We will begin our worship this
afternoon by singing together the hymn number 11. The tune
is Saint Luke 834. Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song, the joy of my heart and the boast of my tongue. Thy
free grace alone, from the first to the last, has won my affections
and bound my soul fast. The hymn number 11, tune 834. so O see thy goodness, O hear my
song, O joy of my heart, O comfort of my soul, I'd be fixed and unbroken to
the cross, As one body parted, and half my soul part. Thy mercy, O Jesus, protect me
from them, which for which Thou sleep'st, and which Thou didst
not tell. ? Lord Jesus, my brethren, be thou
my blessing ? ? Ever and ever shall thou bless me, O Lord my God ? Behold my sweet mercy, I cannot
repay. Sister, you'll reduce me to utter
despair. God's pure light renews, my spirit
revived, and He that loves me still keeps me alive. Holy mercy entombed and kept
for my heart, which from the truth itself promised me might, Peace of mind I do rest, I fall
to the ground, and leap to the praise of the mercy I've found. Through the door of thy mercy,
set the world away. Temple and dominion, through
the fire and flame, O say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the
brave? To thee, Father of mercies, I
give this my all, And that the Lord beholds thy beauty, my soul, For our scripture reading we
turn to The letter to the Hebrews, chapters
four and five. The letter to the Hebrews, chapters
four and five. Let us hear the word of God.
Let us therefore fear lest a promise being left us of entering into
his rest. Any of you should seem to come
short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well
as unto them. But the word preached did not
profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard
it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said. As I swore in my wrath, if they
shall enter into my rest. Although the works were finished
from the foundation of the world, For he spake in a certain place
of the seventh day on this wise, and God did rest the seventh
day from all his works, and in this place again, if they shall
enter into my rest. Seeing therefore, it remaineth
that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first
preached entered not in because of unbelief. Again, he limiteth
a certain day. limited here means to a point,
a certain day, saying in David, today, after so long a time,
as it is said, today, if you will hear his voice, harden not
your hearts. For if Jesus, meaning here Joshua
of the Old Testament, for if Jesus had given them rest, then
would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth
therefore a rest to the people of God. for he that is entered
into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did
from his. Let us labor therefore to enter
into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of
unbelief. For the word of God is quick
and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing
even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the
joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of
the heart. Neither is there any creature
that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and
opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Seeing then
that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens,
Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession, for
we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling
of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we
are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly
unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find
grace to help in time of need. For every high priest taken from
among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God,
that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins, who
can have compassion on the ignorant and on them that are out of the
way, for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.
And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for
himself to offer for sins. And no man taketh this honour
unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. So also Christ glorified not
himself to maid and high priest, but he that said unto him, thou
art my son, today have I begotten thee. As he saith also in another
place, thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. who in the days of his flesh,
when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong
crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death,
and was heard in that he feared. Though he were a son, yet learned
he obedience by the things which he suffered, and being made perfect,
he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that
obey him. called of God and high priest
after the order of Melchizedek, of whom we have many things to
say and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when
for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you
again, which be the first principles of the oracles of God, and are
become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat, For everyone
that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness,
for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to
them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have
their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. So reads the word of God. May
the Lord now help us to pray. Our kind and ever-gracious God,
we draw near to the throne of grace, giving thanks that we
can come near, pleading the name and merit of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are thankful that sinners,
though we are, there's a welcome extended to us. And therefore,
Lord, we come with confession. We trust we come with humility
and reverence and godly fear. And we are thankful, Lord, for
this new and living way that has been opened to us through
the shed blood and through the perfect atoning work of the Lord
Jesus Christ, who came into the world to save sinners. Lord,
we pray this may be our chief, a delight to hear of Jesus and
his word, to consider his glorious person and the work that he performed. May these things never rejoice
our hearts. May it do us good when we hear
of the Saviour, in as we read the word and as it is proclaimed
before us. Lord, we are thankful for this
further opportunity of gathering together here in this place in
worship and praise and adoration. May our hearts be lifted up above
these inferior things of time and sense, and that we may know
a blessing from on high. May the truth that is set before
the people This afternoon proved to be a word just suited to the
needs of the people. May there be Holy Spirit application
of the truth, whether it be by way of reproof or conviction,
or whether it be by way of gospel comfort and consolation. We pray
that the Holy Spirit may apply the word as it is needed, and
we pray there may be real fruit and signs following the preaching
of the Word of God. May the truth of the Gospel this
