COME BOLDLY!

 

TEXT:     Heb. 9:1-8; Matt. 27:50-54; Eph. 3:6-12; Heb. 4:14-16; Acts 7:44,48-50

 

INTRO:  Many people including Christians have a warped sense of who God is, and how much He cares for us, both sinner and saint alike.  Many Christians really don’t enjoy their relationship with God because of this, not realizing that the day in which we live is a day the Old Testament saints would have enjoyed!

 

We often feel that God is so far above us, that He is so awesome and powerful that we are a bit afraid of Him, especially if we makes mistakes or sin here and there.   Yet, God’s love is so powerful; He attempted to show this to everyone in the person of His Son Jesus Christ that was sent into the world. 

 

ILLUS:  One evening a woman was driving home when she noticed a huge truck behind her that was driving uncomfortably close. She stepped on the gas to gain some distance from the truck, but when she sped up the truck did too. The faster she drove, the faster drove the truck.

   Now scared, she exited the freeway. But the truck stayed with her. The woman then turned up a main street, hoping to lose her pursuer in traffic. But the truck ran a red light and continued the chase.

   Reaching the point of panic, the woman whipped her car into a service station and bolted out of her auto screaming for help. The truck driver sprang from his truck and ran toward her car. Yanking the back door open, the driver pulled out a man hidden in the backseat.

   The woman was running from the wrong person. From his high vantage point, the truck driver had spotted a would-be rapist in the woman's car. The chase was not his effort to harm her but to save her even at the cost of his own safety.

   Likewise, many people run from God's provision of atonement on the cross, fearing what He might do to them. But His plans are for good not evil--to rescue us from the hidden sins that endanger our lives. -- James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 37.

 

In Old Testament times, God’s people were mostly afraid of God’s presence, partly because of their own sinfulness and partly because of God’s Holiness, the worship of God through the Tabernacle or later the Temple only reinforced this as the very layout of the tabernacle and temple itself and the very limited ability for anyone to get close to God was demonstrated by how hard it was to even come into God’s presence.  Everything about the layout of the Tabernacle or Temple in the Old Testament said, “Stay Back!”

 

PROP. SENT:    Because of Christ’s amazing sacrifice, and His willingness to be our High Priest who alone paid the full price for sin, we can now come “CONFIDENTLY” or as the King James says, “BODLY” into God’s presence for ANYTHING!  We should not be hesitant to approach God with a sense of boldness, we have been given full access through Jesus Christ. 

 

I.   COME CAREFULLY!  Heb. 9:1-8; Acts 7:44-50

 

A.   Inaccessible!  Heb. 9:1-8

1.   As God was revealed in the Old Testament it was apparent that it was difficult to have a close relationship with God because of man’s sinfulness.

a.   The “believer” in the Old Testament did not get to enjoy the opportunity to feel close to God because God was kept from him/her through a variety of barriers that demonstrated the fact that sinful man could not be in the presence of a Holy God, at least not without terrible things happening to him.

b.   An ordinary Jewish man or woman would have died instantly had they entered the Holy of Holies, much less any Gentile!

c.   Even the High Priest could only enter once a year on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) – and if He did with any sin not atoned for by blood sacrifice it was instant death for him, and Israel’s sins would not be forgiven that year.

d.   The entire experience of a relationship with God was full of terror and uncertainty unless ever bit of proper procedures were followed as outlined by God through Moses.

 

ILLUS: A person may go to heaven without health, without riches, without honors, without learning, without friends; but he can never go there without Christ. - John Dyer (1699-1757)

 

2.   If a common Israelite even touched the Ark of the Covenant when it was being carried by the Priests they were struck dead!

a.   The message was pretty clear; God is Holy – You are not!

b.   This made being in the presence of God terrifying.  Israel begged Moses to go speak to God alone rather than them hearing God’s audible voice from the mountain.

3.   Ironically, this was not God’s heart toward humanity, He had put in place a plan to change all this, but it didn’t come to pass until His son Jesus came to Earth nearly 2,000 years ago.

