Christ is Central (pt.1)

One of the things that the boys and I love to do is play video games together, it’s sort of our thing. We have particular games that we can all play together, which always make for good family fun. There is one game that we can all play together and it is called Mario Kart. Maybe you are familiar with the character Mario, who is probably the most recognizable video game character of all time. Mario Kart is a racing game where there are different characters and you drive around in a little kart and the goal, of course, is to come in first place. Now, when you set up the game, there are different levels if you will. There is sort of an ‘easy’ mode, in which the game assists you and helps you to stay on the course. If it is your first time playing this is helpful so that you don’t spend the entire game falling off the edge or stuck somewhere. The purpose is to allow a player to enjoy the game without making it too difficult. When you play in this mode you can learn pretty quick and next thing you know, you are winning every race! It’s great. Until you take the mode off. All of a sudden, you put it on the normal mode or the hard mode and then you go from being great to average and then to below average. It’s sort of like bowling with the bumpers… everyone can be decent with bumpers. However, when you take the bumpers off, everything changes. Can you imagine if someone only bowled with bumpers and never took them off? They wouldn’t know the game of bowling, would they? If you take the risk of the gutters out then bowling is a much different activity. Sometimes people don’t want to play if they can’t have the bumpers. Why? Because it’s harder. It takes more practice. It takes patience. As I consider this, it reminds me of the Christian life. I believe there are scores of Christians who believe that the Christian life is always lived in easy mode, or there are perpetual bumpers up. The problem is, we all quickly learn that there is no easy mode in Christianity. There are no bumpers. The Christian life is hard. What makes it hard? The sin that lives within us and which we deal with daily. The reality is that regardless of where we are in our Christian walk, we will have to wrestle with our sin. I want you to consider this thought as we walk through the text: In our wrestling with sin, we have confidence in the work of Christ as well as a model in the walk of Christ. We will take two weeks to look at this passage.

Today will be part one and next week will be part two.

Read 1 John 2:1-6

A few months ago, we began a series in 1 John called That you may know. Obviously, we had a few months break but I am grateful to return to it. Chapter one of 1 John deals with several different issues but it begins with a focus on Christ, God in flesh. What we saw in that first section was that what we believe about Christ will affect how we act. Right beliefs lead to right actions and wrong beliefs lead to wrong actions. What we believe about Christ matters. Then in Verses 5-10 we learned that good theology says that God is perfect and holy, and we are completely and utterly sinful. Right away in this letter, we learn that John is going to give us a wonderful theological examination of Jesus Christ, while also giving us a sobering examination of ourselves. In verses 8-10 it is clear that we are indeed sinful but we have hope that we can find forgiveness for our sins.

In verse one of Chapter 2, John begins with this statement, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. It appears that John may be giving the other side of the story here. Perhaps he was afraid that someone could stop at chapter one and somehow minimize their sin because they can find forgiveness in their sins. As if someone can say, “No big deal! I’ll just ask for forgiveness.” John says NO! The goal of the Christian life to not sin. John is going to show in a little more detail the work of Christ that allows for forgiveness, which I believe will act as a deterrent for sin. When we understand how forgiveness is bought, it changes our perspective.

The Work of Christ

One thing that we must remember is that Christ is the answer to our sin issue. We are not fighting this fight alone or without help, Christ is the answer… always. When we think about the work of Christ, John mentions two aspects: Jesus our advocate and Jesus as the propitiation. The word that is used for advocate is the word parakletos, which is the same word that John uses for the Holy Spirit in the Gospel of John. Typically, in that context it is translated as Helper, however in this passage, it can hold the meaning of advocate or one who comes alongside another, or even the word intercessor. When I hear the word advocate I cannot help but think of a legal context, in which there is one who will come alongside someone and speak on their behalf. So part of the work of Christ is his advocacy on our behalf. This can be understood both in the past and in the present. John is saying this: When you find yourself in sin, Jesus will be your advocate before God the father. The picture is Jesus, who is perfect and righteous in every way, is advocating on our behalf, he helps us in the midst of our sin. I believe John is painting this picture because sometimes when we find ourselves messing up again, we might think, God will never love me or God will never forgive me. It is easy to find ourselves in a pit of despair after struggling and succumbing to sin. John Stott helps us to understand this passage even better, “Once the sinner has been justified by God his judge, he has entered the family of God and become related to God as his Father. If he should sin, he does not need another justification from the divine judge. He is a child of God; he needs the Father’s forgiveness. This is assured to him through the advocacy of Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.”[1] John here is speaking of the advocacy for the Christian. This is not saying that every time we sin we need to be justified before the Father, rather we need the forgiveness that we talked about in chapter 1. If Jesus is our advocate, what does He plead? He doesn’t plead our innocence.

