November 30. The triumphant shame of the cross. Christ did not offer himself repeatedly,

as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own,

for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world.

But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin

by the sacrifice of himself. He was 925 and 26.

It is not to be taken for granted that there should be a welcome for sinners in heaven.

God is holy and pure and perfectly just and righteous.

Yet, the whole story of the Bible is how such a great and holy God can and does welcome dirty,

unholy people like you and me into his favor. How can this be?

Hebrews 925 says that Christ's sacrifice for sin was not like the sacrifices of the Jewish high

priests. They came into the holy place yearly with animal sacrifices to atone for the sins of the

people. But these verses say Christ did not enter heaven to offer himself repeatedly.

For then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world.

Hebrews 926. If Christ followed the pattern of the priests,

then he would have had to die yearly and since the sins to be covered included the sins of

Adam and Eve, he would have had to begin his yearly dying at the foundation of the world.

But the writer treats this as unthinkable. Why is it unthinkable? Because it would make the

death of the Son of God look weak and ineffective. If it has to be repeated year after year for centuries,

where would be the triumph? Where would we see the infinite value of the sacrifice of the Son of God?

But it would vanish in the shamefulness of a yearly suffering and death.

There was shame in the cross, but it was triumphant shame.

Jesus despised the shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 122.

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