Good evening, everyone. It is
our honor to be here. It is such an honor to be here. I want to thank you. This is so inadequate, but I
want to thank you for your generosity to Kingsport Sovereign Grace
Church, your help with our building. It has been and it is overwhelming. It is honestly overwhelming.
Your kindness to us is just I can't put into words how thankful we
are, but I want to say on behalf of all of the brethren there,
thank you truly for your help and your support. Everybody said
to tell you hello. That's not just a figure of speech.
Everybody said please tell our brethren. We love them, thank
the Lord for them, tell them hello, and so hello from everybody. Turn with me, if you would, to
Hebrews chapter 4. Hebrews chapter 4, and let's
read the last three verses together again, beginning in 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. For we have not a 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." I can't imagine a more appropriate
song to be sung before this passage of Scripture than the one that
we just heard. He said, let us therefore come boldly. Let us therefore come boldly
to the throne. Boldly to the throne. That's
an amazing statement. That's an amazing statement.
If the Lord, and I'm begging the Lord to meet with us and
bless us. I was, I am. I want His Spirit. I want to be blessed. I pray
the Lord might feed me and feed us. I pray we might worship Him. And if He will allow us to really
enter into His Word, we'll be blessed. But how amazing it is
to hear the words, let us come boldly to the throne. Let us
come boldly to the throne." That is such an amazing statement.
God has said in His Word to His people, to His particular people,
God has a people. He has chosen a people and He
has said to those people, you can come boldly to my throne. Now what makes that such an amazing
statement is, naturally, the throne of God, standing before
the throne of God, that is the last place that sinful flesh
would want to stand. That's the very, very last place. That's what man naturally tries
to put off as long as he can. That's why man wants to live
on this earth as long as he can. Sinful flesh does not want to
stand before the throne of God. It doesn't. It does not. Don't turn to these, but Psalm
9 verse 7 says that the throne of God is a throne of judgment. You hear people just so flippantly
say, well, when I go to heaven and I go stand before God, I'm
going to, oh, it's going to be an eye-opening
experience when we go stand before the throne of judgment. If you look right here in Hebrews
4 at verse 12, the verse is right before what we just read, it
says, 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." When was the last time you went
into the thoughts and intents of your heart? When's the last
time you acknowledged what goes on in your mind and in your heart?
That's what the throne of God is. A discerner. of the thoughts and the intents
of the heart. Verse 13 says, 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. No one is exempt. Everyone must
stand before this throne. It's a throne of strict justice. Therefore it is a throne that
will by no means clear the guilty." Somebody says, well, I haven't
done anything. Well, what have you thought? Because it's a discerner
of the thoughts and the intents of the heart. Again, don't turn, but Psalm
47 verse 8 says, it is a throne of holiness. That verse says,
God reigneth over the heathen. And to that all of his people
say, thank God. But it says, God reigneth over
the heathen. God sitteth upon the throne of
his holiness. It's the throne of holiness.
Isaiah saw it. How amazing would that be? To
be here on this earth. He saw it. He saw God's throne. He saw God's holiness. Look with me if you would at
Isaiah chapter 6. Isaiah 6 verse 1 it says, In the year that King Uzziah
died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted
up, and His train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims,
Each one had six wings, with twain he covered his face, and
with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And
one cried unto another and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord
of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory." It's a throne
of glory. Our Lord said in Matthew 25,
you're going to see me sitting on it. You're going to see me
sitting on my throne of glory, in my glory. He told Pilate that. I've thought so many times about
Pilate. I've thought so many times about Pilate. The Lord
had to stand before the throne of Pilate, and He had to endure
Pilate's judgment. Can you imagine? Can you imagine,
right after that, Pilate had to stand before the judgment
throne of Christ. Can you imagine the shock when
he was taken and he saw? Can you imagine the horror? Knowing
I now have to stand before the judgment throne of the king himself. Pilate said, are you a king?
Do you have a throne? Can you imagine? Verse 3 says,
One cried unto another and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord
of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory. and the post
of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house
was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me, for I
am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell
in the midst of a people of unclean lips, for mine eyes have seen
the King, the Lord of hosts, the King who sits on the throne."
