Send for the Advocate

How can a man be truly prepared to meet his Maker?  This is the chief question. All sinners are rebels and enemies to God by nature. The sinner's battle with God is hopeless. Be wise - ground your weapons, yield-submit-surrender, for resistance is vain. All men are hopeless sinners awaiting the great Judgment, the Judge is ready, prepare to meet Him. Sooner or later, you must stand before the Judge of all the earth. All the evidence is against you. The right way to prepare to meet this Judge is to plead Guilty. You have sinned, confess your sins. Jesus is the only Advocate you want; He's the only Lawyer you need; He wins all His cases at the Bar of Judgment in the sky.  Call upon Jesus the Righteous Advocate, and He will represent you in the courtroom of Heaven pro bono (free of charge due to your poverty).

Go now and leave your case in the hands of the great Advocate. When a guilty man has an advocate, he does not go and do his legal business himself; he refers everyone to his advocate. So, I must refer you to my Advocate, Christ Jesus the Lord; go and settle my account with Him, for He has undertook my business. He said that He would defend me if I would trust Him, and I do trust Him, so I must refer you to my Advocate, he can settle with you, for I cannot.

What preparations can a sinner make to meet God? Sit down and investigate your case. You have no excuses or alibis. You cannot escape with promises of future improvement. You have gone astray willfully and wickedly, and you will do it again. Your sin is obnoxious to God, and from a sinner comes nothing but sin. An evil tree can only bring forth evil fruit. You can never do anything that is pleasing to God until you are first reconciled to Him through His Son's Precious Blood. Never set up a defense that is based upon yourself. A really guilty man will seek out the very best Advocate he can find to plead his case. There is an Advocate, His name is Christ Jesus, send for Him. You are a prisoner waiting in the death cell. Call on JESUS to be your Intercessor and Advocate. He will undertake your case. Only He can plead the case for your guilty soul, and be your Daysman to speak with God on your behalf.  Jesus will be your Advocate, for He has said, "Him that cometh unto Me, I will in no wise cast out."

Entrust your case to JESUS, appeal directly to Him, say, "Jesus, undertake my case." Engage the services of the heavenly Counselor. His services are absolutely free. Cry out to Him from your death-cell, "JESUS, please have mercy on my guilty soul!" Just put it all in His hands, and you will be set free at once. This heavenly Advocate will plead for you like no other. Take up your true position as a sinner, own your liability and sinfulness. Plead honestly and plainly, plead Guilty. Make a full confession. Your sins are staring you in the face. You're as guilty as Sin. Heartily acknowledge your guilt before God.

Sin is an evil and damning thing. You are a poor miserable soul who has utterly ruined yourself with your sinning. Divine Justice demands satisfaction for your sins. What can be done for your lost soul? Plead guilty with a broken and contrite spirit. All your hope lies in JESUS' divine Mercy, for you have no merit. Lost and undone must be your cry. O have mercy upon me a miserable sinner. Let the Great Counselor enter a plea for you, which will bar all Judgment against you. JESUS knows how to plead for the removal of all your charges and punishment. Only He can address the infinite Majesty of God for you. Do you intend to dare the day of Judgment without an Advocate and a Friend?

Your sins had wrote your death warrant and placed you low in the prison house of Satan. You sit there in the darkness of your sin as miserable as could be, guilty and condemned.  But Christ Jesus came and sought you, He brought you His salvation; JESUS bids you leave your lonely dungeon of sin, He cried down through the bars into your dungeon of blindness and ignorance, He says, "Poor sinner, I died for you, if you will simply trust in My Blood and Righteousness alone, I will stand down there where you are, behind the bars of sin; I will become your Substitute; I will become the guilty sinner; and all your guilt shall be imputed (charged) to My account; I will die for it, the wrath of God will roll over Me instead of you, I will suffer for your foolishness; I will take all your sins upon Me and suffer the consequences for them." Cry up to Him through the darkness, "O God be merciful to me a sinner, I am so lost and helpless, I am vile, I am a guilty sinner that deserves hell fire, but Lord Jesus please save me, I depend only on Your Precious Blood that you shed for me on Calvary's Cross!"

Then in mercy He reaches down and pulls you out of your dungeon of misery. Then Jesus asked for your filthy rags of sin, and you hand them over to Him. In matchless Love, He strips Himself of His Robe of Righteousness, and says, "There, put it on; you shall be considered as if you were Christ; you shall be the Righteous one. I will become Sin for you, so you can become Righteousness. I will take your place, so you can take Mine." Then in matchless mercy, He casts around your shoulders His glorious robe of Perfect Righteousness. And now, is there no sin charged to your soul’s account? Oh no, none whatsoever, all your sins are forever on Christ; and all His Righteousness is forever on you.

Then the voice of Divine Justice thunders from the Throne of God, "Bring forth the guilty sinner!" The poor sinner is brought forth from his death cell. But who does the executioner lead forth? Lo and behold, it is the Advocate - the Incarnate Son of God - Christ Jesus - the Crucified Creator.  Jesus stands in the sinner's place, condemned, and under the wrath of God. Then Justice cries, "Bring forth the Righteous, the perfectly Righteous One." Whom do I see? Lo, the blood-washed sinner is brought forth. Justice says, "Is he perfectly Righteous?" JESUS says, "Yes he is. Justice, you can never touch him. What I did on Calvary is his, what he did has now been laid on Me; My Righteousness is his; and his sins are Mine."

