Let Us Draw Near |
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Elder
Michael Mosley |
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.
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