Isn't that a great thought, that
line in that song right there that says, now the law is our
friend. It demands our release. You know, that's good news. Alright, let's take our Bibles
and turn with me to 1 John. 1 John chapter 2. 1 John chapter 2. I'd like to look
at the first couple of verses in this blessed book. First John chapter 2, the apostle
John begins this tender address with these words, my little children,
my little children. He's talking to the Lord's people
called of God. He's an elder. He learned the
gospel from the Lord himself. John was an apostle. And the
Lord Jesus taught him and commissioned him to teach those, go into all
the world, preach the gospel, every man, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. So he
starts off and he says, my little children, you called out of darkness
these things right unto you that you sin not. These things I write
unto you, that you sin not." Now, it was not that John thought
that they could be without sin. I mean, look at verse 8 and verse
10 of chapter 1. If we say we have no sin, that
word right there, if we say we don't have a sin nature, if we
say that we're not by nature sin, We deceive ourselves and
the truth is not in us. And then he said, if we say that
we don't manifest what we are by nature, in verse 10, if we
say that we've not sinned, we make him a liar and his word
is not in us. So it was not that the Apostle
John thought that God's people were not capable of sinning. What He's exhorting them to do
is this. Here's what He's saying. My little
children, don't sin. Don't sin. Now let me ask you
something. Is there anything wrong with
encouraging or urging a regenerated sinner? One redeemed by the blood
of Christ. Is there anything that is wrong
with encouraging them to resist the temptation to sin. Nope. That's what John the Apostle
just did. These things write unto you that don't sin. We're saying. Wonderfully, the
Spirit of God moved upon this Apostle to warn the people of
God against the temptation of the flesh. And here's the reason
for this temptation being warned against. Because we have an old
man in us and this old man is going to say this. And I actually
had someone tell me this very statement. This is where I got
it. Someone I knew long ago told me this. Well, since I'm a sinner,
saved by grace, and I cannot but sin, then I can't help it. And he had that attitude. I can't
help what I do anyway, so what difference does it make? An attitude
of complacency, an attitude of laxness, an attitude of indifference,
Towards sin, again, evidence is a problem. My little children,
these things write unto you that you sin not. But the believer
realizes the heinous presence of sin, and therefore, is thankful
that the Spirit of God would move upon the Apostle John to
tell him, I need to be told, Marvin, don't sin. Don't do it. But knowing that
the desire is there, number one, to sin, by that old man, and
there's a new man that does nothing but sin. And as I've said so
many times, I know that so the Spirit of God has revealed it.
That which is born of God sinneth not. There is a nature in a believer
that does not sin. But I'll be honest with you. I just, I can't see it. And I know it's so. I believe
it. I believe it. Paul voiced what I just said
this way. Romans 7, 21, 23, I find then
a law that when I would do good, and I do want to, I want to be
obedient. I want to. I want to be obedient. I want to walk in obedience before
God. I want to hear what He has to
say when He says, casting all your care upon Him for He careth
for you. I want to do that. Don't you? No, don't you want to do that?
My sheep hear my voice. I know them. They follow me.
