COMPLETE ACCESS

Time with Jesus - 21 July 2013

RMS TITANIC

Hi all,

The movie “Titanic” was released onto the film circuit in 1997, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. It was a smash hit! I never could understand why. It was actually a rather mediocre love story made for the movies. 

The Movie - Titanic

The draw card was, “RMS Titanic, a British passenger liner that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after colliding with an iceberg during its maiden voyage from Southampton, UK to New York City, US.” (Ref. Wikipedia)

"A Night to Remember"

Hollywood hopped onto the “Band Wagon” and made a fortune by using the sinking of the Titanic as the backdrop to the love story. Wikipedia continues, “The sinking of Titanic caused the deaths of 1,502 people in one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in modern history. The RMS Titanic was the largest ship afloat at the time it entered service. On her maiden voyage, she carried 2,224 passengers and crew.”

Titanic on the Ocean Floor

Titanic’s accommodation reflects the customs of the day. There were 3 “classes” of passenger. 1^st, 2^nd & 3^rd. In those days, 1^st class were allowed anywhere on the ship, except for the crew quarters. Conditions in 2^nd class were reasonably acceptable. However, 2^nd class passengers had no access to 1^st class facilities. 3^rd class conditions were “Spartan”. Access into 2^nd and 1^st class areas was not permitted.

Not enough lifeboats for all

In some ways the fate of some 2^nd class and most 3^rd class passengers was inevitable. There were insufficient lifeboats to save them all. The sea was like a mill pond that was icy cold. People would perish in minutes in the deep, cold Atlantic waters. 

Praying for a Miracle

What was needed was a miracle. Miracles did occur that night. But the outcome was inescapable. ±68% of those on board died. It was a terrible. It could have been worse; perhaps 100% fatalities? God, in His mercy, made it possible to save ±32%;. He provided “access to the future” for ±⅓ of them! It came in the form of the ship’s lifeboats. Sadly, there were not enough lifeboats for everyone.

Getting to Heaven?

Getting into heaven is impossible for anyone except for members of His family and staff. They have right of access.

A brief look at the tabernacle illustrates just how difficult it was. God designed it that way. There was only one way in; through the gate. Except for Priests or Levites, that was as far as anyone could go. Priests were allowed into the Holy Place but not into the Most Holy Place. 

Old Testament
High Priest

The two “chambers” were separated by a heavy curtain keeping them apart. The High Priest could go in, once per year. Even then there were all kinds of preparations before he could do so. This was deliberate. God is Holy. No man can approach Him and survive. Don’t blame God! His Holiness and perfection is so intense, man would die instantly if he tried to enter.

Priest at the
Candelabra

When you and I collide with the iceberg (sin) we are on a one way trip to the bottom of the sea. (Hell) There could be a 100% fatality rate. Only a miracle can save us. 

So God sent a miracle; a lifeboat. His name is Jesus. He rescued us, wrapped us in warm clothes and took us to safety into the Most Holy Place, the very presence of His Father! Now that’s a miracle! The ship sinks, but those He’s rescued are spared. Indeed, He will save all who ask Him.

Room for more in the Lifeboat

Jesus has saved us from the sinking ship. Now we have right of access to His Father. Of course, we still wear His clothes. They are our garments of His righteousness. While we wear them, we are welcome to be with His  Father – now our Father, forever. Far better than a watery grave in the Atlantic!

