The Gospel Applied

1 John 2:1–2 NASB95

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

INTRO: Do you know the Good News of Jesus Christ? Last week, we talked about guarding our testimony and understanding how the Good News or Gospel allows us to draw near to God. Our prayer was that we would catch a glimpse of God’s holiness and would live in light of His character and mercy.

Even as we spent time reminding ourselves of our Gospel testimony, it occured to me that while many Christians have a difficult time sharing the Gospel, even more struggle to explain the implications of the Gospel. This has led to some degree of confusion as to the purpose of church and even disillusionment about the relevance of our gatherings.

Actually, I think that we have inadvertently misconstrued the Gospel to be ONLY applicable in some sort of momentary decision. This is tragic as it cheapens what God has done and also extremely dangerous.

Let me give you a few questions that I believe will help frame what I mean:

How does the Gospel impact the everyday life of a believer?

What relevant message does the gospel give beyond ‘saved from Hell’?

What is the goal of regular Christian meetings? or What are we spurring one another towards?

How does the Gospel hold the tension between God’s righteousness and His grace?

Perhaps these questions resound in your own mind - Do you know something? You are not the first or only person to wrestle with these kinds of questions.

In fact, as we look back to John’s letter here, we see that he is addressing the doubts of the Ephesian church with incredible compassion and patience. BTW, that’s what good teachers do- they teach and re-teach; Sometimes it’s discouraging for them, but the reason that good teachers do this is because they care.

Let me point you to how John addresses his hearers in 2:1 - “My little children”. John is not giving a children’s sermon nor is he accusing them of being immature. Rather, this is a term of endearment as he considers them his spiritual children. They are learning from him, and he is assuring them that his instruction is both personal and motivated by love.

ILL: Have you ever sat your child down and tried to explain to them how what you are doing and teaching them is for their own good?

“Honey, I know that you may not see the big picture, but these boundaries are good for you. What I’m teaching you now may seem unfair, but you will be so much better because of it.” My mom used to say, “One day, you’ll thank me for this.”

Parents, the reason you and I do this is because we love our kids and we earnestly want the best for them.

Good teachers teach because they desire God’s best for their students- they want desperately to see them grasp the Gospel and live in light of its message.

And so today, as we begin the 2nd chapter of 1 John, we are going to examine the implications of the Gospel for believers. If you are here and you are not a Christian- maybe you are searching or questioning- I pray your eyes will be open to see the hope of the Gospel message. If you are a Christian, then I pray you will listen close and allow this message to be applied to your Christian walk, you know the parts of life between Sunday church.

The sermon is titled, “The Gospel Applied” and we’ll be looking at 3 broad implications of the Gospel for Christian living. There is a sermon guide in your bulletin that I encourage you to make use of as we learn together. Let us begin.

The first implication I want you to note is that

The Gospel Gives Direction (1a)

Let’s look at the first part of v. 1 (READ)

“These things” refers to back what John has written in chapter 1. If you were here with us last week, we looked at this tension between the righteousness and law of God and His grace and mercy expressed in the Gospel.

One challenge that many people in the church face is that they see the Gospel as a one-time event. “I prayed a prayer, I got baptized, I came to the altar, etc.”

This leads people to a viewpoint of “... since we have a Savior who died for our sins, then God must be ok with my sins.” or “I’ve done that, so now I just live life like I used to, only without fear of Hell”

But, folks, that’s not what God’s Word says at all. Let me point you to:

1 Peter 1:15–16 NASB95

but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Peter is pointing back to God’s perfect standard and essentially says, “If you are God’s people, you should behave like it!”

Paul also argues

1 Thessalonians 4:7 NASB95

For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification.

Now, I know that I might get comments or letters on this, but listen: The call to be holy is not legalism. It’s obedience to God’s Word. John tells the Ephesian church that the reason he is writing is so they “…may not sin” Just as a reminder, sin is breaking God’s law.

John’s desire is that believers would live lives that are pleasing to the Lord. This means that we develop a disposition of obedience and surrender to God.

Let me ask you: Do you think you can live in deliberate sin and please God? That’s like thinking you can break the law and please the Sheriff or that you can commit adultery and please your spouse.

The Gospel is a message that says we can be grafted into God’s Kingdom and family. Trusting in Christ as Lord and Savior transforms our identity from ‘fleshly’ to ‘holy’; From worldly to godly. From slave to son or daughter!

This new identity gives direction on how we should live our lives. You see, we as believers are directed to live like we belong to God.

