When I was in junior high, our shop teacher opened his classroom every other week during lunch--so a few of us nerds could play chess. It got pretty popular after a while and the whole room was filled.

I remember the shop teacher was brilliant. He'd been playing chess all his life. And he'd go around and watch us play. After a while, he realized something: we were all terrible.

So, one week he dusted off the chalkboard and taught us the basics. He went over each piece, its function, how it moved, and what advantage it provided during the game. We all attentively listened to him and afterwards, the teacher would provide additional guidance as we played.

Now, I'm not a chess grandmaster, but because I was able to learn from him I improved.

My message for tonight is entitled First Things First. If we want to know how to live in this world, we need to start with the first things. 

We're going to look at three keys on living as Christians, from John's letter.

And like that old shop teacher who taught me chess, we are going to discover how this is all possible.

1 John 2:1a: "My little children..."

John opens chapter two with this phrase, "My little children." He will go on to use this several more times in this book.

Before we jump further into the text, we need to focus on this. John is older than most at this point, sure. He is probably speaking to a new generation of believers.

But he's not referring to his age, here. The apostle is, after all, writing to adults. But calls them "my little children."

John is setting the tone, so to speak, for what he is about to say. Despite being a mighty apostle, with authority from the risen Christ, John is not shouting down at the people.

He is not demanding their allegiance, like a tyrant. Instead, he appeals to them as a loving father would his children.

(Paul also did this, quite often.)

We need to remember this as we move through our text. John is not lecturing the Church; he's not condemning us. He is appealing to us in a kind and caring way.

This also reminds us of who is really speaking through John. Yes, the apostle is the scribe of this book, but it is our Heavenly Father--by the Holy Spirit--who is doing the writing.

Our God does not see us as subjects, forced to carry out his whims. We are his little children, whom he cares for lovingly each and every day.

Some of us might have a hard time thinking of God as our father--because our dads weren't caring or supportive.

Perhaps you keep God at arm's length because you fear he might betray you, like your father did. But that is not our God. No matter how good or bad your father was, God is the Father who will never let you down.

John is evoking that truth when he opens this chapter. That is important to keep in mind, so we won't misinterpret what comes next.

Part 1: First thing, we must know that Jesus takes away our sin (vs. 1,2)

"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."

John, speaking as a caring father to God's children, tells us he is writing this letter "so that you may not sin."

This is actually good news, although it might not sound like it. Previously, John told us that when we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us.

But some cynics in the audience might think that is some kind of carte blanch to do whatever you want. As I said, there were false teachers advocating that kind of thing.

John puts that phony view to bed right away, by saying his goal in this letter is to encourage us not to sin.

I know I don't have to agonize over this point, but it's worth settling this question. Why must we abstain from sin--if God is forgiving us?

Because the wages of sin is death. Sin destroys everything it touches. We are forgiven in Christ, amen. That doesn't mean sinful actions won't have consequences in this life.

If Christ came to give us life and life more abundantly, a part of that abundant life is freedom from sin.

And no trustworthy pastor, teacher, or "apostle" will ever teach anything that encourages sin. Remember that.

But John doesn't expect us to be sinless, by our own merits. In fact, it's just the opposite.

This is the first key to living the way Christ wants you to live: you must know that Christ has taken away your sin.

John immediately writes, "But if anyone does sin..." That word "but" in Greek actually is "and or also." Meaning, John knew that you are going to mess up.

And he gives us the solution: "we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."

Now, he's already said as much earlier in his letter, right? He wrote in chapter one verse seven, "The blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin."

You'll notice John will spend the rest of the letter, repeating this truth, using various terms to describe forgiveness. He said Jesus's blood cleanses us from sin.

He said God is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us. Now, he says it again, in a different way.

Why is he doing this? Because he--by the leading of the Lord--wants you to be firmly rooted in this truth. We are to never forget the reality of Christ's work.

First things first, as I said. Before we step out the door each day, we need to be fully convinced that our sins have been put away.

Here, John says Jesus is our advocate. The Greek word here is the same that Jesus used to describe the Holy Spirit in John 15:26.

Parakletos which means "someone called to come alongside." Vine's defines it this way:

It was used in a court of justice to denote a legal assistant, counsel for the defense, an advocate; then, generally, one who pleads another’s cause, an intercessor, advocate, as in 1 John 2:1, of the Lord Jesus.

