Come into His presence with boldness!

Hebrews tells us, “Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb 4:16 KJV)”

We are told to come boldly to the throne of grace. But what if we are struggling with sin and have been experiencing much defeat? During such periods, Satan whispers accusations against us into our mind in order to flame feelings of guilt and shame. If we listen to him, we will think that God would have nothing to do with us because we are such failures. How are we to come boldly to the throne of grace under these conditions?

To understand how, it is critical to realize the implication of any approach to the throne of grace that is not a bold approach. If we do not come into His presence boldly, we are not truly coming to Him by faith through Jesus. If we fail to come boldly, then we are coming to Him to some degree on the basis of our own merit and this dishonors Him. If when approaching God, Satan reminds us that we are wretched losers, he is correct! We deserve to be cast into hell because we are vile (apart from Christ). But if Satan begins to tell us that God will have nothing to do with us, he is lying and we must not buy into his deceit! If you are feeling like you do not deserve acceptance from God, good. No man does!! Rather than deny this fact, embrace it wholeheartedly and confess all of your wretched thoughts and behavior to God as proof that you do not merit His acceptance. To confess is to agree with what God already knows. But though you deserve to be cast away from His presence, you must also believe that your acceptance before God was purchased by the blood of Jesus. So, while confessing your sin, you must do as He instructs and boldly take your stand before God on the basis of Christ’s merits alone. If you persist on wallowing in guilt, you are insisting on standing before Him in your own righteousness.

It is critical to understand that our standing before God was purchased with a price of infinite value, the blood of Jesus, God’s own Son. It is this blood alone that speaks in your behalf no matter what your past, present or future sin might be. Jesus is the most precious possession of the Father. The spilling of His blood cost Him deeply. To come to God by faith, you must believe what He has said and recognize the weightiness of this matter with literal fear and trembling. If you do not come into His presence through Christ boldly, you are actually saying to God and your self that Jesus blood sacrifice did not satisfy God the Father. In this way, you diminish the value that God places on Jesus’ blood. Such unbelief suggests that God is a liar and makes light of the death of Jesus. It is a slap in God’s face to wallow in guilt as if your righteousness can secure standing before the righteous, holy God. So, if guilt is keeping you from coming into God’s presence with boldness, you (with fear and trembling) must immediately agree with God about your wretchedness and recognize that Jesus suffered and paid for it, and then run to God boldly on the basis of Jesus’ righteousness.

Summary statements:

If you feel that you can approach the throne of God with boldness because you “have been living the victorious Christian life” lately, you must repent because you are trusting in your own righteousness. If you do not feel that you can approach the throne of God boldly because you have been experiencing spiritual defeat, you must repent because you are trusting in your own righteousness. You must approach the throne of grace boldly through faith in Jesus’ blood because it and it alone satisfied God’s righteous demands. Even if there are habits that plague you, the approach remains the same, with boldness. Because of the promise, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil 1:6),” we believe that God will change our hearts over time and eliminate any sinful habits that might be troubling us. When we come boldly to the throne of grace trusting only in the blood of Jesus, we demonstrate that we truly believe God and thus we honor Him and His Son Jesus.

Just a few verses that support the article above:

Paul did not say, “I used to be the worst sinner.” He said, “I AM the worst sinner.”
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners–of whom I am the worst .I Tim 1:15)

Paul had the very same problem as every single Christian, he was sinful. These words of his demonstrate that he also struggled with sin constantly. We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do–this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God–through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Rom 7:14-25)

Like Paul, you must come to God always confessing that you are a vile creature but perfectly washed because God has washed you with the blood of Jesus:
When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! (Heb 9:11-14)

Because God has provided this way, we can come boldly:
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. (Heb 10:19-22)

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father–to him be glory and power for ever and ever! (Rev 1:5-6)

God only desires that you be honest (always confessing/agreeing) with him and believe that He is the one who has made the way for you to come:
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. (I John 1:8-10)

Come boldly through Christ and call upon Him to make you live (walk) by His Spirit.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matt 7:7)”

So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Gal 5:16-26)



Leave a Reply