WEBVTT 00:00:00.800 --> 00:00:08.080 Amen. This morning is a little bit different. We just finished our summer series in the Psalms. 00:00:08.380 --> 00:00:12.759 Next week, Lord willing, we plan to pick up right where we left off in the book of Daniel. 00:00:13.099 --> 00:00:19.580 Next week with Daniel chapter 7. And so here in the middle, I have the rare opportunity to just 00:00:19.580 --> 00:00:25.140 pick a passage, pick a verse, and preach on whatever I feel like preaching on, which 00:00:25.140 --> 00:00:29.260 is not normally how we do things. I want you to know if you're visiting with us, 00:00:29.260 --> 00:00:34.840 our typical pattern is to preach through books of the Bible. And this is actually harder for me 00:00:34.840 --> 00:00:42.500 to open this book and select a passage to preach. But what I picked this morning was a verse that 00:00:42.500 --> 00:00:49.180 is beautiful to me. It's a verse that I would encourage each of you to commit to memory. 00:00:49.920 --> 00:00:54.939 Hopefully you know it already. If you have children, grandchildren, I would encourage you to teach it 00:00:54.939 --> 00:01:01.479 to your children. Teach it to your grandchildren. Teach it to yourself and to your own heart. Repeat 00:01:01.479 --> 00:01:08.099 it to yourself often. And that verse is 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21. And so if you would, 00:01:08.480 --> 00:01:12.019 please take your Bibles and open them up. I know it's just one verse, but I encourage you to have 00:01:12.019 --> 00:01:17.959 your Bibles open this morning to 2 Corinthians 5 21. If you don't have your own Bible with you this 00:01:17.959 --> 00:01:22.819 morning, that's okay. There's Bibles there in the seat backs in front of you for you to use. 00:01:22.819 --> 00:01:28.739 If you don't have a Bible at all, you're welcome and encouraged to take that Bible home with you 00:01:28.739 --> 00:01:33.179 as our gift to you on one condition. You let me know you took it so that we can help you, 00:01:33.339 --> 00:01:36.159 connect you with somebody who can help you to read it and understand it. 00:01:36.699 --> 00:01:40.359 So 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21. And when you found that, let's stand 00:01:40.359 --> 00:01:42.399 in honor of the reading of God's word this morning. 00:01:42.399 --> 00:01:42.439 Amen. 00:01:42.439 --> 00:02:01.359 For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the 00:02:01.359 --> 00:02:10.439 righteousness of God. Let's pray. Lord, it's a glorious verse, a glorious truth that it communicates. 00:02:10.439 --> 00:02:18.319 And so we pray now as we plunge the depths of the beauty and the glory of the gospel. Lord, 00:02:18.379 --> 00:02:24.379 would you teach us again? Maybe for the first time, if this is our first time understanding 00:02:24.379 --> 00:02:29.240 these words and hearing these words, Lord, would you draw us to new faith in Christ? 00:02:30.199 --> 00:02:35.039 And for us who believe, Lord, would you refresh our hearts this morning with the beauty of your 00:02:35.039 --> 00:02:40.719 glory and the gospel of your Son? We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. You may be seated. 00:02:43.459 --> 00:02:51.840 One of my favorite books growing up was a story about a young boy who was an orphan. And by all 00:02:51.840 --> 00:02:57.280 accounts, at the beginning of the book at least, the boy was an ordinary kid. He was 11 years old, 00:02:57.359 --> 00:03:02.899 living with his aunt and uncle. Apparently, according to his aunt and uncle, his parents had died in a car 00:03:02.900 --> 00:03:08.420 crash when the boy was just a baby. And so now the boy lives with his aunt and uncle, and his aunt and 00:03:08.420 --> 00:03:14.200 uncle are left reluctantly caring for him. But it becomes very clear very quickly they didn't really 00:03:14.200 --> 00:03:20.259 want him in the house. They didn't want to care for him. They didn't really care much for him at all. 00:03:20.360 --> 00:03:27.319 In fact, they despised the boy. He spent 11 years sleeping in a small closet under the stairs, 00:03:27.319 --> 00:03:33.719 eating whatever scraps his aunt and uncle would give him. It became very clear very fast that this young 00:03:33.719 --> 00:03:42.919 boy was hated. His entire identity was as a hated, hopeless orphan, as a miserable life. But then, 00:03:43.859 --> 00:03:51.599 something happens. It changes everything. And the boy receives a letter inviting him to come to a school 00:03:51.599 --> 00:03:57.439 that he didn't even know existed. In fact, he had never even received a piece of mail before. But he received 00:03:57.439 --> 00:04:02.639 this piece of mail. He could hardly believe it. And it's inviting him to come to this school. But it's no ordinary 00:04:02.639 --> 00:04:04.539 school. In fact, it's a magical school. 