I'll turn back to Hebrews chapter
4. I want to look at the last 5
or 6 verses, from verse 12 to 16, and I've entitled this message,
Piercing Word, Tender High Priest. We were thinking last time about
laboring to enter rest, laboring to enter rest, because that's
what it says in verse 11. Let us labor, therefore, to enter
into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of
unbelief. And the writer, who I believe
is Paul, has given us examples of unbelief in the face of the
revelation of God being clear, yet they disbelieved, and the
consequences were that though many came out, the majority perished
in the wilderness. They perished there. So labor
to enter that rest. Strive to quit striving is another
way of putting it. We need to quit striving. What
do I mean by that? I mean striving in our own flesh
for acceptance with God. Striving in our own flesh to
be accepted by God. Why? Because it's all futile. because there's only one way
of acceptance with God and that's resting in the Lord Jesus Christ
because he has done all that is required and you can't add
anything to it if you try to add anything to what he has done
Be sure of this. He clothes his people with the
seamless robe of the righteousness of Christ. Do you know what our
righteousnesses are done in this flesh? Filthy rags. Do you want
to sew patches of filthy rags onto that seamless robe of the
righteousness of Christ? No. Rest in him. Press toward
the mark, said Paul. Press, strive, endeavor, be determined
towards the mark. What mark? The Sabbath rest.
that is in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is what those earlier verses
in chapter 4 are about. The Sabbath rest. The Sabbath
day was only ever a legal picture. But the reality, that which is
the truth, that which the picture portrayed, is rest in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Rest in Him. Rest because He
has accomplished everything. He has done it all. There is
nothing left to do. When He cried on the cross, it
is finished, it was because it was finished. the salvation of
his people, the righteousness of his people was done. It was determined. The justification
of his people was done. It was finished. And so the message
is to cling on to that, lest any man fall after the same example
of unbelief. Cling on to belief of the truth
of the gospel. Cling on to it. And the truth
of the gospel, as I keep telling you, is sovereign grace that
God chose a people in Christ purely out of grace to save them,
a particular people, and he put them in the Lord Jesus Christ,
and the Lord Jesus Christ covenanted with the Father and with the
Spirit to go and be the representative of those people. to be the substitute
for those people and for those people alone. And when he went
to the cross of Calvary, he was loaded with the sins of those
people. He bore those sins of those people alone in his own
body. For the transgressions of my people was he stricken.
And there on the cross, he paid the law's price. He paid the
price of justice, that justice might be satisfied, that his
people might be made the righteousness of God. in him, and thereby,
thereby, all through his sovereign grace, all through his particular
redemption, be taken to glory, to have a hope in glory, to have
a confident hope that as we look forward, we know how frail the
flesh is, and as the years go by, you think, when you're young,
you've got so much ahead of you, and then all of us, you know,
you must be tired of hearing it, but we all say, gosh, I thought
I was young only five minutes ago, and then you blink an eye
and 40 years has gone, just like that. just disappears, it just
seems to evaporate into nothing, and so will be your experience
too. But if you're in the Lord Jesus Christ, you have a confident
hope. Not the fear of death, all your
life subject to bondage, but a confident hope, a hope of glory. And the reason for it is this,
because of God's sovereign grace, and particular redemption. The
verse I often quote to you is 2 Thessalonians 2 and verse 13
about Paul writing to them and saying, beloved, we're bound
to give thanks to God always for you, beloved. Beloved of
the Lord, for God has from the beginning chosen you unto salvation
through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth.
Do you know if the gospel so-called that is preached in so many places
that claim to stand for the truth, was true. Do you know what that
verse would really say? We're bound to give thanks to
God for you because you decided to follow Jesus. Because you
decided. And you decided to sanctify yourselves
and make yourselves holy. But what do we follow? We follow
what the scriptures say. And the scriptures talk of a
gospel where God is sovereign in all things. And we say there's
things I don't understand about that. So be it, but I bow to
it, because he is God, and this is what he has said. And whatever
we don't understand, you trust him and believe him, and I guarantee
you, you will know that the God of all the earth has done right,
and he is just. And no man will say to him, why
does he therefore find fault? He will be shown to be just and
right in all of his dealings. and recall the fate of these
unbelievers. They had all the benefits, all
these Israelites who came out of Egypt with Moses, they had
all the benefits of what everybody else saw, all the revelation,
the pillar of cloud by day, the pillar of fire by night, the
parting of the Red Sea, the destruction of their enemies in the Red Sea,
they had all of those things, and yet they disbelieved God.