afternoon not be like it was for Israel all those years ago,
that it did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in
them that heard it. And so we ask that there may
be real faith, living faith in the hearts of the hearers, that
they may hear the Word and receive it in their hearts. Lord, do
come to us and help us, we pray, Again, we commend to thee this
congregation, from the youngest to the eldest, and pray they
may know encouragement and building up. We pray, Lord, that there
may be those added to their number such as should be saved. May
others come in to hear the word of God preached. May they do
so with delight and interest, but also may the word be applied
with saving power to their souls. that they may be delivered from
spiritual darkness and brought into the marvellous light of
the Gospel, that they may be delivered from spiritual death
and experience true life, that life from above, that regenerating
power of the Holy Spirit. Lord, we are thankful for all
who have experienced these things in this congregation this afternoon. Lord, help us to rejoice afresh
in the truth and may the Lord Jesus Christ be glorified and
exalted. We commend our Lord to each one
in the various needs and circumstances of their lives. We pray for those
in particular needs and concerns, whether it be with their health
or family or their work or other matters that cause them a particular
concern, to appear for their help, we pray. Go before them,
we ask, and may they prove the power of prayer. We are thankful
for the passage that we considered this morning, the wonderful delivery
of Peter from prison in answer to the united and fervent prayers
of the people. And we pray that we may see significant
answers to prayer yet as we continue to pray for others individually
and as we continue to pray for the building up of the people
of God in these times. As we see many congregations,
few in number, but Lord we know that this could change in answer
to prayer and we pray it may be so. And we pray that there
may be an increase in number of those who are constrained
by the love of Christ to confess the Lord Jesus Christ, to honour
him, to own him, to speak of the work of grace in their hearts
and to be and a sense of loving constraint to walk in the ordinances
of the Gospel. Lord, do come and gladden the
hearts of thy people here, we pray in this matter, that they
may see answers to their prayers for individuals in the congregation,
and may there be a much cause for praise and adoration in these
things. Once again we pray for blessing
this locality and pray for blessing throughout this nation. And as
a nation we have turned away from the light and we've gone
into the darkness. And as thy word reminds us, we've forsaken
the fountain of living waters and we've hewn out cisterns,
broken cisterns that can hold no water. And man has been left
to his own wisdom, which is no better than folly. And we see
the effects in society around us, the confusion and moral chaos
that abounds as a result of forsaking the principles, the moral principles
of the Word of God. Lord, we pray that the truths
of the Holy Scriptures may be once more sought after and taught
even in schools as once they were. We pray for the large number
of Bibles presented to children in schools over more recent years,
that much blessing may be experienced as these scriptures may be read.
And we pray for those children who perhaps have laid their Bibles
aside and forgotten all about them. May things happen in their
lives which may make them think afresh. They may take down their
Bibles to begin to read them with interest and a spirit of
inquiry, wanting to know what the teaching of their Bible really
is. That they may be enlightened and convicted by what they read.
and come to realise the saving grace and power of the Lord Jesus
Christ in the Gospel. Lord, you use thy people, we
pray, up and down this nation that seek to promote the word
and to spread the light. Lord, to help each one of us,
we pray, you in your small corner and I in mine, as the hymn writer
says. So Lord, help us to make the right use of opportunities
that may arise when perhaps friends or work colleagues or acquaintances
or neighbours may ask questions. Help us, Lord, be wise and faithful
as we may respond to these things. O Lord, we pray for those in
authority over us and we pray for our Prime Minister. Although
he professes to be an atheist, yet we will pray for him. If
we know that in a moment he could be convicted and made to realise
there is a God in heaven who knows him, knows his thoughts
and sees him in all his actions. We pray that he may become one
who fears the name of the Lord in a proper sense, that he may
come to love and reverence the name of the God of heaven. We
pray, Lord, that wisdom may be given in these times and likewise
for the members of the cabinet and members of parliament and
members of the House of Lords, we are thankful for these institutions
that have been settled and established by law for a democracy and a
Protestant constitution. We realise that as a country
we've been so blessed for so long and Lord, we would be thankful
for it and would offer up prayer and praises regarding these things
and pray that heavenly lights may be given May there be a realization
as a nation we have taken a wrong course and we have promoted that
which is foolish and sinful and will bring long-term consequences. Oh Lord, we pray then that wisdom
may prevail in these times. We would also pray for our King
as we are exhorted to do in the word of God and we pray for him
and his health concerns and pray that these things may serve as
a reminder to him of his mortality, that he may feel his need to
earnestly pray for salvation, that he may know the blessing
of the people of God, that his sins may be forgiven. And we
pray for his family too. And also, Lord, that they may
also know spiritual light and understanding. Lord, we would
particularly pray for believers around the world who suffer so
much for their faith, experience hardships and difficulties and
privations, sometimes perhaps interrupted in their worship,
arrested and put in prison, and some facing a death sentence
simply because they know and love the Saviour's name. Lord,
we would ask for them that they may know peace in their hearts
at such a time as this. that they may be upheld and supported
in their minds, that even the prison may become a palace to
them, the house of God and the gate of heaven, that they may
know what it is to rise above their dire circumstances. And Lord, we pray that their
testimony in some way may be used even in the prison house,
in the lives of others they may come into contact with, We pray
that the Word of God may continue to go forth to the four corners
of the earth. We are thankful for those places
where the Scriptures are being sent and where there is a great
hunger and an interest and we pray this may long continue.
