Drawing Near to the Throne of Grace While There Is Still Time

10 min read

A simple, direct call

Jean-Marc Botteron opens his message on Hebrews 4:14-16 by reminding us of this truth: we have a great high priest, Jesus, the Son of God, who has passed through the heavens and who sympathizes with our weaknesses. From there, the whole sermon rests on one invitation: "Let's therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace for help in time of need."

The pastor is clear: this isn't theory. It's a personal decision, one each of us has to make for ourselves. You can't live out your faith by proxy, and having a pastor for a parent doesn't do it for you. God's word is the compass that always points north, and that north is the throne of grace. Every generation has to return to that word, or else it drifts, little by little, the way some Protestant movements, three or four centuries on, no longer resemble where they began.

Maybe you're tired, distracted, discouraged. The message doesn't ask for some superhuman effort: it asks for one step. A step toward the One who, even today, still holds his hand out to you.

Article outline

1. Two thrones: grace today, judgment tomorrow

God sits on a throne, and today, that throne is a throne of grace. There, you find forgiveness of sins and new life in Jesus Christ. Stephen saw it: as he was being stoned, he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God, with the assurance that life went on beyond that moment.

But Jean-Marc Botteron warns us: this throne of grace won't stay open forever. One day it will become the great white throne of Revelation 20:11, the throne of final judgment, where the dead will be judged according to their works. On that day, there will be no more grace for those who turned it down.

Don't put it off until tomorrow

"While it is still called Today," says the letter to the Hebrews. No one knows if they'll still be alive tomorrow. One second is enough to cross into eternity, and once you're there, there's no turning back. Today, you can find grace. Today, you can be forgiven. Rush toward that throne while it's still open.

2. Jesus, the great high priest who blazed the trail

The pastor returns to the text: Jesus is our great high priest, compared to Melchizedek rather than Aaron. Under the old covenant, the Most Holy Place was off-limits. Once a year, one man went in, and a rope was tied to his ankle in case he died there, since no one else was allowed to go in after him.

Through his blood, Jesus opened a new and living way. The veil was torn. He bore the cross, the shame, the worst rejection of all (God's own), so that you could draw near to the Father with confidence. That road didn't exist before. He opened it.

Drawing near in full assurance of faith

The text in Hebrews invites us to draw near "in full assurance of faith." In the gospels, Jesus singled out two people for their great faith: the centurion and the Canaanite woman. He loves to see faith. And faith grows through prayer: "All things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them" (Mark 11:24). When you pray while doubting, you hold back your own prayer's power. Full assurance of faith means believing what God says more than what your eyes see.

A cleansed heart, a clear conscience

Jesus' blood cleanses the heart from every evil conscience. Every unconfessed sin becomes a wall that robs you of your confidence. Confession restores the broken relationship, and God, for his part, remains faithful.

3. God goes looking for the lost

Before we ever sought God, he was already seeking us. Jean-Marc Botteron cites Luke 19:5-10: Zacchaeus is up in his tree, and Jesus looks up: "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house." Zacchaeus, this despised man, receives a visit he never dared ask for. And Jesus concludes: "The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost."

God makes the first move. He seeks you out right where you are. He calls you, just as he called Moses in Exodus 3:10, to bring you into his work. It's up to you to answer: "Here I am."

4. Standing on God's side, like Caleb and Joshua

In Numbers 13, Moses sends twelve spies to scout out the promised land. Ten come back discouraged: "We were like grasshoppers next to those giants." Two of them (Caleb and Joshua), see the same land and the same enemies, but they also see God, and they say: "Let's go up at once and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it."

Jean-Marc Botteron draws a simple lesson from this: when you read your circumstances through the world's eyes, you see yourself as small. When you stand on God's side, you discover a law of faith that outruns the natural laws. The people followed the majority and wandered forty years in the wilderness. The faith of just two men would have been enough to open the door to the land. Which side are you standing on this morning?

5. Aligning your words with God's word

The pastor stresses the power of what we say. 2 Corinthians 10:5 calls us to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Aligning our words with God's word means refusing to let anything out of our mouths that contradicts what God says.

Two empty phrases come up again and again:

  • "God doesn't heal anymore today." This sentence snuffs out faith and closes the door on what God might want to do. Jesus remains the same yesterday, today, and forever.
  • "My family will never be saved." Repeated often enough, it becomes a prophecy spoken against your own loved ones. Instead, hold fast to the promises.

Listen first to God's counsel, and break the empty words that linger in your vocabulary. What you confess with your mouth matters more than you think.

6. Naaman: the humility that opens the door to a miracle

Naaman the Syrian, in 2 Kings 5, is a powerful general, but a leper. He comes seeking healing from the prophet Elisha, who doesn't even bother to come out: he sends word telling him to dip himself seven times in the Jordan. Naaman is outraged, he'd expected a ceremony worthy of his rank. His servants talk him into obeying. He goes down, humbles himself, dips himself in, and comes up healed.

The lesson is clear: without humility, you miss out on what God wants to do. James says it plainly: "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift you up." God resists the proud. Better to humble yourself than to be humbled by him.

7. Turning the page and living the day the Lord has made

Jean-Marc Botteron closes with an invitation not to stay a prisoner of the past. On the cross, Jesus cried out the opening line of Psalm 9:10, which speaks of the Lord's faithfulness toward those who know him: "Those who know your name will put their trust in you, for you, Yahweh, have not forsaken those who seek you." Even in what looks like abandonment, God does not let go of you.

"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). Don't keep rehashing what God has wiped away. "This is the day that Yahweh has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24).

Turn the page. Draw near. The throne of grace is still open today.

Key takeaways

  • The throne of grace is open today; one day it will become a throne of judgment. Don't put it off until tomorrow.
  • Jesus, our great high priest, blazed a new trail to the Father; draw near with confidence.
  • God makes the first move: he seeks you out the way he sought out Zacchaeus.
  • Full assurance of faith believes God's word more than what your eyes see.
  • Align your words with God's word: empty words snuff out the power of your prayers.

Personal application

  • What concrete step can you take today to draw near to God, instead of putting it off?
  • Is there an unconfessed sin robbing you of your confidence before God? What's holding you back from laying it down this morning?
  • Facing your current situation, are you more like the ten spies, or more like Caleb and Joshua?
  • What empty words keep coming out of your mouth? How will you replace them with God's word?
  • What do you need to turn the page on to receive the new day the Lord has made?

Scriptures cited

FAQ

What is the throne of grace spoken of in Hebrews 4?

It's God's own throne, presented as a place where believers can find mercy and help. It's called a throne "of grace" because there, we receive forgiveness of sins and new life in Jesus. The message reminds us it won't stay open forever: one day it will become a throne of judgment.

How do you draw near to God when you feel unworthy?

That's exactly why Jesus is presented as a high priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses. We don't draw near because we're worthy, but because his blood opened the way. Confess your sins, let your conscience be cleansed, and move forward without waiting to feel "ready."

Why does Jean-Marc Botteron stress the danger of empty words?

Because our words shape our faith. Repeating "God doesn't heal anymore" or "my family will never be saved" snuffs out prayer and holds back what God wants to do. Aligning your words with God's word (2 Corinthians 10:5) lets faith breathe.

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