At the Bar of God

 1 John 2:1

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: 

 Introduction

John — practical mystic (sublime, profound)

• mystical–God is Light, God is Love, God is Spirit
• practical–if a man say…and do…he is a liar
• 1:6, 8, 10; 2:4, 9, 11, 15; 3:6, 8-10; 4:8, 20; 5:13, 18
• Do I measure up? to perfection??

vs 1:5-10 written that Ye Sin Not!

Interpretation & Explanation

• The Defendant (if?, and you will…) – we know our guilt
  • commission- things we shouldn’t have done
  • omission – things we ought to have done
• The Prosecutor from Hell (accuser, tempter also)
  • knows well our sin and guilt
  • talked us into it, gleefully observed us do it
  • now, accuses us to God for committing it
  • seeks our ruin as the just result of our sin
  • day and night (very busy person)
• The Judge – He knows our guilt
  • also Lawgiver – wrote the laws
  • also Executor – carries them out
• The Defense Atty. (advocate, righteousness) – became sin
  • Jesus
    • Savior
  • Christ
    • Anointed, appointed
  • the Righteous
    • substitute, propitiation, satisfaction
• Defendant, child of God
• Prosecutor, head bruised – you have “no case” against this child of mine!
• Judge, my Father, my Advocate’s Father
• Defense Atty., my Lord, my Savior, my Righteousness, my Friend, my Help, my Brother,
•  

Application

• God’s plan of redemption is not just the story of loving grace.  It is the story of a righteous, holy God’s satisfaction being carried out on his own Son and that Son being our righteousness.
• Christ, made sin, that we might be made righteous. 
• The message to the church
  • thankfulness
  • gratefulness
  • carefulness – I plead the blood, yes and we must plead over and over, but how it should pain us to do that!  He forgives, but we should seek to live not to need it.

Conclusion