faith and trust down on Jesus and what He did for us on the Cross and up in the heavenlies.

Here’s what He did. He sprinkled our hearts. V.22

“Having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilt conscience.”

An evil conscience. We know what we’ve done. We know that we are sinners. Some of us pretend we don’t, but we know it down deep in our hearts. We are evil. We are guilty. But Jesus’ blood cleanses us on the inside!

Our consciences can be cleaned. We can be forgiven and know we’re forgiven and even feel forgiven! Because of the blood of Jesus.

And (v.22), “having our bodies washed with pure water.” Now, I think that’s probably a reference to water baptism, which symbolizes on our outsides what Jesus has done in cleansing our insides. [Not all agree. It doesn’t say, “baptism,” here and could be pointing towards Old Testament cleansing rites. The point is basically the same.]

That’s why we use pure water when we baptize, and we don’t fill this tank up here with Pepsi! We don’t dunk people in mud or milk or Mountain Dew because it symbolizes our cleansing.

Jesus has cleansed us! So let’s draw near in faith.

Why would we stay away from the Most Holy Place if Jesus has done all of this to make a way for us? If our hearts are sprinkled and our bodies cleansed, why wouldn’t we approach the throne? Why wouldn’t we come to God?

Church, don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid to come close to God. Don’t be afraid to pray. Don’t be afraid to get to know God. Don’t be afraid to expect God to work in your life. Don’t be afraid to ask God for things, for mercy and grace to help in your time of need. You are not going to be turned away the door. You belong! Since you have a great priest.

I love how the author includes himself in the exhortation. “Let us draw near to God.” Not just, “You guys draw near to God.” Let’s all do it. This is for all of us. Let’s go together! Let’s gather at the Throne. Let’s gather around His Table. Let’s go to God together. He’s our great priest. We have Him. Let’s draw near in faith.

If you have never come to God before, let today be the day. Turn from your sin, and put your trust in the Savior.  You can come to Him by the blood of Jesus.

And once you come to Him, stay with Him. That’s point number two. “Since we have a great priest...”

#2. LET’S HOLD ON TO HOPE.

Look at verse 23. Since we have a great priest...

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”

Hold on. Fix your eyes on Jesus and don’t look back. This is whole point of the whole book of Hebrews. These scared Christians were thinking about turning back. Following Jesus was getting hard, and they were tempted to drop out of the race. But Jesus is our great high priest, and He has made us all kinds of promises. And He is faithful! He will keep them.

So hold on. Let’s say our previous memory verse one more time. Hebrews 4:14, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.”

Don’t give up. 

Don’t cut out.

Don’t shrink back.

Don’t veer off.

Don’t swerve.

“Let us [again, he includes himself] hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”

Hope is faith directed into the future. It’s believing in a promise of what’s to come. And that hope is our anchor. And our anchor holds. Our great high priest is trustworthy, so let’s trust Him and keep trusting Him. Let’s hold on to our hope.

And number three. Since we have a great priest...

#3. LET’S SPUR ON TO LOVE.

Let’s spur one another on to love and good deeds. Now we’ve reached our new memory verse which we are going to work at learning for the next few months. Verses 24 and 25.

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

I don’t know about you, but I had a little bit of a hard time following the logic here. I can see how having a great high priest would give me the faith to draw near to God and the ability to hold onto my hope in Jesus. But I didn’t immediately see how having a great high priest would propel me towards others. But it obviously does in verse 24.

He’s got another “let us” which is not something you put in your tossed salad, but a corporate call to do something together.

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” 

Here’s how I think the logic works: You’ve got a great priest, so you don’t have to worry about yourself any more. You can think about other people! Jesus has opened up the new and living way to the Most Holy Place, and you have confidence to get there, so you don’t have anything really to worry about. You can think about other people and what they need.

The key command here is to “consider” which means to “attend to” someone or “watch out” for them. We’re supposed “consider” each other. And specifically, we’re supposed to consider each other for the purposes of spurring each other on toward love and good deeds.

How can I help them to love others? How can I help them to do good things?

You see how that works?

The word for “spur on” is “paroxysmos,” which is actually where we get the word “paroxysm” like a little convulsion or a jolt. We’re supposed to give each other a loving jolt to love others.

Kind of like a cattle prod? BZZT. You and I are supposed to go around zapping each other (in a good way) to show love to others and to do good works.

Do you think of yourself that way? Are you on the lookout for ways that you can prod your brothers and sister in Christ to love someone else? Are you on the lookout for ways that you can prod your spiritual siblings to do good deeds? 

You have a great priest, you can do this. And you’re supposed to!

Some translations have, “stir one another.” Some have “provoke each other.” Some have “stimulate each other.” It’s not supposed to hurt so much as to get your attention and redirect and energize you.

I saw one scholar said, “Stoke the fire.” Who stokes your fire to be loving?  I hope I do, but I’m not enough. We’re all supposed to do this for each other.

Whose fire are you stoking to do good deeds? Who are you prodding?

BZZT. Hey, have you signed up to clean the free fridge?

BZZT. Hey, are you going to run in the PRC’s 5K?

BZZT. Hey, have you checked on that person that you haven’t seen at church recently?

BZZT. Hey, are you going to invite those new people to sit with you?

BZZT. Hey, are you thinking about running the church table at the Apple Fest?

This spurring on is not optional! Since we have a great priest, we are supposed to consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

Now, consider it. Do it carefully. Do it thoughtfully. Don’t go around just zapping people with a guilt trip. We don’t need more shame. We don’t need to chase people. But we all need prodding. We all need “positive irritants” to do good deeds (thanks to Kent Hughes for the helpful juxtaposition of words). 

We need someone to say, “You can do this!”

You know who is good at this? My pastor. Pastor Kerry Doyal. He’s great at giving me a prod to love somebody in a better or fuller way. And my wife Heather is excellent at this for me. I don’t know how many loving things I have done because she gave me a gentle shove in the right direction.

Of course, this also means that we need to be open to receiving those gentle shoves. But we can handle that, too, because we have a great priest!

And there is no age limit here. Kids, you can spur your parents on to love and good deeds. It doesn’t just go one way. 

