Character Witness: Jesus our Advocate

Introduction

As I continue with the sermon series, "Character Witness," the focus today is Jesus, our Advocate. I want to emphasize the importance of Jesus as our advocate with the Father, for sin, by talking about the meaning of His sacrifice, and what sets a follower of Jesus apart from the world.

In the previous message we learned this:

Jesus is both God and man, existed eternally with the Father and physically on earth. John and others served as witnesses of His divinity and humanity

Jesus is the word of life, life, and eternal life

Proclamation is made of such so we can have fellowship with the Father and Son Jesus Christ, each other; and that our joy may be complete

God is light and there is no darkness in Him

Those that say. . .

they have fellowship with God but walk in the light are liars and do not practice truth.

they have no sin, deceive themselves and the truth is not in them.

they have not sinned, make Him (Jesus) a liar and His word is not in them.

“If we”. . .

walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness

1 John 2:1–6 ESV

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.

What does God say?

1 John 2:1 ESV

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.

“My little children” is the way John often refers to people other Christians as their elder.

“writing these things” is one of many sign posts John will use throughout his letter to guide the readers. The things he is presenting is so we may not sin.

“But if anyone sin” . . . John acknowledges people will miss the mark. If he were to propose can live sinless lives or was without sin after the sacrifice of Christ, he would contradict his statement in 1 John 1:8-10.

The Righteous One, Jesus Christ, is our Advocate with the Father when we do sin. Advocate (intercessor/helper) is one who pleads for or defends another. Jesus who is in righteous (right standing with the Father) pleads and defends for believers. Therefore, when we confess our sins, we have an Advocate with the Father who pleads for us. The Holy Spirit also identified as our Advocate in John 14: 16-17

John 14:16–17 ESV

16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

1 John 2:2 ESV

2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

“He is our propitiation (atonement) for our sins”. . . the righteousness of God is demonstrated through Jesus Christ, who is the atonement for our sins. Meaning. . .

i. it is by His blood a person is redeemed (penalty for sin [death] is paid)

ii. blood is needed for the forgiveness of sin (Hebrews 9:22 “22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”)

iii. reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:21 “21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”)

“Not only for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” . . . does not support universalism that no matter what everyone is going to heaven because Jesus paid the price. According to God, the gift of His grace is received by faith in Jesus Christ, only! (John 3:16 “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.” Romans 3:22–25 “22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.” ). This emphasize the justice of God in that He is not partial. He is an impartial God who is just in His actions. It is also consistent with God not desiring people to perish (2 Peter 3:9 “9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”)

1 John 2:3–6 ESV

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.

“And by this we know” . . . John begins to identify what separates believers from unbelievers.

Believers keep (observe) his commandments; the love of God is perfected; and whoever abides in him live like him

Unbelievers say they know but do not follow his commandments thus are liars and the truth is not in them.

Conclusion

Jesus is our Advocate

Believers keep His commandments and live like Him

Unbelievers say they know but do not keep His commandments