And as the Word of God is received, may the light of truth abound
and many more come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. We especially pray for troubled
countries such as Iran, where the church is oppressed, and
China, and other places too, where there's great difficulties
and dangers in confessing the name of Christ. Lord, do support
the people we pray, and help them, and may the gospel continue
to flourish. May the forces of darkness in
such countries be forced back, and the light may prove to be
victorious. And so, Lord, we are thankful for the encouragements
we hear, for the opportunities that open, for proclaiming the
word still, though we have much that causes concern, yet we are
still blessed with liberties and freedoms of worship. And
so we give thanks for these things, and are thankful for the testimony
and for the courage of our forefathers that stood for truth, though
they may have felt to be very much alone. Few stood with them,
and yet they stood for truth and paid the ultimate price in
their lives by suffering an ignominious and painful death. Lord, we are
thankful for those who did so, and the blessing that this country
has known as a result. So Lord, we are thankful for
these great blessings, but it may be a cheap desire to see
the name of Christ made known. may it be the burden of our hearts
and the longing desire of our souls to see Him more clearly
by faith, to love Him more dearly, and to walk with Him more nearly.
So, Lord, help us, we pray, and forget all our very many sins,
for we realize that we have sinned in so many ways, we come short
every day of our lives, and therefore we need the atoning the virtue
of the blood of Christ be applied to us time and again. Lord, we
are thankful we can come again and again to confess our failures
and our needs and to acknowledge our sins before thee. May we
know the sweetness and preciousness even this afternoon of free forgiveness
through the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. So, Lord, do receive
us graciously. Come and hear our cries. and
receive us in heaven, thy dwelling place, and when thou hearest,
forgive. For Jesus' sake, amen. We continue in our worship by
singing the hymn 120. The tune is Dunfermline 131.
With joy we meditate the grace of our high priest above, His heart is made of tenderness,
his bowels melt with love. The hymn 120, the tune 131. O come, O come, all ye faithful
joyful and triumphant O come ye to Bethlehem ? His power and strength endureth
? ? Such faith and self-confidence ? ? In our country you'll find
? He that was so tenaciously holy
hath heard us say, As long as heaven and earth are
one, love and faith may lead us through. O say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? ? To the King's righteousness ?
? And the King's resurrection ? ? Is the great contemplation of God ? ? Hail, Hail, Lord, Christ, Lord,
Son, and Husband ? ? From day to day ? ? Thou who takest away the sins of the
world ? ? Thou sonster, he is dead. ? ? Heavens are full of gladness,
? ? His mercy found is strong. ? Please turn with me to Hebrews
chapter 4. The fourth chapter of the letter
to the Hebrews. Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 16. Let us therefore come boldly
unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find
grace to help in time of need. I wonder what thoughts are going
through your mind as I've read this verse to you. Maybe you're
thinking, well, this sounds to me like a prayer meeting text,
or maybe a general encouragement for people to pray. Now, of course,
that is true. We often think of this text in
respect to prayer meetings, but I want to consider this verse
we did this afternoon in a gospel sense. For this reason, all who
come to God in prayer have to come on the same ground and foundation. Some of us many years ago first
drew near to the Lord in prayer seeking for mercy and grace. The way we came then is the same
way we have to come now. We still have to come day by
day seeking for mercy and grace from the Lord. And the way that
God's people have come in the past is the way that you must
come if you would know the blessings of God's people. So it is in
this gospel sense that I want to consider this verse with you
this afternoon. And to remind you first of all
that prayer, if it is real prayer, is a sign of life. Just as we
can't help but breathe if we are alive, it's a sure sign of
life if we're breathing, so it is a sure sign of spiritual life
if we feel a need to pray. Not just for providential things,
but for spiritual blessings. It's almost like a very natural
thing, you find yourself praying, not just necessarily when you're
on your knees, but when you're walking the street perhaps, or
whether you're busy at the kitchen sink, or in some other way when
you may be busy with the hands, but your mind is free and your
heart goes up to the Lord. Prayer is a way of life, and
so it is very much like then, naturally we need to breathe,
spiritually we need to pray. There's something wrong, of course,
if someone can mention perhaps a number of providential answers
to prayer only, but nothing regarding the soul. It may be they prayed
when they were in trouble and the Lord was very kind and gracious
and he heard their prayer and deliverance came. It may have
happened more than once. But when it comes to matters
of the soul, maybe there's been no real prayer at all, no real
felt desire for the Lord. there's something wrong if that
is the case. But if God has answered your prayers for providential
things, that should be an encouragement to you, to pray for spiritual
things. As he's bowed down his ear to hear your cry regarding
matters of this life, he will surely bow down his ear regarding
matters of the life to come. So prayer, if it's real, is a
sign of life. But you notice that the Apostle
says, let us therefore come boldly, boldly to the throne of grace. Maybe that surprises you. This
is holy boldness. This is not a presumptuous rushing
into his presence, making all sorts of demands in a kind of
selfish way. This is a holy boldness that
we are encouraged to know and to experience as we draw near
to the Lord. Back in Paul's letter to the
Ephesians, chapter 2 and verse 18, he says, for through him,
that is through Christ, we both have access by one spirit unto
the Father. This is one of those verses where
all three persons of the Trinity are mentioned in one short statement. There's Christ through him. We
both have access by one spirit unto the Father. About 18 months
ago, I was speaking at a Christian college in the South of America. I mean, the South of North America,
Pensacola. And each day, at that school,
they have a proper assembly, but it's more like a preaching
service in one sense. They sing hymns, the scriptures
are read, and the pupils hear a sermon from the Word of God.
