Extreme Grace
Hebrews 4:12-16 12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. 14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-- yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Intro: Maybe you’ve heard of extreme sports, where people do crazy things, just for the adrenaline rush they get from it. There is also a show on TV called Extreme Makeover, where they find a family in need and really go over the top, helping them start fresh with a beautiful new home, mortgage paid, college fund for the kids, etc. The word extreme speaks of the greatest possible degree or extent or intensity of something. It indicates that something is way out on the edge. I’ve called this message extreme grace because God is willing to go to great lengths to get to the core of our being. Some even accuse Him of being extremely cruel because of some of the extremely difficult things they’ve had to go through.
-The fact is, we are all going through a humbling process as God works in our lives. I’m not quite ready to say that everything that happens is from God, but I do know that He promised to be with you through it all. And as we deal with the less pleasant side of life, God invites us to come to Him in our brokenness and find healing and help from Him.
-How far will God go to give you the grace you need? The answer is the main thought of the message today.
Prop: God’s extreme grace is available to each of us, but can only be received by a heart that is exposed and open before Him.
I. God’s grace sees us just the way we are (12-13)
-When God shows His grace to us, He does not sidestep the truth about us. He doesn’t pretend that we have not sinned, nor does He ignore the fact that we have often been selfish and filled with pride. He does not overlook the truth about us, nor does He bend the rules of justice simply because He likes us. God is totally fair, honest, and just. It would go against His nature to pretend that our sin is okay or that we don’t have any.
-So, what is the truth about us? I am a sinner. If you were to stand before God today, what would you be sorry for? Lord, I’ve had hatred in my heart. I have been selfish and defensive. Lord, I’ve had unclean thoughts in my mind. I’ve allowed my thought life to go places it should not have gone. I’ve not been completely honest. I’ve taken what did not belong to me. I’ve judged others harshly. I’m haunted by sins from my past.
-The truth about us is that we do fail, we do sin, and our lives can get very messy. By ourselves we cannot be good enough or act good enough to make things okay. That is where God comes in. Even though He knows how much we have failed, He still offers His grace to us.
-The truth about God is that He sees everything.
-The writer of Hebrews shows that God’s word (His truth) penetrates every area of our hearts and lives. Nothing is hidden from His eyes. After Adam and Eve sinned, they tried to hide from God because they were ashamed of being uncovered before Him. They were ashamed of the fact that God could see right through them. Certainly, the whole dynamic of shame and being physically exposed was central to their situation. However, I’m not certain that they were as ashamed of their lack of clothing as they were of their lack of trust and lack of obedience to God.
-I’ve been pondering over this feeling of being exposed, open, bare before the One who made us. Sometimes life has a way of stripping us down to the bare essence of who we are. Some people do not like what they see inside and ask God for his help. Others try to find ways to insulate themselves from the bare facts of who they are.
-Let me talk about some of the coverings we have in this life. Many of these coverings are gifts from God that are part of His plan to help us grow and become who we were meant to be. For example, we typically start out being covered by our parents. Our identity is wrapped up in our parents, our family, and all that comes with it. Other coverings come along that affect our identity. Friends, neighbors, people in your community provide a covering of sorts where you can kind of blend in, and be somewhat insulated from solitude and aloneness. There are certain expectations of you as part of a community. You are expected to look a certain way, act a certain way, and relate to others in a certain way. We often feel good about ourselves when we live up to those expectations of us and we stay under that covering.
-There are many other things that we insulate ourselves with. We wrap ourselves up in possessions and surround ourselves with hobbies and activities. We occupy ourselves with entertainment in many forms. Sometimes people turn to things that blind them to reality (alcohol, drugs, sex, or other addictions). People are seeking refuge, a hiding place where they can be covered. They want to be safe from scrutiny, from themselves and from others.
-Again, some of these coverings can be helpful and are necessary, but the real you is on the inside, where nobody really knows what is going on (except for the One who made you).
-I am finding that these coverings can be removed at various times in our lives, at least from our perspective. One thing that seems to affect our coverings is adversity. I find that in the midst of hard times you can become less aware of the coverings and feel a bit raw and exposed at times. You may still be under many coverings, but you may also feel like the part of your identity that has been wrapped up in those coverings has lost its significance in light of your grief and pain.
-It is in these times when our life is exposed to the raw elements of sorrow and difficulty that we may feel alone. All the coverings in life we thought were so important -- how successful we have been, how much money we make, what kind of house or car we have, how well we have excelled in sports, or how talented we are – these things suddenly fade away like a mist. It is down to you … and God. You stand before Him, exposed and uncovered.
-As Job went through the worst imaginable adversity, losing family and wealth, he sat down to mourn. He had the covering of a few friends for awhile. They meant well but were not able to see into the depths of his heart. It was only after his friends left him and it was down to Him and God that He was able to deal with God’s role in his life and receive His grace to live again.
-We sing a song, that says, “When the music fades, all is stripped away, and I simply come. Longing just to bring something that’s of worth that will bless Your heart. I’ll bring You more than a song, for a song in itself is not what you have desired. You search much deeper within than the way things appear, You’re looking into my heart.” If we place this song in the context of adversity, the music is gone, everything else has been stripped away, and all you have left is to call on God. Simply come to Him, knowing that He is looking right into your heart, past the coverings, past appearances. What is God after? What does He want from you, anyway?
-I’m pretty sure many of us can give the right answer, but I’m not so sure we really understand the answer. God wants us! He sees us as we are – broken, empty, in need, sinful, with nothing to brag about. But He wants us to see ourselves as we really are, and call out to Him to come and help us.
