“And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark…,” “And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat…” Exodus 25:21, 22
Throughout the New Testament, from the gospels through the epistles, we find a common truth, and it is that Christ came into this world to save sinners. Scripture tells us that He died for ALL men, and it is not the will of God that any should perish. (Jn. 3:16) The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, in speaking of God our Savior: “…who will have all men to be saved, and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4) In speaking of the return of Christ, and the perspective of the Lord’s time and patience, Peter wrote: “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) So, the great truth concerning Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary, and the consideration of the entire world is this: Christ tasted death for every man, shed His blood for every man, came into this world to be the Savior of all men. And yet, we find another truth, which is not a contradiction of the former, but reveals to us something of the mercy, grace, and wisdom of God. Paul writes to the Ephesian believers: “According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” (1:4) We see the soveregin hand of God, a slight glimpse of His design, in the fact that there is the complimentary truth that Christ died for all, and yet it is by His intervention alone that men are saved, coming to a true knowledge of HIm, and repentance. Since the sacrifice of Christ is not only eternal, but is applicable to the existance of every man, woman, and child, and since, in the mercy and grace of God, He works to bring all to Himself by the channels of His wisdom and purpose, how important is it to meet Him, or rather to be met by Him? And if we have a knowledge of the truth of the Gospel, and have seen something of the reality of Christ, do we truly realize to what extent our Creator and Redeemer has so worked in history until this blessed day, so that we can assuredly enter His presence with thanksgiving, be accepted in the Beloved, and have full assurance before Him as we appeal to His mercy and grace? Do we grasp, not only the importance of this moment, but the enormity of the privilege and power of God’s provision in Christ, that we should be able to meet, have communion with the eternal God this day?
The greatness of meeting God, whether in the morning, or during the day or night, is also amplified by the blessing of being IN CHRIST. When one comes to Christ, God places him or her in the body of Christ, in living union with Christ by His Spirit. It is there, in Christ, that we are to discover the reality that “all fulness is in Him,” and this for us to begin to know on this earth as it is in heaven. God does not give part of Himself or His nature to us. He also does not give a percentage of blessing in Christ, though measured by our capacity. We are blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ, that we should be filled with HIm. Christ died for all men, so that all men might know Him, not just concerning truth, but concerning the eternal Life of Christ. How is this to be known and realized in the life?
God has made a way. It is by His mercy, to be appealed to. The demonstration of Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary, and the shedding of His precious blood, established a covenant between man and God, giving man access by the blood of Christ into His presence.
Dear Father, Meet us this day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.