Look around the room. These are the people for you to prod. This church is really good at this (Thank you!), but we could be even better. Imagine what our church could be like if every one of us came every Sunday on the lookout for someone to spur on to love. To love, mind you. To give yourself sacrificially for others. And to be willing to be prodded, too.

Notice how you can’t do this if you aren’t in each other’s lives. That’s why he says verse 25.

“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Now, that’s a verse that many people use to tell Christians that they need to keep going to church, and that’s right. Don’t “give up meeting together” as Christians. Don’t withdraw. Don’t forsake the gathering. Don’t abandon church.

Apparently some of them already were. Some had already gotten into the bad habit of skipping church which is often the first step of falling away from following Jesus.

But notice that it doesn’t just say, “Don’t give up attending worship services.” As if that’s all that church is. It says, “Let us (he includes himself again) not give up meeting together...but let us encourage each other...”

When you come to church, you come on the lookout for who you can encourage! Who you can prod. Who you can spur. Who you can stoke their fire. Who you can speak words of comfort and life into–reminding them about the gospel and their great high priest.

You don’t just come to church looking to be receive ministry. You come to church to minister to others!

That’s why I say, when someone has been missing from church, that we are  impoverished. We need each other here. Don’t stay away from church. We need you! I don’t mean we need your money. (Though you may need to give it.) We need your heart. We need your face. We need your hugs. We need your  handshakes. We need your listening ears. We need your voice. We need your prayers. We need your songs. We need your presence. We need your encouragement. You are needed.

That’s why we don’t do the live-streaming thing. That has its uses, especially for those who absolutely can’t come to meetings. But it can also make it way too easy to not actually encourage one another like this says to.

Turning church into a religious entertainment show instead of an encouragement meeting–a weekly spiritual family reunion.

And it’s obviously not just the weekly gathering on Sundays. Christians need to meet more than that. This is prayer meetings and small groups and Bible studies and lunch-dates and coffee times with other followers of Jesus. It’s Fall Retreat with your church family! We need real community. We need to help each other to fix our eyes on Jesus and not swerve off the path.

We need to keep meeting together to remind each other how great our priest is! 

And to remind each other that He’s coming back soon. You see that in verse 25?

“Let us (he includes himself) encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

What Day is that? It’s the Day of Christ’s return. We don’t know when that will be, but we can all see that it’s coming soon.

He’s coming.

He’s waiting (remember 10:13!).

We’re waiting (remember 9:28!).

And while we wait, we meet! And we spur one another on to love and good deeds and encourage each other more and more and more.

How are you going to apply this last point to your life this week?

Who might you spur on this week?

Who might you spur on today?

Who can you try to encourage before you leave this morning?

What plan do you need to make to ensure that you don’t fall into the bad habit of missing church?

Almost nobody up and decides one day to fall away. Most of the time, it’s gradual. It’s small little choices. It’s seeing church as optional. “I don’t really need that today.”

Instead of saying, “My brothers and sister need me today over there. I’m supposed to go and encourage them. And I need the encouragement, too.”

How are you going to apply this? This is very practical. 

This is the “So What.” And it’s not optional.

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

We have a great priest, and He’s coming back soon.

****

Messages in this Series:

01. "The Son" - Hebrews 1:1-4
02. "Superior to the Angels" - Hebrews 1:5-14
03. "Such a Great Salvation" - Hebrews 2:1-4
04. "We See Jesus" - Hebrews 2:5-9
05. "Flesh and Blood" - Hebrews 2:10-18
06. "Fix Your Thoughts on Jesus" - Hebrews 3:1-6
07. “Today, If You Hear His Voice” - Hebrews 3:7-19
Bonus Historical Message: The Gift of My Rest - A Fictional Letter of Sabbath Theology
08. "A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God" - Hebrews 4:1-13
09. "Great High Priest" - Hebrews 4:14-16
10. "The Source of Eternal Salvation" - Hebrews 5:1-10
11. "On To Maturity" - Hebrews 5:11-6:3
12. "We Speak Like This" - Hebrews 6:4-12
13. "An Anchor for the Soul" - Hebrews 6:13-20
Bonus Message: "Fix Your Eyes on Jesus" - 2026 West Branch Baccalaureate
14. "In the Order of Melchizedek" - Hebrews 7:1-19
15. "A Priest Forever" - Hebrews 7:20-28
16. "Better Promises" - Hebrews 8:1-13
17. "By His Own Blood" - Hebrews 9:1-14
18. "Cleansed with Blood" - Hebrews 9:15-26
19. "Once" - Hebrews 9:27-28
20. "He Sat Down" - Hebrews 10:1-18

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“He Sat Down” [Matt's Messages]

“He Sat Down”

Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus

The Letter to the Hebrews

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

August 30, 2026 :: Hebrews 10:1-18  

Jesus Christ is so wonderful. And what Jesus has done for us is so wonderful, too! We cannot think about it enough.

I really struggled to know how to explain and expound this passage for today. A lot of what we’re going to see today is stuff we’ve already seen and stuff we already know and stuff we already believe.

But it’s also very complicated in how the author gets us there. He’s a very careful thinker who knew and loved His Old Testament so much! He’s studied it deeply so that he’s going to pull from Psalm 40, and Psalm 110, and Jeremiah 31 all over again and take us on a twisty path through them to make his then familiar points.

And it’s kind of easy to lose the forest for the trees. So whenever I get to complicated passages like this one, it’s helpful for me to pull back and try to get a sense of the big picture, so that the details fall into place. And the big picture is that Jesus Christ is wonderful, and what He has done for us is wonderful, too. And it makes all the difference. 

If it wasn’t true, we would be lost and hopeless, and just as the Hebrews needed to hear it for what they were dealing with back then, we need to hear it again for our lives today.

Long story short: There was a big big problem, and Jesus solved it.

There are going to be a lot of words in this passage because the author is laboring to show us something important. But keep your eyes on Jesus because this is all about exalting Him and His sacrifice for us.

There are a lot of precious words in these eighteen verses that I could have used as the title for this message. I almost named it, “Once For All” because those three key words (we’ve seen several times before) show up again here twice, and are very important, especially in verse 10.

