Good morning.
Turn to Hebrews 10. I just want to look at a verse here: Hebrews 10:25.
Hebrews is a word of exhortation and encouragement. Verse 25 says:
Not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some,
but encouraging one another;
and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
As we think about times like Wednesday and next Sunday, think of them as a time of encouragement to others.
Not many are speakers. So we do not come up here to be speakers, but if we can bring something of Christ, that would encourage one another. The only thing that really encourages us is God Himself.
So, as we come up here, let me put it this way: if I can get up here, anybody can get up here and have something to share of Christ that would encourage one another. We need encouragement.
We need encouragement in these last days because the days are evil, and the time is at hand. So I want to encourage everybody to take it seriously. If you have a word of encouragement, the purpose is the building up of the body of Christ when we are sharing.
So, encourage one another. That is another theme in this book of Hebrews: encourage one another.
Obviously, the last several times—the last three times I shared—I was sharing something from the book of Hebrews. What does the Lord have to say?
Just as a way of reminder, look at Hebrews 1:1:
God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,
in these last days has spoken to us in His Son,
whom He appointed heir of all things,
through whom also He made the world.
We have to thank the Lord that He would be so condescending and gracious to speak to us—a living Word. He would speak to us.
Now, at the end of Hebrews, look at Hebrews 13:22:
But I urge you, brethren, bear with this word of exhortation,
for I have written to you briefly.
If it is not clear by this time, the author had a word of exhortation for the recipients. And, you know, I have said before that I think we react to the thought of a word of exhortation. We do not like to be corrected.
There is another side to exhortation. It is correction, but it is also redirection. It says earlier—or later—in this book that if we are not those disciplined by the Lord, we are illegitimate children. So we ought to thank the Lord for speaking to us and exhorting us.
The Amplified translation renders that verse:
I call on you, brethren, to listen patiently and bear with this message of exhortation and admonition and encouragement, for I have written to you briefly.
So this is a word of encouragement. Another practical way to think of a word of encouragement is that we are driving down the road. Some people I know drift when they drive. They do not pay attention. They sightsee.
We should be thankful, if we are of that ilk, that there is someone with us who will say, “Watch out. Look out.”
I am very fortunate to have a wife. I have been known to wander a little bit. I even have to admit, Brother Kong, one day I was helping him go to a doctor’s appointment, and he said, “Watch out.”
I am thankful. I am thankful that someone would tell me, “Watch out,” because that keeps us from going the wrong direction and gets us to the right direction.
We need exhortation because the Lord has called us to Himself. He has called us for a purpose. He does not want us to get off that purpose. He has called us to sonship.
And you know what? He wants to sum up all things in Christ, and He wants us to be part of it. Think about it: He wants us to be part of it. So He would encourage us and exhort us.
As I was preparing, I could not get away from an illustration that I want to share a little bit. Why do we share illustrations, Kenny? Because it helps us relate spiritual principles.
I could not help but think of the James River. I guess I think about water and rivers a lot. I was raised in northern Illinois on rivers and spring-fed lakes, so I have water in my soul. I think we all do. Rivers are living water in our soul.
This James River is the biggest thing in Richmond. How many people know much about the James River?
What if I told you that we live on a fall line? Who knows what the fall line is? That is a fourth-grade teacher and another teacher. Fourth-grade Mort knows. They teach it in fourth grade.
That is why Richmond is here: you could not go up the river any further. The fall line is the difference between two geographic natures. It is from the Piedmont to the Tidewater. The Piedmont still has rocks in it, and the Tidewater becomes pretty sandy and marshy really fast.
This fall line really goes all the way up the East Coast. Interstate 95 follows the fall line. But that fall line, with the river going through it, causes the James River to fall a number of feet through Richmond. It also makes it a great attraction to whitewater rafters.
This is a famous place for whitewater rafting. But let us think about that for a minute.
Who knows where the Huguenot Flatwater is? Right out there, I think. You go over it every week.
