As he was driving through Texas, a New Yorker collided with a truck carrying a horse. A few months later he tried to collect damages for his injuries. " How can you now claim to have all these injuries?" asked the insurance company's lawyer. "According to the police report, at the time you said you were not hurt." "It's like this," said the New Yorker. "I was lying in the road in a lot of pain, and I heard someone say the horse had a broken leg. The next thing I know the sheriff pulled out his gun and shot the horse. Then he turned to me and said, "Are you okay?"

The new priest from up north was assigned to the south Georgia peanut-growing country, and he had some difficulty in understanding the ways of the South. One day he was in the confessional booth, and three boys came to confess. He asked the first two how they had sinned and they answered in turn, "We've been throwing peanuts in the river." He didn't understand how that was a sin, but he didn't want to ask, so he absolved them, and they left. However, after he had absolved the third boy of some minor infraction, he asked, "Why is it bad to throw peanuts in the river?" "I'm Peanuts," said the boy.

The passage we are going to investigate is incredible. It is God's grace at work. Theology we can appreciate and understand even though it is cloaked behind intimidating words we will have to define. It's not peanuts.

This morning we are going to consider 1 John 2:1-2:

" My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world." (NAS)

Two verses. Two great words. Incredible theology. We are blessed people!

A woman in India had learned she was a sinner, that God is holy and cannot pass by sin. She often said, "I need some great prince to stand between my soul and God." After a while she heard that the Bible contained the account of a Savior who had died for sinners. So she asked a Pundit to read the Bible to her. He began at the first chapter of Matthew, and as he read the list of names in the genealogy of Christ, the woman thought; What a wonderful Prince this Jesus must be to have such a long line of ancestors! And then the Pundit read: "Thou shalt call his name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins." The woman exclaimed, "Oh, this is the Prince I want! This is the Prince I want! This is the Prince who is also a Savior!"

Jesus, For the Defense!

This passage presents us with three essentials for our defense. The first is:

I. A Realistic View of Sin.

(Read 1 John 1:8-10)

If we were to suggest we have absolutely no sin the bible says we are:

	We are "deceiving ourselves" (8)
	"The truth is not in us"(8)
	We are "Calling God a liar" (10)
	"His word is not a part of our lives" (10)

Here's the twist: God does not want us to sin. That's right!

"I am writing these things that you may not sin...."

Sin may be inevitable, but it is a matter of urgent concern to John. Sin is the enemy! Sin can remove us from the light of God and force us back into a life of darkness.

Sin. For such a small word it has had an incredible impact. In the Greek it is not a three letter word. It is "hamartano," a word meaning "to fall short, to do wrong, to miss the mark." (See 1 John 3:4)

It's the reason Jesus came. It's what He came to save us from. Not to make us perfect, or even to keep us from sinning, but to save us from the penalty of sinning. Listen to Paul. (Read Romans 3:23)

Death! Separation from God!

Our God is realistic about sin. He absolutely wants us to be from sin.

Try as we might! Concentrate night and day, the only conclusion we come up with is that we are incapable of living a sinless life on our own.

We can do very well for short periods of time. Then, there we go again. Sin.

There are times when we sin and don't realize it. We sinned and we didn't mean it. There are other times in our lives when we know exactly the right thing to do and the wrong thing to do and we choose the wrong thing. Sometimes it is even with forethought! I believe Paul can understand these times.

(Read Romans 7:18-21) The the struggle with the flesh!

Had God said after the resurrection of Jesus words like: "If you accept my Son and ever sin again, you will fry forever because you're a sinner," we'd all be in trouble. Praise God he never said such a thing.

"And if anyone sins..."

The realism of God. Sin is serious business. If it hadn't been, Jesus would never have came to earth. We should never take it lightly. We should be growing and becoming victorious daily...

Yet here it is...."And if anyone sins..." I love phrases like this. It shows me God hasn't forgotten me, a sinner.

	He hasn't left me out in the cold.
	He hasn't forsaken me.
	He hasn't grown tired of my weakness, my sinfulness, my failures.

"And if anyone sins..." These four words are among the most reassuring words in the five chapters of John. God knows. God understands. God loves me and isn't going to toss away his investment in my life.

II. A Qualified Counselor.

Perry Mason, Paul Drake, Della Street... this is the team I would want on my side if I became angry at someone and told them I was going to get them, and then they were found murdered. I would want Lt.Tragg and Hamilton Burger against me, because they are no match for Perry Mason.

I like it when Matlock stands by his client at the arraignment. The judge asks the accused to stand and Matlock stands up beside the accused and says, "Benjamin Matlock for the defense your honor." You know what that means. It means you're going to win because Matlock is a winner . He is going to stand by your side through the trial. Wow! How could you lose?

A court room drama is being played out daily in our lives. Sin is the crime. Sin comes in different packages. Different sizes and shapes. Sin is fatal. It merits a death sentence. We have an accuser (in our drama we'll call him the prosecutor) who is always pointing a finger at us. He's a lot smarter than Lt. Tragg or Hamilton Burger. He doesn't like to lose and never invites the defense out for a hot dog when he does.

(Read Revelation 12:10)

Satan, our accuser is one very busy being. He is utter destruction! He is not picky about who he destroys. If I understand this passage, Satan is consistently bringing charges against us. Seeking to point out our failures to God. The ultimate tattler.

