The Throne of Grace
Posted by: biblenotes <biblenotes@...>
From: Martin Overfield
Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2000
The Throne of Grace
"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)
The Throne -- It is the throne of our heavenly Father. It is the very
throne beside which Jesus stands while He ever intercedes for those who will
come to the Father. It is a throne of grace and not of judgment.
True it is that God is a God of justice and judgment, but that is not
all. In this day of grace there is a throne of grace where God welcomes our
entreaties. Thank God for such transcendent reality!
The Boldness - "freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech 1a) openly,
frankly, i.e. without concealment
1b) without ambiguity or circumlocution
1c) without the use of figures and comparisons
2) free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance"
(Strong's)
To illustrate this truth let us consider the throne room in the book of
Esther. Esther was the queen, but even she would be executed if she were to
approach the king upon his throne without having been officially summoned.
It is no wonder that she requested that Mordecai and others fast and pray
along with her before she attempted such an approach. The one exception to
such an execution was that the king could extend his scepter as a symbol of
acceptance and an authoritative waiver of the punishment. Esther did
approach without being summoned and the king did indeed extend his scepter.
Now, let us consider the throne of grace. Because of the precious and
priceless blood of Christ, the scepter of acceptance of the King of the
universe is ALWAYS extended! All who come unto Him through
Jesus Christ, His Son, may expect a favorable audience with the Father.
We need not come with fear, but we may come with utmost confidence.
We may come and tell Him all that we feel and think. God will not criticize
us, compare us to others or hold us at arm's length. He will rather accept
us just as we are, providing that we do indeed come through Christ in
humility and honesty.
The Mercy -- Many Christians have a tendency to emphasize that God will
most certainly hear the cry of the sinner for mercy. This is true, if the
sinner
is truly repentant, but the writer to the Hebrews is speaking to the saints
especially when he says, "Let us ... come ... that we may obtain mercy."
Dear people, I suggest to you that those who know the Lord are very
much in need of mercy. We do not deserve one good thing from Him, yet
He urges us to come and ask whatever we need. For Him to give what we
ask is dependent upon His goodness, His mercy, and His great love for us;
and, the crucifixion, resurrection, and intercession of Christ is what
enables
the Father to be just and right in showing us such mercy.
When the Scripture says, "obtain" it means, "to take, or lay hold of"
(Strong's). This speaks of the fact that God is abundant in mercy towards
us, but we must come to the throne of grace by prayer in order to take it
for ourselves.
The Grace - "2) good will, loving-kindness, favour
2a) of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon
souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian
faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the
Christian virtues." (Strong's)
In order to find this grace that God desires to give us, we must seek
for it and seek in the right place -- the throne of grace. God will give us
grace upon grace, more and more, just like we need it and when we need it.
Oh how we need this grace! Let us come and find it at the throne of grace.
Yours In Christ,
Martin Overfield
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