Turning now to these two verses
at the end of Hebrews chapter 4. We're considering the 15th
verse last Thursday evening and I want us to look more carefully
at the following 16th verse. I'll read down these two verses
at the end of chapter 4 in Hebrews. 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. As I said, it was verse 15 that
we were centering our attention upon last time. where we read
of Christ as that one who is the great high priest. We spoke of him as a priest after
the order of Melchizedek. We actually read the content
of the seventh chapter last time and clearly it speaks of the
Lord Jesus in his priestly office. And with regards to Christ in
that priestly office, we spoke of him as one who is sinless,
he's one who suffers, and he is one, therefore, who can sympathize. And certainly that aspect is
emphasized here in this 16th verse. Touched with the feeling
of our infirmities, tempted in all points like as we are yet
without sin. He surely is that one who is
the the sinless priest very different to the priest of Aaron they were
they were sinners as we see from the words that we have in the
fifth chapter the opening verses of that chapter 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. But how different is
the priest after the order of Melchizedek. There in chapter
7 verse 11, If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood,
for under it the people received the law, what further need was
there that another priesthood rise after the order of Melchizedek,
and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood
being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of
the law. Here is one then He was a different
priest, a sinless priest, without sin, holy, harmless,
undefiled and separate from sinners. He was impeccable. There was
no sin in him. He could not sin. He did not
sin. Well, those are some of the things
that we were considering last time. But as I said, I want us
now to Consider what's said in the 16th verse, as Paul makes
a certain deduction from what he has said concerning this person. He says, let us therefore come
boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and
find grace to help in time of need. Oh, here is the consequence,
the outcome of that priestly work of the Lord Jesus Christ. because of who he is, and because
of where he has now passed, we can come to God in prayer. He says at verse 14, 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. Christ has accomplished his great
priestly work here upon the earth, he has made the sin atoning sacrifice,
and now risen he has ascended and he has entered heaven itself. And where has he gone? Well,
Paul reminds us there in chapter 9 and verse 7, speaking of the
first covenant that made at Sinai, the worldly sanctuary, the tabernacle. and all those services and he
says at verse 7 into the second went the high priest alone once
every year not without blood which he offered for himself
and for the errors of the people. It was on the great day of atonement
that the high priest would venture beyond the second veil into the
holiest and he would offer sacrifice for the people but also for himself
But there now, as the apostle is making the comparison there
in that 9th chapter, he goes on at verse 11, But Christ, being
come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more
perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not
of this building, neither by the blood of goats and calves,
but by his own blood, He entered in once into the holy place,
having obtained eternal redemption for us. And then, verse 24 of
that chapter, 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. And so, worry
is the consequence. Well, as Christ has passed into
the heavens so we can follow, sinners can follow. Here is a
way that He has marked out Himself and marked it out with His own
precious blood. Let us therefore come bolder
unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find
grace to help in time of need. Oh, how we can come and we can
approach with confidence, with boldness, as Paul says to the
Ephesians, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence by
the faith of Him, by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Well,
I want us to consider then tonight this throne of grace where We
can follow the Lord Jesus Christ and we can obtain, we can find
that that we so much stand in need of. We can obtain mercy,
we can find grace to help in time of need. But first of all,
to look at what is the type of the throne of grace there in
the Old Testament. We read those opening verses
of Exodus 25, and the materials that were being gathered for
the building of the tabernacle, and then the first item that
is spoken of is that of the Ark of the Covenant with the mercy
seat atop, the mercy seat as the covering to the Ark. And
what do you think of that mercy seat then as a type? There is here surely in this
epistle the reminder of the contrast between the earthly and the heavenly. There, in Exodus 25, we have
the mercy seat, and that's God's throne on earth. But Christ has
entered heaven itself, and is there before the throne of the
Almighty. In fact, in a sense, we might
say He fills that throne. It's the Lamb, as it had been
slain in the midst of the throne. It's a mercy seat. It's a throne
of Christ. But thinking of what we see in
the type there in the Old Testament Scriptures. And two things in
particular, we see that it's associated with the promise of
the presence of God. There's the promise of God's
being there. We read up to verse 22 in Exodus
25, and God says, There will I meet with thee, and there will
I commune with thee. from above the mercy seat, from
between the two cherubims. And that was really the glory
of Israel, that God was there in their midst. That was the
holy of holies, the most holy place, the place associated with
the presence of God. And of course, the psalmist is
very much mindful of that in the The words that we have, for
example, in Psalm 18, Esau says, Give ear, O shepherd of Israel,
thou that leadest Joseph like a flock, thou that dwellest between
the cherubims, shine forth before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh,
stir up thy strength and come and save us, turn us again, O
God, and cause thy face to shine and we shall be saved. All that throw and we see in
the days of Jeremiah. Jeremiah of course associated
very much with God's judgments that were to fall upon the nation
because of their sins, because of their idolatrous ways and
Jerusalem would fall into the hands of the Babylonians the
destruction of the holy place, the people being removed away
into exile, and how we find him at times pleading for the people.
