The Wednesday Word - 4 January, 2023 A.D.

 Once! part II

 Hebrews 9:12Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. A little boy came home from Sunday school and his mother said, "How was the Sunday School class?" He said, "Oh, we had a new teacher, and guess who it was." His mother said, "Who was it?" and he said, "It was Jesus' grandmother!" She said, "Why, what made you think that?" He answered, "Well, all she did was boast about Him and tell us how wonderful He is." How similar that is to the book of Hebrews.  Its author simply cannot take his eyes off Jesus. He lets us know that, because of Jesus’ finished work, redemption has been fully and finally accomplished.It is a real redemption.Redemption from the guilt of sin.Redemption from the power of sin.Redemption from the curse of the Law.Redemption from the wrath of God.Redemption from Satan’s power.Redemption from the second death.Christ has redeemed us with His blood and has entered the holiest place ONCE.  His work does not have to be repeated. Jesus is unique. He’s the only one of His kind.  He was able to act as both Priest and Sacrifice.  No one else could do that. There is not and never will be anyone like Him.  He accomplished redemption and entered ONCE into the Holy Place as the representative man. When Jesus entered the Holy Place it meant that redemption had been accomplished.  There was, therefore, no need for Jesus to be sacrificed again.  He was sacrificed ONCE.  There are no barriers left to prevent God’s people from enjoying the presence of God.  Because of the gospel, we have access to God and knowing what God has done for us in the gospel transforms us into worshippers.  Our conscience has now been purged from dead works and we are alive unto God. For further reading see Hebrews 9:1-14. We are brought near to God, not by our works but by the shed blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13).  We are set apart unto service and worship by the blood. True worship does not depend on what we do but rather upon what the Lord Jesus has done.  He shed His blood and opened heaven for us.  Jesus is the only High Priest who permanently brought the only sacrifice that can open the way to God and that sacrifice was Himself. It would be hard, no, impossible, to worship a saviour who had not accomplished and finished redemption.  A saviour who has to be sacrificed each day could not grip my heart.  So how many times was redemption accomplished?  ONCE and ONCE only!  What massive power there is in that finished sacrifice.  What authority there is in the blood of Christ.  It is so immensely potent that it has opened heaven for us.  And He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.  He does not have to accomplish redemption every day of the week as the Roman Communion imagines. Why not?  Because it is finished and has been finished since Jesus, in His dying breath, announced it so (John 19:30). What Christ meant to do on the cross, He actually did and did it ONCE.  He accomplished redemption ONCE.  He did not leave the work of redemption partially accomplished.  No indeed, Christ accomplished the redemption of His people with one powerful stroke.  He, therefore, does not offer Himself day after day and week after week as a sacrifice for sin.  The Lord Jesus Christ has gone into Heaven, having shed His blood, and has done this as our representative ONCE. Our redemption is eternal.  We don’t have it for a little while and then lose it if we sin.  No!  If we have believed .. trusted .. rested in and on the Lord Jesus Christ, we have eternal redemption.  Why, because He entered in ONCE .. having obtained eternal redemption for us. And that’s the Gospel Truth! 

-preacher Miles McKee

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