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."
"How did you get out of the pit? Did you pay?"
Of course not. I just got into to cage and was pulled to the top."
"Were you not afraid to entrust yourself to that cage? Was it not too cheap?" Morgan asked. "Oh no, it was cheap for me, but it cost the company a lot of money to sink the shaft." Suddenly the truth struck him. What had not cost him anything had not come cheap to God. This miner had never thought of the great price God paid to send His Son.
Now he realized that all anyone had to do was to "get into the cage" by faith.
JESUS CAN BE OUR PROPITIATION FOR THREE REASONS:
His Sinless Life
Rev 5: At a worship service in heaven the question is asked, ‘Who is worthy?’
The answer came in verse 5 stating ‘The Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals’.
Jesus can be our Propitiation because He overcame sin.
Paul speaks of Jesus as ‘He Who knew no sin’.(love affair with our sin/affection)
In Hebrews is says He is ‘One Who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin’.(independent of/tempt is not sin in itself)
His Sacrificial Act
No normal man could have died for you or for me.
No other payment could have been provided.
We live in a day when our National Debt is beyond belief. It has reached around 16.5 TRILLION dollars and sharply increases moment by moment. Just the interest on the debt increases4 billion dollars a day and $11,500 per SECOND. Each person in America now owes over $50,000 with their portion of the debt. If you spend a million dollars a day since the time of Christ you would still not spend a Trillion dollars.
If we started a Brinks truck from one end of the country and drove stopping all along the way we might raise 15.6 Trillion. We might even just print more money but our personal SPIRITUAL DEBT is also far beyond what we can imagine.
Only Jesus can pay the debt of our sin.
Because of His sinless life He did not deserve the penalty of sin which Romans 6:25 says says is death. The miracle of the virgin birth kept Him free of the condemnation of original sin and His sinless life made of free of the guilt of sins.
Ps 49:6-8 Those who trust in their wealth and boast in the abundance of riches.
No man can by any means redeem His brother or give to give to God a ransom for Him.
For the redemption of soul of costly and he should cease trying forever.
Can’t be paid by man’s good works, by keeping the law but only thru Jesus ‘ sacrificial act based only the value of His perfect and sinless life.
His Stainless Blood
1 Peter 1:18-19 Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your father(original sin) but with precious blood, as of a lamb, unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
Same word used in Romans 3:23-25 ‘for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus Whom God displayed publically(not behind veil) as a Propitiation in His blood through faith’.
This is the OT term for MERCY SEAT. That upon which the sacrificial blood was sprinkled. The one thing that divided sinful man and holy God. Jesus is the one mediator between God and man, the only place where reconciliation is a possibility.
The Second term was ADVOCATE which was a term applied to a lawyer.
Literally means ’one called alongside’.
This means He represents us before God’s throne
The word is paraclete which is same word as used for Holy Spirit in John’s gospel and translated COMFORTER. The Holy Spirit is our comforter here on earth and Jesus is our comforter in heaven, before the throne.
Heb 7:25 Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them.
Three things that are true about Jesus as our Advocate
PRESENT (1) My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins we have an Advocate.
John says we HAVE an Advocate: Right now, this moment, in the moment you sin, Jesus is there as our defense.
The word Advocate was used in court settings when someone was accused of something and someone would voluntarily, not by demand, step from the crowd, walk up, take his place beside the accused and speak on his behalf. He would speak in his defense.
When we fail the devil runs to accuse us but Jesus is there to meet him.
The case is based on what Jesus has done not us.
The O.J. Simpson case had its beginning Arguments in January of 1995 and did not have a verdict until October of that same year. That seems like a long time but if every sin of my life had to be presented as evidence and then defended I think that my trial might last for all of eternity.
Because of Jesus all that would be evidence against me is covered by His blood.
Jesus is also our attorney Who also knows everything about the case.
Some lawyers don’t have all the facts but Jesus knows all and still chooses to represent us because the case is rock solid. Not on what we have done but on the finished work of Christ.
We have an Advocate with the Father.
Jesus sits at God’s right hand.
Always ready to make our case whenever needed.
Sometimes when we pray we want immediate answers to our prayers. Maybe we get upset or impatient with God because He does not act as quickly as we would like regarding certain situations. I personally am very happy that God does not judge me for my sins as quickly as I expect Him to answer my prayers.
I am thankful that He gives me time to repent and get it right.
