This week in our Rest series, Josh looks at 1 John 2:1-2 and asks the question: how can we be comfortable in our relationship with God when we still screw it up? Listen in and find out how Jesus’s role as advocate provides the answer.
Key Ideas:
- Jesus as Intercessor: Jesus is always interceding for us. He stands between us and God and intercedes on our behalf and for the healing and restoration of the relationship.
- Jesus as Advocate: Jesus crosses over from the middle of us and God to our side. He steps in as our advocate in the midst of our sin–in real time, in real sin. The advocacy of Jesus is based on His own righteousness and that’s the only reason it works.
Discussion and Reflection Questions
- What experiences have you had of someone advocating for you? When has someone taken your side, and how did that affect your confidence?
- The gospel is not morally neutral. In our broken minds, we often take grace to mean license, but it is not. Grace restores sinners and restricts sin, at the same time. How have you used grace as license to run from God?
- Many of us feel uncomfortable in our relationship with God because of our continued sin. We feel timid and might feel like we have to hide. How does the reality of Jesus as advocate help you to be open with God? How does his advocacy help you be honest with God about who you actually are?
- To have Jesus coming to our aid means we can drop the self-defense tactics. We don’t’ have to minimize our sin, justify it, or even justify ourselves. Jesus is doing a perfectly good job already at defending us, which means we can be silent. How can you practice the spiritual discipline of silence this week? How can you embrace a reverent, trusting silence before God because Jesus is saying all that needs to be said already?