Gentle & Lowly - "Our Advocate" - Hebrews 7:23–28

Introduction

Christ sits today next to the father praying for his children. In his book, “The Way of the Modern World,” says the problem today isn’t atheism. The problem, he said, is “practical atheism. It’s not that people do not believe in God, it’s that they live as if God is largely irrelevant,” observed Stonestreet and Morris. “That’s what secularism does to us. It doesn’t disprove our faith, it dismisses it. It makes faith an issue of personal, private belief, disconnected from the outside world.” One person has talked about those who are professing theists, but practical deists. The point is, people who believe that there is a God, but live as though that God doesn’t have any interaction in their daily lives. Do you stumble into practical atheism? Professing faith one day, but living the next as though God were not a part of daily life. Do you ever feel disconnected from God, wondering if Jesus is still there? Jesus is still caring for you as sits today at the right hand of God the Father? Even worse, we can lay down all of our sins, worries, our anxieties at the feet of Jesus, experiencing a freedom that he offers us, only to go back the next day and pick it all back up again as if laying them at the feet of Christ never happened. If that is you, I believe that Christ wants to lighten your load this morning as he prays for you this morning.

Today is the next part in our series called, Gentle & Lowly. Gentle and Lowly is also a book written by Dane Ortland. The introduction says “this book is written for the discouraged, the frustrated, the weary, the disenchanted, the cynical, the empty. Those running on fumes. Those whose Christian lives feel like constantly running up a descending escalator. Those of us who find ourselves thinking: “How could I mess up that bad—again?” It is for that increasing suspicion that God’s patience with us is wearing thin.” Have you been there? One person has put it this way, “only as we drink down the kindness of the heart of Christ will we leave in our wake, everywhere we go, the aroma of heaven, and die one day having startled the world with glimpses of a divine kindness too great to be boxed in by what we deserve.” This series is about the heart of Christ. Last week we learned that Christ would never cast us out and that nothing can separate us from his love. Today, we learn that Christ is the new, permanent high priest interceding for us today, this morning with the Father. So how does Christ’s place right there next to the throne of God, sitting at the right hand of there Father relate to our faith and to our life? How does it help us to go from a faith that we process on Sunday morning to a faith that endures and lives on Monday morning? Today, we'll see a few ways that Christ's place with God impacts us and reveals to us the heart of Christ.

Christ intercedes for those who have drawn near to him.

The author says in verse 25, “consequently, he (referring to Jesus Christ) is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” A few weeks ago, we talked about how today Christ serves in all three of the offices that were in place in the Old Testament for Israel. There was the king who reigned and defended God’s people. There’s the prophet who delivered God’s word to God’s People. Finally, there’s the priest, the one who would offer up a sacrifice for the forgiveness of the sins of the people. This last one is the one that we have mentioned several times as we have discussed the heart of Jesus Christ. This is because there must be a person who mediates between God and man. One who represents the people before God. In the Old Testament, this was a man appointed to serve in this capacity. But being a fellow, fallen human being, he was limited in this role. Verse 23 talks about this when it says,“they were prevented by death from continuing in office.” So the high priest, being man, would ultimately lose their battle with death and another priest would have to be appointed. Being sinful, the priest would also have to daily offer up sacrifices for his own sin. But, as we flip the page from the Old Testament to the New, we encounter a new High Priest. A high priest would not only mediates between God and man and offers up a sacrifice for our sin, but the sacrifice that is offered up is himself. The sacrifice that he offers up is done once for all time. But, there’s more to Christ serving as our high priest than offering up himself as a sacrifice. Easton’s Bible dictionary reminds us that “Christ’s priestly office consists of these two parts, the offering up of himself as a sacrifice, and making continual intercession for us.” After Christ ascends back up to heaven having defeated death, he sits at the right hand of God, and he is praying for us continually.

Andrew Murray says it this way, “without ceasing there streams forth from Him to the Father the prayer of His love for every one and every need of those that belong to Him; His very person and presence is that prayer, so closely and inseparably is He identified with those He calls His brethren." Think about that. Today, right now, Jesus Christ is sitting at the right hand of God the Father praying for each of us. The word used here in the English Standard Version of the Bible is, “intercession,” which is defined quite simply as, “the practice of praying on behalf of another.”

Many kids wake up to the smell of coffee brewing. Long before I was a coffee fan, my parents would start the morning with a cup of coffee, and once a week they’d give me a kidding coffee mug with a little coffee and a whole lot of creamer in it. Former United States Attorney General John Ashcroft, remembers his wake-up call being his father’s passionate praying. He writes, “Sometimes I’d ease downstairs and join him. One knee was usually raised, so I’d slip in underneath, shielded by his body as he pleaded for my soul. I never caught Dad praying for our happiness. He realized that the pursuit of happiness for its own sake is a frustrating, disillusioning, often futile effort. Happiness usually hides from those addicted to its sugar, while it chases after those caught up in something more lasting than momentary excitement.I never heard him pray for a bigger house, car, or bank account. Instead, he prayed that our hearts would be ignited and inspired to do things of eternal consequence. “Turn our eyes from the temporal, the physical, and the menial,” he prayed, “and toward the eternal, the spiritual, and the noble.” My father never pressured us toward achievement. He knew that the push had to come from inner reserves, not outward designs. He simply dangled before us the possibilities. Thanks to his example, we sometimes took the bait.” Everyday, John Ashcroft woke up to his father praying for him. Similarly, each of us who believe in Christ wake up and live our days with Christ praying for us.

