The Heart of the Gospel

2 Corinthians 5:21
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This sermon is the concluding message in the series “Don’t Lose Heart”. He highlights how God directly addresses the real issues that cause us to lose heart, such as life’s difficulties, harsh judgments, disappointments, and the feeling of lack of significance.

Pastor Colin explains how awareness of sin is heightened in godly people for three main reasons: the work of the Holy Spirit, Satan’s strategy of accusation, and the godly impulse of a new heart. This heightened awareness can sometimes cause discouragement and loss of heart.

The core message is that God doesn’t count our sins against us but instead laid them on Christ, making Him sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). This divine exchange is central to reconciliation with God, freeing believers from guilt and encouraging them to live godly lives.

Pastor Colin assures that our peace with God rests on the foundation of God’s justice, and not on our personal achievements or progress in holiness. This understanding should lead believers to love Jesus more deeply, take sin more seriously, and confidently walk in the assurance of God’s grace and forgiveness.

1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:07,100 You’re listening to a sermon from Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible. 2 00:00:07,100 –> 00:00:14,800 To contact us, call us at 1-877-OPEN-365, or visit our website openthebible.org. 3 00:00:14,800 –> 00:00:20,840 Let’s get to the message, here is Pastor Colin. 4 00:00:20,840 –> 00:00:26,480 We open your Bible at 1 Corinthians chapter five, as we come today to the last message 5 00:00:26,480 –> 00:00:29,480 in our series Don’t Lose Heart. 6 00:00:29,500 –> 00:00:34,080 What has been so striking to me as we’ve gone through this series has been to realise again 7 00:00:34,080 –> 00:00:41,139 in a fresh way, just how directly God speaks into all the real issues of our lives. 8 00:00:41,139 –> 00:00:47,660 I mean, think about the things that cause us to lose heart, and then think about what 9 00:00:47,660 –> 00:00:52,840 we’ve seen in this one chapter of the Bible, 2 Corinthians and chapter five, the difficulties 10 00:00:52,840 –> 00:00:56,060 of life in the body that’s rather like a tent. 11 00:00:56,060 –> 00:01:02,020 The feeling that what we do may not have lasting significance or value. 12 00:01:02,020 –> 00:01:06,839 The harsh judgements that other people may make, the criticisms that they may make about 13 00:01:06,839 –> 00:01:07,900 you. 14 00:01:07,900 –> 00:01:12,400 The disappointments that come relative to the plan you had for your life, the way that 15 00:01:12,400 –> 00:01:15,199 you thought it would be, and the way it actually turned out. 16 00:01:15,199 –> 00:01:21,440 The frustrations that you have with what you are in the flesh, and the limitations of your 17 00:01:21,440 –> 00:01:26,500 capacities in one way or another relative to what God has given to others. 18 00:01:26,500 –> 00:01:31,580 Then the sheer weight of evil in this lost and in this rebellious world. 19 00:01:31,580 –> 00:01:37,620 These are the things that cause us to lose heart and they are precisely the things about 20 00:01:37,620 –> 00:01:44,339 which God speaks as He tells us in this wonderful chapter, how we are to handle each of them 21 00:01:44,339 –> 00:01:47,699 in such a way that we will not lose heart. 22 00:01:47,699 –> 00:01:54,599 So that’s been our series over these last weeks and today we come to a way of losing 23 00:01:54,599 –> 00:02:02,959 heart that is familiar to every person who wants to live a godly life. 24 00:02:02,959 –> 00:02:06,080 If the Holy Spirit lives in you. 25 00:02:06,080 –> 00:02:10,500 If you have really come truly to love God. 26 00:02:10,500 –> 00:02:17,199 If you have set your heart on living a holy life, a godly life, a life that is pleasing 27 00:02:17,199 –> 00:02:28,399 to God then you will often find that your own sins remaining in you as a Christian believer 28 00:02:28,399 –> 00:02:32,580 do much to cause you to lose heart. 29 00:02:32,580 –> 00:02:37,779 And that’s the particular issue that we’re focused on as we come to the last verse of 30 00:02:37,779 –> 00:02:41,580 second Corinthians and chapter 5 today. 31 00:02:42,139 –> 00:02:49,220 Now, awareness of sin is actually heightened in godly people for three reasons. 32 00:02:49,220 –> 00:02:50,940 One is the work of the holy spirit. 33 00:02:50,940 –> 00:02:56,460 Remember, the holy spirit is given to convince us of sin. 34 00:02:56,460 –> 00:03:01,020 So he comes like a great shining light into our lives. 35 00:03:01,020 –> 00:03:06,899 When there is darkness, it’s not easy to see where there is dirt, but when a light shines, 36 00:03:06,899 –> 00:03:09,899 then anything that is dirty will be shone up. 37 00:03:09,979 –> 00:03:13,940 You can’t see if a darkened theater is clean or not very well. 38 00:03:13,940 –> 00:03:18,300 Turn on the lights and you will soon see what needs to be cleaned up. 39 00:03:18,300 –> 00:03:23,440 So the work of the holy spirit is to shine a light so that those who know the work of 40 00:03:23,440 –> 00:03:29,940 the holy spirit in their hearts have a heightened awareness of their own sinfulness. 41 00:03:29,940 –> 00:03:35,020 Secondly, people who are pursuing a godly life have a heightened awareness of their 42 00:03:35,020 –> 00:03:39,240 own sin because of this strategy of the enemy. 43 00:03:39,759 –> 00:03:46,360 Remember that Satan is described in the bible as the accuser of the brothers. 44 00:03:46,360 –> 00:03:51,059 So what he does is he accuses Christian brothers and sisters. 45 00:03:51,759 –> 00:03:58,759 What that means is that he brings your sins, and your failures to your mind in order to 46 00:03:58,779 –> 00:04:03,199 discourage you in the hope that you will lose heart. 47 00:04:03,199 –> 00:04:09,220 Now it is worth remembering that this is a strategy that Satan only uses in the lives 48 00:04:09,220 –> 00:04:11,100 of believers. 49 00:04:11,100 –> 00:04:16,279 It is not in his interest to bring sin to the mind of an unbeliever. 50 00:04:16,279 –> 00:04:20,480 What he wants to do with an unbeliever is for an unbeliever never to think about that 51 00:04:20,480 –> 00:04:23,200 stuff, never to think that it actually matters. 52 00:04:23,200 –> 00:04:26,220 Not even to recognize it as a capacity. 53 00:04:26,220 –> 00:04:32,399 So it is never in his interests to be the accuser of the unbeliever but he is the accuser 54 00:04:32,540 –> 00:04:37,420 the person who is in Christ which is why he is called the accuser of the brothers. 55 00:04:37,420 –> 00:04:41,899 The brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. 