And in Jesus' name we do pray, amen. Amen. We find here in the book of Hebrews, this book is one of, one commentator I think called it the key to unlocking the Bible. If we didn't have the book of Hebrews, it'd be very hard for us for the delver to tie the New Testament into the Old Testament. And through the book of Hebrews, that's where we read and find that all that stuff that was in Leviticus and Numbers and Deuteronomy was all written so that we could see Christ in advance. we're looking back in hindsight, but the truth is the majority of that Old Testament law would not make any sense to you and I if we didn't have this book of Hebrews. Now Hebrews ties it all together. What essentially the writer of the book of Hebrews is doing is he's grabbing the hand of the Old Testament and the Jews and the hand of the New Testament and the body of Christ and he's bringing them together. He's trying to show us how ever since Genesis chapter number one, it's all been about Jesus Christ, amen? He is showing us, you'll find throughout it, it talks about Jesus as our sacrifice, it talks about Christ as our propitiation, it talks about him as our high priest. It's constantly showing us the picture that everything that Moses wrote on the stone tablets and even more than that was all about the blessed Savior that was coming several thousand years down the road. You find the Hebrews is one of the greatest books on understanding that Old Testament part of the scripture tonight. You find that the writer here begins to write and he's using that picture of Christ as the high priest, understanding God the Father is the Father, God the Son is our high priest tonight, and the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of God tonight. He was a man that knew what it was like to wrestle with his flesh, knew what it was like to fight against temptation, but also knew that he had to purge himself and purify his mind and clean himself up and change his garments and wash his body. He had to be cured before he entered into the presence of God. He is someone that knew exactly what it was like to be you and I, but yet knew exactly what it was like to be God tonight. That's why he is the only one that had the possibility of being the mediator between God and man tonight. We find that as he writes, he begins to tell us some stuff, look with me if you would, in verse number 15. which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. You find that these verses, they show us some truths about how we ought to live our life as a child of God. More importantly, this verse number 16 is one of the most well-known verses on prayer in all of the Bible. Now, we've often, all of us, I'd say, none of us are strangers really down to that verse. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace. Now, I want you to notice a few truths that the writer makes sure to give us by way of introduction when he's trying to teach us how we should pray in the same manner that verse 16 is telling us how to pray. Notice, first of all, by way of introduction, these verses show us that the Christian's duty or job is to pray tonight. All right, Christian's job, the duty, come boldly unto the throne of grace. That word therefore is saying, is tying us back to the verse that was before. Therefore means for this reason. The writer is saying that his time is back, brother Jeff, in verse number 15. In verse 15, it says at the end that we are all quite tempted like as we are yet without sin, reminding us of our struggles with the flesh and our struggles and suffering in life. And in verse 15, it's reminding us how fragile and weak we are. Do you agree? There ain't not a single one of us that can really handle it all on our own tonight. There ain't a single one of us that can help handle the other. The only help we've got is our high priest. And the writer in verse 16 tells us, basically he's setting up a checklist. Have you ever struggled with sin? Would you say amen? Have you ever suffered in your life? Would you say amen? Have you ever had something that you couldn't do but only God could do? Would you say amen? then the writer is saying, therefore, you ought to pray. If you've ever been in that spot, therefore, because of that reason, you ought to have a relationship and a prayer life with God tonight. Can we agree that I struggled with my flesh, I struggled and suffered in my life, there's been things that I couldn't handle, but I'm glad that I have somewhere I could go tonight. I'm glad that even when I didn't know what to do, that there was one I could bow in an instant, and be there literally in the throne room of God, and I could talk with the one brother Josh, that's got the power and the ability, that he's able to do exceedingly abundantly, above all that we still ask, that we still think, and I'm glad that I've found one I can run to, Josh. He's saying it tonight. What a friend we have in Jesus. All my sins and grief to bear. It says there in the psalm what a privilege it is to carry everything to him and what? To him in prayer tonight. The Bible's saying if you've ever been here, therefore, you ought to be able to walk with God every day of your life. He's reminding us to Christ's deity and his power tonight. Jesus Christ's deity and his power. Look with me in verse number 14 again if you would. It says, seeing then that we have a great high We can cling to them, we can believe in them. That's sticking with what you believe ever since the moment you were saved. Then it says, for we have found our priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are yet. as they help the Lord. It says that when we go to Him, when we've got a reason to go, therefore we talk with Him, it says that we can find some