00:04:05.379 --> 00:04:11.500 In a magical world that he didn't even know existed, completely unlike anything he had ever dreamed of. 00:04:12.319 --> 00:04:17.560 And one of my favorite parts of the book was when someone who belonged to this magical school, this magical world, 00:04:17.560 --> 00:04:24.000 comes and he begins to explain what it is and why the boy needs to come. And he shares that his parents, 00:04:24.160 --> 00:04:29.780 in fact, did not die in a car crash, as his aunt and uncle had told him, but rather that they had died 00:04:29.780 --> 00:04:37.959 sacrificing themselves for him. They had given their lives as a substitute in his place. And as the man 00:04:37.959 --> 00:04:44.040 shares all of this for the first time, you begin to realize that you begin to see this boy begin to 00:04:44.040 --> 00:04:52.020 understand his true identity. And to understand that he actually belonged to an entirely different 00:04:52.020 --> 00:04:58.280 world, a better world. And to see that there might be hope for him to leave this terrible existence 00:04:58.280 --> 00:05:06.939 behind and to come and be a part of something infinitely, unimaginably greater. And if leaving 00:05:06.939 --> 00:05:11.700 that terrible world behind wasn't good enough, it actually gets even better than that. The man takes the 00:05:11.699 --> 00:05:17.379 boy to go buy his school supplies. And I love this moment when the boy realizes, he says, I don't have 00:05:17.379 --> 00:05:23.639 any money. How am I supposed to buy my supplies? And how am I supposed to be able to afford going to 00:05:23.639 --> 00:05:28.719 school? And the man looks almost surprised by this. And he says, well, don't you think your parents left 00:05:28.719 --> 00:05:38.459 you anything? And he takes him to the bank and he opens up a vault. And the boy just stares in awe and 00:05:38.459 --> 00:05:45.479 disbelief at piles and piles and mounds and mounds of gold and silver. More money than this boy had ever 00:05:45.479 --> 00:05:52.180 dreamed of in his entire life. Just piles and piles of riches and treasure. And the man looks at the boy 00:05:52.180 --> 00:06:03.339 and he says, it's all yours. That book would go on to sell over 120 million copies, making it the fourth 00:06:03.339 --> 00:06:10.099 best-selling book of all time. And I think it's easy to see why there is an irresistible appeal 00:06:10.099 --> 00:06:18.719 in a story of hope for a new world. There is an irresistible appeal in a story of hope, the dream 00:06:18.719 --> 00:06:26.319 of leaving everything behind that is bad and wrong and broken and going instead to something glorious 00:06:26.319 --> 00:06:32.199 and beyond our wildest dreams. And the reason why I think stories like this are so successful and 00:06:32.199 --> 00:06:38.939 why we love stories like this is because I believe that these make-believe stories tap into the truth 00:06:38.939 --> 00:06:47.879 of the real story of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a message of hope for a 00:06:47.879 --> 00:06:56.620 new world. It's a message of hope to leave behind what is lost and broken and sad and to receive instead the 00:06:56.620 --> 00:07:04.600 riches of a new identity all because of someone else's sacrifice for our sake. And the best news of all is that 00:07:04.600 --> 00:07:12.579 this gospel is not a work of fiction. This is real life. This is what we believe. This is why we're here this 00:07:12.579 --> 00:07:19.359 morning. And so this morning in 2 Corinthians 5 21, what I want to do is I want to explore the glories 00:07:19.359 --> 00:07:26.180 of this wonderful message this morning. I want to unpack for us the truth of the gospel and I want us to 00:07:26.180 --> 00:07:31.039 see it in three parts this morning. If you're taking notes, we try to make it easy for you to follow along 00:07:31.039 --> 00:07:38.959 with an outline. Three parts to this gospel story. The gospel we'll see is God's story. It's his plan. 00:07:38.959 --> 00:07:51.399 To send a substitute, point number two, for our sake, point number three. It's God's story, his plan, to send a 00:07:51.399 --> 00:08:02.279 substitute for our sake. First, first, we need to understand that the gospel is God's story. We got to get this 00:08:02.279 --> 00:08:12.299 straight first and foremost. The gospel is God's story. God is the author of the gospel. It is his plan. In the Bible, it begins 00:08:12.299 --> 00:08:19.939 with the words in Genesis chapter 1 verse 1, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. He created all 00:08:19.939 --> 00:08:28.279 things. He is before all things. All things exist for him. If there is a gospel message, if there is a gospel story, it's because 00:08:28.279 --> 00:08:36.199 God himself has authored it. He is the author of the gospel. When did he come up with it? We're told before 00:08:36.199 --> 00:08:45.039 the ages began. He chose us in him before the foundation of the world. Paul tells us in Ephesians 00:08:45.039 --> 00:08:53.240 chapter 1. He says the gospel is according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the 00:08:53.240 --> 00:08:58.440 fullness of time. The gospel is not a choose-your-own-adventure story. I used to enjoy reading 00:08:58.440 --> 00:09:03.060 those when I was a kid as well, where the choices you make within the story, you go to a different page, and the 00:09:03.060 --> 00:09:08.279 outcome, the ending, is different based on what chapter you choose, what choices you make as you read the story. 