I want to do that. I don't want to be found inconsistent. I don't. I don't. Paul said,
I find then a law that when I would do good, evil is present with
me. For I delight in the law of God
after the inward man, but I see another law in my members. There's
an old man there, warring against the law of my mind and bringing
me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
What did he say right there? He said, I cannot not sin. I cannot keep myself. I cannot
keep myself from wandering in my mind. I can't keep myself
from being indifferent. I find it and I grieve over it
knowing that we cannot keep ourselves from sinning and we hate it. I need a word of comfort from
the Lord And here it is, and if any man sin, I looked
that word up, if right there, here's the word, though, and
though, and though any man sin, we have an advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. to every object of God's mercy
that sits here today. Every vessel of God's compassion
has been called out of spiritual darkness. Those who are aware
of their need of forgiveness, here's what Scripture has to
say, we have, we have right now one who pleads for us. We have an advocate We have an
advocate. Romans 8.34, Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, rather,
that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who
also maketh intercession for us. I don't want, I don't want
to sin. But I know that there's an old
man in me that does nothing but sin. And my new man, resisting
and grieves over it. And I need some comfort. I need
one to speak to the Father for me. What do we have? Here's what
we have. We have an advocate with the
Father. Now let me tell you the significance
of that. It's before God Almighty that
we've sinned. But though we sin by the grace
of God, our sin that we hate cannot destroy our fellowship
with the Father in Christ. Being found in Christ, a believer,
a struggling, sinning believer, our fellowship with the Father
cannot be broken. Why? Because we have an advocate. Now, our advocate does not deny
the charge that we're sinners. Doesn't deny the charge that
we're guilty in ourselves. Does not make our sin to be less
serious than it is. Why? He shed his blood. He shed
his blood to purge our sins. He admits as the advocate that
every accusation that is brought against us by God's perfect law
and the strict demand of justice is real. But with every charge,
he pleads his own undertaking. on the behalf of His people,
His work, His life, His death, His blood, His righteousness. Here's what Psalm 40 verse 12
says, He bore them in His own body. All of these sins that
we commit, that we're committing, and we will commit unless the
Lord takes us home, Almighty God the mediator, the substitute
himself. He made, made sin, made the guiltiness. He bore them in his own body. And every sin that we commit
right now, Don, Christ said, I paid for that. I paid for that.
I answered for that against the law. Here our advocate says,
my people have sinned and I as their representative, the one
made what they are, answered every demand for justice. Satan, the accuser of the brethren,
accuses us and Christ says, my blood has atoned. I put it away. I paid the debt. Are we guilty? Yes. Do we deserve the curse
of the law? Yes. But he, the righteous one,
marvelously, mysteriously, I cannot tell you how this is, but to
declare it, he was made Marvin. He was made sin. And under the judgment of Almighty
God bore the punishment due me and every one of His elect. And put it away. And now, as
the Advocate, He pleads His own merit on our behalf that our
sin be not imputed to us totally based on His merit, His blood, His death, His work. He said it's finished. Oh, the glorious provision made
for God's people, sinners. to whom God Almighty has chosen
to be merciful and compassionate, giving them a mediator to reconcile
them back to Himself, and having Christ to continually ever liveth,
to make intercession, applying the death on our behalf before
God. that we might be delivered from
the penalty. I was somewhere the other day,
I saw this little old pamphlet, and here's what it said, the
simple plan of salvation. I thought, what it took to redeem and save
a sinner, the simple plan of salvation? No. What did it cost? What was the
high cost of what we call free grace? It cost the blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ. He is the advocate that every
sinner regenerated by the grace of God, needs. Who is He? John says, we have an advocate
with the Father, Jesus, that is, the one who will save His
people from His, call His name Jesus, He's going to save His
people from His sins. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the
Anointed One, the One of the Father's appointment, The elected
priest, the Father chose him. The Father sent him. The Father
first trusted in him and sent him into this world to save his
people. He was given Jesus Christ the
righteous. Oh, now there's the advocate,
that the Father. I could Try to pray for you,
people say, pray for me, I'll try. I'll try. But here's the
only problem. For me to approach God on my
merit, I've got to be righteous. I've got to be holy in myself. We have an advocate, who is he?
He's Jesus Christ, the Holy One. Here's the merit, His merit to
approach God on our behalf. He answers the charge of our
unrighteousness because He is righteous and He says, I bore
their sin. I paid their debt and now they
owe nothing. We have an advocate with the
Father. And verse 2 says, And he is the
propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for
the sins of the whole world. He said he is the propitiation. What does propitiate mean? What does that mean? It means
to restore the friendship which existed before a quarrel took
place. That's what it means. To propitiate,
to make friends again, is the propitiation. You see, when Adam
sinned against God, so did I, and so did you. And the reason
is because you were in the loins of Adam. Everything, everybody that would
ever come out of Adam, and we all did. Everybody sinned in Adam. So, sin that we've all done,
it just took a little time is all it did for us to be born,
and it manifested itself, you know. You take a baby and they're
born and they're so sweet and, you know, cuddly and everything
and just, you know, they can do no wrong. Well, just give
it a little time. You know, it won't take long.
