Christ Our Advocate
1 Jn. 2:1-2
Introduction
God is light was the first message of John here in this Epistle. The next message which he intended
to let us know is that Christ is our Advocate. This is the message that he and the other apostle would
like us to know. Not only us but the whole world. In our lost condition Christ became man to die for
us all and wash our sins with His own blood. His death on the cross is enough to save us.
I. Little Children
A. John calls the Christians, children, little children; his little children.
B. He calls them children, because they are converts; little children, because they are younger and new Christians, still lacking spiritual maturity, and his little children, to denote the spiritual relationship between them, (he views them as a family) and how much he loved them.
II. His advice
A. Ye sin not.
1. Though we can continually acknowledge and confess our sins (1 Jn. 1:9) we are not licensed to sin. John is telling us here to avoid sin and live a holy life.
2. We must be on guard against sin. It is sin that interrupts our fellowship with God, ruin the believer’s walk with Christ and destroys our testimony.
3. Sin must be dealt with immediately. We cannot smoke a bit, drink moderately, watch pornographic film, gossip a bit, flirt with someone else, go to the disco just to pass the time, etc., then go to church and expect the Lord to bless us. The Word of God says sin not, period. No more arguments.
4. After conversion, in the eyes of the Lord, we are now righteous due to what Christ has done for us. Positionally, we are forgiven from all our sins. Practically, however, we still have our sinful nature and as long as we are still in the flesh, we will struggle against sin until the day we die.
5. The Christian has two natures: flesh and Spirit (Gal. 5:16). The flesh is the enemy within (Gal. 5:17). God leaves the flesh within the Christian to teach us to walk by faith, not by sight. The flesh is never eradicated in this life. There is no sinless perfection in the Christian life (Jn. 1:8,10).
6. In this life, there will always be temptation. It is not sin to be tempted but it is sin to yield to temptation.
7. When we sin, we grieve the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
8. Let us remember that sin consists not merely in just doing visible evil acts, but in not doing the good that you have to do. James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
9. Yielding to sin can result to carnality and loss of fellowship with the Lord. If we fail to confess our sin, there’s a tendency that sin will have control in our lives. Either we are controlled by sin or the Holy Spirit controls us.
Illustration: Studies Support “Original Sin”
Ray Stedman wrote, “The clearest statement on original sin I have ever read comes from a report of the Minnesota Crime Commission. In studying humanity, the commission came to this frightening and factual conclusion:
” ‘Every baby starts life as a little savage. He is completely selfish and self-centred. He wants what he wants when he wants it—his bottle, his mother’s attention, his playmate’s toy, his uncle’s watch.
Deny him these wants, and he seethes with rage and aggressiveness, which would be murderous, were he not so helpless. “He is dirty. He has no morals, no knowledge, no skills. This means that all children, not just certain
children, are born delinquent. “If permitted to continue in the self-centred world of his fancy, given free rein to his impulsive actions to satisfy his wants, every child would grow up a criminal, a thief, a killer, a rapist.’ ”
Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations:
III. Our Advocate:
A. God’s love makes provision in case we do sin. A ship is supposed to float, but in case it accidentally sinks, there are life boats provided. God has appointed the Lord Jesus Christ to be an advocate to stand up and plead on our behalf.
B. We have a powerful adversary when we sin. Rev. 12:10 tells us about Satan who is “the accuser of our brethren” day and night. We cannot plead for ourselves when we sin, we go to an advocate who then will represent us.
C. An advocate is one who acts in behalf of another. It was used in a court of justice to denote a counsel for the defence. I would say a defence attorney.
D. The Greek word parakletos, translated “advocate,” is also translated “comforter” and is used of the Holy Spirit (Jn. 14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7).
E. God provides a double advocacy for the believer:
1. The Lord Jesus Christ interceding in heaven and
2. The Holy Spirit comforting on earth.
F. “Advocacy is the Divine means to meet individual failure amongst Christians, and to restore communion and rest of soul when lost or interrupted.
