Sunday, March 8, 2015

Entering the Holy of Holies


Hebrews 10:19-22 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

I read an article which points out that this passage is one of the clearest explanations of the reality that we meet our Lord  today in the Most Holy Place. Instead of coming back to an earthly Holy of Holies where only a select few could ever enter, the Almighty instead sent His only Son to open the way for all of His people to meet Him in the heavenly Holy of Holies. Having already established that we have a hope in the heavenly Most Holy Place behind the curtain, the Apostle Paul makes it clear that our hope is in Christ Jesus Himself, whose death tore the veil that formerly blocked access to this sacred place. The allusion to the tearing of the veil in the temple at the death of Jesus is unmistakable.

Luke 23:44-47 Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two. And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’” Having said this, He breathed His last. So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly this was a righteous Man!”

It was an earthly event that depicts a heavenly reality. With sin finally atoned for, the barrier between the holy God and those who trust in His promises no longer stands. By faith we can now enter into that place in heaven of which the earthly Holy of Holies was but a copy. Formerly, entering that earthly place would have brought us death, but now a new and living way into the heavenly place enables us to enter and seek life. Jesus “always lives to make intercession” for us, so we need not fear that any sin can separates us from the Father if we live a life of repentance and faith. On the contrary, the Lord delights for us to draw near Him so that He might see how much we love and trust Him, that He might hear our needs, and that He might receive our worship.

Hebrews 10:23-25 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

The article concludes that we may forget that Jesus fulfills God’s purpose in the temple by opening up the way into the Most Holy Place. And so we must surround ourselves with believers who encourage us to keep on entering the Holy of Holies and experience the presence of God in our lives. Church brothers and sisters in Christ, let us therefore not neglect our opportunities for corporate fellowship and worship.


Blessings, Brian

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