January 12. Hebrews 9

Hebrews 9: Access Granted

ACCESS. Doesn’t it feel good when you have it? Whether it’s access to healthcare, a bank loan, backstage to a concert, or just your local Walmart, it feels good to be able to gain entry to something and use what is available without hindrance. 

This morning’s passage in Hebrews 9 is about access. Access to our Father in heaven. The Hebrew writer takes time to sketch the layout of the temporary tabernacle used by Israel in the desert. While he says he doesn’t have time to go into detail, seems like he goes into plenty of detail to me! He describes the Holy Place and then the Most Holy Place. 

Then he describes what the priests and high priest had to do on a daily and annual basis in that tabernacle in order to secure temporary forgiveness of sin. It was quite the ordeal. God was not very accessible at all. 

That is contrasted with what Jesus (our perfect High Priest) did. He entered the real (not a copy) tabernacle in heaven and offered his own blood (not the blood of goats and bulls) one time for all time (not over and over again). 

Because of Jesus performing this duty, we have been granted ACCESS to the Father.. Christ gives us unfiltered, unfettered, unrestricted, unprecedented access to the Father through the once for all sacrifice of his blood!

No longer must we be descended from a particular person, wearing just the right clothes, entering a certain physical place carrying the exact sacrifice on a specific date to gain access to the glory of God. Now, we have this access to our Father at any time in any place through the sacrifice of Jesus’ blood!

Heb 10:19 “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus…”

In the same way that we would be eager to access our healthcare or banking system when we need it, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Heb 4:16)

Go ahead. Approach him. He’s waiting to listen to your every need.