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Unbreakable for the Bounty that you give us both in this life and the next door to the provision that you make for us in this life and then emails. That's if you help us to be more grateful than are giving in and out living you play the Saints in Jesus name.

Join me in first John chapter 2 this morning first John chapter 2 and is returning there. I just want to mention this is not exactly who you had to we had planned to have standing here this morning our friend. Dr. Scott who is coming in this weekend or planning to to preach a conference with? Able to do so and I want to give you a little bit of an explanation. I think at some level we owe that to you. His wife was ill and it'll in a way that was very serious and he made a decision and I think it was a wise decision decision was to stay by his wife side and to care for her so he was not able to be with us and I think he made the right decision in this in first Timothy Paul tells us that one of the qualifications of being a shepherd and overseer of Pastor minister is to care for your family. Well to manage your household. Well, that's why I very much see that is my responsibility. If I don't do my job as a husband and as a father than I'm not fit for this task, And I remember when I was kinda dating for this position. I actually said that to the elders and deacons and they all looked around and said you're absolutely right. Do you drive it home, but do it here as well. You know that kind of thing. So I wanted to share that with you to let you know that dr. Scott wanted to be here but through the circumstance he had to make a choice and I believe you made the right one and it sets an example for all of us. So we hope to have him with us at some later date. But right now we don't have that also want to say thank you to those of you who have stepped up to either bring snacks or meals or to lead a nursery or even to put together children's curriculum so that we could have something separate for our children when the time comes we'll be able to do all of that. But today you're stuck with me and I want to say thank you to Cody because both of us were kind of in a position middle of the week that we had to change gears and Cody did a great job. By the way. We sing that first song you might have noticed in your bulletin. It was some one. Was it 103 or 1 3103, you know that you obeyed a new Estimate command actually you obeyed a new testament Commandments given to us twice that we are to sing Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. So Cody, thank you for leading Us in accordance with God's word. So we are in first John we're going to start chapter two this morning and there's a lot here for us to consider it. We're only going to get through to versus and I'm by no means going to exhaust everything that these two versus have to teach us, but if you would follow along as I read through the text versus one all the way through verse 6 of First John chapter 2 my little children I am writing these things to you so that you may not send. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the father Jesus Christ the righteous or in your Bible. It might save The Righteous one or two. He is the propitiation for our sins and not for hours only but also for the sins of the whole world and by this we know that we have come to know him if we keep his Commandments whoever says, I know him but does not keep his Commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his work in him truly. The love of God is perfected by this. We may know that we are in him. Whoever says he abides in him all to walk in the same way in which he walked. This is God's word. No, I hope you can appreciate the fact that John is is willing to State his purpose and why he ever picked up a pen in the first place. He tells us here in this text. I am writing these things to you so that and so that statement those are purpose statement. He is riding for a reason. He's writing for a purpose and this is not the only time we see that in the text are in the in the book. He tells us at four separate times his purpose in writing to us if you look in chapter 1 and verse for he gives us one of those so that statements he says we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete we looked at that several weeks ago John wants us to experience by virtue of our faith in Christ a fullness of joy a full satisfaction. Not just a momentary happiness that that skips around and changes based on the circumstances of a deep-seated. Joy that no matter what happens we know That we are in him. That was one of the purposes for which he had written this letter in Chapter 2 and verse 1. He says I'm writing this so that you may not sin. He wants us to live as Believers in such a way that no longer rules over our lives and our hearts. If you skip over to chapter 2 and verse 26, you see that phrase again. He says I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. If you've not been with us one of the things that we've been pointing out along the way in John's letter is that there is a group of people within the church that have actually left the church, but they're still bearing some influence over the church and they are false teachers. Actually Paul uses the language of antichrist seems pretty strong about it. They're teaching things that do not Accord with the teachings of Christ and so he is wanting to help them understand what is true and what is not because he doesn't want Christians to be deceived. That's one of the that's the third purpose for his writing. And it probably the most well-known comes all the way in chapter 5 you can skip over there just look at it. If you want in verse 13 of chapter 5 you he says I write these things to you who believe in the name of the son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. I want him to write to me so that I can know that I have eternal life. And and that's one of his purpose is he he's not writing to make us doubt everything. He's not writing to confuse Believers. In fact, he's right to afflict those who are comfortable in their false teaching and to comfort those who have been afflicted by that false teaching. He wants genuine Believers to be confident that by our faith in Christ. We have eternal life.