And when I was there, I was privileged to attend and there was a visiting
preacher and he spoke from this verse and dealt on the subject
of access with God. What a wonderful thing that is.
There's access with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. And over
the page we find in chapter three, the apostle speaking in this way,
verse 12, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence by
the faith of Him." There's that same word, boldness again. We
have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him. And some Bibles in the margin
here it says, liberty and access. What a wonderful thought that
is. There's liberty for sinners like you or me to come to the
throne of grace, to call upon the name of the Lord, and it's
not presumptuous to do so, because the Lord instructs us regarding
this very thing. So I want to consider verse 16
with you, first of all to notice with you the expression of the
throne of grace and its significance, and secondly to notice that there
is a great high priest on this throne, mentioned in verse 15,
and then thirdly to notice that this great high priest understands
every infirmity So first of all let us consider the throne of
grace. The throne of grace is the seat
of the king of kings. You go back to the Old Testament
and the temple that was established in Solomon's day, what a grand
edifice it was. But remember there was a great
throne that Solomon had built out of ivory, the most wonderful
creation, and then overlaid with gold and there Solomon would
have sat to exercise righteous judgment. In a certain sense
it typifies something far greater, greater than Solomon, who is
seated upon the throne of grace, even the Lord Jesus Christ, who
is willing to hear the sinners cry, who willingly listens to
those who call upon him. It says in the Prophecy of Isaiah,
chapter 32, behold, a king shall reign in righteousness. If we
would know who that king is, you only have to read a bit further
on that verse, it speaks of a man who is in hiding place. It's
Christ, isn't it? The two natures of Christ. He
is the man, Christ Jesus, but he is the son of God. He is the
king of kings. Behold, a king shall reign in
righteousness. And when the Holy Spirit puts
a behold on something, it's telling us we are to ponder to pause,
to reflect, to consider, to look. It's like if we perhaps are travelling
on holiday, maybe you pass a gateway and you see a lovely view open
to you as you just pause that gateway. Maybe you stop and you
get out and you have a look. It takes you a while to take
everything in. That's what it is to behold, to look, to see
by faith. A king shall reign in righteousness
and This throne is an eternal throne. King Solomon's reign
was a glorious reign in so many respects, but it came to an end
sooner or later. All earthly empires, they will
rise and flourish for a time, but they will come to an end
at some point, where all the former thrones and former kingdoms,
the Persian kingdom, the Grecian kingdom, the Roman empire and
so forth, where are they now? One poet put it like this, Egypt,
Babylon and Tyre rise and flourish and expire. Greece and Rome return
to dust. Rise they may, but fall they
must. Britain's proud imperial might
sinks forever out of sight. Marx's power disintegrates. Time,
all power annihilates. These all shall perish, stone
on stone, but not thy kingdom or thy throne. And this is the
confidence of God's people that there's a throne that will never
be vacated, a throne that will endure for an ever-ending eternity. And it's spoken of here as the
throne of grace. And Christ is the king seated
upon that throne. And his authority is very great. We're all, of course, very familiar
with that lovely invitation of the gospel in Matthew chapter
11. where the Lord Jesus graciously
says, come unto me. But notice what he said before
that. Christ says, all things are delivered unto me of my father. It's easy to miss that, isn't
it? All things are delivered unto me of my father. He's placed
all things in the hand of Christ. And therefore the gracious call
to salvation is on the basis of the authority of the King
of kings. Yet all things have been delivered
into the hands of Christ. All the help you could ever possibly
need is in Christ. In Psalm 89 it says, God the
Father is speaking concerning His Son. I've laid upon Him,
I've laid help upon Him. All the help we ever need is
found in Christ. The Father has laid it upon Him
and we find then Christ is willing to come to the aid of those to
call upon him. All power is given unto me both
in heaven and in earth, Christ said before he returned to heaven. Go ye therefore and teach all
nations the great commission. It's a throne then of grace where
the king of kings is seated. Does that encourage you this
afternoon? Does that embolden you this afternoon
to realize that as you come to the Lord in prayer, you come
to one who is the king of all kings? who is in control of all
things and he's working out his purposes as year succeeds to
year. Nothing escapes his notice. Earth's
minutest circumstance is subject to his eye. But not only do we
find that the King of Kings is seated upon this throne, but
it's a throne of grace. And that's just what we stand
in need of, isn't it? Grace. What is grace? Now some of you
children may not be quite sure how to explain what grace is.
We sing about grace, don't we? We read about grace, we preach
about grace, but what is grace? Well, it's the Lord giving something,
a favor, that we don't deserve. Something we could never earn,
never deserve, but God graciously gives it to sinners. We can illustrate
grace in this way. Supposing I notice someone passing
my home and appeared to be hungry and thirsty and weary, so I invite
him in and give him something to eat and drink and a bed for
the night perhaps. Then that would be kindness,
wouldn't it? But then, supposing during the
night, while it's dark he gets up and searches the house and
takes some cash or valuables and flees off into the night.
