Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Car insurance

Life insurance

Life Assurance

“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.

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

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...

1. Trusting in Christ who will intercede for you (v. 1).

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:

Cross Reference:

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:

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...

2. Resting in Christ who sacrificed Himself for you (v. 2).

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.