The Savior is Waiting

The sinner today has a Friend who ministers in the Most Holy Place of the sanctuary in heaven. Listen to His promise, “Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it.” Revelation 3:8. The door that He has opened is the door to the Most Holy Place where Jesus stands before the Father as our Advocate. Yes, Jesus is our advocate, to plead in our behalf before God. “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” I John 2:1.

From His high position before the Father, Jesus represents Himself as right by your heart’s door, for He says, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20. Today we do not need to bring a lamb before the door of the sanctuary, confess our sins with our hands on its head, and then take its life to get rid of our sin. Oh no, we can go directly to our Mediator, Jesus Christ, and He will hear and pardon our sins.

“For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.” “Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 9:24; 7:25.

My friend, that is all you need to do to inherit eternal life. “All who have truly repented of their sin, and by faith claimed the blood of Christ as their atoning sacrifice, have had pardon entered against their names in the books of heaven; as they have become partakers of the righteousness of Christ, and their characters are found to be in harmony with the law of God, their sins will be blotted out, and they themselves will be accounted worthy of eternal life.” The Great Controversy, 483.

“The Lord declares, by the prophet Isaiah: ‘I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.’ Isaiah 43:25. Said Jesus: ‘He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels.’ ‘Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven.’ Revelation 3:5; Matthew 10:32, 33.” The Great Controversy, 483.

Satan is constantly trying to interpose himself between you and your Savior. It is his objective to cut off all communication between the sinner and his Redeemer. Then he brings discouragement upon the helpless ones to make them feel like there is no hope left. “But Jesus pleads in their behalf His wounded hands, His bruised body; and He declares to all who would follow Him: ‘My grace is sufficient for thee.’ II Corinthians 12:9. ‘Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.’ Matthew 11:29, 30. Let none, then, regard their defects as incurable. God will give faith and grace to overcome them.” The Great Controversy, 489.

Dear friend, we must not minimize the work of Jesus in our behalf before the Father in the Most Holy Place, for this is essential to our salvation. “The intercession of Christ in man’s behalf in the sanctuary above is as essential to the plan of salvation as was His death upon the cross. By His death He began that work which after His resurrection He ascended to complete in heaven.” The Great Controversy, 489. Paul says that we must by faith enter within the veil, “whither the forerunner is for us entered.” Hebrews 6:20.

The sinner need not fear or doubt that Christ’s intercession for him will fail at any point. “The salvation of man is accomplished at an infinite expense to heaven; the sacrifice made is equal to the broadest demands of the broken law of God. Jesus has opened the way to the Father’s throne, and through His mediation the sincere desire of all who come to Him in faith may be presented before God.” The Great Controversy, 489.

The woman who for twelve years had suffered from a disease that made her life a burden had heard of the cures that Jesus performed. In her weakness and suffering she determined to see Jesus. When she arrived at the place where Jesus was passing by, the crowd was so great that she could only follow at a distance. Finally Jesus came near to where she was, but she could only get a passing glimpse of Him and had no opportunity to speak with Him. “Fearful of losing her one chance of relief, she pressed forward, saying to herself, ‘If I may but touch His garment, I shall be whole.’ As He was passing, she reached forward, and succeeded in barely touching the border of His garment. But in that moment she knew that she was healed. In that one touch was concentrated the faith of her life, and instantly her pain and feebleness gave place to the vigor of perfect health.” The Desire of Ages, 343.

But healing this earnest soul was not all that Jesus wished to do for her. The Savior could distinguish the touch of faith, and He would not let such trust be passed by without comment. He would speak to the humble woman words of comfort that would be to her a wellspring of joy.

Jesus recognized the touch of faith, and virtue went out from Him. He immediately responded with complete healing of both body and soul. The one who believes on the Son of God for physical healing will also receive spiritual healing, for it is the same Jesus who heals both body and soul. Jesus stopped and made a public statement of this woman’s faith and healing. He was waiting for her touch of faith, for He desired to make her whole. Jesus wants to heal every one of His children as He did this woman of faith.

Weary soul, crushed down with the burden of sin and sorrow, Jesus is waiting for you to come to Him. He not only desires to heal you, but to speak words of comfort to you that will be a wellspring of joy to you in this life and in the eternal kingdom of glory. Come to Jesus in faith as this woman did, and He will reward your faith also.

Let us consider another event in the life of Christ that reveals His deep interest in lifting up fallen individuals. John 8:1–5 says, “But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They dragged her before the group and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ ”

This woman had been seduced into this sin by the scribes and Pharisees. Old Testament laws said that both the man and woman caught in adultery were to be stoned. However, she was presented alone in her guilt.

“Jesus looked for a moment upon the scene—the trembling victim in her shame, the hard-faced dignitaries, devoid of even human pity. His spirit of stainless purity shrank from the spectacle. … He read the heart, and knew the character and life history of everyone in His presence.” The Desire of Ages, 461.

What would Jesus do? When would the first stone be thrown? The seeming delay and silence, following the question of the Pharisees, was torture to her despairing soul. Then she heard the words, “He who is sinless, let him cast the first stone.” The words of Jesus came to her as a death sentence. Silently she awaited her doom. That first stone never came. Astonished, she watched as her accusers, trembling lest the hidden iniquity of their own lives should be laid open to the multitude, stole away without a word.

