The following is a short clip from a sermon on Hebrews chapter 7 verse 25 about the ongoing

intercession of Christ on our behalf.

In it, John Piper reminds us of our greatest problem and of our greatest hope.

Here's what he said.

From what am I being saved?

Now the reason I start with this is because in our culture which is increasingly a post-Christian

culture, you can't assume that the word saved, are you saved, means anything to anybody?

Or that the word salvation means anything?

They might fill those words up with meaning totally contrary to the Bible and so we have

to get at least our heads and our hearts straight on this matter of what we are being saved

from.

Now, let me pose the question for you.

Don't jump around to other parts of the Bible, just stay right here with this verse.

If I say my ongoing salvation depends on Christ's ongoing intercessory work for me with the

Father, what do I need saving from?

The Father, God, else I would not need an intercessor, intercessors interpose themselves

to help fix something that isn't fixed or to keep something fixed that is fixed.

The big issue is God's wrath.

Now let's just get this real clear and real straight because I have the feeling we live

in such a kind of touchy-feely day that Christianity is being so psychologized and so therapeutic

that we really do believe this book was written for our mental health.

It wasn't.

...