“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, . . . let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:19,22)

When the people of Israel left Egypt, they were led by a pillar of cloud in the day and a pillar of fire at night. When they arrived at Sinai, they saw God’s presence on the Mountain. They were then told not too close. “Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death.” (Exodus 19:12) In the giving of the Law, only the priests could come toward God with the sacrifices. Aaron, the high priest, could come only at special times into the Most Holy Place, especially on the Day of Atonement. “The LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.” (Leviticus 16:2) The Majesty of God would be with His people, but they were still sinful and thus they could not come too close.

When Jesus, the Son of God and the Son of Man, went to the cross with His sacrifice for us, it was to make a way for God to come to us and for us to come to God. Jesus opened the way for God to come to us. He said “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:16-18) He also said, “My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” (John 14:23)

What is even more amazing, Jesus also said that we can come to God through Him who has bridged the gap between God and Man. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:6-7)

We now come to the writer of Hebrews, as he tells us to “Draw near to God.” We are now able to come into the Most Holy Place. When Jesus died on the cross, it is recorded that, “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45) Jesus now is both the curtain and the High Priest, “a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God.” (Hebrews 10:20-21) Now, through Jesus Christ, we may come into the presence of God, “we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus.” (Hebrews 10:19)

It is incredible that now, as believers and followers of Jesus Christ, we may come to God at any time. We are told to “draw near to God.” When we draw near to God, we are given hope. “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23) God has shown His faithfulness by providing us a way to return to Him. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we are acknowledging God’s faithfulness which gives us hope. When we realize all that God has done, we can hold onto this hope unswervingly. What a word, unswervingly. It tells us that we are to be faithful, as God has been faithful to bring us to Him.

When we draw near to God, we are also to encourage each other. “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25) When we draw near to God, we are not alone. We are with others who are to draw near. As the church, we are to help each other through our love for each other. The love expressed is to lead us into the good words which God has planned for us to do. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10) As God’s church we are to meet together, not just for Sunday Worship, but in doing all the good works which God desires for us to do as we follow Jesus. Then, as we draw near to God, others will be drawn to God, and we pray, will come to know Him.

In the Love of Jesus,

Michael Block