Let us turn again to God's Word
and turning to Hebrews chapter 4. This morning we were considering
verses 12 and 13. We'll read now from verse 14.
Hebrews chapter 4 from 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. 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 morning we were thinking
of that Word of God which is quick, powerful, sharper than
the two-edged sword, dividing asunder and a discerner, a judge
of the thoughts and the intents of the heart and we remarked
that It is clearly to be understood the word of God in terms not
of the inscripturated word, but more particularly the incarnate
word. Because the apostle goes on to
use the masculine pronoun there in verse 13, neither is there
any creature that is not manifest in his sight, in his sight. but all things are naked and
opened unto the eyes of Him, the eyes of Him with whom we
have to do." And then he goes on to speak quite clearly of
the Lord Jesus as that one who is the great high priest who
has passed into the heavens. Jesus, the Son of God, the Lord
Jesus in his priestly office and Christ is clearly both a
great high priest and also a most gracious high priest as the high
priest he made a great sacrifice for sins and he is not only the
sacrificing priest but he is also the lamb slain from the
foundation of the world he is that sacrifice how He offered
up Himself and died how He so willingly suffered in the room
instead of His people having loved His own which were in the
world He loved them on to the end how it all terminates in
that death upon the cross as He dies the just for the unjust
to bring sinners back to God. And as He is a great High Priest
so He is a most gracious High Priest. How He is able to sympathize
with all His suffering people. There at the end of chapter 7
we read, such an High Priest became us. And that expression
became us literally means He is suited to us. He is fitted
for us. That's how He becomes His people.
He is able to sympathize with them. He is touched with the
feeling of all their infirmities. As we read here at verse 15 in
chapter 4, in all points tempted like as we are, He is a sympathetic,
a kind, a compassionate, high priest. But I want tonight not
so much to consider Christ's priestly office, we've considered
that on numerous occasions in the past, but more particularly
to consider the outcome of that priestly work as we have it here
particularly in 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. Taking up then this particular
verse, Hebrews 4, 16, for our consideration with the Lord's
help for a while 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. And our theme then is the throne
of grace, the throne of grace. First of all, here we surely
are to make a comparison and to draw a contrast with the mercy
seat in the Old Testament. In the mercy seat we might say
we have the type and in the throne of grace we have the blessed
antitype. Now in that portion that we read
back in Exodus chapter 25 of verse 17 following we have all
that instruction and direction that was given by the Lord God
to Moses with regards to all the furnishings of the sanctuary.
And it begins there of course with instruction concerning the
Ark of the Covenant that chest in which they were to place the
testimony, the Ten Commandments, that law that had been written
by God's fingers, or God's finger upon the tables of stone, and
then the covering for that was the throne. It was a covering,
a lid as it were, on each end of that there were to be these
cherubim but it was a throne or a seat because God said that
that was the place where he would come and he would meet with the
children of Israel and he would commune with them that was the
promise that he gives at verse 22 in that passage there I will
meet with them And I will commune with thee from above the mercy
seat, from between the two cherubims, which are upon the ark of the
testimony of all things which I will give thee in commandment
unto the children of Israel. And so that covering of the ark
of the covenant is the mercy seat. And it's a place where
God dwells, God is there enthroned, as it were, in the midst of Israel. And so, Jeremiah declares, a
glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our
sanctuary. All that promise of God's presence,
there in the midst of the sanctuary, dwelling amongst the children
of Israel. And we sang, of course, just
now, in the language of the Metrical Psalm, those opening words of
Psalm 8, which is really a prayer to God as He dwells there. 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." Now,
the psalmist is addressing his prayer to God who is enthroned
there in the midst of Israel. And how at times the children
of Israel were brought into dire circumstances. Now there were
those occasions when, because of their rebellions, their disobedience,
because of their sins, God, as it were, would depart. God would
hide His face. And so they are brought to call
upon His name and to seek Him there upon His throne. Again
the language of the Prophet Jeremiah, Jeremiah 14, 21, he says, Do
not abhor us for thy name's sake. Do not disgrace the throne of
thy glory. Remember, break not thy covenant. Oh, God was threatening them
with terrible judgments. And why? Because of their sins. And there is Jeremiah, the faithful
servant of God, having to convey to the nation this message. as the Lord's true servant, he
must speak of that that God will do to them because of their sins,
he will remove them into exile. But thou he is brought to cry
out in that fashion, disgraced not the throne of thy glory.