things when we're there. That's showing us the power that Christ has when we pray. Notice it shows us His deity, it says He's a great high priest, meaning He's better than any other high priest that has ever lived. But then it also says that He was the Son of God. All of us in the room believe Jesus Which means when you pray, you're literally talking to the only begotten Son of the God of all glory. And we're talking to one of the members, really all three of the parts of the Godhead, all that goes is living in me, making A son is there talking to the Father. God is hearing my prayer. What a privilege it really is, like that psalm said. What a privilege it is to be able to talk with the God of all glory tonight. Then it says we can find help, that we can obtain something, reminding us that we can trust and believe that what the emperor just promised us, he can do tonight. There's one word I want you to notice, and that's that word boldly. It says, let us therefore come boldly under the throne of grace. The word boldly, Brother Jeff, it means with full assurance, with absolute confidence, meaning there's not a doubt in your mind. You know what is fixing to take place, you believe it, and there's no other route it could ever go. You're coming boldly to the Son of God. I didn't mean we come arrogantly or we come without honor, but I mean we come commanding him and vaulting him and telling him what he ought to do and how he owes us this and owes us that. That's not boldness, that's pride tonight. Boldly means that we're believing that whatever we're praying for, He can do it tonight. I wonder, when's the last time you really came boldly with a need in your life? I don't know if you're like me, but often times I'll come and I'll come to the throne of grace, but very few times in Philadelphia I come boldly to the throne of grace. I'll come and I'll ask what I need, Really, in the back of my mind, I'm already thinking how I can try and fix it, or I'm already thinking of all the negative routes it can go. Rarely would I say, Brother Johnny, that I pray boldly, believing absolutely that God can do and will do what I'm asking Him to do. But the writer here says that's how we ought to pray tonight. How about have boldness and believe that He can do it tonight? Notice we find, by the way, our prayers tonight. It shows us where our prayers go to when we pray and talk to God. Look with me in verse 16 again if you would. It says, let us therefore come boldly where? Unto the throne of grace tonight. It says let us come boldly, therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace. We find that the writer tells us where our prayers are headed to whenever we pray, Brother Delbert. It is telling us that our prayers don't just fall on deaf ears, they don't just bounce off the ceiling, they're not just empty words that are said in your altar, your prayer calls that are by your bed, but it's telling us that our prayers have a destination. They reach somewhere, they go somewhere. When I pray, Brother Josh, it tells us that it goes to the throne of grace tonight. Understand that there's not been a single one of us of the courts, of the throne room of God, and sat literally at his throne, but spiritually, as a child of God, we should have been there several times all day long. You should have been there all week, all of your Christian life, but I've never physically been there. When I pray, I'm spiritually standing and bowing at the throne of grace. Now any of you know, whenever you pray, that your prayers actually reach where you're wanting them to go tonight, I'm glad, I remember I was talking to one of Caleb Lindsay's fellows coming to preach our revival in a couple of weeks, and he was telling me that there's some pagan religion down in South America that their belief is they write their prayer requests on they've got a statue that they worship, and they write their prayer requests on a piece of paper, they wad it up, dip it in water, and they throw it on the statue. Now, if it sticks to the statute for more than a day, they believe that their prayer has been heard and that it's been answered. But if it falls off, they've got to pick it up and try again. I'm glad that I got some foolish belief on prayer. Aren't you glad about that? I'm glad I didn't have to come up here and spitball my dad just hoping that our prayers would reach him. I'm glad that when I I hate to bring it to you, but if you're lost, I ain't too sure about all the theology. Brother Jeff will get me hired out later, but as far as I know, you ain't one of his children, and your prayers aren't exactly what they fit to the ear of the Father tonight, but I'm glad that ever since that moment, when I accepted Christ as my Savior, I was younger than some, but it didn't matter what my age was, it didn't matter where I came from, when I bowed my knee, the God of all glory invited me in to the throne of grace. What a privilege it really is that God lets somebody as wicked as you and as wicked as me be able to even walk in and bow and even be present, more or less, to come to the throne of grace and ask Him to do something for us. That's an honor and a privilege, don't you agree with me? The writer tells us that it's our duty to pray, tells us that Christ has got the to do what we needed to do, and it tells us that our prayers are headed somewhere tonight. But I got to thinking a couple weeks ago about where he is from Deborah is from the graves. ♪ They crucified and killed my son, the lady man of grace ♪ ♪ But he got up on day ♪ Express image of his person and upholding all things by the word of his power when he had by himself purged our sins. Notice it's reminding us what it is. Aren't you glad he purged your sins? Purge