Advocate

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 1 John 2:1

I’ll never forget the day I took out my mom’s minivan and went for a really long drive with my friend when I was 15.  There was a water main break at our school so we were sent home early and my parents were both working.  My sister, who had a valid driver’s license, went off with her own friend and left me home alone with mine.  We were hungry and didn’t want to walk the few miles to the store, so we thought we’d just take my mom’s car and be back.  Well driving was so fun, we decided to be super cool and go see the boy I had a crush on over half an hour away.  I did not have a license, and my developing teenage brain did not consider the consequences.  Boy was I in trouble!  I came home and my sister had already been home and called my parents and told them that I and the car were missing.  My mom got home first, she was livid.  She didn’t say much to me other than to wait until my father got home.  It was hours.  I sat in fear and waited for him to return.  I expected to be sent to boarding school or worse.  I had no defense, I knew what I did was wrong.  There was no hiding it or denying it, I was busted.

I can still feel like that young girl sometimes before God.  Fearing an angry response to my folly and sin.  I know He is justified in His judgement, I don’t have a case to defend myself.  I’ve screwed up, again, sought my own way, again, given way to instant gratification rather than obedience, again.  I have no case to stand before the Father on my own.  He is so holy, so set apart, so above me, I cannot even hope to come into His presence and live with the weight of my sin upon me.  However, God sent His Son into the world “not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:17).  I don’t go before God alone, I have an Advocate that speaks on my behalf and goes before me.  Jesus is that Advocate.  He goes and pleads my case before the Father because the wrath that I deserve as punishment for my sin, Jesus bore it already on the cross.  Because Jesus is my Advocate, now the Father sees me covered in the blood of His own son.  He sees me holy, perfect, and righteous, and I am forgiven.  The only part I have in it is my love for and faith in Jesus as God’s Son.  And even that was a gift given by God Himself. 

Do you know that Satan goes before God day and night and tells Him all of the bad things you’ve ever done (Revelation 12:10)?  I can imagine all of the things Satan has to say about me.  But Jesus stands there too, and Jesus stops Satan in his tracks, because I am not my own, I have been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), so if Satan wants to come at me he has to go through Jesus first.  And there is NOTHING that can separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:39).  Doesn’t that make you feel so safe?! 

Whatever those things may be in the deepest parts of your soul, the things you are most ashamed of, the things Satan uses to plague you and make you feel insecure and unforgiven, give those to Jesus today.  He is your willing Advocate, He already paid the price, He stands in your place and pleads your case before the Father.  Trust in that today.