The Gospel gives direction. Next, we see that

The Gospel Gives Encouragement (1b)

Look with me at the 2nd part of v.1 (READ)

As I read this, I chuckled a little bit. John appears to be making somewhat of a coy statement: “IF anyone sins..” The reason that I chuckled is because as I look just a couple sentences above, John wrote that if we say we do not sin, we are a liar!

John knows very well, just as you and I do, that saints do in fact sin. I know that several of you are a lot like me. We try to live holy lives, but sometimes our pride swells up or our tempers flare. Sometimes we fall into temptation or speak in a manner that is unloving.

If we are called by His name, and we sin, we probably become discouraged every now and then. We’re not the only ones. The apostle Paul, yes even he struggled with this. We can read it in:

Romans 7:21–24 NASB95

I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?

Christians, if you’re anything like me, we can find ourselves in a place of despair because we look around and it feels like we are the only schmucks who can’t get it right. But folks, listen: we all wrestle with sin… notice I said wrestle with, not embrace.

Because of the Gospel, we develop a consistent posture of repentance and surrender. And here is where the Gospel message gives encouragement. Look back with me to John’s words:

“we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

We have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and have an advocate or helper/ comforter in the presence of God the Father. That means that as we confess our sins- that is, we agree with God that our actions or attitudes are incompatible with His character - and seek God’s forgiveness (1:9), Jesus stands before God and says, “those sins are on my account”

I like the way Charles Spurgeon put it:

"You stand before God as if you were Christ, because Christ stood before God as if He were you”

Oh friends, what an encouragement for those who are in Christ! The Gospel gives direction and the Gospel gives us encouragement that as we strive for holiness, there is grace for our failures. We don’t carry the weight of legalism, for we aren’t earning anything. Instead we find joy in aligning our life with the holy God of the Bible; it’s an honor.

Finally, the Gospel applied means that

The Gospel Gives Confidence (2)

Look with me at v. 2 (READ)

Here we see John use the word “propitiation”. How many of you are familiar with this word? This is not a word that most people use in everyday conversations. It means “satisfaction” and specifically in regards to our sins. IOW, Jesus, the perfectly righteous Son of God is the satisfaction for the wrath and penalty that our sins demand.

His sacrifice on the cross perfectly and fully paid the price for sin. Some folks ask, “how”? How could one mere man fully satisfy this penalty for all people who would believe in Christ? Well, Jesus is no mere man. He is the holy, eternal Son of God! He is infinitely righteous, and thus his sacrifice is greater than any finite amount of sin. (Did you catch that?) Infinity is greater and even the greatest finite amount!

That’s what is so great about the Gospel! Listen- especially if you are not a Christian: There is not a limit to God’s invitation. God isn’t looking at your sin and saying, “Oooh, don’t think we have enough in the account for him/ her.”

Hey Friend, Jesus said that He came to seek and save the lost! He came to give His life a ransom for many.

Paul reminds us that Christ died for the ungodly (Rom. 5:8)

John tells the Ephesians that this propitiation was for those of the whole world! The Gospel really is good news, for its message gives confidence that in Christ we have assurance of our forgiveness.

ILL: A few weeks ago, a sweet elderly lady asked how she could know that she has been forgiven of her sins. In our conversation, she told me of some of her sins and that she had prayed to God for forgiveness, that she trusted in Christ as both Lord and Savior, and that she tried to live in a manner that would please God. She knew many of the Scriptures and we discussed them, but I then read to her this passage. (RE-READ v. 1-2)

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, our confidence isn’t in our own righteousness, but rather in the shed blood of Jesus as our substitution- the satisfaction for our sins. There is no sin or sum of sins that can outweigh Christ’s worth!

Hebrews 4:16 NASB95

Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

It’s because of the Gospel that you and I can say with the apostle John, I am the one whom Jesus loves! Jesus loves me, this I know! For my Bible tells me so!

It’s because of the Gospel that we can know our place in the Kingdom of God. (John 14:2 - “In my Fathers House are many dwelling places… I go to prepare a place for you!”)

It’s because of the Gospel that we can confidently announce to the world, “Repent and believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved and grafted into His family!” There’s enough grace for you too!!

The Gospel message is important and relevant both to the lost and dying world and to the believer in their everyday Christian walk for it gives direction, encouragement, and confidence.

Folks, if you’re wrestling with sin this morning, you have an Advocate in Christ Jesus. - 1 John 1:9

If you’re not a believer, friend- why not today? Turn your eyes upon Jesus! There’s room for you in His family.

[PRAY]

Discuss: How is the Gospel relevant to the life of believers?

Discuss: How can we hold God’s Law and His grace in balance?

Discuss: Who can you share the Gospel with in order to encourage them? How will you go about this?