All-access Pass

All-Access Pass

Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Hebrews 4:16

All of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

Ephesians 2:18

Dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.

Hebrews 10:19-20

When you go to a big concert or event, there are usually some people working there who have a special tag hanging around their necks that says, “All Access.” This means they are free to go wherever they want—behind the curtain, backstage, wherever. The security guard at the gate will not turn away people with an all-access pass like he does to those without one.

Usually you have to know somebody to get a backstage pass—someone with connections, someone who is willing to give you his or her credibility to get you in. Likewise, to gain access into the presence of God, you have to know somebody. Not everybody has access—only those with connections to Jesus. Jesus is willing to give us his credibility—his righteousness—so that we can have free and open access to God.

Some people who are connected to Jesus never take advantage of the access he has given to them. But he gave us this access so that we won’t have to relate to God from a distance. He has granted us access and invites us in. He wants to know us—and he wants us to come backstage into the presence of God with him.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

What is the difference between seeing your favorite artist perform while you’re sitting in the back of the auditorium and meeting that artist backstage or in his or her home?

What do you think it means to have “all access” to God?

What keeps us from using the access to God that Jesus has given to us?