But the three words I did end up choosing for the title I pulled from verse 12, and they are, “He Sat Down.”  Talking about our Lord Jesus, the writer to the Hebrews says, “He sat down.” And those three words are incredibly important to you and me. The writer included them in the very first paragraph of the very first chapter of this letter (1:3). And he says it again here.

“He Sat Down.” What does that mean, and why is it so important?

A few weeks ago (it was the Sunday we didn’t have electricity), we were studying chapter 8 together, and he said it again there, that Jesus had sat down (8:1). And I asked you then why it was important that Jesus had sat down. I didn’t give you time to answer, and I told you that I wasn’t going to tell you then why it was important! You’d have to wait until we got to chapter 10. Well, here we are. 

“He sat down.” Jesus sat down, and it was very important that He did. Let’s see why. 

To do that, we’ll have back up and start in verse 1. 

In the first part of this chapter, we begin to get a better sense of what the big big problem was. This section is the conclusion, really the culmination, of the central argument of the book of Hebrews. We’ve said that from chapter 4 to chapter 10 is arguably all about how Jesus is our great high priest. Our greater high priest and how His sacrificial offering is superior and sufficient. 

Hebrews has been arguing that Jesus’ sacrifice is greater than the Old Covenant sacrifices prescribed in the Mosaic Law and is completely sufficient for our eternal salvation. And he’s going to say it again here but with some different words.

At the end of this chapter, he’s going to start getting very practical and show what all of this means for the Hebrews and for us today. But first he’s going to take one more bite at convincing the Hebrews (and therefore us) that Jesus’ sacrifice is superior and sufficient.

He starts by calling the old covenant sacrifices “a shadow.” Look at v.1.

“The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming–not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

 

Now, stop there for a second. You get a sense of the big big problem, right?

The big big problem is sin. It’s a problem the ancient Israelites had, and it’s one we have, too.And the Hebrews might have thought that the answer to the problem of sin was the sacrificial system in the Law of God.

Why would they think that? Because God had given it to them, right?

Was the Law good or bad? It was good!

Were the sacrifices good or bad? They were good! They were from God.

The daily sacrifices, the annual sacrifices, all of the blood of bulls and goats and calves and lambs poured out on the altars in the tabernacle were coverings for sins. Dealing with the big big problem of sin. 

They were good! But there were not good enough. They were insufficient. They were inadequate. They were ineffective. They were just a shadow.

Now, a shadow is often a good thing. Have ever gone for a walk with a friend, and the friend had to stop and take a call? And you keep walking and the sun is behind you, and you can hear your friend coming up behind you, their call is finishing, and then you can see their shadow come up beside you. [I am grateful to Amy Peeler for this analogy.]

It’s an anticipatory shadow. How do you feel about that shadow? Good! It’s not a scary shadow. You’re going to be walking with your friend again. But how do you feel about the shadow when your friend catches up with you? Do you feel disappointed? “I was so enjoying your shadow. Now, I’ve got to deal with you.” No, you forget about the shadow because you have what the shadow was anticipating.

The Hebrews were in danger of staying in love with the shadow! They had to be reminded that Jesus was the reality the shadow was anticipating. The writer says that this should have been obvious from the design of the old covenant sacrifices themselves. You see what he says in verse 2?

They could “never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. If [they] could, would they not have stopped being offered?”

The old covenant sacrifices were obviously designed to be insufficient. If they could perfect worshippers, why didn’t they?

And by “perfect,” it means “bring to completion.” To be fully cleansed to worship God fully forgiven forever and ever. Once for all! But that’s not how the Old Testament sacrifices worked. They were not once for all. 

They were once for today. Or once for the year. Or once for each sin.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat. 

Sacrifice. Sacrifice. Sacrifice.

Offering. Offering. Offering.

Blood. Blood. Blood.

And tomorrow? Blood. Blood. Blood.

And next year? Blood. Blood. Blood.

Verse 3 says that these sacrifices (on the Day of Atonement especially) were annual reminders that the Israel had an unsolved sin problem. They were not forgiven once for all. (At least, not by these sacrifices. They were forgiven by what these sacrifices pre-figured, but that’s his point, too. They were a shadow!)

Why were these sacrifices so ineffective and insufficient? Look again at verse 4.

“...because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

It’s impossible! That’s a strong word. We’ve learned recently that it takes innocent sacrificial blood for sinners to reach a  holy God. Hebrews 9:22 “...without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

But this says that it takes a different kind of innocent blood than merely animal blood for our sins to be truly, finally taken away.

A bull is not good enough.

A goat is not good enough.

A lamb is not good enough.

Even if they were perfectly blameless.

They could not volunteer. No bull ever woke up in the time of the Tabernacle and said, “Let me go in the place of my master. Sacrifice me.” They were never willing.

And they were never human. They could show how terrible sin was. They could show how sinful sin was. How devastating and worthy of death. But they could not take a human’s place so that the sin was anything more than merely covered temporarily and symbolically.

They were the wrong “blood-type” for perfect salvation. [I'm grateful to Amy Peeler for this way of phrasing it.]

“...it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

That’s the big big problem!

But, church, here’s the good good news–Jesus solved it!

Now, I would never make the same next move that this pastor does when he writes verse 5. I would never think to because I’ve never studied Psalm 40 like this guy has. [Read or listen to this message from D.A. Carson if you want to go deeper in Psalm 40.]

I never actually preached Psalm 40 yet. I almost did today so that Hebrews 10 would make more sense to us. But I didn’t want to leave Hebrews again, so I just asked Hannah to read it for us, so that can we can just dip into it like Hebrews does.

This pastor wants to convince these Jewish Christians that this has always been the plan. So he takes them to Psalm 40, and he shows them how Jesus fulfills what King David wrote there. Look at verse 5.

“...it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: ‘Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, 'Here I am–it is written about me in the scroll–I have come to do your will, O God.'’”

Now that could be really confusing especially if you don’t know that he’s quoting Psalm 40.

He’s read Psalm 40 over and over again and noticed some things.

It was written by King David. And King David is a type King Jesus. Whenever King David is at his best, he shows the world what King Jesus was going to be like. He was like a pattern for his greatest descendent. King Jesus sang the Psalms and fulfilled the Psalms. I’m sure that the Challenge Group learned about that this summer at their conference. Jesus fulfills the Psalms. 

