Throne of Grace (Hebrews 4:12-16)
We rented a nice house in Roanoke, Virginia. And it’s only since we moved into our new home that I learned something about that rental house—it had a broken window in the basement.
When Wil was about 12 or 13, he was out playing with a ball when the ball went flying through a window in the basement. Wil knew that Dad tended to be far too harsh, and he was absolutely terrified I would find out. Obviously, there wasn’t any way to hide a broken window, so Wil waited until I wasn’t around and told Tammy. Tammy, RJ, and Wil hatched a plan—they waited until Dad went to bed and covered the window so I would never find out. Their plan worked wondrously, for I had no idea there was a broken window until Tam told me a couple months ago. But I can’t tell you how deeply it troubled me to hear how afraid Wil was to tell me he had broken a window playing ball.
How many of you hid something from your parents because you were afraid? Do any of you remember getting a tongue lashing or a spanking for misbehaving? Did any of you parents ever overreact to something your kids did? Looking back, do you think you were too strict? Is there a possibility that your children were afraid of you?
Many people think of God as a parent of whom you should be afraid; however, when you’re struggling, you can confidently go before God’s throne of grace for help. Make no mistake: God will judge the world in righteousness and in vengeance. However, those covered in Jesus’s blood will not experience that vengeance.
Instead of vengeance, you can find mercy and grace in your time of need, for “There is help at God’s throne.”
Scripture (Hebrews 4:12-16)
verses 12-13:
God’s word is alive, not some ancient book of a bygone era; active, the Greek term means that it gets results; and piercing to the very soul. The living word exposes the reader: every thought, every motive, and every sin become naked before God.
verse 14:
Our great high priest—Jesus—passed through the heavens; the Greek means that Jesus entered the heavens and remains there. Heaven is pictured as the Holy of Holies where the high priest entered to make atonement for sin; our high priest is so great that he only entered the holy place once, and he remains there making intercession for his people.
Because Jesus is in the Holy of Holies, “let us hold fast our confession.” Because the word of God lays bare every sin and every secret, it might be tempting to become discouraged and to leave the faith. However, Jesus, as the great high priest, has made atonement for sin and gives great hope in the face of sinfulness.
verses 15:
Many of the priestly elite in Jerusalem were corrupt in the first century; their contrast to Jesus, therefore, could not have been sharper. Jesus faced every single temptation a human can face without sinning even once.
He, therefore, is able to “sympathize with our weaknesses.” Jesus’s sympathizing with weakness does not mean that he feels sorry for those who are tempted; rather, the idea is that he will readily come to the aid of the one being tempted.
verse 16:
Because Jesus will help in the moment of temptation, the Christian can “with confidence draw near to the throne of grace.” The ark of the covenant symbolized God’s throne; only the high priest could approach that throne, and he could only do it once a year on the appointed day. Yet Jesus threw open access to God’s throne to everyone in Christ.
Help from the throne comes in the form of mercy and grace. One receives mercy for the forgiveness of past sins and grace to strengthen him for the temptation he’s facing.
Application
“There is help at God’s throne.” Your sins—every single one of them—are exposed by the word of God. The most logical conclusion would be to steer clear of God’s throne; why go to the throne of a perfect God when you are full of sin? However, at God’s throne of grace, one finds mercy and grace. How can you find that mercy and grace?
One: Check
To go to the throne of mercy in a time of need, you need to know where you need mercy and grace; the only way to do that is to Check the Word of God. The author of Hebrews acknowledged Scripture’s power: “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Heb 4:12-13).
Scripture will open up your every sin and intention and expose them. God said to Jeremiah, “Because you have spoken this word, behold, I am making my words in your mouth a fire, and this people wood, and the fire shall consume them” (Jer 5:14). Again to Jeremiah God said, “Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” (Jer 23:29).
Go to the word and Check your life. Find where you need God’s mercy and his grace. Scripture will leave no doubt where sin lurks in your life. Don’t be afraid to go to Scripture; only by exposing your sin can you repent and gain God’s mercy and grace.
Two: Continue
Continue in your faith to maintain access to God’s throne. The author of Hebrews feared his readers would go back to Judaism; in Jesus, they had a high priest who was far superior to any earthly high priest. Don’t you go back into the world, for you have a high priest who has forgiven all your trespasses and stands ready to provide mercy and grace in your time of need.
Continue in your faith. Jesus told his disciples, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide [Continue] in my love” (Jn 15:9). “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Heb 10:23). Jesus told the church at Philadelphia, “I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown” (Rev 3:11).
When the going gets tough in your Christian life—and it will—don’t give up; go to the throne of grace to find mercy and grace.
Three: Confide
You may go to the throne and confidently Confide in your God and find mercy and grace. God stands ready to help you when trouble comes—when you’re tempted to sin or when you feel like giving up or when you’re discouraged or when you’ve sinned or when your heart is broken in a million pieces.
Because “There is help at God’s throne,” you may Confide in him. Jesus: “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it” (Jn 14:13-14). “This is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us” (1 Jn 5:14). Take the confidence that is yours in Christ and Confide before the throne of grace.
Do you need grace before God’s throne this morning?
This sermon was originally preached by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr., at Church of Christ Deer Park in Deer Park, Texas.