Advocate
SUMMARY
In his sermon "Running for Your Life," Dr. Rodney Thomas explores the concept of hope and trust in the face of life's challenges. He shares deeply personal experiences, including the tragic deaths of his father and brother, to illustrate the reality of hardship in a believer's life. Dr. Thomas emphasizes that following Jesus does not shield us from tragedy but provides the strength to persevere.
Rodney draws parallels between Jesus' suffering on the cross and our own struggles, highlighting Christ's unwavering forgiveness and love even in His darkest hour. He references Luke 23:32-38 and Hebrews 4:14-16 to underscore Jesus' role as our great high priest and advocate before God. Dr. Thomas concludes with a powerful call to action, urging listeners to place their trust in Jesus, follow His example of sacrificial love, and make a commitment to Him through confession and baptism.
TRANSCRIPTION:
What gives you hope? In what or in whom do you trust? This morning, sitting in this auditorium, most of us will know that the answers that are expected are Jesus or God or something of that nature. But I wonder, in the long watches of the night, in those moments when life comes crashing down around us, in those moments of reflection, when we wonder what it's all about, in those moments, whom do you rely upon? Whom do you trust?
Your doctor? Your lawyer? Your spouse? Your friend?
Where do you find hope when life kicks you in the teeth and makes it so that every breath seems like a struggle, a battle, and you are exhausted beyond sleep and life seems like a useless, hopeless exercise and futility? Maybe some of you, maybe none of you, have reached this point in your life, and I hope and pray that you never do. But I suspect that many, if not all, either have reached that point or will at some point reach it in your life. What will give you the strength and the courage to go on in such times?
I've had many dark moments in my life. Moments when I have been betrayed by those that I trusted, disappointed by those that I love, and had my heart torn open by those that were my family. Early on the morning of January 3, 1986, I received a phone call that told me I needed to get to my father's house north of Slaton, because there had been an explosion. I arrived to find my father's house completely gone, blown over a huge area, and my father was dead. That tragedy may seem bad enough, but there was an inquest and my father's death was ruled as suicide.
I sat through that inquest and could not believe what was being said was true. To this day, I'm still not completely certain. The death of a father or a mother is always hard, but harder still when suicide is suspected.
I still think about it often and wonder, as does my family. Then, on the evening of July 9, 2018, I received a phone call that would shake me to the Corps once again. I received notice that my youngest brother, who's 12 years younger than I am, had committed suicide. He'd taken a gun and shot himself in the head.
My heart was torn in two by this tragedy, and I still ached deep in my soul for him. I wonder many things. What could I have done to stop these events from happening? How could I have failed my family so terribly? I've come face to face with death in many forms.
In my life, I have personally faced death. I have been with others when they have passed from this life and have come upon an accident. Victims that were killed in tragic circumstances.
I have spoken with people who made the decision to give up on life because it was too painful, too hard, and because they felt they were failures. Some are still living while others have passed from this life. I have also seen and talked with others who never gave up, never despaired, and yet suffered the most horrible of circumstances, such as the death of a child, a spouse, a brother, a sister, a mother or a father. I've contemplated why some people stubbornly and relentlessly always persevere while others simply give up and coast through life without really engaging or worse yet, they take their own life. The current sermon series is entitled Running for your life.
Perhaps your life has been easy up to this point, and perhaps even some of you think that it will remain easy always because you're a good person, because you are careful and because you are in control of your life and a Believer in Jesus. I've served in ministry for many decades and know how we can delude ourselves and not expect tragedy or hardship to touch us. It's sometimes easy for us to sit in this comfortable, beautiful room and think we are safe from all hardship. I've seen this many times and sometimes when tragedy or hardship comes, some people are crushed and they despair. Some either give up on life or just go through life numb to existence.
Claiming to follow Jesus does not protect us from hardship or tragedy. If we understand what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, then we should understand and even expect hardship and tragedy in our lives. Jesus himself faced hardship, tragedy and death from the time that he was born. People sought to kill him and eventually, after the betrayal of a dear friend, he was cruelly beaten and then crucified in the most inhumane and degrading way that the ancient world could devise by his family, his fellow Jews.
He was betrayed, condemned and ridiculed. Beyond that he was considered to have been cursed by God because he was hung on a tree until he was dead. He died naked and forsaken and yet in his agony and in his pain he never gave up. He never despaired to the point of giving in to sin and self pity. While hanging on the blood soaked cross, beaten to within an inch of his life, he cried out to God for forgiveness.
Not forgiveness for himself, but for those who had beaten him, for those who had nailed him to the cross, and for those who were mocking and ridiculing him. In Luke chapter 23 vers. 32 to 38 there are these words. There were two others with him, criminals who were being led out to execution and when they reached the place called the Skull, they crucified him there and the criminals with him, one on his right and the other on his left. Jesus said, father, forgive them.
