Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his close friend and partner Ralph Abernathy
changed the course of history in America because of their leadership of the civil rights
movement. The end result was that blacks could enter eating establishments, schools,
buses, and a host of other places where they could not enter before. Ralph Abernathy
said, “ Bring on your tear gas, bring on your grenades, your new supplies of mace, your
state troopers and even your national guards. But let the record show we ain’t going to be
turned around.” The record does stand, and they did not turn back, but marched on to
change the system. It was one of the greatest changes in history, but Abernathy does not
give the credit to men, for he goes on to say, “Christians should be ready for a change
because Jesus was the greatest changer in history.”
That is a reality that we see stressed in the book of Hebrews. The civil rights movement
opened the door for people to enter places they could never enter before, and that was a
great change, but there is nothing in history to match what Jesus did in opening up a
place to enter that could not be entered before. Our text reveals the most amazing change
ever, for it says that those in Christ are now free to enter the Most Holy Place. This was
the place most forbidden. This was the place that nobody could enter but the High Priest,
and even he could only do so once a year, and even then only when he did all manner of
things to prepare. The death of Jesus made it possible for this forbidden place, which was
the very dwelling place of God, to become accessible to all believers. The masses can now
enter this place which was always off limits. Every Tom, Dick and Harry, and every Sue,
Doris, and Mary from every race and color and nation can now enter into the very
presence of God. This is the most radical and revolutionary change in the history of the
relationship of God and man. Jesus made this change possible by shedding His blood for
mankind, and this qualifies Him as the greatest changer in history.
There is an interesting web site called World Changers, which is devoted to educating
Christians on how to become influences in the world that changes the world. Here is one
of their statements: “Every faculty member at IWU is a committed Christian who has
pledged to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, the greatest World Changer of all time!
You may have heard it before: Jesus never owed a home, never wrote a book, never
commanded an army or led a nation, . . . He never even traveled more than about 50
miles from his home town, yet He has had more influence on the history of mankind than
all other people combined. He accomplished this by showing just twelve other people how
to become World Changers, and they in turn showed others. And they did it by their
example as much as by their teachings. They didn’t just talk the talk; they walked the
walk.”
One of the key ways that we walk the walk according to our text is by walking right into
the Holy of Holies and communicating with God face to face. No longer do we need to
depend on a representative to go to God for us. We can come into Him directly, and so we
want to focus on the three things I see stressed in this 19th verse, which reads,
“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood
of Jesus,..”
I. THE ATTITUDE-CONFIDENCE
We need not come with fear and trembling, which characterized the attitude of the Old
Testament saints when they confronted the presence of God. When God spoke to them we
are told that even Moses was terrified and trembled with fear. (Heb. 12:21). Imagine the
Jewish people standing before the tabernacle and Monte Hall saying "Will you trade your
freedom to enter curtain number one to enter curtain number two or three?" They would
consider him a mad man and have him committed immediately, for the people could not
make that choice. They were forbidden to even enter the holy place, let alone the Most
Holy Place, called the Holy of Holies. To enter that place was equal to stepping into the
inferno that was prepared for the three friends of Daniel. They survived by God's grace,
and so did the High Priest, who came in once a year to make atonement for the sins of the
people. But anyone else seeking to enter was signing his own death warrant.
This is absolutely amazing, for this is the greatest scandal imaginable to the Jews who
had nothing but fear and terror at the very thought of anyone but the High Priest
entering the Holy of Holies. It was suicide of the worst kind, for it was to provoke God to
slay you in judgment. Nobody in their right mind would even dream of entering that holy
place. It was forbidden on pain of death, and it would produce nightmares in any who
even gave it a thought. Nothing could be more shocking than to tell a Jew that you were
going to enter the Most Holy Place. If you saw The Raiders of the Lost Ark you
remember the judgment that came upon those who dared to look into the Ark. They were
melted by the power of God's presence. But now we are told that we can come into God's
presence without fear and trembling by the blood of Jesus.
