Let Us Draw Near

All right, well, we’re going to get into the Word this morning. If you have your Bibles, I’m going to invite you to turn to two places: Hebrews chapter 4 and Psalm 27 this morning. Hebrews chapter 4 and Psalm 27.

Man, I am really excited for what the Lord is doing — not just in our church. He is moving. If you’ve been tuned in to some of the things that are happening at Asbury College, and the revival that’s happening there — I mentioned it a couple of weeks ago in a sermon — they showed up expecting just to do a chapel, just to have a little service and go home and go about their studies, go about their day. But Jesus revealed Himself, and nobody wanted to leave. Nobody was planning, “Hey, we’re going to start a revival.” How many of you know you can’t mimic a move of God? You can’t fake it. You can’t mimic it. But when God is moving, we want to make sure that we are doing our part to position ourselves to be a part of what His Spirit is doing. Amen.

As I was praying at the beginning of the year, I was talking to Pastor Larry, and I was like, “Larry, did you get a word for the year?” We were talking about that, and I know that’s something that he had done. And it’s not that we try to get a word for the year because it’s the beginning of the year. God has a word all the time. How many of you know God’s always speaking? But it’s a new season for us, and so we wanted to tap into the Lord and tap into what the Spirit is doing. And I really got the sense that the Lord is wanting to reveal Himself. That’s what I kept getting: the Lord wants to reveal Himself in a new way.

That doesn’t mean He’s inventing a new way, or that we’re doing anything that has not already been precedented in the Word of God. But for many people, it’s going to be a new way that you will experience the Lord. Does that make sense? The Lord is revealing Himself in a new way, and we need that, right? If we only come with our own understanding of who God is, and we just keep with that status quo for the rest of our life, how many of you know we’re going to be missing a lot of who God is and what He wants to do in our lives? And I really am recognizing that in this time we must maintain the wonder of who God is and what He can do in our lives and through us.

Come boldly to the throne of grace

So we were praying, and we’ve been talking, and the Lord’s been stirring some things. I want to read out of Hebrews chapter 4 this morning, starting at verse 14. It says, “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest” — talking about Jesus — “who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Let us therefore come boldly. Let us come boldly to the throne of grace. Why do we need to come to the throne of grace? How many of you know in that atmosphere, at the throne of God, there are things that we need? We need to be people who spend time there, who have received what Jesus has done and go into the throne room regularly. It says, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace.” Why? “That we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Let’s pray.

Father, we thank You for Your Word. Lord, we thank You for what You are doing — that there is a move that is happening. And, Lord, it’s not just a call to action. No, we want to be a part of what You are doing. And so, Lord, we invite You to come and to speak to us. Lord, Your Word is power. Lord, give us ears to hear. Give us eyes to see what Your Spirit is saying, what Your Spirit is doing, and that You would receive all the glory, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

So the Lord’s been stirring in my heart, and we’re starting a new series called The Throne Room. Everybody say “the throne room.” You know, we started our year with 21 days of prayer and fasting, and many of you were a part of that. There were some powerful times of prayer, of intercession. And I believe it was earlier in the year, during one of our services, that I sensed a shift in the spirit — in this place, but just in the spirit in general. And it was going back to how the Lord wants to reveal Himself in a new way. We know that that is happening. We know that there is revival taking place right now. But how many of you know you don’t need to go to a place, or to Asbury, to receive a touch from the Lord? He is revealing Himself. This is His heart. This is what He wants to do. He wants His church, His bride, to see Him in all His glory, to see Him in His beauty.

And I sensed the shift in the spirit. It was very subtle, but I was talking with Suzie, my wife, after service, and she was like, “Something changed. Something just changed in the atmosphere.” And I got it. I was like, “Yes, something did change. Something has shifted.” But I believe we’ve only scratched the surface. Amen. We’re experiencing the Lord differently as we come into His presence. You know, sometimes it’s like, “Well, we just had a worship set. Where’s all the loud, fast music? Where are the fast songs? Where’s the rest of the band?” How many of you know, though, we want to be sensitive to the leading of His Holy Spirit? We want to be sensitive, and to approach Him the way that He has instructed us to approach Him.

