“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
Hebrews 10:19-22 ESV
Grace Perspective:
If you don’t know His character, drawing near to God is a fearful thing. Because He is holy and without sin, we should fear Him and treat Him with reverence. In the Old Testament, God gave Moses clear instructions on how He was to be worshiped. The consequences could be deadly if someone approached Him in pride or insincere worship. (Read Leviticus 10:1) In the tabernacle and later the temple, a veil hid the Ark of the Covenant, which held the Ten Commandments. Only the High Priest could enter into the Holy of Holies once a year to offer a sacrifice for his sin and the nation’s sin.
Christ died for our sins so that the veil which separated us from His holy presence is removed. Because He gave Himself as a sacrifice for our sin, our hearts are cleansed when we repent of our sin. That is the core of our faith, knowing that He paid the price for our sin. Because we are forgiven, we can draw close to Him. Those in Christ are invited to enter His presence with thanksgiving and praise. Our Savior graciously assures us that we can come to Him confidently because we have placed our faith in Him.
A Touch of Grace:
Where do you find assurance?
How will you draw close to God today?
Grace Application:
Throughout God’s word, He calls us to draw near to Him. However, there are times when I struggle with this. How about you? Why do we choose not to come near to Him?
For me, it’s often due to my fight with sin. Yep. My flesh gets in the way far too often. Just when I think I’m doing better with a particularly pesky sin, wham! I give in to what my flesh wants and find myself humbly confessing my sin, again…and again. How do you identify with this?
Yet, once I see my sin for what it is, the Holy Spirit reminds me to come to my Savior. Into the Holy Place, where He is waiting to receive me with grace. He tore the veil that separated us from Him, washing away our sin with His blood. As we turn from sin and run to Him for forgiveness, He assures us that His sacrifice on the cross was sufficient to cover all our sins.
As we repent of sin, we draw near to the Savior. He graciously assures us that He has cleansed our hearts from the evil that separated us from Him. Rejoice in His goodness, mercy, and love!
Prayer:
Gracious Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus, thankful that You invite me to draw close to You. Jesus, Your death on the cross covers my sin and assures me that I can worship you with a heart that is cleansed by Your blood. Help me know You more fully as I spend time in Your word, learning how to live and love in truth and deed. You call me to seek you with a whole heart. Mend my heart, Lord, so it is whole as I draw close to You. Amen.
**Today, as you read this, I pray you will know for sure you are in Christ Jesus. If you have any doubt, please call out to God so all doubt may be erased. Today is a good day to be assured of salvation in Christ Jesus. If you have any questions, please get in touch with me at graceisdawning@gmail.com**