Now supposing a month later he passes my home again and in spite
of what he's done, I invite him in for something to eat and to
drink. Now that would be more than kindness, that would be
grace, because he sinned against me. Not only do I owe him nothing,
but he has sinned. That is exactly where we stand
in relation to a holy God. We have sinned against the Almighty.
He owes us nothing, and yet out of his infinite love and compassion,
he shows grace to sinners. So the throne of grace. just
what we stand in need of, the grace of God in salvation. This
is not a throne of judgment. One day it will be. One day it
will be. We shall all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ to receive of the deeds done in the body,
whether they be good or bad. It's a very sobering aspect of
divine truth that the Lord Jesus Christ will return one day. We don't know when, we do know
this, that we're getting nearer to that day, but he will come
with great power and great glory. As Matthew 25 tells us, he'll
be seated upon a throne of glory and all nations will be gathered
before him and divided as a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats.
Those on the right hand, his people, will hear that glorious
invitation come, you blessed of my father, Inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from before the foundation of the world.
For those on the left hand of the goats will hear that terrible
sentence. Depart ye cursed into everlasting
fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. It's going to
be one or the other. There's going to be a throne
of judgment one day. But as we stand at the present
time, we are on the ground of free grace. on praying ground,
and there's a throne of grace that is still open to sinners
like you and me. And this gracious Saviour, the
King of Kings, He willingly provides an audience for sinners. If you
were to force yourself into Buckingham Palace because you wanted a favour
of King Charles, you would soon be turned out, wouldn't you?
You'd be considered a reproach, you'll be considered an offense
and presumptuous for those who come to the presence of the King
of Kings. He is not offended. In fact,
he invites sinners to come to him. He welcomes sinners to come
to his throne of grace. He's opened the way whereby the
guilty can come to him and be received in his sight. And this throne of grace is open
24 hours a day. You may be awake in the night,
and you can call upon the Lord even then. When everyone else
is asleep, you can call upon the Lord. The Lord hears. The
Lord never slumbers nor sleeps. His ear is always open to the
cry of the penitent, those who need him. And as we've noticed
already, in view of all authority being given to him, he issues
that invitation, come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest. Do you find encouragement then
from the word of God, from these gracious words that come from
the lips of Christ himself while he's here below? Nor will he
send them empty back, nor frighten them from the door, all blessings the father has in Jesus stored
all blessings for the poor. Everything your soul could ever
stand in need of for time and for eternity is found in Christ
at the throne of grace. I read only recently of a elderly
man who was on his way to the meeting house and in doing so
he crossed the estate of the local manor and the laird of
the manor came up to him and asked him what he is doing walking
across his property and the old man responded by saying that
having lived on his estate all these years and now he's getting
old he thought the manor, the laird might not mind if he walked
the shorter distance across his land rather than the longer distance
round the roadway and the laird was pleased with that response
and he said now give me your stick and take mine in exchange. Mine's got a gold crest. This
will authorise you to come across my land whenever you wish." You
see, the King of Kings authorises you. He gives you full liberty
to come to this throne of grace. What wonderful love and compassion
there is found in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is seated upon this
throne of grace. But we must move on to notice
that The Lord Jesus Christ here is spoken of as the great high
priest, the great high priest. Seeing then, verse 14, that we
have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus,
the son of God, let us hold fast our profession. Over the page
in chapter 10, verse 19, having therefore, brethren, boldness
to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new
and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the
veil, that is to say his flesh, and having a high priest over
the house of God, let us draw near." Notice the same spiritual
argument is made. Having a high priest over the
house of God, let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance
of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and
our bodies washed with pure water. But you may object in one sense
to this verse by saying, but I don't feel my heart is a true
heart. My heart, you say, is a sinful heart. Well, that is
true. Mine is the same by nature. But the point is, if you are
genuinely desiring God's blessing and his salvation, then you have
a true heart in that sense, a sincere heart in that sense. and in full
assurance but you say i don't feel i have full assurance but
surely in an objective sense you have full assurance because
you believe that jesus christ is the son of god you believe
that he has provided a full and free salvation you believe that
he is seated now upon that eternal throne therefore in that sense
you can come with that full assurance to the throne of grace let us
draw near then he says with a true heart in full assurance of faith. There is a great high priest
who is not only the son of God but he's still the son of man.
