In Hebrews 4, verse 12, the last line talks
about the thoughts and the intents of the heart. The thoughts and intents of the
heart. And then verse 13 says, neither
is there any creature. in regard to thoughts and intents
of the heart, motives, imaginations, that is not manifest, uncovered,
open, clearly revealed in his sight. But all things, all things
are naked, without cover. and open unto the eyes, the sovereign,
piercing, all-seeing, all-knowing eyes of him with whom we have,
with whom we have to do." Now, this verse of Scripture has a
twofold effect. I may surprise you a little bit
here, but I believe that what I'm saying is true. This verse
of scripture has a twofold effect on the sons of men if it's read
with proper care and consideration and contemplation, as I've tried
to read it to you tonight. Number one, it strikes fear. It has to strike fear. It has
to bring forth great shame and a sense of guilt in the heart
of the unbeliever. It has to. Christ our Lord knows
all things. There's nothing hid, nothing
that's covered from the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
There's no creature, angel, or man, but what is known, seen,
and understood by Him, even down to their thoughts, unexpressed
thoughts, unrevealed imaginations, even imaginations to which they'll
not themselves admit. Let me show you two or three
verses. Turn to John 2. While you're turning, all of
you are familiar with this scripture which says, even the hairs of
your head are numbered. Talking about God's knowledge.
Even the hairs of your head are numbered. And another scripture
says, not a sparrow. Now you think how many wild birds
there are out there. How many? I guess billions of
them. And not a one of them. Not one.
It said not one sparrow. falls to the ground without your
fault. That's the extent of his knowledge.
I'll add this, and I don't think it's adding to the Word, not
a leap in Cherokee Mountains falls to
the ground without your fault. His knowledge. John 2, 23. Now when he was at Jerusalem,
in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many believed
in his name when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus
did not commit himself unto them because he knew all men. Now even though they were outwardly
expressive of some kind of faith and expressive of some kind of
zeal and belief and determination to follow him, he withheld himself
from them because he knew what was behind all of it. He could
see through the veneer. He could see the thoughts of
the heart. He didn't need that any should testify of man. He
knew what was in man. That's what I'm saying. I'm saying
that there's not a thought, there's not a motive. This is the thing. Even our motives are not clearly
understood by us. The heart is deceitful and desperately
wicked. We can convince ourselves that
our motives are right, and God knows they're not right, although
we're convinced they are. We don't have even a minute particle
of the infinite knowledge which he had. Every thought, every
motive, every imagination, every deed, every word is known fully. Now let me show you another passage,
Psalm 139. David, this is worthy of being
marked in our Bibles, Psalm 139. This is one of those great expressions
from the soul and heart of a man who knew God. Listen to him,
Psalm 139. O Lord, O Lord, thou hast searched
me. You talk about searching. There's
no searching like his searching, and no me. Thou knowest my down
sittings and mine uprising. Thou understandest my thought
afar off. Thou compassest my path and my
lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways." Not just my
deeds, my ways. There's not a word in my tongue.
There is not a word in my tongue ever has been spoken or ever
will be spoken, but, lo, Lord, thou knowest it altogether. You know it altogether. The extent of it, the hurt of
it, the sharpness of it, the envy of it, you know the whole
thing altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and
before and laid thine hand upon me, such knowledge is just too
wonderful for me. It's high I cannot attain unto.
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Whither shall I flee from thy
presence? If I ascend into heaven, thou
art there. If I make my bed in hell, thou art there. If I take
the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts
of the sea, even there shalt thou hand lead me and thy right
hand hold me. If I say, surely the darkness
will cover me, even the night shall be light about me. The darkness hideth not from
thee. The night shineth as the day. And the darkness and light
are both alike to thee. You think about that. And that's
what we're reading here. Hebrews 4.13, is there any creature
that's not totally revealed, uncovered, unmasked in his sight? All things are naked, uncovered. Now, no need for a lawyer. I
remember when Mr. Vice President Agnew who was
governor of Maryland. I see this in the paper when
I close my eyes and see it now. When he was charged with bribery
and he pleaded, no contender. That's it. No contest. No plea. No plea. Well, now, that's where
we are right here. No plea. No contest. No lawyer. No counsel. We don't need any judge or jury.
