We live in a day that is tagged by increased availability of resources and information. Things which were at one time inaccessible are now readily available. Technological advancement puts things within reasonable reach. And so from the inception of the internet all it takes is the tap of button and you can have almost all the info that you need. Now you can access your bank account and pay your bills on-line, you can view some of the bills you owe on line and make transfers between accounts on-line. Now you can even make applications and requests and even do courses on-line. But with all these advancements and availability of access there has to be restrictions. So there are codes and passwords and specified accounts which make it so you alone can access your accounts but even when you do there is only so much that you can do. Your access is limited.
It brings me to the next point which is that there are different levels of access. There is this particular place I know of and what they do is to establish different levels of entry on their network. So of course if you don’t work there you have no access. If you work there and it is necessary, you can access the info by a guest account but you can’t do anything about the info you access– limited access. There’s another level which is data entry only access – still limited. And then there is the administrator access who has power to do anything with the info and defines who sees the info – one could call this unlimited access. Let me pause to define the terms we’ve been throwing around
• Access - The right to enter; the right to obtain or make use of or take advantage of something; a code that must be entered in some way (typed or dialed or spoken) to get the use of something.
• Unlimited - Without reservation, interference or exception; that which cannot be entirely consumed or used up.
When you put it together the impact is astounding because it says it is the right to enter or obtain without reservation, exception or interference and when accessed it cannot run out. A songwriter says "I’m drinking of water… that will never run dry". I came to declare today that if you’re called by the name of Jesus you’ve been given unlimited access. But let us examine the text for in it we will discover that it wasn’t always so. Permit me to explore the state of Access Denied, the act of Grace Applied and the result, which is Mercy Multiplied
Access Denied
The book of Genesis informs us that when God created man and woman he came down and that he talked with them. It indicates to us that in the original context man had not only unlimited but direct access to God and thereby to the things of God. As the story goes man disobeyed God so when He came as He always did in the cool of the day to fellowship with man, he was hiding from the presence of God. Notice that I have said nothing about the devil, because as you will observe he had already lost his access. Man had a responsibility to maintain his relationship. Not only that but while we are always blaming the devil, the Bible says we are tempted when we are led away of our own lust and become entice.
The result of this insult then to God’s open access was man being forced to leave the garden and placed an angel as guardian of the tree of life. This signalled the end of unlimited access and now when man went by the garden where the angel stood with a flaming sword he basically saw the words “access denied!” Sin blocked man from God’s presence. Ah, but thank God that’s not how the story ends. He’s the God of a second chance. Someone said “mercy rewrote my life. I should have fallen…” The Fall had serious implications for man. Without the access he once had man was lost, tossed to and fro. He was just waiting for the call of death but God looked beyond his fault and saw his need; He saw his need for restoration. Why? Everything man needs is in the presence of God!
So Hebrews 9 tells us that God made provision for man as outlined in the OT. In order for man to have some access to the mercy of God an innocent animal had to die for the wages of sin is death; and the blood had to be sprinkled because without the shedding of blood there is no removal of sin. But the sin factor still created a problem – now only one man could access the holy of holies – only the high priest, having already sprinkled blood for himself, could go within the veil to offer sacrifice on behalf of those without the veil, thereby obtaining mercy for the removal of their sins. This indicates that although there was some access, the provisions of the law were limited. That’s limited access. To make it worse, Hebrews 10 tells us that although it was effective because it was instituted by God, yet it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Notice with me also that this did not even apply to us because it applied to the Jews. They had limited access but we who would be classified as gentiles had no access. So Eph. 2:12 tells us “That at that time we were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:”
Let us consider life without access: Examples
• Woman with issue – weak, frail, pale, broke, lonely and hopeless
• Bartimaeus – walking around in world of darkness
• Impotent Man – waiting for a miracle indefinitely
But when Jesus comes, the tempter’s power is broken
Grace Applied
So although access was at first denied, grace was about to be applied. God looked down in love and decided “I'm going to restore access” so the Bible tells us that for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten… So Matthew tells us that in the fulfilment of prophecy, the Virgin Mary was to be with child and His name should be called Emmanuel – God with us. John says that the word was made flesh and dwelt among us. But what did he do? He came and identified Himself with the likes of us. He made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Romans 8:3 “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, (it could not provide access) God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:” Isaiah says "He was wounded, for my transgressions…" All the way to Calvary He went for me.
