“The Advocate”

In our foster-care system today, many young children are left to navigate a maze of court hearings and new schools all on their own. Through the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program, volunteers take some of this burden on themselves, committing to advocating for the best interests of a vulnerable child. Those with money and social standing can navigate the court system with relative ease, but foster children face incredibly difficult challenges that no child should have to face. This is the kind of advocate Jesus is—he doesn’t only hear the pleas of the wealthy or important. Instead, he stops in the middle of an important journey and takes the time to turn to a woman “trembling with fear”  and so tenderly says to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you” ().

Today and since the time of the fall mankind was in desperate need of an advocate. Sin became a reality since the garden of eden and has plagued mankind with sin and the effects of sin. To make matters worse since the 1st century Christianity we have been plagued with false teaching concerning the topic of sin. We dealt with teaching that you can have fellowship with God and still walk in darkness. We dealt with the claim that we do not sin anymore because we have been enlightened with secret knowledge or the rejection of the material world. But John made it clear that sin is real and we all fall into it, some can think well if its that much a reality, why bother trying. Some may think this today… sin is so real and the Lord will forgive us anyway… who cares. This is not the way we approach this bad thinking. John has a better way to look at it.

1 John 2:1–2 NLT

My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever.

The Advocate

Propitiation

The first thing we will look at today is the clarification on why John is writing this and the beauty of what it is to have the King of kings as our advocate. The second thing we will discuss is the comfort of truly understanding what it means to be a propitiation and how it finds its place in the wonderful gospel of Jesus.

Thesis: Though sin and the pattern of this world cause us to become frustrated with sin and the effects of sin that we become susceptible to fallacious teachings bringing us even more darkness, it is the light of the truth of scripture that will show us not only what is true about sin, but how through Christ, sin and Satan will have no more accusation over us for Christ will stand with us and for us for all eternity at the right hand of the Father.

I. The Advocate

- One who is called alongside to help in a time of need.

A. Remember… The first claim in verse 6 is that it doesn't matter whether you go on sinning, you can still have fellowship with God. The second claim is that once you are a believer, at least once you are a super Christian or an enlightened Christian, you no longer have a sin nature and no matter what you do it is good. The third claim is that you can be a Christian and actually stop sinning. Non passe no peccare. John challenges the truth of those particular statements. He says these are false teachings, and these are marks of false prophets’ teaching. And he challenges them emphatically, making it clear that sin is an ongoing reality in the believer's life.

1 John 2:1–2 NLT

My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.

B. Two reasons for this...If sin is a reality and it is impossible for me to live a sinless life, why bother? If I sin, big deal. God will forgive me. John may be concerned that some Christians might think sin is to be accepted as an inevitable part of the normal Christian life and it is no big deal. Hopefully no one thought this when we left the church last week.

John worries that some Christians will think sin is to be accepted as an inevitable part of the normal Christian life. I call this the “no big deal syndrome.”

If sin is a reality and it is impossible for me to live a sinless life, why bother? If I sin, big deal. God will forgive me.

C. Second, others might think, As a Christian, I have liberty and am no longer under the Law, so I can do what I want to do. If I sin, God will forgive me. Many people today believe this. There is a story told about Rasputin the religious and political confidant of Empress Alexandra of the Romanov family in Russia at the beginning of the last century. Rasputin justified his own sinful lifestyle from a clever misuse of , . There Paul says, “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.”

Allen, D. L. (2013). 1–3 John: Fellowship in God’s Family. (R. K. Hughes, Ed.) (p. 49). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.

“Rasputin syndrome,” after the religious and political confidant of Empress Alexandra of the Romanov family in Russia at the beginning of the last century. Rasputin justified his own sinful lifestyle from a clever misuse of , . There Paul says, “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” Thus

Allen, D. L. (2013). 1–3 John: Fellowship in God’s Family. (R. K. Hughes, Ed.) (p. 49). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.

D. Rasputin said when we sin as Christians, we provide God an opportunity to exercise and magnify his grace, so sin away! Of course, both of these approaches are completely false. If he kept reading in Romans… Paul answers this conclusion in . Should we keep on sinning… By no means!

E. When large manufacturing companies provide on-site clinics for their employees, that does not mean these companies are encouraging accidents and illness! This passage might be considered something of a spiritual clinic with the caution, “Watch out that you don’t sin! But if you do, you have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one.”

