Wednesday, June 9, 2021 PM

Hebrews 4:14-16 and the Invitation to Draw Near

I want to share a scripture with you, Hebrews chapter 4, starting at verse 14. 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, for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. What an invitation. What an invitation. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Through the way that was opened to us by our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, we can come before God with our prayers, our requests, our intercessions, our praise, our communion. So, let us pray. Father, I thank you and I praise you for your Son, the Lord Jesus, who has gone before us to open the way that we might come before you.

So I pray that you help us to pray tonight. Help us to come in confidence and pray with faith. Give us wisdom as we pray tonight. Help us to be an encouragement one to another. Help us to love one another and help us to joy in the Spirit in our fellowship.

How you've so richly blessed us, Father. I thank you for your Word. As we look into your Word tonight, speak to each of us. In Jesus' name, amen. As we pray tonight, our pastor, that's Michael over there, I'm pretty sure he's trying to convince us we need wisdom.

Was it five parts? Is that the end of it, or is there another part?

Chapter two.

Okay, chapter two, okay, yeah. Five parts. Get wisdom. That's the, yeah, get wisdom. So our brother James says, if any of you lacks wisdom, ask of God. But he says you gotta ask in a particular way, right?

But let him ask in faith with no doubting. Let him ask in faith. If any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God. And this wisdom, okay, I want to read to you in James what he says about this wisdom. In chapter three, verse 13, he says, who is wise and understanding among you?

By his good conduct, let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.

For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. This is the wisdom from above. It's pure and impartial and sincere, open to reason. Peaceable, gentle, full of mercy and good fruit.

So, when we pray tonight, I would encourage you pray for wisdom, because our pastor is telling us we need wisdom in these times, in these times. And on Sunday nights, he's been faithful to share with us insights in how we should respond to civil authorities.

And do you know where he goes for insight and instruction in that respect? Yeah, sure, it's right out of the scriptures. He's faithful to do that, isn't he?

Yes.

How should we do this? How should we do that? Here's how. And then, on Wednesday night, he's been sharing out of Luke. In Luke chapter 10, isn't that where we are in Luke, Luke chapter 10? Jesus says, the harvest is ripe and we need laborers.

So, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out more laborers for the harvest. So, I encourage you also, as we pray tonight, pray in that respect, that the Lord of the harvest would send out more laborers, that more would be won to Christ.

The kingdom would be enlarged and advanced. I want to share with you a few words out of Psalm 130, if you want to turn there. 130, Psalm 130. It's one of the scriptures I shared with the Grace Rescue Mission the other night.

I shared with them three rules of thumb. Now, rule of thumb is a general guideline, you know, broadly applied, not exact regarding time, people, and things. Three guidelines, three rules of thumb regarding time, get off the temporal system and onto the eternal system.

Our citizenship is in heaven, and we are members, citizens of a kingdom that is eternal, a kingdom that is unshakable. Get off the temporal system and onto the eternal system. Two, with regard to people, consider others more important than yourselves.

Philippians chapter 2. Consider others more important than yourselves. Reach out to others. And three, regarding things. Okay, this is time, people, things. This is almost everything, okay? Just three simple rules, rules of thumb.

And they should all be interpreted in the light of Christ, okay? Always in the light of Christ. Three, things.

Be grateful.

Everything is a gift. Everything is a gift. Be grateful. Be thankful. So, treat other people as more important than yourself, and be grateful for things. All of this in the light of Christ. Psalm 130.

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy. If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness that you may be feared.

When I was about 10 years old, give or take a year or two, at a Baptist church meeting on Sunday night, my mother spoke to me of my need for Jesus as a Savior. And I believed what she told me. And I believed that Jesus would save me.

And I, and I walked down the aisle and told the preacher, you know, I wanted Jesus to be my Savior. And I was baptized, I think I was baptized that night. And the next morning, that was Sunday night. The next morning, it's Monday morning, I got up to go to school.

And the first thing that came to my mind, the first thing that came to my mind, okay, I'm 10 years old, all right, I knew I was different.

Something was different.

Everything had changed. And it was later I was to find out that I was a new creature in Christ. You know, the old things have passed away. The old, all things have become new, you know. I didn't know that part when I was 10, but I knew something was different.

And from that point on, up until now, and hopefully for many years in the future, okay, Jesus has been my constant companion. Jesus has been my constant companion. Not that I've always recognized His presence, okay.

But I came to know that He would never leave me, never forsake me. He was always with me. And He never had a condemning word. Never had a condemning word. He was always, always ready to forgive. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus for the law of the sin, the law of the Spirit of Christ in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death.

No condemnation. He never spoke a word of condemnation to me. He was always there, watching over, keeping me, saving me from others, from myself, from my sin, and always ready to forgive. If we confess our sins, 1 John 1, 9.

If we confess our sins, He's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Always with me. What a blessing. What a blessing. If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?

But with you there is forgiveness that you may be feared. I wait for the Lord. My soul waits. And in His Word, I hope, my soul waits for the Lord more than watchman for the morning, more than watchman for the morning.

One of the themes throughout Scripture is waiting on the Lord. You know that. Quite often as you read through the Scriptures, you know, wait on the Lord, wait on the Lord. That's part of that rule of thumb number one.

You know, get on God's timetable. You know, look at life from the eternal perspective. You know, He's not going to get on your timetable and bring things to pass according to your timetable. It's all going to come to pass according to His timetable, according to His plan throughout eternity.

Get an eternal perspective. And then in verse 7, He says, O Israel, hope in the Lord. Now you see, He turns to other people now. He considers others. You know, not only does He pray for Himself, but then He reaches out to others and says, Oh, you know, Israel, my brothers, hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with Him is plentiful redemption.

And He will redeem Israel from all His iniquities. What a Savior we have. What a Redeemer we have. So again, get the eternal perspective. Consider others more important than yourself. And everything is a gift.

Every breath, every heartbeat, every step, every meal, every friend, a good night's rest, a bed to sleep in. John got a new bed. He also has a new vehicle.

Amen.

Everything is a gift. Let us be grateful. In Colossians chapter 3, Paul says this, If you've been raised with Christ, seek those things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, you know, not on this earth, not on earthly things.

Set your mind on things above, you know, not on things on the earth. You know, and again, that's part of that business of having an eternal perspective. You know, this is not our home. Our citizenship is in heaven.

Seek those things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. So I remind you of those three rules of thumb. And again, they must be interpreted in the light of Christ. Get the eternal perspective.

Look to others as more important than yourself. You know, Christ reached out and gave himself for us, gave himself for us, gave himself for others, reached out, gave his life for us. He came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many, Mark 10, 45.

And in Philippians, Paul also reminds us, he says, Listen, let this mind be in you, which is also in Christ Jesus. You know, have this same attitude that he had. Reach out to other people. Encourage them.

Pray for them. Look for the needs they might have and reach out to help. Be a comfort to them. Be a friend to them. And then part of that eternal perspective is, let's see, that's in 2 Corinthians chapter 4, verse 18.

As we look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. You know, everything in this world is going to pass away.

Every thing in this world is going to pass away, but the things that are unseen are eternal. You know, again, that eternal perspective. So what's rule number one? Get on the eternal perspective. Not on an earthly time frame.

And two, you know, consider others more important than yourself. You know, have this attitude in you, which was in Christ Jesus, who gave his life for us. And three, give thanks in all things. Give thanks in all things.

He has so richly blessed us. Colossians 3, a little further down, it says, let me find that, starting at verse 15. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your heart. To God. And whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Again, be thankful. Be thankful. We want to pray tonight. Pray for our pastor, his family, especially Sophia.