Encouragement

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The New And Living Way (Hebrews 9:19-23)

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by 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, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.”

As we remember the death and resurrection of our precious Lord Jesus, let us focus on the gift He has given us, and the access we have received into the perfect presence of God.

The temple in Jerusalem was built according to divine specifications, by King Solomon, but was destroyed about 400 years later by the Babylonians. King Herod commenced its rebuilding some years later in 19 BC. The temple had many parts to it, but three important sections were the Outer Courts, (which any Jewish person could enter), the Holy Place (only for the priests who went in to offer incense on the altar), and the inner sanctum – the Holy of Holies. A double veil separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, and only the High Priest could enter in, once a year on the Day of Atonement, to offer sacrificial blood for himself and the sins of the nation. The presence of God was said to be in the Holy of Holies, and the priest would enter in with fear and trembling, ritually purified, and his mind cleansed with the water of God’s Word.

Today, God reminds us through His Word that we do not have to fear His wrath as we come into His Presence. At the moment of Jesus’ death on the cross, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:50-51). This is very significant because Josephus the historian writes that the veil was four inches thick and about 60 feet high, and horses tied to each side could not have pulled the veil apart. The tearing of the veil symbolized that by the shedding of His blood, Jesus provided sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the world. It showed that the Holy of Holies was no more the precinct of the High Priest but accessible to all people for all time – Jews and Gentiles! God moved out of that place to dwell in human temples – the lives of those who approach Him through the blood of Jesus Christ, the ultimate and absolute sacrificial Lamb, His only Son – the Way, the Truth and the Life! (John 14:6).

The veil was torn in two, even as the body of Jesus was broken, and He became the great High Priest before the Father’s throne. He made open a “new and living way” for us, a door through which we can now enter the Holy of Holies, into the eternal Name, the Awesome and Holy, the Most High God of all the universe.

The veil in the temple was a constant reminder that sin made humanity unfit for the presence of God. The fact that the sin offering had to be made annually along with many other sacrifices daily showed that sin could never be really wiped away by mere animal sacrifices. But through His death, Jesus removed every barrier between God and man, so that we may now approach Him with confidence and boldness (Hebrews 4:14-16).

Precious people, as you read this message, God is calling you into the Holy of Holies. Perhaps you have never ventured in beyond the Outer Courts, but there is so much God has for you in the inner place. Jesus entered in through His own blood, and made a way for us to come into that secret place, to fellowship with God. We do not have to strive and labor, with the works of our flesh. We do not have to offer blood at the altar – all that needs to be done has already been done; (Jesus said ‘It is finished’ when He gave up His life on the cross). The outer courts are wonderful, and it is good to know the Father and experience Salvation through the blood of Jesus, but God has more for us!

The Outer Courts represent the carnal realm, and the fleshly life we can be walking in, although we claim the name of Jesus. It is a place where ‘me’ is still a very important word! The Holy Place is where we step out of ourselves and our needs and begin to worship God for who He is – the Mighty God who loves us like no earthly father ever could. The One in whom there is no condemnation because we are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1) and every sin has been forgiven and washed away. The One who gave His only begotten Son because of His great love for His creation. The Holy Place is a place of divine connection – where we recognize who we are in Christ, and surrender to His Lordship. It is a place of encountering God through His precious Spirit, who teaches us how to worship and dwell in the Holy Place and how to walk in faith and in victory. But there is still more!

It is in the inner sanctum, the Holy of Holies, where we can experience true overcoming. It is the Secret Place, a place of power and purpose, as we feel God’s heartbeat, and hear His voice. It is a place of heart to heart, Spirit to spirit communication; a place where words cease to be necessary as the blessed Holy Spirit lifts us up to another dimension, a place beyond even worship – a place of absolute harmony and holy union, where love and grace and power are poured out to make a different man! It is a deep place where self is lost and our identity superimposed by the image of Jesus; where carnal desire is consumed by the fire and passion for God; where the seed dies and new life flows into the shape of a vision and calling, a higher purpose, a path which flows with God’s redemptive plan. It is a place where ‘me’ is lost and forgotten, as we receive new eyes to see God’s world as He sees it, and as we realize that all that is temporal is already gone, and what is eternal is being ushered in – Kingdom, Power, and Infinity. It is an invitation from Jesus who says “Come up here and I will show you….”! (Revelations 4:1). Heavenly encounters, angelic visitations, and beautiful visions of another dimension – those ‘inexpressible’ things Paul spoke about in 2 Corinthians 12:4. This is what awaits us in the Holy of Holies, where we can enter through the blood of the Lamb, and the gates of praise, and in faith, because He who promised is faithful!

Promises are fulfilled in the Secret Place, because God says in Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart”. He also says in Matthew 6:33 “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Daddy delights in His children who seek Him just for who He is, and in that precious place of powerful Presence, prayers are answered before even words are spoken! As we read in Job 36: 16 it is a place where He “woos us from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction”. This is the Holy of Holies, where we can dwell – the Secret Place, the habitation of the Most High!

Jesus has already opened the way! His blood has removed the sins that stopped us entering in. He has broken the power of fear and deposited in us His faith. He has cleansed us with the water of His Word. He has done it all! I pray that you will take time to seek the Lord, and walk from the Outer Courts of prayer, through the Holy Place of worship, and into that sweet, safe refuge where no terror can touch you and no pestilence attack – the Secret Place of the Most High God! God wants you there. It is where you were meant to be, close to His heart!

Minoli Haththotuwa
www.wingslikeeagles.info

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