JESUS TO OUR DEFENSE
ILLUSTRATION:
In June 1839, a Spanish schooner left the shore of Havana, Cuba and set SAIL for Porta Prince, another part of the ISLAND. The CARGO in the BOWELS of La Amistad (the name of the BOAT, which ironically means, The Friendship) was 53 Africans KIDNAPPED from the Mendi village of West Africa and illegally SOLD in the Cuban SLAVE MARKET. (In 1997 Steven Spielberg told the story in a movie entitled: AMISTAD.)
On the JOURNEY the Africans, having already endured TORTURE and witnessed the BRUTAL MURDER and RAPE of many of their FRIENDS and FAMILY, were able to FREE themselves from their CHAINS and TOOK over the BOAT, killing the Captain and the COOK in the STRUGGLE. The PASSENGERS, two Spaniards who had PURCHASED the SLAVES, were SPARED and FORCED to SAIL the boat EAST to Africa. During the DAY they would SAIL toward Africa and at NIGHT they SAILED toward the United States.
The United States Navy off the shore of Brooklyn, New York finally CAPTURED the Africans. They were later taken to New Haven, Connecticut where they were TRIED for PIRACY and MURDER.
Their ATTORNEY, Roger Baldwin, found EVIDENCE that these men and women were BORN FREE in West Africa and were ILLEGALLY exported to Cuba and SOLD as SLAVES. During ensuing MONTHS, the Africans were TRIED, first in a DISTRICT COURT and then in a CIRCUIT COURT. Each JUDGE heard the same arguments from ATTORNEY Baldwin, and came to the same CONCLUSION that the Amistad Africans were BORN FREE and KIDNAPPED in VIOLATION of INTERNATIONAL LAW, and MUTINIED only in SELF-DEFENSE desiring to GAIN their FREEDOM and RETURN to their FAMILIES.
It seemed that they would finally be SET FREE and RETURNED to their HOMELAND, when President Van Buren, FEARFUL of possible CIVIL WAR over the ISSUE of SLAVERY, appealed the United States Supreme Court to RETRY the Africans. Since the MAJORITY of the SUPREME JUSTICES were SOUTHERN SLAVE OWNERS, President Van Buren felt certain that the Africans would finally be found GUILTY and SHIPPED back to Cuba for EXECUTION.
Roger Baldwin feeling INADEQUATE to TRY this case before the SUPREME COURT by himself, persuaded former President John Quincy Adams, a strong OPPONENT of SLAVERY, to join him in DEFENDING the Africans in Washington. For three hours John Quincy Adams stood before the HIGHEST COURT in America and ARGUED for the FREEDOM of these men and women. He READ passages from the Bible, REFERRED to the Declaration of Independence, QUOTED past presidents, and APPEALED to a SENSE of MORAL JUSTICE.
Two weeks later, the SUPREME COURT announced their DECISION to allow the Africans to GO FREE and RETURN to their FAMILIES in West Africa.
COMMENT:
Attorney Roger Baldwin, especially, STOOD at the side of the West Africans from the very beginning DEFENDING and PLEADING their CASE. He never gave up until finally they were SET FREE. If you were ever in TROUBLE with the LAW, wouldn’t you want an ATTORNEY like that?
We have someone BETTER! Because of SIN, we have been ENSLAVED. Satan, our ACCUSER, wants us to be DESTROYED. In fact, we DESERVE to DIE. But every time we SIN, Jesus Christ comes to our DEFENSE pleading for our FREEDOM—for our FORGIVENESS.
MESSAGE:
I John 2:1-2 (READ and COMMENT)
COMMENT:
Jesus is our DEFENSE ATTORNEY! Every time we SIN, He comes to our side and PLEADS for our PARDON. This passage presents us with three essentials for our defense.
