Our Great Thanksgiving
but we
have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without
sin.
Let us then approach the throne
of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to
help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:15-16
If it were possible for you to go back in time to witness firsthand in complete
safety, any event in history, what would that be?
Would it be the parting and crossing of the Red Sea?
How about witnessing Elijah on Mt. Carmel, calling down fire from heaven.
That would be an event.
Maybe you would have a hillside seat at Waterloo or Actium. I don't think
I would want to see all the casualties.
How about spending a day at the theater with William Shakespeare himself.
There are so many people and events that any of us might like to see first
hand.
I bet being on the Santa Maria when Columbus and his crew
fist spotted dry land would have been a moment to relive.
So many.
Biblical events alone could fill my calendar.
Imagine being with Jesus when he raised Lazarus, or in the boat when he came
walking across the lake.
But there is one event that would win hands down. No question.
I would want to be there in the garden when Jesus was raised.
Would you see Him leave the tomb?
I am not sure you would. But you would see the angels roll back the stone
and then see Mary, Salome, Peter and John as they
in turn came to the tomb to find it empty. And I would want to wait around
to see Mary talk to Jesus in the garden.
Why that and not the crucifixion?
I am not sure I could handle seeing Jesus die. Knowing it was me who put
him there, it might be too much.
But witnessing the resurrection would mean everything.
If Jesus is raised then the sins that put him there are forgiven.
If Jesus is raised then all the rest fits into place.
If there is no resurrection of Jesus, then my faith is futility, at least
as I see it.
Everything rests on that moment. To me, it is the indisputable hinge of all
history.
If Jesus is just a man, then everything changes.
If he dies and is raised as the Anointed One of God, then everything else
follows in course, and all of human history is defined by that one event.
It is that important.
And everything in our life fits into and under his divine plan and authority.
As the writer of Hebrews puts it, when we know that Jesus has died and been
raised to give forgiveness, then we can with great confidence come directly
into God presence. And there we will find great mercy and great help for
us in our times of need.
Why only then can we come into God's presence?
Because God from the beginning demonstrated to the Hebrews the overpowering
holiness of his nature.
Pagan worship they learned in Egypt and saw around them never led them to
believe the Gods were holy in comparison to themselves. More powerful yes,
but never holy.
The pagan gods were as morally flawed as humans and only needed to be placated
to gain their favor.
What God did through Moses was to turn all of that upside down. From the
beginning they learned that it was God who sought them out, and that above
all else, God is holy and can never be bought off or placated.
God is a God of forgiveness and mercy that is offered out of the nature of
who God is, not in response to our religious observations.
Religious observations were never to placate God.
They were to remind us of who God is and who we are.
And above all that, we are reminded God is holy and sin in his presence will
die.
If fact the Jewish priests at the temple could never go directly into God's
presence for fear of instant death.
The high priest went once a year into the holy place before God, but first
had to make an offering and ask for cleansing for his own sin before he could
ask for the forgiveness of others.
And he was not even sure he would come out alive from an encounter with God.
Before he went into the holy place, a rope was tied around his ankle in case
God struck him dead. That way his body could be recovered.
When Isaiah saw his vision of God in the temple, he knew he was in trouble
and his words were "Woe is me! I am a man of unclean lips and live among
people of unclean lips"
The holy place was separated from the rest of the temple by a heavy curtain.
At Jesus death, the gospel says that this curtain was torn in two.
The great barrier that separates us from God-- our sinfulness was torn down.
And so now we come today to this table.
This table is exactly like going into the holy place of the temple. More
holy than that even.
But no one here needs fear it.
Jesus our great high priest has offered the penalty for sin, once for all
of us.
So now we can come with great thanksgiving and with great confidence.
Because today once again we re-enact the drama of what Jesus has done for
us.
And all who knew him in that real time and in that real place in real human
history also were willing to lay down their lives as a way of saying to us
over two thousand years of history that it is true.
That it really did happen.
Jesus did live.
Jesus did die.
Jesus was raised again.
And Jesus will come to wrap up human history and be our King for eternity.
In the meantime we can all come to him in confidence knowing our sins are
forgiven and that he is there to help us.
Come.
Come give thanks and be filled with his grace.
And be sure of this. As you come in thanksgiving and asking forgiveness,
you will... I repeat...you will leave here today totally forgiven. Once and
for all.
Amen
Preached October 11, 2009
Dr. Harold McNabb
West Shore Presbyterian Church
Victoria, British Columbia
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