So Hebrews actually puts this Psalm in Jesus’ mouth!

“When Christ came into the world, He said...”

Psalm 40, verse 6, “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire...With burnt offerings and sacrifices you were not pleased.”

Wait a second! Didn’t God say that He was pleased with sacrifices in the Old Testament? Yes, He did. When offered in faith, they were pleasing to Him. He did require them! They were His idea. But they are not His ultimate idea.

Let me ask you this question, “Does God love all this bloodshed?” Does God love all of this sacrifice? Is God bloodthirsty? Which is better to God, sacrifice or obedience? Is God secretly pleased that there is so much disobedience so that there could be so much bloodshed sacrifice?

No, the Old Testament is clear, “to obey is better than sacrifice.” (See 1 Samuel 15:22.)

And there are all kinds of Scriptures that say that God does not ultimately love all of the blood shed. Read Hosea 6:6; read Psalm 50:12-16; read Isaiah 1:11-17; read Jeremiah 7:22-23; read Micah 6:6-8.

God is not bloodthirsty. He is just. He is wrathful. He is holy.

But what He wants more than anything is people who love and obey Him!

That’s the point of Psalm 40. 

In the original Hebrew, which is well translated by the NIV that Hannah read, it says, “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced...” like one of the Old Testament servants who signed up to be a permanent slave because they were so happy in a household. They wanted to their master’s will.

Or some of your versions bring out the idea of “ears” that are “dug” or “opened.” In other words, God wants people who listen to Him much more than He wants sacrifices.

He doesn’t want people who just go off and disobey and then run to Him with a sacrifice. Like some people run to the confessional booth. They live like the devil and then try to get their sins cleaned off through confession. And then they go back and live like the devil because they’ll just apply another sacrifice. 

God wants people with an open ear to Him.

And the Greek translators of the Hebrew Bible took that word “ear” and expanded it very freely to the whole “body.” God wants obedient followers who obey not just with their ears but with all of themselves. Like Romans 12:1, offering our whole bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.

So the Greek translation that the writer to the Hebrews is quoting from has that Greek word for “body” in it (LXX). “A body you have prepared for me” to obey You.

That’s what You want. You want obedience!

“And that’s what I’m going to do,” Christ says as He sings Psalm 40. Verse 7 again.

“Then I said, 'Here I am–it is written about me in the scroll–I have come to do your will, O God.'’

That’s what David said, and it’s what great David’s greatest Son Jesus said.

He said, “I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:38-40).

Jesus was fulfilling Psalm 40. Verse 8.

“First he said, ‘Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them’ (although the law required them to be made). Then he said, ‘Here I am, I have come to do your will.’ He sets aside the first [sacrifices] to establish the second [obedience to God’s will]. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (vv.8-10).

Do you see what he’s saying? It’s a little hard for us to follow because we don’t think like this–so deeply and so Old Testamenty. 

He’s saying that even in the Old Testament, the sacrifices were obviously going to be temporary. They were, at some point, going to be set aside. The Old Covenant was going away. The New Covenant was coming. The sacrifices weren’t enough. Something else must come that is enough.

And now that something else has come. And it involves a body doing God’s will. Verse 10 again.

“And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (vv.8-10).

Once for all. That’s the fifth time that he’s used those words to describe what Jesus did for us.

There was a big big problem, and Jesus solved it once for all. 

It’s talking about the Cross. He offered His body as a sacrifice on the killing tree. “Here am I! I’m the One the Scroll predicted. I have come to do your will, O God.”

And it is Your will to crush me.

It is Your will to have me pierced.

It is Your will to see me sacrificed.

But! Not again and again. But once for all.

That’s where he goes with in verse 11. And this is so precious. Look at verse 11.

“Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.”

Now feel that. Once again, he’s contrasting the Old Covenant sacrifices with Jesus’.

He’s comparing the Old Covenant priests–the sons of Levi, the sons of Aaron who are the priests–with the different kind of priest that Jesus is. In the order of Melchizedek. Team Aaron versus Team Melchizedek one more time. Verse 11.

“Day after day [Team Aaron] stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.”

Because they are the wrong blood type!

They go every day to work. And it’s the same thing every day. Not just every year with the Day of Atonement, but every day with the burnt offerings morning and evening.

Every day they get up and say, “Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work I go.”

“Time to make the donuts.”

“Time to sacrifice the animals.”

“Time to sacrifice the animals.”

“Time to sacrifice the animals.”

“Blood, blood, blood, blood.” 

And it never does anything. And they always stand as they do it. 

Did you ever notice that there are no chairs in the Tabernacle? There are no chairs for the priests. There is only one seat in the Tabernacle, and it’s the Mercy Seat. It’s the Atonement Cover. It’s in the Holy of Holies, and stands for the very throne of God Himself.

“Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But [!] when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God” (vv.11-12)!

Isn’t Jesus wonderful?! Isn’t what Jesus did wonderful?! He sat down! 

I don’t know if that is literal because I don’t know if the Tabernacle in heaven is literal or not. We’re dealing with almost unimaginable realities here. Certainly He went to heaven in His physically resurrected body, so it’s quite possible He literally sat down. Regardless, He did what that means. 

He sat down!

I’ve got three points this morning, about why He sat down and what it means for you and me today. Here’s number one. He sat down because:

#1. HE HAD FINISHED THE JOB!

This priest had completed the work. Our great high priest had offered “for all time one sacrifice for sins,” and that’s all it took! There wasn’t any more dying for sins that needed to happen. It was finished. It was over. It was complete.

I often sit down to do my work. Yesterday, as I was writing this. I kept telling myself. “Stay in your chair. Stay seating. Keep writing.” But Jesus sat down because His work was finished. There wasn’t anything left for Him to do. He is the perfect High Priest. Because His sacrifice did the thing in one go!

This must have been eye-opening for the Hebrews. They were so used to the Levitical priests doing their thing day after day after day.

But this priest did it once for all time time. And so, He could sit down, and put His feet up.

What did He accomplish? The passage goes on to emphasize this decisive accomplishment. Keep going in verse 13.

“Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”

Wow! What a sentence that is!

