Enter the Most Holy Place

by Russell Young

The writer of Hebrews taught about the activities of the Most Holy Place. The heavenly system of worship was represented by the tabernacle practices. God had revealed to Moses that the sanctuary was “a copy and shadow of what is in heaven.” (Heb 8:5) Moses had been commanded to make everything according to the pattern that had been revealed to him on the mountain. Consequently, the functioning of heavenly operations is revealed in tabernacle worship.

Priests regularly entered the outer room to carry on ministry. They offered animal sacrifices to provide atonement for sin on behalf of the people as they came forth and made their needs known. “But only the high priest entered the inner room (the Most Holy Place), and that only once a year and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.” (Heb 9:7) Christ is the believer’s high priest.

Since we have been given confidence to enter the Most Holy Place through our dwelling in Christ availed by his body, we can draw near to God with a sincere heart and in the full assurance of our faith. Our hearts have been sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and we have had our bodies washed with pure water. Not only should we have the confidence to enter the Most Holy Place, we ought to enter. It is in the Most Holy Place that Christ ministers and believers have been invited into his presence. The writer has encouraged, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need.” (Heb 5:16) He recorded these words after reminding his readers that nothing in creation is hidden from the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

The “time of need” is when we are facing or have given in to temptations; when we need strength for victory or when we have sinned. He is able to sympathize with our weakness (v 15) because he faced all the temptations to which we are subjected and did not sin. He knows all about the body that brings death and will be merciful to the contrite in heart because he understands the attractions of the flesh.

Christ is the believer’s helper and advocate; however, the one seeking him must “approach,” or be active in the pursuit of forgiveness. John has written, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 Jn 1:9) Christ is for us but failure to confess and repent shows disregard for the holiness of God and deliberately continuing to sin is disrespect and defiance. Deliberate sinning will not be forgiven (Heb 10:26); it is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. (Num 15:30)

All sin is offensive to God. Paul taught, “For the wages of sin is death…” (Rom 6:23) Although many think that this does not apply to confessors, preceding this statement Paul addressed the need of those seeking holiness and eternal life (Rom 6:22) to be slaves to righteousness (Rom 6:18) and slaves to God. (Rom 6:22) Sinning is being a slave to sin (Jn 8:34) which leads to death. (Rom 6:16) John has written that, “no one who lives in him keeps on sinning,” and the Lord taught that being a slave to sin results in removal from the family. (Jn 8:35)

The encouraging truth is that sins committed in ignorance will be mediated by Christ as high priest. Just as in Jewish tabernacle worship, a person cannot offer a sacrifice or seek forgiveness regarding a sin about which he is unaware. The Most Holy Place can be entered by those needing to be cleansed from known sin. In relation to the need for continued cleansing, before his crucifixion the Lord washed the disciples’ feet. When Peter objected the Lord cautioned him that without feet washing Peter would have no part with him and further explained that “the person who has had a bath [been washed in the blood and cleansed] needs only to wash his feet. The whole body is clean.” (Jn 13:10) The feet are the part of the body that became dirty or soiled throughout the day; just as the feet become dirty, the body may give in to sinful temptations in the course of the day. The Most Holy Place can be entered to accomplish needed cleansing in the pursuit of holiness.

Christ is our mediator, he knows the weaknesses of the flesh, but he also knows the heart attitude of those who are “lukewarm” or rebellious and who are unwilling to engage the battle for righteousness. His mercy and grace will not apply to those who defiantly continue to sin and who defy his sovereignty and lordship. Everything that is needed for life and godliness has been provided (2 Pet 1:3) and a godly life is expected. The Lord who is the Spirit (2 Cor 3:17, 18) indwells believers and leads and empowers for righteousness. He also knows the commitment each has made to honor the one whom they had covenanted to be their Lord. (Rom 10:9) In the end, he holds the keys to death and Hades (Rev 1:18) and his judgments will prevail.

Those going before the throne of grace in the Most Holy Place need to appreciate that the only offering acceptable to God is one without blemish. Peter admonished, “So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to [a new heaven and a new earth], make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with [God].” (2 Pet 3:14) Peter was requiring something of believers. They were to walk circumspectly. They were also to confidently enter the Most Holy Place as needed for purification. Paul said that we are to “continue to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Phil 2:12) Believers are to walk humbly before the Lord and to pursue righteousness. Paul admonished his readers to “do everything without complaining or arguing, so that [they] may become blameless and pure children of God without fault…” (Phil 2:14)

Believers need to appreciate that Christ ministers in the Most Holy Place and that he desires for them to enter and to have their feet washed; however, they must humbly and confidently enter that most sacred realm. As he told Peter, those who reject the washing of their feet will have no part with him.

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Russell Young lives in Ontario, Canada and is the author of Eternal Salvation: “I’m Okay, You’re Okay” Really? available in print and eBook in the U.S. through Westbow Publishing, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble; in Canada through Chapters/Indigo.  His column appears here every other Tuesday.  To read all of Russell’s contributions here at C201, click this link.  There is also a feature-length article at this link.

(All Scriptures are from the NIV unless otherwise noted.)