The language of chapter 14 and verse 21 there in Jeremiah, Do
not abhor us, for thy name's sake do not disgrace the throne
of thy glory. Remember, break not thy covenant
with us. Oh, it was the throne of God's
glory, God's presence, He was their covenant God. You only
have I known, He says, of all the families of the earth. And
how Jeremiah was mindful of this, and he pleads these things. The
glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our
sanctuary, he says there in 17 and verse 12. How the mercy streets, is where
God is. He sits there enthroned upon
the Ark of the Covenant. The tables of testimony that
were written, of course, with the finger of God. That's where
they housed the Ten Commandments. And it's wonderful, isn't it?
Because we know that those commandments really are simply administration
of condemnation, administration of death. but now they're covered
with the mercy seat. And when we compare the measurements
as they're given there in Exodus 25, we see that it's a perfect
covering. Now, mercy covers the law of God, the condemning law
of God, God's gracious presency. And as the The mercy seat was
associated with God and God being in the midst of Israel. We know
also that it was that place where atonement was made. The sprinkling
of the blood upon the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. Those things that are spoken
of in Leviticus chapter 16. All that was to take place on
that great day, the Day of Atonement. All of that chapter is taken
up with the various sacrifices. There was to be a sin offering,
but there were to be those two goats, and one would be a sacrifice,
a trespass offering, and the other would be a scapegoat. And
how those things are spoken of in that ninth chapter, that I
referred to just now, remember the words of verse 7 into the second this
is on the the day of atonement into the second that is beyond
the holy place into the holy of holies went the high priest
alone once every year not without lots which he offered for himself
and for the errors of the people the Holy Ghost this signifying
that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest,
while as the first tabernacle was yet standing. The significance
of those words in verse 8, what was signified, the way into the
holiest, was not yet made manifest. It was made manifest, of course,
when the Lord Jesus Christ, the great antitype, comes and makes
one sacrifice for sins forever. And what is associated with his
dying, when he offers up his soul, when he commends his spirits
to God, we're told at the veil of the temple, was rent in two. Now the way is manifest. It's all there in type in the
Old Testament Scriptures, all that mercy stuff. And I know
I've said it so many times, but in that ninth chapter of Hebrews,
where the various furnishings are being described, in verse
5 we have the word MERCY SEAT. And the Greek word is so significant. It's that word ILASTARIAS, and
it's only used on one other occasion. That word well that form of the
word is just used on one other occasion we have it there or
here in Hebrews 9.5 and again in Romans 3.25 where the Apostle
is speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ and he goes on to say
whom God has set forth to be a propitiation whom God has set
forth to be a mercy saint through faith in his blood whom God has
set forth God is in it God was in Christ reconciling the world
unto himself what a wonder it is when we think
of that mercy seat and all that was to transpire there once every
year throughout all the years all the days They were to keep
that as an annual feast, a great day of atonement. But it's all
fulfilled in the Lord Jesus, who's now in heaven, in the very
presence of God. He has entered into that beyond
the veil. He has entered heaven itself
and appears in the presence of God for his people, able to save
to the uttermost, all them that come to God by Him. And how different, when we think
of the two. There were so many restrictions
and limitations. There, in the Old Testament,
it was only one man who could ever go into the Holy of Holies,
it was only the High Priest. and he could only go once every
year there were all these limitations but what a freedom there is in
the gospel as we have it here in the text this evening let
us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may
obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need there's
such a freedom under the gospel There's a remarkable contrast
then between these two, the type as we have it in the Old Testament
and then when we come to the New Testament and the Lord Jesus
Christ and his person as that one who is a priest after the
order of Melchizedek and that work that he has accomplished. And what are his people to do? Well, they're priests. We believe
in the priesthood of all believers. There's no longer any priestly
caste. That's the religion of Antichrist. We believe in the priesthood
of all believers and we are not sacrificing priests. That's the blasphemy of Rome
with its doctrine of transubstantiation and bloodless sacrifices every
time the so-called priest says Mass. What blasphemy is that? Now what do we read here when
we come to the final chapter of Hebrews verse 15 there in
chapter 13 by him that is Christ therefore let us offer the sacrifice
of praise to God continually that is the fruit of our lips
giving thanks to his name. We're not sacrificing priests
but we are spiritual priests and when we come to God we bring
the fruits of our lips and what is that fruit giving thanks to
his name? I was reminded recently, you're
probably familiar with it, It was a time when people used to
teach their children how to pray in terms of those four letters,
acts. A, C, T, S. How are we to pray? What should be the manner of
our approach? Well, we should come first of
all with adoration. We adore God, we worship God.