He knows it all. Fully, completely knows it all,
and he's the one with whom we have to do it. Nobody else. He's
the one. And here's the thing, you know,
if a man's accused of a crime and comes before a judge, he
has a bunch of lawyers and a jury and all these things, you know,
witnesses. You don't need any witnesses with him. He knows
it all. He already knows it all. And to stand naked and uncovered
before such knowledge is awesome. It's got to strike several feelings
in the heart of an unbeliever. First, fear. Fear. There's nothing,
he said, that's not spoken in the closet that will not be shouted
from the housetop. There's nothing done in secret
that will not be fully revealed. That's got to strike helplessness
and despair and talk about blushing and shame and shame. So I'm saying the first effect
of reading this verse has to be for any person, if you're
here tonight without Christ the Refuge and Christ the Redeemer
and Christ the High Priest, you've got to absolutely, when you read
that verse, shake and tremble and quake, because such knowledge
is awesome. But now here's the thing, I said
I may shake you a little bit, but believe it or not, the other
And the response that I feel when I read that verse, honestly,
before God and before you, I confess this, that I find great joy and
great comfort in the fact there's nothing God doesn't know. I find
great comfort. The believer finds in this knowledge,
in this openness, in this understanding, he finds great joy. You want
me to give you an example? Peter rested his case on it.
Turn to John 21. Let me show you. Peter rested
his case. Now, I don't suppose there's
any sin any greater than the sin of denying our Lord. Martyrs
have gone to the stake and been burned because they wouldn't
recant or deny Christ. Some have been cast into the
flames. Some have been cast into prison.
But here Peter sat before the fire and cursed and swore and
said, I don't know it. What a desertion. What a traitor.
And yet when our Lord came to him and spoke to him, in verse
17, John 21, he said unto him the third time, Simon, son of
Jonas, lovest thou me? And Peter was grieved, because
he said to him the third time, here's the third time. And you
know what Scripture says, let every word be established at
the mouth of two or three witnesses. That's the reason Christ asked
him three times, let it be established. And Christ asked him three times,
and he replied and said, Here's my comfort. Lord, you know all
things, all things. Nothing's hid from you. Everything's
open and naked to you. You know I love you. I rest my
case. Huh? Sure, that's what he appealed
to, the knowledge of the Lord. That's what he appealed to. Now,
I'm not talking about the professor here, and I'm not talking about
the sham Christian. I'm talking about the true, sincere,
honest believer before God rejoices that God knows everything. He
rejoices. Makes praying a whole lot easier.
That's right. Makes praying a whole lot easier.
You say that he knows your sins. God knows your sins of thought,
word, and deed, but he loves sinners. You know what he said? He doesn't love hypocrites, but
he loves sinners. Well, I can read you too many
verses about that. Let's go to Ephesians chapter 2. Our Lord
loves sinners. Do you think the Lord is wasting
words here when he talks about in times past, chapter 2, verse
1 of Ephesians, we were dead, walked according to the course
of this world, Children of disobedience, verse 3, had our conversation
in the lust of our flesh, the desires of the flesh, and were
by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, but
God, who is rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith he
loved us even when we were dead. While we were dead, he quickened
us together with Christ. How about Romans 5, turn over
there. Sure, sure the Lord knows our sins. Sure he knows our thoughts. Sure he knows our down sittings
and uprisings. Sure he knows all those things.
