Our Righteous Advocate1 John 2:1-2

After Jesus Christ was raised from the dead He ascended into heaven to sit at the Father’s right hand (Heb. 1:3).  He will continue to sit there until the day the Father has appointed for Him to return to the earth at His 2^nd Coming.  In between His Ascension to heaven and His future return to earth Jesus is busy at work.  He is “building His Church”, “pouring out the Holy Spirit” and more.  Particularly we are going to look at His Advocacy for us as Christians right now.  Jesus is our Advocate before the Father right now. 

You might ask, “Why do I need an advocate?”  For many reasons, but one reason is because as Christians we still commit sin.  Do you commit sin as a Christian?  Then you need to hear this today. 

Today we are going to look at 3 points, and maybe a bonus point, regarding Jesus Christ as our Advocate.

#1:  Jesus Christ Advocates for Christians.
            First, Jesus Christ Advocates for Christians.  What do I mean?  Well, notice Christians are John’s intended audience.  In verse 1 he says, “My dear children…”  He addresses his Christian audience like this 4 more times in the same chapter (12, 13, 18, 28).

“Children” is an affectionate and pastorly way of referring to believers.  First we are children of God, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1).  But reading through Scripture we see also that we are children in another sense:  to those whom we learn from.  Paul called Timothy his “dear son” (2 Tim. 1:2) and Titus his “true son” in the faith (Titus 1:4).  There is a verse popular with parents from 3 John 4 where it says, “I have not greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”  If you look closer you will realize that the Apostle John is not referring to his biological children but those whom he had led to the faith, pastored and discipled. 

The term “children” is not something we should be offended by, as though it reflects immaturity.  It is not related to how spiritual we are, or are not.  Rather we should embrace it because it asserts our position as children in the family of God, where we call on a heavenly Father.  As a matter of fact, you can’t become part of the family of God unless in a way you become like a child.  In Matthew 18:3 Jesus said, “Unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Are you a child of God?  You have to become like a child – humble and trusting – in order to become a child of God.  Humble yourself before the Lord Jesus Christ and trust in Him for your salvation and you will be born again – spiritually born into God’s family as one of His.  Immediately you will have a Savior who not only saved you from your sins, but, One who daily represents you to the Father in heaven.  In other words, He is your heavenly Advocate.

 

#2:  Christians are to Avoid Sin

            Secondly, as Christians we are to avoid sin.  Very clearly John states in verse 1, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.”  As God’s children, who are saved from the penalty of our sins, we are to live a life where we increasingly avoid sin.  Over and over again the Scriptures command Christians to stop sinning.  Romans 6:1 asks the question, “Shall we go on sinning so that sin may increase?  By no means!”  You see, false teachers say we can sin because God gives us grace, Jude 4 says, “they turn the grace of our God into a license for immorality.”  But false teachers are contradicted by Scripture.  In 2 Timothy 2:19 these words authoritatively declare:  “Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription:  ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.’”  Peter says in 1 Peter 1:14-16, “As obedient children, do not conform any longer to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.  But just as He who called you is holy so be holy in all you do; for it is written:  ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’”  Then John himself says in the next chapter, 1 John 3:9, “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning because he is born of God.”

            Notice that we have the ability to sin and the ability not to sin.  This is clear from John’s statement, “I am writing this to you so that you do not sin.”  God clearly does not want Christians living sinfully.  When faced with sin we have the ability to commit that sin, and, we have the ability not to commit that sin.  There is no place for statements like, “Well it’s just who I am and I can’t change.”  And I am not talking about the Weslyan doctrine of perfectionism where we achieve a state of non-sin.  I’m talking about our ability to choose in the moment of temptation to resist.  First Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” 

            The way to avoid sin is by the word of God.  Don’t miss what he says, “I write these things to you…”  It’s as though the believers needed to hear what John was saying in order to choose for themselves not to sin.  John’s writings are the inspired word of God.  The Holy Spirit was communicating through John.  It is through God’s Word we have what we need to make God-honoring choices, decide for holiness and decide against sin.  In other words, the power to turn from sin and to righteousness comes from knowing what the Bible says.  But being familiar isn’t even enough, it is knowing what God says in His Word and believing it.  Listen to how the Psalmist said it in Psalm 119:11, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”  Growing as a Christian necessarily involves less and less sin over time as we believe more and more of what the Bible teaches.

But we as Christians must not only be biblically informed in order to avoid sin, we must be concerned about sin.  Not in a guilt-ridden, hopeless, complex sort of way, but, rather concerned because we want to be careful with ourselves in order to please God with how we live.  John says, “I write this…”  When he says “this”, he is referring to what he just said in chapter 1 already.  Chapter 1 is all about the ongoing fellowship we as Christians have with God.  As believers we are to not walk in the darkness, but walk in the light (6-7) and the reason is because God is light (v5).  If we commit sin we are not to claim we didn’t sin but instead we are to confess it as sin (v8-10). 