Allen, D. L. (2013). 1–3 John: Fellowship in God’s Family. (R. K. Hughes, Ed.) (pp. 49–50). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.

F. John is making it very clear here that his goal is to foster holiness in the body. Dr. Ligon Duncan writes, So John's very purpose in writing to them is to encourage a life of holiness. He knows that Christians cannot live sinlessly, but he never wants Christians to stop hating their sin and growing in holiness and grace.

G. Christians are saved from sin, not to sin! And he writes these things so that we will not stop our fight against sin. And so we see implicit in this teaching is that good and sound teaching is what will lead us to a life of holiness. But if we are trying to use Johns words here as a reason to continue to sin, then we are not understanding him. That is what he wants us to see clearly here.

Christians are saved from sin, not to sin!

H. And seriously why would you want to? In my opinion, it says a lot about what you think about Christ. Think about a Father who has to chastise his children about their sinful behaviors. After he is done he tells them that he loves them and will always be with them. Will always love them no matter what they do. What do you think about the children if after he is done speaking they think… sweet. If Dad is gonna love me no matter what, I guess i’m gonna do whatever I want to do cause no matter what i will never lose him or his love. Why would you want to now go out and do all the the things that the father does not want you to do, what will hurt his heart, what will greive his very soul.

I. Ligon Duncan - You see, when you really understand sin and grace, you won't want to go on sinning; you won't want to live in sin. When you really understand sin and grace, you want to grow in grace, and you want to die to sin. And that's why a glib attitude towards sin- an attitude that says, “Oh well, God will forgive me; that's His job” -that kind of attitude is certain proof of a graceless heart, because when the work of God's grace is done in your heart, you begin to hate sin, especially sin in you. You become less concerned with other's sins and more concerned about your own sins, and you desire for God to slay that sin and grow grace in you.

Allen, D. L. (2013). 1–3 John: Fellowship in God’s Family. (R. K. Hughes, Ed.) (p. 50). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.

J. What we also see here is that John is realistic. He knows that that thing that so easily besets us is eventually gonna get us. And in our fight against sin, unfortunately we may fall into sin, but if we do. We have hope. We have a Parakletos. And Advocate - “one who is called alongside to help in a time of need.” Obviously a kind of court of law metaphor.

That word “advocate” means “one who is called alongside to help in a time of need.”

Allen, D. L. (2013). 1–3 John: Fellowship in God’s Family. (R. K. Hughes, Ed.) (p. 50). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.

K. Occasionally back in the 1970s I would watch reruns of the old Perry Mason television show. There is something about lawyers and courtroom dramas that fascinate us. That’s why there are so many shows about lawyers on television. In all the years Perry Mason was on television, he never lost a case. Jesus, our advocate, is like that; he never lost a case … and he never will!

L. He is Jesus Christ, the righteous one. Because he is altogether righteous and paid my penalty on the cross when he died for my sins as my substitute, Jesus is my advocate. No other advocate do I possess. No pope or bishop or priest or the Virgin Mary is my advocate. No pastor or deacon or Bible study leader is my advocate. I have but one advocate, “Jesus Christ the righteous.”

Occasionally back in the 1970s I would watch reruns of the old Perry Mason television show. There is something about lawyers and courtroom dramas that fascinate us. That’s why there are so many shows about lawyers on television. In all the years Perry Mason was on television, he never lost a case. Jesus, our advocate, is like that; he never lost a case … and he never will!

Allen, D. L. (2013). 1–3 John: Fellowship in God’s Family. (R. K. Hughes, Ed.) (p. 51). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.

M. When the accusations against the bretheren come by Satan a picture we see in in the courtroom of heaven. We will not stand alone. Sure it will seem un-winable. Much of what Satan may accuse us of can be emphatically denied by us. He will point out all of our sins and I am sure that he will quote all the scriptures that declare the punishment for thee sins before the Father. It will seem like check mate. Un-winable. We will not be able to stand before God alone. And in comes our Savior… our counselor. our advocate. My defense attorney, the Lord Jesus, saying, “Yes, Father, he is guilty of that sin. But, Father, I went to the cross and died for that sin. When he was born again, through faith in me my atonement was applied to him and his sins were forgiven. I put my robe of righteousness on him. He is covered by my blood, and he is forgiven because he is your child, therefore my co-heir, a king and queen of the kingdom of heaven.

