Faith: Draw Near

If you're looking in one of the Pew Bibles, it's page 1007.

Hebrews chapter 10, beginning at verse 19, says this,

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

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.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,

not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some,

but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Let me pray for us.

Lord, we pray that as you call us to draw near to you,

that you would draw near to us today by your spirit,

as we listen to your word.

In Jesus' name, amen.

If you take a walk this afternoon through downtown New Haven,

and if you look carefully at some of the buildings along the edges of the Yale campus,

you may notice several buildings that have no windows.

One of them is just a few blocks up Grove Street.

So a two-story marble building with impressive Corinthian columns

facing the entrance to the Grove Street Cemetery.

It belongs to a society called Book and Snake,

one of Yale's older secret societies, founded 150 years ago.

There are several other such buildings throughout campus.

Now over the years, Yale's secret societies have aroused plenty of curiosity.

What is contained inside these imposing windowless buildings,

known as tombs, that no one else is allowed to enter?

What exactly happens when the societies meet on Thursday and Sunday nights?

Are some of these societies at the center of a giant conspiracy to take over the world?

Well, conspiracy theories aside,

the phenomenon of secret societies is interesting because of how they have persisted over time,

and even grown.

There are probably a dozen or even more active secret societies for seniors at Yale.

Every April, a new class of rising seniors is tapped,

and you can see them walking around campus in all kinds of masks and costumes on some night

a couple weeks ago and invited to join each society for the next year.

Now you might ask,

what is the point of speaking about this in a sermon at church,

and what is the attraction of these secret societies?

Well, I would say the phenomenon of secret societies is only one instance of a widespread human longing.

Don't we all long to be on the inside of something great and important,

of something intimate and personal?

Isn't that a large part of what attracts Yale students to secret societies?

They promise a road to potential greatness,

an elite network of students and alumni to which you are now connected for the rest of your life.

And they also promise a place of intimate trust,

where everyone shares their life stories and their deepest secrets,

and you know that you are safe.

Now whether it's a secret society or a college fraternity or a sports team or a political movement

or a military hierarchy or a musician's collective or a mom's network

or an inner city gang or simply a group of friends,

don't we all long to be on the inside of something or other?

We want to be connected to something great and important,

and we want to be accepted intimately and personally.

Now our desire to be on the inside can also create problems.

C.S. Lewis wrote a thought-provoking essay on this topic entitled The Inner Ring.

Now he said the fact that inner rings or inner circles exist is not inherently bad.

In fact, it's necessary for families and societies and governments to run.

But he says our desire to get in or stay in,

an inner circle,

presents one of the most powerful temptations

to compromise what we know to be true and right.

And besides that, being on the inside isn't always what it's rumored to be.

To take just one example,

from the outside,

it might seem like if you can get into Yale,

you've got it made.

You have all the brains and all the connections that you will ever need.

But if you are on the inside,

if you're a Yale student,

almost no one thinks that way.

I don't think I've ever met a Yale student

except for an occasional freshman.

Who is fully satisfied

simply by being at Yale.

Right?

When you get into Yale,

it's like peeling back the outer layer of an onion.

And you see how many more inner circles

are contained inside.

And how much farther you have to go

to really make it in.

Isn't that one of the driving motivations

behind the 300 extracurricular organizations

that exist at Yale?

And all the career networks and secret societies

and all everything else.

We long to be on the inside

of something great and intimate and lasting.

But we feel that we haven't got there yet.

Or even if we have made it in,

we have to constantly work

to maintain our status.

to make sure that we don't get pushed out,

left behind.

Now the passage we're looking at this morning

speaks to our human longing

to be on the inside

of something great and intimate and lasting.

And it shows us that there is a way to enter in

to what we were truly made for.

Verse 19 says,

We have confidence to enter

the holy places

by the blood of Jesus.

By a new and living way

that he opened for us

through the curtain.

And then it says,

Therefore let us draw near

with a true heart

and full assurance of faith.

Now this morning's passage

comes at a crucial turning point

in the book of Hebrews,

which we've been going through

as a church this year.

Up to this point,

Hebrews has been primarily teaching

about who Jesus Christ is.

The Son of God

who became our brother.

The King of Heaven

who became our priest.

The mediator of a new covenant.

Opening the way to a new relationship with God

through his sacrifice on the cross.

