Hebrews, the fourth chapter,
if you will, please. Hebrews chapter 4. This is my
text this morning, Hebrews 4. I'm going to read three verses,
verse 14, 15, and 16. Hebrews 4, 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. Let's hold fast our profession.
For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with
a feeling of our infirmities This is generally when a man
lets his profession go, when he's overwhelmed with his infirmities,
or his afflictions, or his failures, or his discouragements. Let's
hold fast our profession. We have not a high priest which
cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in
all points tempted as we are, like as we are, yet without sin. Let us, therefore, come boldly. under the throne of grace that
we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Now, I want to learn to pray.
I want to learn not only how to pray, but I want to learn
the things for which to pray. And I want to learn what prayer
is. I do know this. I realize this. is a whole lot
more than asking and receiving. It certainly is. It's more than
petitions. Prayer is more than petitions
for benefits and blessing. Because the scripture talks about
praying without ceasing. And there's no way that a man
petitions heaven without ceasing, or asks for something without
ceasing. Prayer is a whole lot more than asking and receiving.
It's a whole lot more than even giving thanks. Prayer, I believe,
the scripture teaches, is worship. Worship. Praise. Praise. Thanksgiving, yes. Petition, yes. But prayer is
communion with God. Jay and I communicate quite a
bit. I told him last week when he was gone to Crossville, Tennessee,
I missed him. I missed his visit each day.
I missed talking to him. But we don't, when I talk with
him and communicate with him, we don't, I don't ask him for
things and ask him to do things and laud him for what he's done.
We just sometimes sit and talk. Communion, fellowship, prayer
is fellowship with God. I'm not saying it's not asking
and receiving. I'm not saying what things you
desire when you pray, believe, and you shall receive them. I
know that. But I say it's more. Prayer is more than asking and
receiving. Perhaps that's the reason some
of us have such a difficult time in prayer. Because really, most of the time,
our needs are very few. Needs, I mean. Prayer occupies
a most important part or place in the life of a believer. Let
me show you something in the book of Acts chapter 9. Acts the 9th
chapter. I want you to turn here and let
me show you something. Acts chapter 9 verse 10 and 11. One of the
surest evidences that Saul of Tarsus was converted was that
he prayed. That is what the Lord said to
Ananias. Let me show you that in Acts
chapter 9, 10 and 11. There was a certain disciple at Damascus
named Ananias. And to him said the Lord in a
vision, Ananias? He said, I'm here. And the Lord
said to him, Arise and go into the street which is called Straight,
and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus.
For behold, he prayed. Uh-oh, something's happened to
old Saul. You see what God's saying to Ananias? That's proof
that God has done something for him. He prays. And that's what
I'm talking about. I want to learn to pray. I want
to learn to pray. Bunyan said this, prayer is the
breath of a believer. Prayer is the breath of a believer. Sooner, he said, expect a natural
man to live without breathing as to expect a believer to live
without praying. And that's the reason, Cecil,
I said prayer is more than asking and receiving. I know there's
a famous book out on that subject, Prayer, Asking and Receiving,
but it's a heap more than that. It's more than just thanksgiving.
It's communion with God. It's because of the supreme importance
of communion with God that we find so much about it in the
scriptures. Now, if we confine prayer to
what We generally think of when we say prayer, why did our Lord
pray all night? You can get most prayers said
in very few words. He communed with the Father all
night. He departed into a quiet place to pray, not just to ask
for something, not even just to give thanks, but to fellowship
with God, to commune with God, to exalt his attributes. to give
him the glory due his matchless name, to communicate. Men are always to pray, the scripture
says, always. Pray without ceasing. The title
of my message this morning is Boldness at the Throne of Grace,
and this is our hymn for the day, our ancient hymn of the
Bulletin. We bless thee for the word, for
thy law. We bless thee for thy grace.
We bless thee, Lord, because there is a throne of grace. That's
what I want to talk about. I want to deal with about five
questions. Where do we come? It says here
in our text, Hebrews 3, 16, Let us therefore come boldly unto
the throne of grace. The throne of grace. Where do
we come? And secondly, we're going to talk about who's invited
to come. These will be the points. Who's invited? Thirdly, how do
we come? And fourthly, why do we come?
