How Does Jesus Respond to Our Sin? | Theocast Clips

Christ Our Sympathetic High Priest

Do you want to go talk to somebody who you know is going to be a hardened judge? Or do you want to talk to somebody who maybe like understands is sympathetic towards your position? You know, I got to go back to Ephesians four, I'm sorry, Ephesians four here.

Justin, you know, when you and I either are weak or we have epically face planted in a sin and we're, we just feel disgusted and ashamed. You know, when you're in that moment, do you want to go talk to somebody who you know is going to be a hardened judge and it's just going to make you feel worse?

Or do you want to talk to somebody who maybe like understands is sympathetic towards your position? Yeah. It's like, you know what? Like I, Justin, you and I do this when we fail and falter, we struggle even in our own marriages.

You know, there are times we call each other cause we, we know like Justin's going to be sympathetic to my position here cause he struggles with this too. But Justin always points me back to the grace of God.

James, Elijah, and Prayer in the Time of Need

Well, this is what's amazing about it because four, it says, we have a high priest, the one who we are supposed to talk to, who is sympathetic. And what that means is that not only he understands, but he wants to hear you talk about it.

So you can go in and say, all right, Lord, this I've completely face planted. This is what I, I completely just botched this or I am weak and in need. And I know that you actually care and you are compassionate to hear what I have to say.

That is so powerful. I do believe that is what James is going after. He's like, listen, you who are sinning, you can trust in the power of the righteous position you were in. This is why he goes, Hey, just so you guys know, like Elijah had a nature like ours, weak, sinful.

And he prayed and God heard him. He was a fallen man. That's right. Right. If he was fallen like you and he was able to pray and it didn't rain for three and a half years, you know, you certainly fall in as you are, can pray for each other.

You can confess your sins and you can pray and you will be healed and you will be restored. And God will give mercy and grace in your time of need. That's right. So there's this idea that we should be thankful and in many ways, quick to run to the, to the one who is sympathetic.

Drawing Near for Grace Instead of Fear

And it's hard for us to hear that, you know, Justin pietism and revivalism created a fear tactic amongst the believers where, you know, God isn't a sympathetic father who says, come to me in time of need.

Right. Draw near to me. Yeah. Draw near to me and I will draw near to you. Why, why don't they, why don't they preach James four when it says he gives more grace? Why can't we say that James wrote that?

Why don't we say that? Hey, in the midst of your sin, there's more grace. Now come repent, right? Come here. Yeah. Come draw near to the father with being received grace and received mercy. No, it's exacting.

And I mean, I'm just going to say this, I mean this is the end of a podcast. You can go listen to our whole podcast on it, but this, this, this is the tone that Piper gave and it's debilitating to people calling them to question their salvation.

Sorry. I just dropped that bomb. Go listen to the episode. You did drop a bomb. I'm metaphorically ducking. Bring it, bring it over to SR. I'll finish it over there. Yeah. We'll, we'll take it to SR. Yeah.

The Comfort of a Loving Father and No Condemnation

Cause this is, it is a sadness that we, man, there's so much wrapped up in this. We lose sight of the fact that we have a sympathetic high priest. We lose sight of the fact that God does give more grace.

We lose sight of the fact that yes, he's a loving father. And when we are in agreement with him about his law and we agree with him that we're in error and it's like, yeah, I'm coming to confess that I've sinned again.

And I, I'm sorry. I hate my sin. My flesh loves it. I hate it in my inner man. I'm in need, you know, wretched man that I am. Who's going to deliver me. You know, thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

I'm so thankful father that I'm not condemned and, and I'm coming because I need grace and mercy.