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Sermons from 1
John |
A DEFENSE ATTORNEY BETTER THAN
PERRY MASON |
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Other sermons from 1 John
Sharing The Word Of Life (1:1-3) This series of sermons is presently being preached and will be added to as available
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You mention the name “Perry Mason” and almost everyone knows who you are talking about. From September, 1957 until May 1966, (271 episodes) the famous TV series defense attorney won case after case, clearing client after client, oftentimes dragging a confession from the murderer in the courtroom.
Contrary
to what many think, Perry Mason did not win every case. There was
episode 185 that aired during the show’s seventh season entitled
“The Case of the Deadly Verdict.” In case number CR11532; the State
of As great a defense attorney Perry Mason was (on TV of course) we as believer’s have a defense attorney that is even better and He is not a make-believe attorney. I am speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ who is our heavenly Advocate. John has been dealing with the subject of sin in the life of the believer. In 1 John 1:9 we saw that if we confess our sin we can be forgiven and cleansed of our sin. Now in 1 John 2:1-2, John draws our attention to the One that 1 John 1:9 calls the “faithful and just.” He describes Him as our defense attorney. Let’s look at these 2 verses and let me explain. First, think with me of: 1. FLEEING THE PRACTICE OF SIN! In 1 John 2:1 we are once again given a reason why the letter of 1 John was written: “My little children, these things write I unto you,” (Cp. 1 John 1:4). What is this second reason explained by John? It is, “that ye sin not.” In chapter one John has established the fact that no one can say they are without sin and do not sin (Cp. 1 John 1:8,10). Therefore we know that He is not calling for sinless perfection or living a life in which we never commit sin. One fellow said that the only perfect person he knew of was his wife’s first husband. The truth is, none of us are perfect and without sin, so what is John calling for when he says to us, “that ye sin not”? Let me suggest 2 things. A) What We Should Seek to Attain Even though in this life we will never get to the place we never sin, it should be our goal to live without sin. The fact of our tendency and propensity to sin should not be an excuse for not trying to be as sinless as possible. The Bible says in Genesis 6:9 that he, “Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.” He is described as a “just” man, which means that he was a righteous man. His righteous life was evident in that he was, “perfect in his generations.” The word “perfect” does not mean that he was without sin, but that his life was without blemish or stain. The Lord spoke to Abraham in Genesis 17:1 and said, “I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.” The word “perfect” is the same as used to describe Noah. God was telling Abraham to not let anything soil or stain his life. This should be a goal and aim of our life that we be perfect and sin not. Although we know that in this life we will not fully achieve this goal, nonetheless, it should be something that we pursue. Secondly, his words suggest: B) What We Seek to Avoid To “sin not” indicates that we are not going to be tolerate or ignore any sin in our life. Our goal should be not to sin, therefore we must seek to avoid sin in any form or fashion. It is said of the Lord Jesus in Hebrews 1:9, “Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity.” The Lord Jesus had a deep and divine love for righteousness. As well, He had a hatred for iniquity. The word “hated” means, “to detest, to persecute.” It describes someone who feels so strong against something that they attack it with great intensity. The same should be true for us. We should love righteousness. Our goal is to sin not. We should hate iniquity. We should so abhor and detest sin that it is treated as a great enemy of our soul and confronted and dealt with immediately and great intensity. To put it another way, our goal should be to be to sin less and less. We should make every effort to keep from sinning and to avoid sin at all costs. We must flee the practice of sin. Secondly, think with me of: 2. FACING THE PROBLEM OF SIN! John encourages our sinlessness and discourages our sinfulness. Then he says, “And if any man sin.” John knows that even though our goal is to sin not, it is a goal that we will often come short. Think about his words and what they say to us. A) The Truth We Must All Face
As
has already been established, we do sin. We sin because we are sinners.