The only thing that is immediate and does not linger is the defense made for me with regard to the guilt of my sin. Jesus immediately confronts Satan’s accusations with the truth of my sin being covered by His blood.
HE IS THERE READY AND WAITING.
PERFECT We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous…
He is ‘the righteous’. The perfect solution to our sin.
No other solution will work before the righteousness of a holy God.
When we attempt to excuse our sins before God then we become our own advocate. When we mess up we often run to our own defense and say we are not to blame because of someone else or some circumstance.
As long as we excuse ourselves then He cannot be our Advocate.
LUTHER: While Christ’s death is sufficient for every sin of every person who ever lived or ever will live, it becomes effectual only for those who confess their sin, accept the sacrifice, and embrace Christ as Lord and Savior.
The righteousness of Christ is not only sufficient to cover every sin of my life but also every sin of every life. He is the perfect answer to all sin.
PLEASING (2) and He Himself is the Propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.
Jesus is our Propitiation: He alone satisfies God’s holiness and justice that we might stand in His presence.
Zech 3:1-5 Then he showed me, Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.
Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel.(man in sin, righteousness as filthy rags)
He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, ’Remove the filthy garments from him’. Again he said to him, ’See I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes’. This garment is the righteousness of Christ.
This is the hope we have to offer the world: Jesus their ‘propitiation…not for ours only but for the those sins of the whole world.’
CHARLES FINNEY: Great Evangelist of 1800’s was approached by a man before a church service. Asked that Finney would talk to him after church. Agreed.
Deacons asked what man wanted…..’ you know who he is…that man is one of the worst men in the city…dare not go with him…hired killers…probably kill you…’.
After service: ‘you aren’t going are you’…’yes, I gave the man my word’.
Man met Finney and led him down the street, up an alley and into the back door of a building. Turned to lock door and told Finney to sit. Man walked behind a desk and pulled a gun out of the drawer and put it on desk.
I heard you say something last night and I want to know if it is true or not.
What did you hear me say?
You said the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son can cleanse a man from all sin.
Finney said, No, I didn’t say that, God’s Word says that.
You don’t know me or what I have done. You are behind a bar and we have an illegal gambling room: devices are fixed, I have taken the last dollar from men and they committed suicide. God can forgive that?
All I can say is that the Bible says, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin.
Not whole story: I own the bar, men come in and drink, wives come in rags and beg me not to sell them booze, I throw them out back into the streets and sell husbands booze until they run out of money and then kick them out. God can forgive a man like that?
The blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse a man from all sin.
You don’t know the full story: This gun has killed several people who have gotten in my way. I have hired men to kill others. God can forgive me?
Finney stood up and said, ‘You have told me one of the most horrible stories I have ever heard and if it were up to me I dare say you would find no forgiveness but all I can tell you is that the Bible says that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.
‘That is all I wanted to know’, he went over unlocked the door and said ‘you can find your way home from here’.
The sun came up with this man was walking from the bar to his home. His wife was in the kitchen and his 6 yr old daughter came to get him for breakfast. ‘Come here honey’
He picked her up and set her on his lap…began to tell her how much he loved her….His wife came and saw him holding daughter on his lap for first time with tears coming down his cheek.
‘I found out something last night that is the greatest thing I have ever heard and it is true: ‘The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son cleanses a man from all sin’’.
The man closed the bar and his changed life became to that community a great witness to the power of Jesus Christ.
His blood shed and placed upon the Mercy Seat on our behalf is the testimony that He uses to intercede for us against any and all accusations.
Robert Shapiro, one of O.J. Simpson’s attorneys was on the Larry King show and was asked the question by Larry, ‘What actually happened that night if O.J. Simpson was exonerated from that, what is true about that night then?’. Shapiro said, ‘Larry, we don’t deal with issues of truth. I make professional judgments. I do not make moral judgments’.
(What if it had been his daughter?)
The truth is an issue Shapiro and all of us will have to deal with. ‘..if anyone sins’? The truth is that ‘all have sinned’ and the truth is that ‘the wages of sin is death’.
God sent His Son to die for Robert Shapiro and for everyone else who has lived at any and all times of history. He is our PROPITIATION who will become our ADVOCATE unless we refuse to accept His work for us on the Cross.
Some people dare to say that God has not done enough to keep them from going to hell.
The truth is that God has done everything possible to keep us from ending up there.
Someone has said that Jesus might tell us, ‘You can go to Hell if you want but it will be over my dead body’. It will truly have to be ‘over His shed blood’.