Remember, O Lord, remember, do not break thy covenant. That
was what God had promised, that he would be there in the midst
of the people. And yet we know how the judgment
did come, and if you read in the opening chapters of the prophet
Ezekiel, you'll see how the glory of God, the Shekinah glory that
was there upon the Sanctuary, there upon the Temple in the
midst of Jerusalem, is removed by degrees. And God is departing
from His people. all that mercy seat and all the
significance of it. It was a place in Israel that
was so much associated with the promise of the presence of God. God was there. Now, God is everywhere. God is omnipresent. But that
was His special presence. That was His gracious presence.
He would commune with His people there from the mercy seat upon
the Ark of the Covenant. But as it was that special place
of the presence of God, so it was also, we know, the place
of propitiation. It was the place where the blood
of atonement had to be spread, that blood that speaks of the
punishment of sin and the procuring of peace with God. And how these
things are spoken of by the Apostle later, in chapter 9 he speaks
of the first covenant, the law that was given there by God to
Moses in the book of Exodus, not just the law of the Ten Commandments,
but also those divine ordinances of the worship of God, the services
that were to be held in the tabernacle and then in the temple. We read
of the first covenant having ordinances of divine service
and a worldly sanctuary. It was that that belonged to
this world. In that sense it was calm. And there was a certain procedure
with regards to the worship of God, as we have it there in chapter
9. Remember, there was the holy place, and then the most holy
place, the holy of holies. And there, verse 7 in chapter
9, into the second, that is beyond the second, went the high priest
alone once every year, not without blood which he offered for himself
and for the heirs of the people. 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, which was a
figure for the time then present. But there was a procedure, it
was only at a certain time of the year that the high priest
could venture before that mercy seat, and he must go with the
blood of sacrifice. Now, the Lord Jesus Christ himself
is that one who is really the great antitype of all that was
taking place on that great day, the Day of Atonement, when the
High Priest would go there before the Mercy Seat with the blood
and sprinkle the blood upon the Mercy Seat and before the Mercy
Seat. That was the type. And Christ
himself is the fulfillment of it. In that sense, Christ himself,
we might say, is the fulfillment even of the Mercy Seat. And it
is interesting. to observe how that there in
verse 5 of chapter 9 we have mention of the mercy seat as
part of that furniture. And as I've said on previous
occasions, the word that we have there, rendered mercy seat here
in our authorized version, is a word that is only used on one
other occasion in the New Testament Scriptures. And we find it in
that portion that we read in Romans chapter 3. But it's not
translated mercy seat. Now there in Romans 3.25 that
same word is rendered propitiation. We read of the Lord Jesus Christ
whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith
in his blood. But if we rendered it the same
as it is rendered in Hebrews 9.5, what would we read there
back in Romans? We would read of the Lord Jesus
Christ whom God has set forth to be a mercy seat. A mercy seat
through faith in his blood. And Christ, of course, is that
one who himself has now entered into the heavenly sanctuary.
