Grace


[PDF]Grace - Rackcdn.comcaa63f4be9d6f3e8dfcb-dad942a3f4e2c90d61472635d72e5a8a.r86.cf2.rackcdn.com/...

0 downloads 263 Views 111KB Size

Amazing  Grace  Part  6     Access  To  The  Kingdom       How  many  of  you  know:  It  is  the  Father’s  Good   Pleasure  to  Give  You  the  Kingdom!!!     Story  of  Esther….One  Night  With  The  King!   • King  A-­‐Has-­‐Ur-­‐Us  -­‐  Xerses  –  Persian  King   • Vashti   • Virgins  Brought  Before  Him   o Esther  Lovely  and  Beautiful   o Favor  and  Grace   • Esther  becomes  Queen  –  Jew   • Haman  Plots  to  annihilate  the  Jews   • Esther  must  go  and  plead  for  her  people     Esther  4:11,16,  &  5:1-­‐3  -­‐  Esther  approaches  the  King   11  “All  the  king’s  servants  and  the  people  of  the  king’s   provinces  know  that  any  man  or  woman  who  goes  into   the  inner  court  to  the  king,  who  has  not  been  called,  he   has  but  one  law:  put  all  to  death,  except  the  one  to   whom  the  king  holds  out  the  golden  scepter,  that  he   may  live.  Yet  I  myself  have  not  been  called  to  go  in  to   the  king  these  thirty  days.”   16  “Go,  gather  all  the  Jews  who  are  present  in  Shushan,   and  fast  for  me;  neither  eat  nor  drink  for  three  days,   night  or  day.  My  maids  and  I  will  fast  likewise.  And  so  I   will  go  to  the  king,  which  is  against  the  law;  and  if  I   perish,  I  perish!”  

5  Now  it  happened  on  the  third  day  that  Esther  put  on   her  royal  robes  and  stood  in  the  inner  court  of  the  king’s   palace,  across  from  the  king’s  house,  while  the  king  sat   on  his  royal  throne  in  the  royal  house,  facing  the   entrance  of  the  house.[a]  2  So  it  was,  when  the  king  saw   Queen  Esther  standing  in  the  court,  that  she  found  favor   in  his  sight,  and  the  king  held  out  to  Esther  the  golden   scepter  that  was  in  his  hand.  Then  Esther  went  near  and   touched  the  top  of  the  scepter.   3  And  the  king  said  to  her,  “What  do  you  wish,  Queen   Esther?  What  is  your  request?  It  shall  be  given  to  you— up  to  half  the  kingdom!”       Esther  approaches  King  and  He  doesn’t  kill  her.    He   instead  accepts  her  and  gives  her  anything  she  wants  up   to  half  the  Kingdom!!    But  in  this  Kingdom  there  is  no   exhausting  the  supply!!       • She  had  to  make  sure  she  was  decked  out!       • We  are  decked  out  in  Jesus!!    We  look  unbelievable!   • Access  to  the  King!!    You  have  access  to  the   Kingdom!!   • Access  to  the  Kingdom   Golden  Scepter  –  Favor  –  Grace  -­‐       Grace  is  the  Expression  of  God’s  love  for  His   Children!!     John  14:1-­‐6  –  Nobody  comes  to  Father  but  by  Jesus!!     14  “Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled;  you  believe  in  God,  

believe  also  in  Me.  2  In  My  Father’s  house  are  many   mansions;  if  it  were  not  so,  I  would  have  told  you.  I  go  to   prepare  a  place  for  you.  3  And  if  I  go  and  prepare  a   place  for  you,  I  will  come  again  and  receive  you  to   Myself;  that  where  I  am,  there  you  may  be  also.  4  And   where  I  go  you  know,  and  the  way  you  know.”   5  Thomas  said  to  Him,  “Lord,  we  do  not  know  where   You  are  going,  and  how  can  we  know  the  way?”   6  Jesus  said  to  him,  “I  am  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life.   No  one  comes  to  the  Father  except  through  Me.     Going  to  Heaven…To  His  Father!    He’s  gonna  prepare  a   place  for  us  to  come  to  the  Father  as  well!!     Access  To  The  Father  –  Only  By  Jesus!!       Historical  Jewish  Access  to  God  the  Father!!     The  Holy  of  Holies  and  the  Veil  

 

