Basic HTML Version
Jesus Our Advocate, September 14
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And
if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ
the righteous.
1 John 2:1
.
When tempted to sin let us remember that Jesus is pleading for us in
the heavenly sanctuary. When we put away our sins and come to Him
in faith, He takes our names on His lips and presents them to His Father,
saying, “I have graven them upon the palms of my hands; I know them by
name.” And the command goes forth to the angels to protect them. Then
in the day of fierce trial He will say, “Come, my people, enter thou into
thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a
little moment, until the indignation be overpast” (
Isaiah 26:20
). What are
the chambers in which they are to hide? They are the protection of Christ
and holy angels. The people of God are not at this time all in one place.
They are in different companies and in all parts of the earth, and they will
be tried singly, not in groups. Everyone must stand the test for himself.
There has never been a time when the people of God have had greater
need to claim His promises than now. Let the hand of faith pass through
the darkness and grasp the arm of infinite power. While we speak of the
necessity of separating from sin, remember that Christ came to our world
to save sinners, and that “he is able also to save them to the uttermost that
come unto God by him” (
Hebrews 7:25
). It is our privilege to believe that
His blood is able to cleanse us from every spot and stain of sin. We must
not limit the power of the Holy One of Israel. He wants us to come to
Him just as we are, sinful and polluted. His blood is efficacious.... If you
fall under temptation do not become discouraged. This promise comes
ringing down along the line to our time: “If any man sin, we have an
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” I feel that for this
one promise a continual song of thanksgiving ought to go forth....
Let us gather up these precious jewels of promise, and when Satan
accuses us of our great sinfulness and tempts us to doubt the power of
God to save, let us repeat the words of Christ, “Him that cometh to me I
will in no wise cast out” (
John 6:37
).
[265]
273