The following is taken from The Royal Invitation, a new online devotional available at the BLB. The Royal Invitation is one of five books contained in a collection written by Frances Ridley Havergal in the 1880s. This book embraces the many requests from God’s word for us to ‘come’ to Him. (Click here for previous posts)
“Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.”
(Hbr 7:25)
Only think that this is what Jesus is now living for,-“liveth to make intercession” (Hbr 7:25) for you! Should we ever have dared to imagine such grace and love? Should we ever have conceived that such a privilege could be ours?
Only think what security there must be in it (Jhn 10:28)!
If the Lord Jesus is praying for you, can you perish? If He is praying for you, will not the Father’s answer of blessing be beyond anything you would ask for yourself? Is not this enough to answer all your misgivings as to what you will find and how you will get on when you have come?
There is a solemn side to it.
He not only says nothing about making intercession for those who do not come, but He plainly and positively says, “I pray not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given Me” (Jhn 17:9); the proof of having been given to Christ being the coming to Him, for “all that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me.” Then face the terrible position which is yours if you will not come! Christ will not pray for you! you shut yourself out from the prayer of Him whom the Father heareth always. He prays not for all alike, but only for those who receive His words. He says, “I pray for them; I pray not for the world.” You dare not and cannot explain this away. It is no mere inference, no question of differing “views,” but spoken by Him whose words can never pass away. Will you not “come,” and share in this unspeakable privilege of Christ’s intercession?
Coming to Jesus Means Coming to the Father
We must not overlook the fact that it is for those who “come unto God by Him.” Your coming to Jesus is also coming to your Father. In our right earnestness to have clear views of the Trinity, we are liable to forget the Unity of the Godhead. “I and My Father are one,” (Jhn 10:30) saith the Lord Jesus; and this blessed and glorious unity is our key to many an apparent difficulty. Yet there is a Divine order in the approach, which we invert at our eternal peril. It must be “by Him,” or it is no coming at all.
For He hath said, “No man cometh unto the Father but by Me. (Jhn 14:6) The redemption of Christ is for them “who by Him do believe in God.” You cannot be made nigh to God except by the blood of Christ. You cannot reach the Father except through the Son, for it is through Him and in Him that we alone have access. (Eph 2:18) You cannot offer thanks, any more than prayer, to God, except in the same way, for it is “by Him” that we are to offer it.
In one word, you cannot be saved any other way at all, except by Jesus, and it is no use talking about being simply saved by God’s mercy, for God’s own Word says, “There is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved,” (Act 4:12) so that fallacy is disposed of forever. So “diminish not a word”; (Deu 12:32) do not venture to leave out the words “by Him,” but come in God’s own appointed way, and you shall be saved in His own grand and perfect way, “to the uttermost!”
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Previous posts:
Jerry S. says
June 3, 2013 at 9:58 amI’ve learned so much more of the Book to the Hebrews by studying “The Day of Atonement” (Yom Kippur).
Using BLB search engine and the words “day of atonement” along with Lev 16 HNV. For those who have not, try and let the LORD teach.
J.
Bob Demyanovich says
June 4, 2013 at 2:50 amThere are instruments for the service of God in Leviticus 16;
the tabernacle, the water, the clothes, the mercy seat, the bull, the goats, those who conduct or carry outside the camp.
In Revelation 8 and 16 there are instruments;
angels, trumpets, vials. The trumpets sound and the vials are filled with the wrath of God.
In both of these accounts the instruments, substance and performers convey the expression, the performance of intent. The intent is the stuff within the vials yet greater than that is the stuff that created all (it is harder to create than destroy) and greatest of all is the entirety of sacrifice to redeem the beloved.
Human being is to come to know the instruction of the Father. Thought creates, it is the expression of being.
Mat 7:17, Mar 4:28, Mat 13:23, Mat 12:35, Mat 13:52, Jhn 12:24, Jhn 15:5 Matthew chapter 5
All of this displays the righteousness, the glory of God enacted to prepare, convince and to share with beings of free will who are now wholly impressed and convicted in their worship of the only omnipotent, holy God our Creator and Savior.
