Come Boldly

Mark Dunagan
04/26/15 - Sunday Morning

Come Boldly

The New Testament presents a glorious picture of the almost incomprehensible blessing of full and free access to God the Father through Jesus Christ:

• “... through Him we ... have our access in one Spirit to the Father” (Ephesians 2:18).
• “In whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him” (Ephesians 3:12).
• “... let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

Greater Access Than Before

Jesus warned His generation that, “The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the Judgment, and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to her the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here” (Matthew 12:42).   In referencing this Old Testament leader, Jesus calls our attention to a woman who had traveled around 1500 miles with a heart willing to listen to King Solomon—a stark contrast compared to the generation to whom Jesus initially spoke, who had the very Son of God —God in the flesh— in their immediate presence, yet would not even go out of their way to attentively listen, much less obey Him.  In another place Jesus pointed out that many prophets and kings from the past would have loved to have heard what He was teaching, and later Peter notes that what we are allowed to hear in the Gospel message is what angels longed to know (1 Peter 1:12).

Hearing God at the Mountain

At Mount Sinai the Jewish nation had the privilege of seeing the power of God and hearing His voice, yet they were fearful and intimidated by the events.  “All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking:  and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance.  Then they said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die’” (Exodus 20:18-19).  Far from rejoicing in hearing what God had said, or that the Creator was actually speaking to them, the people wanted to hear God only through Moses, and not directly from heaven.  Interestingly, what the people wanted to avoid, Moses earnestly desired (Ex. 33:18).   At this point, access to God was limited.  Only Moses was allowed up on the mountain, “You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, ‘Beware that you do not go on the mountain or touch the border of it; whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.  No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through’” (Exodus 19:12-13).   Evidently some sort of barrier was placed around the mountain and anyone who crossed it was to be immediately killed by guards who were either archers or expert in slinging stones.  The guard was definitely not to pursue the trespasser lest they also enter this holy, forbidden zone. Would drawing near to God always be this inaccessible for common people?

The New Covenant

When Jesus died on the cross something extraordinarily amazing, and quite symbolic happened: the veil in the Temple that separated the holy place from the "holy of holies", where God had dwelled in a special way, was supernaturally rent from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51).  “The veil was the heavy curtain which hung between the holy and most holy places in the sanctuary.  By shutting out from the most holy place all persons except the high priest, who alone was permitted to pass through it, and this only once a year, it signified that the way into the holiest, that is, into heaven, was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was standing (Hebrews 9:7-8)” (McGarvey p. 731).  This rendering may have happened exactly while the priests at that time were offering the evening incense offering.  Some feel that the rendering of this veil is one reason why so many priests became obedient to the faith (Acts 6:7).  “The fact that the veil was rent in twain would obviously soon become known among all the priests, even had there been only a few of them in the ‘holy place’ when it happened” (Geldenhuys p. 616).

Jesus, on the day He offered Himself, gained access for us to draw near to God the Father, apart from the Mosaic priesthood in a physical temple. In its place, God established a spiritual kingdom, and a spiritual priesthood in which all who love and honor Him can approach His throne of grace. The events in Exodus chapters 19-20 really did happen and are repeated in the book of Hebrews.  These events were so intimidating that even Moses was afraid.  Yet that is not to be our experience as Christians.  We are not told to stay away, rather we are exhorted to come, to move toward God, to boldly and respectfully come to the throne of grace.

“For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them.  For they could not bear the command, ‘if even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned’.  And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, ‘I am full of fear and trembling’”.  But you are come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to the myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel”.  Hebrews 12:18-23

Tell Me Your Story?

It has been noted that too many professed believers are like the Israelites in Exodus 20.  They don’t want to hear the voice of God.  They want to remain at a safe distance.  They are content to allow their own personal, selected "Moses", or human spiritual leader, to go up and experience communion with God.   Some have observed that in our lifetime such a desire to stay at the bottom of the mountain—and at a distance is illustrated in the following attitudes and behaviors:

• Rather than spending quiet time with God daily, listening (reading) to Him, and bearing my soul to Him, I am content to come and hear someone else talk about their rich relationship with God. Go to the mountain. He is waiting for you.
• Coming to worship empty, starving and weak, in order to be filled up, rather than being already strengthened and spiritually filled up by this week's intimacy with God, and ready to pour my soul out to him and encourage the hearts around me. Go to the mountain. Feed your soul.
•  Depending upon public worship, rather than my private worship, to give me all the spiritual manna, or bread of life I need.  Seeing that it might be the only time that I really feed upon the word of God, such public worship ends up at times to be much less than God desires.  I might feel anything but good when I leave, like someone who does not eat for a long time and then eats a big meal, feeling terrible as a result. Don't be a spiritual anorexic. Go feast with God on the spiritual mountain.
• Depending upon worship services to be the sum total of my motivation to remain faithful.  I come to be served or entertained rather than lifting my eyes to the flock to see who I can motivate and uplift today. Drawing near to those who need you, is drawing near to Christ Himself.
• The class material and Bible study seems foreign to me, so that instead of God's words being alive to me by reason of the fact I have been living and experiencing the scriptures during the week, instead I struggle to keep up in class and I feel that I might not have anything to contribute to the discussion among those who have taken the time to familiarize themselves with the Scriptures being discussed. The class or discussion might make me feel guilty and I might hope its swift conclusion when truth begins to hurt for its hitting home so well. It is not God's will that we learn to live with guilt. Repent. Draw near to God. And He will remove your sin as far as the east is removed from the west.

Am I Standing at a Distance?

How sad to see a professed believer standing at the base of the mountain—instead of going up to the New Jerusalem.  We live in a period of time when any believer can go all the way to the top of the mountain and beyond.   It is not that only certain people have this access, for in the New Covenant, every believer is to be a priest (1 Peter 2:5ff) and every believer has full access to God.  You don’t have to sit around and watch others come down from the mount, like Moses, with a glow.  You also can, and must, have intimacy with your Heavenly Father.

The Blessings of Drawing Near To God:

• Spiritual Strength to resist anything anywhere anytime.
• A full and rich life in which an all-powerful, benevolent God is working.
• Exhilarating, relevant conversations with others for and about God.
• Proclaim God’s life giving message to the world, and the intense joy of leading someone to God.
• A deep wisdom by knowing the eternal truths found in the Scriptures.
• Deep conversations with a compassionate, God.
• Contentment in all circumstances.
• Growth even through trials.
• A peace that passes understanding in which no earthly experience can touch.
• Victory over all the obstacles your spiritual enemy had planned to take you out.
• Fulfilling your very purpose for having been created: To love and honor God.

Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.net
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net