Illustration:  Don’t believe your Facebook Page.  According to a study by the Future Foundation of 5,000 people in the UK, “people who use social media platforms are more likely to feel like a failure than people who steer clear of Facebook and other online networks.”  The study found that a third of young men between the ages of 25 and 34 wish they were more like the person they describe themselves as in their social media profiles.  The study reveals that this social media age we are living in results in people trying to project idealized versions of themselves on Facebook and other media sites so that they can appear to others to be successful, happy, and living the good life. 

The contrast between one’s public image and personal reality has created the sense of failure in these people.  Of course we don’t need Facebook to project a glossy image of ourselves to others.  We can pretend to be better than we really are and we probably do it more than we want to admit.  And that is what John is talking about.  When it comes to sin in our lives we are not supposed to gloss over it.  We are supposed to confess it.  Which brings us to our next point.

 

#3:  Christ is our Advocate

Thirdly, Jesus Christ is our Advocate.  Notice the last half of verse 1, “But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.”  John’s letter up until this point has been focusing on how a Christian is supposed to respond after he or she commits sin.  Now he tells us how Jesus responds:  He speaks to the Father in our defense.  We have an advocate in heaven before our Father.  The Greek word translated as “speaks in our defense” literally means “one who is summoned alongside, a helper in a lawsuit.”  It speaks of a lawyer, a legal advocate, who makes your case for you and defends you in a courtroom.  The same word is used of the Holy Spirit when John calls Him the “Helper”, or “Counselor” in John 14:16 and 26. 

I’ll say that defending us is not the only activity Jesus is involved in while at the Father’s right hand.  Turn to Hebrews 4:16.  [Read].  Here Jesus is said to give us grace to help us in our time of need.  When we are weak He gives strength.  When we are confused He gives us wisdom.  But here in 1 John 2 the Apostle John refers specifically to those occasion when we sin and Jesus becomes our Advocate.

One reason we need an Advocate is because we also have an Accuser.  Turn to Revelation 12:20.  This passage describes the point halfway through the Tribulation where Satan is finally hurled from heaven and never allowed to return.  Yes, that does mean that Satan currently has access to heaven.  It says, “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ.  For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.”  When we sin the Accuser there standing before God launching his accusations against us.  And his caseload is heavy because it says he is there day and night. 

But, next to God is our Advocate, the Righteous One, Jesus Christ, who speaks to the Father in our defense.  According to 1 Corinthians 1:30 Jesus is our righteousness, and, nothing the enemy says about us can win against what our Lord says for us.  Romans 8:33-34 says, “Who shall bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?  It is God who justifies.  Who is he that condemns (Satan)?  Christ Jesus, who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?”

 

Brothers and sisters “we have One who speaks” for us.  Our Lord is in heaven. He was raised from the dead and exalted above the heavens to sit at His Father’s right hand.  Romans 8:34 says, “Christ Jesus … is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”  Hebrews 1:3 says “After Jesus had made purification for sins He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” 

The fact that He is sitting at the Father’s side is confidence for us because in order for Him to be sitting there He needed to be raised up.  And in order to be raised up God needed to be satisfied with His sacrifice.  Verse 2 says, “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins…”  And if God is satisfied with His sacrifice for our sins then we know we can never be separated from God’s love. 

            Think of how the Father loves His Son, Jesus Christ.  Is there anything He would not do for Him?  Who do you think has His ear – The Accuser or the Advocate?  Satan, or, His very own Son?  Blessed is the man whose Advocate is God’s Son.

            If Jesus is Advocates for us when we sin, then we need to do our part.  Our part is to confess our sin (1 John 1:9) and to turn away from that sin and to stop doing it (2 Timothy 2:19) so I can return to living a life worthy of the Lord (Col. 1:10), bearing fruit for righteousness (Php 1:10) and bringing glory to God (1 Cor. 10:31).

 

Conclusion:

Fellowship is the point (1 John 1).  Nothing damages our fellowship with God more than unconfessed sin; and as believers no treasure is like that of fellowship with the Father and the Son (1 John 1:3)

·         A life that doesn’t glorify God

·         Weakness in witnessing. 

·         Guilty conscience. 

·         Penance to “make up” for sin where you rely on your good works to compensate for your failure thereby putting your trust in yourself and not in God’s grace and forgiveness through Christ. 

·         Prideful as you look for things to feel good about yourself and pin your confidence on those things while also trying to find fault with others to feel better about your own guilt. 

·         Unconfessed sin leads to vulnerability to committing more sin. 

 

For the sake of your fellowship with God:  Get on your knees, admit what you did was sin and take responsibility for it.  Don’t blameshift, play the victim, excuse your actions or make light of them (“It’s not that bad”).  Humbly admit your sin and God will exalt you (Luke 14:11).