week guide -...

WEEK GUIDE

W W W . X P 3 M S . C O M

W E E K 1

Week Guides are designed to give you a quick overview

of everything you’ll need to make this week happen,

from start to finish.

©2017 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

Chief Executive OfficerReggie Joiner

Executive Director of MessagingKristen Ivy

Chief Operating OfficerReggie Goodin

Director of Middle School StrategyElle Campbell

XP3 MS TeamAshley BohincSarah BraggKenny CampbellNicole DabbsTom ShefchunasStephanie Whitacre

Contributing WritersRodney Anderson

Graphics & VideoScott BraggBen GrantBeth HelmerDonny Joiner

IllustratorBrandon Earnhart

Orange SpecialistsMatt IvyBen NunesBrett TalleyJeremy Zach

Technical & Web SupportBen Swilley

T H E P E O P L E T H A T M A K E X P 3 M I D D L E S C H O O L

U S E R A G R E E M E N T

The reThink Group, Inc. gladly grants permission to churches, schools and

other licensees to tailor XP3 Middle School™ materials to fit their unique

leadership requirements, locale and format preferences. However, if you

wish to edit the content substantively, including teaching scripts, small group

guides, and any other content in which biblical principles and concepts are

presented, you are obligated to do so within the doctrinal guidelines we’ve

expressed in our Statement of Faith.

These resources are intended to be downloaded and printed for use by

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of this material or incorporation into a new work—including podcasts or video

of this content—is a direct violation of U.S. copyright laws. XP3 Middle School

and the XP3 Middle School logo are trademarks of The reThink Group, Inc.

ALL ACCESS

W E E K 1


W E E K S U M M A R Y

“Will you tell Katie I’ll talk to her again when she apologizes?” “Will you tell Brian he’s not my friend anymore?” We’ve all been involved in these kinds of exchanges, and we probably all agree they’re the worst. Separation between friends is uncomfortable and lonely. It can make us feel like outsiders. In this series, we’ll talk about how Jesus’ death and resurrection removed our need for a middleman to intervene between God and us—and, instead, gave us an all-access pass to Him. Because of Jesus, we’re all in. Because of Jesus, we have all access to God.

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P R E L U D ESetting the tone for the experience.

BACKGROUND PLAYLISTOur suggested background playlists for each series are also available on Spotify.

• “Mercy” by Shawn Mendes (from Illuminate)• “Cross My Mind” by A R I Z O N A (from Cross My Mind)• “Unraveling” by Salt Cathedral & Matisyahu (from

Unraveling)• “Find Me—Radio Edit” by Sigma & Birdy (from Find Me

(Radio Edit))

• “Sure and Certain” by Jimmy Eat World (from Integrity Blues)

• “Have It All” by MAGIC! (from Primary Colours)• “Do You Love Someone” by Grouplove (from Big Mess)• “The Right Time—Radio Edit” by Yves V & Mike James

(from The Right Time)• “Make Me Feel” by Galantis and East & Young (from

Make Me Feel)• “Ritual (feat. Wrabel)” by Marshmello (from Ritual (feat.

Wrabel)

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S O C I A LProviding time for fun interaction.

Since you are starting a new series called All Access this week, we suggest playing Velvet Rope Roulette—a game all about getting VIP access. Check out your Games folder for more details. Additional games can be found in the XP3 Middle School Games Library.

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B O T T O M L I N EBecause of Jesus, you have all access to God.

VELVET ROPE ROULETTE

https://play.spotify.com/user/xp3students

http://games.xp3ms.com


https://vimeo.com/xp3ms/allaccess


WEEK GUIDE 2

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T R A N S I T I O N SMoving smoothly from one thing to another.

SCREEN GRAPHICSDisplay the Main Slide image or Loop video from this series (found in your Graphic Support folder) on your screen throughout your program.

BUMPER VIDEOUse the Bumper video for this series to transition into your teaching time.

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W O R S H I PInviting people to respond to God.

Choose 2-3 songs from our recommended Set List:

• “Good Good Father (feat. Kristian Stanfill)” by Passion Band (from Salvation’s Tide is Rising)

• “Jesus Paid It All” by Kristian Stanfill (from Hello)

• “Give Me Faith” from Elevation Worship (from For The Honor)

• “This Is Living (feat. Lecrae)” by Hillsong Young & Free (from This Is Living EP)

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S T O R YCommunicating God’s truth in engaging ways.

