Will you turn once again with
me to the fourth chapter of Hebrews? And we spend a little time here
in this fourth chapter, looking at the points made, like as we see in verse 6, seeing
therefore it remaineth. that some must enter. There are those who still must
be called. What hope that gives us for our
children who still walk in darkness? For our grandchildren? You know,
I've only got two children, two grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Some of you got way more than
that. I can imagine how it weighs on your hearts at times. Lord,
are they yours? Oh, the assurance that we know
that if they are, He will not leave them to themselves. He's shown us, hasn't He? He's shown us, you and I, those
of us who know His truths by His grace, by His mercy have
been revealed the truths of His Word to us. He's shown us that
in the day of His love, He will come and call His people, all
of them. So we've looked at that in a little bit deeper thought
there, that verse 6. seeing therefore it remaineth
that some must enter therein. We've also looked at, let us
labor therefore, in verse 11, to enter into that rest, that
there is a work for us to do. We don't just say, okay, the
Lord has saved us and now sit back and do nothing. He who began
a good work in us, Paul says, I am confident that he who began
a good work in you We'll complete it till the day of His coming.
We'll finish it till the day of His coming. This morning we come to verse
16, Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we might obtain mercy and
find grace to help in time of need. Do you ever find yourself without
a time of need? You know, since I've retired,
I've actually kept myself pretty busy up until for some reason
this last year, these last six months. It just seems like I
find myself, quit laughing at me Roger. You and I talked about
this the other day. It just seems like I spend more
time now standing there looking out the window with nothing to
do. And you would think to yourself, okay, well he really has no need. If that's all he's going to do
is stand there and look out the window, he's got no need. But
I do have need. I still find myself when I've
got nothing to do and nothing but a green yard to look out
and bask upon that I have a need. Because even in my enjoyment,
even in what I hold as precious to this world, it's all stuff
that's going to burn up. It's all stuff that's going to
pass away. I have friends and family who are sick. I have loved
ones who still walk in darkness. We can find a need, can't we? God's throne of grace is open
to you and I to come to that throne. Not on any merits that
we have of our own. Not for anything that we have
done to deserve it. But because of what His Son has
done. Because of His perfect righteousness. Because of His perfect righteousness
being imputed to us, we have that right to come before God
and say, Thy will be done. Because that's what coming before
the throne of grace is. Brother Don Fortner wrote this.
He says, I do not pretend to know much about prayer, but I
do know that what God has taught me and is teaching me, that prayer
is one of the most important aspects of every believer's life. Now I want to stop there because
I want to make a point. As the people of God, we understand
that our prayers do not change our God. When God asks a question,
He's not asking a question to find the answer. He's asking
the question that we might see the answer. that we who don't
know what God's will might see the answer. Our prayers don't
change what God has purposed for us. It's us admitting that
He's the one who controls it all. He's the one who works it
out. If Judy is to live any longer,
it's because God has purposed it for her to do so. If she is
to go to be with Him today, and I hope that is so, oh, how mean. You know what? Pastor Gene does
too. I would be okay if the Lord took
me out of this world today. I would be sad if He took my wife,
but I would be okay with it, because I know where she is at.
If He took my son, I'd be even sadder, because I don't think
my son knows who God is. You get my point? Our prayers
don't change God's will, they are an admission that His will
shall be. Don goes on to say, yet it is
also one with which we struggle constantly. It's an important aspect of every
believer's life, yet it is one that we struggle with constantly.
It's a subject about which there is enormous confusion, even among
God's elect. God says, I cannot think of a
single time in Scripture which gives us more encouragement and
more reason to pray than what we see right here in Hebrews
4.16. Let us therefore come boldly. That means praying to the Lord,
to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find
grace to help in times of need. First off, notice then what it
is we come to. We come to a throne. What is
a throne? It's the place of rule. It's
the authority. The sovereignty. It's the rule. We approach God on His throne. We rejoice to know Him, that
His throne is the throne upon which our God and our Savior
sit, from which He rules the universe. It's called the throne
of grace. That means the grace that He
gives is because He wants to give it. And only for that reason. It's not merited by men. It's
not something we can earn. It's not something the free will
religionists can just say, OK, I want it today. I've noticed
several people who believe in that form of doctrine who have
been baptized more than once. Why would they be baptized more
than once? Oh, because I left the Lord for
a while. You know what? God won't let you leave Him if
you belong to Him. Oh, you think you're leaving
Him. Think about Jonah. Do you think Jonah thought he
was leaving Him when he was running? When he was running down to the
seaside to get on that ship? Do you think he was getting away
from God? Yeah, that's not the God of Scriptures,
is it? You think you might be getting
away from God, but if you belong to Him, you sure are not. We come to the throne of grace. It was once called the mercy
seat. Did you know that? It was once called the mercy
seat, but now it's called the throne of grace. In drawing near to God in prayer,
We come to God upon His throne. No one approaches God who does
not approach Him upon that throne. He who is God Almighty is the
great and glorious monarch of the universe who sits upon the
throne of total, absolute, sovereign rule. A man by the name of William
Jay wrote these words. He says, when God enacts laws,
He is on a throne of legislation. When He admits When he tries his creatures by
these laws, he is on the throne of judgment. But when he receives
petitions and dispenses favors, he is on a throne of grace. The idea of a throne inspires
awe, does it not? Imagine ourselves coming before
a king. Now, I know in today's world,
kings don't seem to be much. But imagine yourself coming to
the dinner table with the President of the United States. What if
you got an invitation? And I'll use a different name
than the President that's in there now, because I would imagine
some of you might throw the invitation right away. But let's say it
was President Reagan. If President Reagan invited you
to come to have lunch with him. Would you not? Would you not
be kind of awestruck a little bit about it? I mean, here you
are, you're going to go and sit down and eat with the one who
has all power in the United States. Well, as much power as we give
him. But the most powerful one in the state. In fact, some might