What do they do on the Huguenot Flatwater? They just float and tube, and it is real easygoing—kind of like our lives. It is easygoing and smooth, just floating along.
But the next big spot on this river is Pony Pasture. They call it Pony Pasture because they used to keep ponies there.
At Pony Pasture, the water begins falling. It is still pretty safe, but there are some big rocks in there. Every few years, does someone not drown at Pony Pasture, Kenny? Because they are not prepared.
They are not prepared. They are not anticipating what comes ahead. So the application is that we need to be prepared.
The climax of the river is the Hollywood Rapids. Gail Spence would be answering all of this. I will read you what the Hollywood Rapids are about.
After Corner Rapids is Hollywood, named for Hollywood Cemetery, which overlooks this area from the north. This rapid is best known and is often debated for classification.
At higher water, there are large keeper holes. Lower levels increase the chance of hitting rocks if you are upside down. So think about this: this is where we are headed spiritually. If you are upside down, you hit rocks.
You can see these rapids if you ever go out to Belle Isle. To set up for Hollywood, eddy out at the Grateful Dead Rock, about one hundred feet below the bottom ledge of Corner Rapid. A Grateful Dead emblem is painted on the rocks.
This is the best place to scout, with easy access to the pathway on Belle Isle. To run Hollywood, ferry out to the main current and look for a line between two holes named Flipper and Stripper.
What do you think they are called Flipper? They flip you over, yes.
These guys prepare to be upside down. They have helmets on, and they are prepared. Paddle back to the right, follow the current, and look for a tall standing wave. Go straight for the peak. Use a left angle and continue paddling left to avoid the washing machine.
There is a meaty hole in front of the large rock on the bottom right of the initial drop. Continue working left in the runout. Depending on water level, there may be a large standing wave after the first drop, or smaller ledges broken with smaller pour-overs.
The runout is fast-moving water, but there is a recovery eddy on the left to set up for your options below.
Hollywood is coming, guys. That is why I think it is so important that the Lord would be gracious to us and grant us grace to be prepared for what is coming, and to be preparing for His return.
No reasonable human being would get out in the Hollywood Rapids without training—a lot of training—and without a guide.
So I think right now we are at the Huguenot Flatwater, or maybe we are approaching Pony Pasture. Be prepared, because Hollywood is coming.
The answer the Lord gives us for being prepared in this book of Hebrews is Hebrews 12:2: fixing our eyes on Jesus.
The first three times I spoke, the outlines were:
Today, the next movement in this book says, “Draw near.” Draw near.
Hebrews 10:19-25 is really the text. I think this came out at the table today: our ability and the way for us have been made clear, that we may draw near to God.
There cannot be any better way to prepare for His return, and to live our lives, than to draw near to Him.
I have said before that this is not a joke. Handing out an outline like this is meant for simple people like me to remember what the Lord was speaking and to keep it.
I think this principle of drawing near is important. You know, do not drift. I cannot get away from “do not drift.” I have a burden for my family about not drifting, and I have a burden for myself about drawing near.
I cannot speak for the other guys, but if I am up here speaking and share something like this, do not think I have got it. Do not think I am speaking at you. I am sharing with you. We all need to draw near.
Let us read Hebrews 10:19-25:
Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus,
by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,
and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near
with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;
and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,
not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some,
but encouraging one another;
and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
So the title is “Draw Near.” I have five points. Sorry, Kenny, I cannot do that three-point outline. I thought about calling you and asking for help to make it three—three alliterations.
None of these are long points, so do not start snoring. But if we do not take anything more away from our time together, remember: draw near. That is it. That is the message. Draw near.
It is God’s will that we draw near. He has made complete provision for us to do so. It is to our immense benefit to be doing so. We just need to do it. Just do it.
Notice, I said “to be doing so.” This drawing near is continual. It is not a one-time thing, but a continual thing—to be continually drawing near.
Man was created to have communion with God. In the garden, there was open communion between God and man.
