Alba 6-9-2024
YOU NEED A GOOD LAWYER
I John 2:1-2
Lawyers have not always had a good reputation, and some for good reason. I found a story about two lawyers arguing a case in court and they began to call each other names. One roared, “You're a loop-brained shyster.”
The other shouted, “And you're an ambulance-chasing cockroach.” Rapping for order, the judge said, “Now that you two fellows have introduced each other to this court, you may proceed with the case.”
I am sure that if ever you were on trial for something, you would want the best lawyer you could have. You may not have needed a lawyer yet, but there will come a time when you will, because 2 Corinthians 5:10 says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
Since that is the case, we all will need a good lawyer. Thankfully, if we are Christians, we have the best lawyer available. I John 2:1-2 tells us who that is. It says, “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”
Just before these verses, the apostle John told us that we are lying if we say that we have not sinned. But here he says that his reason for writing this is so we may not sin. I think we all know that to sin is wrong. So why can't we remember that?
I can identify with the little boy whose teacher reprimanded him for stumbling through his recitation of a poem he was supposed to have memorized. “Didn’t I tell you that you were to learn the poem by heart?” she asked. “I did learn it by heart,” the child replied. “But I forgot it by head.” We’ve all had times when we’ve forgotten by head something we thought we knew by heart, even in this matter of sin.
On the TV show Hee Haw, Doc Campbell was confronted by a patient who says he broke his arm in two places. The doc replies, “Well then, stay out of them places!” He may have something there. We cannot regularly put ourselves in the face of temptation and not be affected. When faced with the problem of temptation, we need to take the good doctor’s advice and “stay out of them places.” But what happens when we don't? John tells us that when we do still struggle with sin we need, and we have, an Advocate.
The Mirriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word Advocate as “one who defends”, and as “one who pleads the cause of another before a tribunal or judicial court”. In other words, an advocate is like a lawyer. So our text tells us that Jesus will stand up in heaven's court for our defense if we are Christians.
Of course if you need a lawyer, you certainly want one:
1. Who Does What is Right
You don't need a shyster lawyer. That is apparently what former President Trump had with his lawyer, Michael Cohen, who was the primary witness against Trump in the recent court case in New York. When Trump was elected President, Cohen was not included in the team that went with Trump to Washington. That was probably a wise decision because later Cohen was convicted of perjury, tax evasion and also admitted to stealing thousands of dollars from the Trump organization. He was not a lawyer who did what is right.
But we have one who always does what what right. Our text describes Him as, “Jesus Christ the righteous”. Hebrews 4:15 says that Jesus, “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” And in Acts 10:38 Peter speaks to Cornelius telling him, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” Jesus was always doing good.
That's who I want for my lawyer when the final chapter of my life is written. I want someone I can trust. I already have an accuser. Revelation 12:10 calls Satan “the accuser of our brethren”. And he is busy, because that verse also says that he, “accused them before our God day and night”. I need someone to help me when I am accused.
Jesus stood up for the woman who was taken in adultery. Those who brought her demanded that she be stoned to death. Jesus' response was that anyone without sin could cast the first stone, and the crowd dispersed. Jesus said, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” (John 8:10-11)
Jesus, the righteous, is able to forgive sins. He is able to forgive your sins and my sins. We need that. And that is why we are given the good news that, as verse one says, we shouldn't sin, but if we do, we have an advocate. When we are in Christ we have One who will come to our defense.
Yes, you need a lawyer who knows right and wrong and will do what is right. But you also need a lawyer:
2. Who Will Take Your Case
It does no good to know a good lawyer if you can't get them to work with you. If you ever watched the old Matlock series on TV starring Andy Griffith, you know that there were some cases that he didn't want to take. If someone couldn't pay his usual fee of $100,000.00 (and that was more than 30 years ago) he wouldn't take the case. The exception was if he became convinced that the person was innocent, or was emotionally moved by the case.
Thankfully, we have an advocate whose main purpose was to come to this earth to make it possible for us to stand unafraid in the presence of the Judge of the universe. And He is willing to take our case in spite of the fact that we do not have enough to pay for His services. Also He is willing to take our case even though He knows that we are guilty. He came to our aid even “while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8).
Being in that situation, we really need a good lawyer. We not only need one who does what is right and who will take our case, but also one:
3. Who Can Give a Good Defense
Now because it can be proven that we are guilty, it might take one of those shyster lawyers to come up with a good story to defend us. But that is not the way our Advocate, Jesus the righteous, does things. His defense for any of us is not to manipulate the facts. No, He will always tell the truth. So what kind of defense can He give? The truth is, we don't have a defense. We must plead guilty.