It is here that we observe the significance of the shed blood. For Paul tells us in Ephesians 2 that He became our Peace, has made both one and broke down the middle wall of partition between us. He actually performed a double-miracle. He made both to be one – that is, there is now no Jew nor Gentile but Christ is in all – grace is applied to all of us; and then he broke down the wall, not only between Jew and Gentile but between God and man. First He gave both the same access and second He made that access an unlimited one.
Therefore let us draw nigh with full assurance of faith that now we have access because we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities… let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace where we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. You can’t get grace without mercy so then, on a blood-stained cross, as a result of grace applied mercy was multiplied. One old church hymn says "Mercy there was great and grace was free, pardon there was multiplied to me. It was there my burdened soul found liberty, at Calvary".
Mercy Multiplied
Someone asked the question: what was the indication of mercy multiplied when grace was applied? What evidence do we have that access was made unlimited? Matthew 27:50-51 answers the question. Listen to the awesome narrative. Notice with me Matthew’s use of the term ‘behold’ – turn aside and see this great sight. “Jesus, (the spotless lamb) when he cried again with a loud voice, He gave up the ghost.” I hear him saying “It is finished!” But it doesn't end there. It says “vs. 51. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom—the thick and gorgeously wrought veil which was hung between the “holy place” and the “holiest of all,” shutting out all access to the presence of God as manifested “from above the mercy seat and from between the cherubim” Into this holiest of all none might enter, not even the high priest, save once a year, on the great day of atonement, and then only with the blood of atonement in his hands, which he sprinkled “upon and before the mercy seat seven times” (Le 16:14). They had only the blood of bulls and of goats, but now, by the one atoning Sacrifice provided in the precious blood of Christ, access to this holy God could no longer be denied; and so the moment the Victim expired on the altar, that thick veil which for so many ages had been the dread symbol of separation between God and guilty men was, without a hand touching it, mysteriously “rent in twain from top to bottom” Come boldly now to the Throne of Grace; the veil is clean gone; So I hear another songwriter saying “Your grace and mercy brought me through…”
I have unlimited access. What does that mean? Cf. ATM machine. It means that there is no limit to:
Time – access at any given time
Frequency – access any number of times
Amount – no limit to how much
Where – access at any given place
What – it can be anything
You see when we speak of unlimited access in human respect, there are always limits but when it comes to God, the possibilities are endless.
But let us go back to the verse that says let us come boldly… because it says we may access Him in time of need. It is the only time the Greek is used in the NT – means well-timed, opportune time, proper time or due season. That’s why we say He’s an on-time God… But note “convenience”. Our responsibility is to know what time it is. God is letting us know that we have some keys. Whatever time it is I always have my keys – In times of trouble, weakness, trial, heartache, sickness, challenges all I have to do is get out my keys.
But I do not only have some Keys, I also have a code – remember how we defined access as a code which must be entered in (by typing, dialing or spoken) order to make use of something? Well I’ve got a code and I can even tell you what it is – J-E-S-U-S. For He said “whatsoever you shall ask in my name, I will do it…” Again I hear Joel saying “and in that day whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved”. That’s the code right there:
• Joshua called Him – and the sun stood still
• Daniel called Him – and the lions’ mouths were shut
• Jairus called Him – And his daughter was restored
• The disciples called Him – and He calmed the raging storm
• The Canaanite woman called Him – and the demons in her daughter were rebuked.
• Bartimaeus called Him – and his sight was restored.
I hear him saying “Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me” Is there anyone in the house of God; that know you’ve got the code? You believe that you’ve got unlimited access. You came to the House today because you needed to access some things. You needed to access the presence of God. You needed to access his anointing. I dare you to punch in your code.
Final point – Unlimited access is not just about being able to open a door but it is having the authority to close some doors:
When sin tries to enter in
When uncertainty clouds my way
When my past tries to creep up on me
When seductive spirits approach
When forces of deception lurk
When spirits of intimidation threaten
