Our Advocate
1 John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 6 viewsChrist longs to save us from our sin. He is both our substitute and our advocate. No repentant believing sinner will be turned away.
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Karl Menninger startled the world of psychotherapy with his 1973 book Whatever Became of Sin? A secular scientist, not a theologian, Menninger observed that our society no longer used the term sin to describe human problems. He predicted that it would be replaced by words like illness, disorder, dysfunction or syndrome.
The years have proved him to be a reliable prophet. No one can ignore the myriad ills that plague us, but it is not fashionable to trace their roots to sin. We may hear of societal sins, but but there is little acknowledgement of the idea that bad behavior is an offense against God or His moral standards.
- John Bechtle | August 26, 2024
Society teaches
sin is dead.
Don’t mention it.
This lays in great
contradistinction to
the Word of God.
The Problem
The Problem
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
We are all broken.
The sooner we admit it,
the sooner we can get help.
Paul makes it
even more clear:
as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”
One thing we have in common
attraction toward sin
given us by the progenitors
or our race.
It is not that we
are all just
“broken”
“damaged”
“ill”
“dysfunctional”
“disordered.”
The world’s problem
Our problem
is SIN!
The word for sin
ἁμαρτία
ἁμαρτία
Many try to downplay sin
saying the definition
of this Greek word means
“miss the mark.”
They mean to say,
it’s not that bad,
just a little sin.
“coming short of perfection.”
Popular preachers
don’t mention word “sin”
in their sermons...
Why?
They don’t want people
to feel bad about themselves.
With sin come
guilt and shame.
There are a few way
to manage this.
We can
hide
blame
lie
minimize
manipulate.
Adam and Eve tried each of these:
Hiding
Hiding
And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
They tried to hide.
They were not just
hiding themselves
they were hiding their sins.
It seems foolish to play
hide and seek with God
but somehow we still try it.
Shame and guilt
overpowers us
and we hide it.
We hide it from
others
kids
family
friends
spouse
God.
Like David,
killing Uriah
marrying Bathsheba.
Acting like nothing happened.
Hiding doesn’t work
guilt and shame
don’t leave.
Guilt and shame
still eat us alive.
Blaming
Blaming
We blame
He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”
He blamed Eve
And God!
Running from
guilt and shame
he tried to shift
the onus
to someone else.
Did he feel relief
from burden of sin?
No!
His own heart
knew the truth.
Speaking of lying.
Lying
Lying
In the very next chapter
we see a different attempt
to rid the heart of guilt.
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”
Did Cain know
where Able was at?
Yes!
He killed him!
Perhaps he is trying to see
if lying will release him
from the persistent
gnawing of
shame and guilt.
We can be assured
lying never worked
to silence our conscience.
Other ways to silence
conscience of our heart:
addictions
substance addictions
behavioral addictions.
They seem to work
while getting high.
When the high is gone.
Instead of releasing
the troubled conscience
it only speaks louder.
In the thick fighting of the Civil War, General Grant, in hot pursuit of General Lee’s troops, was half blinded with a sick headache. He stopped at a farmhouse and wrote in his memoirs, “I spend the night in bathing my feet in hot water and mustard and putting mustard plasters on my wrist and the back part of my neck, hoping to be cured by morning.” When morning came, he was still sick. But suddenly an officer appeared with the message that General Lee had surrendered. And Grant wrote these words, “I was still suffering with the sick headache, but the instant I saw the contents of the note, I was cured.”
The Solution
The Solution
The solution to sin
is not to run from it.
Don’t
hide
blame
minimize
deflect
choose other words...
John gives solution to sin:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Don’t hide it!
Don’t run from it!
Don’t blame others!
Don’t minimize or deflect!
CONFESS!!!
John continue:
If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Again, don’t run from sin
by hiding it.
Just confess it.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Satan knows that
if we take our sin
ugly as it is
walk to the
throne of grace.
Then,
we will be
forgiven
cleansed
made new!!!
Satan hates freedom!
He will do anything
to keep us locked in
fear
anxiety
instability.
running from conscience.
Forgiveness brings
freedom
peace
joy
clean hearts
pure hands.
