Join with me again, if you would,
in the book of 1 John. 1 John, we're gonna look at,
we're gonna be in chapter two somewhat today. 1 John chapter two. And we're gonna, this is gonna
be, If we would title this, We Have an Advocate. And let us
read first few verses of chapter 2 of 1 John. It says, My little
children, these things write I unto you that you sin not.
And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus
Christ the righteous. And he is the propitiation for
our sins. And not for ours only, but also
for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we
know him if we keep his commandments. He that saith I know him and
keepeth not his commandments is a liar and the truth is not
in him. But we're going to look at here.
Verse one. Chapter two, my little children,
these things write I unto you that you sin not. And if any
man sin, we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ,
the righteous. And we know a couple of things
to start off before we look into this a little deeper that a couple
of things he's writing to the church. that those things, and
as we looked in the beginning of 1 John, he had been with the
Lord himself, the word of life, and that says that they had looked
upon and handled, and some things that he was bringing to them
that the Spirit laid on his heart and told John to write and to
record these things, and that God in him is light, And any
light that we have as far as a wisdom or knowledge of spiritual
things is from God and has to be revealed to us. And he says
little children, the commentators that I've read say this, because
John was old of age and had preached to many of these people and the
Lord had used that preaching and brought many of these people
in that he was speaking to, It wasn't just the age, but it
was an endearment that these people, they were the brethren
that he was talking about, and that he's addressing these things
to, and not just to the world in general, but as the rest of
the scriptures, it's given for the church, it's given for his
people. and for the teaching, admonition, all those things
it provides, but for the revealing of himself by the spirit is done
by the preaching of the word and the hearing of the word that
God uses. And he has done that with these
that he's writing to. And he says, write that you sin
not. And we know that that is not
meaning that there's, It's not if and if there's ever sin. We know when we wake up in the
morning that we are sinful people. And I think that's what we're
going to see that he's referring to, but that you sin not. And that is a desire and a thought
of all God's people, that we sin not. Paul, in several places and more
than one place, he speaks about that we are under grace, not
under law. And he says, do we use that for
a cloak of maliciousness, that we sin more so grace may abound?
He says, absolutely not. And that's God's people's desires,
that they don't sin. We know that that is not how
it works out. We know that we are sinful people
by nature and by choice and by practice that that's, what God's
people are. So it's not saying that there's
a possibility. It's not like, and if any man
sinned, but I think it more closely resembles, since we sin, And
it's not an if thing, it's a since thing. And if any man sin, it
says, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous. And we're gonna look into that,
that some, there's quite, there's more than one lesson could be
made out of this verse, or pieces of this verse. But we're gonna
look at that we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ
the righteous. and that that refers to several
things that we'll see by, we're looking at a number of passages,
but that he is with the father, the sacrifice that he offered
for his people had been accepted, it took the sin on himself, paid
for the sin for sinful people, and that he, is at the right
hand of the Father. It says, making intercession
for us. And that by being there, he rose
from the dead. It was accepted of God. He's
ascended to the right hand of the Father. By being there, he
is an advocate for us. And we're gonna look and see
some of what that means. But he's ever with the Father. He's an advocate in the fact
that what he did for his people to be that propitiation or sacrifice
that paid for the sin, by being that and accepted of the Father,
he's a constant advocate for us by being there. It's not a
pleading that he has to do and remind God every time, every
day that when we sin, remind him that he's done these things.