TEACHING SCRIPTWeek 1: You’ll talk about how we have an all-access pass to God because of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

INTERACTIVEWeek 1: You’ll use an Activity (a VIP experience) to get students thinking about what it’s like to have all access to something special.

TEACHING VIDEOWeek 1: The Teaching Video can take the place of a live communicator, but will not include the Interactive.

TEACHING AUDIOWeek 1: The Teaching Audio can be found in the Week 1 folder.

STUDENT NOTE PAGEWeek 1: Prompts students to think about what keeps them from getting close to God.

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G R O U P SCreating a safe place to connect.

Use the SGL Email for Week 1 to tell your Small Group Leaders what they need to know, and what they need to do,

to prepare this week. Don’t forget to attach the Small Group Guide, and print enough copies for all of your Small Group Leaders.

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WEEK GUIDE 3

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H O M EPrompting action beyond the experience.

Use the Social Media Plan for this series to stay in touch with parents and students during the week.

Send parents their Parent Cue after you complete Week 1 of the series.

Post, text, or print the Daily Scripture Images for this series to help your students engage with God’s Word throughout the week.

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TEACHING OUTLINE

A L L A C C E S S | W E E K 1


B O T T O M L I N E

BECAUSE OF JESUS, YOU HAVE ALL ACCESS TO GOD.

T E A C H I N G S C R I P T S U M M A R YS C R I P T U R E

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water (Hebrews

10:19-22 NIV).

This week, you’ll be teaching middle schoolers about the Most Holy Place. No big deal, right? While there are a lot of details surrounding temple worship in the Old Testament, resist the urge to get too in-depth. Instead, focus on drawing parallels between the Old Testament system, in which God and man were separated, and our current reality, in which we have an all-access pass to God through Jesus.

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G O A L O F S M A L L G R O U P

To encourage students that they have all access to God, even when they might feel like outsiders.

INTRODUCTIONTell a personal story. Having an all-access pass is a big deal. It makes you feel in…and we like to feel wanted, included, and invited. But many of us know what it’s like to feel left out—and it hurts. Feeling like an insider is amazing, but feeling like an outsider is awful.

TENSIONIt can be very difficult to feel like an outsider with God. Sometimes it seems like you have to be perfect to be close to God—but no one is perfect and we all sin. But sin causes us to miss God’s best for our lives and it creates distance in our relationship with Him.

TRUTHIn the Old Testament, people couldn’t enter the place where it was believed God’s presence dwelled—the Most Holy Place. Because of people’s sins, they couldn’t access God. In fact, there was an actual physical barrier between people and God. But everything changed with Jesus’ death and resurrection; He tore down all the barriers between us and God. And because of Jesus, we can draw near to God without fear of who we are or what we’ve done. Because of Jesus, we’re “in” with God.

APPLICATIONNo matter what we’ve done, the death and resurrection of Jesus reminds us that no one is out with God. Jesus died so that everyone can have an all-access pass to God—you just have to believe it’s true.

LANDINGBecause of Jesus, you have all access to God. Through Him you can find peace, love, and acceptance. He accepts you and loves you—completely.

Question: Since you have all access to God, what are you going to do about it?

TEACHING SCRIPT



B O T T O M L I N E


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I N T R O D U C T I O N3 M i n u t e s

TELL A PERSONAL STORY:Tell a story from your own life that illustrates the following ideas . . .

• Talk about a time when you were given an all-access pass to something (like a sporting event, concert, or fair). Talk about the bodyguards, security ropes, and amazing behind-the-scenes stuff. If you’ve never had an all-access pass, talk about how cool it is when someone has one, why it’s awesome, and how much you wish you had one. The point is to illustrate how amazing it is to be given all access to something exclusive.

• Keep it short and make it funny.

You know what, I think all-access, VIP experiences are so cool that I decided to create one here today. And you know that game we just played a few minutes ago? Well, the winners get to hang out in this special VIP area for the whole talk.

[To students in VIP section] Not too shabby, right? How does that feel?

Having an all-access pass is a big deal. It makes you feel special. It makes you feel in. And there’s no better feeling than being in. You know what I mean. It’s that feeling you had when you made the team, or got the callback, or were invited to the party. There’s nothing like the feeling of being wanted, included, and invited.