How effective His sacrifice was! How adequate! How sufficient!

By one sacrifice (not many, not even a few, but one sacrifice) Jesus has made perfect (what the law could never do (v.1)) forever those who are being made holy.

Now, that’s interesting thing to think about. Are we made holy or being made holy? It’s both, right? Jesus has made us perfect (that is positionally, we are perfected, we are forgiven, we are cleansed, we are completely presentable to God and welcome in His presence forever), but we are also being made holy (we’re becoming in real time what we are forever).

The theological words for that are “positional sanctification” and “progressive sanctification.” Both are accomplished, not by our own work, but by the one sacrifice of our great high priest, Jesus the Son of God. We still need to change, but that change is not to be saved but because we are saved. We have been made perfect forever and are being made holy. Praise God!

Jesus finished the job. What a great job He did! Isn’t He wonderful?!

In verses 15 through 18, the author wants to really bring that home, so he brings back up Jeremiah 31. Look at verse 15.

“The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: ‘This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.’ [That’s Jeremiah 31:33.] Then he adds: ‘Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.’ And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin” (vv.15-18).

And that’s a good thing! Because we don’t need another one. We don’t need another sacrifice for sin, because they are all forgiven.

Church, they are all forgiven. Jesus’s death embedded the law of God on the hearts of all of His New Covenant people. God wants people who will obey Him? Jesus did it perfectly, and He’s guaranteed that His people will do it increasingly and ultimately.

And Jesus’ death has caused God to forget some things! “There sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” Which is another way of saying that they are forgiven. Not that God has amnesia, but He’s deciding to not remember those sins against us.

Church, God does not remember your sins against you because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

He did that! And it was so effective it does not ever have to be repeated. And it will never wear off. The job was done. Jesus solved the big big problem. So He could sit down.

But that’s not all. That would be enough, but there’s more to Jesus’ sitting than just His perfect sacrifice. Look back up at verse 12.

Church, where is Jesus sitting? Verse 12. “[H]e sat down at the right hand of God.” Point number two. He sat down because:

#2. HE HAD EVERY RIGHT!

Jesus sat down because He belonged there. He sat down because He was invited. Right? Hebrews is quoting Psalm 110 yet again. He loves that Psalm.

“The LORD [Yahweh] says to my Lord [The Messiah]: “Sit at my right hand...”

“Come on up here. You are welcome. You deserve it. This is the place for You!” Who sits in the presence of God?!!! Only the Son of God.

If Aaron and his sons had tried to sit on the Ark of the Covenant, they would have died right then and there. But Jesus is a special kind of priest. He’s a priest and a king. Together like Melchizedek.

Our Great High Priest King Jesus died on the Cross, was resurrected, went to heaven to plead the merits of His blood, and when He got there...He sat down!

He is exalted!

He is worthy!

He is glorious!

He is reigning!

It isn’t that He was so worn out by His CrossWork that He falls into His seat in exhaustion. “Oh what I have gone through. Let me have a seat?”

No, no, no. He is in His resurrection glory, taking His seat on His throne at the most exalted place in the universe, at the very right hand of the Majesty on High. And the angels are going wild!

That’s where He belongs. By right and by reward. Jesus has earned this. He is worthy of it just because He is Him, and because of what He has done. He sat down to receive worship and to reign.

And one more. He sat down, number three, because:

#3. HE HAD TO WAIT.

He wasn’t allowed to just run back to Earth.  He is called to stay on that throne until it’s time. Look at verse 13.

“...he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool...”

I have never noticed that before in all of the times I’ve read the book of Hebrews. 

Jesus waits. Just like last week in 9:28, we are waiting for His return. He is waiting for His return.

It’s exactly what Psalm 110 says, “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’”

That time hasn’t come yet. It’s coming. Only God knows when. Don’t believe anyone else who says they know. But when the Father says, “Okay, it’s time. The gospel has been preached to all nations. The full number of the chosen have come in. It’s time to subdue your enemies once and for all,” then and only then Jesus will return.

Not to bear sin (9:28). But to bring salvation “the good things that are coming” (v.1) to those who are waiting for Him. 

That’s why He sat down. ...

Now, how do we apply this to our lives in September of 2026? I’m glad you asked. Because that’s what we’re going to talk about for all of September of 2026. That’s what the writer to Hebrews is going to jump into in the very next few verses. All of the “therefores.”

But let me give you three quick things to think about 1-2-3 to press this truth home to your life this week. First...

- REST IN JESUS’ FINISHED WORK.

Jesus did what the law couldn’t do so that you and I don’t have to do it either. We don’t have to save ourselves. We don’t have to just try harder and harder. We don’t have to worry if we have done enough. We don’t have to perform. We do have to change, but we don’t have to do that our own. And we don’t have to clean ourselves up first to come to Him. He has cleaned us up once and for all to come to Him. And then He sat down.

Rest in his finished work. His blood is enough. His sacrifice is superior and sufficient. You don’t have to get on the merry-go-round of good works and earning your salvation. You’ve got a great high priest whose name is “Love” whoever lives and pleads for you.

Don’t listen to Satan. When tempts to to despair and tells you of the guilt within. No. Say, “He sat down, Satan. He made an end to all my sin. I’m safe. I’m secure from all alarms."

“Because the sinless Savioir died

My sinful soul is counted free

For God the Just is satisfied

To look on Him and pardon me”

Charitie Lees Bancroft

Once for all. Second...

- REJOICE IN JESUS’ EXALTATION!

Praise God that Jesus is sitting on His rightful throne. Amen? Be happy that He’s there. Worship Him, for He is worthy. Everything is right in the world. Jesus is right where He is supposed to be. Follow Him as exalted King. What He says goes. And eagerly wait for His return. Because He’s not slow in coming, but He is waiting for a bit. And one day, we will see Him face to face. Are you ready?

Lastly...

- RIVET YOUR EYES ON JESUS.

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.”

Don’t let go. Don’t take your eyes off Him. Don’t fall in love with the shadow. Fall in love and stay in love with what the shadow anticipated. Fall in love with the Reality. He’s so wonderful!

Fix your eyes on Jesus. Because He sat down.