They'll start showing themselves. Sin separated man from God. Now, your sins have separated
between you and your God. And the only way for that breach
to be eliminated was for one to make peace. Now somebody is
going to have to make peace. This the Lord Jesus Christ did
because we never could. You know, you can say I've made
my peace with God by doing ABC or XYZ or 123 or one of these
things. No. No. You're going to have
to be righteous first of all to make peace with God. I can
tell you that. You're going to have to be righteous to be at
peace with God. And so, we couldn't. There's no possible way that
we could make peace with God on our own. One's going to have
to make peace for us. And the Lord Jesus Christ, by
His willful obedience and suffering for His people at Calvary, made
peace." Now, listen to Colossians 1, 19-22. that in Him should all fullness
dwell. And having made peace through
the blood of His cross by Him to reconcile all things unto
Himself, by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth or things
in heaven, and you that were sometime alien and enemies in
your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled in the
body of His flesh through death to present you holy and unblameable
and unreprovable in His sight. So, what has happened? Well,
God was offended. God is offended. God is just. And the scripture declares that
there's one appointed of God to be the author of reconciliation. Romans 3 says, all have sinned
and come short of the glory of God. but being justified freely
by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom
God has set forth to be a propitiation, a peacemaker, through faith in
His blood to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that
are passed through the forbearance of God. So, the one who was offended,
the Father, eternally purposed and initiated
the reconciliation of His people. The one offended was the one
who initiated the reconciliation. The Lord Jesus Christ coming
into this world and being the advocate, the propitiation, did
not make the Father love His people. He eternally loved us.
He sent Him because He loved us. because he would not let
us perish. Christ being the establisher
of peace for our sins satisfied every demand of justice and wrath
for his people and therefore God Almighty can justly, justly
forgive us for our sins. You know, I just always thought
that God just forgave people and He just swept it under the
rug, you know. They just didn't mean it, you
know. No. Remember, He's a just God
and a Savior. And for God Almighty to be a
Savior, His justice is going to have to be satisfied. And
it's going to have to be satisfied in the Advocates. So He's the
propitiation for our sins, and then John says, And not for ours
only, but also for the sins of the whole world. Now here's a
scripture that's been greatly abused. Somebody would say, now
there's, right there, that just ends it right there. That means
that the Lord Jesus Christ died for everybody's sins. Everybody's
sins in the whole world. Well, I'm going to just ask you
a couple of questions, then I'm going to get back on my notes.
Here's a question for me. If the Lord Jesus Christ died
for the sins of the whole world, everybody without question, without,
you know, no distinction, everybody, everybody's sins are paid for.
Everybody's sins have been paid for. Does that mean that everybody
is then guiltless before God? Well, let me answer something
for you. If the Lord Jesus Christ died for everybody's sins and
paid the debt of everybody's sins, then that means that nobody
has any guilt before God. If he paid the debt, you say,
well, but wait a minute. No, no, no. He paid the debt
for everybody's sins, sins of the whole world. But you have
to, I said, hold on, hold on. Now, if you're getting ready
to tell me something that you got to do in order to make this
effectual, then you're getting ready to tell me that salvation
is by your works. So whatever you're getting ready
to say, you better think it through. Because if the Lord has done
everything that He can do by paying for everybody's sins,
and you now have to do something, then salvation is by whatever
you do. He wants to save you, but it's up to you. And salvation
is not by works of righteousness. So let's just make sure we understand
what's being said here. If he paid for the sins of the
whole world without any reservation, and it's left up to man, then
salvation is by man's works. It's by his decision, or his
baptism, or his walking down the aisle, or speaking in tongues,
or something. By something. Because that's
what you're getting ready to say, and you know that's not
right. So we got almost, you know, have like a Mexican standoff
here. You know, is it by grace or is it by works? No, it can't
be by both. Because faith and works don't
mix. So, but we do know this. He died,
the Scripture says, and He's the propitiation, not for ours
only, but also for the sins of the whole world. So, what does
He mean? Let's back it up with Scripture. Let's find out what
does God have, what does this teach? Alright, the Scripture
says, Revelation 1.5, And from Jesus Christ, this is John on
the Isle of Patmos and he heard a voice behind him, and from
Jesus Christ who is the faithful witness and the first begotten
of the dead and of the prince of the kings of the earth unto
him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood. Now, here's what I've got a question
for you. It says, who loved us and washed
us from our sins in his own blood? Who are the us's? Who are the us's? Well, according
to the word of the Lord, it can only be the sheep. How do you
know that? Well, John 10, 15, of which I
quote so often, the Lord said, I lay down my life for the sheep. I lay down my life for the sheep.
