The service that we are about
to participate in tonight is called the Lord's Table. By some, it's called communion. By others, but it was instituted by the
Lord Jesus Christ himself for his disciples and for all believers. to remember him by. This is a
memorial service to remember Christ by. As I've said before,
you must know Christ to remember him. You cannot remember someone
you do not know. You cannot participate in a memorial
of someone you do not know. It's for believers, for those
who profess to know Christ and those who have confessed him
and believers, baptism. And if there's any in here who
do not know Christ, not had Him revealed to you yet, nor confessed
Him, it may be, it may be, God willing, that after even this
message, that you may know Him. It's possible. because I'm going
to try to describe him tonight. I'm going to try to describe
him and what he did, and perhaps God will open your eyes to see
him and your ears to hear his voice, hear him call through
the gospel. The message of the Bible, the
story of the Lord Jesus Christ, the gospel, for sure, is a message
that can be summed up in one word. Substitution. The story of the Lord Jesus Christ,
his coming, his living, his dying, his ascension, can be described
or summed up in this. Substitution. That is the good
news of the gospel. Substitution. Salvation is in
a substitute. The way by which a human being
is made fit, the way which a human being is made fit to dwell in
the presence of the thrice-holy God is the way of substitution. Substitution. Now, the word substitute
means just this. It means to put in place of another. To put in place of. All right,
turn with me to Romans chapter seven. Romans chapter seven. Let me ask everybody to ask yourself
this question. Be honest with me. Are you a sinner? The gospel of substitution is
for sinners. The good news is for sinners,
just like this table. This is a table not for religious
people, but for sinners to remember the Lord Jesus Christ, who he
is and what he did for sinners. The Savior who actually saved
sinners by virtue of his blood and his body. And I ask you,
are you a sinner? I don't mean do you just have
some thoughts. I mean, do you feel yourself to be, as this
book describes you, as being no soundness in you? I mean,
from the top of your head to the sole of your feet, no soundness
in you anywhere. No soundness. Do you feel yourself
to be, as this book describes you, as altogether become filthy?
Altogether become filthy. Your prayers, your thoughts,
your words, your deeds, everything about you, filthy. Do you feel yourself to be, as
the scriptures describe you, as the whole head sick? Your
thoughts, your ways, your imaginations sick? Sick with sin? The whole heart faints, ready
to quit, ready to wander, ready to depart, ready to fall into
sin. Is that the way you feel about
yourself? about yourself as the Scriptures
describe you as being altogether vanity, useless, worthless, nothing. Why? Do you? Listen to the great Apostle
Paul talking here, Romans 7, verse 15. Paul the Apostle says,
are you looking at it? He said, Now that which I do, I know not, I allow not. In other
words, what I'm doing, I don't know. I don't know what I'm doing. That's what he's saying. But
what I would, what I want to do, I don't do it. But what I hate, that's what
I do. Is that you? Well, he says, if
then I do that which I would not. In other words, if I'm doing
what I don't want to do, I'm consenting under the law of God,
the testimony, that it's good, the law's good, God's right,
and I'm wrong in everything I do. Now then, he says, it's no more
I that do it, but this awful evil principle of sin that's
dwelling in me. Paul the apostle right here is
saying, I've got this evil, wicked, filthy, vile, wretched, depraved
nature in me, dwelling in me. And I just don't know what to
do about it. He said, I've got this awful, evil, ever-present,
continual principle in me that won't let me do what I want to
do. It makes me do what I don't want to do. Is that you, Joe Park? That describe
you? Verse 18. He says, I know in
me, I know this. Do you know this? that in me,
that is, in my flesh dwelleth no good thing." Is there any virtue in you at
all? Do you feel that you've got any good points at all? This gospel's not for you, then. This table's not for you. But
Paul said, I know, I'm positive, I know this, that in me, that
is, in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. is present with me, or
as I want to do, I will to do some things, but how, I just
don't know it. How to perform that which is
good, I just can't do it, I can't figure it out. The good, look
at verse 19, the good that I would, I don't do it. The evil which
I would not, that's what I do. Now, if I do that I would not,
it's no more I that do it, but this evil principle of sin that
dwells in me. I find the law that when I would
do good, evil is present with me no matter what I do, this
evil principle. I don't care if it's prayer,
reading the Word right now. coming to church, whatever it
may be, this evil principle is present with me. Is that you?