Then we come with confession. We acknowledge that we're sinners
and we're not deserving of His favors. And then we come with
thanksgiving, we remember His goodness to us, His many kindnesses
and then last of all we come with supplications. I think it's good to remember
that little mnemonic with regards to our prayers, acts, adoration,
confession, thanksgiving, and then finally supplications, making
our requests known unto God. By Him, therefore, let us offer
the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit
of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But I want, in the
second place, to say something more really with regards to the
throne of grace as we have it here in the New Testament, the
antitype. which we see in the Lord Jesus.
And I like the remark that was made by the Great Puritan Divide,
Thomas Goodwin, with regards to types and anti-types. He says something like this,
a type is something imperfect, going before, and signifies some other thing more noble and more
perfect to follow after. There's a contrast you see. The
type is imperfect. The type goes before but what
follows after is more noble and more perfect. And how true is
that when we think of the Lord Jesus Christ? as the antitype of the mercy
seat when we think in terms of the throne of grace. And what
do we read of here? Well, we read of coming. Let us therefore come boldly
unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find
grace to help in time of need. Oh, there is coming, and coming
is very much a gospel word. In contrast with law, the law,
when we think of the giving of the commandments, the law is
always saying stand back. They're not to venture too near,
they're not to touch the bounds. Bounds are set about it. If any
man touch it, he's dead. Whereas the language of the Gospel,
and it's almost the very last word that we have in the Bible
there in Revelation 22 and verse 17, the word come. the spirit
and the bride say come let him that hear us say come and let
him that is a thirst come and whosoever will let him take up
the water of life freely and this is what we have here we
come let us therefore come it's a coming of faith it's a very
real act of faith the way now is opened up Remember
the significance of what the Apostle is saying there in verse
8 of chapter 9 with regards to the type. The Holy Ghost is signifying
that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest,
while as the first tabernacle was yet standing, but now it
is manifest. The veil of the temple has been
rent in two. Now we can And Christ says, he that cometh
to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth in me shall
never thirst. What is it to come? It's to believe. To believe what he said in Scripture
concerning this man, the only mediator. And if we really believe
what the Scripture says concerning him, we have every motivation
then to come. he that cometh to me, he says,
I will in no wise cast out in whom we have boldness and
access with confidence by the faith of him or there's that
coming in faith and there's that coming that's so much associated
with with freeness it says come boldly come boldly and you know
We've said it before, that words that we have boldly, it's a compound,
it's two words. It's the words, speech, and it's
also the word, all. All speech. Could be a very literal
rendering of the word. Freedom of speech. Freedom of
speech. Before God, at the throne of
grace, take with you words says Hosea and turn to the Lord and
say take away all iniquity and receive us graciously and how
at times you feel much rebuked by the hymn writer William Cooper
in the language that we have in the hymn have you no words
I'll think again words flow apace when you complain and fill your
fellow creatures dear with the sad tale of all your care we
can complain one to the other and yet so often we're so slow
to to come to God we say we try
to pray we can't pray we struggle in prayers and yet we can come
freely as we come in faith but then also in this coming we must
come surely in fear yes it says come boldly unto the throne of
grace But surely, if it's a throne, we should come in a spirit of
real reverence. We should stand in awe before
that One who sits upon the throne. When we pray, we're to remember
who it is that we're addressing, our Father. But where is He?
