1263. How To Prevent/Keep People From Sinning

Welcome to The Daily Platform or program preacher's sermons from travel services Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina.

Every day students are blessed by the preaching and teaching of the Bible from the University Chapel platform today speaker is Dr. Steve Pettit, president of Bob Jones University class take your Bibles and turn with me please to first John first John chapter 2 this morning. Yesterday we we talked about the utmost salvation that we have in Christ and why is it that we have, knowing knowing. I assured assuredly that we are going to in the end we say and that is that we have Jesus who ever lives to intercede for us. He is always in the presence of God interceding for us. In light of our sin with the question this morning. I would like to propose that, piggybacks off yesterday's message and that is okay so we know that this is true that Christ lives to intercede for us in spite of our sin, in spite of our personal failures. But how, how do you are what is the best way to prevent or to protect people from sinning. Or maybe I can ask you this way one works best to get people to leave their sins. And if you want to think about that and you were to give an answer. What would the answer in your mind be. I think unnatural answer that we would all have would be some form of restriction we can use the word rule or regulation that you put on yourself that you will not do something again.

Let me ask you question, and if you've ever done something wrong and you promise God you wouldn't do it again we've ever done that regime I how many of you did it again. Okay, so obviously didn't work. So what is God's way in order to get us to the place where we actually protects us when we leave those sins and the answer is actually one that you already know, but it's when you have to continually remind yourself of and that is it is the message of God's free grace to forgive you of your sins completely and freely, that actually protects you and delivers you from continuing on in the life of sin. In other words, it is God's grace that actually is what does that for you and I can say this way that when we preach grace correctly. It never leads to a life of disgrace. See the natural way to think is if you preach God's grace and God just keeps on forgiving you then you can just keep on doing what you want. It doesn't really matter, but actually when you understand grace. It never leaves leads you to a life of disgrace. You remember the woman that was called in the act of adultery. She was brought to Jesus to be condemned and stoned to death. That's what the law requires and what Jesus duly called the bloodthirsty crowd to transparency any announced.

Let him who is without sin among you, be the first to throw a stone at her and who was able to pick up the stone and hurl it at her because they had no sins. Well, what did Jesus do. Jesus responded by looking at the woman and said woman, where are they has no one condemned you. In other words, they were all sinners and she said no one, Lord. And Jesus said, neither do I condemn you.

That's grace go, and from now own sin no more. It's in Jesus's action that we learn that it is through God's free grace and love and forgiveness that people are led to avoid sin this morning. I'd like us to look at that truth unfolded in a deeper way to clear away and that's what we find in first John chapter 2 in verse one, because not only does Jesus intercede for us, but according to first John two in verse one.

Jesus is our advocate and that's what we need to understand in how it is that the Lord gives us victory over our sin is so much look at what he says in first John chapter 2 in verse one.

He says my little children, these things I write into you that you sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the righteous. Now this truth is unfolded in three things I want to say this morning. First of all, it is very clear from the statement and is a reality that saints God's people are still sinners. He says my little children, these things I write unto you, that you sin not.

And if any man sin. Christians without exception are all still sinners. I was say my freshman year of college and a student, a cadet where I was attending school was a believer who was probably the best Christian on it and had a profound influence in my life really mentored me discipled me.

He took me under his wing. He love me we became very, very close friends and I literally thought he was perfect because I never saw him sin and I thought I could never be like you one day I actually saw him sin and I rejoiced. I said now I like him and I realize then of course I was a young Christian in a court you growing in the Lord, but all Saints or sinners. First John chapter 1 verse 10 says if we say we've got sin, we make him a liar and his word is not in as well. If it we are all sinners still then what's the difference between a saved sinner in an unsafe center and the answer is it's called nature you say when somebody experiences God's grace in their life they actually experience a dramatic change in their life. What happens, you become a new person. If any man be in Christ is a new creation.

You are a new creature.

You have a new nature, you have a new heart.