John is describing our salvation in terms of a court case. God the Father is the Judge. Our sins are our crimes. We were guilty, deserving of the death penalty.

But we have an ace in the hole, our advocate is Jesus Christ, the righteous. Why does John call him the righteous?

We don't have a fallen human being advocating for us. We don't have Moses or David, as impressive as that might sound. They can't advocate for us, because they had their own sins to deal with.

We don't have an angel like Gabriel or Michael. They can't advocate for us, because they aren't human. How can they sympathize with or even understand us?

No, our advocate with the Father is the Righteous One. The Sinless One. In fact, the most precious one in the eyes of the Father.

Hey, when you need help the most, you want the very best, right?

This year, for our taxes, my wife and I decided to high a CPA. 

Before I was married, I filed my taxes online. And one year, we went to one of those nationwide chains. I assumed they knew what they were doing.

They didn't. We sat there as this person just clicked through computer prompts. They didn't even bother helping us find deductions, even though I worked from home!

Finally, we decided to pay more for a talented accountant. And when tax day came around he gave us the news: not only did we not owe anything, but we had been making overpayments!

It pays to have the very best working on your behalf.

We don't have an angel or a prophet interceding for us. A good man didn't go to the Cross. But the perfect one. The Righteous One. Jesus the Holy One of God!

No one else could do better.

And because we have the righteous one as our advocate, John goes on to say what Jesus is for us:

"He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world."

Okay, sounds good. But... what does "propitiation" mean?

It's a word that was more common during the times of kings and emperors. Justice was meted out through the king, who would grow angry at any who dared break his laws.

To "propitiate" meant you did something to appease the king's anger against you. Perhaps some kings wanted criminals to grovel at their feet.

Just kings would require a punishment and then the guilty person would go free. 

But we're talking about the King of the Universe. There is no punishment or payment we can make to fully appease his anger--and then go free.

Our sins, which were many, would require our death... our eternal death. Only Jesus could provide appeasement that ensures we are forever forgiven. Hallelujah.

But notice how John puts it here. This is key. He doesn't say Jesus provided propitiation--did you see that?

John writes Jesus is our propitiation. That's not a typo. That's not a mistake. He is using the present tense for a reason.

What does that mean? Is Jesus still suffering? Is he still on the Cross? No, the work is finished. He is alive!

John means that Jesus never stops providing our help. He is alive and is seated at the right hand of the Father. And, even now, he is meeting the needs of his people.

The apostle knew that we will continue to stumble. Sincere, Bible-believing Christians will mess up. 

And we are the ones who best know how sinful our actions are.

It is very common that well-meaning, true Christians condemn themselves when they realize they've sinned. "Ah! I did it again! I messed up, again!"

What are we to do?

John is reminding us, Christians, that when we fail we are not back under God's wrath. Why? Because Jesus is our propitiation. 

He didn't stop providing righteousness and forgiveness to us because we messed up.

He continues to be the one who sends grace into our lives, daily. God can never be mad at us again, because Jesus is our propitiation.

That's not an excuse for sin, of course, but the reason for us to get back up and keep walking with the Lord.

In fact, you cannot expect to obey God, resisting temptation today, if you are still under the burden of your sin from yesterday.

The knowledge that God has completely forgiven you frees you from guilt, shame, and condemnation. That is what actually empowers you to resist temptation.

How else can you expect to obey God, if you fear his wrath when you mess up?

I recently had the joy of becoming a father. And, while our daughter isn't walking yet, I've seen this phenomena many times before.

Illustration about a toddler learning to walk...

You see, the child is free to keep getting up, because there is no condemnation for falling. Remember what John first wrote? "My little children"?

We are God's children and we are learning how to walk. How to walk as godly people. But we can actually do this, because we know God is not angry with us when we fail.

Now, as a side note on propitiation: It wasn't as if God the Father was foaming at the mouth with anger--and Jesus had to jump in between him and us.

Like it was a bar fight!

It was the Father's plan to send Jesus to be our propitiation. God was the one angry with us, but he was also the one who sent our advocate.

Because he loves us that much. It's a win-win!

Part 2: Second thing, we keep the teachings Jesus gave to us (vs. 3,4)

What did we just learn? The first thing in living the way Christ wants us to live is to know that Jesus takes away our sins.

And only after we realize we are totally forgiven can we move onto verses three and four:

"And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him..."

So, the second thing we must know about living as Christ wants us to live is we keep the teachings Jesus gave to us.