But
The path to freedom
is confrontation.
The path to freedom
is an intervention.
Nobody likes interventions.
They are
uncomfortable
intrusive
meddling!
Interventions destroy the
“peace” of status quo.
Confession requires
humility
vulnerability
accountability.
All that God is asking
is sincerity
honesty.
He knows we are sinners
he doesn’t need the info.
We need confession
recognition of our
great need outside ourselves.
Unknown Sin
Unknown Sin
Also,
Keep in mind,
that there are many sins
that have not yet been
revealed to us.
We need to
confess what we know
and be open for
God to reveal more.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
God never rejects
the genuinely repentant sinner.
We are afraid of rejection.
We fear
if we are honest
God won’t
love
accept
forgive us.
This could not be
farther from the truth.
Heart Attack
I knew a man
previous church
had heart attack.
Suddenly
started making amends.
Powerful lesson.
Don’t wait for heart attack.
Do that today.
We need to create a community
where we can share struggles
and pray for one another.
3 Pastors go fishing
Catholic - serious drinking problem.
Pentecostal - struggling with lust
Adventist - gossip.
We need more
small pray groups
share struggles
pray for each other
no shame zone.
Trust in the True Advocate
Trust in the True Advocate
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin...
We don’t need to sin...
God offers the way out.
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
God can provide
a way of escape.
Every sin
is volitional.
(otherwise no guilt).
Even when,
we willingly sin
choose to harm God
He still loves us
He still advocates for us.
We don’t have to
hide
lie
blame
minimize.
Because he is
on our team.
He is our Advocate
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.
This word:
παράκλητος
παράκλητος
Could mean
mediator
intercessor.
Used few other times.
translated as advocate here...
translated as helper.
4 times
one conversation
John 14, 15, 16
referring to Holy Spirit
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
Here the Holy Spirit
is our helper.
Back in 1 John
Jesus is the helper.
God wants us to know
he is not out to get us!
He is here to help!
God is a
safe place.
We can bear
our sin to Him.
He won’t reject us.
In May 1940, the British Expeditionary Force was trapped on the beaches of Dunkirk, France. Surrounded by the German army, defeat seemed inevitable. Military experts predicted that perhaps 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers might be rescued, but the rest (300,000) would be captured or destroyed.
In this moment of absolute despair, a British naval officer sent a three-word, urgent cable back to London: "But if not.".
This was a direct reference to Daniel 3:17-18, where Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego told King Nebuchadnezzar that God could save them from the fiery furnace, "but if not," they would still remain faithful.
The Miracle:
What followed was not just a military operation, but a series of events that many recognized as divine intervention:
Hitler inexplicably ordered his tanks to stop 10
miles from the beaches, giving the trapped men a temporary reprieve. The Halt Order:
A violent storm broke over the region, grounding the
Luftwaffe (German air force) and preventing them from destroying the
exposed troops. The Storm:
Despite the storm, an unprecedented calm settled over
the English Channel, allowing tiny, civilian "little ships" to
navigate the waters and rescue 338,226 Allied soldiers.
The Calm Sea:
It was a desperate moment.
God answered their prayers.
He will answer yours too.
Because He is not
out to get us.
Propitiation for the World
Propitiation for the World
He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
ἱλασμός
ἱλασμός
A GREEK-ENGLISH LEXICON of the NEW TESTAMENT
appeasement necessitated by sin, expiation
instrument for appeasing, sacrifice to atone, sin-offering
Clearly sin
is more than
missing the mark.
Sin required
expiation
atonement
a sin bearer
a sacrifice.
Sin caused
separation.
But Christ brings
restoration!
Consider the life of John Newton, a former slave trader who later became a Christian minister. His journey from a life of sin to one of faith exemplifies the power of Christ’s forgiveness. After a storm at sea, he cried out to God for mercy. Eventually, he penned the famous hymn 'Amazing Grace,' reflecting on how he was lost but found, blind but now sees. Newton's transformation illustrates that no one is beyond redemption in Christ.
Appeal
Appeal
Open your heart
confess
repent
experience cleansing
removal of guilt.
Bear one another’s burdens
without shame or gossip.
Foot washing.