We should note that man is created fundamentally different from animals. Man has a spirit, soul, and body. Man has a spirit that animals do not have.
That spirit is a deep-within organ that longs for communion with God and is never satisfied without that communion.
Before you were saved, did you ever have a longing for God? How many people, before they got saved, had some kind of longing for God? How did you express that? “There has got to be God. Something is not done in me. Where is God?”
I do not think there will be any complete satisfaction until we get to God. I said before: we will not get rest until we get to God.
I think this whole humanistic thing—all the politics, all the stuff stirred up, as Psalm 2 says—is trying to satisfy that inner longing for relationship and fellowship with God, and it just does not get it. It misses it.
So do not get sucked into politics. Do not get sucked into the things of this world to satisfy you. The only thing that satisfies is God Himself.
Since you have been saved, do you still have that longing for God? Does it get smothered up with a lot of other things? If you do not have that longing, God help me, but we really should continue to have that longing.
The flip side to that is that not only are we created to be in communion with God; He longs to be with us. Can you believe it?
Revelation 3:20 says:
Behold, I stand at the door and knock;
if anyone hears My voice and opens the door,
I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
This is the last church. This is the last thing the Lord has to say when He is examining all these churches: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.”
Now let us look at the garden. Genesis 3:9 is after the fall:
Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”
Adam and Eve had taken fig leaves and hidden from God because they knew they had sinned. They knew they were not able to be in His presence. What did God say? “Where are you?”
If you want to add something to your outline, write this: Where are you?
John Blanchard, where are you? Where am I? Young people, wherever you are, where are you? Those who have been in the Lord for some number of years, where are you?
Old people—however you count yourself—where are you? Put your name in there. John, where are you? Tack, where are you? Jim, where are you?
The Lord is calling us to Himself, and I get so bumbled up and drawn away from that.
What happened in the garden? We know that sin entered in. Adam took an independent path, and because of that sin, the Lord could not abide in communion with Adam. Adam could not have communion with God.
Genesis 3:22-24 says:
Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil;
and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—
therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken.
So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.
Shut out—out of communion with God.
We often think, when we see a bad circumstance—someone goes through an illness or loses a loved one—“How can a loving God do that?”
In our country, in this age of grace, we can easily have what I call greasy grace: “God is love,” and that is it. He is God of love, do not get me wrong. But He is also righteous, holy, and truthful.
Because of that character, He cannot abide sin. He rightfully has nothing to do with sin because of His holy nature.
But because of that holy nature, He continued to have a longing for communion with man, and He implemented the old covenant.
The old covenant basically says that because of sin, and because the Father cannot deal with it, it requires the death of the sinner. It requires blood to be spilled.
In the Old Testament, because of His graciousness, He allowed the death of a perfect animal and the spilling of animal blood—a substitutionary method of dealing with our sin—to reestablish a relationship with Him.
Let us read a summary of how things worked in the Old Testament from Hebrews 9:1-7:
Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary.
For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread; this is called the holy place.
Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies,
having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant;
and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. But of these things we cannot now speak in detail.
Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle, performing the divine worship,
but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.
In the Old Testament, this face-to-face, open communion with God was available, but it was only available on such a limited basis. It was the high priest going into the Holy of Holies once a year, and the rest of the people had to worship from afar.
The Holy of Holies was the presence of God, and that is where we are all intended to live in communion.
Hebrews says that God has a better way. Hebrews uses the word better often, and the better covenant is the new covenant.
God has made complete provision in Christ for us to be restored to that intimate relationship with Him. The privilege that was lost in the garden has been restored.
Those animal sacrifices in the Old Testament had to be repeated often. Do you ever get worn out reading the books about the sacrifices? I am not very good at that. It is kind of discouraging.
Hebrews 10:4 says:
For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
But Hebrews 9:11-12 says:
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come,
He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;
and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood,
He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
On the cross, the Lord said, “It is finished.” His provision has been made for us. The repeated animal sacrifices have been done away with. As I said before, the way is wide open.