That does not make him love us any less because he loved us
when we were dead in sin, when we were totally given over to
sin. Totally given over to sin he
loved. He said, I've drawn you with an everlasting love, with
an infinite love. You think if he loved you, when
you were given over to sin, totally committed to sin, and a child
of wrath, he loved you then dead in sin, now that you've been
saved from sin and delivered by the power of Christ and the
righteousness of Christ, and to some extent and degree you're
pursuing holiness, he loves you less? Well, that's foolish. He loved me at my extremities
of sin. Does he love me any less now?
I'm glad he knows everything. Look at Romans 5, verse 6. When
we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the
whom? Ungodly. Do you think he doesn't
love the godly? If he loved us when we were ungodly?
Verse 7, verse 8. But God commended his love toward
us, and that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Now
turn back to Hebrews 4. And it says in verse 15, we don't
have a high priest which cannot be touched with a feeling of
our infirmities. Don't you know that he knows
every trial you've experienced? Don't you know that he's walked
every step that you walk? Don't you know he's felt every
lonely hour that you feel? Don't you know he's felt the
despite and the rejection? and the false accusations, and
the false witnesses, and the slander. He's felt every one
of those things. He knows our infirmities. He's
been tempted in all points as we are, yet without seeing. Down here in chapter 5 of Hebrews,
it talks about verse 1. Look at chapter 5, verse 1. Every
high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things
pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices
for sin, who can have compassion on the ignorant and on them that
are out of the way, that's us, for that he himself also is compassed
with infirmity. You see, even when God chose
the high priest from among the camp of the Israelites, he chose
men who could have compassion on the other men. And when Christ
came to be our high priest, he partook of the same nature, was
tempted in the same directions we are, and yet without sin.
Now, here's the thing that rejoices the heart of a believer in that
God knows all things. God knows all things. He rejoices
that God does because the Lord loves sinners. But secondly,
he knows our true feelings about him. That's what Peter said.
You know I love you. Now, he knows that. If I believe
on Christ, he knows I believe on him. And he knows our true
feelings about our sins. He knows our true feelings about
our righteousness, which we regard as filthy rags. He knows that
we believe and trust him. Turn to Psalm 62. Listen to David
here. Don't you think the Lord... He
knows our thoughts are far off. He knows these things. You know,
we want everybody else to know we're Christian. And we take
great pains to wear buttons and bumper stickers and let everything
hang out, you know, and all that, trying to convince somebody we're
Christian. But the thing that I rejoice in is Him with whom
I have to do, He knows I believe. And that makes me happy. That
makes me glad. That makes me glad. David said
in Psalm 62, truly, my soul waiteth upon God. This is no fiction,
this is a fact, truly. This is no claim, this is a condition. This is no profession, this is
a possession. Truly, my soul waiteth upon God,
from Him cometh my salvation. Is that true? Then God knows
it. He only is my rock. Is that true? Then God knows
it. Thank God He knows all things. and my salvation. He is my defense. I shall not be greatly moved.
Verse 5, My soul wait thou upon God, for my expectation is from
Him. He only is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense. I shall not
be moved. In God is my salvation and my
glory. The rock of my strength and my
refuge is in God. You know what I'm, you hear what
I'm saying? I'm saying that while a man reads this who has no refuge,
who has no redeemer, who has no righteousness, and he reads
about even right now the weariness of his soul in things spiritual,
God knows, even the thoughts of the day that you wouldn't
even reveal to your closest friend or loved one, God knows, all
the past, present, and future. The man who has no righteousness
and no Redeemer has got to face that with the greatest fear and
shame that can be imagined, because I've got to do with God. But the believer is glad God
knows. This is just like how good it
is to have a friend with whom you can share It just, somebody
said confession's good for the soul or something, or somebody
you can talk to, but they're rare. But I have one with whom
I can talk, who understands me better than I do myself. And
I'm glad. I'm glad. And I'm glad that he
not only knows my sins and loves me, but I'm glad he knows I love
him. He knows that. I don't have to
convince him. I don't have to persuade him,
because it's naked. and fully understood. All right,
verse 14, listen to this. Seeing then, and I've said this
so often, seeing is understanding. Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God. Understanding then, understanding
then what? We have a great, a great. Now our Lord calls himself the
Good Shepherd, calls himself the Chief Shepherd, He calls
himself the Great Shepherd. We have the Great Shepherd. And
the whole book of Hebrews is dedicated to declaring His greatness
and His glory over angels, over men, over Moses, over Aaron,
over the priest, over all things. I'm not going to take the time
to read all of them tonight, but one here in Hebrews 1 says
in verse 4, being made so much better than the angels. That's
my high priest, better than the angels. And then over here in
chapter 3, verse 3, this man's counted worthy of more glory
even than Moses. You talk about great. You talk,
see, understanding that I have a great. And then the word high,
highest. He's a priest forever after the
order of Melchizedek. Not after the order of Aaron
or even from the tribe of Levi, but from the tribe of Judah.
