Jesus Christ, Our Advocate

(Tune of “Jesus Shall Reign”)

My Advocate resides above, a gift of my dear Father’s love.

He pleads His precious blood for me; presents me clean for God to see.

 As Advocate He guides me, too; directs me all my long life through.

His counsel is for me what’s best; obeying it I will be blest.

Years ago we moved to new town.  On my visit to the community I met with a realtor and purchased a house.  It was a nice house and I was assured that everything was in working order. The day we moved in it was learned that the realtor had simply lied.  Nothing was in working order.  Nothing was as agreed in the contract.  The house was literally uninhabitable and we moved out the next day.  The day after that the realtor called and both he and the seller were planning to sue us for breach of contract.  I was rather upset.  At work I mentioned the situation to a co-worker and went home quite worried and more upset.  Right after supper that night I got a call.  My co-worker had passed the news of our trouble on to a lawyer.  The lawyer called and told me that he knew both the realtor and the seller and that he would make everything alright the next day and that there would be no suit and we could get on with our lives. Not only that, but his service was free.  I was no longer upset. 

A lawyer is an advocate.  He pleads the case and takes care of his client’s needs.  In I John 2 Jesus is called our Advocate.  He is our Advocate with the Father.  We make a mess of things in our haste and then we find ourselves in trouble with our guilt.  But we have an Advocate with our Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous One.  He pleads His precious blood that was shed on Calvary for our sins and presents us spotless before the throne of God.  We cannot buy this service; it’s free.  The blood of Jesus Christ cannot be paid for.  It must be believed in.  Faith in our Advocate is the key.  Not by any work can we pay Him.  He saves us and keeps us by faith in Him.  Our response is gratitude. 

That gratitude should display itself in obedience to the guidance then given to us by our Advocate.  While His blood will never fail to cover our sins, His will for us is that we stop living in the practice of sin.  As Paul wrote to the Romans, “Should we then sin that grace may abound?  God forbid!”  Our Advocate will lead us in paths of righteousness for His Name sake.  He will not abandon us in our need, but He wants us to follow closely to His lead.  He knows best and we can rest most peacefully as we follow the guidance and live in the care of our great Advocate. 

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