00:09:08.740 --> 00:09:15.019 No, there's a different ending based on the different decisions we make. The gospel is God's plan, 00:09:15.399 --> 00:09:21.639 eternal plan, not in response to anything we've done, not in anticipation of anything we might do, 00:09:21.639 --> 00:09:29.360 not as a plan B, because plan A didn't go as he expected it to go. The gospel is God's eternal plan 00:09:29.360 --> 00:09:37.960 from before the ages began. And that truth ought to comfort us, church, to know that the end is 00:09:37.960 --> 00:09:44.799 already written. God is not ad-libbing the gospel story. He's not writing it as he goes. He's not quite 00:09:44.799 --> 00:09:52.439 sure where it might end. The end is already written. In fact, we can go to the end of the story 00:09:52.439 --> 00:09:57.620 in the book of Revelation. I can spoil the ending of the world for you if we turn to the book of 00:09:57.620 --> 00:10:05.559 Revelation. We can see how the story ends. Let me tell you, Jesus returns. Jesus conquers his enemies. 00:10:05.559 --> 00:10:15.039 Jesus delivers his people. Jesus establishes his eternal kingdom. And we who belong to him get to 00:10:15.039 --> 00:10:23.899 enjoy the glory of God for the rest of eternity. That's good news, church. And that ending is not 00:10:23.899 --> 00:10:30.619 up for decision. It's not up for grabs. It's not up for negotiation. The ending of the story is 100% 00:10:30.620 --> 00:10:36.600 certain. Why? Because God authored it before the foundation of the world. The gospel is his 00:10:36.600 --> 00:10:43.379 eternal plan. And so everything that happens in between these two bookends of the word of God, 00:10:43.460 --> 00:10:49.360 God created and come Lord Jesus, everything that happens here in the middle is the unveiling, 00:10:49.360 --> 00:10:56.460 the revealing, the unfolding of a beautiful story developing in real time, being revealed in 00:10:56.460 --> 00:11:04.080 human history with God as its sovereign author and Christ's sacrifice at the very center of it all. 00:11:04.980 --> 00:11:10.000 And we see this here in the first part of our verse, 2 Corinthians 5 21. What does it say? 00:11:11.139 --> 00:11:21.300 For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness 00:11:21.299 --> 00:11:33.439 of God. He made him, who are we talking about? He, God, made him, Christ, to be sin. Him who knew no sin, 00:11:33.519 --> 00:11:40.679 the perfect Jesus who knew no sin so that in Jesus we, who are sinful beyond our wildest dreams, 00:11:41.199 --> 00:11:47.939 we might become the very righteousness of God. This was his plan. Which means, 00:11:47.940 --> 00:11:58.620 as awful and as terrible and as dark as that moment of crucifixion, the most evil moment in the history 00:11:58.620 --> 00:12:05.800 of mankind, the crucifixion of Christ, as dark as that moment is, even in that moment, it went exactly 00:12:05.800 --> 00:12:15.480 according to plan. Exactly as God designed it for good. So we can ask the question, well, who sent Jesus 00:12:15.480 --> 00:12:21.940 to the cross? Who sent Jesus to the cross? One correct way to answer that question is to say, well, 00:12:22.039 --> 00:12:30.039 sinful man sent Jesus to the cross. The Jews schemed to send Jesus to the cross. The Romans 00:12:30.039 --> 00:12:37.000 executed Jesus on the cross and they were wrong to do so. They are responsible and it was a sinful 00:12:37.000 --> 00:12:42.100 decision for them to do so. That's one correct way to answer that question. But another correct way to 00:12:42.100 --> 00:12:52.840 answer that question, who sent Jesus to the cross, is to say God sent Jesus to the cross. God planned 00:12:52.840 --> 00:13:02.440 this execution. God made him to be sin and he was gracious and good and right to do so. 00:13:03.800 --> 00:13:08.000 And Peter says as much in his sermon at Pentecost in Acts chapter 2, he says this, 00:13:08.000 --> 00:13:16.740 He says, this Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified 00:13:16.740 --> 00:13:25.399 and killed by the hands of lawless men. Did you hear both parts? Who sent Jesus to the cross? Sinful man, 00:13:25.519 --> 00:13:34.139 the hands of lawless men, exactly as God planned it. We read this morning from Isaiah chapter 53, one of the 00:13:34.139 --> 00:13:41.179 clearest Old Testament prophecies about the suffering and death of Jesus written about 700 years before 00:13:41.179 --> 00:13:47.399 Jesus was even born. You know, one more reason why we can have confidence that this is God's story is 00:13:47.399 --> 00:13:53.179 that he told us exactly how it would go 700 years before it happened. What did it say? 00:13:53.179 --> 00:14:05.839 Surely he has borne our griefs, carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. 