July 25, 2021 Sunday Morning Service

We continue our discussions from 1st, John. and thinking about, How we need to lighten up and how we need to be illuminated once again, with Jesus. And once again with the word of Christ. And that's exactly what John is doing to a group of folks, he's reminding them of what he caught them in light of the Gospel that he preached to them. There were a group of people who had Arisen from within and who were teaching false things and they were leading these Christians away from the truth. So John is riding them to correct that error and to point out what truth is. And it begins with Jesus Christ. the Bible calls Jesus not only our savior, but our Attorney. Our counselor. Our Advocate, the Greek word is parakletos. That means one is called to our side. And he stands up. in front of us before the judge, the father, and he, Fights are capes. He's our attorney. Fees are appointed. Attorney fees are anointed attorney. He's our counselor, our Advocate, the word, paracletus, or Advocate means one who speaks for us. And we'll get to that in a little bit but we all every one of us might need an attorney every now and then there's a lot of jokes about it and I didn't want to tell a joke about the attorneys because it's too easy.

But I want us to understand that you, and I, as you sit here today, and as I stand here today, all of us are guilty. We need a divinely appointed attorney because we cannot argue our case by ourselves. We need someone with experience. We need someone who understands what it means to keep the law.

And Jesus understands that because he kept the law perfectly perfectly. And therefore he is our righteousness. It's not about what about his righteousness known to keep the law. And everyone here today has violated that Divine Law and the justice of God demands. Death for everyone who has violin.

But we have an attorney. And he comes to our defense and he stands up every day for you and me and he argues our case before the Father, the Supreme judge. And so the text that Kayden read for us is really a powerful text. I'm going to take a few months just to look at that one more time.

My little children, these things I write to you so that you may not send. And and there's also it could be translated but but if any we have an advocate with the father Jesus Christ, the righteous Guardian will for mankind. Do not send. God realistic will for mankind. You will send. Therefore he sent to remedy now again, God's idea will for you and me. We don't send God's realistic will says Doug. You're going to sit and there's nothing that you can do or say about her in your defense. You will violate my law. I'm guilty. And your guilt. And that is why we need Jesus Christ, more than ever and his grace as our counselor. And so he gives us Good Counsel. That's what we're looking for out of our attorney, Good Counsel. And so he says we have an advocate with the father. We have one who speaks for us. with the father, Jesus Christ, the righteous and he himself is the propitiation for our sins. That word propitiation. Memes of tone. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins because of his sacrifice. Our sins are wiped away. Wiped clean by the blood of Jesus Christ. And therefore we become at 1. Atonement that one with with Christ and with a father he has reconciled us back to the father by his sacrifice. And he says not only for But the sins of the entire world from the beginning of time. Jesus Christ is the righteous atoning. Sacrifice for mankind that has ever existed. And what a tremendous blessing that is not only for us but for the entire world but especially for us as children of God. And I say, especially for us because as children of God, you and I have blessings that no one else has We have all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus, including the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ, and cloning the power of that accountant that he made for us upon the cross of Calvary. And so John here, in this particular instance, he's really presenting for us a courtroom case. This is truly Perry Mason. I'm dating myself. Perry Mason, right? I don't know. All the other shows, but I know Perry Mason. And he was a good attorney evident. But here, John is painting a courtroom scene. And you and I are on trial. And the prosecutor. He has accused us of crimes against God, and against his word. And the prosecutors name is Satan. Interestingly, in Revelation chapter 12. He is the one. Who accuses the great accuser? He accuses us night, and day of our sins. Look at that car. Look what you did. Look what he's doing now. Look what he did. 20 years ago. Look at that. He is a sinner that he's breaking your law.

But then, we have an attorney who stands up. I object your honor. That is not the case. Because I have come to remedy this situation. I stand between you and him and I am the goat weed and I have been perfect and keeping the wall. And therefore, because of my righteousness, I stand up for the unrighteousness of Doug, Doug is guilty. Nothing we can do about that. But my blood and purifying. That's what his sacrifice was all about. And so the judge the Supreme judge What are you looking at me? He's looking at me, not through his own eyes. but through the prism of the blood of Jesus Christ, and he sees a clean slate That's the blessing you and I have being in Christ Jesus. Now, can you understand just how important it is to be located and to be in Christ Jesus?

