Thursday: Jesus, Our Advocate in the Judgment
Daily Lesson for Thursday 23rd of May 2024
Read Hebrews 10:9-14. What difference does this passage reveal between the priest’s ministry in the earthly sanctuary and Jesus’ ministry in the heavenly sanctuary?
Once and for all, Christ died upon the cross as a perfect sacrifice for sin. His priestly ministry in the heavenly sanctuary sanctifies us. Now, having entered the Most Holy Place, He stands as our Advocate in the judgment (see 1 John 2:1). “Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:28, NLT). Through His sacrifice and mediation, sin has been dealt with. Now He comes again for those who “love his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8).
Read Hebrews 6:19-20. Why does He invite us to follow Him, and what do we discover as we follow?
Image © Phil McKay Goodsalt.com
“The intercession of Christ in man’s behalf in the sanctuary above is as essential to the plan of salvation as was His death upon the cross. By His death He began that work which after His resurrection He ascended to complete in heaven. We must by faith enter within the veil, ‘whither the forerunner is for us entered.’ Hebrews 6:20. There the light from the cross of Calvary is reflected. There we may gain a clearer insight into the mysteries of redemption. The salvation of man is accomplished at an infinite expense to heaven; the sacrifice made is equal to the broadest demands of the broken law of God. Jesus has opened the way to the Father’s throne, and through His mediation the sincere desire of all who come to Him in faith may be presented before God.”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 489.
The plan of salvation is a complete plan to resolve the great controversy and rescue this planet from Satan’s grip. Jesus’ life revealed God’s love to a needy world and a watching universe. His death revealed the hideousness of sin and provided salvation for all humanity. His intercession in the heavenly sanctuary provides the benefits of the atonement to each one who reaches out in faith to receive them.
How does Christ’s death on the cross relate to His intercession in the heavenly sanctuary, and why is the judgment so necessary to the plan of salvation?
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I have never been to court where I have needed a barrister to represent me, but I did have an experience that I think is an appropriate illustration for today. I had been called up for jury duty. In Australia, you do not get a lot of choice in the matter and about the only excuse they will accept is that you are either pregnant or dead. I could not arrange for either of those so I had turned up at the courthouse with about 20 others for jury duty. I knew there was a selection process and hoped I would be dismissed. It was a busy time of the year and I did not want the hiatus of a court case to interrupt my work.
We were all sitting in the courtroom while they explained the process to us. Then it was a case of awkward silence while we waited for the participants of the case to enter. One of the Queens Council barristers on the case was the first to enter. He saw me sitting there and said, "G'day Maurice!" You should have seen the look on the other Juror's faces. He was the parent of a student I had taught a couple of years previously. He put his papers down and came over to me and his first words were, "Well, you are one juror we cannot accept today!" We had a bit of a chat and true to his word, I was dismissed from jury duty. It was great to have a friend in court.
Although my dismissal was one of convenience rather than a legal success it gave me the sense of relief of having a friend in court. In the language used in the Bible, the sheep have the shepherd as their friend in court. The same one who searched for the one sheep when ninety-nine were safe; and who lay at the door of the fold to keep the wolves at bay.
The language used in John's epistle is revealing. It is the only use of the word "advocate" in the Bible:
We do not have a paid barrister charging high fees to represent us; we have a friend working pro bono because he loves us and has a vested interest in us. That is worth more that gold.
Thanks Maurice.
Amazing illustration!
We have a friend in the heavenly court above- Jesus our Advocate.
Alleluia!
What a beautiful illustration.Blessings upon you Maurice
I wish I can like this contribution a million times. Thanks Sir Maurice for the beautiful and best illustration so far.
The best part about our Judge is that not only has He accepted our mitigating circumstances, but He also already confirmed that an innocent substitute has borne our punishment, so He counts us as innocent of all charges.
Or the theologically imperfect but simple illustration; When I stand before the Judge, Jesus stands directly in front of me, blocking the view. The Judge, seeing only Jesus, says "I see an innocent man".
"By a single human, sin has entered the Earth. By a single human, the problem of sin was solved forever." Christ earned the right to judge all humans, but He could have chosen not to. He was already God before coming here. But because of the love for His creatures, He did what He did. The most spectacular thing about Jesus is that He is the perfect Judge. He judges knowing the future. He judges, knowing the heart of the defendants. But the most unimaginable of Jesus ' features is that He died for everyone in court! Have you ever seen a judge like that? I want this Judge to be my Judge! By accepting this Judge's love sacrifice, anyone gets free!
I Love it Russell.
Simple but profound explanation.
Re: "Jesus stands directly in front of me, blocking the view. The Judge, seeing only Jesus, says "I see an innocent man".
Thank you Jesus!!!
Question…
Why do we need to be “blocked” from God looking at us at “the judgement”?
John 3:16, “For GOD so loved the world that He gave…”
1 John 3:1,2, “See how much our Heavenly Father loves us… But we do know that we will be like Him, for we shall see Him as He really is.”
Isaiah 41:10, “Do not be afraid for I AM with you. Do not be discouraged for I AM your GOD…”
John 10:30, “The Father and I are one.”
It seems that Jesus is our advocate “with” the Father…for us, His children.
That Jesus Christ, died for our sins, and went back to heaven to be our mediator, and doing intercession for us.
I have been in a courtroom many time because of my work and I always think of the “final courtroom” with Satan at the prosecutor’s table and Jesus at the defense table, but I, the defendant, am sitting in my daddy’s lap as an interested child watching the show. My daddy just happens to be the Judge (the Father) and I watch safely from His lap while on the bench (the Judge’s table which is up higher than the lawyers) while He does the judging.
It is so good to be a Child of the King (but I need to remember to act in the position with grace and humbleness and not with arrogance and pride).