00:14:06.719 --> 00:14:12.959 All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way and the Lord, 00:14:13.179 --> 00:14:23.159 the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Verse 10, it was the will of the Lord to crush him. 00:14:23.159 --> 00:14:32.600 He has put him to grief. Does that sound familiar to you? He made him to be sin, who knew no sin, 00:14:33.139 --> 00:14:40.879 so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Before we take one step further, we have to 00:14:40.879 --> 00:14:49.799 understand Jesus' death is not a tragic accident of history. Jesus' death is the central focal point of 00:14:49.799 --> 00:15:00.259 God's eternal plan for our sake, for our redemption, for his glory. The gospel is God's story. It's God's plan. 00:15:01.579 --> 00:15:11.819 So what's the plan? Point number two. What's the plan? Second, the gospel is God's plan to send a substitute. 00:15:11.820 --> 00:15:23.440 To send a substitute. Let's talk about Jesus. For our sake, he made him, Jesus, to be sin, 00:15:23.860 --> 00:15:32.800 who knew no sin, so that in him, in Jesus, we might become the righteousness of God. 00:15:32.799 --> 00:15:39.919 There's a swap happening here. Do you hear it? There's a transaction taking place. Some have called 00:15:39.919 --> 00:15:45.620 this the great exchange. There's a trade taking place here. What's the trade? It's the worst trade in 00:15:45.620 --> 00:15:56.459 the history of mankind. What's the trade? It is his perfect righteousness for our sin. His glory for our 00:15:56.460 --> 00:16:05.400 shame. His perfection for our imperfection. His status as a son of God for our status as children 00:16:05.400 --> 00:16:12.500 of wrath. At the very heart of the gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ has come as a substitute 00:16:12.500 --> 00:16:18.960 in our place. What does that mean? We all know what a substitute is, don't we? We use that language in 00:16:18.960 --> 00:16:24.379 everyday life. We talked about this in Sunday school just a few weeks ago. Cindy said, 00:16:24.379 --> 00:16:29.259 when I used to teach, if I got sick or I went on vacation and I couldn't be in the classroom, 00:16:29.679 --> 00:16:37.840 I had to get a substitute. What is that? It's someone to take her place. Someone to stand where she used to 00:16:37.840 --> 00:16:42.960 stand. Someone to perform the functions that she was supposed to function. A substitute to take her place. 00:16:43.919 --> 00:16:48.120 If you play sports or watch sports, you know that only a certain amount of people are allowed on the 00:16:48.120 --> 00:16:53.059 field at a time, but if somebody gets hurt or somebody gets tired or somebody's not playing too well 00:16:53.059 --> 00:16:59.819 that day, guess what? Somebody from the bench comes in as a substitute. They take the place of somebody 00:16:59.819 --> 00:17:04.799 else. We do this in cooking. Those of you who cook, if you have ingredients, you might not have what you 00:17:04.799 --> 00:17:09.440 had, what you thought you had in the fridge, and you get a substitute ingredient. I tried to make 00:17:09.440 --> 00:17:15.700 waffles this week, and normally I do pretty good, but I tried to make waffles yesterday morning, and I 00:17:15.700 --> 00:17:22.039 realized about halfway through, I had accidentally substituted brownie mix for the waffle mix. 00:17:22.039 --> 00:17:27.799 But the boys enjoyed it. It was fine. They did just all right. That was a bad substitution. 00:17:32.799 --> 00:17:45.399 The gospel is God's eternal plan to send Jesus as the perfect substitute in our place to take the 00:17:45.399 --> 00:17:51.960 place of sinners. This is God's plan. This is called substitutionary atonement. 00:17:52.039 --> 00:17:58.159 You might have heard that phrase before. It's maybe an intimidating phrase. I don't know, but I think it's 00:17:58.159 --> 00:18:04.980 one that we need to know, one that we need to understand. Substitutionary atonement is at the very 00:18:04.980 --> 00:18:16.440 center of the gospel. Our sin needs to be atoned for. What does that mean? It means that our sin has 00:18:16.440 --> 00:18:25.320 earned the wrath of God. The wrath of God is against us and our sin. We have to have something happen 00:18:25.320 --> 00:18:32.620 for that wrath to be averted from us. In the Old Testament, we had sacrifices. The system where the 00:18:32.620 --> 00:18:40.120 priesthood would offer up sacrifices, and a lamb or a bull or a goat would take the place, would stand in 00:18:40.119 --> 00:18:46.979 the gap, would serve as a substitute for the people. And on that substitute, the sin of the people would be 00:18:46.979 --> 00:18:55.839 laid so that that substitute would bear the wrath of God instead of them. As a substitution in their 00:18:55.839 --> 00:19:03.419 place. That was never the plan that would last forever. The plan of God was to one day send a 00:19:03.420 --> 00:19:10.140 