We cannot say “that we have no sin” (cp. 1 John 1:8), nor can
we say “that we have not sinned” (cp. 1 John A little boy was overheard telling his baby sister about what he had learned in Sunday school. He said, “You see, it was Jesus’ job to die for our sins. It is our job to sin.” We are sinners, thus we sin. It is a problem that cannot be ignored or denied. It is a problem that we all must face. We have a sin problem and therefore we must confront our sins, confess our sins, and be cleansed of our sins. Also, there is: B) The Temptation We Must Always Fight We not only have a problem with sin, but there is a constant pull in us and on us to sin. The pull on us is from the allurements and attractions of the world around us. The pull in us is from the old man (our old nature) that longs for the things of the old life. This pull is described in Galatians 5:17, “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.” Both the flesh and the Spirit seek the control and domination of our life. This pull is what we call temptation—an enticement to do wrong. Because we have a sin problem then there is always this pull on us and at us to sin. It is a pull that has to be fought everyday of our lives. I read about two mountain boys that spotted a bobcat in a tree and decided they would catch it. One said, “I’ll shinny up the tree, catch it, and put it this sack.” The boy climbed the tree and there was an awful commotion. Limbs were shaking, skin and fur was flying, leaves were falling, screams from both boy and cat filled the air. The other boy yelled, “Do you need help catching that little ol’ bobcat?” The friend up the tree yelled back, “I don’t need help catchin’ him. I need help turnin’ him loose.” Our problem is two-fold. Sin don’t want to turn us loose and oftentimes we don’t want to turn sin loose. However, to sin not is to be our goal and resisting temptation is necessary. The third and final thing I draw to your attention from the text is: 3. FINDING THE PROVISION FOR SIN! We are challenged not to sin. Yet, John knows that will be humanly impossible, therefore he says, “And if any man sin,” acknowledging and accepting the fact that we will sin. Yet when we sin, John tells us, “We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And He is the propitiation for our sins.” We will sin, therefore when we sin, there is provision made for our sin. What is this provision? It is found in “Jesus Christ the righteous.” “Jesus” means, “Saviour.” It is the name associated with His humanity. He became man, identifying Himself as one with us and one for us. “Christ” speaks of Him as the “anointed one” or the “Messiah.” This is a name that reminds us of His deity. He was the Son of God. He is God the Son! It was God becoming flesh. It was God giving Himself for the sin of mankind. Jesus Christ is described by John as the “righteous one.” As to His deity, He is righteous by definition and by nature. As to His humanity, He was the sinless one in contrast to sinful man, fully qualified to be the Saviour of the world. Because He is “Jesus Christ the righteous one” He is to the believer: A) The Saviour That Defends Us He is our “advocate.” The word speaks of someone who is called in to stand by the side of another. The word was used to speak of a friend called in to help a person who is troubled or distressed or confused. There is the picture of a commander called in to help a discouraged and dispirited army. It also spoke of a lawyer, an advocate called in to help a defendant who needs his case pleaded.
As
our Advocate, Jesus Christ stands before God, the Righteous Judge of the
universe and pleads our case. Let me paint you a mental picture of what
is being described. Revelation If you are a Perry Mason fan, then you are familiar with his words, “Your honor, my client is not guilty.” Our defense attorney steps up and says, “Your Honor, my client is guilty. But your Honor, don’t look at my client. Look at me. I am the Righteous One who died for their all their sins. On the basis of my shed blood I plead for the remission of their sin.” Jesus Christ the righteous, our defense attorney, does not plead for us on behalf of He does not plead for us on the basis of our reputation. He does not plead on the basis of our good works. He does not plead not guilty, arguing that we have not sinned, for we are guilty. We have sinned. He does not plead the personal righteousness of the believer. He does not plead that the believer has been as good as he can be. No, He pleads His own righteousness. Thus God looks at us through the righteousness of our Advocate and sees us without sin. Secondly, Jesus is to us: B) The Sacrifice that Delivers Us Verse two tells us that He is “the propitiation for our sins.” The word “propitiation” speaks of a sacrifice offered to turn away God’s anger and judgment on sin. Since we are guilty, there is the penalty for our sin. Yet, the Jesus Christ the Righteous is our sacrifice for sin that turns away from us God’s anger and punishment for sin. Jesus Christ the Righteous, stands before God and holds up His nail-pierced hands and says, “I paid the price for their sins,” thus a Holy God accepts the death of the Lord Jesus as the payment for our sins. We should strive not to sin, yet we do sin. But when we sin, Jesus Christ the Righteous offers His shed blood as the basis for God forgiving us. John adds in verse 2 that Jesus is not only the propitiation for our sins, but also for the sins of the whole world. Whether we come as a sinner needed forgiveness or a saint needing to be forgiven, He is our defense attorney. Oh, by the way. If we will come to Him and confess our sins, there will never be an episode entitled, “The Case of the Fatal Verdict.” He’s never lost a case! |