But from here on out,

the emphasis shifts

to application or exhortation.

In other words,

what it looks like practically

to live in light of the reality of Jesus.

And this morning's passage

is the hinge

on which almost the whole book

of Hebrews turns.

Verses 19 through 25

are one long sentence

in the original Greek.

And verses 19 through 21

point back

to what we've already seen.

Verses 22 through 25

lay out the agenda

for the rest of the book.

And so we'll be looking

at these verses

not only this week

but also the next two weeks.

There are three exhortations

that he presents

in verses 22 through 25.

First,

to draw near

with faith

in Christ.

Second,

to hold fast

to hope.

And third,

to stir up one another

to love.

Faith,

hope,

and love.

And the rest of the book of Hebrews

develops these themes

in greater detail.

So chapter 11

focuses on the theme of faith.

Giving examples

and pictures

of what it means

to live by faith.

Chapter 12

focuses on hope.

Looking forward

to the eternal kingdom of God

that cannot be shaken.

That sustains us

through painful suffering

in the present.

And chapter 13

focuses on love.

And gives concrete

exhortations

and encouragements

to love one another

both within the Christian community

and outside it.

So that's what we'll be looking

for,

at,

for the,

for our,

our summer

until the end of August.

Is these themes,

is these themes

of faith

and hope

and love

as a response

to who Jesus Christ

is.

And these themes

are,

are intertwined.

They're sort of like a rope

that you can't,

that's tangled together.

Faith is defined

as assurance

or conviction

that God is trustworthy

based on what God

has done in the past.

Hope

looks forward

to the future,

to the joy set before us.

And love

is what we are called

to display

in the present.

Now this morning

we're focusing in particular

on the theme of faith

and the invitation

to draw near to God

in faith,

not to enter in.

So I want to look

at three questions.

First,

what exactly

are we

entering into?

Second,

why can we be confident

to enter in?

And third,

how

can we enter in?

What,

why,

and how?

So first,

what exactly

is Hebrews promising

that we can get into?

Well the answer is

the presence of God.

Verse 19,

he calls it

the holy places.

Verse 21,

he calls it

the house

of God.

Now according

to the Bible,

human beings

were made

in God's image

to dwell

in God's presence.

The book of Genesis

describes the home

that God created

for human beings

as a fruitful garden.

And this garden

would be a temple

where God,

the sovereign Lord

of heaven and earth,

would dwell

in intimate

and secure

and loving

relationship

with his people,

providing for them.

Walking with them,

speaking with them

as a father

with his children.

And this garden

would also be a palace

from which God

would extend

his glorious reign

through all the earth.

Through us,

his image bearers,

his representatives,

his vice

regents.

The garden

was the ultimate place

of greatness

and intimacy.

Dwelling with the

sovereign Lord

of the universe,

ruling over his creation,

and we were on

the inside.

But then one day,

an intruder

made his way

into the garden

who questioned

God's power

and God's goodness

and tempted

our first parents

to listen to him

instead of God.

And instead of

taking up

our rightful authority

and kicking him out,

we took his side.

We decided

that instead of

living with God,

we should try

to be

our own God.

instead of

trusting God,

we should trust

ourselves

more than God.

Instead of

living within

God's purposes,

we should

make our own

meaning.

And so we

messed everything up.

And all of us

have continued

down that same

track.

And so the story

goes,

we had to leave

the garden.

We had to leave

the palace

of God's glorious

greatness

and the temple

of God's

intimate presence.

and we

became

outsiders,

excluded from

God's presence

by our own

willful

rebellion.

And in our

fallen state,

every one of us

has continued

in that direction.

But even in

our fallen state,

we still bear

the image of God.

And so we

long

for what we

lost so long

ago.

We long

to get back

on the inside

of something

great

intimate.

And when we

look at human

history,

or even when we

think about the

story of our

own lives,

isn't it full

of attempts

to construct

a fruitful

garden,

a glorious

palace,

an intimate

temple?

Isn't that

what we seek

in so many

different ways?

But the

problem is

even our

best efforts

only produce

temporary

copies

and fading

shadows

or even

cheap

substitutes

of what we

lost so long

ago,

the glorious

presence of

God

himself.

