115. Kim and Cammie made some
fans, and they got the first three verses. There are probably
some in your seat. They got the first three verses
of this psalm. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto
us, but unto thy name give glory for thy mercy and for thy truth's
sake. Wherefore should the heathen
say, where is now their God? You know why they ask that? Because
they know where theirs is. They know where theirs is. There's
their free will. or their saints, or their statues,
or their angels, or their crucifixes, or their crosses. They know exactly
where theirs at. That's why they ask, where's
their God? We got ours. We know exactly where he's at.
We know what he'll do for us if we do something for him. Where
is now their God? But our God is in the heaven.
He hath done whatsoever he hath planned. I like that. Their idols
are silver and gold, the works. of men's hands. They have mouths,
but they speak not. Eyes have they, but they see
not. They have ears, but they hear not. Noses have they, but
they smell not. They have hands, but they handle
not. Feet have they, but they walk not. Neither speak they
through their throat. They that make them are like
unto them. So is everyone that trusteth
in them. O Israel, trust thou in the Lord. He is their help and their shield.
O house of Aaron, the priesthood, trust in the Lord. He is their
help and their shield. Ye that fear the Lord, I certainly
do, trust in the Lord. He is their help and their shield.
The Lord hath been mindful of us. He will bless us. He will
bless the house of Israel. He will bless the house of Aaron.
He will bless them that fear the Lord, both small and great.
The Lord shall increase you more and more, you and your children.
You are blessed of the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord. But the earth hath
he given the children of men. The dead, praise not the Lord,
neither hath any that go down into silence. But we will bless
the Lord from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the Lord. We pray, I want to mention Bill
and Dorotha. God's put them in a very deep
trial. Got them in the fire. And Bill
had to go twice just to get blood. Very weak, so let's remember
then. God's grace sufficient. He's
the only one that can give strength. He's the only one that can give
help and hope. We certainly want to remember
Him. I tell you, the Lord, we don't know which way He's going
to take us, but do know that He don't take us anywhere. Oh,
my. I want you to look with me now
to 2 Corinthians chapter 5. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. And starting at verse 18, I want
to look at this blessed subject of substitution. Substitution. substitution. Verse 18 says this,
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself
by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation,
to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciled the world unto himself,
not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed
unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors
for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you
in Christ's stance, be you reconciled to God. And here's why we're
ambassadors, and this is the ministry of reconciliation. For
he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we
might be made the righteousness of God. Substitution, substitution. God made him. Christ to be sin
for us, him who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God. In God's blessed book, the Bible,
this blessed book, the Bible, they're the very words of God
himself. And the books are opened in heaven.
These are the books that's going to be open. This is the books
that man's going to be judged by. These are the books that
God judges us by now and speaks to us by now. And these are the
very words of God Himself. God would say no more than what
He's already said. And this book is His mind, and
His book is His will, and this book is His purpose, His eternal
purpose written out for us to see. The greatest book on earth,
the greatest book on earth, the Bible, is the heart of God made
legible for us to read it for ourselves. We want to know God's
will? Read the Bible. You want to know
what God's heart and will for us is? Read the Bible. You want
to find out what God's purpose is? It's in this book. You want
to find out how God saves a sinner? It's in this book. It's in this
blessed book. And in verse 21, if I can say
it this way, where it says, there he hath made him to be sin for
us who knew no sin. that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. In this verse, the heart of God
is read. We can read it. We can read and
hopefully understand how God saves a sinner. In this verse,
how He saves a sinner and why He saves a sinner. And when you
go through the Scriptures, the Scriptures is full of substitution. The first, when God clothed Adam,
substitution had to take place. Blood had to be shed, an animal
had to die for Adam's transgression, and God Himself clothed it. And
then you go all the way through the Scripture, substitutions
everywhere. The lamb, the innocent for the
guilty. The just for the unjust, it's
always been that way. But let me give you three persons
in this verse of scripture, three persons in this text. We have
God, we have God. Second, we have the Lord Jesus
Christ. And then we have us. Who is us?
Sinners. those who Christ died for. Three
people in this text, God, the Lord Jesus Christ, and us, sinners. And we must know something about
all three of these people, all three of these persons. We must
know something about all three of these persons. And unless
we understand them to some degree, salvation will be impossible.
