October 15, 2006

Backstage Pass to the Throne
 

by Rev. Dr. Jim Carlson

Hebrews 4:12-16

Shows giving unparalleled access to stars. Began with tours of their homes. Now shows document their personal lives. Gives the audience intimate knowledge and allows them to be able to ask, through reporters, questions they couldn’t ask before.

Imagine TV show giving tour of heaven. Imagine backstage pass to the throne room of God. What would it be like? What would we want the reporter to ask?

Intertestamental writings began featuring tours of heaven and hell. Explanations of how the universe worked.

(Slide) Enoch, Ascension of Isaiah, Apocalypse of Abraham.

We know these books were influential. (Slide) Isaiah cut in two; Jude quote from Enoch.

Difference from other apocalypses – Hebrews has Jesus ascend to heaven, then open up access to the throne.

Other stories of ascension have the character come down or reveal secrets from heaven. None have ongoing access of the godly to the throne of God. And Hebrews is considered more authoritative than all of them because it made it into the canon.

Question: What does the author mean by access? Talking about going up and down to heaven during this life? How do we approach the throne of grace?

Not entirely clear – one possibility

Prayer – author talks about trials and suffering being experienced by readers. Not specific about the situation.

Readers have not been physically attacked. Harassment is compared to discipline from parents.

Access to the throne may mean the ability to approach God directly through prayer to ask for strength and grace during times of suffering.

Chapter 4 verse 16 – God may intervene in suffering and ease it.

Now you may say to yourself, “Well this is all fine and good, but Protestant Christians have always believed they could approach God directly through prayer and ask for mercy or grace. Isn’t this something we’ve always known?”

You know, one would tend to think so. I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. But what about someone who has been battered by the storms of life or has fallen into a terrible habit of sin that they know is wrong?

It is very easy in our guilt and shame over our own mistakes to come to the conclusion that somehow we’ve lost that access to God. I don’t know how may people I’ve talked to over the years who have said to me, “I don’t bother praying or asking God for help anymore. When I look at how I’ve lived my life, I don’t think God is listening anymore.”

When you think about it, people have very good reasons for making that kind of assumption. For instance, if you have a friendship with someone, but you go on consistently doing something that you know they hate, what becomes of that relationship? It becomes strained, and eventually breaks down to the point where you don’t even speak to one another.

You can’t call that person, you avoid them. You don’t want to come into contact because you feel terrible about what you’ve done. And after a while you come to the point where you figure things will never change and this rift can never be healed. And all communication is permanently cut off.

People apply that same kind of thinking toward God. They think God is so angry with them that they can’t even pray. Like God will lash out at them if they say, “I’m sorry”. Sure, the people who we’ve alienated in our lives may do that. But when we’re talking about the realm of God, when we’re looking at a situation in which Jesus has made an eternal sacrifice for our sin, then our whole perception of this situation needs to be revised.

Remember that our author takes pains to tells us specifically how Jesus can sympathize with our existence as sinful people. He became one of us. He knew what it was like to be tempted to harm another person. He knew what it was like to be tempted to steal. He knew what it was like to want something that wasn’t his. He knew what it was like to be tempted with every kind of sin.

So we cannot say that God won’t listen to us. We can’t say that our lives have gone too far astray for us to approach God. We cannot say that God has cut us off.

The power of what’s being said here is that Jesus has opened up direct access to God so that we can approach God in all our sinfulness, all our ugliness, all our sadness, all our suffering, all our disappointment. Bring it into the throne room. Lay it at the feet of God. Ask for mercy as you cope with the troubles of this life. And find the grace you need to make it through another week.

This passage leaves us with no excuse.