Christ Our Advocate: The Ultimate Intercessor

I heard about a man who went to a grocery store deli to buy just enough ham for a sandwich,

they asked the man at the counter for a third of a pound.

“You can't get a third of a pound,” the man snapped. “The minimum order is a quarter of a pound.”

I froze.

See I think this is what I would do, being put in such a situation:

and this little number going off in my head

“A real mathematician can mathematically mathematise mathematics in a mathematical mathematiculation. So if a mathematician can mathematise mathematics in a mathematical mathematiculation, why can't I mathematically mathematise mathematics in a mathematical mathematiculation like the mathematician who mathematically mathematises mathematics in a mathematical mathematiculation.”

Fortunately, a woman who was in line behind him intervened.

“He wants a quarter of a pound and a little bit more,” she said.

“Well, why didn't you say so?” the deli man growled.

— NEIL MELLEN in the New York Times RD 2025

I’m not talking to you about mathematics this morning - but I am talking to you about when someone can speak for us, to advocate on our behalf.

A few passages of scripture I want to bring to your attention this morning:

Hebrews 9:24 “24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:”

Hebrews 7:25–28 “25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. 26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; 27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. 28 For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.”

1 John 2:1 “1 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:”

Two words I want us to grab hold of and hold on to for this message:

Intercession - Which is a theological term for Christ’s activity of petitioning God the Father to save, help, and sustain people on earth.

In Hebrew it means - “to assail or encounter with a request”

In the Greek it means - “to approach, or make an appeal”

2. Advocate - The Greek word for “advocate” meant a legal counselor who appeared before a magistrate or judge to plead a client’s cause. John is picturing the ascended Lord as appearing before God on behalf of his people, presenting his sacrificial death on the cross, and his own blood as the grounds for the believer’s acquittal.

One theologian has differentiated between the two this way:

Intercession is something Christ is always doing, while advocacy is something he does as occasion calls for it.

Dane C. Ortlund

While we are not Calvinist’s in our thinking I still like what The Westminster Larger Catechism (Q. 55) says, in its answer to the two questions:

What is Christ’s heavenly intercession? What does it do for his people?

“Christ maketh intercession, by appearing in our nature continually before the Father in heaven, in the merit of his obedience and sacrifice on earth, declaring his will to have it applied to all believers; answering all accusations against them, and procuring for them quiet of conscience, notwithstanding daily failings, access with boldness to the throne of grace, and acceptance of their persons and services.”

Intercession is firstly a Priestly Function:

In the Old Testament it was the priest’s job to represent God to the people, and the people to God.

Their entire ministry was one of a means of grace to those under their care.

They were the conduit of the sacrifice to God and the grace and acceptance of that sacrifice back to the people

In my mind’s eye, I can almost see it...

In the quiet stillness of early morning, the sun cast golden rays upon the linen robes of the priest as he ascended the steps of the tabernacle.

The air was thick with incense and the memory of covenant.

Behind him, the murmurs of the people faded into sacred silence.

He was not here for himself alone—he carried with him the sins, the hopes, the confessions of a nation.

Chosen not by ambition but by divine appointment, the priest stood as a bridge between the Holy and the profane.

From the time of Aaron, the first high priest, his role was clear: to mediate between a holy God and a sinful people.

His garments bore symbolic weight—the ephod with its twelve stones reminded him that he bore the tribes of Israel upon his shoulders;

the breastplate close to his heart, each gem engraved with a name, testified that he carried them in love and memory before the Lord.

In the inner court, he presented sacrifices—lambs without blemish, bulls, doves—each one a shadow of substitution, a visible sign that sin required atonement.

The lifeblood spilled upon the altar spoke of cost, of mercy, of a God who allowed the guilt of the many to be laid upon the offering of another.

At the altar of incense, he interceded—words whispered not for personal gain, but for pardon, healing, and peace.

And when he emerged, hands uplifted, he spoke not his own words but those of YHWH Himself:

Numbers 6:24–26 “24 The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: 25 The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: 26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”

The people bowed, not to the man, but to the God who had heard through him.

Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest dared to enter the Most Holy Place, veiled by the smoke of incense and the awe of holy fear.