***

Messages in this Series:

01. "The Son" - Hebrews 1:1-4
02. "Superior to the Angels" - Hebrews 1:5-14
03. "Such a Great Salvation" - Hebrews 2:1-4
04. "We See Jesus" - Hebrews 2:5-9
05. "Flesh and Blood" - Hebrews 2:10-18
06. "Fix Your Thoughts on Jesus" - Hebrews 3:1-6
07. “Today, If You Hear His Voice” - Hebrews 3:7-19
Bonus Historical Message: The Gift of My Rest - A Fictional Letter of Sabbath Theology
08. "A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God" - Hebrews 4:1-13
09. "Great High Priest" - Hebrews 4:14-16
10. "The Source of Eternal Salvation" - Hebrews 5:1-10
11. "On To Maturity" - Hebrews 5:11-6:3
12. "We Speak Like This" - Hebrews 6:4-12
13. "An Anchor for the Soul" - Hebrews 6:13-20
Bonus Message: "Fix Your Eyes on Jesus" - 2026 West Branch Baccalaureate
14. "In the Order of Melchizedek" - Hebrews 7:1-19
15. "A Priest Forever" - Hebrews 7:20-28
16. "Better Promises" - Hebrews 8:1-13
17. "By His Own Blood" - Hebrews 9:1-14
18. "Cleansed with Blood" - Hebrews 9:15-26
19. "Once" - Hebrews 9:27-28

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“Once” [Matt's Messages]

“Once”

Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus

The Letter to the Hebrews

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

August 23, 2026 :: Hebrews 9:27-28  

Are you ready?

How many times do we hear those words every day? How many times do we say them?

Are you ready?

You probably said them or heard them today. Are you ready for church? Are you ready to go? Do you have your shoes on? Are you ready for breakfast? Are you ready for tacos? Are you ready for the bounce-house? Are you ready to rumble? Are you ready to worship?

Are you ready...to die?

Oh. That’s a question we all need to have answered. It’s a question that is hanging over all of our heads.  It’s a question we may not have heard recently or asked recently out loud, but it’s one that we all have to have answered before it’s too late.

And this short passage of holy scripture presses that question upon us and tells us how to know if we are.

Are you ready?

Are you ready to study it?  Hebrews 9:27&28.

Now, as a church family, we’ve been studying this sermonic letter to some scared Christians, called “The Letter to the Hebrews,” and we’re about three quarters of the way through. Some of you are just joining us, and most of us need a quick recap, because it’s been a few weeks since we were in Hebrews together. 

These primarily Jewish Christians were getting nervous about persecution. They were being threatened with trouble from their neighbors and from the authorities for following Jesus Christ. That may be hard for us to understand in modern day America where Christianity is currently tolerated and has historically in many ways been privileged. But it hasn’t always been that way in history and isn’t that way in many places around the world today.

Follow Jesus. Get in trouble. 

So, these Hebrew Christians were tempted to stop following Jesus. They didn’t want to be in trouble (who does?), and the easiest way out of that trouble was to simply stop chasing after Jesus Christ. They were tempted to just go back “to being Jews” and following what they  grew up on–the Old Covenant from the Old Testament, the Hebrew Scriptures.

But this wise pastor loved these Hebrew Christians enough to know that that was the exact wrong thing for them to do, so he sat down and wrote them this letter that draws heavily from their beloved Hebrew Scriptures to show them that there is no going back, that Jesus is greater, better, superior to everything in the Old Covenant, and in fact, is what everything in the Old Covenant was pointing to.

And he called the Hebrews to “fix their eyes on Jesus” and not look back. And that’s what we’ve been doing this year as we’ve studied this letter together. Fixing our eyes on Jesus.

For the last several months we’ve been studying the center of the letter which centers on how Jesus’ sacrifice is superior to the Old Covenant sacrifices and sufficient for our eternal salvation.

We’ve been talking a lot about blood. In fact, the last message was entitled, “Cleansed With Blood,” which sounds almost like a crazy thing to say. We don’t use blood to clean most things! Blood stains, right? Blood stains. 

 

But not sin. Blood cleanses sin. In fact, we’ve learned a fundamental rule of the universe, and that is: without blood there is no forgiveness for sins (see 9:22). 

And by blood, the book of Hebrews means “a sacrificial death.” Not so much the red stuff with corpuscles and so on, but what that red stuff stands for–the sacrificial death of an innocent living being in the place of a sinner. It takes a bloody death to get to a holy God. 

There was lots of blood in the Old Testament. We’ve been learning about the Old Covenant sacrificial system where bulls and goats and lambs were killed, and their blood was poured out on altars by priests. 

In particular, we’ve focused on the annual Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, when the Levitical Aaronic High Priest took the sacrificial blood into the Holy of Holies, the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle and sprinkled the sacrificial blood on the Mercy Seat, on the Atonement Cover, making atonement for the people of God (see Leviticus 16).  

That sacrifice was a great thing for the people of God. But now something better has come! 

Three words, right? We now have what?

Great. High. Priest.

We now have a greater high priest, Jesus the Son of God, Who has entered into a greater sanctuary (into the heavens!) the most holy place in the universe. The very throne room of God. And our greater high priest has entered there with a greater blood sacrifice. He has presented His very own blood!

The sentence right before our passage for today says (v.26), “[Jesus] has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.”

Our great High priest is both the One who presents the sacrifice but is also the sacrifice Himself!

That’s what we’ve been learning. And that gets us ready to be confronted with the basic truths of Hebrews 9:27 and 28. These are some of the most fundamental truths that Christians believe. These are the facts. I believe every Christian who can should have these two verses memorized. I’ve preached them many times, especially at funerals. These are the basic facts. They may not teach them in public schools with  reading, writing, and arithmetic, but they are the fundamentals that everyone must grapple with. And they turn on this one word that is our sermon title for today, “Once.”

Once. In these two verses, I see two key “onces” and a “once again.”

The writer to the Hebrews loves this word, “once.” Perhaps a bit ironically, he uses it again and again.

He especially uses it with the words “for all.” “Once for all.” How many times have we seen that so far in Hebrews? Anita sang a song about it last time. It’s there in verse 26, and we’re going to see it again next week in chapter 10 when he really is going to give it to us, “once for all.”