He wants us to be filled with joy that comes through knowing Jesus. He wants us to live in such a way that we battle against our sin. He wants us to have a knowledge of the truth so that we're not deceive and he wants us to be confident that by our faith in Christ. We have eternal life. All of these four things make up John's what I call the fourfold purpose of his letter.

Now there are a whole bunch of things that John says in here that we are to do what we call the commands rightly the imperatives the things that he says as a result of this you need to live this way and younes all that and some of some of what I've read if you want to have confidence here's a here's a fruit of whether or not your faith is genuine keep the commandments of Jesus follow him not just holding on to his sacrifice, but follow him as his disciple. He gives us all of these things that we are called upon to do. But he doesn't establish the actions without first establishing a purpose or I'll say it this way. He tells us the what of the Christian life but he wants to route that what in the Y at the Christian Life that language John wants us to know Ry essentially. And he gives us in this passage or a real keen understanding of some of his why some of the purpose for why he is riding. He's writing to fuel our lives as Believers and he wants it to be rooted in the truth that comes out Us in this strange word propitiation. So that's what we're going to look at today. In fact, there are three things three powerful ways that John wants us to allow the why of the Gospel to inform the what of our lives and he does it in this way. He says that John is riding number one to help Believers battle against the sand in their life. Number to John is riding to give Believers confidence that Jesus does in fact save us from our sin. And the number 3 John is riding to remind Believers that we are not alone movie that involves to sweat a lot to discuss. So let's get right into a number one. John is riding to help Believers battle against sin with the first one again. He says this he says my little children. That's right should stick out to us my little children this raisin, lets us know that John's Focus has shifted a little bit. And if you've been with us, then you can probably look up and see the contacts and realize okay in that first section there of chapter 1 verses 5 through 10, John was kind of teetering back and forth between false teaching and confronting it and then true belief and proposing that but now he's focusing in and he has a very specific audience in mind. He's not talking specifically and directly to the false teachers anymore. He wouldn't call them my little children. Who you talkin to? He's talking to those individuals that he knows to be genuine Believers in Christ. He's talking to Christians. And this language of my little children were going to see it a lot. If you look over chapter 2 and verse 12, he goes through this whole section of of these endearing terms that he uses to address the church, but what he's doing is he showing us a couple of things number one. He has a a a sincere and loving relationship with these individuals, but he's also their Elder he's these Johnnies the Apostle and he's going to give them instructions that they should follow.

But here's what I want us to understand as we look at this whole section and I'll tell you why John's main goal in this letter. Is going to be to encourage Believers in their faith in Christ.

And here's why I think that's really important. How many of y'all through this letter and as you've read through it and you've seen how John is so quick to point out. What a Christian is not. In your own heart you begin to think I don't know if I fall in that category. As we read John and his black and white pursuit of understanding often times. We might find ourselves in a position of doubting. We might find ourselves in a position of being confused. We might come away and say well, well, I'm not keeping the Commandments perfectly. I still have sent to my life. Maybe John is talking about me as one of those false individuals. Do you ever read this letter and felt that way?