But, like all of you not in our swanky VIP section today, many of us know what it’s like to not be in. Most of us, at one time or another, have experienced what it’s like to be an outsider. To feel left out. To feel like we don’t fit in or we don’t belong. If you’ve ever had that moment when you didn’t make the team, or you didn’t get asked to the dance, or a group of friends excluded you from something, then you know how awful that feeling is. The feeling of being left out hurts. The feeling that you don’t belong is probably one of the worst feelings you can have. All of us can relate to the emotion of not being in with a group of people. And because of that, here’s what I think is true:

Feeling like an insider is amazing.Feeling like an outsider is awful.

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INTERACTIVE: VIP SectionSee the Interactive for detailed instructions.


TEACHING SCRIPT 2

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T E N S I O N2 M i n u t e s

And as difficult as it can be to feel like an outsider with your friends, it can be even more difficult to feel like an outsider with God. Here’s what I mean. Have you ever felt like God was far away? Like He was Someone you just couldn’t quite get to . . . at least not without changing a lot about who you are and what you do? Sometimes it can feel like, in order to be close to God, you have to be perfect. Like you have to behave a certain way, sing certain songs, and believe all the right stuff. But none of us are perfect—not even close. And none of us could possibly know all of the stuff we sometimes think we have to know. Yet it’s easy to believe these limitations are barriers that keep us from having access to God.

If you’ve ever felt that way, then you’re in good company. For almost all of history, people have felt like there were barriers between them and God. People felt like they didn’t have full access to God.

How many of you have heard the word sin? Sin is choosing to do, think, or say something that doesn’t go along with God’s good plan for our lives. Sometimes we choose to do these things on purpose, out of selfishness or anger. But other times they’re honest-to-goodness mistakes that happen because, after all, we’re human. The thing about sin is that it causes us to miss God’s best for our lives. And we miss God’s best because sin separates us from God. That’s the nature of sin—sin always separates. Think about your friendships. If you wrong one of your friends by talking bad about them behind their back, then what do you think it’s going to cause in that friendship? It’s going to cause some distance. It’s going to separate your friendship until you make it right. The same is true with God. Sin creates distance in our relationship with God.

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T R U T H3 M i n u t e s

The writer of Hebrews, a book in the Bible, addressed this very problem of what to do about sin separating us from God. Hebrews is found in the New Testament, which was written after Jesus’ time on earth. In Hebrews, the writer illustrated what it’s like to be separated from God, but also what God did to close the gap—to give us access to Him.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place... (Hebrews 10:19a NIV).

Let me stop there and talk about this “Most Holy Place.” In the Old Testament, which was written before Jesus’ life on earth, going to church was very different. In fact, it wasn’t even called church. It was called the temple. There were strict laws and regulations for what you could do and where you could go in the temple. You couldn’t just walk in, sing a few songs, hear a message, and then leave for lunch. There were only a few places people had access to in the temple. In fact, there was one place that no one could go called “the Most Holy Place,” or “the Holy of Holies.” This is where they believed God Himself dwelled. And because it was so sacred, no one was allowed in . . . except once a year, when one man, called the high priest, was allowed

access; but only after completing several special cleansing ceremonies. Every one else had to stay far away. Because of the sins they had committed, no one could get near the place where God dwelled. And in the temple, there were actual physical barriers—like a curtain—between the people and the Most Holy Place.

In a sense, everything about the Most Holy Place was designed to keep people out. So, the writer of Hebrews used these physical barriers to represent the spiritual barriers between all of us and God. And the feelings of being an outsider, being separated, and being distant are the emotions the writer was trying to evoke for us. Let’s pick back up and see how the writer continued.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water (Hebrews 10:19-22 NIV).


TEACHING SCRIPT 3

Everything changed when Jesus entered the scene. In the Old Testament, there was separation between God and man. Then Jesus came and walked among us. With His death and resurrection, Jesus literally tore the physical curtain that stood between us and God. Yes, we were all separated, but now, we’ve been given “all access.” Sin was dealt with and there’s no longer separation for anyone who believes in Jesus. Jesus tore down all the barriers. There’s a new way to draw near to God with full assurance and confidence.

