Well, I'm so happy to be here
with you. I had been here for 30 years
in a row, at least maybe 31 until COVID hit and I haven't seen
y'all in three years. and I love you and I'm glad to
be here with you. What a blessing, what an honor.
Would you turn to Romans chapter four. I've entitled this message, What
is the Gospel? Now that question should be answered
in every single message that's preached. What is the gospel? Beginning in verse 23 of Romans
chapter 4. It was not written for his sake
alone that it was imputed to him, but for us also, to whom
it shall be imputed if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our
Lord from the dead. who was delivered for our offenses
and was raised again for our justification. Therefore, being
justified by faith, we have peace with
God. through our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, the main text that I want
us to look at is verse 25, who was delivered for our offenses
and raised again for our justification. What is the gospel? Do you know God uses from Genesis
1.1 to Revelation 22, 21 to answer
that question. That is how important every word
of scripture is. This is God's way of declaring
his gospel. I'm amazed when people want to
use confessions whatever it is people use when
we've got the Bible. Well, here's our confession on
the Bible. Nobody cares. What does God's word actually
say? Now, there are verses of scripture
that are very succinct in giving us what the gospel is in just
a few words, and I would say that this verse of scripture
summarizes Genesis 1-1 through Revelation 22-21. This one verse
of scripture gives us the entire message of this book. Who was
delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification. Now let's begin in verse 23. Now it was not written for his
sake alone. Now I'm so thankful for what
is written, aren't you? This is the foundation. We're
not dependent upon me to tell you or any other man. This is God's word where God
makes himself known. God wrote this book. It's all
inspired by God, and this is where we must begin. It's written. Now it says, it was not written
for his sake alone, speaking of Abraham, that it was imputed
to him. Now what was imputed to Abraham?
Look in verse six of this same chapter. Even as David also describeth
the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness. That's what was imputed to him,
righteousness. Now, what does that mean? What does it mean for God to
impute righteousness? Real simply, if my checking account
is overdrawn and I say, well, I'm going to impute $1,000 into
that account, you know what? It's still overdrawn. The only way that checking account
cannot be overdrawn and have $1,000 in it is if there's $1,000
in it. In this thing of God imputing
righteousness, he imputes righteousness to me because he made me righteous,
and that's what I am. He's not calling me something
I'm not and saying he is. Not at all. 2 Corinthians 5.21
says, for he hath made him to be sin. for us who knew no sin,
that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. So when God imputes righteousness
to me and any other believer, it's because I am in fact righteous. This is not a virtual righteousness,
kind of like, you know, you watch, I see something, I've never played
Xbox or any of those things, but I've seen commercials, and
they show these dragons, and they look realistic, and this
fighting that's going on, and so, but you know what? None of
it's real. It's not real. That's what most
people's idea of, well, righteousness is imputed to me, just as if
I've never seen, but I've still seen. No, it's not that way.
If God has justified you, If God has imputed righteousness
to you, that means you stand before God having never sinned. Now that's what justification
is. Having never sinned. Now, it was not written for him
alone that it was imputed to him. Boy, don't you want his
righteousness to be imputed to you so that you are the righteousness
of God and so that you've never sinned, that you stand without
guilt before God, that you can't get any more perfect than that.
