I remember one time going into the jail, to talk with those fellas and there was one guy, he says, “I’m in a terrible mess,” and we talked a little more and he’d admit, “I’m in a terrible mess,” but he says, “I’m not afraid,” he’s says, “I’ve got a good lawyer.” I thought, “Oh boy there’s the gospel right there.” A third reason why the Lord is a great high priest and that is because of his greater tenure. His greater tenure. It says He passed through the heavens. If He passed through the heavens, obviously He came out of the realm of death and the grave. You know if after the conference is over on Sunday, why somebody called me on the cell phone, they say, “Where are you at?” Well, we just passed through Memphis. Obviously they’d know that we weren’t back in Muscle Shoals.
And so the Lord passed through the heavens out of the realm of death. He ever lives to make intercession for us. Think of all these other priests. I mean Aaron was an outstanding priest and yet he was stripped of his garments on Mount Hor and he died. Eleazar was a faithful priest but he died. Phinehas was an outstanding priest, I mean he executed judgement with the jealousy of God and yet he died. Ahimelech. He sacrificed his life for David. He died. Eli trembled for the ark. He died. Zechariah, Luke 1:6 walking in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord and yet he died. They all died but the Bible says, “The Lord Jesus ever lives to make intercession for us!” No death! He conquered death, resurrected, raised, appearing in the presence of God by the power of an indestructible life. Think of it. You might have a good lawyer that knows your case, he knows you but what good is he if he dies in the middle of the case. You might have a banker that is very sympathetic. He can get you that loan but he dies and you’re out of favor again. It’s bad enough when your barber dies. But here the Lord Jesus ever lives to make intercession – I mean this is the most important thing that we ever will need. And He ever lives, for us.
Think of the men of God. That down through the history have obtained more grace, obtained help from above. There’s Isaac. He was in a barren situation. And he cried out to God for his wife and obtained help from above. Jacob had a man that was mad at him, but he obtained help from above. There was Joshua, long in battle. He cried out to God and obtained help from above. The sun stood still, and there was never a day like it before or after, when God listened to the voice of a man. David says, “My adversaries have increased.” He was all bowed down. He said, “more in number then the hairs of my head.” And he cried out to God with his voice and God heard him, and was his glory and the lifter of his head. There was the case of Samuel. And the Philistines were attacking them and they said, “Don’t stop praying for us.” “Cry to God for us.” and Samuel cried out to God mightily and God came and they routed the Philistines and they named that place what? Ebenezer. Hitherto hath the Lord helped us. Joshua had arrows pointed at him in every direction and it says he cried out to God, and God heard him and helped him. And moved them, the enemies away. Elijah cried out to God. He found help from above. A fire came down and the dead came up and the heavens were shut and opened again. This is help. Help, in time of need. The other day I went up north of town to the country to pray and got out of the car and locked my keys in the car. I had to call home for help. Terri came out with another set of keys and as she left, I thought, “This is help!” It says, “Help in time of need.”
Here we are in our struggle against sin. That’s the language of Hebrews 12. Our struggle, our striving against sin. What do we do with these Goliaths? What do we do with these long standing enemies? It says here we can come and find grace to help in our time of need. We ought to come and cry mightily for grace. Grace upon this throne. It says, “a throne of grace.” We out to think in terms of sovereign grace, mighty, marvelous, matchless, infinite grace, that is greater than all of our sins! What sin is too big for the sovereign grace of God? What Goliath can stand against this throne of grace? Grace teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lust. Some of the lessons are hard but He teaches us to deny these things, to deny self, and live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world. Sovereign grace-the reign of grace. Grace that subdues our iniquities. It says, “Come and obtain grace.”
I know of a fellow one time, when he was about two or three years old in the Lord and troubled by a longstanding, a besetting sin and he cried out to God from the bottom of his heart, “Lord if I can not have victory over this sin put me in hell right now.” That was the end of that sin. It was broken, forever.
We’re coming to a King, a throne. Large petitions with thee bring. His grace and power are such that one can never ask too much. Beyond all that we ask or think. Most earthly thrones are occupied by mean, selfish, ruthless men. This throne is a throne of grace and mercy. A gracious King is reigning there.
We should come humbly. We should come confidently. And it says here that we should come continually. I am told that that is the tense of this word. Peter says, “coming to Him as to a living stone.” Not just once, but a life of coming. A life of coming back, back to Him. It seems like the Lord creates needs to keep us coming back, even. And so we pray morning, noon, and night.
If you are not a Christian; if you’ve never come, why not? The way is wide open. Come on, to the throne of grace. Come as a subject of the throne. Everything yielded. You know pride is always going to be the number one obstacle between you and God. The number one obstacle between you and heaven is your pride. That’s why the Lord Jesus says, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me.” Everything. Run up the white flag – it’s just that simple. Absolute, unconditional surrender to the King of kings before the throne. Come. Call upon Him. You know it says, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” It’s not a call like a phone call – it’s talking about a desperate call. Like a drowning swimmer. If you are a Christian, oh the thousand needs that are with the Christian. Bitterness, envy, jealousy, strife – all of these things that trouble us. Come boldly to the throne of grace, like a sheep to the Shepherd. Like a woman to her man, leaving all others. We come back again, and again, and again.
What do we have? Except the nearness of the Lord. It says, “The nearness of God is our good.” The nearness of the Shepherd is the only safety the sheep does have.
My daughter – she has some geese, and awhile back we heard a ruckus out there and she ran out and as she came up over the ridge there was a fox that had one of her geese. But as soon as that fox saw her, he took off. The nearness of God is our good. And draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord. To thy precious bleeding side. Let us come boldly to the throne of grace for grace and mercy to help in our time of need.
You know if we keep coming to that throne, we’ll end up on the throne. It says in Revelation 3, “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit with me on my throne, as I overcame and sit on my Father’s throne.” What a thing!
