WEBVTT 00:00:13.339 --> 00:00:15.759 Take your Bibles if you would turn to Hebrews 00:00:15.759 --> 00:00:19.059 chapter 4 We're gonna pick up where Neil left 00:00:19.059 --> 00:00:21.260 off last week and look at the last three verses 00:00:21.260 --> 00:00:29.359 of this chapter Neil defined Rest for us last 00:00:29.359 --> 00:00:31.820 week as righteousness. I actually wrote in my 00:00:31.820 --> 00:00:35.119 notes rest is equal to righteousness. I thought 00:00:35.119 --> 00:00:38.880 that was a great Definition I would like to propose 00:00:38.880 --> 00:00:42.700 an additional definition This morning we sang 00:00:42.700 --> 00:00:46.960 about it in one of our choruses, rest is living 00:00:46.960 --> 00:00:50.820 like you're forgiven. Are you living like you're 00:00:50.820 --> 00:00:54.479 forgiven? You know, we should. That's rest. That's 00:00:54.479 --> 00:00:56.079 the rest that we have in the Lord, to be able 00:00:56.079 --> 00:01:00.219 to live knowing that we are forgiven. That's 00:01:00.219 --> 00:01:02.299 what it means to be righteous, to be declared 00:01:02.299 --> 00:01:04.760 righteous by God, to be justified, forgiven. 00:01:06.200 --> 00:01:10.359 That is indeed. This morning we're gonna talk 00:01:10.359 --> 00:01:13.200 about Jesus. I hope that doesn't shock anybody. 00:01:14.920 --> 00:01:21.480 Our perfect priest. It's always encouraging to 00:01:21.480 --> 00:01:26.680 me as I listen to Neil preach and as I have the 00:01:26.680 --> 00:01:29.599 opportunity to prepare and present messages myself. 00:01:30.879 --> 00:01:33.760 We're learning some things around here, right? 00:01:34.040 --> 00:01:36.930 And sometimes we're not even. all that aware 00:01:36.930 --> 00:01:38.909 of what we're learning. It's just kinda happening 00:01:38.909 --> 00:01:42.209 to us. My dad, in an effort to compliment me 00:01:42.209 --> 00:01:46.230 years ago, said this to me one Sunday afternoon. 00:01:46.829 --> 00:01:49.069 He looked over my way and he said, you know, 00:01:49.129 --> 00:01:52.650 James, he said, every now and then you use a 00:01:52.650 --> 00:01:56.129 word in your sermon that reminds me that you're 00:01:56.129 --> 00:02:05.010 an educated man. Just every now and then. Well, 00:02:05.250 --> 00:02:08.610 every now and then, we are reminded of some great 00:02:08.610 --> 00:02:11.110 biblical truth. And last week, even though it 00:02:11.110 --> 00:02:14.889 was not the emphasis of his message, Neil reminded 00:02:14.889 --> 00:02:18.469 us that God knows everything. And we touched 00:02:18.469 --> 00:02:21.509 on it briefly at the end of his message. And 00:02:21.509 --> 00:02:24.409 I wanna kind of pick up with that last verse. 00:02:26.469 --> 00:02:28.750 That was a part of Neil's sermon before we head 00:02:28.750 --> 00:02:31.069 into this next passage of scripture that will 00:02:31.069 --> 00:02:34.889 comprise my sermon But but God does indeed know 00:02:34.889 --> 00:02:36.469 everything and of course, you know We want to 00:02:36.469 --> 00:02:38.270 be a big word church, right and the big word 00:02:38.270 --> 00:02:41.569 for that theological truth is omniscience God 00:02:41.569 --> 00:02:45.389 is omniscient. He knows Everything and of course 00:02:45.389 --> 00:02:47.770 we read that and we say hallelujah. Yeah good. 00:02:47.849 --> 00:02:50.750 God knows everything He's God and and that word 00:02:50.750 --> 00:02:52.710 doesn't really bother us all that much until 00:02:52.710 --> 00:02:56.009 we consider this Not only does God know everything 00:02:57.099 --> 00:03:00.680 God knows everything about you. Now that's a 00:03:00.680 --> 00:03:03.639 little unsettling. God knows everything about 00:03:03.639 --> 00:03:08.960 me. Again, you read that verse, verse 13, no 00:03:08.960 --> 00:03:11.639 creature is hidden from his sight, but all are 00:03:11.639 --> 00:03:15.020 naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom 00:03:15.020 --> 00:03:17.639 we must give an account. So not only does God 00:03:17.639 --> 00:03:22.000 know everything about you, but one day you're 00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:24.680 gonna stand before him and give an account. And 00:03:24.680 --> 00:03:28.439 again, as we were reminded last week, it really 00:03:28.439 --> 00:03:30.979 won't matter what kind of appearance you may 00:03:30.979 --> 00:03:34.439 have put up during your life. What God knows 00:03:34.439 --> 00:03:42.500 is who you really are. Sobering truth. Hebrews, 00:03:42.819 --> 00:03:45.860 really the scriptures are full of these sobering 00:03:45.860 --> 00:03:49.120 truths about God. These warnings, as we have 00:03:49.120 --> 00:03:52.259 called them over the course of this sermon series. 00:03:52.889 --> 00:03:56.129 But always it seems following up on one of these 00:03:56.129 --> 00:03:58.750 sobering truths, one of these warnings, the writer 00:03:58.750 --> 00:04:02.110 of Hebrews then seeks to encourage us in truly 00:04:02.110 --> 00:04:05.710 pastoral manner. He cares about these people 00:04:05.710 --> 00:04:08.849 to whom he writes and he wants them to be encouraged. 00:04:08.889 --> 00:04:14.439 That's why he's writing. And so. following on 00:04:14.439 --> 00:04:17.879 the heels of that frightening or somewhat unsettling 00:04:17.879 --> 00:04:19.839 verse, no creature is hidden from his sight, 00:04:19.899 --> 00:04:22.519 but we are all naked and exposed to the eyes 00:04:22.519 --> 00:04:27.699 of him to whom we must give an account. He immediately 00:04:27.699 --> 00:04:31.040 seeks to comfort us and to encourage us. And 00:04:31.040 --> 00:04:33.720 he does this, as so often we find in scripture, 00:04:34.100 --> 00:04:38.199 by reminding us of who this one to whom we will 00:04:38.199 --> 00:04:43.120 give an account is, what he's like. I think we 00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:45.699 all have an idea, don't we, about what it will 00:04:45.699 --> 00:04:48.439 mean to stand before the Lord on the day of judgment, 00:04:49.139 --> 00:04:52.259 to give an account for the way that we have lived 00:04:52.259 --> 00:04:55.300 our lives. And again, there's a little bit of 00:04:55.300 --> 00:04:59.819 an element of terror to that. And I think that's 00:04:59.819 --> 00:05:02.220 completely reasonable. When Isaiah saw the Lord 00:05:02.220 --> 00:05:05.000 high and lifted up, he didn't begin to dance 00:05:05.000 --> 00:05:09.120 a jig. He said, oh, woe is me. I'm undone and 00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:13.100 I live amongst a people. who are undone, unclean 00:05:13.100 --> 00:05:18.259 lips, he immediately recognized his lack of holiness 00:05:18.259 --> 00:05:24.540 in comparison to the holiness of God. But the 00:05:24.540 --> 00:05:27.540 writer of Hebrews wants to encourage us here. 00:05:27.920 --> 00:05:32.980 And so he shares again about who this, again, 00:05:32.980 --> 00:05:35.459 he refers to him here again as our great high 00:05:35.459 --> 00:05:41.810 priest, who this perfect priest is. what he has 00:05:41.810 --> 00:05:46.329 done for us, what he is doing for us, and ultimately 00:05:46.329 --> 00:05:49.569 what he will do for us. So that's what we wanna 00:05:49.569 --> 00:05:51.870 talk about today. We wanna talk about this perfect 00:05:51.870 --> 00:05:55.069 priest that we have in Jesus. We're not gonna 00:05:55.069 --> 00:05:57.329 stand just before any priest. We're gonna stand 00:05:57.329 --> 00:06:01.490 before our great high priest, our perfect priest 00:06:01.490 --> 00:06:05.269 who loved us and gave himself for us. So let's 00:06:05.269 --> 00:06:07.550 pray and then we'll read these three verses together. 