means they're gone, they've been erased. He cleaned them so well that we'll never find them again. It says that after he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high, tonight. Because the Bible tells us that Christ sitting on this throne of grace, he is sitting on the right hand of the throne of God. You'll find you can read Hebrews one more on your own time, I won't do it for the sake of time, but here the context is, you can even see it clearly just in verse three, that it is dealing and relating and talking about Christ's work that he did sacrifice on the cross, and the moment he died as the sacrifice, he resurrected as the high priest tonight. That he went out like a lamb, but he came back as the high priest tonight. That he shed his blood for you and I, but then he resurrected and he lived so that he could intercede for you and I, and so that he could be our advocate with the Father for salvation on my behalf tonight. There's not a single one of us, we can agree, that could ever earn the salvation that we've got. Don't you agree, Tom? There is nothing you could do to ever earn it. You're as hell deserving as every other person that's ever lived, and so am I, Tom. But Blake, it is telling us that Christ, after he died and shed his blood, came, that expressed image of his person, of God tonight. You say, how does that word on change it? Well, in the Bible, you'll find that the right hand of God almost always signifies, it's a picture of authority and power tonight. And over and over, you'll find the Bible says that God will uphold us by his right hand. He's got the power to hold us up, amen? It says that over and over, that right hand is a picture of the judgment and power of God were over. The Bible says that Christ, after his death, showed up with the blood of Christ and he sat down on that right hand of God. It reminds me, if you remember back in Leviticus, they would go in with the blood of that lamb. You remember where they had to put it? It was the mercy seat of John. You remember what it said? It did not say that they placed that blood at the mercy seat. It didn't say they placed that blood was to take that blood. It wasn't enough to put it at it, that's just close by. Wasn't enough just to put it by it, but he had to put that blood directly on that mercy seat, a picture of the wrath and judgment of God being sustained and being rolled back until the next sacrifice, that high priest sat that all-atoning sacrifice on that picture of the judgment of God. He's telling us that he came as a perfect, holy, sinless Savior of Delbert. It's telling us that he was still born of a virgin, that he still never said the wrong thing, thought the wrong thought, never went the wrong place, never did the wrong thing. It's still telling us that all he ever did was preach the message that his father gave him. And yet he still suffered and died the most brutal death that has ever took place as Christ was nailed on Calvary for you and I and shed that precious blood for you and I. gave his life and was buried for three days and three nights, but I'm glad, aren't you glad that he resurrected and that he's still alive today? Amen. The Bible says in Revelation 118 that I am he that liveth and was dead, but behold, I am alive evermore and have the keys of hell and of death. We understand that Christ got up out of his own power and he gathered up that blood and took it back. to the front room of the Savior. And thank God, Brother George, I wonder what it was like that day when Jesus walked in. When he lived 33 years before, he had eyes full of fire. He had a ring with a pure white. But now he walked back in, Brother Jaleb, with a wound in his side, nails in his hand. Holes on his bread, as he walked in with that blood. I can hear as the angels begin to sing, as God the Father begin to spin. As Christ walked in with that blood, that would save our life, that would change me forever. and he walked in and he laid it on that right hand of the judgment of god. Amen. And the wrath of god was appeased that day. Amen. Because of that blood of Christ. Say, I wonder what it was like that day when Jesus walked in and he sat down on the right hand of god. Are you still with me? That's good. You know why I'll never know what hell feels like, smells like, sounds like? I'll never know, but you know why? Not because one day I made some great profession and prayed a perfect prayer. Not because I was worthy of it and God picked me long before he picked anybody else. No, no, no. Only reason I will never know what hell is like is because about 2,000 years ago, Jesus sat on that right hand of God. And that blood, every time that I in his book, according to the Old Testament, to cast me straight into hell and let me burn forever. He was not obligated to save any of us tonight, but it was his will. He is not willing that any should perish. It's what it said. And God has that blood on his right hand, and Jesus is sitting on it, reminding us of his atoning work that is finished tonight. Remember, secondly, with me, if you would, Before the throne, you'll find that he's sitting on the right hand of God, showing us his atoning work was finished. But then secondly, notice before the throne, you'll find he is sitting at the right hand of God, showing us his advocating work with the Father. Go into Romans eight, if you would. Romans chapter eight, verse 34. My voice is falling apart. Hannah gave me a cigarette before church. I smoked it. I knew I shouldn't have. Now I'm in a mess. I have to start thinking again. It says Romans 8, go with me, Romans 8 and verse number 34. It says, who is he that can deliver? It is Christ that died. Yea, rather It says that he's making intercession for us. Notice in