Access Gained! Enter Boldly!
Thank you for reading the blog. We are going to examine the wonderous truth behind the access to the throne of God we gained through Jesus’s sacrifice. Praying it will enhance your walk with the Lord. Eric
A young man enters administrative offices of a very large corporation. He walks into the outer office of the CEO and is waved on in by the administrative assistant. He knocks, enters into the CEO’s office, and is warmly welcomed. He has boldness to do this because he is the CEO’s son and has access to his father, at all times.
Just as this young man, we believers (children of God) have access to the Father, the Creator of the Universe, at all times!
We read in Ephesians 3:12, “Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God's presence. Hebrews 4:14-16 also reveals this truth, “So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible gives more insight into what it means for us to be able to come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. “The access is a drawing nigh to God with the heart and a worshipping him in spirit; and is by faith. It is a peculiar privilege that belongs to the children of God, and who have great honor bestowed upon them, to have access to God at any time, as their Father through Christ and under the influence and by the direction and assistance of the Holy Spirit.”
Have you any ideal of how amazing that is? You see, it wasn’t always that way. Two months after the Israelites left Egypt, when they arrived at Mount Sinai and Moses was going to go before God to receive His instructions for the people. The Lord told Moses to bring the people near the mountain so they could hear Him, and thus, know they could trust Moses as their leader. Just to come near the presence of God, the people had to be consecrated and wash their clothing. Exodus 19: 12, 18 and 21 reads, “Mark off a boundary all around the mountain. Warn the people, 'Be careful! Do not go up on the mountain or even touch its boundaries. Anyone who touches the mountain will certainly be put to death. ... 18 All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the LORD had descended on it in the form of fire. The smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a brick kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently. ... 21 Then the LORD told Moses, "Go back down and warn the people not to break through the boundaries to see the LORD, or they will die.”
Only those from the tribe of Levi who were appointed as priests could enter the Holy of Holies in the temple, where the presence of God was. The priests had to present blood sacrifices to God for themselves and the people for the atonement of their sins. The covenant God had made with His people included the following of 613 commandments, which was impossible. The law reveals sin. God is holy and the penalty for sin under the Old Covenant was the shedding of the blood of a perfect, spotless animal. This sacrifice for the atonement took place every year.
Then, God made a new blood covenant with the people which is called, the ‘New Covenant.’ Jesus, the perfect, without sin, Lamb of God, shed His blood for the remission of sin for all mankind once and for all. Access to God allows believers to communicate directly with God without the need for intermediaries like priests or prophets. “This concept of access to God through Jesus is foundational, emphasizing the belief that Jesus Christ serves as the mediator between humanity and God.” (1 Timothy 2:5 - Bible Hub, Study Bible).
Ephesians 2:18 also reveals, “ Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.” “When you became a son or a daughter, when you were adopted into His family, He opened up for you through His Son’s death on the cross a way of fellowship and relationship that makes it possible for you to bypass the temple and the animal sacrifices. You don’t have to talk to God through a priest. You can go right into the presence of God Almighty and He will hear you!” (David Jeremiah).
“The theme of God’s desire for a relationship with His people is a central thread woven throughout the entirety of Scripture. From the creation narrative to the prophetic visions of the end times, the Bible consistently reveals a God Who seeks intimate fellowship with humanity.” (Bible Hub, Study Bible).
John 14:6 reveals that there is no other way to salvation or for our redemption than through Christ. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” Jesus is not ‘a’ way, as in one of many, He is the one and only way to a right relationship with the Father. None of us could pay the cost, we are all sinners and not perfect which makes us an unacceptable sacrifice! It is only through accepting Christ as the living Son of God that we become children of God. When we accept Christ, as Savior and Lord, we are adopted into God’s family. (Ephesians 1:5a).
How intimate of a relationship does God desire to have with us? Romans 8:15-17 lets us know that when He adopted us as His own children we did not receive a spirit that makes us fearful slaves, instead, we receive God’s Spirit and we can now call Him, “Abba Father!” The Aramaic term, ’Abba’ for father expresses intimacy and trust akin to “Daddy” in English. In using the words, ‘Abba Father’ in verse 15, we learn that through Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that believers are invited to experience “the fullness of God’s love and to live as His beloved children.” (Topical Encyclopedia, Bible Hub).
We need not fear to come to God in prayer and fellowship because Jesus has made the way for a personal relationship and intimacy with God. Hebrews 4:16 (Amplified Bible) reads, “Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God's gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].” Praise God, because of the shed blood of the Lord, Jesus Christ we may enter boldly. Hebrews 10:19-22, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20 By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God's house, 22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.”
When Christ died at the crucifixion, the veil in the temple which separated the Holy Place (where the priests ministered) from the Holy of Holies (where God’s presence was) was torn in two from top to bottom, giving those of mankind who accept Christ, access to enter into the very presence of God!
I have some very important questions now. What have you done with this incredible privilege you have been given by your amazing God? How much time do you spend with Him in His presence, praying, in His Word, or worshiping Him?
“Nothing in or of this world measures up to the simple pleasure of experiencing the presence of God.” (A.W. Tozer).
“Peace comes not from the absence of trouble, but from the presence of God.” (Alexander MacLaren).
The following quotes were taken from Biblelyfe.com:
“Being with God gives us hope regardless of our circumstances.”
“We experience His presence through prayer, His Word and worshiping.”
“The presence of God is our incredible gift that can comfort us, empower us and give us strength in difficult times.”
Never run from God, but rather draw near to Him for He loves you beyond anything you can imagine and He desires to be with you to help you.
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture is taken from the New Living Translation