He came into this world to take our nature into yin with his
divine nature and he still wears that nature in heaven. Yes, a
glorified nature in heaven but the same nature, the same body
in which he suffered while here below as we sometimes sing those
words of Joseph Hart, there is a man, a real man, with wounds
still gaping wide, from which rich streams of blood once rammed
from hands and feet and side. It is no wild fancy of our brains,
no metaphor we speak, the same dear man in heaven now reigns
who suffered for our sake. There is a great high priest
seated upon this throne of grace who has made an atonement for
sin, a perfect atonement, an atonement acceptable to God the
Father. Therefore he raised him up on
the third day. As Isaac Watts says, Jesus, my
great high priest, offered his blood and died. My guilty conscience
seeks no sacrifice besides. His powerful blood did once atone
and now it pleads before the throne. The finished work of
Christ while here below it speaks now in heaven. Here's then the
great high priest seated upon the throne. I love that gospel
hymn by Charles Cole, you may know it well. The savior died
and by his blood brought rebel sinners near to God. He died
to set the captives free and say, my soul, why not for thee? You see Christ has performed
all things necessary. He has satisfied all demands
of God's holy law. That perfect standard of righteousness
issued from Mount Sinai in very sobering circumstances. The thick
darkness, the lightning, the voice of words, the sound of
a trumpet, the quaking of the mountain and the people told
to stand back and to set boundaries And in those circumstances, each
of those Ten Commandments were audibly spoken by God from Mount
Sinai. And that momentous occasion reminds
us of the awesome holiness of God revealed in His Holy Law,
that perfect standard by which He requires us to obey Him. And
yet we've failed. In our thoughts, in our words,
in our deeds, we've come short of the glory of God and therefore
in ourselves we stand condemned, we are undone, we are ruined,
we are guilty in the sight of a holy God. But the Lord Jesus
Christ came to fulfil that law that we have broken. He lived
the life that you and I ought to have lived but we failed to
live. He's made restitution to that holy law. He magnified the
law, made it honourable. He gave to the law all that it
demanded. and obeyed it in thought, word
and deed. If a person sits an exam, they
may obtain 60% and that's considered a pass, or if they obtain 80%
it might be a distinction. They're not expecting necessarily
to get 100%. But when it comes to obedience to God's holy law,
nothing less than complete obedience is enough. Only the Lord Jesus
Christ could render a perfect obedience to that holy law that
we have broken. So he has fulfilled then by his
obedience, the law and its demands, but more than that, in his passive
obedience, he has taken the punishment upon himself. He is the great
sin bearer. And all those dark, dark sins
of Every one of his people, the whole church, in its completeness
was laid upon him. Who can begin to comprehend those
mighty transactions that took place in those three hours of
darkness when Christ hung upon the cross? In the agony of soul,
in a state of dereliction, his father having withdrawn his holy
presence and smiling to his face from him. My God, my God, why
hast thou forsaken me? in those hours of agony upon
the cross, he was experiencing the hell that his people deserve,
being somehow experiencing that short period of time, that satisfaction
of being made to a broken and offended law. The offended justice
of God was being put right by the Lord Jesus Christ, the great
sin-bearer, who can really begin to enter rightly into these things. We can only go so far. Faith
can venture, as it were, to come near, but we can only understand
in part the wonder, the glory, the fullness of the atoning work
of our Lord Jesus Christ. But faith rejoices in it. Faith
delights in this wonderful answer to the dilemma of our soul. How
can our sins be forgiven but without this work of Christ in
salvation? And this is the one who is seated
upon this throne, the great high priest, who offered his blood
and died. The prophet Zechariah foretelling
the coming of Christ, he says in his sixth chapter, verse 13,
he spoke in verse 12, as the branch that grew out of the stalk
of Israel But in verse 13, even he shall build the temple of
the Lord, and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule
upon his throne, and he shall be a priest upon his throne,
and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. A priest
upon the throne, that's just what we need. Someone who can
make an atonement for sin. One who was qualified to do so. One who was innocent in himself,
the unblemished Lamb of God, he has become the sin bearer
and paid the penalty in full. What glorious truth is found
in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Think of those final
words of the Lord Jesus on the cross, it is finished. And very
soon after, he bowed his head and gave up the ghost. It is
finished. in the original Greek, it's just
one word, tetelestai. I remember a preacher explaining
this, that he went to the library of Michigan University many years
ago and the librarian got out some papyrus documents. These
were trading invoices from the early New Testament era. And
the librarian said to this minister, you'll recognize that Greek word,
the end of the bottom of the invoice, tetelestai. It was used
in the business context, meaning the account has been paid in
full. There's nothing owing. Everything's
been done and accomplished. The very word that Christ used
on the cross, it is finished. Everything's been paid in full.
All has been settled and accomplished. We glory in a finished salvation,
don't we? There's nothing left for the
sinner to do, because the Lord Jesus Christ had done all things
necessary. He is then the great high priest
upon this throne of grace. In the 1700s, coffee houses in
London started to become popular. And they became places where
people gather and have discussions. And on one occasion, a discussion
arose regarding the way to God. Various people were making their
suggestions as to how they thought a sinner could get near to God
and be accepted of Him. At one point, a Roman Catholic
man stood up and he said, well, as for me, I've handed everything
over into the hands of the priest. He does everything for me. Now, there's a godly man who
was there who was listening in, and he felt he should respond. So he arose and he said, I've
been listening to what you've been saying. I've heard what
this Roman Catholic man has said, and I agree with him. He says
that he has handed everything over into the hands of the priest.