There is no longer any place that is forbidden for all believes to come. The masses had
to keep their distance in the past. The priests could go closer and enter the holy place, and
the High Priest could once a year enter the Holy of Holies, but the masses were to stay far
away from the presence of God. Now all are welcome to come near to God, for the temple
veil was rent and the way made clear for all to come in to the Most Holy Place. It went
from a place where only a rare exception was allowed for a human being to enter to a
place open to everyone who puts their trust in Jesus as their High Priest. His death for us
opened the way into the very presence of God so that now we can come to God as a child
comes to its father. We can come without fear, but with assurance that we are loved and
will be welcomed.
We would not have the nerve to try and walk up to the White House and try to walk
into the office of the President. But if the President was our father we would have no
problem doing so, for we would have privileges that are not available to those who are not
in the family. So it is with God and His family. All God's children have freedom of access
to Him. They can come to Him at any and all times, because God is never too busy for any
of His children. The door may be closed to all who do not make an appointment to see the
President, and have a good reason to take up his time, but there are no such limitations
for those who are children of God. We can come to God with full assurance that we will be
accepted. There are no FBI agents who will intervene and lead us away for questioning.
There are no Seraphim with flaming swords keeping us from entering the garden of His
presence. With complete confidence we can come into God's presence, for there is
nothing to hold us back.
We may still be frightened by the fact that we are weak, sinful and finite beings, and
God is the Awesome, Almighty, and All Pure Sovereign. That is why there is a stress on
the body of Christ and on His manhood. We can feel at ease in coming into the presence
of God because when we do we confront one who is like us. He is human as well as God.
We are made in His image and when we see Jesus we will see one who is not frightening in
His difference, but one that we will be comfortable with. He is glorious, and when John
saw him in Rev. 1 he says that he fell at his feet as though dead. But he adds in verse 17
that Jesus placed his right hand on him and said do not be afraid. It is still somewhat
frightening to come to God and to confront Christ face to face, for we are so unworthy,
and He is so awesome, but He assures us that we can come and not be afraid, for we are
welcome.
One of the most common words of Jesus to His disciples was that they should not be
afraid. In Matt. 14:27 Jesus said to them as He came walking upon the water, "Take
courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." On the Mount of Transfiguration they were terrified
when God spoke, but Jesus came and touched them and said in Matt. 17:7, "Get up. Don't
be afraid." When Jesus appeared to them in the upper room after His resurrection He
said to them in Matt. 28:10, "Do not be afraid." When Jairus the synagogue ruler came
to Jesus to heal his daughter the message came that she was dead. Jesus said to him in
Mark 5:36, "Don't be afraid; just believe." In Acts 18:9 we read, "One night the Lord
spoke to Paul in a vision: 'Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.'"
Spurgeon wrote, “At first we tremble in the divine presence; but as we feel more of the
spirit of adoption we draw near with sacred delight, and feel so fully at home with our
God that we sing with Moses, "Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all
generations." Do not live as if God were as far off from you as the east is from the west.
Live not far below on the earth; but live on high, as if you were in heaven. In heaven You
Will be with God; but on earth He will be with you: is there much difference? He hath
raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Jesus
hath made us nigh by His precious blood. Try day by day to live in as great nearness to
God, as the high priest felt when he stood for awhile within the secret of Jehovah's
tabernacle.” He points out that if we entering a strange house to which we were not
invited, we would feel uneasy, but we are invited to enter the House of God, and so we can
come with boldness.
What is obvious is that we are afraid to be in the presence of the supernatural, but that
we do not have to be, and Jesus wants us not to be. It may take awhile to get past the
initial shock of being in the same place with deity, but we can get past that and feel
comfortable. That is the goal of God, that we feel free to enter His presence and commune
with Him. It would take us awhile to get over the feelings of not being worthy even in the
presence of the President or the King or Queen of England, but after they greeted us
warmly and entered into conversation with us we would get over it and feel comfortable.
God wants us to feel this way about coming into His presence. Don't be afraid, but come
boldly before the throne of God as one who knows Him as Father. Come with confidence
because it is the Son of God Himself who invites you, for He has made you, by faith in His
blood, a part of the family. Jesus changed everything, and that is why He is the greatest
changer in history.