And then fifthly, we're going to talk about on what basis do
we come. Now let's see, where do we come?
It says, let us come boldly unto the throne of grace. Back under
the law, in the days of the tabernacle, there was a tabernacle in the
wilderness And there was behind that heavy veil a place called
the Holy of Holies. I think of it, I tremble. I think
of it, I'm almost overcome with the glory of it, the majesty
of it, the awesomeness of it. In that Holy of Holies, 15 feet
wide, 15 feet long, 15 feet high, was an Ark of the Covenant. made of pure gold was a mercy
seat. And there dwelt the presence,
the Shekinah glory of God Almighty. In that little place, within
that tabernacle, surrounded by that eight-foot white fence,
there was the glory of God, the presence of God. And nobody was
allowed, upon sentence of death, terrible death, into the presence
of God. The high priest would take the
blood of atonement and slip under the veil and there burning a
cloud of incense so that he could scarcely see the ark or the mercy
seat. He didn't see it very clearly
because of that cloud of incense. He put that blood on that mercy
seat and he came, that high priest, on behalf of the people into
the presence of God. He was permitted, only he, once
a year. was permitted into the presence
of God. But when our Lord died on that
cross, when our Redeemer, our great high priest, bearing into
the Holy of Holies, not made with hands but into heaven itself,
his own atonement, his own precious blood, of which all these were
types, that veil was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
Not from the bottom to the top as if some vandal had done it,
but God himself took a hold of it. Not a little corner torn
off in the side over here. Not just raised a little to permit
you to crawl under, but rent in twain from top to bottom.
And the presence of God was thrown open. And where the high priest
was allowed to go once a year, I can come any time into the
presence of God. That's what I'm talking about.
Let us come boldly. And that high priest trembled.
He took the blood, he washed carefully, he changed his clothes,
he made the sacrifice, he went through all of the prayers, he
burned the incense, he took the censer, he went under the veil,
and don't you know what a heavy burden and responsibility this
was in the presence of God? I don't know that we ought to
feel it any less, the awesomeness of it. But where do we come? We come
into the presence of God. Look at it, it's called a throne
of grace. It's a throne. It's called a
throne because the King sits there. That's right, the King. He's our Father. Christ is our
Redeemer. But he's King of kings and Lord
of lords. The one to whom we pray. The
one in whose presence we come. The one whose fellowship we seek.
with whom we seek communion is the King. Somebody said, art
coming to the King. Great petitions with thee bring. His grace and power such that
none can ever ask too much. The throne. Let us come boldly
unto the throne. Don't ever forget that. Isaiah
had it impressed on his mind so vividly He said, I saw the
Lord high and lifted up. Sitting where? On a throne. And a throne speaks of supremacy
and sovereignty, majesty and power. It's a throne. But now
watch this next word. He says, let us come boldly to
the throne of grace. Where do we come? I never get
tired of that word grace. I need it so much. I never get
tired of the word grace. I never get tired of using the
word grace. It's the choice word in the description of this thing
of prayer and communion. It's all of grace. Everything
God has for me is grace, is on the basis of grace. Now, if this
were a throne of justice, a throne of justice, I wouldn't
want to come, because I don't want to be dealt with No, sir. No, sir. Not alone. In Christ,
God deals with us in a way that's consistent with his justice.
But this is not a throne of justice. This is not even a throne of
power, because I don't have any strength. I can't cope with a
throne of power. It's not only a throne of power.
It's not only a throne of righteousness, because in myself there is no
righteousness. It's not even a throne of wisdom,
because I'm the most foolish one of all. But he rightly named
it. He said, You come to the throne
of grace. We approach God on the terms
of grace alone. He deals with us on the terms
of grace alone. Whatever God's pleased to do
with us and for us will be according to his grace alone. That's where we come. Don't ever
lose sight in your communion with God and fellowship of the
fact that we come to a throne. He's King of kings and Lord of
lords. He said if you call him father or call on the father,
pass the time of your sojourning here in fear. There's a fear
that's not slavish. There's a fear that's based upon
reverence and respect and awe. Now, that kind of fear we'd better
learn something about. It's a throne of grace, though. Pure grace. Infinite grace. Undeserved grace. All right? Who's invited to come? Now, this
is interesting. The way it's worded here. Paul back here says in verse
14, we have a high priest that's passed into the heavens. Let's
hold fast our profession. For we have not a high priest
which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.