It's by being there is proof by the resurrection and by him
being there, the sacrifice was acceptable and was as the Lord
himself said, it's finished. When it was finished, it was
finished in the behalf of his people, but still we have that
advocate and that's, we're gonna look and see what that speaks
to. In Romans chapter eight, in the book of Romans chapter
eight, and the book of Romans deals a lot with with many things,
but a lot with the righteousness of God, the needs of the sinful
people, those things that Christ did for, to purchase those people. And that chapter eight is a wonderful
chapter that just speaks to us and it's
comforting to God's people. We're gonna read a portion of
it, starting with verse 22. And verse 22 of Romans chapter
8, it says, For we know that the whole creation
groaneth and travaileth now in pain together until now. And
not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits
of the spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting
for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we
are saved by hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. For what
a man seeth, why does he yet hope for? But if we hope for
that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise,
the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities, for we know not what we should
pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession
for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searches
the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he
maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that
love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
For whom he did for know, He also did predestinate to be conformed
to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among
many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called. Whom he called, them he also
justified. And whom he justified, them he
also glorified. What shall we then say to these
things? If God before us, who can be against us? He that spared
not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall
he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It
is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again, who is even
at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for
us. And as that, advocate or mediator,
or we're going to see several words that align with that same
thought of the advocate, but intercedes for his people. And also down here in verse 26
and following there, it talks about, it says, likewise the
spirit help with our infirmities, for we know not what we should
pray for as we ought, but the spirit itself maketh intercession
for us with groanings that cannot be uttered. And we know, as it
says, we know not what to, how to pray or what to ask for or
those things. But in 1 John, when we're speaking
about sin and when, When we sin, we confess that sin and we have
that advocate with him. He's faithful and just to forgive
us those sins he said. And when I think part of when
we when we whenever we approach God in prayer that it's with
this, it's not with a shopping list or those type of things. We ask for things, safety or
health or those things that we do ask for in his will and how's
he, but it's also with a, whenever we do that with the realization
and before that we, are sinful people, not just committing
sins or that, but just the nature that we have and that who we're approaching. And we
can only approach God in that through the Spirit and in what
Christ has done for us as he sees us. with that robe of righteousness
on. We cannot approach him as ourselves,
just in our own nature. We just can't approach him that
way. It has to be with that covering
of that sacrifice that is accepted. Turn to the book of Hebrews,
and we're gonna spend some time in the book of Hebrews this morning
because it's such an explanation of a lot of things. see how it applies here to what
we're speaking about, the advocate before the father, and Jesus
Christ for his people. And then the Hebrews chapter
one, just the first three verses of it, it says, God who at sundry
times and in diverse manners spake in time passed unto the
fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto
us by his son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also
he made the worlds, who being the brightness of his glory and
the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the
word of his power, when he had himself purged our sins, sat
down on the right hand of the majesty on high. here as it speaks to that, that
it says, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on
the right hand of the majesty on high. When that sacrifice
was accepted, and he ascended back to heaven, it says, to the
right hand of God, he's with the father. And in that presence,
as, many things that he is and those
things to the church. One of them is the advocate or
the one before the judge, the almighty God, as one that shows
that the problem's been taken care of, it's been paid for.
We are sinful people, but he paid that price and He, as the advocate, I read one that says he argues
before the father our position, but he doesn't have to argue
the position. It's been proven. The father has accepted it. It's
not an arguable point. It isn't when we go to him that
he has to go to the father and then bring all up everything
that took place to justify his people. It's not an arguable point, it's
a done, when he said it was finished, those things are taken care of.
And we're gonna, not necessarily in chronological order or in
the book of Hebrew, but several places as this applies to there
in 1 John chapter two, verse one. In Hebrews chapter seven, for just a couple of verses,
Hebrews chapter seven, Here in the book of Hebrews,
the many topics it covers, one of them is about the priesthood,
about the Levitical priesthood and how it operated and what
position it had, and compared to Christ, our great high priest.