He's in heaven. Heaven is His throne. Earth is
His footstool. And when the Lord gives instruction
with regards to praying and the order of our praying, the first
petition of the Lord's Prayer, we say, hallowed be thy name.
Or we recognize how holy that name is, why God is thrice holy.
Holy Father, Holy Son, Holy Spirit. Surely we should come with a
A sense of real reverence when we approach such a one as this.
Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God. Be more
ready to hear than to give the sacrifices of fools, for they
consider not what they do. Be not rash with thy mouth, let
not thy heart be hasty to utter anything before the Lord. For
God is in heaven now, upon earth, let thy word be few. The language
of the preacher there in Ecclesiastes chapter 5. And when we're told
of the Lord Jesus and His praying, here in chapter 5, remember,
and verse 7, 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. And the margin indicates what
that means. Another rendering, He was heard for His piety. Oh, He was a real man. And when
the person of the Lord Jesus Christ in His human nature comes
to pray to His Father, there's real piety there, there's real
faith, there's real reverence. He is a pattern to us of what
real prayers are. He was heard in the defiled.
Oh, we're to come then with all reverence before Him. And we're
not to be presumptuous in God's presence. Think of the language
of the prayer of Hannah back in the second chapter of the
first book of Samuel. Talk no more so exceeding proudly. Let not arrogance come out of
thy mouth. Talk no more exceeding proudly. That's the pharisee. When he
comes he thanks God, I'm not as other men are. How proud,
how arrogant. We're not to come, we're to come
humbly before the throne of grace. No presumption, but also no unbelief. We're not to come as unbelievers. Without faith it's impossible
to please him. He that cometh to God must believe
that he is. and that he's a rewarder of all
that diligently seek and we're reminded aren't we here in chapter
11 of the need of faith when we come to God in prayer whatsoever
is not of faith is sin and what is the outcome of all of this if we come as the text says boldly
onto the throne of grace if we come in faith if we come so freely,
and feel that liberty, and yet have in us that sense of awe
and reverence? What is the outcome? Well, we
obtain. We obtain. Or we receive something. Can we find something? That we
may obtain mercy, it says, and find grace to help in time of
need. God never says to the seed of
Jacob, seek ye my face in vain. The Lord Jesus himself in the
gospel asked, and it shall be given you. Seek, and ye shall
find. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you. And there he
repeats himself. Everyone that asketh, receiveth
he that seeketh findeth. To him that knocketh, it shall
be opened. All those promises of God, in Him they go, there
are men, the shelves, the wills. These characters that we read
of here, they have needs. Do we pray to God because we
feel ourselves to be needy people? We read of help in time of need. And what do these people need?
Well, they need mercy. They need mercy, that we may
obtain mercy, it says. Why do they need mercy? Because
they feel themselves to be sinners. And that was the publican, wasn't
he? So different to the proud Pharisee
that the Lord speaks of. there in Luke 18 who goes to
the temple at the hour of prayer and what is his prayer? God be
merciful and again the word there merciful it's related to this
word throne of grace really or mercy seat has the idea of being
propitious the man is one who is aware that God is a holy God,
a righteous God, a just God And he needs God to be propitious
and to blot out his transgressions. That we may obtain mercy. They
need mercy but they also need grace. And find grace to help
in time of need. They are poor dependents on the
grace of God. And what is that grace? It's
sovereign grace. Must be sovereign grace because
it's a throne. It's a throne of grace. And these
people need that grace that is so mighty and effectual. And we take it all back, of course,
to the one who is spoken of in the previous verses. That one
in verse 14, the high priest that is passed into the heavens,
Jesus, the Son of God. Oh, 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. Father Lord, help us to come
in that spirit of the gospel that so evidently set forth in
the words of the Apostle here in the text. The Lord bless his
word to us. We're going to sing as our second
praise tonight the hymns 675 and the Truly St. Saviour 228.
Freedom of access to a throne of grace. Cumbolding to a throne
of grace. You wretched sinners, come and
lay your load at Jesus' feet and plead what he has done. 675-228.