he has entered into that heavenly sanctuary or what do we read
in that ninth chapter we're told how the high priest
is to go just once a year on the great day of atonement but
all of this is a figure of those things that were to come and
so later we read In verse 11 of that chapter 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. Or the Lord
Jesus Christ is that one who has entered into the heavenly
sanctuary. Verse 24 Christ is not entered
into the holy places made with hands which are the figure of
the true but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence
of God for us. This is a contrast then that
we have to draw between what we have in the Old Testament
a physical building, a worldly sanctuary, and these various
items of furniture, and all that is associated with the worship
of God under that Old Testament dispensation. There is the type
in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have that one who has come as
the fulfillment and the antitype of all these things. And how
the Lord Jesus, you see, as that one who was entered into heaven,
how He pleads for His people. Just as the high priest was to
enter in with the blood, the atoning blood, and to sprinkle
it and to make pleas, it were, on behalf of the people, so Christ,
by His very presence, there in heaven, able to save to the Ottomans
all that come to God by Him. Oh, and is He not that very place
where His people are able to meet with God? Why He is the
only mediator, one God, one mediator between God and men, the man
Christ Jesus. Oh, we're therefore to come boldly
to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find
grace to help in time of need. There, in the Old Testament,
there were all those limitations, all those restrictions under
the law concerning who could go into the most holy place.
And when he could go, it was only the high priest. No other
priest could venture beyond that second veil. And the high priest
himself, he could only go on that one day every year, the
tenth day of the seventh month, the great day of atonement. He
was not to go any other day. But how different it is now with
the Lord Jesus. There is such a glorious freedom
under the Gospel. We are to come boldly, it says.
No restrictions now. Now the vial of the temple has
been rent in true and it is indicative that the way into the holiest
is now open and sinners might come. by and through the Lord
Jesus Christ. By Him, therefore, says Paul,
let us offer the sacrifice of praise continually. That is the
fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. Who are we, those
who do desire to do that? We want to come continually.
We want to approach with our thanksgivings for all that God
has done for us in the person and the work of His only begotten
Son. John Newton says, behold, the
throne of grace. The promise draws us near there. Jesus shows a smiling face and
waits to answer prayer. But how so often, friends, we
fail to pray. Maybe that's not your experience.
It's certainly my experience. It is no easy thing to pray to
God. There are times when, thank God, we do feel somewhat favoured
with the spirit of prayer, but there are other times when we
want to pray and we try to pray and our thoughts are all scattered
here, there and everywhere. There are things that lay as
a burden upon our spirits. Oh, thank God that He understands
our poor prayers, our sighs and our groans. He is able to interpret
them and to answer them. But oh, that we might be that
people who are more of a praying people, heeding the exhortation
of the Word of God. All of this, you see, based upon
what the Lord Jesus Christ is and what the Lord Jesus Christ
has done. He is that great High Priest
that is passed into the heavens. Jesus, the Son of God. Let us
hold fast our profession and we have to hold it fast, and
only as God is pleased to hold us fast. Let us therefore come
boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and
find grace to help in time of need. And when we pray, is that
not a time of need, that we should be those who are seeking to come
before Him who is the Lord God, the High and the Holy One? Firstly
then we see Now we must make that contrast between what we
have in the Old Testament and the limitations of that Old Testament
covenant and all the glories of what we have now that Christ
has come and fulfilled all those things in this way open to us. And so in the second place, to
consider what it means to come. Look at the language of the text.
We are to come. Let us therefore come boldly
onto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find
grace to help in time of need. I want to observe three things
with regards to this coming. What is it to come? We can only
come by faith. It is not a physical coming. There is now no material sanctuary
as there was in the Old Testament, a worldly sanctuary. There is
no worldly sanctuary anymore. Thank God we have a place where
we can lead together for the worship of God. He has provided
us with this chapel. We thank Him for that. We respect
the building because it is associated with the worship of God, but
we don't We don't treat it as the Israelites in the Old Testament
were to treat the temple of the Lord. Their worship, you see,
was more physical and carnal. There, there is no worldly sanctuary.
