03.04.03

My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. - 1 John 2:1.

When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, ‘Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’ - Acts 7:54-56.

And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ - Acts 7:59.

In December 2002 after the time for appeals had ran out; Texas murder defendant Leonard Rojas was executed. Although Rojas was a convicted murderer he was in a way a victim. He was a victim of inadequate representation. Three justices of the Texas Criminal Court of Appeals sixty-eight days after the execution concluded that the court appointed attorney for Rojas had been “woefully incompetent”. The attorney for Rojas did have a lack of experience since he had never handled a case involving the possibility of the death penalty. The attorney failed to investigate the case, missed several filing deadlines including the one, which prevented Rojas from making a federal appeal, his license to practice law was suspended three times by the Texas Bar including once during the time he was representing Rojas, and he rarely met with his client.

The Good News for us spiritually is that we have adequate representation. We have an advocate who is constantly available to us and concerned about us. We have an advocate who knows all the ugly little secrets in our lives and in spite of that He will be there for us no matter what may come. Our advocate has the experience of millions of cases and He’s never lost a case assigned to Him. We have an advocate Who is passionate about His work and who loves us so much that He died in our place that we might be spared the ultimate death penalty.

As Stephen was dying as a martyr the Bible pictures Jesus as standing at the right hand of the Father. This is significant. In Hebrews 8:1 we are told, “We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.” Normally Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father but with the death of Stephen He rises as an attorney rises to defend a client. We who are sinful and deserve death (Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23a) have in Jesus the atoning sacrifice for our sinfulness. Jesus is our ongoing, continuing advocate with our Heavenly Father and through our advocate we have acceptance with the Father.

Have you stumbled? Have you failed? Have you sinned? Remember you have a supernatural advocate who loves you so much that He died for you and your advocate says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”