Objection Sustained! - The Power of Intercession

In today’s society, it seems that people find so much pleasure in exposing the faults and indiscretions of others.  For example, during political campaigns, candidates who are of the same party affiliation find it quite easy to publicize negative information about one another.  But after one of them is selected to represent their party, the other one begins to support and promote him or her.  It’s as if all of the negative words were never spoken.  It’s as if we never heard them expose their opponents’ extramarital affairs, drug usage, or misappropriation of funds.  And now we, the voters, are expected to join them in support of someone who they, only a few days earlier, declared to be a scoundrel who was undeserving of our trust and unfit for public office. Well, the fact of the matter is that the harmful statements were made.  And it becomes very difficult, if not impossible, to erase the indelible impression that those harmful accusations have made in our minds.  This is why scripture tells us in Proverbs 22:1 that a good name is rather to be chosen than great riches.

Did you know that right now, as I speak, there is someone who is trying to taint your good name in the presence of God?  Well there is, and he works tirelessly at it.  But you are not without defense.  The Lord stands up to protect your name. 

Right now, the enemy of your soul – the accuser of the brethren, stands before God presenting his case like a politician trying to discredit you.  His name is Satan, and Revelation 12:10 tells us that he accuses us both night and day – presenting our sins before God.  Now, the fact is that though he is known to be the Father of Lies, his accusations may not always be untrue.  I am sure that we Believers often give Satan enough negative truth about us that he does not have to make up any lies. And whatever he isn’t telling, God already knows because Psalm 139:12 tells us that darkness does not hide us from God – to Him, dark and light are both the same.  So, our secret sins are open before His all-seeing eyes.  This is why I appreciate knowing that Jesus has been declared to be our advocate at God’s throne.

Hebrews 9:24 says,

“For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. “

What does that mean for us?

Well, let’s look at Hebrews 7:25.  It reads as follows:

“…he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”

Jesus is not like the Old Testament priests whose service ended when their lives ended.  Because He ever lives, He can stand in God’s Presence interceding for us as long as is necessary.

To get a better understanding of the importance of His intercession, let’s look at the Greek word for, “intercession”.

The Greek word is “enteuxis”.  It means 3 things:

1. To interrupt another while speaking
2. To address God for oneself or others
3. Coming to God with boldness.

When I learned the true meaning of intercession, I got excited because if you put all three parts of the definition together, you get a word that means to come boldly to God on behalf of yourself or for others for the purpose of interrupting another who is speaking. Now, if you are getting excited, it means that it is already beginning to make sense to you.  But, just for the record, let me explain.  As I told you earlier, Satan continuously stands before God speaking negative things about us.  But, the Bible tells me that Jesus stands in Heaven always interceding for us.

In other words, as Satan reads his list of sins against us, Jesus interrupts him, addresses God on our behalf, and boldly silences the enemy.  Hallelujah!  Isn’t that wonderful to know?  When Satan tells God what we’ve been doing wrong, Jesus stands and reminds the Father that He already died for that.

If you’ve ever been in a courtroom, you’ve seen this in action.  The prosecuting attorney stands, grabs hold of his or her suit collar and struts before the judge and jury with an air of arrogance.  He or she begins spewing out statements that are intended to totally destroy the defendant’s reputation.  And then with great urgency, the defending attorney leaps to his or her feet and shouts, “I object, your Honor!”  And by doing so, the prosecuting attorney’s speech is interrupted and silenced.  And then, all eyes are on the judge who will either reply with, “objection overruled” or “objection sustained”. In the first case, the prosecutor has permission to continue to accuse the defendant.  But in the second case, the prosecutor must cease from throwing accusations, and all references to those accusations must be erased from court records.  Glory to God for this wonderful revelation! When our Savior represents us, He never loses a case.  And because His blood was accepted by the judge as part of a Grand plea bargain, the judge (God the Father) will always say, “Objection Sustained” whenever Jesus stands to make His argument.

Now, why is this important to you as a Believer?  When Jesus hears accusations going forth against us, He stands and shouts, “I object!”  Then, the Judge remembers the Blood that He shed on Calvary’s cross.  Since the Father accepted that sacrifice (or plea bargain), not one of us can be tried for the same case twice.  That would be double jeopardy, and that is illegal.  Nothing that Satan can present to God against us can be committed to God’s record.  The slate is always wiped clean for us.  We are constantly made innocent before our God as we confess our sins to Jesus. 

Jude 1:24 tells us that Christ is able to keep us from falling and to present us faultless before the Presence of God with exceeding joy.

Now, I have served on jury duty several times, and the only time that I have ever seen a defendant expressing any kind of joy in the courtroom is after he or she had been pronounced, “Not guilty”.  So, you can be sure that if we are standing before God with an abundance of joy, it is because God is not holding anything to our charge.  We are innocent before Him.

Today, I want to encourage you to remember that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.  Now, if you have not accepted Jesus as your Savior, you are in bad shape.  There is a saying that says that a fool represents himself in court.  If Jesus, who willingly became the sinner’s public defender, is not your advocate, then you are without defense and will be found guilty before God.  All of your sins have been and are still being recorded.  And one day, you will be condemned.  It’s not pretty…it’s not the judge’s fault…it’s just the truth.  But you can change the outcome of your mandatory sentence to hell by asking Jesus to save you today.

For those of you who have already accepted Jesus as your Savior, here is a promise for you:

Isaiah 50:7-9 (New International Version)

 7 Because the Sovereign LORD helps me,
       I will not be disgraced.
       Therefore have I set my face like flint,
       and I know I will not be put to shame.

 8 He who vindicates me is near.
       Who then will bring charges against me?
       Let us face each other!
       Who is my accuser?
       Let him confront me!

 9 It is the Sovereign LORD who helps me.
       Who is he that will condemn me?
       They will all wear out like a garment;
       the moths will eat them up.

God bless you in knowing that the case against you has been dismissed.