Hebrews one, it says that he's sitting on the right hand, and then it reminds us that that verse is pertaining to his work in our salvation. But this work, it talks about, or this verse talks about the gospel, that he died and he was risen again, but then it says he is sitting at the right hand of God, and that while he's sitting at the right hand He knows everything I go through, everything I think, and he knows exactly what I need. We believe that God is omniscient. He knows all. That means that before I ever even pray, Jesus already knows what I need. He just wants to hear me talk to him tonight. That's why prayer was never all about just prayer was always about having that relationship with god. That's how we talk with him. That's how we walk with him. That's how we get closer to him is through prayer and through his word. Do you agree tonight? Amen. Notice the bible says he is sitting at the right hand of god and then the same verse reminds us that while he's sitting at the right hand, he's praying interceding for us tonight. Amen. I got to I would not, if we were to have a meal together, I would not want you to sit by my table. I wouldn't want you to come. I would invite you. Brother Delbert had a fellowship with me at the restaurant, and then just make you sit by my table over somewhere else. I sure wouldn't want you to sit on my table. That'd be real weird, Brother Daniel, if you sat on my table. But if we were gonna have fellowship, if we were having a meal, if you have family dinner and you come together, what do you do? You sit at my table. We are sitting at the table with your family. of fellowship between God the Father and God the Son tonight. It is reminding us that not only the moment of salvation did Christ sit on the right hand of God, but now he's sitting at the right hand of God. That means he's got fellowship with him. There's times where it doesn't feel like you and I have a clue what God the Father is doing in our life. You ever been there before and you ain't got a clue? He might be my father, but I just happen to think that God the Father and God the Son got a little bit better relationship than I've got with God the Father tonight. And I'm glad and it's good to know that right now while we're in church, there is somebody sitting at the right hand of God and he's praying for you tonight. I made a joke earlier, but I ain't got a clue what to pray for. I pray for you tonight, for Gilbert. I don't know all the requests. You don't know everything about my life. I definitely don't know everything about yours. But the truth is, I'm glad that all I have to do is mention your name tonight, and God the Son of the Lord knows exactly what you need. Aren't you glad that even if you're private, you don't want to tell everybody all your business, that just one simple prayer from God to God the Son, there's one that knows exactly what you need. and he lives to be our advocate. He's interceding for you and I tonight. Saint, I want to encourage us for a little while to know that Christ didn't just come and die and sit down, and that's all he did. But right now, he is sitting there. We read that verse about, he said, I'm going to prepare a place for him. We always have said that that's him building mansions. I hate to break it to you. but he did make the universe in about six days, just the word of his mouth. I really don't think he's up there with a hammer and a nail trying to get everything fixed together. If he did, then he's in trouble, because when Johnny gets there, Johnny will tell him how he didn't do everything right. He's not up there. That verse didn't say he was going to build a mansion for us. No, no, no. It said he was going to prepare He's making the way that we can get there. That's his sacrifice, his atonement. He prepared the place so that I can get to where he's at tonight. So what is he doing now? He's interceding for you and I. He is watching us one way or so like this. Christ is looking over the banister of heaven through the portals of glory and he sees every tear you cry, every temptation you feel, every problem you face. He knows it all tonight. but that means that I will not only encourage us, isn't that encouraging to know he knows exactly where we're at tonight? There's times I don't even know how to put into words what I need him to do for me. There's times I struggle with something in my mind, or something in my heart, or something in my life, and I don't even have the words to say, but I'm glad he knows exactly what I need. And that ought to encourage us, but also I convict you tonight that not only is he praying that God gives you health and grace, It also says in Hebrews 4 that we're trying to obtain mercy tonight. Grace will sustain you when you're suffering. Mercy will keep you safe in your sin tonight. God could lift up that banner of mercy and release His chastisement on your life. He could have done it to me all day long. He could have done it to you. Every one of us have sinned today. And whether it was small or big in our mind, it was worthy of absolute judgment from God. that he knows the words you say at your house, he knows the things you hear, he knows the things you see, he knows the things that you drink, the things that you do, the places that you go, he knows all of it tonight. It doesn't matter how well we can hide it from everybody else, he knows it all tonight. God has convicted us to know that he is still our advocate, he still intercedes for us. He's also saying, God, I'm asking the Lord, maybe you can give him one more chance. Show us that mercy, Brother Josh. Notice, we find that he is sitting on the right hand of God, reminding us his atoning work is finished. He's sitting at the right hand of God, showing