Coming To God Series

In his book The Porn Problem, Vaughan Roberts talks about Bobby Moore. He was captain of the English soccer team that won the World Cup in 1966. After Queen Elizabeth handed him the trophy, an interviewer asked him to describe how he felt.

He talked about how terrified he was as he approached Her Majesty, because he noticed she was wearing white gloves, while his hand, which would soon shake the Queen’s, was covered in mud from the pitch… As the triumphant captain walks along the balcony, he keeps wiping his hand on his shorts, and then on the velvet cloth in front of the Royal box in a desperate attempt to get himself clean.

Roberts continues, “If Bobby Moore was worried about approaching the Queen with his muddy hands, how much more horrified should we be at the prospect of approaching God? Because of our sin, we are not just dirty on the outside; our hearts are unclean. And God doesn’t just wear white gloves; he is absolutely pure, through and through” (Vaughn Roberts, The Porn Problem, The Good Book Company, 2018, Page 51; www.PreachingToday.com).

So how can sinful people like you and me approach a holy God? How can people with dirty hearts hope to even get near the pure, powerful God of the universe? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Exodus 27, Exodus 27, where the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle shows us how to approach God’s tent.

Exodus 27:1-8 You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits broad. The altar shall be square, and its height shall be three cubits. And you shall make horns for it on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze. You shall make pots for it to receive its ashes, and shovels and basins and forks and fire pans. You shall make all its utensils of bronze. You shall also make for it a grating, a network of bronze, and on the net you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners. And you shall set it under the ledge of the altar so that the net extends halfway down the altar. And you shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. And the poles shall be put through the rings, so that the poles are on the two sides of the altar when it is carried. You shall make it hollow, with boards. As it has been shown you on the mountain, so shall it be made (ESV).

God instructs Moses to make an altar of acacia wood, overlayed with bronze, 7½ feet square and 4½ feet high. This was the first object a worshiper saw in the tabernacle courtyard, a place where people continually made sacrifices for sin. So it becomes very clear, that in order to get near to God, you have to…

COME THROUGH SACRIFICE.

You approach the holy God of the universe only through a bloody offering.

You see, when you approached the tabernacle, you brought a goat or a lamb with you as a sin offering. You would tie that animal to one of the horns of the altar, lay your hands on that animal, and slit its throat as a sacrifice in your place for your sin. Then the priest would put its blood on the horns of the altar and roast its meat on the grate in the altar. In that way, you covered your sin and received forgiveness before you got anywhere close to a holy God (Leviticus 4:27-35).

First, you had to deal with your own sin through a bloody sacrifice. Then, you could enjoy the presence of God in the courtyard of the tabernacle.

Before Christ came, you brought a sacrifice to meet with God. Then, Jesus came as the sacrifice for your sin (Hebrews 10:1-14). Now, instead of coming WITH a sacrifice, you come THROUGH the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

Just acknowledge your own sin, believe that Christ died in your place for your sin, and accept the forgiveness He offers. Please, if you haven’t done it already, do it today. Do it right now before you leave this place. Then you can enjoy the presence of God in your life.

In his book Closing the Window, Tim Chester quotes several men, who have struggled with the guilt and shame that comes from viewing pornography:

“It's made me want to hide from God… It makes me doubt my salvation, and then the depression comes and with the depression comes temptation to sin again.”

“I feel crap about myself. I don't feel worthy to serve God. And I don't believe I can break the habit.”