the priest after the order of Melchizedek and likens him and
shows the one being the shadow of those things and him being
the reality of those things. A good commentator on the Scriptures
is the Scriptures that we've seen. And the book of Hebrews
is just a wonderful place if we have some confusion or thoughts
about the priesthood or the Old Testament religious practices. And in Hebrews chapter seven,
verses 24 and 25, Speaking about the Lord himself,
it says, but this man, because he continueth forever, has an
unchangeable priesthood, wherefore he's able also to save them to
the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth
to make intercession for them. As that great high priest that
he is, It talks about the priest that had to continually do the
office of the priest, the sacrifices, continually, continually, as
the picture there. And I think part of that, all
those sacrifices, why so many of them, and constantly, is that
the sin is a great problem and how the Lord was the true Lamb
of God in all the many facets of that. It took a lot of pictures
and shadows to even be a shadow of what he, in reality, and the
picture that man could take of that. And it shows that it was
a ceaseless task. before God, offering those sacrifices
as a picture. The problem is not an insignificant
problem to overcome of sin and it took those many sacrifices
and some of the remnant at least understood what they were saying
by those sacrifices. A lot of them, many and most
didn't. They did the workings of the
religion but they didn't have God didn't reveal to all of them what was the significance of
this was, and they didn't understand it. We can go back to Cain and
Abel. Cain had the same teaching, audibly,
that Abel did, but spiritually did not. And he did not see the
significance of what was demanded of that sacrifice, of what that
sacrifice was for. And he related what he brought
as Why would this not be a covering? Why wouldn't God be satisfied
with this? He didn't understand the concept that, he didn't understand
sin that needed the sacrifice and the covering. Abel understood
what the picture was of. And Abel didn't lay his hope
in that lamb that he slayed. but the hope of the true Lamb
of God that that pictured. And that's the difference between
Cain and Abel and their sacrifices. And God had respect of the one
because it did respect and show the understanding of the true
Lamb of God. And the other one was works of
the hands or the ground that was not a picture of that. And
the one that brought that sacrifice didn't have any knowledge or wherewithal
to comprehend the nature of sin or the requirements. I don't think it was a lack of
teaching between Cain and Abel, it was a lack of the spirit in
one and the spirit in another, a different spirit in those two. what the spirit and what the
word accomplishes in his people and that there is a difference
and that he does do this. And then chapter nine, chapter nine of
Hebrews. Chapter nine and starting with
verse 11. and we're leaving an awful lot
of the text out of the Hebrew censure, but read through the
book of Hebrews, and it's just a wonderful place to get our
mind kind of wrapped around some of the thoughts that are here.
But verse 11, chapter nine of Hebrews, it says, But Christ,
being come a high priest of good things to come by a greater and
more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say,
not of this building, neither by the blood of goats and calves,
but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place,
having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls
and goats and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean
sanctified to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall
the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself
without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works? And
for this cause, he is the mediator of the New Testament, that by
means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were
under the First Testament, they which are called might receive
the promise of eternal inheritance. but here speaking about, it said,
if the blood of the animals could take care of the conscience,
the good conscience towards God as far as these requirements,
how much more the blood of the true lamb, the lamb of God, our
saviour himself, It says here, purge your conscience
from dead works to serve the living God. And that by means
of this, as it said, and by that, he was the true priest that came
into the Holy of Holies one time, only needed one. It was the, his blood that was the only satisfactory
sacrifice for his people for that sin. And then in that same
chapter, verse 24, it says, for Christ not entered into the holy
places made with hands, which are figures of the true, but
into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. And, He's there for us, and it's in
that regard, and in that capacity, like I said, not in there to
argue when needed, but he is there as that one that has purchased
the people, has done that. He's fulfilled those things that
the covenant required. In another part of the commentary
I read that Christ was there to make sure that the details
of the covenant were carried out. Well, I think that's a little
bit separating God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, because
I think they're all, they're one, and they are of one mind.
It's not, it's not, they're not going different directions. I
don't think God the Father needs reminded of the details, but
by his being there, He's there for us in that capacity as our
Savior. I think poor choice of words
that some of those commentators, and I don't know if they're trying
to simplify things or not, but sometimes it, I don't think they
necessarily agree with their wording on things. In Hebrews
chapter six, Hebrews chapter six. Hebrews chapter six. Starting with verse 17 of chapter
six. Verse 17 of Hebrews. It says, wherein God, willing
more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability
of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath. that by two immutable
things in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have
a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon
the hope set before us. Which hope we have as an anchor
of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that
within the veil, whether the forerunner is for us entered,
even Jesus, made in a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."
