The Book of Hebrews is one of my favourite books. I also need this book very much. We once studied “come before God”. For example, Hebrews 4:16 encourages us by saying, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” In the book of Revelation, a rainbow is around the throne. This is the throne of grace, and from the throne, we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
We have come to Mount Zion. The word “come” used in this verse is the same as “draw near” as in “draw near to the throne of grace”. We can see that both instances encourage us to come before God and have a heart to draw near to Him.
Hebrews 7:25 reads, “Consequently, He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him (the Lord), since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
Hebrews 10:1 reads, “For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.” “Draw near” is mentioned again in this Bible verse.
Hebrews 10:19-22 reads, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
Once again, “draw near” is used in verse 22. It becomes very clear to us why the Lord shed His blood and died for us: He wants us to enter the holy places, where God shows His glory and special presence, and where man can be the nearest to God. The Lord shed His blood, so that we can draw near to God with confidence. We can be very close to Him and enjoy being face to face with Him. He tells us to have a true heart in full assurance of faith.
Hebrews 11:6 reads, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
Those who seek God will be rewarded. The Lord once said, “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6) The Father prepares gifts for you every time you come before Him.
“Draw near” is also used in Hebrews 11:6: “For whoever would draw near to God…”
Again and again, Hebrews encourages you to draw near to God. And you will be rewarded for doing so. You will receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. His salvation is perfect. Again and again He asks you to come to Him. You are most welcomed by Him.
Hebrews 12:22 says that we have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. God, the judge of all is there. It’s so good that God is the judge of all. We are no longer in fear because the Lord has borne our sins. The problem of sin has been solved and settled. We are justified before God. God, the judge of all, counted it to us as righteousness! I really like Psalm 4, where David prayed: O God of my righteousness. It is so precious that God is the righteous judge of all. In addition to love, His forgiveness is also just.
1 John 1:9 clearly says that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. This can be done because the Lord has borne our sins. By man’s work, it is impossible to be forgiven by God. God’s beloved Son suffered extreme pain for us. The Father even chastised Him, allowed Him to endure the pain, and made Him the sacrifice for us. While the Lord was on earth, He said that He is the Way. Having the Way is the foremost. Without the Way, nothing can be done. Without the Way, no one can return to God. If we cannot come before God, we have nothing.
Hebrews chapter 10 says that by the blood of Jesus, He opened for us a new and living way, so that we can enter the holy places with confidence. This is very precious. High priests from the past could only enter the Holy of holies once a year. They might enter in fear. However, when the Lord died, the veil was torn into two from top to bottom! When I sing hymns related to this event, I often say, “Forever the veil is torn.” I also often say, “Explosive joy! God is in overwhelming joy!” When the Lord died, the veil was torn from top to bottom. God tore the veil. He doesn’t want any barriers between us and Him — to a point that He sent His beloved Son to die for us. His love is truly shown! The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit endured such great pain that we will never be able to comprehend! It is so precious that He truly wants to gain us!
Sins being forgiven is already an immense grace! The word immense is not quite sufficient to describe this grace. Indeed this grace is beyond measure. With salvation as the foundation, by God’s grace, we have become who we are. And this grace was demonstrated by the Lord shedding His own blood. Not only did He die for us, He also lives for us forever. With His love desire towards us, He lives for us and plans an eternity for us. This is what we can enjoy with Him. This is very important and is what Hebrews aims to achieve. We are Abba’s dear children and the Lord’s darling. However, it does not do us any good if we don’t draw near to Him and experience Him. Would a married couple be satisfied if they are not close to each other but merely bear a title of husband and wife? Will God be satisfied if we are not close to Him? The Lord is our true Beloved. This relationship is true, and the deepest in the whole universe, full of God’s romance. Do we treasure God’s affection in this relationship? If we do, we would draw near to Him and yearn for Him. He yearns for us, therefore, we should also desire Him. It is so precious that His love is infinite. No matter how much we yearn for Him, His desire towards us will always be deeper and more fervent. No matter how much we love Him, He always loves us more. We ought to love God. He really treasures our love.
The Gospel of John tells us that the Lord Jesus is God. He asked Peter, “Do you love Me?” The Creator of all, the self-existing infinite One yearns for Peter. He has the same desire towards you. He also asks us, “Do you love Me?” Without love, everything is hollow. The Lord demands us, His disciples, to love Him more than anything else, to love Him even more than our parents. He is the only one worthy of us to commit ourselves to. It’s so amazing that He first gave Himself for us. He is the infinite One. His glory is beyond words. This grace towards us came with a very high price. To give us this grace, the Lord endured the greatest pain. We should treasure coming before Him.
1 Thessalonians chapter 5 says that He died for us for a reason: so that whether we are awake, or asleep, we might live with Him. To be awake is when we are alive on earth; to be asleep is when we go to Him after we die. Now through eternity, He desires only one thing, and He has never changed. It is for us to live with Him. He wants to live with you, and be the closest to you.