Go with me if you would now to
1 John chapter 1. 1 John chapter 1. We looked at the first four verses
in the message this morning, but I'm not ready to move on
from them yet. While I was studying these verses,
I saw something that was so glorious to me. And it was such a clear truth
concerning the gospel. It is so this is a clear, clear
truth concerning the gospel. And I didn't want to rush through
it. It was just too much to rush through for the sake of time.
So we're going to. Look at it for our message tonight.
Let's read the first four verses again. 1 John 1, verse 1, it
says, That which was from the beginning,
which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which
we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the word
of life, for the life was manifested and we have seen it and bear
witness and show unto you that eternal life which was with the
Father and was manifested unto us. That which we have seen and
heard declare we unto you that you also may have fellowship
with us And truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His
Son, Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto
you, that your joy may be full. His first word is that. And we know that he's talking
about Christ. Christ was in the beginning. Christ was from the beginning. Now I want to set up two things
concerning our Lord Jesus Christ. And then Lord willing, we're
going to truly see what is the heart of the gospel. This is
the gospel. Alright, let's set up two things
and then we'll get to the heart of the gospel. First, go with
me to John chapter 1. John chapter 1, verse 1 it says,
In the beginning was the Word. The Word is Jesus Christ. That's
who the Word is. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word was God. All right, now
hold your place right here in John 1 and turn to Genesis 1. Genesis chapter 1 verse 1 it
says in the beginning God that's Jesus Christ that's Jesus Christ
the Word was with God and the Word was God Jesus Christ in
the beginning God Created the heaven and the earth. God is the one who did it. God
created the heaven and the earth. Alright, now flip back with me
to John 1. And look at verse 3. Speaking of Jesus Christ. Verse
3. All things were made by Him. And without him was not anything
made that was made. Who made everything? Jesus Christ,
God. God made everything. Jesus Christ. Turn with me over to Colossians
chapter one. Colossians chapter 1, the last
three words of verse 13 say, His dear Son, the Son of God,
Jesus Christ, that's who this is about. Jesus Christ. Verse 14, it says, In whom we
have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins,
who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. For by him were all things created
that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible,
whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers,
All things were created by Him and for Him. Jesus Christ is
the one who is from the beginning. He was before the beginning. He was before everything, anything
and everything as we know it. He was before time. He was before all existence. He will be after everything as
we know it. He will be after time. He will
be after all existence as we know it. All right, this is the
first thing that I want us to enter into concerning the Lord
Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is God. Jesus Christ is God. Turn with
me over to Revelation chapter 22. Revelation 22 verse 13. It says, I am Alpha and Omega. In chapter 1, verse 1 says this
is the revelation of Jesus Christ. He said, I am Alpha and Omega,
the beginning and the end, the first and the last. He was not just in the beginning.
He was not just from the beginning, He is the beginning. The only way we can fathom eternity
before, eternity from a never beginning eternity, the only
way we can fathom that is think of Christ. He is the beginning
and He is the end. Eternity is Christ. He will not
just be with us in the end. He is the end. Now, I cannot
get my brain around that. I just cannot get my brain around
that. But that's the truth. God. Jesus Christ is eternal. He is eternal. Everything about
Him is eternal. Everything that He does is eternal. Forever. He said, I am the Lord. I change not. Never has Jesus Christ changed. Never has God changed. I change not. Ecclesiastes 3.14
says, I know that whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever. Nothing can be put to it, nor
anything taken from it. And God doeth it that men should
fear before him. It's forever. God is what God
is. Nothing can be added to God. Nothing can be taken from God.
Nothing. All right, go with me back to
1 John 1. This is the second thing I want
to establish. Verse 5 says, This then is the
message which we have heard of Him and declare unto you, that
God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. This is what God is. Light. This is what God is not. Darkness. Has not ever been, will not ever
be. Never. In him is no darkness
at all. Darkness is always an illustration
of, it's always in the scripture used to describe sin. Sin. Look at first John chapter three. This is speaking of Christ, speaking
of God. The last few words in verse 5
say, IN HIM IS NO SIN. No sin. Turn back just a few
pages to 1 Peter chapter 2. 1 Peter 2, speaking of Christ, verse 22 says, Who did no sin,
neither was guile found in his mouth. 2 Corinthians 5.21 says,
Who knew no sin. Pilate said, I find no fault
in this man. There is no sin in Him. Alright, now turn with me to
Romans 6. Romans 6 verse 23, it says, For
the wages of sin is death. Death is what comes as a result
of sin. If you look back one chapter
to Romans 5 verse 12, it says. Wherefore, as by one man sin
entered into the world and death by sin, things die through sin. Only because of sin. All right
now, where am I going with all this? God has no sin. God cannot die. And Jesus Christ is God. All right. God has no sin. God cannot die. And Jesus Christ
is God. Now, I'm not at all going for
shock value. This is the heart of the gospel. This right here is the heart.