 

B.   Insufficient!   Acts 7:44-50

1.   God’s favor was possible under the Old Covenant if one would carefully follow all the rules, have repeated sacrifices for their repeated sins and failures, which required a full tribe acting as mediators for them – the priests and Levites, ultimately the High Priest who once a year entered the Holy of Holies and covered the Mercy Seat of God on the Ark of the Covenant with blood.

a.   The fact that is was a constant repeated sacrifices only reminded them of how far apart they were from God with holiness.

b.   Failure to follow all these rituals and rules would leave them disconnected from God.

2.   The fact of repeating blood sacrifices over and over also indicated that the blood of bulls and goats were ultimately insufficient to cleanse them permanently.

a.   No wonder the Old Testament saint was afraid to approach God!

b.   When God tried to speak to Israel at the base of the mountain, they were so afraid that they begged God to no speak directly to them, but to only speak to Moses on the top of the mountain!

c.   The Jewish Talmud talks about the High Priest possibly having a sash or rope tied either around his waist or ankle just in case he entered the Holy of Holies with sin in his heart and was struck dead, then they could at least pull out his dead body, because to enter it themselves would mean instant death!

d.   Obviously this created a sense of distance and some fear in approaching God.

3.   Even though Solomon built a greater temple for God according the pattern given to Moses, this temple too gave everyone pause on approaching God, in the day it was dedicated the presence of God was so powerful that it even drove out the priests who were inside!

a.   Everything about a relationship with God under the Old Covenant was insufficient!

b.   The Apostle Paul was a very dedicated Pharisee keeping every ritual and rule that Israel had, by his own testimony he was nearly flawless, but when Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus he couldn’t handle it, it caused him to struck down and he went blind.

c.   NOTICE:  The approach God was tough, the Gentiles could only get as close as the court of the Gentiles – the outer ring.  Next was the court of the women, barely a notch closer to the presence of God in the Holy of Holies, then the court of Israel where the regular Jews could assemble, and then court of the priests, then the Holy Place, which certain priests could enter, and then the Holy of Holies where God’s presence dwelt, but only the High Priest had access once a year! 

d.   Everything about the layout of the first Temple said, “STAY BACK…”

 

ILLUS:    An elderly gentleman was out walking with his young grandson. "How far are we from home?" he asked the grandson. The boy answered, "Grandpa, I don't know." The grandfather asked, "Well, where are you?" Again the boy answered, "I don't know." Then the grandfather said good-naturedly, "Sounds to me as if you are lost." The young boy looked up at his grandfather and said, "Nope, I can't be lost. I'm with you." Ultimately, that is the answer to our lostness, too. We can't be lost if He is with us. - King Duncan -- James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 243.

 

4.   God never intended His relationship with man to be this way however.

a.   Remember in the garden of Eden before they sinned God would come daily to them in the garden to enjoy fellowship with them.

b.   Only after they sinned did they try and hide from Him.  Mercifully, God drove them out of the garden before they would eat also of the Tree of Life and live condemned eternally, His love put in place a greater plan to restore what was lost – His name was Jesus!

 

II.  COME CONFIDENTLY!  Matt.  27:50-54; Heb. 4:14-16

 

A.   Intervention!   Matt. 27:50-54

1.   God’s absolute desire it to be in fellowship with each of us!  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life!”  Jn. 3:16

a.   Do you realize just how much God loves you?

b.   Did you know that God would literally do anything to save you, indeed He did, He literally sent His only son Jesus to die for all our sins at one time, no more constant killing of sacrificial animals, Jesus’ blood is sufficient to cover all your sins of all time to reintegrate you into His family, and take you to Heaven when you die.

c.   Did you know that there are many religions on this planet, but there is only ONE religion that has a resurrected founder, Jesus Christ.  Buddha is still in his grave, Confucius is still in his grave, Mohammed is dead still.  Only Christianity has a God who has over come death and been raised to life again.

d.   God is not willing that any should perish, but the decision is ours, that is free will.

 

ILLUS:   On March 5, 1994, Deputy Sheriff Lloyd Prescott was teaching a class for police officers in the Salt Lake City Library. As he stepped into the hallway he noticed a gunman herding 18 hostages into the next room. With a flash of insight, Prescott (dressed in street clothes) joined the group as the nineteenth hostage, followed them into the room, and shut the door. But when the gunman announced the order in which hostages would be executed, Prescott identified himself as a cop.