Yes, I raise my own hand. But I've come to see something in what John is doing here. Yes, he is addressing false teaching and yes, he wants to afflict those who are comfortable in their false security. But he also wants to comfort and encourage genuine Believers in their face. She wants to give them a clear picture with the Christian life is all about what he wants to comfort us and I'm not just going to pull that out and say that here's what I think I'm actually going to show you some things in this text or in the book one of John's favorite phrases. Is this phrase by this we know yours is at 13 different time and I have a discipleship group cycle ship group of men that I meet with young man and we study through this, you know months ago and I I made them take out their Bible and take a pen and I made them highlight every time when John uses the phrase by this we know and I'm not going to do that for you if you want to I'm going to give them all to you, but I just want us to walk through this book and I want us to see something about John's heart for genuine Believers and how he wants to Still confidence in us not so in Chapter 2 and 3. We see the phrase by this we know that we have come to know him and other or John is not trying to make this confusing. He's trying to be very clear and he wants us as Believers to know the truth and be set free in that truth in Chapter 2 and verse 5. He says best by this. We know that we are in him. He's trying to again give us confidence. If you looked over to chapter 3 and verse 10 John writes it this way by this it is evident to those who are the children of God. Chapter 3 verse 16. He says by this we know love in chapter 3 verse 19. He says by this we shall know that we are of the truth in chapter 4 and verse to who he says by this, you know, the spirit of God in Chapter 4 Verse 6. He says by this, you know the spirit of Truth Chapter 4 verse 13 says by this we know that we abide in him. Number 16 of chapter 4 so we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. Chapter 5 numbers to buy this we know that we love the children of God chapter 5 verse 13. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the son of God that you may know that you have eternal life Chapter 5 Verse 18. We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning and that's a present active. That means you don't continue to live a lifestyle of sin. Chapter 5 and verse 19. We know that we are from God 13 different times John uses this phrase Not to cause us to doubt but to cause us to have confidence he wants to encourage genuine Believers in the truth that make sense. Not give you all that list if you want and you can go back through your Bibles and highlight those things, but John is not writing this letter to cause you to doubt. If you are a genuine believer. He wants you to have Rock under your feet and that rock is going to be Christ. Not yourself.

John uses this phrase over and over and over again to try to give True Believers confidence in their salvation. He's a no not not far from the end of his life. John is an older gentleman. He refers to himself as the Elder in other places and he refers to all of these people is in a little children and things like that and I see these times where where John just gets fired up about false teachers and he's he's quick to point the finger but then when he sees that doubt beginning to form on the faces of his dear friends and brothers and sisters, he leans over he puts his hand on their shoulder he says, but I want you to know something. I want you to know this about your faith in Christ. He puts his arm around us. He leans in the cause of the little children are deer children. He's using these terms to help us understand and be confident comforted by the truth of the Gospel will say this way. Remember what we talked about weeks and weeks ago iceline John establishes. The gospel message. God is Holy. We are not Christ is our only hope by faith in him. We have eternal life. That's the Baseline and he's going to venture away from that bass line. Help us understand send help us understand theology leaves. He always comes back to that bass line with John says my dear children, he's back to that bass line. He wants us to remember who we are and whose we are. He wants us to remember that our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. The Baseline of our hope is the saving grace of God and from that Baseline. He has many things to teach us and now that he has our attention. Telling us why he's writing and calling us to do children. Now. He wants us to help him. He want to help us understand something about the nature of sin. He wants us to battle against our sin. He says there's some writing these things to you so that you may not send.

I am asked a question. Does John mean in this that he expects Believers to live completely free from sin now? It's kind of begging the question, but I just want to State it as clearly as boldly as I can eat is John riding expecting that he's teaching these Believers that they are to live a life that is completely free from sin. Let me answer that question. Apple different ways. First of all, I'll just answer know if John is riding to try to help us understand that the normal Christian Pursuit will result in sinless Perfection, but he wouldn't have written what he did in chapter 1 verses 8 and chapter 1 verse 10 nor would he write what he does in the very next part of the verse when he says but if you send John is not teaching 1st, John is not a book that is espousing sinless perfection regardless of what some teachers may say But John does want us to understand that is those who believe in Christ those who believe the gospel our relationship to send must change. It must change from being one of accepting sanon living in sin to want a battling against our sin.

Last week we learned all about send prep more than we wanted to. We learned that sand is Disobedience to the commands of God, but sin is also a failure to obey the commands of God is both active and passive. We also learned it on a bigger picture scale. When is the state of our hearts apart from Christ that results in us not having a right relationship with God and that will go even stronger and use Paul's words in Ephesians 2. We are at enmity with God apart from Christ. Said it's not just the fact that we failed to send is the pastor of our hearts at Birth. Let me give me give me a couple other definition send is the irrational rebellion of creatures against our creator.

Send his satanic John is going to tell us that is more a reflection of the deceiver. Then it is a reflector creator. Instead of displaying the love and Holiness of God. We we display the the rebellion and the LIE of the enemy. Paul tells us elsewhere that sin is slavery. He tells us it's in blinds us to what is good and true and beautiful and causes us to desire even to elevate what is ugly and false and Evil.

