The miracle of Easter is awe inspiring. Knowing that Jesus conquering sin and death by resurrection on Easter Sunday, fulfilling endless prophecies, causes rejoicing is an understatement. But what now, as we sit in the not yet, waiting on our Savior to once again to return? How do we continue to persevere as Paul claims we should, when all around we are surrounded by trials and tribulations? How do we continue to worship, rejoice, and sing?
The answer is the same Sunday School answer we have been giving since preschool—Jesus!
As we wait, we can rejoice, knowing that we have a Savior interceding for us at the right hand of God! Having a rough time? Jesus is sitting right by God, saying: “Have you thought about my child, (fill in your name)?”
Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. -Romans 8:34-39 (emphasis mine)
This truth of Christ interceding on our behalf is again repeated in Hebrews 7:25:
Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God lthrough him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
The ESV Study Bible says it far better then I ever could:
Since the ever-living Christ intercedes for believers, they can have great confidence that they will never perish. In fact, they can know that “all things” in their lives will “work together for good” (Rom. 8:28), for God the Father will answer the prayers of his Son.
As if interceeding and bringing our requests to God was not enough, we also find out from Scripture that Jesus is also right there sitting by God advocating for us!
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. – 1 John 2:1
Jesus knows that we desperately need Him: His salvation, His love, His guidance, His presence. The thing about Easter is that we realize how much we needed his sacrifice to set us free. But even with His Holy Spirit, we are not Jesus. We still are stuck here in the not yet, eagerly waiting His return. What happens? We mess up.
Thank God, he is still sitting on the throne fighting for us when we do. Dane Ortlund says in his Gentle and Lowly Devotional:
When you sin, remember your legal standing before God because of the work of Christ; but remember also your advocate before God because of the heart of Christ. He rises up and defends your cause, based on the merits of his own sufferings and death.
Your salvation is not merely a matter of a saving formula, but of a saving person. When you sin, his strength of resolve rises all the higher. When his brothers and sisters fail and stumble, he advocates on their behalf because it is who he is. He cannot bear to leave us alone to fend for ourselves.
What do we do now? We remember that truth.
be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?” –Hebrews 13:5-6
