Christ, Our Advocate
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
“makes you wise unto salvation”
Where we’ve been...
Where we’ve been...
-the objective, historical reality of the gospel
-John’s (and the apostles) personal, tangible experience of it
-Proclaimed to you
-for fellowship
-for joy
-Marks of a true Christian (Confession/Honesty)
A Reason for Writing
A Reason for Writing
* “my little children”
-not an insult
-term of affection and endearment. Like a loving father wanting to guide his children into wisdom and safety.
Who do you trust the most? (someone who you know cares for your wellbeing)
“So that you may not sin” (v. 1)
HOLD IT! What is John saying? Is “not sinning” ever a possibility for us? Or is this the standard of what it means to be a true Christian?
Is there a chance a Christian could be so holy, faithful, obedient, that they never sin again? (you’ll get a chance to think through that question carefully and answer it in small group)
-That’s not the question John is answering. John wants to guard us from wandering off the path and falling into a specific ditch.
This is true in all kinds of areas of life: We need to be corrected and instructed on what we’ve gotten wrong, not what we’ve gotten right.
For example: If a basketball player is a ball hog, he doesn’t need a lecture from the coach about being more selfish with the ball—hold onto it longer—take more shots. He needs to be instructed that he’s playing a team sport, and he needs to figure out how to work with his team toward success.
-He just taught us that to be walking in the light, we can’t deny our sin, but instead confess it. We admit we are sinners and need a Savior, and that Savior forgives our sin when we confess it. We’re sinners and that’s just the way it is.
Do you see a potential danger here? What could someone wrongly conclude?
-Potentially, someone might kind of give up in the fight against sin. We might conclude that as long as we’re in the world, in this flesh, we have no hope for victory over sin. Not until Heaven. So we surrender to sin, and just keep confessing it. The problem is, THAT’S CLOSE TO BIBLICAL CHRISTIANITY, BUT IT’S NOT BIBLICAL CHRISTIANITY. (you have to be careful about the details, or you could get things really wrong)
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Is this true? Yes.
Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Is this true? Yes. HOWEVER, so is this:
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.
Sanctification—holiness.
but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.
-God directed John to write this letter, not so that you would take your sin lightly, but so that you would hate it and avoid it.
So, how do “these things” help you not to sin? Seriously, is there some secret here to being victorious over sin and temptation?
An Effective Weapon
An Effective Weapon
Remember the Armor of God in Ephesians 6? READ vv. 10-18
-What’s the weapon?
-The Word of God. Knowledge/Truth
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Just Knowledge? Is the problem of sin one of simply not knowing better?
-The Sword of the Spirit. *THE SPIRIT IS THE KEY! Without the Spirit, the truth can neither be understood, nor applied.
And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
Jesus’ use of parables. Has the Spirit given you ears that hear what God is saying? If you don’t seem to be growing in holiness and affection for God, maybe you haven’t been quickened by the Spirit. OR, your hearing has become dull because you haven’t been paying attention.
About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,
We are in constant need of the Spirit to renew our minds with His truth so we can be wise and discerning.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
*Truth applied by the Spirit produces greater Holiness/Obedience (a.k.a. less sinning)
-The truths given here through John are a right understanding of the horrific problem of sin in us, forgiveness in Christ ALONE, and warnings against ideas that oppose those two realities. Pray that the Spirit would apply these truths to you so you may not sin.
*Spend your life on the Kingdom of God and his righteousness! His plan for you is to be holy like he is holy, and he’s given you the means to be successful.
An Advocate for When We Fail
An Advocate for When We Fail
“But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
John uses language in verse 1 that might challenge our understanding of sin in the Christian’s life. It sounds like Christians might never sin again after they begin to follow Christ, or at least, it’s a rare occurrence (“if” it happens).
His point there was to guard us from taking sin lightly, and provoke us to pursue obedience to all God’s commands for us. NOW, he guards us from the other ditch of self-righteousness—depending on our behavior to produce or maintain our salvation.
When we sin, which is our daily experience, Jesus Himself advocates for us before God.
What is an advocate?
-One who comes alongside and helps. Someone who represents us and pleads our case (legal term—like a lawyer, but without all the negative connotations).
God, the just judge, burns in righteous anger against our sin, but our Advocate pleads our case before him, and he does so at his own expense.
-He’s also our propitiation (READ v. 2).
What is propitiation?
-The act of Jesus giving up his life as the bloody sacrifice upon which the Holy God poured out all his wrath against our sin. He is the one wrath-absorbing sacrifice that was sufficient to satisfy God’s justice—there is no other propitiation for sin.
Why is Jesus the only one who could do that?
He is Jesus Christ, the righteous (v. 1). The righteous for the unrighteous; the just for the unjust; he who knew no sin, became sin so we might become the righteousness of God.
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
“My little Children” I don’t want you to sin. I want you to pay attention to these things and pray that the Spirit will give you the grace to live in obedience and your joy can be complete. And when you sin, cling to Christ, who died for you and drank the judgment of God in your place. He stands before the Father as your advocate, giving you his righteous standing. Know his love and forgiveness, get back up and keep walking by faith.