It will be impossible. And let's look at that first
person. I mean, you got to know something about God, got to know
something about Christ, and you certainly got to know something
about yourself. If you don't know something about those three
things, salvation will be utterly and absolutely impossible. Let's
look at the first person, God. Who is God? Who is He? I read
it, Psalm 115. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto
us. not because of our free will,
not because of our power, not because our resolutions, not
because of our sincerity, not because of our prayers. Not unto
us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name be glory, for thy
mercy and for thy truth's sake. Wherefore should the heathen
say, where is now their God? Our God's in the heavens. What
is he doing? Whatever he pleases. whatever
He pleases. And the first person is God.
Look what it says back up there in verse 18. It says, All things
are of God. What do you reckon that means?
I think that means that everything that goes on in this world, all
things are of God. All things are of God. And I
tell you, he said in Psalm 50, 21, he says, you know, you thought
I was altogether somebody like you because I've seen you do
this and I've seen you do that. I've seen you do another thing.
I've seen you lie. I've seen you slander. I've seen
you curse. I've seen you deny me. I've seen
all these things. And because I didn't come and
deal with you when you done those things, you thought I was somebody
like you. But I'm not like you at all. And I'll tell you what,
He is sovereign. That's the first thing about
God we got to know. And what we mean by sovereign
is that God reigns. That's all it means, that God
reigns. Absolutely so. Absolute authority. Absolute
power. Absolute rights. And I tell you,
there's three absolutes in this world. Three absolutes, according
to this book. God's absolutely sovereign, Christ
is the only absolute Savior, and man's an absolute sinner.
And those three things are absolutes, and I dare anybody to deny them.
And I tell you, beloved, the only rule that God has is His
own. The only rule God has and the
only law He has unto Himself, He is His own free and mighty
will. That's the only rule that God
has in this world. Psalm 135 and verse 6 says this,
that our God does whatsoever He pleased in heaven, in earth,
and in the seas, and all deep places. That's what he did. He
told Daniel, when old Deborah Kineser's mind got back to him
right, Daniel, he said this, he says, all the inhabitants
of the earth are reputed as nothing. This is the king saying this
now. And he said, he doeth according to his will in the armies of
heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. And no man can
stay his hand or say unto him, what do you think you're doing?
Oh, listen. His only rule is His own free
and mighty will. He explains Himself to no man,
and He explains His actions to no man. He just says, I will,
and it's done. He just says, I purpose, and
it comes to pass. That's what He says. Look over
in Romans 9 with me. Back over here in Romans 9. Look
what He says here. That's why He said that our Lord
said that Isaiah 45, he says, Let the potsherds of the earth
strive with the potsherds. Woe unto him that striveth with
his maker. But look what he says here now.
It says in verse 18, Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will
have mercy, and whom he will he hearteneth. And thou wilt
say then unto me, Why doeth he find fault if he gonna do these
things? For who hath resisted his will?
Oh, but listen to what he says. Nay, but, O man, who art thou
that replies against God? You mean to tell me you're going
to reprove God and tell God that he don't know what he's doing,
that he don't have the right to do what he does, that he don't
have the power to do what he does, and you want to stop him? You want to say, why in the world
does he do what he does? And I tell you, and he says,
shall the thing formed say to him that formed it? Why did you
make me like this? Huh? Hath not the potter power
over the clay? Of the same lump, we all come
out of the same lump, to make one vessel under honor and another
under dishonor. Oh, has he not got the right
to do that? I tell you what, this is one thing I pray he never
does to you. He never hardens you. He never
hardens you. I've seen a lot of men and women
be hardened. I think right off the top of
my head. I went to visit a man up here in the hospital one time
dying. I said, you want me to pray for you? He cussed. Cussed. He said, no, I don't want you
to blankly pray for me. Died like he lived. God hardened
you to the point where he didn't even want you. He cussed when
you cussed with him. And I'll tell you what, he's
the God not only of absolute predestination, but He is the
God of absolute predestination. His will determines all, and
this is the God we adore. I adore this God. I love Him
the way He is. Let me show you what He says
about Himself in Isaiah 46. I want you to see. I quote these
things all the time, and you know what they mean, and you
know where I've quoted them so many times over the years, but
let's look at this. Isaiah 46 and verse 9. He's the
God of predestination. What does that mean? Well, we're
going to see right here in a minute. This is the God we adore, so
He's sovereign. Absolutely so. God said here. Remember the former things of
old, for I am God, and there is none else. I am God, there's
none like me, declaring the end from the beginning." He told
Abraham, you're going to go down, you're all going to go down into
Egypt and four and thirty layers later you're going to come out.
He declared exactly where they was going to go and when he was
going to bring them out. He set the day when we would be born.