The best time to be touched — and passed by

So I believe we’ve only scratched the surface. But I need to say this: we need more. We need more, because there is more. That’s why Jesus said to him who has, more will be given, and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. Listen, if you settle for a low level of God in your life, even what you have is at risk. It’s at risk to be taken, to be stolen from you. But there is an invitation that I believe the Lord is making in this time, in this season, that we get to be a part of the move of the Holy Spirit and what He is doing. Because Jesus wants to reveal Himself in a new way — to reveal Himself in all of His glory, to show the radiance of His beauty to His church.

I heard a pastor say this is the best time to be touched by God — that we are in a season right now where it is perhaps easier than any of us can recall to be touched by God. But then he said it’s also the easiest time to be passed by. You see, Jesus is moving. Jesus is revealing Himself. And right now He’s making it so easy, where we don’t have to get everything perfectly right to be touched by God. You just need to have a humble and soft heart, and a disdain for the status quo, a disdain for the ordinary — that we would just expect Jesus. This is His heart. This is what He wants to do. He said this is the best time to be touched, but it’s also the easiest time to be passed by. Jesus is moving, but we don’t want to miss it.

So we want to give Him our attention. We want to give Him our hearts. We want to expect more, right? Didn’t we talk about that a couple of weeks ago — to raise our level of expectation? You do not receive because you do not ask. Why don’t we ask? Because we don’t expect. Jesus is moving. He is passing by, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to miss it. And I’ve already determined in my heart: I’m going into the cloud. I’m going into His presence. You guys can come. I’ll walk with you. I’ll show you. But we’ve got to go there.

And you’re like, “What is he talking about?” Listen, what I’m talking about is so easy to miss. It must be revealed to you by the Holy Spirit. And if you do not understand what I’m talking about today, I would encourage you to go home and ask the Lord, “Holy Spirit, would You tell me what Jay was talking about?” It’s not that it’s confusing, but it must be received by faith. Faith is believing something that you can’t see. But when God reveals Himself to you, it changes everything. You never want to go back. That is why there is revival happening: because God is revealing Himself. And we were meant to be in that atmosphere. We were created to be with Him.

And when that finally happens, and all of a sudden your eyes are open to the reality of who God is and what He’s done and His heart toward you — when your eyes are open like that, you never want to go back. You never want to go back. May we never lose the wonder of who God is and what He has for us.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

You know, when we’re talking about being in His presence, I know of no other way into His glory and into His presence than to die. Meaning, when you look to the Lord, everything that was concerning you before, everything that was consuming you before, fades away. It’s not that you don’t have realities. It’s not that there aren’t responsibilities. But when you are meeting and seeing the face of Jesus, all of a sudden everything else becomes secondary. Why? Because I’m seeing Him face to face.

As I was praying this morning, the song that kept coming to mind was “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.” And I was like, “Lord, I feel like that’s the anthem for this time right now.” Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look to Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. Oh, that we would see the glory of the Lord, the beauty of His majesty. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

Turn your eyes. There are so many things right now in our world, and there is a level of noise that is really trying to keep us from seeing the Lord — things that will try to distract you, right? I talk to my kids about this all the time. I was even scrolling through Instagram, and there was an ad that came up for neck pain, because people spend so much time looking down at their phones. Literally, so many times we look at everything but the Lord.

But I believe that Jesus is making Himself available right now. He is moving. He is making Himself available. Why? Because He’s coming soon. He’s coming again. And He has given us a glimpse. He’s given us an opportunity to capture His glory, to capture His beauty — not just so we can be in awe of the spectacle of who He is, but so we literally become changed by His very presence, to the point where we now become living epistles of who He is.

