Torn: The Assurance of Access, Hebrews 10:19-31

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Stand with me as we open our worship with scripture.

Opening Scripture:

Psalm 40:1–10 NIV

1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him. 4 Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. 5 Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare. 6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire— but my ears you have opened— burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. 7 Then I said, “Here I am, I have come— it is written about me in the scroll. 8 I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.” 9 I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, Lord, as you know. 10 I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help. I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness from the great assembly.

Prayer

Worship Set

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Worship Through the Word:

Torn

There is something special about being allowed immediate admittance into someone’s office.  Just imagine, you walk into an office and up to a reception desk.  The receptionist says, “Do you have an appointment?”  You stammer and say, “no, I was unaware one was required.”  Just then the person you came to see walks out of their office and calls you by name.  They clap you on the shoulder and welcome you, then turn to their secretary and say, “My friend here needs no appointment.  He/she is always welcome!” 

Even if you have never experienced that, I suspect the idea of it makes you feel good.  We like it when we are welcomed.  I recently experienced such.  I went to speak to someone, and the receptionist went to see if the person was available.  She started down the hallway and then turned back to me almost immediately.  Before she had gone far, he called out to say that he had heard my name and I was welcome.  Wow, that made me feel so good.

As we continue in this Easter series, we continue to investigate the access that Jesus provides us with our Creator and Heavenly Father.  He knows our name and we are always welcome through the blood of Jesus.

Today, our text is...

Hebrews 10:19–31 NIV

19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. 26If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

The Word of God for the people of God.  Thanks be to God!

Father, please bless this Word which you have provided and which we now receive. Amen!

I.  The Assurance of Access  Hebrews 10:19-31

Video: Wizard of Oz clip

How old were you when you saw The Wizard of Oz movie for the first time? What is it that struck fear in your heart that very first time? The wicked witch? “Oz, the great and terrible” himself? Or maybe it was those flying monkeys accompanied by ominous music?

 There is another scene, though, that makes an equally deep impression on the heart. After overcoming many afflictions, they finally arrive at the Emerald City.  With excitement and some nervousness, they approach the entrance to Oz and request to see the wizard.  To their dismay, they are told that nobody gets in to see the wizard, nobody, no how! That moment is filled not so much with fear as with sadness. After all their travels, struggles, and dangers, the friends are denied access.

Access! Deep down, it is what our souls crave, what we long for is the assurance of access.  No one likes the feeling of rejection we feel when access is denied.  Most of all, our hearts long for access to the presence of God. Human beings have yearned for it ever since Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden and the tree of life.  Many people doubt God’s love because of this denied access.  But we need to ask ourselves...

A.  Why is access to God denied ?

What many do not understand, though, is that...

1.  The presence of God is a dangerous place! Hebrews 10:31

Sinful human beings may not presume to step into God’s presence on their own terms. To do so is to invite death. The writer of Hebrews warns us of the danger.

Hebrews 10:31NIV

31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Remember how, at Mount Sinai, God warned Moses to set boundaries around the mountain to keep the people from trespassing on sacred ground?  Even the animals were not allowed access!

2.  The presence of the holy God is not safely accessible to people made unclean , and who are unholy by sin .   Habakkuk 1:13

The prophet’s words are clear as he says this to God.

Habakkuk 1:13NIV

13 Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?

It is not that God is uncaring. He is holy, too pure even to look at anything unclean. Think about it. Suppose you see a mangled animal lying in the middle of the road. Do you stare or look away? It is not that you are unfeeling but rather that you avert your eyes from what is unsightly.

 3.  God is holy! It is not safe for sinners to be in his presence.

This is illustrated so well by C. S. Lewis in his book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. In this clip from an old movie, the Beavers’ are preparing the children to meet the great lion Aslan.

Video: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe clip

Susan asks, “Is [Aslan] quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.” Mrs. Beaver answers, “That you will, dearie, and make no mistake . . . If there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”

Lucy chimes in, “Then he isn’t safe?” Mr. Beaver replies, “Who said anything about safe? ’Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

And this is an uncomfortable truth about our God:

4.  God is not safe, but He is good!  Hebrews 10:19-20

In that goodness, he has provided us a way to safely access his throne of grace. He did this through the curtain of his Son’s flesh, pierced for us on Calvary’s cross.

Hebrews 10:19–20 NIV

19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,

B.  In Jesus, God has opened for us a new and living way of access!

Consider, ponder, and take to heart what this means to us, heart and soul.

The word new in verse 20 literally means “freshly slain.”

 God sees the shed blood of his dear Son, the perfect sacrifice, as fresh . 