II. THE ACTION-ENTER
It is not enough that we have the attitude of confidence to enter, for we can have the
proper attitude and believe the door is open, and yet still not enter in. We must by an act
of the will enter the presence of God. The author of Hebrews says in verse 22, “Let us
draw near to God with a sincere heart...” This is not a truth that we just come to know
and understand, but one that we must practice. We are not just to know it, but to do it.
Draw near and enter in are not things to know, but things to do. “Let us” means to take
action. Salad does not just happen to end up on your table. You have to make it, and that
is what we see over and over in this passage. It is full of lettuce to make the salad of
healthy Christian living in the presence of God. In v. 22 he writes, “Let us draw near..” In
v23 he writes, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess.” In v. 24 he writes, “Let
us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” In v. 25 he
writes, “Let us not give up meeting together...” That is a lot of lettuce, and it means that
we cannot just depend on good things to happen, we have to make them happen by action.
Spurgeon wrote, “Beloved, the Holy Spirit invites you to took into the holy place, and
view it all with reverent eye for it is full of teaching to you. Understand the mystery of the
mercy-seat, and of the ark of the covenant overlaid with gold, and of the pot of manna,
and of the tables of stone, and of Aaron's rod that budded. Look, look boldly through
Jesus Christ: but do not content yourself with looking! Hear what the text says: "Having
boldness to enter in." Blessed be God if He has taught us this sweet way of no longer
looking from afar, but of entering into the inmost shrine with confidence! "Boldness to
enter in" is what we ought to have.” And if we have that boldness then we are to use it to
act and enter in.
What this means is that we can choose to be in the presence of God. He is always
present to us, but we are not always present with Him in our minds and awareness. To
enter in means practicing the presence of God. We do not have to do anything for God to
be present, but we have to choose to be present with Him by entering into His presence.
We have to choose to enter the Most Holy Place and commune with Him. This is an
aspect of the Christian life that is so important for our security and maturity, but it is not
an aspect that is promoted in our culture. The omnipresence of God is a theological truth,
and it is just a fact of God’s nature that He is ever present everywhere. But the manifest
presence of God is a personal experience that can be had or not had depending on our will
to act in coming into God’s presence. Practicing the presence of God is our responsibility.
God can choose to manifest Himself to individuals any time He chooses, but even in
Scripture this was a rare thing. But we can choose to enter His presence by prayer and
meditation; by worship and service, or just by focusing on the fact of His presence at all
times. Practicing the presence of God means simply to choose to be aware of His
presence with us in all that we do.
Most of us go many hours each day and never think of God, and never even try to be
aware of His presence. The door is always open, but we do not choose to go in. We choose
to focus on all kinds of things outside the Holy of Holies, and live a secular life until some
other time of the day when we choose to slip into the room of the awareness of God. Only
a few people in history have been successful in thinking of God hour by hour through the
day, and so there is no need to feel guilty for not doing so, but the point is, the door is
open, and we can, if we will, take the action that moves us into the presence of God at any
time. We can go through a day thinking often of God. We can thank Him for every good
thing that happens in a day, and we can pray for His guidance for every decision that we
have to make in a day. The more we choose to do this the more we practice the presence
of God, and the more we act in obedience to the wisdom of Hebrews.
There are many writings of the mystics that we ignore, but they deal with this whole
issue of entering the presence of God, and of taking advantage of our privilege of being
able to enter the Most Holy Place. Let me quote one such unfamiliar author:
Here are some thoughts from Poustinia by Catherine de Hueck Doherty:
"The Lord said that he and the father would come and make their
dwelling with me. I don't have to go anywhere. This does not
mean that you shouldn't render glory to God in church where
everybody else comes to pray, but it means that you should pray
constantly in your temple. There should be no break in our
prayer. There is a Holy place in our heart. Why should my heart
be removed from God while I am talking to you? When you are in
love with someone, it seems that the face of the beloved is
before you when you drive, when you type, when you are taking
out insurance, and so on. Somehow or other we can encompass
these two realities, the face of the beloved and whatever we
happen to be doing.