The Bible on Sleep

Amy Simpson is the author of Troubled Minds: Mental Illness and the Church’s Mission and Anxious: Choosing Faith in a World of Worry (both InterVarsity Press). She posted this a few days ago at her eponymous blog where it appeared with a much longer introduction documenting “The Sleep Business.” You’re encouraged to read it all by clicking the link below.

Let’s Get Serious about the Sacred Mystery of Sleep

…Sleep is big business partly because we see it as disconnected from waking life. Most of us consider it a forced interruption in our otherwise productive lives. When we’re sleepy, it’s a tempting luxury we dare not indulge in until our work is done. Yet ironically, our sleep-abstinence undermines our work. And more ironically, our failure to value sleep as a critical part of what we do makes it elusive, and therefore even more valuable.

Perhaps the supposed separation between sleeping and waking hours is somewhat false. After all, both are critical parts of a whole life. Would we offer God the work we do when we’re awake and wall off our time in sleep as unworthy of his notice? Perhaps sleep is not simply a necessary activity that fuels the work God put us on earth to do. Perhaps it is part of the work God put us here to do.

God created us not only with a need for sleep, but with an incredible capacity for it—most of us need to spend at least one-third of our life in sleep. Is all this sleep really a waste? a luxury we can’t afford? a haven for the lazy? Or is it an expression of our humanity, an act of submission to God, a celebration of his creation? Might it be valuable in its own right?

The Bible frequently portrays sleep as a reflection of our relationship with God. Sleep is…

An act of trust:

“In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe” (Psalm 4:8).

An act of humility:

“It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones” (Psalm 127:2).

A celebration of God’s blessing:

“You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly. You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked, for the Lord is your security” (Proverbs 3:24-26).

A position of receptivity:

“After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. ‘Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,’ the angel said” (Matthew 2:13).

A point of distinction between us and God:

“He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps” (Psalm 121:3-4).

Sleep is not a state of non-being. It’s critical–we literally can’t live without it–and active. In sleep, we rest. We relax our muscles in forced paralysis. We dream and generate ideas. We solidify and retain memories. Our bodies restore and heal themselves and, among the young, grow. We reinforce our immunity. We give up control. We place ourselves in the hands of God for our safety and preservation. And we may do much more that we don’t yet know about–sleep is still a mysterious frontier of science.

While we may not fully understand our need for it, we can’t dismiss sleep. Instead we should view it differently. It’s a faithful act in a rhythmic life, honoring to our Creator, and part of what we were put on this planet to do. Sleep matters because, done well, it’s part of a whole life devoted to the one who never sleeps.

Truth in a World of Lies

Today, a topical scripture medley on the subject of truth. These are presented in the approximate order they occur at TopVerses.com, but not every entry there is included here. I appreciated that the search was intuitive, and in one verse the word truth wasn’t used but rather certainty. I also found it interesting how many instances of the word truth occur in the writings of the apostle John, in both his gospel and his letters. At the end of today’s scriptures there is an invitation to read a post from last summer in which we looked at Ahab and the prophet Micaiah. If you missed it, or can’t remember it, consider reading it again. Finally, a reminder to many of you that scripture verses here are always in green because the Word of God is life!

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.    John 1:14

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”    John 14:6

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of human beings who suppress the truth by their wickedness.    Romans 1:18

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.    John 16:3

So that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. Luke 1:4

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. John 4:23

“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father – the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father – he will testify about me.”    John 15:23

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.    I John 1:8

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the head, that is, Christ.    Ephesians 4:15

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.    John 1:17

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left.    Hebrews 10:26

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.    Ephesians 4:25

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.    3 John 1:4

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness. Titus 1:1

But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.    2 Thess. 2:13

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.   1 Peter 1:22

I speak the truth in Christ – I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit.    Romans 9:1

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.    1 John 3:18

Who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.    1 Timothy 2:4

If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.    1 John 1:16

They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is forever praised. Amen.     Romans 1:25

Always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.  2 Timothy 3:7

But those who live by the truth come into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.    John 3:21

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Read more: From June 27th, 2013, Truth–The Alternative to Telling People What They Want to Hear includes the video Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns.

The Bible Speaks to Your Anger Issue

Billions and billions of people drop by Tim Challies blog every day, some of whom aren’t even Calvinists.  Okay, maybe a slight exaggeration. Tim wrote this recently under the title What The Bible Says About Anger, and you’re encouraged to click through and explore the rest of his long-running blog.

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I suppose it should come as no surprise that the Bible has a great deal to say about anger. Anger is, after all, not only a result of sin but also a common cause of sin. Here is what the Bible has to say:

It is good to be slow to anger. Those who are quick to anger display a lack of wisdom.

Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly. (Proverbs 14:29)

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. (James 1:19)

Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools. (Ecclesiastes 7:9)

Anger should be addressed as soon as possible because it can easily turn to sin.

The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” (Genesis 4:6-7)

You have heard that it was said to those of old, “You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.” But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment …. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:21-24)

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger. (Ephesians 4:26)

Though at times anger can be righteous (see especially Mark 3:5 where Jesus becomes angry), anger is generally to be avoided.

For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. (2 Corinthians 12:20)

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. (Ephesians 4:31)

But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. (Colossians 3:8)

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. (James 1:19-20)