Always fresh. It is as though just now, this very moment, Jesus died for you and for me. It is as if, just now, the veil was torn. We can have confidence that the mercies of God toward us are new each day, as if the blood of Jesus has just been shed.

Lamentations 3:22 NIV

22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.

 This is a new way, a way of access quite unlike the old.  To understand, let us look for a moment at...

1.  Old Way:  Day of Atonement

In years past, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies once each year on the Day of Atonement. This day was celebrated as a national holiday. On that one day each year, two profound truths were on display:

 • The depth of our sin that made it impossible for us to exist in the presence of God

• The holiness of God that made it impossible for him to even look at our sin, let alone admit us into his presence. 

On that one-day, human sinfulness and God’s holiness came together without that holiness destroying God’s people.

a.  The blood of the sacrifice the high priest sprinkled on the mercy seat.

The mercy seat is the space on the top of the lids of the Ark of the Covenant between the two cherubim.  This is the place where God dwelt, where His presence was in the Holy of Holies.

However, being an imperfect sacrifice (after all, there is nothing particularly holy about animals, nor are they truly perfect), so this sacrifice was not permanent.  This was more symbolic of the true sacrifice that was coming later.  For this reason, it had limitations.

b.  The blood of animals only covered the people’s sins for one -year.

c.  That blood did not remove sin.

d.  It could only cover temporarily until the one final, perfect sacrifice would be offered.

Which brings us to the...

2.  New Way: Calvary

•     The sacrifice at Calvary, offered not in the Holy of Holies but on Calvary’s cross, would take away sin. Completely. Forever.

a.  When Jesus died, he opened for us a new and living way into the presence of our Father.

Think of it this way.  Have you ever entered the Grande Ronde Hospital ER or some department store and had those automatic doors open right up for you?  Think of our access to God being one of those automatic doors and it is never locked.  Anytime, day or night, we have access.  There is no limit.  There are no hours closed for business.  God is always ready for us to enter His presence and to hear what we have to say.  Unlike Queen Esther who had to fear the king if he did not hold out his scepter.  God is not some temperamental king that has good days and bad days and is willing to see you one day but not on another day.  He has no desire to turn us away.  He wants to hear from us.

 We have confidence that we can enter into God’s presence anytime we desire, anytime we have need. This is the newway, the living way.  It is new because...

b.  Jesus as our High Priest is different from all the high priests of the past because He is perfect , sinless .

c.  Jesus offered up himself in payment for all our sin.

d.  His sacrifice is a once - and - for - all - time sacrifice.

e.  Jesus defeated death and rose from the dead.

It is a living way because we need not fear death for entering into God’s presence since we are protected by the precious blood of Jesus given on our behalf.

Now,

f.  Jesus sits enthroned at the right hand of God the Father, continually praying for us.

He never leaves His post or gets distracted.  You see, there are advantages to being omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent.  With those characteristics, there is nothing you cannot do.  There is nothing that can distract you from fulfilling your duties.  As omniscient, Jesus is all-knowing.  There is nothing that escapes His knowledge or notice.  As omnipresent, Jesus is always everywhere.  No matter where He is, He is always still present with you and with God.  And He is omnipotent, having all power to do all things.  All these things mean that He cannot fail, and He will never fail you!  He may not answer something in the way you would hope, but that does not mean He has failed you.  That just means that in His infinite wisdom, He knows something better for you!  That is because...

g.  The way Jesus opened for us is a “living way” because it is a life - giving way.  Hebrews 10:19-22

He is always there for us and if we allow Him sovereignty in our lives, He breathes life into our soul as his blood gives us confidence against the assaults of Satan and the accusations of our own guilty consciences.

Hebrews 10:19–22 NIV

19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a newand living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

Now,

C.  Because of Jesus, we are sprinkled clean !

1.  In the old way, the high priest sprinkled the mercy seat with the blood of the sacrificial lamb once a year .

2.  In the new way, our hearts are sprinkled clean daily by the blood of Jesus.

This is a deep-down clean, a cleansing that reaches right down into all the places in which an evil conscience haunts us. Ahhhh, can anything be cleaner than this?

This past week I was watching a special program on the struggles of Naomi Judd.  She often spoke of God, but it is apparent to me that she had no real relationship with God.  It is heartbreaking.  I am not sure if she had been told and not listened, or if no one was there to speak God’s truth into her life.  She suffered from guilt for sins that were perpetrated against her, as well as her own sins.  If only she had understood that God provided the way for her to be washed clean of all those sins.  God could have given her a new life and a new relationship with her daughters who struggle with her loss and the relationship that could have been.  I hope someone helps Wynonna and Ashley to find this truth, so they do not suffer as their mother did.  The truth for them and us is this.  They have had counseling, which is good, but it does not fill the void of companionship with God, as well as that deep clean that Jesus’ blood can provide.

