JESUS STANDS IN THE GAP
From The HeartPublish date: 04/10/2011
Justice is turned away backward, and righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God) stands far off; for truth has fallen in the street (the city’s forum), and uprightness cannot enter [the courts of justice]. 15 Yes, truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. And the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no justice. 16 And He saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no intercessor [no one to intervene on behalf of truth and right]; therefore His own arm brought Him victory, and His own righteousness [having the Spirit without measure] sustained Him. Isaiah 59:14-16 AMP
Justice – Almighty God is a just God. He loves justice; He loves to see justice done; He stands up for what is right; He defends the righteous and punishes the evildoer. That is what we expect from our human government and our courts and that is what we expect from God. God is a loving God, but He is not unfair. Galatians 6:7 says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” Justice is the administering of a deserved punishment or reward. To be just Himself, God MUST reward the righteous and punish the sinner. God loves people – He created them in His own image and desires to be in relationship and fellowship with them. The big obstacle is sin – sin separates mankind from God – sin is a gulf fixed between God and man that cannot be crossed by man alone. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” For justice to be done, sinful man must be punished. However, God is not pleased or content to allow this situation to continue – He looked for an intercessor – someone to stand in the gap; someone who could bridge the gap between God and man – and He found no one. Therefore He decided to do it Himself! He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to stand in the gap for you and me!
Isaiah 53:3-12 says of Jesus:
3 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. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
It pleased God to bruise Jesus – to see Him take our place, to see Him wounded, to see Him take on the burden and curse of sin and to see Him die – on our behalf. Jesus made intercession for the transgressors – you and me. He took our sin and death and gave us, in exchange, His life and freedom. Jesus is alive and living today – seated on the right hand of God – continually interceding with the Father on behalf of sinners. His blood and His saving power are as fresh and powerful today as they ever have been. There is no sinner so bad who cannot be forgiven by and through the blood of Jesus. Even if we sin after we are saved, there is forgiveness if we repent. Jesus is our eternal advocate and intercessor – standing with us to plead our case – for the Father to show us His mercy. The Father is pleased to forgive, receive and welcome to the family, anyone and everyone who will come to Him through His Son!
Who is there to condemn [us]? Will Christ Jesus (the Messiah), Who died, or rather Who was raised from the dead, Who is at the right hand of God actually pleading as He intercedes for us? Romans 8:34 AMP
Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost (completely, perfectly, finally, and for all time and eternity) those who come to God through Him, since He is always living to make petition to God and intercede with Him and intervene for them. Hebrews 7:25 AMP
My little children, I write you these things so that you may not violate God’s law and sin. But if anyone should sin, we have an Advocate (One Who will intercede for us) with the Father – [it is] Jesus Christ [the all] righteous [upright, just, Who conforms to the Father’s will in every purpose, thought, and action]. 2 And He [that same Jesus Himself] is the propitiation (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins, and not for ours alone but also for [the sins of] the whole world.
1 John 2:1-2 AMP