Access to God

Access to God

Any true disciple of Christ will long for access to God.

Psalms 27:4 HCSB I have asked one thing from the LORD; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the LORD and seeking Him in His temple.
Psalms 42:1-2 HCSB For the choir director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah. As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, God. 2 I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and appear before God?
Psalms 43:3 HCSB Send Your light and Your truth; let them lead me. Let them bring me to Your holy mountain, to Your dwelling place.
Psalms 84:1-2 HCSB For the choir director: on the Gittith. A psalm of the sons of Korah. How lovely is Your dwelling place, LORD of Hosts. 2 I long and yearn for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh cry out for the living God.

The children of God can confidently approach the throne of grace.

Ephesians 3:12 HCSB in whom we have boldness, access, and confidence through faith in Him.
Hebrews 4:16 HCSB Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.
Hebrews 10:19 HCSB Therefore, brothers, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus,
Hebrews 10:22 HCSB let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.

There is great joy in being granted access to God.

Psalms 16:11 HCSB You reveal the path of life to me; in Your presence is abundant joy; in Your right hand are eternal pleasures.
Psalms 65:4 HCSB How happy is the one You choose and bring near to live in Your courts! We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, the holiness of Your temple.
Psalms 73:28 HCSB But as for me, God's presence is my good. I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, so I can tell about all You do.

Access is only granted to the repentant.

Hosea 14:2 HCSB Take words of repentance with you and return to the LORD. Say to Him: "Forgive all our sin and accept what is good, so that we may repay You with praise from our lips.
Joel 2:12-14 HCSB Even now--this is the LORD's declaration--turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning. 13 Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in faithful love, and He relents from sending disaster. 14 Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave a blessing behind Him, so you can offer grain and wine to the LORD your God.

Access will only be granted once reconciliation and justification through Jesus Christ take place.

Colossians 1:21-22 HCSB And you were once alienated and hostile in mind because of your evil actions. 22 But now He has reconciled you by His physical body through His death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before Him--

There is a special access granted to seekers in those places set aside for the Lord’s worship.

Psalms 15:1 HCSB A Davidic psalm. LORD, who can dwell in Your tent? Who can live on Your holy mountain?
Psalms 27:4 HCSB I have asked one thing from the LORD; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the LORD and seeking Him in His temple.
Psalms 43:3 HCSB Send Your light and Your truth; let them lead me. Let them bring me to Your holy mountain, to Your dwelling place.
Psalms 65:4 HCSB How happy is the one You choose and bring near to live in Your courts! We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, the holiness of Your temple.

Access to the Sovereign Lord of the universe is a great privilege.

Deuteronomy 4:7 HCSB For what great nation is there that has a god near to it as the LORD our God is to us whenever we call to Him?

It implies moral and ethical change.

Psalms 15:1-5 HCSB A Davidic psalm. LORD, who can dwell in Your tent? Who can live on Your holy mountain? 2 The one who lives honestly, practices righteousness, and acknowledges the truth in his heart-- 3 who does not slander with his tongue, who does not harm his friend or discredit his neighbor, 4 who despises the one rejected by the LORD, but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his word whatever the cost, 5 who does not lend his money at interest or take a bribe against the innocent--the one who does these things will never be moved.
Psalms 23:6 HCSB Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD as long as I live.
Psalms 24:3-4 HCSB Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place? 4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not set his mind on what is false, and who has not sworn deceitfully.

Access to the Father can only be granted through the Son.

Psalms 2:4-12 HCSB The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord ridicules them. 5 Then He speaks to them in His anger and terrifies them in His wrath: 6 "I have consecrated My King on Zion, My holy mountain." 7 I will declare the LORD's decree: He said to Me, "You are My Son; today I have become Your Father. 8 Ask of Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance and the ends of the earth Your possession. 9 You will break them with a rod of iron; You will shatter them like pottery." 10 So now, kings, be wise; receive instruction, you judges of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with reverential awe, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Pay homage to the Son, or He will be angry, and you will perish in your rebellion, for His anger may ignite at any moment. All those who take refuge in Him are happy.
John 10:7-9 HCSB So Jesus said again, "I assure you: I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn't listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture.
John 14:6 HCSB Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Romans 5:1-2 HCSB Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Also through Him, we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
Ephesians 2:13 HCSB But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah.
Ephesians 3:11-12 HCSB This is according to the purpose of the ages, which He made in the Messiah, Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness, access, and confidence through faith in Him.
Hebrews 7:25 HCSB Therefore He is always able to save those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them.
Hebrews 10:19 HCSB Therefore, brothers, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus,
1 Peter 3:18 HCSB For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring you to God, after being put to death in the fleshly realm but made alive in the spiritual realm.

