Never Cast Out

For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.  Hebrews 4:15-16 NET

As Holy Spirit resides within us, He tells us that Jesus Christ is with us, on our side, present and helping, when life is going well and when its in turmoil. It is in “our weaknesses” that Jesus comes alongside us, not with cool and detached pity but with depth of felt solidarity.  And it is even deeper than that. In our pain, Jesus is pained; in our suffering, He feels the suffering as His own, His heart is feelingly drawn into our distress. 

Jesus’ human nature engages our troubles comprehensively. His is a love that cannot be held back when He sees His people in pain.  Therefore we must not hold back in our pursuit of Him. Follow Him. Cherish Him. Trust Him. Love Him. Chase Him. 

The word of God takes us by the hand and leads us deep into the heart of Christ, showing us the unrestrained withness of Jesus regarding His people. 

It is not only that Jesus can relieve us from our troubles, like a doctor prescribing medicine; it is also that, before any relief comes, He is with us IN AND THROUGH our troubles. 

In short, when the fallenness of the world closes in on us and makes us want to throw in the towel—there, right there, we can reach for Jesus Christ who knows exactly what such testing feels like, and sits close to us, embraces us. Yes, right where we are.

And I know it can be our tendency to feel that the more difficult life gets, the more alone we are. As we sink further into pain, we sink further into perceived isolation. The Bible corrects us. God. Jesus Christ. Holy Spirit. He is with us. Our pain never outstrips what He Himself shares in. No, we are never alone. 

Joshua 1:9 NET I repeat, be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic, for I, the LORD your God, am with you in all you do. 

Jesus never gave up, He never turned away from God, He endured all our temptations and testings without ever giving in. He therefore knows the strength of temptation better than any of us.  And yet only He truly knows the cost. please set aside time, several times, throughout your day to pray, talk to God, ask Him for anything - anything that is in your thoughts at any moment, He is listening. 

Psalms 27:8 NET  My heart tells me to pray to You, and I do pray to You, O LORD.

Jesus Christ is our only hope. He is the One who shares in all our pain, shares in it as the pure and holy One. Jesus is not the one who needs rescuing He is our Rescuer. This is why we get to go to Him to “receive mercy and find grace”. He Himself is not trapped in the pit of sin with us; He alone can pull us out. Whatever our offense, He deals gently with us. He is all that is all that will be, He is salvation. 

But there is a sobering reminder as well, If we never come to Him, we will experience a judgment so fierce it will be like the double-edged sword coming out of His mouth at us. Yet if we do come to Him, oh  my friends, rest assured that as fierce as His lion-like judgment would have been against us, so deep will His lamb-like tenderness be for us. 

We will be enveloped in one or the other. To no one will Jesus Christ be neutral. 

Consider what all this means. When we sin, we are encouraged to bring our mess to Jesus because He will know just how to receive us. He doesn’t handle us roughly. He doesn’t scowl and scold. He doesn’t lash out, the way many of us have experienced at the hands of others. Jesus welcomes us. 

Hebrews 5:1-2 NET For every high priest is taken from among the people and appointed to represent them before God, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal compassionately with those who are ignorant and erring, since he also is subject to weakness,

Jesus deals gently and only gently with all sinners who come to Him, repentant, surrendered, irrespective of their particular offence. 

Hebrews is not telling us that instead of scolding us, Jesus loves us. It’s telling us the magnificent kind of love He has: rather than dispensing grace to us from on high, He gets down with us, He puts His arm around us, He deals with us in the way that is just what we need. He corrects us, Holy Spirit pours wisdom, not condemnation but rather redemption.

It is time to Look to Christ. As long as we fix our attention on our sin, circumstances, on this broken world around us, we will fail to see Jesus standing firm in the horizon.

Jesus does not say that those with pain-free lives are never cast out. He says those who come to Him are never cast out. That goes for anyone! What a message the Bible repeatedly teaches us! Jesus Christ is with His people then, now and tomorrow.