How can we better prepare than to live in God’s presence and spend time in His presence?
The section we read from Hebrews 10:19-25 talks about a number of things that have been done. We can draw near by the blood. “Let us draw near,” with hearts sprinkled clean, and so forth.
I want to look at a few things that have been done—the provision available for us in Christ in this new covenant—to enter into the holy place, and to abide and remain there.
The way has been made clear. All we have to do is avail ourselves of it.
The first thing the section says is that the veil has been torn. Remember Matthew 27:50-51:
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom;
and the earth shook and the rocks were split.
The veil has been torn in two. It was really heavy and thick. It was there to keep you from looking in, to keep light out and keep it dark in there, so man could not get in.
But on the cross, the veil was torn in two from top to bottom, signifying that God removed the veil. He split that veil and made the way clear.
That veil being torn is perhaps an external miracle, a testimony to the spiritual truth that the veil has been torn. The way has been made clear into the Holy of Holies. It is finished.
The second thing that went on there was the shedding of blood. How powerful is this blood? It has provided an eternal washing and propitiation for sins. It never has to be repeated year by year. It is finished.
Sometimes I think most of us, in our upbringing, get into the blood and think the blood is a magic wand. We say, “The blood of Jesus, the blood of Jesus,” in deliverance sessions and things like that. We use it like a magic potion.
It is not. It is a spiritual reality, an eternal fact that is all-sufficient.
Brother Nee, in The Normal Christian Life, says the blood answers Godward, manward, and Satanward.
God is satisfied with that blood. The sinless life has been given, and the Father has accepted that sacrifice.
We know John 3:16:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
God is satisfied with the blood.
Hebrews 10:14-17 says:
For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.
And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying,
“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days,” says the Lord:
“I will put My laws upon their heart, and on their mind I will write them,”
He then says,
“And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
The blood satisfies the Father.
The blood satisfies man. I think this is something we do not think about too much. The text says it washes the believer clean from an evil conscience—perhaps better translated, a guilty conscience.
Man was created with a conscience, and the conscience is a function of our spirit. Hopefully, as believers, we have a more sensitive conscience than the worldly man does.
Brother Nee says that it is where we judge right and wrong. He says it reproves sin and approves righteousness. Hopefully, with a quickened conscience at our new birth, we will be living in righteousness and will not have to get to the point of reproving sin.
But if we sin, our conscience becomes stirred, and we realize we cannot face God directly. When we sin, we need to deal with that sin and get clear with God quickly.
We need to keep short accounts. We need to realize we have sinned and are carrying this guilty conscience. We need to deal with it. If we do not, we will eat ourselves alive. We really will. This is a real practical thing.
We need to agree with God’s assessment and move on. Brother Nee describes it this way:
I recognize my sins. I confess that I have need of cleansing and of atonement, and come to God on the basis of the finished work of the blood of Jesus.
We need to keep short accounts and not be undone.
Finally, the blood answers Satan. It works Godward, manward, and Satanward.
We have taught numerous times in the last few years about Revelation 12. Revelation 12:10-11 says:
Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come,
for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down,
he who accuses them before our God day and night.
And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony,
and they did not love their life even when faced with death.
Keep short accounts. We need to be careful that we do not accept the accusation of the enemy. We give ground, and we give it because we think so much of ourselves: “Oh, I am such a sinner.”
No, you are not. You are dead. You are not a sinner, and God has dealt with that sin. Take that forgiveness and move on.
Do not spend the rest of your days under accusation. We open the door for the enemy to accuse us. I am speaking from experience. Do not do it. Keep short accounts.
I used to do it at work quite a bit. I would make a mistake and think I was going to get in trouble. Stop it. I did make mistakes. I made a lot of mistakes. I made fatal mistakes. But do not receive it.
“Lord, I am sorry. I blew it. Forgive me. I take Your forgiveness and cut off the ground of the enemy.”
The blood answers Satanward for sure.