Is there a distinction between sheep and goats? Yes. The Lord
made that distinction when some Pharisees in the same chapter
asked him, why don't you be plain with us? And he said, I'm not
going to quote that. I'm going to show you. Turn to John 10.
John 10. I quote that all the time and
it does good. Look at John 10, 15. As the Father
knoweth me, even so know I the Father, and I lay down my life
for the sheep. Now that's a given. Is that a
given? I lay down my life for the sheep.
Well, can somebody become a sheep that's not a goat? Well, let's
see what the Lord says. It says, verse 23 of John 10,
And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch, then came
the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost
thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us
plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you,
and you believe not. The works that I do in my Father's
name, they bear witness of me, but ye believe not, because ye
are not of my sheep. as I said unto you, My sheep
hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me, and I give
unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall
any man pluck them out of My hand." Now, here's what the Lord
just told them. He said, the reason you don't
believe Me is because you're not My sheep. You're not of My
sheep. You're not of them. You're not
of that group. That's the wording of Scripture. He said, I told
you, you believe not, But you believe not, verse 26, because
you're not of my sheep. You're not within the group.
Now, here's what I want to know. When Christ died and washed away
the sins of His people, us, who are the us? Well, the Lord said,
it's the sheep. Did He die for anyone other than
the sheep? No! How do you know that? Because the Lord said that. Can
someone that is not a sheep become a sheep? No! They were not of. You're not of my sheep. The Father
gave Him the sheep from before the foundation of the world.
They were chosen in Christ. And the Lord said, I lay down
my life for them. So concerning the sheep that
He laid down His life for, 1 John 1.7 says, if we walk in the light
as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all
sin. When He shed His blood at Calvary. Now you listen. I'm basing this
on this word right here. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth
us. When He shed His blood at Calvary,
let me tell you what was done. It was finished. It was finished. The blood of Jesus Christ cleansed
His people from their sins. It was paid. Now I will tell
you this, in time He's going to open your eyes and tell you
about it. And He's going to show you that He's forgiven you. And
that His blood cleansed you from all sin. How much debt does any
of God's sheep owe before the law of God? None. How do you
know that? Because Romans 8.1 says, "...there
is therefore now no condemnation to them which be in Christ Jesus."
What if one of the sheep's not been born yet? Are they in Christ
Jesus? Were they chosen before the foundation
of the world? Then how much condemnation are
they under? None. None. The sheep's debt has truly been
paid. Atonement, that is, satisfaction
for a wrong, has been made and that sinner is pardoned and justified. He is cleared of any charge by
God's law and therefore they shall and technically are glorified. All for whom Christ was a propitiation
He's an advocate. He prays. He ever liveth. Listen
to John 17, 9. He was talking to... Here again,
turn to John 17, 9. John 17, 9. The Lord is... This is high priestly prayer.
And... Look at verse 2. "...as Thou
hast given Him..." He's praying, Father. "...as Thou hast given
Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life."