-The church at Laodicea did not realize that their self-view was quite a bit different from God’s view. Revelation 3:17-20 17 You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
-God sees us just as we are and wants us to put ourselves in a position to receive His grace. But lest we think that God does not really understand what we are going through, let’s look at v.15.
II. God’s grace is aware of our struggles (15)
-Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-- yet was without sin.
-Ultimately, we cannot blame anyone else for our sins. Perhaps somebody else wronged us or brought pain and misery into our lives. However, we will not answer for what others do to us. We will only answer for our response to the One who loves us with extreme grace. Bottom line: We are weak! That is not to excuse us, but to make it very plain that we need God’s help!
-God does not throw us away because of our weaknesses. He is fully aware of them and loves us anyway. He knows where you hurt. He knows your insecurities and how you try so hard to cover them up. But God sees everything. Our hearts are laid open and bare before the One who made us and loves us.
-V.15 indicates that Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses. He doesn’t excuse them, but He knows all about our struggle, having been there Himself. He can identify with you and with me as we deal with our weaknesses.
-I really like what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
-When we realize that God is for us, not against us, and that Jesus understands our weaknesses and failures, hopefully, we will realize that we no longer need to try and hide those things from God. Nothing is hidden from Him anyway. He knows all about you, and loves you completely!
-We might object and say that if God really knew how bad I can be, surely He wouldn’t love me. What do you think Jesus died for? Why was the death of Jesus such a cruel, harsh, gory affair? Because God does know the heart of man, that it is deceitful and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9-10 9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? 10 "I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.") And with hearts so extreme, prone to sin and walk away from God, we needed an extreme answer to our sin problem. Jesus is God’s grace extreme! He lived an extreme life, following His Father closely. He died an extreme death, paying the penalty for our extreme sin. And now He offers His extreme grace to us. It comes simply, but don’t underestimate the power of God to deal with our sin problem. How do we connect with this extreme grace of God?
III. God’s grace thrives in an environment of faith (14)
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.
-Maybe you have never made a profession of faith in Jesus and the work He did on the cross. The implication here and throughout the Bible is that such a profession of faith is necessary in order to become a follower of Jesus and experience His forgiveness and transforming power in your life.
-Romans 10:9 “… if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Hebrews 11 tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God. Coming to God requires believing He exists and that He responds favorably to those who seek Him wholeheartedly.
-Here is something amazing. The faith that we have did not come from us. Even the ability to respond to God with a believing heart is a gift of His extreme grace. There will always be obstacles to faith. There will always be questions and things you simply do not understand. I encourage you to ask the questions that are in your heart and look for answers to your questions. But at some point we all make a decision whether we will believe the God of the Bible, or not. At some point, the lack of a decision becomes a decision not to believe.
-So I would encourage you if you are struggling with the faith to believe in Jesus and all He did for us, ask the Lord to help you believe. One of the most awesome prayers I have heard from desperate people who were seeking God is, “Lord, if You are really there, I need You! If you are really out there listening to my prayer, I am asking for Your help.”
-Mark 9:22-24 tells about a man who came to Jesus, asking Him to heal his son. He said, “Lord, if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." 23 "'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." 24 Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" Jesus responded and healed the boy.
-Lord, help us to overcome our unbelief and trust you for forgiveness, healing, and help as we struggle through this life. This final point simply reminds us that we need to take action. Faith without works is dead.
IV. God’s grace beckons us to come to Him for help (16)
16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
-It is true that God sees us as we really are. It is also true that He is aware of our struggles and wants to help us. He deposits faith in our hearts to respond to His love for us. Then He calls us to act on what we know and believe about Him.
-We can come to God with confidence. I love the language the writer uses here: Let us then approach the throne of grace. It is not a throne of judgment or criticism. It is not a throne of punishment for our weaknesses. It is a throne of grace where we can find favor with God because of what Jesus did on the cross. Grace is undeserved favor from God. And when we come to His throne of grace we can receive mercy and extreme grace to help us in our time of need.
-Listen, the coverings of this life may be snatched away in an instant, causing us to feel exposed and alone. Sometimes that is exactly where we need to be, because then we begin to see ourselves as openly as God does. In our brokenness, as we realize how weak we are, and understand that we cannot help ourselves, God comes close to us with His extreme grace. He offers us the faith to call out to Him, and then invites us to come close, knowing that He will receive us and help us.
-Some of you have been going through hard times. In fact, I cannot think of a time in my ministry when so many people I knew and loved were going through so much. Adversity has seemed a bit concentrated lately. Naturally, it makes me think that there is opposition happening on a deeper level than most of us are aware of. Perhaps the enemy of our souls and of God’s people senses that if he doesn’t stop us, then something big might happen that would bring many people close to God.
-I honestly don’t know whether this is an all-out attack from Satan or if we are simply experiencing the trouble and trials that Jesus promised us. Whatever the case, I am certain that God is fully present in our lives and wants us to come to Him for help. He is near to those who are broken and weary.
-Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-29 28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
-I’d like Robin to sing a song about coming to God just as we are. Please just listen and allow the words to penetrate your heart. God’s throne of grace is closer than you might think.
(Expressive version of Hungry - Falling on My Knees)
Hungry
Verse 1
Hungry I come to You
For I know You satisfy
I am empty
But I know Your love
Does not run dry
And so I wait for You
So I wait for You
Chorus
I'm falling on my knees
Offering all of me
Jesus You're all
This heart is living for
Verse 2
Broken I run to You
For Your arms are open wide
I am weary
But I know Your touch
Restores my life
And so I wait for You
So I wait for You
CCLI Song No. 2650364
© 1999 Vineyard Songs (UK/Eire) (Admin. by Vineyard Music UK)
Kathryn Scott
For use solely with the SongSelect Terms of Use. All rights Reserved. www.ccli.com
CCLI License No. 942899
