Hebrews 4:16 ESV  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.

Hebrews 10:19-22 Webster  (19)  Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,  (20)  By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the vail, that is to say, his flesh;  (21)  And having a high priest over the house of God;  (22)  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Dear Fellowship of the Burning Heart:

Behind the veil stood the ark of the covenant, the most sacred piece of furniture in the tabernacle. On top of the ark the mercy seat was placed, two cherubim spreading out their wings over the covering and looking with reverence on the seat where the very glory of God emanated. What a glorious site it must have been. And his glory was the only light in that place; there was no golden candlestick.

In the ark were placed the Ten Commandments etched on two tablets of stone, a copy for each covenantal partner, which reminded the Israelites that God’s Word lay at the core of their faith. Also, a pot of manna was placed in the ark to remind them of God’s provision. The budding rod of Aaron was also there, some arguing that it was placed in the ark while others that it stood beside the ark. This rod was a reminder of the authority that lay behind the priesthood and its rituals, the authority of God himself, who upheld the role and ministry of Aaron when challenged by others.

Surely it must have been the deep desire of the priests to someday enter and experience the presence of God in the most holy place, for they stood and constantly ministered near the place that was the focal point of God’s presence. However, only one man, the high priest, only once a year, could enter there. This prohibition (if we can assume that human nature was as active in the priesthood as in our lives today) must have heightened the desire to enter the forbidden place. That privilege was never afforded most of the Old Testament believers.

But we are the recipients of this very privilege. They had the shadow, we enjoy the reality. The curtain is torn, the way is open, we are invited into the very presence of God. The New Testament makes abundantly clear that an intimate relationship with God is the goal that the work of Christ accomplished.

John 14:23 ESV  Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

It is a blessed truth that the Spirit of God takes up his residence in us and his indwelling presence assures us of all that God has promised, since he is the “downpayment of our inheritance” (Ephesians 1:14). St. Paul tells us that, if the Spirit does not indwell us, we don’t belong to God (Romans 8:9). The Spirit is the source of our enablement and empowerment (Romans 8:11). We are God’s temple to be inhabited by him, both the church as a whole (1 Corinthians 3:16), and individual members in particular (1 Corinthians 6:19).

These are theological truths of the Christian faith to be accepted objectively by Christians who have believed in Christ. Objective truth, truth that is accepted as such in the mind, is important truth to accept. But I have come to believe that the truth of the indwelling Spirit of God is more than objective truth. It must become a subjective reality for the Christian. I mean by this that we Christians must come to the place where that indwelling of the Spirit is experienced in our lives.

A. W. Tozer makes this clear in his book, The Pursuit of God, in the chapter, Removing the Veil:

Everything in the New Testament accords with this Old Testament picture. Ransomed men need no longer pause in fear to enter the Holy of Holies. God wills that we should push on into His Presence and live our whole life there (author’s emphasis). This is to be known to us in conscious experience. It is more than a doctrine to be held, it is a life to be enjoyed every moment of every day. This Flame of the Presence was the beating heart of the Levitical order. Without it all the appointments of the tabernacle were characters of some unknown language; they had no meaning for Israel or for us. The greatest fact of the tabernacle was that Jehovah was there; (author’s emphasis) a Presence was waiting within the veil. Similarly the Presence of God is the central fact of Christianity. At the heart of the Christian message is God Himself waiting for His redeemed children to push in to conscious awareness of His Presence. That type of Christianity which happens now to be the vogue knows this Presence only in theory. It fails to stress the Christian’s privilege of present realization.

Can we be satisfied with the objective truth only? Can we be content to give mental assent to the indwelling Spirit, but never experience the reality of the living God residing in us? Are we ready to press on to experience what the New Testament proclaims is our privilege as children of God? The glory of God awaits us. The glory that changes us awaits us. The glory that is indescribably precious awaits us. We dare not fear that we are unworthy or that he is unwilling. We must confidently claim what is rightfully ours. This is the experience that awaits us:

2 Corinthians 3:18 KJV  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

How can we go through the motions of feigning worship, of pretending to live a vibrant Christian life, of thinking that right belief is enough, of hoping that relationships with fellow believers will satisfy, of pursuing a powerless existence, of avoiding the gaping spiritual hole in our lives?

At the end of his chapter on Removing the Veil Tozer plainly tells us what he sees as the remedy to this malady:

Let us beware of tinkering with our inner life in hope ourselves to rend the veil. God must do everything for us. Our part is to yield and trust. We must confess, forsake, repudiate the self-life, and then reckon it crucified. But we must be careful to distinguish lazy ‘acceptance’ from the real work of God. We must insist upon the work being done. We dare not rest content with a neat doctrine of self-crucifixion. That is to imitate Saul and spare the best of the sheep and the oxen.

Insist that the work be done in very truth and it will be done. The cross is rough, and it is deadly, but it is effective. It does not keep its victim hanging there forever. There comes a moment when its work is finished and the suffering victim dies. After that is resurrection glory and power, and the pain is forgotten for joy that the veil is taken away and we have entered in actual spiritual experience the Presence of the living God. Lord, how excellent are Thy ways, and how devious and dark are the ways of man. Show us how to die, that we may rise again to newness of life. Rend the veil of our self-life from the top down as Thou didst rend the veil of the Temple. We would draw near in full assurance of faith. We would dwell with Thee in daily experience here on this earth so that we may be accustomed to the glory when we enter Thy heaven to dwell with Thee there. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.