1 TIMOTHY 3:16-17

"All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us...God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work."

Sunday, October 17, 2010

1 JOHN - Our Advocate

The judge peered down at me.

“Do you have anything to say in your defense?”

What could I say? I was guilty of every sin that had been brought against me.

My Adversary was good…very good.

He had used witnesses against me…He had used Scripture against me. And he had used truth – I couldn’t deny one word of his accusations. I was guilty…

“No, Your Honor. The defense rests.”

“Then I suggest you begin your closing arguments.”

I had no closing arguments. How can you argue, when you know you’re guilty of every wrongdoing, every errant act, every thoughtless word – I had SINNED!

I was about to stand up and plead guilty, when a note was passed to me. It read: “Someone is here to speak for you.”

I turned and looked into the softest eyes of the strongest face I have ever seen.

And He began to speak for me.

He used His own witness…He used Scripture. And He used truth. He finished with a simple, yet profound, statement:

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)

“Agreed,” said the judge, as he pounded his gavel. “Not guilty.”

I thought of this little courtroom drama when I read this week’s “Bible Pick ‘Ems.” It comes from the book of I John:

“My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.” (1 John 2:1)

John offers reassurance to us when we’re feeling guilty and condemned. We know we have sinned. And Satan wastes no time in pointing fingers at us.

“For the accuser of our brothers and sisters…[is] the one who accuses them before our God day and night. (Revelation 12:10)

He is good…very good.

But don’t give up hope!!

We have the best defense attorney in the universe!

And He is pleading our case!

Jesus is our Advocate, our Defender – and He speaks His truth. He has already suffered the penalty in our place. We can’t be tried for a case that no longer exists.

“Who then will condemn us? No one – for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.” (Romans 8:34)

“He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.” (Hebrews 7:25)

So, don’t be afraid to ask Jesus to plead your case – He has already won it!!



"When in doubt, search God out!"

9 comments:

  1. Hi Sharon,

    As I read your post today, I began to thank Jesus Christ for interceeding on my behalf. It's only through His blood that my case has ended in a Not Guilty verdict. Praise God!

    Nothing can change that fact; I am one of God's redeemed. It blows me away to wrap my thoughts around this Sharon. It's like you say, "...How can you argue, when you know you’re guilty of every wrongdoing, every errant act, every thoughtless word – I had SINNED!"

    Blessings and peace.

    MTJ

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Sharon,

    I love your courtroom illustration of how Jesus is our intercessor. Very creative. And I love the scripture. It spoke to me as I now am getting ready for church. Have a blessed day. And thanks for stopping by my blog to read my latest blog post. Little by little I'm adding to my blog.

    Last year, I wrote a feature article on Michael Jackson's life and death, how it affected me and how I grew up with his music. I wrote the article from a spiritual perspective. It was published online for months. I decided to create a separate page to highlight the article under "Remembering Michael." I don't know if you were ever an MJ fan, but I'd appreciate your feedback if you have the time to read it.

    BTW ... I love your background photo of the green leaves. Thanks.

    Judy

    ReplyDelete
  3. (love the new blog look Sharon)

    so glad Jesus is my advocate and I am covered in his blood against the accuser :)

    have a great Sunday!

    betty

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Sharon - I love this article and the courtroom scene. I wrote a similar post a few weeks ago based on Romans 5:8 and how, though we were guilty, Christ died on our behalf, taking our punishment.

    There is no greater love...

    Blessings,
    Joan

    ReplyDelete
  5. MTJ - It blows my mind, too. I am unable to wrap my mind around the unconditional forgiveness that God offers me - and the undeserved mercy Jesus showed on the cross. How unbelievably fortunate we are to be declared NOT GUILTY by a holy God. Amazing grace, indeed!!

    Judy - I'm glad you liked the courtroom illustration. It came to me when I read the verse - "...we have an advocate." What a wonderful thrill it was to me to picture that - the Savior of the WORLD caring enough about ME to plead my case before the Father.
    (p.s. I LOVED Michael Jackson! When I'm done, I'll zip on over to your blog and read your article! And thanks for the comment on the leaves - I liked the colors, and thought it was a fun background to go with the "pick 'ems" theme!)

    Betty - Covered in the blood of Jesus - is there anything any better?! "Accuser" is a great name for the devil. I know he certainly does his best to accuse me of all sorts of things. I am so grateful that he doesn't have the last word!!

    Joan - There is indeed no greater love... Isn't it fun how sometimes God seems to send us the same "messages" to post on our blogs? Sometimes I just have to smile when I go out "visiting" and find that so many other bloggers are feeling the same challenges, the same struggles, and the same reassurances from the Word. God is so good!

    BLESSINGS, all - hope you had a wonderful Sunday!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm so thankful He stands up for me...for us...advocates on our behalf....b/c in myself....there was nothing that could have made me acceptable. My life was worthless...I was worthless and yet...He saw something...still not sure what...but so grateful He did. Great post

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sarah - Thank you. I couldn't agree more with what you said. NOTHING could have made ANY of us acceptable. But He loved us anyway. I'm not sure what He saw in me, either...but I wholeheartedly agree - I'm SO grateful He did! We have a wonderful High Priest, don't we?!

    GOD BLESS!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Praise God Sharon! I am ever so grateful for my defense lawyer; when I fall, he is always there to pick me up. Great post.

    Just also wanted to thank you for visiting my blog and your gracious comment; I pray that you are trusting God for that situation in which you are getting weary. You are in my prayer. Have a wonderful day!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Toyin - Thank you. Thank you too for praying. I am trusting God to lead, and to teach me how to follow better each day!

    GOD BLESS!

    ReplyDelete

"So I have been greatly encouraged in the midst of my troubles and suffering, dear brothers and sisters, because you have remained strong in your faith. It gives me new life to know that you are standing firm in the Lord. How I thank God for you!"
(1 Thessalonians 3:7-9)

Thanks for your comments - it is such a joy to be sharing my journey with friends like YOU!