2. We are not worthy to enter in. God is only for people who see themselves as moral failures. Only people who see that they are not worthy to go in, that they need someone to go in for them. If you don’t see that.. if you don’t see yourself as so sinful that you don’t have the right to just go to God and speak to Him you haven’t gotten the first point … You are not able to experience intimacy with the Father.

3. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:8-10 ESV)

4. Charles Spurgeon says, “Look at an acorn. What do you see in the acorn? When you look into an acorn you will see an ocean of wood. He says, first of all inside the acorn is a tree, a huge tree. And every single bit of that tree is in that acorn all scrunched up. In other words, there is not one thing on this huge tree that is going to come out of the acorn that is not in that substance. It's in there. Not only that, but on the tree that is in there are thousands of other acorns. And each acorn is another tree which means that inside that acorn is not only another tree but one thousand other trees and each one of them is a thousand other trees. One acorn has the power to cover the entire world with an ocean of wood.

5. "I just don’t see myself that wicked or evil. I don’t see myself capable of murder and extortion. I don’t see myself capable of any of those things.” The great hymn writer John Newton once said in a letter, “You never learn you are a sinner by being told. You only ever learn that you are a sinner by being shown.” Pascal says [and he was no stupid person] “Certainly nothing offends us so rudely as this doctrine of original sin yet without this mystery, the most incomprehensible of all, we are incomprehensible to ourselves.”

6. We have an advocate. An advocate is someone who has an official relationship with you so that whatever the advocate achieves, you achieve, and whatever the advocate loses, you lose. An advocate is a legal proxy. An advocate is a legal representative. In philosophical/theological language an advocate is a federal head, from the Latin word foedus meaning covenant. It means you have entered into a relationship with this person so that this person represents you so that what that person does is transferred to you

7. OUR CHAMPION In the old days they even had a word for this in the ancient Greek, an Archegos. And the champion would stand forth and would represent the army and the country and would battle against the champion of the other country/army. Of course the agreement is that when you did that it meant that if your champion was skillful you were skillful, if your champion was foolish you were foolish, if your champion had victory you were treated as if you were the victors. If your champion was defeated you were treated as if you were defeated

8. OUR LEGAL PROXY OR LAWYER And in that case the lawyer stands in and represents the client so that what the lawyer achieves the client achieves and what the lawyer loses, the client loses. Charles Hodge: “The relationship of Christ to his people is that of a legal advocate to a client. The former personates the later. The lawyer stands in the clients place. It is, while it lasts, the most intimate of relationships. You may not even have to appear in court. You are not heard. You are not regarded. You are lost in your advocate who for the time being is your representative. The advocate, not you, is seen. The advocate, not you, is heard. The advocate, not you, is regarded.”

9. What does he do? He’s speaking on your side It doesn’t say the advocate is standing there as Jesus Christ the merciful. It also doesn’t say Jesus Christ the persuasive. It says, “Jesus Christ the righteous one.” You see, a really good lawyer doesn’t just play on the emotions of the court. A good lawyer has a case. “Father it would be unjust for you to take two payments for this sin. I have already paid for it. Therefore Father I do not ask for mercy. I demand justice.”

10. The law of God not on the other side against us. The law and justice of God completely for us. This is far more than forgiveness. – Jesus Christ not only gives us forgiveness for our sins but has accomplished righteousness for us. – He is not just the one who pays our penalty but is our advocate. He is the one who stands in for us. He is the archegos. It says that in Hebrews. He is our champion, He is the “author and finisher of our faith.” And you know what that word is “author” – archegos. That is in Hebrews 12:2. He is the one who accomplishes it for us.

11. The End of the Guilt Voice “But I have done something wrong…” But you see God has not just given you forgiveness. The reason you can’t deal with your guilt is that you believe God is simply merciful. He is very merciful. It was mercy that brought forth the whole idea of Jesus dying on the cross and standing in for us. You must understand that not only does the mercy of God allow that He love and accept you and shower you with blessings and treat you as if you were His son, but it is His justice that demands it

12. Dealing with Disappointment and the Loss of Hope The story of Stephen in Acts 6 and 7 The opening of heaven Jesus the Advocate standing The Father loving Stephen Stephen radiant like Moses – Rejection on earth, welcome in heaven – Heretic and traitor on earth, beloved son in heaven – Executed as a criminal on earth, honored as a martyr for all eternity in heaven.