They wouldn't believe him. And they perished. They couldn't
enter in. They couldn't enter into that
rest which the Canaan, the promised land, symbolized the rest of
heaven. But they couldn't enter in. Why
couldn't they enter in? Because of unbelief. And the
message to us is this. Beware of unbelief. Beware of
presumption. Beware of unbelief. Because you
will fall. Look, it says there in verse
11, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. So recall the fate of unbelievers,
recall the fate and beware. So why do we have to beware?
Tell me why it is worth continuing in the faith of the gospel of
our Lord Jesus Christ. Here are three reasons in these
verses that are before us. First of all, you can't hide
from the piercing gaze of God's word, the word, the word of God. You can't hide from it. Secondly,
You say, but I'm very, very weak in the flesh. Ah, but, yes you
are. But, though you're weak in the
flesh and prone to wander, we have a high priest, a great high
priest, a sympathetic high priest, an empathetic high priest. And
thirdly, this isn't just academic, there's a throne of grace. that
is open and accessible to all of the children of God. These
are the reasons, these three things. This is what I want to
look at. The word of God. This is encouragement to continue
and not to fall in that way, that same example of unbelief. Here's the first one. The word
of God. The word of God. You can't hide
from the piercing gaze of God's word. Read verses 12 and 13 with
me. For the word of God He's quick. You know, you've often heard
this verse quoted, I'm sure, completely out of context, just
as if it was just put in there as a little kind of aside to
do with the Scriptures. No, it's all part of the context,
it's all part of the flow and of the argument. The Apostle
Paul was incredibly logical when he presented, when he wrote Scripture. 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
open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." It's a piercing
gaze of the Word of God. The Word which has given the
warnings is true. The word which has given the
warnings of unbelief is true. The word which has told us about
what happened to those who fell because of unbelief is true.
Why would you doubt it? There's nothing, there's nothing
that answers the fundamental questions of life like this book
does. Nothing. Now then, I'm not appealing
apologetically to your fleshly reason. But even if I was, you'd
find a powerful argument here. that this book is unique. Nothing
answers the fundamental questions like this book does. It's true
to history. Absolute, why would you doubt
it? It's true to history. Now, I know, I can't appeal to
flesh and expect flesh to say, oh yes, on that basis then I'll
decide to follow Jesus, because no, flesh alone won't ever do
that. Not truly, won't ever believe
the true Christ of Scripture. But I'm appealing to you if you're
in the Lord Jesus Christ, if you're trusting in Him, I'm appealing
to you in Him to think about these things. This book is true
to history, absolutely. Think of its prophecies. Think
of how every one of them was fulfilled. All of those prophecies,
many of which we've been looking at in the book of Isaiah, those
of the book of Daniel, the many other prophecies, how true they
all are. How they have come about. the
historians and worldly theologians have to make the most ridiculous
leaps of unscientific non-analytical so-called academia to conclude
what they do that Isaiah couldn't have written when he did because
how could he have known about Cyrus who came two hundred plus
years later By faith we believe and know the historical record
is true. It was prophecy. God said it because God ordained
it and God brought it to pass. It's true, absolutely true. This
book, this book which is absolutely true, it describes the human
condition. What describes the human condition
like this does? Oh, the works of Shakespeare.
Well, yeah, they're a good attempt, but they're still flawed. Nothing
explains the human condition like this book does. What about
the world that we live in, and the things that we see, and the
things that we sense, and the things that we know? Nothing
describes it quite like this book does. Even science. Surely it completely contradicts
science. science falsely so-called maybe
today those who profess themselves to be wise became fools because
they they walked out on the truth of the things of the living God
but if you come to this with the eyes of faith you see how
all things, do you know that the great physicists of the past
people like Sir Isaac Newton and Robert Boyle and several
others Michael Faraday you know I mean in our modern technological
age we probably owe more to the discoveries of Michael Faraday
than to any other single man now we might want to have a debate
about that afterwards amongst ourselves but right up there
do you know do you know what his motivation was? Faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ and this glorious creation that was all
around us and he was just Isaac Newton said in the grand scheme
of things he felt like a little boy wandering on the seashore
picking up interesting pebbles and looking at them and yet as
a mind given the light to analyze all it did, it didn't make him
think like some fools I use that word advisedly, some fools in
these days in our establishments of academia think all it does
is prove this is a load of myth it made Isaac Newton think how
great is our God How fearfully and wonderfully made we are!
