Boldness At The Throne

BOLDNESS AT THE THRONE

Heb. 4:14-16

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: TYPES OF PRAYERS

1. The "Call 9-1-1 Prayer." You make this call when you have an emergency. You don't want to trouble God normally. God is your divine spare tire with your life goes flat.

2. The "Jiminy Cricket" prayer. "When you wish upon a star; makes no difference who you are; anything your hearts desire will come to you." God is viewed like a cosmic grandpa.

3. The "Monty Hall" Prayer. It begins like this: "God, let's make a deal." You will do something for God if He comes through for you first.

4. The "Aladdin's Lamp" Prayer. It's based on the deep belief that if you just "rub" God the right way, He will magically be at your service. God is treated as a cosmic bellhop.

5. The "Lottery" Prayer. It can't hurt to try, and you just might hit the jackpot.

6. The last is the "Guinness" Prayer. This person thinks it's a matter of how long and how loud they pray that gets a response on God.

B. TEXT

“14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Heb 4:14-16, NKJV.

C. THESIS

1. Prayer is vital to the life of the Christian. “Behold, he prays,” was the first and surest indication of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus.

2. No one begins the life of faith without prayer, nor can they continue a Christian without prayer. A Christian’s vigor, happiness, growth and usefulness all depend on prayer.

3. It’s likely we will still depend on prayer in heaven, for the souls under the altar prayed to Christ there (Rev. 6:10).

4. We’re going to look at this THRONE, who invites us, the BOLDNESS we’re told to have, and the REASONS for our boldness.

5. The title of this message is “Boldness at the Throne.”

I. THE THRONE OF GRACE

A. THRONE = MERCY SEAT

1. This “throne” is the heavenly fulfillment of the earthy Mercy Seat/ Ark of the Covenant, which resided in the Holy of Holies, and over which God’s presence manifested.

2. Under the law of Moses, there was to be an ark overlaid inside and outside with pure gold. And above the ark was to be the mercy seat (atonement cover) of pure gold with the golden cherubim extending their wings up and over.

3. This mysterious emblem no one ever saw except the high priest—and he saw it only once a year—and then but dimly, for he saw it through the smoke of the incense which he presented before the Lord.

4. The High Priest had to go through extensive preparations to enter this area. (The legend of the rope around the ankle is not true; it’s a myth). The Holiest was a forbidding place; No priest felt worthy to enter it.

B. OUR UNWORTHINESS

1. I was in Mexico City as a teen ager and visited the Metropolitan Cathedral, the largest cathedral in the Americas. It was built between 1573-1813. It has incredibly beautiful stain glass windows and murals.

2. One thing that always sticks out in my mind were the 10-20 people who were approaching the cathedral, crawling on their knees! I’m sure they meant it as respect, but also as not realizing that Jesus had made them worthy, if they’d received forgiveness of sins from Him.

3. “There is no one righteous, not even one….for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Rom. 3:10,23.

C. WHAT JESUS DID IN DEATH/RESURRECTION

1. The mercy seat, then, is where the high priest typically came once each year. But our great High Priest, “by His own blood entered in once into the Holy Place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Heb. 9:12).

2. He tore down the separating veil and threw the holiest of all open to all who believe in Him! And He’s made us kings and priests unto God, so that where the high priest stood, that’s where we may stand in Christ Jesus!

3. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace.” Why? “For [God] hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” 2 Cor. 5:21.

4. So Christians aren’t intended to go crawling around the outer court and keeping far from the Holy Place.

D. WHY CALLED A “THRONE”