It disrupts our fellowship with God. It disrupts our fellowship with God's people it dismissed. It diminishes our joy and our peace. Stephen charnock. Oh, one of those Puritan Theologian said this house sinful is sin that God must bleed to cure it.

Brothers and sisters. We need to grow in our knowledge and understanding of what sin is and that's one of the things that John wants us to do when we sin as Christians. It insults the provision that God has made to free us from sin. Our sin greens the heart of God and it's scorns the suffering of Christ.

John understands all of this John wants us to understand it as well and he wants us to see send for what it is so that we will be motivated to battle against it.

Remember this phrase go and sin no more.

Jesus spoke this phrase many times throughout his ministry. He spoke this race to people that he encountered. I need it in a unique way. He showed them Grace. He healed them. He declared the truth to them. He didn't condemn them. But he did call them to repent he did call them to believe in the good news and he called them to go and sin no more. This is what John is doing. He's following the example of Jesus he saying go and sin no more. He wants us to keep this command, but he also wants us to keep this command to go and sin no more in balance with our understanding of Christ's cross look back at the text. He said my little children. I'm writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin we have an advocate. Tea on the one hand John is writing so that we may not sin. He wants us to make progress against the sin in our heart and our life and in our culture and how do we do that when we battle send by repentance and we will send by our confession by learning what pleases God and by making that our goal or I'll just say it a different way. We are to seek first the kingdom and righteousness of God.

So John wants us to understand that that's part of our responsibility is to battle against sin to repent of sin to confess sin. To seek to honor God instead of sending but he also wants us to keep this in mind. He wants us to understand that as truly born-again Believers in Christ. We are not alone in our battle against sin. How many of y'all feel like you're fight your battle against sin is Willie? It's a white-knuckle approach. It's you doing the best you can do to win the day. Well, there's definitely effort that is put forward by us. But John wants us to understand something as Christians. We don't battle against sin alone. John wants us to be comforted that sin will not have the final word in our lives nor our eternity by faith. He tells us we have an advocate. We need to know what this means because this is like John's trump card here. But if you do send Boom, the first thing we saw is that John is riding to encourage Believers to battle the sin and there lies the second things John is writing to give Believers confidence that Jesus does. In fact save us from our sins verse 1 if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the father Jesus Christ the righteous or the righteous one. He is the propitiation for our sins. How many of y'all think John is being gracious here when he says but if anyone does sin.

I just said hey, when do you send I ain't said it's not a possibility. It is a certainty.

the Bible would help us understand because of what I said earlier about Sin not just being transgressing of the law, but sin is also failing to obey and send is a state of being

We will not ultimately be free from sin until as Paul says in 1st Corinthians the Mortal put on immortality until Christ returns, and he makes us new sin will always be present in our lives at some degree or another.

It's not a possibility John. It's a certainty but John wants us to know that it does not have to rule over US policy at the same things in Roman 6. The members were over to seeing if there was some powerful influence that we have no power against. No, we do battle against our sin. But we need to keep this theological principle in mind. We don't battle alone. We have an advocate with the father and there's some real theological significance to this phrase. If anyone does sin the verb is in the heiress 10, since we're both of y'all don't know what that means me give you a quick what it implies is a single action or a snapshot of in it's very different than the present active verbs that we've been seeing when he talks about an individual who says they know God but they keep living a life of sin. That's a present active. That's a person whose life is defined by sin. That's not what I'm saying here. John is saying that you're a you're a believer in Christ and you've committed an act of sent a single event.

Two different descriptions that makes sense. He saying for you who have sinned in that way as a believer. You have an advocate? 2 John is making a distinction between a person whose life is defined by sin and a believer in Christ who has stumbled in sand. And now this next part is something that I'm going to say and I was going to be quiet for a second cuz I want you to realize this. Don't miss the fact that Jesus is our only hope when we first come to faith in Christ. But John wants us to understand that he is also our hope as we continue to walk in our faith.

Our confidence doesn't shift from Jesus at justification to ourselves and sanctification.

That's the galatian heresy. The galatian heresy is having begun by the spirit. Are you now being perfected in the faith? Oh foolish Galatians.

