Drawing near

Hebrews 4:14-16 and 10:19-22

Jesus has broken down the barriers of sin and guilt that separated us from God. What should be our response?

1. Draw near to the throne of Grace
2. Draw near with confidence
3. Draw near in our time of need
----------------------------------------------------------

I have only once been in the presence of royalty. In 1989 I travelled to a conference in Malaysia. Like most academic conferences most of what we did was pretend we were smart and read papers to each other. But we also got to go on field trips, and one of our field trips was to visit the Sultan of Kelantan -- has a nice ring to it doesn't it.

The Sultan of Kelantan is not really very important -- doesn't have much real power -- but you should not try to persuade his protocol officer of that. It turned out to be a little frightening going to see him. It was especially frightening for me because the Sultan's protocol officer had very firm ideas about what kind of clothes could be worn in a royal audience, and I had left my jacket and tie at home. In the end the protocol officer himself lent me his jacket so that I could be allowed in. Before entering the audience chamber we were given very solemn instructions about how to behave. We were given seats in the audience chamber, told to remain silent, told to stand when the Sultan entered, instructed in how to address the Sultan.

The whole event was choreographed to convey a sense of distance -- a sense of separation between the Sultan and ourselves. We were made to feel that we were in the presence of someone awesome and powerful -- a person not to be trifled with. All of the ritual -- the special clothes, the special instructions were meant to teach us that he was royalty and we were not. Although we were in the same room, there was a distance between us.

The same is true of human beings and God -- in our natural state there is a great gap, a huge distance between us and God.

Why? We know that God is not limited by space or distance. We know in our minds that God is present not just here, but in the outer-most reaches of space, the Mir astronauts are not out of his reach. He is present in the deepest places on earth, in the loneliest places we can imagine, and in the innermost parts of our bodies. David knew this. Psalm 139:7: "Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there."

Yet people feel distant from God. In the 60's lots of people used to think they could find God by moving to some other part of the world -- India was the favorite place to search -- and I suppose there was something logical about the choice. AFter all with 330 million Gods and goddesses, the odds of finding the real thing might seem better there.

But running around looking for God in some other part of the world won't help to bring us closer to God. The distance between human beings and God is not physical -- it is a distance of relationship. And this we should have no trouble understanding from our own experience. I cannot imagine that you have not experienced this: you physically close to someone -- in the same room, maybe in the same bed -- yet miles apart. Happens to husbands and wives often enough, I think. Happens to roommates too. There is nothing physically separating you from each other, but it feels like there is a concrete wall between us. And often we wish there was a real concrete wall between us. In fact my first instinct in the face of this kind of break in relationship is to get out of there. When there is distance in relationship, I would usually much rather there be physical distance too!

And is it so different with human beings and God? Although God is present everywhere, our relationship with him has been broken, and our natural instinct is to run away from him. God may be near, but we feel miles apart from him.

This paradox of being near to God, yet feeling distant from him, was dramatized in the Old Testament system of worship.

-- God told moses to build him huge tent -- called the tabernacle
-- why? What did he need a tent for?
-- As a symbol of his special presence with his people -- it was for them not him.
-- but if that's the case, there's something odd about the way it was set up
-- The set up of the tabernacle kept God separate -- shielded him from his people. Set up barriers between them.
-- no one could go into the presence of God, except the High Priest and that only once a year. And wow did he ever have to go to alot of trouble. You can find the details in Leviticus 16:
-- sacrifice a bull and a ram
-- bathe himself completely
-- put on special sacred clothing


Why this separation between God and his people? The tabernacle and the whole system of worship that went on in it was like a massive object lesson that God set up to illustrate spiritual realities. The curtain which prevented worshippers from going into the presence of God illustrates the separation that has been brought about by sin. The people of Israel were reminded year after year that there was a huge gulf between them and God. God might be near, but he was fearsome, unnapproachable, holy.

Let's try to bring this closer to home. Imagine this: It's as if you came to church week after week, and there was a huge curtain right down in front of the communion table. And imagine that it was only the pastor who could go behind that curtain -- and that only once a year to ask forgiveness for the sins of everyone in the church. For years you worship this way.

Then imagine that one day you came to church one day and the curtain is torn completely in half. The thing separating you from communing fully with God is gone.