You come into places like this, and we’re giving the Lord worship. We’re giving the Lord praise. We’re lifting our hands. We’re encountering His Spirit. We’re receiving from Him. We’re seeing Him. Okay? You guys with me? And as we do that, all of a sudden He does something in us where we become the very nature of His glory, of who He is. Now let me ask you: what would happen when a church is filled with people that have experienced the glory of God? That would change things. That would change things.

So God is moving. And this world is so loud, and this world has no peace, and people are longing for peace. Amen. They want their minds to be healed from the fear that they feel every day. They want their lives to just be settled from the turbulence of the reality, and the fears and the stresses and the anxiety of the world. But Jesus is revealing Himself as the bridegroom to His bride. And as He does, we get to become the living epistle, the living letter, of who He is. Are we good?

One thing I have desired

I had you turn to Psalm 27. And listen, I want you to stay tuned, because I want you to see God’s heart as we open His Word together. Is this good? Is this resonating with you guys? So, Psalm 27. This is what we’re talking about. We’re talking about the throne room, and the title of today’s message is “Let Us Draw Near.” Let us draw near.

Listen, I can resolve in my heart that I am going to do what it takes to come into His presence and to be in His presence. But how many of you know there is something special that happens when we go together, with one accord and with one voice? That’s why these times are so valuable — where we come together and we begin to praise, and do what He’s asked us to do. We begin to sing, give thanksgiving, and we give Him glory, and He reveals Himself differently.

But I want you to notice here, Psalm 27 — this is David, a man after God’s own heart. I would like that reputation when I get to heaven. When I look to the Lord: “You were a man after My heart.” Just like that. I would like that reputation. This is David. He is literally written in the Bible as a man after God’s own heart.

Psalm 27, verse 4. David says, “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle” — everybody say “tabernacle” — “in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.”

I want you to notice how David starts this portion. He says, “One thing I have desired.” One. “And that is what I will seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” Listen, how many of you know when you’re a kid, there are a lot of things that you want, right? You want the latest gadgets. You want the latest toys. But as you get older, something that I’ve discovered is that what I really want begins to narrow down. What I’m really after, what I’m really desiring, really starts to dwindle down to the things that are most important. And this is where David is at this point in his life. David has dwindled it down to one thing. “One thing I desire,” and that is to be with the Lord.

Now, David isn’t talking about literally living in the church all the time. Let me tell you, this place is really nice during the week, when it’s just me and maybe a handful of people. It’s really nice. It’s really quiet and calm. But I’m not looking to live here. David’s not talking about living in the house of the Lord. It’s a metaphor for being in the presence of the Lord. David is saying, “There’s one thing that my heart is after more than anything else: I just want to be in His presence. I want to be in it. I want to be where He is.” Are you guys getting that? “One thing I have desired, and that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.”

The tabernacle of David

But notice verse 5. He says, “For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me.” Notice: “in the secret place of His tabernacle.” I want us to recognize that at this point in David’s life, where he has dwindled it down to one thing, there were two tabernacles.

There was one at the beginning of Solomon’s reign, out of 2 Chronicles 1, verses 3 and 4, where it says, “Then Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon” — everybody say “Gibeon” — “for the tabernacle of meeting with God was there, which Moses the servant of the Lord had made in the wilderness.” But notice verse 4: “But David had brought up the ark of God from Kirjath Jearim to the place David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem.”

So notice, at this point where David has dwindled it down, there were two tabernacles. There was one that Moses had created at Gibeon. It was a special place where the presence of the Lord was. But there was another place, where David had brought the ark to a tent. Everybody say “a tent.” That’s literally the definition of a tabernacle. It was a tabernacle, a place of being with the Lord. There was a tent where he had brought the ark of the covenant so that he could be with God. So there are two tabernacles.

Now I want us to back up just a little bit. 1 Chronicles 15:29 says, “And it happened, as the ark of the covenant of the Lord…” Okay — David’s bringing the ark to this new tabernacle, to this place. “Now it came to pass, when David was dwelling in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies all around, that the king said to Nathan the prophet, ‘See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains.’” So who made those tent curtains? David had erected this tent. He’s talking about the tabernacle of David: “I have made a tent where the ark of the covenant is.”