00:06:08.439 --> 00:06:10.839 look a little deeper. Father, we are so very 00:06:10.839 --> 00:06:15.060 thankful today for our great high priest, Jesus 00:06:15.060 --> 00:06:17.839 Christ, this perfect priest, Father, not like 00:06:17.839 --> 00:06:19.819 the priests that we are familiar with in our 00:06:19.819 --> 00:06:22.240 world, even those that we read about in scripture. 00:06:23.259 --> 00:06:26.319 Lord, Jesus was a perfect priest, as we will 00:06:26.319 --> 00:06:30.600 see and be reminded of today. And so I pray, 00:06:30.819 --> 00:06:35.980 Father, that as we anticipate that day when we 00:06:35.980 --> 00:06:41.089 will stand before him, fully known, fully exposed, 00:06:41.329 --> 00:06:45.230 Lord, that we will also know that the one that 00:06:45.230 --> 00:06:48.370 knows everything there is to know about us also 00:06:48.370 --> 00:06:54.209 loves us, sympathizes with us, cares beyond what 00:06:54.209 --> 00:07:00.009 we can even imagine. And so I just ask you to 00:07:00.009 --> 00:07:02.550 comfort our hearts with that thought today. And 00:07:02.550 --> 00:07:06.370 Father, as always, we pray that you would strengthen 00:07:06.370 --> 00:07:10.310 your children. encourage us to continue this 00:07:10.310 --> 00:07:14.949 good fight of faith, Lord, to struggle on, to 00:07:14.949 --> 00:07:17.670 accomplish the works that you have prepared for 00:07:17.670 --> 00:07:20.149 us, Lord, to face the difficulties that come 00:07:20.149 --> 00:07:23.110 with knowing Jesus and following Jesus, Lord, 00:07:23.290 --> 00:07:26.910 with absolute confidence and hope that as we 00:07:26.910 --> 00:07:31.829 have also sung this morning, one day when you 00:07:31.829 --> 00:07:35.389 return, Lord, this earth will be remade, resurrected. 00:07:36.700 --> 00:07:39.839 Every hurt will indeed be healed. Every wrong 00:07:39.839 --> 00:07:43.459 will indeed be righted. And we look forward to 00:07:43.459 --> 00:07:49.100 that. Give us a real boldness in light of that 00:07:49.100 --> 00:07:52.819 truth. And we pray all of this in Jesus' name, 00:07:53.699 --> 00:07:58.319 amen. Hebrews chapter four, verses 14, 15, and 00:07:58.319 --> 00:08:00.939 16, the words will be here on the screen at the 00:08:00.939 --> 00:08:03.879 front if you do not have a Bible to follow along 00:08:03.879 --> 00:08:06.389 in. And the scripture simply says this. Since 00:08:06.389 --> 00:08:09.329 we have a great high priest who has passed through 00:08:09.329 --> 00:08:13.550 the heavens, Jesus, the son of God, let us hold 00:08:13.550 --> 00:08:16.970 fast our confession. For we do not have a high 00:08:16.970 --> 00:08:19.910 priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, 00:08:20.310 --> 00:08:23.029 but one who in every respect has been tempted 00:08:23.029 --> 00:08:27.529 as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with 00:08:27.529 --> 00:08:31.110 confidence draw near to the throne of grace that 00:08:31.110 --> 00:08:34.870 we may receive mercy and find grace in time. 00:08:34.909 --> 00:08:39.549 and find grace to help in time of need. Things 00:08:39.549 --> 00:08:45.149 do indeed become difficult in this life. Often 00:08:45.149 --> 00:08:47.409 it seems that there are more difficult days than 00:08:47.409 --> 00:08:51.350 there are not difficult days. And what we always 00:08:51.350 --> 00:08:54.230 need to remember is that there is help available. 00:08:54.690 --> 00:08:58.889 We are not left to face this difficult life alone. 00:08:59.990 --> 00:09:04.850 We have resources that we simply need to... to 00:09:04.850 --> 00:09:07.590 ask for and to receive. And of course, that's 00:09:07.590 --> 00:09:10.049 what this passage of scripture is all about, 00:09:10.330 --> 00:09:12.950 reminding us who this perfect priest Jesus is 00:09:12.950 --> 00:09:15.230 and just what it is that he will do for us or 00:09:15.230 --> 00:09:18.629 is doing for us during the difficulties that 00:09:18.629 --> 00:09:21.450 we struggle through in this life. And of course, 00:09:21.570 --> 00:09:24.950 this whole idea of perseverance recurs again. 00:09:25.129 --> 00:09:26.990 We're gonna see it over and over and over again 00:09:26.990 --> 00:09:30.269 as we study through the Bible. God's people are 00:09:30.269 --> 00:09:33.179 a persevering people. In spite of the difficulties, 00:09:33.399 --> 00:09:37.399 we continue on. We press on, as Paul writes in 00:09:37.399 --> 00:09:41.480 Philippians. Just the thought of those words 00:09:41.480 --> 00:09:45.299 pressing on give us this indication that the 00:09:45.299 --> 00:09:48.559 Christian life is not an easy life. Yes, it is 00:09:48.559 --> 00:09:54.500 a life of rest, but we press on. We strive, as 00:09:54.500 --> 00:09:57.039 Neil shared last week, to enter that rest. We 00:09:57.039 --> 00:10:00.340 work towards the things that God has called us 00:10:00.340 --> 00:10:05.720 to do. And so we need the help of our perfect 00:10:05.720 --> 00:10:08.299 priest, Jesus Christ, every step of the way. 00:10:08.320 --> 00:10:09.820 And of course, that's what the writer of Hebrews 00:10:09.820 --> 00:10:14.419 says we have. We have a great high priest. And 00:10:14.419 --> 00:10:17.240 he describes him in these words, who has passed 00:10:17.240 --> 00:10:19.240 through the heavens, Jesus, just in case you're 00:10:19.240 --> 00:10:22.620 wondering, the son of God. And he says, therefore, 00:10:23.139 --> 00:10:27.259 let us hold fast our confession. So there's the 00:10:27.259 --> 00:10:29.519 word of encouragement, the exhortation, all right. 00:10:29.519 --> 00:10:34.750 He is exhorting us. to persevere, to continue 00:10:34.750 --> 00:10:37.809 along in what we have embraced, the truth that 00:10:37.809 --> 00:10:40.850 we have come to know, those things that we have 00:10:40.850 --> 00:10:43.850 come to believe about Jesus and the life that 00:10:43.850 --> 00:10:46.169 we are now living in light of those things that 00:10:46.169 --> 00:10:49.250 we have come to believe about Jesus. Let us hold 00:10:49.250 --> 00:10:56.409 fast to our confession. And again, the... The 00:10:56.409 --> 00:10:59.990 description of Jesus here is a wonderfully encouraging 00:10:59.990 --> 00:11:02.610 thing. He describes him as the one who has passed 00:11:02.610 --> 00:11:07.049 through the heavens. And what's being talked 00:11:07.049 --> 00:11:10.470 about here, what he's talking about here is that 00:11:10.470 --> 00:11:15.309 Jesus has gone before us, all right? He has pioneered 00:11:15.309 --> 00:11:20.759 the way for us. Jesus has lived. the life that 00:11:20.759 --> 00:11:23.899 God called him to live. And he has taken his 00:11:23.899 --> 00:11:26.000 seat at the right hand of the Father on high. 00:11:26.139 --> 00:11:30.580 He has been exalted and glorified. And