I. WE MUST ENTER A GUILTY PLEA- I John 1:8-10 (READ and COMMENT)
A. We cannot STAND before God, our Judge, and plea, “NOT GUILTY.”
1. In fact, if we do John said: “We are deceiving ourselves.” “The truth is not in us.” “We call
God a liar.” “His word has no part in our lives.”
2. We are all GUILTY of SIN, but the twist is: God does not want us to sin. That’s right!
a. “I write this to you so that you will not sin . . .”
b. Sin may be inevitable, but it is a matter of urgent concern to John.
COMMENT:
Sin is the ENEMY! Sin, if left UNACKNOWLEDGED and UNREPENTED, can remove us from the LIGHT of God and FORCE us back into a life of DARKNESS.
For such a small word, SIN has had an incredible IMPACT. It’s the REASON Jesus came. It’s what He came to SAVE us from. Not to make us PERFECT, or even to KEEP US FROM SINNING, but to save us from the PENALTY of sinning—which is “DEATH”- Romans 6:23.
B. Our God is REALISTIC about SIN.
COMMENT:
He absolutely wants us to STAY AWAY from it—not to PLAY around with TEMPTATION, not to set ourselves up by seeing how FAR we can GO without actually GIVING IN. SIN is serious BUSINESS, and we will be LOST ETERNALLY if we allow SIN to cause us to turn away from God! Therefore, we must incessantly STRIVE to overcome SIN in our lives.
1. However, TRY as we might! Concentrate night and day, the only conclusion we come up with is
that we are INCAPABLE of living a SINLESS LIFE.
COMMENT:
We can do very well for SHORT PERIODS of time. Then, there we go again. SIN. There are times when we SIN and don’t REALIZE it. We SINNED and we didn’t MEAN it. There are other times in our lives when we know EXACTLY the RIGHT thing to do and turn around and do the WRONG thing. Sometimes we even PLAN to SIN!
2. We all understand Paul’s STRUGGLE when he CONFESSES, “For what I do is not the GOOD I want to do; no, the EVIL I do not want to do—this I KEEP ON doing”- Romans 7:19.
ILLUSTRATION:
How many times have you BROW BEAT yourself because you COMMITTED a SIN that you PROMISED God you would NEVER do again?
How many times have you CRIED yourself to SLEEP because of something SAID to your SPOUSE, your PARENTS, your CHILDREN that HURT DEEPLY, and you WISH to God that that those HATEFUL WORDS never came out of your MOUTH?
C. I am so thankful that God didn’t say, “If after ACCEPTING My Son in BAPTISM you ever SIN again, you will FRY forever because you’re a SINNER!”
1. He never said those words—instead He INSPIRED John to write, “But if anyone does sin . . .”
COMMENT:
I love phrases like this because it shows me that God hasn’t FORGOTTEN me, a SINNER He hasn’t LEFT me out in the COLD. He hasn’t FORSAKEN me. He hasn’t grown TIRED of my WEAKNESS, my SINFULNESS, my FAILURES.
God KNOWS. He UNDERSTANDS. He LOVES me and isn’t going to TOSS away His INVESTMENT in my life.
2. God knows that we are GUILTY, but He has not left us DEFENSELESS!
II. WE HAVE A QUALIFIED COUNSELOR
ILLUSTRATION:
People all over the world were GLUED to their TV SETS when the VERDICT was being READ at the O.J. Simpson TRIAL. “NOT GUILTY!” Although the jury had over nine months of TECHNICAL and TEDIOUS testimony to decipher and deliberate, it took them a mere three hours to unanimously ACQUIT Simpson of the murders of Nicole and Ronald Goldman. Many law experts attributed the quick VERDICT to the masterful job of Simpson’s ATTORNEYS.
Simpson had assembled some of the nation’s brightest and most successful attorneys to DEFEND him. Some estimate that he spent over 8 million dollars for ATTORNEY FEES alone. The “DREAM TEAM,” they were called.
And whether you AGREE with the VERDICT or not, you must AGREE that Simpson’s ATTORNEYS did their JOB well and STOOD by their CLIENT to the very END. That’s what DEFENSE ATTORNEYS are supposed to do.