You have new affections you have new appetites new mind you have a new vision you have a new passion, you are literally new men and new women and as a result of being Nate made new. You suddenly gain a clearer understanding of everything of your life outside of yourself, of God, and you get a new understanding of sin. You see it in a way like you've never seen it before, and I remember when I became a Christian I like over a period of time, became aware of things I just never paid attention to, like, like I was in a military school and so cursing abounds in a military school. Well, when you're unsafe you don't think about it, but I would hear the name of Jesus cursed all the time that bothered me in it in. It affected me. I began to become very aware of things like like anger and and and and gossip and complaining. I became aware of of of the that I was living in a world that I didn't feel a part of a member going home and watching TV shows I grew up with. I mean, like, you know, the leaf leave the old programs that are what like me TV like Gilligan's Island. I saw the original Gilligan's Island on that old and I remember watching them because you know that to me.

They were fairly innocent until I started noticing something that will hello Ginger, love and I just simply saying I became aware of these things. You see the difference is you have a new nature and there some things about you as a believer that are true.

For example, as a believer you really don't want to sin. Paul says in Romans seven for I do not do what I want but I do the very thing I hate. A true believer sends more by omitting the things he should do, or by reacting in the wrong circumstances is not like you spend your days planning to sin because you really don't want to.

You also don't boast about your sin, and generally Christians don't brag about their sins.

Now you don't typically hear guys going around talking about girls that he's been sleeping with on the weekend or you don't have your D group get together and talk about the big party you had over the weekend and how you got wasted you party till you puke me that's not typical language. Why because we don't brag about us in fact is we sin, we don't want anybody to know about it. As a believer you don't boast about your sin, you don't brag about your sin. Fact is, you actually regret sitting you feel bad about you feel shameful. You promise God got I don't want to do it again. You don't enjoy it is like the story of the pig and the sheep were walking along side by side and they they end up in the pigpen and the pig jumps in it he delights in it and the sheet falls in it. While the sheep Senate. It hates every moment of it and wants to get out what's the difference. The difference is nature, and yet still for all this. A Christian is a sinner. Why, because of the imperfection of your nature. Paul says in Romans seven. Now if I do what I don't want to do is no longer I did do it, but sin that dwells in me. You see, even though you have a new nature, you also have the old Adam the old nature inside of that nature.

You can improve it. You can't make it better. You can't spiritualize it. You can't sanitize it.

You can put perfume on. It is still going to smell the only thing the Bible says you can do with the old man is crucified, put it to death. No wonder Paul cried out all wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death summit suggested that there's an illustration. In that phrase, the body of this death, for in ancient times when a man was condemned for murder.

They would often take the man that he murdered him literally tie the body of the dead man to the murderer and they would bind them together, and eventually that dead man would eat death into the life of a living man killing who shall deliver me from the body of this death.

In other words, I feel like I'm dragging around this dead man everywhere I go. It is constantly wanting to pull me into sin so the truth of what we find here in first John is true that we all experience, understand, and that is that we are all still sinners, which leads to the second thing that we see in this verse, and that is that the advocate on advocate is provided on purpose to meet the reality that we are still sinners on advocate is provided on purpose.

To me the reality that we are still sinners. Notice what the text does not say it doesn't say if any man sins. He's forfeited his advocate. He says if any man sins we have an advocate literally right now for my sin. God is provided an advocate for me. So what is an advocate with this particular word is used five times in the New Testament one here in first John 21 and four times in John 14 through 16, where it refers to the Holy Spirit after Jesus goes into heaven, so the Holy Spirit becomes our advocate in this case in first John 21 is says that Jesus is our advocate, what does it mean though the word advocate means a helper. It means I guide means a counselor, a companion, it's the idea of a really good friend. So what's the difference between intercession yesterday.

We learn in advocacy intercession is the idea of mediating between two parties and you bring them together. An advocate is somebody who aligns themselves with another person in the advocate, they stand with them. They stand for them. They become their friend, they become their defender. So in reference to sin. Intercession speaks of what Christ perpetually does for us in the light of our overall sinfulness, but advocacy speaks what Christ does on occasion for us. In light of our specific sin.