even say he has the most power in all of the world, outside
of God Almighty. Would you not be awe? Would you
not be like, oh, really? I don't know if I can do that. He would sit with me? Well, that's
what it is to come to a throne, is it not? It almost is bordering on a feeling
of terror. It almost repels us. I don't
know if I can go sit with him. He's way above me. I'm just this
little puny person, this little beggar who's out here trying
to struggle through life and get by. I don't know if I can
sit and eat with that person. They're too far above me. Few of us could approach this
throne without trembling. Yet here is the throne of the
King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the scepter of total sovereignty,
absolute holiness, immutable justice, saying, come, come boldly
before this great king. The greatest earthly monarch
that ever wore a crown is but a worm compared to him. Before him all nations of men
are less than nothing and vanity. We've used this example many
times, but it fits here right now. That publican who was in
the synagogue, where was he? Where was he? He was approaching
the throne of grace, but he approached it with humbleness. with fear. I'm undeserving. I don't deserve
to have a meal with this President of the United States. I've done
nothing special to sit with him. I've done nothing, absolutely
nothing for God to look upon me and invite me to come before
his throne. But that's what he does, doesn't
he? He invites us to come. Prayer is coming to God upon
his throne. If we would come to God, we must
come to him as a king. We must bow before him with reverence,
with confidence that what he says he will do, and submission
to what he says is right. Faith in its essence and in all
of its exercises is surrender to the Lord God as our great
king. In prayer we come to this great
king as one who gives as a king. We ask great things from a great
king and we ask great things with the expectation that he
can and will and is able to give those great things. Lord, save
me. Lord, be merciful unto me, a
sinner. Do you know no one will ever
call Him Lord through their spirit unless the Spirit has done a
work in them? You can't even call Him Lord. You won't. You won't come to
God unless He has come to you first. And then He reveals Himself,
His glory. It is in this hearing, the prayers
of the needy and the dispensing of grace to them that our great
God and King is honored and glorified. It is upon His throne of grace
that God our Savior is revealed in His glory. You may remember
that this throne of grace is that which Isaiah saw over in
Isaiah chapter 6. If you would, turn over to Isaiah
chapter 6 with me. Isaiah describes this throne
here in Isaiah chapter 6 beginning at verse 1. 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. Does that
not give you a picture of majesty? 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. Verse
3, And 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. Here's that publican over against
the wall, over in the corner. 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. the Lord of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims
unto me having a live coal." This is the gospel, the burning
gospel coming to Isaiah. A coal in his hand which he had
taken with the tongs off of the altar. And he said, and he laid
it upon my mouth and said, This hath touched thy lips, and thine
iniquity is taken away, and thy sin is purged." It was tempified
in the mercy seat, which was upon the Ark of the Covenant
of the Old Testament, where atonement was made. This is what John beheld
in Revelation chapter 4 and 5, where he saw the Lamb that had
been slain. When he saw the throne of God
and the Lamb, he saw the rainbow encircling the throne, declaring
that every act of the throne is according to God's covenant
grace. And it's represented in the rainbow. He saw the book of God. The book
of God's decree is full and complete and sealed. Then he saw the Lord
Jesus Christ Himself, the crucified Lamb of God, rise up in the midst
of the throne. You saw that God, man, take the
book and open it. He it is who is the center of
all these decrees. He it is who opens and fulfills
them in providence. Turn over Revelation 5 for me,
with me just for a moment. Revelation 5. Look with me if you would. beginning
at verse 9, and they sung a new song, Revelation 5, verse 9,
and they sung a new song saying, Thou art worthy to take the book
and to open the seals thereof, for Thou wast slain, and hast
redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred and tongue
and people and nation, and hast made us unto our God kings and
priests. and we shall reign on the earth.
And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about
the throne, and the beasts, and the elders, and the number of
them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,
saying with a loud voice, worthy is the Lamb that was slain to
receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor,
and glory, and blessings. And every creature which is in
heaven on earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the
sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and
honor, and glory, and power be unto him that sitteth upon the
throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. It is here It is there, where
we just read, in Christ, the crucified Lamb, that God, sitting
upon the throne, that we behold God's majesty and His mercy. We see His justice in His Son,
giving Himself Our substitute being satisfied, His justice
being satisfied by the perfect blood of His Son. And His grace
is distributed, His truth and His goodness are given to us.
Look over at Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10. Speaking of our High Priest,
which we've read much about in these last few Sundays, verse
19, "...having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest
by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he hath
consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, his flesh,
and having a High Priest over the house of God, With a true heart and full assurance
of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from evil conscience and our
bodies washed with pure water, let us hold fast the profession
of our faith without wavering, and let us consider one another
to provoke unto love and to good works. The Lord God to whom we come
and before whom we bow and pray to, even in hearing prayer, acts
as a sovereign. But whose sovereignty is especially
over the sovereignty of grace. It is this throne, the throne,
the great God that poor sinners are bidden to come. Oh, what
a privilege this is. All who come to the throne of
grace have free audience with the King of grace. Now let's
close with these thoughts. It says, come boldly. Let us
therefore come boldly unto God upon the throne to the merit
and the mediation of Christ our Savior, our great High Priest. It says, come boldly, that is
to say freely, without fear. pouring out our hearts to our
Heavenly Father, come with reverence. And before God our King, come
boldly with all the freeness of a child to the most loving
Father of matter, General. Remember, He who is the God of
the universe is our Heavenly Father. We have every reason
to expect Him to do us good. Read Romans chapter 8. Come in every time of need, for
every kind of mercy, for all the grace that might be needed.
Expect Him to supply the need for our Savior's sake, Christ
Jesus. Amen.