THE CROSS, Sermon Summary for Passion Sunday, 6 April 2025 Anno Domini, the Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide (Bishop Jerry Ogles)

 

11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither 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. Hebrews 9:11-12

 

            Judaism has its Day of Atonement, and the Christian Faith has its Day of Redemption. Judaism has its High Priest, and the Church has its High Priest in the Lord Jesus Christ. The difference is this: the High Priest of the Jews no longer exists, but that High Priest of the Church rules in glory. In Him, we have the true Day of Atonement certain.

      In the Collect, we observe in our prayer, that our High Priest observes us in mercy and grace, and that 

we are governed and preserved forevermore by His Sovereign grace – both in body and soul. Christ made that certain on the cross at Calvary. Looking from the vantage point of the cross, our Lord looked down upon those who ridiculed and scorned, and those who stood pitifully at the foot of the cross such as His mother and John, the Apostle of Love. But He not only looked down upon those near at hand, but those throughout the centuries future - to you and me. He tells us in Isaiah 49:15-16: “Can a woman forget her sucking child, That she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, Yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven (CUT) thee upon the palms of my hands; Thy walls are continually before me.”

                  The High Priest of the Temple sought forgiveness of the sins of the people through a blood sacrifice of animals, but Christ, the High Priest of our Atonement, purchased our redemption at the cost of His own blood sacrificed for us. We are His Tabernacle, and He is our sacrifice – no higher could be offered.

            The latter part of today’s Epistle of Paul to the Hebrews assures us that “ . . . they which are called might receive the ^tpromise of eternal inheritance.” (vs 15) 

“As all sacrifices had a double object, that is, to convey the sense of pardon, and at the same time to increase men’s compunction for sin, we may consider that these two objects were present in the sacrifice of Christ. Pardon given without some method of emphasizing guilt might make men think little of sin, but this is wholly prevented by the death of the Son of God, at once our hope and our condemnation.” Melville Scott

THE HARMONY OF THE COLLECTS, EPISTLES, AND GOSPELS. 

            “He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.” John 8:47 Herein we learn that we know we are the sheep of the Lord if we hear the voice of the Lord in speaking to our hearts. The Church is a family of God who is our Father, and we must bear the likeness of a child to the parent. The Roman penny was impressed with an image of Caesar. The Christian is impressed with an image of the Son. We follow the Shepherd in faith and righteousness. He knows the Way, and it is His Way that we must follow if we expect good pastures and still waters. 

            The Old Testament Law and Prophets forever pointed to Christ as our Redeemer by demonstrated our utter failure of possessing any native righteousness. It was, indeed, our school master. But it did not point to a completely new covenant of grace, but to that same promise of a Redeemer made to Abraham back in Genesis.

            We find assurance that Abraham was saved in the same fashion as we today are saved – by faith in the promise of a Redeemer to come; while we today look back in faith to the accomplished fact. “Your father, Abraham, rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it, and was glad.” John 8:47

            Please note the unchangeability of the Triune God – He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His plan of salvation has not changed from the day of Abraham – in fact all the way back to the Beginning in Genesis 3 – until our own day. The Old Testament is simply a darkened shadow of its fulfillment in the New. Abraham believed in the eternal Christ. “Verily, Verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I Am.” John 8:58 Herein we see Christ as the great ‘I Am ‘of the Burning bush, and the ‘I am’ of Moses. He is the eternal I Am from Eternity Past to Eternity Future. He is the Eternal Presence at all points of the time scale, but also beyond that created scale of time at the beginning.

            There is no remission of sin without the shedding of blood, but only the Blood of the Lamb of God will suffice completely to redeem us. Do you have that assurance of your blood sacrifice in Christ?

 

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.