Hebrews 10:22 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.

“Let us draw near.” Nearer to God.  To successfully draw something requires effort above resistance.  For instance, a horse draws a carriage or a man draws a sword.  The object drawn does not help, and in fact by nature resists, but the effort to draw overwhelms the resistance.  God is always near to His children. God draws each of His children out of death in sins by His almighty and sovereign hand, and conquers the resistance of the sinful nature.  However, for us to feel this nearness to God while here in this life, we must “draw near” to Him.  Imagine climbing a rope up a rock face.  The nature of gravity, fatigue, and other obstacles resist, but to reach the top you must keep looking up, and continue to draw yourself up.  It requires diligent effort.  Our sinful nature, the world around us, and the trials and heartaches of life all pull us down away from God.  But keep looking up, and pulling on the anchor of hope!  In our Risen High Priest, we have the strength to continue to draw near to God.  We can pour out our soul in prayer with confidence that He hears and He cares.  In the darkest times of life, the nearer we are to God the brighter His light will shine through the darkness.  When the world seems distant and cold, we can feel the warmth of His embrace around us.  As is written in Song of Solomon 2:6, “His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me.”  How near is near enough?  Let us never be satisfied, but continue to “draw near” to our LORD.

“With a true heart.” We need assurance in this life, and the more the better!  God did not leave His children without a way to know that He is their Father.  He gives us evidence, by which we can have assurance.  Assurance is a “firm persuasion,” “full confidence.” “an utmost certainty.”  Hebrews 10:22 speaks of the “assurance OF faith,” meaning that the assurance we have proceeds out of faith - faith produces assurance.  Some incorrectly define faith as “belief without evidence.”  No - faith IS the evidence! [Heb 11:1]  It is fruit of the Spirit, and therefore evidence that the Spirit of God dwells in us.  When the faith, which is given to every child of God at regeneration, is mixed with the gospel of the finished work of Christ, it gives us assurance that He is our Saviour.  Christ said that “he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and…is passed from death unto life” [John 5:24].  The more we know of His word, and believe the promises therein, the more assurance we will have.  The apostle exhorts us to draw near to God in “full assurance” of faith.  This phrase tells us that it is possible to be fully persuaded that we are God’s children, redeemed by Christ, and that Heaven is our home.  Indeed, this “full assurance” is the mark for which we should strive!  Yes, doubts will come because we know our sins, which still plague us in this life; but faith speaks of our LORD who redeemed us from all sin.  Listen not to the enemy Satan’s accusations; Hear faith’s triumphant cry…“Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine!”

“In full assurance of faith.” What we do is important, but more important is why we do it.  It pleases God when we draw near to Him in this life.  He has given us the access by grace and the merit of Jesus Christ.  He has bid us come.  But we must come with a “true heart” – a heart void of pretense.  As a parent, I love it when my children climb up in my lap and put their arms around me.  Sometimes they want to tell me they love me, which is wonderful.  Sometimes they want something and they know to ask, which also pleases me.  But if they come with flattering words to get what they want, this is not pleasing at all.  We desire truth, not deceit.  Even more our Heavenly Father “desirest truth in the inward parts” (Psa 51:6), not just the right words.  God is pleased when we draw near to praise and adore Him.   And He is pleased when we draw near with our petitions, aware of our dependence on Him.  But our worship must be sincere because He is worthy, and not with guile in order to receive blessings.  The Pharisees thought that God owed them His favor.  Jesus said they “draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with [their] lips; but their heart is far from me.” (Mat 15:8)  Remember God looks on the heart.  When the apostle James wrote “draw nigh unto God, and He will draw nigh unto you,” he immediately followed with “cleanse your hands” and “purify your hearts.” (James 4:8)  Let us “draw near with a true heart,” both in worship and in prayer, and we will feel the smiling presence of our Father, God.