Jesus is Our Confidence
By Glenda Ward
McDowell County
Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance of eternal life that faith in Jesus Christ brings.
The book of Hebrews confirms that the Mosaic Covenant of the Old Testament had come to an end through the fulfillment by Jesus Christ, and warns some who had identified themselves as Christian against a falling back into the ways of the old covenant and pausing short of true faith in Christ. It also brings to the attention of Christians everywhere the preeminence of Jesus Christ. The key concept throughout the book of Hebrews is the superiority of Christ Jesus.
God’s earthly dwelling place was the Temple. The place of the Holy of Holies. Only the High Priest was allowed to enter the Most Holy Place and then only once a year. When the High Priest did enter, he had to take a blood sacrifice. A thick curtain or veil blocked the entryway. This Holy place stood for 1500 years as a warning sign to the people of Israel., “Do not enter” was the message. As long as the Mosaic Covenant stood, so did the curtain. But that covenant came to an end at Christ’s death on the cross. Jesus’ death brought the completion of the Mosaic Covenant and marked the beginning of the New Covenant. Strange events ushered in this new era. The earth shook and there was darkness, graves opened up and the veil of the Temple was torn from top to bottom, as rocks were split into pieces. Those who were in the Temple witnessed a supernatural event. An invisible power ripped through the thick veil. People saw inside for the first time, the Most Holy Place. The way in now being open.
Some thirty years later the Temple was destroyed, the Most Holy Place of that time was gone. But the real and true Holy place still stands and the way in is open to everyone. Christ’s blood is the confidence we have to enter into His throne of grace. It was the blood of Jesus that opened the way. Jesus is our confidence that we can experience the presence of God. We have no barrier to overcome if we put our trust in Him with confidence. We have nothing to fear. We can go into the presence of God where we find mercy and grace in time of need. We are to draw near to Him full in the assurance of faith.
“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
By a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say His flesh.
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. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:” (Hebrews 10:19,20;22-24).
A lot of time and energy is spent creating the appearance that we have our life altogether when, in reality, no one does. Beneath it all, where have you placed your confidence? Confidence in Christ is having trust in your life. It is walking boldly forward with clarity and faith. But actually where do we find our confidence in Christ? It begins with looking at our-self honestly. Human confidence is different from having confidence in Christ. Human confidence is dependent on the conditions and circumstances that are unpredictable. No one has it all together, and things often happen beyond our control.
God is the One and Only true living God. He is steady, unchanging, and altogether faithful and reliable in all of life. He alone is worthy of all our trust and confidence because of Who He Is. God reveals Himself to us in and through His Word. He governed the recording and preservation of His Word through the lives of men, so we could have His Holy Word today. His Word is complete and true without error in its original manuscripts. All things on earth will pass away, but God’s Word, the Holy Bible will stand forever.
We are to approach the throne of grace with confidence. He is the God who gave Himself freely so we could know Him. We can come to Him constantly without hesitation or reservation, and with all confidence that He will hear when we call upon His Name. No matter how you feel, what you have done, or how weak you think your faith is; we can approach God, our Heavenly Father with confidence having the quiet assurance that He will hear and receive each and everyone who calls upon His Holy name. We are His if we believe in Jesus Christ and His death on the cross for our sins.
All can have confidence in Salvation. We don’t have to hope or think we are saved or hope we will be at the end of our journey of life. We don’t have to live in fear of losing His great gift of Salvation that He has so freely given. No one can do enough to earn it, we did nothing to earn it. It is only by God’s grace that we receive it. If you believe in Christ Jesus, that He died in your place and paid in full for your debt of sin to reconcile you to God, then your Salvation is secure. We did nothing to earn it and we could never do enough to keep it. Good works we perform here on earth do not earn us our Salvation and will not get us into heaven. It is God’s mercy and grace that gives us Salvation. That is God’s gift to us. Our good works here on earth comes as a result of our Salvation, out of our new identity in Christ. Our good works are a product of our Salvation. After Salvation, God begins to sanctify us to make us more like Him. He changes and invites us into His work that He is already doing all around us. We are to let Him live in us and we are to have confidence in following Him and His direction. Find your confidence in Christ. Who He is, His Word and His grace will never change. Humble yourself and He will lift you up. Have confidence in Jesus Christ.
How can we get this precious confidence we so much desire ….where to go, where to look, what to do, who will help? Look to Jesus who came to earth taking on our flesh and blood as a tiny Child so He could take our guilt and sin to the cross and bury it in the grave forever.
Hebrews 10:19 thru Chapter 13 presents a summary of the Christian’s life of confidence. This confidence begins with the forgiveness of sins in the blood of Christ. Where does our confidence come from? Our confidence comes from God. The source of the Christian’s confidence is knowing and believing in Jesus Christ. Why can we be confident in Christ? The dictionary defines confidence as: “the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something.” As Christians, we know we can rely on Jesus. The dictionary also defined confidence as “the state of being confident about the truth of something.” We also know that God’s truth sets us free. His truth continues to set us free daily. His truth tells me who I am – a child of God; Forgiven, Redeemed, and Equipped. Let your confidence in God build within you and it will show you a never-ending light that wants to shine through.
“Lord, as I seek to grow spiritually, keep me humble and mindful. Humble in how I consider myself, mindful in how I consider You. In all things, may You be the One who is praised, honored, and glorified forever.” Amen
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Glenda Ward is a member of Grand View Baptist Church in McDowell County. She is the mother of five grown children. Glenda is a Christian writer/author of “Something to Think About” – weekly Christian Articles. She writes Church Programs & Bulletins, VBS Material, Christmas and Easter Programs; all material based on the KJV of the Bible. Also testing the field in tributes, individual memorial writings, etc. You can read more from Glenda HERE.
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