Let us come to the throne of grace. Us. The words are not,
watch this now, not come to the throne of grace or go to the
throne of grace, but let us. Let us. Who's speaking here?
Well, you say that's Paul. Yeah, that's Paul. Let us. Paul says let us. Let us. Charlie, Danny, let us, Paul
says. Joe, let us. That's Paul. That's who they, what he used
to be called. What he used to be. Saul. The
most feared the most feared, hateful enemy the Church had. That's who he was. I hear people
talk about their past, you know, talk about what they've done
and said and been, etc., etc., you know, and how humbled and
guilty and so forth. But do you know who this is speaking
here? This is a man that shed the blood of the first martyr. That's right, he was part of
the gang that stoned Stephen. That's right, that's who this
bird is. This is the man that held the coats, this is the coward
that wouldn't do it himself but held the coats of men who dashed
the brains out of the first man who died for the glory of the
gospel. Stood right there and watched them stone him to death
without opening his mouth. That's who this bird is. This
is the man that wasn't satisfied to persecute Christians where
he lived. He had to go to the high priest and get some orders
that permit him to go wherever he wanted to, to put women and
children in prison for calling on the name of Christ. But I'll
tell you this. I shouldn't have to summon up
much courage to go to the throne of grace in such company, should
I? If he's welcome there, I assume that I am too. And he is. He called himself less than the
least of all the saints. He called himself a blasphemer.
He called himself injurious. He called himself the chief of
sinners. All these things. But he speaks collectively of
all believing sinners. Let us, every one of us, come
boldly to the throne of grace. Let us. And he speaks on the
power of the Holy Spirit, so you need not question the authority
of this invitation. That's right, you. You and me.
I think the only man who ought to feel unworthy to approach
God is the self-righteous man. I really do. I think there's
none too bad to be saved, but if there's some too good, I really
do. And I believe I'm telling you
the truth there. The Lord welcomes sinners. He said that. He said,
I came to seek and to save the lost. I came not to call the
righteous, but sinners to repentance. He was called a friend of sinners.
He said, the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost. You say, I'm not worthy to come
into his presence. You are now. You are now. Now, if you feel worthy, you're
not now. I think sometimes when we feel
that we're closest to God, there's a good possibility we're further
off than we've ever been. And sometimes when we feel the
most sinful and the weakest and the most unworthy and that the
weakest of all his sons, there's a good possibility that we're
on the closest, holiest ground we've ever been on. That's so.
You think that over a little bit. When I'm weak, Paul said,
I'm strong. When I'm strong in the flesh, I'm weak in the Spirit.
But let us, let us, I encourage you, I encourage you. Don't send
somebody, let us come. Don't pay somebody to pray for
you. Don't go down to the Catholic Church and put something in the
box and say, Hail Mary, Mother of God, full of grace, pray for
us poor sinners. You go bold into the throne of
grace. Us. Us. One of our preachers
said a week or so ago, Mary was highly favored among men, not
above men, among men and women. Highly favored. Let us. That's what this man Saul of
Tarsus, who now is Paul, said, let us. Thirdly, how do we come? He said, let us. Therefore, come
boldly. Boldly. Boldly. Now, let's don't mistake the
meaning of that word. I think a lot of folks have.
