Hebrews 10:19-25

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus…” Hebrews does not invite us to come near to God by asking us to look first at the strength of our faith. It asks us to look at the blood of Christ.

That matters, because drawing near to God can feel complicated when the conscience is tired. We may know the language of grace and still approach the Lord as though we must make ourselves more presentable first. We may wait until our affections feel warmer, our prayers sound better, our obedience looks steadier, or our thoughts become less scattered. Without noticing it, we can begin to treat nearness to God as something earned by spiritual composure.

Hebrews will not let us rest there. The writer has spent chapter after chapter showing that Jesus is the final and sufficient High Priest. The old covenant priests stood day after day, offering repeated sacrifices that could never fully cleanse the worshiper. But Christ offered himself once for all. He sat down at the right hand of God. His work is finished, and because it is finished, the way is open.

The language is temple language. “The holy places” were not common ground. Under the law, access was restricted. Sin could not be ignored. God’s holiness was not softened to make people comfortable. A sacrifice was required. A mediator was needed. And now Hebrews says that believers have confidence to enter, not because holiness no longer matters, but because Jesus has entered through his own blood and has consecrated “a new and living way.”

This confidence is not arrogance. It is not casual familiarity with holy things. It is the quiet boldness of those who know they have been brought near by Another. The door is not open because we pushed hard enough. The veil is not parted because we have finally become worthy. Christ’s flesh was given. His blood was shed. Our great priest stands over the house of God.

So the first invitation is simple and searching: “Let us draw near.” Not draw near to prove ourselves. Not draw near after we have repaired every weakness. Draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, because the cleansing we need has already been accomplished in Christ. The passage speaks of hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and bodies washed with pure water. God is not asking his people to pretend they have no sin. He is calling cleansed sinners to come honestly, trusting the priest who has made them welcome.

Then comes another invitation: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering.” The reason is not that we are naturally unwavering. It is that “he who promised is faithful.” Our hope does not endure because our grip never trembles. It endures because the Promiser does not change. Faith holds fast by returning again and again to the faithfulness of God.

And then Hebrews turns us toward one another. “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” The open way to God does not make believers solitary. It gathers them. It teaches them not to neglect meeting together, but to encourage one another, especially as the Day draws near.

There is tenderness here, and also a needed correction. Weariness often isolates. Shame withdraws. Disappointment can make the company of believers feel costly. But Christ has not only opened a way for you to approach God; he has placed you among people who need encouragement and people through whom God may encourage you. The church is not a collection of the spiritually impressive. It is a people drawing near through the same blood, holding the same hope, waiting for the same Lord.

You may come near today with an unsteady heart. You may hold fast with tired hands. You may need another believer’s quiet word more than you expected. None of this surprises Christ. The way into God’s presence rests on his finished work, not on the force of your resolve. Come by him. Hold to him. Remain with his people as the Day approaches.