But now

the author

of Hebrews

says,

there is a

new and

living way

open for

us to

enter the

holy places,

to enter

this glorious

palace of

God's presence

in this

intimate

temple of

his mercy,

to enter

into his

house and

be part of

his family.

That's why

he calls

the people

brothers and

sisters.

That's those

who have been

brought in

to the

family of

God.

So that's

the promise

of what we

can enter

into.

But that

raises the

second question.

how can

the writer

be so

confident

that we

can

enter in?

If we've

been excluded

from God's

presence by

our rebellion

and we've

messed it all

up, how

can we be

so confident

that we can

enter in?

Now in the

historical context

when he was

writing,

the writer of

Hebrews was

making an

unprecedented

claim here.

He was

writing to

people coming

from a

Jewish

background

who would

have been

familiar with

the temple

in Jerusalem

and the

laws and

regulations

in the

Old Testament.

But the

temple in

Jerusalem

was certainly

not open

to all.

There was an

outer court

where anyone

could go,

but then there

was a wall

separating the

outer court

from the

inner court.

And there

were large

warning signs

posted

warning all

Gentiles.

anyone who

was not

Jewish,

warning all

Gentiles not

to enter the

inner court

on penalty

of death.

And even if

you were

Jewish,

you could go

into the

inner court

but not

into the

actual holy

places.

Only the

priests could

enter into the

holy places

to offer

sacrifices on

the altar.

And only the

high priest

could enter into

the most holy

place,

which represented

the very throne

room of God.

it was a

place which

had within it

something called

the mercy

seat.

The very

throne of God,

the very

presence of

God,

and only,

he could only

enter once a

year,

and only with

a sacrifice to

offer on behalf

of himself and

on behalf of

the people.

And this was not

just the custom

of the Jewish

people at that

time, it was the

command of God

in the Hebrew

Bible, in the

Old Testament.

You see, the

temple in

Jerusalem was

not a place

where anyone

and everyone

could come

freely into the

presence of

God, it was

more like a

miniature version

of the

Forbidden City,

where no one

could enter or

leave without

the emperor's

permission on

pain of death.

Now, in our

modern culture, we

can often assume

that God should

be accessible to

us, that God

should be

available.

We've lost the

sense of the

barriers between

us and the

holy and perfect

creator of the

universe.

We've lost the

sense that they

would have had of

the inherent danger

of rebellious

human beings,

self-centered

human beings

encountering a

radically pure

and holy God.

The writer of

Hebrews probably

understood this

better than most

of us naturally

do.

And so it's

even more

striking that

he says, as

he does in

verse 19, we

have confidence

to enter the

holy places.

In other

words, we have

official authorization,

we have freedom

of access, we

have a promised

welcome, because a

new and living

way has been

opened for us.

Through the

curtain, through the

barriers that

separated us from

God himself.

The image is of

a trail being

blazed, of a

highway being laid

down through

previously

inaccessible

territory.

That's the image

of a champion who

throws himself into

the middle of a

raging battle so

that he might open

a new path to

victory along the

track of his own

life blood.

And the writer of

Hebrews says, this

is what Jesus, the

Son of God, has

done.

The eternal Son of

God, the King of

Glory, became flesh

and blood.

In other words, a

fully human being.

He willingly became

our brother.

He lived the life

that we ought to

have lived.

A life of perfect,

trusting obedience to

God, even to the

point of death on the

cross, where he

died the death that

we deserve to die.

And then he rose

again.

Three days later,

demonstrating his

victory over sin and

death for all who

would believe.

Verse 12 in this

chapter says, he

offered for all time

a single sacrifice

for sins.

And then he sat

down at the right

hand of God, having

completed his work.

Through his flesh and

through his blood,

offered on our

behalf, Jesus has

opened up a new and

living way for us to

enter into the

presence of God.

Because, and he can

do this because he is

the Lord of heaven and

earth.

He's the great king who

rules over everything,

but he has become our

priest.

In other words, our

advocate, the one who

stands for us and

intercedes for us.

And as our brother, as

our priest, as a fellow

human being, he has

gone into the very

presence of God.

He is seated at the

right hand of God.

So we can enter into

the palace of God's

glorious greatness,

knowing that the one

who sits on the throne

is our very own flesh

and blood.

Our brother.

Our champion.

Our king.

Jesus.