Does that describe you? He says, I belied in the law
of God after the inward man, but there's another law in my
memory. War, and it's at war with me, warring against the
law of my mind, bringing me into captivity, the law of sin in
my memory. In other words, On the inside,
I want to do what's right, but I just, on the outside and on
the inside, I just can't do it. I want to serve the law of God.
I want to do what's right, but I just can't do it. Why? I'm a sinner. I'm altogether
full of this awful evil principle called sin. That's what it means
to be a sinner. It doesn't mean that you stole the watermelon
a while back. or you told a lie or whatever. That's not what it means to have
this awful, evil, indwelling principle within you. Does that
describe you? Paul the apostle now, one of
the greatest men to ever live, that's what he said about himself,
didn't he? Tim James said after reading
this, would you hire this man? What can you do, Paul? Nothing
good. What have you done? Nothing but
evil. Can you be trusted? No. I'll only do what's bad.
Can't trust me. I wouldn't hire me. I try to
do what's right, but I always end up doing what's wrong. I'm
evil, wicked, vile, wretched. I won't do what's good. I'll
do what's wrong. Now, like I said, that's one
of the best men to ever live on the face of the earth. Some
people say he was unsaved then. That didn't even bear addressing
or dealing with. He wrote Romans 6, didn't he?
Romans, the first six chapters. Oh, boy. It's in the context
of a letter here. But that was one of the best
men to ever live on this earth. An apostle, a writer of the Scriptures. God used him. The Holy Spirit
inspired him to write this passage of Scripture. And then the power
and influence of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul sat down, and
the Holy Spirit said, Now you write this about yourself, because
it's going to give great comfort to some other people who feel
the same way. Aren't you glad that Romans 7 is in the Scripture?
But look at verse 24. Oh, wretched man that I am! Who's going to deliver me from
this body of death, this awful evil principle that's within
me, this wretched, stinking man that I carry around all the time. Brother John and I were talking
a while ago about how that he said in Isaiah 64, all our righteousness
are filthy rags. And John, he said it's like a
man got on a good suit of clothes, looks real nice and everything,
but he But he hadn't had a bath. He smells himself. That's us. We look pretty good to this world
and all, but we can still smell ourselves, can't we? Well, that
was the Apostle Paul. He says, I'm a wretched man.
Now, who's going to get me out of this mess? Or rather, who's
going to get the mess out of me? Huh? That's me. Is that you? He described me
to the tea. And I am the preacher. That's
us, every man, every man, full of, altogether made up of, a
sinful, wretched creature. I mean, he talked about us being
like open wounds and running sore. That doesn't sound good,
does it? But that's the way God describes
us. And if we really saw the picture very clearly like God
sees us, it'd be despicable. That's biblical language in it.
All right, now look over 1 John chapter 3. 1 John chapter 3 with
me. You see, we've all sinned. We're all full of sin. We've
all got this wretched nature, evil principle that is attached
to us, in us. It's part of us. It is us. We
are it. We are sinners. Right? Sinners. can't do anything without
sinning, like a horse. A horse can't do anything but
what its nature allows it to do. A lion, all animals, can't
do anything but what their natures allow them to do. A horse can't
climb a tree, right? And neither can we do good who
are accustomed to doing evil, who were brought forth from the
womb speaking lies, right? All have sinned and come short
of the glory of God. All but one. One. There was one man. Just
one. Just one who walked this earth
who never, ever, ever sinned. Not once. Not once. Jesus, we can't do
anything without sin. We can't take—this message is
so full of sin, so full of pride and self and flesh and all that,
it's not worthy of notice. You, sitting right here in this
pew, I don't know what you're thinking of, God knows. We're
full of—we can't do anything without sin, can we? Nothing!
