Expecting

Temple Baptist Church - 8-30-2009

Hebrews 10:1-14

Introduction:

A. Hebrews chapter 10 is a summation of the preceding chapter. Chapter 9 speaks of the once and for all redemption of fallen man through the precious blood of Christ.

B. Verses 1-4 spell out in detail the inability of the Law to save. It cannot save! It was never meant to save! It was our schoolmaster that brought us to the cross of Christ. It declares the inability of anything other than the sacrifice of Christ to take away sin.

C. Verses 5-12 speak of the sacrifice of the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. God became man! God became sin! God became Saviour! God became Priest! God became our Sanctification!

D. Verse 13 is the culmination of these verses with the picture of Christ, seated at the right hand of the Father, “expecting.” When I see the word “expecting,” I normally think of a woman—great with child—awaiting the blessed day of the birth of her child.

EXPECTING – To look for mentally; to look forward to, as to something that is believed to be about to happen or come; to look for with confidence; to anticipate.

E. We are nearing the end of time as we know it with the eminent removal of the Church and the revelation of the Antichrist. Our Lord Jesus Christ is expecting until all enemies are made His footstool. The enemy of fallen angels; the enemy of rejecting men; the last enemy of death! It is near and it is hastening.

F. I want to look at some “expected” things for a few minutes.

1. The Expectation Of The Saviour:

a. He expected man to sin. 1 Peter 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you. (He was not surprised! He was not shocked! His plans were not altered! He knew before He ever created man that man would sin and sin willfully!)

b. He expected the price to be high. Revelation 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (He was not surprised or shocked by the price that had to be paid. Calvary was always in the mind of God. The price was demanded by God and accepted by Christ.)

c. He expected children to be born. 1 Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. (The gospel is the power of God unto everyone that believeth! Not all will be saved but, thank God, not all will be lost. Man is given a choice, therefore choose life! A multitude that cannot be numbered will be in Heaven one day because of Calvary.)

d. He expected a bride to be presented. Ephesians 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (One day, the Body of Christ—the Bride—will be home! There will be a Marriage Supper and a wedding. He is mine and I am His! Until death do us part and there will be no death there. Thank God for eternal life with Jesus Christ my Lord!)

2. The Expectation Of The Saint:

a. The saint can expect both sorrow and joy in this life. Psalms 30:5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Job 14:1 Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. (When you know that life is hard, you can make it! There will be good days and there will be bad days. Sometimes bad day seemingly without end but I want you to be encouraged in this: better days are coming!

b. The saint can expect the Lord to be faithful to both His Word and His children. 1 Peter 4:19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. (When we are faithful, He is faithful. When we are not faithful, He is still faithful. He will both honor His Word and be there for His children.)

c. The saint can expect everything to turn out right. 1 Peter 4:19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. (There is grace for salvation; there is grace for living; and Revelation 22 says: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” Amen, Let it be so!)

3. The Expectation Of The Sinner:

a. The Expectation of both helplessness and hopelessness. Ecclesiastes 2:26 For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Ecclesiastes 8:8 There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it. (Ted Kennedy just died and I take no pleasure in that. The Lord takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked! With all of his possessions, power, and popularity, he had no choice in the day of his death. He was both helpless and hopeless if he died without Christ.)

b. The Expectation of judgment by God. Revelation 20:12-13 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. (An old black preacher once said, “There’s going to be a great recompensing day!” God is not unrighteous to forget our labor and work in the Lord. Neither is He unrighteous to forget theirs!)

c. The Expectation of an eternal hell. Revelation 20:14-15 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Revelation 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Conclusion: As Christ is expecting His soon return, so do we as God’s children. I believe that He could come today; I expect Him to come today; I want Him to come today! What about you?