perfect substitute. One who knew no sin. One who would endure with his sacrifice for the people of 00:19:10.140 --> 00:19:15.740 God forever. Who would live perfectly as we should have lived, but have all failed. And then he would go 00:19:15.740 --> 00:19:23.220 to the cross. He would suffer. He would die a terrible, physical, agonizing death. But not only a physical 00:19:23.220 --> 00:19:31.940 death, he would in that moment bear the wrath of God. Bear the weight of our sin and our guilt. He would take 00:19:31.940 --> 00:19:40.080 our place. He would be our substitute. Jesus Christ on the cross bore the fullness of the wrath of God 00:19:40.080 --> 00:19:49.640 against our sin. We have to understand this is at the very heart of the gospel. The cross of Jesus Christ 00:19:49.640 --> 00:20:00.400 is not just a good example. It's not just a motivating story. It's not just an expression of love. 00:20:00.400 --> 00:20:09.580 It's not just a heroic moment that we continue to talk about. The cross of Christ is a substitution. 00:20:10.540 --> 00:20:18.259 Him for us. Our sin deserves God's wrath and so either it comes upon us or we get a substitute 00:20:18.259 --> 00:20:23.680 to take our place. Again, this is what Isaiah told us. You remember this passage, Isaiah 53. 00:20:23.680 --> 00:20:34.680 He has borne our griefs. He's carried our sorrows. Do you hear that? He was pierced for our transgressions. 00:20:35.340 --> 00:20:43.440 He was crushed for our iniquities. With his wounds, we are healed. That is substitutionary atonement. 00:20:43.580 --> 00:20:49.560 And if it sounds like I'm driving that point home, church, I am. We have to get this right. 00:20:49.559 --> 00:20:59.859 This glorious doctrine has come under attack in recent years. Many call it just a theory of the atonement. 00:21:00.339 --> 00:21:06.579 There are other theories of what Christ has done. Famously in 2012, a hymnal committee 00:21:06.579 --> 00:21:11.819 from a denomination that has embraced theological liberalism 00:21:11.819 --> 00:21:17.399 wanted to include the hymn in Christ alone in their hymnal. We just sang that song, 00:21:17.480 --> 00:21:24.039 In Christ Alone, My Hope is Found. But they took issue with the lyrics and so they sent message 00:21:24.039 --> 00:21:28.720 to Keith Getty and Stuart Townend and they asked them if they could just make a minor tweak 00:21:28.720 --> 00:21:34.339 to the words. Here's what they wanted it to say. The original goes like this. It says, 00:21:34.339 --> 00:21:42.399 Till on that cross, as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied. We're just saying that. 00:21:42.899 --> 00:21:48.879 Till on the cross, as Jesus died, God's wrath was satisfied. And the hymnal committee wanted 00:21:48.879 --> 00:21:54.480 to change those words, slight tweak for it to say this. Till on that cross, as Jesus died, 00:21:55.019 --> 00:22:04.119 the love of God was magnified. Subtle change, isn't it? True, isn't it? 00:22:04.339 --> 00:22:10.939 The love of God is magnified at the cross of Christ. Of course it is. God demonstrates His love 00:22:10.939 --> 00:22:16.659 for us in this, that Christ Jesus died for us while we were still sinners. Jesus died for us. 00:22:16.919 --> 00:22:24.859 But here's what we have to understand, church. We cannot fully know God's love unless Christ fully 00:22:24.859 --> 00:22:35.219 bears God's wrath. We cannot fully know God's love for us unless Jesus Christ bears God's wrath that is 00:22:35.219 --> 00:22:44.019 against us in our sin. There has to be a substitution. If Christ doesn't bear God's wrath, God's wrath is 00:22:44.019 --> 00:22:51.559 coming for us, not His love. But because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead 00:22:51.559 --> 00:23:00.119 in our trespasses and sins, God made us alive together with Christ. God made Him to be sin for 00:23:00.119 --> 00:23:06.639 our sake, Him who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. This is a 00:23:06.639 --> 00:23:16.299 substitution at the cross. Jesus became the object of God's wrath, so that in Him we might become the 00:23:16.299 --> 00:23:26.059 objects of God's love. Jesus was rejected that we might be accepted. Jesus was put to death that we 00:23:26.059 --> 00:23:34.359 might be brought to life. That's substitution. That's the gospel, church. If we get this wrong, we get the 00:23:34.359 --> 00:23:43.059 gospel wrong. If we get the gospel wrong, we are not Christians. Gettie and Townsend said, no. 00:23:43.059 --> 00:23:54.079 You cannot change those lyrics. On the cross, as Jesus died, the wrath of God is satisfied. For every sin 00:23:54.079 --> 00:24:03.679 on Him was laid. Here in the death of Christ I live. There's another word that we need to understand as 00:24:03.679 --> 00:24:10.759 we think about the cross, and it's the word imputation. It's another big theological word, but again, I think 00:24:10.759 --> 00:24:20.279 it's one that we need to understand. Imputation is simply crediting. Crediting. We credit