what the 00:11:30.580 --> 00:11:32.620 right of Hebrews is reminding us is that as we 00:11:32.620 --> 00:11:35.120 do the same thing, we have this great hope, this 00:11:35.120 --> 00:11:37.740 confident expectation that what we have seen 00:11:37.740 --> 00:11:41.860 in Jesus, we will experience ourselves. We're 00:11:41.860 --> 00:11:46.259 gonna get there. Tyler said to sign up. If you 00:11:46.259 --> 00:11:48.980 want to volunteer in VBS, he said this, he said, 00:11:49.259 --> 00:11:53.200 now you might not get where you want to go. That 00:11:53.200 --> 00:11:55.539 only works in VBS, all right? You might not get 00:11:55.539 --> 00:11:57.259 where you want to go. But when it comes to the 00:11:57.259 --> 00:11:59.120 Christian life, let me tell you, if you've trusted 00:11:59.120 --> 00:12:01.000 Christ, if you are a believer, you're gonna get 00:12:01.000 --> 00:12:03.759 where you want to go. Because Jesus is gonna 00:12:03.759 --> 00:12:07.190 make sure of it. He's already there. He is our 00:12:07.190 --> 00:12:09.529 forerunner. There's a word that we're gonna see 00:12:09.529 --> 00:12:11.909 this word a little bit later in our study of 00:12:11.909 --> 00:12:14.649 Hebrews in chapter six, verses 19 and 20. This 00:12:14.649 --> 00:12:18.690 word is used. And so that's what's being talked 00:12:18.690 --> 00:12:21.309 about here. Jesus is our forerunner. He has gone 00:12:21.309 --> 00:12:24.409 on before us. He was raised from the dead. He 00:12:24.409 --> 00:12:26.389 was exalted to the right hand of the Father. 00:12:26.789 --> 00:12:29.789 He completed the work that God had sent him to 00:12:29.789 --> 00:12:33.610 do and he entered. into the presence of God where 00:12:33.610 --> 00:12:37.690 the Bible says he lives forever to be our intercession. 00:12:40.029 --> 00:12:43.990 So that life that he now enjoys at the right 00:12:43.990 --> 00:12:46.169 hand of the Father is never going to end. He'll 00:12:46.169 --> 00:12:51.169 never face death again. And so he is there as 00:12:51.169 --> 00:12:55.029 the one who is our way, our access to the Father, 00:12:55.230 --> 00:12:59.750 assuring us that if we will persevere, we will 00:12:59.750 --> 00:13:03.250 find our place one day. in the presence of God 00:13:03.250 --> 00:13:06.909 forever and ever. Of course I said the idea is 00:13:06.909 --> 00:13:09.250 expanded in Hebrews chapter six verses 19 and 00:13:09.250 --> 00:13:12.070 20. We read these words. He says, we have this 00:13:12.070 --> 00:13:15.850 as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul. We've 00:13:15.850 --> 00:13:18.129 already talked about the nautical language that's 00:13:18.129 --> 00:13:20.809 used in Hebrews. Perhaps the writer of Hebrews 00:13:20.809 --> 00:13:24.870 was a sailor. He uses a lot of nautical language. 00:13:25.110 --> 00:13:28.309 So we have this as a sure and steadfast anchor 00:13:28.309 --> 00:13:31.639 of the soul. a hope that enters into the inner 00:13:31.639 --> 00:13:34.519 place behind the curtain. Again, speaking of 00:13:34.519 --> 00:13:37.019 Jesus, passing through the heavens, entering 00:13:37.019 --> 00:13:40.179 into the presence of God, and then it clarifies, 00:13:40.480 --> 00:13:44.759 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, 00:13:45.700 --> 00:13:49.700 having become a high priest forever. That word 00:13:49.700 --> 00:13:51.960 forerunner is an interesting word. Again, another 00:13:51.960 --> 00:13:59.080 nautical term. A forerunner was a small, lightweight, 00:14:00.340 --> 00:14:07.259 fast, easily maneuverable boat that guided larger 00:14:07.259 --> 00:14:13.320 ships into shallow or dangerous harbors and then 00:14:13.320 --> 00:14:15.259 helped them set their anchor. So kind of get 00:14:15.259 --> 00:14:18.000 that picture in your mind. This forerunner is 00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:21.519 a small ship, a small boat that guides a larger 00:14:21.519 --> 00:14:24.620 ship. making sure he doesn't run aground, making 00:14:24.620 --> 00:14:26.440 sure he doesn't hit any rocks, making sure he 00:14:26.440 --> 00:14:30.539 doesn't bottom out, guides him into this dangerous 00:14:30.539 --> 00:14:33.320 harbor, this destination, and then helps him 00:14:33.320 --> 00:14:36.759 set his anchor there so that he is secure and 00:14:36.759 --> 00:14:40.100 safe. That's what Jesus is for us. He's our forerunner. 00:14:40.100 --> 00:14:42.139 He's gone before us. He's passed through the 00:14:42.139 --> 00:14:46.759 heavens into the presence of God. And again, 00:14:47.139 --> 00:14:51.519 as Hebrews 6 says, having become an anchor for 00:14:51.519 --> 00:14:53.440 the soul. If you're a believer today, if you're 00:14:53.440 --> 00:14:55.659 a Christian, your life is anchored in Christ 00:14:55.659 --> 00:14:58.000 at the right hand of the Father. You're gonna 00:14:58.000 --> 00:15:01.460 get where you're going. It's an assurance. That's 00:15:01.460 --> 00:15:04.960 what this is talking about. We are sure to get 00:15:04.960 --> 00:15:06.700 there. So that's the first thing that's pictured 00:15:06.700 --> 00:15:10.200 for us here, is this certainty that even though 00:15:10.200 --> 00:15:14.120 life may present difficulties, suffering, sacrifice, 00:15:14.500 --> 00:15:17.679 ultimately, we're gonna wind up right where Jesus 00:15:17.679 --> 00:15:20.970 is. in the presence of God forever and ever. 00:15:21.169 --> 00:15:25.389 Also pictured in these words is the annual sacrifice 00:15:25.389 --> 00:15:27.730 on the day of atonement that was made year after 00:15:27.730 --> 00:15:31.250 year by the high priest of Israel. Again, that 00:15:31.250 --> 00:15:34.090 was the one day that a human being could enter 00:15:34.090 --> 00:15:36.970 into the Holy of Holies. And only one human being 00:15:36.970 --> 00:15:39.730 could do that. He was the high priest in that 00:15:39.730 --> 00:15:43.350 year. And of course we know that he would enter 00:15:43.350 --> 00:15:46.470 the temple. or the tabernacle, he would pass 00:15:46.470 --> 00:15:50.789 through the door of the outer court, then through 00:15:50.789 --> 00:15:53.490 another door into the holy place, then through 00:15:53.490 --> 00:15:57.509 a curtain or a veil into the holy of holies. 00:15:57.690 --> 00:16:00.250 Of course, this human high priest would only 00:16:00.250 --> 00:16:02.450 stay there in the holy of holies as long as it 00:16:02.450 --> 00:16:05.549 took him to sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice 00:16:05.549 --> 00:16:08.129 on the mercy seed, and then he would get out 00:16:08.129 --> 00:16:14.549 of there. And again, then the whole process would 00:16:14.549 --> 00:16:17.129 be repeated the next year, and the year after 00:16:17.129 --> 00:16:23.549 that, and the year after that. Now Jesus, our 00:16:23.549 --> 00:16:26.309 great high priest, who is the son of God, not 00:16:26.309 --> 00:16:30.409 just any human being, but the son of God, he 00:16:30.409 --> 00:16:32.470 of course offered his sacrifice on the cross, 00:16:32.970 --> 00:16:35.049 right? Where he laid down his life for the sins 00:16:35.049 --> 00:16:37.950 of his people. Three days later, as we know, 00:16:38.110 --> 00:16:42.299 he rose from the dead, later ascended. through 00:16:42.299 --> 00:16:44.480 the heavens. That's what that word is talking 00:16:44.480 --> 00:16:46.679 about there. Neil shared with us last week what 00:16:46.679 --> 00:16:49.740 that word, new heavens and earth means. It's 00:16:49.740 --> 00:16:52.419 speaking of the earth's atmosphere and space. 