Before the Throne: Let Us Draw Near
Date: 9/18/22
Preacher: Trent Chambers
Scripture: Hebrews 10:19-25
Main Sermon Points
1. Let us draw near (v.22)
• Practices: Gratitude, Stillness, Confession, Boasting
2. Where does this confidence come from?
• The sacrifice of Jesus (v.19)
• The forever work of Jesus (v.21)
3. To stir our hearts to draw near:
• Keep his promises before you (v.23)
• Gather regularly with believers (v.24-25)
Psalm
Psalm 42 (When singing or praying this Psalm, we ask the Holy Spirit to create in our hearts the same kind of longing for God’s merciful presence that the sons of Korah express in this song. We desperately need to draw near to God in response to the joyful times of life, just as much as the times of overwhelming pain and grief.)
Read the Passage
Read the Scripture passage aloud as a group. When you’re done reading, take some time to share observations about the passage. Try not to move into interpretation or application yet. Just spend some time observing what the text says.
Discuss and Apply
Think about what it means to be near to or to be far from a friend or family member. We instinctively know that, in order to maintain a relationship with someone and for that to be a positive, beneficial relationship, certain things have to happen: seeing or talking with each other regularly, communicating in both directions, being honest with each other, and so on.
1. What does it mean to “draw near” to God himself? How is it different or similar to being near to other people?
Hebrews 10 describes our drawing near to God with terms like: confidence, unwavering, assurance. What is the basis for this kind of confidence? Trent taught us that it’s based on the sacrifice of Jesus (v.19) and his forever work as our advocate (v.21).
2. How does the “blood of Jesus” (v.19) establish your confidence before God? What does Jesus’s position as our “great high priest” (v.21) mean when you consider the prospect of being fully seen in God’s presence?
Verse 22 exhorts us to “draw near with a true heart in full assurance.” Isn’t it an incredible relief to realize that we don’t need to have everything sorted out before drawing near, we just need to come to God from an honest heart? Thomas Watson wrote to those struggling with assurance, “The promises are not made to strong faith, but to true. The promise does not say, ‘he who has a giant faith shall be saved,’ but ‘whosoever believes,’ be his faith ever so small.”
3. Have you felt the burden of “fixing your faith” before coming to God? How does this passage confront and correct our mistaken expectations about what’s required of us in order to draw near to God?
To stir our hearts to draw near to God, we need to keep his promises before us. Think of some of the promises of God: presence, forgiveness, mercy, love, a secure future. What promises of God are the most precious to you?
4. Write out a promise from Scripture on a note card or sticky note. This week, keep it close and memorize it.
Closing
In our series on Hebrews, we’ve focused on 4 practices of devotion: gratitude, stillness, confession, and boasting.
1. Spend the rest of your group time praying together in these four movements: GRATITUDE for our forgiveness and acceptance, STILLNESS by savoring our welcome in the presence of God, CONFESSION by owning up to what’s true about us in light of God’s perfection, and BOASTING in celebration of who God is and what he’s done.