I'm Fallen But I Can Get Up Series

Message today is about justice.

John shares in chapter two about the justice of God and how it affects our eternity.

Comedian Tim Allen said some years commented, ‘I really feel safe, they have finally put Martha Stewart behind bars…O.J., Kobe, Osama Bin Laden and others are still free but the only woman in America who was still willing to cook and do laundry we have put in jail’.

I am sure that all of us can remember 1995 when the trial of O.J. Simpson was constantly on television. We remember the white bronco chase through Los Angeles. We are familiar with all the attorneys, witnesses and the judge.

Most people were shocked when O.J. was acquitted of the crimes of killing Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman.

Some of the evidence against O.J. was overwhelming:

1) The DNA evidence determined a match to O.J. Simpson of 1 person in 170 million. That means that O.J. was in a group of around 25-30 people worldwide that could have fit that DNA match.

2) The blood of O.J., Nicole Simpson and Goldman were all found at the crime scene.

3) The blood of Nicole Simpson and Goldman were both found in O.J.’s car.

4) A bloody glove found at the crime scene matched a glove found at O.J. Simpson’s home.

Yet O.J. Simpson was found not guilty by the jury.

Many have looked back at that trial as a dark day for justice in America.

Today we are going to consider another trial. We can get a sense of the judge and the attorneys. We can be assured that absolute justice will be carried out.

My Little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin

And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

This is the language of a court trial. This is our trial. 1 John 1:1:8-10 we see how dangerous and condemning sin is. John warned us to be honest with our sin.

We are not to deny it or to relabel it as something that is not sin but we are to confess it so we can find forgiveness and cleansing.

But if we do sin and honestly confess it to God then John shares how God has chosen to deal with our sin.

In this trial we are the defendant. God is the judge. Satan is our accuser or prosecuting attorney and Jesus is our Advocate or our defense attorney.

Satan is more than willing to accuse and condemn us before God.

(Rev 12:10) ... for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Two important titles are given to Jesus in these verses. These two titles teach us why forgiveness of sin is possible because of Who Jesus is for us:

#1 Advocate #2 Propitiation

1) Jesus fulfills both these roles with regard to our salvation.

2) One is the basis of the argument while the other is the position by which one argues a case. What He did makes forgiveness possible.

PROPITIATION: means that by what He has done HE has satisfied God’s justice. God cannot close His eyes to sin. In His holiness He must judge sin but in His love He has given Jesus Christ to the world to be the Savior in Whom sin was judged. His finished work is the basis by which argument is made. A "propitiatory"(lit. ‘an appeasing’) was a place where wrath was satisfied, where the price was paid.

The word in the O.T. is "mercy seat." Which was that golden slab that sat on top of the ark of God. Inside the Holy of Holies sat the Ark which represented the presence of God! Inside the was the law of God(10 commandments, a jar of manna & Aaron’s budded rod). A thick(man’s palm) veil blocked entrance to the Holy of Holies but one day a year (Day Atonement) a lamb slain and the High Priest would enter to place the blood upon the Mercy Seat. He would see the Ark with the Law inside but he did not see the Law but only the Propitiation or the Mercy Seat covering.

Through Jesus’ sacrifice God no longer sees the Law to condemn us.

The mercy seat was where blood was sprinkled, and the sins of the people were taken care of. Jesus’ death was what paid the price of God’s righteous wrath for our sins.

Bible teacher G. Campbell Morgan told of a coal miner who came to him and said, "I would give anything to believe that God would forgive my sins, but I cannot believe that He will forgive them if I just ask Him. It is too cheap." Morgan said, "My friend, have you been working today?" "Yes, I was down in the mine."