We can't think a thought, we can't go a minute without some
sin, can't even go to sleep without sin, can't wake up without evil
or hideous thoughts in our heads. This man never, ever, one time,
for one minute, one thought, one word, one deed, ever sinned. Can you fathom that? Why? How? Verse 5, 1 John 3 verse
5, because the last part of that verse, is no sin. He's got no sin in him. He doesn't have the blood of
Adam in him, Henry. That's the reason he was born of a virgin.
Why did Christ have to be born of a virgin? Because the seed
of man is not in him. The seed of man, that evil, awful
principle that came down through the generations from Adam, called
sin. By one man, sin passed upon the
world. And so death by sin. But Christ
was born of a virgin. He didn't have the seed of man
in Him. He didn't have the blood of Adam in Him. He had the blood
of God in Him. He had the seed of the Holy Spirit
in Him. The Holy Spirit went into the womb of that virgin
girl and planted His holy, perfect, perfect, incorrupt seed. Perfect, spotless, pure God. God. as a man. In him is no sin
ever thought of sinning, no lust, no greed, no hatred, no envy,
no malice, no covetous, no jealousy, no selfishness, never committed
one sin, never spoken either, for thirty-three, a little less
than my life, thirty-three and a third years. Perfect. Perfect. Holy. Spotless. Pure. altogether. We're altogether undone. He's
altogether complete and perfect. We're altogether sinful. He's
altogether without it. There's not a spot in Him. Not
one spot. And He stood before God and all
mankind and said this, which of you convinces me of sin? Anybody? find any fault in me. Even that evil and wicked pilot
who was trying to find some fault, trying to find an excuse to kill
him, said, I can't find anything in him. You kill him. I can't find any fault in him.
Why? He ain't got none in him. No fault in him. No fault in
him. And God even sent it from heaven.
That's my son. I'm well pleased with him. All
right? Paul described us there in Romans
7. You see yourself? All together wicked. I wish I
could paint the picture like it ought to be painted. I wish
I could preach the sinfulness of man to where we'd all be hanging
our heads. There'd be nobody to be looking
up right now, ashamed of yourself. I wish I could, but I can't.
Only the Holy Spirit can show us that before this holy God.
And I wish, boy, I wish I could paint the picture of this holy
one. to where you'd see this holy, spotless One, this altogether
lovely One, the bright and morning star, the pure One whom we can't
even look at or be in His presence. How I wish I could paint the
picture or tell the story of His sinless perfection. How I
wish. But I can't do it. Now look over
2 Corinthians chapter 5 with me. Here's the gospel. You see
yourself? Sinful. full of sin, this evil
principle. You see Christ? Holy, spotless,
no sin in Him. Now let's hear about the switch,
the substitute. Substitution. Let's hear the
Gospel now. Look at it. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21. Here it is. For he who God hath
made him. God, he, God. Salvation is all
up to God. Salvation's in His will. Salvation
is in His decision. Salvation is in His power. God
hath made Him, who's the Him? Christ, this sinless One, to
be sin for us. made His Son, this sinless, perfect,
spotless, holy, righteous, lovely, pure Son of His, made Him sin. Like Wednesday night, I talked
about God taking all the sins of all of His people from the
very beginning to the very end of time and rolling them all
up in one ball, all the wicked thoughts and deeds perverted
acts and imaginations and filthiness of all of God's people from the
very beginning to the end of time, rolling it all up in one
big heap, one big load, one big burden, and placing it upon Christ. But even more than that, it goes
deeper than that. He actually made Christ to be
sin. We can't even describe it. He
made Christ that principle. Not only did he lay all the burden,
all the iniquities upon him, God laid on him the iniquities
of Saul, but he made him, somehow, made him to be sin. When God
looked at Christ on that cross, what he saw was sin, this evil,
awful principle called sin, everything that's against God. Looked at
his son, he didn't see his son, he saw sin, and God hates sin. That's what he made Christ. That's
what he made him. God made him to be sin for us. He who knew no sin, who knew
no sin, that we who know nothing but sin might be made the righteousness
of God in him. You understand what they're saying?