They do not know what they are doing.
They shared out his clothes by casting lots. The people stood looking on and their rulers jeered at him. He saved others, now let him save himself. If this is God's Messiah has chosen. The soldiers joined in the mockery and came forward, offering him sour wine.
If you are the King of the Jews, they said, save yourself. There was an inscription above his head which read, this is the King of the Jews. In the moments of my life, when I have truly had clarity of thought and purpose in the long watches of the night, even as I hear about the tragedies and the injustices of this world, the name of Jesus stands out to me above all others. And I dream. I dream of having a heart like his that always forgives and always has hope of something better, something greater, of being more loving and kinder than the value so often esteemed by this world.
I know the darkness that exists in my own heart and that I do not deserve forgiveness. I have sinned against God, against mankind, and against myself. I am not worthy, but yet I still have hope. And I do not despair because I have an advocate. That advocate stands before God on my behalf and pleads for mercy on my behalf.
An advocate that took the place that was rightly mine. Who died in my place.
Jesus, the great high priest. The only high priest that stands in the presence of Almighty God without spot or blemish and continues to cry out before God, forgive them. They do not know what they do. I dream of having a heart like his heart, A heart that can see what I may become, not what I am. I dream of having a heart like his that in the midst of pain, agony, injustice and confusion, can be like him.
I want to forgive like him, talk like him, live like him, and even die like him.
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses. But we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are. Yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
In Hebrew, the name of Jesus is actually Yeshua, or as we that speak English would say it, Joshua. There's Actually no J in Hebrew. I love the words of Joshua. When he's asked before God and all Israel where he stands, he proclaimed for all to hear. But as for me and my household, we will serve Yahweh.
Joshua was given this special name by Moses, likely being prompted to do so by God. Before this, he was called Hoshea. Because of his great faithfulness and his perseverance before God, his name was changed to Yahweh is salvation to Yeshua. He understood what I hoped to not only understand, but to live out all the days of my life. He understood that the only thing that really matters in life is based in the source of your hope.
Everything else is fleeting and will ultimately turn to dust. Yet for those that place their host, their hope, their trust and their very soul in the hands of Jesus, they will never be disappointed by him. They will rise up with eagle s wings and soar the heavens as the redeemed, the forgiven of the Lamb of God because of the one who is the great High Priest, who stands as our advocate. These are our promises. No matter what happens in life, if our hope and our trust remains firmly rooted in our great High Priest, we will be able to persevere.
We will be able to conquer all the trials and all the tribulations that are thrown at us. We are called to follow Jesus, to be like Jesus, to live like Jesus, to love like Jesus, and to pour out our lives and our lifeblood like Jesus. This is the greatest challenge that any of us will ever face. There are many difficult circumstances in life that continue to and will continue to challenge us in the future. The question that stands before us each day is how will we face those challenges?
Will we face them alone, in our own strength, with our own courage, relying upon who we are, our own abilities to control all that happens in our life? People often delude themselves with the myth that they are strong enough in themselves to stand against the onslaughts that will come against them. We must choose.
Will we trust in the One who has gone before us and will always go before us and plead for us, fight for us and wait for us? Or will we place our faith somewhere else?
Jesus is the only one qualified to stand before God and plead for us. No one else is qualified and no one else will do or can do what Jesus can. He calls for us to trust Him. We show our trust by following in his footsteps, being his disciples, living like he did, sacrificing ourselves for others like he did. He sacrificed his very life for those of us who did not deserve it.
And now he lifts us up and calls us to follow Him. The choice is yours. What will you decide? Will you follow him or will you follow your own path? Following him leads into an eternity with him and His Father.
He promises this and he never breaks his promises, even keeping them if they cost him everything. Some of you made the decision to follow Jesus long ago. Remember that decision and redouble your efforts and your focus on Jesus. Shine in the world like a beacon on a hill and love till it kills you. Love those who hate you, love those who persecute you.
Love those who mock you and love even those who seek to kill you. Forgive as Jesus did, Love as Jesus did. Fight in the way that Jesus did and still does with the power of love. Put your faith and your trust in Him. Some of you are still undecided and now is a good time to decide.
Will you choose to follow Jesus or will you choose your own path? The choice is yours. For those who choose to follow Jesus, they will never stand alone. He will always stand with them. And for them, they will mount up with wings like eagles.
And they will stand before God forgiven because of Jesus. Jesus stands before God and advocates continually before the Father on your behalf. If you choose to follow Jesus, you will see the face of God and it will be glorious. Make the first step. Confess that you need is help.
I would ask that if you need to profess Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Come in just a moment when we stand to sing. Maybe you would like to show your commitment to Jesus in the way that the people of God have shown their commitment to Jesus for centuries, since the time of Christ, through baptism. The water. It's ready.
And we would gladly stay here and witness your commitment to Jesus Christ. Come now as we stand and sing.
