Amen, boys and girls. We're coming back tonight to our little story, and we're going to look at one very important subject in the Bible. And it's all about sin. We've been learning about sin over quite a few Sunday evenings. We're now coming to that little bit, the important bit that tells us how to deal with sin. And it's important for us to remember that it is only possible for us to deal with the sin in our lives because God has already dealt with it. So if we were to be left on our own, then we just would not be able to overcome sin. We would always be sinners or sinful, doing the things that are not pleasing to God. But God has graciously undertaken for us, and where we were not able to help ourselves, God has taken care of our sin. In fact, He has removed it. Now, we're going to be learning a little bit about that as we go through, but tonight I want to just draw your attention to this fact. Can you read that at the bottom of the page? What does that say? Sin will be punished. Sin will be punished. You know what that means? If mommy or daddy say, now don't do that, and you do it, and you're found out, there will probably be a punishment. And I'm not even going to dare to get into what that might be, but you know better than I do that sin cannot go unpunished. And God must and God will punish sin. And of course those who insist on living in sin. And you see what we have here on this page? We've got two bins. Now if I was to give you a bin to take home with you tonight, Which of these two bins would you rather take home? This one? This one here? This one here? You think this is the best bin to take home? It's a lovely bin, isn't it? Well, look at this bin. Can you see all the things that are in this bin? Oh, if you got to rummage through that, you wouldn't know what you'd find. You might find a half-eaten doughnut with chocolate icing. Wouldn't that be fun? No? Why not? Because you'd get sticky fingers, wouldn't you? And mummy would probably know that you'd been in the bin because there'd be chocolate all over your top lip. So it's probably best not to go for that one. But you see what these pictures are trying to tell us? It's simply the fact that, you know, we can look all nice and clean and shiny on the outside, but inside there could be all kinds of things that are not nice and not good, and above all, that don't please God. Jesus told the Pharisees in his time that that was just like what they were. But he didn't use bins like these. He talked about graves or tombs. And he pointed out the fact that so much time was being put into making sure that the outside of the tomb was whitewashed so that it looked nice and clean and sterile on the outside. And people walking past would look and say, oh, what a lovely tomb. Look at how clean it looks. But when you get closer and you open it up and you look inside, Jesus said, it's full of dead men's bones. Not so nice. on the inside. And here is the problem, of course. When we look at one another, we can only see what's on the side. And if someone says to us, I'm good, you might think, oh yes, I'm happy with that because I haven't seen you doing anything wrong, so you must be good. And when I say to you, I am very good, you would say, yes, the pastor is very, very good. We all know to look at him, he just doesn't do anything wrong, ever. But that wouldn't be true, would it? You only need to ask my wife and she'll tell you a few things about her husband. I'm not going to let her do it tonight, but maybe some other time. When the church is closed and you've all gone home, I'll let her come up here and speak. But here is what we've been told and taught in this. You see, even though we may look good on the outside, and no one else really sees what is on the inside, we cannot hide it from God. He sees, He knows. And the Bible tells us, one day our sin will find us out. That just means that one day we will be held accountable for our sin. And therefore, we must find a remedy, we must find an answer, we must find some way of dealing with our sin, because sin will be punished. Now, if we learn about sin in the Bible, then the best place for us to learn how to deal with sin will also be the Bible. So when we read in the Bible, what does the Bible tell us about sin? Look at this, isn't this lovely? Can you all read that? That simply tells us Jesus Christ can save us from this punishment. In other words, Jesus dealt with the problem of our sin. Now can anyone tell me what this is? Can anyone tell me? What is this? It's the cross. And what happened on the cross? What happened on the cross? Jesus was nailed to the cross. He died on the cross. Oh, you say, what has that got to do with my sin? And the answer is, it has everything to do with your sin. Because the cross and the death of the Lord Jesus are the only ways that your sin can be forgiven. And next Sunday night we'll have a little look at how that works. What the Bible tells us about the cross of Jesus and how He has dealt with the problem of our sin. Let's return to the 10th chapter of Hebrews, and before we move into the passage, we read again those few verses from verse 19 to verse 27. Therefore, brethren, And the therefore is very strategically positioned in this passage, in that we have now the transition from the exposition to the determination or to the fulfillment of what is required of us. You will notice that the foundation has already been laid in the previous two verses. According to the new covenant that God will establish with his people Israel, we read, their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin. Now notice the significance and the relationship of this comment in verse 18. Where there is remission of these, Now that literally simply means, and we can address it in this fashion, if there is remission of sins, that is if our sins are forgiven, then there are in reality no more sins. Now coming into that verse again we read, Where there is remission of these, that is, where there is no more sin, note, there is no longer an offering for sin. So here's the logic. If there is no sin, there is no need for an offering. If sin has already been dealt with fully, And finally, then, the altar has become obsolete. There is no further need for the Levitical priest to stand at the altar and continually make a sacrifice and offering in order to deal with the problem of sin. So, We are being told in these verses that God has established a new covenant with his people, and that new covenant deals with the issue of our sins. Now, on that note, we move into the portion that we're going to consider briefly tonight. Let's read verse 19. Therefore, so no sin, no offering. Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest I'll just pause there briefly for a moment and put this into context in your mind and in your heart. What was it in the Old Testament under the Old Covenant that the children of Israel were denied? They had the offering, they had the altar, they had the priest, but what did they not have? The simple answer is they did not have access into the holiest of all. Here we read, therefore, because of this new covenant, that God has established with his people. And remember that Jesus in the upper room as he shared what we refer to as the Last Supper or the Lord's Supper, remember he directed their full attention to the wine as being representative of the shedding of his blood. And he confirmed with them on that occasion that this is the blood of the new covenant. That is, the blood of Jesus is the entry point. It is the door that leads into the full benefits and blessings of all that God has done for us. So we go back now to verse 19. Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way. And note that term, living way. When the sacrifice was made under the Levitical system, the sacrifice was no longer living. It was dead. Here we read, Jesus is the living Sacrifice. And interestingly, Paul takes up this theme and this comment in chapter 12 of Romans, the first two verses, when he calls upon God's people to present our bodies a living sacrifice. This is what Paul has in mind. we ought to be dead to self and sin, but wholly alive in and unto Jesus. So we read, verse 21, and having a high priest over the house of God, 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. Time doesn't permit, and this is not our theme for tonight, but you might want to just in your mind Take a quick dash over into the 13th chapter of John's Gospel, where, remember, Jesus washed his disciples' feet. And when he came to Peter, Peter said, no, no, you've got to stop here. This is not on. This is not right. Why should you wash my feet? I should be washing your feet. And remember, Jesus told him that if he didn't participate that he would not be covered in the sense of the example and the commitment to the example of Jesus. And then, remember, when Jesus said, you'll have no part of me, and Peter immediately responded, well, if that's the case, then don't just do my feet. Why not wash all of me? And that, of course, was the impetuous nature of Peter. in for a penny, in for a pound. And remember Jesus explained to him that the narrative was not in the doing of the washing of the disciples' feet, but it was in the symbolism of humility and servanthood. And remember how Jesus told Peter, now that I've shown you what to do, you go and you serve others. So that is the thought that's in the second part of verse 22. Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. And note that the conscience was not in the mind but in the heart. in that verse 22. So ponder that. We're not going to deal with this tonight, but that's a little teaser for next week or the week after or the week after or wherever it fits in in this study. Now let's just take our Bible and go through to 2 Corinthians chapter 3. 2 Corinthians chapter 3, and we don't want to go into this in great detail, but it's relevant to the subject that we are covering. In this chapter, Paul is being both practical as well as spiritual. And he begins with some of the challenges that are being presented in relation to him and to his ministry. There are some denominations who, right to this present time, would exercise this tradition that was obviously held in some of the churches, not all of them, but in some of the churches And that was that when a visiting speaker came along to address the fellowship, they had to bring with them official documents signed by the leadership of that church body or that group of churches. And these were referred to as letters of commendation. And you will read on occasions of the Apostle Paul commending in his letters or his epistles the visits of some of his team of evangelists. For example, we're noting in our Sunday morning sermons that when Timothy was set apart to travel back to Thessalonica in order to find out how progress was being maintained And what the issues or the problems may be that the Apostle Paul wrote to the church and confirmed that Timothy would shortly be on his way. And that is a practice that's quite common throughout the New Testament letters. But here in this third chapter, Paul is using this not so much to commend himself, to indicate the value of his ministry and therefore the necessity of their being responsive and receptive to it. But he is writing mainly from the perspective that he wants them to see the value of the contrast between what is the work of the law and the work of the Spirit of God. And this chapter, above all, sets that out very carefully. Let's read from verse 4. Having gone through the early formalities, referring to the need for some to be recommended, and of course, the fact that they, as converts under the ministry of Paul, ought to be his recommendation, or