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – 21 July 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
©	These devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it is for non-commercial Christian purposes					©
	INTRODUCTION		DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	COMPLETE ACCESS
Trying to get in from the outside can be very difficult, particularly in a country intensively protected by armed guards etc. We all have to make arrangements to get in and out of premises and past various deterrents, deliberately installed to keep others out. In spite of this, people occasionally manage to slip past the cordon and achieve their nefarious intentions. A friend of mine mentioned to me that someone was managing to get into his house and steal a beer from his fridge. He had a good idea who the person was but couldn’t prove it. Now my friend was a qualified biochemist.  He decided to lay a trap for the thief. What he did was carefully remove the cap from one of his beers. He then added to it a small quantity of the active ingredient of Brooklax. (A preparation designed to get your bowels moving quickly) With his trap duly set he sat back and watched. After a couple of days the beer was gone. Suddenly the suspect started to get a severe dose of the “runs”. It was the end of my friend’s theft problem! There is a world of difference between the antics of my friend and the action of our thrice Holy God. We have great difficulty understanding God’s attitude to sin. It has become such a “normal” part of our daily life that it doesn’t seem to bother us at all. But God is not like that. He is righteous and has a hatred for sin that we find almost incomprehensible. Each and every sin ever committed will be dealt with so severely that it is terrifying. We get an inkling of this when we see Peter’s reaction to the remarkable catch of fish in Luke 5. 8 When Simon Peter realized what had happened; he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, "Oh, Lord, please leave me--I'm too much of a sinner to be around You." Luke 5:8 NLT For any ordinary man to approach our Holy God would result in instant death. He is not approachable by ordinary people. To us, His problem seems insurmountable. On the one hand He wants to stretch out His hand and love us. That is His very nature. But His infinite Holiness knows what would happen if we ventured near. For us this is an insurmountable problem. But not for our infinitely wise God. All of humanity combined would not be able to stand up His Holiness and judgement. But someone had to be punished for our sin. God’s justice demands it. So He decided to take our punishment Himself in and through Jesus. His crucifixion and death on that barbaric Roman cross paid for the sins of the world. This means that our punishment is complete. No longer must we stand outside the veil. Our High Priest, Jesus Christ has paid our debt to God in full. So now the veil is no longer an obstacle. We may come and go as we please. All because of Jesus’ sacrifice! Come on, let’s go in! Jim & Phyllida Strickland			51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. Matthew 27:51 NIV	There was no way to enter, except once every year. The High Priest then could go in; that’s when he could near, That portion of the tabernacle, hidden from man’s view. A brightly coloured curtain of purple, red and blue, With interwoven cherubim; a beautiful design, To hide away the Mercy Seat reserved for the Divine. No man was given access to God’s Great and Holy Place. Anyone who did so would fall dead upon his face! They said it was Most Holy; too much for sinful men, To even think of going in and coming out again. The pattern had been given to Moses by the Lord. It was the place a Holy God by man could be adored. And later, when the temple was erected by the king, He knew that God required that he didn’t change a thing. And so on Mt Moriah, he built the Holy Place. And once again the Mercy Seat was hidden from man’s face. The “wall of separation” was a curtain that was strong. It took two teams of horses to pull the veil along. The entrance of the people was likewise still denied. And it was far too heavy for man to draw aside. Then one day something happened; they nailed Christ on the tree. He hung as a sin offering for you as well as me. And then the greatest miracle. He breathed His last and died. That was the very moment the veil was torn aside. Ripped from top to bottom, by God’s Almighty hand; The Mercy seat was visible. They didn’t understand, That anyone could enter. The Christ had made the way, For ordinary people to come to God that day. The rule was very simple. God’s wrath they’d have to face. To pass beyond the curtain into God’s Most Holy Place. And that is just what happened. The Saviour passed away. And so the veil was torn aside for anyone today. His Mission was completed, with nothing more to do. The way to God is open wide for folk like me and you. The blood He sprinkled for us upon God’s Mercy Seat, Was that which ran down from His hands, His head and side and feet. The offering was perfect. This wasn’t once per year. Our Great High Priest’s blood sacrifice has ended all our fear. Come boldly to the Throne of Grace; the veil’s been rent aside. And there is total access for Jesus and His bride. Jim Strickland Written 21st July 2012
			23 I passed on to you what I received from the Lord. On the night the Lord Jesus was handed over to his enemies, he took bread. 24 When he had given thanks, he broke it. He said, "This is my body. It is given for you. Every time you eat it, do it in memory of me." 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup. He said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Every time you drink it, do it in memory of me." 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 NIrV
			51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Everyone who eats some of this bread will live forever. The bread is my body. I will give it for the life of the world." 52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves. They said, "How can this man give us his body to eat?" 53 Jesus said to them, "What I'm about to tell you is true. You must eat the Son of Man's body and drink his blood. If you don't, you have no life in you. 54 Anyone who eats my body and drinks my blood has eternal life. I will raise him up on the last day. 55 "My body is real food. My blood is real drink. 56 Anyone who eats my body and drinks my blood remains in me. And I remain in him. 57 "The living Father sent me, and I live because of him. In the same way, those who feed on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Long ago your people ate manna and died. But those who feed on this bread will live forever." 59 He said this while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. 60 Jesus' disciples heard this. Many of them said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?" 61 Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining about his teaching. So he said to them, "Does this upset you? 62 What if you see the Son of Man go up to where he was before? 63 The Holy Spirit gives life. The body means nothing at all. The words I have spoken to you are from the Spirit. They give life. John 6:51-63 NIrV
			20 By His death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God's house, 22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:20-22 NLT