But here in verses 27 and 28, it’s just “once.” As in “only one time and one time only.”

I’ve got three points for us this morning, and each one raises an important question for our hearts. 

#1. WE ALL WILL DIE ONCE.

Look at what he says in verse 27.

“Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment...”

Stop right there, in the middle of his logic. You can tell he’s got a bigger point he’s making with that “just as,” but he lays down as an unarguable fact that humans are destined to die once.

You and I are going to die once. Have you grappled with that fact?

Many people are ignoring it.

Many people do not want to think about it.

Many people are trying to avoid it altogether. 

There is a whole industry right now (immortalism, transhumanism) that is not just trying to keep people healthy as long as possible, but to elongate human lives without end. To eliminate death.

Good luck with that. The Bible says here, “man is destined to die once.”

Now, that’s talking about human death. The ceasing of human life. The heart stops. The brain stops. The body stops. The soul goes to judgment.

There is something in the Bible called, “the second death” which is the death of the soul, the eternal separation of the human soul from eternal God in the lake of fire (see Revelation 2:11, 20:6, 14, and 21:8). This isn’t talking about that when it says that humans will only die once. Some will die the second death.

And there are a few exceptions in human history. There is Enoch in the book of Genesis and Elijah in 2 Kings. And there are those believers who will be alive at the return of Christ and not "sleep" but will be changed in the blink of an eye at the last trumpet (see 1 Corinthians 15). They’ll skip that human death thing on their way to glory, and that group might include some of us if Jesus returns in our lifetimes. May it be so!

But aside from those few biblical exceptions, this is the general unalterable rule. 

We will all die once. We are all headed to our graves.

You are mortal. Do you know that? You are going to die. And you’re only going to die once.

This rules out reincarnation, doesn’t it? Life is not a great big circle where you live and then die and then come back as another life form (maybe a butterfly, maybe a cow, maybe Shirley MacLaine) and then die again and then live again and then die again and then live again. 

Life and death on constant repeat. 

Nope! That’s not how it is. That’s wishful thinking. It’s not like a video game where you “die” and then re-spawn. 

We’re not on a circle. We’re on a line. And on that line we’re inevitably headed towards death. Ever since Adam we’re inevitably headed towards death (see Romans 5:12). 

Once. And after that, judgment. After we die, we get judged. 

Have you grappled with that fact?

Many people do not.

Many people do not want to think about judgment. 

Many people are trying to avoid it altogether.

But it is coming.

You and are headed towards death and then judgment by a holy God. 

Question: Are you ready?

Because it’s coming. 

The word translated “destined” in the NIV is “apokeitai” in the Greek, and it can also be translated “appointed.” The King James, ESV, and CSB Bibles all use the word “appointed” in verse 27. That means that you and I have an appointment with death and judgment.

Do you like appointments?

I often do. It all depends on what the appointment is for.

My friend and former publisher Dave Almack called me this week and set an appointment for lunch on Friday, and he was paying! So I loved that appointment. I looked forward to it all week long, and then we got to catch up after a long time of no see.

But I don’t especially like an appointment with the dental hygienist. No offense, Renee, and I know it’s important, but I don’t especially like making an appointment for someone to poke around in my mouth with sharp instruments and spray guns.

So how about your appointment with death and judgment? Who is looking forward to that?!

Here’s the question though: Are you ready for your appointment?

Because this is an appointment you’re going to keep. You and I don’t make these appointments, but we are going to keep them. That’s why “destined” is such a good translation in verse 27. Death and judgment are inevitably coming, and the question is not “Are you going to go to your appointment?”, but “Are you ready for it?” Are you ready for your date with death?

You don’t know when it’s going to be. We do not know who is the next person in this room that is going to die. We do know that every person in this room is going to die.

“...once [and only once], and after that to face judgment.”

Are you ready?

Are you ready for your heart to stop?

Are you ready for your lungs to stop?

Are you ready for your brain to stop?

And are you ready to be judged by a holy God?

Because we’ve learned that God is holy, holy, holy and cannot stand sin. Perfection is required.  Holiness is necessary. God does not let sinners stay in His presence.

We’re going to learn in the next chapter that, “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

Are you ready to face God?

Because there is no second chance. You don’t get a “do-over.” It says, “once,” it means once!  It’s die once and after that judgment. There’s no going back through the line again. So this is super-important: Are you ready?

Thankfully, we can be made ready by the blood of Jesus Christ! That’s what he is saying in verse 28. 

“Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment [now he finishes the logic], so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people...”

#2. CHRIST WAS SACRIFICED ONCE.

You see his logic? Once and then once?

All humans die once.  Jesus was a human. He died once. But His death was special. He died as an offering, a sacrifice.

What we’ve been learning in the rest of this chapter. He died in our place. He offered up His blood. And He did this for His people. It says, “to take away the sins of many people.”

Some versions say, “to bear the sins of many” (KVJ, ESV, CSB, etc). And that’s a echo of Isaiah 53, isn’t it? This pastor loves his Old Testament. And he knows that Isaiah 53 (written 700 years before He was even born) is all about Jesus:

“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

...Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:3-7, 12).

This is how a sinner like you and like me could be ready to face death and judgment!

Because of the blood of Jesus Christ! Cleansed by His blood. Jesus died on the Cross as a sacrifice for sin, and His blood covers and cleanses all those who put their faith in Him.

So that raises the question: Are you trusting in the blood of Jesus Christ?

Jesus died once, and that’s all it took. He didn’t have to die over and over again. He died one time for all time. And His death saves all those who come to Him. 

Have you turned from your sin and put your faith in the blood of Jesus Christ? It’s gross. It’s gory. It’s hard to think about Jesus dying like He did. But there is no salvation without it. His blood is precious, and it’s our only hope. Jesus died and then He was buried, and then He came back from the dead! He was resurrected and lived once more! And then the Bible tells us that He ascended into heaven as our great high priest to intercede for us on the basis of His precious blood. 

So that our sins are taken away. What a wonderful thought that is! Our sins covered and cleansed and paid for and gone because of the blood of Jesus Christ.  Are you trusting in Him?

Those are the two “onces,” but there is also a “twice.”

In the last part of verse 28, we get a “second time.” Look at verse 28.

