Hebrews 10:19  Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
20  By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
21  And having an high priest over the house of God;
22  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.

In verse 19 we see the encouragement that true saints have in Christ. In the Old Testament we have the account of Manoah and his wife who were told by the angel of the Lord that they were going to have a son. They were also given instructions as to how to raise their son as a Nazarite. Manoah was sure they were going to die because he said they had seen God. He was fearful of what had just taken place.
In spite of what some people falsely claim, we do not have visions today. The devil is capable of giving people visions, but true Christians do not see visions. However, as our text tells us, we have the privilege of entering into the presence of the Lord by the blood of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 4:16 refers to that place as the throne of grace. We are encouraged to come boldly into the holiest. The Old Testament priest needed to offer a sacrifice for his own sins before he could enter the holiest. He was warned that God could strike him dead if he did not make an atonement for his own sins first.
The word “boldness” speaks of “assurance”. God is telling us that true Christians can come before Him with assurance that He will hear them because they are coming as sinners who have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Our sins have not just been covered, they have been forgiven and removed.
We see again why it is contrary to God’s Word for a true child of God to live in sin. Not only does God remove the sin of the repentant sinner, He also changes the nature of the repentant sinner.
Saul, who was later called Paul, was zealous to persecute Christians before he was saved. He consented to the death of Stephen. He was eager to get to Damascus and have Christians arrested. However, after Saul was converted, he no longer desired to persecute Christians. He now had a love for the brethren. Some of the brethren were afraid of him at first because they knew who he used to be. However, they learned he was not that same man. God saved him and in doing so, He gave him a new nature. God even went so far as to change Saul’s name to Paul. Two times, in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, Jesus tells us that He will give the “overcomer” a new name. We are not told what that name is but we will know that name and it will be a blessed name.
Every true child of God is given a new nature at salvation. They are not that former lost person. The “old man” still wants to interfere, but God also teaches us that we do not need to yield to the old man. He gives us the strength and the desire to please and serve Him. We can come boldly before Him in prayer. We can be assured that if we have sinned, He will hear us when we come to confess our sin to Him. We can come with assurance that He will hear our requests and our cry for mercy and help.
Verse 20 tells us that this is a new way. The Old Testament saints did not have this way. God calls this a “new and living way”. The word translated as “living” here does not mean it is ever changing as some people like to use that word. It means an “active” and “blessed” way. God is never asleep or too busy for anyone of His children. It is a privilege to know Him and to serve Him.
We see here as well that Jesus Christ is referred to as “the veil”. As we have mentioned before, all the vessels of the Tabernacle/Temple were a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. The veil is the type of the fact that we must come to God in Jesus’ name. Those who think they can pray directly to God are wrong. Their prayers are not going anywhere. God is very clear on the proper protocol in coming to Him. He is a holy God and He has a right to be respected as a Holy God.
In verse 21 we see that Jesus Christ is the High Priest over the house of God. True Christians are spiritually brought into the “house of God”. We have mentioned before that physically Christians need to join a local church and be faithful in serving God through that local church. Spiritually, all Christians are brothers and sisters in the Lord. When travelling and meeting another Christian elsewhere, there is a common bond that exists because of the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses the formerly lost sinner and makes him or her a saint.
In verse 22 we see that our hearts have been sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. That is why we are encouraged to draw near to God now. It is a blessed fact for the true child to be able to come right into the very presence of God through the blood of Jesus Christ. There is a sense of awe in that fact. To think that I, as a born again Christian, have access to the Creator of Heaven and earth and can bring my every need before Him. I can have the assurance that He will take time for me and He will hear me and answer me and bless me.
This is a privilege that every true child of God has. We do not need to try to find a priest to pray for us. We do not need to find a preacher to pray for us. Every true born again Christian has equal access before God’s throne. One thing that can hinder the true child of God is unconfessed sin. This is referring to sin that has been committed after salvation. All sins committed prior to salvation are forgiven at the moment of salvation. After salvation, there is no need to try to hide sin. As our text shows us, we have been given access into the holiest by the blood of Jesus Christ. We can come before God in Jesus’ name and confess any and every sin and receive God’s forgiveness and move forward for the Lord.
The Bible teaches that it is a blessing to be able to intercede for others before the Lord. It is a good thing to have some true saints that you can confide in and who will pray for you. However, every true child of God can come personally before the Lord.
The true born again Christian has great blessings in Christ. If you are reading this, but do not have this blessing in your life, why not turn to God today and ask Him to forgive you and save you. There is no point in delaying this. There is no point in hanging on to some fictitious belief system. Take God at His Word and be saved and know His peace and forgiveness today!
Pastor Bartel