And so it's not us coming to the tabernacle or to the temple
as was the case with the children of Israel. You know how three
times every year all the males in Israel were to go up to the
place where the tabernacle was set first of all at Shiloh and
then subsequently in David's reign we moved to Jerusalem and
then the tabernacle replaced with the temple in the days of
Solomon and all the males had to go three times and present
themselves there on the great feasts the Passover and the Feast
of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles. We don't have to go to any special
place, we don't go on pilgrimages anymore. What is our coming? Let us therefore come. What is
it to come? It's faith. It's not a physical
thing. It's a spiritual thing. You know
the so-called evangelists. In the past they would make their
altar calls and ask people to come and to come forward. And
even that suggests that there was something physical in coming
to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We don't have to move in any
physical way to come to Christ, it's a spiritual coming. In fact, faith itself is coming. Look at the language of John
6.35, "...he that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that
believeth on me shall never thirst." The statements are parallel statements,
and what is being said there in the Gospel is that to come
is to believe, and believing is that that is spiritual. Oh,
come is a great Gospel word, we recognize that why it's virtually
the last word that we have in our Bibles there in the last
chapter of the book of the Revelation in Revelation 22 the Spirit and
the Bride say come and let him that heareth say come and let
him that is a thirst come and whosoever will let him take of
the water of life freely what is all this coming? it's spiritual
it's faith It's that looking to the Lord Jesus Christ, that
calling upon Him, that casting all our cares upon Him, that
rolling our souls upon Him. But it's a spiritual exercise,
the coming of faith, the coming by faith. And then here, in the
second place, we see how we can come so freely. We can come so
freely, let us therefore come boldly onto the throne of Christ. Now what a word is this, boldly? It's one of those words that's
a compound. It's really two words that have
been welded together. And literally, it breaks down
like this. We come with all speech. That's the boldness. we come
with all speech to the throne of grace in other words we come
with freedom of speech or when we come before God we're invited
to speak we can address Him we can call upon Him we can pour
out our hearts to Him and though sometimes our infirmities are
so great that We cannot really articulate what our needs are. We sigh, and we cry, and we groan,
and we moan, and yet the Lord accepts those sort of prayers.
Oh, we're bidden to come, are we not? Take with you words,
says the Prophet Hosea. Take with you words, and turn
to the Lord, and say, take away all iniquity, and receive us
graciously. all to take such words as those
what a privilege it is that we can approach that blessed throne
of the grace of God in Him we have boldness we have
access with confidence by the faith of Him It's all because
of the Lord Jesus Christ, it's all in the Lord Jesus Christ
and through the Lord Jesus Christ. And He says to us concerning
the works of My hand, command ye My. What a remarkable exhortation
is that that we find in Isaiah 45.11. When God says to the children
of Israel, and remember the children of Israel are atypical people,
They are a type of the true Israel, the spiritual Israel. They are
a type of those who are true gospel believers. And God says
to his people today concerning the works of my hands, command
ye my. As if we could command God. But
you see, God has appointed prayer as that way whereby he will accomplish
his purpose. He will be inquired of, you see.
He will be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for
them. He will do it for them, there's no doubt He will do it
for His people. But how will God do it? How will God accomplish it? He
will have them come and inquire. He will have them come and, as
it were, command Him concerning the works of His hands. Or we
can come so freely before the throne of God's grace. We come by faith and we come
freely. And yet, well if you're like
me, so often we don't come. We don't come. We fail to pray. Words utterly fail us sometimes. You know some of the hymns, do
they not search us? Dear old William Cooper. Oh,
that man certainly knew great trials. He was a melancholic.