That is a picture of what actually has happened for us spiritually if we have become Christians. Before you accepted Jesus you were separated from God by a thick veil of sin and guilt. You were unable to enter into God's presence, and you could only know him as judge. But Jesus, by his death, removed the barrier that separated you from God. This is what the author of Hebrews means when he says, He opened up a new and living way for us to enter the Most Holy Place.

Our passage from Hebrews calls him a Great High Priest -- because like the high priest in the tabernacle Jesus went behind the curtain and entered into God's presence and offered a sacrifice for us. But unlike the human high priests, his sacrifice was a permanent one, giving us permanent access to the God himself. The barrier has been broken down. The relationship has been restored. There is no longer any need to feel distant or estranged from God.

Now that we have this amazing access to the presence of God, the questions is
ARE WE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF IT?

And that is the main point we need to grasp today: Jesus, by his death, has broken down the barrier that separates us from God. God has accepted us because of what Jesus did -- and our proper response is to take advantage of our access to God-- to draw near to God.

Now you would think we wouldn't need to be told this. That we would jump at the opportunity. But we don't. Why not? What keeps us away? The door to God's presence is open -- what makes you hesitate on the threshold? We have been invited into the Most Holy Place, but we stay at a distance. Why?

1. Perhaps it is simply MISUNDERSTANDING. We may hesitate simply because we don't understand what it means to draw near to God. What does it mean to draw near to God. Sounds sort of mystical. Can I still hold down a normal job, or will I need to join a commune and do this full time?

Let's not complicate things. When an old friend comes to visit, what do you do? Do you stop doing everything you normally do, so that you can gaze at them intently and meditate on their every word all day? Probably not. Do you ignore them? Of course not. What you do is simply to enjoy your friend's company. It's just good to be together -- to talk and laugh. If someone else walks in, no problem, you include them in the conversation. Drawing near to God is nothing more than cultivating a relationship with God -- acknowledging God's presence and allowing Him to be a part of your life.

But there are other barriers -- things that keep us from drawing near to God.

2. Often we hesitate to draw near to God because of GUILT. Guilt is a terrible barrier in any relationship. I have a relationship that is broken right now because of guilt. I made a good friend in Pakistan -- his name was Charles. We really enjoyed spending time together. When I left Pakistan I offered to contact some of Charles family members who were over here, and, of course, promised to stay in touch with him. Good intentions. But when we returned to the U.S. I was busy, there were important things to do -- papers to write, classes to prepare, church matters to attend to. And when I did finally remember Charles, I was so burdened by guilt that I put it out of my mind.

If guilt is keeping you from drawing near to God, you need to remember that the invitation is to draw near to the throne of grace -- not the judgment seat, but the throne of grace. All of your guilt has been removed by Jesus, and you need not be burdened by a guilty conscience.


3. Another huge barrier to drawing near to God is FEAR. You know, the sort of hesitancy you feel when you're not quite sure how you'll be received.

But the invitation is to draw near to God with confidence -- to come boldly.

When my children come to visit me in my office, they don't come timidly up to the door as if I might be angry at them for coming. NO. They race up the stairs and run into the office. That, I think, is what it means to come boldly into God's presence. You are not a stranger to God -- you are his child. Run into his presence boldly, with confidence, knowing that you are accepted.

And there's another thing about my children. They don't wait for an invitation to come to me. They don't worry about whether this is the right time -- they come when they need me, and they expect to get my help immediately. I don't set up office hours for my kids, and if I did I don't think they would pay much attention to them.

God doesn't have office hours either. Don't wait for a worship service, or a special time of prayer, or time alone to draw near to God.

Our Hebrews passage tells us to draw near in our time of need.

When you are under the most pressure. When you are at the worst part of your day -- that is the time to draw near to God and to find the mercy and grace that he offers.


Conclusion:

As we come to the Lord's Table today to celebrate communion, we have a special opportunity to celebrate the access that we have to God. I would like to place the emphasis on the word celebrate. We often observe communion very solemnly -- and that is appropriate because communion reminds us of the huge price that was paid for our sins. But communion is also a celebration and so it is right that we should be joyful too. Let's put the emphasis on joy today.