I've seen the one who sits on the throne. That's what happens
when sinners see the glory and the holiness and the judgment
of the throne of Christ. That's what happens. They see
the throne of God. They see the King in all of His
glory. And they cry, woe is me, just
like Isaiah did. They cry, I'm a man of unclean
lips. Not I used to be a man of unclean lips, I am a man of
unclean lips. I'm a sinner before God. Solomon
being a picture of Christ, when the Queen of Sheba saw him in
all of the judgment and all of the glory that the Lord had given
to him in the type that he was. And when she watched him ascend
up into the temple, it says there was no more spirit in her. There
was just nothing left in her. And that's what happened to Isaiah
right here. That's what happens to every
soul who sees the glory and the holiness and the judgment of
the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a fearful thing. It's a
fearful thing. It's a fearful thing to fall
into the hand of the living God. It's a fearful thing to stand
before the judgment throne of Jesus Christ, the Almighty God. But our God has said to us, God
chose to have mercy on some sinners. God is a merciful God. And He
has chosen some people, a remnant He calls them. And He has said
to that remnant, He has said to us if we are His people, He
has said that we can come boldly to that very throne. That very
same throne. He said you can come boldly right
on up to that very throne. And it's all because of this
right here. If you go with me back to our text, Hebrews 4. How amazing this is. Hebrews
4 verse 16 says, let us therefore come boldly. Therefore. That means because of that, therefore,
because of that, let us come boldly. What is it? What's the
reason? Why can we? 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. Why can we boldly approach the
throne of God and not be judged, not be damned, not be slain on
sight? Why can we approach His throne
boldly? It's because we have a great
high priest. That's the reason why. We have
a great high priest. Back in the Old Testament, God's
people knew something of His judgment. They really did. His chosen people, Israel, who
represented His elect. They knew something of His judgment.
And when they would sin against Him, Their comfort was in knowing
that they had a high priest. That was their comfort, knowing
that they had someone who would go appease God for them. When
they went to that priest, that's what they were doing. They were
going to someone, you go appease God for me. Go to God for me. Man today so foolishly wants
to go to God on his own. A wise man will say, you go to
God for me. intercede for me." And that high
priest would go into the Holy of Holies with blood, with blood. Without the shedding of blood,
there's no remission for sin. He would go in with blood and
he would make intercession for those people. In picture and
in type, that blood was an atonement that appeased God and covered
the sin of the people. And that's what we need to understand.
I can't make it right. I did it. It's done. I have sinned against God. All
of us have. And we're not going to undo it.
It doesn't fall off the record after seven years. Once it's
on there, it's on there. And the only hope that we have
is that our record of sin will be covered in blood. That's the
only hope we have. We're not going to work our way
out of this. There's only one hope before God. All of our sin has to be covered
in blood. And that's what that pictured
when that high priest would go in and bring this blood. It was
an appeasement to God. It was a covering for the sin
of the people. And their comfort was in knowing
somebody has gone to God on my behalf before I have to go to
God. God has dealt with someone else
concerning us before He deals directly with us. That high priest was their forerunner. That's what the Scripture calls
the high priest. The one who went in first on
their behalf. The forerunner. Our God has said
to us in His Word, you can come on in boldly because you have
a forerunner. That's the reason why. That is
the only reason why. It's because you have a forerunner. Look with me at Hebrews chapter
3. Verse 1 says, Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers
of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of
our profession Christ Jesus." He is the forerunner. He is our
forerunner, the Lord Jesus Christ. Look with me if you would at
chapter 6, Hebrews chapter 6 verse 19. which hope we have as an anchor
of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that
within the veil, whither the forerunner is for us entered."
He has already entered. Even Jesus, made an high priest
forever after the order of Melchizedek, the forerunner, the Lord Jesus
Christ. We don't think too much about
high priests in the world today like they did back then, they
wouldn't be without a high priest. You know, we still must have
a high priest. Things haven't changed. We need a high priest. Thank
God in Christ we have a high priest. We have a great high
priest, our forerunner. Look with me at Hebrews chapter
9 verse 11, it says, but Christ being come and 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. God the Father has said
to His people, you are welcome to come right on up to me. You
are welcome to come right on up boldly to my throne because
you have a forerunner. Someone has already been here
on your behalf. Someone has already stood right
here on your behalf as your representative and someone has already made
an atonement for your soul, an atonement for your sin. Look
back with me at chapter 4. Verse 14 says, 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. That word profession
means confession. What we confess. Let us hold
fast to what we confess. Our confession. What is it? What is our confession? Yeah,
it can be said in one word. If we were going to say it in
more than one word, it would be this, verse 15. 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. That's our confession. The one
word is Christ. Christ. That is our confession. That's our hope. It's in the
fact that our High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, was touched
with the feeling of our infirmities. In every way, shape, and form,
He was tempted with everything that we're tempted with. And
He prevailed against it. He prevailed against all of it.
Now, that's a glorious confession. That is a glorious confession.