Our trust in Christ work as our Advocate does not simply suffice for when we became Believers it suffice as for the rest of our lives as believers. When God looks at you as a Christian even in your stumbling, he still sees the sacrifice of his son. And that's important for many of us because for many of us when we when we come to that stage of life becomes a place where we've fallen in sin for the 10th time and we begin to hate ourselves and not our sin as much as we should but we hate ourselves because we should be able to do better. It's up to us to maintain this relationship. John says you have a responsibility.

But your relationship to God has never been dependent upon you.

Your relationship to God is rooted in the fact that you have an advocate. One who is righteous? And one who has perpetuated your sin now we need to know what that means. We'll get to that in a minute. But this is this is huge when we send as Believers the same remedy is applied as when we first believed and the remedy is the work of Christ as our Advocate before God. Cuz it was Advocate me. Advocate is a term that John really likes and he's really the only author in Scripture that uses it in John's gospel. He uses this term actually, it's Jesus that using this term Advocate and is using it in reference to the Holy Spirit. Jesus says he's going to go away but it's good that I go away because when I go away I'm going to send another one is going to come to you he is going to be your helper or the same term here Earth prior to his return. And John uses it here not to refer to the Holy Spirit as it is referring to Jesus as our help or our Advocate and I want you to see this language here. He's using it and he wants us to see that it's a it's a term that applies and a legal setting. It's a legal term.

An advocate or a paraclete was a person called in to help and give assistance in the process of a trial and our common understanding and Advocate is the lead counsel for the defense star defense attorney. What's up, John? When he uses his term, he wants us to have in mind that we're at we're in court. So it's a picture in your mind, but you just walked into a courtroom. For some of us that's easier than others, right? You're in a courtroom, you know who's sitting on the throne God the Father sitting on the throne and you know, who's accusing you Satan himself is accusing you.

And you're the one who is guilty and you have no chance of proving your innocence. It's as clear as day that you're guilty.

Was sitting right beside us. We have an advocate. Sitting right beside us we have one who is going to defend us. We have one who's going to plead our case not just before the judge of all the Earth, but before his father.

Just ask another question. That's that's who he is. He's our attorney, but is he qualified?

Many people today don't believe that Jesus is qualified. Let's continue the analogy. Let's think again if you had need of legal counsel, what are you going to do? Your thing like me you're going to get the best attorney money could buy or you're going to call in a favor with a friend maybe or at the very least. You're going to try to get the best attorney you can and hope and pray that they'll take whatever you can afford, right. We want someone who knows what they're doing. We want someone who is qualify. We want someone who's been there before we want someone who has a good experience and good track record an exceptional legal record standing successful practice the best we can get right we want an advocate with the best education the best credentials the best arguments and here's what we want to we want them to be at our side at any moment that never happens in the legal world, right? You can never just call if your attorney and say I need you here.

But John wants us to understand that even though that never really happens in this world. It happens with Jesus. We have an advocate who is better qualified than any attorney who's ever lived. We have an advocate who meets and exceeds all of the qualifications and all of the hopes that we would have and not only that but he is one who will never leave us nor forsake us. Always there.

Jesus is not only a good defender in a qualified Advocate. But he's also the son of the judge the righteous son of the judge This this term righteous is also a legal term that John wants us to continue that imagery. He wants us to understand that the one sitting beside us is not just a good Advocate but he's a completely righteous Advocate. No one can defame his character. No one can dismiss his arguments because he doesn't have the character he needs He is perfectly righteous. No one can accuse Jesus of being an unjust Advocate. No one can accuse Jesus of being unrighteous. He was tempted in every way as we are yet. He is and was without sin. There is no more qualified advocate in the universe. So here's the picture John wants us to have God is on the throne of the accuser is right, but we have the one standing beside us who is our perfect Advocate more qualified than any other he is perfectly righteous. He is the just Defender. His father is the righteous judge.

And his case for us. It's impeccable.

He talks about propitiation in the how many of y'all heard that word before? Good. Good good.