He must have been at times in awful depressions. Despairing
of his faith. And yet when we read some of
those only hymns, the hymns of Cooper and his great friend John
Newton, Or what does the poet say? Have you no words? Ah, think again. Words flow apace
when you complain and fill your fellow creatures' ears with the
sad tale of all your cares. Or we can tell others we complain
to others. But do we come, do we approach
that throne of the grace of God with boldness, with all speech,
pouring out our hearts. We're to come by faith, we're
to come freely, and yet we're to come with fear. Oh, that fear
of the Lord. Look at what we're told, it's
a throne. Let us therefore come boldly onto the throne. Yes, it's a throne of grace,
thank God for that, but it's still a throne. And what is the
throne of grace? Well, it's the throne of God,
and God sitteth, we're told, upon the throne of His holiness. And you remember in the book
of the Revelation, we read of that throne of God's glory, that
John is privileged to see. There in Revelation 4-2, immediately
I was in the Spirit, and behold, the throne was set in heaven
and one sat on the throne and he that sat was to look upon
like a jasper and a sardine stone and there was a rainbow round
about the throne in sight like unto an emerald and round about
the throne were four and twenty seats and upon the seats I saw
four and twenty elders sitting clothed in white raiment and
they had on their heads crowns of gold and out of the throne
proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices and there were seven
lamps of fire burning before the throne which are the seven
spirits of God and before the throne there was a sea of glass
like unto crystal and in the midst of the throne and round
about the throne were four beasts or living creatures full of eyes
before and behind and so it goes on what a description it is of
the throne of God's glory. And we're to remember that. Oh,
when we come, yes, we can come and we can take with us words,
but we're not to lose sight of who it is that we're coming to
address in our prayers. When the Lord Jesus Christ instructs
us, and He has given us that pattern prayer, When the disciples
asked, Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples
to pray, what does the Lord say? When you pray, say, Our Father,
which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Well, there it is, the very beginning
of our praying. We're to remember where God is.
God is in heaven. And that first petition that
we utter is nine. Hallowed be thy name, O let thy
name be hallowed. Why those seraphim, those burning creatures,
those angels that are about the throne of God that we read of
in Isaiah chapter 6. Remember what it says there concerning
those angels? They're above the throne. They're about the throne. And
they have six wings. And they're burning creatures,
they're pure creatures, they're holy creatures. But they have
six wings and with two wings they cover their feet, and with
two wings they cover their faces, and with two wings they fly,
they fly at God's commandment, but they know the ground is holy
ground, that's why they cover their feet. They cover their
faces because they cannot bear the sight of God in all His holiness.
What is the song of those Seraphim? Holy, holy, holy Lord God of
hosts, heaven and earth, full of Thy glory, Oh, how they fear
God, the angels, and so we must fear him. The wise man tells
us in Ecclesiastes, keep thy foot when thou goest to the house
of God, keep thy foot. Oh, remember Moses at the burning
bush, he must take the shoes from off his feet, the ground's
holy ground. keep thy foot when thou goest
to the house of God be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice
of fools for they consider not what they do be not rash with
thy mouth let not thine heart utter anything in haste for God
is in heaven thou upon earth therefore let thy words be few
interesting isn't it take with you words says Hosea And Solomon
says, let thy words be few. How do we reconcile these things?
Well, we need to be careful with regards to the words that we
speak. We want to be sure that we're speaking sincere words. Again, what does Samuel say? Talk no more so exceeding proudly. Let not arrogancy come out of
thy mouth. though we come boldly we're not
to come in any presumptuous fashion or God preserve us from any presumptuousness
in his presence God preserve us from all irreverence all that
unholy familiarity and you know you've probably been in some
of those circles when they they address God and there's a certain
chumminess in the way in which they speak there's no sense of
the greatness of God and the otherness of God or that we might
have such views of him. You see, it does not help, does
it, when men use such familiar language as they address the
Almighty. Let us seek to preserve those
old paths wherein is that good way. We still insist that we
call upon the Almighty In the singular pronoun we address him
as they and that. Now I don't think we can really
argue that that is holy language. The way I argue it is like this,
it says in the Old Testament, the hero is the Lord our God,
he's one Lord, he is one. He is three, but he is one. that is the great mystery there
is but one living and true God Father, Son and Holy Spirit and
we are to address him in the singular pronoun to remind ourselves
that this is the only God the one living and true God and as
we use that language and address him in that fashion does he not
cause us to contemplate something of the greatness of God and the
otherness of God or we are to come before him in that spirit
of fear, that fear of the Lord. It is the beginning of wisdom.
