An Open Way to God

Christ’s Sacrifice Opens the Way to God

There are certain things that cannot be in the same place as each other.

Fire and water; Light and darkness, you and your mother in law.

The bible also teaches us that:

2 Corinthians 6:14 BSB

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?

You and I are sinners, we were lost in darkness.

God is light and we could not be in His presence.

God strictly forbade anyone to enter into His presence:

Leviticus 16:2 BSB

And the LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron not to enter freely into the Most Holy Place behind the veil in front of the mercy seat on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.

The “Mental” state of anyone whose duty it was to enter into the Presence of God was best summered in one word:

FEAR.

No Old Covenant worshiper would try to enter the holy of holies in the tabernacle.

Even the high priest entered the holy of holies only once a year.

The thick veil that separated the holy place from the holy of holies was a barrier between people and God.

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All that changed on Good Friday.

When Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself for our sins something incredible happened:

Mark 15:38 BSB

And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

Suddenly, by the blood of the Lamb, a new way of entering into God’s Presence was made:

No longer was this way based on FEAR, now it was based on CONFIDENCE.

Hebrews 4:16 BSB

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.

With the Veil now gone and access to God made available by grace through Jesus Christ, the Father now issues a new command:

Not “Do not enter or you will die”, rather now He says:

Hebrews 10:19–25 BSB

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

I want you to notice God’s gracious 3-fold invitation to each of us today:

“Let us draw near …

Let us hold fast …

Let us consider one another.”

This threefold invitation hinges on our confidence to enter into the holiest.

And this confidence (“freedom of speech”) rests on the finished work of the Savior.

In New Covenant as priests we have freedom of speec.

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On the Day of Atonement, the high priest could not enter the holy of holies unless he had the blood of the sacrifice.

Hebrews 9:7 BSB

But only the high priest entered the second room, and then only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.

But our entrance into God’s presence is not because of an animal’s blood, but because of Christ’s shed blood.

Christ is the new and living way!

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We come to God through Him, our High Priest over the house of God.

When His flesh was torn on the cross, and His life sacrificed, God tore the veil in the temple.

This symbolized the new and living way now opened for all who believe.

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On the basis of these assurances—that we have boldness to enter because we have a living High Priest—we have an “open invitation” to enter the presence of God.

The Old Covenant high priest visited the holy of holies once a year, but we are invited to dwell in the presence of God every moment of each day.

What a tremendous privilege! Consider what is involved in this threefold invitation.

1: Let us approach God

Hebrews 10:22 BSB

let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

The Old Testament priest had to go through various washings and the applying of blood on the Day of Atonement.

Also, during the regular daily ministry, the priests had to wash at the laver before they entered the holy place.

The New Testament Christian can come to God with a pure heart and a clean conscience.

We have been washed by the precious blood of the Lamb.

We enter with CONFIDENCE, not in ourselves, but with absolute CONFIDENCE in the completed work of Jesus.

2: Let us hold firmly.

Hebrews 10:23 BSB

Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.

Satan has, is and will always tempt God’s people to deny, forsake or neglect their relationship with God.

This is because Satan hates the fact that our HOPE is in Christ.

Hope is a core facet of the Christians relationship with God.

We are looking for Christ to return (Heb. 9:28)

We are seeking that city that is yet to come (Heb. 13:14).

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When a believer has his hope fixed on Christ, and relies on the faithfulness of God, then he will not waver.

3: Let us consider one another.

Hebrews 10:24–25 BSB

And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Fellowship with God must never become selfish.

We must also fellowship with other Christians in the local assembly.

Apparently, some of the wavering believers had been absenting themselves from the church fellowship.

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There is a significant paradgm shift that takes place in a person who is filled and led by the Holy Spirit.

Carnal people view the church as a place of “getting”.

And whilst we do graciously “get” much from the church, the Spiritual people see the church very differently:

The emphasis here is not on what a believer gets from the assembly, but rather on what he can contribute to the assembly.

Faithfulness in church attendance encourages others and provokes them to love and good works.

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One of the strong motives for faithfulness is the soon coming of Jesus Christ.

In fact, the only other place the word translated “assembling” (Heb. 10:25) is used in the New Testament is in 2 Thessalonians 2:1, where it’s translated “gathering” and deals with the coming of Christ.

2 Thessalonians 2:1 BSB

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers,

I will warn you today:

Jesus is going to “GATHER” only those who “ASSEMBLE” in fellowship.

Conclusion:

The three great Christian virtues are evidenced here:

faith in his Person (Heb. 10:22),

hope in his promises (Heb. 10:23),

and love for his People (Heb. 10:24).

They are the fruit of our fellowship with God in His heavenly sanctuary