By invitation only ∙

By invitation only ∙

We can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. – Hebrews 10:19

Hebrews 4:14-16

 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

 16 Let us then with confidence, draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

At one time in our life or another, we have probably encountered a No Trespassing Sign. Some of the more famous ones had been popularized because of the mysterious military base referred to as Area 51.

Area 51 Warning

Restricted Area

Use of Deadly Force Authorized

NO TRESPASSING

Except for a few bold, risk-taking, perhaps somewhat reckless individuals, most of us would take such warnings seriously and stay out.

Similarly, the Father protected access to His throne and His presence. On earth, when the tabernacle and later the Jewish temple were in existence, a thick veil or curtain was placed as a barrier to prevent access to the holy of holies where the Father’s glory dwelt.

This physical barrier separated people from the presence of the Father. No posted words of warning were needed. The people understood that the Father had authorized deadly force. Any attempts to penetrate the veil would result in instant death. The singular exception was on the Day of Atonement when the High Priest of Israel could enter and bring a sacrifice for the sins of His people, the nation of Israel.

But the death of Christ changed all this. At the moment of His death on the cross, the physical veil of the temple was torn.

Matthew 27:50-51

 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.

 51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.

During the Old Testament period, “the common people were not permitted to enter the holy precincts of the tabernacle and the temple [they could only approach the outer limits of the sanctuary (Leviticus 9:1; Hebrews 10:1)], and the priests got only as far as the veil. The high priest alone went beyond the veil, and only on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16)” (Wiersbe).

The priestly work of the Lord Jesus has established access to the Father. “Every believer in Christ is invited and is even encouraged, to ‘come boldly unto the throne of grace’” (Wiersbe).

REFLECT & PRAY

I am forgiven. I am accepted. I am invited to come into the loving presence of my Father. This is so wonderful; it seems too good to be true! But it is true indeed!

Father thank You for what You have done for me. You have done what I could have never done for myself. You have removed my sin and guilt. They no longer prevent me from coming into Your loving arms.

INSIGHT

We are invited not only to come but to come boldly to the throne of our Father. In fact, it was not merely the ominous presence of the veil which prohibited trespassing that separated us from the Father. In reality, our sin and guilt separated us from Him.

Isaiah 59:2 Iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have made Him hide His face from you so that He does not listen.

We can now approach the Father with the assurance that the Lord Jesus Christ’s death has removed our guilt for sin and has made us acceptable to the Father (Constable).

Our boldness to enter rests on the finished work of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. We can boldly enter because we have a living High Priest. Further, we have an “open invitation” to come into the presence of the Father. During Old Testament times, the 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! (Wiersbe)

Hebrews 4:16 Let us, therefore, come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need (KJV).

The Greek word translated as boldly, or confidence is parresia. Parresia is “an attitude of openness that stems from freedom and lack of fear . . . In the presence of high-ranking persons courage, confidence, boldness . . .. In relation to God the Father, confidence, boldness, joyful sense of freedom (Friberg).

“The Christian’s approach to God is to be characterized by confidence or boldness (parresia), by a freedom of expression and deliverance from fear. This is one of the most striking features about the Christian way to God, that it is unencumbered even by a man’s sense of awe in God’s presence” (Guthrie).

The Father wants us to come “boldly” into His presence, not timidly or anxiously or in fear of how He might respond. He wants to help us, and He has all the grace we need to confront any challenge we might face (Stanley).

It is much like an innocent, curious, and somewhat fearless child. Imagine young grandchildren getting to their grandfather’s house on Thanksgiving Day. They catch a glimpse of their grandpa and run and jump up on his lap and begin to hug and kiss him as he wraps his arms lovingly and kindly around them. The grandchildren are not only permitted to come; their grandfather yearns for them to do so.

That is how we are to be with our heavenly Father, the Lord God omnipotent. It is by invitation only, but each child of the King is automatically given one at the moment they enter the Father’s kingdom by faith.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 9-29-2

© Dr. H 2022