Are you guys with me this morning? This is really important. We’ve got to understand this. There was the tabernacle of Moses. Now there’s a tabernacle of David, where the ark of the Lord is dwelling in a tent. And David is saying, “He’s in a tent. I’m in a house of cedar. I want to make Him a house,” right? And then Nathan the prophet begins to talk to David and say that God doesn’t want him to build a house, because there’s so much blood on his hands. But because of David’s heart for the Lord, God makes David a promise: “I’m going to establish your descendants forever.”

Okay, so this was talking about Jesus, the Messiah that was to come, who is from the house of Judah, also called the Son of David — that the Messiah would eventually become the one who sits on the throne forever. So when God told David that he would have a descendant on the throne forever, He was talking about Jesus. He was talking about the Messiah.

But I want you to notice: after Nathan says, “You cannot build Him a house; there’s too much blood on your hands,” after this exchange with Nathan the prophet and this great promise that his descendants would be on the throne forever, something happens that I believe shows the heart of the Lord for us. Listen, look at verse 18. David gets this news — you guys with me? David gets this news, and notice what it says in verse 18. It says, “Then King David went in and sat before the Lord.” Where did he go? He went to the tabernacle of David, the tent that he had erected. It says he went in and he sat before the Lord.

How many of you know you weren’t supposed to do that? That was not something that was allowed — to just go in and sit in the presence of the Lord. When God gave Moses instructions on how to enter the tabernacle, the instructions were exhaustive, right? The writer of Hebrews says it was according to a pattern that God had given. God was so holy, He was so magnificent, that people who would come into His presence would die. And so God says, “Listen, I want to be with you. And so for you to be with Me, I’m going to protect you. These are specific instructions that you must follow in order to just get a glimpse of who I am.” Why? Because there was sin in people. There was something that had separated them from God. And God was saying, “I want to be with you so bad. So for now, you have to follow these. You have to do these things.”

And how many of you know it was once a year that one person, who was called the high priest, would go through a ritual of cleansing to go in and to be with the Lord, and then he would come back and report all the things that God was doing? So here’s David. He gets this news. “I want to build God a house. I want to build Him a place where I can be with Him, because I’m only after one thing. I just want to be in His presence.” And David gets the news from God: “You can’t build Me a house. There’s too much blood on your hands. But because of your heart, I’m going to establish your descendants forever.” And then what does David do? “I’ve got to be with the Lord.” He goes in and he sits before the Lord. You see, notice, he walks right in. David was not the high priest. He was the king. And he goes in and he sits before the Lord.

I will raise up the tabernacle of David

Now, many years later — this is so important, you guys — many years later, David dies, and God speaks through the prophet Amos. Amos 9:11 says, “On that day” — talking about the last days. How many of you know if there were last days, we’re in them, right? God speaks through the prophet Amos: “On that day” — notice what God says — “I will raise up the tabernacle of David.”

Why is this important? You see, at this point, when this was prophesied, the tabernacle of David had been torn down. It had been destroyed. There had been two tabernacles where the presence of the Lord was housed — the tabernacle of Moses and the tabernacle of David — and at this point there was also the temple of Solomon. This was the house that David’s son built for the Lord, right? David’s son built this magnificent, glorious, state-of-the-art house for the Lord.

And I want you to notice what God says He’ll do in the last days. He doesn’t say, “I’m going to raise up the tabernacle of Moses, where you have to do all these things just to get into My presence, and only one person can do it.” He doesn’t say, “I’m going to raise up the temple of Solomon, where you see My beauty in the building, in the structure, in the flow, in the production.” What does God say? “I’m going to raise up the tabernacle of David.” Why? Because you can just come right in and be with Me.