I think some are what we call fundamentalist, evangelical,
religionists of today have misinterpreted this word. It does not mean proudly. God forbid. Turn to Genesis 18. Let me show you something. Genesis
18. I want to show you something
here, and I want everybody who has a Bible to turn there, and you who don't
have a Bible, write it down if you're interested in this communion
with God, and go home and study it. In Genesis 18, you know the
story that God told Abraham he was going to destroy Sodom. Lot
lived down there. And Abraham began to pray for
Sodom, began to pray for the people. I want you to notice
how Abraham, now this is a friend of God, this is called the father
of the faithful, this is a man like David, who was a man after
God's own heart. He spoke to God face to face,
but I want you to listen to how he talks. Genesis 18, 27. Abraham
answered, verse 27. Behold, now I have taken upon
me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes. And then
he made his petition. And down here in verse 30, read
verse 30. Oh, let not the Lord be angry,
and I'll speak. Perhaps there would be 30 found
there. Now verse 31, he said, Behold, now I have taken upon
me to speak unto the Lord, for adventure there would be 20 found
there. God said, I'll not destroy it but twenty say. Now verse
32, O Lord, O let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet
but this once. You see, here's a man who came
boldly but not proudly, not arrogantly. Lord, I'm your child, I got faith
in Christ, I got a right to be here. You got a right to go to hell,
but you got a right to do. You bought that right. Study the way Abraham approached
the Lord. Study the way every Old Testament
saint approached God. Study the way Paul came into
the presence of God. We don't come arrogantly or proudly
or presumptuously. It is a throne. It is a throne, a throne of sovereignty. Surely he is. He said, I'll be
merciful to whom I will. I'll be gracious to whom I will.
Well, what does the word boldly mean, then, Preacher? Well, let
me tell you what I believe it means, with help from some more
fellows. I believe the word boldly might
include, first of all, constantly at all times. We have an entrance. Our Lord said, I am the door. By me, if any man enter in, he
may find salvation and go in and out and find pasture. In
other words, we have free access. All of our children over at the
parsonage have a key to the door. They have free access. They go
and come as they please. Whether the mother and I are
there or not, they go and come as they please. That's their
home to free access. You see what I'm talking about
constantly. Now Esther, though she was the queen, You remember
the story of Esther? She could only come, Jay, before
the king when she's specially called. And you remember that
time she came and he won't know what you're doing here. But now,
we come at all times. That's what boldly means. Boldly,
see, is taking upon yourself, by his grace and permission and
invitation, this blessed privilege of coming any time you want.
That's boldness. All right? Secondly, it's to
come freely. Come freely with simple words,
just like you are. Just like you are. Let me ask
you a question. And I don't mean to make fun
of, or maybe we ought to make fun of some of our religious
jargon. But what if your children approached
you like a lot of people approach God in prayer? in sort of a formal
written statement, like you're coming before Congress or something. And one of your children come
to you tomorrow and say, My father, whereas I am
thy child by election, whereas you have made provisions in your
eternal covenant for the entrance thereunto of Adam's race, whereas
I have been called by the Word and by the Spirit, whereas let
it be resolved that upon this certain date that I make petition
for you to buy me a new pair of shoes." You'd say, you nut! Did your mother write that? Now, how would you like that?
Cold, formal, or Let me ask you this, when that little fellow
of yours is one or two years old, he butchers the English
language, but you think it's cute. He can't pronounce any word right. He pronounces all of them bad.
But I tell you, we rejoice in it, we glory in it. And he could
just about have the moon if he asked for it, in his childlike,
simple way. I wish we could learn to pray
like that, with simple words, freely, come boldly, boldly, to the Father. And then come,
I think it means something else, I think it means hopefully, expecting. I believe when our children come,
now they have a, I remember when I'd ask my father, my father
was not an unreasonable man, he was a sensible man. He had
limitations to what he could do for me or give to me. But
when I asked him for something, I asked expecting. I knew to
some extent the things for which to ask. I noticed me asking my
dad for a new Ford V8. That's what we called them back
then, a Ford V8. He couldn't have bought me one. But anything within reason, when
I came and said, Dad, I've got to have a a new book for algebra,
or I've got to have a fee, or the senior class is going on
an outing and I need a couple of dollars. I expected to get
it. I really did, because he loved
me, and it was within his power to supply it. Now, why don't
we come that way, hopefully? He said, if you ask anything
according to my will, it shall be done. And then, I believe
it means boldly, not only constantly and freely with simple words
and hopefully expecting, but it means perseveringly. It means
to keep on asking. Now, I think the best, as I think
J.O. confirmed this, the best commentary is that asking you
shall receive. Doesn't it mean keep on asking?