Jo Ann Schehr Fashina says
June 4, 2013 at 8:23 amThe Sinless Sacrifice
By Jo Ann Schehr Fashina
6/4/13
My Lord who died on the cross to offer Himself up for my sins, now lives.
He lives for us as a high priest who is ever making intercession for us.
We who are burdened with the sins of this world,
We who have been redeemed and cleansed by His blood,
We who were dead and blinded without God’s light,
Can now live through Christ;
He now lives in us;
He now lives for us;
He is ever making intercession for us even now.
We could never be worthy enough to stand before God in victory,
Without the sinless sacrifice of The Lamb Jesus Christ.
Thank God for His love that we may never comprehend;
In that he died for us losing ever drop of blood,
And that he lives for us fighting the endless ravages of sin in us.
He will fight for us.
He will guide us as we obey His will.
Until that day when we shall meet Him in the glory of the rapture!
© 2013
Tess says
June 4, 2013 at 2:44 pmAMEN!
Mark Hayes says
June 4, 2013 at 6:10 pmHallelujah Thank you God for this message.
Thank you Father for the only Begotten, forever interceding not for the world but for His own children.
I drove into work today but could not bring myself to even put one foot out the car door. Listening to songs of worship as is my daily trip into work and from work, I sat in the car and sought my Father’s will.
I then started the car and returned home. Despite my best thoughts and arguments that I was to brave it out, this was not the will of my Lord. Rather my Father put it to me, ‘it sufficed to spend a day with Him, Jesus Christ, Jehovah Rapha, the Lord is my Healer.’
I have 60 or so sick days accrued. What is one day of my sick leave but to be used to obey my Father’s will and find the Great Physician Jesus Christ draw near in His healing to my heart.
Thank you Father for the gift of Your Son, Your King, Your God my King, my God and my Physician. Amen
Mark H NZ
Reggie Marshburn Sr. says
June 6, 2013 at 6:53 amSo, let me get an understanding…in order to feel secure in the knowledge that Jesus is interceding on behalf of my unsaved family members, I must first get them saved? That is a request that Jesus would pray?
Tess says
June 9, 2013 at 12:31 pmHbr 7:25 Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost (–>that come unto God by Himfor them.<–)
Reggie,
This scripture and post speaks to "them who come unto God by Him" and states that Jesus makes intercession for "them".
There is no assurance for an unbeliever. It does not speak about the unsaved at all. Jesus does not intercede for the unsaved. John 17:8-10
Jesus offers ALL the gift of salvation but a gift unopened and unaccepted and refused is of no value.
We can and should pray for our loved ones and for the unsaved but it is their responsibility to open the gift Jesus willingly died that they should have. We cannot open it for them or force them to open it. All we can do is "be a witness" which means more than just witnessing to someone. 2 Corinthians 3:2-3
The fragrance of Christ and His love, grace, salvation and mercy on our lives draws the unsaved to Him. 2 Corinthians 2:14-17:
John 17:20-26 Jesus prays in this verse for the ones that "will" believe in Him. We can trust God to save ALL His own which is a great comfort for us about those not saved yet. He knows who they are and makes intercession for them also but Jesus does not make intercession for the unsaved.
We do not know who will come but there is always hope and we should always pray for the unsaved that they will accept Christ as their Lord and Savior but we don't get people saved. That work is done by God and them not us.
We are called to be a witness and to witness to the world but in the end it is a one on one relationship that they choose with their free will to enter into. 2 Corinthians 3:2-3
Keep praying for them and be the witness God calls you to be. Your sense of security is in Him and there is great comfort in that. God isn't going to leave any of His own behind with or without our help. You're loved ones may be saved and you just can't see that yet but He can. Show them the joy you have in God and they will want it too. Be kind, be loving knowing God can and does do what you and I can't do. He knows the very moment when your loved ones will come to Him and you may get a double blessing having been apart of His plan.