Perfect

'In this, God qualified Jesus as a Perfect High Priest, and He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him."

- St. Paul, Hebrews 5:9

"Perfection is not available, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence."

- Vince Lombardi

Anybody know what it's like to have something that's never really worked quite right...

but for whatever reason, you tolerate its imperfection...even when it drives you crazy? That leaky faucet… that squeaky door… that noisy garbage disposal?

Five years ago, we bought a brand new microwave that has never worked quite right. Candace says it's because I left a metal spoon in a bowl of soup I was trying to heat up. But I assured her that just because the microwave popped and crackled and flashed and a small mushroom cloud appeared over the microwave… that did not mean I damaged it. Anyhow, last week it died. This week, we installed a new one that works perfect! Yesterday, I said to Candace, "Can you believe we put up with that other microwave that drove us crazy and never worked right for 5 years?"

Sometimes… it's not until you put perfect next to imperfect that you discover what you've been missing!

One of the great declarations of Christmas is that, in Jesus, for the first time in human history, we have a perfect High Priest who has so perfectly atoned for - paid for - our sins. So that we can enter with confidence into the presence of the Living God… and experience grace, mercy, love, joy, and peace!

Since the beginning of time, God's people have believed that the Creator God is a Holy God - a God of Perfect Righteousness - who can, therefore, have nothing to do with anything or anyone… unrighteous. The Bible describes God's holiness as a consuming fire that simply incinerates whatever is sinful or unholy. You see the problem?

Historically, the Hebrew people tried to deal with the problem of their sin by selecting human priests who would go into the Holy of holies, where the glory of God resided, and offer the blood of bulls and goats as a sacrifice for their sins. But, like my old microwave, this did not work very well. For one thing… the priests were human so they had to offer sacrifices for their own sins and… second, the writer says,

"It's impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins."

- Hebrews 10:4

So… the biggest problem of humanity was not solved until Jesus came into our world on Christmas Day as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

The Bible says,

"So, then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This high priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come with confidence into the presence of our Holy God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most."

- Hebrews 4:14-16 (NLT)

What a wonder… that the Holy God who created us, loves us so much, that even when we sinned against Him, He could not tolerate the distance His holiness created between us.

So… He sent His own Son, as our High Priest…

who offered His own blood on that cross to atone for - to pay for - our sins. So that you and I would have free and full and immediate access into the presence of the Living God - RIGHT NOW! RIGHT HERE! NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE! NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE! - to find His mercy, to find His grace, to help you… when you need it most!

Wow! The new Microwave… the New High Priest… is way better! Merry Christmas! AMEN

Pastor Harry

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