   In the scuffle that followed, Prescott, in self-defense, fatally shot the armed man. The hostages were released unharmed.  God dressed himself in street clothes and entered our world, joining us who are held hostage to sin. On the cross Jesus defeated Satan and set us free from the power of sin. -- Greg Asimakoupoulos, Concord, California.  Leadership, Vol. 15, no. 3.

 

2.   A very curious but important thing happened the moment Jesus died on the cross, Matthew records it here in his gospel account:  When Jesus gave up His Spirit, having taken his last breath we read this:  “Matthew 27:51 (NIV) “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.”

a.   What curtain are we talking about?  It was the curtain in the temple that stood in front of the Holy of Holies – which only the High Priest once a year could go in.

b.   Why did God do this?  It was God telling all of us, Jews and Gentiles that from now on, ANYONE can come to Him directly!

c.   Jesus died, taking His own blood as the ultimate sacrifice for sins and sprinkled it on the true Ark of the Covenant, and this does not need repeating, it is once and for all!

d.   The way to God is open now, all we have to do is come!  One of the most used verbs in the New Testament is the word “Come” – we think of Jesus’ statements to the tax collector Levi when he said, “Come follow me” … or “Come and find rest,” there many such invitations by God.

e.   But like an invitation, it can be ignored – God will never force anyone to love Him or follow Him, but He has literally given his own Son to make it possible for you to come to Him and be loved!

3.   God intervened, and sent a clear message to the Jews, and to the Gentiles in the outer courts that the way to the Holy of Holies was wide open, the curtain was torn from TOP to bottom, God did this as a message to us!

 

B.   Invitation!  Heb. 4:14-16

1.   Remember, the writer of Hebrews is writing to a very Jewish audience, those who would have hesitated to approach God unless every rule and ritual had been followed to the letter of the Law, and the proper sacrifices given.

a.   And what does he write:  Hebrews 4:16 (NIV) “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.” 

b.   WOW!  This was such a foreign concept for them – to come “boldly” (KJV) or “confidently” as stated here in the NIV. 

c.   We don’t have to be afraid of God, or His presence; in fact, He wants us to come directly to Him, His son Jesus made this possible.

 

ILLUS:    Story of a blind woman dying in hospital; the hospital priest had been requested to pray with her and forgive her sins, giving her last rites.  When he entered the room he said to her, “I’ve come to forgive your sins” and she reached out her hands for his hands.  But just as he was about to pray she pushed his hands away and said, “you’re a phony, you can’t forgive my sins, the one who can do that has nail prints in His hands, and you have none!”  Jesus is the only one who can forgives sins!

 

2.   Jesus is now our High Priest, He knows your weaknesses, your failures, your concerns, your inabilities – but tells you to come CONFIDENTLY to Him!

a.   To the Hebrews this was a radical statement, a shocking statement!

b.   To the sinner this is the greatest invitation ever presented to humanity!

c.   Why would anyone neglect so great a salvation?

3.   Yet, you can ignore the invitation and fail to have that relationship with God!

a.   But if you accept it, you will not only find a wonderful relationship with God, you will discover help in your times of trouble!

 

ILLUS:    U.S.A. Today for February 26, 1990, reported that state officials in Arizona were looking for the owners of thirteen million dollars. The money consisted of unclaimed checks, unclaimed utility deposits, and similar small amounts. When such funds are not collected by the consumer, they are turned over to the state. It's awesome to think of thirteen million dollars unclaimed, but how many fail to claim a far, far more valuable treasure--salvation! -- Robert C. Shannon, 1000 Windows, (Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Publishing Company, 1997).

 

b.   God deeply cares, gave His best, and desires us to experience that.

4.   This invitation is set:  2 Corinthians 6:1-2 (NLT2) “As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.”

a.   Come confidently!

b.   Come boldly!

 

ILLUS:  John Newton is remembered for his hymn "Amazing Grace." In his later years, he often lost his memory in the pulpit and had to be reminded of the subject about which he had been preaching. He said, "My memory is nearly gone; but I remember two things: that I am a great sinner and that Jesus is a great Savior." -- Robert C. Shannon, 1000 Windows, (Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Publishing Company, 1997).

 

CONCLULSION:   The days in which we live are the greatest, we live after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, thus enabling us to come boldly into the presence of God through His Son Jesus.  Christ will cleanse all your sins, and welcome you into fellowship with God for all eternity, the invitation is there, now you need to accept it!