Wwjd

“WWJD” 1 John 2:1-11

FBCF – 8/30/23 REFRESH

Jon Daniels

INTRO – WWJD – Very popular at one time, especially among teenagers. Thousands of bracelets sold in Christian bookstores everywhere. Asked an employee at Lifeway bookstore back when it was open if they had ever seen anything as popular. Said they had not. Lots of Bible study series developed from it. Pro athletes wore them. Adults wore them. Even heard that one member of boy band In-Sync wore one & would give it away after their concert.

Purpose of bracelet – cause us to ask question, “What would Jesus do?” as we encounter various situations in life on a day-to-day basis. Definitely a valid question!

Look at 1 John 2:1-11 – Ask some “WWJD” questions:

WHY WOULD JESUS DIE?

Years ago on a choir tour w/ FBC, B’haven youth choir. Stopped at a Schlotzsky’s deli. Was wearing a bracelet. Teenage girl taking my order – “I like your bracelet.” Thought might be a good witnessing opportunity. Little did I know that God was about to teach me something. Asked her, “What do you think it means?” Reply: “Why would Jesus die?” I had never thought of that before! Took bracelet off & gave it to her. Thanked her for teaching me a new insight.

What an awesome question! “Why would Jesus die?” Find 2 answers to that in v. 1-2.

TO BE OUR ADVOCATE – As children of God, our heart’s desire should be that we not sin. That’s our goal – to glorify God w/ our lives by not sinning.

But we know that we WILL sin.

- It’s serious business.

- Breaks God’s heart.

- Quenches the Spirit.

- Disrupts our fellowship w/ God.

- Moves us into a place of darkness instead of light.

Good news for us today is that when we do sin, we have an “advocate” who “speaks to the Father in our defense” (NIV). What is an advocate?

- “One who pleads another’s cause”

- Gk word – parakletos – “one who comes alongside; one who appears in another’s behalf; a mediator, a helper.” (Earl Palmer, Communicator’s Commentary, p. 36)

- Someone once said that Jesus is our “heavenly defense attorney.”

- Other Scriptures:

o Romans 8:34 – “Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” (NIV)

o 1 Timothy 2:5 – “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.”

Don’t misunderstand. Jesus does not stand at odds w/ the Father, pleading our case.

- Doesn’t make excuses for us – “He couldn’t help it…”

- Doesn’t try to bargain w/ the Father – “If you’ll let her off this time…”

- Doesn’t try to convince the Father that we are really good people.

Truth of His being our Advocate is that Jesus is, as one commentator put it, “nothing other than God’s embrace” (Burge, NIV Application Commentary, p. 94).

- He was & still is God’s means of dealing w/ our sin problem.

- When God looks at us, He looks at us through the “lens” of our sinless Savior & Advocate, Jesus, who represents us before the Father.

TO BE OUR ATONEMENT – The 1st solution to our sinfulness is Jesus being our Advocate. The 2nd solution is found in v. 2 – Jesus is our Atonement – “atoning sacrifice” (NIV). This is the basis if His case on our behalf, the power behind His advocacy for us.

ESV – “propitiation” – Look up word in dictionary – “to appease someone who is angry.”

- If you apply this to Christ here, you get a horrible picture of an angry God who is about to destroy the world, & a loving Savior jumping in between us & Him to appease a “ticked off” Deity!

- Certainly, God is angry at SIN. He is perfectly holy & cannot tolerate sin in His presence.

- But what does John 3:16 say: “God so LOVED…’

The word “propitiation” is a really good word that we need to understand! It does not mean the appeasing of an angry God. It means the “satisfying of God’s holy law.” It means that Jesus is the One who turns aside God’s wrath toward our sin by taking that wrath upon Himself for us.

- God us just & therefore cannot just close His eyes to our sin or look the other way.

- But He is love & wants to save sinners.

The way that this situation was satisfied was in God’s loving sacrifice of His Son on the cross.

- God is just in that He must punish sin.

- God is love in that He offers free forgiveness to us through Christ’s death.