post 7

John Piper rocked my world last year with his message on "drawing near to God."

I listened to it again today and he says (after basically asking "What do you do when you wake up and all you can think about is your sin, your failures, your weakness.  What do you do when getting out of bed seems to hard?):

You THINK of truth!

You say to yourself "He has told me, on the authority of His word, that there is a blood shed. 
There is a new and living way by the body of Christ,
and when His blood was shed and His flesh was torn all my sins were covered and a way was opened into the Holy places. 
It wasn't for perfect people, cause then why would there have had to been spent flesh?
But rather for sinners like me! 
Therefore shut your mouth, Satan. 
Be quiet, flesh. 
I reckon you dead!"

And you fight with truth.  Knowledge.  You bring it to bear.  And you take your zeal and you fan it and you straighten it. And you cling.

Then you say, "Listen I am told I have a great high priest in heaven
- not just a priest, not just a high priest -
but a GREAT high priest.
And He not only spilt His blood,
and He not only ripped His flesh,
and He not only died,
and He not only rose,
but He is also reigning at the right hand
and He intercedes for me,
so that when I walk trembling into the presence of the Father,
He reaches out and He puts His hand on my shoulder and says
'Now listen, if you keep acting so hesitantly like this,
and lack all boldness,
and do not draw near with all assurance of faith,
you are belittling what I accomplished for you. 
Look me in the face!
Do you believe that what I did was infinitely valuable for sinners to come?

I will stand with you. I will not leave you. I won't walk out of this room. I will never leave the room of the Father because your standing is in me,
and you are safe in this hurricane of holiness as the Father loves me.'"