Within  the  Holy  Place  of  the  tabernacle,  there  was  an   inner  room  called  the  Holy  of  Holies,  or  the  Most  Holy   Place.  Judging  from  its  name,  we  can  see  that  it  was  a   most  sacred  room,  a  place  no  ordinary  person  could   enter.  It  was  God’s  special  dwelling  place  in  the  midst  of   His  people.  During  the  Israelites’  wanderings  in  the   wilderness,  God  appeared  as  a  pillar  of  cloud  or  fire  in   and  above  the  Holy  of  Holies.  The  Holy  of  Holies  was  a   perfect  cube  —  its  length,  width  and  height  were  all   equal  to  15  feet.   A  thick  curtain  separated  the  Holy  of  Holies  from  the   Holy  Place.  This  curtain,  known  as  the  “veil,”  was  made   of  fine  linen  and  blue,  purple  and  scarlet  yarn.  There   were  figures  of  cherubim  (angels)  embroidered  onto  it.   Cherubim,  spirits  who  serve  God,  were  in  the  presence   of  God  to  demonstrate  His  almighty  power  and  majesty.   They  also  guarded  the  throne  of  God.  These  cherubim   were  also  on  the  innermost  layer  of  covering  of  the  tent.   If  one  looked  upward,  they  would  see  the  cherubim   figures.   The  word  “veil”  in  Hebrew  means  a  screen,  divider  or   separator  that  hides.  What  was  this  curtain  hiding?   Essentially,  it  was  shielding  a  holy  God  from  sinful  man.   Whoever  entered  into  the  Holy  of  Holies  was  entering   the  very  presence  of  God.  In  fact,  anyone  except  the  high   priest  who  entered  the  Holy  of  Holies  would  die.  Even   the  high  priest,  God’s  chosen  mediator  with  His  people,   could  only  pass  through  the  veil  and  enter  this  sacred   dwelling  once  a  year,  on  a  prescribed  day  called  the  Day  

of  Atonement.   The  picture  of  the  veil  was  that  of  a  barrier  between   man  and  God,  showing  man  that  the  holiness  of  God   could  not  be  trifled  with.  God’s  eyes  are  too  pure  to  look   on  evil  and  He  can  tolerate  no  sin  (Habakkuk  1:13).  The   veil  was  a  barrier  to  make  sure  that  man  could  not   carelessly  and  irreverently  enter  into  God’s  awesome   presence.  Even  as  the  high  priest  entered  the  Holy  of   Holies  on  the  Day  of  Atonement,  he  had  to  make  some   meticulous  preparations:  He  had  to  wash  himself,  put   on  special  clothing,  bring  burning  incense  to  let  the   smoke  cover  his  eyes  from  a  direct  view  of  God,  and   bring  blood  with  him  to  make  atonement  for  sins.   (Hebrews  9:7)  “But  only  the  high  priest  entered  the  inner   room,  and  that  only  once  a  year,  and  never  without  blood,   which  he  offered  for  himself  and  for  the  sins  the  people   had  committed  in  ignorance.”     So  the  presence  of  God  remained  shielded  from  man   behind  a  thick  curtain  during  the  history  of  Israel.   However,  Jesus’  sacrificial  death  on  the  cross  changed   that.  When  He  died,  the  curtain  in  the  Jerusalem  temple   was  torn  in  half,  from  the  top  to  the  bottom.  Only  God   could  have  carried  out  such  an  incredible  feat  because   the  veil  was  too  high  for  human  hands  to  have  reached   it,  and  too  thick  to  have  torn  it.  (The  Jerusalem  temple,  a   replica  of  the  wilderness  tabernacle,  had  a  curtain  that   was  about  60  feet  in  height,  30  feet  in  width  and  four   inches  thick.)  Furthermore,  it  was  torn  from  top  down,   meaning  this  act  must  have  come  from  above.  

As  the  veil  was  torn,  the  Holy  of  Holies  was  exposed.   God’s  presence  was  now  accessible  to  all.  Shocking  as   this  may  have  been  to  the  priests  ministering  in  the   temple  that  day,  it  is  indeed  good  news  to  us  as   believers,  because  we  know  that  Jesus’  death  has  atoned   for  our  sins  and  made  us  right  before  God.  The  torn  veil   illustrated  Jesus’  body  broken  for  us,  opening  the  way   for  us  to  come  to  God.  As  Jesus  cried  out  “It  is  finished!”   on  the  cross,  He  was  indeed  proclaiming  that  God’s   redemptive  plan  was  now  complete.  The  age  of  animal   offerings  was  over.  The  ultimate  offering  had  been   sacrificed.   (Hebrews  9:24-­‐26)  “For  Christ  did  not  enter  a  man-­‐made   sanctuary  that  was  only  a  copy  of  the  true  one;  he  entered   heaven  itself,  now  to  appear  for  us  in  God’s  presence.  Nor   did  he  enter  heaven  to  offer  himself  again  and  again,  the   way  the  high  priest  enters  the  Most  Holy  Place  every  year   with  blood  that  is  not  his  own.  …But  now  he  has  appeared   once  for  all  at  the  end  of  the  ages  to  do  away  with  sin  by   the  sacrifice  of  himself.”        

