Take Me In

Sung an older contemporary Christian song, 'Take Me In' today that reminds me of the great privilege we have gotten through Christ Jesus in allowing us to meet with our Abba Father, the lyrics can be found here

The song takes us through the various places in God's temple in Old Testament (OT) times. The outer courts being where the lay Jewish people offer their sacrifices on the brazen altar, a golden basin where priests wash themselves before they minister to the people. From there an inner sanctuary can be entered called the Holy Place, inside which separated by a thick, heavy curtain where God's glory itself resides, the Holy of Holies. In OT times, no person can enter the Holy of Holies except the high Priest and him only once a year after sacrifices have been made for sin so that he can offer incense as worship to God on behalf of the people. Death strikes any person who dares invade the Holy of Holies because the holy God cannot co-exist with sinful flesh. Yet the Holy of Holies, the place we cannot enter by our own selves, is the only place where His total righteousness is found.

It is with thankfulness as I think about the chorus of the song, "So take me in to the Holy of Holies, Take me in by the blood of the Lamb" - its meaning is really plain isn't it?

In Revelations 11:1-2 "(John) was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, "Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshippers there. But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles." For lay jewish believers, this is horrifying because only priests are allowed entry into the Holy Place. The implied meaning being that the only people who are spared the 2nd death - an eternal torment in the lake of fire (Rev 20:14) are the true worshippers, the real priests of our God, in the Holy Place, who are given access to Him directly, only by the blood of the lamb.

Why is that so? Only after the Father's wrath was fully satisfied, was 'the curtain of the temple torn in two' (Luke 23:45), then Christ, hanging on the cross, 'called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.", he breathed his last.' (Luke 23:46) Only by Christ's death on the cross, was the curtain torn and we are given free access into the Holy of Holies, only by the blood of the lamb.

The last line is a reminder of our right response "Take the coal cleanse my lips, here I am" - Isa 6:5-9. That after we have been justified and given the free gift of the righteousness of the lamb, brought into the majestic Holy presence of our King Himself whom we are unworthy to behold, our thankful response should be to be sent for God's service.

Isn't His gift of Himself such an awesome gift? And shouldn't this access to our King Himself, be taken a little bit more reverently especially by lazy people like me?