The ones for which we know we've done and we feel guilty about. So it is when we say that we recognize we need an advocate for example when we are dirty. We recognize we need a bath. We are thirsty and hungry. We recognize we desire drink and food, when we break the law. We know we need a lawyer. We don't really need a lawyer until we don't really want a lawyer to we need a lawyer. I don't need an advocate unless I sin if any man sins we have an advocate for what is it saying it says every time you said you actually have a friend you actually have someone that you can go to an advocate who is that it is Jesus Christ the righteous. Remember when Peter denied Jesus and Jesus not told him that he was going to do it.

I mean he actually predicted that Peter was going to deny him. Listen what it says in Luke 22 Simon, Simon, the whole Satan at the Sgt. He's demanded they have you, that he may sift you like wheat but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. Peter said Lord I'm ready to go with you about the present and the death and Jesus said, I tell you, Peter the rooster will not crow this day, until you did not do.B3 times.

So Jesus predicted that Peter was sin. He also predicted that Peter would be restored.

Both predictions are true and what happened.

We read in Luke 22 verse 61 and the Lord turned and looked at Peter. This was after he denied him and Peter remember the saying of the Lord how it said before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times he did he remembered that he sin Peter remembered the prediction of his failure.

If any man sin, but somewhere after he went out and he was broken any weapon bitterly. He had to have remembered Christ's promise and what was Christ promise. I have prayed for you and after you come back after you come back to me. You can go out and strengthen your brethren and this prayer shows the advocacy of Christ, for he not only prays for Peter but he prays for you and I he is our friend and this was provided on purpose to meet the reality that we are still sinners, so I asked you this morning who is Jesus to you when you fall into spiritual holes. Who is Jesus to you when you fall in the moral holes when you're entrenched in anger, frustration, bitterness and resentment when you are bound in the habit of being a people pleaser, but you feel the sense of guilt that you haven't done what is right when you fall into the enslavement of a pornography habit who is Jesus to you at that moment, and for most of us. Obviously, the shame of the sense of the feeling of guilt believes that naturally that he is not our friend. And yet this tax is telling us in throughout the whole Bible is telling us that Jesus is the friend of sinners and it is at that moment that Christ comes to you and he comes to you with affection because he died for you on the cross we see this illustrated in the Old Testament.

I know if you've ever read it. It's is a powerful passage in Zachariah Zechariah chapter 3 in verse one we find three key figures, the high priest of Israel. The devil in the Lord. Let me just read it to you can just you can you can get it just by simple reading it says. Then he showed me Joshua. This is a vision of Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing on his right hand to accuse him. That is to accuse of the high priest and the Lord said to Satan, the Lord rebuke you, oh Satan, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you is not this a brand plucked from the fire Joshua standing before the angel listener that's clothed with filthy garments and the angel said to those who were standing before him removed by filtering filthy garments from him and to him, he said, behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you and I will close you with pure investment.

Here we find a high priest wearing filthy garments a mean of all people in the land of Israel should be the cleanest, who should be the cleanest you think of this room here of people who should be in this room, the holiest should be the person in this room that you would expect would have the least amount of sins, and yet here the high priest of the land of Israel is wearing filthy garments and not only is he wearing filthy garments, but he is being perpetually accused by Satan. Everybody in this room has experienced the accusations of Satan because of the things that we do our own personal failures. There's going to come actually accurate accusations is not like is not like the high priest stood up and defended himself against the Devils. It actually I'm not that bad. These were accurate accusations against him and what did the Lord do.

He advocated on his behalf, and the advocate shots the mouth of the accusations of Satan and leaves simply speechless. And that is what Jesus is for us. Aren't you glad that we have a friend, an advocate and the most glorious thing is, not only is he a friend, but he can do something about the sins because we have lots of friends in our life who care about us and they just can't do anything about.

