Come Boldly Before the Throne, Part 1

Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. When Adam and Eve rebelled against God in the garden, we became like a branch that sawed itself off from the tree. In our attempt to find satisfaction apart from God, we separated ourselves from our very life source.

But God was not willing to leave us in our brokenness. Jesus comes as our High Priest, the only one who could be the go-between, the only one who could truly restore us to the Father. The Old Testament ritual of the High Priest was a shadow of what Jesus would complete for us. Hebrews 4.14 says, 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. As servants of Christ, a truth like this infuses courage into our hearts and bolsters our resolve. We can draw near to the throne, confident that we have a High Priest who has experienced what it is to be one of us, confident that his work doesn't just cover sin, but transforms us. Let's listen in as Rich unpacks Hebrews 4.14-16. Come boldly to the throne of grace, Hebrews 4 verses 14 through 16.

Come boldly to the throne of grace, seeing then that we have a great High Priest. This paragraph, verses 14-16, is an introductory statement to the next argument for the supremacy of Christ. That next argument encompasses chapter 4 verse 14 all the way through chapter 10 verse 18.

Please don't be alarmed, we're not going to cover that all today, okay? But that is the next major section of the book of Hebrews, chapter 4 verse 14 through 10, 18. And the focus of this paragraph, which is the next argument for the supremacy of Christ, the focus of it is centered on priesthood, and specifically on one priesthood, and the chief function of mediation through sacrifice.

If you were to look back at chapter 3 verse 1, the writer of Hebrews writes, Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus. Here's the problem for us. We're in 21st century America. This is the West. We're not used to the concept of a priesthood, are we?

Why is that? Well, chiefly because from the Scriptures arise the truth of the High Priestly function of Jesus Christ. We don't have a man who needs to be a priest for us. Christ is our priest. But we have become so used to that, it has become such a part of our faith system that we kind of don't even think about what it means that Jesus Christ is our High Priest. But it's very important for us to understand. We cannot take his High Priestly function for granted. And understanding the High Priestly function of Jesus Christ should draw us to understand his High Priestly work because it magnifies his grace and the glory of God.

Very important for us to understand. We might have images of what a priest is today. You might have the image, depending on how much TV you've watched or maybe what churches you've been a part of. But a priest, when you think of a priest, what comes to mind? Maybe this slightly rotund fellow in a robe that goes down to the ground and it's probably brown. And he's got a rope around him or something like that.

And he has a nice bowl cut. That's not what we're talking about today, okay? It's not that kind of priest we're talking about. This is the High Priestly function of Christ.

And it's very important for us to know what a priest is and what Christ's function is as a priest. So this section then introduces, this paragraph 4-16, introduces all the way through chapter 10 verse 18. And in this whole section, 4-14 to 10-18, there are three themes to this next argument for the supremacy of Christ. The supremacy of Christ is why the author of Hebrews is writing this book. Because he is pointing out and he is arguing not only the supremacy of Christ, but the vacancy of any religious, philosophical, ideological system that ignores the supremacy of Christ.

And so he's arguing for the supremacy of Christ. And in this section, there are three themes in the background to it. First of all is priesthood. Secondly is, let's go back to that last slide there, Arch. Secondly is progressive revelation.

And then thirdly is on to maturity, okay? We're going to cover these one at a time, all right? So let's, first of all, let's consider the priesthood.

Now what is this? This is, I'm giving an introduction to the whole next section of 4-14 through 10-18. And the writer is offering that introduction for us here. Remember these three themes in the background to all of this, what he's going to be arguing. The first one is priesthood. Very important for us to understand what the priesthood is and why it exists. The priesthood exists to affirm three specific things.

Number one, separation from God. The existence of the priesthood affirms the fact that there is such a thing as separation from God. We, as created, limited, fallen creatures, are separated from God. The God who made us, and He made us for Himself. A holy, infinite, sovereign God. We are separated from Him.