A. A COURTROOM drama is being played out daily in our lives.
1. SIN is the CRIME.
COMMENT:
Sin comes in different packages—different sizes and shapes—and it is FATAL. It merits a “DEATH SENTENCE”.
2. There is also an ACCUSER—a PROSECUTOR—who is always POINTING a FINGER at us.
a. Revelation 12:10- “Satan stands before the throne of God night and day ACCUSING the SAINTS.”
b. Satan is out to DESTROY us—he has no SYMPATHY for anyone.
COMMENT:
He goes around DIGGING up DIRT on us. “You hear that, he CUSSED again!” “There he goes using your NAME in VAIN!” “She told a LIE to get out of another LIE.” “He didn’t REPORT all of his INCOME on his TAXES.” “She STOLE that SWEATER!” “He had a LUSTFUL thought about his NEIGHBOR!” “She was really HATEFUL to her co-worker!” “They went TOO FAR on
their DATE.”
c. Satan doesn’t have to FABRICATE anything. It’s all TRUE. WE ARE GUILTY!
3. The JUDGE, of course, is God the Father.
4. We are the ONES on TRIAL for committing the very SINS that Satan ACCUSES us of.
5. Standing next to us is not Simpson’s “DREAM TEAM,” but “Jesus Christ the righteous as our DEFENSE COUNSELOR—our ADVOCATE!”
B. With Satan the ACCUSER pointing his finger at us, standing in our corner is our brother Jesus PLEADING our cause before our Father.
COMMENT:
Our COUNSELOR for the DEFENSE is not going to PLAY TRICKS on the COURT to sway the JUDGE. He’s not going to use cute CATCH PHRASES, “If it doesn’t FIT, you must ACQUIT.” Our counselor knows we are GUILTY. He does not maintain our INNOCENCE. He simply asks us to CONFESS our GUILT, and then PLEADS our CASE.
III. THE VERDICT: “GUILTY, BUT FORGIVEN.”
A. With Jesus at our side, regardless of the CHARGE, we are PARDONED.
1. AMAZING! Especially when you realize the JUDGE knows we are GUILTY, the ACCUSER knows we are GUILTY, and our DEFENSE COUNSEL knows we are GUILTY.
2. How can we be PARDONED?
a. Verse 2 holds the answer: “Jesus is not only our DEFENSE COUNSEL, He is also our ATONING SACRIFICE—our PROPITIATION.”
b. This simply means that Jesus not only DEFENDS us, but He has already PAID the PENALTY for our SINS.
B. A HOLY God cannot allow SIN to go UNPUNISHED.
1. We are GUILTY of SIN, and the PENALTY is DEATH.
a. Yet, Jesus came to this EARTH and became our SUBSTITUTE—He was EXECUTED in our PLACE.
ILLUSTRATION:
Back in the early 1980’s, a young man was found GUILTY of ROBBING a CONVENIENCE store. He told the COURT that he had LOST his JOB months before and had been unable to MAKE enough MONEY working at ODD JOBS to SUPPORT his FAMILY and PAY his BILLS. “I know it was WRONG to ROB the STORE,” he pleaded. “But my FAMILY was STARVING.” He was SENTENCED to 15 years in PRISON.
Three years later it was DISCOVERED that the man who was TRIED and sent to PRISON was not the one who ROBBED the store, after all. Instead, it was his IDENTICAL TWIN who VOLUNTARILY took his brother’s PLACE in COURT. When REPORTERS asked why he went to PRISON for a CRIME that his BROTHER committed he replied, “I don’t have a WIFE and KIDS. My brother does, and they NEEDED him.” He then added, “I will be GLAD to SERVE the REST of his TIME, if they LET ME.”
b. My BROTHER Jesus stands before the JUDGE and says, “Father, I know that Fred is GUILTY—there’s no EXCUSE. But please let him go FREE. I’ve already PAID for his SINS.”