if you like, letters or epistle of commendation. Now in verse 4 he writes, and we have such trust through Christ toward God, Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God. Now what Paul is simply telling us here is that a preacher's ministry must be validated by the clear indications that the approval of God is upon the ministry. Paul is simply saying, I don't need any letters of recommendation. Just look around. See what God has done and is doing and recognize that God is here and he is at work in the hearts and lives of this congregation. Now, I acknowledge and readily admit that it might have been a little difficult in this particular church to work out what God was doing. We're talking here about the church in Corinth. Not just a church with problems, but a problem church. And poor Paul had more agonizing moments over this church than he had with all of the other churches combined. A letter to the Corinthians is such a worthy letter in the canon of Scripture as it brings us the flare-up of potential problems that can arise in any congregation if we are not disciplined by the Word of God and by the Spirit of God. So now we come back in to verse 6. Who, that is God, made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant? Not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives. Now the letter referred to here is the law. So it's quite obvious that Paul was not a preacher of the law. Although, when you read the epistle to the Galatians, you will find that Paul labors the law. and there is a clear defining reason for that. So Paul is not against the law, but Paul is concerned that believers are being bound by the law as presented by the religious leaders of their time, that is, the false teachers of Judaism who had failed to identify with the fact that when Jesus came, he came in order to fulfill the law and therefore to introduce us to the glorious gospel of the saving grace of God, for by grace are you saved through faith, not by keeping the law. It is not by works lest anyone should boast. And so we read, but if the ministry of death, so we're back now with the law, if the law is a ministry of death. As Paul said, how would I know that I am a sinner if it wasn't for the law? The law tells me thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. The law tells me thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not have other gods before me. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. It is only when I match my life with the law I recognize that I fall short. I am guilty of breaking the law, but the law cannot promote my salvation. It simply exposes my need of a Savior. And so the apostle goes on here to describe this ministry, but if the ministry of death written and engraved on stones was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away. How will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? And so The apostle sets up for us and he sets us up for the message. As in contrast, he describes the redundancy of the law. It cannot become a tool of salvation. And he sets out the supremacy of grace. The old covenant has been established and complete. The new covenant embraces the freedom of the gospel and produces the power in which, by which, through which sin can be forgiven. In the final verses of the chapter, we are given that building up of that truth. Now let's go back over to Hebrews chapter 10, and we are engaging our thoughts for just a few moments on the new covenant. That is the covenant of grace as opposed to the covenant of works. Now just take a moment, and I won't read this all out to you again. You read it for yourself, but you'd better read quickly. because I'm eager to carry this point through. So have a little look, verse 19 to 22, and then I'm going to ask you, have you noticed anything particular about the reading? As the teacher does in school, as soon as you've read through the verses, look up, and then I will know that you've completed the the task. Verse 19 through to 22. When you finish, look up. I want to see if there's a puzzled look on your face or if you have a smile of contentment because you've worked out what we're looking for. No cheating now, you're only allowed to read it once. Don't read it through twice. Okay. I'm sure you folk at home are scrambling to get your Bible now so that you can have a little part of this non-competition. Let me tell you the answer. Beginning with the word therefore in verse 19, Concluding with the word water in verse 22, you will notice that there are several commas, but only one full stop. You all got that, I know. I can see from your expression that you all got that. Now what does that mean? Well, simply this. All of these verses form one sentence. Now, we could break this all down, and we will to an extent. But even as we break every statement down, we need to acknowledge that while they present themselves in isolation, that means we can take any one of the statements and build truth upon it. The purpose of this sentence is to establish in our minds and in our hearts that all of these are linked They are best served when we look at them together. So what we do is, we look at each point separately and then we link them all together. And the truth of the message is not only to be found in each isolated statement. but rather in the entirety of the sentence. So what does that mean? It means that our sinfulness, the cross of Calvary, the blood of Jesus, our entry into the holiest of all, are all uniquely blended into this one truth that under the new covenant we have a boldness to enter through the first veil, through the second veil, and into the very presence of God. That was not possible in the Old Testament under the Old Covenant. Let's read that little passage again. Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he consecrated for us through the veil that is his flesh, and having a high priest over the house of God, 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. And here is the glorious reality. We do not stand on the outer and watch as our priestly representative moves into the presence of the Ark of the Covenant to the mercy seat where the Shekinah glory of God is shining forth evidence that God is with his people. We do not have to stand on the outer and wait for our representative to go into the sacred place. But we, through the blood of Jesus, have a holy boldness that allows us, that persuades us, that draws us into the very presence of God. That is the point that we are to perceive. Now time marches on. Let me quickly bring this to a close. Let's go back into the passage. Take a little look at verse 19. Read verse 19. Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus. Now, I want you to skip the next two verses and come into verse 22. So we read. Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 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. These two verses, which introduce and conclude this small portion of scripture, bring to us the purpose of this calling. Now let's go back to verse 20 and 21. By a new and living way which he consecrated for us through the veil that is his flesh and having a high priest over the house of God. That's the provision. So the center verses 20 and 21 are the provision. Verse 19 and 22 describe the purpose. So it's what happens in the two center verses that enables what happens in the outer verses. And if you read that over carefully you will see how that works. Now, the heart of the exhortation is without doubt verse 22. And you'll see how it begins. Let us draw near. There are three statements that now set out the pattern, if you like, of this theme. Let me just point these out and then we'll conclude our thoughts for tonight. Let's go to verse 19. Therefore, brethren, and here are the important words, having boldness. Just underscore that. If you're in the habit of underlining favorite texts in your Bible, just put a little mark under verse 19, having boldness. Now when you've concluded that, come down to verse 21. And we read, and having a high priest. So let's underscore that. So in verse 19, having boldness. Verse 21, having a high priest. Now into verse 22. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled. So underscore that. So what are the three characteristics of this movement? What is this portion of Scripture teaching us? Having boldness. Having a high priest. Having our hearts sprinkled. We now are in that favored position where we can lay hold upon everything that Jesus has purchased for us upon the cross. So our boldness, in verse 19, is the result of the other two. That is, having a high priest and having our hearts sprinkled. So, having a high priest, having our hearts sprinkled, gives us the boldness to enter into the holiest of all. The word boldness must not be confused with irreverence or arrogance. I'll never forget my first night away from home where I'd gone over to Edinburgh to Bible College. It was a live-in situation and we had to share a dormitory. There were fellows there from all over. the United Kingdom. And it became the practice or the tradition that every night before we would get into bed, we would all have our own personal quiet time. And then at a certain time, we would all come together around one of the beds and one student each evening would lead in prayer. And I've come from a fairly disciplined church background, and I've learned the significance and the importance of treating the Bible and the things of God with a holy reverence and respect. And so the first night away from home, a young 17-year-old In amongst this bunch of strangers, and beginning my time at the Bible College, we're on the bed, we've read the Bible, and the chosen student was asked to pray. So there we are all, very reverently and very quietly, trying to be as godly as possible. And the prayer began. Dear Daddy. Well, I wasn't sure if I'd gone to the right place. But it turned out that that particular student didn't last long. He went home to Dear Daddy very quickly and didn't stay in the Bible college. But this word boldness doesn't give us the right to presume on anything. We have to always live in the attitude and in the spirit and in the knowledge that our God is a holy God. He cannot look upon sin, and yet we're sinners. And so when we're told that we have boldness to enter into the holy place, we need to remember what this word boldness literally means. It's an old word. And it originally indicated the liberty to speak freely. So it has to do with freedom of speech. That was the original intention of it. But as you read through the book of Acts, you will see that the apostles spoke with boldness. So in that sense, it was a freedom of speech. They were not inhibited by the circumstances or by their conditions. They simply preached the gospel freely. That's what's in this word, boldness. But you will also find this exact same word used in the context of confidence. assurance, that certainty of faith. And God willing, next Sunday night we'll pick up at this point and we'll re-examine these verses as we go a little deeper and a little steeper as we seek to understand what God really has provided for his people. And we want to reach the point where we feel utterly ashamed that we haven't exercised that boldness. and entered into all that God has promised to us. Let's pray. Our loving Father, we thank you for your Word tonight. We thank you for its impact upon our hearts and lives. And as these simple truths are brought into focus in the reality of our world and of our lives. We pray that you will teach us how to exercise that holy boldness, that we'll see our engagement in the holy place, without fear or favor. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.