As we read these words, we can not help but think of an old, gray-haired man expressing concern for his children.
This was exactly what John was doing.
In a pervious sermon we dealt with the two sides of John’s personality.
• That is, he had the intestinal fortitude to be able to look at the people of a congregation in the eye, who were living in sin while claiming to be walking in the light, and tell them they were LIARS! He was a courageous man!
• Yet he had the gentleness that made him be able to look that congregation in the eyes and address them as, “My little children....”
May I say that I like the second John the best.
There are times when we have to take a stand and scold, but this is something no sincere preacher ever enjoys. In fact, PASTORS and PARENTS alike should not enjoy having to scold.
I do not believe John enjoyed telling the people who claimed to be saved who were walking in sin that they were liars, but it had to be done and John did not back down from his responsibility.
In 1 John 2:1-2, John takes off his spiritual boxing gloves and we see him as gentle John. We see this not only in his words, “My little children...” but we also see it in...
I. HIS CONCERN
WHY WAS JOHN WRITING THIS BOOK? He tells us why in verse 1. He says, “My little children, these things write I unto you, THAT YE SIN NOT...” You may ask, “PREACHER, YOU MEAN A CHRISTIAN CAN COMMIT SIN?”
Yes, a Christian certainly can commit a sin. Again, this is why John wrote. Look at verse 1 again. We read, “My little children, these things write I unto you, THAT YE SIN NOT...”
WHEN DO CHRISTIANS FIND THEMSELVES INVOLVED IN SIN?
When they get to feeling secure, as if they were strong enough to play around with it. When we feel this way, we are subject to being stung by sin every time.
Illus: A scorpion, being a very poor swimmer, asked a turtle to carry him across the river on his back. “Are you mad?” exclaimed the turtle. “You’ll sting me while I am swimming and I’ll drown.” “My dear turtle,” laughed the scorpion, “If I were to sting you and you were to drown, I’d go down with you. Now where is the logic in that?” “You’re right,” cried the turtle. “Hop on.” The scorpion climbed aboard and halfway across the river he gave the turtle a mighty sting. As they both sank to the bottom, the turtle, resigned, said, “Do you mind if I ask you something? You said there is no logic in your stinging me. Why did you do it?” The scorpion said, “It has nothing to do with logic; it’s just my nature.”
Again I remind you that when we think we can play around with sin, we will get stung every time.
To keep this from happening to us, as Christians, let us look at this passage more closely.
• In chapter one, John told those who walked in darkness while claiming to be saved that they were liars.
Then, in chapter two, it sounds as if John is contradicting what he said in chapter 1.
• That is, in chapter two he talks about the possibility of a Christian’s committing sin.
WHAT POINT IS JOHN TRYING TO MAKE?
He is making the point that there are three kinds of people in our churches. There are:
1. The lost, who make no profession of being saved from sin.
2. There are those who claim to be saved who are not. These are the liars.
3. There are those who are saved yet find themselves occasionally having stumbled into sin.
John, in chapter two, is addressing the latter group.
And what he is saying is that it is the WILL OF GOD THAT THEY SHOULD NOT SIN!
IS IT POSSIBLE TO LIVE OUR LIVES WITHOUT SIN?
Certainly it is!
If it was not possible John would not be asking them to do it!
John is discouraging sin in our lives.
Illus: Sin is like this. A man was wanting to quit his smoking, but he was convinced he could not. A man asked him:
• “Can you quit for thirty minutes?” He said, “I believe I can.”
• “Can you quit for an hour?” The man said, “I believe I can.”
• “Can you quit for six hours?” He said, “I believe I can.”
• “ Can you quit for twelve hours?” The man said, “I believe I can.”
• “Can you quit for a day?” He said, “I believe I can.”
The man was getting the point; if he could quit for short periods of time, he could quit.
And listen, if you could go without sinning for an hour, you could go without sinning for twelve hours.
I believe the devil wants to brainwash us into thinking we have to commit sin. Remember Satan is a liar, and the father of liars.
The Bible would not tell us, verse 1, “My little children, these things write I unto you, THAT YE SIN NOT...”
One of the reasons we, as Christians, find ourselves in sin is because we live in a world filled with sin.
Illus: This is illustrated by the story of the lady who went for a tour of a coal mine wearing a white dress. The tour guide told her she probably would rather not go into the mine. She still insisted. The tour guide then told her, “Well, I can not keep you from going in with that white dress, but inside that coal mine there are a lot of things that will keep you from coming out with a white dress.”
There are so many things in our society that promotes sin, such as...