2. Do you know of an ATTORNEY who is WILLING to PAY the PENALTY of the ACCUSED? If Martha Stewart has to do time in PRISON, do you think her ATTORNEY will take her place?
COMMENT:
Jesus did! He has PAID the PENALTY for every SIN we have COMMITTED and will COMMIT. Jesus might have been the One who WENT to the CROSS and PAID for our SINS. But God, our Father and our JUDGE, was the One who SENT Him there so that you and I can go FREE! There is no GREATER LOVE than that!
CONCLUSION:
THE ROOM (I DO NOT KNOW THE AUTHOR)
In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in the room. There were no distinguishing features except for the one wall covered with small index card files. They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endlessly in either direction, had very different headings.
As I drew near the wall of files, the first to catch my attention was one that read “People I Have Liked.” I opened it and began flipping through the cards. I quickly shut it, shocked to realize that I recognized the names written on each one. And then without being told, I knew exactly where I was. This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system for my life. Here were written the actions of my every moment, big and small, in a detail my memory couldn’t match. I began randomly opening files and exploring their content. Some brought joy and sweet memories and others a sense of shame and regret.
A file named “Friends” was next to one marked “Friends I Have Betrayed.” The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird. “Books I Have Read,” “Lies I Have Told,” “Comfort I Have Given,” “Jokes I Have Laughed At.” Some were almost hilarious in their exactness: “Things I’ve Yelled at My Brothers.” Others I couldn’t laugh at: “Things I Have Done in My Anger,” “Things I Have Muttered Under My Breath at My Parents.” The sheer volume of the life I had lived overwhelmed me.
Could it be possible that I had the time in my few years to write each of these thousands or even millions of cards? Sure enough, each card was written in my own handwriting. Each signed with my signature. When I came to a file marked “Lustful Thoughts,” I felt a chill run through my body. I pulled the file out only an inch, not willing to test its size, and drew out a card. I shuddered at its detailed content. I felt sick to think that such a moment had been recorded. One thought dominated my mind: “No one must ever see these cards! No one must ever see this room! I have to destroy them!”
In an insane frenzy I yanked the file out. Its size didn’t matter now. I had to empty it and burn the cards. But as I began pounding it on the floor, I could not dislodge a single card. I became desperate and pulled out a card, only to find it as strong as steel when I tried to tear it. Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot. Leaning my forehead against the wall, I began to cry. Sobs so deep that the hurt started in my stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees and cried out of shame—from the overwhelming shame of it all. The rows of file shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes. No one must ever, ever know of this room. I must lock it up and hide the key.
But then as I pushed away the tears, I saw Him. No, please not Him! Not here! Not now! Oh, anyone but Jesus. I watched helplessly as He began to open the files and read the cards. I couldn’t bear to watch His response. And in the moments I could bring myself to look at His face, I saw a sorrow deeper than my own. He seemed to intuitively go to the worst boxes. Why did He have to read every one? Finally He turned and looked at me from across the room. Oh, the hurt in his eyes! I dropped my head, covered my face with my hands and began to cry again. He walked over and put His arm around me. He could have said so many things, but He didn’t say a word. He just cried with me. Then He got up and walked back to the wall of files. Starting at one end of the room, He took out a file and, one by one, began to sign His name over mine. “No!” I shouted rushing to Him. All I could find to say was “No, no,” as I pulled the card from Him. His name shouldn’t be on these cards. But there it was, written in red so rich, so dark, so alive. The
name of Jesus covered mine. It was written with His blood.
He smiled a sad smile and continued to sign the cards. I don’t think I’ll ever understand how He did it so quickly, but the next instant it seemed I heard Him close the last file and walk back to my side. He placed His hand on my shoulder and said, “YOU ARE FORGIVEN.”
AREN’T YOU GLAD THAT WE ARE FORGIVEN?
