Sermon II

But to this exalted privilege there is a corresponding duty. We are not to conceive of privileges as things bestowed solely or chiefly for our sake: in bestowing them, God's interests are primarily to be regarded. It is for His service that we have admission into His house. It is to occupy the place and perform the duties of worshippers, that men have their consciences purged from sins; and therefore, whilst the encouragements presented are the only grounds which will even effectually induce the soul of man to engage in the duties, these privileges cannot be enjoyed — they never can, from their nature, be enjoyed — without convincing the person who does enjoy them of the entire reasonableness of the duties, and without stimulating the person with the desire of engaging in them.

A way into the holiest of all hath been consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, the flesh, the humanity, the broken and bruised humanity of Christ. Through His atoning sacrifice — by His blood — we have boldness to enter in, an unchallengeable right of entrance into the holiest of all; and within that holiest of all we have an high priest over the house of God. Now what is the corresponding duty? To believe, is it, that we have right of access, and there let the matter rest? that we may have an high priest over the house of God, and there let the matter rest? Undoubtedly not. If the boldness, the free unchallengeable right to enter in be our privilege, then to enter in is our duty: — "Having boldness, etc., let us draw near." The term "draw near" in English reads as a mere general term; but as addressed to the Hebrews it has peculiar significance. It is the term which is applied to the approach of a priest drawing near to offer sacrifice. It is called drawing near, because God was to be approached by sacrifice. The nature of the service in the temple was approach to God, and therefore, when we are called to draw near, we are reminded of the duty of worshippers — of what religion subjectively in us, corresponding to religion objectively, giving the right — what religion subjectively is — even drawing near. The privilege is right of access unto God, the duty is that of approach unto God; and no man values the right of access who does not desire to approach. There can be nothing which really satisfies the heart of any man in being told that he is at liberty to approach God, if he has no inclination to approach unto God. He may indeed think that it's a good thing, which he may avail himself of in the future; but as long as a man thinks that, it is evident that he desires in the present to stay away from God, and that therefore he holds present right of access to be no present privilege. Brethren, we may even feel, or think we feel, joy — felt joy in having it set before us, that we have such liberty, such boldness, such unchallenged right to repair first to the blood of sprinkling and then into the very inmost recess of the holy temple of Jehovah, but if so, let us improve it, let us draw near.

"Jehovah is in His holy temple." The Lord is sitting on His throne, "high and lifted up." He is waiting to be gracious; He is exalted that He may show mercy. Great is the Holy one of Israel in the midst of Zion. God is now calling upon us to come near to Him. The way of access has been opened up, but what if, for all this, we prefer to stand out — in the world, on the outside of the temple of Jehovah — and desire not to enter in, desire not to see God, to converse with God, to come to the footstool of His throne, and receive salvation out of His hand through the Mediator, and give service through the same Mediator into His hand?

"Into the holiest of all." Now the holiest, as we were stating, is the place of Jehovah's peculiar presence. It was that which made the typical holiest to be the holiest; it is that which makes the true holiest to be the holiest, because most of God is there, because most specially His perfections, His grace, is most displayed there. Therefore it is unto God we are to draw near. We have been alienated from God, estranged, enemies in our minds by wicked works. Now God is calling us to come in to Him, in to His dwelling-place, His secret place, and there transact with Him, there take up our abode as the priests and ministers of the Lord, who dwell in the house of the Lord, and make abode in His courts. "We are come," saith the Apostle to those who, truly believing the right of access, truly make use of it — who, enlightened and drawn by the Spirit of God, and therefore in simplicity of heart, do come as this blessed Gospel invites — the apostle says of such, "We are come unto mount Zion, unto the city of the living God." etc.