To who? to as many as Thou hast given Him." Who is going to be
a possessor of eternal life based on God's Word? And here again,
I don't care what anybody else has got to say. Let God be true
and let every man be a liar. Thou hast given Him power over
all flesh that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou
hast given Him. Look at verse 6, I have manifested
thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world. You mean there is somebody out
of this world that the Lord has given and manifested the name
of the Father to? Yes. Thine they were, he said,
and thou gavest them me, and they have kept thy word. What
have they done? They believed on me. They believed
on me. Look at verse 9, I pray for them,
I pray not for the world. Isn't it amazing that someone
could say that Christ died for the sins of the whole world and
He won't even pray for them? I pray for them, I pray not for
the world, but for them which Thou hast given Me, for they
are Thine. So the whole world, when it says
back in 1 John 1, whenever it says that He is the advocate,
let's see how He said it here, Here's the propitiation, I'm
sorry, for our sins and not for ours only, but also for the sins
of the whole world. The whole world doesn't refer
to every individual without distinction because Almighty God doesn't
pray for them. The Scripture says that He's
not the ones for whom they died. He died. Who did He die for? He died for His elect. In closing,
we've got four things I want to say real fast. It won't take
but just a minute. Where are they? Where are they? Well, God's Word reveals that
they're scattered everywhere. 1 Peter 1, 1 and 2 Peter, an
apostle of Jesus Christ to the strangers, scattered throughout
Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia, elect according
to the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification
of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of
Jesus Christ, grace unto you, and peace be multiplied. So where
are they? They're everywhere. That's why
we go into all the world and preach the gospel. God's going
to call them out. Secondly, what has Christ done
for them? Revelation 5, 9, and 10 says, They sung a new song,
saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, to open the seals thereof,
For thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood
out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, and hast
made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on
the earth. Thirdly, what shall be their
end? What are we all going to? John
17, 24, 26, Father, I will that they also whom Thou hast given
me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory which
Thou hast given me. For Thou lovest me before the
foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world
has not known Thee, but I have known Thee. And these have known
that Thou hast sent me, and I have declared unto them Thy name,
and shall declare it. that the love wherewith thou
hast loved me may be in them and I in them. And lastly, how
shall all those for whom Christ died and for whom He's the advocate,
how are they going to be known? What is the tell-tale sign? How do I know? Is there any comfort
that I can have? Can you give me any kind of comfort
to know whether or not I'm one of His? That I'm one for whom
He prays. Is there anything you can tell
me? Yes, there is. John 3.36, He that believeth on the sun. Now let me tell you
what I've done here. I just got that much left right
there. He that believeth on the sun. Now I looked up this word believeth. It does not mean one that believes
that there is a sun. The devils believe that. Everybody and their brother,
if you ask them, you believe that there is a Jesus Christ.
Yes, I do. I believe that there's a George
Washington, too. An unbeliever has no more grounds
to believe that there is a Jesus Christ than that there was an
Abraham Lincoln, too. He just heard it. You know, he
said, well, I believe it. No. What does this word, believeth,
mean? He that believeth. on the Son,
alright, that entrusts His spiritual well-being to. That's what the
word believeth means, that entrusts His spiritual well-being. He that believeth, He that entrusts
His spiritual well-being on the Son. Not in my works or not in
my faith. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. And he that believeth not the
Son, he that does not entrust his spiritual well-being to Christ,
he that does not believe that God's eternal will and purpose
was to show mercy and compassion to whomsoever He would. God said
that. That's what Moses said, show
me your glory. The Lord said, I'm going to call
all my goodness to pass before you and I'm going to show mercy
and compassion on whomsoever I will. He that believeth not
the Son. He that believeth that there's
something that He can do To please God. He doesn't believe on his
son, he believes in himself, is what he's saying. Hath not life. Shall not see
life. But the wrath of God abideth
on him. Brethren, these things I write unto you, that you sin
not. And though we sin, we have an
advocate with the Father, pleading His merit, His merit, for us. Jesus Christ the righteous, and
He is the peacemaker. He's the propitiation for our
sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of everyone,
the whole world. Jew, Gentile, Black, white, yellow,
male, female, born, free, everybody that He died for, that He praised
for, that the Father had given Him, all shall come to Me. And He said, He that cometh to
Me comes to Him for life. I'm no wise cast out. May the
Lord bless the Word to our hearts for Christ's sake.