We can draw near to God without fear of who we are or what we’ve done because of the death and resurrection of Jesus. We are in. No strings attached. No more special ceremonies. No hoops to jump through. Everyone can walk straight in with full access to God.

Because of Jesus, you have all access to God. Because of Jesus, you’re in.

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A P P L I C A T I O N1 M i n u t e

Maybe you feel out with God. Maybe you feel like you’ve messed up too much for God to love you or to be near to you. I want you to know that the death and resurrection of Jesus is the constant reminder that no one is out with God. Jesus died so all people can know and have access to God. You simply have to believe it’s true. And even when it doesn’t feel like it’s true, you can ask God to help you believe it is.

You don’t have to wait for a high priest or your student pastor to talk to God on your behalf. He wants you to talk directly to Him, with no middleman. You can talk to God whenever you want. You can ask for peace, joy, and help in hard times. You have an all-access pass to God. Your faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection gives you permanent access to your heavenly Father.

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L A N D I N G1 M i n u t e

What would it look like if we acted like we believed this? Would it change how you pray to God knowing that because of Jesus, you have all access to God?

Because of Jesus, you can find peace, love, and acceptance. And in middle school, I know that all of you want those three things. No matter your status at school,

in your neighborhood, or even here, you have an all-access pass to God. He accepts you and loves you—completely.

As you go to small group, I want you to think about this question: Since you have all access to God, what are you going to do about it?

T R A N S I T I O N I N T O S M A L L G R O U P S

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O V E R V I E W W H A T Y O U ’ L L N E E D

For this Interactive, you’ll use an Activity (a VIP experience) to get students thinking about what it’s like to have all access to something special. Creating an environment where only a few students have all-access will build the tension between the joy of being in and the discomfort of being out.

• Stanchions and ropes to create a barrier• Lanyards and VIP badges • Extra-comfy seating (like a couch, cool chairs, or bean

bags)• Snacks • Drinks

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H O W - T O

Before your talk, set up a VIP section either on the side of your stage or in the front of your audience. Use stanchions and ropes to mark a boundary, and fill the area with comfortable seating, special snacks, drinks, and anything else you think would make the space awesome. Keep in mind, your VIP area is meant to be visible for the duration of your teaching, so choose items that will make students drool, but not be a tremendous distraction.

Right before your teaching time, you’ll play a game to choose the winners of the all-access passes. (We recommend the game Velvet Rope Roulette, which can be found in the XP3 Middle School Games Library.) If you want to play

a different game, choose one that’s brief and doesn’t take much time to explain or set up. If there’s only one winner, have that student choose two or three friends to join him or her in the VIP section.

Once your VIPs have been chosen, make a big deal of showing them to where they’ll sit. (Follow the prompts in the Teaching Script for when to invite the students into the VIP area.) Place VIP badges around their necks, show them the snacks and drinks, and invite them to take advantage of everything the VIP section provides. Make a big deal of pointing out the differences between their all-access arrangement and the general seating area.

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INTERACTIVE

ALL ACCESS | WEEK 1 | VIP SECTION


IF USING THE TEACHING VIDEO... The Teaching Video won’t cover the Interactive, so go ahead and play the game and complete the Interactive before beginning the video.



SMALL GROUP LEADER GUIDE

ALL ACCESS | WEEK 1

B O T T O M L I N E


SCRIPTURE

HEBREWS 10:19–21 NIV_____________________________________

GOAL OF SMALL GROUP

To encourage students that they have all access to God, even when they might feel like outsiders.

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T H I N K A B O U T T H I S

This week, you may find the conversation we’re having together sparks some questions in your small group about what it means to follow Jesus. It may even motivate a student or two to begin following Jesus for the very first time! But as a Small Group Leader, having a conversation about salvation with a student can sometimes be intimidating. We get it. That’s why we’ve put together a Salvation Conversation Guide for you. It’s a simple guide to help you think through what to say (and what not to say) if one of your students wants to talk about what it means to follow Jesus. Check it out before small group this week!

S AY T H I S

JUST FOR FUN: If you could have an all-access pass to any-where, where would you want it to be?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONSWe’re talking about ‘all access’ today—but we’re talking about more than just concerts and celebrities.

