Jesus Our Great Advocate Kathryn Kuhlman 1 John Chapters 1 & 2

My little children, these things I write unto you that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only. but also for the sins of the whole world. Thus reads a portion of the Word of God as found in 1 John, the second chapter. To me, these are some of the most thrilling words in the entire New Testament. Oh, what comfort! What security! What hope! What... There can be no defeat in Christ Jesus. Know that. John, the great disciple of love, in the preceding chapter had emphasized the marvelous truth of forgiveness through Christ. He had stated in language which simply cannot be misunderstood when he said, The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from all sin. More thrilling words were never written. More thrilling words were never spoken. It is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son. cleanseth us from all sin. And in those words he had assured his hearers that if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And then he continues. Three little words so full of love, so full of meaning. My little children. He called them by the most endearing name possible. My little children. These things write I unto you that ye sin not. Was it necessary to sin? Was it necessary then? Is it necessary today? Somehow I feel that John knew human nature. Jesus knew human nature. And I'm so glad that he does. I'm so glad that he realizes that we're still human, even though we've been born again. Even though we belong to him. Even though our past has been covered with the blood. It doesn't change the fact one iota that we're still an old body of flesh. This is still mortal. This is still corruption. Jesus remembered that we were human. Paul knew human nature. And we Christians soon learned that despite our best efforts, despite... Our sincerity. It happens that sometime we stumble and fall. We're not perfect. Not one of us. If you claim perfection, any perfection of yourself, you only deceive yourself. I cannot honestly claim any perfection of myself. I would not deliberately sin for anything in the world. I would not deliberately go against the word of God. or grieve the Holy Spirit or grieve my Lord for anything in the world and yet I can claim no perfection of myself. I am not perfect. Neither are you perfect. Neither is any human being in the world today perfect. Only one walked this earth in complete perfection and that one is the one who is our great advocate this very hour, the son of the living God. We must say with Paul when he said, not as though I had already attained. Either we're already perfect. That's right. We have not yet attained that perfection. We will not. attain perfection until that which is mortal will have put on immortality. That which is now corruption will have put on incorruption. Not as though I had already attained. Either were already perfect. At best we can merely say follow after and press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus, as Paul expresses it. Because of our inability to reach perfection, some may say, well, what's the use of trying? Or others may say, because God is so ready to forgive sins, why should I put forth any special effort? paralyzed their Christian life. Hence the apostle pleads that we should not sin. The antidote which he offers is that we confess and forsake our sin. But however, the apostle realized full well that we should not achieve perfection. but that there will be sins and transgressions. Hence he says, and if any man sin, he does not say if we sin. Sin is the act of an individual. The individual is guilty. Any one of us may sin. In fact, every one of us does sin. Of course. As Christians, we do not want to sin. We fight against it. We do not become slaves of sin. Sin should not rule over us. Paul says in the sixth chapter of Romans, Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. For sin shall not have dominion over you. For ye are not under the law, but under grace. And yet, we're human. We stumble. We're as little children. Little children learning to walk. And we fall. We're exposed to severe temptations. And the evil one, the devil as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour. Or worse still, he will resort to his cunning devices in putting temptations in our way, in deceiving us. But not one of us needs yield to temptation. As long as we have the great advocate, as long as we have the great mediator, as long as we keep our eyes on Jesus, for there is one who is greater than the enemy of our soul, and that one is the very Son of the living God. We yield too easily. Scripture presents examples of great men of God who yielded to temptation and afterward regretted it deeply. Think of Moses and Aaron who led Israel out of Egypt but because of their sins were not permitted to enter the promised land. of David, who became guilty of adultery and murder. An afterword described his condition, saying, When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me. My moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Oh, the cry of his heart. The cry of his heart. My bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. Think of Simon Peter who denied the Christ. who cursed and swore that he was not one of Christ's disciples, and then afterward went out and wept bitterly. Who is there among us? God's precious little children. My little children, who has not wept bitterly because of some