church

INI
21st Sunday after Pentecost
October 21, 2012
Ascension Lutheran Church, Tacoma WA
Paul Naumann, Pastor

Christ EMBOLDENS Us to Approach the Throne
Hebrews 4:15-16

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, Amen. This morning the
Holy Spirit lays before us a passage from the Epistle to the Hebrews, the fourth
chapter, beginning with the fifteenth verse, as follows:

"For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our
weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us
therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find
grace to help in time of need" These are the Words.

In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who was made sin for us, that we might
become the righteousness of God in Him, Dear Fellow Redeemed,

The writer Ernest Hemingway was a private man, considered by many to be
unapproachable. Once he was having dinner with friends in a restaurant near
his home in Sun Valley, Idaho, when a stranger asked for his autograph. He was
annoyed, but did it. Delighted, the man said, “Thank you, Mr. Hemingway!” A
little while later the same man passed their table again and said, “Hello, Ernest!’
and received a polite reply. Thus emboldened, he deliberately walked past the
table again a short time later and said, “Hi, Papa!” Hemingway raised both arms
and shouted, “Hello! And goodbye!”

If mere people can be unapproachable, what about the Almighty God? Because
I assume that’s why you’re here – to approach the Almighty God. To come into
the presence of the Lord and lay your petitions before His throne. You who
wish to approach God today find yourselves faced by the mightiest of
monarchs. One who rules not merely a country or an empire, but a universe.
You bring your petitions to a King who holds more than even your life in His
hand. For in His hand lies your eternal destiny, whether you spend forever in
paradise or in torment. If you find this an intimidating prospect, you're not
alone. Martin Luther, the first time he was to take Holy Communion, actually
ran out of the church in a panic! That's how awestruck he was at the thought of
approaching God's throne and receiving the true body and blood of Christ. But
he needn't have fled, and you need not run away either! In fact, in our text for
today, the writer of the Book of Hebrews says that, in Christ, you can march
confidently right into the royal court of God Himself! That's why our theme is:

Christ EMBOLDENS Us to Approach the Throne
1. He does so with His sympathy
2. He does so with His sinlessness
3. He does so with His salvation

This is such a wonderful text. At the very outset it begins with terms that are
tremendously comforting. It refers to Jesus, not by name, but by calling Him our
High Priest. Obviously, the "Epistle to the Hebrews" was directed at Jewish
Christians. And this was powerful imagery for any Jew, because they would
immediately understand the picture of a high priest - who he is and what he
does. In Old Testament times, on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would
enter the great Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle, the place where the "mercy
seat" - the ark of the covenant - was kept. But he could not approach the mercy
seat without blood. He was required to bring with him the blood of a sacrifice,
to be sprinkled on the ark in symbolic propitiation for the sins of the people.
Jesus, of course, was the real-life fulfillment of this prophetic imagery. In
chapter nine, the writer expands on this picture when he says, Christ came as
High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect
tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood
of goats and. calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place
once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. - Heb 9:11-12.

So simply by calling Jesus our "High Priest," the writer has already preached to
us the sweetest Gospel. He has already proclaimed that the reason we can walk
into the throne room of God is because Jesus is walking right in front of us. Our
High Priest is carrying with Him the blood of His own sacrifice, blood He shed
to pay for our sins. But the writer here urges us not merely to enter, but to
"...come boldly to the throne of grace."' Who is it who emboldens us? Christ
Himself! In the first place. He emboldens us with His sympathy.

Sympathy is so important. Think of the times you went through real crises in
your life - who were the most helpful people to talk to? Wasn't it people who
sympathized? People who'd been through what you'd been through and knew
what it was like. In our text, the writer reassures us that ...we do not lave a High
Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points
tempted as we are.

Jesus understands our temptations because He himself was subject to
temptation. When you struggle against greed, when you struggle against pride,
when you struggle against thinking lustful thoughts, against speaking hurtful
words, you can take heart. You can be emboldened by the fact that Jesus stands
shoulder-to-shoulder with you in your trial. He's with you. He understands. For
He felt that agonizing pull of temptation, too. In fact, He certainly felt it more
sharply than any of us ever will! One Christian writer said, "No man knows how
bad he is until he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that
"good people do not know what temptation means. Is an obvious lie. Only
those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is… Christ, because He
was the only Man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only Man who
knows to the full what temptation means." This experience of Jesus' should
embolden us. In chapter two of Hebrews we read, For in that He Himself has
suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. -- Hebrews
2:18 Finally! Here's someone who truly knows what you're going through, and
more! He can truly help you!

So there is a similarity between us and Christ: we've both experienced
temptation. And that's comforting. But of course there's a great big difference in
there, and that's comforting, too! In our text, the writer to the Hebrews points
that difference out. He says, "We do not have a High Priest who cannot
sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet
without sin." And here's another way in which Christ emboldens us to approach
the throne. For though He was tempted like we are. He never gave in. He
emboldens us with His sinlessness.

"Yet without sin" The word ''without" there is an interesting word in the Greek.
It's very emphatic. It means that Jesus was completely separate from sin.
Though He was , tempted. He had absolutely no relationship to sin at all.

