Our Advocate
Bible Study Time 10-1-06
Church links:
Bible Study Time 10-1-06
Last week we looked at the fact that the scriptures call the devil the adversary, and in reality, he is the adversary of both believers and unbelievers. The Lord Jesus said that the devil:
John 8:44 (NKJ)
44 . . . was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
In fact, the devil has no compassion for anyone whether they are saved or unsaved, whether they live uprightly or live in sin. It makes no difference to him. His goal is to lure the righteous into sin, and then to drag those who live in sin down into the depths of depravity. He delights in the utter desolation and destruction that comes to those who have been lured into and overwhelmed by sin. He feels nothing but hatred for all of mankind.
On the other hand, the Lord loves all people, whether they live uprightly or whether they live in overt sin, whether they are saved or whether they are unsaved. God loves all people, and has been working through the ages to save the lost from the eternal flames of the lake of fire and to prepare those who are saved for eternal blessing.
We are so fortunate that God is who He is because, according to Romans, Chapter 1:
Romans 3:10-18 (NKJ)
10 . . . "There is none righteous, no, not one;
11 There is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one."
13 "Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit"; "The poison of asps is under their lips";
14 "Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness."
15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;
17 And the way of peace they have not known."
18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes."
All of mankind has to plead guilty to these charges, but praise the Lord:
Romans 5:10-11 (NKJ)
10 . . . when we were (the) enemies (of God) we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
God’s salvation is available to all, but it is granted only to those who receive it through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
John 3:36 (NKJ)
36 "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; (but) he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
Here we see that Jesus Christ is the adversary of those who do not believe for the wrath of God abides on them, but all of the things that He brings into their lives is motivated by His love. It is always His goal to bring people to Himself so that they can experience His grace, His joy and His love.
Last week we looked at King Ahaz of Judah. He and the people of Judah had to endure much misery and hardship because of the king’s rebellion against the Lord. Even though He was warned specifically by Isaiah of the judgment to come, he rebelled and fought against the Lord with all of his heart. God’s goal in all of this was to bring Ahaz and all of the people of Judah back to Himself so that they could enjoy the blessings of the Lord.
Jonah was told to go and preach to the city of Nineveh, but he rebelled against the Lord. He got on a ship headed for Tarshish but finally confessed his sin in the face of a terrible storm. He was thrown overboard by his shipmates and swallowed by a great fish. As it turns out, God did not send that fish to kill Jonah but to deliver Jonah. After three days and three nights, Jonah was cast up out of that fish and onto the seashore.
Jonah went to Nineveh and preached a message that was only eight words long. He said, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be destroyed.” God used this little message in a powerful way and saved the entire city of Nineveh from destruction.
God loves us and wants to use us in powerful ways to bring honor and glory to His name. Those who come to the Lord Jesus and submit to His will find out that He is not their adversary, but He is the one and only person who can save them and rescue them from the clutches of the devil. They soon learn that He is not the adversary, but He is the Advocate. John wrote in his first epistle:
I John 2:1 (NKJ)
1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
Not only did the Lord Jesus leave the glory of heaven to die for our sins and be raised up from the grave, but He ascended back up into heaven where He pleads our case before the Father. Paul said in Romans 8:
Romans 8:33-34 (NKJ)
33 Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.
34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
God the Father raised the Lord Jesus from the dead and gave Him the name which is above every name. Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, and when we sin, Jesus Christ is our with the Father. He is right there to plead our case and make intercession for us. Therefore, Paul goes on to say:
Romans 8:35-37 (NKJ)
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
The book of Hebrews says that Jesus Christ serves as the High Priest and as the mediator between God and man. Hebrews, Chapter 7, says:
Hebrews 7:25 (NKJ)
25 (Christ) is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
Christ’s role as the intercessor is intimately linked to His ability to save us to the uttermost. He is able to save us with a salvation that is complete. He did not just save us with a partial salvation in which He provided part of it and then left us to do the rest. No, when we accept Christ we are saved to the uttermost.
Does that mean that every drug addict who gets saved never has another problem with drugs the rest of his life? No, not at all. God might do a miracle for some, but not for everyone. Does that mean that every sugar addict who gets saved will never have a craving for sugar again? No, we still have a body of flesh to contend with, but God promises that He will help us with all of our struggles, and we know that if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous.
Second, we are saved to the uttermost in the sense that we are saved for all of eternity. Jesus Christ draws us to Himself, and when we believe in Him, we become one with Him, and we find safety and security in Him for all of eternity. We have this confidence that if we sin, we have an advocate with the Father who makes intercession for us. Hebrews 7 goes on to say:
Hebrews 7:26 (NKJ)
26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens;
But Hebrews 4 says that:
Hebrews 4:15-16 (NKJ)
15 . . . we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
The Lord Jesus is our advocate, the Lord Jesus is our intercessor and the Lord Jesus is our helper. He is sinlessly perfect, but He defends us in our imperfections because He understands the struggles that come with a body of flesh.