And yet we have a friend who can advocate for us and that leads me to the last point, and that is the reason that Jesus can be our advocate is because of what he says in first John 21 notice would says we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Jesus advocating for us is actually he is righteous. Work market say it this way is what he has come to do is the right thing for him to do. We know that Jesus is righteous and that he never sin, but we also know that in his work. He will all do the right thing and what is that right thing will when you look in the Scriptures who did Jesus eat with unity with he ate with a lot of bad people. He ate with prostitutes.

He ate with thieves. He ate with the low life of the land and he was questioned and they asked him why is it that you eat with tax collectors and sinners in his answer was, those who are healthy don't need a doctor. I mean who goes to the doctor when you feel good. Have you ever gone to the doctor's office made an appointment yet you know you had to wait two months and finally you got to the doctor's office, you win any cyan you paid your fee the same and you walk in and say hi.I just wanted to tell you that I feel great, who visits the doctor's office when you're healthy. Nobody does what is the work of the doctors to deal with people that are sick and so what did Jesus say I came not to call the righteous, but I've come to call sinners to repentance.

What is he talking about.

He's talking about his own unique calling his work and what is his work. What is he do what is the right thing to do for him to do. He advocates for sinners. So when you send in you feel all alone you feel ashamed.

You need a friend.

If you come to Jesus and you throw yourself before him with your guilty caught conscience in your broken heart. You feel torn up because of shame and you feel that you're not worthy to be called God's child, what is Jesus to you, Jesus is your friend.

He is your advocate. Why, because this is the right thing for him to do if my car is broken. I call a mechanic because it's the right thing to do is right thing for him to do to fix it if I've broken the law. I call a lawyer to defend me that's the right thing for him to do. If I am sick I call a doctor to heal me. That's the right thing for him to do. If I want an education. I go to a teacher to teach me that's the right thing for them for that for them to do. And if I sin I needed advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous to forgive me. Why because that's the right thing for him to do. He will always advocate for you, because that is the right thing for him to do the biggest struggle for all of us is to actually believe it to actually overcome the feelings of our own heart and to believe that he actually is a friend of sinners and how does he advocate it's the right thing for him to do, and the basis of his advocacy is his own righteousness he pleases with his own life.

Yes, my father.

This center is unrighteous.

But remember, I live the life that he should've lived. I kept the wall I died the death that he should've died.

I satisfied the wall for him.

I have covered him from head to toe with my deeds and with my dad. I have clothed him with a robe it, even the Angels don't have. For they have a perfect righteousness of a creature but facts center there who's been saved as the righteousness of God and so father based on my righteousness and cleanse him renew him restore her give them a right spirit and let them go out and tell other other sinners. What a friend we have in Jesus all our sins and griefs to bear. We have an advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous. So what kind of Christian does this produce one who becomes loose in his morals one who wants to continue own in sin.

Someone who wants to just keep living the way their living. No, but it brings about a dramatic change in your life as you realize you have a friend you have the friend of sinners. You say will I just I just got one more question, I just keep falling over the same thing over and over and over what I did and the answer is you keep coming back over and over and over as you keep coming back. God begins to work in the way you think, begin to see your sin more clearly begin to hate the sin, you begin to cry out for grace. The effectual power of Jesus his blood and spirit in my life. God begins by his grace to enable you to overcome the very thing that on one hand by nature sinfully you love and my other by your new nature, you hate you just stay close to the friend of sinners. This power heads together for prayer. Father I pray this morning that you will bless these who are carrying on their hearts and their minds, their own sense of guilt and failure, and I thank you Lord Jesus that you are friend of sinners. Thank you that you advocate for us by your own righteous life and I pray for your grace to be upon our student body that you will protect us and help us to grow and I know Lord will not become sinless, but Lord help us to sin less. We assess in Jesus name, amen. You been listening to a sermon preached by Dr. Steve Pettit, president of Bob Jones University. We hope you'll join us again tomorrow at the same time as we study God's word together on The Daily Platform