Set the day where we would live. Set the day, beloved, until the
days go across our path and save us from our rebellion and our
sin. He declared the end from the
beginning. He declared my end and your end
from the beginning. He declared the end of this world
from the beginning all the way to the end. He declared everything's
going to happen in time all the way to the end. And I tell you,
when the end comes, guess what's going to happen? We're going
to glory. But look what else he says, and from ancient times,
the things that are not yet done, saying, my counsel shall stand. And what's he going to do? I'll
do everything that pleases. That's what he says of himself.
Not only is he sovereign, let me tell you something else about
God that's in this text here. He's just. Not only is He sovereign,
but He's just. And He's infinitely just. His
sovereignty is proved by the words where He says, God made
Him. He hath made Him to be sin, who
knew no sin. Now, nobody else can make anybody
to be sin for somebody else. We can't do it. Well, I can't
give you my sin, or you can't give me mine. I can't make you
a sinner, you can't make me. But God shows His sovereignty
here, made Him. That shows His power. and His
willingness to save sinners. And I tell you what, He says,
Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? This great, great
salvation of God in Christ in justice prevailed. And I tell
you what, in His justice, God provided Christ in His grace
and justice and provided us this great salvation. And He devised
a way in the Lord Jesus Christ to satisfy His justice. to satisfy how just He really
is. And God's justice is inflexible,
inflexible. Isaiah 53, 11, read it with me. Isaiah 53, 11, this is something
God spoke about Christ 700 years before He came, declaring the
end from the beginning, from ancient times. Things had not
been done as if they already had been. Look what he says here.
He shall see of the travail of his soul. Who shall? God shall.
And then he'll be satisfied. You and I have wept and our souls
have travailed over things that's happened in our lives. Our souls
is just absolutely wept and wept and hurt and grieved and beloved,
but it never satisfies God. But when Christ's soul prevailed,
when it sweat great drops of blood, when Christ said, if it
be possible, let this cup pass from me, when Christ said, if
there's any other way. And he says, nevertheless, not
my way, but thine be done. Oh my. God said, I'm satisfied
with him. And look what else he says. And
by his knowledge, by God's knowledge, and by Christ's knowledge of
knowing what he is going to go through, shall my righteous servant,
the one who obeyed me, my righteous servant, the only one who was
ever a righteous servant, justify many. Why? Because he'll bear
their sin. And I tell you, beloved, the
death of Christ, let me give you, here's things that people
don't realize, and this needs to be preached all the time.
The death of Christ is first and foremost for God. Man preaches
Him first and foremost. They start with man and try to
go to God. God started with God and come
down to man. The first reason for the death
of Christ was to satisfy God. was to honor God, was to glorify
God, to satisfy God. It was a propitiation. And you
know what a propitiation is? It's a mercy seat. And that's
what it means. Christ was our mercy seat. And
in that mercy seat, the high priest went in and sprinkled
blood once a year on that mercy seat. And Christ is our mercy
seat. And under that mercy seat was
the law kept, under that mercy seat. was justice that demanded
death. And on that mercy seat, God went
in there and shed blood and put blood on that mercy seat. And
then everything that was under that blood was said that God
was satisfied when He smelled the blood. And Christ is our
mercy seat. And everything that was against
us is under that mercy seat. And Christ's blood, He's our
mercy seat. Well, you won't come to God?
God's got a mercy seat for us to go to. You want to come to
God? God's got a mercy seat. And the
blood is on that mercy seat. And God smells the sweet savor
of Christ, our mercy seat. And that's where we come. We
don't come to a throne of justice. We come to a mercy seat. God,
that's the first thing and first reason that Christ comes. I came
down from heaven not to do my will, but the will of him. The
work that thou gave me, I have finished it. And now, Father,
glorify thou me with the glory that was yours before. And oh,
beloved, first of all, it was Godward. And then, secondly,
that's after God's satisfied and God's established the mercies
and established the way to approach him. Then God comes to us. in the gospel, and comes to us
in Christ, comes to us by the Holy Spirit, and he takes the
gospel, and he preaches to us the gospel, and then he tells
us about this mercy seat. He tells us about Christ being
made to be sin, and beloved, and God takes that blood of Christ,
and he applies it to our hearts, and he applies it to our soul,
and our sins are gone, and they're underneath that mercy seat. And
man words, it's a substitution. God made him to be sin for us,
for us. God said, when I see the blood,
what do you say you do? I'll pass on. There's power,
power, wonder-working power in the blood. There is a fountain
filled with blood. Where'd it come from? Emmanuel's
veins. Sinners plunge beneath that flood,
lose all, all, all. What a guilty state. Oh my. Some are deceived by sin into
believing that God won't punish sin. God won't punish? They say,
oh listen, my God's a God of love and He won't punish sin.