The Son granted us access to the Holy Spirit, through whom we also access the Father and worship Him.

Ephesians 2:18 HCSB For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
John 14:16-17 HCSB And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. 17 He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive Him because it doesn't see Him or know Him. But you do know Him, because He remains with you and will be in you.
John 14:26 HCSB But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit--the Father will send Him in My name--will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.
John 4:23-24 HCSB But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship Him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

But God is the One who initiates the relationship. He is the One who first draws us. Because of this, no one may glory in their efforts to draw near to Him. God is always prevenient. He is always first.

· Psalms 65:4 HCSB How happy is the one You choose and bring near to live in Your courts! We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, the holiness of Your temple.

Psalms 139:14-17 HCSB I will praise You, because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know this very well. 15 My bones were not hidden from You when I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began. 17 God, how difficult Your thoughts are for me to comprehend; how vast their sum is!
Matthew 25:34 HCSB Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
John 6:44 HCSB No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day.
Romans 8:29-30 HCSB For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those He predestined, He also called; and those He called, He also justified; and those He justified, He also glorified.

Our goal is gaining access to God should be to obtain mercy and grace – not justice.

Hebrews 4:16 HCSB Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.

Access is granted by faith.

Acts 14:27 HCSB After they arrived and gathered the church together, they reported everything God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
Romans 5:2 HCSB Also through Him, we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
Ephesians 3:12 HCSB in whom we have boldness, access, and confidence through faith in Him.
Hebrews 11:6 HCSB Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him.

Access is granted through prayer.

Deuteronomy 4:7 HCSB For what great nation is there that has a god near to it as the LORD our God is to us whenever we call to Him?
Matthew 6:6 HCSB But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

God makes conditional promises regarding access to His presence. I’ve listed four.

- We must call on him “in truth”. We must really be seeking Him and not just His benefits.

Psalms 145:18 HCSB The LORD is near all who call out to Him, all who call out to Him with integrity.

- We must listen to and obey Him.

Isaiah 55:3 HCSB Pay attention and come to Me; listen, so that you will live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, the promises assured to David.

- We must not do it in such a way that we get glory from humans for it.

Matthew 6:6 HCSB But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

- We must actively work at it. We must not make room for sin in our lives.

James 4:8 HCSB Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people!

Because our High Priest now stands eternally in the Holy of Holies, we no longer need the Old Testament priestly sacrificial system to get access to God’s grace.

Leviticus 16:12-15 HCSB Then he must take a firepan full of fiery coals from the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense, and bring them inside the veil. 13 He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, so that the cloud of incense covers the mercy seat that is over the testimony, or else he will die. 14 He is to take some of the bull's blood and sprinkle it with his finger against the east side of the mercy seat; then he will sprinkle some of the blood with his finger before the mercy seat seven times. 15 "When he slaughters the male goat for the people's sin offering and brings its blood inside the veil, he must do the same with its blood as he did with the bull's blood: he is to sprinkle it against the mercy seat and in front of it.
Hebrews 10:11-12 HCSB Now every priest stands day after day ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But this man, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.

God’s purpose has always been to reach out to all the nations of the earth and grant them access. Though He worked through Israel, He never meant to be exclusively Israel’s God.

Isaiah 2:2-3 HCSB In the last days the mountain of the LORD's house will be established at the top of the mountains and will be raised above the hills. All nations will stream to it, 3 and many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us about His ways so that we may walk in His paths." For instruction will go out of Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Isaiah 55:4-5 HCSB Since I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples, 5 so you will summon a nation you do not know, and nations who do not know you will run to you. For the LORD your God, even the Holy One of Israel, has glorified you."
Jeremiah 31:6 HCSB For there will be a day when watchmen will call out in the hill country of Ephraim: Get up, let's go up to Zion, to the LORD our God!

All humanity is commanded to seek access to God.

Isaiah 55:6-7 HCSB Seek the LORD while He may be found; call to Him while He is near. 7 Let the wicked one abandon his way, and the sinful one his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, so He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will freely forgive.
James 4:6-10 HCSB But He gives greater grace. Therefore He says: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 7 Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people! 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep. Your laughter must change to mourning and your joy to sorrow. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.