56 00:04:41,899 –> 00:04:46,279 Now one way that he does that is that he can sometimes bring things that are long in the 57 00:04:46,279 –> 00:04:50,380 past back to your memory and you think, now that was long ago and I have confessed that 58 00:04:50,380 –> 00:04:53,959 to the Lord, why is this being brought back into my mind. 59 00:04:53,959 –> 00:05:00,100 And it comes to your mind because of the accusation of the enemy who wants you to lose heart and 60 00:05:00,100 –> 00:05:05,959 you need to know how to answer him when he works against you in this way. 61 00:05:05,959 –> 00:05:10,559 And then there is a third reason why there is a heightened awareness of sin in godly 62 00:05:10,559 –> 00:05:16,000 people and that is simply the godly impulse of the new heart. 63 00:05:16,000 –> 00:05:22,519 When you become a Christian you are given a new heart and the new heart is sensitive 64 00:05:22,519 –> 00:05:27,559 to sin, to its subtleties and to its presence. 65 00:05:27,600 –> 00:05:34,579 That is why John in his letter, Chapter 3, verse 20 speaks to Christians and he says 66 00:05:34,579 –> 00:05:39,820 whenever our hearts condemn us. 67 00:05:39,820 –> 00:05:47,119 He doesn’t say if ever our hearts condemn us as if it was not very likely ever to happen. 68 00:05:47,119 –> 00:05:53,619 He say whenever our hearts condemn us indicating that for a Christian believer this will be 69 00:05:53,619 –> 00:05:55,519 something that we will struggle with. 70 00:05:55,519 –> 00:05:59,579 We have a new heart and the new heart loves the Lord. 71 00:05:59,579 –> 00:06:05,119 So the new heart is sensitive to the presence of sin that remains within us and therefore 72 00:06:05,119 –> 00:06:07,239 alerts us to this. 73 00:06:07,239 –> 00:06:15,279 And so for these three reasons put together there is a heightened awareness of or sensitivity 74 00:06:15,279 –> 00:06:20,179 towards sin in the life of a Christian believer. 75 00:06:20,179 –> 00:06:28,940 The life of a person who is vigorous in the pursuit of a holy or a godly life. 76 00:06:28,940 –> 00:06:33,279 Now this is one of these things that is sort of counterintuitive. 77 00:06:33,279 –> 00:06:39,779 You might think that the awareness of sin would be strongest in people who are far from 78 00:06:39,779 –> 00:06:46,220 God and that people who are really pursuing holy lives wouldn’t have much of an issue 79 00:06:46,220 –> 00:06:47,679 in this regard. 80 00:06:48,160 –> 00:06:52,579 But what we are learning is that precisely the opposite is true. 81 00:06:52,579 –> 00:07:00,799 That the awareness of sin is greatest in those who are most vigorous in pursuing a holy life. 82 00:07:00,799 –> 00:07:04,040 Which is actually why when a person first becomes a Christian. 83 00:07:04,040 –> 00:07:08,179 I’ve often had this experience, a person becomes a Christian. 84 00:07:08,179 –> 00:07:11,920 And they have the new heart, the new life and then two or three months, six months after 85 00:07:11,920 –> 00:07:16,799 they become a Christian they say, you know I feel like I am worse than ever. 86 00:07:16,859 –> 00:07:21,399 And you begin to talk about it and what they are saying is, I am more sensitive to sin 87 00:07:21,399 –> 00:07:23,299 than I ever was before. 88 00:07:23,299 –> 00:07:28,239 I begin to see my need of Jesus Christ now more than I ever did before. 89 00:07:28,239 –> 00:07:33,260 And that’s actually a mark that they are pursuing a Godly life and the things are changing and 90 00:07:33,260 –> 00:07:34,660 there is a new heart. 91 00:07:34,660 –> 00:07:39,779 And it is wonderful and it is beautiful and it is from God. 92 00:07:39,779 –> 00:07:47,359 So it is the person who is far from God who has very little awareness of sin. 93 00:07:47,359 –> 00:07:53,059 The person who is far from God is the one who thinks that she is a good person or that 94 00:07:53,059 –> 00:07:57,779 He is a person who is basically good at heart but just has had a lot of difficulties to 95 00:07:57,779 –> 00:08:00,260 contend with in life. 96 00:08:00,260 –> 00:08:04,920 The person who is far from God is the person who is thinking, I am not really sure that 97 00:08:04,920 –> 00:08:08,940 there would be much point in a sermon on the subject of sin, isn’t there something more 98 00:08:09,079 –> 00:08:10,640 practical for the church to talk about. 99 00:08:11,119 –> 00:08:14,839 It is not an issue for the person who is far from God. 100 00:08:14,839 –> 00:08:16,640 He is not concerned about sin. 101 00:08:16,640 –> 00:08:18,959 Satan never accuses him. 102 00:08:18,959 –> 00:08:23,600 So he is actually asleep towards all of these things. 103 00:08:23,600 –> 00:08:30,399 So what I am saying to you is this, that if a sense of sin in your own life is not an 104 00:08:30,399 –> 00:08:37,260 issue for you, if it is not an issue for you, you may actually be further from God than 105 00:08:37,260 –> 00:08:45,880 you think, and you should be concerned about the state of your own soul. 106 00:08:45,880 –> 00:08:56,440 So today I want to speak to every person who wants to live a godly life, and I speak knowing 107 00:08:56,440 –> 00:09:03,960 that because you do want to live a godly life, that you are sensitive to your own sins. 108 00:09:04,020 –> 00:09:09,559 And that you do, from time to time, say to yourself, now here I am a Christian, and how 109 00:09:09,559 –> 00:09:13,979 can it be that these thoughts were in my mind? 110 00:09:13,979 –> 00:09:19,619 That you do, from time to time, say to yourself, why have I not made more progress? 111 00:09:19,619 –> 00:09:22,979 Why did I speak with that sharp tongue? 112 00:09:22,979 –> 00:09:27,219 Why is it that when I know that prayer is so important and I truly love God, that I 113 00:09:27,219 –> 00:09:33,679 have this strange reluctance in me with regards to coming to Him in prayer, and sometimes 114 00:09:33,679 –> 00:09:38,659 you ask these questions, and years down the track of being a Christian, they can cause 115 00:09:38,659 –> 00:09:43,140 you to lose heart. 116 00:09:43,140 –> 00:09:45,760 Now how are you going to settle your heart? 117 00:09:45,760 –> 00:09:52,380 How are you going to make sure that you don’t lose heart as a Christian, who’s determined 118 00:09:52,380 –> 00:09:58,419 to pursue a Godly life and yet finds that that very determination brings with it, a 119 00:09:58,419 –> 00:10:02,419 heightened awareness of your own sins? 120 00:10:03,419 –> 00:10:09,219 Well the answer to that is in the last verse of 2 Corinthians and chapter 5, verse 21 121 00:10:09,219 –> 00:10:11,119 look at it with me 122 00:10:11,119 –> 00:10:23,859 For our sake He, that is God the Father, made Him, that is God the Son, he made Him to be 123 00:10:23,859 –> 00:10:39,659 sin, who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God 124 00:10:39,659 –> 00:10:48,539 One writer says of these words there is no sentence more profound in the whole of scripture 125 00:10:48,799 –> 00:10:56,659 Indeed this is the epicenter of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ 126 00:10:56,659 –> 00:11:01,840 It’s a verse to know and to learn and to underline and to be familiar with and to come back to 127 00:11:01,840 –> 00:11:10,219 every time you are discouraged about remaining sin in your own life 128 00:11:10,219 –> 00:11:17,619 We saw last week that God has removed every barrier to reconciliation with men and women 129 00:11:17,619 –> 00:11:23,500 on his side. In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, verse 19. 