Now, it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed
to him, but for us also. us also, tonight, right now. But for us also, to whom it shall
be imputed, if we believe that we're saved, doesn't say that,
does it? If we believe that Jesus Christ
died for our sins and we're sure of it, doesn't say that. If we
believe that we're worthy elect, it doesn't say that. If we believe
that we've been born again. It doesn't say that. What I want
you to notice is there is a complete absence of what we believe about
ourselves in this thing of faith. Faith in what you believe about
yourself. Well, I believe I'm saved. Well, maybe you are, maybe
you're not, but what you think doesn't make it true one way
or the other. Here's faith. If we believe on Him, that raised
up Jesus our Lord from the dead. Are you saved? I hope so. As soon as you asked me, I started
wondering. Do you believe on him who raised
Jesus our Lord from the dead? Yes, I do. That is faith. It's not what you believe about
yourself. Don't quit looking within. That's an exercise in
futility. It's wrong as it can be. It's
evil. When you're looking within, that
means you're looking somewhere other than Christ. It's that simple. You know, we
just heard that song, Christ is all. He really is all. He's
all. He's all God requires of me. Is Jesus Christ his son? He is
all. Verse 25, here's the verse, who was delivered
for our offenses and was raised again for our justification. Now this is the weekend that
everybody celebrates the resurrection of Christ. And the great majority
of people who were supposedly celebrating his resurrection
had no idea why he died, and they had no idea why he was raised
from the dead. Now, I hope the Lord will give
us some understanding in this verse of scripture as to why
he died and why he was raised from the dead. Now this verse
begins with the word who. Who. Who was delivered for our offenses
and raised again for our justification. The gospel begins with who. Not what. But who? It is not until I know who He
is that I'll have any understanding of sin. You don't See your sin
and then start looking for him. No, you've not even seen your
sin until you've seen who he is. And somebody says, well,
I can't see myself in that sinful light. That's because you've
never seen who he is. If you see who he is, you will
see yourself in that light. The gospel begins with a who. Who is this one? who was delivered
for our sins and raised again for our justification. Everything
is predicated on who he is. Who is this man? Well, obviously he was a man
because a man died. He was delivered for our offenses. It was a man that died, but the
fact that he was delivered for our offenses means he had none
of his own. You see, if he had any offenses,
he couldn't do anything for me. If I died for you, what good
would it do you? Absolutely no good at all. But this one, spoken
of in our text, is the one who had no offenses of his own. Now, who is the one who has no
offenses of his own? The God-man. The Son of God. The second person of the Blessed
Trinity. The uncreated creator. God the Son. He is the one. Let me show you
a passage of scripture in Hebrews chapter one. I know any believer
loves this passage of scripture, but it's such a glorious description
of this one who was delivered for our sins. Look in verse one,
God, who at sundry times, Hebrews chapter one, verse one, and I
love the way this book starts, God, God. What an introduction,
what a conclusion, what a body. God, who at sundry times and
in divers manners spake in times passed unto the fathers by the
prophets, hath in these last days spoken to us by his Son. Now look how he describes the
Son. Whom he hath appointed heir of
all things. By whom also He made the worlds. He's the creator. He's the heir
of all things. Everything's for His glory. Everything's
for Him. Everything's given to Him. All things were made by
Him and for Him. And He is before all things by
Him. All things consist. By whom also
He made I love to think that, well, I know it, I don't love
to just think about it, but this is glorious. It was Jesus of
Nazareth who said, let there be light. And there was light. Who being the brightness of his
glory and the express image of his person, All you and I are ever going
to see of God is Jesus Christ the Lord. And upholding all things by the
word of His power. You know what that means? Everything
that happens, He is in control of. And that last breath of air
you just breathed in was simply because He willed it to happen.
He is in control of all things. There's nothing that happens
that is not His will being done. Nothing! Well, what about nothing? He's God. Somebody says, well,
how can he let this happen? You'll have to ask him, but he's
God. It's right whatever he does. And if I were you, I'd question
him. Whatever he does is right, holy,
just, and good. He upholds all things by the
word of his power. Aren't you glad? Next he says, when he had by himself purged, purged our sins. And don't miss the
word by himself. You know what that means? That
means me and you had absolutely nothing to do with this great
work. He did it by himself. When he had by himself our sins,
he sat down. Now this is the one, this is
the one, the only one who has the ability, this is the one
who was delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification. You see he's the only one who
could keep God's law perfectly and he's the only one who could
satisfy God. Now, don't forget hell is eternal. And the reason hell is eternal
is the sinner can never satisfy God. If somebody killed your
child, murdered him brutally, and then came up and said, here's
$10 million, are you satisfied? You'd say no, no. That will not
satisfy me. And the death of the sinner,
the punishment of the sinner can never satisfy God for the
greatness of his sin in murdering his son. And that's our problem.
We've murdered his son when we did it. I could never satisfy
God. But such is the glory and infinite
excellence of this person that he has the ability to make God
so satisfied that he looks at me and says, I am completely
satisfied with him. Now that's what the Lord Jesus
Christ has done, the greatness of his person. He is the one,
this is where we gotta begin. It begins with him, it doesn't
begin with a what, it begins with a who. Who? Who? Now back to our text in
Romans chapter four, verse 25. Who was delivered for our offenses? Who delivered him? Who was delivered for our offenses? Him, Acts chapter two, verse
23. Him being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God. You have taken and with
wicked hands have crucified and slain. Now, him being delivered
by that determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God tells us
that This is God, the Father's eternal purpose. This is why
God created the universe. This is why you're here. That
he might deliver his son up to the cross. That is God's eternal
purpose. The cross of the Lord Jesus Christ
is the whole counsel of God. And God created this universe
for one purpose. It wasn't because he's lonely. It was to deliver up his son
to manifest the glory of his person. The cross is the whole
counsel of God. He that spared not his own son,
Romans 8.32, but delivered him up. He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not? What could
possibly prevent him from freely giving us all things? He spared not his own son. Do
you think there's anything he would withhold from you? Well,
I'm not worthy. I know you're not worthy, but
he is. That's the point. He spared not his own son. I love that passage of scripture. Who is he that condemneth? It's
Christ that died. No other reason is needed. It's
Christ that died yea, rather that's risen again who is even
at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for
us. Who was delivered by God for
our offenses? He was delivered for our offenses. You know, that's a good word
to describe our sin, isn't it? Our offenses, offenses to God.
The reason sin's so bad is because it's against God. That makes
it all bad. That makes it all infinitely
evil. It's an offense against God. But before we go on with
this thought, we have to ask this question, who is meant by
our? He was delivered for our offenses. Now, what if someone across the
street came over here, and after I'd said, this building is our
building, and they said, well, I'm staking my claim because
you said it's ours. No, I wasn't talking to you.
I wasn't talking to you at all. You can't say this building is
yours because I said that. The ours is everybody he died
for. The ours is the elect of God. The ours, the our offenses is
ever, the elect, his sheep. Those the Father gave him before
the foundation of the world, those he came to represent. Thou
shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from
their sins. Now the hour is God's elect. And let me say why this is so
important for us to be clear on this point. If he died for somebody, and
they end up in hell, His death doesn't save. That's a complete
denial of his death. You see, his death was an accomplishment.
You can't say that about my death or your death. Well, look there,
he died. What an accomplishment. You know, we can't say that about
it. I mean, it just shows what failures we are. It shows how
weak we are. But his death was an accomplishment. They spake
of the decease which he should accomplish. And my dear friends,
what he did by his dying for our offenses was an accomplishment.
He put them away. The reason I stand before God,
sinless, is because he put my sin away. It's gone. I stand
before God justified. Who is he to condemn it? It's
Christ that died is the only answer that is needed. Now, in the context Who is described
by the hour he was delivered for our offenses? Those who believe
on him that raised up Jesus from the dead. Everybody believes.
