Look inside this book.Where the Bush is Burning: A Daily Devotional by [Thomas Tice]

Tag: Hebrews 9
Apart From Sin

Apart From Sin

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So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. 

Hebrews 9:28  

Christ came to be made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. He is the bearer of our sin. When He sacrificed Himself on the cross, God treated Him as sin itself. When He completed His sacrifice, He exclaimed, ‘It is finished!” He had completed the work His Father had given Him to do. He had appeased the wrath of God against sin. He had dealt with all our sin once-for-all. This, included with His burial and continuing under the power of death for a time, brought His humiliation to an end. His resurrection marked the beginning of His exaltation. His return is part of that exaltation. Our text points out that His return is, ‘apart from sin.’ That means that His dealing with sin as the Sin-bearer is complete. His sacrifice was all that was necessary for our sin to be put away forever. Therefore, we eagerly wait for Him. Whatever occurs during the end of the age, through which we are living, nothing can stop His return, ‘apart from sin, for salvation.’ We fear neither death, nor the end of the world. Jesus is coming again. Even so, Come, Lord Jesus.  

Our Great God and our Savior, 
we believe Your Word. 
Because we do, we eagerly wait for You.  

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

For Salvation

For Salvation

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So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. 

Hebrews 9:28 

In what sense is the second coming of Christ, ‘for salvation?’ Redemption involves the whole of creation. The original sin affected Adam, Eve, all their descendants, and the physical world. Sin has had a negative effect on everyone and everything. The work of redemption which God has begun has yet to be entirely completed. This is true for us in a personal way. Paul refers to this and connects it to the return of Christ when He says, ‘being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ In that sense the return of Christ is ‘for salvation,’ because He will complete His work of sanctifying us entirely at that time. John refers to this by saying, ‘Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.’ Beyond that, Christ will redeem the whole of creation. This is, admittedly, a secondary reference, but we should include it in the idea of salvation in reference to the creation. Paul connects the two by saying, ‘because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.’ When Christ returns He will tie up many loose ends, not the least of which will be the restoration of creation to being a new heaven and a new earth. He will return ‘for salvation,’ with all that entails. 

Great God of Wonders, 
we rejoice that You are a Whole God, 
Who will accomplish a complete redemption.  
We praise You that Christ will come 
to fulfill all Your Word.  

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning
He Will Appear

He Will Appear

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So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. 

Hebrews 9:28 

The return of Christ sets the final seal on all the rest of Scripture. Critics cavil about the book of Revelation because, in their estimation it seems tacked on to the rest of the New Testament. They accuse it of being a hodgepodge of fantastical ideas, which sets forth events they believe are preposterous. To those critics, the most appropriate response is, ‘Wait for it.’ Christ said, definitively and categorically, He would return. His apostles, Peter, Paul, John and others wrote extensively on the subject of His return. It remains, for us to believe the words of Christ, and the testimony of the Scriptures. That others refuse to believe it, mock it, and deny it is irrelevant. Just as surely as all the other prophecies of Scripture have come to pass at their appointed times, so this also, will occur. The writer of Hebrews affirms ‘He will appear a second time.’ We believe the testimony of all those who have said that Jesus shall return. This is the long view of history. This gives us hope for the rest of time and for eternity. ‘He will appear a second time….’ We believe it.  

Our Gracious God and our Savior, 
we look forward to the day when You will return. 
We praise You that You have given us Your Word, 
upon which we can rely.  

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning
The Appointment

The Appointment

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And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.  

Hebrews 9:27-28 

What is that one appointment we will all keep? It is our appointment with death. We prefer not to think about it too much. We realize it is on the way. Every day brings us a step closer to it. We expect to live out our seventy or eighty years and hope to die peacefully in our sleep. Facts tell us that only a certain percentage of the population will die that way. Every siren reminds us that life can come to an end quickly and unexpectedly. How can we prepare ourselves for this inevitable appointment and the judgment that follows it as our text reminds us? The answer is Christ. Christ has offered the once-for-all sacrifice for sins. For us to be in Christ is to know that He has done all that is required for God to accept us. It is not even our faith that saves us rather it is Christ Who saves. We receive Him by faith, but even that faith is a gift of God. This allows us to face this final appointment without fear. Our appeal to you is that you embrace this Christ Who Alone can prepare you to meet this last appointment.  

Our Wise and Sovereign God, 
we rejoice that You hold our life in Your Hands. 
We praise You that You have provided for us, 
eternal life in Christ.  

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

For Salvation

For Salvation

By |

So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. 

Hebrews 9:28 

In what sense is the second coming of Christ, ‘for salvation?’ Redemption involves the whole of creation. The original sin affected Adam, Eve, all their descendants, and the physical world. Sin has had a negative effect on everyone and everything. The work of redemption which God has begun has yet to be entirely completed. This is true for us in a personal way. Paul refers to this and connects it to the return of Christ when He says, ‘being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ In that sense the return of Christ is ‘for salvation,’ because He will complete His work of sanctifying us entirely at that time. John refers to this by saying, ‘Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.’ Beyond that, Christ will redeem the whole of creation. This is, admittedly, a secondary reference, but we should include it in the idea of salvation in reference to the creation. Paul connects the two by saying, ‘because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.’ When Christ returns He will tie up many loose ends, not the least of which will be the restoration of creation to being a new heaven and a new earth. He will return ‘for salvation,’ with all that entails. 

Great God of Wonders, 
we rejoice that You are a Whole God, 
Who will accomplish a complete redemption.  
We praise You that Christ will come 
to fulfill all Your Word.  

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

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