Let Us Draw Near to the Throne of Grace

It’s good to be with you again at the beginning of a new week, sharing with you keys to successful living that God has placed in my hand through many years of personal experience in Christian ministry. This week I am continuing with the theme that I commenced last week, “Twelve Steps to a Good Year.”

But first, let me say “Thank you” to those who have been writing to me. Before I finish this talk we’ll be giving you a mailing address to which you may write. It encourages me greatly to hear how this radio ministry of mine has been helping you and blessing you. So please take time to write to me, even if it’s only a brief note.

Now, back to our theme, “Twelve Steps to a Good Year.” This theme is particularly appropriate for the start of a new year. It’s designed to equip you with an attitude and an outlook that will enable you to appropriate the fullness of God’s blessings and God’s provision in the year that lies ahead.

You see, so much depends on these two things, your attitude and your outlook, as you move on into all that God has planned for you in this new year. My talks are based on the epistle to the Hebrews. Twelve times in this epistle the writer says, “Let us.” These words indicate a resolution, a decision; something that relates to our will. But the fact that the phrase is in the plural, “Let us,” also indicates that it’s a decision that we need to make together with our fellow believers. It indicates our interdependence with the other members of the body of Christ.  Taken together, these twelve “Let us” passages in Hebrews constitute twelve scriptural New Year’s resolutions. We’ll just look briefly at the first three steps which we spoke about last week. Interestingly, each one of them is found in Hebrews chapter 4.

The first is in verse l:

“Therefore, let us fear, lest while a promise remains of entering his rest, any of you should seem to have come short of it.”

The second one is in verse ll:

“Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall through following the same example of disobedience.”

The third one is in verse 14:

“Since then, we have a great high priest, who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.”

Just briefly recapitulated, those are the first three steps to a good year. Number l, let us fear; number 2, let us  be diligent; number 3, let us hold fast our confession.

Today we are going to move on to the fourth step. This also is found in that fourth chapter of Hebrews; it’s in the last verse, verse 16:

“Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.”

That’s the fourth step, “Let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace.” I believe that fourth step is directly related to the first three steps. I believe that there is significance in the sequence. I believe that in order to be able to draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, we need to make sure that we’ve taken the first three steps. The first, let us fear, that we’ve come with an attitude of reverence and an awareness of our need of God’s grace. Then secondly, let us be diligent. I believe this is our response to God’s grace, that we are not slack, are not lazy, not indifferent, not presumptuous. We see that God’s grace is not excuse for our indifference or presumption; but rather that it provokes us to be diligent. And the third step, let us hold fast our confession. I believe we have to have the right confession, we have to say the right thing with our mouth about Jesus, what He’s done for us, if we’re going to be able to approach that throne of grace with confidence.

In regard to our approaching the throne of grace, we are told to come for two things: mercy and grace. Now it’s my conviction that if God invites us in His word to come, and if we meet the conditions which I’ve briefly outlined, and God says that there’s mercy and grace waiting for us, then I believe we can count on mercy and grace. I don’t believe we ever need to be disappointed. I don’t believe that God ever gives us an invitation that He doesn’t stand behind. So many of the promises and the invitations in the Bible are conditional. God says, “If you do this and this, I’ll do that.” And I believe God is saying to us here, “If you’ll  approach my throne, having met the conditions, and you’ll acknowledge your need of my mercy and my grace, then you can count on it. I will make my mercy and my grace available to you.” We don’t need to be in any doubt about that.

That’s why I believe the scripture says, “let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace.” If we come as God’s children, we don’t come as beggars, we’re invited. God has no second-class children. He never holds us at a distance if we’ve met the conditions for approach. It’s very important that we come with confidence. That’s faith in action. It’s faith that won’t be denied. It’s faith that takes God at His word and believes that God is as good as His word. It’s faith in God’s faithfulness. So that’s how we are to approach the throne, with confidence.

We’re told to approach God’s throne of grace to receive two things: mercy and grace. I believe we need to look at what’s involved in each of these two things. I believe the order is significant. I believe we need first of all, mercy, and then grace. Mercy essentially relates to people who’ve done wrong, who cannot claim their right, who are weak or unworthy.

There’s an attitude in the world today that makes everybody want to claim their rights. Everybody says, “This is due to me, and that is due to me, and why didn’t I get that, and I ought to have this.” And with that attitude prevailing, it’s hard often for people to see that they need mercy. I thank God personally that since I came to know the Lord, nearly 40 years ago now, there is one thing I have never been in any doubt about: that I need God’s mercy. I’m clear about that no matter what situation I’m in. I can’t just trust in my rights. They’re not sufficient. I need God’s mercy.

It’s so important to see that. I’m reminded of a friend of mine, who’s in full time Christian ministry now, but once upon a time he was a traveling salesman and he had been driving rather recklessly and he had received several tickets for exceeding the speed and so on, and he had been summoned to the sheriff’s office. He went there with a terrible feeling that he was going to have his license suspended. Of course, that would have been very serious for him because he would have had no means of carrying on with his profession as a salesman. So he prepared what he was going to say and when he was summoned before the sheriff, he said this, “Sir, I’m not asking for justice. I’m asking for mercy.” And the sheriff replied, “No one has ever said that to me before.” And he was so taken aback that, though he gave him a severe warning, he permitted him to retain his license.

Well, those words have always stuck with me. I think when we come to God, we’d better come with that attitude: “I’m not asking for justice, I’m asking for mercy.” I believe that when we come with that attitude, God will never withhold His mercy. The only problem, the only reason why people don’t receive mercy is they don’t see their need of it.

The second thing we’re told to come for is grace. What is grace? Grace is what God will freely do for us beyond what we deserve. One essential thing about grace is it cannot be deserved.  Secondly, the grace of God is supernatural. It goes beyond all the limits of our natural ability. It says we’re to come “in time of need.” I think that’s so important. Are you in a situation of need? Well, don’t let the devil fool you into thinking that it’s too desperate, and that it’s too late to come, and that there’s nothing you can do about it. God specifically invites you to come in time of need. So if you hear this message today and your situation is desperate, let me recommend this to you: that you come to God’s throne with confidence for these two things. First of all, mercy. Don’t ask for your rights because if you got your rights, you’d be shocked. What you really deserve, you don’t want. Secondly, come for grace. Don’t limit God to what He can do on your behalf. And don’t be put off by the fact that your situation is desperate. That’s just the time to come.

Finally, remember you’re coming to a throne. And on that throne is a king. And the king you’re coming to is the king of the universe. All authority and power, in heaven and on earth, is in His hands.

Well, our time is up for today. I’ll be back again tomorrow at this time. Tomorrow I’ll be explaining the fifth step to a good year.