Then I can imagine my defense attorney, the Lord Jesus, saying, “Yes, Father, he is guilty of that sin. But, Father, I went to the cross and died for that sin. When he was a nine-year-old boy, through faith in me my atonement was applied to him and his sins were forgiven. I put my robe of righteousness on him. He is covered by my blood, and he is forgiven because he is my child.”

N. Not only to we have an advocate… but what an advocate we have.

Hebrews 7:25 NLT

Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.

Hebrews 7:

O. But some of us may not take courage in this. Some of us feel like Robert Murray McCheyne when we sin. “I feel, when I have sinned, an immediate reluctance to go to Christ. I am ashamed to go. I feel as if it would do no good to go—as if it were making Christ a minister of sin, to go straight from the swine-trough to the best robe—and a thousand other excuses; but I am persuaded they are all lies, direct from hell.” They are indeed.

I’m afraid some of us feel like Robert Murray McCheyne when we sin. “I feel, when I have sinned, an immediate reluctance to go to Christ. I am ashamed to go. I feel as if it would do no good to go—as if it were making Christ a minister of sin, to go straight from the swine-trough to the best robe—and a thousand other excuses; but I am persuaded they are all lies, direct from hell.” They are indeed.

P. This goes the other way as well. Flannery O’Connor - The way to avoid Jesus is to avoid sin. Avoid sin and you never have to approach Jesus for his grace and mercy. And it gets even better.

II. The Propitiation

Allen, D. L. (2013). 1–3 John: Fellowship in God’s Family. (R. K. Hughes, Ed.) (p. 52). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.

- The atoning sacrifice for our sin.

A. Jesus is our hilasmos - translated propitiation. (Biblical Word) Means - to satisfy the wrath of God against sin. It means to turn away His wrath. It means to offer a sacrifice that appeases God's just judgment and righteous anger against us and against our sin.

B. You see pictures of what it means to propitiate in the Old Testament in the sacrificial ritual. When you go into the courtyard of the temple or the tabernacle and you see bloody bodies of animals strewn everywhere and burned, charred remains of animals, you are seeing a picture, not of God's wrath having been visited on our sin, but you are seeing a picture of what our sin deserves. The just judgment, the bloody judgment, the condemning judgment of God: that's what we deserve; that's the picture of what we deserve. And in the ceremonies of the Old Testament ritual sacrificial system, we see ritually our sins transferred to the sins of these beasts.

C. But even though these pictures give us an idea of what it is to pay the penalty and atone for our sins, it does not actually take away our sins. The book of Hebrews tells us in chapters 9 and 10, the blood of those bulls and goats cannot forgive sin. It cannot be a propitiating sacrifice that turns away the wrath of God. So what can? Hebrews tells you; John tells you. Jesus is the propitiation. Notice here that it doesn't say that He is the propitiator. He isn't simply the One who offers a sacrifice of propitiation–like the high priest in the Old Testament did-but He is the propitiation. He is both priest and sacrifice. And John says, “When you’re fighting against sin, look to Jesus the Advocate. Look to Jesus the Righteous Advocate, and look to Jesus who is the propitiation for your sins.”

D. He is the One who in His death has turned away the condemnation of God against all those who trust in Him. He has borne the wrath of God wholly and solely and only, and therefore Christ's person and work are the ground of our fight against sin and the source from which our holiness flows and the basis on which our forgiveness rests. And, thus, the reason why those who trust in Christ are not frozen and paralyzed by their sin and not hopeless in their fight against sin is because of Jesus Christ. Christians are able to realistically and hopefully deal with sin because of who Jesus is and what He does.

E. And again why did he have to do this? Sin. That very thing that happened in the garden of eden. Falling into depravity. How bad?

Genesis 6:5 NLT

The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.

James 1:14–15 NLT

Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

James 1:4–5 NLT

So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.

F. But Shane my sin is not all that serious… I don’t do big really really bad sins.

James 2:10 NLT

For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.

G. It is a sobering thing to see that sin is a reality in this world. But because of what Christ has done we can have hope today.

H. Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures … the saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. He became sin who knew no sin...

I. The good news continues… All who call upon the name of the Lord. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart...