Title: The Bloodline of a Champion – 6
“Before Him”
Text: Hebrews 10:19-22
Before we left for Conference I preached on the subject of: “Access Granted.” What a powerful message that was! We have access into the very presence of God through the blood of Jesus Christ. That will preach for weeks. Today, I want to talk about the term, “Before Him.”
Ephesians 1:4, “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame BEFORE HIM in love.”
Genesis 19:27, “And Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he stood BEFORE THE LORD.”
Romans 4:17, “(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) BEFORE HIM whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.”
The words BEFORE HIM stood out to me as I read Romans 4:17. After reading it, I wanted to read the whole context in which it was written. Listen:
Romans 4:17-21, “(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. 18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. 19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: 20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.”
We always use Abraham’s life as a guide to our faith. He is the prime example of faith to all believers around the globe. God has not changed and neither has the way faith works today.
I. IN HIS PRESENCE
I want you to notice in this Scripture the words, “Before Him whom he believed.” The words “Before Him” are also translated (even in the NKJV) as “In His Presence” or “In His Sight.” Some may think, why does that matter so much? Well, I believe it matters so much because Abraham’s faith was not just loaded with promises that he was able to tap into, Abraham’s faith was loaded with the presence of God. He was God-conscious. Abraham had a habit of praying and standing before the Lord. He did not just have the promises of God, he also had the presence of God. He stood “Before Him whom He believed.” Abraham knew how to fellowship with God and practiced standing in His presence. He didn’t just know the Word of God, he knew the God of the Word.
I spend a lot of time preaching about the importance of knowing God’s Word, the importance of practicing God’s Word, the importance of speaking God’s Word and confessing it, but I don’t want us to forget that we need the presence of the Lord just as much as we need the Word of the Lord. And Abraham realized that.
The Doddridge Version says in Hebrews 10:22, “Let us not stand at a distance as if God were inaccessible; but on the contrary, let us draw near with a sincere and affectionate heart, in full assurance of faith, supported by such considerations as these, which may well embolden us, to make our approach unto Him in the most cheerful expectation of His blessing.”
We can’t stand at a distance and quote God’s Word and expect Him to come through for us. Sometimes it seems that believers today try to win the faith fight without getting before God. No! We need to get into His presence just as much as we need to get into His Word. You can’t have one without the other. The two extremes among believers is obvious:
1. One extreme is the one who is living from one experience to another while never cracking open their Bible. It is all about the goosebumps and feelings, while
2. The other extreme spends hours in the Word, quoting the Word, confessing and speaking the Word and never taking time to sit in His presence.
We need a balance of the Word and the presence. One without the other doesn’t do any good. We can’t quote Scripture and meditate on Scripture and not know how to access the presence of God. We try to believe without getting BEFORE HIM. Some try to believe at a distance. There is no such thing as long distance faith. We must draw near! This relationship with God goes way beyond just being in His presence:
II. HE WANTS TO HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH US
I always love going home to see our families back in the states. Every time I go to Mom’s house, she always buys all of my favourite things to eat. She buys all my kids favourite things. I never have to ask to get something to eat. I am back home. My Mom and Dad’s house will always be my house. They make me feel that way. When I go home to visit, it is just as if I never left. They always want to make me happy. I am sure that all you parents that have children living away are the same way when they come home to visit.
God works the same way. He doesn’t want us to come to Him begging for things. He is our Father and there is no limit to His provision for us. God did not create us just to have a relationship with us; He created us for fellowship. That has been His desire every since the days of Adam.
Psalm 63:1-8, ¶ “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. 3 ¶ Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. 4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. 5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: 6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. 7 ¶ Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. 8 My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.”
Another translation says, “I am satisfied like someone who has just had a feast.” The moment you get into the presence of God, you will be satisfied. He is more than enough for you. He will take care of every part of your life. Your satisfaction is not based on what you have or don’t have but on your fellowship with God.
“When two people get married, they immediately have a relationship with one another. However, relationship alone does not make a strong union. They might call each other husband and wife and live in the same house, but that does not mean they know each other’s desires. It is Fellowship – time spent with one another – that is what makes a relationship grow and marriage strong.”
It is the same with God. You may call God your Father, but that does not mean you have spent time with Him to learn His desires. When you fellowship with God, your faith grows in Him.
E.W. Kenyon once said, “All low grade faith comes from a low grade of fellowship with God.”
Anyone that has a rich fellowship with God also has a supernatural faith that enables them to see things from a supernatural perspective and opens the door to possibilities. You come out of His presence with a bold confession of faith that moves mountains.
Once we get into His presence and learn to fellowship with Him, then we learn to:
III. COME BOLDLY
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.”
Revelation 22:17, “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. And him that is thirsty come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.”
We have to know why these Scriptures are so important. The law could not make the comers or worshippers perfect because they had a sense of guilt and failure. They desired to come into the presence of God but the law would not allow it. Sacrifices were offered year after year, but they could not effectively deal with man’s problem or condition, which had isolated him from the presence of God.
BUT, when Jesus came, He said in Hebrews 10:7, “Lo, I come to do thy will, O God.” The law could not make the worshippers perfect, but through one offering, Jesus has made forever perfect those that are sanctified. Jesus made the perfect sacrifice to restore perfect fellowship with God.
(King James Version) Hebrews 10:14, “For by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”
(Laubach Version) Hebrews 10:14, “So with that one sacrifice He made us holy and brought us into perfect union with God.”
(Barclay Translation) Hebrews 10:14, “For by one sacrifice, valid forever, he enabled men to enter into perfect communion with God.”
(Goodspeed Translation) Hebrews 10:14, “He has forever qualified those who are purified from sin to approach God.”
God’s plan was to produce a perfect fellowship through the blood of Jesus where worshippers could come into His presence.
Hebrews 10:10, “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
Now, after being offered up once for everyone, Jesus now makes the invitation that we already read and says, COME! I paid the price for you already, now COME! I shed my blood to give you access into My very presence, now COME! I have made you worthy, would you please COME! We now have a right to come.
Remember, when we are believing for breakthrough in our lives, it is not enough to just find Scripture, we need to enter into His presence. Also, it is not enough to just enter into His presence, we need to open up His Word and get His will concerning every situation. It is only by the blood that we have a right to come boldly before the throne!
