COMING TO THE THRONE OF GRACE

Hebrews 4:16 says, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." We have an invitation of our Lord to enter his Divine Presence through prayer. We have to come across the threshold of the blood of Christ. Whatever else that it is, the place where we come to prayer is a "throne of grace." What happens when we come to the throne of grace?

I. It Puts Us In Our Right Place . When we come to God’s throne in prayer it shows us at least two things. First, it gives us a sense of our smallness. We know at once our littleness; and anything that teaches us that is good. You can get too big for God to use you, but you can never get too little. Secondly, it gives us a sense of our sinfulness. All we have to do is put our character beside His character, and we find ourselves to be a sinful people, in light of His infinite holiness.

II. It Shows Him In His True Light. What sort of person is it that sits on the throne of glory. Notice first, He is a Figure of Majesty. He is on a throne. When we realize that, we will not be frivolous in our prayers and we will not approach God with undue familiarity. Secondly, God is a Figure of Mercy. He sit upon a throne, but thank God it is a throne of grace; His seat is a mercy seat. Mercy involves God withholding what we do deserve.

III. It Presents Need In Its Real Proportions. Does our need seem too big for us? If it does then know that God knows how big it looks in our eyes and He will handle that need with an sense of "all knowledge." Does your need seem as big as the "throne of grace?" You need to recall how the Apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit of God, deals with "your need" in Phillipians 4:19. God says He will supply "all your need."

The Steadfast Child of God

The Bible says in 1 Cor. 15:58 that God’s people are to be "Steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." Saints are to be steadfast in the right things. There is so much wavering and waffling among the saints of God. Many are one way today and another way tomorrow. The word "steadfast" means to be "immovable." Sometimes a person in sinful rebellion says, "I will not be moved." That is not the kind of immovableness I am referring to in this brief study.

I. Be Steadfast In Faith. 1 Peter 5:9 tells us that we are to resist the devil "steadfast in the faith."That means that we are not to give in to the devil in any way. We stand in the grace of faith exercising it in the promises, power, and faithfulness of God. Faith actually acts as a shield against Satan and his demons.

II. Be Steadfast In Work. In 1 Cor. 15:58 we are told to be always, "Abounding in the work of the Lord." So many Christians are lazy and slothful. Some had rather watch TV than to spend time with God in Bible reading and prayer. Spiritual progress requires diligence. Don’t do things half-way for God; give the Lord Jesus your best.

III. Be Steadfast In Looking. Acts 1:11 tells us that when Jesus went up into heaven from the Mt. of Olives, that the angel said, "This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." We are to be looking for Jesus to return for His saints. The day is coming that He will come and will not tarry.

IV. Be Steadfast in Doctrine. Acts 2:42 says the disciples in the early church, "Continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine." It was a doctrine of peace, pardon, righteousness, and salvation by and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Be able to establish what you believe from the Word of God "rightly divided." Doctrinal error keeps one from knowing God’s best for his or her life. It also hinders others from knowing the truth.

Spiritual Hunger

The Bible says in Matt. 5:6, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled."

That sounds on the surface, contradictory to what the Bible says when it promises peace and rest. The Scriptures never contradict themselves. Spiritual hunger must be a part of all true Christian experience. We should be keenly interested in being filled, so a Bible pre-requisite for that is hungering. There are too many professing Christians today, who are self-content and self-sufficient. There are several observations I want to make to you concerning hunger.

I. HUNGER IS A MARK OF HEALTH.

When a person loses his or her appetite, it is a sign that person has something physically or emotionally wrong with them. Healthy people want to eat and have a desire to take in food. Folks who have lost the desire to eat need to visit a physician or a Christian psychologist. When Christian people want to "eat" of the things of God regularly it is a very good sign they are spiritually healthy.

II. HUNGER IS A PART OF GROWING.

If a person did not become hungry, he or she would not eat. We eat when we become hungry. First there is hunger then there is growth. Folks who are thirsty after the world and what it has to offer will never get anywhere spiritually. There is to be a deep craving and longing within our hearts to partake of and enjoy the things of God.

III. HUNGER CAN BE A REQUEST OF PRAYER.

If God says hungering precedes filling, then we know it is the will of God for us to long or hunger for spiritual things and righteousness. Whatever you know it is the will of God for you to have, then go to Him and ask Him for what it is you are lacking and what you need.

IV. HUNGER CAN BE DEFINED.

A. Spiritually it is the empty hand reached out to receive new and richer gifts from heaven. You never reach the place in your spiritual experience in this earthly existence where you have "arrived." There is always a deeper knowledge of God and a deeper walk with God that is there for us if we will only seek it in our daily experience.

B. It is the life of God in the human soul struggling to grow us up into the fulness of the stature of Christ. I can make you a definite promise from the Word of God that if you will hunger and thirst after righteousness, then you will be filled.

Christian Radiance

The Bible says in Ps.34:5, "They looked unto Him and were lightened( or made radiant). The presence of God does several things for us that we should not overlook. One of the ways it benefits us the most is the "radiance" it gives to our countenances. There is a "heavenly glow" that the dedicated, consecrated child of God possesses. Our face may have this God-originated shine even when we are not aware that we are glowing. God not only transfigures a life when we are saved, He also transfigures our faces. What leads to this heavenly glow?

I. We are made righteous in His "radiant righteousness." 2 Cor. 5:21 says we are "made the righteousness of God in Him." We are viewed by God being made as righteous as Jesus, because we are "in Him", not having our own righteousness. We are imputed "His" righteousness.

II. We are made acceptable by His "radiant grace." Eph. 1:6 declares that we are "accepted in the beloved" or in "the beloved one."

What a blessing to know that I am accepted in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. He gave us what we did not deserve–eternal life.

III. We are made holy in this "radiant Christ." The Bible says in 1 Cor. 1:30 that Christ is adorned in, "wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. That is why we cannot glory in ourselves; we must glory in the Lord (1 Cor.1:31).

IV. We are made strong in His "radiant power." In 2 Cor.12:9 the Apostle Paul spoke of his desire, "That the power of Christ may rest upon me." That power is sufficient for all situations in life.

V. We are made white in His "radiant blood." Rev. 7:14 reminds us that the church is "made white in the blood of the Lamb." It is Christ’s blood that makes us pure.

VI. We are made fit in His "radiant working." In Col. 1:12 the Bible speaking of what Christ has done for us says, "Who math made us meet (fit)" to be partakers of a divine inheritance.