Some might read this passage and get the wrong impression. They might think, "You're not a Christian unless you keep all the commandments of the Bible!"

No, you are a Christian because Jesus died for you and rose again. That wasn't from you, it is the gift of God.

We don't jettison that truth, ever. John is not saying, "You're not a Christian unless you do... this, that, or the other thing."

John isn't saying that unless you obey the Bible perfectly, you are a liar. Because, he just wrote that when we sin, Jesus is our advocate. He is our propitiation, the reason the Father has accepted us.

When we screw up, we are still forgiven. We get back up and continue on the path of faith.

So, what does John mean when he says we must "keep his commandments"? Obedience? Of course, obedience. But how do we obey Christ, as born-again, new covenant believers?

Or put another way, what comes first? How does a Christian learn to obey? To do good? To follow the commandments of Christ?

We are taught by the Lord himself.

Matthew 11:28–30: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Remember that? Jesus said, "Learn from me" and you will find rest. John even writes in 1 John 5:3 that Jesus's commandments are "not burdensome."

People who make following God an agonizing labor... don't know who Jesus is. Sure, there will be times of sacrifice. But Jesus told us his burden is light.

Those who know Jesus are willing to make sacrifices, by the way, because they are small in light of what they are receiving from him.

Long before you ask yourself, "What am I supposed to do for God?" you need to learn from Jesus.

This, I believe, is what John is implying in this passage. He wrote this at a time when many false teachers were spreading all kinds of lies about who Jesus was and what it meant to be a Christian.

(Not unlike what's going on in our world today.)

If you want to be fruitful, if you want to grow in your faith, if you want to serve the Lord--then you must hold fast to the true things Jesus is teaching you. And not be led astray by false teachings.

Remember, first things first. You cannot be fruitful for God in your own power or effort. You need God's life flowing through you. You need his peace, his direction, his clarity, his joy. 

Do you know how Paul described the Kingdom of God? Righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). Sounds pretty good, right?

The "liars" that John is talking about are people who say they follow Christ, but are not believing his word. We know that's the case because John literally says "the truth is not in them."

So, what's the key to keeping Christ's commandments? The truth needs to be in you.

Who, by the way, are the liars? Strong language, I know. Does John mean folks who come to church, say they are believers, but struggle in some way?

Maybe, maybe not. Sometimes a person does believe Christ, but they are new believers. There isn't a lot of outward change yet. But there will be, in time.

Other times, there are Christians who are in a bad place. They know Jesus, but they've hit the skids, so to speak. They are not liars, either. But they need to be encouraged, perhaps corrected, by the brethren.

The liars are the ones who say one thing and do another. Who don't have the truth in their hearts. We might not be able to always spot them, but they are around.

Sometimes they are openly disobeying God's word. But not always. We need to be alert, but aware that only God really knows someone's heart.

Why am I interpreting this passage like this? Well, it would be very easy for me to come up here and tell you, "This means keep his commandments. So, keep them!" Mic drop, I jump off the stage.

But how would that help you? Of course, you know you are to obey what Christ commanded. He taught us many wonderful things.

Love our neighbors. Treat others as we want to be treated.

Go into all the world and preach the Gospel. Wash the brethren's feet.

You don't need me to tell you that. What we need to know is how we are to keep these commandments.

We don't work to earn God's approval. A person gains God's approval through faith. Belief in God's word. That's what "the righteous shall live by faith" means.

That doesn't mean, "Hey, I believe the Bible--so it doesn't matter what I do!" No, John already said we must not sin.

But first things first. You cannot expect to obey all that Christ has said before you let him teach you. The Christian life isn't back-breaking work that you are trying to do in your own strength.

It is a life of joy. A life of peace. A life where God is supplying all we need, through Jesus. So, we can be empowered to do what he wants us to do.

Do you see the difference? Every day, our priority, as John implies, is to make sure the truth is in us. What truth? The words of Christ.

Our goal when we study Scripture, when we pray, when we worship, when we're in our quiet time, etc. is to receive from Jesus. To learn from him. To see him in all his splendor and glory.

That is what will enable us to keep his commandments. In reality, that's the commandment he gives us.

Jesus put it this way: "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples." (John 15:7,8)

Do we want to "bear much fruit"? Then, we must let his words abide in our hearts.

Now, some of you might be thinking, "Adam, that's too simple! There has to be something I must do!"