Now, brethren, you say we are convinced; we are satisfied that there is right of access; we are satisfied, you are saying, that however guilty we may be we are fully welcome to come to the blood of Christ, to the foundation opened for sin and for uncleanness, that coming thus by the altar of burnt-offering and by the laver of regeneration, we are welcome to enter into God's holy place. You say you are sure that you are welcome, then what are you doing? When the gate of righteousness is by your own admission set open to you, what are you doing? Entering in by it to bless the Lord! O how self-condemned must the man be, who says the Gospel is true, and the Gospel is free, and saying that, stays away from God! What's the meaning of the Gospel being true, and the Gospel being free, but that just by the altar and laver I, a sinner of mankind, as such, am welcome to enter into the temple and to pass through the rent veil by a new, a living, a consecrated way, to enter into the holiest of all and see God, and worship God in His temple — to see God in His beauty, to inquire in His temple, and to dwell in His temple all the days of my life!

"Let us draw near." The apostle is not here speaking immediately of outward religious ordinances, but of the inward acting of the heart, the direct acting of faith itself on the boldness. Having the boldness to enter, "Let us draw near, with a true heart." It is unto the Lord Jehovah that we are to approach as His worshippers, His priests through Him who was slain and has redeemed us to God by His blood, and made us kings and priests unto God. It is unto Jehovah, who is the true God, the living God, and an everlasting King, whose worship and whose worshippers must correspond in character, in moral character, to Himself. Such as God is, such must all that pertains to God be. God is a holy God, and so His place is a holy place: His temple is a holy temple, His people are holy people, His land is a holy land, and His service a holy service. And so Israel, who were by their relation unto God a holy people, were required of God to be inwardly such, in correspondence to their consecration, "Be ye holy, for I, Jehovah your God, am holy." "God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." He's a living God, and must be worshipped with the living worship of the heart. He requires the heart, because He is a Spirit. He is true, He must be worshipped with a true heart. He requireth truth in the inward parts. Let us then draw near unto God in the holiest of all with a true heart. We cannot come into the holiest of all with our bodies. Saints shall once do that, the time is coming, at the resurrection, at the last day. But there is no part of us that can enter the holiest just now but the heart — the heart in the exercise of a living faith. We remarked that all the service of the Church is transacted in the holiest of all, into which Christ has entered. Now as we cannot enter with our persons just now, there is no other way that we can enter but with our heart, by faith which has its seat in the heart, and the heart required is a true heart — a heart true, true about the work — a heart meaning the service in good faith toward God.

But you may ask more particularly, what is this true heart, and how is it obtained? We are told by the apostle, that "the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned?" This chain is very instructive; it's a descending chain from charity, which is the perfecting grace, the fulfilling of the law — step by step to that first and fundamental grace out of which all others spring. Charity hath its origin out of a pure heart; a pure heart hath its origin out of a good conscience; and a good conscience out of faith unfeigned. We have seen that a good conscience is the purgation of the conscience by the blood of Christ, the efficacy of which is the cause that the worshipper once purged hath no more conscience of sins. It is then the sprinkling of the conscience with the blood of Christ, of which sprinkling the Spirit of God is the Agent, but the instrument on our part is the exercise of faith. A true heart then in approaching unto God is just a believing heart, a heart which holds God true, and so acts towards God as becomes the truth of God; a heart which gives true testimony with regard to the precious blood of Christ, and the trueness and livingness of this way of access; a heart true about the rending of the veil and the consecration of the way; a heart true to the truth about the presence of Christ within the veil, as interceding High Priest; a heart true to God in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them: in its exercise, it is this disposition of truthfulness exercised about these great truths of God.

Let us then come with hearts whose testimony is just the same as God's testimony to us, whose design in seeking to enter in is just entering into the design of God in inviting us — that's a true heart; a heart in our coming corresponding to the heart of God exhibited in the opening up the way and issuing out the invitation. It's a heart approving of God and the service of God; a heart approving of the grace that God is to give, approving of the service that God desires to receive; a heart approving of the way of access; a heart entering in just in simplicity of mind, and so, through the grace He doth engage to give, disposed to give the service He doth ask.

Go to the next installment:
Drawing Near to God: Part IV