Life Assurance
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Introduction
Introduction
Car insurance
Life insurance
Life Assurance
1 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. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
“My little children”
John is writing affectionately
John is writing to professing believers
John is writing with the expectation of obedience
“Writing these things to you so that you may not sin...”
Referencing back to what has already been said in 1:5-10
God is light (holy and truth) and in Him is no darkness at all
God’s people should walk in the light (walk in holiness and truth) just as He is in the light (holy and truth)
If you say you have fellowship with God but walk in darkness, you’re lying
If you say you have no guilt, you don’t have the truth in you, you’re lying to yourself
If you say you have not sinned, you don’t have God’s Word in you, and you’re calling God a liar
If you confess the sin that is definitely there in your life, God is faithful and just to forgive and to cleanse you of all unrighteousness.
The way that you are able to walk in the light as God is in the light, the way that you can have fellowship with God and others is through the cleansing blood of Jesus.
I’m writing all these things “so that you may not sin.”
Is John now adopting the teaching he just called out and exposed?
I’m writing you all of this so that you don’t sin (even though I just said that if you say you’re without sin or haven’t sinned you’re deceived and calling God a liar)
John doesn’t want you to treat sin casually
“oh I just confess it, ask for forgiveness, then just keep going on in the same old life just like I always have”
No.
We must learn and walk the balance of confession, repentance, and the weight of sin BUT ALSO of Christ as our Sacrifice, Mediator, and Lord.
The Letters of John: An Introduction and Commentary c. The Denial that Sin Shows Itself in Our Conduct (1:10–2:2)
It is possible to be either too lenient or too severe towards sin. Too great a lenience almost encourages sin in the Christian by stressing God’s provision for the sinner. An exaggerated severity, on the other hand, either denies the possibility of a Christian sinning or refuses him forgiveness and restoration if he falls. Both extreme positions are contradicted by John.
John has just spent a lot of time emphasizing how we should walk, how we should live. A lot of emphasis on our actions, what they mean, and living a holy life. John doesn’t want these brothers and sisters to sin.
There’s a lot of weight, it’s a high calling.
HOWEVER, that’s not all. He then says “but! if anyone does sin...”
This is the reality, we still have our flesh, we still fight sin, we haven’t been glorified bodies yet, we still have sin that we fight. We are going to sin—even as believers.
You’re a professing believer, you’re reading this, and you start to panic saying “oh no, I sinned this morning, does that mean I’m deceived, walking in darkness, and calling God a liar?!”
What does John say we should do when we sin?
Run to Jesus. He says, “If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
What do you do when you sin? Turn to Jesus who is standing before the throne of God
AN ADVOCATE: Helper, intercessor, one who may be called upon to provide help or assistance
The Letters of John: An Introduction and Commentary c. The Denial that Sin Shows Itself in Our Conduct (1:10–2:2)
Once the sinner has been justified by God his Judge, he has entered the family of God and become related to God as his Father. If he should sin, he does not need another justification from the divine Judge. He is a child of God; he needs the Father’s forgiveness.
Here’s what this means. You have confessed your sins, you’ve repented and turned to Christ, trusting in Him for salvation and following Him as Lord.
When you sin, you have an Advocate—Jesus—who stands before the Father and says, I know this precious soul, they’re mine, I have paid for them. My sacrifice atoned for this sin, it’s covered.
FOR POINT NUMBER ONE, PUT IT DOWN THIS WAY...
If you are a child of God, find assurance by...
If you are a child of God, find assurance by...
1. Trusting in Christ who will intercede for you (v. 1).
1. Trusting in Christ who will intercede for you (v. 1).
1 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.
We’ve talked about Matthew 7, and the people who say “Lord Lord” on the day of judgment, and Christ says, depart from me, I never knew you. These are people who weren’t following Christ. They were not in or of Him and he did not intercede. This is the opposite of being their advocate. But for those of us in Christ, He is our advocate, let’s look at what that means!
Cross Reference:
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 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. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 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.
Cross Reference:
14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Illustrate:
Think of the child who messes something up and runs to a parent and says “I need help, can you fix this?”
Christ doesn’t want you to try and deal with your sin on your own. You can’t deal with it on your own. When you sin, when you stumble and fall in your walk, don’t try to cover it up, don’t try to fix it on your own. Run to Christ and say “I sinned, I “messed up,” I’m sorry, will you please forgive me? Will you help me?
Application:
In your own time, read John 17:6-26
This is what it looks like for Christ to be your Advocate.
Our advocate is JESUS CHRIST THE RIGHTEOUS
John then describes why we can trust in Christ as our Advocate in verse 2:
2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
Propitiation:
LET’S DEFINE THIS...
the means of forgiveness, expiation, means of appeasing
If one of you walked up, grabbed my guitar and threw it like a throwing axe across the room, I am going to expect payment. I’m going to be upset and I will want you to pay for your actions against me.