130 00:11:23,500 –> 00:11:30,500 The question is, how did he do that? What was it that he accomplished in and 131 00:11:30,500 –> 00:11:38,979 through the cross of Jesus Christ that brought about this great and amazing reconciliation? 132 00:11:38,979 –> 00:11:44,500 The answer is in verse 21. Here is what God did at the cross, that’s why I call it the 133 00:11:44,820 –> 00:11:51,820 Epicenter. Here is what was happening, he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, 134 00:11:53,000 –> 00:12:00,000 that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 135 00:12:00,000 –> 00:12:06,580 Let’s walk through this together. First I want us to see why Jesus is uniquely 136 00:12:06,580 –> 00:12:13,580 qualified to deal with our sins, why Jesus is uniquely qualified to deal with our sins. 137 00:12:14,940 –> 00:12:21,619 It says here, for our sake he made him to be sin 138 00:12:21,619 –> 00:12:28,619 who knew no sin. Christ knew no sin. 139 00:12:29,500 –> 00:12:36,500 Now this was affirmed by angels, devils, and by God the Father. 140 00:12:37,760 –> 00:12:41,320 Remember how it was affirmed by angels in the announcement 141 00:12:41,440 –> 00:12:45,000 of the conception of Christ. As an angel appears to Mary, 142 00:12:45,000 –> 00:12:48,380 Luke 1.35, the Holy Spirit will come upon you. 143 00:12:48,380 –> 00:12:52,760 The power of the Most High will overshadow you. The child to be born will 144 00:12:52,760 –> 00:12:53,599 be called 145 00:12:53,599 –> 00:12:57,400 holy, the son of God. 146 00:12:57,400 –> 00:13:02,960 When Jesus begins his ministry there is a man who has an unclean spirit. There is a 147 00:13:02,960 –> 00:13:04,000 demon 148 00:13:04,000 –> 00:13:09,099 that is possessing him. And as Jesus comes towards this man 149 00:13:09,239 –> 00:13:13,200 the demon manifests itself, speaks through his vocal chords 150 00:13:13,200 –> 00:13:18,659 and here’s what the devil says. What have you to do with us Jesus of Nazareth 151 00:13:18,659 –> 00:13:22,520 Have you come to destroy us. I know who you are 152 00:13:22,520 –> 00:13:26,299 the Holy One of God. The devils know it. 153 00:13:26,299 –> 00:13:33,299 The angels know it. Jesus is the only man of whom it could be said that He is God 154 00:13:33,380 –> 00:13:37,460 and Jesus is the only man who has ever lived 155 00:13:37,659 –> 00:13:43,380 of whome it could be said that he is holy. Holy. 156 00:13:43,380 –> 00:13:49,559 The Lord Jesus Christ was holy in his conception holy in his nature 157 00:13:49,559 –> 00:13:53,559 he was holy in his life he was holy in his death 158 00:13:53,559 –> 00:13:58,580 he’s confessed as holy in heaven he’s confessed as holy in hell 159 00:13:58,580 –> 00:14:02,739 he is confessed by his church as holy on earth 160 00:14:02,739 –> 00:14:07,059 and he has confessed to be the well pleasing son of God 161 00:14:07,059 –> 00:14:10,500 the only Son of God by the Almighty Father 162 00:14:10,500 –> 00:14:14,840 in heaven and so at his baptism and at is transfiguration 163 00:14:14,840 –> 00:14:19,719 we have these wonderful words, this is my beloved son 164 00:14:19,719 –> 00:14:23,080 with whom I am well 165 00:14:23,080 –> 00:14:27,559 pleased and as you go through the rest of the New Testament it is the 166 00:14:27,559 –> 00:14:29,119 unanimous witness 167 00:14:29,119 –> 00:14:35,679 of the New Testament writers that Jesus Christ the Son of God was without sin 168 00:14:35,780 –> 00:14:40,340 let me remind you briefly, Hebrews we have a High Priest who’s been tempted in 169 00:14:40,340 –> 00:14:42,099 every way just as we are 170 00:14:42,099 –> 00:14:45,219 yet without sin 171 00:14:45,219 –> 00:14:48,619 the Apostle Peter, speaking of Jesus 172 00:14:48,619 –> 00:14:52,919 he committed no sin neither was deceit 173 00:14:52,919 –> 00:14:57,099 found in his mouth the Apostle John 174 00:14:57,099 –> 00:15:00,659 you know that he appeared in order to take sins away 175 00:15:00,659 –> 00:15:03,739 and in him there is 176 00:15:04,000 –> 00:15:04,859 No sin 177 00:15:05,320 –> 00:15:09,619 And here we have the Apostle Paul, 2 corinthians chapter 5 and verse 21 178 00:15:09,619 –> 00:15:12,880 and he says of Jesus 179 00:15:12,880 –> 00:15:16,640 that he knew no sin 180 00:15:16,640 –> 00:15:21,700 now here’s why this matters… why would we take time on this to settle it 181 00:15:21,700 –> 00:15:25,260 in our minds why does the New Testament unanimously 182 00:15:25,260 –> 00:15:29,020 bear witness to this very important truth 183 00:15:29,020 –> 00:15:33,580 Answer, only a person without sin of their own 184 00:15:33,580 –> 00:15:38,419 could be in a position to deal with the sins of others 185 00:15:38,419 –> 00:15:41,919 only a person without sin of their own 186 00:15:41,919 –> 00:15:48,940 could possibly be in a position to deal with the sins of others 187 00:15:48,940 –> 00:15:56,460 if it were possible for a person to bear the sins of others 188 00:15:57,179 –> 00:16:06,760 it could only be a person who was holy through and through in and of himself 189 00:16:06,760 –> 00:16:10,979 that’s what it would take to do it 190 00:16:10,979 –> 00:16:14,719 and here as we’ve gone through this series we’ve kind of been piling up 191 00:16:14,719 –> 00:16:22,179 reasons for why Jesus Christ is unique in His glory and is the only Lord 192 00:16:22,179 –> 00:16:26,140 and the only Savior and why Jesus Christ alone can do for you 193 00:16:26,140 –> 00:16:30,500 what no one else or nothing else can ever do 194 00:16:30,500 –> 00:16:34,039 for in all human history there has never been another person 195 00:16:34,039 –> 00:16:41,039 of whom you could say He is God, He is man and He is Holy 196 00:16:41,039 –> 00:16:45,119 and these are the three great uniquenesses of the Lord Jesus Christ 197 00:16:45,119 –> 00:16:47,719 combined in this one person 198 00:16:47,719 –> 00:16:51,919 because He is God he is uniquely in a position 199 00:16:51,919 –> 00:16:55,099 to reconcile us to the Father 200 00:16:55,099 –> 00:16:58,239 because He is, at the same time, man 201 00:16:58,239 –> 00:17:01,559 He is uniquely in a position to stand with us 202 00:17:01,559 –> 00:17:06,880 and act for us as our substitute and as our representative 203 00:17:06,880 –> 00:17:11,199 because He is Holy He is uniquely in the position 204 00:17:11,199 –> 00:17:15,400 of being able to bear the sins of others who are not holy 205 00:17:15,400 –> 00:17:19,160 standing in their place. There is no one else 206 00:17:19,160 –> 00:17:22,319 of whom these things could ever be said 207 00:17:22,319 –> 00:17:25,359 this is the unique glory and position 208 00:17:25,359 –> 00:17:30,599 of our Savior Jesus Christ. There’s