We know exactly where Jesus is right now. He is not on the cross. He is not in the grave. He has risen from the dead and today he sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven. As He sits there on His throne in heaven, His feet reach down to earth right in front of us.
How amazing that we have an invitation from the Father to visit Jesus on the throne and to visit often. He invites us to approach the throne and enjoy the beauty of an intimate relationship with Jesus and Himself. In fact, He has prepared a seat for us right on the throne. We are invited to stay, sit, dialogue, get instructions from the Father, and participate with the King as He commands heaven to earth with His spoken words to us.
When we approach the throne, we do so with the greatest of respect and awe, knowing that God resides in the Holy of Holies and His glory fills the throne room. As we approach the Father and the Son, we approach with great reverence and humility. If we are going to experience the fullness of the kingdom of God and the abundant life Jesus offers us, it begins on our knees.
The throne of God is a place of holiness where the glory of God can be seen and felt and experienced in its entirety; and it is also a place of grace. It is the place where grace runs down and mercy abounds.
Hebrews 4:15-16 says…
“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. 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.”
First and foremost, the throne of God is a place of grace because Jesus is there at the right hand of the Father and His throne is called the throne of grace. He ascended into heaven for us. He sits at the right hand of the Father for all who believe in Him and commit their lives to following Him.
One of the most common reasons for not approaching God regularly is a feeling of unworthiness. When we have sinned or when we continue to sin, the last place we want to go, is into the Holy of Holies. Instead of running to God, our tendency is to run away from God, to try and hide from Him.
What is the problem with hiding from God? Hiding from God keeps us trapped in our sin, guilt, and shame. Keeping our distance from God sends us in a downward spiral. When we run from God, we tend to keep running until something bad happens.
In fact, the enemy uses a bold lie to keep us from overcoming our sin. He says, “If you have sinned, you are guilty, and you are no longer worthy to approach God.” This lie prevents us from running to God, experiencing forgiveness, and being restored to life in the Spirit. Today is the day to replace this lie with the truth: God’s throne is a throne of grace.
First, the throne is a place of grace where Jesus understands our predicament. According to Hebrews 4:15, Jesus can sympathize with our weakness. He understands our struggle with sin because he felt temptation in the exact way we feel it. He felt the draw of sin and He has compassion on us. Literally, He feels it with us when we feel it. “He has been tempted in all points in the exact same way we were tempted.” He never sinned, but his temptation was real. He fully understands what it feels like to face temptation of every kind.
Second, the throne is a place of grace where Jesus offers us grace and mercy. According to Hebrews 4:16, we have an invitation to draw near to the throne of grace with confidence because we know that we will receive mercy and find grace.
What does it mean to receive mercy at the throne? It means that when we come to the throne of God, we no longer receive the punishment for our sin that we would expect without Christ. Instead, we receive mercy. It is given to us and we receive it. We grab onto it and we do not let go. We receive it in our hearts, and we know we are forgiven.
What does it mean to find grace at the throne of God? It means that we search, and we find what we were looking for, the favor of God. We get what we do not deserve, an outpouring of God’s love and blessings. We obtain it not on our own merit but based on the merit of what Jesus did on the cross.
Third, the throne is a place of grace because it is the place where Jesus gives us exactly what we need in that moment. The end of Hebrews 4:16 says that we approach the throne to “…receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Literally, when we approach the throne, Jesus throws us a rope to help us with the exact help we need in that moment. We run to Jesus on the throne and instead of judgement, he throws us a lifeline. He sees our approach as the opportune time to bless us, to restore us to the fullness of the kingdom, and to empower us to overcome the very sin that would make us run from God.
Fourth, the throne is a place of grace because Jesus intercedes for us there.
Hebrews 7:25 says of Jesus on the throne…
“Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
Don’t think of intercession here as intercessory prayer. Intercessory prayer brings a list of requests to God. The word “intercession” means literally to plead a case in someone else’s defense, to intercede on their behalf. Intercession is the role of the lawyer or the advocate. In this case, Jesus advocates on our behalf. He presents the case for our forgiveness of sins. He declares that we are covered in righteousness, that we have the right to appear before the Holy God as those completely forgiven and cleansed by Him.
