Access Anytime

Access Anytime!!! Heb. 4: 14-16.

It was said of Abe Lincoln (President) that he gave his children permission to have access to him at anytime. Whether working in the oval office or meeting with dignitaries his children had the assurance that they had access to their father at anytime (crawl up on Daddy’s lap). What a token of love expressed by their Dad who was, by nature of the office a very powerful, important and busy man. Yet always willing to meet with his children.

Read Heb. 4: 14-16.

This letter is to the Hebrews which encompassed those who still believed in the OT sacrificial system, those who had believed in Christ and yet were wavering between the two and those who had fully embraced Christ.

Up to this point the Holy Spirit has communicated that Christ was better than angels, better than Moses and then makes a plea for unbelievers to believe, a warning to wavering believers to not go back and for those trusting in Christ to hold fast to Him. That brings us up to the present passages of scripture.

The call is to hold fast to Christ and access the throne of grace.

Why do we have this access? “We have a Great High Priest who has passed through the heavens.”

The High Priest had a very special role 1X a year. He would enter into the Holy of Holies in the Temple on the Day of Atonement. He was required to be ceremonially cleansed and he had to enter the Holy of Holies with blood or else he would die (rope around- can you imagine pulling him out- OK who’s next).

The blood was sprinkled over the mercy seat on top of the Ark of the Covenant. This was a temporary credit or covering for the people’s sins. Then the next year when the credit ran out they had to do it again.

“who has passed through the heavens” Well, Jesus being a perfect High Priest offered Himself once and with that, there are no more need of sacrifices. His was sufficient 1X 4 All Time (Heb. 9:11-15, 24-28, 10: 11-14,). His resurrection and ascension to His rightful throne “passing through the heavens” is God’s forever stamp of approval and satisfaction with the work of Christ on our behalf. That’s why we can hold fast to our faith and recognize we have access anytime to the throne of grace.

We have a High Priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses. Can people presume upon the grace of God? Yes. Well, this is not for them. It is for you who have fled to Christ for refuge and rescue. It is for the believer and what a comfort it should bring to us. So how can Jesus our sinless Great High Priest identify with us?

He being fully God became a man and was subject to that which we are, yet He did not sin. He was subject to the same temptations, the same weakness of human flesh; from the very basic need of nourishment and rest to the difficult things that we are subject to in this fallen world; suffering, abuse, sorrow, rejection and overwhelming circumstances. He understood what it was to be in need (2 Cor. 5:21-the ultimate reality of sin-death- Heb 2: 14-18).

Do you see God as a sympathetic Father? Who understands the weakness of our human condition? And yet all the more bids us to come boldly (trusting) to His throne room of grace? Abe Lincoln’s children needed their father and believed the promise that their father gave them, “you can have access to me anytime.”

Where is this access to? Backstage pass feel important, cool. Our Father bids us to come right into the Holy of Holies where grace abounds and mercy overflows (for a Jew radical). We have access anytime to the very throne room of God where grace is dispensed in time of need and for every need. Friend what is your need today?

Do we access the throne room ? Computer, “Access-Denied” all these passwords, etc… What is the password to the throne room GRACE? Remember it this way- 1X 4 All Time, Access Anytime. You will never be denied no matter what. Why, because in Christ we are enveloped in grace by the God of all grace (Rom. 5:1-5, Eph. 2:18, 3:11-12.)

Orphan/ street child- took him in and freely loved him, cleaned him up, gave him food anytime he wanted. Still would be found digging in the dumpster trying to find food for himself. That’s like us- we have a table of grace set before us continually by which we access for any need and we go off and dig in the dumpster “trying in our own efforts to handle our own situations and circumstances.”