Think of propitiation in one sense as Jesus, maybe it's it's kind of like his experience for us. It's it's his case in our defense. He lays down exhibit and his portfolio and I don't know all the legal turn there. So Jeremy can correct me when I'm done. He lays down his case. And at the top of his list is the word propitiation. And under that he has all these other things that he's done his experience on a hill outside Jerusalem. the earned his stripes he carried his load and he proved his worthiness on the cross where love and mercy meet. Good Friday is exhibit a in Jesus's experience. And in his case in our defense, his credentials are the crown of thorns the nail scars in his hand and the wound that pierced his side could bring out his burial shroud to show and prove that he died. He could also show us the empty tomb to show and prove that he was raised again, but the main argument that he offers in our defense has to do with the blood that he poured out on The Mercy Seat to atone for our sins. That's what this word propitiation is all about.

Propitiation the last Moss. It's it's really the only time we see in the text, but some of you may have heard another term the word expiation. And in really these two terms expiation and propitiation come together to help us get the full picture of what Christ has done for us on the cross expiation. The beginning of that word is ex. That means taken out of her taken away from expiation has to do with something being removed from us. And in this case, it's referring to our guilt of sin being removed from us transfer to another Old Testament imagery of the goat that was sent into the Wilderness after send was transferred to at the goat was sent away. Our guilt was removed taken away. Never to be seen again. That's the idea of expiation on the other side and propitiation has to do with appeasing the wrath of God satisfying God's anger against our sin one is God taking something away from us and the other is God clearing the debt.

So that he can now look up on us and not see our sin, but see what covers our sin. Are Old Testament imagery of The Mercy Seat? That's the only place in the Old Testament version of the of the Greek version of the Old Testament as the only place where you see this word propitiation. It's The Mercy Seat where the blood of the Lamb was poured out to atone.

So we have two pictures and they come together to give us a clearer understanding of what Christ death accomplished for us. Are you listening to this is important? He removed our guilt from us. And he soothed the anger of God directed at us. Does that language of soothing God's anger that make you uncomfortable? It makes a lot of modern theologians uncomfortable. In fact many have just dismissed this idea of propitiation completely because they don't like the idea of God being angry such that his wrath needs to be appeased. They much prefer just to say no. All we need is expiation. All we need is for God to love us enough to take our sin away from us. That's not the full picture. In fact expiation is not in this text propitiation in so I just threw that in as a bonus it was free.

So what about this idea of Wrath? Is God angry is God wrathful against our sin? I just let the scripture speak for the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of man who suppress the truth in their unrighteousness.

The fierce anger of God look you can you can not be comfortable with the idea all you want, but you can't remove it from the pages of scripture. And still be true to what God has revealed. Yes, God is justly angry at us for our sin. But the good news is in Christ. We have one who is fully appease the wrath of God on our behalf. Propitiation is not a possibility. It's a certainty that the raft deserve by all those in all nations in at all times who believe in Christ our sins have been paid in full Christ received in his body on the cross the due penalty for the sins of all those who believe and propitiate get them completely they're done.

I know that's deep theology, but you are in church.

God's Wrath was very real and very just an hour. Hope our only hope of it being satisfied is on account of what Christ has done on the cross two things. He did on the cross removed our guilt. Any atone for our sins, there is nothing standing in the way of us now from having a faithful father son father daughter relationship with God Christ has removed it all. Because of our faith in Christ, we do not stand before the judge as an enemy. But as a friend as a son and a daughter whose pardon has already been paid in full and that's in part what Jesus is reminding the judge of in this case. How he defends us is he doesn't make an excuse for why we send nor does he dismiss our sin as though it was no concern for the judge know he defends us he pleads on our behalf by saying that this suffering and sacrifice have fully paid our sin debt. Go back in your mind to that courtroom scene when the time comes the verdict has been read. And here's what Jesus does he stands up and he declares to the judge that his death pay the price for our sins in full. Jesus tells the courtroom that he shed. His blood is a ransom price for the accused. And the dead has no half no longer have a claim on us. And we can sing this song We Sing it last week. My sin, oh the Bliss of this glorious. Thought you're the next part my sin not in part. but the whole

was nailed to the cross and I bear it no more praise the Lord praise the Lord It Is Well with My Soul John wants us to see Christ work on our behalf applied in three ways as our Advocate as the righteous one and as the propitiation for our sins. And again, I'm just going to say it John wants this idea this whole theological idea to bring Comfort to us as believers. And in the midst of all these been saying what a Christian is not he wants us to understand that at the very Foundation. This is what a Christian is one who stands up on the foundation of Christ not yourself you stand up on the foundation of his work not your own and that's not just talking about your day of salvation. But every day of your life as a Christian, you are standing upon his blood and righteousness.

