DMP 28: Audience With God, Access To The Throne Of Grace
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As a Christian you have been given an immense privilege, an audience with God Himself.
You know this was made possible by Jesus, who destroyed sin within Himself on the Cross. Now your guilt, fear and shame are removed as you learn to trust in His finished work.
But many Christians still struggle with feelings of shame and guilt.
They are conflicted when they do not live up to God’s righteous standard. So what can they do when the Word of God tells them…with boldness enter the holiest. (Hebrews 10:19)
How are they to have the assurance of His acceptance of them in the midst of thier failures?
IN THIS EPISODE…
In a previous podcast, (Serving God In The Holy Place, Episode 27) we discussed the elements found in the Holy Place and what they represented for the believer.
This episode, we want to move into the Holy of Holies, and talk about how God reveals a dramatic picture of His covering for our failures.
The Ark Of The Covenant
Many people are familiar with the idea of Ark of the Covenant. Unfortunately, many of the ideas about it have been taken from the Raiders of the Lost Ark.
To fully understand, we have to consider how it was constructed and what materials where used to build it.
Foremost the ark was a wooden box used to carry something. Wood is often representative of flesh or humanity. So we can see this box was representive for people or a person.
Next it was overlaid with gold (image of the divine). With the top made of pure gold, set a covering or lid (mercy seat) with two Cheribums. Their faces looking down while the tips of their wings stretched out to touch.
Angels were seen as protectors of God’s holiness (angel in Genesis placed at the entrance to the garden of Eden with a sword, angels in the book of Revelation crying :holy, holy, holy.”).
So the full picture was someone who fully human, but also fully divine being the point of interest for the host of heaven (a clear shadow of Jesus Christ). And from Heaven’s throne, God looked down into the contents of this ark to find 3 distinctive items.
Three Failures Of Man
So what did God see when He peered into the Ark?
We have a detailed account of what God instructed Moses to put inside the Ark. The three items where respresentative of three distinct failures of man to trust God.
1. Two Tablets of Stone. (Mosaic Covenant – God’s Justice)
2. Golden Pot of Manna. (Rememant of Manna – God’s Provision)
3. Aaron’s Rod that Budded. (Ressurection Life – God’s Authority)
In each case, we can read a full account of how man failed to listen, trust or obey God’s clear direction. And each item was a type of the rebellion or failure of man.
The Good News
Considering this picture only through our failures, no one would want to enter “boldly” into God’s presence. But remember where these items of our failure have been placed.
They were put into the body and person of Jesus Christ. And He has taken the full judgment for sin in His body. This is not a Father punishing His Son, but both of them together condemning sin in the flesh and then destroying that sin nature which we received from Adam.
And the atoning Blood of Christ has been poured out upon Heaven’s mercy seat. And when God now looks into the heart of a believer He sees a heart that has been made new and carries the righteousness of His Only Son.
And for that reason, we can enter into His presence with confidence and know that He gladly receives us.
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How has understanding what Jesus Christ has done for you change the way you come to God?
Does standing on the righteouness of Christ, instead of your own, give you greater confidence to enter into His presence?
Tell us about it or share this podcast by clicking one of the buttons below.
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Grace and peace,
Jason Dillingham and Bill Carrier
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