Qualified To Plead For Us

One of the more sad spectacles of man is when one unqualified acts as his or her own defense attorney. You can search the internet for instances of defendants defending themselves and some did average jobs, but of those listed at Wikipedia only one successfully defended himself.

Imagine having to defend yourself before God. That shouldn’t take much imagination because you’re well-practiced at it now. We all are!

Every time we justify an action we know in our hearts is wrong, we are defending ourselves before God. As Christians we have the Indwelling Holy Spirit that acts as a guide to us. Again I refer you to Romans 8:14:

    “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”

For those of you who are not believers in the Lord Jesus Christ you have a conscience and it is that conscience wired into you by God that helps you to determine right from wrong, to the point you are without excuse.

    “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools…” (Romans 1:18-22)

Although we are well-experienced at defending ourselves before God, we are totally unqualified and you will not be able to speak when you are standing before the Lord Jesus Christ to give an account for your life.

That’s the bad news.

The good news is you do not have to. That is why the Word became flesh and lived among us:

    “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, ‘This was He of whom I said, “He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.”‘ And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” (John 1:14-18)

Would it not be nice to have the personal phone number of the president (just go with it for right now) and be able to call him anytime you needed? If not the president then the chief of time (stay with me) and be able to put your petitions through him to the president. That would be an amazing benefit and favor.

Jesus Christ is our advocate, our personal lawyer, Who sits at the right hand of God and brings our petitions before our Heavenly Father. Why? Because of His grace Jesus is the only One qualified to do so. It’s been a while since we’ve heard from our old friend Matthew Henry, the 17th Century commentator, but his analysis of John 1:14 is revealing:

    “Although He was in the form of a servant, as to outward circumstances, yet, in respect of graces, His form was like the Son of God. His Divine glory appeared in the holiness of His doctrine, and in His miracles. He was full of grace, fully acceptable to His Father; therefore qualified to plead for us; and full of truth, fully aware of the things He was to reveal.”

In light of what Brother Henry has written, why would you want anyone, much less yourself, to represent you, to plead your case, before the Holy, Just, and Righteous Creator and Almighty God? That does not pass the common sense test. It’s like being charged for murder and being offered pro bono the best homicide defense attorney in the world and you say, “Nah, thanks, I’ll defend myself.” Foolish!

Who Jesus was is most revealed in how Jesus spoke of Himself. Most revealing is His prayer for Himself at the Last Supper:

    “Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: ‘Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.'” (John 17:1-5)

Who would say such a thing?!! Dismiss that if you will but I find it impossible to ignore such a statement. Jesus is saying He existed with God in glory before the creation of the world. What type of man would say such a thing?! C.S. Lewis writing in “Mere Christianity” sums it up perfectly:

    “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic–on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg–or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about Him being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

So what say you? What will you do with this man called Jesus? Is He a lunatic, a liar, or is He Lord?

Choose well…

…one day you shall have to plead your case before the Almighty God.

I’m glad I’ve chosen the Qualified One.

In Christ
Dave
Ps. 37:4

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    Copyright © 2010 David Jeffers

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