And, It says here that we might have
a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon
the hope set before us. And that hope set before us is
indeed the Lord himself, is that hope that we have, the anchor
of the soul, as he said, and steadfast within the veil. And
as the picture of the priest within the veil in the holiest
of holies making, intercession for the people in that way so
Christ within the true veil in the holiest place of all with
the Father is with him and it's and it's that's who we turn to
and how we turn to is that we that he is there that he has
done that and it It does away with the thoughts
of works or those type of things because if we have a true understanding
picture of Christ as our advocate, it's, as another person said, a man
said, that Christ is there as the advocate for his clients
in the church. His people are the clients and
He is there in their behalf as that before the judge in a legal
manner, in a legal way, God the Father. And it says that's where
our hope is, that He has entered within the veil and He is that
one we look to. In Hebrews chapter 13, And I encourage you to go back
and look at this verse with the advocate and read in the Hebrews
through the rest of some of that and see how the pieces connect
together with the old priesthood and who he is, the true priesthood,
and I think you'll find it a real blessing. But here in chapter
13, starting at verse 20, It says, now the God of peace
that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd
of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working
in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ,
to whom be glory forever and ever, amen. And several things
in these couple of verses that are, that, that are very significant
and that speak back to what we just looked at about the priesthood
and the sacrifice, that it says, the God of peace brought again
from the dead our Lord Jesus. Great shepherd the sheep through
the blood of the everlasting covenant. And that we have to
take that back to before the foundation of the world, that
this covenant was made in behalf of us, of God's people. And Christ carrying out the details
and the things necessary for the covenant. It says he brought him again,
from the dead through the blood of the everlasting covenant. It was not contingent on anything
happening after that. It was a done deal as far as
God was concerned with himself. And it says, make you perfect,
verse 21, and every good work to do his will, working in you
that which is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ,
to whom be glory forever and ever, amen. and the only way
that we can. that we can do His will and do
that which is well-pleasing, it says here, in His sight through
Jesus Christ. We can't go before the Father
and stand on our own. I don't think any of God's people
would ever presume to do that. But it says here, the only way
that that working in us is perfected or seen as perfected or well-pleasing
in God's sight is as he sees the Lord himself has done that
for us. And in him, he has made unto us those
things, our wisdom, redemption, and sanctification. Those things
he has been made to us. He is, are those things. We have
none of that of our own. We have none of that. and he has done that and that's
how God sees us doing that. I would like to look into the
Psalms a couple places. The book of Psalms. There's a lot in the book of
Psalms that are dealing with all kinds of problems and situations
and things happening to David and whatnot. But most of these
speak to things that are spiritual and not physical. He was in physical
straits that he prayed to God that he would deliver him out
of these things. But most of these apply to God's
people directly and not just in in physical situations or
bad straits as we see them, but most of it is the situation we
find ourselves in by nature, the physical sinful nature we
have. I'd like to look at several passages. Psalm chapter nine, or Psalm
nine. It says, the Lord also will be
a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they
that know thy name will put their trust in thee, for thou hast
not forsaken them that seek thee. Sing praises to the Lord which
dwell in Zion. Declare among the people his
doings. And the oppression and those things, There have been
people and there are people being oppressed because of their belief
in their faith. We don't know so much of that
in that physical, social, type persecution or those type of
things that we are in and that we find ourselves that we're
not oppressed that much that way. But sin is oppressive to
God's people because as Paul says, we just can't deal with things. And he said that passage that
he speaks about his ability in his self. And we can relate to
that. Those things that he said, those
things that I would do, I can't seem to do them. And the things
that I would not do, those are the things that I do. And he
says, who can save me from this? And he says, I thank God through
Jesus Christ, our Lord. And that indeed is the hope of
God's people, that in him we stand and he stands before the
father. And we stand in him and That puts us in pretty good stead
of our situation. In Psalm 18, the first couple
of verses, it says, I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The
Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my
strength in whom I will trust, my buckler and the horn of my
salvation. We were in the Psalms a number
of times over the years about Him being our rock, and our rock
is not as their rock. It speaks about in our rock is
that our strength, our deliverer, and it says here, the horn of
my salvation and my high tower. who God looked to and how God's
people look to is Him to be those things. And it's not when I'm
out of work or I've got a broken leg or those type of things,
we do turn to Him and pray for help in those things. But those,
in a sense, are the small things. The big things to God's people
are what we are like by nature and our sinful nature. And it just
is something that we can turn to Him for. And as
it says, confess our sin, and like I said, I don't think it's
always talking about just things we've done wrong yesterday, it's
just who we are by nature, and that we confess that and that
we are in constant need of that advocate that's before the Father.