There, beyond the curtain, he sprinkled the blood upon the mercy seat—atoning not only for the people’s sin but for his own.

This solemn act reminded Israel of the constant need for cleansing, and of a holiness that could not be presumed upon.

Through the centuries, this sacred rhythm shaped the life of the nation. The priest was a mediator, yes—but only a shadow of the One to come. For every sacrifice hinted at a final offering, every benediction awaited a greater blessing, and every intercession whispered the hope of a perfect High Priest who would one day enter not an earthly sanctuary, but heaven itself—and appear in the presence of God for us.

Intercession Is Secondly, a Perpetual Work

Now the intercession of Christ is twofold in aspect:

It is static - in that the atonement work for sin has been completed once and for all on the cross

It is dynamic - he continues to care for people.

So This intercession is seen as ongoing as:

His intercession is seen as Christ’s presence with the Father as the ground of the believer’s justification

Hebrews 9:24 “24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:”

His is seen as a thwarting of Satan’s accusations against each believer

Romans 8:33 “33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.”

Revelation 12:10 “10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.”

This intercession is a perpetual work:

He Ever Liveth to Make Intercession Hebrews 7:25 – His work didn’t end at the cross; He rose and lives forever to plead for us!

This idea of intercession is a sequel to his earthly sacrifice

Matthew 10:32 “32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.”

We find other references to his continuing intercession in scriptural phrases like “as through Jesus Christ” and “through him” and “in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”

The Eternal Advocate 1 John 2:1 – He doesn’t stop at forgiveness; He stands continually before the Father.

1 John 2:1 “1 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:”

We can be born again, but our condition is of such a nature that we need the continual, perpetual, intercession of Christ on our behalf

Charles Wesley put it this way:

Hebrews Because He Lives

He ever lives above,

for me to intercede,

his all-redeeming love,

his precious blood to plead;

his blood atoned for every race,

his blood atoned for every race,

and sprinkles now the throne of grace.

His Presence in Heaven Is His Plea Spurgeon’s line ties in perfectly here: He pleads not with words, but by wounds!

Hebrews Because He Lives

Five bleeding wounds he bears,

received on Calvary;

they pour effectual prayers,

they strongly plead for me.

“Forgive him, O forgive,” they cry,

“forgive him, O forgive,” they cry,

“nor let that ransomed sinner die!”4

Intercession Is Thirdly, a Declaration, Not a Negotiation

As Charles Spurgeon once said: “He pleads not as one who hopes for acceptance, but as one who claims it, having paid the price.” His advocacy is not a negotiation—it is a declaration!

A. The Finished Work Speaks with Finality John 19:30 – “It is finished.” Not "It has begun." Not "It’s in progress." But finished—paid in full.

John 19:30 “30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.”

There is no more offering for sin - Christ has once and for all done all that needs to be done for our atonement - and his intercession isn’t a futile attempt to persuade the Father for our forgiveness or help:

No it is a reference to the terms of the covenant of redemption laid down from before the foundation of the world.

It is a presentation of Christ’s precious blood which has never and will never lose it’s power as proof of his fulfilment of all His obligations under that covenant

One said it this way, “There is always a ‘therefore’ in Christ’s intercession. It is as if He said to the Father, “Father, I have shed my blood and purchased the blessings of the covenant of grace for this person, Therefore, grant now the bestowal of all Thou has promised.”

B. The Blood of the Covenant Speaks Better Things Hebrews 12:24 – The blood of Abel cried for vengeance; the blood of Jesus cries for mercy—secured and irrevocable.

C. Christ Stands, Not to Bargain, but to Assert Romans 8:33–34 – “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect?” Christ intercedes, not as a supplicant, but as the Savior with pierced hands and legal right!

See where before the throne he stands, And pours the all-prevailing prayer, Points to his side, and lifts his hands, And shows that I am graven there.

Charles Wesley

Christ’s priestly intercession is effectual.

Jesus warned Peter that Satan aimed to sift him “like wheat,” a violent trial,

Luke 22:31–32 “31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”

I want to close with this thought on intercession from Robert Murray McCheyne

If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me.

Robert Murray McCheyne (Scottish Minister); Joel Beeke; Paul M. Smalley