Jesus, Our Advocate and Our Atonement
Truth Taught – Jesus not only pleads for us but His case is built upon His atoning sacrifice for His people.
Pastoral Prayer
Our God, we come to You by Jesus Christ Who has gone within the veil on
our behalf and ever lives to make intercession for us. Our poor prayers
could never reach You were it not for Him.
His blood is sprinkled on the Mercy Seat, and now we know that You always hear those who approach You through the blessed name of Jesus.
We have deeply felt our entire unworthiness even to lift up our eyes to the place where Your honor dwells. You have made us to die to our self-righteousness.
We pray now because we have been brought from death to life. We have
received a new life. We have risen from the dead, and we also make intercession through the life which Christ has given us. We plead with the living God with living hearts because He has made us to live.
Father we want to love You just for You and not for the things you give us. You are worthy of our praise. You are almighty and sovereign over everything. There is no a square inch in the entire universe that You have not made and that You do not govern.
-Give us understanding
-Give us grace as sinners
-Show us the utter depravity of our sin and then show us the utter righteousness of our Savior
-Show us that in Christ, we are saved to the uttermost
-He is our Advocate and our Atonement
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Last time we saw together that we are to aim at sinless perfection as John tells us do not sin and work hard at hitting the mark. We saw how we are to put sin to death. We must seek to do battle with sin daily and put it to death. In this fight we are also sinners by nature and by deed. If anyone does sin then we have Jesus the Righteous One.
While we must be putting sin to death and our goal must be to be sinless in this world, John also knows that we need more than just our best efforts. Our best efforts after we are saved are good but we still need more. We need Jesus and His work for us.
We need someone to stand before the Father on our account and we need someone to offer a substitutionary sacrifice.
That’s what we are going to look at today.
Please Stand…
1 John 2:1–2 (ESV)
2 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
1. Jesus, Our Advocate (2:1b)
But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
I want to look with you today at an OT example of how this works for us. How is Jesus our Advocate and what does He do for us.
Zechariah 3:1–4 (ESV)
3 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. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?” 3 Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. 4 And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.”
At the time the prophet Zechariah prophesied, Israel (or, more specifically, the Kingdom of Judah, to whom Zechariah prophesied) was in captivity/ exile in Babylon. Exile/ captivity was considered a punishment/ curse imposed upon the people for disobedience. It was used in order to prompt Israel towards repentance.
While Yahweh’s anger was kindled against His people (Isa. 5:25), the adversary (Satan himself) stood to accuse Israel. However, Yahweh rebukes Satan, for Yahweh had chosen Jerusalem (Israel).
Jerusalem (i.e., Yahweh’s people) is a wooden firebrand, a people punished but never entirely consumed by their punishment. Rather, they are rescued and spared by Yahweh Himself. The purpose of the punishment is to provoke His people to repentance.
We see the Advocate, the Angel of the Lord, coming to the defense of Judah. Satan, the accuser while they are already being punished for their sin currently in exile begins his accusations. They’re guilty, they’re sinners etc.
2 And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?”
The Lord was Judah’s Advocate. He defends His people. What is His defense? Did He say they were not guilty of sin? No! That’s not His defense. Satan was accusing God’s chosen elect. It was enough for the Lord to rebuke Satan. Yes, they are sinners and yes, they are guilty but I have chosen them and they are Mine I rebuke You, Satan!!!
The same is true for us as Christ’s chosen and elect. There is no charge against us that will hold up in the heavenly court, why? We are the chosen and elect brand plucked from the fire.
A brand is a wooden tool that stirred the fire. It is the very fact that we as God’s people have been plucked from the fire that Satan has no claim when he accuses us. It is the very fact that God has chosen us that Satan’s accusations will not stick.
Also see with me that Jesus not only is our Advocate but He is the Righteous. His plea for His people will always be a successful one because He is the Righteous One. Jesus Christ has a righteous plea to make on behalf of His people.
Our Lord’s Advocacy for us is not a verbal pleading with the Father as if the Father needs to be convinced of Christ’s payment on the cross. We are the ones He has given to the Son. Our Lord’s presence in heaven is proof that we are forgiven and His intercession and advocacy are sufficient to secure our eternal redemption.
Romans 5:10 (ESV)
10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
Our Lord’s death on the cross has saved us. His life as our High Priest is saving us. Both must be operating together. His death and His resurrected life plead for us.