God has plenty for you to do. But we don't get the cart before the horse. God does not expect you to serve him, in your own power.

You cannot expect to obey the Bible in your own strength. Jesus's word is spirit and life. He's the one who gives us life, every day so that we can... walk the way he wants us to walk.

And that brings us to our final passage for tonight.

Part 3: Finally, we walk the way Jesus walked when we live by faith (vs. 5,6)

After urging us to keep Christ's commandments, John expounds on this more in the next two verses.

So far, we learned two keys to living the way Christ wants us to live. First, we must know that Jesus takes away our sins. Second, we must keep the teachings Jesus gives to us.

John elaborates on that even more in the next passage:

"but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked."

So, what is the final key? We walk the way Jesus walked when we live by faith.

Notice what John writes. Whoever keeps his word--whose word? The word of Christ. This person has the love of God perfect in him.

This only further affirms what we've been saying. If you want God's love to abound in you. If you want his love "perfected" meaning, to have its complete work in you--you must hold fast to Christ's word.

God's love isn't perfected in us through our fleshly efforts. It isn't perfected in us by our own power, wisdom, or strength. It is perfected in us by God himself, through his word.

Now, John goes on to teach us that those who abide in Christ "ought to walk in the same way in which he walked."

As you move through the book of 1 John, you'll notice he writes in a roundabout style. This is similar to James. It is a very Hebraic style of writing.

Unlike Paul, who was writing to Gentiles and used a progressive, systematic approach to writing--a very lawyer-minded style, John is writing "in circles." 

He moves from one thought, into another, and back into the original thought. This can make studying a book like his challenging for the Western thinker.

Because he repeats himself very often, saying the same thing again and again.

But in reality, this is more like how the human mind actually works. It makes connections between ideas and thoughts in surprising, sometimes unexpected ways.

You'll notice this the next time you have a long conversation with a group of people. It's never systematic--it flows from one thought to the next as people chime in with their contributions.

So, John keeps repeating certain themes and ideas throughout this letter.

He already told us that we, as Christians, are not to sin. Now, he is rephrasing that truth in terms of knowing Christ.

Notice the cause-and-effect relationship he is showing us. Which I emphasized in my last point. If you abide in Christ, you will walk as he walked.

It's no big mystery for the Bible to tell us to live as Jesus lived. But how do we do it? By abiding in him first.

First things first! You can't expect to walk as Jesus walked if you never met him. And there is know way you can know him, if you don't let his words abide in your heart.

That's all well and good. But what does it mean to walk as Jesus walked? What does that actually look like?

When I was a kid, there was this trend that swept through the Christian world. People, especially teens, wore bracelets with the letters "WWJD" on them.

Do y'all remember this? The letters stood for "What would Jesus do"?

This trend was inspired by the very passage we are reading tonight. Someone, eager to sell cheaply made bracelets, claimed that this verse meant we need to do ask that question. Literally.

Those bracelets were supposed to be a reminder. "Hey, are you about to sin, young person? Would Jesus smoke that cigarette? Would Jesus hang out with those bad kids?"

You get the idea. Like so many trends within the Christian youth world, it ended up being an external means of forcing--or guilting--teenagers into obeying the Bible.

It didn't have an influence over their hearts. So, it eventually faded, like most fads do.

Is this what John is saying, that we need to stop and ask ourselves "Is this what Jesus would do?" in every situation?

Notice, he didn't write, "What would Jesus do?" He wrote we must walk "in the same way in which he walked."

So, how did Jesus walk? Some of you might be saying, "He didn't sin! That's what John is talking about."

Of course, that is part of what he means. But how do we avoid sin? More than that, how are we supposed to conduct our lives, day by day, the way Jesus did?

How did Jesus describe his lifestyle?

John 5:19–21: So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will."

Jesus never presumed to do anything. He did "nothing of his own accord." Instead, he relied on what the Father showed him.

What does that look like for us? I think this is no different than walking by faith, not by sight.

Faith isn't simply having a bunch of facts in your head about God. We know this. Faith means dependence on God. Dependence on Christ.

Faith means we are not relying on our own merit, talent, ability, or strength to get us through the day.

Being a Christian, walking as Jesus walked, is about relying on what God is daily supplying to us. It actually means resting in the knowledge that God is taking care of us.

And we receive what he is supplying, by faith, when we feed on his word and trust in his power.

Again, this might sound too simple to some of you. But you're not going to get what you need any other way.