Because that's where the blood is. That's where the blessings are. And anyone outside of that does not have the blessing of the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ, sadly been. So I just want to call your attention to a couple of translations that render this passage One says hear of anyone does sin. We have one who pleads our case. That's the meaning of the word advocate. Want to plead our case before the father he is the Jesus Christ and noticed. It's present tense brother sister, you know what that means? Because you've heard me say it from his Pulpit time and time again. The present tense is continuous action, and so, we'll stay this way. We have one who continues, pleading our case before the father. Continuously. And that is Jesus Christ because he is the only righteous one that can plead our case. And here's another translation, I like, if anyone sends, we have a counselor with the father, Jesus Christ, the righteous, he's our attorney. And he's on call twenty-four hours a day. Ecclesiastes chapter 7, verse 20. Well there is not a just man on Earth who does good and does not send that kind of dispels. The notion that we need to be perfect. The good news is we can't be perfect. The bad news is is that we're not perfect. But the good news is we have one who is perfect and he stands between the father. In our cells, he's the one that makes us righteous. It's his blood that cleanses us from all unrighteousness. I didn't Proverbs Chapter 20, it says, who can say I have made my heart clean. I am, I from my send a rhetorical question. The point being. I can't purify myself. There's nothing in this world. I can't stand that. Good that I have done. Will just do away with the bad that I've done. It doesn't work like that. That would be called earning your salvation. And there's nothing that we can do to earn or Merit or to put God in our debt walk because we are continually in his dead. We can't obligate God to our self based upon what we do or what we have done. But God, I'm against himself to his promise. Promises that he will save us if we keep his word. And keeping his word is not learning a thing, it's simply obedience. And yet we still remain in his debt.

Luke chapter 17 verse 10. Says that when you have done all that, there is for you to do. You have kept every come in Save yourselves. I am not worthy. I'm not worthy. but the Paradox is Jesus thinks I'm worthy. No, worse than a slow dub, the slow, right?

the Bible says that, We're worse than smokes spiritually speaking. And yet, God loves you so much. That he was going to send his son. The righteous one to die for you. And for me and here's the difference between Being what we must do. We can't be sin less. But we can be sinless. Or we can be seen less, I should say, but not senseless. And there is a difference between we must be sin. Less that is we learn to sing as we grow in Jesus Christ because the love of Jesus compels us to do what is right. What is the love for Jesus? That makes us want to be good. That makes us want to do, right? That's what it means to love Jesus. He's not saying, don't do it because you have to, don't you good? Because I commanded it, dude, because I love you, and you love me. That's the relationship. He desires everything we do in this lifetime. We ought to do now because we have to But because we love to. Because we love Jesus. And so we make it a part of our Lives to send less. Not this endless, but to send us. Because we'll never be perfect. We will always send. And that is a promise, remember. He says, we deceive ourselves, if we say we have no sin and the truth is not in US. and so, the point is that we are going to send but like the text says he says but we have an advocate with the father, we have one who speaks to the father or not to be have Jesus Christ the righteous It's a beautiful thing to understand that we have a good. And as I said appointed, and anointed counselor, and anointed attorney for you and me, because we cannot and dare, not represent ourselves. We could never be our own attorney. We can never defend ourselves before, God, and I found it interesting. There was an old quote, an old adage that goes back. He who, he who chooses himself to be an attorney, has a fool for a client has many ways of what you can say that adage. But I like the way Abraham, Lincoln said it, and I think you said it best He says, he who serves as his own counsel has a fool for a lawyer and a jackass work fine. He put it right out there and that's exactly the sentiment that is involved with. We think that we're going to stand before the Judgment bar of Jesus Christ and plead our case before the father, JoJo stands as an example. As one who tried to stand up before God and plead his case. And he failed photos. Proving that man can't defend himself and this is what Joe says about the matter. Yes, I know. All this is true in principle, but how can a person be declared innocent in God's sign? If someone wanted to take God to court? Would it be possible to answer him even once in a thousand times for God is so wise? And so mighty who has ever challenged him successfully, And then in the 38 and 39, chapters all the way to 40. Give Joe a final examination job. Where you there? When I created the universe, where you there, when I laid the foundations of the universe? Can you tell me that I could have done it a different way? Men, who know the dimensions better than I do Joe, but could you help me out? I can. You imagine Joe, just standing there listening to God's fun during boys were you there? Were you there when I made Leviathan, this great Beast. That no man could tame. Were you there when I made the path of the sea? Be called at current Pounds of the sea. something we learned about in the 1718 is proving that God's word is Right proving that got understood that when he created the oceans and the Seas that there were current times of the sea but all this points to the fact that you and I can never Defend ourselves before God and thankful. You and I have a wonderful attorney in Jesus Christ who pleads our case. And so, on point. Imaginary Sherman with one point, not three. But one What the one point to go on for a long time we all need a public defender with good counsel. We all need Jesus Christ as that counselor. But notice what Hebrews in chapter 9 tells us. The writer says for Christ, is not enter the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true but it just happened. It's chill. Now to appear in the presence of God for us in the Bible tells us that cries when he ascended that to Heaven, that he took his place or sat upon the right hand of the father. Then we kind of think that Jesus was up there with his crown and his robe and scepter, and he's just sitting there like this. I don't know if you ever watch the Conan the Barbarian and he's just sitting there on his throne, looking over, his massive Empire, like this. As if Jesus doesn't do anything anymore, he just sits around. This verse he says, but he has entered into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God, that means he's not just sitting, he's representing you. And me now, you think about what he has done for us that he died for us. And that was enough. He shed his blood for us, but that wasn't enough for that. He gave up some attributes for eternity. That is he was going to give back all authority to God, the father and that he himself along with you and me will be subject to the father in eternity. Why? Because he gave that right up because he wanted to be with you and me, there's more beyond the crossed and we think and then decide all that he stands up everyday. Pleading our case before, the great judge of the universe the Creator. And he says Not Guilty by virtue of My Blood, by virtue of righteousness, of God, showed how much does that sound familiar? Doesn't that sound like the golden text of the Bible, John chapter 3 verse 16 live course it does because it's the same job saying the same in a different manner for God. So loved the world that he gave us his only son so that we might have eternal life.

