Access Granted - Pt. 4

 

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. (Hebrews 9:11-14 ESV).

 

So, you and I live in this new period, called "the reformation." This is an essential truth for us. It is relevant to us in our computerized, instant age of antibiotics and secular solutions to everything. It's relevant because there's one thing that modern life and scientific progress and psychological therapies and medical discoveries have not made the slightest advance in solving. And that is, what is God's work in this "time of reformation" and this text all about? It is all about how people with sinful natures and stained consciences can draw near to God.

 

Isn't it remarkable that when we spend an evening isolated in front of our computer: addicted, as it were, to work or streaming shows or games, the issue, at the end of it all, is not the wonders of technology, or science; the issue is: how can I come to God when I feel so dirty, and how can I come to my wife and children with transparent love, when my conscience is so defiled? (And if you're not into computers, pick your own sin—TV soaps, romance novels, stock market pages, spirit-numbing music, or any one of the thousands of others.).

 

Isn't it remarkable that the basic problems of life never change. The circumstances change, but the basic problems don't change. We are humans, and we have consciences that witness to our sinfulness with testimonies of real guilt. And we know that what keeps us away from God is not dirty hands or soiled clothes or distance from an altar or a priest. What keeps us from God is real sin echoing in a condemning conscience.

 

We desperately need access to genuine forgiveness. We need access to the presence of God. We need the hope that comes from relationships restored through faith. We need Jesus! The good news is that He is available to you now!