Jesus: The Advocate

-Roy Lessin, Jesus Name Above All Names

My little children, I am writing these things 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 NASB

As your Advocate, Jesus is the one who pleads your case. He is your comforter in heaven, just as the Holy Spirit is your comforter on earth. He who knows your sins is also the one who has identified Himself with your sins. His voice pleads on your behalf as your Righteous Redeemer. Because Jesus is for you, it means that nothing and no one can be against you. Because He is your defender, you do not need to try to defend yourself.

Satan's accusations against you are many. Jesus does not plead your innocence, but as your Advocate, He presents irrefutable evidence of the atonement that He has made on your behalf. As someone once said, "When you ask Jesus to represent you as your heavenly lawyer, remember that He has never lost a case."

Before a trial, a defendant is asked to plead one of two ways: "guilty" or "not guilty." For those who are in Christ, there is another plea that can be made, "I plead the blood of Jesus Christ on my behalf." You can rest your case in His hands. It is because of His shed blood that you are forgiven, cleansed, redeemed, and justified. You no longer need to live under condemnation or fear.
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©2011, 2020 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley. All rights reserved.

Jesus: Man of Sorrows

-Roy Lessin, Jesus Name Above All Names

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. -Isaiah 53:3

Jesus sought the lowly place so He could lift you up. He was rejected so you could be accepted. He was acquainted with grief so you could be comforted. His heart was broken so yours could be healed.

One of the ways that we see the heart of Jesus is through His meekness. Meekness is not weakness. His meekness means that He was totally submitted to the will of the Father. He who is Almighty and could have called an army of angels to rescue Him chose instead to learn obedience through the things He suffered. Meekness is heard in the prayer that Jesus prayed, "Not My will, but Thine be done."

We can see Jesus' meekness in what He didn't do as well as in what He did do.

He didn't defend Himself;
He didn't exalt Himself;
He didn't revile others when He was reviled;
He didn't slander others when He was falsely accused;
He didn't turn His back away from those who beat Him;
He didn't hide His face from those who spit upon Him;
He didn't descend from the cross when He was mocked, challenged, and ridiculed.

The meekness, the sorrow, and the suffering of Jesus mean that you never need to question His love for you.
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©2011, 2020 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley. All rights reserved.

Jesus: The Prince of Peace

-Roy Lessin, Jesus Name Above All Names

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:6-7 NIV

Knowing His peace, and having His peace rule in your heart day by day, is one of the greatest gifts Jesus can give to you. Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of Jesus. The peace that He gives to you is not dependent upon the circumstances in your day but upon your relationship with Him. The peace Jesus gives doesn't have its source in what is going on around you but comes as a result of His life in you.

Jesus did not come into your heart to bring you worry, anxiety, or restlessness. He came to give you rest. His peace will guard your thoughts from worry and keep your heart from fear. Because of His peace, you can be in harmony with God's will and purpose for your life. Through His peace you can know victory over every enemy that would try to trouble you. You can have the greatest measure of contentment and the deepest level of inward rest because of His peace.

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Drop Thy still dews of quietness till all our striving cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Thy Peace.
-John Greenleaf Whittier

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©2011, 2020 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Lisa Schlichtman. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Jesus: Everlasting Father

-Roy Lessin, Jesus Name Above All Names

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called...The Everlasting Father. -Isaiah 9:6 KJV

Everything in Jesus and about Jesus is everlasting. He is not a temporary Savior who is filling in until someone else comes along. Nothing about Him will go out of date or become irrelevant. There will be no "new and improved" updates to God's redemption plan. 

In the world, things wear off, wear out, die out, or dry up. The fun or pleasure people experience at a party soon leaves them, and so they seek out a new party or experience that will bring them some measure of momentary satisfaction. But the reality of Jesus Christ in our hearts never becomes stale, empty, or meaningless. Jesus is everlasting joy, not momentary happiness. He is your joy today, and He will be your joy tomorrow.

All that Jesus was to you yesterday, He is today; all that He is to you today, He will always be, and more so as time goes by. Draw close to Him, and you will see more of His beauty; listen carefully to His voice, and you will hear Him speak new and glorious things; break bread with Him, and your heart will feast on His bounty; follow His footsteps, and He will lead you into the things that will last forever.

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©2011, 2020, Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley. All rights reserved.

Jesus: Mighty God

 -Roy Lessin, Jesus Name Above All Names

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called...The mighty God. -Isaiah 9:6 KJV

Jesus bears a name that only God can claim. Humans and angels can have might, but only One is the Almighty God. No person, angel, or any created being can ever receive that name. They have limits while He is without limitation; they can only do so much while He can do all things. 

Mighty God means that Jesus doesn't merely sit in the number one place of power, but He sist in the only place of ultimate power. Jesus is the Strong One. Jesus is the Conqueror who cannot be conquered. He is the Champion without a rival. He is not called "very mighty," "greatly mighty," or "mostly mighty." He is called Almighty.

Isn't it wonderful to know that you belong to a God who can't be pushed over, broken down, or beaten up? No one can stare down the Almighty or bully Him. The Almighty can't be debated, intimidated, or frustrated. The Almighty fears no one, is not threatened by anyone's plan, and is never forced to cancel any of His plans. 

Jesus is mighty enough to keep anything or anyone from getting in the way of His will for you. No one has the power to stop His plan for your life. The world can't, people can't, circumstances can't, and the Devil can't. When He says yes to you, no one else can say no. No one can overrule Him, because He has the final say.
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©2011, 2020, Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow, all rights reserved. Photo by Marina Bromley.