Jesus Christ became incarnate; He lived His entire life for us. He paid for and put away our sins by His death, His body was placed in the grave for us. He rose for our justification. He entered heaven as our forerunner. He sat down at the right hand of power which proves God has given to Jesus all things including heaven itself. He lives to represent us or to make intercession for us as our Advocate. Beloved of God, those who have placed their trust in the work of Christ, are eternally secure because of this amazing truth the King of heaven and the eternal Judge is your Savior. The One who could pass judgement is the One who died your very death for you…
Romans 8:31–39 (ESV)
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
Our intercessor is with the Father. In other words, the Holy Trinity is working together in tandem to accomplish our eternal redemption through ongoing forgiveness. The very fact that Jesus is in heaven seated at the right hand of the Father is proof that His righteous claims will always be met with a hearty Amen from the Father. Jesus is our Advocate and our righteousness.
2. Jesus, Our Atonement (2:2)
2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
We have stressed the fact that Jesus is our Advocate. We have seen that He qualifies because He is the Righteous One. However, we must see together exactly what it is that His advocacy rests upon…
Understand, Jesus can offer His priestly service on our behalf by being our Advocate and by being righteous but what is the guarantee that God the Father will accept His mediatorial work on our behalf?
John answers that question in verse 2…
Jesus who is now the King of heaven and pleading for us as our Advocate and performing His High Priestly function by standing in our place has done something else for us…
Jesus, the King of Heaven seated at the right hand of the Father, the very owner of heaven is also our Atoning Sacrifice (Hilasmos) or as translated here propitiation. To understand Christ’s sacrifice correct we must keep two things together.
Propitiation is an offering to appease a god or another person seen as greater than we are. In a strict definition propitiation or hilasmos in Greek can be made without remedying the past wrong. The past wrong may still be there but a gift is given to turn away the king’s wrath. In the NT we are taught that in Jesus’ atoning sacrifice there is more than just propitiation, there is also efficacy. He not only is the sacrificial offering but His death has also taken away the original offence. So, there is the NT word efficacy.
In the ancient world an offended King could be appeased when the offender offered a gift seen as of perhaps more value than what was lost or to make up for some misdeed or wrong. But the misdeed was still there the gift simply caused the King to overlook the wrong.
That’s not what the Bible means by propitiation. When John tells us that…2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
What John means is the sin or offense has been erased. The sin has been completely removed, erased, done away with. When Jesus is finished our sins are gone so God’s wrath and anger also removed from us.
What does the death of Jesus as an atoning sacrifice do for us.
The word propitiation in the Bible and even in other ancient secular sources means that there is an offended party in which a payment is made to restore right relationship.
God the Father was the offended party. We because of our sins are the offenders. God will make things right by punishing us for our sins. However, Jesus, the righteous one was made to partake of flesh to live a life free from sin and die a death that expiates our sin and propitiates God. Our sins are paid for and removed from us because God’s wrath was poured out on Jesus rather than on us. He, then becomes for us our Atoning Sacrifice.
1 John 1:7 (ESV)
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
So, we must take notice of two important wonderous points here…
His one act accomplished two objectives. Jesus is our Advocate and our Atoning Sacrifice. What He pleads on behalf of sinners is accomplished by His mediatorial work for us. Through His sacrifice He has opened the veil.
Matthew 27:50–51 (ESV)
50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
At this moment even before the resurrection, God shows His entire endorsement of Jesus’ death for His people. At the moment of Jesus’ death all the sins of God’s people are atoned for and the way is open and the veil torn.
Now, all who believe have access to God through Jesus, His Son. We can think of the veil to the Holy of Holies as a portal to God and Jesus has opened it by His atoning sacrifice. All who come to Christ by faith can enter into God’s throne room in full assurance that the Father accepts them into the beloved through His Son.
Our verse goes on…
2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
Not for the Jews only, but Jesus is the propitiation for the sin of all the nations. All who come to Him by faith will enter into a right relationship with God as His children.
His atonement sacrifice so potent and powerful that it brings in believers from all the nations.
Sinners find a place among the beloved through faith in Christ.
2 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
Hebrews 4:14–16 (ESV)
14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
But when we do sin, we have Jesus…
Resources Used:
Words of Blessing
Beloved of God to you whose guilt is forever revoked when our advocate mediates for us.
To you whose eternal redemption which has been secured as your sins have been atoned for in Christ.
To you who have been living under God’s smile since you’ve believed.
To you who will never see God’s wrath because the Son is the propitiation for your sin.
To you who love God through His Son, Jesus Christ may you always live under God grace and peace through the work of Jesus the Righteous One.
Walk in Peace with God.
Amen
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