In a much more serious way, with much heavier consequences, we have sinned against God and he rightly expects justice. He is rightly wrathful against sin, and he is rightly requiring justice.
You don’t have the money to pay for my guitar. You don’t know how to fix my guitar. You’re in a bad place.
You can’t pay for your sin, you can’t do enough righteous acts, you don’t have the means necessary to cover the cost.
You run to your small group leader and say, I need help. I don’t have the means to cover the guitar, but I know you care about me, I’m in your small group, I know you have money, can you help me? Your small group leader steps in and says, I’ve transferred the money to your account, and ordered a new guitar that is on the way. His debt is paid. Don’t be angry or kick him out of youth group.
Christ came, lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and rose from the dead, never sinning, bearing our sin on the cross, and conquering it with his resurrection. If you’ve placed your trust in Him, if you are His child, when you sin and run to Him, confessing, repenting, and needing help he stands before the Father and says, “he’s with me, I’ve paid for the sin that he committed, it’s covered. My righteousness, my sacrifice is sufficient to pay his debt.”
Christ is the means by which sins are forgiven
MEANS OF FORGIVENESS, turning away God’s wrath, covering our debt
If God, who had every right to end your life and send you away from His presence, sent His Son to live, die, and rise again to provide a way for reconciliation, then you can trust Him to preserve and save you as his beloved child.
If you are a child of God, find assurance by...
If you are a child of God, find assurance by...
2. Resting in Christ who sacrificed Himself for you (v. 2).
2. Resting in Christ who sacrificed Himself for you (v. 2).
2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
Christ’s death was sufficient that any and all who come to Him in faith will be forgiven and redeemed.
“the whole world”
This does not mean that all people are redeemed and cleansed. Only those who believe in Christ.
However, Christ’s death is sufficient for all who trust, and his offer is extended to all.
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
He is our advocate because he lived a perfect life on earth, in the flesh, experiencing what we experience
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
He is our advocate because he died for our sin
He is our advocate because through His resurrection he gives us victory and new life
Reference 1 Corinthians 15
Cross Reference:
10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Cross Reference:
6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO SEE:
When you sin, the first place you go, and the first place you find assurance is in Christ who is actively interceding on your behalf and completed the work of paying for your sin. Your life, your works, your feelings, that’s not the first place you need to go. You need to return to Christ and return to the gospel.
EXPLORE THE DANGERS of looking to your works and your life first...
However, after looking to Christ, after preaching the gospel to yourself, what now?
Belief should lead to action. What you truly believe affects how you truly live.
If you truly believe that you need water to survive, you’re going to drink water
If you truly believe that fire can hurt you, you’re going to avoid standing in fire
If you truly believe that Christ is the way to life, you’re going to want to follow him.
If we were lost in the forest, and a forest fire started, and it’s getting dark, and grizzly bears are running around snatching people, and a guy shows up and says “I know the way to safety, but you need to trust me and follow my exact steps” what are you going to do?! You’re going to follow him!
If you truly view your sin as a problem of eternal significance, and if you truly want to find life, Christ has given you a template, an example of the way to live, so follow that model...
3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
YOU NEED TO GO TO CHRIST, FIRST AND FOREMOST. ABSOLUTELY. THAT IS THE ONLY WAY.
But then, after that, look at your life. You’ve established: this is what I believe, this is who I say I’m trusting, this is the way I’m cleansed. Then, look at your life. Are you really committed to Christ, that He paid for your sin and that He is the only way? How do you fact check that?
You look at your life.
If you are a child of God, find assurance by...
If you are a child of God, find assurance by...
3. Following Christ who modeled how you should live (vv. 3-6).
3. Following Christ who modeled how you should live (vv. 3-6).
3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
Walk in the light as he is in the light
The disciples following Christ
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
Look at what is “characteristic” for your life.
habits
direction
attitude towards sin
For the believer, when you sin:
First, run back to Christ. Confess your sin, remind yourself of his sacrifice on the cross for you, remember that he has cleansed and redeemed you, know that the Father will forgive you. Have confidence that this sin has not caused you to lose favor with God and it has not pushed you out of heaven
But then, look at Christ’s way of life and walk as He walked, imitate his life.
If you are truly in Him, the Spirit will help you
You’ll want to live like Christ
Your life will reflect that
If you’re not a believer:
Confess your sin, trust in Christ as your sacrifice and Savior, trust him to intercede for you, and start following the path he laid out for you
If you’re not a believer but you think you are:
Maybe you haven’t been confessing your sin
OR
You’re confessing but your life looks the same, full of sin and just like the world
Dig deeper
Work out your salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12)
Ask yourself why things aren’t changing
Are you continuing to rely on yourself
Are you not trusting in Christ’s sacrifice
Are you not walking as Christ walked?
Do you not know how Christ walked?
Are you truly trusting in Him and wanting to follow Him?
If you answered no, then take the steps we talked about as the unbeliever...
Closing
Closing