Everybody believes. When the Gentiles heard this,
they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord and as many
as were ordained to eternal life believed. Now he was delivered for our
offenses. All offenses will be punished by a holy God. All offenses. There's never been
one sin ever committed that will not be punished. Either in you
or in him. This is who he is. He's absolutely
just. And not one single sin will go
unpunished or unrequited. Now, you may read some reference
to Gethsemane's garden. And the Lord saw a cup. He saw a cup. And when he saw
that cup, that's when he said, Father, if it be thy will, let
this cup pass from me. What was in that cup? My offenses,
my sins, your sins, If you're a believer, every sin you ever
committed, every offense you ever perpetrated was in that
cup. And when the holy son of God
saw the content of that cup that he was being called upon to drink,
he said, my soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. Because he knew much better than
you and I do what that content really is. Now me and you, sin
doesn't bother us anywhere near the way it ought to. We sin,
we feel guilty, we forget it the next day quick enough. But
he's the only one who knew. And he took my offenses in his
own body on the tree. God's absolute justice. He spared not his own son. God's amazing love to sinners. He spared not his own son. Christ's love to his Father. He became obedient to death,
even the death of the cross. Christ would die before He would
see His Father's holy law dishonored. Christ's love to His bride, He
willingly took my sins and my sorrows, and He made He bore the burden to Calvary
and suffered and died alone. On the cross he bore the full
equivalent of eternal hell and he died. He was delivered to death for our offenses. When they took him down from
the cross, it was Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. I think it's interesting
how the Lord used those two men. The disciples were in hiding.
And these men who had been fearful, now they come out boldly by God's
grace. And how carefully they take that
corpse down from the cross. They give him a rich man's burial. These were wealthy men. He was spices and whatever it was for
rich people they used. The thing is they didn't realize
that this was not necessary because he didn't go through the process
of decay. You see, he didn't need to, he wasn't gonna stink. He's the one person that, he
never went through the process of decay, but he was dead. He
was dead. And they put a dead body in that
tomb. And I don't know when it happened. It boggles my mind to think of
Jesus Christ dying in the first place. He's the God man. Somebody
says, how could he die? I can't answer that question,
but I know he did. He did. He died. And at some
point, unwitnessed by any human eye, while he was laying there
dead, a lifeless, cold corpse, all of a sudden, his lungs began
to heave. And he took in air, and that
air oxygenated that blood and brought it to all of his organs.
and he opened his eyes and he rose from the dead. He was delivered for our offenses
and raised again for our justification. Romans chapter 5 verse 9 says being now justified by his blood. Now, when were we justified?
You know, people debate over that, and that's the silliest
debate I've ever heard in my life. I was justified in the Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world. You know, just as truly as he's
the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, he's the Lamb raised
from the foundation of the world. And in that sense, You know,
God said, I'll by no means clear the guilty. I've never been guilty. That's what justification is.
I've never been guilty. I was justified the moment he
died. When he died, he didn't go through
any decay the way you and I will. You know why? Because the moment
he died, complete satisfaction was made to God. When he died and was raised from the dead,
he was raised, the scripture says, for our justification. Now, what is justified? Understand
this, may God give me grace to enter into it. If I'm justified, that means
I've never ever sinned. That means I am perfectly righteous. That means I have no guilt. That
means I stand sinless. That means I have always done
that which is right, and I've never done that which is wrong.