He is the highest high priest, Bob, the highest high priest.
When I say that we have appealed to the highest court, I'm talking
about there's no court higher than the tribunal of glory. He's
our high priest, our priest. What does a priest do? A priest
intercedes. A priest offers a sacrifice.
A priest offers an atonement. A priest offers a sin offering.
A priest goes into the presence of God representing us. He is my great, high, priest
and mediator. And who is it? It's Jesus, the
Son of God. Where is he? He's passed into
the heavens. Now it's very careful, turn to
Hebrews 9, the scripture is very careful to point out for us that
our Lord's place of ministry is not in the tabernacle made
with hands. Our Lord's place of ministry
is not on this earth. Hebrews 9, 11, listen, but Christ
being come, a 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." Now look
down at verse 24. For Christ is not entered into
the holy place made with hands." I'm not talking about a temple
or a tabernacle, which are figures of the true, but into heaven
itself, into the throne room, within the veil, into the presence
of the Father, now to appear in the presence of God, F-O-R-U-S-R-S. Think about that. having some conception that we
have a high priest, a great high priest, Jesus man, son of God,
man deity, the God man, who has entered not into a place down
here, but into the heaven itself. The scripture says, our forerunner
has gone within the veil to appear in the presence of God and he
will not be turned away, he will not be turned down, he will not
be rejected, he has been accepted for us. Can you get hold of that? Well, he said if you can, look
back at our text, if you can, seeing or understanding that
we have, and I'm not talking here about our silly little works,
I'm not talking here about our religious professions and experiences
and feelings and six and seven and doing this and that and putting
on a show, learning some doctrine. I'm talking about something infinitely
higher, greater, more profound. I'm talking about understanding.
And he knows everything. He knows my thoughts and hearts
and words and deeds and all these things that I have to do with
him. But understanding that I have such a good, chief, great, high,
infinitely high priest, mediator, representative, Jesus, the Son
of God, who has gone into the heavens to appear in the presence
of God for me. Let's hold fast our profession.
Hang on to your confidence. No need for it to be shaken,
that's what he's saying. God will not refuse the sacrifice
he provided. That's silly to talk about God
refusing the sin offering, God refusing the atonement. Somebody,
somebody is represented by Christ and that somebody is going to
be accepted. and all whom he represents, and all for whom
he has entered the holiest, and all for whom he puts his blood
on the mercy seat, and all for whom he intercedes and pleads,
and all whom he represents for us in God's presence is going
to be accepted. I guarantee you, God will not turn down that which
God provided. That's stupid. God will not deny
his Son. He sent him. How shall he not
with him freely give us all things? Now you think about that. That's
God's cure for care. That's God's cure for doubt.
