FBCWest 620 | Confidence Before God
Recorded On: 08/18/2024
Bulletin
Hymn # 188 “Jesus Is Tenderly Calling”
SCRIPTURE READING – 1 Corinthians 1:26 - 31
Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
OFFERTORY PRAYER
OFFERTORY MUSIC – Pru Hungate
Praise and Worship
“Behold the Lamb”
“Living Hope”
“How Great Is Your Love”
Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“Confidence Before God”
PRAYER TIME / Time of Reflection
“Way Maker”
“Praise You Anywhere”
Sermon Notes
Hebrews 4:14 & 15 Jesus understands what we are going through, yet without sine
Hebrews 4:16 Because of that we can go directly to the Throne of Grace (God) with confidence and get help
Hebrews 7:25 Jesus save forever to those who draw near to God because He intercedes for us
James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you
Scritpures
Transcript of Service
Unfortunately, we are very politically divided, so this example I'm going to suggest that whoever happens to be the president is a person you voted for and supported. But let's say this person just was inaugurated, and then you get contacted shortly thereafter that they want to meet you, but not only do they want to meet you, they want to meet you in the Oval Office, and they want to discuss with you what your concerns are and what your needs are. I'm pretty certain you would make sure that you are able to go to that White House, go to that Oval Office, and discuss your problems with the president. Someone far greater than the president, with far more power than the president, has sent you a letter with the very same topics. You can see what that greater person is and how he wants to discuss with you your needs.
We've been going through this series because I've been hoping and praying that as we go through some of these simpler scriptures, or even some more complex, that it will change us. It will put a new attitude and increase faith in our Lord.
This is one of those times we all want to go to heaven.
We all sing songs about what a glorious thing it will be when we go to heaven.
But some of us, kind of like the old man who the pastor was preaching, and he says, "How many want to go to heaven?" And everybody but this one older gentleman raises their hand. So he thinks because he's an older gentleman, he doesn't hear us. So he says it a little louder, "How many of you want to go to heaven?" And everybody but the older gentleman raises his hand.
So finally he, so he went up to the older gentleman and goes, "Sir, don't you want to go to heaven?" Yes, I do, but not right now.
And so many times we want to go to heaven, but not right now. But even those of us who are tired of what this world has to offer, which is not much, and we can't wait to go to heaven, we are missing a great opportunity to be there, not just in heaven, but the most precious point in heaven.
So I'm going to share with that with you.
Now the situation is, before Jesus came, God had instructed his people to build what is known as a tabernacle, a movable place where God would meet them. And in that he had them build an outer court, and in that outer court was a bronze altar where they would offer their sacrifices.
And then there was a laver where the priests would wash themselves so that they could then enter to the holy place where there would be the table of showbread with twelve loaves on, that there was the menorah, and then there was the altar of incense.
And the priests, and only the priests would go daily and minister into those parts. But only the high priest once a year could enter the holy of holies, and he would offer first a sacrifice for himself, enter into the holy of holies, and place the blood offering there, and then he would exit and then offer a second sacrifice for the people. So he would then again enter the holy of holies and offer that blood sacrifice and leave. Now if God was not accepting of the sacrifice for any reason at all, he would strike the high priest dead.
And it would be a full year before you could get the body out unless God had them moved. And so what they started doing was putting a rope around the high priest and bells. So if the bells stopped chiming, they could drag the body out.
Jesus changed all that.
You see the high priest, and only the high priest once a year would enter the holy of holies with great fear and trepidation because he was not sure that God would accept the sacrifice.
But Jesus came and offered himself once and for all a sacrifice for us all.
And because of that, there is now a new situation. And so in Hebrews chapter 4, and if you have your Bibles, and you should, turn to Hebrews chapter 4, and we're going to look at verses 14 and 15.
"Therefore, since we have a great high priest, which is Jesus, who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." You see, Jesus, not only because he's God, understands us because he created us. He understands us because he was tempted in all the things that we face.
But he was without sin. So he doesn't lack sympathy for our situation. He understands that we are but dust, that we are him, and that we make really, really, really bad decisions.
And then a lot of times we try to say, "Well, I make a lot of mistakes." No, no, we sin a lot. We try to make it a little nicer. You know, two plus two, five is a mistake.
"Plaspheming the name of the Lord our God is a sin." It's not a mistake. And so Jesus understands that we have been tempted to sin in our bodies, but that he is yet without sin. He says, "Therefore, let us draw near with confidence through the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Because we have this high priest who does sympathize with us, we are told to then draw near with confidence, not like the high priest who would go once a year with fear and trepidation. We are told to go with confidence, not into the tabernacle made by hands, not in even the temple that was made by hands, but in the throne of grace, the greatest part of heaven that exists. We all talk about the streets of gold. Who cares about the streets of gold? What I want to see is the holy of holies, because that's where God is. That's where God dwells. And it says that we can now go with confidence.
That's why we talked about we are now no condemnation of those in Christ Jesus. We don't have to go, "Oh, well, I'm blown and I'm sinful." No, no, we get to go with confidence because we have believed in the Lord our God, and He has forgiven us, and therefore we are allowed, not just once a year, but multiple times a day to go to the throne of grace so that we may find, receive mercy.
Now we're very keen on saying fairness.
And want things to be fair.
