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#1 - Boldness For Entrance ...

Boldness For Entrance Into the Holiest Place

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      "Having therefore, brothers, boldness for entrance into the holiest place through the blood of Jesus, the freshly slaughtered, yet living way which he has opened for us through the veil, that is, his flesh, ..."

      The "holiest place", described here, is in heaven. The holy of holies in the temple in Jerusalem was but a shadow of the place now open to us in Christ. But even the shadow was an awesome and terrible place:

      "And Jehovah spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they came near before Jehovah and died; and Jehovah said to Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the sanctuary inside the veil before the mercy-seat which is upon the ark, that he die not; for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy-seat."

      To have the boldness for entrance into such a place would seem to be far beyond us, but faith hears the words of Jesus:

      "Verily, verily, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. ... I am the door: if any one enter in by me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and shall go out and shall find pasture. ...

      "I am come that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.

      "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

      The way through the veil, through His flesh, was opened at great cost:

      "But coming to Jesus, when they saw that he was already dead they did not break his legs, but one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood and water."

      "And lo, the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom, and the earth was shaken, and the rocks were rent."

      The way into the holiest place is now open for those who have, through faith, shared in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God will give you that faith, if you ask. Acknowledge the reality, as revealed by God, that we are all sinners, deserving crucifixion. Be willing to abandon all that is destined to destruction, in order to gain eternal life and eternal treasure, in Christ. Be willing to have as Lord and Savior, One who died in your place. In delay, there is great danger:

      "And if your eye is a snare to you, get rid of it: it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire, where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched."

      And may the family of faith praise their Savior God for the privileges that are theirs to enjoy, within the veil, in Christ Jesus.

      "For you have not received a spirit of bondage again for fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are children of God. ... What shall we then say to these things? If God is for us, who against us? He who, yea, has not spared his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him grant us all things?"

      And may we all focus, and remain focused, on reality, that is, those things that are spiritual and eternal. The things that have been revealed to us in Christ Jesus, now seated at the right hand of God, on high.

      "Little children, keep yourselves from idols."

jvb 11/22/99