And it is because of our rebellion. It is our choice to walk away from Him, thinking that we know better. This God who made us is infinitely greater than us. He is wholly other than us, but He is also infinitely holy.

He is absolutely pure, in the sense that His purity is so pure that it consumes anything that comes close to it that is impure. Try to travel to the sun. How close could you get to the sun?

That orb that we see go over our horizon and through the sky every day, 93 million miles away. How close can you get to that? You can only get so far before it would utterly consume you. You see, that's what God is. It is the radiance of His purity that will consume all of our impurity.

That's our problem. And so we are separated from God because we are fallen unholy creatures, and we have been separated from the infinitely holy Creator. The priesthood affirms this truth, that we are separated from God. He is a consuming fire. And the Scriptures teach us, the Scriptures tell us that were it not for His mercies, we would be consumed. Were it not for His tender, loving kindness, His mercy, we would be consumed. It is our rebellious nature that separates us from Him.

We are alienated from God, we are like branches broken off of a tree, trying to survive, trying to produce, but we cannot because we have no life. And we will end up ultimately destined for the burn pile. Our God is a consuming fire.

That is something we must understand. Listen, Westerners, Americans, we're all about God's love, aren't we? And God is love. But if we don't understand this about God, then so much of the Bible will not make a lick of sense.

God is holy, and as such, He is a consuming fire. Our sin separates us from God. The priesthood affirms that. The second thing the priesthood affirms is that there is mediation to God.

God, in His sovereignty and in His mercy, in His loving kindness, has made provision for us to be able to interact with Him. A mediator represents the presence of God and His work among us, and that's what the Old Testament priesthood did. It represented God and His work among us. And that's what the priesthood represented God and His work among us. The priesthood also represented God's people to God to take us into His presence.

Now, that last phrase, I really want you to grab on to that, okay? Because that's what the priesthood does. It takes us, the priesthood of Christ takes us into the presence of God. We, who are worthy of being consumed by His fire through the mediator, can be the very presence of the consuming fire. That's the priesthood of Christ.

And so, mediation, the priesthood affirms not only separation from God, but mediation to God. The third thing that it affirms is the crux of the whole matter. It's the issue. What is the issue right here? And that is right standing before God. This is the issue for every man, woman, and child, every human that has ever walked on the face of the earth, and here is the question. Are you in right standing before God? It's not a question of morality. Are you living the right life? Does your good outweigh your bad? All that is is just creating God in our image.

No, no, no. We must understand God in the way that He's revealed Himself to us. We cannot come to God on our terms. We must come to God on His terms. And the question is this, are you in right standing before God? And the priesthood affirms the necessity of this. Because we are separated from God, we can be mediated to God, and we must ask if we are in right standing before God.

Basic question for every person. Are you reconciled to God? You are that broken branch lying on the ground suffocating, dying slowly.

The only hope you have is if you are grafted back into the tree and you can draw life from the tree. Are you reconciled to God? That's the question. Very interesting what he points out here at the beginning of chapter 4. There's a word that he uses. Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. Again, part of that second warning in Hebrews. Let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. Why does he use the word fear? Because our God is a consuming fire. The only thing that we actually deserve from Him is His wrath. So how do we define fear?

Let me use this definition. I want you to hang on to this, okay, because this is paramount to everything that we're reading and studying in the book of Hebrews. Fear, the reason why he uses fear is this. Fear is the desire to be in right relation to God who can and ought to consume you.

Say, oh, Richard, this is hard. You know, usually, you know, we like to think that God is love. He is love.

He is love. We're so glad you've joined us for Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. You can hear this message and others anytime by visiting our website, www.delightingrace.com. You can also check out Pastor Rich's book, Seven Words That Can Change Your Life, where he unpacks from God's Word, the very purpose for which you were designed. Seven Words That Can Change Your Life is available wherever books are sold. As always, tune in to Delight in Grace weekdays at 10 a.m.