Can we just see the heart of God through that? That He wants to make Himself so accessible, that He’s saying, “I’m going to do everything I can to eliminate as many barriers as I can.” Why? “Because I just want you to be with Me. I just want you to come into My presence.” So the Lord is prophesying. He’s speaking: “I’m not going to raise up the tabernacle of Moses, where it’s one person and you just have to take that person’s word for what God is like. No, I’m not going to do that. In the last days I’m going to raise up the tabernacle of David.”

Listen, there weren’t instructions on how the tabernacle of David was built. All it says is David pitched a tent, put an ark in the middle, and he would go and sit before the Lord. How many of you know God was intentional when He said this? When He prophesied: “This is what I want it to be like when people encounter Me, when people experience My presence. This is what I want it to be like — where you just come in, and I show Myself to you.” Amen. In the last days God is saying, “I’m going to raise up the tabernacle of David, because that’s the one that I like. That’s the one that I want.”

Look at what the prophet Isaiah said about the tabernacle of David in Isaiah 16:5. Isaiah prophesied and said, “In mercy the throne will be established; and One will sit on it in truth” — talking about Jesus, right? One will sit on it in truth. And look where He’s going to sit. Who’s this talking about? This is talking about Jesus, right? Who’s the one sitting on the throne? Jesus. “In mercy the throne will be established; and One will sit on it in truth,” notice where, “in the tabernacle of David, judging and seeking justice and hastening righteousness.”

Listen, you want to know where to find Jesus? The tabernacle of David, where you receive what Jesus has done. It’s by mercy His throne has been established. We come in by the blood of Jesus, receiving what He’s done, and we just come in and we sit with Him. How many of you know this is God’s heart? Amen. This is God’s heart.

By a new and living way

Hebrews chapter 10. We’re going to close with this scripture. Hebrews 10, verse 19, says, “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest…” How many of you know what “the Holiest” is referring to? That’s the place in the inner courts — the holiest place of the temple, right? That’s where only the high priest could go. It says, “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest” — notice — “by the blood of Jesus.” How do we get into the Holy of Holies? How do we come into His presence? By being people who have received the blood of Jesus. “By the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh.”

Through the veil, that is, His flesh. How many of you remember, when His body was ripped and torn, the veil was torn in two? You guys remember that? When He died, when He breathed His last, it says the veil of the temple, to the Holy of Holies, was torn in two. In other words, Jesus is the way that we come into the presence of the Lord. By His blood, by what He has paid for through His body being crucified, we can now walk into the presence of God. It says, “by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh.”

Verse 21: “And having a High Priest over the house of God.” How many of you know Jesus is our High Priest? He’s now the one we go in through. Verse 22 says, “Let us draw near.” Let us draw near. What are we supposed to do? We’re supposed to draw near, having received the blood of Jesus that was shed for us, the veil to the Holy of Holies being torn in two. There is now no obstacle for us to come into His presence. If you receive what Jesus has done, we come into His presence. This is His heart. This is what He’s always been after.

And it says, “Let us draw near” — how do we do that? — “with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” You want to know, actually, how the Asbury revival started? It started with confession and repentance. People that had received Jesus began to confess their sins, and they began to repent and turn from those ways. And how many of you know God began to reveal Himself? Why? Because they received what Jesus had done. They had received it, and now they have entered the Holy of Holies, the very throne room of heaven.

Let us draw near. Listen, if you have received Jesus as Savior, how many of you know you can now come in, justified, as one who is worthy to come into His presence? I have some friends that say, “I can’t go to church because I’ll get struck by lightning.” I’m like, “What?” Because they think what they’ve done is so bad. But how many of you know the Bible says there is no one righteous, not one? And the only way that we have access to God is because of what Jesus has done for us. When we receive what He has done, and we allow His blood to cover us, to wash us, to cleanse us, we receive that forgiveness of sin. How many of you know that makes us worthy of now coming boldly, by faith, into His presence? And this is what God has wanted all along.