He took upon Himself a body of flesh, He was tempted in all points such as we are, and yet He never sinned. Because He never sinned, He was able to bear our sin upon the cross so that God would be able to forgive us of our sins and still preserve His own righteousness.
When I think of Jesus making intercession for me, I think of the prayer that He prayed for His disciples, and for us, just before He was crucified. In John, Chapter 17, He prayed:
John 17:6-8 (NKJ)
6 "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.
7 "Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You.
8 "For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.
Jesus emphasizes that we belong to Him because we have received and kept the word of God. Verse 9 says:
John 17:9 (NKJ)
9 "I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.
Jesus Christ cannot make intercession for the lost. We come to Jesus Christ on the basis of the blood of Christ, and He makes intercession for us on the basis of the blood of Christ. Those who are lost do not have access to Christ’s ministry of intercession. Jesus goes on to say:
John 17:10-13 (NKJ)
10 "And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.
11 "Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.
12 "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
13 "But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.
The Lord Jesus prays that believers might be able to experience unity and joy. There can be no joy without unity. We are one in Jesus Christ, and our joy flows from that union.
John 17:14-15 (NKJ)
14 "I have given them Your word; (Jesus says) and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
15 "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.
The Lord knows that we are in a tough situation down here. We do not belong here in this world. Our home is in heaven, but we still have to function here because God has things for us to do. Jesus stayed here until He finished the work that He was sent to do, and we too must stay until our work is done.
Don’t be alarmed if you feel uncomfortable down here. That goes with the territory, but remember, Jesus is praying for you. He is not praying that God will make us feel at home down here. He’s praying that God will keep us from the evil one. He prayed:
John 17:16-17 (NKJ)
16 "They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
17 "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
Clearly, Jesus does not pray that we will feel comfortable down here, but He prays that we will be sanctified or set apart from the things of this world, and what is it that sets us apart? It’s the word of truth.
John 17:18-20 (NKJ)
18 "As You sent Me into the world, (He says) I also have sent them into the world.
19 "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.
20 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;
Right here, we know that Jesus is praying for us in this prayer. He prayed for all those who will believe in the Lord through the preaching of the apostles. Jesus said, I pray for them:
John 17:21-23 (NKJ)
21 "that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
22 "And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:
23 "I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
What an advocate we have with the Father! One who loves us and cares for us and gave Himself for us. If you don’t know the Lord Jesus as your Savior this morning, you can’t know the Lord as your Advocate until you know Him as your Savior. Won’t you put your faith in Christ right now and let the Lord Jesus fulfill this prayer in your life. You can be sanctified and set apart from the things of this world to become one of God’s special treasures, filled with His word and filled with His joy.
Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
John 8:44 (NKJ)
44 . . . was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
In fact, the devil has no compassion for anyone whether they are saved or unsaved, whether they live uprightly or live in sin. It makes no difference to him. His goal is to lure the righteous into sin, and then to drag those who live in sin down into the depths of depravity. He delights in the utter desolation and destruction that comes to those who have been lured into and overwhelmed by sin. He feels nothing but hatred for all of mankind.
On the other hand, the Lord loves all people, whether they live uprightly or whether they live in overt sin, whether they are saved or whether they are unsaved. God loves all people, and has been working through the ages to save the lost from the eternal flames of the lake of fire and to prepare those who are saved for eternal blessing.
We are so fortunate that God is who He is because, according to Romans, Chapter 1:
Romans 3:10-18 (NKJ)
10 . . . "There is none righteous, no, not one;
11 There is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one."
13 "Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit"; "The poison of asps is under their lips";
14 "Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness."
15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;
17 And the way of peace they have not known."
18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes."
All of mankind has to plead guilty to these charges, but praise the Lord:
Romans 5:10-11 (NKJ)
10 . . . when we were (the) enemies (of God) we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
God’s salvation is available to all, but it is granted only to those who receive it through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
John 3:36 (NKJ)
36 "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; (but) he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
Here we see that Jesus Christ is the adversary of those who do not believe for the wrath of God abides on them, but all of the things that He brings into their lives is motivated by His love. It is always His goal to bring people to Himself so that they can experience His grace, His joy and His love.
Last week we looked at King Ahaz of Judah. He and the people of Judah had to endure much misery and hardship because of the king’s rebellion against the Lord. Even though He was warned specifically by Isaiah of the judgment to come, he rebelled and fought against the Lord with all of his heart. God’s goal in all of this was to bring Ahaz and all of the people of Judah back to Himself so that they could enjoy the blessings of the Lord.
Jonah was told to go and preach to the city of Nineveh, but he rebelled against the Lord. He got on a ship headed for Tarshish but finally confessed his sin in the face of a terrible storm. He was thrown overboard by his shipmates and swallowed by a great fish. As it turns out, God did not send that fish to kill Jonah but to deliver Jonah. After three days and three nights, Jonah was cast up out of that fish and onto the seashore.
Jonah went to Nineveh and preached a message that was only eight words long. He said, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be destroyed.” God used this little message in a powerful way and saved the entire city of Nineveh from destruction.