“...and he [Jesus Christ] will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

3. CHRIST IS RETURNING ONCE AGAIN.

Jesus is coming once more.

 

Verse 26 says that He appeared at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And where is He now? Church, where is Jesus now?

He’s at the right hand of the Majesty on High! But He’s going to appear once again here on earth. This time, “not to bear sin.” He’s not going to come and die again. He’s done that once and only once. Next time He comes, what’s He going to do? 

He’s going to bring salvation! What does that mean? It sounds really good. What does it mean? Don’t we have salvation already? Yes, we do, but we don’t have it in full now. We have it promised. We have our sins forgiven by the blood of Christ, but this is not as good as it gets. As good as the Back to School Bash is going to be, it’s not nearly as good as what the kingdom of heaven will be! We will be saved, not just from the penalty sin or even the power of sin, but we’ll be saved from the presence of sin!

Everything broken will be fixed.

Everything wrong will be made right.

Everything sad will come untrue.

When Jesus comes, salvation will come in all of its glorious fullness.

I can hardly wait. Can you?

Of course, we have to wait. Right? Because Hebrews 9:28 says that it’s those people who are waiting that will get the salvation that is coming! Look at verse 28 again.

“...and [Jesus] will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to [whom?] those who are waiting for him.”  

Are you waiting for Him?

The word for Greek word for “waiting” in verse 28 is “apekdecomenois,” and it means more than just sitting passively twiddling your thumbs. It has a flavor of eager expectation (see Romans 8:19, 23, 25, 1 Cor. 1:7, Col 5:5, 1 Peter 3:20). It’s waiting for something you can’t hardly wait for. You’re longing for it. 

Are you longing for the return of Christ? Do you want Him to come? Do you want to see Him? Do you want to be with Him? Are you doing the things we’re supposed to do when we’re waiting?

Last year in 2025, we focused on the return of King Jesus. We studied the Prophecy of the Wiseman Daniel and the promise of the victorious coming King of Kingdoms. And we also studied 1 and 2 Thessalonians about how to live in the meantime as we look for Jesus to return at time known only by God.

Our waiting is active. It’s not passive. We stay busy on the king’s business. And we don’t get all comfortable with the kingdom of this world. We go around living out the values of the kingdom to come as citizens of the kingdom that is coming, but we do it with one eye cocked to heaven. One ear listening for the trumpet.

Our hearts beating for the return of the king. 

As Paul said in Philippians 3, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await [same Greek word] a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Philippians 3:20-21). 

So that our new bodies will never die again. That’s salvation! Are you waiting like that? 

You can know that you are ready if you are waiting.

You can know that you are ready for death and judgment if you are trusting in the blood of Christ and are eagerly waiting for Him to return. You can know that you are ready if you are waiting.

Some of the people that this pastor is writing to were in danger of stopping waiting.

They were tempted to give up on Jesus. They were going to stop waiting for Him. Stop thinking about His return. Stop hoping in His kingdom. Stop living out the values of His kingdom to come. It was just too hard.

But this pastor knows better. He knows that waiting for Jesus is the way to get through the hardness of this world. Waiting for Jesus is the way to resist temptation and to weather the storms, including the storms of persecution. Waiting for Jesus is the way to hold on.

Because when we’re waiting for JESUS. Not just for His salvation. Not just for what He will do for us for eternity–which will be wonderful. But we’ll be waiting for Him.

Have you ever longed for someone to come home? Maybe it’s a spouse who has been on a business trip? Often it’s a father or a mother who has been away.

I remember coming home from a ministry trip, and my kids just going wild. “Daddy’s home! Daddy’s home!”

That’s how I feel now when they come home. “Isaac’s home! Pete’s home! Macy’s home! Hooray!”

We’re looking forward to when we see Robin again. And Andrew. It’s been since January since we saw Andrew. We’re longing for him.

Are you longing for Jesus? 

I was taught something I had never heard before on this passage this week. A few of the commentators I read pointed out that how great the people of Israel felt when the high priest would come out of the Holy of Holies after applying the blood on the Day of Atonement.

Some of them were probably holding their breath to know if the high priest who had gone into the most dangerous place in the world with incense and  blood would safely come out again.

And then they’d rejoice like nobody’s business when he emerged from behind the veil to the Most Holy Place.

There are even historical accounts of this from the time between the testaments. Where the people rejoiced that their High Priest had returned bringing word of their forgiveness for another year.

How much more should we be longing for the return of our Great High Priest bringing salvation to those who are patiently (because we don’t know when) actively (because He doesn’t want us just twiddling our thumbs) and eagerly (because He is so worth it!) waiting for Him.

When He Comes, Our Glorious King

All His Ransomed Home to Bring

Then Anew This Song We’ll Sin:

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

- Philip P. Bliss (of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania!).

Once again: Fix your eyes on Jesus.

Get ready for Him.

***

Messages in this Series:

01. "The Son" - Hebrews 1:1-4
02. "Superior to the Angels" - Hebrews 1:5-14
03. "Such a Great Salvation" - Hebrews 2:1-4
04. "We See Jesus" - Hebrews 2:5-9
05. "Flesh and Blood" - Hebrews 2:10-18
06. "Fix Your Thoughts on Jesus" - Hebrews 3:1-6
07. “Today, If You Hear His Voice” - Hebrews 3:7-19
Bonus Historical Message: The Gift of My Rest - A Fictional Letter of Sabbath Theology
08. "A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God" - Hebrews 4:1-13
09. "Great High Priest" - Hebrews 4:14-16
10. "The Source of Eternal Salvation" - Hebrews 5:1-10
11. "On To Maturity" - Hebrews 5:11-6:3
12. "We Speak Like This" - Hebrews 6:4-12
13. "An Anchor for the Soul" - Hebrews 6:13-20
Bonus Message: "Fix Your Eyes on Jesus" - 2026 West Branch Baccalaureate
14. "In the Order of Melchizedek" - Hebrews 7:1-19
15. "A Priest Forever" - Hebrews 7:20-28
16. "Better Promises" - Hebrews 8:1-13
17. "By His Own Blood" - Hebrews 9:1-14
18. "Cleansed with Blood" - Hebrews 9:15-26

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