This is the glory of the mystery of the gospel. Jesus Christ cannot
die. Now, if you'll hang in with me
for just a second, I believe our joy will be full. I believe
it will. Christ is God. Either He is or
He isn't. We say He's God and then we remove
Him from everything that God is seeing what happened on the
cross. Christ is God. Christ is the God. And God cannot
die. There is no sin in Him. Sin brings
death. And He has no sin. Look with
me at John chapter 11. John chapter 11 verse 23, Jesus
saith unto her, thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto
him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at
the last day. Jesus saith unto her, I am the
resurrection. I am the resurrection. I was
not just the first one to be resurrected, I am the resurrection,
he went on to say, and the life. I am the life. He told Thomas
the same thing. He said, I am life. I am life. He said in verse 26,
and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Why? How? It's because that person
will be in me and I can't die. Every soul in him cannot die. Every person in the scripture
whose body stopped breathing, that body laid down and stopped
breathing. Every time he said they're not dead, they're sleeping. He said that about that 12 year
old girl that we looked at this morning. He said that about Lazarus. The only reason that he said
Lazarus is dead was to explain to them he's not breathing and
he's in a grave. Christ is God, God cannot die,
and in Him neither can we. Alright, then explain this to
me. If all that is so, explain this
to me. Go one more time to Romans 5. Romans 5 verse 6, For when we were yet without
strength, in due time Christ died. Is Christ God? Absolutely. 100%. Can God die?
Absolutely not. Was Christ spotless? Yes, he
was. You mean no sin? You mean not
one speck of sin or error on him or in him that could possibly
bring death to him? No. No, nothing. There was nothing on him, not
one speck. Then how did he die? If He is life and if He cannot
die, why did He die? Here's the reason. He became
me. Not in theory. Not as my representative. He became me. This is the gospel. I mean, this
is the heart and core of the gospel. It's called substitution. Oh, the reality of substitution. This is the only gospel there
is substitution. He became me. Not only can I die, I had to
die. I had to die. If we ever honestly
get a hold of who it is that died on the cross, then our joy
will be so full. Who died on that cross? Who suffered
the blame and the punishment for his own sin? Gabe Stoniker
did. How can I say that? Here I stand.
Well, look with me at Galatians 2. Galatians 2 verse 20 says, I
am crucified. I am crucified with Christ. What does that mean? That means
he became us. That's what Hebrews 7 verse 26
says. He became us. You know, we ask this question,
what do I have to do? What do I have to do? Well, you
got to do this and you got to do this and you got to do this
and you got to do this. That's bad news until we find out this
right here. He became us. And as us, he did this and he
did this, he did this, he did this. He became us. Well, if he became us, what did
we become? That's just too holy to say.
That's just too holy to say. Verse 20 says, I am crucified
with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. Yet not
I, but Christ liveth in me. See, I died. I died. I was crucified. I'm not living. He's living in me. I died in
Him. And He's alive and well in me. I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless,
I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which
I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God
who loved me and gave Himself for me. I died in Him. He lives in me. Complete union, complete substitution. My sinfulness died in him. His spotlessness lives in me. The life that I live in this
flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God. I live by something
that started with Him. I live by something that He gave
to me, something He wrought in me, something He performs and
works and keeps and will finish. I live by the faith of the Son
of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. I am death, he is life, and he
literally traded our places. He completely traded our places. He said, whoever lives and believes
in me shall never die. Never die. I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless
I live. He cannot die, nevertheless he
died. He did. Now because He died for me, and
I did not die for myself, without Him, whoever has the Son has
life. Whoever does not have the Son
does not have life. Whoever does not have the Son
of God, Jesus Christ, will die for himself. He'll die his own
death. But because He died for His people,
because He died for us, and we did not have to die for ourselves,
our debt is paid in full. Because He died for us, the debt
is paid in full. For sinners who die in their
own sin, there is no possibility of a resurrection unto life. And the reason is because they
have nothing to offer God as a payment for their sin. They
have nothing to give to Him, nothing to pay their debt with.
Therefore, it'll never be paid, and they will remain dead for
all eternity. If the debt's not paid, they
stay in that state for all eternity. But while Christ walked this
earth, He earned a perfect righteousness before His Father. He earned
a perfect obedience. And what that means is He has
spotless blood running through His veins. Sin-filled blood cannot
ever make remission for the soul. It just cannot do it. But Christ
entered into death for us. bringing in a full payment with
him. He earned a full payment. He earned equity. He brought
equity in with him. He entered into death for us
as a high priest bringing a payment. His own spotless blood. And as
soon as he presented that spotless blood, that perfect blood that
perfectly paid the debt, God the Father cried, it is paid
in full. Loose him and let him go. Go roll the stone away from the
door. The debt is paid. As us. He died. For us, he made the payment in
full. Because of that, with us, he
is alive forevermore. He redeemed us with a payment. We rose. I died. I was crucified. And had I not had a payment,
I would have stayed crucified. But he brought the payment. Paid
it in full, and as soon as that happened, God the Father said,
raise them all in Him. Every one of them paid in full.
And with us, He is alive forevermore. With Him, we are alive forevermore. Now go with me back to 1 John
1. It says in verse 1, "...that
which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we
have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, in our hands
have handled of the Word of life. For Thee life was manifested,
and we have seen and bear witness and show unto you that eternal
life." which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us. That which we have seen and heard,
declare we unto you, that you also may have fellowship with
us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with
His Son, Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto
you, that your joy may be full. Life, life, life. He gave us life. He took our
death, a complete, complete trading of places. That's the fellowship
that we have with the Father and with the Son. It is a fellowship
of eternal life. Cannot die life. He gave us cannot
die life. Perfect life. John said, I'm
telling you that so your joy can be full. And I believe mine
is right now. I believe my joy is full. Absolute,
perfect, eternal life. Here you go. To God be the glory. All right, let's all stand together.