This is what it does. This book is absolutely remarkable. It's uniquely timeless. Like
all other literature has a kind of a shelf life. It starts to
decay, and some of it is valuable years and years later, but you
can see the mark of it. This is timeless literature,
divinely preserved in a way that other books are not preserved. And it's the final revelation,
this word of God, which is quick, and powerful and sharper than
any two-edged sword. It's the final revelation. You
know, in these days we hear people talking as they've always done
about extra revelations and about God showing them things in this,
that and the other, this is the revelation of God. We're going
to sing that hymn that I love at the end of this. How firm
a foundation ye saints of the Lord is laid for your faith in
his excellent word. Now listen, what more can he
say than to you he has said? These charismatics who talk about
new revelation, that's blasphemy, that's wrong, that's absolutely
wrong. This is the word, what he said
here. Don't add to it, don't take away
from it. This is the word of God. Warnings
in scripture, not to add to it or take away. Oh yes, we look
for more light, but we don't look for more revelation. You
know, writings might be true to God's word, but they're not
inspired as this was inspired, God breathed. I've heard people
in the past say, oh that hymn, oh it was truly inspired. No
it wasn't. No, it wasn't. Even the best
ones in our Gadsby's Hymns. No, not inspired in the sense
of being the Word of God spoken and written down. No, this is
unique. This is the Word of God. The final revelation. It's powerful. It's quick. Sharper than any
two-edged sword. It's not just literature, either.
It isn't just a book. It's not just words on the printed
page. But it's a person. Look what
it says. The Word of God is quick. Quick doesn't mean fast, it means
alive. You know that old-fashioned word,
the quick and the dead, the alive and the dead, the living and
the dead. It's living because it's Christ who is this word. He is the word of God. John chapter
1 and verse 1, in the beginning was the word. And the word was
with God, and the word was God. He is the one who speaks. Christ
is the mind of God revealed. Christ, the second person of
the Trinity, is the word of God to us, his people. All of it
speaks of him. John 8, 39. You search the scriptures,
for in them you think you have eternal life, and you're right
in that. But these are they which speak of him. Beginning at Moses
and the prophets on the Emmaus road, he expounded to them in
all the scriptures the things concerning himself because this
book is not only about him it is his word he is the word that
was in the beginning with God he is Christ the living word
don't fall into the same example of unbelief because not only
is there a written word but this is just the written word on the
page of that which is the mind of God revealed you know he the
second person is to the father like speech is to thought. You're
hearing my words because thoughts are forming in my mind and the
mouth and the speech organs are making it into audible, comprehensible,
I hope they are, words that come to you. So, God the father and
God the son. The son is the mind of God revealed. He is the word of God revealed. It's him that in 1 John chapter
5 and verse 7, that verse that the more modern versions try
to cut out for some bizarre reason. But 1 John chapter 5, they try
to be so academic and so superior about it, why they think it shouldn't
be here in the scriptures. There are three that bear record
in heaven. This is the Trinity, the three
persons of the one Godhead. Who are the three in heaven that
bear record? The Father, the Word, the word
and the Holy Ghost and these three are one this is the Trinity
surely this is so clear couldn't be clearer no wonder mere men
when they apply man's wisdom to the translation of the scriptures
try to remove things like that from it this is the revelation
of God no look over the page in Hebrews chapter 4 verse 13 What's verse 13 about? Still
talking about the Word of God, isn't it? Still talking about
the book, isn't it? The Word of God is quick. All those things. Neither is
there any creature that is not manifest in its... No, it doesn't
say its, does it? It says his sight. His sight. The word written on the printed
page and the word of the second person of the Trinity are synonymous. they're one and the same. Neither
is any creature that is not manifest in his sight, not in its sight. When it's preached, when this
word is preached, because it's Christ, the word, when it's preached,
it's the power of God, and to salvation, to everyone that believes. Romans 1.16. The preached word
is God's means of applying salvation, this word when it's preached
is God's means of applying salvation, it's the means by which you hear
the news which saves, it's only knowing that news, it's only
believing that news, it's only in knowing him as we saw in Isaiah
53 And the last verse, it's in knowing him that he justifies
many, that you experience the justification that is in him.
