“The Road to a Better Life: Get Good Relief”
Heb. 4:14-5:10
It’s frustrating, isn’t it? You need help and dial an appropriate phone number and all you get is recorded options; there is no live person to assist you. And when you do finally reach a live person, they claim they’re not the person who can help you and they put you on hold while they transfer you to someone else.
Aren’t you glad that, when it comes to getting help and relief in your life, there is something, Someone, so much better? The letter to the Hebrews ties right into our age of tele-communications by providing a formula by which we can contact live Divine Aid. The number to dial is 8-476-634-7223 (THRONE GRACE).
Let’s begin at verse 16 of chapter 4: “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence…” That is, to tap into our Divine Aid, DIAL THE RIGHT NUMBER – THE THRONE OF GRACE. What a marvelous invitation! APPROACH THE THRONE. We’ve never really seen throne but we have read some impressive descriptions. Consider the Psalms, for example. “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth…The Lord sits enthroned forever. The Lord’s throne is in heaven; his eyes behold, his eyelids test the children of men; …the Lord of Hosts, he is the King of Glory…the Lord sits enthroned forever over the flood. The Lord sits enthroned as king forever.” Recall the vision of Isaiah (6:1-4): “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.” Revelation 4 and 5 provide yet another glorious description. The overall impression is that the throne is the seat for, the primary residence of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. The throne is THE CENTER FROM WHICH EMANATES THE POWER THAT SUSTAINS AND CONTROLS OUR WORLD. From this throne the Almighty, Holy God rules all worlds – at His voice heaven resounds with praise and hell trembles. And it’s at this throne where our Divine Aid begins!
But better still – this throne is THE THRONE OF GRACE. Rev. 4:1-3: “After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne.” The throne is surrounded by a rainbow. God’s grace is complete and full! This is not the great white throne of judgment – this is a throne of grace! GOD’S SOVEREIGN POWER AND DOMINION ARE ROOTED IN LOVE AND GRACE. Our Divine Aid is rooted in love and grace. From the throne we will receive loving favor, even if we are utterly undeserving. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords has a grace-filled heart! To dial the throne is to tap into grace!
This certainly changes our view of prayer. As the hymn writer penned: “Thou art coming to a king, large petitions with thee bring, For his love and power are such, none can ever ask too much.” We do not dial up the throne to beg as a pauper or to settle for scraps; we approach expectantly to receive grace. For relief the number to dial is 8-476-634-7223– the throne of grace.
Once the call goes through THE NAME TO ASK FOR IS JESUS, THE GREAT HIGH PRIEST. What a beautiful title for and description of Jesus – Great High Priest. Jesus is, first of all, A PRIEST FOR US. (4:14-15) “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. 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.” (5:7-8) “During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered…” We need someone who understands us, who can identify with us, to represent us at the throne. That someone is Jesus. He makes the ideal priest because He came all the way into our world and our lives. JESUS MEETS US WHERE WE ARE SO HE CAN ACT BEFORE GOD ON OUR BEHALF. The very Son of God has come all the way into our situations, understands our weaknesses and temptations; He has totally identified with us.
At the inhuman prison in Germany every Friday the Nazis made the prisoners completely undress for medical inspection. The women were humiliated at having to march by grinning guards. On one of those mornings Corrie TenBoom wrote, “Yet another page in the Bible leapt to life for me. ‘He hung naked on the Cross.’ I had not known – had not thought…the paintings, the carved crucifixes showed at the least a scrap of cloth. But this, I suddenly knew, was the respect and reverence of the artist. But oh – at the time itself, on that other Friday morning – there had been no reverence. No more than I saw in the faces around us now. I leaned toward Betsie, (her sister) ahead of me in line. Her shoulder blades stood out sharp and thin beneath her blue-mottled skin. ‘Betsie, they took HIS clothes too.’” Jesus is the ideal priest for us.
And Jesus is the ideal PRIEST FOR GOD. “We have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God…” (4:14) He comes to us on God’s behalf; He represents God. (5:4-6): “No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father. "And he says in another place, "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." JESUS IS SOMEONE WHO NOT ONLY UNDERSTANDS, BUT CAN ALSO HELP. (7:26-8:2): Such a high priest meets our need--one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever. The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man.” Jesus not only understands – He can help. Jesus puts us in touch with God; He has clout with God.
