From the Pastor. . . .
One of my favorite passages of Scripture is found in Matthew 27:51-53. Jesus had cried out and gave up His Spirit -- in other words, He had died on the cross afer hanging there in agony for hours. Then the Bible says in the following three verses,
"At that moment th curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people."
In the temple there were the courts, the Holy Place that only priests could enter, and the Most Holy Place, or the Holy of Holies that only the high priest could enter. A curtain separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. Once each year the high priest would go behind the curtain, into the Holy of Holies, where he would sprinkle the blood of an unblemished lamb on the altar as an atonement for the sins of the people. The high priest would do this year after year after year.
Here comes the exciting part!!! When Jesus died on the cross, at that very moment, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. At that moment, Jesus became our High Priest, Jesus shed His blood as an atonement for our sins. Hebrews 4:14 says, "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess."
We don't have to wait for a specific day, one time during the year, to have a High Priest make atonement on our behalf for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus is our High Priest who gave His life so our sins could be forgiven. He is our High Priest! Whenever we miss the mark with God, whenever we sin, we can -- and need to -- ask God's forgiveness for our sin, remembering and giving thanks that Jesus has already paid the price. Give thanks for the truth we find in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
LET'S HOLD FIRMLY TO THE FAITH!
In Christ,
Pastor Mike Anderson