in our 00:24:20.279 --> 00:24:28.019 imputation all of our sin with all of the guilt and all of the death. Everything that our sin has earned, 00:24:28.019 --> 00:24:39.960 it is credited. It is imputed. It is given to Jesus Christ. All of it is given to Him. He receives it in full. 00:24:39.960 --> 00:24:48.360 He is made to be sin for us, and because of this, we who are in Him are forgiven. As far as the east is 00:24:48.360 --> 00:24:56.680 from the west, so far has He removed our sin from us. This is incredible news. There is forgiveness of 00:24:56.680 --> 00:25:03.380 sins in Jesus Christ. He takes it from us. Whatever it is that you have done, whatever it is the sin that 00:25:03.380 --> 00:25:09.220 you're struggling with right now, whatever you might have walked in yesterday, or this weekend, or last 00:25:09.220 --> 00:25:15.640 week, or this year, whatever evil deeds, whatever impure thoughts, whatever ways you have dishonored God in 00:25:15.640 --> 00:25:22.660 your life, you may be forgiven of it completely if you are in Christ Jesus. That's good news. 00:25:23.460 --> 00:25:30.960 It's good news for sinful people like me and like you. But church, that's only half of the equation. 00:25:30.960 --> 00:25:40.220 It gets even better than this. C.R. Wiley, he says this. He says, most Christians are familiar with 00:25:40.220 --> 00:25:48.640 salvation as accounting, but they think in terms of single imputation. They think that our sins have 00:25:48.640 --> 00:25:54.400 been imputed to Christ, and that's why He died on the cross, so that He could pay for them. But that's 00:25:54.400 --> 00:26:02.300 where it stops for them. They think that Christ's death has left them with a zero balance. Church, that 00:26:02.300 --> 00:26:10.720 couldn't be further from the truth. The good news of the gospel is that not only is our sin removed from 00:26:10.720 --> 00:26:23.220 us, but His righteousness is credited to us by faith. There is a double crediting, a double imputation 00:26:23.220 --> 00:26:31.339 that happens at the cross of Christ. He takes all of our sin, all of our death, all of our guilt, all of the 00:26:31.339 --> 00:26:39.860 wrath of God against us, and guess what we get? Life, forgiveness, hope, freedom, and all the riches of the 00:26:39.860 --> 00:26:50.839 righteousness of God. How righteous is God, church? How perfect is God? How holy is God? How pure is God? 00:26:50.839 --> 00:26:58.279 God is light in Him. There is no darkness at all. We don't only receive a piece of His righteousness. 00:26:58.480 --> 00:27:07.819 What does He say? We become the very righteousness of God. If you're in Christ, when God looks at you, 00:27:08.079 --> 00:27:17.559 He sees perfection. He sees His own holiness. He sees His own righteousness, not based on any good deeds 00:27:17.559 --> 00:27:25.960 you've done, but because of the perfect righteousness of Christ credited to your account by faith. 00:27:26.579 --> 00:27:34.440 This is good news. I'll give you one more example. One more example. I know some of you are baseball fans. 00:27:35.659 --> 00:27:44.759 There have been 320 no-hitters in baseball history, and only 20 of them are combined no-hitters. 00:27:44.759 --> 00:27:51.379 It is what it sounds like, where more than one pitcher combines to pitch a no-hitter. It's incredibly rare, 00:27:51.460 --> 00:28:01.200 only 20. It basically never happens. Here's my favorite one. On June 23, 1917, Babe Ruth and Ernie Shore 00:28:01.200 --> 00:28:08.859 combined for a no-hitter. Babe Ruth was pitching for the Boston Red Sox at the time, and he took the mound. 00:28:08.859 --> 00:28:14.839 First thing he did was he walked the lead-off batter, Washington Senator's second baseman, Ray Morgan. 00:28:15.759 --> 00:28:21.039 Apparently, he did not agree with the umpire's decisions, his calls, and so he proceeded to argue 00:28:21.039 --> 00:28:27.259 until Babe Ruth got so mad that he charged off the mound, and he proceeded to start punching the umpire in the head. 00:28:29.279 --> 00:28:34.139 Obviously, Babe Ruth was ejected from the ballgame. His day was over, and guess what happened? 00:28:34.140 --> 00:28:43.440 Ernie Shore came in. A substitute was put on the mound, and Ernie Shore went on, entered into Babe Ruth's place, 00:28:43.580 --> 00:28:50.460 and he proceeded to retire the next 26 batters after he caught Ray Morgan trying to steal second base. 00:28:51.220 --> 00:28:54.640 Ernie Shore, all by himself, pitched a no-hitter. 00:28:54.640 --> 00:28:58.340 The one who should have been on the mound, you following me? 00:28:58.860 --> 00:29:03.240 Babe Ruth contributed absolutely nothing to the cause. 00:29:03.340 --> 00:29:05.480 He walked a man. He made a fool of himself. 00:29:05.640 --> 00:29:10.420 He punched an umpire, and he got himself sent out of the ballpark, took a seat on the bench. 00:29:11.180 --> 00:29:16.180 But his substitute, Ernie Shore, did it all. 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:18.580 Listen to this, church. 