We have these things in this passage: the veil has been torn, we have these three facets of the blood, and it also says that we have a high priest.
It says, “Since we have a great high priest, let us draw near.” Hebrews 4:14-16 says:
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses,
but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace,
so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
We have a high priest. We have an advocate. We have that high priest at the right hand of the Father, in the Holy of Holies.
If we have lost it, if we are drifting, if we are undone, we have a place to go. We have an open way to go to the Lord Jesus, who ever lives to make intercession for us.
So there is full provision. There is full provision for us to draw near to God.
But God—everybody says, “But God”—and it is true: but God. We could have been there at the garden: no entrance, out, out. That is all done away with. We have the great gift to draw near to God.
So, the last point: what hinders us? What hinders us?
I was thinking I could make some points, but I do not think I will. Just think about it. What hinders us? What is the number one thing that hinders us?
Unbelief. Busyness. The self-life.
We have, in addition to having this spirit within us, this soul-life in us that gets really stirred up and cannot come to rest. It gets so involved in work and in the world.
The world would love to take away. Think about it: the world is more demanding—I can tell you—way more demanding than when I was a young man.
We can deny it. We can say, “What do I need of a job? I need provision. I need shelter and food and heat. That is enough.” But the world will not have it. It wants more.
Years ago, a brother who met with us was working for IBM. Another brother said, “They are driving me crazy. What should I do?” They went to Brother Kong and said, “They want one hundred and ten percent. They want one hundred and ten percent.”
Brother Kong looked at him and said, “Give them fifty.”
That might be too much, but give them fifty. The Lord will honor it. I will tell you what: the Lord will honor it. Do not be undone by the world, because your life is too short. I can tell you, it is going to go fast.
Do not be undone by the world. Do not be undone by the enemy. The blood is all-sufficient. Stand against it.
Our circumstances will undo us. Do not let them. The Lord allows these things—chastening in our lives. Do not kick against the goads.
It is up to us to make a clear choice to draw near to God. Our solution is God alone.
Hebrews 12 leads us somewhat into the solution. Hebrews 12:1-2 says:
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us,
let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us,
and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith,
who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
It seems to me like this is a continuation: fixing our eyes on Jesus, the One who has made complete provision. Look to Him and trust Him.
I have to say, when I stand up here, please never think—again, I cannot speak for the other guys—but please never think that because I share something, I kind of have it.
At best, this is an encouragement that the Lord has been speaking to me, and I want to share it with everybody else. I am not speaking at you. I am speaking with you.
We have been looking at the book of Hebrews. This is a word of exhortation.
We need to be exhorted in these times, when things are going to be shaking, and we do not want to get off course. We do not want to drift, but we want to draw near.
Do not drift, but enter His rest. Press on to maturity. And draw near.
We were created to have communion with God. Because He was wholly righteous, communion was broken there at the fall.
But in the New Testament, as Hebrews says, God created a better way to restore communion with Him. That is in Christ. We need to respond to that provision in Christ and draw near.
Genesis 3:9 says:
Then the Lord God called to the man, and said, “Where are you?”
I think He would say to each one of us, not judging, but, “Where are you?” I know He would say, “John, John, where are you?”
For the younger ones here, I have been saved for fifty years. What do you think about that? Kind of scary. I think He would say to me, “Where are you?”
Those in their teens and twenties, where are you? Those in their thirties and forties, where are you? Those in their fifties or sixties, where are you?
Those in their seventies and eighties, where are you? Those in their nineties and hundreds, where are you?
Thank God He is interested enough to ask the question, “Where are you?”
Lord, we thank You for not letting us go, for being willing to call us, to call out to us, and wanting us to open the door.
We repent. I want to repent and say that too easily I get stirred up and do not spend that time drawing near to God.
We pray that there might be great revival in Your people, in us, in Your church in this country, and a return to the simplicity of Christ and to the open door of communion with God.
May that communion pour forth in a great testimony of Jesus Christ as Lord. Bless Your name. Amen.