failure. Some remorse. Some sin committed. And he went out and wept bitterly. Did the master cast us aside? Did the master cast you aside? Did he cast me aside? What then if you and I fall into sin? Is our case hopeless? The grace of God reclaimed Moses and Aaron and David and Peter and others. The grace of God wants to reclaim also you and reclaim me and reclaim that one who has sinned. I have the greatest message for you this hour that you can possibly know. I don't care who you are. There is hope. No case is hopeless. No night is so dark, but what the master is right there, caring and loving. The great advocate. The very son of the living God. And that is the very point which John wants to emphasize. And he says, if any man sin, we have an advocate with the faith. Father, when we have fallen and are all disturbed and torn by it, God wants us to know that we have an advocate. In other words, he's saying we have a lawyer who pleads our cause. This presents the scene of a courtroom. We are the accused and must stand trial. God is our judge. However, here we are told that it is the Father, Christ's Father, our Father. Oh, what a wonderful and blessed advantage to have our Heavenly Father as our judge. Our Father who loves us, our Father who sent Christ in the world to establish this blessed, this glorious relationship with Father and Child. But our case is even more hopeful than that. For our advocate who appears for us before the face of God the Father, who stands by us and speaks for us and directs his plea to the Father is none other than Jesus Christ. It is Christ our Savior and Redeemer who once dwelt on earth. in the depth of poverty and lowliness and misery and suffering as a sin -bearer, that he might redeem us. It is Christ, Christ the anointed of God, who is redeemed for the purpose of being our prophet, our priest, our glorious king. And this same wonderful Jesus Christ now functions as our advocate. He intercedes for us. Is there anything more thrilling to God's children? Is there anything more thrilling to you this very hour as his child than to know that you have an advocate? There is nothing more thrilling to me in the midnight hour, in the darkness of that hour, to know as I awaken and look through the darkness, the blackness of the night, to know that I have an advocate. Jesus Christ the Lord. In this world of sin, I have security. I have a foundation. Nothing is hopeless. Because I have an advocate. He intercedes for me. He intercedes for you before the Father's throne. The prophet Isaiah saw all of this and said, He bare the sin of many. and made intercession for the transgressors. When cruel hands had riveted Christ to the cross, when godless hands had nailed Jesus to the cross, he prayed, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And in the light of that, Paul asks, Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. There is one this very hour, O beloved. Sing it, preach it, rejoice, tell it, know it, thrill to it. This very hour we have one in position of great high priest, seated at the right hand of God the Father, who also maketh intercession for us. John is eager. to clinch this glorious truth even more. And he says of our great intercessor that he is Jesus Christ, the righteous. All those two words, the righteous. You know, ordinarily, a lawyer need not be righteous himself. He need not plead his own case. This would not benefit his client in the least. He may... be merely a petitioner who proves that the cause of his client is just. But in our case, however, we the clients are sinful and guilty, but our advocate is holy and righteous and pleads our cause on the basis of justice. His own justice and righteousness. He can say nothing good of us, for we've sinned. But he can say much good for us, for he has done much for us. Our advocate is righteous in a twofold sense. He himself is without sin. He lived a perfect life. He fulfilled every demand of God's holy law. No one could convict him of sin. On the other hand, he is righteous as a substitute. When he met every requirement of God's law perfectly, he did it for us in our stead. When he suffered every stroke of sin's penalty, when he died on Calvary's cross, he did it all for us. And Peter says, For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the... unjust. And that's what John means when he declares, and he is the propitiation for our sins. He bore them in his own body on the tree. He atoned for them. He removed this ugly and insurmountable barrier which separated us from God. Thus he reconciles us. To God. He brought us the blessed assurance that God loves us and wants us in his family for time and for eternity. Surely we must marvel and wonder at God's gracious dealings with us undeserving sinners. And it all becomes the more marvelous when we read, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. Our gracious God is that who respects your persons, anyone, everyone, no matter who you are, or who will live in the days or the years which lie ahead. has been reconciled to God by Christ, and our Savior is only too eager to plead for him before the Father's throne. Oh, beloved, ponder this glorious truth, no matter who you are or where you may be. Listen. Christ, who redeemed us with his precious blood, surely has every reason. To plead our cause. And in this moment, put your case in his hands. And he will decide in your favor. Because as a substitute, he has merited.