The presence of God is dangerous. Sinful human beings may not presume to step into God's presence on their own terms. To do so is to invite death. At Mt. Sinai God solemnly instructed Moses to set bounds around the holy mountain saying, Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be but to death (Ex. 19:12). Only the sons of Levi were allowed to touch the ark of the covenant; others who touched it would die, for the ark of the covenant was the manifestation of God's holy presence and sin cannot coexist with His glory. The Holy of Holies, the most holy place, was off-limits to all except the high priest and he could enter there only one time each year - on the Day of Atonement, and then only with the sacrificial blood to cover his own sins as well as the sins of the people. The Old Testament makes it clear that God's presence is dangerous for those who are unclean, polluted by sin.
The understanding of God's dangerous presence is not limited to the Old Testament. In I Corinthians Paul writes of those who have become guilty of the body and blood of the Lord by eating and drinking these sacred gifts in an unworthy manner. Then he goes on to say, For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and some have died (I Cor. 11:30). One of the reasons for biblical practice of closed communion is to prevent those who are unprepared from receiving the Lord's body and blood to their detriment.
Dr. John Kleinig writes: God's holiness can also have a detrimental effect on those who come into wrong contact with His holy things and thereby desecr make no mistake...if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly. Lucy then chimes in, Then he isn't safe? Mr. Beaver answers: Who said anything about being safe? Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you (75-76).
God isn't safe, but He is good. And in that goodness He has provided us with safe access to His gracious presence in the flesh and blood of His Son. In fact, our text says that we have boldness to enter the Holiest Place (that is the inner sanctuary, where only the high priest was permitted to go on Yom Kippur). The high priest entered into the Holy of Holies with the blood of bulls and goats and that only once per year. We enter into the Holiest Place, the place of God's presence, by the flesh and blood of Jesus. The High Priest stepped behind the veil, the curtain into the presence of God, with the blood of sacrifice. Jesus Christ established our passage way to God in His own flesh. His flesh is the new and living way by which we come in to God's presence and live. By His precious blood we are sprinkled clean and made holy to stand before the living God. We are given this gracious access to God in the Lord's Supper. It is in the Sacrament of the Altar that Jesus gives us His flesh to eat and His blood to drink. In other words, the Lord's Supper is our means of access to God. By His Word which says, this is my body, given for you, and, this cup is the new testament in my blood, we are given the forgiveness of sins and thus we can come into the Lord's presence and live.
We do not have draw back from God's presence, but in with a true heart and the assurance of faith, we draw near to God. Think of it, the Lord of heaven and earth- the God who dwells in light unapproachable- draws near to us and invites us to step into His presence. Sin would drive us from the Lord's presence and cause us, like our first parents, to foolishly try to hide from God. But God has atoned for that sin by the blood of His Son and by means that blood God forgives our sins, makes us His children, and invites us into His life-giving presence. In fact, God Himself qualifies us to come into His presence.
How are we qualified? We are qualified by laying hold in faith to the gifts God has bestowed on us in Baptism and His Supper. Listen again to verse 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. Our Lord Jesus Christ shed His blood on the cross to atone for our sins. The blood which He shed for us is given to us in the Lord's Supper to purify us from sin and give us peace with God. In Baptism we were joined to Jesus' death and endowed with the Holy Spirit. Each in its own way, both the blood and water, Lord's Supper and Holy Baptism are the grounds for our boldness before God.
Our High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, has opened the way into God's presence for sinners. He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Him. By His death on the cross, He has delivered us from sin. By His Gospel, His Baptism, and His Supper, He delivers the forgiveness of sins to us. Washed with His Baptism and sprinkled with His blood, we have access to our Heavenly Father. Amen.
The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus to life everlasting. Amen.