That's God's cure for fear. There it is right there. Now
then, verse 16, let us therefore, since we have such a great high
priest who knows us, all things about us, and loves us, who has
reconciled us to God by his own blood, who has deliberately,
by God's decree and ordination, passed through this earth, this
veil of tears, died, been buried, rose again, and gone into the
heavens, to stand or to sit in the presence of God for us, who
intercedes at God's right hand within the veil, then let us,
let us, therefore, that being true, come boldly unto the throne
of grace." Now, the word boldly has several references in the
Greek lexicon. These are the references, boldly.
Let us therefore come boldly. We're talking about into God's
presence, into the Holy of Holies. The veil was rent in two from
top to bottom. Let us, that's every one of us,
let's don't pick out some man down here and pay him a little
bit and send him for us. Let's don't get a bunch of candles
and send somebody. Let us come boldly. It says outspoken,
frankly, bluntly, confidently, freely, openly, with liberty. That about says it all, doesn't
it? If you look up in your Greek Strong's Concordance, you'll
find that's what that's saying. Let us who believe, let us also
come boldly. all that way, openly, frankly,
bluntly, confidently, freely, openly, outspoken with liberty. Now, I don't want to take away
from the first meaning of this, that in Christ, the chief of
sinners who is a believer has liberty to come into the very
Holy of Holies. But remembering that we're talking
about approaching God, I think some serious thought is to be
considered here, and I jotted four or five things I'll give
you. I believe if we come, we're to come with a true and sincere
heart. A true and sincere heart. I believe
we are. Hebrews 10, look over there just
a moment. If we come into the presence
of God, he said, verse 22, let us draw near with a true heart.
This is no place to play games. Then secondly, let us come humbly. Gerald started his prayer off
a while ago, speaking unto the Lord that we bow in his presence
humbly, with fear and reverence. Let me read you something right
here that will be a blessing. Turn to Genesis 18. I'm a little
bit alarmed by some of the prayers I hear on television and radio. I want you to eavesdrop on Abraham
here for a moment. Abraham's talking to God about
Sodom, knowing Lot was down there, you know. And first he asked
the Lord if he found 50 people down there, 50 righteous people,
would he spare the city? And God said yes. Now watch this,
listen. Genesis 18, 27. And Abraham answered
and said, Behold, now I've taken upon me to speak unto the Lord.
which am but dust and ashes." Now look at verse 30, "...and
he said unto the Lord, O let not the Lord be angry, and I'll
speak." Look at verse 31, "...and he said, Behold, now I have taken
upon me to speak unto the Lord." And then in verse 32, "...he
said, O let not the Lord be angry, and I'll speak yet but this once."
You see the attitude of that man when he's praying. His fear,
his reverence, his humility. So we come to God in Christ,
boldly, but I think you can come boldly and sincerely. You can
come boldly with reverence. You can come boldly with subjection
to his will. We're his subjects. We pray thy
will be done. We don't go into the presence
of God to alter his will, but to discover his will, not to
alter it. And then we come in faith. If
any man come to God, he's got to come believing. He that believe
it, all things are possible. And then we're to come into his
presence with what? Thanksgiving. In everything give
thanks. This is the will of God for you.
So I add that. I don't think I'm taking away
from it, but it says in Hebrews 4, understanding this condition. He's our great high priest, passed
into the heavens. Let us come boldly. but let us
come sincerely, let us come with reverence, let us come with subjection
to his will, not replying against God, let us come in faith, and
let us come with thanksgiving." All right, now watch this second
thing here. And this is something I noticed also. Gerald was just
praying right along my message tonight. You notice he has a
characteristic The Apostle Paul has several characteristics.
