The Advocate

Years ago, when I was a businessman, one of my colleagues stole from me. He stole a client of mine right out from under my nose. Well, I ran into this colleague at a restaurant and I confronted him with what he did in stealing my client and he had nothing to say.

He knew he was guilty as charged and he stood there completely silent because his mouth was stopped. In Romans 3.19 we read, Now we know that what thing soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God. When a criminal is brought into a courtroom and arraigned before a judge, the prosecuting attorney will bring evidence against him to prove his guilt and then if convicted, the judge will pronounce the sentencing of the law which was broken and the criminal will be punished.

My Bible says that it is appointed unto men once to die, yet after this the judgment. Picture in your mind, friend, a heavenly courtroom scene where the judge of all the earth sits on a pure white throne. We get a sense of this final judgment day from the book of Revelation in chapter 20 beginning in verse 11 which states, And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them.

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. Let me pause here, friends, to say every mother's son will stand before God and give an account of himself at the last judgment.

Books will be opened showing the detailed record of one's life. While a person lived on earth, his entire life was recorded, so to speak, every word spoken, every deed done, every motive recorded. Evidence will be presented on that day as cases are reviewed by that judge, and he will study each case with the utmost scrutiny, for he is in no hurry, as he has all the time in the world and eternity to review each case.

But there is a book which stands starkly on that judge's desk. It is the book of life, and this book holds the key to life or death. Revelation 20 15 reads, And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

If your name is not found written in the book of life, you will be bound hand and foot by angels and cast against your will into a scalding lake of fire which burns and rages for all eternity. Come with me now, friend, as I walk you over to that heavenly courtroom scene. I want you to picture in your mind that courtroom with God sitting at the judge's bench.

The angels are the bailiffs, Satan is the prosecuting attorney, and you are the criminal facing the judge. You've broken the strict law of God by sin, and you stand there guilty as charged. The prosecutor, Satan, accuses you before God of the crimes committed as he brings forth the evidence against you.

Every piece of evidence indicts and condemns you as your sins stack up against you under the pure light of that courtroom. And you stand there with your mouth stopped as you are guilty as charged. There stands a mountain evidence against you, but before the judge carries out the sentencing of the law, a voice in the back of the room is heard, and a hush falls over the assembled crowd.

A solitary figure asked to approach the bench. It is your defense attorney, your advocate. He stands between you and the judge as he holds up his nail-pierced hands and exclaims, who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

Then Christ Jesus tenderly places his arm around you as he shouts with a loud voice, he's with me. His sins are washed in my blood. A shout of hallelujah goes up from the courtroom, and you are set free.

In Romans we read, but God commanded his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more than being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. Listen friend, the cross is the place where wicked men sought to get rid of Jesus, but by his death it becomes the place where his saving power flows out to all who come in repentance.

Confessing they are sinners and own him as their savior and lord, Christ invites for sinners to come to him and believe on him. The duty required is to come. If you have been awakened under this message, under holy spirit conviction, then come to this blessed savior from sin.

Let us pray.