And not only that,

Jesus is the son of

God, who lived from all

eternity in intimate

relationship with the

father and the Holy

Spirit.

And he has now become

our brother so that he

might join us to himself

and that we might enter

into that intimate union

with God himself.

And know God's secure and

loving presence.

He's saying that through

Jesus we can approach

God with the confidence

of a little child running

up to her daddy.

We can be confident to

enter God's glorious and

intimate presence through

Jesus.

So third, how?

What does it look like?

How do we actually enter

in to God's presence?

Well, in the Old Testament,

the high priest would

enter into the most

holy place, but he would

only enter in for a very

short time.

He would offer his

sacrifices, he would do

his thing, and then he

would get out until next

year because it wasn't

safe for him to stay.

But the offer of Hebrews

is saying not only can we

go in to the presence of

God, we can stay.

We can rest.

We can be there.

We don't have to worry

about being pushed out

because our status as sons

and daughters of the king

is secure.

So he says in verse 22,

he says in light of all

this that Jesus has done,

he says 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.

If you want to summarize

this verse in two words,

it would be truth and trust.

Draw near to God in truth,

he says, with a true heart.

A heart that has been

sprinkled clean from an

evil conscience.

Well, for one thing,

that means we should

approach God without

pretending.

Without trying to hide

our flaws or without

trying to impress him

by our good deeds.

It's almost the exact

opposite of how any

career services office

would tell you to

approach a job interview.

Right?

They would say,

dress smartly.

Bring a resume listing

all your skills and

accomplishments and

none of your weaknesses

and failures.

Put your best foot forward.

But with God,

all of that would be

utterly futile

and foolish.

It would be as futile

as a high school student

waking up in the morning,

getting dressed in

your nicest clothes,

printing out a copy of

your resume on resume paper,

and writing a snazzy

cover letter in order

to go downstairs

and present yourself

to your mom,

who's cooking you

breakfast,

hoping to make an

impression on her

and earn her favor.

I think your mom

will not be very impressed.

She might be amused.

She might think

you're doing this

to practice.

But if she realizes

that you're doing this

to try to impress her,

she already knows

everything about you.

She knows your strengths

and weaknesses

better than you do.

And her love for you

is not dependent

on the image

that you project.

I mean,

she changed

your messy diapers

for years

before you even knew

what she was doing.

You're already

an object

of her love

and favor.

You're already

on the inside.

And it wasn't

because you did anything

to deserve it.

Just because

she's your mom

and she will always

love you.

And in the same way,

faking with God

is futile.

Not only because

God sees and knows

the truth about us,

but also because

in Jesus Christ

we are objects

of His eternal favor.

His unmerited grace.

He gave His own life

for us on the cross

to prove it

so that we

who were once

outsiders

might come in

and be part

of His family

forever.

So we can draw

near to God

in truth.

But also

we can draw

near to God

in trust.

In the full

assurance of faith.

Because He

has proven Himself

worthy

of our trust.

You know,

when the Bible

talks about faith,

it does not mean

what some people

think.

It does not mean

believing that

something is true

apart from any

evidence and contrary

to all rational

thought.

That is wishful

thinking.

That is not

biblical faith.

If you're skeptical

whether there is

solid evidence

for the Christian

faith,

I encourage you

to look into it.

Read through

one of the

New Testament

Gospels.

Read through

Tim Keller's book,

The Reason for God,

as a start.

Talk to people

who are Christians

and consider.

But in the context

of the Bible,

faith refers to

trust.

Trusting a person.

In particular,

trusting the person

of Jesus Christ

who died

and rose from

the grave.

Who has

demonstrated Himself

through His death

and resurrection

to be supremely

worthy

of our trust.

trust.

So let us draw

near to God

in truth

and in trust.

And you know,

it's interesting,

it doesn't simply

say,

let each one of you

draw near to God

in truth and trust,

but it says,

let us

draw near.

So this truth

and trust

should increasingly

characterize

not only our

individual

relationships with

God,

but also

our community

life,

our worship

and prayer

and fellowship

and community

as a church.

So let me close

with four brief

exhortations for us

built on this

invitation

to draw near.

First,

let us confess

our sins

and share our

struggles honestly.

Instead of

feeling like

we have to hide

or make excuses

or justify them.

because the

sacrifice of

Jesus Christ

covers our

sin and our

guilt.