This advocacy is what Jesus does on the throne. It is His primary job. He intercedes on our behalf. It is what he does always and forever. He never stops interceding on our behalf. And yet, he never speaks a word.
How can Jesus intercede on our behalf without saying a word? The verse says that He is able to save us forever, because he always lives to make intercession for us. His life, as the one raised from the dead, is a living testimony to the fact that sin was defeated on the cross and we are completely forgiven.
When we understand that the throne of God in the Holy of Holies is a throne of grace, it changes the way we react to sin. Instead of running away from God in attempt to hide our sin, we run to Him at the throne of grace. We can run to Jesus on the throne because He is a living, breathing testimony to the fact that He died for our sin and we are completely forgiven. He sits on the throne with the holes in His hands and feet to prove that our sins are paid for once and for all of time!
So now, whenever we are tormented by the accuser, we can run to our seat with Jesus in heaven. Satan is the accuser of the believers. But his accusations can no longer stand. We have an advocate. We have one whose life pleads the case for our innocence. Whatever accusation is brought against us cannot stand in the presence of God.
In heaven, when the accusation is made, no word needs to be spoken, because Jesus is a living, breathing testimony to the fact that you and I are completely forgiven. It is finished. It is done. It has been paid in full!
Because of this truth, Paul declares the following in Romans 8:31-34…
31 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
33 Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies;
34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.”
When we sit with Jesus on the throne of heaven, no one can stand against us. No one can bring a charge against us. No one can condemn us. We are forgiven and Jesus is the one who died, was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who intercedes for us.
Let’s be those who run to God and live in His presence; for there we will receive mercy, find grace and experience the favor of God poured out upon us in abundance.
WORSHIP: Worship Jesus as the one who always lives to intercede on our behalf. He is our advocate in the courts of heaven, sitting at the right hand of the Father. Imagine Him there with holes in His hands and feet as a reminder of His death on our behalf. Worship Him on His holy throne where no accusation can stand and where condemnation does not exist for those who follow Jesus.
PRACTICE: Is there sin in your life that seems to constantly return, sin that continues to be difficult and feels impossible to overcome? Perhaps it is because your sin makes you run from God. On your own, it is impossible to overcome the sin. You cannot fight the flesh with the flesh. Make a pact with God to stop running from Him and start running to Him. In fact, imagine holding your sin right in your hands, held out in front of you where everyone can see it. Then, carry it like that into the presence of God. And next time that sin rears its ugly head, immediately carry it into the presence of God again. I can guarantee you that if your every sin leads you into God’s presence on the throne, with Jesus at the right hand of the Father, the enemy will quickly get tired of tempting you. The throne of grace is the place of overcoming.
MEDITATION: Take some time to meditate on the throne and its place in the courts of heaven. Close your eyes and imagine a courtroom scene taking place. You are the defendant and you have been called into the courts of heaven for your trial. When you arrive, the prosecutor is there with a list of your sins. The prosecutor begins to read the list to the Father. But the Father holds out his hand to halt the reading. He does not stay a word. He simply points to Jesus. And the trial ends. You are set free from your sin, free from the sin itself, free from the guilt, and free from the shame. It is for freedom that you have been set free. Stand in that freedom.
ABIDING: By this time, it is very possible that the Father, your Spiritual Director, has led you to a place in Scripture where He wants you to abide. As you go back and read through this teaching one more time, ask the Father if there is anything in these passages specifically for you. Look for the things that reinforce what God is teaching you at this time. Write down anything you hear from Him. Spend some extra time listening to see if the Spirit has anything more to say to you or if there is a deeper teaching for you today. Write down whatever you hear. Ask the Father if there is someone, He wants you to share this with and follow through with His assignment.
© John Santaferraro, 2020