The Reason
by Pastor Dan Chun
Hebrews 10:5-7 That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given me a body to offer. You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin. Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will, O God—as is written about me in the Scriptures.’”
Hebrews 10:8-10 First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses). Then He said, “Look, I have come to do your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.
It’s almost Christmas! As we can think about Christmas trees, ornaments, pretty lights, and gifts, we can forget that Christmas is primarily about God coming to earth in human form. But even more, when He came, it meant we were made holy. Holy?
We were made holy because Jesus gave His life for us. We now can be in the presence of God. It means that, according to this passage, we no longer need to do animal sacrifices or sin offerings, or burnt offerings to cover our sin in order to be in the holy presence of God. We no longer need to work long hours trying to please God, or hoping that He will finally love us.
He already loves us so much. Jesus sacrificed His life to show God’s love, and that we would not have to work to please God. We are accepted already. We just need to accept Him as our Lord and Savior.
You know, the more I think about those who follow Christ, the ones who cling the closest to Jesus, are those who are aware of their sin, and they know they literally need a Savior. Those who don’t think they need a Savior tend to use Jesus for perks in this life—help them get richer, be more popular, get better jobs, and have all of their requests answered the way they want them answered.
But the Bible has always taught us that it is by God’s grace that we have been saved, not by our actions. When we truly know that Jesus paid the price for our sin, then we get teary eyed about Christmas because His coming to earth, His being born in a manger, His teaching us how to love and live, and then later sacrificing His life for us, is truly the greatest Christmas gift of all time.
Prayer: Lord, please help us remember the real reason for this season. May our hearts be full of mirth for Your birth and for what You have already done for us. In Christ’s name, Amen.