That we might. Have eternal life.

There is a sense in which you do not have internal. But there is yet another sense, in which we don't have eternal life yet that if it hasn't been realized. And so this gets back to the idea that we too can fall from grace, we can sever ourselves from Christ willingly or unwillingly knowingly or in ignorance. By Omission or commission, we can do that. And separate ourselves from God. Thereby separating ourselves from the blessings that are showered Upon Us by the grace of God. And by the blood of Jesus Christ, we have the riches of the Forgiveness of sins by his blood. And so he says, this is real love. What is that? Not that, we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. That's what That's what he did for you. And for me, it's so when we think about this text, We think about what John is saying in verses 1 and 2, he's pointing out that there's something about salvation that we could never do ourselves. That it took a Divine calling in a divine right to stand between the god of the universe in hell. a hell, you and I were destined for But things changed because of Jesus Christ, the whole world change because of Jesus Christ. And because of his sacrifice he's saying you are now free from sin and from death. Wow, what a blessing to behold and what an incomprehensible thought. Let me sit down and just think about who we are in light of God, the Creator who loved us that is love. And let me remind you that I John first John chapter 5 in verse 3. He says, and I want you to take note of this, it's very important because love is not that that drippy syrupy lovey-dovey emotion, right? I love you. Steve. I love you.

Just what God says, this is the love of God. That you keep his Commandments. And his Commandments are not burdensome.

That's a blessing. That's a blessing to behold to think about that. God sees us as being worthy to keep his come in. And he sees us as worthy, he says, it's not a burden. Why? Because you love him. That's the point. We are operating in ought to operate out of love for you. Nothing else. We can't be legalistic about it. We can't turn around and say, well, God told me to do this, so I got to do it. That's not the obedience God wants this, he wants to listen your heart. Jesus said to do this. And I love to do it because he loves me and I love him. And that's why I'm going to do it because I love you. Wives and husbands, you know, you have to operate in that with that matter, you don't do it because she told you to do it. You do it because you love her. You do everything for even die for. Well that's the love of God. And he died for you and me. In that he sent his son Jesus and he died upon that cross. And so as we consider this morning that powerful text that he is a proof that he is made everything right for you and me and that we turn ourselves. Am I good enough? The bottom line is no, you're not good enough. No one is good enough. But Jesus is. Jesus made a way for you and me. Get the heaven while not being perfect. Can you say Amen to that? Amen. It's so he's giving you an opportunity this morning. He says you can take advantage of that and you can trust in that all you want. And here's how you do it. You need to be in me. You need to be in Christ. How do you do that for your all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus Will? How did that happen? Paul For as many of you as been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ, you are now in Jesus Christ by virtue of being baptized for the remission of your sins and Jesus simply said he that believes and is baptized shall be saved. You can enter into what they call the full of God that Sheepfold where the master Shepherd protects his flock and protects his flock by his own blood and he has us from sin, from the filth of this world. And the creator of the universe we were separated from because of sin. Thanks to Papa and Mama Adam and Eve. We were separated but because of these son, we now have a right standing with the father. And he says, here's all you have to do. Will you take advantage of that this morning? If you have not if you have not put Jesus Christ on a baptism I plead with you this morning don't go home without doing. So tomorrow is not promised to you or to anybody doing today. While the opportunity is here, if you have done that, you have put in baptism but You got caught up in the world and all of us have done from time to time. He's just come back, come back to the fold with her safety. Come back with a Shepherd is he'll protect you from the wolves and he'll protect you from the meanest wolf of all satan by his blood. If you desire that this morning you can have that out together. We stand and send