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Hebrews 4:15-16 – Timely Grace
Quick question – Who would you rather study with for that all-important final exam? Would you prefer studying with someone who is making an A or an F? More on this later.
There was a knock on the front door at 6:30 AM. I was already up taking care of the dog, so I was still dressed in my housecoat. Nevertheless, I answered the knock. At that time of morning, it had to be important, right?! An old lady – emphasize ooolllddd – asked me, a stranger, if she could borrow my phone. Of course I let her in, thinking it must be an emergency such as car trouble. After all, I was a stranger and it was 6:30 AM – so it had to be important, right?! Her eyesight was so bad she asked me to look up a number in the phone book and then dial it for her, which I did. Poor thing…. All this trouble to make a phone call…so it had to be important, right?!
I walked out of the room to give this poor, elderly lady some privacy; far enough for privacy yet I was still close enough to hear the very first words that came out of her mouth – “I was in town and just thought I’d call to say hi.”
I guess it didn’t have to be important, did it?!
Why did this stranger – this strange lady – think she could knock on the door of an unknown person at 6:30 AM and ask to use the phone? Possibly it was because she knew a preacher lived there – I lived in a small town – and therefore it was not only safe, but permitted, maybe even expected. The other likely reason was…this was in Caneyville, Kentucky, population 650. There are just some things you can do in a small town that you can’t do anyplace else! Think – how many gun racks in trucks do you see in big cities?! None! They’d carjack your truck and use your own guns against you!
But I digress….
Spiritually speaking, we can knock on the door of Jesus anytime – even just to say hi. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16). But as we can see from this verse, Jesus is there when it is important too, isn’t He?!
That verse beings with “therefore.” As they say, “When you see a therefore, see what it is there for.” Well, what proceeded the therefore of 4:16?
There are actually five “therefore’s” in just chapter 4—vv.1,6,11,14,16.
Therefore I suggest that “therefore” is therefore important and is therefore there for a reason! Sorry…couldn’t resist!
Let’s briefly go back to the first “therefore” in this chapter – Hebrews 4:1 – Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it.
There is a rest promised.
Do you ever get tired? Are you ever spiritually exhausted? Do you ever wish Jesus would come back as quickly as possible? With me, the answer is yes… sometimes. Why? Because here in this life I am unable to completely rest. Yes, I know Jesus promised rest – “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matthew 11:29-30). That is rest felt from forgiveness. That rest is based upon realizing I don’t have to prove myself worthy – I am sharing Jesus’ yoke. But we are still in a spiritual battle today. Jesus never granted us rest from living in a sinful world. Jesus never promised us perpetual rest from temptation. That’s why I need to go the throne of grace promised in verse 16. Read the following verse remembering that Jesus Himself approached the throne in prayer when He needed rest.
Hebrews 4:16 – Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Yes, I get tired. Even Jesus also got tired, at least physically, and maybe emotionally. Why do you think He prayed so often? Prayer – approaching the throne – brings us rest as it did Jesus. Jesus was made like unto us in all things. He was tempted in that which He suffered. He left His place of rest in order to become tired, weary and exhausted. This enabled Him to become the perfect High Priest.
Hebrews 4:15 NASB For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
Remember the beginning question? Jesus aced the final exam! He’s my study partner, how about you?
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