It's God's means of applying salvation. Peter says this, 1
Peter 1.23, being born again, not of corruptible seed, but
of incorruptible. How? By the word of God, which
lives and abides forever. all i came to a a knowledge of
the truth and not by reading the bible or anything like that
but by walking in the woods and meditating on the trees and things
like that no you didn't No you didn't. By the word of God. Born
again by the word of God. Incorruptible by the word of
God which lives and abides forever. That's how the truth comes. That's
why preaching of the truth is so important. That's why it's
God's means. That's why it pleased God. By
the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. This
is God's means of bringing salvation. to fallen man, to showing you
the truth of it. And it's cutting. It's cutting. Do you notice? It's all blade.
It's a two-edged sword. All of it is sharp, all the way
around it. It's all blade. It affects you
one way or another. It never ever leaves you unaffected.
Look at 2 Corinthians chapter 2. 2 Corinthians chapter 2, which
talks about the effect that this gospel that we preach has. because
it's never neutral. Look at verse 14. Now thanks
be unto God which always causeth us to triumph in Christ and maketh
manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. There's
a scent, an aroma of this gospel of Christ. Verse 15, for we are
unto God a sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved and in
them that perish. to the one those that are saved
we are the saver sorry to those that perish to the one we are
the saver of death unto death and to the other those who are
saved the saver of life unto life and who is sufficient for
these things see it doesn't leave you neutral you say oh well people
can hear that and they can say well I choose not to be affected
by that I'll go you know I'll just leave it alone I'll remain
agnostic I don't really know I'm I'm not bothered about these
things no No, the true gospel, the gospel that we seek to preach,
the gospel of sovereign grace and particular redemption alone
doesn't leave anybody neutral. You either believe it because
it's a savor of life unto life, it's the sweetest savior you've
ever heard, that there is an effectual salvation in the Lord
Jesus Christ, or you say, I'm not having that. That's just
unreasonable, that's a step too far. And like those disciples
in John 6, you say, this is a hard scene. Who can bear it and walk
out and leave? And as Jesus said to the other
disciples, are you also going to leave? Because this is the
truth, sovereign grace, particular redemption. To whom shall we
go, Lord? You have the words of eternal
life. it doesn't leave anybody impartial
when it's preached truly it doesn't leave anybody impartial you either
love it and embrace it because it smells so sweet or you hate
it and run from it because it smells so vile to you one or
the other it never leaves you agnostic or neutral you can tell
you can tell where the preaching has hit the mark because it will
produce one effect or the other you'll either love it and cling
to it and must have it and can't live without it, or you'll hate
the smell of it and you must run away from it. You must run
away from it. Scripture alone. Scripture alone.
Isaiah 820. To the law and to the testimony.
If they speak not according to this word, there is no light
in them. It's a cutting, piercing, dividing
thing. Look, piercing even to the dividing
asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and of marrow.
It gets right down into the core. It exposes sin. I think I already
said in the Isaiah study, quoting the words of Jeremiah, the heart
of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? Oh, I believe
in good in all men. Well, yes, you see traits of
kind acts in all people, but the verdict of the scriptures
in the light of the holiness of God is that the heart of man
is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. This
word is like a ruthless barrister. You know, in a court of law,
in that situation, the ruthless barrister puts his finger right
on the point, exposes the lie, exposes the inconsistency. It's
a ruthless barrister. It's cutting, piercing, dividing. It strips bare so that everything
can be seen. It shines righteous light onto
that which is hidden in a dark corner. And it does it, as it
says in Romans chapter three, that all the world may become
guilty before God, that every mouth may be stopped. Ah, but,
no, every mouth stopped guilty before God. Nothing to plead,
no excuses, nothing to come back with at all, no. This is cutting,
piercing, dividing asunder, shining righteous light in. It cuts,
it pierces, it judges, It condemns, but bless God also, it cleanses,
for it shows the cleansing blood of Christ. It soothes because
it pours on that barn, that soothing ointment. It comforts because
it binds up the wounds. It restores. It speaks peace. It speaks rest. It speaks Sabbath
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Have you believed Christ? Do
you know that you're among that innumerable multitude for whom
he died? Did he bear your sins away on
the cross of Calvary according to the scriptures? Then why would
you ever contemplate neglecting so great salvation? That's what
we read in chapter two, verse three. How shall we escape if
we neglect so great salvation? This word is powerful and quick. Oh, it's true. You know, even
on a human rational level, you are walking out on an almighty
weight of evidence against you if you disbelieve the gospel
of God's grace as it's presented here. There is nothing else in
the whole literature of mankind which is so consistently true
and right. And so you say, well, yes, okay,
but I'm so weak in the flesh. I'm so weak. How am I going to
stay? How am I going to be kept from unbelief? How am I going
to stay? Well, let's read verses 14 and
15. You see, all things are naked
and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do, but
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, 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. We have a tender high priest. We have a high priest. It turns
back to verse 1 of chapter 3, Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers
of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of
our profession, Christ Jesus. We have a high priest. We have
a great high priest. who is passed into the heavens.