We, on the other hand, have to confess that our relationship to sin has been
way too cozy most of the time. In fact, we seem to fall for temptation with
frequent and disgusting regularity. One problem is that our tempter has been
doing it for so long, and he's so very good at what he does. Pitcher Orel
Hersheiser of the LA Dodgers was a tempter: he could tempt batters to swing at
unfavorable pitches. "There are two theories of pitching," he said once. "In one
you try to figure out what pitch the-batter is expecting and throw something
different. In the other, my theory, you figure out what pitch a batter is
expecting, and you throw that pitch. Only you don't throw it in a place where
he can hit it. If he's a high ball hitter, throw him a high ball, only a little too
high, or a little outside." He was a World Series MVP, so I guess he knows his
business. Well, the devil knows his business, too. Satan knows just what kind of
pitch you're a sucker for, and that's just the temptation he'll throw your way.
You think you're a strong Christian, you think you can handle it, only this time
the pitch is a little higher than you expected, or a little more outside than you're
used to. And how often doesn't he get you to bite on just that pitch? And you
miss it again. You strike out again. You fall, again, to temptation. Do not
underestimate the cunning of your adversary, Jesus said, for the devil "...was a
murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is
no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he
is a liar and the father of it.' -- Jn 8:44.

How heartbreaking it is to think of the many times we have fallen to
temptation! In fact, how often don't we have to confess that we hardly resisted
at all before giving in? Sometimes we even help temptation along, don't we?
One day a father asked his son why he'd gone swimming in the pond when he'd
expressly told him not to. His son replied, "Well I just happened to be walking
past there and a sudden temptation came over me." "If it was so sudden," said
his father, "then why were you wearing your bathing suit at the time?" And isn't
that true? How frightening to have to confess that at times we've actually
planned ahead for the sins we've committed again our God! To do so goes
directly against what Paul says in Romans, Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.-—- Rom 13:14.

But where we are sinful, Jesus was sinless. He never gave in to a single
temptation, even though the temptations he endured were undoubtedly far
more sharp than the ones we face. During His life, Jesus' enemies laid many
traps for Him, hoping to catch Him making a mistake. But Jesus asked them the
frank question, "Which of you can convict me of sin?" Jn 8:46. The answer was
obvious, even to them. Jesus was guilty of no sin. We Christians join in echoing
the verdict or Pontius Pilate, "I find no fault in Him. He has done nothing
wrong."

Why is that fact so important? That is shown us in the third part of our text. We
may approach God's throne of Grace, because Christ has emboldened us with
His salvation.

The text says. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may
obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. What wonderful Good
News! With a High Priest like Jesus, even sinners like us can obtain mercy.
Even wretched failures like you and me can march right into the royal court of
the Almighty God and lay our petition before His throne. That's because the
sacrifice of God's sinless Son was sufficient - sufficient to cover our guilt and
atone for our sin. Had Jesus made the slightest error or committed the smallest
transgression, that sacrifice would not have sufficed. A sacrifice that was
imperfect in any way would not have paid the price. Peter reminds us, "You
were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless
conduct received by tradition from your fathers but with the precious blood of
Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." -- I Pet 1:18-19

The salvation Jesus provides emboldens us, because it's perfect. What's to keep
you out of the throne room of God now that Christ has redeemed you on the
cross? If you don't qualify to approach the throne - you for whom Jesus poured
out His blood - then who does?! Bring your sins, in repentance to the throne of
Grace. God cannot refuse to forgive them. Not now. Not now that that perfect
sacrifice has been offered FOR YOU on Calvary! In our liturgy we customarily
sing a series of hallelujahs following the gradual. Did you know you're supposed
to take out the hallelujahs during the season of Lent? I often don’t, though.
Because it's hard not to say hallelujah during Lent. It's hard not to be
emboldened during that season of the church year that so clearly shows us the
meaning of the salvation Jesus wrought for us with His passion. That salvation
means nothing less than everlasting life for you and me. And it's hard not to say
hallelujah to that!

Surely it can be a daunting prospect to approach the throne of God. But where
else can we go? We need life, and we must enter the presence of Almighty God
to get it. In his Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis captured this conundrum
perfectly. He showed the young girl Jill, perishing from thirst, as she approached
a stream, which was guarded by the lion - the mighty King Aslan:

"Are you not thirsty?" said the lion. "I'm dying of thirst, " said Jill. "Then drink
" said the lion. "May I — could I — "would you mind going away while I do? "
said Jill. The Lion answered this only by a look and a very low growl. And as Jill
gazed at its motionless bulk, she realized that she might as well have asked the
whole mountain to move aside for her convenience. The delicious rippling noise
of the stream was driving her nearly frantic. "Will you promise not to — do
anything to me, if I do come?" said Jill. "I make no promise, " said the Lion. Jill
was so thirsty now that, without noticing it, she had come a step nearer. "Do
you eat girls? " she said. "I have swallowed up girls and boys, women and men,
kings and emperors, cities and realms," said the Lion. It didn't say this as if it
were boasting, nor as if it were sorry, nor as if it were angry. It just said it. "I
daren t come and drink," said Jill "Then you will die of thirst, " said the Lion.
"Oh dear!" said Jill, coming another step nearer. "I suppose I must go and look
for another stream then." "There is no other stream," said the Lion.

There is no other stream for us, either. No water of life other than that which is
provided by our Savior Jesus. He makes the same promise to us that He did to
the Samaritan woman: "Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.
Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to
eternal life." -- Jn 4:14 Jesus is our mighty King, our Prophet, and yes, our High
Priest, whose blood redeems us from our sins. And it is He Himself who
emboldens us to approach - He does it with His sympathy, with His sinlessness
and with His salvation. He will not cast us out. Then let us come, today and
every day. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may
obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. AMEN.