no one else like Him 209 00:17:30,599 –> 00:17:34,680 and there’s no one else by definition who could possibly do 210 00:17:34,680 –> 00:17:38,719 what Jesus Christ has accomplished on the cross 211 00:17:38,719 –> 00:17:41,959 so when people ask you why in the world would you possibly think that Jesus is 212 00:17:41,959 –> 00:17:44,040 the only way you’ve got yet another answer we’re 213 00:17:44,040 –> 00:17:47,319 piling up answers in this series 214 00:17:47,359 –> 00:17:50,400 As we’re learning more and more about the unique glory 215 00:17:50,400 –> 00:17:53,880 of our Lord Jesus Christ, who He is 216 00:17:53,880 –> 00:17:57,319 and because of who He is what He was uniquely 217 00:17:57,319 –> 00:18:02,319 able to do. So that’s the first thing I wanted us to pick up. He’s the one who 218 00:18:02,319 –> 00:18:03,520 knew no sin 219 00:18:03,520 –> 00:18:08,199 the unique qualification of our Lord Jesus Christ 220 00:18:08,199 –> 00:18:12,680 to deal with our sins. Here’s the second thing I want us to see today 221 00:18:13,500 –> 00:18:15,219 how God deals 222 00:18:15,219 –> 00:18:18,699 with people who reconcile to Him 223 00:18:18,699 –> 00:18:23,760 in Jesus. How God deals with people who reconcile to Him 224 00:18:23,760 –> 00:18:27,680 in Jesus. Now look at the verse again. For our sake 225 00:18:27,680 –> 00:18:31,000 he God the Father made him the Son 226 00:18:31,000 –> 00:18:35,040 to be sin, who know no sin 227 00:18:35,040 –> 00:18:39,079 so that in Him, notice that word, 228 00:18:39,819 –> 00:18:42,780 we might become the righteousness 229 00:18:42,780 –> 00:18:46,439 of God in Him. So 230 00:18:46,439 –> 00:18:51,060 what we have here is a description of what is true of every person who is 231 00:18:51,060 –> 00:18:55,540 in Jesus Christ which is what happens when you 232 00:18:55,540 –> 00:18:58,579 are joined to Him through the bond of faith. You come to 233 00:18:58,579 –> 00:19:02,339 believe in Him and 234 00:19:02,339 –> 00:19:05,780 in Christ God was reconciling the world 235 00:19:05,780 –> 00:19:09,619 to himself and as we saw last week scenario, 236 00:19:09,619 –> 00:19:14,439 He stands with open arms and invites every person from every background 237 00:19:14,439 –> 00:19:18,939 to be a reconciled to Him through his unique Son 238 00:19:18,939 –> 00:19:22,660 our Savior Jesus Christ. That’s why the message says 239 00:19:22,660 –> 00:19:26,359 Be Reconciled to God and 240 00:19:26,359 –> 00:19:30,739 the arms of God are stretched out to every person in Jesus Christ 241 00:19:30,739 –> 00:19:35,060 in this way. Now, to those who reconcile 242 00:19:35,060 –> 00:19:39,760 with God, through Jesus Christ, three wonderful things are true. 243 00:19:39,760 –> 00:19:43,959 Here’s how God deals with us in Jesus Christ. 244 00:19:43,959 –> 00:19:48,219 First thing is that God does not count 245 00:19:48,219 –> 00:19:52,680 your sins against you and that’s in verse nineteen 246 00:19:52,680 –> 00:19:57,260 In Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself 247 00:19:57,260 –> 00:20:01,819 not counting their trespasses 248 00:20:02,459 –> 00:20:05,939 against them. 249 00:20:05,939 –> 00:20:09,459 Now please understand this because it’s very important 250 00:20:09,459 –> 00:20:15,339 to having peace when the enemy accuses you and your own heart condemns you. 251 00:20:15,339 –> 00:20:19,180 The reason we are reconciled to God, 252 00:20:19,180 –> 00:20:23,579 the reason that in Christ we have peace with him, 253 00:20:23,579 –> 00:20:29,819 is not that as Christians we have come to be without sin. 254 00:20:29,819 –> 00:20:40,420 It is that in Christ, verse 19, God does not count our sins against us. 255 00:20:40,420 –> 00:20:45,380 Charles Hodge, a great writer on these verses, says this, 256 00:20:45,380 –> 00:20:50,939 that if we were considered in ourselves, speaking of Christians, 257 00:20:50,939 –> 00:20:58,099 we are just as undeserving and hell-deserving as ever. 258 00:20:58,119 –> 00:21:04,780 The act of justification, he says, is always an act of infinite grace. 259 00:21:04,780 –> 00:21:09,060 So what he’s saying is he’s not denying that Christians grow 260 00:21:09,060 –> 00:21:12,699 and that Christians make progress and that godliness advances 261 00:21:12,699 –> 00:21:15,079 in the life of a believer. 262 00:21:15,079 –> 00:21:17,020 But what he’s saying, think of it like this, 263 00:21:17,020 –> 00:21:18,839 if we were to take the best Christian, 264 00:21:18,839 –> 00:21:22,439 the most advanced Christian, the person who is most advanced 265 00:21:22,439 –> 00:21:26,880 in godliness in the congregation, if we were to take her or him 266 00:21:26,959 –> 00:21:31,800 and for a moment take that person outside of Christ 267 00:21:31,800 –> 00:21:34,479 and plonk them as it were on their own two feet 268 00:21:34,479 –> 00:21:37,920 to stand before God on the basis of the progress 269 00:21:37,920 –> 00:21:39,920 they’ve made in godliness of their own life, 270 00:21:39,920 –> 00:21:43,599 that person would be held deserving forever. 271 00:21:43,599 –> 00:21:46,319 Because we never advance in the Christian life 272 00:21:46,319 –> 00:21:49,479 to a place where we are without sin. 273 00:21:49,479 –> 00:21:51,800 It clings to us in one way or another, 274 00:21:51,800 –> 00:21:53,300 often even subtly, 275 00:21:54,079 –> 00:21:57,380 within the very folds of our own flesh, 276 00:21:57,380 –> 00:22:00,979 within our own nature in which we are born. 277 00:22:03,199 –> 00:22:05,900 And the reason that you will enter into heaven 278 00:22:05,900 –> 00:22:07,719 is not that you came to some place 279 00:22:07,719 –> 00:22:09,500 where you were without sin. 280 00:22:09,500 –> 00:22:12,119 The reason that you will enter into heaven 281 00:22:12,119 –> 00:22:15,459 is because in Christ, God does not count 282 00:22:16,479 –> 00:22:18,319 your sins against you. 283 00:22:19,339 –> 00:22:22,520 It’s a wonderful and a glorious truth, 284 00:22:23,839 –> 00:22:26,520 in Christ, this is what God does, 285 00:22:28,020 –> 00:22:30,439 and it is his marvelous gift. 286 00:22:30,439 –> 00:22:31,839 Now, that raises the question, 287 00:22:31,839 –> 00:22:34,920 if God doesn’t count your sins against you, 288 00:22:34,920 –> 00:22:36,560 where do these sins go? 289 00:22:36,560 –> 00:22:38,520 Where are these sins counted 290 00:22:38,520 –> 00:22:41,180 on the ledger of divine justice? 291 00:22:43,000 –> 00:22:46,800 And the answer to that question is in our verse, verse 21, 292 00:22:46,800 –> 00:22:51,400 that God counts your sin dealt with in Christ. 293 00:22:51,400 –> 00:22:54,479 These two truths wonderfully stand together, 294 00:22:54,479 –> 00:22:56,199 and that’s why it says here, 295 00:22:56,199 –> 00:23:01,199 for our sake He made Him to be sin. 296 00:23:03,040 –> 00:23:08,040 Jesus was made sin on the cross. 297 00:23:09,579 –> 00:23:12,619 And this is surely one of the most amazing statements 298 00:23:12,619 –> 00:23:14,579 in the whole Bible, 299 00:23:14,579 –> 00:23:19,579 that the sinless, spotless Lamb of God, 300 00:23:20,339 –> 00:23:24,579 God the Son, God in the flesh, 301 00:23:24,579 –> 00:23:29,260 was made sin for us 302 00:23:29,260 –> 00:23:33,540 as our sins were laid on Him. 303 00:23:34,579 –> 00:23:39,500 That’s exactly 2 Corinthians 5, verses 19 and 21. 304 00:23:39,500 –> 00:23:41,660 Why would it be that our sins 305 00:23:41,660 –> 00:23:45,619 are no longer counted against us? 306 00:23:45,780 –> 00:23:50,060 Answer because they’re no longer on us. 307 00:23:50,060 –> 00:23:52,020 Where are they now? 308 00:23:52,020 –> 00:23:57,020 You’re in Christ, and they have been laid on him 309 00:23:57,020 –> 00:24:00,260 who was made sin for us, 310 00:24:00,260 –> 00:24:03,380 which is at the very heart of all that He was suffering 311 00:24:03,380 –> 00:24:06,180 and all that He was enduring on the cross. 312 00:24:06,180 –> 00:24:08,060 Isaiah puts it like this, 313 00:24:08,060 –> 00:24:12,099 our sins were laid on Him. 314 00:24:12,099 –> 00:24:17,000 The Lord laid on Him the iniquities of us all. 315 00:24:17,000 –> 00:24:19,560 Horatius Boner says it like this, 316 00:24:19,560 –> 00:24:22,000 God dealt with Him, Jesus, 317 00:24:22,000 –> 00:24:25,819 as if He were really a sinner, such as we are, 318 00:24:25,819 –> 00:24:30,099 treated Him as if all iniquity was centered in Him. 319 00:24:30,099 –> 00:24:33,119 The Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 320 00:24:33,119 –> 00:24:35,339 He was clothed with our guilt. 321 00:24:35,339 –> 00:24:38,300 He bore the burden of our iniquities. 322 00:24:38,300 –> 00:24:41,660 In all respects, the Father dealt with Him 323 00:24:41,699 –> 00:24:46,459 as guilty of our transgressions. 324 00:24:46,459 –> 00:24:50,359 When Satan brings your sins to mind, 325 00:24:51,859 –> 00:24:54,239 when your own heart condemns you, 326 00:24:55,239 –> 00:24:57,939 when you become aware as a Christian believer 327 00:24:57,939 –> 00:25:00,939 of just how far you have yet to go 328 00:25:00,939 –> 00:25:03,959 as a follower of Jesus Christ, 329 00:25:03,959 –> 00:25:06,719 remember this so that you will have peace. 330 00:25:06,719 –> 00:25:10,180 It’s so important so that you do not lose heart. 331 00:25:10,180 –> 00:25:14,199 Your sins were laid on him. 332 00:25:15,239 –> 00:25:19,040 And I love that verse in 1 John chapter one 333 00:25:19,040 –> 00:25:19,880 and verse nine. 334 00:25:19,880 –> 00:25:21,199 You know, the one that says, 335 00:25:21,199 –> 00:25:23,939 if we confess our sins, 336 00:25:23,939 –> 00:25:27,699 he is faithful, what does it say next? 337 00:25:27,699 –> 00:25:30,939 And just, wouldn’t you think that it would say 338 00:25:30,939 –> 00:25:34,060 he’s faithful and kind or faithful and generous 339 00:25:34,060 –> 00:25:35,599 to forgive us our sins? 340 00:25:35,599 –> 00:25:37,319 That’s not what it says. 341 00:25:37,400 –> 00:25:41,219 It says he’s faithful and just 342 00:25:41,219 –> 00:25:44,020 to forgive us our sins. 343 00:25:44,020 –> 00:25:45,680 Why does it say the word just? 344 00:25:45,680 –> 00:25:48,359 Because our peace with God 345 00:25:48,359 –> 00:25:52,739 is founded on this free gift of grace 346 00:25:52,739 –> 00:25:57,380 that rests on the foundation of God’s justice. 347 00:25:57,380 –> 00:25:59,739 God has not dealt with us 348 00:25:59,739 –> 00:26:02,699 by sort of sweeping our sins 349 00:26:02,699 –> 00:26:05,459 under the carpet, so to speak, 350 00:26:05,459 –> 00:26:06,979 so that if one day the carpet 351 00:26:07,180 –> 00:26:09,079 is lifted up they might all get stirred up 352 00:26:09,079 –> 00:26:11,020 and come into view again. 353 00:26:11,020 –> 00:26:13,180 That’s not how he’s done it. 354 00:26:13,180 –> 00:26:15,680 No, God has dealt with our sins 355 00:26:15,680 –> 00:26:17,400 in Jesus Christ. 356 00:26:17,400 –> 00:26:19,560 They were laid on him. 357 00:26:19,560 –> 00:26:21,400 The spotless Lamb of God 358 00:26:21,400 –> 00:26:23,199 was made sin for us. 359 00:26:23,199 –> 00:26:25,359 He died in our place 360 00:26:25,359 –> 00:26:29,560 and he became the sacrifice for us. 361 00:26:29,560 –> 00:26:31,359 God made him who had no sin 362 00:26:32,439 –> 00:26:34,359 to be sin 363 00:26:34,359 –> 00:26:38,880 and he did it for us. 364 00:26:38,880 –> 00:26:43,560 Now friends, I’ve said that this is the epicenter 365 00:26:43,560 –> 00:26:48,560 of what God accomplished in Jesus Christ at the cross. 366 00:26:51,000 –> 00:26:52,599 And please understand this, 367 00:26:52,599 –> 00:26:54,319 cause some of you read widely 368 00:26:54,319 –> 00:26:56,520 and you think deeply. 369 00:26:56,520 –> 00:26:57,839 Please understand this, 370 00:26:57,839 –> 00:27:01,800 that precisely because it is the epicenter 371 00:27:01,800 –> 00:27:03,619 of what God has done for us 372 00:27:03,619 –> 00:27:06,140 in Christ, because it is so important, 373 00:27:06,140 –> 00:27:10,180 it will always, always, always be disputed, always. 374 00:27:11,239 –> 00:27:14,300 James Denney says this about the great truth 375 00:27:14,300 –> 00:27:16,000 that’s at the heart of the Gospel 376 00:27:16,000 –> 00:27:18,079 that we’re looking at today. 377 00:27:18,079 –> 00:27:20,280 He says, it’s at the heart of the Gospel 378 00:27:20,280 –> 00:27:21,760 and just because it is so, 379 00:27:21,760 –> 00:27:25,979 it has always been felt to be critical, 380 00:27:25,979 –> 00:27:28,560 alike by those who welcome 381 00:27:28,560 –> 00:27:31,939 and by those who reject it. 382 00:27:31,979 –> 00:27:34,739 And you will know that there are folks out there 383 00:27:34,739 –> 00:27:37,099 who will write and who will think and who will say, 384 00:27:37,099 –> 00:27:41,459 how is it possible for guilt to be transferred 385 00:27:41,459 –> 00:27:43,339 from one to another? 386 00:27:43,339 –> 00:27:46,000 These are categories that no longer seem relevant 387 00:27:46,000 –> 00:27:48,459 to the modern world and so forth and so on. 388 00:27:49,739 –> 00:27:53,020 So let me read to you from Spurgeon 389 00:27:53,020 –> 00:27:54,699 because this really made me smile 390 00:27:54,699 –> 00:27:59,699 because he’s writing in the 19th century, 19th century. 391 00:28:00,099 –> 00:28:03,760 And so I just want you to know nothing ever changes. 392 00:28:04,780 –> 00:28:07,959 In the 19th century, Spurgeon says this. 393 00:28:07,959 –> 00:28:09,979 In the church and out of the church 394 00:28:09,979 –> 00:28:13,020 there is a deadly animosity to this truth. 395 00:28:13,020 –> 00:28:15,839 Isn’t that interesting in the 19th century? 396 00:28:15,839 –> 00:28:17,939 Modern thought, he says, 397 00:28:17,939 –> 00:28:20,300 as modern 19th century thought, 398 00:28:20,300 –> 00:28:22,959 modern thought labors to get away 399 00:28:22,959 –> 00:28:25,619 from what is obviously the meaning of the Holy Spirit 400 00:28:25,619 –> 00:28:27,780 that sin was lifted from the guilty 401 00:28:27,780 –> 00:28:29,839 and laid on the innocent. 402 00:28:29,839 –> 00:28:32,459 It is written the Lord has laid on him 403 00:28:32,459 –> 00:28:33,699 the inequity of us all. 404 00:28:33,699 –> 00:28:35,979 That’s Isaiah 53. 405 00:28:35,979 –> 00:28:39,939 This is as plain language as can be. 406 00:28:39,939 –> 00:28:42,500 But if any plainer language was required, 407 00:28:42,500 –> 00:28:43,859 here it is. 408 00:28:43,859 –> 00:28:46,979 He has made him who knew no sin 409 00:28:46,979 –> 00:28:50,040 to be sin for us. 410 00:28:50,040 –> 00:28:52,219 And then later, in classic Spurgeon style, 411 00:28:52,219 –> 00:28:53,859 he adds this. 412 00:28:53,939 –> 00:28:57,900 I do not care whether it is impossible or not 413 00:28:57,900 –> 00:29:00,079 with learned unbelievers. 414 00:29:00,079 –> 00:29:02,619 It is evidently possible with God, 415 00:29:02,619 –> 00:29:04,640 for he has done it. 416 00:29:04,640 –> 00:29:06,579 I love that, I love that. 417 00:29:06,579 –> 00:29:07,780 That’s what the scripture is saying. 418 00:29:07,780 –> 00:29:10,280 This is what he’s done. 419 00:29:10,280 –> 00:29:13,939 Let folks crab away as they wish 420 00:29:13,939 –> 00:29:16,819 with regards to what cannot be done. 421 00:29:16,819 –> 00:29:18,739 Spurgeon says the Bible tells me 422 00:29:18,739 –> 00:29:21,060 this is what God has done. 423 00:29:21,060 –> 00:29:23,839 And friends, here’s why this is so important 424 00:29:24,319 –> 00:29:27,079 and so critical for all of us. 425 00:29:27,079 –> 00:29:30,199 If your sins are not on Jesus, 426 00:29:30,199 –> 00:29:32,420 where in the world are they? 427 00:29:32,420 –> 00:29:34,979 There’s only one other place that they can be 428 00:29:34,979 –> 00:29:38,079 if your sins are not on Jesus and that is on you 429 00:29:38,079 –> 00:29:40,160 because you’re the person who has done them. 430 00:29:40,160 –> 00:29:43,939 You’re the person who’s responsible for them. 431 00:29:43,939 –> 00:29:47,680 So if the transference of guilt were to be impossible, 432 00:29:47,680 –> 00:29:51,420 redemption itself would be impossible. 433 00:29:52,199 –> 00:29:56,219 And here’s the great good news of the gospel, 434 00:29:56,219 –> 00:30:00,040 that our sins when we are in Jesus Christ 435 00:30:00,040 –> 00:30:03,459 are not on us and can never be on us 436 00:30:03,459 –> 00:30:05,900 because they are of Jesus Christ 437 00:30:05,900 –> 00:30:09,239 and they were dealt with at the cross 438 00:30:09,239 –> 00:30:11,400 in full, completely paid. 439 00:30:11,400 –> 00:30:13,560 It is finished, it is done. 440 00:30:13,560 –> 00:30:16,060 Now when you feel that you’re so discouraged 441 00:30:16,060 –> 00:30:17,619 about your lack of progress, 442 00:30:17,619 –> 00:30:20,420 here’s where you’re going to find the ability 443 00:30:20,459 –> 00:30:21,479 not to lose heart. 444 00:30:21,479 –> 00:30:24,819 Looking up into the face of God who loves you 445 00:30:24,819 –> 00:30:28,439 Father and Son accomplishing your redemption 446 00:30:28,439 –> 00:30:31,699 in the cross through what is beautifully 447 00:30:31,699 –> 00:30:34,420 described here in Second Corinthians, 448 00:30:34,420 –> 00:30:36,140 five and verse 21. 449 00:30:36,140 –> 00:30:38,599 So I love that verse of the hymn, 450 00:30:38,599 –> 00:30:40,719 It is well with my soul. 451 00:30:40,719 –> 00:30:41,880 My sin, 452 00:30:42,800 –> 00:30:44,900 Oh the bliss of this glorious thought 453 00:30:44,900 –> 00:30:46,780 that my sin 454 00:30:46,780 –> 00:30:48,780 not in part 455 00:30:48,780 –> 00:30:50,140 but the whole 456 00:30:50,140 –> 00:30:51,579 what happened to it. 457 00:30:51,579 –> 00:30:54,719 It’s nailed to the cross 458 00:30:54,719 –> 00:30:55,760 and I 459 00:30:55,760 –> 00:30:57,640 bear it no more, 460 00:30:57,640 –> 00:30:58,619 not on me, 461 00:30:58,619 –> 00:31:00,739 nailed to the cross. 462 00:31:00,739 –> 00:31:03,140 Therefore praise theLord 463 00:31:03,140 –> 00:31:04,680 it is well 464 00:31:04,680 –> 00:31:05,640 with my soul. 465 00:31:05,640 –> 00:31:09,020 So here’s the heart of how God saves a person 466 00:31:09,020 –> 00:31:10,880 in Jesus Christ, 467 00:31:10,880 –> 00:31:14,040 he lays your sin on Jesus 468 00:31:14,040 –> 00:31:17,619 and he deals with your sin in 469 00:31:17,619 –> 00:31:18,920 Jesus 470 00:31:18,959 –> 00:31:21,339 so that on the cross the righteous judgment 471 00:31:21,339 –> 00:31:23,979 that would have been yours fell on him, 472 00:31:23,979 –> 00:31:26,160 he absorbed it, he exhausted it 473 00:31:26,160 –> 00:31:27,839 and the flaming sword 474 00:31:27,839 –> 00:31:32,319 was broken on him as far as you are concerned 475 00:31:32,319 –> 00:31:35,140 so that you should be reconciled 476 00:31:35,140 –> 00:31:36,839 completely 477 00:31:36,839 –> 00:31:38,800 to God. 478 00:31:38,800 –> 00:31:41,680 How could any sin ever be charged to you 479 00:31:41,680 –> 00:31:44,500 or ever counted against you 480 00:31:44,619 –> 00:31:46,780 when in the justice of the almighty 481 00:31:46,780 –> 00:31:49,300 it has already been charged against Jesus 482 00:31:49,300 –> 00:31:52,920 and he died for it. 483 00:31:52,920 –> 00:31:57,060 God not counting our sins against us 484 00:31:57,060 –> 00:32:00,359 and God counting your sin 485 00:32:00,359 –> 00:32:03,119 dealt with in Christ. 486 00:32:03,119 –>00:32:06,260 This is the very heart of the gospel 487 00:32:06,260 –> 00:32:07,959 and there is more. 488 00:32:07,959 –> 00:32:09,780 And here is the third thing. 489 00:32:09,780 –> 00:32:11,199 Third wonderful reality 490 00:32:11,199 –> 00:32:13,619 for every person who is in Christ 491 00:32:13,699 –> 00:32:17,339 that God counts Christ’s righteousness 492 00:32:17,339 –> 00:32:18,979 as yours. 493 00:32:18,979 –> 00:32:21,500 He made him to be sin 494 00:32:21,500 –> 00:32:24,040 who knew no sin 495 00:32:24,040 –> 00:32:29,459 so that in him we might become 496 00:32:29,459 –> 00:32:34,239 the righteousness of God. 497 00:32:34,239 –> 00:32:39,699 In himself, Jesus is the sinless son of God 498 00:32:39,699 –> 00:32:41,920 but our sins were laid on him 499 00:32:41,920 –> 00:32:48,380 and God dealt with him as if he were sin itself.” 500 00:32:48,380 –> 00:32:49,819 And here we are. 501 00:32:49,819 –> 00:32:53,439 We are in-ourselves sinners 502 00:32:53,439 –> 00:32:56,739 but God’s righteousness has been draped on us 503 00:32:56,739 –> 00:32:59,280 because we are in Christ 504 00:32:59,280 –> 00:33:02,540 and so God deals with us 505 00:33:02,540 –> 00:33:09,199 as if we were righteousness itself. 506 00:33:09,199 –> 00:33:11,260 God dealt with Christ 507 00:33:11,260 –> 00:33:13,079 as He deals with sin 508 00:33:13,079 –> 00:33:16,079 even though Christ is holy. 509 00:33:16,079 –> 00:33:19,260 And God deals with us in Christ 510 00:33:19,260 –> 00:33:21,880 as He deals with righteousness 511 00:33:21,880 –> 00:33:25,979 even though we are sinners. 512 00:33:25,979 –> 00:33:27,780 And in Jesus, we become 513 00:33:27,780 –> 00:33:30,699 the righteousness of God. 514 00:33:30,699 –> 00:33:33,020 I love that phrase. 515 00:33:33,020 –> 00:33:35,500 The righteousness of God. 516 00:33:35,500 –> 00:33:36,959 Paul uses it in Philippians 517 00:33:36,959 –> 00:33:38,239 in that wonderful passage 518 00:33:38,239 –> 00:33:39,000 where he says, 519 00:33:39,000 –> 00:33:41,160 I want to be found in Christ. 520 00:33:42,140 –> 00:33:45,280 Not having a righteousness of my own 521 00:33:45,280 –> 00:33:47,780 that comes by works of the law. 522 00:33:47,780 –> 00:33:51,359 But that which is through faith in Christ. 523 00:33:51,359 –> 00:33:54,180 The righteousness from God 524 00:33:54,180 –> 00:33:56,180 that depends on faith. 525 00:33:56,180 –> 00:33:57,540 Why faith? 526 00:33:57,540 –> 00:33:59,060 Because, faith is the way 527 00:33:59,060 –> 00:34:00,939 in which we are bonded to Christ. 528 00:34:00,939 –> 00:34:02,439 Faith, believing is the way 529 00:34:02,439 –> 00:34:04,619 in which we come to be in Christ. 530 00:34:04,619 –> 00:34:06,160 And all these wonderful things 531 00:34:06,160 –> 00:34:08,139 are true of us in Christ. 532 00:34:08,139 –> 00:34:09,419 When we believe, 533 00:34:09,419 –> 00:34:10,820 when we have faith in Christ, 534 00:34:10,959 –> 00:34:13,260 when we’re in Christ, 535 00:34:13,260 –> 00:34:15,699 God not counting your sins against you, 536 00:34:15,699 –> 00:34:18,300 God having dealt with your sins in Christ 537 00:34:18,300 –> 00:34:19,860 at the cross, 538 00:34:19,860 –> 00:34:22,300 and God counting Christ’s righteousness 539 00:34:22,300 –> 00:34:23,179 as yours. 540 00:34:24,000 –> 00:34:25,979 So, here’s the question. 541 00:34:26,979 –> 00:34:29,219 Are you believing in Jesus? 542 00:34:31,199 –> 00:34:32,419 The question is not 543 00:34:32,419 –> 00:34:34,560 how much progress have you made in your life 544 00:34:34,560 –> 00:34:37,199 as you examine yourself internally, 545 00:34:37,199 –> 00:34:38,760 which is an important thing to do 546 00:34:38,760 –> 00:34:40,280 from time to time. 547 00:34:41,780 –> 00:34:43,179 When you examine yourself 548 00:34:43,179 –> 00:34:44,639 and sometimes you’re discouraged 549 00:34:44,639 –> 00:34:45,479 and you lose heart 550 00:34:45,479 –> 00:34:48,639 and the Holy Spirit lifts your mind up to Christ, 551 00:34:48,639 –> 00:34:49,459 the question is, 552 00:34:49,459 –> 00:34:52,139 are you believing in Jesus? 553 00:34:54,320 –> 00:34:55,959 Sometimes, a Christian person 554 00:34:55,959 –> 00:34:57,239 may say something like this. 555 00:34:57,239 –> 00:34:58,080 Well, you know, 556 00:34:58,080 –> 00:35:01,020 I would feel more sure 557 00:35:01,020 –> 00:35:03,959 about having peace with God 558 00:35:03,959 –> 00:35:05,840 if I prayed more 559 00:35:05,840 –> 00:35:08,199 or if I was more holy 560 00:35:08,219 –> 00:35:10,639 or if I had made more progress. 561 00:35:11,540 –> 00:35:13,040 But you see, at that point where you say, 562 00:35:13,040 –> 00:35:14,879 well, I would have peace with God 563 00:35:14,879 –> 00:35:17,020 if I was further advanced in the Christian life. 564 00:35:17,020 –> 00:35:18,139 You see what you’re saying? 565 00:35:18,139 –> 00:35:21,219 You’re not at that point looking to be found in him 566 00:35:21,219 –> 00:35:23,020 with the righteousness from God. 567 00:35:23,020 –> 00:35:24,179 What you’re trying to do 568 00:35:24,179 –> 00:35:28,419 is to do exactly what Paul says he did not want to do, 569 00:35:28,419 –> 00:35:30,620 which is to have a righteousness of your own 570 00:35:30,620 –> 00:35:31,620 according to the law 571 00:35:31,620 –> 00:35:33,419 that’s based on praying a lot 572 00:35:33,419 –> 00:35:35,179 and being more holy 573 00:35:35,179 –> 00:35:37,659 and making lots of progress. 574 00:35:37,659 –> 00:35:40,379 Paul says, that’s exactly what I don’t want to do. 575 00:35:40,379 –> 00:35:42,739 I want to be found in Christ, 576 00:35:42,739 –> 00:35:45,419 not having a righteousness of my own 577 00:35:45,419 –> 00:35:49,100 but that which comes through faith in Jesus Christ. 578 00:35:49,100 –> 00:35:53,360 Because if I attempt to establish my own standing before God 579 00:35:53,360 –> 00:35:54,979 on my progress in the Christian life, 580 00:35:54,979 –> 00:35:57,899 I’ll always lose heart, always lose heart. 581 00:35:57,899 –> 00:36:00,100 That would be true even for the Apostle Paul, 582 00:36:00,100 –> 00:36:02,580 let alone folks like us. 583 00:36:03,719 –> 00:36:05,659 That’s why it’s in Christ 584 00:36:06,500 –> 00:36:08,219 that I know that I have peace with God 585 00:36:08,219 –> 00:36:09,260 because it’s in Christ 586 00:36:09,260 –> 00:36:11,120 that my sins are not counted against me, 587 00:36:11,120 –> 00:36:13,459 it’s in Christ that my sins are dealt with 588 00:36:13,459 –> 00:36:15,459 and it’s in Christ that I am draped 589 00:36:15,459 –> 00:36:17,719 with the very righteousness of God. 590 00:36:19,419 –> 00:36:23,540 Thank God that he deals with us in Christ. 591 00:36:23,540 –> 00:36:25,419 Last couple of minutes, just this. 592 00:36:26,760 –> 00:36:30,479 What difference will it make in your life 593 00:36:31,320 –> 00:36:35,439 this week if you really believe 594 00:36:37,000 –> 00:36:39,239 these truths that we’ve been looking at today? 595 00:36:40,919 –> 00:36:43,739 If you really believe what we’ve been looking at today, 596 00:36:43,739 –> 00:36:45,439 what difference will it actually 597 00:36:45,439 –> 00:36:48,639 practically make in your life? 598 00:36:50,080 –> 00:36:52,120 Let me tell you this, 599 00:36:52,120 –> 00:36:54,600 if you really believe what we’ve been looking at today, 600 00:36:54,600 –> 00:36:58,939 you will love Jesus Christ. 601 00:36:58,939 –> 00:36:59,860 You really will. 602 00:37:01,479 –> 00:37:04,879 God looks on us in him, 603 00:37:06,100 –> 00:37:08,020 blesses us in him, 604 00:37:08,020 –> 00:37:09,120 loves us in him, 605 00:37:09,120 –> 00:37:10,840 will glorify us in him. 606 00:37:10,840 –> 00:37:12,479 We are complete in him. 607 00:37:12,479 –> 00:37:14,399 We are sunk without him, 608 00:37:17,020 –> 00:37:19,520 and we have all things in him. 609 00:37:20,459 –> 00:37:22,600 And if you really believe that, 610 00:37:22,600 –> 00:37:25,260 you will love Jesus Christ, 611 00:37:25,260 –> 00:37:26,739 and the more you believe it 612 00:37:26,739 –> 00:37:28,080 the more you will love him. 613 00:37:29,000 –> 00:37:31,439 And you’ll no longer be in a position 614 00:37:31,439 –> 00:37:34,760 of seeing worship as a sort of 615 00:37:34,760 –> 00:37:36,139 formal kind of a thing, 616 00:37:36,139 –> 00:37:37,800 there’ll be a love for Christ 617 00:37:37,800 –> 00:37:40,540 that’s like a glowing fire 618 00:37:40,540 –> 00:37:42,560 that’s increasing in your heart 619 00:37:42,560 –> 00:37:45,500 because you really believe 620 00:37:45,500 –> 00:37:47,860 who he is and what he has done, 621 00:37:47,860 –> 00:37:50,239 and that all your good is in him 622 00:37:50,239 –> 00:37:52,459 and apart from him you have no good thing. 623 00:37:54,659 –> 00:37:57,679 And if you really believe this, 624 00:37:57,679 –> 00:38:00,879 you will take sin more seriously. 625 00:38:00,879 –> 00:38:02,800 Believing this will actually leads 626 00:38:02,800 –> 00:38:05,860 to more good change in your life, why? 627 00:38:05,860 –> 00:38:07,520 Because you’ll take sin seriously. 628 00:38:07,520 –> 00:38:10,580 You’ll say, look what this did to Jesus. 629 00:38:11,659 –> 00:38:14,760 Look how much God hates this. 630 00:38:15,939 –> 00:38:18,159 And because I now believe 631 00:38:18,159 –> 00:38:19,199 what we’ve been learning 632 00:38:19,199 –> 00:38:21,739 from 2nd Corinthians 5, verse 21, 633 00:38:21,739 –> 00:38:23,919 I believe it. 634 00:38:23,919 –> 00:38:26,040 I can no longer drift along 635 00:38:26,040 –> 00:38:27,199 in a compromised life 636 00:38:27,399 –> 00:38:29,340 that sort of accommodates certain sins 637 00:38:29,340 –> 00:38:30,919 that I’ve said, well, they’re just habitual 638 00:38:30,919 –> 00:38:31,879 and they’re just mine. 639 00:38:31,879 –> 00:38:32,959 I can’t do that 640 00:38:32,959 –> 00:38:35,620 because I’ve come to love this Christ 641 00:38:35,620 –> 00:38:38,239 and I’ve come to see what sin is. 642 00:38:38,239 –> 00:38:39,620 And there’s a new energy 643 00:38:39,620 –> 00:38:41,280 that will come into your life 644 00:38:41,280 –> 00:38:42,979 in the pursuit of holiness. 645 00:38:42,979 –> 00:38:45,320 This is the extraordinary thing 646 00:38:46,159 –> 00:38:47,439 that when people try 647 00:38:47,439 –> 00:38:48,919 to make their pursuit 648 00:38:48,919 –> 00:38:50,520 of holiness the great thing 649 00:38:50,520 –> 00:38:52,239 that they’ll offer to God, 650 00:38:52,239 –> 00:38:54,520 it actually cuts the thing at the root 651 00:38:54,520 –> 00:38:56,239 but when you see that all your good 652 00:38:56,280 –> 00:38:57,439 is in Jesus Christ, 653 00:38:57,439 –> 00:38:59,320 you’re actually energized 654 00:38:59,320 –> 00:39:01,600 in the pursuit of holiness. 655 00:39:01,600 –> 00:39:02,419 It’s amazing. 656 00:39:04,139 –> 00:39:05,000 And here’s the third thing. 657 00:39:05,000 –> 00:39:06,320 If you really believe this, 658 00:39:06,320 –> 00:39:07,919 you will be reconciled to God 659 00:39:09,300 –> 00:39:10,659 because if you believe this, 660 00:39:10,659 –> 00:39:12,379 how could you possibly go out 661 00:39:12,379 –> 00:39:13,840 and say I am not going 662 00:39:13,840 –> 00:39:15,500 to walk with God, 663 00:39:15,500 –> 00:39:17,000 I am going to walk 664 00:39:17,000 –> 00:39:18,739 my own independent way? 665 00:39:18,739 –> 00:39:19,899 How could you possibly 666 00:39:19,899 –> 00:39:22,340 do that if you were to believe this 667 00:39:23,479 –> 00:39:25,040 to believe that in Christ, 668 00:39:25,040 –> 00:39:26,679 God was reconciling the world 669 00:39:26,679 –> 00:39:29,580 to himself, not counting men’s sins 670 00:39:29,580 –> 00:39:32,540 against them, interesting to us 671 00:39:32,540 –> 00:39:34,399 the message of reconciliation 672 00:39:34,399 –> 00:39:36,760 so that we are ambassadors for Christ 673 00:39:36,760 –> 00:39:37,780 and God’s making is 674 00:39:37,780 –> 00:39:38,939 appealed through us, 675 00:39:38,939 –> 00:39:40,860 imploring you on behalf of Christ 676 00:39:40,860 –> 00:39:42,560 to be reconciled to God. 677 00:39:43,939 –> 00:39:45,739 God did all this on his side 678 00:39:47,699 –> 00:39:48,520 in order to be 679 00:39:48,520 –> 00:39:49,780 in this position today 680 00:39:49,780 –> 00:39:51,560 of reaching out to you in love 681 00:39:51,560 –> 00:39:53,520 and saying, be reconciled to me. 682 00:39:53,540 –> 00:39:55,500 There’s no reason why your sins 683 00:39:55,500 –> 00:39:56,459 some or all of them 684 00:39:56,459 –> 00:39:58,000 should be counted against you. 685 00:39:59,719 –> 00:40:01,879 When Jesus Christ is provided 686 00:40:01,879 –> 00:40:03,520 as a savior for you 687 00:40:03,520 –> 00:40:05,479 a unique and a glorious savior 688 00:40:05,479 –> 00:40:06,899 and he came and he did all this 689 00:40:06,899 –> 00:40:08,639 to reconcile you to God. 690 00:40:08,639 –> 00:40:10,379 Why would you be walking away 691 00:40:10,379 –> 00:40:12,979 not committed to Jesus Christ 692 00:40:12,979 –> 00:40:16,000 as his disciple and as a believer today? 693 00:40:16,000 –> 00:40:19,179 Why would you do that be reconciled to God? 694 00:40:19,179 –> 00:40:20,100 Why? 695 00:40:20,560 –> 00:40:24,060 Because for our sake 696 00:40:24,060 –> 00:40:27,159 He made Him who had no sin 697 00:40:27,159 –> 00:40:31,600 to be sin so that in Him 698 00:40:31,600 –> 00:40:35,479 we might become 699 00:40:35,479 –> 00:40:39,939 the righteousness of God. 700 00:40:39,939 –> 00:40:41,159 Let’s pray together 701 00:40:43,399 –> 00:40:46,120 Bearing shame and scoffing rude 702 00:40:47,000 –> 00:40:51,320 In my place condemned He stood 703 00:40:52,979 –> 00:40:56,760 And He sealed my pardon with his blood 704 00:40:58,620 –> 00:40:59,879 Hallelujah 705 00:41:00,919 –> 00:41:02,639 What a Savior 706 00:41:03,679 –> 00:41:09,040 Lord, as we have glimpsed just something of the unique glory of your Son, our Savior, the Redeemer 707 00:41:09,080 –> 00:41:10,800 Our hearts, then, confiber 708 00:41:11,300 –> 00:41:12,959 We gladly confess 709 00:41:12,959 –> 00:41:14,620 We believe in Him 710 00:41:14,620 –> 00:41:15,879 We love Him 711 00:41:17,340 –> 00:41:19,500 And we come to you through Him 712 00:41:20,479 –> 00:41:21,699 And because of Him 713 00:41:23,399 –> 00:41:27,800 And our great desire is that when He shall come with trumpet sound 714 00:41:29,100 –> 00:41:32,540 Oh, may I then in Him be found 715 00:41:33,699 –> 00:41:36,979 Dressed in His righteousness alone 716 00:41:37,860 –> 00:41:41,919 Faultless to stand before your throne 717 00:41:43,239 –> 00:41:46,820 Because on Christ the solid rock I stand 718 00:41:47,639 –> 00:41:51,699 All other ground is sinking sand 719 00:41:52,340 –> 00:41:54,300 Hear our prayers in Jesus’ name 720 00:41:54,300 –> 00:41:55,159 Amen 721 00:42:06,979 –> 00:42:11,699 Visit our website openthebible.org

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Colin Smith

Trustee / Founder and Teaching Pastor

Colin Smith is the Senior Pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He has authored a number of books, including Heaven, How I Got Here and Heaven, So Near – So Far. Colin is the Founder and Teaching Pastor for Open the Bible. Follow him on X formerly Twitter.

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Sermons on 2 Corinthians 5 It’s easy to lose heart with all the difficulties of life in the body, the feeling that what you do may not have any lasting significance or value, the harsh judgments that other people may make about you, the disappointments that come in the plan you had for your life,

Colin Smith

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