Monday, January 10, 2022
Let’s approach God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let’s hold firmly to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; Hebrews10:22-23
The Hope We Profess
Day ten of the new year - how’s it going? The past two years have been CRAZY! I feel like a safe way to go into another year is by embracing the verse above. There are three main points to this passage that we can hold onto this new year - Approach God with assurance and a clean heart, hold firmly to the confession of our hope without wavering, and remember His faithfulness.
Approach God With Assurance and a Clean Heart – Let’s approach God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water… As Children of God we have been given the incredible privilege of access to our Holy God. We are invited into His presence, to dwell with Him, to abide with Him any time.
In the Old Testament, on the Day of Atonement (a day once a year where the high priest performed elaborate rituals to atone for the sins of the people), only the high priest was allowed to enter the holy of holies - the holiest place of all - with fear and trembling. Because of the regulations placed on them by man’s laws, several washings and the blood of a sacrificed animal was required to enter. The cleansing and forgiveness of the people rested on the high priest.
We can have boldness to enter His presence because Christ's blood satisfied the requirements for us. He provided that way for us with His shed blood on Calvary. We have the incredible privilege of dwelling in God's presence at all times. Christ's sacrifice made this unlimited access possible! His blood washes our sin away and makes us clean, but we cannot enjoy the privilege of His presence with sin in our life. We honor His holiness when we approach Him with humble and contrite hearts, confessing and asking for forgiveness.
Hold Fast - Don’t Swerve Let’s hold firmly to the confession of our hope without wavering…
With the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, things changed and the Jews struggled to embrace these new truths, and to navigate a life of faith versus a system of rituals and rules. They were tempted to go back to their old ways. They were wavering from the truth. But a renewed confidence in the power of Jesus, and a reminder of what the “truth” actually is helped the Jews get back on track.
When our faith begins to waver, we gain stability by focusing on our present (and future) hope - Christ. We must also remember what the “truth” is, especially in a world that has twisted the truth so completely. Most of all, we find confidence in God's faithfulness to keep His promises.
The Hope We Profess - He is Faithful – For He who promised is faithful… This is the absolute only reason we can have hope - because He is faithful. It is far better to trust in His faithfulness instead of ours, and when we struggle with hope, He is still faithful.
Because of the blood we have hope. Because Christ alone saves. Because Christ alone is worthy of holding onto. Because He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, and because He always lives to make intercession for them we can have hope that nothing can take away.
Let us go into this year bowing down, surrendering, and approaching Him with a sincere heart, in full assurance of faith, that He will have His way in our heart and lives for His glory in 2022. No matter what happens, or how bumpy the ride, let us hold firmly to His truth and the confession of our hope - His faithfulness through the ages.
Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25