My friends, prayer is like that. If you fall in love then it's
impossible to separate life and breath from prayer. Prayer is
simply union with God. Prayer does not need words. When
people are in love they look at each other, look into each other's
eyes, or a wife simply lies in the arms of her husband. Neither of
them talks. When love reaches its apex it cannot be expressed
anymore. It reaches that immense realm of silence where it
pulsates and reaches proportions unknown to those who haven't
entered into it. Such is the life of prayer with God. You enter into
God and God enters into you, and the Union is constant."
Poustinia pgs 74-75
III. THE AUTHORITY-BLOOD OF JESUS
There is no human authority that has the power to open the door to the presence of
God. No government has the key. No conglomerate has the key. No rich person has the
key. No organization has the key. There is only one key that can get you into the
presence of God, and that is the blood of Christ. It was while Jesus was shedding His
blood that the curtain in the Temple was rent from the top to the bottom. It was His
shed blood that opened the door for all to enter the Holy of Holies. God tore that
dividing curtain apart to symbolize that He had accepted the atoning blood of Jesus as
an adequate sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. Never again would there need to be
another sacrifice. His was complete and all sufficient. The curtain could go, and the
way could now stay open forever for all men to come to God by means of the blood of
Christ.
Spurgeon wrote of this rent veil, "I want you to notice that this veil, when it was
rent, was rent by God, not by man. It was not the act of an irreverent mob; it was not
the midnight outrage of a set of profane priests: it was the act of God alone. Nobody
stood within the veil; and on the outer side of it stood the priests only fulfilling their
ordinary vocation of offering sacrifice. It must have astounded them when they saw
that holy place laid bare in a moment. How they fled, as they saw that massive veil
divided without human hand in a second of time! Who rent it? Who but God Himself?
If another had done it, there might have been a mistake about it, and the mistake
might need to be remedied by replacing the curtain; but if the Lord has done it, it is
done rightly, it is done finally, it is done irreversibly. It is God Himself who has laid sin
on Christ, and in Christ has put that sin away. God Himself has opened the gate of
heaven to believers, and cast up a highway along which the souls of men may travel to
Himself. God Himself has set the ladder between earth and heaven. Come to Him now,
ye humble ones. Behold, He sets before you an open door!” “The way is open, and
you have boldness to enter; but not without the blood of Jesus. It would be an unholy
boldness which would think of drawing near to God without the blood of the great
Sacrifice. We have always to plead the atonement. As without shedding of blood there
is no remission of sin, so without that blood there is no access to God.”
When you trust in Jesus as your Savior, and believe that His shed blood cleanses
from all sin, then you can come with confidence and boldness into the very Holy of
Holies and speak to God as your heavenly Father. This is the greatest change in the
history of God and man, and it can make the greatest change in your life to believe it
and practice entering into God’s presence by the authority of the blood of Jesus, the
greatest changer. I am so impressed by this truth that I had to write a poem about it,
with which I will conclude.
The holy of holies is a place we can go
When the blood of Christ for us does flow.
With confidence we can enter there
And know we can His presence share.
Of our faith, this is the center,
And with boldness we can enter,
For our Savior paid the price
When He gave His all in sacrifice.
It is the most sacred place of all,
But there's no curtain, door, or wall
,We are free to enter in
Because Jesus died for all our sin.
Before Jesus we are told
None would ever be so bold.
For any who would dare to try
Would most certainly have to die.
But now the welcome mat is out
And we can know what God's about,
For we can come before Him now,
And in awesome adoration bow.
Like a child comes to its father
With assurance he will bother
To listen and give heed to all we plead,
For we know He longs to meet our every need.
So with boldness let us move
Into this place where we can prove
Getting to God is no chore,
For His is always an open door.
"Welcome sinner, come on in"
Is the sign where we begin.
For the Father will now see us
Since we trust in His Son Jesus.
We can come into this holy place
And look upon His holy face;
Because we are now of that race
That exists because of His great grace.
Life is filled with so much mystery,
But this we know from history:
From the day He was born in a manger,
Jesus has been the greatest changer.