us his advocating work with the Father, but then lastly, before the throne, you'll find he is sitting by the right hand of God, showing us his ability to work through our faith tonight. Acts chapter number two. It says in Acts two and 33, therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear. Notice we find right here, Acts is telling us is not just sitting at the right hand, not just sitting on the right hand. I hope this has made sense to everybody tonight. If you're still with me, would you say amen? Amen. And it says that he is sitting by the right hand of God. I got to think about that by, or the Jeff, that attribute or that preposition. What's it trying to show us? What's it trying to describe to us about the work of Christ at that throne of grace? I found that word, that preposition by, it's meaning as in by something. I'm preaching by my notes, if you would, or by my calling, or by my own power. I drive by my own skill, whatever it may be. I got to thinking that if you're gonna do something, you'll do it by your power. You don't say, well, I'm gonna go do this at my power. That don't even make sense. Not gonna say this, I'm gonna go do this on my power, that don't make sense. You would say I'm gonna go do this by my power. It is showing us the ability that Christ has. And I know what that means. He's sitting by the right hand, meaning he is operating on the authority of. If you think back, I remember reading when I was a kid, I'd read some of them, I love history and I'd read history about that. with the knights and kings over in England. I remember they would say things like, I come by orders of the young, or by orders of the king, or whatever it was called. They'd say, I'm here by the power of the king. When you get married, I believe, I might have this wrong, but I'm pretty sure a minister says by the power, or whatever he says, right hand of God. He's not only sitting at the right hand praying for us, but telling us that all the power that Christ has, or God has, Christ has. He's operating by the power of God the Father tonight. He's telling us that he has got the same amount, we understand that there's still all three parts of the same God, we agree tonight. He has got the same amount of power. He knows power tonight. He's able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think tonight now by his power. When I pray to him, I'm saying, God, I am Christ, I am thankful that you sat on the right hands and I even got the opportunity to pray. I'm thankful that you're sitting at the right hand of God so I know my prayer is being heard. by your power. You know what that is? That's called faith tonight. And if we're ever going to come boldly unto the throne of grace, then you better recognize those three truths, that it is a privilege if he wasn't sitting on the right hand of God, gave and shed for you tonight. He literally had to give his life to make the opportunity and give you the possibility of being able to pray tonight. And yet we barely ever use it except as an emergency situation thing, where we pull it out and think that, well, I'll pray right now because I need it. And then God even answers that one, and we forget to pray and thank him for it afterward. I get to pray, as he said, on that hand, but I also know and have confidence in my prayers because he's sitting at the right hand. But I'm glad that I can have faith that he can do it by the Lord's power tonight. I'm glad tonight when I pray, Ms. Christian, if you want to come, Delbert's coming. I want to do that, what a friend we have in Jesus. Again, the altar's open if you need to come tonight. Several of us are struggling. It'd be good if you came and remembered he can do it by his power tonight. I'm glad that Christ has got the authority. He gave me the opportunity, and I'm glad to know that he still is able to recite my prayers and to answer what I need him to do tonight. I don't know why the majority of us rarely ever see the answers to our prayers. The book's got to be something simple. It is impossible. I understand most of y'all are probably super Christians, a lot more spiritual than I am. I'm not a preacher, so I'm not supposed to admit that, but it's probably the truth. The truth is, I've said for a long time that my faith meter is about as low as you can possibly get without it really being sin, Brother Blake. I mean, it is down there. There's a lot of times I pray and I really don't believe, I believe that he can do it. but it's prayer of Brother George that I believe that he will do it tonight. I never lack faith in the power and ability of God. I just lack faith. And well, I don't know if this is really all that important to the one that created the universe for Josh, but I'm glad, it reminds me every now and then you get to read through the Bible and you find that they never said, when it says that he's able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask to think it, it never says, the magnitude of the prayer request being asked. Doesn't say it has to just be about death, or cancer, or sickness. It never specified with Delbert. It just says whatever you're asking him to do, he's able to do far more than Christ can do. About time that we get our faith back and believe that he can do it. I'm glad I've come boldly to the throne of grace. Aren't you? Heads are bowed, eyes are closed. You can stand with us. They're gonna sing, and Delbert's gonna sing. If you need to come, I wonder if you'd come over to the party place for a while. There's a lot of prayer bells. There's a lot of people struggling. It'd be good if we paid. We realize you can do it for the highest amount. All right, stay sane. I wonder if you'd come by this spot tonight. I wonder what you'd come.