	"You see that, he cussed again!"
	"There he goes using your name in vain!"
	"Told a lie to get out of another lie."
	"Stole that! Stole that! Stole that!"
	"He had a lustful thought toward that person!"
	"She was really angry at her co-worker!"

The Judge of course is God the Father. We are the ones on trial. Standing next to us is not Benjamin Matlock, but Jesus Christ the righteous as our advocate! Our advocate! The word in the Greek is "paraclete". It means to call along side. However, it also is a word used in a court of justice. It denotes a legal assistant. Counsel for the defense. Catch this: One who pleads another's cause. (Write this down.)

With the accuser pointing his finger at us, standing in our corner is Jesus the righteous pleading our cause before the Father.

Our counselor for the defense is not going to play tricks on the court to sway the jury or the judge. Our counselor knows we are guilty. Our counselor does not maintain our innocence. I believe, he confesses our guilt, and pleads our case.

He is altogether righteous! He can stand in the presence of God entirely clothed in righteous splendor. Sinless. Absolutely perfect. A flawless jewel.

He is our righteousness. He is the only reason we can even be in the courtroom with God.

(Read Isaiah 64:6)

"We are all infected and impure with sin. When we put on our prized robes of righteousness, we find they are but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves we fade, wither and fall. Our sins, like the wind, sweep us away." (TLB)

1 Corinthians 1:30 says, "It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-- that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption." (NIV)

We have a qualified counselor. He has the ear of the Judge. His is altogether righteous. He knows we are guilty and stands by us anyway. We are not alone before God. We don't have to plead our own case. We don't have to defend ourselves.

III. A "Not Guilty" Verdict.

With Jesus at our side, regardless of the charge, we are acquitted. Amazing. Especially when you realize...

	The judge knows we are guilty.
	The accuser knows we are guilty.
	Our defense counsel, Jesus knows we are guilty.

How can we be acquitted?

There's a big word in verse 2. It's a great word. It's the theological reason why we are innocent of all charges when we committed the crimes. This is a word you want to know and thank God for all it means.

Translation attempts... [Greek "Hilamos"]

	NEB: "Remedy for defilement"
	TEV: "means by which our sins are forgiven"
	JB: "The sacrifice that takes our sins away"
	NIV: "Atoning sacrifice

An extraordinary word!

Our attorney is the propitiation. It's not something in his brief case, but it is something he and he alone is. He is the propitiation for our sins! Whatever the word means, it directly affects our sins. This is a powerful word because it not only affects our sins, but all the sins of all the world. The word propitiation affects our sins, and by doing so affects our eternity.

The reason why we are acquitted when we are guilty is not because of any merit or righteous act on our part. If left to our own merit we would be put away forever. If left to our own righteousness, we wouldn't have a prayer.

He is our propitiation. Notice the NAS marginal note: "satisfaction".

Here's how it works...

We have sinned and we are guilty. No question about it. We know it. The Judge knows it! The prosector (accuser) knows it. And our attorney knows it. Our attorney is our propitiation.This means He is our covering. He covers our sins. Like in the OT when the sins of the people were covered on the day of atonement and moved forward. A sharp prosecutor is capable of taking concealed (covered) evidence and revealing it. "Here it is! Here it is!" Jesus not only covers our sins, but he removes them as well! They are not concealed, they no longer exist. There is no longer in the scrolls of heaven any record of our sin. Covered and removed!

The reason we are acquitted is because there is no evidence against us. Jesus stands at our side as our "advocate & propitiation" The accuser loses again.

A story is told of a Christian who was having a terrible struggle with an evil habit. He had resolved to give it up, but time and again in his weaker moments he stumbled and fell. On each occasion he confessed it to the Savior. But he had succumbed to temptation so often that he began to despair, thinking that surely God would bring to mind his many shortcomings. After losing another spiritual battle, he cried out with a broken heart, "O Lord, I've done it again. I've done it again!" Expecting a stern rebuke, the fearful soul was somewhat stunned but greatly comforted when the Heavenly Father said, "WHAT have you done again?" Although this is just a parable, it emphasizes the fact that divine forgiveness includes divine forgetfulness.

God knew our natural inclination toward sin. He knew we would need continual grace. That's why Jesus' ministry is still ongoing. Jesus serves as our advocate with God, He is our propitiation.

He can plead our cause by addressing the Father and saying, "Your honor, the accused in not guilty any longer because my blood has covered his sin and removed it. Your honor, this is your child.

He doesn't want us to sin. He would not have us begin to reason, "If He will forgive me anyway, why don't I just go ahead and sin."

That's not God's best for us. Sin can harden us. Sin can itself become our God. It can take us to the place where we no longer appreciate an advocate. It can take us to the place where we stand accused before the Judge of heaven and earth without proper representation.

Years ago an English evangelist told this story: "During the late South African war, I stood in one of our main thoroughfares watching a regiment of red-coated soldiers marching to the quay to embark for the front. A friend of mine came up to me and asked me what color I thought their tunics were. "'Why, red, to be sure,' I replied. 'Look through that,' he said, handing me a bit of red glass. And to my amazement, when I looked through it, I saw a white-coated regiment pass before me! "You look incredulous. It may seem improbable; but test it for yourself tomorrow. Get a piece of red cloth and view it through a red glass, and you will find the cloth becomes white. "So with our sins. Though they are as scarlet, the red blood of Christ will make them white as snow."