G. In Christ we have a lawyer who will never lose a case and will always win. Do you know that in the future, our advocate, the Lord Jesus Christ will also be our judge? Read Jn. 5:22 and 27, Mat. 25:31. Rev. 20:11. How can we then lose a case?
H. This gracious ministry by our risen Christ is founded upon His work of `propitiation,’ completed once and for ever, and upon the glory of His person, as the `righteous’ One ever abiding in the presence of God.
Illustration 1: The Faithful Advocate
A faithful advocate can never sit without a client in a courtroom. Nor does a true advocate even darken the court itself without a hope that something true and honest will result. A goldsmith may attain to lofty status as long as there are those who deal in precious metals. An advocate, in much
the same manner, is a limb of friendship. As observed by a famous past lawyer, a Roman named Cecero who was killed by a man he had defended, was once accused of the murder of his defendant’s father because “certainly he that defends an injury is next to him that commits it.”
However, we are dealing with Christ, the great Advocate, who does not side with us because of who we are whether great or lacking in character, but because he loves us. We have everything to lose when we do not trust One so honest and true. In today’s society, much is said of crooked and selfish advocates, but we have one who sticks closer than a brother—Jesus Christ, the Righteous. Bible Illustrations
Illustration 2: Connections in High PLaces
In April 2001, in the midst of Israeli/Arab conflict, a motorcade carrying the Security Service Chief of Gaza came under bullet fire from Israeli troops. The frightened security official called Yasir Arafat from his car for help. Arafat in turn called the U.S. ambassador, who then called the U.S. secretary of state, Colin Powell. Colin Powell then phoned Ariel Sharon, the Israeli prime minister, who ordered the shooting to stop immediately. And it did. The Security Chief’s connections eventually saved his life. In a similar way, Christians have a divine connection to the ultimate power of the universe that can make a world of difference in any situation. Illustrations for Every Topic and Occasion –
I. In verse 2 Christ is spoken as the propitiation for our sins.
J. Propitiation means satisfaction; covering; the fulfilment of a demand. It refers to God’s estimation of Christ’s sacrifice. God is fully satisfied by what Jesus Christ did on the Cross. The penalty for His broken law and man’s sin has been fully satisfied (Rom. 3:24-25; 1Jn. 2:2; Heb. 2:17; Isa. 5:11).
K. The Greek word translated “propitiation” (Ro 3:25) is also translated “mercy seat” in Heb. 9:5. The mercy seat perfectly covered the law which was contained in the Ark (Ex. 25:17,21). This symbolizes propitiation-Christ covering the demands of God’s law. That it is the blood of Christ which put away our sins was depicted on the Day of Atonement when blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat by the high priest (Lev. 16:11-17). “Propitiation is for God, and for Him alone, although it vitally concerns us. It is the blessed answer of Jesus meeting, in death and before God, the holy and righteous claims of Jehovah’s throne. God has been infinitely glorified, and His moral government gloriously vindicated in the blood-shedding of Jesus”.
Illustration: Propitiation
This means the turning away of wrath by an offering. It is similar to expiation but expiation does not carry the nuances involving wrath. For the Christian the propitiation was the shed blood of Jesus on the cross. It turned away the wrath of God so that He could pass “over the sins previously
committed” (Rom. 3:25). It was the Father who sent the Son to be the propitiation (1 John 4:10) for all (1 John 2:2). Offering whatever will turn away anger; paying the penalty. Propitiation has to do with persons,
expiation with things. Sin arouses the wrath of God; if people are to be forgiven, something must be done about his anger. Jesus’ death on the cross brought about a process of propitiation; it was the means by which divine anger was averted from sinners. The Shaw Pocket Bible Handbook
IV. Conclusion:
As children of God, it is God’s will for us not to sin. However, we still have the sinful nature in us that we will always the tendency to commit sin. In case we sin, God provided us with an advocate, a defence attorney to plead with us, the Lord Jesus Christ. Is He your lawyer now? If your answer is no, why not repent from your sins now and
receive Him as your personal Saviour.