In Psalm 27, and you can read all of Psalm
27, you can read all of many of these Psalms, It says, the Lord is my light,
Psalm 27, verse one. Lord is my light and my salvation.
Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my
life. Whom shall I be afraid? And this, it goes on and speaks
about enemies and whatnot. It just that we turn to him and
then skip down to verse, It says in verse eight of the
same psalm, it says, when thou said is seeking my face, my heart
said unto thee, thy face, Lord, will I seek. Hide not thy face
far from me, put not thy servant away in anger. Thou has been
my help, leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will
take me up. And like I say, this is a prayer
of God's people in their condition and where we are. Just one more
spot in the Psalms, and that would be in Psalm 32. Psalm 32, it says, starting with
verse one, blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven and
whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man whom the Lord
imputeth not iniquity, in whose spirit there is no guile. When
I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the
day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me, my moisture
is turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledge my sin
unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will
confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgive us
the iniquity of my sin. Verse six, for this shall everyone
that is godly pray unto thee in the time when thou mayest
be found. Surely in the floods of great waters they shall not
come nigh unto him. Verse seven, thou art my hiding
place. Thou shalt preserve me from trouble. Thou shalt compass
me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. And here in this one,
again, speaking of our transgressions and our sin being covered by
him and coming before before God and pleading that and praying
to him with our thankfulness to them because of that, and
Christ himself being that one before the Father. And then, one place I have to go to before
we end for today, go to the book of John, John chapter 17. And
here's some pretty good ground. It's the Lord himself's words,
as all of the scripture are God's words, but here the Lord himself
speaking in John 17, starting with verse nine. It says, I pray
for them. I pray not for the world, but
for them which thou hast given me, for they are thine. And all
mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them.
And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and
I come to thee, Holy Father, keep through thine own name those
whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are. While
I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name. Those
that thou gavest me have I kept, and none of them is lost but
the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled.
Now come I to thee, And these things I speak in the world,
that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them
thy word, and the world hath hated them, because they are
not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not
that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but thou shouldest
keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even
as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth.
Thy word is truth. Thou hast sent me into the world,
even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their
sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified
through the truth. Neither I pray for these alone,
but for them which also shall believe on me through their word.
That they all may be one as Thou, Father, art in me, and I in Thee,
that they may also be one in us, that the world may believe
that Thou hast sent me. And the glory which Thou gavest
me, I have given them, that they may be one even as we are. In
I in them, and Thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one,
that the world may know that Thou hast sent me, and hast loved
them as Thou hast loved me. And here the Lord himself praying
for our keeping of that, keeping from the evil. And we know that
that is, he will lose none. And as it says here, that's a
comfort to God's people. And it also in here says who
he's praying for. He's praying for those that were
given him and those he died for, not for the world. as people
would have that he died for everyone for all time. He did not die
only for the sheep. How many of the sheep? We don't
have an idea, but we are to proclaim this word to him, but that he
himself prays for his people. And as that advocate, who can
be against us if he is for us? And as it says in 1 John 2, he's a faithful advocate, faithful
and just to forgive us our sins. And with that advocate, we are
in pretty good stead. Thank you for your attention
this morning and be free.