In Jesus Christ

our hearts have

been made new

and so we're

free to

acknowledge

our sins

before God

and even

before each

other,

knowing that

in Jesus Christ

we have found

mercy.

And we will

continue to

find mercy.

James 5

says,

confess your

sins to one

another

and pray

for each

other

so that you

may be healed.

confession

of sin

is the first

step toward

freedom

from its grip.

So let us

be honest

and not

hide.

Second,

let us bring

before God

our grief,

our anger,

our sorrow

and all the

other ugly

emotions that

we feel.

Let us bring

those into the

presence of God

through prayer

instead of

stuffing them

away or

trying to

deal with

them in

some other

way.

You know,

if you read

the Psalms,

they will help

you do this.

To bring

everything that

we might feel

into the

presence of

God.

So let's

bring our

emotional life

before God

so that in

his presence

our emotions

can be healed

and transformed.

Third,

let us praise

God with

assurance and

joy and

abandon.

Drawing

near is not

only about

confessing our

sin or dealing

with our

negative emotions,

it's also about

rejoicing with

exceeding great

joy.

The way has

been opened.

We have

freedom of

access to

go into the

palace of

God's greatness

and the

temple of

his intimate

presence.

That's a

reason to

praise the

Lord.

It's a

reason to

say amen.

So whether

you shout

amen or

raise your

hands in

surrender or

kneel before

God in

adoration or

clap your

hands or

jump for joy

or simply

smile and

sing,

rejoice.

For we have

a great

privilege in

drawing near to

God through

Jesus.

Fourth, and

finally, let

us celebrate

baptism.

that's what

we're going to

do today.

And it even

connects to our

text.

Verse 22

says,

Our hearts

sprinkled clean

from an evil

conscience and

our bodies

washed with

pure water.

Baptism is a

public expression

of what it

means to draw

near to God

with truth

and trust.

Most likely

the author is

reminding the

hearers of

their baptism,

the physical

sign of

identifying with

Jesus through

faith in his

death and

resurrection.

And because

it is a

physical act,

baptism also

reminds us that

the cleansing

work of

Christ extends

even to

our physical

bodies.

You know,

our hearts and

our bodies have

been affected by

our fallen

nature.

Right?

He's talked about

how our hearts and

our conscience can

be cleansed,

our sin and guilt

and shame can be

removed.

But even our

bodies are set

apart for God

in a new way

through the work

of Christ.

You know,

some of you

might feel this

very keenly,

the sense of

how our fallen

nature has

affected our

bodies.

Maybe you can

identify particular

destructive behaviors

from the past

that have brought

harm to your

body.

perhaps when you

look at yourself

in the mirror,

you feel ashamed.

You feel dirty

and defiled

because of

something that

you did or

someone else did

to you in the

past.

But this verse

has good news

for you.

It's saying that

in Jesus Christ

your heart has

been washed

clean and your

body has also

been washed.

Your body has

been set apart

for life in

God's kingdom.

your body is

not damaged

goods.

Your physical

body has been

purified by the

sacrifice of

Christ.

And it is now

a vessel

dedicated for

holy and

honorable service

to God.

The Apostle Paul

says in 1 Corinthians

6, do you not

know that your

bodies are

members of

Christ?

Do you not

know that your

body is a

temple of the

Holy Spirit

within you?

Whom you have

from God.

You are not

your own, for

you were bought

at a great

price.

So glorify God

in your body.

And baptism,

having our body

plunged into the

water and

raised again,

is a physical

sign of the

totality of

Christ's cleansing

work.

That he has

purified our

conscience and he

has set us apart

body and soul

for life in his

kingdom, in his

family.

So let us draw

near with truth

and trust because

we have confidence

to enter through

Jesus.

Let's pray.

Lord Jesus, we

praise you, our

great king and

our brother who

is drawn near to

us.

Lord, it is only

because you have

drawn near to us

and even become

one of us

and took our

guilt and sin

upon yourself

and carried it

to the grave

and rose again

and you are

seated at the

right hand of

God, interceding

for us,

advocating for

us.

Lord, because of

that, we have

this great

confidence to

approach you.

Lord, we pray

that we would

draw near with

truth and with

trust, with

reverence and

with joy, with

confidence and

assurance.

We pray this in

Jesus' name.

Amen.