00:16:52.539 --> 00:16:55.360 It's all gonna be resurrected. Jesus has passed 00:16:55.360 --> 00:16:58.299 through those heavens to the place where God 00:16:58.299 --> 00:17:02.480 dwells. He will never have to make that sacrifice 00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:05.759 again. He did it once and for all. And he will 00:17:05.759 --> 00:17:09.380 forever enjoy the glory of God's presence. And 00:17:09.380 --> 00:17:14.579 again, If we are in him, this is what we have 00:17:14.579 --> 00:17:18.680 to look forward to. His eternal presence there 00:17:18.680 --> 00:17:21.559 at the right hand of the Father ensures our eternal 00:17:21.559 --> 00:17:27.240 presence there with him. So that's what we're 00:17:27.240 --> 00:17:31.079 learning here about this perfect high priest. 00:17:31.140 --> 00:17:34.019 He is our forerunner. He's going on before us 00:17:34.019 --> 00:17:37.140 to ensure that just as he is there in the presence 00:17:37.140 --> 00:17:40.539 of God, one day we too will be there. in the 00:17:40.539 --> 00:17:45.440 presence of God. And then of course, he talks 00:17:45.440 --> 00:17:48.460 about this confession, holding fast our confession. 00:17:49.359 --> 00:17:52.240 Again, that's a word we've seen before. It speaks 00:17:52.240 --> 00:17:54.859 of our faith, the things that we have come to 00:17:54.859 --> 00:17:58.279 believe. Throughout history, Christians have 00:17:58.279 --> 00:18:01.940 written confessions of faith, basically an outline 00:18:01.940 --> 00:18:06.579 or a summary or perhaps an extended version of 00:18:06.579 --> 00:18:10.480 the things that we believe. It is called a confession. 00:18:10.539 --> 00:18:13.559 This is our confession. So our confession that 00:18:13.559 --> 00:18:17.579 we are being exhorted to hold fast to speaks 00:18:17.579 --> 00:18:20.940 of the truths that we have believed. And now 00:18:20.940 --> 00:18:25.339 we verbally affirm these truths and we live by 00:18:25.339 --> 00:18:28.700 them. And again, those two things go hand in 00:18:28.700 --> 00:18:32.559 hand. We verbally affirm the truths of scripture 00:18:32.559 --> 00:18:37.240 and we live by them. That's what true biblical 00:18:37.240 --> 00:18:41.880 belief is. Not just accepting that certain things 00:18:41.880 --> 00:18:44.539 are true, but living in light of those things 00:18:44.539 --> 00:18:48.380 because they are true, all right? And again, 00:18:48.880 --> 00:18:50.640 throughout history, Christians have done this. 00:18:50.660 --> 00:18:53.440 They have written their creeds and their confessions. 00:18:53.779 --> 00:18:56.579 As a matter of fact, that word creed comes from 00:18:56.579 --> 00:18:59.559 the Latin word credo, and it means I believe. 00:19:00.480 --> 00:19:03.140 That's what the word means, I believe. And so 00:19:03.140 --> 00:19:08.890 we are to hold fast. In light of our perfect 00:19:08.890 --> 00:19:11.150 priest Jesus who has passed through the heavens 00:19:11.150 --> 00:19:15.130 and now forever in the right, at the right hand 00:19:15.130 --> 00:19:18.789 of God, in the presence of God forever, hold 00:19:18.789 --> 00:19:22.029 fast to those things that you believe. Cling 00:19:22.029 --> 00:19:25.329 to the truth that you have professed and are 00:19:25.329 --> 00:19:27.250 now living by. And of course we have good reason. 00:19:27.329 --> 00:19:29.130 Just a couple of weeks ago, Neil talked about 00:19:29.130 --> 00:19:31.109 the fact that it's really a reasonable thing 00:19:31.109 --> 00:19:34.839 to do. in light of who God is and who Christ 00:19:34.839 --> 00:19:38.279 Jesus is and what they have done for us. And 00:19:38.279 --> 00:19:41.079 he says this in verse 15. He says, for we do 00:19:41.079 --> 00:19:43.599 not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize 00:19:43.599 --> 00:19:45.460 with us in our weaknesses. Isn't it good to know 00:19:45.460 --> 00:19:49.119 that Jesus, our perfect priest, sympathizes with 00:19:49.119 --> 00:19:52.559 us in our weaknesses? You know, we need to remember 00:19:52.559 --> 00:19:56.380 that. This is a great verse for you to memorize 00:19:56.380 --> 00:19:59.920 because every day you're gonna be faced with... 00:19:59.849 --> 00:20:04.109 Well, your own faults and failures, right? And 00:20:04.109 --> 00:20:07.109 it's easy for us to believe that, oh gosh, I've 00:20:07.109 --> 00:20:13.289 disappointed my Lord. I've angered my Lord. He's 00:20:13.289 --> 00:20:15.650 seen what I've done and he's not happy with me. 00:20:15.950 --> 00:20:19.809 But this verse reminds us, he's able to sympathize 00:20:19.809 --> 00:20:23.210 with our weaknesses. And why? Because he is one 00:20:23.210 --> 00:20:25.890 who in every respect has been tempted as we are, 00:20:26.130 --> 00:20:29.210 yet without sin. So there's our motivation. Why 00:20:29.210 --> 00:20:33.890 is it that we should persevere in the truth that 00:20:33.890 --> 00:20:36.130 we have embraced and the work that God has given 00:20:36.130 --> 00:20:38.809 us to do? Well, it's because again, Jesus has 00:20:38.809 --> 00:20:40.970 done that. We've seen that in him. He is our 00:20:40.970 --> 00:20:44.490 great forerunner who has gone before us. And 00:20:44.490 --> 00:20:49.710 because he has, he is a priest who is able, not 00:20:49.710 --> 00:20:53.930 unable, but able to sympathize with us in our 00:20:53.930 --> 00:20:55.490 weaknesses. It ought to be a great motivation 00:20:55.490 --> 00:20:58.039 in our day -to -day life. In every situation 00:20:58.039 --> 00:21:00.740 that you face as a Christian, no matter how difficult 00:21:00.740 --> 00:21:04.440 it may be, Jesus, according to Paul in Ephesians 00:21:04.440 --> 00:21:07.940 3 .20, is able to do far more abundantly than 00:21:07.940 --> 00:21:15.039 all we ask or think. So Jesus is able to help 00:21:15.039 --> 00:21:19.240 us to provide for us during the difficulties 00:21:19.240 --> 00:21:22.400 and he does it in a way that far exceeds anything 00:21:22.400 --> 00:21:29.289 we might even ask of him or even think. in every 00:21:29.289 --> 00:21:32.069 situation. Verse 15, really, that we just read 00:21:32.069 --> 00:21:34.430 is a restatement of what we read earlier in Hebrews 00:21:34.430 --> 00:21:37.690 chapter two, verses 17 and 18. Let me just read 00:21:37.690 --> 00:21:40.349 those verses to you. The writer says, therefore 00:21:40.349 --> 00:21:44.230 he, referring to Jesus, therefore he had to be 00:21:44.230 --> 00:21:47.289 made like his brothers in every respect so that 00:21:47.289 --> 00:21:49.970 he might become a merciful and faithful high 00:21:49.970 --> 00:21:52.930 priest in the service of God to make propitiation 00:21:52.930 --> 00:21:56.630 for the sins of his people for because he himself 00:21:56.630 --> 00:21:59.119 has suffered when tempted. He is able to help 00:21:59.119 --> 00:22:03.519 those who are being tempted. So