Seek, keep on seeking. Knock, keep on knocking. honored importunity. He gave
a whole parable on it. I can't come down. I'm in bed with my family. I
told you to go away. I'm coming. That's what he said. I got to have some bread, that
fellow said. Okay, I'm coming. at what things soever you desire
when you pray, believe. Believe. Keep on believing. Keep on. It's the will of God
to save. It's the will of God to show
mercy. It's the will of God to bless. I know it is. He delights
to show mercy. And Jacob said, I'm not going
to let you go till you bless me. I'm not going to do it. Why do we come? Look back at
the text. us. Come on, every one of us,
let us. A not worthy preacher, yes you
are too, in Christ. Out of him, no you're not. And
the preacher isn't either, least of all. Come boldly, expectantly,
hopefully, constantly, perseveringly, freely, come boldly to the throne
of grace that we may obtain what? Mercy. That's what it's all about. This is the first on the agenda,
and the last. Mercy. Ruined sinners need mercy. Redeemed sinners need mercy. Lost men and women need mercy.
Believers need mercy. And his mercy is all in Christ,
and it's free in Christ. And what we read last night,
or one of the men quoted last night over here in Micah, listen
to this, I won't ask you to turn, that's one of those books that
hide from you. Verse 18 of Micah 7, Who's a God like unto thee
that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgressions
of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger forever,
because he delighteth in mercy. You don't know an infinitesimal part of the mercy that God delights
to bestow and give on this earth. There's nobody that even reveals
a finite percentage of the mercy he delights to show. You think
you've had forgiveness and mercy from the hand of men? Compared
to God's mercy, it's nothing. He delights to show mercy. He
delights to show mercy. We come to find, to obtain mercy,
to obtain it. And then what else? And find
grace to help us. Grace to help us in our time
of need. I tell you this, every hour of
every day is a time of need for us. And never do we need grace
like we need it right now. And never do we need grace like
when we feel we have no need. That's why we come. that we may
obtain mercy, and that mercy is in Christ. That's where ruined
sinners find mercy, in the Redeemer. Mercy! He delights to show mercy. He plenties in mercy. You can't
exhaust his mercy. Can you imagine when old Joseph
Took, was it seven years of plenty? Seven years? Therefore it was
in Egypt. And then seven years of famine. And he stored up those
silos for seven years. Can you imagine how much grain
he had? Enough to feed Egypt and the surrounding country.
Here's two little rats, you know, two little mice wandered up in
the river now. And they found their way into
one of those silos. And they started eating. And
one of them turned to the other and said, reckon is enough for all of us. I'm worried that we're going
to give out. There's not anything out yonder. Eat away, little
feller. You may eat for eternity and
you won't exhaust the Joseph's storehouses. And I'll tell you
this, your petition can't be big enough or great enough or
long enough to exhaust the riches of the storehouses of Christ
Jesus. He's plenteous. Oh, just keep
on coming back. For the same thing, yeah, for
the same thing, mercy. For the same thing, yeah, grace
to help in time of need. You got a need today, need tomorrow,
just keep on coming back. Won't the Lord weary of my coming?
Never. Never. All right, last of all,
on what basis? Do we come? Let us therefore.
They see that word, and any time you see the word therefore, I
repeat an old cliche, see what it's there for. Paul has just
said some things that led him to say, therefore, let us come
bold. Let us, of all people. That's
right, you and me. Let us. Come on. Right into his
holy presence, right into his awesome presence, right before
his fearful throne. Come on. Holy. And you'll find his hand
reach out and his grace pour forth from his lips and his mercy
plenteous. Why? How come? Verse 14, seeing
we have a great high priest. We've got somebody on God's right
hand whom we know, who knows us, who loves us. You see what I'm saying? He's
not Aaron. He's not the sons of Levi. He's
not even Melchizedek. He's God himself. Seeing we have
a great... Somebody said one time they quit
using the word wonderful when they found out that was his name.
You talk about it's a wonderful day. That's a wonderful feeling. His name should be called wonderful.
And I'll tell you, when you find out that he is the great high
priest and the chief shepherd and the good shepherd, those
words might disappear from your vocabulary. He's great, he's a great high
priest. That's passed into the heavens,
that identifies where he is. What he is, his office, great
high priest. Where he is in the heaven. Who
he is, Jesus, no mistaking who that is. That's the carpenter,
that's the Nazarene, that's the one who died on the cross, Jesus. Watch out now, he's not through.
