The Accessible King
Dr. Valson Abraham
Queen Elizabeth has reigned for almost 65 years. We all know her face, and we know many things about her and her family. But if any of us sought to enter her private quarters at Buckingham Palace without proper credentials, we would be arrested and jailed. No one enters the presence of royalty without the right credentials.
God is King of the universe. None of us can enter God’s presence without the right credentials either. Without right credentials, access to God is impossible. What are those credentials?
Hymn-writer Horatius Bonar tells us what those credentials are not:
“Not what my hands have done…
Not what my toiling flesh has borne…
Not what I feel or do…
Not all my prayers and sighs and tears…”
Paul tells us, “Through Him [Jesus Christ] we have access…to the Father” (Ephesians 2:18).
This is the message of Christmas- we have access to the King ONLY through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ makes the King our Father as well. It all began in a manger, was accomplished on the cross and confirmed in His resurrection.
By giving us access to God, He made the King personal. If we received a personal phone call from Queen Elizabeth herself, inviting us to dinner, we would never forget it. What Jesus Christ provides for us surpasses anything Queen Elizabeth can offer. This access is available, not just to certain special people, but to all who trust Jesus Christ, whatever our backgrounds and stations in life.
Through Jesus Christ, God the King becomes both a Friend and a Father, but He is not like any other friend or father. Just as we would never treat the Queen with casual familiarity, so we would never take God for granted, but honor Him for who He is.
We live in a world increasingly out of control. Our hearts fail from fear. We may suffer with frail bodies. We may find deep problems in our families and marriages. We are subject to accidents and other mishaps. We may find our minds slipping away from us. We may wrestle with drives and desires that get the best of us. We all bear loads beyond our ability to bear alone. Our lives are full of unrest and worry. Even as believers, certain things drive us to despair.
Only the King can help us. We need to know we can access Him at any time, and that He wants to dwell with us and us with Him. We need to know He welcomes us, that He will hear us and take us seriously. We need to know we are not just faces in a crowd.
We need to know He will regard us as members of His family whatever our failings. We need to know we make a difference to Him. When we have taken time to seek Him, we need to know that He is always waiting for us.
We cannot know our purpose in life or successfully face life and death apart from our access to the King. We would never have the ability to access to Him apart from His taking the initiative to provide us the right credentials. He has willed that His Son, Jesus Christ, come into the world and become our access to Him.
Through Jesus Christ, we are dead to the kingdom of sin. We are transferred into the kingdom of Heaven, justified and glorified. Through Jesus Christ, we are made members of His royal family just as surely—and even more so-than the children and grandchildren of Queen Elizabeth. This is true even when we were yet dead in trespasses and sin.
All of us who come in spirit of humility before the manger and see more than a baby, but a King, will enter the King’s family. Those who follow Him will stand with Him when He claims His kingdom as His own.
Thank the King He has made it possible for us to approach His throne with confidence and boldness through Jesus Christ. Millions of people are waiting to hear this message. In the coming year, let us join together to make Him known to those who wait to hear it.
May you and your loved ones have a blessed Christmas and New Year.
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Father God, I thank you that you have given me complete and permanent access to you through the life, death and resurrection of your Son. Help me to live all my earthly days in thanksgiving to you for your unspeakable gift, and by your grace, enable me to help others know you and experience your peace in a troubled world. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