• What do you think it looks like to have all access to God?• What’s one reason someone might feel like an outsider with God?• What’s one way having all access to God could make your life better?• On a scale of 1–10, how much access do you feel like you have to God

right now?• What should we do when we feel like outsiders with God?• What’s one thing you can do this week to live like you have all access

to God?

Close out your conversation by saying this: “Because of Jesus, we can all have access to God. If you’re still wondering what that means or if you need help taking a next step toward God, let’s talk. I want to help.”

T R Y T H I S

If you’re struggling to get your students talking (or to get them to stop talking), sometimes all it takes is a change of pace. So next time you need to get your conversation back on track, try switching up your discussion with a rapid-fire “finish the sentence” format. Tell your few you’re going to start a sentence and that, one by one, they need to finish it. Here are a few to get you started . . .

1. “INVITE JESUS IN YOUR HEART…”• For students, the phrase “inviting

Jesus into my heart” can sound childish and not fully represent the important faith decision being made.

2. “YOU HAVE TO PRAY LIKE THIS…”• Students are going to express their

faith through their own understanding of it. Don’t get hung up on the “right words” but rather the heart with which they pray.

3. ANY ANSWER YOU MAKE UP. • Don’t make up answers to questions

you don’t know yourself. “I don’t know” is a legitimate answer to questions your student has about faith. There’s so much that we don’t understand about how God works and how the Holy Spirit enters our life. And that’s okay.

FOR SGLS

©2015 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com

THERE MAY BE ONE WORD THAT BEST DESCRIBES TEENAGERS AND THE PHASE THEY’RE IN RIGHT NOW: OWNERSHIP. THEY’RE LOOKING AT THE WORLD AROUND THEM, THE THINGS THEY’VE INHERITED FROM THEIR FAMILY—THE TRADITIONS, MORALS, VALUES AND FAITH—AND THEY’RE MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT WHETHER WHAT THEY’VE OBSERVED IS SOMETHING THEY WANT FOR THEMSELVES. DECISIONS STUDENTS MAKE NOW ABOUT SALVATION AND A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CARRY A LOT OF WEIGHT BECAUSE THEY’RE OLD ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS FOR THEIR FUTURE. THE BEST THING FOR A STUDENT TO UNDERSTAND AT THIS POINT IN THEIR LIVES IS THAT GOD IS FOR THEM. AND THAT IN ALL THINGS, HIS GRACE IS REAL AND COVERS ALL OF THEIR SIN—PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE.

WHAT TO SAY1. GOD LOVES YOU

• You were made in the image of God. When God sees you, He accepts you and He loves you.

• But we’re broken. We behave in a way that’s harmful to ourselves and separates us from God. That’s called sin. Sin convinces us to focus on ourselves—that we matter most and we know best. While God isn’t mad at us, He does know that our sin will hurt us—hurt how we understand ourselves, how we treat others and how we view Him.

• Our sin keeps us from seeing what’s true about God, ourselves and others. Sin convinces us that we know best, that God is against us and that we matter more than those around us. Ultimately sin keeps us from God Himself.

Ask. . .1. How have you seen sin hurt you?2. How have you seen sin hurt others?3. What is the biggest problem of sin?

2. GOD IS FOR YOU• God knew our sin would make us want

to hide from Him and look out only for our best interest with no regard for others.

• God also knew that when we sin we’d think God would want to come after us to punish us. We’d be tempted to distance ourselves from Him to avoid His punishment. But God isn’t interested in punishing our sin as revenge. Instead, He wants to free us to live for something better.

• To prove how committed God was to life with us and for us, God sent His Son, Jesus, to go to the greatest length possible to demonstrate His love. Jesus died on the cross for us to show us God is for us. Jesus paid the price of our sin with His death.

• After three days, Jesus was resurrected from the dead, proving He has ultimate power, and that He can do what He says He’ll do. And we can know that nothing—not even death—can separate us from Him. When we put our faith in Him, He has the power to transform our lives, to make us new.

Ask. . .1. What was the purpose of God sending

Jesus to die?2. How do you feel about someone who is

willing to die for you?3. How did sending Jesus deal with our

problem with sin?

3. WHOEVER BELIEVES IN JESUS• Believing in what God demonstrated

through Jesus is like accepting a gift.• We accept the gift when we decide to

trust that the God who made us is for us—that He is willing to do anything to prove His love and that He wants what’s best for us. We show that trust by living in a way that reflects our confidence in what God says is best.