Jesus can be our present advocate because of his past work. The word that John uses here is the word propitiation, although some of your translations might use the word atoning sacrifice. I want you to underline the word propitiation, it is a big word but an important word. Buried in the meaning of the word propitiation is the idea of satisfaction or turning away wrath. You might say, Wrath? Whose wrath? The Bible is very clear that God hates sin. He is perfect and can have nothing to do with sin. Sin is not some small thing but it is in essence rebellion, of a horrendous nature, which deserves punishment. The punishment is not a slap on the wrist but death and it is a deserved punishment. The Gospel picture is this: Jesus was our propitiation, he was our wrath bearer. There is another mental picture that one could come up with and it is the idea of Jesus absorbing wrath for us. This is an incredibly beautiful truth. Powerful. It is on these grounds that Jesus can be our advocate; His finished work. When we sin, Jesus can stand before the father and plead our case because of what he has done for us. Yes, this was done in the past but his propitiation has present implications. This gives great confidence in the Christian life, but with a large dose of humility. The sort of negates the idea that we might just sin willy-nilly because we know that forgiveness has come at such a high price. John says that he is our propitiation, not for ours only but for the whole world. John is not saying that all people will be saved but Christ’s propitiation is available for all. Those who believe in Christ can appropriate His death to cover their sins. His work, specifically his advocacy and propitiation can give us great confidence to live the Christian life boldly knowing that nothing can “separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

This is the beauty and essence of the Gospel, that Jesus Christ took our punishment for us, that he was our propitiation. I recently read something in which a pastor, when he is hiring new staff members will ask this question, “When is the last time the Gospel has made you weep?” Let that sink in for a moment. “When was the last time that you wept over the Gospel.” Why would you weep? Why would this Gospel message bring you to tears? One, The abounding love that Jesus Christ displayed for us. Last week, we talked about Jesus dying on the cross for the rebels, the people that hated him. Paul says it this way, “but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Not only did he die but he suffered the wrath and punishment of God. The innocent Lamb of God. The prince of Peace. Jesus Christ. He did that for you. Have you ever been humbled and moved to tears when someone has done something kind and generous for you? I have. Multiply that by a thousand when it comes to the love of Christ. You and I had zero chance of changing our situation. We couldn’t please God on our own. We were totally and completely lost. I recognize that not everyone cries, but there is something very appropriate to weep at the foot of the cross. Tears of thankfulness. When you realize where you should be but understand that because of the grace of God your eternal destiny is much different. We should never move beyond this message as if it is for beginners only. Oh, would you and I be shaken to the core by this extravagant love of Jesus Christ.

We can also weep because the work of Christ changes my understanding of sin. You see, when I recognize the great penalty that Christ undertook for me, I hate the sin that dwells in me. While I am thankful that I have an advocate that pleads my case, out of love for Christ, I don’t want to keep on sinning and sinning. I want to love and honor Christ in my life. I want to move beyond my old habits and ways. I don’t want to say, “well, that’s just the way I am.” I want to be the man that Christ has called me to be. I want to live this victorious Christian life. So when I reflect on the Gospel, it does something on the inside so that I can say, “If Christ died for me, I will live for him.” When I understand the gravity and seriousness of sin, it changes everything! When is the last time you wept over your sin? To understand the great lengths that Christ went through for you and me is to understand that our sin matters today. Sin comes in all varieties for all different types of people, but the truth is, it doesn’t matter if you are five or ninetyfive, we all deal with sin in our lives. Now, we don’t despair because of our sin but we strive to move beyond it, because of what Christ has done for us. Let me ask you this question: Do you view your sin in that way? Is there something in your life right now that you know doesn’t belong? Now think about that, and consider what Christ has gone through to cover that sin… is it worth it? Is you momentary pleasure worth the blood of Christ? Oh, it might be easy to discount this message and say, “No big deal!” However, I plead with you this morning: please consider your sin in light of the great sacrifice of Christ. Don’t think about me, the messenger, think about Christ. You might say, “Well, I’ll never be perfect!” That doesn’t mean that we don’t strive after Christ who is perfect.

Now, if you have never experienced the forgiveness of Jesus Christ, you can this morning. You see, your sin deserves to be punished. You and I deserve the wrath of God, but Jesus took our place as we talked about this morning. However, we must receive this great gift. Romans 10:9-10 says, “…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” Wherever you are, whether you are watching online or watching here in person, you can receive this gift of salvation. There are no magic words, no magic prayers, it is simply a matter of belief. A man in the New Testament cried out to God, “Be merciful to me, A sinner!” This is a good place to start and then you recognize that it is Jesus and only Jesus who can save you from your sins, not your deeds, not your works but Christ. Would you come this morning to Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior?

[1]Stott, John. The Letters of John, 85.