that's the motivation 00:22:03.519 --> 00:22:06.759 right there. We have a high priest who has suffered 00:22:06.759 --> 00:22:10.539 like we are suffering. Therefore, he can sympathize 00:22:10.539 --> 00:22:13.640 with us in our sufferings and help us through 00:22:13.640 --> 00:22:15.480 our sufferings. So let's talk a little bit about 00:22:15.480 --> 00:22:20.059 this sympathy of Jesus, all right? We're being 00:22:20.059 --> 00:22:23.220 encouraged as these early Christians were to 00:22:23.220 --> 00:22:26.740 persevere through the difficulties of life knowing 00:22:27.049 --> 00:22:29.349 that even when we stumble and fall, even when 00:22:29.349 --> 00:22:31.890 we fail, even when we do our best and it's not 00:22:31.890 --> 00:22:36.990 enough, Jesus sympathizes with us. He sympathizes 00:22:36.990 --> 00:22:39.950 with our weaknesses. That word sympathize means 00:22:39.950 --> 00:22:44.230 to share in the experience of another, to feel 00:22:44.230 --> 00:22:48.009 with another. And again, the idea here is that 00:22:48.009 --> 00:22:51.109 God enters into the experience of his people. 00:22:51.339 --> 00:22:54.779 what you are going through that we often are 00:22:54.779 --> 00:22:57.019 tempted to think, nobody knows what I'm going 00:22:57.019 --> 00:22:59.680 through, nobody knows how I feel, nobody's ever 00:22:59.680 --> 00:23:01.599 gone through what I'm having to go through, suffered 00:23:01.599 --> 00:23:04.180 the way I'm suffering, nobody understands any 00:23:04.180 --> 00:23:07.019 of this. Well, you may be right if you're talking 00:23:07.019 --> 00:23:09.420 about the human population, although you're probably 00:23:09.420 --> 00:23:11.980 not right even there. But certainly when it comes 00:23:11.980 --> 00:23:14.519 to God, he understands, that's what we're being 00:23:14.519 --> 00:23:19.079 told here. He sympathizes with us in our weakness. 00:23:19.140 --> 00:23:22.460 He enters into that experience with us. He feels 00:23:22.460 --> 00:23:25.079 our pain. And let me tell you, the thought of 00:23:25.079 --> 00:23:28.039 a God who enters into the experience of humankind 00:23:28.039 --> 00:23:32.259 and suffers along with them, that thought in 00:23:32.259 --> 00:23:34.859 this day and time was revolutionary. Matter of 00:23:34.859 --> 00:23:38.660 fact, it's revolutionary today. Most people think 00:23:38.660 --> 00:23:40.980 of God as being, if they even believe there is 00:23:40.980 --> 00:23:45.259 a God, as being somehow high and removed and, 00:23:45.259 --> 00:23:48.259 you know... Just not all that involved in the 00:23:48.259 --> 00:23:52.279 day -to -day living of mankind, but not our God. 00:23:53.299 --> 00:23:58.420 Our God moves into our experience, suffers with 00:23:58.420 --> 00:24:03.200 us, even in our weaknesses. Jesus, of course, 00:24:03.259 --> 00:24:06.480 we're reminded here, wasn't just the Son of God. 00:24:06.519 --> 00:24:10.019 He wasn't just God. He was man, fully God, and 00:24:10.019 --> 00:24:14.500 yet fully man. And therefore he was fully acquainted. 00:24:15.529 --> 00:24:20.930 with the struggles of man. Again, one who in 00:24:20.930 --> 00:24:26.690 every respect has been tempted as we are. One 00:24:26.690 --> 00:24:29.410 who had to be made like his brothers in every 00:24:29.410 --> 00:24:32.309 respect so that he might become a merciful and 00:24:32.309 --> 00:24:37.970 faithful high priest. Now, both Mark in his gospel 00:24:37.970 --> 00:24:41.509 and Luke, tell us that Jesus was tempted by the 00:24:41.509 --> 00:24:44.450 devil for 40 days. We all talk about that. What 00:24:44.450 --> 00:24:46.869 does it mean that Jesus has been tempted like 00:24:46.869 --> 00:24:49.670 we are? In every respect, he says, just like 00:24:49.670 --> 00:24:52.349 we are. Well, during those days especially, but 00:24:52.349 --> 00:24:55.990 throughout the entirety of his life, Jesus experienced 00:24:55.990 --> 00:24:58.069 every kind of testing and temptation. Again, 00:24:58.069 --> 00:25:01.369 he was a man. He was fully human. And as such, 00:25:01.509 --> 00:25:05.829 he experienced what we experience as we face 00:25:05.829 --> 00:25:10.539 life. living that life in obedience to God and 00:25:10.539 --> 00:25:14.140 the difficulties that come with that. So Jesus, 00:25:14.980 --> 00:25:17.380 as much as we might like to think to the contrary, 00:25:17.700 --> 00:25:20.680 Jesus experienced disappointment. He experienced 00:25:20.680 --> 00:25:25.140 grief. He experienced frustration. He experienced 00:25:25.140 --> 00:25:29.920 loneliness. He was hated. He was rejected. He 00:25:29.920 --> 00:25:33.880 was unjustly condemned to death and crucified. 00:25:34.160 --> 00:25:38.880 Yet, throughout his life, In all of those various 00:25:38.880 --> 00:25:43.299 situations, he resisted the temptation to let 00:25:43.299 --> 00:25:46.019 those adversities stop him from completing the 00:25:46.019 --> 00:25:49.940 work that his father had given him to do. And 00:25:49.940 --> 00:25:51.839 let me just say this, when we talk about Jesus 00:25:51.839 --> 00:25:55.200 resisting temptation, we think to ourselves, 00:25:56.039 --> 00:25:59.619 see we go, oh yeah, but he's God. So couldn't 00:25:59.619 --> 00:26:01.900 have been as bad for him as it is for me. He 00:26:01.900 --> 00:26:04.220 was God. Well, let me just put it to you this 00:26:04.220 --> 00:26:09.099 way. Jesus resisted temptation to a much farther 00:26:09.099 --> 00:26:10.980 extent than you and I have ever resisted temptation. 00:26:11.079 --> 00:26:15.839 I mean, I don't know about you. Often we resist 00:26:15.839 --> 00:26:17.440 temptation for a little while and then we give 00:26:17.440 --> 00:26:19.640 in, right? And we pat ourselves on the back. 00:26:19.700 --> 00:26:24.599 Well, at least I held out a few hours. Jesus 00:26:24.599 --> 00:26:30.440 resisted temptation completely. Again, he was 00:26:30.440 --> 00:26:33.380 without sin. He never gave in to temptation. 00:26:34.240 --> 00:26:37.640 So Jesus has resisted temptation far more than 00:26:37.640 --> 00:26:39.940 you or I can ever imagine. As a matter of fact, 00:26:40.119 --> 00:26:42.140 again, the writer of Hebrews in chapter 12 says 00:26:42.140 --> 00:26:44.200 something about that. He says, in your struggle 00:26:44.200 --> 00:26:46.720 against sin, you have not resisted to the point 00:26:46.720 --> 00:26:53.720 of shedding your blood, but Jesus did. So Jesus 00:26:53.720 --> 00:26:59.039 has experienced temptation, just as we have experienced 00:26:59.039 --> 00:27:03.349 temptation. So here's what. The writer is simply 00:27:03.349 --> 00:27:08.410 saying, do you need someone who understands your 00:27:08.410 --> 00:27:12.049 struggles and sympathizes with your human limitations 00:27:12.049 --> 00:27:18.170 and inabilities? You need Jesus, because he's 00:27:18.170 --> 00:27:21.269 the one who does. He's the one who understands. 00:27:21.349 --> 00:27:24.789 He's the one who sympathizes. You need Jesus. 00:27:24.869 --> 00:27:26.690 No matter what the difficulty is you're facing, 00:27:26.789 --> 00:27:32.119 you need... Jesus, and why is it Jesus that can 00:27:32.119 --> 00:27:33.799 do something for you? Well, it's because of those 00:27:33.799 --> 00:27:36.640 next few words. Yeah, he was tempted in every 00:27:36.640 --> 00:27:41.099 respect as we, yet without sin. So yes, he's 00:27:41.099 --> 00:27:43.079 a high priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses, 00:27:43.140 --> 00:27:47.799 but he's also a high priest who is sinless. This 00:27:47.799 --> 00:27:50.299 is another doctrine that we need to cling to, 00:27:50.599 --> 00:27:53.660 that we need to hold fast to, the sinlessness 00:27:53.660 --> 00:27:58.660 of Jesus. The theological big word for this doctrine 00:27:58.660 --> 00:28:04.819 is the sinlessness of Jesus. Jesus never committed 00:28:04.819 --> 00:28:10.240 sin. And therefore, he is able to do exceedingly 00:28:10.240 --> 00:28:12.960 and abundantly above all we ask or even imagine. 00:28:13.059 --> 00:28:15.779 So notice, Jesus faced every type of temptation 00:28:15.779 --> 00:28:19.339 and test that you and I will face yet without 00:28:19.339 --> 00:28:22.980 sin. So very important that we get that. because 00:28:22.980 --> 00:28:26.519 his sinlessness is essential to our salvation. 00:28:28.480 --> 00:28:33.460 Because he was sinless, he was able to sacrifice 00:28:33.460 --> 00:28:35.980 himself on the cross, to die in our place, to 00:28:35.980 --> 00:28:41.380 pay the price for our sin. Again, human high 00:28:41.380 --> 00:28:43.940 priests could enter the Holy of Holies and make 00:28:43.940 --> 00:28:46.339 that annual sacrifice for the sins of the people 00:28:46.339 --> 00:28:50.049 every year. But before they did that, Before 00:28:50.049 --> 00:28:52.470 they passed through those doors and then through 00:28:52.470 --> 00:28:54.230 the veil of the curtain into the Holy of Holies, 00:28:54.269 --> 00:28:56.630 you know what they had to do? They had to offer 00:28:56.630 --> 00:28:59.670 a sacrifice for their own sins. Because they 00:28:59.670 --> 00:29:02.089 were just human beings, sinful, like those they 00:29:02.089 --> 00:29:05.829 were offering atonement for on the day of atonement. 00:29:07.349 --> 00:29:11.289 And then even after all of that, a human high 00:29:11.289 --> 00:29:13.269 priest couldn't really atone for anyone's sin, 00:29:13.309 --> 00:29:15.109 not even his own. That's why it had to be repeated 00:29:15.109 --> 00:29:19.480 year after year after year. But Jesus. different. 00:29:20.839 --> 00:29:23.339 He was the sinless one, the perfect sacrifice. 00:29:23.880 --> 00:29:27.220 That lamb without spot or blemish, all of those 00:29:27.220 --> 00:29:30.740 lambs that were sacrificed on the altar were 00:29:30.740 --> 00:29:34.779 just a picture of this one who would truly be 00:29:34.779 --> 00:29:41.099 spotless, without blemish, sinless. They all 00:29:41.099 --> 00:29:45.039 pointed to the reality of Jesus Christ. I mean 00:29:45.039 --> 00:29:48.140 what John the Baptist said that day, And that 00:29:48.140 --> 00:29:52.700 is still true today. Jesus is the Lamb of God 00:29:52.700 --> 00:29:55.400 who takes away the sins of the world. And really 00:29:55.400 --> 00:29:58.539 what John meant is that that's the one. That's 00:29:58.539 --> 00:30:03.660 the one and only, Jesus. He's the Lamb of God, 00:30:03.880 --> 00:30:06.279 the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the 00:30:06.279 --> 00:30:11.400 world. There is no other that can do what he 00:30:11.400 --> 00:30:14.539 can do. Again, that's why he's able to save us 00:30:14.539 --> 00:30:19.559 to the uttermost completely, forever. our perfect, 00:30:19.559 --> 00:30:25.480 sinless, high priest, Jesus. I love the way John 00:30:25.480 --> 00:30:28.559 says this or expresses this same truth in 1 John 00:30:28.559 --> 00:30:31.779 1 .5. He says, this is the message that we have 00:30:31.779 --> 00:30:35.900 heard from him, from God, and proclaim to you 00:30:35.900 --> 00:30:39.740 that God is light and in him is no darkness at 00:30:39.740 --> 00:30:42.599 all. Again, this doctrine of the sinlessness 00:30:42.599 --> 00:30:46.950 of Christ, the sinlessness. of God. God is light. 00:30:47.109 --> 00:30:49.170 Again, we could say, well, there's another description 00:30:49.170 --> 00:30:53.150 of his omniscience. He knows everything. And 00:30:53.150 --> 00:30:58.009 in him is no darkness at all. In English, if 00:30:58.009 --> 00:31:00.529 you were to write this sentence in English, in 00:31:00.529 --> 00:31:02.470 an English class in school, your teacher would 00:31:02.470 --> 00:31:04.490 turn it back to you with big red letters on it 00:31:04.490 --> 00:31:09.190 saying that you used a double negative. God is 00:31:09.190 --> 00:31:13.759 light and in him, is no darkness at all. There 00:31:13.759 --> 00:31:17.960 is no none darkness in God. But again, in the 00:31:17.960 --> 00:31:21.779 Bible, it's just an emphasis on the sinlessness 00:31:21.779 --> 00:31:27.160 of God. The purity of God in him is no darkness 00:31:27.160 --> 00:31:31.960 at all. And aren't we glad only a sinless savior 00:31:31.960 --> 00:31:34.660 could provide the salvation that you and I enjoy 00:31:34.660 --> 00:31:38.180 today. And so now, in light of that, this last 00:31:38.180 --> 00:31:42.079 verse, let us then, There's the invitation. Let 00:31:42.079 --> 00:31:44.480 us then with confidence draw near the throne 00:31:44.480 --> 00:31:47.900 of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace 00:31:47.900 --> 00:31:53.140 to help in time of need. Our human tendency is 00:31:53.140 --> 00:31:55.599 that when we have messed up, when we failed, 00:31:57.059 --> 00:32:00.839 we don't run to God. We run away from God, right? 00:32:01.319 --> 00:32:04.099 We're ashamed, we're embarrassed. We failed, 00:32:04.180 --> 00:32:05.759 we knew better. We knew we shouldn't have done 00:32:05.759 --> 00:32:08.180 that. We did it anyway. Or we knew we should 00:32:08.180 --> 00:32:12.740 have done it and we didn't do it. But the scriptures 00:32:12.740 --> 00:32:15.619 are saying, look, you're gonna suffer because 00:32:15.619 --> 00:32:18.420 of your weaknesses, but you've got a high priest, 00:32:18.819 --> 00:32:22.059 a perfect high priest who understands, he sympathizes 00:32:22.059 --> 00:32:24.059 with your weaknesses. He knows what it's like 00:32:24.059 --> 00:32:28.859 to be a human, he is one. So he's full of sympathy. 00:32:30.240 --> 00:32:34.119 And we can go to him, don't run from him, draw 00:32:34.119 --> 00:32:38.819 near to him in these moments of struggle and 00:32:38.819 --> 00:32:42.380 failure. Let us then, with confidence, draw near 00:32:42.380 --> 00:32:44.299 the throne of grace that we may receive mercy 00:32:44.299 --> 00:32:47.420 and find grace in time of help. Since Jesus is 00:32:47.420 --> 00:32:49.579 our great high priest who has passed through 00:32:49.579 --> 00:32:52.000 the heavens, he has taken his seat at the right 00:32:52.000 --> 00:32:54.059 hand of the father, where the Bible says he lives 00:32:54.059 --> 00:32:57.880 forever to make intercession for us. Since he 00:32:57.880 --> 00:33:00.319 is not only a great high priest, but he's one 00:33:00.319 --> 00:33:03.279 who is able to sympathize with us in our weaknesses, 00:33:03.380 --> 00:33:07.759 although he himself is without sin, draw near 00:33:07.759 --> 00:33:10.559 to him. In light of that truth, draw near to 00:33:10.559 --> 00:33:12.579 Him. So it's talking about drawing near to God 00:33:12.579 --> 00:33:15.599 in prayer. Where should we go when we are struggling? 00:33:16.619 --> 00:33:19.859 We should go to God in prayer. And by the way, 00:33:20.359 --> 00:33:22.619 what this is talking about here, drawing near 00:33:22.619 --> 00:33:24.740 to God's throne, His throne of grace, drawing 00:33:24.740 --> 00:33:27.240 near to Him in prayer. First of all, we should 00:33:27.240 --> 00:33:31.630 continually come to God in prayer. And I'm just 00:33:31.630 --> 00:33:33.509 gonna ask this question because it's a question 00:33:33.509 --> 00:33:35.609 that I've struggled with in my life, and every 00:33:35.609 --> 00:33:37.549 time I talk about prayer or hear a message about 00:33:37.549 --> 00:33:40.430 prayer, I struggle with it again. How's your 00:33:40.430 --> 00:33:45.730 prayer life? Are you drawing near the throne 00:33:45.730 --> 00:33:48.349 of grace continually? I mean, that's what the 00:33:48.349 --> 00:33:51.490 Bible tells us to do, right? 1 Thessalonians 00:33:51.490 --> 00:33:55.269 5 .17, pray without ceasing. There's a verse 00:33:55.269 --> 00:33:59.319 you can memorize. Pray without ceasing. We have 00:33:59.319 --> 00:34:01.799 this wonderful privilege of prayer we should 00:34:01.799 --> 00:34:07.319 continually be drawing near, consistently drawing 00:34:07.319 --> 00:34:11.300 near to God in prayer. We have this resource, 00:34:11.320 --> 00:34:13.719 we should avail ourselves of it. And then not 00:34:13.719 --> 00:34:15.800 only continually coming to God in prayer, but 00:34:15.800 --> 00:34:18.139 when we come to God in prayer, he says we can 00:34:18.139 --> 00:34:21.780 come confidently. Let us with confidence draw 00:34:21.780 --> 00:34:26.889 near the throne of grace. We don't have to come 00:34:26.889 --> 00:34:29.230 hesitantly. We don't have to come wondering what 00:34:29.230 --> 00:34:32.690 kind of reception we're going to get God has 00:34:32.690 --> 00:34:36.010 said come to me Cast your cares upon me. I care 00:34:36.010 --> 00:34:39.349 for you. He has offered this wonderful invitation 00:34:39.349 --> 00:34:43.230 and that that word confidence speaks of Boldness 00:34:43.230 --> 00:34:46.150 in speech we can not only come to God confidently 00:34:46.150 --> 00:34:49.050 that we're going to be welcomed received But 00:34:49.050 --> 00:34:52.090 we can come to him and say what we need to say 00:34:52.090 --> 00:34:56.579 to him listen God can take it Tell him what's 00:34:56.579 --> 00:35:01.739 on your heart. Tell him what's going on in your 00:35:01.739 --> 00:35:05.599 life. And by the way, you know we never really 00:35:05.599 --> 00:35:08.139 make God aware of anything, right? Scripture 00:35:08.139 --> 00:35:10.119 teaches us God knows what we need before we ever 00:35:10.119 --> 00:35:12.219 open our mouths to pray. But isn't it wonderful 00:35:12.219 --> 00:35:14.539 that there's someone that we can come to and 00:35:14.539 --> 00:35:19.000 say, I got something I need to tell you. I need 00:35:19.000 --> 00:35:23.159 to get this off my chest. And it's someone that's 00:35:23.159 --> 00:35:25.690 gonna sympathize with us, not. condemn us, not 00:35:25.690 --> 00:35:29.989 look down his nose at us. That's the God that 00:35:29.989 --> 00:35:33.789 we are invited to come to with confidence. Boldness 00:35:33.789 --> 00:35:36.969 in speech, we can anticipate that God is approachable 00:35:36.969 --> 00:35:40.510 and not just approachable, he approves of our 00:35:40.510 --> 00:35:44.110 coming. He doesn't just tolerate our coming to 00:35:44.110 --> 00:35:49.530 him, these poor miserable humans. He wants us 00:35:49.530 --> 00:35:52.599 to come, he delights. Just like as a parent or 00:35:52.599 --> 00:35:54.539 a grandparent, you delight in your children coming 00:35:54.539 --> 00:36:00.559 to you, right? He delights in our coming and 00:36:00.559 --> 00:36:03.619 he wants us to come to ask him for the help that 00:36:03.619 --> 00:36:07.300 we need. He knows we need help. Scripture says, 00:36:07.719 --> 00:36:12.119 he knows we're just dust, right? So we come to 00:36:12.119 --> 00:36:16.159 him for help and we find... a welcome place, 00:36:16.179 --> 00:36:18.639 he welcomes us, and he welcomes us to speak to 00:36:18.639 --> 00:36:22.280 him with bold frankness as we pour out our hearts 00:36:22.280 --> 00:36:24.639 to him. And notice that this throne that we come 00:36:24.639 --> 00:36:28.119 to, I love this, and we all know, it's a throne 00:36:28.119 --> 00:36:31.739 of grace. God's throne is called a throne of 00:36:31.739 --> 00:36:33.940 grace. I mean, if you were asked to describe 00:36:33.940 --> 00:36:36.380 God's throne, well, you might say, well, it's 00:36:36.380 --> 00:36:39.920 a throne of justice. And you'd be right, it is. 00:36:41.079 --> 00:36:46.250 But here it's described as a. We find grace when 00:36:46.250 --> 00:36:52.409 we come to the throne of God for help. So we 00:36:52.409 --> 00:36:57.190 can come to him in full expectation that we will 00:36:57.190 --> 00:37:01.010 be met with favor, that our request will be met 00:37:01.010 --> 00:37:03.909 with favor, that God's going to answer us in 00:37:03.909 --> 00:37:07.710 a way that is best for us. That's what we can 00:37:07.710 --> 00:37:11.210 count on when we come to him in prayer. God doesn't 00:37:11.210 --> 00:37:14.599 always give us what we ask for, right? But he 00:37:14.599 --> 00:37:17.739 gives us what we need. Again, what have we said 00:37:17.739 --> 00:37:20.059 over the years? He gives us what we would ask 00:37:20.059 --> 00:37:26.619 for if we knew better. So God welcomes us to 00:37:26.619 --> 00:37:31.559 come before him and to boldly, with frank honesty, 00:37:33.420 --> 00:37:38.179 share our struggles and our needs. And then what 00:37:38.179 --> 00:37:40.760 does he do for us when we do that? Let us draw 00:37:40.760 --> 00:37:42.579 near with confidence to the throne of grace, 00:37:42.599 --> 00:37:45.369 and then look what it says. that we may receive 00:37:45.369 --> 00:37:51.090 mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 00:37:51.849 --> 00:37:57.429 God provides, God meets us at our need. What 00:37:57.429 --> 00:37:59.690 can you and I expect from God when we draw near 00:37:59.690 --> 00:38:03.230 to him in confidence and prayer? Well, first 00:38:03.230 --> 00:38:06.650 and foremost, we can expect him to hear and to 00:38:06.650 --> 00:38:13.039 respond, right? God hears your prayers. And he 00:38:13.039 --> 00:38:16.599 responds to your prayers. I love, and I've quoted 00:38:16.599 --> 00:38:18.980 this verse so many times, Psalms 116, verses 00:38:18.980 --> 00:38:21.599 one and two. Psalmist writes, I love the Lord 00:38:21.599 --> 00:38:23.980 because he has heard my voice and my pleas for 00:38:23.980 --> 00:38:27.159 mercy. He's heard me. I love the Lord because 00:38:27.159 --> 00:38:30.559 he has heard me. Listen, God hears when you pray. 00:38:33.260 --> 00:38:36.010 And then he continues in verse two. because he 00:38:36.010 --> 00:38:38.309 has inclined his ear to me, therefore I will 00:38:38.309 --> 00:38:40.590 call upon him as long as I live." Those words, 00:38:40.590 --> 00:38:44.010 inclined his ear, speak of God moving in response 00:38:44.010 --> 00:38:47.929 to the cries. He hears us and then he moves in 00:38:47.929 --> 00:38:54.289 response to our pleas for help. Let me tell you, 00:38:54.309 --> 00:39:00.170 church, I need help every day to do what God 00:39:00.170 --> 00:39:04.409 has called me to do. You need help every day. 00:39:04.989 --> 00:39:08.750 to do what God has called you to do. And that 00:39:08.750 --> 00:39:11.070 help is available at the throne of grace where 00:39:11.070 --> 00:39:15.030 God hears and responds to his people. And how 00:39:15.030 --> 00:39:17.449 does he respond? Well, you go there to that throne 00:39:17.449 --> 00:39:21.230 of grace that you might receive mercy. Now, typically 00:39:21.230 --> 00:39:23.110 we think of needing mercy when we've done something 00:39:23.110 --> 00:39:29.869 wrong, right? We've failed. There are times when 00:39:29.869 --> 00:39:33.800 we go before the throne of grace because... I 00:39:33.800 --> 00:39:36.920 blew it, Lord, I blew it, I blew it again. I 00:39:36.920 --> 00:39:39.340 told you I'd never be back here and here I am. 00:39:40.599 --> 00:39:43.619 And what do we find when we go to God with a 00:39:43.619 --> 00:39:49.280 prayer like that? Mercy. Mercy, that word mercy 00:39:49.280 --> 00:39:53.840 speaks of God tempering his justice. Is his throne 00:39:53.840 --> 00:39:56.440 a throne of justice? Absolutely, God is just. 00:39:57.519 --> 00:40:00.840 But he's also merciful. He tempers his justice. 00:40:01.099 --> 00:40:05.449 He withholds from us in mercy what we truly deserve. 00:40:05.530 --> 00:40:08.610 Aren't you glad for the mercy of God? You and 00:40:08.610 --> 00:40:13.030 I aren't gonna get what we deserve. Oh no, he 00:40:13.030 --> 00:40:17.210 withholds from us what we deserve in his mercy. 00:40:17.269 --> 00:40:20.369 So when we go to the Lord to confess our sins, 00:40:21.570 --> 00:40:26.489 to ask him for strength with our failures and 00:40:26.489 --> 00:40:32.230 addictions, we find. Mercy, we find tender compassion. 00:40:32.329 --> 00:40:36.150 That's what that word speaks of. God withholds 00:40:36.150 --> 00:40:41.889 from us what we deserve for those failures. And 00:40:41.889 --> 00:40:46.690 in its place, we find grace to help in time of 00:40:46.690 --> 00:40:51.650 need. God gives us, in mercy, he withholds what 00:40:51.650 --> 00:40:54.210 we deserve. And in grace, God gives us what we 00:40:54.210 --> 00:40:58.230 don't deserve. I mean, when you go to the Lord, 00:40:59.019 --> 00:41:04.380 in prayer to the throne of grace, you're gonna 00:41:04.380 --> 00:41:06.960 find help, you're gonna find compassion, you're 00:41:06.960 --> 00:41:10.380 gonna find love, you're gonna be met with favor. 00:41:10.659 --> 00:41:13.460 So this idea of finding grace is that God will 00:41:13.460 --> 00:41:15.659 give you the strength and the wisdom that you 00:41:15.659 --> 00:41:19.920 need, again, that you don't deserve, but that 00:41:19.920 --> 00:41:24.579 you need for your present and future difficulties. 00:41:26.159 --> 00:41:27.880 I tell you, if there's one prayer that I have 00:41:27.880 --> 00:41:31.260 repeated over the years of my ministry, it's 00:41:31.260 --> 00:41:36.719 the prayer for wisdom. Wisdom. Help me to be 00:41:36.719 --> 00:41:38.739 wise in the things that I do and the way that 00:41:38.739 --> 00:41:40.760 I minister to people in the sermons that I preach. 00:41:40.840 --> 00:41:44.719 Help me to be wise, Father. We need the wisdom 00:41:44.719 --> 00:41:49.199 of God. And of course, the scripture tells us 00:41:49.199 --> 00:41:53.619 here we will find that grace that will help us. 00:41:54.280 --> 00:41:57.639 Grace, we often refer to grace as the unmerited 00:41:57.639 --> 00:41:59.980 favor of God, the undeserved favor of God, and 00:41:59.980 --> 00:42:03.579 indeed it is. But this favor of God is a strength 00:42:03.579 --> 00:42:07.039 to us. Grace is a strength. God's grace gives 00:42:07.039 --> 00:42:10.119 us the strength to do what God has called us 00:42:10.119 --> 00:42:16.559 to do, to resist temptation and to do the work 00:42:16.559 --> 00:42:20.800 that God has prepared for us to do. So we go, 00:42:20.900 --> 00:42:24.650 we receive mercy, we find grace. to help in time 00:42:24.650 --> 00:42:27.070 of need. When we go to the Lord in prayer, you 00:42:27.070 --> 00:42:32.309 can expect to get the help that you need. And 00:42:32.309 --> 00:42:36.070 in time of need, that expression means at just 00:42:36.070 --> 00:42:39.510 the right time. At just the moment that you need 00:42:39.510 --> 00:42:42.289 some resource, God's gonna provide it for you. 00:42:42.989 --> 00:42:45.269 It's gonna be there. It's not gonna be late. 00:42:45.990 --> 00:42:48.190 God's gonna give you that help in a time of need. 00:42:48.550 --> 00:42:51.090 Again, God will graciously provide the resources 00:42:51.090 --> 00:42:55.210 that we lack at just the right moment that we 00:42:55.210 --> 00:42:58.889 need them. Again, James 1 .5 talking about wisdom. 00:42:59.789 --> 00:43:02.190 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God 00:43:02.190 --> 00:43:05.409 who gives generously to all without reproach 00:43:05.409 --> 00:43:08.769 and it will be given to him. And it's not just 00:43:08.769 --> 00:43:12.269 wisdom that this works with. Whatever it is you 00:43:12.269 --> 00:43:16.849 need. You need to be more kind. You need to be 00:43:16.849 --> 00:43:20.869 more understanding. You need to be more patient. 00:43:21.829 --> 00:43:25.989 You need to be more loving. Go to the Lord and 00:43:25.989 --> 00:43:32.829 ask. You'll find mercy and grace to help you 00:43:32.829 --> 00:43:34.570 in your time of need. So the question I'll leave 00:43:34.570 --> 00:43:36.409 you with this morning is this. What is it that 00:43:36.409 --> 00:43:40.590 you're struggling with this morning? What difficulty 00:43:40.590 --> 00:43:46.110 do you face? Whatever it is. Let me assure you, 00:43:46.150 --> 00:43:49.469 God knows. And not only does He know, He cares. 00:43:51.809 --> 00:43:54.130 And He will provide you with the resources you 00:43:54.130 --> 00:43:59.510 need to persevere through this difficulty if 00:43:59.510 --> 00:44:06.949 you will go to Him in prayer, confidently, sharing 00:44:06.949 --> 00:44:13.030 your heart with Him and expecting mercy, grace, 00:44:14.119 --> 00:44:17.980 and help. God sympathizes with you. That's what 00:44:17.980 --> 00:44:21.400 this says. Our perfect priest sympathizes with 00:44:21.400 --> 00:44:24.800 us and then in turn supplies us with every resource 00:44:24.800 --> 00:44:29.239 that we need to faithfully follow him, regardless 00:44:29.239 --> 00:44:32.119 of how difficult that road may be. I think Neil 00:44:32.119 --> 00:44:33.920 quoted this verse last week. I'm gonna say it 00:44:33.920 --> 00:44:37.079 again today. Jesus said, come to me. Come to 00:44:37.079 --> 00:44:42.619 me. Draw near to me. All who labor and are heavy 00:44:42.619 --> 00:44:49.340 laden. and I will give you rest. You want rest 00:44:49.340 --> 00:44:52.699 this morning? You'll find it in Christ.