I agree with him. But the thing is, he's gone to
the wrong priest. He's gone to an earthly priest
who cannot atone for his sin, who cannot make intercession
for him. But he says, by grace I've come to the great high priest,
even our Lord Jesus Christ. Behold the throne of grace. The
promise calls me near. There Jesus shows a smiling face
and waits to answer prayer. That rich atoning blood which
sprinkled round I see, provides for those who come to God an
all-prevailing plea. What beautiful words John Newton
wrote, but it's the truth, that's what matters, it's the truth,
it's not just beautiful poetry, but it's the gospel that you
and I need as sinners as we approach a holy God. You see this great
high priest upon the throne of grace is also an intercessor. Now I realise that perhaps some
of the children do not understand what an intercessor is, but it's
someone who represents somebody else, who prays for someone else. If someone is praying on your
behalf, perhaps praying for your salvation or praying regarding
a matter in your life, they're making intercession for you.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the great intercessor. He pleads
before the throne, before the Father's face. We're not to think
of it in a carnal sense, but we're to remember that the atoning
work of Christ speaks in heaven before the Father. There's virtue
in what Christ has done in the presence of the Father. Just
over the page in chapter seven, we have those well-known words
in verse 25. The previous verse says, this man, because he continueth
ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood, 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. Can you see the connection? He's the great high priest and
he ever lives to make intercession. Think of it, at the father's
right hand now, this very afternoon, the Lord Jesus Christ is ever
living, making, intercession for all who come to God by him. Furthermore, he is the mediator,
one who stands between, one who can represent both sides. He
is God, he is man, he has his hand upon both in a sense. We
have in the book of Job chapter 9, Job asking the question, oh
that there were a daismen, betwixt us both he might put his hand
upon us both. A daisman is a mediator, an umpire. Now Lord Jesus Christ is the
answer to that question of Job. He can put his hand upon both,
he's God and man, to bring God and man together through his
atoning work. He has brought reconciliation.
So Christ is the great high priest who makes intercession, who is
the mediator, Jacob caught a sight of Christ in this sense when
he lay down at night at Luz, afterwards named Bethel, and
that night he saw a ladder set up between heaven and earth.
It came right down to where Jacob was, sinful Jacob. It reached
right up to heaven where God was. There was communication
between heaven and earth, between God and Jacob, and the Lord Jesus
speaks for himself as being that ladder. when he spoke to Nathanael
at the end of John chapter 1. Thou shalt see the angels of
God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man, not a ladder,
the Son of Man. Christ is the ladder, the way
of access from earth to heaven, from needy sinners to a holy
God. Christ is the mediator. And furthermore, Christ is the
high priest, not only is he the intercessor and mediator, but
he's also the advocate This is a term from the law courts, isn't
it? An advocate, one who pleads on the behalf of others, as in
a court of law. Usually there are two lawyers,
one representing the crown, making the case for the prosecution,
but another making the case for the defendant, for the one that's
being charged. And the Lord Jesus Christ is
the advocate for sinners, if any man sin, We have an Advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous, for he is our
propitiation, that is, the one who has appeased the wrath of
God, the wrath-ending sacrifice. He is the Advocate for guilty
sinners. You can venture near, because
Christ is all these things for those who feel their need of
salvation. Let us therefore come boldly
unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy. That's what
we need, isn't it? Mercy. The free forgiveness of
God. We need his compassion. We need
his loving kindness. That we might find grace to help
in time of need. Do you understand this verse?
Do you understand why the Apostle was at pains to present this
truth to us? Because we need it. in ourselves
we are lost, we are ruined, we are undone, we will be banished
forever from the presence of God without this gracious saviour
seated upon this throne of grace. But then we come thirdly to notice,
having thought about the throne of grace and the great high priest,
that this great high priest understands all infirmities. Verse 15, for
we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling
of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we
are, yet without sin. A sympathising saviour. Is that attractive to your soul?
The thought of a saviour who understands how you feel, understands
your concerns, understands your very heart and desires as you
try to pray. he sympathizes with your distresses. And even when he has to chasten
his people, he still is sympathetic towards his people in their troubles
and distresses. Let me name to you some infirmities
you may find as you try and pray. First of all, you may feel your
sense of inability to pray. You feel your prayers are so
poor, you fear that your prayers will never be heard or never
received because they're so poor you feel, so impoverished. Maybe
your prayers sometimes, perhaps often, are like the words of
Jairus when he came to Christ asking for him to come to heal
his daughter. Some commentators point out that
in the Greek it's just broken sentences, not proper grammatical
sentences and when you pray perhaps that often how you feel it is
broken sentences broken petitions groans and tears and sighs perhaps
but the Lord knows he understands what they mean and he graciously
promises the gift of the Holy Spirit likewise the Spirit also
helpeth our infirmities for we know not what to pray for as
we ought but make his intercession for us with groanings which cannot
be uttered." What grace there is in Christ, upon this throne
of grace, who sends the Spirit to the troubled sinner's soul,
to enable us, to help us to pray. Even though our prayers are so
poor, you'd be ashamed, perhaps, that other people heard your
prayers. But he's not ashamed of them.
