4. Approach God Boldly
The next condition for approaching God in prayer in a way that will bring answers is to approach Him boldly. There are two ways to state this. Positively, it is with confidence. Negatively, it is without condemnation. Condemnation will always undermine confidence. Let’s look at each of these.
With Confidence Two Scriptures from the book of Hebrews tell us why we should approach God with confidence. Here is the first:
“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” (Hebrews 4:16, nasb).We are praying to someone who is on a throne. A throne indicates a king. This is not merely a king, but the King. The King of all kings, the Lord of all lords, the Supreme Ruler of the universe, the One who said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18, emphasis added).
We are praying to someone who has both the authority and the power to do what we ask. Let’s lift our eyes from ourselves and our own needs and problems and look up to that glorious throne.
Then it is a throne of grace. Grace is one of the key words in the New Testament. It always stands for something that goes beyond anything we can earn or achieve by our own efforts.
Because it is a throne of grace, we are not limited to what we deserve or to what we can achieve or to what our own efforts can accomplish for us.
One awareness I have always had in my Christian life is that I stand in need of the mercy of God. This Scripture encourages me to believe that if I ever come for mercy, mercy is what I will receive. I believe the reason some people do not receive mercy is simply that they never see their need of it and come in faith to receive it.
And hen we are to come for help in time of need. We are not to look at the circumstances. We are not to say, “Well, the situation is so grave and the problems are so great that there is nothing to be done about it.” It is just at a time of need, it is just when the problems are great, that God invites us to come.
Look again at this beautiful Scripture from Hebrews that encourages us to come with confidence: “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood
of Jesus, . . . let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:19, 22, nasb).
Confidence. Full assurance. Everything suggests boldness — boldness based upon the fact that the blood of Jesus has been shed and has been sprinkled in the very presence of God.
The blood is now speaking on our behalf even when we do not know how to pray.
You will notice that both of those phrases from Hebrews say, “Let us.” That indicates two aspects. First of all, it indicates a decision. Second, it is a plural decision; it is made by more than one person. Sometimes we need to come to Him collectively, corporately—not just as an individual, but as a member of a body that is praying together with us.
Without Condemnation
The positive side of coming to God boldly is to come with confidence. The other side is that we come without condemnation. Several passages of Scripture speak about the need to be free from condemnation.
Here is one from the Psalms: “If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear” (Psalm 66:18, nasb). To “regard iniquity in my heart” means that I am conscious of something that condemns me. Every time I try to approach God with faith, Satan reminds me of this flaw that is not right, that has not been dealt with. It might be a sin that has not been confessed, or, if it has been confessed, I have not claimed and received God’s forgiveness. If I am conscious of this flaw in my heart, I will not receive that which I pray for. I must remove the consciousness of sin from within my heart and come boldly before His throne (see Hebrews 4:16).
Basically this is done by faith, because if we confess our sin, God “is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Once we confess, repent and trust God for the forgiveness and the cleansing that He has promised, we must not go on worrying about our sins.
If we do, if we remain “sin conscious” as we pray, God will not hear our prayers. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. But do you know what the psalmist goes on to say? “The Lord has heard me.” In other words, he rose above Satan’s attempt to condemn him.
John expressed the same thought: “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him” (1 John 3:21–22, nasb). We have to get rid of any attitude that suggests some kind of righteousness in ourselves. We have no righteousness of our own. We must come to a place where we are trusting in God’s faithfulness, and that produces confidence.
Again, in Romans 8:1, Paul said: “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (nasb). In the remainder of the chapter he painted the most glorious picture of all the blessings and privileges and benefits of the life that is filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit. We gain entry into that chapter and that kind of life as we lay aside condemnation.
I think the trouble with most Christians is that they do not know whether they are righteous or not. That is the truth. If I have been justified by faith in Jesus Christ, I have been made righteous with His righteousness. And if I know that, stand on it and live according to it, no judgment due to the wicked shall ever touch me.
Now, that does not mean that the Christian will not have trouble in this world: We will be persecuted for righteousness’ sake. The Bible says that the godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But there is a vital basic difference between persecution for righteousness’ sake and judgment for wickedness. Persecution for righteousness comes upon the righteous from the wicked. Judgment for wickedness comes from God, who is righteous, upon the wicked.
We are all called to endure persecution. None of us who are believers, however, should ever endure God’s judgment upon the wicked. If you really understand that, you will likely heave a sigh of relief. But as I say, the majority of Christians really do not know where they stand.
In Luke 21:36 Jesus spoke about the close of this age. Right at the end of His message, speaking to His disciples, He said, “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” He indicated that it was the will of God for His disciples to escape the judgments of God that were coming upon the wicked earth. That is in line with the whole teaching of Scripture. But He was telling them, “You had better be watching and praying. Otherwise you will not qualify to escape.”
And He also said, “Watch . . . and pray . . . that you may be counted worthy.” Were you worthy to be saved? No, you were saved by grace. You did not merit it; you could not deserve it.
But when you have been saved, you are required to lead such a life of righteousness that it would be unrighteous of God to judge you with the wicked. That is the Christian life. At the end of this age, be careful not to let the lines get blurred because you might be on the wrong side. As we will see in chapter 9, when we learn about God’s purpose in prayer for the Church, there is a wider and wider gulf growing between the righteous and the unrighteous, the filthy and the holy. The unrighteous and the filthy are going to get worse. The righteous and the holy are going to get better (see Revelation 22:11). You had better know which company you are in.
There must come a time when we lay aside every attempt to justify ourselves and say, “I receive by faith the righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed to me by my faith in Him according to the Word of God. I will not worry about my merits. I will not worry about my sins. I will not parade my good deeds. I will not
blush for my bad deeds. I will not examine and analyze my own heart all the time to see if I am good enough. I will trust God that the blood of Jesus has cleansed me from all sin. And now I am going boldly right to the throne, right into the holiest place of all.”
That is a glorious way of access.
The book of Esther gives a beautiful picture of coming into the presence of a king. This was a time of tremendous national and personal crisis: The lives of her people were at stake, and the king had not invited her to come. She took her life in her hands by deciding to appeal to him. After fasting for three days, she put on her royal attire and went into the king’s presence. He received her and gave her her request. Notice, she went in like a queen, not like a beggar. That is how Christ wants His Church to come to Him—like a queen, believing that she will be received because of His grace and His righteousness.
Comments
Post a Comment