Read Verses: Hebrews 4:14-16
Key Verse: Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
I don't know anyone who is really high up on the social scale, maybe you don't either...so we'll have to use our imaginations. But suppose one of us wanted to ask the President of the United States a question and we saw him in a McDonalds...we walk up to him and say "Hey Mr......" The next words out of our mouths would probably be "Don't shoot, I'm unarmed." I don't think the president would take kindly to some stranger approaching him without a security check, etc. In fact, its like that with most people who feel important...if you want to meet them, you got to know somebody important.
For instance, I have a friend who took a class with 2 chefs who used to cook for the white house. She had a fancy business card and everything to show. She met them, talked with them, cooked with them and learned all kinds of culinary secrets. Now, if I had paid the fee, maybe I could have met them too. But, even they are "more important" than I am and I'd need someone like my friend to introduce me. WHICH SHE CAN NOW DO...YEAH!!!!!! Some good eats coming up in the future :)
In the Old Testament, royalty was a lot like that. You needed an invitation to come into the king's presence, or it could be curtains for you. Queen Esther had such a choice to make, the Jews were about to be persecuted and choices had to be made. Esther made a decision to come into the king's presence unannounced. Here is what she says about it in Esther chapter 4...Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”
Notice the phrase.....If I perish, I perish. She had no confidence coming to speak to the king unannounced. In fact, it could mean her life if he were in a bad mood. Needless to say in the story of Esther...she received favor from the king and was heard. Now I want to talk about coming into someone else's presence who is even more important...GOD. In our key verse today, we can come into God's presence with boldness and confidence...unannounced even...and find mercy and grace. Why can we do this with God and not royalty? Well, lets not talk about some people over inflated sense of importance...but rather talk about the work of Jesus Christ. Romans 8:34 talks about Jesus sitting at the right hand of the Father interceding for us. Guess what...he has introduced us to His Father on our behalf. He's already made an appointment for us. What great news...but wait, there's more. Not only has Jesus paved the way for us to come into God's presence. He also paved the way for us to be adopted into His family. Here is a truth about prayer...when we pray, we pray as family, not as peasants trying to earn the favor of a monarch.
God has adopted us as His very own, and we also have Jesus as mediator. What could possibly go wrong? Absolutely nothing. We can come into God's presence boldly and humbly knowing that we will be received and listened to. Remember, prayer is about relationship first. It's a family thing. God isn't just a nice idea, He is real, and He is our Heavenly Abba. We have been covered by the blood of Jesus. Our sins are forgiven. We have been adopted into the Family of God. We can pray having full confidence that we WILL be heard. No grovelling for us. In a sense you could say that Jesus makes us royalty. We are a child of the King.
Many times we feel ashamed or fearful or unsure as we pray to God. Does he hear us? Is he listening? Is he listening to me? Does he really Care? Yes, YES.....YES to everyone of those questions. He loves us as His own dear Son. Why wouldn't he care and listen. But more importantly we have Jesus interceding on our behalf. He is up there PRAYING FOR US. Don't know if you realize that? Jesus is not only paving our way to the Father, but also praying for us and lifting up our needs already. The Father probably doesn't hear anything from us He hasn't already heard from His son on our behalf. So Pray....Pray boldly knowing you can come into God's presence because of the work of Jesus Christ. It's a family thing.
Heavenly Father, thank you for Your Son. Thank you for providing Him as a provision for all of our needs, and for making a path for us to come into your presence without fear. We know you don't have to listen...not because of anything that we have done. But we do know that you DO listen, because of what your Son has done for us. Father, teach us what it means to be Your child. We want to know everything that it means to be a Child of God. Work in our hearts bringing us to a deeper knowledge of what it means to be part of Your Family. In the name of Christ we pray...AMEN
Key Verse: Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
I don't know anyone who is really high up on the social scale, maybe you don't either...so we'll have to use our imaginations. But suppose one of us wanted to ask the President of the United States a question and we saw him in a McDonalds...we walk up to him and say "Hey Mr......" The next words out of our mouths would probably be "Don't shoot, I'm unarmed." I don't think the president would take kindly to some stranger approaching him without a security check, etc. In fact, its like that with most people who feel important...if you want to meet them, you got to know somebody important.
For instance, I have a friend who took a class with 2 chefs who used to cook for the white house. She had a fancy business card and everything to show. She met them, talked with them, cooked with them and learned all kinds of culinary secrets. Now, if I had paid the fee, maybe I could have met them too. But, even they are "more important" than I am and I'd need someone like my friend to introduce me. WHICH SHE CAN NOW DO...YEAH!!!!!! Some good eats coming up in the future :)
In the Old Testament, royalty was a lot like that. You needed an invitation to come into the king's presence, or it could be curtains for you. Queen Esther had such a choice to make, the Jews were about to be persecuted and choices had to be made. Esther made a decision to come into the king's presence unannounced. Here is what she says about it in Esther chapter 4...Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”
Notice the phrase.....If I perish, I perish. She had no confidence coming to speak to the king unannounced. In fact, it could mean her life if he were in a bad mood. Needless to say in the story of Esther...she received favor from the king and was heard. Now I want to talk about coming into someone else's presence who is even more important...GOD. In our key verse today, we can come into God's presence with boldness and confidence...unannounced even...and find mercy and grace. Why can we do this with God and not royalty? Well, lets not talk about some people over inflated sense of importance...but rather talk about the work of Jesus Christ. Romans 8:34 talks about Jesus sitting at the right hand of the Father interceding for us. Guess what...he has introduced us to His Father on our behalf. He's already made an appointment for us. What great news...but wait, there's more. Not only has Jesus paved the way for us to come into God's presence. He also paved the way for us to be adopted into His family. Here is a truth about prayer...when we pray, we pray as family, not as peasants trying to earn the favor of a monarch.
God has adopted us as His very own, and we also have Jesus as mediator. What could possibly go wrong? Absolutely nothing. We can come into God's presence boldly and humbly knowing that we will be received and listened to. Remember, prayer is about relationship first. It's a family thing. God isn't just a nice idea, He is real, and He is our Heavenly Abba. We have been covered by the blood of Jesus. Our sins are forgiven. We have been adopted into the Family of God. We can pray having full confidence that we WILL be heard. No grovelling for us. In a sense you could say that Jesus makes us royalty. We are a child of the King.
Many times we feel ashamed or fearful or unsure as we pray to God. Does he hear us? Is he listening? Is he listening to me? Does he really Care? Yes, YES.....YES to everyone of those questions. He loves us as His own dear Son. Why wouldn't he care and listen. But more importantly we have Jesus interceding on our behalf. He is up there PRAYING FOR US. Don't know if you realize that? Jesus is not only paving our way to the Father, but also praying for us and lifting up our needs already. The Father probably doesn't hear anything from us He hasn't already heard from His son on our behalf. So Pray....Pray boldly knowing you can come into God's presence because of the work of Jesus Christ. It's a family thing.
Heavenly Father, thank you for Your Son. Thank you for providing Him as a provision for all of our needs, and for making a path for us to come into your presence without fear. We know you don't have to listen...not because of anything that we have done. But we do know that you DO listen, because of what your Son has done for us. Father, teach us what it means to be Your child. We want to know everything that it means to be a Child of God. Work in our hearts bringing us to a deeper knowledge of what it means to be part of Your Family. In the name of Christ we pray...AMEN
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