00:29:18.579 --> 00:29:24.339 When you dig through the archives of baseball history and you read through the list of all the no-hitters, 00:29:24.819 --> 00:29:25.559 guess what you'll see? 00:29:26.759 --> 00:29:35.359 June 23, 1917, the names of Babe Ruth and Ernie Shore are forever listed together. 00:29:36.279 --> 00:29:36.579 Why? 00:29:37.460 --> 00:29:43.259 Because Ruth was credited with the work of a perfect substitute. 00:29:43.259 --> 00:29:47.480 And so it is with us. 00:29:48.700 --> 00:29:52.759 In this illustration, we are Babe Ruth Church. 00:29:53.740 --> 00:29:57.119 We have contributed absolutely nothing. 00:29:58.200 --> 00:30:01.879 But by the grace of God, because of the work of an extraordinary substitute, 00:30:02.119 --> 00:30:05.660 God sees our name right next to Jesus'. 00:30:05.660 --> 00:30:10.160 His perfect accomplishment is credited to us. 00:30:10.160 --> 00:30:14.300 His perfect righteousness is credited to us. 00:30:14.500 --> 00:30:18.560 His perfection is credited to us. 00:30:18.660 --> 00:30:19.480 This is the gospel. 00:30:20.540 --> 00:30:21.800 This is God's plan. 00:30:22.680 --> 00:30:23.779 To send a substitute. 00:30:24.480 --> 00:30:30.180 To live and to die and to rise for our sake. 00:30:30.279 --> 00:30:32.000 Which is our final point this morning. 00:30:32.640 --> 00:30:32.920 Third. 00:30:34.180 --> 00:30:37.720 The gospel is for our sake. 00:30:37.720 --> 00:30:40.480 For our sake. 00:30:41.059 --> 00:30:43.259 He made him to be sin. 00:30:43.779 --> 00:30:45.220 Who knew no sin. 00:30:46.000 --> 00:30:51.319 So that in him, we might become the righteousness of God. 00:30:51.400 --> 00:30:57.519 You know, maybe the most incredible part of all of this, church, is that it is for us. 00:30:58.660 --> 00:30:59.700 And it's all right there. 00:31:00.059 --> 00:31:01.079 For the taking. 00:31:02.140 --> 00:31:03.900 It is for us. 00:31:03.940 --> 00:31:04.860 It's not from us. 00:31:04.900 --> 00:31:05.660 It's God's plan. 00:31:05.660 --> 00:31:07.040 It's not because of us. 00:31:07.100 --> 00:31:08.019 It's all of his grace. 00:31:08.100 --> 00:31:09.800 It's not ultimately about us. 00:31:09.860 --> 00:31:11.800 It's about him and his glory. 00:31:12.240 --> 00:31:15.440 But it is truly for us. 00:31:16.480 --> 00:31:18.080 For our good. 00:31:18.820 --> 00:31:20.279 For our joy. 00:31:20.500 --> 00:31:21.700 For our salvation. 00:31:21.940 --> 00:31:22.700 For our benefit. 00:31:22.840 --> 00:31:24.840 It is for our sake. 00:31:24.940 --> 00:31:27.540 Paul gives similar language just a few chapters later. 00:31:27.640 --> 00:31:29.019 In 2 Corinthians chapter 8. 00:31:29.019 --> 00:31:30.339 He says, 00:31:30.339 --> 00:31:33.200 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:31:33.980 --> 00:31:35.379 That though he was rich. 00:31:35.500 --> 00:31:37.319 Yet for your sake. 00:31:37.559 --> 00:31:39.039 He became poor. 00:31:39.460 --> 00:31:44.000 So that you by his poverty might become rich. 00:31:45.119 --> 00:31:47.240 It's for your sake. 00:31:47.400 --> 00:31:48.700 For your good. 00:31:48.779 --> 00:31:50.220 It is for us. 00:31:50.319 --> 00:31:55.460 And so let me just tell you a couple wrong ways to respond to this message this morning. 00:31:55.460 --> 00:31:59.380 One wrong way is to say, 00:31:59.480 --> 00:32:00.059 Not for me. 00:32:01.460 --> 00:32:03.980 It's to reject what you've heard. 00:32:04.980 --> 00:32:07.340 I don't really believe any of that. 00:32:08.160 --> 00:32:10.059 Jesus living perfectly. 00:32:10.220 --> 00:32:12.460 God writing the story of salvation. 00:32:12.700 --> 00:32:14.299 Jesus rising from the grave. 00:32:14.460 --> 00:32:16.299 His perfection for my sin. 00:32:16.319 --> 00:32:17.240 I don't believe any of it. 00:32:17.299 --> 00:32:17.819 It's not for me. 00:32:17.900 --> 00:32:19.500 That's wrong response number one. 00:32:21.299 --> 00:32:24.360 Wrong response number two might be a little bit more common though. 00:32:24.359 --> 00:32:26.639 It's to believe this. 00:32:26.819 --> 00:32:29.019 But not personally. 00:32:30.519 --> 00:32:36.299 It's to believe it like you might read a story in the newspaper about a man who dies for his bride. 00:32:37.240 --> 00:32:38.299 It might motivate you. 00:32:38.459 --> 00:32:40.500 It might be moving emotionally. 00:32:40.659 --> 00:32:41.719 It might encourage you. 00:32:41.819 --> 00:32:44.500 You might have some emotional reaction to that story. 00:32:44.659 --> 00:32:48.279 But it really doesn't have any impact on you, does it? 00:32:49.319 --> 00:32:53.859 Just reading that story in the newspaper doesn't make any difference whatsoever in your day-to-day life. 00:32:53.859 --> 00:32:57.740 When you go home tomorrow, you go to work tomorrow, you go home this afternoon, 00:32:57.740 --> 00:33:00.740 that newspaper story doesn't impact your life at all. 00:33:01.479 --> 00:33:06.639 Ultimately, if you respond to the gospel like this, you are not saved. 