Well, God was fair.
None of them would be going to heaven.
We wouldn't have a snowball's chance of that proverbial hot place to go.
But because of Jesus' sacrifice, we can go and find mercy.
And that's what I want. I don't want justice. I don't want fairness. I want mercy.
Because I know who I am, and I know what I've done, and I know the thoughts that I've had.
And if you knew what I've done and what I think, you'd say, "You need to find somebody else sitting up here."
But for some reason, God has granted me mercy and you mercy for me to speak and you to listen and pray while I'm speaking and you're listening so that it may be in conjunction with God once. So that we might find, receive mercy.
Notice we're not receiving mercy before we get there, although that's the fact. Once we get there, we're receiving mercy.
And find grace.
Unmerited favor. So every time Satan tells you, "You don't deserve it," you can say, "You're right, but I got grace."
No one.
And I mean no one has ever deserved forgiveness.
It is unmerited so that we might find mercy and find grace in time of need.
When you're struggling, when you're having difficulty, that's the time to go to the throne of grace. Now, I'm going to say something that kind of departs from here.
We are told to go with confidence to the throne of grace that we might receive mercy and might find grace.
On a human level, I want to just say, for those parents, and particularly fathers, there are times when your children come to you and ask for things.
And if it's possible, you give it to them. And if it's best for them, you give it to them. If it's not, you try to explain that it's not, or some just parents should say, "No." But we try to do good gifts for our children. But you know what is really special for a father?
When your child just comes and either sits next to you or if they're little, sit in your lap, go, "Daddy, I just want to be with you."
Let it not be awesome to go to the throne room of grace and say, "Daddy, I just want to be with you. I'm not asking for anything. I'm not expecting to receive anything. I just want to be with you." But he doesn't limit to that. He says, "You can come and draw near." Not a far off. We're not outside in the courtyard of men or women or Gentiles. We're not even in the outer corner. We're not even in the holy place. We're in the holy of holies, not made with human hands, but in heaven itself.
You'll turn to your, in your Bibles to Hebrews, chapter 7, verse 25.
It says this.
"Therefore he," being Jesus, "is able also to say forever those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercessions for them." So I want you to know that our high priest is alive forever.
And for those of us who draw near to him, for those of us who want God and are drawing near to him, he always lives to make intercession.
So when we sin, Jesus is there to say, "My blood covers that."
His faith makes him righteous.
There's now no condemnation.
He intercedes.
It's been said that Jesus is the greatest lawyer that has ever been.
He's never lost a single case, and he's never represented an innocent person.
He makes intercession. Not only did he die on a cross, not only did he, did he raise again, but he continues to intercede for us.
What an amazing God that we have.
And again, at that, the dividing place between the Holy of Holies and the Holy Place was a curtain that on the death of Jesus was torn in two so that we might enter this Holy of Holies and that we might receive this intercession because Jesus, we are told, sits at the right hand of God the Father.
So he simply turns to God and says, "It's forgiven. His name is written in the Book of Life. It's forgiven. It's forgiven.
It's forgiven."
So we need to start doing two things. We need to start going to the throne of grace, only, and understand that Jesus isn't waiting for us to mess up. But it's telling the Father, "I got him.
He's mine."
And the final verse we're going to take a look at is James chapter 4, verse 8.
First part is really simple.
"Draw near to God and he will draw near to you."
God's waiting for you to make a move.
Come to him.
And you may be a hundred miles away from where God wants you to be. You take a simple step and he comes to you.
You draw near to God and he will draw near to you.
You see, he's not waiting for you to turn over and you leave. He's not waiting for you to be perfect. He's not even waiting for you to be almost perfect. He simply says, "Come to me and I'll go to you."
So he says, "Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
You see, we tend to be happy with our sins.
That's why we don't draw near to him.
But when we finally get to the point where we go, you know, heaven must be a wonderful place.
There are angels there, there are loved ones there, and that's all great.
But heaven would not be heaven without the presence of God.
The absence of God is hell.
And there are former angels there.
Hopefully not, but probably some of our relatives are there.
Some of the people we love are there.
She and I would not want to go there because God's not there.
So let us draw near to him.
Let us love to be in his company. Let us cast aside all this uncertainty and lack of confidence, but to go to the holy of holies in heaven and commune with God, say, "God, I'm having a bad day. I'm being tempted. God, this isn't working out. I need grace. I need mercy. No, I blew it, God. I need mercy."
You see, the fact that we sin should not keep us away from God. It should cause us to want to run all the more to his presence to find that mercy and that grace.
So Satan has lied to you. He says, "Your sin has kept you from God." As Jesus says, "I covered it. It's paid for. I'm interceding for you. Come to me.
Come to the Father.
Because I want you, a desire you.
I want you to be in an intimate relationship with me, not something where I know about God, or I can recite verses, but that I can be in his presence in heaven."
So yes, the next time we sing, "When we all get to heaven, what a glorious day that will be."
Maybe we should think, "Father, I'm there now because I'm in your presence, and I have found mercy and I have found grace.
I just want to remain here until you physically take me home."
Then I'll say, "I'm home."
Or about already been.
Because God has made a way for us.
God has made a way for you.
What a shame we wait till that time when we stop breathing.
Let's go to heaven now, and I'll guide people safe.