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