You may be ashamed of yourself, and we need to be ashamed of
ourselves. But he's not ashamed of you. and he kindly invites
you to come near to make your wants and your wishes known. Then maybe also you have the
infirmity of temptation as verse 15 reminds us that Christ was
tempted in all points like as we are yet without sin maybe
there is particular matters in which you are tempted again and
again besetting sins and you are tempted that you can't come
back to the Lord anymore to confess that sin again. That's the devil
who tempts you that way because where else can you go with your
sins and your guilt and your shame but to Christ to the throne
of grace. The Lord knows about temptation. He knows what sore temptations
mean for he has felt the same He experienced temptation, but
he never succumbed to it. He knows all about sin, yet he
never sinned. But he understands the coming
sinner who is troubled on account of temptation. Or it may be fears. Fears that your prayers will
never be heard. Well, you're not alone if that's
how you feel, because verse seven, in reference to Christ, says,
who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers
and supplications with strong crying and tears, unto him that
was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared."
The prayers of Christ were not turned away. He was heard in
that he feared. And even though you may have
your fears, the Lord will not turn away your prayer, nor his
mercy from you. Do you remember the case of Esther
in the Old Testament who came into the presence of Ahasuerus?
She had no authority to do so, even though she was his consort,
but such was the necessity. She was under a death sentence,
wasn't she? And she was under a sense of constraint. She must
go into the presence of the king, whether I perish or perish. And so she came into the presence
of the king and King Ahasuerus held out the golden scepter saying,
what wilt thou Queen Esther? It has been put in verse in this
way, I can but perish if I go, I am resolved to try, for if
I stay away I know I must forever die. Do you feel like that sometimes
when you come to the Lord? You know you must pray, you must
call upon him, because without Christ you will perish for all
eternity. But the Lord is gracious to those
who come to him in this way. He's able to take your burden
and your load and to give that sense of assurance you have been
received of him, that he's done all things necessary to put away
the guilt of your sin. Remember when Christ said to
his disciples, as recorded at the end of John 6, will you also
go away? And Simon Peter responded, Lord,
to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal
life. There really is nowhere else
to go. but to Christ, to his wounds, to his sufferings, to
his death, but more than this, to the throne of grace where
he is seated as the great high priest. Now as we come to a conclusion,
there are three things I want you to remember. The first is
this, when you pray, your worst enemy is afraid, for Satan trembles
when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees. And Satan cannot
intercept your prayers. Satan cannot prevent your prayers
entering in the ears of the Lord. So remember this, when you pray,
your worst enemy is afraid. You're strongest when you're
on your knees. Secondly, when you pray, your best friend is
listening. Jesus is the friend of sinners.
He was reproached while here upon earth for that very thing,
wasn't he? This man, they said reproachfully,
this man receiveth sinners. I have a little book at home
with an unusual title. It's something like this, the
gospel according to Christ's enemies and it picks up all the
occasions when the enemies of Christ reproached him and yet
at the same time they were expressing wonderful truth. And it was on
that occasion, this man receiveth sinners. What an encouragement
to sinners like you and I, to draw near, because he receives
such. He delighted to draw near to sinners while here below,
to speak with them regarding the things of the kingdom and
to make known his grace. And he still receives sinners,
even though thrown in everlasting glory. So remember then, when
you pray, your worst enemy is afraid, your best friend is listening,
and thirdly and lastly, he waits to be gracious. Yes, it's true
that often our prayers aren't answered straight away. And you
may wonder perhaps sometimes, why is it that your prayers for
his blessing, his grace and salvation haven't been answered as yet?
Well, remember this, yes, you wait, but he is waiting, but
he's waiting to be gracious. He's waiting for the right time
to make himself known to you in the gospel. Let us therefore
come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy
and find grace to help in time of need. Amen. Let us conclude by singing together
the hymn 675. The tune is St Matthew 271. Come boldly to the throne of
grace, ye wretched sinners come, and lay your load at Jesus' feet,
and plead what he has done. Come boldly to the throne of
grace, for Jesus fills the throne, and those he kills he makes alive,
He hears the sigh or groan. 675. The nature of all things is that
nature is love. He is the King, the King of angels
high. How can I count the joy of His reign? I came, I went, and I'm gone.
I've been here, I've seen, I saw, I've heard, I've seen, I've been here, I've seen, ? The foundation of our new place
? ? Our new home shall find a place ? ? In our hearts and in our minds ? ? To see His birth
? ? And never lost His face ? ? He makes heaven and earth ? ? In
red and white ? In the wings of wonder she O say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the
brave? O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave? Heaven and earth are singing
His praise above, His praise above. O let us love to live that life,
? And the new year's day beginning
? ? Come all ye children of God ? ? Come all ye children of God ? ? Come all ye children of God ? Lord, we bless thee for thy kindness
and grace towards sinners, undeserving, hell-deserving sinners. Lord,
we are thankful for that free love demonstrated through Christ
on the cross for the merit of that atonement which speaks now
in heaven's high court for good. Lord, bless the congregation
this afternoon. Be with them as they go on their
way. May they take these things with
them. Speak to their hearts, we pray. Get glory to thy great
name. And now may the grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father and the fellowship
and communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all now and forevermore. Amen.