• Television and movies today are filled with material promoting adultery, lying, cheating, and substance abuse.
• Many commercials promote sexual sin, etc.
• Music promotes all kind of sins and crimes.
• Many of the comedians promote sin.
• Many fashion designers design clothes that promote sin.
• Many fiction, and non-fiction, story writers promote sin.
• Many even place bumper stickers on cars that promote sin.
Yes, the world in which we live is filled with sin. Daily we see sin being promoted everywhere we turn.
Illus: This outpouring of sin is so concentrated that it begins to permeate the lives of children when they are very young. By the time a child is a teen, he has been so brain-washed by all this promotion that he thinks this is all there is to live for.
John tried to challenge Christians to live for Christ in this world where sin is all around by saying, “My little children, these things write I unto you, THAT YE SIN NOT...”
This was HIS CONCERN. Let us also look at...
II. HIS COURSE
That is, if a Christian does sin, what COURSE should he then take to solve his sin problem.
Look at verse 1 again, “My little children, these things write I unto you, THAT YE SIN NOT. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:” Notice, if we find ourselves having fallen into sin, John says that we have an ADVOCATE.
The word “ADVOCATE,” is translated from the Greek word, “parakletos,” which means, “Intercessor,” or “One who stands beside the side of another.”
It is difficult to define “parakletos,” but it could be simply defined as, “HELPER.”
Illus: The best way to illustrate what an advocate is, to suppose that somehow we find ourselves in trouble with the law. We know this is serious! WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? We find a lawyer, advocate, to plead our case for us.
The Christian’s advocate is the Lord Jesus Himself!
The Catholic church teaches that when we get into trouble we are to pray to Jesus’ mother, Mary. Well, Mary was a human, just as we are human and she needed an advocate herself.
In Hebrews 4:14-15 we read, “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
The Bible makes it clear that JESUS is OUR ADVOCATE. But look at...
III. HIS CURE
Look at 1 John 2:2, “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” The word, “propitiation,” was translated from the Greek “hilasmos,” which means: “To be a sacrifice.”
Jesus became that SACRIFICE, that price, for our sins.
Illus: Through the years I have explained it like this. Suppose you get into your car as you leave the church and you smash into my fender. Suppose you jump out of your car and you say, “Preacher, I am so sorry.” And I say to you, “Sure, I will forgive you...” Then you get into your car and drive off, leaving me with a smashed fender.
That creates a problem. I am glad you are sorry because if you weren’t you weren’t you might smash my other three fenders.
However, your being sorry does not fix my car. So, instead of getting into your car and driving off, suppose you say, “Preacher, you take your car down to the ‘Fender Mender,’ and I will pay for them to fix it as if it was brand new.”
NOW WE WOULD BE GETTING SOMEWHERE!
When we find ourselves in sin, we go to the Lord Jesus. The Bible says He is the propitiation for our sins. That is, He, Himself, becomes the price for our sins that makes everything right between us and God.
That is, Jesus does not go before God and plead our innocence...because we are not innocent.
He pleads our case BASED ON HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS. That is, He approaches God, the Father, based on what He did on Calvary.
In the Old Testament when a person sinned he brought a sacrifice to God. The idea was that the sacrifice would appease and satisfy God. Every sacrifice that was ever offered by God’s people was a sacrifice that pointed to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus, Who was to one day die and pay the price for our sins.
When a Christian sins and then comes to the Lord as his advocate, Jesus goes to God, the Father, and reminds Him of the sacrifice He paid for sin.
Jesus is the propitiation for our sins.
Conclusion:
Because of what Jesus has done for us on Calvary, our sins are forgiven.
Illus: The story is told of a little boy whose sister needed to have a certain kind of blood to save her life. He was asked to give his blood. He was willing to give his blood to save his sister’s life, but no one realized the sacrifice he was making until it was time for the transfusion and he asked the doctor, “When am I going to die?”
Aren’t you glad the Lord does not forgive people the way people often “forgive” each other.
Illus: “A woman came to me one time who had done something maybe fifteen years before that was pretty bad. Her husband told her, “I want you to know I forgive you totally.”
She said, “I know he’s forgiven me because every week of my life, he tells me he’s forgiven me!” (Steve Brown, “Forgiven and Forgotten,” Preaching Today, Tape No. 1)
John is telling us that it is the will of God that WE SIN NOT. But, if we do fall into sin:
• We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
• He is the propitiation for our sins.
• But here is the good news. He is also propitiation, “...for the sins of the whole world.” (Verse 2b)
I. HIS CONCERN
II. HIS COURSE
III. HIS CURE