If we were going to stand up and give our confession, people
stand up and give their confession of faith. It is not in what we
have done. It's in what He has done. Totally. It's in the fact that every sin
that we could ever be tempted by came to Him. Every one of
them. They came to Him. And He did
not fall into the sin of them. Not one of them. He was not taken
by it at all. He was tempted in all points
like as we are. You know why that's such good
news? We fall into every one of them. Still. Well I've straightened up my
ways and I don't do what I used to do. Oh yes we do. Or yes we
do. I love how the apostle Paul,
I know you've heard this before, but I love how Paul said, he
wrote three times. The first time he said, I am
the least of the apostles. Boy, that's really humble of
you, Paul. And then he went a little further and he said, I am the
least of all saints, the apostles and all the other believers.
And then he went a little further and he said, I am the chief sinner
on this planet. That's growing in grace. That's shrinking in works. That's
growing in Christ and shrinking in the flesh. Our Lord was tempted by every
single thing we have ever or will ever be tempted with and
He didn't succumb to one sin. Not one sin. Now why is that
such a glorious confession? Look with me at chapter 7. Hebrews
7. This is just one of the most
amazing verses to me. Hebrews 7 verse 26 it says, and
may the Lord really open our eyes to this. It says, For such
an high priest became us. This is called substitution. Such an high priest became us. If you look at verse 19 right
here, it says, The law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in
of a better hope did, by the which we draw nigh unto God. The law made nothing perfect
because we can't keep the law. The law cannot look at me and
say, perfect. The law cannot do that. What
the law could not do, because this flesh is so weak. Verse
22 says, By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament,
and they truly were many priests because they were not suffered
to continue by reason of death. All those priests in the Old
Testament, they'd do their office for a while and then they would
die, and another high priest would come along, and he'd do
the office for a while and he'd die, and then another one would
come along, and another one would come along. Verse 24 says, But
this man, Because he continueth ever, he has an unchangeable
priesthood. Doesn't it bless your heart to
know that nobody will ever take his place? Nobody will ever take
his place. You know, somebody gets in office,
any kind of office down here, they're here for a little while
until they're voted out, time's up, or they die. Nobody will
ever take his place. Because He continues forever,
He has an unchangeable priesthood. Verse 25 says, 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.
For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens. Why
is it so glorious that He was touched with the feeling of all
of our infirmities and He never fell into one temptation, the
sin of one temptation? Why is that so glorious? It's
because the perfect One, He became us. And He went to God as us. And because of His perfection,
God has already accepted us. God looks at us and sees Him
in us. God looked at Him on the cross
and saw us in Him. And we didn't make it. But because of this trading of
places, God now looks at us and sees Him in us. And what does
the Father see in us? Verse 26 says, such a high priest
became us who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners. That's what He is. In Him we are already accepted. There was a man from a long time
ago, John Jasper, a preacher, Many, many years ago, and somebody
asked him one time, they said, John Jasper, if you die and find
yourself standing at the gates of glory, and the question is
asked to you, what right do you have to enter into this place?
What are you going to say? He said, I'm going to say, I
have no right of my own. I'm not here on my right. I'm
here on the right of another. You just look to Him. I just
point to Him. I just plead Him. We are accepted
only in Him. And we are already accepted in
Him. Go with me back to Hebrews 4.
We are right now accepted in Jesus Christ the Beloved. There
are no background checks that need to be done. There's no probation
period that needs to take place. In Christ, we right now have
full access to the throne and the glory of God. So verse 16
says, let us therefore come boldly, knowing that in Christ and because
of the Lord Jesus Christ, our forerunner. Knowing that because
of Him, we will not be denied. This is what boldness is. It's
not arrogance. It's not arrogance at all. Not
at all. Boldness means unreservedness. You know that hesitation? Have
you ever started in to do something and then a little hesitation
hits you? Boldness means unreservedness. No reservedness. Without hesitation. It means free confidence. It means cheerful courage. And I love this one, it means
happy assurance. Happy assurance. We have, there's
a little girl in the church there in Kingsport, cute as she can
be. She is just so cute. She's a
tiny little thing, but she's got a thick, thick brown head
of hair. And this girl, everything she
does, she does with a purpose. She's on a mission. When she
walks, she bounces. I mean, she is just committed
to whatever she does. And after the service one time,
not too long ago, I was standing in our little foyer talking to
a brother there. And she, after the service, a
lot of times the kids want to go outside and play in the grass.