00:33:06.640 --> 00:33:11.380 We cannot respond to the gospel like this. 00:33:11.460 --> 00:33:19.820 We must understand and believe with all of our heart that what Jesus has done, he has done for me. 00:33:20.680 --> 00:33:21.960 For his bride. 00:33:22.740 --> 00:33:24.100 For his people. 00:33:24.480 --> 00:33:27.280 That he took my sin upon himself. 00:33:27.279 --> 00:33:32.059 Every single act of rebellion in my life against God. 00:33:32.160 --> 00:33:33.940 Every single impure thought. 00:33:34.059 --> 00:33:34.579 Every word. 00:33:34.700 --> 00:33:36.539 Every evil intention of my heart. 00:33:36.660 --> 00:33:37.559 Things I'm aware of. 00:33:37.619 --> 00:33:39.279 Things I have no idea of. 00:33:39.519 --> 00:33:40.779 The depth of my sin. 00:33:40.899 --> 00:33:43.920 He took my sin upon himself. 00:33:44.839 --> 00:33:47.099 He died the death that I deserve. 00:33:47.279 --> 00:33:50.519 He bore the wrath of God that was against me. 00:33:50.519 --> 00:33:56.839 We shouldn't be confused by this transaction language to think that this is impersonal in any way. 00:33:56.980 --> 00:33:58.980 It must be deeply personal. 00:33:59.180 --> 00:34:02.440 What Jesus has done, he has done for you. 00:34:03.480 --> 00:34:04.420 For my sake. 00:34:04.920 --> 00:34:06.240 He made him to be sin. 00:34:06.319 --> 00:34:10.820 So that in him, I might become the righteousness of God. 00:34:10.880 --> 00:34:14.519 You must read yourself into this verse and believe it with faith. 00:34:14.599 --> 00:34:17.000 That God has done this for you. 00:34:17.000 --> 00:34:22.440 We sometimes sing the song, how deep the Father's love for us. 00:34:23.699 --> 00:34:25.760 Behold the man upon a cross. 00:34:26.380 --> 00:34:28.739 My sin upon his shoulders. 00:34:29.800 --> 00:34:33.699 Ashamed I hear my mocking voice call out among the scoffers. 00:34:34.380 --> 00:34:38.579 It was my sin that held him there until it was accomplished. 00:34:39.179 --> 00:34:42.159 His dying breath has brought me life. 00:34:42.420 --> 00:34:44.820 I know that it is finished. 00:34:44.820 --> 00:34:51.539 Church, could you sing that song and mean it with all your heart this morning? 00:34:53.120 --> 00:34:59.680 Do you really believe that all that God has done in Christ, that he has done for your sake? 00:35:01.140 --> 00:35:06.300 The gospel message is good news that demands a response. 00:35:06.440 --> 00:35:08.100 And that response is twofold. 00:35:08.240 --> 00:35:10.080 It's repentance and faith. 00:35:10.180 --> 00:35:11.080 So what does that look like? 00:35:11.200 --> 00:35:11.700 Repentance. 00:35:11.780 --> 00:35:13.039 Would you turn from your sin? 00:35:13.039 --> 00:35:15.360 Turn from your idols. 00:35:16.400 --> 00:35:18.300 Turn from your false gods. 00:35:18.440 --> 00:35:20.779 Turn from your bad habits and your addictions. 00:35:20.980 --> 00:35:23.420 Turn from your life of dishonoring God. 00:35:23.519 --> 00:35:25.300 And turn to him in faith. 00:35:25.400 --> 00:35:28.800 Would you respond to this message of the gospel this morning by saying, 00:35:29.139 --> 00:35:31.679 I believe that Jesus has done this for me. 00:35:31.860 --> 00:35:35.000 And that what he has done is sufficient for my salvation. 00:35:35.000 --> 00:35:44.360 Would you abandon any sense of self-sufficiency, any sense of earning God's favor, any sense of working your way up the ladder to God, 00:35:44.480 --> 00:35:50.699 and would you put your faith entirely in the substitute who came to live perfectly in your place? 00:35:50.699 --> 00:35:58.319 The gospel is a glorious message, church, of hope for a new world. 00:35:58.319 --> 00:36:11.339 And the incredible joy of leaving behind what is lost and broken and receiving the riches of a new identity, all because of someone else's work and sacrifice in our place. 00:36:11.340 --> 00:36:17.559 And the best news of all, church, is that this message is not a work of fiction. 00:36:18.420 --> 00:36:19.660 It's very real. 00:36:20.620 --> 00:36:31.000 For our sake, he made him who knew no sin to be sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 00:36:31.760 --> 00:36:32.320 Let's pray. 00:36:32.320 --> 00:36:43.760 Lord, this gospel message is greater than we can possibly dream. 00:36:46.460 --> 00:37:01.180 That all of our sin, all of our guilt, all of our shame can be taken away in an instant, Lord, by faith in the perfect substitute who you sent for us, for our salvation. 00:37:01.179 --> 00:37:06.899 Lord, we pray for any here who do not know you, who have not yet put their faith in that substitute. 00:37:07.359 --> 00:37:09.639 God, would you lead them to do so right now? 00:37:11.079 --> 00:37:16.319 And Father, for the rest of us, Father, those who have been brought into fellowship with you through the blood of your Son, 00:37:16.659 --> 00:37:22.000 God, we pray that we would be revived again to worship you for the glories of the gospel. 00:37:22.899 --> 00:37:23.719 We love you, Lord. 00:37:23.759 --> 00:37:24.799 We pray this in Jesus' name. 00:37:25.519 --> 00:37:25.779 Amen.