Revelation 5:6-10 (NIV)

⁶Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. ⁷He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. ⁸And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. ⁹And they sang a new song:
“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. ¹⁰ You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

There are five words that every believer should know and be able to explain. I have defined and discussed all of them many times in sermons and writings, but I am doing so again because they are so essential. Being confident in our beliefs is ever more important as cultures become bolder about persecuting Christians.

Jesus’ shed blood redeems believers (1 Peter 1:18-19). This means that we are purchased from a life of slavery to sin. Furthermore, we receive forgiveness—the wrongs of our past, present, and future are totally washed away (Ephesians 1:7-8). For the rest of eternity, God views His children through the “veil” of Christ’s blood, which makes them pure and holy. Everyone who trusts in Jesus is declared no longer guilty (justified—Romans 5:8-9) and brought into relationship with God (reconciled—Colossians 1:19-22). This unalterable change in status from sinner to saint happens the moment a person receives Christ as Savior.

The final word, sanctified, describes the life-long maturing process that begins when a person trusts in the Savior (Hebrews 13:12). A saint is set apart from the rest of humanity for the purpose of making him Christ-like. Through discipleship, testing, and teaching, God “drains out” our old self and pumps the life of Jesus into our heart and life.

These five words tell the story of our faith. Meditate upon the verses related to each one, and pray that God will write the meanings on your heart. When we’re confident in our beliefs, we can be a light to others instead of crumbling at the threat of pain.

(by Dr. Charles Stanley from the April 2010 issue of In Touch magazine)

Antiques and children – that is not a good combination. It is, in fact, an invitation to disaster. Like that lovely antique teapot my wife had out years ago when the kids were little. Well, you know what happened; one moment a teapot, the next moment pieces of a teapot. But my wife quickly rallied to remedy the situation. No, she did not disown one of our children. She sent me out for a tube of some sort of super glue. And amazingly, she put those pieces together and recreated that old teapot, and that glue has held it together to this very day!

There are times when you and I can use a little “super glue” because it’s us that’s going to pieces. And that spiritual glue is available to you right now, if you know where to get it and you know how to use it.

In fact, our word for today from the Word of God is all about this powerful agent that can hold you together, no matter what. Hebrews 4:16 puts it this way: “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” I studied that “grace to help us” phrase in the original Greek words of the New Testament and I discovered that the word translated “help us” is used only one other time in the Bible – in Acts 27:17. Paul is on a ship that’s literally being blown apart by a violent storm. The Bible says “they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together.” There’s that “help” word from Hebrews 4:16, except here it’s about literally keeping the ship from coming apart in the storm.

God says that’s what His grace is able to do for you, to help hold you together when the storm is intense and things seem to be breaking apart. He invites us to “approach the throne of grace with confidence.” That word “confidence” means boldness and frankness. So when you start to pray, you go to your Lord boldly, talking, not in some fancy “prayer-ese” language, but with straight talk. You tell Him how it really is, how you really feel, and how much you need Him.

The Bible says that when you do that, you can “find grace.” I like the deeper meaning of the Greek word that we translate as “find” here. It means to “come upon” or to “discover.” There’s almost an element of surprise in it, “Wow! Look what I just found! All this grace – lots of grace to hold me together in this situation right now!” When the verse says “grace to help us in our time of need,” the original language is saying help that comes at just the right time, not before you really need it, not after you really need it, but right on time.

So this is one power-packed invitation from the One who rules the galaxies from His “throne of grace” – to come into His throne room boldly and honestly, reaching out to put in our hands the exact resources we need for this moment, this challenge, this situation, or this need. He will respond with a flood of grace, just the kind of grace you need right now: suffering grace, waiting grace, deciding grace, grieving grace, single grace, physical grace, emotional grace, or financial grace.

But the grace doesn’t just come to you automatically. You have to go for the grace that this moment requires! And so often we don’t. We struggle and worry and scheme, never going to the Grace Throne for the answers or resources we need. We could be rich, but we live in unnecessary poverty. We need to accept this incredible invitation many times a day and pray aggressively, not passively; boldly, not timidly; specifically, not generally. And it’s all available to us because of Jesus. We come there because He died to make it possible for us to get this close to the God of the universe.

So there is never any reason you need to go to pieces. The grace glue of your God can hold you together, no matter what hits you!

(by Ron Hutchcraft from Christianity.com devotionals – A Word With You)

(by Pastor Jeff Schreve from Christianity.com)

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.  Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.  Hebrews 4:15-16

It was second period at Bleyl Jr. High School in Houston, Texas.  I was talking to my friend, Mike, leaning back in my chair – a major “no-no” for the students.  I lost my balance at the wrong time and fell backward, right at the feet of the teacher.  She must have been having a BAD day because she freaked out and escorted me directly to the Principal, Mr. Brown.  (I did not even get to pass Go or collect my $200.)

At my school, when you got sent to the office, you typically saw one of the Assistant Principals, Mr. Sheridan or Mr. Rushing.  You NEVER saw THE Principal, Mr. Brown, unless the circumstances were severe.

