Let's start with a word of prayer. Father, we thank you for forming the church in the Lord Jesus Christ and for all our brothers and sisters all over the world who meet together. Same word of God, same Lord Jesus Christ. same gifts functioning in each of those churches. And what a grand thing when one day we will all be united and be in your presence. So Father, we ask that You would prepare us for that as we study your word and we might understand the things that are there in your word, such a vast, vast amount of wonderful truth. And we thank you for that in Jesus' name, amen. So we're in 1 Peter chapter two. And it's gonna look like I'm going backwards, cause I am. but I'll explain that here in a minute. So let's start in 1 Peter 2 and verse one where we read this. Therefore, putting aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babes long for the pure milk of the word that by it you may grow in respect to salvation. whenever we have that concept of salvation or being saved. We always, that word comes up in everyday life. There was a fire and three people were saved. They were in danger. And, you know, or there was a boat that got in trouble and two people were saved. And we understand they were saved from either drowning or hypothermia or both or whatever. So it has to have a context. And so here the word of God says that you may grow in respect to salvation. So we can say very clearly that, Salvation's available, and that's what we're gonna be looking at. And that says, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord, and really the Greek there allows that to be since you have tasted, directed to believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. And then, here's where I'm gonna settle down this morning, even though we've been beyond this, and coming to Him. as to a living stone, rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of God. I'm in my own reading, try to read through the Bible every year, quicker sometimes, and I'm in the front end of that. And so I'm back in the Old Testament and in the law and moving through. And I had been struck by what a thing that we could have these words coming to him. Because the Old Testament, in a lot of ways, now bear with me, but I'm gonna point out some places where the Lord says, don't come. He's not saying don't come at all, but he's don't get close. because he's holy. And if there's anything that isn't really understood, it's the holiness of God and how much he hates sin, that which deviates from what is holy or what is right, what is just. And, you know, we as sinful people can look and say, isn't that taking it too far? Isn't that overkill, this holiness? And I'm gonna show some passages which may take your breath away a little bit because of God's holiness. But God is preparing a perfect eternity, what we call heaven. He's preparing this place. And how much unholiness do you think he can allow in there? You know what I mean? Think of this. God says to Adam and Eve, don't eat of the fruit of that tree. What would you expect if you said to your kids, don't touch that fruit on the counter? What might happen? They probably would. And so you can look at that and say, It doesn't really seem to be that big a deal. You know what I mean by that? And yet, what came out of that? What multiplied and grew and what are we in the midst of today with the results of depravity? Okay. and coming to Him. So let's go back to Exodus chapter three. And I'm gonna read from verse one. Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, that's the place where the law will ultimately be given later on to Moses, the mountain of God. Now it says, and the angel of the Lord, now we've looked at this, but there's no doubt that the angel of the Lord is Jethro. Jesus Christ, the Son of God in the Old Testament. Keep that in mind. Now, I don't have time to take you back and prove that to you, but if you would take my word or the word of somebody here. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush, and he looked, and behold, The bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. So the thing that amazed Moses was not so much that there was a bush on fire, but there was a bush on fire that didn't burn up. It just kept burning and burning and burning, and he'd never seen anything like that. So Moses said, I must turn aside and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up. When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God, the angel of the Lord, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, here I am. Then he said, do not come near here. Remember 1 Peter 2.4. And coming to him, don't come near here. Okay? Same person. Do not come near here. Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. Then he said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Okay. Let's go to, this is the one that really strikes me, that does too, but number 17. So, by the way, the Lord appears to Moses and gets him ready to be his servant in delivering Israel from Egypt. Moses is the one that God chose. Moses is the one that God's talking with here. The Lord is talking with in the burning bush. But let's go to, like I said, Numbers chapter 17. And we're gonna start Numbers 17, 12, and 13. Come the time. In Israel, because God is in their midst, thousands of people are dying. Did you get that? He's in their midst, his tabernacle is in their midst, and when they sin, The people who aren't God's people outside of Israel, the Philistines and so forth, they're not dying by the thousands, but those in close contact with where the Lord is are. And they come and they say this to Moses. Then the sons of Israel spoke to Moses saying, behold, we perish, we are dying. We're all dying. Numbers 17, 12, and 13. Then the sons of Israel spoke to Moses saying, behold, we perish, we are dying. We're all dying. Everyone who comes near, don't come near. Keep in mind, New Testament, Peter, what does this say? Come near. I'm just taken by, do you know, do we have any concept of what that invitation is to come near? I mean, how different it was? Okay. Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of the Lord must die. And then here's their question. Are we to perish completely? Is our whole nation gonna ultimately die? Then, let me take you to this Exodus chapter four. This is such a shaking thing to my mind. All right, let me remind you, so Moses now, he's come off the backside of the desert, and now we're in Numbers chapter four and verse 24, and he's doing what God called him to do, even though he didn't want to do it, really. He tried to get out of it, and the Lord said, no, you need to do it. So here's this man chosen by God. He's going to do what God intended for him to do, okay? And my thought would be, well, everything's sweet for Moses. Now get this. Now came about at the lodging place, there was some place on the way on the trip as he's heading to Egypt to confront Pharaoh. came about at the lodging place on the way that the Lord met him and sought to put him to death. What does that do to your head? So then we have to find out, what's this about? Then Zipporah, now that's Moses' wife, took a flint That was the razor sharp implement of the day. And cut off her son's foreskin. Circumcised him right there on the spot. She didn't like that. She did it to save her husband's life. And she threw it. at Moses' feet. And she said, you are indeed a bridegroom of blood to me, or a bloody bridegroom. So he, the Lord, I believe the angel of the Lord, I believe that this is still, this is Jesus Christ in the Old Testament, so he let him alone. At that time, she said, you are a bridegroom of blood because of the circumcision. Now the Lord said, the eighth day you are to circumcise your children. And Moses left Egypt, remember he fled from Egypt and he went to the backside of the desert and he worked for this man, Zipporah's father, and he pastored his sheep. he neglected to follow through and circumcise his children, or at least this child. All right, Jeremiah chapter 30. Jeremiah 30, and we're going to come to a wonderful promise that God made. in verse 21, Jeremiah 30, verse 21. Looking to the future, this is what God says he's going to do for Israel. And he says this, and their leader shall be one of them. I believe that's a reference to Jesus Christ. and their leader shall be one of them, and their ruler shall come forth from their midst." He's going to be a Jew. And the Lord says, and I will bring him near, and he shall approach me. And then this wonderful, amazing statement, for who would dare to risk his life to approach me? declares the Lord. Who would dare to do that? Who would come in to the tabernacle and even go into the holy place, but beyond it into the holy of holies? What would happen? Do you remember in The people were in fear on that one day of the year, and we'll be to this here in a little bit, but on that one day of the year when the priest went into the Holy of Holies, they were afraid. There's accounts, I can't verify it, but there's accounts that they had some way to pull him out of there if he died while he was in there, if he got struck down, because he's in the presence of God, okay? And God's holy. And that's why there's the Ark of the Covenant and the mercy seat representing the Lord Jesus Christ. Okay, so. Let's go next to Job chapter nine. And Job chapter nine. And we're going to come down to verse 33. Job had a problem because he wanted to be able to bring his case before God. If you read the book of Job, he feels like he's being treated unfairly, and he wants to talk to God about it. He wants to argue with God about it. He's the most righteous man on the face of the earth at that time, but he comes up with a tremendous statement. He says this, there's no umpire between us. He said, I need a go-between. New Testament term would be a mediator. Then he says this, who may lay his hand upon us both. It's a beautiful picture of what Jesus Christ is. because Jesus Christ comes, he is God, but he's born as a man, and so Job says, I need somebody to go between me and this holy God. And he puts it this way, somebody that could put their hand on the shoulder of both, and so as God, The Lord Jesus can put his hand on God the Father's shoulder in this illustration, but as a man, he could put his hand on Job, on his shoulder, and he's the go-between. There's a word in King James, a daisman, and that's talking about a go-between, a mediator, okay? All right, then, we come to the New Testament. First Timothy chapter two and verse five. I'm gonna read from verse one. First of all, then Paul says to Timothy, I urge that in treaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men. That's quite a prayer list. For kings and all who are in authority, Why? In order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. Because you realize, at any time in history, leaders can do things, this has happened so often in history, where one person, maybe because of ego, goes to war. And thousands of people die, you know? And he's just somebody that's out of control, you know? I think of that account in Old Testament. David has a friend who's a king. of their country, of course, and the king dies. And so David sends some of his men to console the son. And his men go there, honorable men, military men, and the new regime shows that they are enemies of Israel because the young men say, those guys aren't here to console you. They're here to search out the land and David's gonna attack you. And so they take those men and they shave off their beards or half their beards and they cut their clothes off so they're exposed and let them go. And David saw that, and I believe he's right. He knew now he had an opposing country that he would be at war with, and so he attacked. And it all came down to a stupid move by this new king, you know? And so this prayer request, First Timothy 2.2, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity, this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved, saved from this holy God and hell, or the lake of fire, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. What's the solution? You can't just come to this holy God unless you have this, for there is one God and one mediator also between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus. The thing that's so important here is how many mediators are there? One. Have you ever heard or have you ever thought? It's so narrow. This Christian thing is so narrow. Why are these people that I know that are Christians say there's only one way to God? I just read an article this morning about people saying that's ridiculous. There's got to be more than one way. For there to be any way at all, there has to be what? A mediator. And there's only one. And we stand on that truth. There's only one way to God. There's only one God who became man, the Son of God, born in the flesh, to go to a cross, die on the cross, be our sacrifice, take our place, for our sins, die for those sins, be raised from the dead, and now what's the invitation? He's resurrected. Come to him. I hope you get some of the weightiness between. Don't get near. You know, when God gave the law, he said to Moses, put bounds all