There’s an old story about a man walking down the street – let’s call him Pete. Pete fell into a hole. The walls are so steep he cannot get out. Pete hears someone walking by and hollers up “Can you help me out?” The walker was a doctor so he wrote out a prescription, threw it into the hole, and moved on. Hearing another person walk by Pete shouts up “I’m down in this hole. Can you help me out?” The walker was a pastor so he wrote out a prayer, threw it into the hole, and moved on. Pete hears another person walking by and hollered up again. This walker is a friend of the man so he jumps into the hole to be with him. Pete exclaims, “Are you stupid? Now we’re both in the hole!” His friend replies, “Yeah, but I’ve been down here before, and I know the way out.” Jesus is the Priest for us and for God; He’s been in our holes and knows the way out. He not only understands, but he can help.
Jesus, in fact, has already helped us – for JESUS PURCHASED OUR SALVATION. Since only one who is holy could enter into the presence of God, only Christ could enter. (5:9) “…once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him…” In Him the Scriptures are fulfilled. In Him we can return to our Father. Remember the parable of the Prodigal Son? The young son greatly offended and disowned his father by claiming his inheritance early. He then wasted it all on lavish, foolish, sinful living. When he finally realized the error of his ways he returned home to his father – who raced out to greet him with open arms, and threw a feast to celebrate his return. Because of Jesus, we can always return to our Father.
Jesus is THE SOURCE OF SALVATION FOR ALL WHO COME TO HIM. Jesus left the eternity of heaven to carry our sorrows and bear our sins, and to taste our death. And when He did (Mt. 27:51): “…at that moment, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, ‘Surely, he was the Son of God.” And there was peace. So we can dial up the throne of grace and ask for Jesus, the High Priest.
And when we do, we will hear THE GOOD NEWS – THERE IS MERCY AND GRACE. Verse 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.” Other translations say “Come boldly” and “draw near.” Get the picture? Open up your heart to God; speak everything; unburden your soul; believe that if you ask you will receive, that if you seek you will find, and if you knock it will be opened for you. Through Jesus, WE CAN SHARE OUR HEARTS WITH GOD. Eugene Peterson, in The Message, put it this way: “So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.”
When we do so confidently, we will discover that THERE IS MERCY AND GRACE tailored SPECIFICALLY FOR OUR NEEDS. We know we need mercy. We need mercy when we’re at our best and when we’re at our worst, when we’re fruitful and when we’re being pruned, when we’re on the mountaintop and when we’re in the valley, when we’re whole and when we’re broken, when we’re praising and when we’re suffering, and when we’re living and when we’re dying. What God gives may not be what we expect, but He will give. GOD GIVES WHAT WE NEED, NO MATTER WHAT WE DESERVE; HE GIVES WHAT THE OCCASION REQUIRES. So be bold. Ask. Receive.
Helen Roseveare, a doctor/missionary from England to Zaire, Africa, shared the story of a little girl’s prayer. “One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all that we could do, she died leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying, two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive. We had no incubator. We had no electricity to run an incubator, and no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. A student-midwife went for the box we had for such babies and for the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly, in distress, to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst. Rubber perishes easily in tropical climates. "...and it is our last hot water bottle!" she exclaimed.
As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk; so, in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over a burst water bottle. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways. "All right," I said, "put the baby as near the fire as you safely can; sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm." The following noon, as I
did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle. The baby could so easily die if it got chilled. I also told them about the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died. During the prayer time, one ten-year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt consciousness of our African children. "Please, God," she prayed, "send us a water bottle. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, the baby'll be dead; so, please send it this afternoon." While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added by way of corollary, "...And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?"
As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say, "Amen"? I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything: The Bible says so, but there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone did send a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator! Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time that I reached home, the car had gone, but there, on the verandah, was a large twenty-two pound parcel! I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone; so, I sent for the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then, there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children began to look a little bored. Next, came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas -- that would make a nice batch of buns for the weekend. As I put my hand in again, I felt the...could it really be? I grasped it, and pulled it out. Yes, a brand-new rubber, hot water bottle! I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, "If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!" Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone: she had never doubted! Looking up at me, she asked, "Can I go over with you, Mummy, and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?" That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my former Sunday School class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. One of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child -- five months earlier -- in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it "that afternoon."
“Now that we know what we have--Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God--let's not let it slip through our fingers. We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all--all but the sin. So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.”
(1) Helen Roseveare, a doctor missionary from England to Zaire, Africa, told this as it had occurred to her in Africa. She shared it in her testimony on a Wednesday night at Thomas Road Baptist Church.