      Ephesians  2:  All  –  We  are  IN  HIM!!    We  Have  Access!!     2  And  you  He  made  alive,  who  were  dead  in  trespasses   and  sins,  2  in  which  you  once  walked  according  to  the   course  of  this  world,  according  to  the  prince  of  the   power  of  the  air,  the  spirit  who  now  works  in  the  sons  

of  disobedience,  3  among  whom  also  we  all  once   conducted  ourselves  in  the  lusts  of  our  flesh,  fulfilling   the  desires  of  the  flesh  and  of  the  mind,  and  were  by   nature  children  of  wrath,  just  as  the  others.   4  But  God,  who  is  rich  in  mercy,  because  of  His  great   love  with  which  He  loved  us,  5  even  when  we  were  dead   in  trespasses,  made  us  alive  together  with  Christ  (by   grace  you  have  been  saved),  6  and  raised  us  up  together,   and  made  us  sit  together  in  the  heavenly  places  in  Christ   Jesus,  7  that  in  the  ages  to  come  He  might  show  the   exceeding  riches  of  His  grace  in  His  kindness  toward  us   in  Christ  Jesus.  8  For  by  grace  you  have  been  saved   through  faith,  and  that  not  of  yourselves;  it  is  the  gift  of   God,  9  not  of  works,  lest  anyone  should  boast.  10  For   we  are  His  workmanship,  created  in  Christ  Jesus  for   good  works,  which  God  prepared  beforehand  that  we   should  walk  in  them.   Brought  Near  by  His  Blood   11  Therefore  remember  that  you,  once  Gentiles  in  the   flesh—who  are  called  Uncircumcision  by  what  is  called   the  Circumcision  made  in  the  flesh  by  hands—  12  that   at  that  time  you  were  without  Christ,  being  aliens  from   the  commonwealth  of  Israel  and  strangers  from  the   covenants  of  promise,  having  no  hope  and  without  God   in  the  world.  13  But  now  in  Christ  Jesus  you  who  once   were  far  off  have  been  brought  near  by  the  blood  of   Christ.   14  For  He  Himself  is  our  peace,  who  has  made  both  one,  

and  has  broken  down  the  middle  wall  of  separation,   15  having  abolished  in  His  flesh  the  enmity,  that  is,  the   law  of  commandments  contained  in  ordinances,  so  as  to   create  in  Himself  one  new  man  from  the  two,  thus   making  peace,  16  and  that  He  might  reconcile  them   both  to  God  in  one  body  through  the  cross,  thereby   putting  to  death  the  enmity.  17  And  He  came  and   preached  peace  to  you  who  were  afar  off  and  to  those   who  were  near.  18  For  through  Him  we  both  have   access  by  one  Spirit  to  the  Father.   19  Now,  therefore,  you  are  no  longer  strangers  and   foreigners,  but  fellow  citizens  with  the  saints  and   members  of  the  household  of  God,  20  having  been  built   on  the  foundation  of  the  apostles  and  prophets,  Jesus   Christ  Himself  being  the  chief  cornerstone,  21  in  whom   the  whole  building,  being  fitted  together,  grows  into  a   holy  temple  in  the  Lord,  22  in  whom  you  also  are  being   built  together  for  a  dwelling  place  of  God  in  the  Spirit.     • Made  alive  with  Jesus  and  seated  us  together  in   heavenly  places  in  Christ  Jesus!!!       • It  is  because  we  are  In  Him…we  have  access.    We   have  favor.    We  have  kindness.         • We  are  His  workmanship….created  in  Christ  Jesus!!     • We  were  in  times  past  without  Christ…aliens  from   the  commonwealth~!~  

• A  commonwealth  refers  to  any  group  of  people   organized  under  a  single  government,   particularly  a  republic.  If  you  live  in  the  United   States  of  America,  you  live  in  a  commonwealth.   • Greek  word  “Pol-­‐ee-­‐ti’-­‐ah”  –  Citizenship,  a   community,  commonwealth,  freedom   • Comprised  of  the  roots  common,  meaning   "belonging  to  all,"  and  wealth,  meaning   "happiness  or  riches,"       It  is  the  Father’s  Good  Pleasure  to  Give  You  the   Kingdom!!!     Jesus  is  Grace   Titus  2:13  and  2:11  –     • Looking  for  that  blessed  hope,  and  the  glorious   appearing  of  the  great  God  and  our  Savior  Jesus   Christ   • For  the  grace  of  God  that  bringeth  salvation  hath   appeared  to  all  men       Hebrews  10:19-­‐22  –  Boldy  enter  Holy  of  Holies!!   19  Therefore,  brethren,  having  boldness  to  enter  the   Holiest  by  the  blood  of  Jesus,  20  by  a  new  and  living   way  which  He  consecrated  for  us,  through  the  veil,  that   is,  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.      Enter  the  Holy  of  Holies!!!    By  the  Blood  of  Jesus!!   • The  Veil  has  been  Rent!!      The  curtain  ripped!!       • Boldly  to  the  throne  of  Grace   o Grace  never  runs  out  and  neither  does  our   access!!     o The  throne  room!!         Grace  gives  us  direct  access  to  the  King!    To  the   Kingdom!!       • In  the  Kingdom  your  Healing  is  yours  by  Grace!!   • In  the  Kingdom  your  Pardon  is  yours  by  Grace!!   • Salvation  is  yours  by  Grace!   •