Do you have access to God?
Steve Johnson
(Audio: English)
SUMMARY: The author talks about a friend who left the church to become Buddhist and how he was so close to finding what he was looking for in Christianity. The author then relates this to the book of Hebrews and how it speaks to the question of what happens when we are so close to the answer and yet drawn by something else. The author explains that the book of Hebrews was written to a group of Christians who had come from Judaism and were thinking of going back to the sacrificial system to deal with their sins. The author then relates this to Christians today who may still sin and struggle with guilt and shame and offers encouragement to approach the throne of grace with confidence to receive mercy and find grace to help in times of need.
The passage in Hebrews 4:14-16 addresses the struggle with sin and the need for a mediator between God and man. The high priest mediates between God and man, but only once a year and only the high priest can go into the Holy of Holies. Jesus, as the Son of God, is the perfect high priest who mediates between God and man continuously and has access to the Father 24/7, 365 days a year. He made one sacrifice, covering all sins past and present. We must remember that we never graduate from the gospel of Jesus Christ and must live it every day.
The writer of Hebrews explains that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross covered all sins, past and future. However, many Christians live as if they need to work hard to earn their salvation rather than living in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus knows temptation better than anyone because he resisted every type of temptation. He never sinned, so he never experienced guilt and shame. The writer of Hebrews encourages Christians to approach the throne of grace with confidence when they're struggling with sin. God still wants sinners to come to Him and receive mercy and grace.
The passage talks about how Jesus is still ministering and interceding for us even after we have been saved, and we can go to Him whenever we need His grace and mercy. It's not about sinning and then asking for forgiveness, but leading a holy life and constantly relying on grace to help us withstand temptation. The focus should be on Jesus, not on sin. We should hold firmly to our faith and not give up, and if we do, we can always go to Jesus for strength and empowerment. The passage encourages us to go to the throne of grace and offers a moment of silence to do so.
The passage in Hebrews 4:14-16 addresses the struggle with sin and the need for a mediator between God and man. The high priest mediates between God and man, but only once a year and only the high priest can go into the Holy of Holies. Jesus, as the Son of God, is the perfect high priest who mediates between God and man continuously and has access to the Father 24/7, 365 days a year. He made one sacrifice, covering all sins past and present. We must remember that we never graduate from the gospel of Jesus Christ and must live it every day.
The writer of Hebrews explains that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross covered all sins, past and future. However, many Christians live as if they need to work hard to earn their salvation rather than living in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus knows temptation better than anyone because he resisted every type of temptation. He never sinned, so he never experienced guilt and shame. The writer of Hebrews encourages Christians to approach the throne of grace with confidence when they're struggling with sin. God still wants sinners to come to Him and receive mercy and grace.
The passage talks about how Jesus is still ministering and interceding for us even after we have been saved, and we can go to Him whenever we need His grace and mercy. It's not about sinning and then asking for forgiveness, but leading a holy life and constantly relying on grace to help us withstand temptation. The focus should be on Jesus, not on sin. We should hold firmly to our faith and not give up, and if we do, we can always go to Jesus for strength and empowerment. The passage encourages us to go to the throne of grace and offers a moment of silence to do so.
I was recently visiting Memphis, Tennessee. I grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, my family is there, my parents are there, my brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, I got to see a lot of people, but to my surprise one person I didn’t expect to see that I did see was a friend, Matt Daniels. Now, Matt is a missionary in Montevideo, Uruguay, so he was up in Memphis visiting his family. His dad actually is sick but it provided an opportunity for he and I to get together and just be friends again. I hadn’t seen him in probably 4 four years, but he used to be a very special person in my life. He was somewhat of a mentor for me and helped as I was growing in my faith and growing in ministry and all the other things that are wrapped up in that. So I really appreciated seeing him.
And while I was with him we talked about ministry in Montevideo. Do you know anything about Montevideo or Uruguay in general? You may know that there is not a strong Catholic background down there. There’s really no strong religious background, in fact, that city, Montevideo is considered the largest unreached people group in Latin American, and there he is amongst the elite of the society, middle class, upper middle class and upper class, people who are highly educated. Their culture is very European in the sense of education and some of the antagonism towards the church that has arisen in Europe as well in the last 120 years. But, he was just describing some of the challenges of reaching lost people in Uruguay.
And while I was with him we talked about ministry in Montevideo. Do you know anything about Montevideo or Uruguay in general? You may know that there is not a strong Catholic background down there. There’s really no strong religious background, in fact, that city, Montevideo is considered the largest unreached people group in Latin American, and there he is amongst the elite of the society, middle class, upper middle class and upper class, people who are highly educated. Their culture is very European in the sense of education and some of the antagonism towards the church that has arisen in Europe as well in the last 120 years. But, he was just describing some of the challenges of reaching lost people in Uruguay.