Jesus, the Son of God. So let us hold fast. Don't walk out on it. Don't abandon
your profession. We've got a high priest. So let
us hold fast our profession. And what sort of a high priest
is he? One who understands us inside out. He's a mediator. He is the only mediator. There's
only one. There's only one man. Only one
man, only one mediator between God and men, the man, Christ
Jesus. Only one who is able to intercede
for his people. There were Old Testament priests
under the Mosaic law, the Aaronic priesthood, the Levites, they
were the priests, they were the ones ordained, but they were
only ever types and shadows and pictures. They were never reality. But Jesus, the man, God become
man, the Saviour, the God-man, He is the great High Priest. He is the one true High Priest. They were only ever pictures
and types who had to keep being replaced because of their mortality,
their death. One would rise up and come to
the fore and then, due to the frailty of the flesh, would die
in due course and be replaced by another. But this one is our
great High Priest forever, our eternal High Priest. Don't depend
on weak flesh. rather hold fast in His strength,
because He is in the heavens. Jesus who walked the earth in
human flesh has now entered the heavens. He's passed into the
heavens. Jesus, the Son of God. Turn to chapter 9 and verse 12. Or 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 by his own blood once he entered in to the
holy place he's gone in there for his people This is our motive,
to hold on to Him, to hold fast our profession. He's entered
heaven, and His people have entered in Him. His people were in Him
from before the beginning of time. His people were placed
in Him in the covenant of grace between the Father and the Son
and the Holy Spirit before the beginning of time. He went to
the cross and His people were in Him, there at the cross. He
walked this earth, His people were in Him as He walked this
earth. He ascended to glory and His people ascended in Him and
are now seated with Him in glory. This is the message of the Scriptures. He's entered heaven and His people
have entered in Him. Think about what you have in
Him. Think about where you are in
Him. Let us hold fast our profession. Not in our own strength, but
looking to him, looking to him to keep us. And you might say
then, well, if he's in that lofty place of that glorious throne
in heaven, in that holiness, he doesn't understand me. He
doesn't understand from his lofty throne what it's like for me
now. But look what he says in verse 15. We have not an high
priest which cannot be touched, touched, affected. affected,
emotionally affected with the feeling of our infirmities, but
was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. He not only is sympathetic, do
you know the difference between sympathy and empathy? Sympathy
is when you feel sorry for somebody, but you've never experienced
what they're going through. Empathy is when you actually
enter into that feeling with them. He entered into that feeling
with us. He came in the likeness of sinful
flesh. He was tempted by the devil in
all points. We don't know what he went through
in those 40 days of temptation. Read the Gospels, the early chapters.
Read of him going to that temptation by the devil. We don't know what
he went through, but it tells us here he was tempted. in all
points, like as we are. That flesh, he came in the likeness
of sinful flesh, but without sin. Tempted in all points, like
as we are, yet without sin. Without sin. Oh, he understands
us. He was in this human state. He
took on him the same flesh as the children. When he walked
the dusty hot roads of Palestine, he felt the tiredness and the
weariness and the hunger and all of those discomforts, the
same infirmities, tempted, yet sinless, sinless. No, there are
no human priests today, none whatsoever. Oh, but what about
the church? It's got lots of priests. They're all imposters.
That's a bit of a strong thing, that's a bit unecumenical, that's
a bit ungenerous spirited, isn't it, towards those who are only
trying to do a good job? I'm just trying to say what the
word of God says. There are no human priests today except this. All of God's people in him are
a royal priesthood, a holy nation. All of his people in him There
isn't anybody that stands between you or me as believers and God
in heaven. We have one high priest, one
mediator, our Lord Jesus Christ. Those who take on them the name
of priest, I don't know how they dare do it. How on earth dare
they do it? How on earth dare Catholic priests
have men and women call them father? When Jesus specifically,
specifically forbade in religious terms don't call any man your
father on earth and yet they do it all the time. Even in high
Anglicanism, they've adopted this popish superstition. And that's all it is. The word
of God is clear. There are no priests today, for
we have a high priest. We have a great high priest.