We want to be wise and wise in the way of salvation. How are we to come then to the
throne of grace? We're to come by faith and that's
spiritual coming. We're to come so freely, so boldly,
but we're to come also with the fear of God in our hearts, and
the spirit of reverence, and the recognition of who it is
that we're approaching. He is the Creator, we are the
creatures. He is the Holy One of Israel.
Of eyes too pure to behold iniquity, He cannot look upon sin, and
we are sinners. Oh, but God has made such a wonderful
provision, the throne of Christ, that glorious fulfillment of
all that is foreshadowed in the mercy seat that we read of back
in Exodus 25 and then finally this evening
what is the consequence of coming to this throne of grace that
we may obtain that we may find that's what
it 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 to obtain literally means to receive and then also to find always
the work Eureka! Archimedas! I have found it!
I have found it! There's something to be found.
We find grace in every time of need. But what do we see here? We see that God is that One who
is not only ready to hear His people, but He answers His people.
and he is ready to give the thing that they would request of him.
I said not under the seed of Jacob, seek him I face in vain. It's not a vain, futile exercise
to pray to this God who has said it is more blessed to give than
to receive. He loves to give. Oh, how much more shall your
heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him,
says the Lord Jesus Christ. There we have the three persons
of the Godhead. It is God the Son, it is God incarnate who
is speaking and He is speaking of the Father and He is speaking
of the Father's willingness and readiness to give the Holy Spirit
to all that ask. Ask and it shall be given, you
seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened, says
the Lord Jesus Christ. But what of the character of
those who would come to this throne of grace. Well we learn
something about them here. They are a needy people. They are a people in need and
they feel their need and they desire to be helped in the midst
of all that need. Now is that us? Or are we those
who need the Lord's help? And what is the help that we
need? We need mercy. All we need is mercy, because
we're sinners. And so often we have to fall
back on that prayer of the publican that the Lord speaks of in Luke
18, when he cries out, God be merciful to me, a sinner. Or
literally, God be merciful to me, the sinner, he says. He is
the sinner. And he feels his sin, so different
to the Pharisee. Oh, I thank thee, says the Pharisee,
I am not as other men are, extortionists, unjust, adulterous. I'm not like
this publican, I give tithes of all that I possess. And he
comes as he's full of himself, that Pharisee. no need there
but how different it is with the publican he needs the mercy of God and
he comes into the temple and he addresses God upon his throne
and he sues for mercy he begs for mercy God he says be merciful
and observe what the throne of grace is It's that fulfillment
of the mercy seat. It's the mercy seat. It's a place
where the propitiation is made in the Old Testament, the day
of atonement, the blood of sprinkling, the sacrificed animal, the blood
taken by the high priest, sprinkled before the mercy seat, sprinkled
upon the mercy seat. And how we feel today that we've
offended God, we've sinned against Him. We only deserve the wrath
of God. And yet God is that One who as
He is merciful, so He is gracious. And what is that grace of God?
It's the unmerited favor and blessing of God. Oh friends,
it's a throne of grace. It's a throne of grace. And does
it not speak to us then of the sovereignty of that grace of
God? It reminds us that this salvation
is of the Lord. All of it, from beginning to
end, it's all of God. It's all of grace. The ministry of the Lord Jesus
Christ, that One who is the Great High Priest, passed into the
heavens where he ever lives to make intercession. Oh, we have
not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of
our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like us we are
yet without sin. Oh, he understands us, he sympathizes
with us. In the days of his flesh We read
in the next chapter, he offered up prayer and supplication 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 the obedience by the things which he suffered. Oh, he is touched, you see, with
the feeling of all our infirmities, tempted, sorely tempted, yet
without any sin. and able to say, let us therefore
come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy
and find grace to help in time of need. O God, grant that we
might be those who are ever and always coming sinners, coming,
coming, coming, and coming to the Lord Jesus Christ, approaching
Him, finding Him, knowing Him, discovering all that fullness
of grace that is laid up for Him, for such sinners as we are. The Lord then blessed this word
to us. Amen.