the gospel in one short verse. If I could sum up all the gospel
in one verse of all the scriptures, this would be it, 2 Corinthians
5, verse 21. Write it on the tables of your
heart. God, by His determinate counsel and foreknowledge, delivered
him up. God, in His all-wise purpose
and plan from the foundation of the world, delivered His Son,
sent His Son down here to do for us what we could not do for
ourselves, that is, live a perfect life, spotless, holy. And He
did. In Him, no sin. Because in us is nothing but
sin. God made him to be us, and made us to be him. And then Christ went to that
cross, and God saw sin. He saw us. We're sinners. Every
sinner was in Christ on that cross. Everybody that feels himself
to be like Paul described us. was on that cross that day. And
God saw us and God poured out His wrath and His judgment and
His justice against our sin. And then when God put him down
in that grave, in that tomb, rolled the stone over the door,
he went somewhere for three days. Scripture said it caused him
a scapegoat, doesn't it? Remember how the scapegoat in
the wilderness, how the high priest laid his hand? He was
laid out by one fit man in the wilderness? The high priest put
his hands on the scapegoat and confessed the sins of all the
people and then was led out into the wilderness and set loose
and turned out never to return again. Christ for three days
was a scapegoat. He went into the wilderness somewhere.
Nobody knows where he went to. And I'll tell you what he did
when he left. He was depositing our sins. He
was taking that sin, that principle, that evil, awful. He was getting
the victory over sin. He was going to get rid of it
once and for all. Cast, he said, their sins and
their iniquities, I'll remember them no more. Cast them behind
my back. Wherever Christ went, it was
behind God's back. Deposited those sins somewhere.
And now they're no more. And he came back after three
days, after three days. And that's when the big stone
rolled back. It's over. And he came walking out of there.
Where's sin? Gone. Where's my sin? Gone. But you say, I still feel myself
be a sinner. I still feel that I'm an unrighteous,
wretched, no good. You are. But you died. You're dying daily. That's the
reason we stink more and more to ourselves daily. We're decomposing
rapidly. Something that's decomposing
just gets worse. It gets stinking more and more,
doesn't it? You ever had something in the garbage can for a while?
Flesh or meat? It gets worse and worse. And
it will get better, will it? What do you do? You leave that
meat in the garbage, well, it'll get better. Well, honey, what's that
smell? That's last night's pot roast. Just get rid of it. No, it'll be all right. It'll
get better. No, it won't. It'll get worse. Maggots, it'll
take over everywhere. Own it. It's got to be gotten
rid of, finally, once and for all. That's what Paul said. Who's
going to get rid of this mess? Who's going to get me out of
this mess? I thank God through Christ Jesus, the Lord. He'll
deliver me, finally, one day. The only way this stink, this
smell's going to stop is when he lays this old body down in
the grave. And I rise with a new body made
like him, just like him. No sin in me. Now God, in God's eyes, the gospel
is there is no sin in you right now. Although you feel it, although
that principle is still in you, God doesn't see it because he
killed you in Christ. God sees you in Christ as being
perfect and righteous. Although you still smell that
old man, but he's dying. He's decomposing rapidly. When
we lay this old body down in a grave and rise up out of there
made in the perfect image of Christ, the smells stop, the
sorrows stop, the tears will stop flowing, and eternal joy
and peace and happiness. But God put him in our place.
That is the gospel. God put him in our place on the
cross and put us in his place. God punished him and killed him
because the wages of sin is death. And God put us in his place,
holy, righteous, perfect, pure, lovely, made us accepted. God
somehow looks at us and said, that's my son in whom I'm well
pleased. You think about that. The beloved,
in the beloved. And that's what we're remembering
tonight, or rather who, what he did. What he did, and that's
what this table reminds us of, substitution. Substitution. His broken body, his shed blood
for the remission of our sin. His death for our life. His broken,
battered body and shed blood for the putting away of our awful,
evil, sinful selves. All right, Brother Henry, we're
serving the bread, please, and the wine.