Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
Hebrews 10:19-22
I remember the first time I ever saw Mary Ann Hildebrand. She was talking to a group of kids wearing dark blue jeans and a navy blue, short sleeved tee-shirt with her hair pulled on top of her head. I didn’t catch her name and had no idea who she was or anything else.
A few months later we started leading a youth group at church and we went out on a date. She wore light blue jeans with brown shoes. She also wore an ivory-colored sweater that had all sorts of different colored stripes going side to side.
From that moment on, I wanted to be near her. To get to know her better. I could listen to her talk for hours. I was fascinated by her likes and dislikes. There was this thirst to understand what made her tick. I couldn’t get enough of her.
That was 1971 and I’m still drawing near. I continue to study and learn more and more about her. Each and every day is another chance to learn something new about Mary Ann. To see a new part of her that I either missed or didn’t understand before. Drawing near to her is a lifetime job that I love.
And you know what? I want to use what I’ve learned about her so that I can please her. I want to make the one I love happy. I want to do what they enjoy. I’m glad to put aside what I want so I can choose what she wants. It’s a joy to push my choices to the side and do what she wants.
In a small way, this is what the writer is calling the Hebrews to do with their relationship with God. They need to personally draw near go God. No more priests, sacrifices, or ceremonies in between them and God. They now have direct access to God the Father through Jesus the Son.
There’s this understandable tension when we approach God. On the one hand, he’s the creator and sustainer of the entire universe. He’s holy and cannot stand anything that’s not. He’s high and lifted up while we’re low and going nowhere fast. There’s nothing on our own that we can do to earn his friendship or favor.
And yet, he calls us to approach him like a child runs to their daddy. We’re told to draw near to him, and he’ll come close to us[1]. We are to humble ourselves before God and he will lift us up[2]
We are to be coming closer to God. This isn’t a single step, but an ongoing walk. It’s not a giant leap for mankind either. It’s a day by day, moment by moment walking with God. Coming closer and closer to him. Everything we do is to be for his glory, not ours[3]. So, how do we do this? The writer says that there are two steps to go forward with.
Sincere heart. This is where our inner most thoughts and feelings are lined up with who God is and what he wants for us in our lives. And our sincere heart motivates us to do what God wants. We change into people that want God’s will and not ours[4].
Full assurance. Some people have a little taste of assurance and are satisfied with that. But these Hebrews are being encouraged to go forward and live with full assurance. Complete assurance. The kind of assurance that can take people through anything. Even persecution.
Drawing near isn’t something that we just do one day a week. Or just every so often. Not on your life. Drawing near is to be our constant companion and choice. We’re to draw with every step we take. With every breath that fills our lungs. With every beat of our heart.
No matter how far we’ve come, we’ve still got an eternity of drawing closer to go. Yes, there’s growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ[5]. There’s walking with Jesus till we’re overflowing with thankfulness[6].
So, what’s stopping us from this life-long journey of drawing near? To get to the root of our problem, we’ve got to think about what in the world could be more important than drawing near. Jesus put it this way, we have to hate everyone and everything else. We have to carry our cross and follow him each and every day[7]. Yes, it’s a high price to pay, but the rewards in this life and throughout all eternity are well worth it.
Noodling Questions
What’s the impact on our life of drawing near to someone?
Why can’t we draw near to someone else while being selfish? Explain.
List three roadblocks to drawing near to God. Describe each.
[1] James 4:8
[2] James 4:10
[3] 1 Corinthians 10:31
[4] Luke 22:42
[5] 2 Peter 3:18
[6] Colossians 2:6,7
[7] Luke 14:26,27
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