Little did she understand the great pity and love that was in the heart of Jesus to save her soul. Then she heard the voice of Jesus. He was speaking to her: “Woman, has no one accused you?” Out of fear and shame she responded, “No one sir.” Then her ears heard these beautiful words of forgiveness from the lips of Jesus, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” [John 8:10, 11.]

Her heart was broken. His love had won her heart. Never again did she betray her Lord by slipping back into sin. Jesus was waiting for her to come to Him. In her shame and guilt she came to Him, never to leave Him again.

A few months later this woman was seen anointing the feet of Jesus for His crucifixion and burial. She used the finest perfume to be obtained. Later she was honored as the first one to whom Jesus appeared following His resurrection. He had given all for her, and in response she gave her all.

Friends, Jesus is waiting for you to give your heart and life to Him. It matters not how deep in sin you have fallen. Jesus has the power and wants to lift up and cleanse you from all your sin. His blood is sufficient to cover all your sin.

There are many today whom Jesus cannot help because they do not answer Jesus’ knock on the heart’s door. They are like the rich young ruler who came to Jesus asking, “What must I do to be saved?” This man was a lawyer. He claimed to be keeping the Ten Commandments, including the seventh-day Sabbath. He had the appearance of a good and faithful church member. Jesus’ answer instructed him to sell his earthly possessions, to help the poor and to come and follow Him. But the record says that he went away sorrowful. The rest of his life was filled with sorrow because he desired the things of this earth.

Friend, what was the difference between the rich young ruler and the two women whose stories are presented earlier? The difference is simple. The two women recognized their deep need of what Jesus had to offer. They realized their brokenness. They knew they were completely helpless in and of themselves. They each had been years in servitude to their respective problems, one exhausting all resources available for help, another living in shame and misery, each without relief. They each were looked down upon and scorned, outcasts from the “respectable” circles of society. They were humble in heart, yearning for healing. They hungered and were filled.

Notice the extreme contrast between these women and the approach and resulting outcome of the rich young ruler. He came inquiring, with a sincere heart, about his salvation. However, he felt no need. He viewed himself as already righteous, keeping the commandments in full. He had no hunger for what Jesus had to offer. His was not the approach of brokenness and humility. He had not a heart hunger for healing. He felt no disease in body or soul. He had all that this world had to offer, and felt it was enough. In fact, he was so satisfied that he went away sorrowful, unwilling to give up what, in his view, was a life of plenty.

Friend, which of these went away from their contact with Jesus satisfied? Which received the benefit they were, in their deepest soul, longing for? God is longing, yearning, to give you the healing and restoring of soul necessary for real peace. He desires to make you whole and forgive your sin. In this way only is a life of real peace and joy available. He has made every provision so that can happen. He has left nothing undone in His effort to communicate His love for you. But like the two women and the rich young ruler, we each have a choice to make. God will not force anyone’s will. He has opened the door. How? By His sacrifice foreshadowed through the services in the earthly sanctuary, and fulfilled through His life on earth and His death on the cross, and now by His ministration in the Heavenly sanctuary above. But He will not walk you through that door unless you want Him to.

If you still doubt, maybe thinking that God the Father doesn’t care, read this astonishing statement: “But the gift of Christ reveals the Father’s heart. It testifies that the thoughts of God toward us are ‘thoughts of peace, and not of evil.’ Jeremiah 29:11. It declares that while God’s hatred of sin is as strong as death, His love for the sinner is stronger than death. Having undertaken our redemption, He will spare nothing, however dear, which is necessary to the completion of His work. No truth essential to our salvation is withheld, no miracle of mercy is neglected, no divine agency is left unemployed. Favor is heaped upon favor, gift upon gift. The whole treasury of heaven is open to those He seeks to save. Having collected the riches of the universe, and laid open the resources of infinite power, He gives them all into the hands of Christ, and says, All these are for man. Use these gifts to convince him that there is no love greater than Mine in earth or heaven. His greatest happiness will be found in loving Me.” The Desire of Ages, 57. [Emphasis added.]

Truly, what more could God have given than He did? You see, it was the Father’s love in cooperation with that of Jesus that instituted the plan of salvation implemented through the sacrifice of Jesus. They, together, sacrificed on behalf of the fallen human race, God giving to His Son, who in turn gives to us.

This entire plan, this incomprehensible love, was symbolized in the earthly sanctuary service, and is now in reality taking place in the heavenly sanctuary. Dear friend, is there anything in this world today that equals the love of God for you? Jesus is indeed waiting. Will you not answer His knock today and enter through the door that Jesus has opened into the Most Holy Place, there to be relieved of your sin and misery? He is waiting there for you.

Maurice Hoppe is retired and volunteers at Steps to Life. His primary responsibility is working with the Training Program for Ministers and Church Leaders and the Training Program for Lay Workers. He also conducts a Bible Correspondence School from his home with emphasis on Bible prophecy. He can be contacted at: mauricehoppe@stepstolife.org.