Our Righteous Advocate

Text: 1 John 2:1
Message: Jesus Christ, the righteous one, is the only advocate before the Father of the guilty sinners.

Why do we need Jesus as our advocate?
I. We need His advocacy because of our sins.
a. The principle of not sinning …I write these things to you that you may not sin.
b. The reality of sin – …if anyone sins...

Sin is real in the life of believers: We have sinned and still commit sin. To Deny this reality is to make God a liar.

Point: Because sin is still a reality in our lives as sinners saved by grace, we need Christ.
Challenge: Never remove the thought that you can never sin on this side of glory because its reality reveals your daily need for our Savior. Our need for an advocate.

II. We need His advocacy before the Father
a. He pleads before the Father
b. He pleads as the righteous One – Legal Advocacy
Point: There is no other rightful Advocate for us before the Father, but Jesus Christ alone, who is perfectly righteous.
Challenge: Saints, dwell in this truth whenever you sin, and when Satan temps you to despair because of your sins

“It’s good to have this friend in the court of heaven…. Oh the unspeakable dignity and happiness to be under Christ’s intercession. If we do so much esteem the prayer of a godly man on earth…what then will the prayer of Christ himself do?”

Anthony Burgess

Application:
– We need Christ daily. Let us not forget this. We not only need Him when we first came to Him.
– We need Christ alone. There is no other rightful advocate besides Christ.
– We need Christ throughout eternity. There will never come a time when we will have no need for Christ.

“The clients are guilty; their innocence and legal righteousness cannot be pleaded. It is the advocate’s own righteousness that he must plead for the criminals.”

Matthew Henry