God loves us and wants to use us in powerful ways to bring honor and glory to His name. Those who come to the Lord Jesus and submit to His will find out that He is not their adversary, but He is the one and only person who can save them and rescue them from the clutches of the devil. They soon learn that He is not the adversary, but He is the Advocate. John wrote in his first epistle:
I John 2:1 (NKJ)
1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
Not only did the Lord Jesus leave the glory of heaven to die for our sins and be raised up from the grave, but He ascended back up into heaven where He pleads our case before the Father. Paul said in Romans 8:
Romans 8:33-34 (NKJ)
33 Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.
34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
God the Father raised the Lord Jesus from the dead and gave Him the name which is above every name. Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, and when we sin, Jesus Christ is our with the Father. He is right there to plead our case and make intercession for us. Therefore, Paul goes on to say:
Romans 8:35-37 (NKJ)
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
The book of Hebrews says that Jesus Christ serves as the High Priest and as the mediator between God and man. Hebrews, Chapter 7, says:
Hebrews 7:25 (NKJ)
25 (Christ) is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
Christ’s role as the intercessor is intimately linked to His ability to save us to the uttermost. He is able to save us with a salvation that is complete. He did not just save us with a partial salvation in which He provided part of it and then left us to do the rest. No, when we accept Christ we are saved to the uttermost.
Does that mean that every drug addict who gets saved never has another problem with drugs the rest of his life? No, not at all. God might do a miracle for some, but not for everyone. Does that mean that every sugar addict who gets saved will never have a craving for sugar again? No, we still have a body of flesh to contend with, but God promises that He will help us with all of our struggles, and we know that if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous.
Second, we are saved to the uttermost in the sense that we are saved for all of eternity. Jesus Christ draws us to Himself, and when we believe in Him, we become one with Him, and we find safety and security in Him for all of eternity. We have this confidence that if we sin, we have an advocate with the Father who makes intercession for us. Hebrews 7 goes on to say:
Hebrews 7:26 (NKJ)
26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens;
But Hebrews 4 says that:
Hebrews 4:15-16 (NKJ)
15 . . . we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
The Lord Jesus is our advocate, the Lord Jesus is our intercessor and the Lord Jesus is our helper. He is sinlessly perfect, but He defends us in our imperfections because He understands the struggles that come with a body of flesh.
He took upon Himself a body of flesh, He was tempted in all points such as we are, and yet He never sinned. Because He never sinned, He was able to bear our sin upon the cross so that God would be able to forgive us of our sins and still preserve His own righteousness.
When I think of Jesus making intercession for me, I think of the prayer that He prayed for His disciples, and for us, just before He was crucified. In John, Chapter 17, He prayed:
John 17:6-8 (NKJ)
6 "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.
7 "Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You.
8 "For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.
Jesus emphasizes that we belong to Him because we have received and kept the word of God. Verse 9 says:
John 17:9 (NKJ)
9 "I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.
Jesus Christ cannot make intercession for the lost. We come to Jesus Christ on the basis of the blood of Christ, and He makes intercession for us on the basis of the blood of Christ. Those who are lost do not have access to Christ’s ministry of intercession. Jesus goes on to say:
John 17:10-13 (NKJ)
10 "And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.
11 "Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.
12 "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
13 "But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.
The Lord Jesus prays that believers might be able to experience unity and joy. There can be no joy without unity. We are one in Jesus Christ, and our joy flows from that union.
John 17:14-15 (NKJ)
14 "I have given them Your word; (Jesus says) and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
15 "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.
The Lord knows that we are in a tough situation down here. We do not belong here in this world. Our home is in heaven, but we still have to function here because God has things for us to do. Jesus stayed here until He finished the work that He was sent to do, and we too must stay until our work is done.
Don’t be alarmed if you feel uncomfortable down here. That goes with the territory, but remember, Jesus is praying for you. He is not praying that God will make us feel at home down here. He’s praying that God will keep us from the evil one. He prayed:
John 17:16-17 (NKJ)
16 "They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
17 "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
Clearly, Jesus does not pray that we will feel comfortable down here, but He prays that we will be sanctified or set apart from the things of this world, and what is it that sets us apart? It’s the word of truth.
John 17:18-20 (NKJ)
18 "As You sent Me into the world, (He says) I also have sent them into the world.
19 "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.
20 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;
Right here, we know that Jesus is praying for us in this prayer. He prayed for all those who will believe in the Lord through the preaching of the apostles. Jesus said, I pray for them:
John 17:21-23 (NKJ)
21 "that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
22 "And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:
23 "I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
What an advocate we have with the Father! One who loves us and cares for us and gave Himself for us. If you don’t know the Lord Jesus as your Savior this morning, you can’t know the Lord as your Advocate until you know Him as your Savior. Won’t you put your faith in Christ right now and let the Lord Jesus fulfill this prayer in your life. You can be sanctified and set apart from the things of this world to become one of God’s special treasures, filled with His word and filled with His joy.
Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
Church links:
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