Dane Ortland writes, “his interceding for us reflects his heart—the same heart that carried him through life and down into death on behalf of his people is the heart that now manifests itself in constant pleading with and reminding and prevailing upon his Father to always welcome us.” The first role that Christ serves for us today is the role of intercessor, continually praying for each of us as he sits at the right hand of God the Father.

Christ is our advocate before the father

1 John 2:1 says, “my little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” First, Christ is our continual intercessor, praying for each of those who believe in him. Then, from John we learn that Christ is our advocate. Now, picture this, the Father is on throne in heaven. His Son is beside him continually praying for his people. But occasionally, when the need arises, Christ will go from intercessor to advocate. The Son will turn to the Father asking for the father intervention when we stumble into sin. Dane Ortland puts it this way, in envisioning the Father’s response to his son. He writes, "The Father’s own deepest delight is to say yes to the Son’s pleading on our behalf."

What’s the difference between the first, which was Christ’s intercession and the second, Christ’s advocacy? Christ’s intercession is his continual prayer and bridging the gap between us and God. Christ’s advocacy is his pleading a case for his children when they stumble. Christ’s intercession is continual. Christ’s advocacy occurs when it is needed. Christ is praying for us each day, bridging the gap between us and God as the eternal and great high priest who offered up himself for our sins to be forgiven. Christ as advocate will go the Father when needed to plead our case when we stumble. They’re tightly connected to one another, but not the same thing.

Paul Borthwick shares a story about flying from Boston to Denver. The departure area for my flight was buzzing with stern-looking men in dark suits talking into their lapels. Paul asked a flight attendant what was going on. She replied, “just wait. You’ll see.” After the passengers settled into their economy-class seats, two of the dark-suited men arrived in first class, followed by former President Gerald Ford who sat down only a few rows away! Paul thought to himself, I’ve never met a president before. I’ll go introduce myself. But turned around and thought, why would he want to meet me? I didn’t even vote for him! Then Paul remembered that during my years in seminary, I had met President Ford’s son, Mike. So I marched toward first class. Before the Secret Service men could stop me, I spoke boldly: “President Ford, I just wanted to meet you. I know your son, Mike.” We talked briefly, mostly about Mike. Mike’s name gave me “authority” to approach the president. When we pray, we are able to pray to the Father through the Son Jesus Christ because he is our mediator. But, let’s imagine that Paul had been restricted by those men who were protecting the former president. Instead of Paul going up to him, imagine that his son, Mike, was sitting next to the former president. When Mike sees Paul being held back, Mike whispers into the former president’s ear who Paul is. Suddenly, everything changes. Paul is invited over because Mike was his advocate.

Similarly, Christ is for those who believe in him. We are united with him. As he sits next to the Father, he advocates for us when we need help. Then the loving Father gets to say yes to his beloved son. The second role that Christ serves is as an advocate for those who believe in him.

Christ is a continuing high priest of the New Covenant.

This section from Hebrews keeps mentioning Christ as the High Priest, but the High priest of what? Luke 22:20 helps us out with this. This is Jesus at the last supper with his disciples. when it says, “likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” There was an Old Covenant, which we get in the Old Testament. A covenant is a contract on steroids. It’s an agreement between God and mankind. In the Old Testament, God had given His People the law. They are accepted into the covenant by grace, but they remain in the covenant through following the law such as offering a sacrifice when they sin. For the New Covenant, Christ fulfills the law, and we are accepted into the covenant on behalf of his priesthood offering up himself as the sacrifice for our sin once for all time. In relations to the verse 26 from our passage in Hebrews, Warren Weirsbe writes, “for such a High Priest became us” means ‘He was suited to us; He meets our needs completely.’ The emphasis here is on His sinlessness. Being perfect, He is able to exercise a perfect ministry for His people. Because of their sins, some of the Old Testament priests not only were unable to serve the people, but actually abused them. This could never happen with Jesus Christ and His people." We under appreciate or simply forget about the present high-priestly ministry of Jesus, and its significance for us. His ministry isn’t simply past tense only, rather it is an everlasting union with him through faith in him.

Think of the many different kinds of representatives we might have over the course of our lifetime. A lawyer may represent us in a court of law. A realtor represents us when buying or selling real estate. The priest represents us before God. He serves as the perfect and on going mediator between us and God the Father. The third role Christ in which Christ serves us is being the eternal and perfect High Priest of the New Covenant.

Conclusion

So, there are three roles that Christ serves his people in, according to this passage. Christ is the intercessor for those who have drawn near to him. Christ is our advocate at the right hand of God the father. Finally, Christ is our continuing high priest.

When a crisis occurs, what is one of the first things we do? We pray over the crisis. What do we do after that? We often enlist many friends, family, church members, sometimes random people we meet, to pray over the crisis. A crisis not only drives us to pray, but it also drives us to enlist all sorts of other people to pray over what is going one. Then, when other people try to comfort us, one of the words of encouragement is that there are lots of people praying for us. It feels good to know that we are being supported by all sorts of people, possibly even people we don’t know. These prayers go up to the throne room of God and are heard and answered by God. For those who believe in Christ, we don’t need a crisis to have someone praying for us. Today, this morning, whether life is falling apart or life couldn’t be any better, Christ is interceding for those who follow him. Christ is serving as our advocate when needed, and Christ is there for us as our eternal high priest mediating between us and God. As theologian Louis Berkhof writes, “It is a consoling thought that Christ is praying for us, even when we are negligent in our prayer life.” Regardless of how much we personally struggle with our prayer to God, Christ will never stumble or forget or grow weary interceding for us, advocating for us, and mediating between us and God the Father. And the God the Father is there as well giving good things to his son by loving responding to the prayers of all his children. Praise God.