Well, she was on a mission to go play in the grass. I watched
her come around the corner and her face was set like a flint. She was headed out that door
to go, you know, just hair bouncing. She was headed out to go play
in the grass. And as she was walking, she turned and looked
at me and when she caught eyes with me, she stopped. and threw
her arms out and walked up to me and hugged my legs and buried
her head in my knees. And then she stopped and turned
and went on about her mission. And I told that brother who was
standing there, I said, now that's approaching with boldness, happy
assurance, cheerful courage. There is no way this man is going
to deny me. No possible Hold your place right here in
Hebrews and go with me to Ephesians chapter 3. Ephesians 3, the end of verse 11 says, Christ
Jesus our Lord. Verse 12 says, We have boldness and access with
confidence by the faith of Him. Our boldness is in Him. Our boldness is by the faith
of Him. If this was still left up to
me, I could not come boldly to the throne. Our boldness is in Him. Our boldness
is by the faith of Him. You know our faith in Christ,
our faith in God, our trust and our hope and our assurance, that's
not our faith. Faith is not of ourselves, that's
the gift of God to us. That's His faith that He gives
to us and He performs in us and He causes us to see Him to be
the object of it. Our confidence is by the faith
of Him. Look with me back in Hebrews,
this time go to chapter 10. Hebrews 10 verse 15, it says, whereof the Holy Ghost also is
a witness to us. For after that he had said before,
this is the covenant that I will make with them after those days,
saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in
their minds will I write them, and their sins and iniquities
will I remember no more. And why is that? Verse 18 says,
Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering
for sin. 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 with a true heart In full
assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us come
in the payment of His blood and the washing of His purity. We come in that way, we can come
with boldness. How are we coming? We're coming
in the payment of His blood, the washing of His own purity.
That's how we're coming. I know I'm having you turn a
lot, but I want you to see it. I'm almost done. Go to Hebrews
13. Hebrews 13 verse 6, it says, So that we may boldly say, the
Lord is my helper. And I will not fear what man
shall do unto me. If God be for us, who can be
against us? That's our boldness. That is
our boldness. Our text says, back in Hebrews
4 verse 14, it says, 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." When is our time of need? Always. That's right. Always. Every day, every hour. Always, always, always. It is always a time of need for
us. And because of His grace, thank
God for His grace, thank God for His Just entering into the
character of who this man is. Like that woman at the well said,
come see this man. See who this man is. See the
kindness. See the generosity in his heart. The givingness. See what he would
do for a bunch of unworthy sinners like us. Because of his grace. Because he's so giving and forgiving. His grace and His mercy because
of who it is that is seated on the throne. We have free, cheerful courage
to come running to Him anytime we need Him. Anytime we need
Him. In Revelation 1, when the Apostle
John saw the Lord Jesus Christ, it says, John fell at His feet
as a dead man. And it says, the Lord laid His
right hand on him, the right hand of God. The Lord laid His
right hand on him and said, fear not, I'm the first and the last. Fear not, I'm the one who holds
the keys of hell and death. I'm the one who died for you. Because it's me. Because it's
me. Because I'm the one who sits
on the throne. Fear not. Fear not. Be of good cheer. Be of good
courage. Be of good confidence. I was going to have you turn,
but I'm not going to, just for the sake of time. I'll just close
by telling you this. It was in 1 Kings 10. Don't turn. Over in 1 Kings 10,
that's the story of when the Queen of Sheba went to see Solomon. And don't you love that story?
This woman very wisely heard of the wisdom and the fame of
this man and she came to him. And she brought all of her spices
and things with her and thought she was going to give to this
man and when she saw what God had done for this man,
in all of his greatness, being a type of Christ, when she saw
his table that he had spread, and his servants that served
him, his cup bearers, their apparel, everything that she had, that's
when it says there was no more spirit in this woman, there was
nothing, and at that moment she said, in my hand, no price I
bring. And she gave all that stuff to him anyway. She said,
thank you, thank you. But she wouldn't bring anything
to be received by him at that point. And after she saw him
and heard his words and heard his wisdom, this is what she
said to him. This was her final conclusion.
She said, because God loved Israel, He made you king. That was God's
kindness to His people. Because He loved them and because
He cared for them, He gave them the greatest, wisest, kindest,
most loving King that could ever be given to a people. And that's
what all of God's people say about the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's the very confidence that we have before the throne of
Christ. That's our boldness. That's our cheerful assurance. Our cheerful courage. Because
God loved us, He put you on that throne. And we happily come running
to the Savior of our souls. The one who gave Himself, died
for us. To put away everything that we
had done wrong. Make us acceptable to God and
redeem us back by your blood unto you who loved us and washed
us from our sins in your own blood. Because it's you, we'll
come running. We will come running. Let us
therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain
mercy and find grace to help in time of need. All right, thank
you, dad. When the gospel is heard, as
we've said before, we first of all hear who God is. We hear
who the Lord Jesus Christ is. We hear who we are. And we hear
how God saves sinners by grace. We heard the gospel. And the
confidence that any sinner has is I believe Him. I believe on Him. He that believeth
on the Son hath life. Thank you. Brother Gary's going
to come and lead us in a closing hymn. And after he leads us in
this closing hymn, I'm going to ask Brother Roland Browning
if he'll dismiss us in prayer.