This is what He’s wanted all along. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace. Let us now draw near to the Holy of Holies, to the very throne. Why? Because God is saying, “I want to be with you. I want to show you who I am. I want you to know. And as I reveal Myself to you, and you begin to see My glory, you begin to see My power, you begin to receive revelation from heaven about who you really are and who I’ve created you to be. When I begin to shape your life, you literally become a living testament, a living story, of who I am.”

You cannot come into His presence and leave the same. You cannot. When you come into His presence, you die to yourself, and your priorities have changed. And now all you want to say is, “One thing I desire, one thing I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord, that I may dwell in His presence.”

Draw near with a humble heart

Let us draw near. And just like David, we are now able to come into His presence, because we’ve been sealed with the blood of Jesus. Somebody say amen. I mean, is this helpful? Is this powerful? So when we come into times of worship, and we say, “Let’s lift our voice, let’s begin to praise the Lord together” — do you know where we’re going? People can look at you and be like, “I don’t know what you’re doing.” But how many of you know we know where we’re going? Because we’ve received the Lord. We’ve received what He’s done. And God has said Himself, “In the last days I want to raise it up. I want it to be like this. I want it to be like this: when they come together and begin to worship the Lord, I reveal Myself to them. That’s My heart. That’s My heart.”

Let us draw near, then. Let us humble ourselves. Let us come with a pure heart that says, “Jesus, I receive what You’ve done. Jesus, I receive the blood that’s been shed for me. I don’t deserve it. I was destined to an eternity apart from You, to destruction. But because of Your love for me, You died on the cross. Your flesh was ripped apart, and when You did that, You gave me full access to You.” The veil’s been torn in two, which means that we should be people that are regularly in the presence of God, because there’s nothing keeping us from that. I said, there’s nothing keeping us from that. But we must draw near with a heart that is humble, with a heart that is sincere, that says, “Jesus, I receive, and by faith I come in.”

God said, “In the last days I will raise up the tabernacle of David, where you can come in and just be with Me.” Oh, may we be a people that are drawn near. That we would be a people that would press in, that would believe God at His Word, that would say, “God, I’m coming to You with a heart full of expectation, full of faith. Why? Because I’ve received Jesus, and He’s changed me, and now there’s nothing keeping me from You. And so, Lord, I’m not going to settle for the status quo anymore. I’m not going to settle for only the things that I know. No, I’m going to press in.” Why? Because You said to him who has, more will be given.

Let me tell you: if you’ve received from the Lord, He has more for you. Don’t stop. Don’t quit. Press forward, and let us draw near. Why? Because that’s what He’s always wanted. How many of you know when we position ourselves in a posture of surrender and humility and we come to the Lord — don’t you think that if that’s been His heart all along, He’s going to show up? When we begin to lift our heads and we look to the Lord and we begin to worship Him, do you think He’s going to show up? Let us draw near — by faith, in full surrender, with humble hearts.

The Lord’s not looking for a production. That’s why I’m sitting here. It’s probably why there are two of us up here. He’s looking for hearts that are His. And I believe — I believe Jesus is moving. He’s passing by. We don’t want to miss it. We don’t want to miss it. Amen. And it’s not that we need to conjure this. No. All we need to do is have a humble heart that draws near. We don’t need to make something happen. No, we can’t fake it. He comes when He comes. He’ll move when He moves. We position ourselves. “One thing I have desired… that I may dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

And so there was no record of David getting instructions to make this tabernacle. There were no instructions or how-tos. All it was, was David just saying, “God, I want to be with You.” And God’s saying, “That’s exactly what I’ve been looking for: people who just say, ‘I want more of You.’” Amen. Amen.

I’m going to invite David up, and we’re going to just end with a brief time of worship this morning. I just have a sense that this needs to be our response: “Jesus, I receive what You’ve done, and now I’m drawing near to You with a heart that’s surrendered, with a heart that is full of faith, expecting, Lord, that You will show Yourself to me.” And if we can do that, how many of you know He shows up? Amen. Let’s go ahead and stand together.

Transcribed from the message recording and lightly edited for reading.