You, the sinner, stand in the dock guilty before God, you are condemned to die an eternal death for your sins against your Maker. You are about to be taken away to eternal Death. You are a guilty criminal deserving to die, for you have been a heinous villain in God's sight all your days. But just before you're about to be taken away, the Holy but Merciful Judge asks the court whether there is any possible plan whereby the prisoner’s life can be spared. Then, up stands the Gracious Advocate who is Himself pure and perfect, and has known no sin, and by the allowance of the Merciful Judge, for that is necessary, the Innocent Advocate steps into the dock, and says, “Consider Me to be the guilty prisoner; pass his death sentence on Me, and let Me die in his place. Reckon the prisoner to be Myself. I deserve a reward for what I have done; but instead, reward this sinner as if he had done My good deeds, and punish Me as if I had committed his sins.” The Advocate pleads earnestly, “The sinner deserves to die; but let Me die in his place, and let him be clothed in My Righteousness.”

Divine Justice cries, “Where is the sinner? I must have him, for he is a sinner, and he must perish for his crimes against his Creator.” Then Christ Jesus comes forward, and asks Divine Justice, “Whom do you seek?” “The sinner!” answers Divine Justice. Then said Jesus, “He is not a sinner any more; he was once a sinner, but he is Righteous now, he is clothed in My Righteousness from head to toe.  If you seek the sinner, take Me instead.” “What!” says Divine Justice, “Are you the sinner?” “No, not the sinner, but I am the sinner’s Substitute; all the sinner’s guilt has been imputed to Me; all his unrighteousness is Mine, and now all My Righteousness is now his; I, the Savior, am the sinner’s Substitute; take Me, and let the sinner go free eternally.” Divine Justice accepts Christ's Substitution and Precious Blood; Divine Justice takes the Savior, crucifies Him, nails Him to Calvary's Cross, and Christ's Atonement pays the sinner's Debt in full. The curse of Sin fell upon the head of Jesus, and the Blessings of God fell upon the guilty sinner, for Jesus' sake.

Here are some of the Heavenly Advocate's arguments for the guilty sinner that comes to Him for mercy: "O Father, I have paid the sinner's penalty, he shall have My Righteousness, and I will have his sins. I went up to Calvary's Cross and stood and died in this sinner's place, and now that poor sinner has committed his awful case into My hands. He has pled *Guilty*, and he has thrown Himself upon Me calling out for your Mercy. I have suffered for all his crimes against You. I bore all Your punishment and satisfied your Divine Justice on his behalf. Please spare this sinner for My sake, because My Blood was shed for him. I claim by My Blood that he can go free for My sake. I will be held fully responsible for all his sins. Charge all his sin debt to My account, I am willing and able to pay his entire sin-debt and penalties. I am content to undertake all his punishment to save him from Your divine wrath. My Father, treat Me as if I were this sinner; and treat this sinner as if he were Me. Smite Me as sternly as You please, for I will bear Your wrath willingly, so your grace and mercy can be extended to this guilty sinner, and so that Your Divine Justice may be satisfied completely through My Precious Blood. Father, have pity on this sinner, for I have obeyed Your Law perfectly on his behalf, I have kept every jot and tittle, and now the Righteousness which I achieved, I have given it all to Him freely, for all that I am is now his. My Righteousness is now his righteousness, and now he stands accepted in the Beloved for My sake. O Father, in your wrath remember Mercy."

Then fiery Divine Justice drew his sword, and went out after the sinner, to find him and slay him. Justice’s sword thirsted for the blood of the one who had committed the crimes against the divine Law; Justice said, “He is a sinners; I will have him, I will thrust this sword in his heart, for he is a rebel, and must perish.” Then Christ Jesus came forward, and asked him, “Whom seekest thou?” “The sinner!” answered Justice. Then said Jesus, “If you seek the sinner, here am I.” “What!”said Justice, “are you the sinner?” “No, not the sinner, but I am the sinner’s Substitute; all the sinner’s guilt is imputed to me; all his unrighteousness is mine, and all My righteousness is his. I, the Savior, am the sinner’s Substitute; take Me and let him go free.” Then Divine Justice accepts the Substitution; he takes the Savior, crucifies Him, nails Him to the Cross of Calvary.

Then the Almighty Judge says, “I should condemn you sinner — My divine justice must punish all sin and your sins against Me.” But then, you cry out to the Just Judge, "Have mercy on my dying soul, for I have put all my trust on Christ Jesus the sinner's Substitute. God be merciful to me a sinner and save my soul for Jesus’ sake!" Then Christ the great Advocate comes in, puts you aside, and stands Himself in your stead. When the plea is demanded, Christ cries, “Guilty!” He takes your guilt to be His own guilt. When the punishment is to be executed, Christ steps forth, and says, “Punish Me, I have put my Righteousness and Glory on this guilty man, and I have taken this condemned man’s sins and guilt upon Me. Punish Me, and consider this sinner to have been Me. Let him go free and live eternally in Heaven; let Me suffer his misery and death. Let Me endure this sinner's curse, and let him receive all My blessings. Let Me suffer as a sinner in his place, and let him be spotless and innocent before Your Throne in the robes of My Righteousness. I have paid this sinner’s debt in full, so now the Law and Justice must let him go free forever.”

Then the Great Judge says to you, I will have mercy upon you and spare you only for Jesus' sake; My heart longs to have mercy on you. My Justice says ‘smite,’ but My Love holds back My hand, and says, ‘spare, spare the sinner for Jesus' sake!’ Oh! sinner, my heart has devised the plan of salvation; my Son, the pure and perfect One shall stand and die in your place, and be accounted guilty, and you, the guilty one, shall stand in my Son’s stead and be accounted Righteous!”

Be wise now - Send for the Advocate and leave your case in His hands. Only His pleading shall prevail for you. Mercy rejoiceth against Judgment.