Outside the holy of holies was an elaborate system of
courtyards that were built around it, each courtyard requiring increasing
levels of purity for those allowed to enter them. The barrier between the holy of holies and
the outlying courtyards was a hand-stitched veil that was 60 feet high and 4
inches thick. God dwelled on one side of
the veil, mankind dwelled on the other.
The veil and the elaborate system of purification rituals required to
approach it were a symbolic reminder that mankind is to never enter God's holy
and awesome presence carelessly or irreverently.
Scripture tells us that, "..when Jesus had cried out again in a loud
voice, He gave up His Spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to
bottom.." (Matt 27:50,51). This means that the moment at which Christ
took His last breath on the cross, He became our High Priest to intercede on our
behalf and to bridge the gap between mankind and God for all eternity. Through Jesus Christ, mankind has been given
eternal access to the presence of God.
The blood of Christ washed away not only our sins, but also the veil
that separated sinful mankind from Holy God, "Therefore,
brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of
Jesus, by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain [veil] of His body, and since we have a High Priest
[Jesus Christ] over the house of God
[those saved in Christ], let us draw near
with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to
cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water."
(Heb 10:19-22)
This scripture says, "let
us draw near with a sincere heart," which means that while Jesus made it possible
for us to approach God, even to enter His presence, He still made it very clear
that we cannot approach Him carelessly or without reverence. We like to claim Jesus as Savior, but
sometimes we're not all that thrilled about reverentially allowing Him to also
be Lord over our lives. That's because
for us to allow Jesus to be Lord, we've got to chop some things off and pluck some things
out, "If your right eye makes you
stumble, pluck it out and cast it
from you... If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off
and throw it from you.." (Matt 5:29,30). Plucking out your eye may mean turning
off your T.V. or changing your reading preferences. Cutting off your hand may mean avoiding certain
things, situations or places. Maybe some
of us even need to clip off our ears by weeding out a music collection or
turning off the radio. In any case, if God asked you to do it, would
you?
Jesus said, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up
their cross and follow me." (Matt 16:24). Matthew Henry's commentary on Matthew 16:24 says this
denial must be a "continued act" of "self-emptying" because
it is "both the strait gate and
the narrow way" (see Matt
7:13,14). This means that there will be many
times in which a Christian may have to ask theirself, "Is He worth it?"
So, is He? Is He
worth striving to enter the holy of holies? To hear God's voice clearly? To be unencumbered by the cares of this
world, to be set free from emotional enslavement and to bear Him an abundance
of fruit?
Or are we content to hang out in the courtyard because it
doesn't require us to progressively purify our lives? Determined to stubbornly hold on to the world
with one hand while reaching for Christ with the other? Content to forfeit the spiritual riches to be
had by intimate fellowship in His holy presence?
Oswald Sanders said, "Each of us is as close to God
as we want to be." How badly do we
want to draw near to God?
"Blessed are those hungering and thirsting for
righteousness, for they will be filled." (Matt 5:6)
"Therefore, if
anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for
honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for
every good work." (2 Tim 2:21)
"Draw near to
God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify
your hearts, you double-minded." (James 4:8)
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