Gerald said something about Father God, Father Lord. Well, this
is what I'm saying. Listen. Let us therefore come
boldly unto a throne. A throne. Now, let me tell you
something. God is our Father in the dearest
sense. Gerald said, Dear Father, but
now wait a minute. Our Lord Jesus Christ, when he
taught his disciples to pray, qualified that statement, our
Father, by adding, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
So brethren, let me tell you something. He is our Father,
and Gerald, he's our Father Lord. Don't ever forget it. Now that's
so important. He's our Father Lord. And we
don't ever, hallowed be, our Father is still the King. And
I'll tell you, when we come, we're coming into the presence
of our Father, and we're coming to the place of grace, but, brother,
it's grace enthroned. He said, I'll be merciful to
whom I will, and I'll be gracious to whom I will. Now, that's a
fact, and don't ever think it's any different. The mercy seat
is a throne, and that reveals several things. Number one, it
reveals sovereignty. Somebody read this in a study
Sunday. I believe it was you, about Daniel. No, you read it
right here, Sunday night. He said to Nebuchadnezzar, he
said, the Lord ruleth in the armies of heaven and giveth it
to whomsoever he will. He gives, but he gives to whom
he will. He gives, but he gives sovereignly.
He shows mercy, but he shows mercy on whom he will. It's his
prerogative, not ours. E. W. Johnson preached a series
of messages on salvation by free will. Not yours, but God's. That's right. Now you think,
not yours, but God's. I'll buy that. I believe in salvation
by free will. Not yours, but God's. A throne
says sovereign. A throne says what else? It says
glory. The throne of glory. That's what
it's called in 1 Samuel 2, verse 8. And a throne denotes holiness. His kingdom is a kingdom of holiness,
and His throne is the center of that kingdom, so His throne
is the center of holiness. And then it's the throne of wisdom,
the throne of wisdom. Now then, let us come boldly,
openly, bluntly, confidently before his throne of what? Of grace. Thank God we come not
to a throne of judgment and justice. The judgment's over. In Christ
Jesus there is no judgment. No child of God needs sit here
tonight worrying about the judgment. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them who are in Christ. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? Who is he that condemneth? Our
sins have been purged. He purged them by himself. He
hath by himself purged our sins. In Christ there is no sin. Forget
it if you're in Christ. There's no judgment. That's right. This is a throne of grace. In
his infinite wisdom, Clarkson said, in God's infinite wisdom,
he has found a way to receive me when his truth and justice
were engaged to destroy me. But he has found a way in Christ
to receive me, Christ having satisfied his truth and justice. It has no claim on me. That throne
of grace is occupied by God in Christ. That throne of grace
is occupied by God reconciled in Christ. That throne of grace
is occupied by God in covenant with Christ. That throne of grace
is occupied by God who says, I'll meet you. Let me show you
that. Exodus, just two or three verses
here. You'll love this. He talks about the mercy seat
here. Exodus 25, verse 21. talks about, and this is the
throne that has come before his throne of grace that we may receive,
obtain mercy. It's a mercy seat, a mercy seat. And here the typical mercy seat
in Exodus 25, 21, and thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon
the ark, the ark of the covenant. And in the ark thou shalt put
the testimony that I shall give thee. And there on the mercy
seat I'll meet with thee and commune with thee from above
the mercy seat. That's where God meets sinners,
at the mercy seat. Nowhere else. Christ is our mercy seat. God
says, I'll meet one other. Turn to Exodus 29. Same thing. He says this over and over again.
Exodus 29 and it's 42. He said, this shall be a continual
burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord, where I'll meet
you. I'll meet you to speak there
with you. And there I'll meet with the
children of Israel. And the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory.
I'll meet God. He says, I'll meet you. Infinite,
holy, beyond comprehension. who knows all about us, says,
I'll meet you, Bob. I'll meet you. I'll meet you,
and I'll talk to you. Where? At the mercy seat, with
the blood streaming off that mercy seat. A man said one time,
the man, the man who, despite the teaching of God's Word, tries
to come to God in any way without that great high priest and his
precious blood of the mercy seat insults deity. The man who thinks he has an
interest to God by his sincerity, morality, or natural desires
makes a fatal mistake. He has brought an offering God
will no more accept than he would accept a dead dog. Boy, that's something. But God
said the mercy seat. I'll meet you. One other scripture.
