During the month of December, as I continued to contemplate and study about the reasons that Jesus came to earth, one wonderful reason for His coming was to reveal God to us, and to make the way for us to come into relationship with Him God the Father. Before Jesus came, very few people knew God. Abraham and Moses were described as being friends of God. God said that He spoke to Moses face to face, personal and intimately. Those were the exception. In the Old Testament times, God was not easily accessible.
Jesus came to change that.
In Matthew 11:27, Jesus said, “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
John 14:7-11 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."8 Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.
John 15:15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
Even more amazing is that Jesus came to make a way for us to come to the Father.
Every religion has the goal of trying to get to God; through works, ceremony, sacrifice, rituals…they try to get to God by their own means. Jesus came and said, I will take you to God. I will make the way for you.
In John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.?
Do we know how much we need him? Have we become so used to the idea that God loves me and Jesus died for me that we have forgotten that we were hopeless and helpless without Him?
Paul describes our condition in Ephesians 2:1-4“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”
Dead…following Satan and his ways…living in the passions of flesh…carrying out the desires of the body and mind…children of wrath…not a pretty picture.
Isaiah 59:2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
Without Jesus we were dead, separated from God, living a life of futility, without hope. Jesus came and to change all of that. When He paid the penalty and took away our sins, He opened up the door, and said, “
Ephesians 2:18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
Rom 5:1-2 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Hebrews 10:19-22 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
SINCE we have confidence…SINCE we have a great high priest…LET US DRAW NEAR. Jesus has done it. We can come to God. We don’t have to grovel. We are not worms. We come with confidence, boldness, as dearly loved children.
I am reminded of pictures taken when John Kennedy was President. It is often said that the President of the United States is the most powerful man in the world. That was probably more true in 1960 than it is now. As President, Kennedy was surrounded by security. He was important. His time was very valuable. Not just anyone could get in to see him. If even another head of state wanted to see him, he would have to go through security points to get to him. But, there were 2 people who had easy access to President Kennedy, his young children Caroline and John. His children did not have to go through security. They were welcomed into his presence because they were his and he loved them. If you look at pictures taken during that time, there are many pictures of Kennedy sitting at his desk, with a small boy sitting next to him.
That is the picture I have in my head right now. God is (of course) the most powerful person in the universe. The Bible says that He dwells in inapproachable light. Yet, we have access to Him. We are His children and He loves us. So, let’s enter in. Come into His presence with confidence and joy!
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