So what hope do any of us have? If you have found a good lawyer who does what is right and is willing to take your case, that's good. But what defense does He plan to use? Your only hope is if the lawyer can find someone:
4. Who Will Take Your Sentence
Otherwise, you stand condemned. Here is where the Good News shows up. The gospel message is that in spite of our sins, we have a Savior. Verse two of our text here in I John chapter two proclaims that Jesus, “Himself is the propitiation for our sins”.
That word “propitiation” is a big word which has a big meaning. Other translations of the Bible help us get an understanding of that word. The NIV translates that phrase, “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins”. And the NLT has it almost the same saying, “He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins”.
The NCV has it, “He died in our place to take away our sins”. And the Easy-to-Read Version has it, “Jesus is the way our sins are taken away”. And we might have a better understanding of the word “propitiation” if we realize that it refers to the sacrifice offered by Jesus on the cross to remove God’s wrath against our sin.
For God must, and does, judge sin. He is totally righteous. Sin has no part in Him. But when we sin, God has made a way to offer forgiveness to us. When Jesus shed His blood on the cross, it was payment for your sins and mine. And Hebrews 9:22 makes it clear that, “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (NIV). With that being the fact, Jesus offered His sinless life so that sinners like us could be set free. Jesus is our atoning sacrifice. He has died so that we might be forgiven of our sins. He died so that we might be empowered to live our lives in God's will.
It was not enough for Jesus to leave the splendor of heaven and come down to a sin-ravaged world. He had to come and die on the cross in order to redeem us. Have you really thought about the high price of your redemption?
Let us never think that there isn’t a heavy price to pay for sin. Only the cross could make it happen. The debt of our sin in terms of eternal life and salvation has been paid for by Jesus Christ. It is through Jesus that our fellowship with God is first restored, and then (this is important) maintained.
Jesus pleads our case based on His righteousness. Jesus can plead our case BECAUSE He is righteous.
Amd Jesus' sacrifice is sufficient for the whole world, because “God so loved the world”. Yet it does not mean the whole world will be saved. Jesus' death on the cross was an act that is sufficient for the whole world, but unless a person comes to Christ – they will never have Him as their Advocate. Everyone needs Jesus!
Jesus is the best lawyer you will ever have! He wants to be your Advocate.
CLOSE:
I would like for you to picture a scene. There is a court room. The judge is seated behind the bench. The jury is in place. There are people watching the proceedings. There is someone on trial sitting before the judge. And that person is you! The charge against you is that you are a sinner.
As always, the accuser Satan is in his place as prosecutor. He begins his case against you listing the many times you did things that you should never have done. And also all the people who were hurt by your words or actions. And the way you disregarded God's commandments in the things you often did in your life. It is hard to hear these things because you know they are true.
After Satan has finished his argument, the judge asks, “Is there anyone here for the defense?” Up steps your guardian angel. It looks like you finally have help. Something to counter all of the things the devil has reminded the court about you and your life on this earth.
The angel is asked, “Just how well do you know the accused?” “I know this one well; I’ve been responsible for this one for all these years.” Then the angel is asked, “Since you know this one so well, tell the court, has this person ever sinned?” Now remember, this person is you. What kind of answer could your guardian angel give to such a question? What answer would you have to give?
Wouldn't you have to agree, “Yes, yes I'm a sinner! I'm guilty”. Then devil says, “Judge, this one has to go to hell. According to your own word, 'The soul that sins, it shall die.' This person has admitted it. This is a sinner!”
The judge, who is God the righteous judge, knowing the judgment for sin, must give the verdict fitting the crime. But before He does, there is One who comes forward from the back of the court room. You notice that He has wounds in His hands, His feet, and His side. It is Jesus, our Advocate.
He stands at the bench before the judge and says, “Your honor, everything spoken here is true. This one is nothing more than a sinner, and death is right the penalty for such a crime. I am not here to argue that this person did not commit the crime. I am here to offer up evidence that the penalty has been already carried out.”
"Your honor, look at my hands, feet, side, and head. I went to the cross and died for this one. I wore a crown of thorns to give a crown of life! I walked up Calvary’s road to let this one walk on streets of gold. I was treated unjustly so others could be justified. I suffered so others could be saved! Your Honor, on the basis of the blood shed on Calvary, I ask that this one go free!”
Then the judge, our Heavenly Father, looks at His Son, Jesus Christ, and says, “I accept what you have done for this person. Since the penalty has been paid, all charges can be dropped.” Then you breathe a sigh of relief.
But there is one thing more. The judge, the God of the universe, turns to you and says, “I can drop all charges, and forget the sins you have committed based on the sacrifice of my Son, Jesus. But before I am able to do that, you must be willing to accept what was done for you on that cross. What is your answer?”
