Thursday, November 15, 2012

The Epistle to the Hebrews part CCXXXIX

Hebrews 10:18
"Now where the remission of these is,
(that is their sins and iniquities that God has now cleansed them of) there is no more offering for sin."
It’s all over. No more animal sacrifices, no more washings, no more tithes, no more religious holidays or holy days as such. As Christ is the fullness of the requirements for God's Christianity is derived from above, as religion is derived from below, the earthy and devilish, and is therefore demonic. No more crucifixion. It’s all done with that one-time offering of Christ. All right, now in verse 19, we’re going right back again up into the throne room of Heaven as it were.

Hebrews 10:19a
"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest…"

The very Holy of Holiest in Heaven, and we can enter in boldly. How through the eternal blood of Christ, through the veil of His human flesh which housed Him and houses us. Now how is this beyond human comprehension that you and I have access literally, not in physical ways but by the spirit in Spirit. We have it in the realm of the Spirit where we can enter into the Holy of Holiest boldly because of what?

Hebrews 10:19b
"…by the blood of Jesus."

The blood of Christ. That all sufficient sacrificial price that was paid for our total redemption and the working out of our salvation. But the working out is NOT by way of physical labor or religious works but is our sitting under God in patient anticipation of receptivity of His activity. Much like a small child of the streets flows the mark for the reception of a gift, a blessing. For such is the meaning of, suffer not the children to come onto me (Matthew 19: 14, Mark 10:14; Luke 18:16).

Now before I go any further, I’m reminded of a couple books that I read when I was still rather young. I imagine I was in my thirties and I was just beginning to really get interested in the Word of God. And I read two books, both titled ‘True Spirituality.’ One was written by Dr. Francis Schaeffer, a tremendous Swiss theologian. But his was so deep that I would sometimes have to go back and read it over three, four, five times before I could get what he was trying to say. I finally came to the conclusion that I just couldn't attain to that level of spirituality that he was writing about. It just seemed so far beyond me that I finally got it.

Then about the same time I read another book titled the same way, ‘True Spirituality,’ by Watchman Nee, a Chinese man. Well, I had the same response to that one. I thought, there’s a way – I can become or get this spiritual. I can get to where these guys are. I just have to become receptive, thou I didn't fully understand how. You know we read many books or autobiographies that did not reveal the background trials that the people of these books were written about went through. Not until we were led by the Holy Spirit to Ian Thomas and Andrew Murray did we begin to get the understanding of how God works within us through Christ. But then only if Christ's essence has been restored within us.

Another was titled “The Holiest of All” written by Andrew Murray and we've read it many times because like the Bible it just became our Life’s story, a living reality. Then there's William Law and Major William Ian Thomas who is credited with doing a rewrite of the papers of a Germany boot maker named Jacob Behoem. Now I must add to these some commentaries written by James Fowler of “Christ In You Ministries” titled “Gospel Commentary” and “Galatians Commentary”. He has a third on this book of Hebrews but we haven't opened it at this time.

But you see, I can see now why young believers, or maybe even young people in physical age, cannot get exercised or excited by these things because it just seems so unattainable, because we’re so wrapped up with the things of this world. After all, we’re trying to be successful in life. We’re in school, work or raising our kids, and all the things associated with it and then these things just become almost mundane or given no thought or at best little thought.

But I hope and pray that I can get people out of that rut regardless of where they’re at – that this is very attainable. Even for the young person. Even for the teenager. Even for the thirty-something covered up with activity. Yet, God wants us to understand that we can enter into the Holiest of Holiest, right now today. And so it’s not something unattainable, it’s not something that only some great theologian or evangelist can attain. But you see, I try to keep myself at your level, as a child, so you and I can attain all this together. I’m not one foot above any one of you. As Paul said, “I'm all things to all people,” well that's my and our attitude also. We've found the key and have passed through the veil and are now in the Lord's strength, we trust we're a help to others. Not as a know it all but as an aid for only you can decide to allow Him in to do what is in His power and His Will to do in you through you.

And so now look what he’s talking about, that we have this boldness because of that tremendous sacrificial price of the blood of Christ and the finished work of the cross, that we can now come into the very throne room of Heaven, the presence of God.

Hebrews 1:20a
"By a new and living way,…"

Again, that Greek word translated in English ‘living’ is more than what meets the eye. But it’s an ongoing thing that has potential for how long? Eternity. This living way is not just alive for today. It will be alive to the extent of eternity, an Everlasting or Endless Life, the power of resurrection, the power that over comes, victory. It’s never going to run down.

Hebrews 1:20b
"…which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;"

Now I’m sure many of you have heard the term that the body of Christ was ‘the veil.’ Or the veil was the body of Christ. And it’s always been an enigma to me. I think you know what an enigma is. It’s when you see somebody through a frosted glass and all you can see is the outline. You can’t see detail. Well, this whole concept of the body of Christ being the veil was an enigma for me, I think, until I started this series in Hebrews.

Now finally and hopefully I can pass it on to the ordinary everyday believer. When Christ took on human flesh and He became sin for us, it was that body of flesh then and that shed blood that opened up the way into the Holy of Holiest. You know, that back there in the Tabernacle and later on in the Temple, this was the veil. Huge, Thick as the width of a man’s hand. And they would come in from the east and here were the furnishings of the front and right behind the veil was this Ark of the Covenant, with the wings of the cherubim over spreading it and so forth.

Anyhow the veil is what kept the priests of Israel from coming into the presence of God because, after all, from Adam’s fall, what separated mankind from God? Sin! There was a veil of smoke that was in the Heavenlies Holiest place that separated sin from God. Mans sin went up into the Holiest as smoke raising from a fire. Sinful men could not come into the presence of such a holy and a righteous God. So it was that great veil that just kept us out. All right, but now when Christ came bodily – come back with me to Colossians, and the other one is in II Corinthians chapter 5 and then Peter's letter.

Colossians 2:9
"For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."


No comments:

Post a Comment