• We know that God loves us and nothing we do could ever jeopardize our standing with Him. No amount of good behavior and no amount of sin will change the way He feels about us.

• We open the gift when we use our lives to give the same love to others that Jesus showed to us.

Ask. . .1. What does it mean to trust what God

did for us? 2. How does knowing God’s love change

the way we see Him? 3. How does someone live differently when

they trust that God loves them?

WHAT NOT TO SAY

©2015 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com

Make sure to involve professional counselors, as needed, as well as your ministry leader and parents, if you’re not the parent.


SMALL GROUP LEADER EMAIL


Hi Small Group Leaders! Welcome to our first week of All Access; a series about having an all-access pass to God. This week we’ll talk about how it’s amazing to feel like an insider, but it’s awful feeling like an outsider—especially with God. And, unfortunately, sin can make us feel like an outsider with God. But the good news of Jesus is that because of His death and resurrection, no one is out with God—no matter what we’ve done in the past. Jesus died so that we can have an all-access pass to God—we just have to believe it’s true. So this week, let’s encourage our students to find peace, love, and acceptance through a relationship with God—because He accepts us and loves us no matter what.

SERIES PREVIEWhttps://vimeo.com/XP3MS/AllAccess

SUMMARY“Will you tell Katie I’ll talk to her again when she apologizes?” “Will you tell Brian he’s not my friend anymore?” We’ve all been involved in these kinds of exchanges, and we probably all agree they’re the worst. Separation between friends is uncomfortable and lonely. It can make us feel like outsiders. In this series, we’ll talk about how Jesus’ death and resurrection

removed our need for a middleman to intervene between God and us—and, instead, gave us an all-access pass to Him. Because of Jesus, we’re all in. Because of Jesus, we have all access to God.

BOTTOM LINEBecause of Jesus, you have all access to God.

GOAL OF SMALL GROUPTo encourage students that they have all access to God, even when they might feel like outsiders.

STORIESAnytime you have a win with your small group, not only would we love to hear it, but you can also share it with an online community of Small Group Leaders—Leaders who do what you do every week—at LeadSmall.org. Just click here: http://leadsmall.org/submit

DEVOTIONALHave you ever been in with a person or group? Your name was on the list. You got an invite. You had a backstage pass. It’s a great feeling to have access to a high-profile person or

Remember to email your Leaders every week with the small group questions attached. This will allow your Leaders to review the material before they sit down to lead discussion. Be mindful to encourage your Leaders, celebrate their successes, and thank them for being committed.

Copy and paste the following into an email to your Small Group Leaders . . .

http://leadsmall.org/submit


SmAll GRoUP lEADER EmAIl 2

exclusive place. But what about those moments when you’re on the outside? When that VIP pass is way too expensive or friends are posting pics all over social media of the party you weren’t invited to? You feel disappointed. Hurt. Maybe even frustrated.

The Israelites knew all about being on the outside. Before Jesus’ time on earth, corporate worship was built around a temple model. The problem was, there were only a few places in the temple people were allowed to go. In fact, there was one place that no one could go, called the Most Holy Place, where the Israelites believed God Himself dwelled. And because it was so sacred, no one was allowed in except for once a year, when one man, called the high priest, was allowed access. Because of the sins they had committed, no one could get near the place where God dwelled.

In a sense, everything about the Most Holy Place was designed to keep people out. There were actual physical barriers—like a curtain—separating the people from the Most Holy Place. The book of Hebrews addresses our problem of being separated from God. And the writer described what God did to close the gap—to give us access to Him.

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf (Hebrews 6:19–20a NIV).

When Jesus died, the temple curtain was literally torn in half (seriously, check out Mark 15:38). No more being on the outside.

And sometimes, like the curtain in the Most Holy Place, we let our insufficiencies or mistakes distance us from God. But our ability to approach Him has nothing to do with the things we have or haven’t done. Jesus died so that everyone can have all access to God—we just have to believe it’s true.

Jesus tore down all the barriers between us and God: There’s nothing standing between us and Him. Take a moment to thank God for that today.

Be sure to include important ministry dates, announcements, and events. And don’t forget to attach your Small Group Guide for this week.

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