We still have an advocate with the father and he is pleading our case even now.

There's one more thing and I don't necessarily want to fly through if I'm going to have to for today. Maybe we'll come back to it again next week, but I want to see the second half of her stew. John is riding to remind Believers that they should not see any wants to battle against arts. And John is riding to help us understand that Jesus Christ does in fact save us from our sins, but he's also running to remind Believers that we are not alone. There's two he is the propitiation for our sins and not for hours only but also for the sins of the whole world that phrase sins of the whole world to key phrase here and it must be understood in a particular way. We must understand the phrase for the sins of the whole world in light of what propitiation means If we get that backwards and we try to say another the most important phrase here is for the sins of the whole world. There will redefine propitiation. It will become Universalist. What we have to do is we have to Define propitiation and then try to understand how propitiation is applied to all the sins of the whole world. That makes sense. I see some okay, we're going forward with this. This verse does not mean that Jesus is death has accomplished propitiation for every human being in the whole world. That would be universalism. That is not what John is teaching. I will limit the scope of what John is teaching John is teaching that by the death of Christ propitiation has been accomplished for all those who believe for all those who believe John makes it clear in this letter. It is only to those who believe the gospel and turn from their sin. Nobody Christ who have their sins propitiate it he says that in first John 5:13, I write these things to you who believe in the name of the son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. By the way. He's just copying Jesus there. Jesus said for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes will not perish but have everlasting life the hinge there is faith. This is not Universal Redemption. This is redemption accomplished on the cross and applied to those who believe in Christ. The rest of the New Testament makes this clear that people are justified in the eyes of God reconciled to God Only by faith in Christ. And Jesus made this clear not just in John 3:16, but also in the verses that followed in John 3:18. He says this this is Jesus whoever believes in the son is not condemned but whoever does not believe is condemned already that were condemned to meet dates to have a Judicial sentence passed against them. That is the exact opposite of what it means to have your sins perpetuated.

Jesus goes on whoever believes in the son is in verse 36 whoever believes in the son has eternal life. Whoever does not obey the son shall not see life. But remains on him if propitiation means the wrath of God is satisfied. Then we have to apply propitiation. According to what Jesus says hear those who do not believe the wrath of God remains on them their sins haven't been perpetuated. So our understanding of this every single human being ever There's a limited scope here. The saving benefits of the cross of Jesus are not applied to all mankind equally, but are applied according to God's Sovereign design to those who receive the gift of Grace by faith, and I know something here for those of you who are visitors over those of you who've never never heard me talk as clearly on this as possible. This is not a very secret friendly message here. I am far more concerned about getting this right and honoring God then I am whether or not you really like what I have to say. And I say that with all sincerity and with the desire to love you.

John is not teaching universalism here. But instead is helping us to understand that Christ propitiatory sacrifice is the only hope that this world has.

There is no other Advocates there is no other savior. There is no one who can effectively plead our case before God except for Jesus Christ. I'll give you another example from Jesus his own words in John 10. Jesus talks about himself as the Good Shepherd and talks about himself what he says I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own my own know me. Just as the father knows me and I know the father and I lay down my life for the Sheep. mushy

And I have other sheep that are not of this fold and I will bring them in also, and they will listen to my voice and there will be one flock and one Shepherd. John is using this phrase John is using this language to help us understand that there is a flop that there are children of God and they are scattered throughout the nations of the world Revelation. 5:9 says that Christ was slain and by his blood Ransom people for God from every tribe and language and people and Nation. Jesus did not Ransom everybody. In fact, he even says in Mark 10, he gave his life as a ransom for mini and explain the mini. He did not take the wrath of God against everybody but life for the Sheep.

Jesus death, I'll summarize the Assassin and I need more time. But Jesus's death provides the basis throughout all human history and throughout all the world for men and women from every tribe tongue people and Nation to be saved and they are saved when they hear the message of the Gospel by the spirit of God, they are born again and they put their faith in Jesus turn from their sin.

Two John's messages for us today. Here's a summary of his message. don't send