Mr. Brown was very tough and intimidating.  I think his physiological make up was about 50% iron.  The stories of him giving swats were legendary.  It was basically reported that getting swats from Mr. Brown was akin to getting caned in Singapore.  Needless to say, I was scared to death as I sat in his office waiting for the hammer to fall.  Was I about to be surprised!

Mr. Brown was so nice to me.  He knew who I was and had watched me play basketball.  He was impressed with the way I could jump.  He laughed and joked with me and asked me about our team.  He was not mad at me at all.  He was gracious and compassionate.  He did not even mention swats.  I was amazed and relieved all at the same time.  I thought his office was going to be a place of judgment, but what I found was a place of grace.

GOD AND HIS THRONE

The Bible tells us that God sits on a throne of GRACE, not a throne of judgment and condemnation.  He wants to bless us, not curse us.  He is a merciful God who longs to pour out His lovingkindness on those who come to Him in humility, repentance and faith.

You know what that means?  God is a God you and I can get close to.  He wants us to draw near to Him.  He wants to help us in our time of need.  He is truly “a friend that sticks closer than a brother” (Prov. 18:24).

The big questions are these: Will you and I take Him up on His generous and amazing offer to come boldly before His throne?  Will we avail ourselves of the help and strength that He promises to give us?  Will we believe His Word, or the erroneous things we have heard about Him concerning his anger and disgust for us in our weaknesses and failures?  These are questions that NEED to be answered, and answered correctly.

In closing, do you know who is one of my dear friends today?  That’s right, Mr. Brown.  He and I still keep in touch, and he never ceases to encourage me in my preaching and ministry.  He has been a blessing to me ever since the day I fearfully entered his office over 33 years ago.

You know what?  God is inviting you to meet Him today in His office.  He doesn’t want to swat you for your failures, He wants to love on you and fill you with His strength.  The office door is open.  Will you come?

Love,

Jeff Schreve is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church in Texarkana, Texas. He and his wife Debbie have been married for over 20 years and are blessed with three wonderful girls. Jeff began From His Heart Ministries, a radio and television ministry, in January of 2005. This ministry is completely listener/viewer supported. It continues only through the faithful and generous gifts of people like you. Pastor Jeff takes no salary from this ministry. All gifts go to further the broadcast.

2 Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. (NIV)

No right-minded person likes war; we crave for peace, the absence of strife and all hostility. Many religions and therapies claim to calm the mind; as do alcohol, nicotine and other drugs. But the ‘peace’ Peter writes about has a unique origin and eternal effect. We cannot fight for it, or work to earn it; God’s peace comes only through His grace. And its effect is not primarily to make us feel calm (although it will), but to assure us that the dark shadow of God’s wrath has been taken away from our horizon, because Jesus bore it all for us.

This peace is part of God’s gift at Christ’s expense. It enables us to come directly to our Heavenly Father, without fear of judgment (see www.crosscheck.org.uk to find out more). All those who admit that they were the reason that Christ died, are assured of a loving welcome at God’s throne. To be welcomed like that is a massive blessing; and a huge relief that God is not angry with us any more. Of course that is only the start of our relationship with the Lord, but without that start there is no way to get to know Him. Then, once we know that God is longing for us to respond to Him, we need to learn how to please Him – and that is what Peter’s letter is all about.

Getting to know someone takes a lifetime. It is certainly true in marriage: as time goes on we find out more about our spouse. It is the same with God: the more we know of Him, His love and grace and mercy, the more secure we become. Confidence grows as we receive His peace, knowing that all is well between us and Him. The more we explore the Bible, the greater the knowledge and the deeper the peace. In fact, Jesus said that there is no other way to know peace with God (John 14:6). So many people are looking for that peace today; and they need you to tell them how to find it!

Prayer: Holy God. Thank you for helping me to believe that I can be at peace with You, through what Jesus has done. I am so glad that I no longer have to be in terror, fearing your judgment on my sins – as I trust in Jesus. Help me to be bold to explain Your way to eternal peace, which assures me of my place in heaven and comforts my soul each day, lest my friends and colleagues should spend a lifetime and eternity separated from Your loving grace. For Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.

(provided by Beacon Light)

Psalm 61 (NIV)

¹ Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.

² From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

³ For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.

⁴ I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. Selah

⁵ For you have heard my vows, O God; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

⁶ Increase the days of the king’s life, his years for many generations.

⁷ May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever; appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.

⁸ Then will I ever sing praise to your name and fulfill my vows day after day.

David compared the lasting security of living forever with God to the present feelings of uncertainty in his strange surroundings. He must have been far from home when he wrote this psalm. Fortunately, God is not limited to any geographic location. Among people and surroundings that are unknown, God never changes. His presence is always with us!

David continually praised God through both the good and difficult times of his life. He made a commitment to praise God every day which showed his reverence for God. Do you find something to praise God for each day? As you do, you will find your heart elevated from daily distractions to lasting confidence.

(from the Life Application Bible – Living Bible edition)