3.  The Lamb of God opened this new and living way for us through the veil of his own flesh .

The veil of the temple was torn in two on the day Jesus died, but this did not open the way to God. Instead,

a.  the veil described in Hebrews 10:19was the flesh of Jesus, torn on the cross .

This is the veil through which we enter. The Temple curtain again is symbolic.  Some say that the reason God had the curtain made with colors of red, blue, and purple were because these are the colors of veins in the human body.  They say here again is symbolism of Jesus coming in the flesh to be the curtain to God.  You see, Jesus is the only true way of access.

It sounds so offensive, doesn’t it? A veil of flesh! The way of the cross is offensiveto the world system around us, but to those who believe it speaks of life-giving hope!  Not the kind of hope like, you hope something will happen.  But the kind of hope that keeps us moving forward because we have confidence in something better ahead.  The way of the cross is the only way, the only new and life-giving way.

It isn’t pretty and we should be shaken to our core that it happened.  However, we should be thankful that Jesus was willing to do this for us so that we could have life and have it “abundantly!”  That was Jesus’ word for it.

John 10:10NASB95

10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

It is only through our Savior’s torn flesh that our ungodly sinfulness and God’s holiness can come together without that holiness destroying us. Still today, you come to God through faith, through that new and living way.  John 14:6

John 14:6NIV

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

These words leave us with only one of three conclusions regarding Jesus, according to C. S. Lewis. Either, He is a liar, or he is a lunatic. Or he is Lord!

What do you say? Jesus is no “wizard behind the curtain.” Jesus is not safe, but he is good! He is our Forerunner. He is the anchor of our soul. He is our Lord and our Savior, whose blood has made us clean and gives us the assurance of access.

As I bring this sermon to a close, I want us to take time to remember once again, Jesus’ sacrifice by receiving Communion.  The bread and wine, juice for us, that remind us of His torn flesh, and His blood that was spilt. 

Communion

The Communion Supper, instituted by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is a sacrament, which proclaims His life, His sufferings, His sacrificial death, and resurrection, and the hope of His coming again. It shows forth the Lord’s death until His return. The Supper is a means of grace in which Christ is present by the Spirit. It is to be received in reverent appreciation and gratefulness for the work of Christ. All those who are truly repentant, forsaking their sins, and believing in Christ for salvation are invited to participate in the death and resurrection of Christ. We come to the table that we may be renewed in life and salvation and be made one by the Spirit.

In unity with the Church, we confess our faith: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. And so we pray:  Father, forgive us of our sins and our shortcomings.  Forgive us of the many times we become distracted, or fall prey to our wicked pride, or times when we do not honor You as we should.  We now humbly bow before you, yielding ourselves to you.  And now Holy Father, we gather at this, Your table, in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who by Your Spirit was anointed to preach good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives, set at liberty those who are oppressed. Christ healed the sick, fed the hungry, ate with sinners, and established the new covenant for forgiveness of sins. We live in the hope of His coming again.

On the night in which He was betrayed, He took bread, gave thanks, broke the bread, gave it to His disciples, and said: “This is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19) Likewise, when the supper was over, He took the cup, gave thanks, gave it to His disciples, and said: “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in remembrance of me.” (Matthew 26:27-29)

And so, we gather as the Body of Christ to offer ourselves to you in praise and thanksgiving. Pour out your Holy Spirit on us and on these your gifts. Make them by the power of your Spirit to be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the Body of Christ, redeemed by His blood. By your Spirit make us one in Christ, one with each other, and one in the ministry of Christ to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen.

Video-Communion, Communion element distribution

The Bread

The body of our Lord Jesus Christ, broken for you, preserve you blameless, unto everlasting life. Eat this in remembrance that Christ died for you, and be thankful.

The Cup

The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, shed for you, preserve you blameless unto everlasting life. Drink this in remembrance that Christ died for you, and be thankful.

Please bow your heads and join me in prayer.  As I pray, I encourage you to pray in your thoughts along with me.

Precious Father,

the blood of your only Son never loses its power! Your mercy and compassion are as fresh today as they were the day Jesus died. I come to you through the new and living way that Jesus opened for me, in His name and cleansed by His blood.

Thank you for giving me the assurance of access to you at any time.  In His precious Name we pray, Amen.

Prayer

Worship Set

Benediction