Listen. Exodus 30, right across the page. And thou shalt put
it before the veil, that is, by the ark of the testimony,
before the mercy seat that's over the testimony, where I'll
meet you. I'll meet you. I tell you, this verse in Hebrews
11 here, it's God's cure for anxiety. It's God's cure for
care and doubt. God's cure for fear, God's cure
for all things. He says, seeing understanding
we have in Christ, a great high priest, Hebrews 4, with a sufficient
sacrifice and sin offering. Jesus, the Son of God, who's
passed into the heavens and by one offering perfected forever
them that are sanctified. Let's come boldly. Let's come
boldly. God said, I'll meet you. I'll
meet you. What are we coming for? We come
that we may obtain mercy. That's primarily what we come
for all the time, what we come tonight for, mercy. The publican
prayed for mercy. Bartimaeus cried for mercy. The
Canaanite woman cried for mercy. Paul said, I obtain mercy, mercy,
mercy. And I'm talking about all the
time, mercy. But mercy is related to sin.
Mercy is related to guilt. That's what David prayed in Psalm
51, according to thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Now,
so we come for mercy, and then secondly, to find grace, to find
grace to help in time of need. Grace, mercy relates to sin. Mercy relates to our fall and
our condemnation before God's law and justice. Grace relates
to every need and every hour and moment of every day. Grace
meets our need in time of redemption, our need in times of worship. I need God to help me worship
and pray. I don't even know the things
I should pray for. I need him in times of studying the Word.
This is all. I'm blinded. I don't understand
this profound, deep mystery, but his grace will open it up.
Grace in time of trial, grace in time of temptation, grace
in time of poverty and prosperity, grace to forgive, grace to live,
grace to love, grace in time of sickness, and grace for old
age. Grace to help me in my time of
need. And I'll tell you, you say, when's
your time of need? All the time. All the time. all the time. Somebody said one
time, I believe what y'all believe, I wouldn't pray. Oh, my, my,
my. If you believed what we believe,
you'd pray all the time. If you really believed that there
was an entrance into His awesome presence, boldly, without condemnation,
through the blood of an effectual substitute, you'd pray all the
time. You'd live in an attitude of
prayer, thanksgiving, dependence on you. I believe what you believe,
I wouldn't preach. Oh, that's the only reason to
preach, because we've got a God who can show mercy to whom he
will. He's got some sheep out there
that he's going to show mercy to. who art in heaven, hallowed be
thy name." By this scripture again we are reminded that we
come before a throne of grace. Our God is in the heavens and
we are upon the earth. Let your words be few. Lord,
enable us to be serious and solemn and most sincere in this matter
of prayer, calling upon Thee our God. Let us be filled with
humility and awe and reverence in thy presence. Let us worship.
Oh, worship and bow down. The Lord's in his holy temple.
All things are in thy hands. All things are in thy ordained
purpose. All things are for the glory of thy Son. But our Father,
we thank thee that all things have been paid for by Christ. Purchased for us. that we have
this grand and glorious entrance within the veil through the righteousness
and blood of another, perfect sacrifice, we have a great high
priest. And openly and candidly we can
come into thy presence and say, Lord, you see us as we are, know
us as we are, nothing hid from thee, all things are open and
naked, uncovered, and we're glad. We're glad. We don't need to
be ashamed or embarrassed, because you know us. Remembereth our
frame, you know that we're dust. The man at his best state is
altogether vanity. And our Lord Jesus Christ walked
this trail. He faced all the thorns and all
the trials and all the tribulations and temptations we'll ever have
to bear, yet without sin. But he can be touched with the
feeling of our infirmities. And Lord, we say with the Apostle
Peter, Thou knowest all things. Thou knowest that we love Thee.
Thou art our rock and our fortress, our strong foundation. We, through
Christ and in Christ, are secure. Bless all who are here tonight
and who have heard with the heart these blessed words. In His name we pray. Amen.