What more need have we of another? All his people are bidden to
come. All his people to rest in him. All of his people to
find acceptance in him. No, we don't need any man to
intercede. They shall all know me, says
in the new covenant. This is the covenant I will make
in those days. They shall all know me from the greatest to
the least and all will have access into the holiest by the way he
has made through his flesh, through his shed blood. So why would
you despair of your weak flesh? We have a great high priest.
says in Peter 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 18 for Christ also hath
once suffered for sins the just for the unjust that he might
bring us to God we don't need another priest being put to death
in the flesh but quickened by the Spirit we've got this quick
powerful word we've got this great high priest and we've got
this gracious invitation in verse 16 verse 16 Because of these things, because
of the truth of what you believe, because of the high priest that
we have interceding and making provision for his people in heaven,
let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that
we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. This is a gracious invitation.
It's not only the facts of the word of God and the high priestly
intercession we have, but this is a living reality. a living,
you know, just like you interact with the atmosphere around you
by breathing it every minute, and that way you get the oxygen
that quickens your blood, that enlivens your blood, that makes
your muscles work and do, and you're a living being in the
same way. There is this access Just as
you have access to the air around you, we have access here on the
strength of the Word of God. This is the revelation of God.
It's not what somebody's told you about it, here it is. Let
us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy and find grace to help in time of need. And note it's
a throne of grace that we come to in prayer. Come to a throne
of grace. We sometimes see in scriptures
God's seated on a throne of legislation when he gives out his law. You
know, the strict giving of the law, the throne of legislation. And he sits on the throne of
government when he orders all things in the world. and causes
kings to rise and empires to be brought down and disasters
to come and all things to happen, a throne of government. And a
throne of judgment. We read of that great judgment
seat of Christ, a throne of judgment. When people will cry for the
mountains to fall upon them, but for his children, for those
who are the objects of his grace, he is on a throne of grace. Let's
come boldly to the throne of grace. Grace speaks of benign
benevolence. It speaks of goodness. He's got
nothing but good for his people. We have times of need that we
may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. When
is a time of need? All the time is a time of need.
We have times of sin. We need to come to that throne
of grace and confess our sins. For if we confess our sins, He
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. We need an advocate
and we come confessing and we find we have an advocate with
the Father. But we have needs because of
unbelief, because this flesh is weak. Oh, pray like that man
prayed. Remember that man who prayed,
he said, do you believe in the Son of God? He said, Lord, I
believe. Help thou mine unbelief. In time of need, Lord, help thou
mine unbelief. We have weak flesh. We have weak
flesh that gets so downcast. We have trials of family and
circumstances and finances and providence and all sorts of things,
trials. Lord, help me in this situation. You know, some, as Jesus walked,
their prayer was this, Lord, help me. Lord, help me. Conflicts,
conflicts in the mind, temptations, anxieties, needs, as that hymn
says, What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.
Come boldly to the throne of grace. We're encouraged to come
to the sovereign over all things. It's a throne of grace. Why should
you come? Because he rules all things.
Is he going to say yes to everything I ask him? Oh, teach me to pray
in accordance with his will. Teach me to pray in accordance
with his gospel revelation. Teach me to pray in those ways.
But no, he will answer this way. He causes all things to work
together for good to those that love God who are called according
to His purpose. That's how He'll answer. He'll
answer for your eternal good if you're in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Don't come hesitatingly, don't come cautiously, don't come infrequently,
don't come fearfully, but as beloved children is the invitation. Can you imagine the the great lord of the manor who
is feared by all sorts of people. You imagine in a work situation,
to bring it into the context of today, where there is a very
powerful, strong boss of the company and his word goes and
all the employees are in fear of crossing him. And yet the
little child in his house at home comes running up to his
knee, Daddy, can I have such and such a thing? This is the
picture. Come boldly, confidently to the throne of grace. He's
sovereign over all things. Leave everything in his hands.
You know he's gonna cause it to work out for your good. Come
as beloved children to an all-powerful, to a tender heavenly father and
come boldly. So seeing all of this then, Will
you walk out on the truth as those Israelites did and fall
through unbelief? Or are you hungry for more? Because
there's lots more to come. We've got to learn all about
Melchizedek and all of those things to do with him and about
the priesthood and about how all of it is fulfilled and gloriously
fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ that you might have confidence
to rest, to know that Sabbath rest that is in him and him alone.