Approach!

Approach!

Hebrews 4:16 AMPC

[16] Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God's unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].

This is a season of need. A lot of things have gone wrong and many things will still go very wrong. Sin has changed the landscape for man, as we are alll born corrupted and subject to death and eternal destruction. It did not matter how innocent we looked when we were born, or how morally upright we have tried to be as adults; as long as the nature of sin is present and applicable, we just could not rise above the limits of that old nature. To make matters worse, the old nature could not provide a way out of the mess it had created and subjected all men to, and someone had to provide another way out, completely different from the old nature, to get us reconciled to God and break the hold of the old nature over us. A picture of what Christ as high priest came to do was presented to us by Aaron the high priest. His role was to offer sacrifices of blood on behalf of the people, as well as himself too.

The issue with Aaron was that he too was faulty and needed help too. He would have to offer blood, first for himself, even before he could offer for anyone else. In the course of the earthly ministry of Aaron, we see times where his sons failed miserably in the discharge of their duties. Even before he was anointed as priest, he had led Israel down the path of idolatry. It was not a wonder that the role of the high priest stood only for such a time when Jesus was made manifest. In all the centuries that followed Aaron as high priest, the sacrifice of blood was sufficient for covering the sin of the people. The sacrifice did not deal with the foundation and offshoot of sin, because it did not have the power of forgiveness and eternal redemption. This is where the role of our new high priest is very important. All that the old order could not solve has been fully addressed under this new order birthed by Christ.

Christ did not need to offer sacrifices for his own sin as He is sinless; he is the perfect offering, without spot, wrinkle, blemish or stain. He took his own blood and offered it up before God as the total package of redemption and forgiveness for us all. He paid the price for past, present and future sin, which also makes His sacrifice very peculiar. Even for the sins that are yet to be committed by those yet to be born, these have been fully paid for. The secrets of the Holy of Holies have been laid bare to us, and we have been given direct access into the presence of the Holy God, which is something we dared not do under the old order. We have access to the grace and mercy of God, and we can come in anytime. There are now no limits to those who can approach the throne of God's grace. I come in without fear, because the fear of sin has been permanently dealt with. What are you waiting for? God's time of favour is here.