around the mountain. And he says, anybody goes up past those bounds, they're gonna be put to death. If I remember right, he says, you can't even touch them, either shoot them through or stone them, because God and his holiness is up on Mount Sinai. Okay. Let's go to Matthew chapter seven. Matthew 27 and verse 50. So here we are at the time of Jesus Christ's death on the cross. And verse 50 says, and Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, notice what happened. The veil of the temple, was torn in two from top to bottom. There was this screen, this veil in the temple that kept even the priesthood out of there, except the high priest went in, we'll see that here in a minute, went in once a year with blood. But the whole message was, can't go in there. Well, what is represented? God and all his holiness. The Ark of the Covenant and the two cherubim looking on. It's this magnificent picture of God's holiness. And nobody goes in there except as God designed that one person once a year. And now, because of the mediator, because of The one man, Jesus Christ, God and man, who has put his hands on both of us, on God and on us, God tears that veil in two. Notice what it says, from top to bottom. God says, I'm tearing it. It's not our works or our doing that we do it from the bottom up. It's God tearing it from the top down. And what is he saying? It's open. Come into this most holy place. Come right in. Because Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again. Hebrews chapter nine. In Hebrews 9, we're going to start in verse 1. Now, the main point in what has been said is this. We have such a high priest who has taken his seat. He's been resurrected after his death on the cross, and he's taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens. Hebrews eight, verse two, a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, there's a real tabernacle in heaven. The one on earth was a copy of it, which the Lord pitched, not man, for every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Hence it's necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. Now, if he were on earth, under the Levitical priesthood, he would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the law, who serve as a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. Just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle for sea, he says that you make all things according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain. But now, He has obtained a more excellent ministry by as much as which he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises. I want you to come. to Hebrews, so we've got a better covenant because our mediator has already died on the cross, risen again, he's seated as our high priest. What does a priest do? He represents man before God. Now, I want you to come to chapter 10. And we're gonna come to verse 19. What a verse. Since therefore, brethren, We have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus. I think about this. Suppose you could be transported back to the Old Testament times and somebody said, let me take you up to the tabernacle. You see, you can go into that first room there with a lamp stand and a table of show, just go in there. And then when you get in there, there's a veil in the back. Make sure you go around that veil and go in and get a good look at the Ark of the Covenant. Would you do it? But verse 19 says, since therefore brethren, we have confidence. Is that an amazing word in this context? There's another, let us come boldly. I think bursting into the holy of holies. It's such an amazing thing. And so few people don't have a clue what God has done to save us from our just condemnation and our separation. from him forever, and that word salvation is so important. All the other salvations, they have to do with life and death, and I mean physical life and death, and that's a big thing, but it's not the big thing. There's an eternal death, an eternal separation from God, false conscious suffering, and things we don't even wanna think about. But since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus. Now notice what it says. By a new and living way, which he inaugurated for us through the veil, that is his flesh. The writer of Hebrews, I believe it's the Apostle Paul, but the writer of Hebrews is saying when the veil being ripped is what? It's a picture of him dying for us. The veil that really was ripped that opened the way up was his death on our behalf. And then it says this, and since we have a great high priest, So we could ask this question, this great high priest, is he for me? Well, he loved me so much that he took my sins on himself and he died for my sins. And now he represents me before God. And since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere or true heart in full assurance of faith. In other words, I know I could never even get near that place because of my own sinfulness, but I'm so convinced and assured of what Jesus Christ did for me, that I can come into the Holy of Holies, that I can talk to God, I can talk to God the Father, I can talk to the Lord Jesus Christ with boldness. Let us draw near with a sincere heart and full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promises is faithful. Do you get that? Anytime I look at me and I look at my record of sin and just my, when I look at who I am apart from Christ, what's that gonna make me do? I'm gonna waver. I'm gonna think, oh, Whittles, how could you be saved and be such a jerk? How could you be saved? But notice what that verse says. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope. It doesn't say because we're doing so well. It says let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering. Why? For he who promises faithful. It's all on him. It's all on him. And all I'm doing is trusting him to be who he says he is and to have done what he says he's done and what he's doing. My confidence is in him. If my confidence isn't me, I'm going to waver. I don't have what it takes not to waver, but. He's brought me to himself. He died on the cross for me. He gave me the gospel, the power of God unto salvation. And therefore, he who promised is faithful. Father, how we thank you for the invitation to come near, to come right into the presence of your holiness. into that magnificent place in heaven with our requests and this place where we, where scripture says we already live there in Christ. What an incredible truth, Father. What wonderful marks of what you did from don't come near to come boldly before the throne of grace. We thank you for this in Jesus name. Amen.