I can pray for you. You can have the elders of the church lay their hands on you and bless you. That's all good. You might be touched. But that is not how a Christian grows.

The Christian life is a day-by-day journey. You need what God has for you this day, in this moment. And tomorrow, you'll need more.

That's how Jesus lived, while on the earth.

The Spirit provides the nourishment, so to speak, but he does so when we stop and prioritize hearing from Jesus.

I know you know this. The folks at Verse by Verse Fellowship know a thing or two about the importance of God's word.

But even we, in this fellowship, need to be reminded of this. Because our human nature defaults to works. We might convince ourselves that living for God means doing it yourself.

Some of you might be worn out. You are going, and going, and going. And you might feel like you're running on fumes.

But God is saying we need to rest, draw life from him. Even if that means you need to change your schedule, cancel a few appointments, and spend some time alone with God.

No agenda. No time limits. Just you and Jesus and his word. Get back to what fuels your soul.

There was a great evangelist named George Müller who lived in the 19th Century. He was famous for building the Ashley Down orphanage, which helped over 10,000 of orphans over the course of its existance.

Müller didn't have a large support base, he just trusted God to provide each day. God performed miracles of provision for his orphanages. Time and again. 

What was Mueller's secret? How did he demonstrate so much confidence in God, walking by faith day-by-day? 

Well, he seemed to believe it had something to do with this. From his own writings:

I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord...

I saw that the most important thing was to give myself to the reading of God's Word, and to meditation on it, that thus my heart might be comforted, encouraged, warned, reproved, instructed; and that thus, by means of the Word of God, whilst meditating on it, my heart might be brought into experimental communion with the Lord...

God has taught me this point, it is as plain to me as anything that the first thing the child of God has to do morning by morning is to obtain food for his inner man.

Now what is food for the inner man? Not prayer, but the Word of God; and here again, not the simple reading of the Word of God, so that it only passes through our minds, just as water passes through a pipe, but considering what we read, pondering over it and applying it to our hearts.

Jesus didn't depend on himself, but on the Father. He did nothing of his own accord or initiative but by what the Father showed him and the power of the Holy Spirit.

We must do the same.

You see, being a Christian is living a life of rest. Biblical rest doesn't mean you do nothing. It means you are doing what you are supposed to do, not in our own abilities, but trusting that God is supplying the power. 

That is how Jesus walked and that is how we must walk.

Of course, more can be said about "walking as Jesus walked." But how do we go about finding that out? By studying the Word. By learning from what he did and what he taught us.

By... drawing from him. He said "Learn from me." You will find rest. If we want to walk as Jesus walked, we must see him, hear him, daily, in his word.

Conclusion: 

Let's recap what we've gone over tonight. John urges us to live as Christ wants us to live. First, by knowing Jesus takes away our sins. Second, by keeping the teachings Jesus gave to us. And finally, by walking as Jesus walked--by faith.

The key is prioritizing his word in our hearts. Daily drawing from him and not relying on our own efforts, but on the Spirit's power.

Now, perhaps some of you aren't fully on board with my approach to this passage. Maybe you think John is emphasizing obedience. Works! Service!

You might not appreciate my interpretation that we must draw from Jesus before we try to serve him. Or maybe you do agree, but need some more proof from the Bible.

So, let's end with a story that I think best illustrates this truth.

Luke 10:38–42: Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Both Mary and Martha were believers in Jesus, yes? But when Martha invited him into her home, she assumed he expected her to serve him.

She was rushing around, trying to prepare all the food, drinks, etc. that she thought Jesus was expecting from her.

But why did Jesus stay with them? To be fed? This is the one who turned water into wine. Who provided food for thousands of people, from just a few loaves.

Jesus wasn't concerned with getting a meal from Martha. He went to that house, so Martha and Mary--and everyone else there--could feed from him.

It wasn't a sin that Martha wanted to serve everyone. But she wasn't getting first things first. Mary understood that Jesus wanted to feed them. 

Again, first things first. We can daily meditate on the reality that Jesus is our propitiation. He has taken away our sins. God is no longer angry with us and will not be angry with us.

We keep the Lord's commandments by first holding to the truth he's put in our hearts. When we daily feed on his word.

And we can walk as he walked, when we draw from Jesus. When we learn from him how to walk by faith--in restful dependence on the Father.

And, through this, as John encourages us, we will be protected by the many lies of the world.

Let's pray.