Bold shall I stand in that great day, for who unto my charge shall
lay, fully absolved from these I am from sins, tremendous curse
and shame. Justified. Paul put it this way in Colossians
1. 22, holy, unblameable, and unreprovable
in His sight. That describes every believer. Now, how perfect was Jesus Christ
in this life? How perfect, how glorious, how
beautiful? That is me. every believer. However pleased
God is with Christ, that's how pleased He is with every believer
without exception. Now the message of this book,
the foundation of salvation, is He was delivered for our offenses. He, the Son of God, who delivered
Him? His Father did. Why did He deliver
Him? for our offenses. Now, even in glory, even in glory, I'm gonna see
his scars. And while I won't even remember
what it is to be a sinner, I'll not even have any consciousness
of sin, I will know the only reason I'm there is because of
the scars in his body. He was delivered for our offenses
and raised again for our justification. Therefore, verse one, Romans
chapter five, verse one. Therefore, being justified. Now, the moment he died, every
believer was justified. I love the parable of the Pharisee
and the publican in the temple. I think that's what the Bible's
all about. The Pharisee prayed, I love the
way the Lord says, thus with himself. He thought he was praying
to God, but he wasn't. He wasn't. He was praying to
himself. He prayed thus with himself. God, I thank thee that
I'm not like other men. He didn't thank the Lord for
his grace or the blood of Christ. He was just comparing himself
to somebody else. And you can always find somebody who can
look a little bit better than him. I thank thee that I'm not like
other men. I fast twice a minute. I give
tithes of all I possess. I'm not like this scumbag back
here, this publican. And the scripture says the publican He stood afar off, not up front
like the Pharisee. He stood afar off and beat on
his breast saying, God be propitious. What he's saying is to do something
about my sin. I can't do anything about it. Only you can do something
about it. God take it away. God be a sin
atoning. sacrifice for my sin. You know, propitiation means
a sin-removing sacrifice. He's saying, God, be a sin-removing
sacrifice to me. And the Lord said, I tell you,
that man went down to his house, you all know the next word, don't
you? Not forgiven, not pardoned, not shown mercy, not given grace,
although all those things were true, he went down to his house
having never sinned. And what's the proof? The empty tomb. That's the proof. the empty tomb. Come see the place where the
Lord lay. What's there? Nothing. He is risen. Now notice it says, therefore
being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ. Now what all of us at one point or another
have done is instead of looking at what's being said, we've thought
about how much peace we feel in our hearts. What kind of peace do I feel?
Well, let's forget about how you feel for just a moment. Matter of fact, you'd be, and
I'd be a lot better off if we never thought about it again.
I'm not saying, there is feeling, and there's good feelings, and
peace is a feeling, and it's a good feeling. I wish I could
bottle it up and have nothing but that, but don't put the emphasis
on your own feeling. Being justified, By faith, having
been justified. It's not my faith that justifies
me. It's what Christ did for me.
He was delivered from my offenses. He was raised again for my justification.
That's why I'm justified. And it's by faith that we have
peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Now this thing
of faith, understand this. It's not a blind leap into the
dark. Let me repeat that. It's not
a blind leap into the dark. If I get up on the roof and say,
I believe I can fly, I don't really have any foundation
for believing that, do I? I've never done it before. Okay,
let's say I'm, but I believe I can fly, and I jump off the
roof. Well, you know what's gonna happen to me. There was no foundation
to that belief that I had, but here's our foundation. The empty
tomb. He's risen. He's not dead. He lives. And the reason he lives
is because he was delivered for our offenses and raised again
for our justification. And the foundation of our faith
is that he was delivered for our offenses, and he was raised
again for our justification. And what is the evidence that
he did that for me? Now listen to me, faith. I can't
look at myself and say, yeah, you're justified, you're sinless,
look at you. No, the only way I know that's by faith. Not because
I see that I'm justified, but I believe I am. And what is the
evidence? I'm looking to Christ only as
my justification. That's it. I'm not looking anywhere else.
I'm looking to Him only. Now, therefore, having been justified
by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, this is a peace that is
only through our Lord Jesus Christ. I love the way he said that.
He didn't just say, by faith we have peace. He said, by faith
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. See, Ephesians
2.14 says he is our peace. Colossians 1.20 says, having
made peace through the blood of his cross. The Lord is called the Prince
of Peace. God is called the God of Peace. The Gospel is called
the Gospel of Peace. Christ appeared to his disciples
after he was resurrected. And what's the first thing he
said to them? Peace be unto thee. And you know what he did after
that? He showed them his hands and
his feet. Here's where your peace comes
from. by what I did only, period. Being justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Colossians
2.10 says, you are, you are, you are complete, lacking nothing
in Him. Now, my dear, dear friends, the hardest and the easiest thing
we're called on to do is to look to Christ alone. It's so hard that you can't do
it. It's so easy, it's the only thing you can do. Look to Christ alone. Amen. What a good evening.