The Son of God, no mistaking who that is, D, not A, Son of
God, D, capital S-O-N, Son of God. And that's the reason you
come boldly. You have, we have, we have a
great high priest. And read the book of Hebrews,
he is greater than all the priests, than Moses, than angels, a great
high priest that's passed into the heavens. He came down here
and died and was buried and rose again, and God took him back
to the heavens, right into the presence of God, who sat him
on his right hand. Jesus, Son of God, therefore you hold fast
your profession. But now wait a minute, he's not
isolated from you and separated from you, he's not He is holy,
but look at verse 15. We have not a high priest which
cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. Now wait
a minute, preacher, I know who he is. I know Jesus Christ is
the great high priest, the Son of God, who is at the right hand
of God. But did you know this? That one day he walked in the
flesh just like you're walking right now. Did you know that?
Did you know for 33 and a half years he knew every pain you'll
ever bear? He knew every sorrow you'll ever
endure. He knew every trial you'll ever
be called upon to face. That's right. He knew every temptation
you'll ever experience. That's right. I tell you, there's
nobody in this world better to talk to than somebody that's
been there. Huh? And there's nobody in this world
who has greater compassion and understanding than somebody's
been there. And there's nobody in this world that'll encourage
you more quickly than somebody's been there. And there's nobody
that feels more love for you and compassion for you and pity
for you than somebody's been there. That's right. Well, that's what
we're talking about here. Come boldly, and it's his presence
in whom you're coming. The one that's been there. You
see what I'm saying? Why should you hesitate? Why should you
hold back? Oh, but I'm... Oh, the things if you just knew.
Well, I don't, but he does. He understands. We have a high priest. We have
not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of
our infirmities, but he was in all points, tempted as we are.
Now this is added, yet without sin, to be our redeemer. He had
to be without sin. And because he's God, he's without
sin. But he knows our warfare, he
himself. And therefore, Paul comes down
to this verse, which is my text. Okay, let us therefore come boldly. I'm weary of people making excuses
for staying away from Christ, and staying away from the Lord
Jesus, and not submitting to him in faith. Your excuses won't
hold water. I tell you what it all boils
down to. The way is so free and so open, and it's for sinners,
and it's for the needy, and for the broken, and for the weak,
and for the distressed, and it's for all who will come. I tell
you, it boils down to you just don't really want to come. Now,
that's what it all is. You say, I'm not saved this morning,
preacher. I want to be. No, you don't.
No, you don't. Now you really don't. Oh, I want
to know God. No, I don't believe you really
do. It's too free. If he'd save a wretch like me,
he'd save you. If he'd pick up out of the gutter
a rat like Saul of Tarsus and take him right into his presence
for the blood of Christ and wash him and make him whole, you're
bragging now when you stay away. That's right. But I don't pray
and I don't come into God's presence and don't worship because I'm
unworthy. If you don't understand the gospel,
it's your problem. The gospel is for sinners. Isn't
that right, Joe? Christ is a friend of sinners.
If you really believed that, you'd run to him. Drown in me
and always reach for the preserver. Those that are standing on bottom
will watch it go to somebody else. Those that are in waist-deep
water are not going to reach for a life preserver. The people
make fun of them. But man, that fellow is gasping
for breath on the third trip down. You throw him one, he won't
say, I'm just too far gone. He'll grab it. He'll lay hold
upon it. Our Father in Heaven, what a
joy, what a privilege, what a blessed, blessed gift of grace. Let us,
therefore, because Christ is our great High Priest and because
he loves us and gave himself for us, we'll never get over this privilege.
We can come boldly before your very throne of grace,
and there we find mercy. We're not asking, O Lord, for
anything but mercy, because we need grace and mercy, need
it desperately. Move upon the heart of every
person in this congregation to the understanding and the rejoicing
and the receiving of Thy mercy in Christ Jesus. bore our ears, make us bond slaves. There's nothing else that we
desire, and nothing else that will meet the need of our hearts,
and nothing else, O Lord, that's worth having other than a relationship
through Christ with Thee. We pray these things in His name
and for His glory. Amen.