Jesus is your advocate and friend. It’s perhaps the best reason to live for the praise of your Savior today.
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SHAUNA: This is Shauna on Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope. Listen in as Joni talks about our very real need for an advocate.
JONI: I was talking to someone just yesterday about my very best advocate, my husband Ken. Earlier this month was World Cancer Day and as I was recounting my battle against stage 3 cancer some years ago, I mentioned how key, how critical it is to really have a strong advocate when you’re sitting in an exam room with an oncologist. And Ken was there, taking notes, asking questions, especially when I was too tired to even think for myself. For sure, to be an advocate is to be a true friend.
And the Bible speaks about advocates this way in 1 John 2:1: “We have an advocate who speaks to the Father in our defense, Jesus Christ, the righteous one.” You know, from here we can see that an advocate is a person who pleads for another's cause. But Jesus, our advocate, adds a twist. He pleads his own cause. But he does so to our advantage. For instance, I want you to picture a throne room with the devil standing up there, before God, reading a list of charges against you. He’s got a whole pile of lists, and he goes through line by line, the devil throwing you an accusing glance and sneering, “Look at this, God, this person doesn’t even deserve to stand before you. I mean, just look at all the things he’s done; the thoughts he’s coddled, the people he has hurt. And he has the nerve to call himself a follower of Jesus? Aw, come on, this wretch deserves to die. He says he’s a Christian but his life stinks. He claims to know your Son, but you’d never be able to tell from the way he acts.”
Now, picture Jesus stepping forward as your advocate. He speaks confidently and with authority, and he says, “Uh-uh, no! This person is mine. And none of these accusations are a surprise to me – none of these allegations catch me off-guard. I know them all because I died for every single sin he ever committed.” Now that would be enough, but then Christ adds an amazing announcement, when he says: “What's more, I've not only erased his debt, but I want you, Father, I want you to credit to his account all of my righteousness.” Is that amazing or what? I mean, right there, Jesus not only advocates for you, but he pleads his own cause. Because Jesus knows that his cause benefits you. He doesn’t do it for himself, but he does it for you.
Jesus, our advocate, would be generous enough in canceling the debt of our sin on the cross. But don’t you love it that he goes further. He not only paid the penalty and cleared sin’s slate, but he gave you and me right standing. He gave us his goodness. When the Father looks at you, he sees all the good things his Son has ever done. Now, wait a minute, let me say that again. When God the Father looks at you, he sees all the good things his son has ever done.
Oh, my goodness, such a debt, we can never repay. We can only praise. We dare not boast in ourselves; uh-uh, no, we boast in the Lord! It’s like Job, when he said, “Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high. My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out my tears to God; on behalf of a man he pleads with God as a man pleads for his friend.” There you got it; Jesus is your advocate; Jesus is your friend. It’s just another reason – and perhaps the best reason – to live for the praise of your Savior today.
SHAUNA: Please visit joniradio.org today, where you’ll find a treasure trove of Joni’s timeless wisdom. It’s free! And it’s all waiting for you at joniradio.org!
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