He can't punish sin. Hell can't be. Some think because
they're deceived by sin that He can be pacified with a few
good works, with a few good words in prayer, But God said, in Numbers,
he said, I will by no means. I will not at all acquit. So
how in the world can God clear the guilty and acquit the one
who didn't want? That's why we have substitution. He ain't cleared
the guilty. I'm guilty, but I ain't been.
I'm wicked, and I haven't been acquitted. What happened? Listen
to what I'm going to tell you. Listen to what I'm going to tell
you. The God of the Bible, the God that I just mentioned, just,
sovereign, is as severe as if He were not merciful and as just
as if He were not gracious. And yet, He is as gracious and
merciful as if He were not just. Now how in the world does he
do that? How can this happen? Not only is he sovereign, not
only is he just, but he's a God of grace. You know what Peter
said about him? He's the God of all grace. You know what Paul said? He's
the father of mercies. God who must punish sin and never
pardon sin without punishment. Listen to what I'm telling you.
He's of unlimited love. God himself said, Bruce Crabtree
preached on this one time years ago down here. He said, I have
no pleasure in the death of wicked. I have no pleasure in it. I do
not delight in it. I find no satisfaction in it.
But here's the thing about the God of all grace. He is love. Grace chose us in Christ before
the foundation of the world. Grace provided a lamb to bear
our sin. Grace called us out of the world. And grace keeps us even today. He is love. The scripture says
twice in 1 John. God is love. God is love. And you'll hear people say often,
say that my God's a God of love. They hear a message like this,
say my God's a God of love. You know what they say when they
say that? They're saying that my standard of love is this,
and God meets it. I have a standard of how love
is, and God meets that standard. My God is. But God just says,
God is love. There's no love apart from God. God is love. Whatever love is,
that's what God is. He's infinitely love. He's love. And I'll tell you something else
about Him. He absolutely delights, delights, delights to show mercy. And He is full of grace. Joe
preached it grace for grace last Sunday morning. He is full of
grace. And this is the God we worship. Sovereign, just, and gracious. And it is Him, this God, who
made Christ to be sin for us who knew no sin. Now let's look
at the second person. We've seen God. Look at the second.
For God has made Him. Who is Him? The Lord Jesus Christ
is Him. He who knew no sin. It says in
verse 19 that God was in Christ. God was in Christ. Now what are
we talking about this second person? Well, he is the only
begotten of the Father. He's the only begotten Son of
God. And what do I mean by that? I mean that God is his absolute,
God's his Father. He has an earthly mother. but
he had no earthly father. The Holy Ghost came upon him
and the Holy Seat of God Himself formed in that womb of that virgin
a child. And when that child was born,
that infant was the same One, as the ancient of days that Daniel
saw. That baby she held in her arms
was the eternal God who always existed before he came into time. He is not created like Adam was. And our Lord Jesus Christ has
an eternal generation. There never was a time. He never
was. There never was a time when our Lord Jesus Christ was not. He's always been. As God's always
been, Christ has always been. That's the mystery of the Godhead.
How in the world? You know, He's the same as the
Father is. Is the Father eternal? So is
the Son. Is the Father equal to Himself? Yes, the Son is equal with the
Father. Has the Father always existed?
Yes, the Son's always existed. Is the Father almighty? So is
the Son. The Father is infinite? So is
the Son. We call Him very God. of very
God. And not only that, but He's also
the Son of Mary. Son of Mary, a man like unto
us, sin except. Now listen to what I tell you.
A man, when He became a man, He became subject to the infirmities
of the human nature, of human nature. But He didn't do it because
He had any sin of Himself. He knew no sin. Our Lord Jesus
Christ willingly, voluntarily subjected Himself to human nature
and its infirmities because of us. because of who we are. He
is a man of suffering. He said he is acquainted with
grief. He is a man of woe. There's a verse of scripture
in Lamentations. You know Jeremiah, and then go
to the end of Jeremiah and look at Lamentations chapter 1. This
is just absolutely an astonishing statement here that our Lord
Jesus Christ made. He was a root of Jesse, a root
out of dry ground. We despised him. We esteemed
him. God struck him. God smit him.
God afflicted him. But look what it says here in
Lamentations 1. Is it nothing to you, all ye
that pass by? Behold and see if there be any
sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me. We're with the
Lord. hath afflicted me. Spun some vinegar, put it on
a stick. I don't even think they put it
on a stick. I think our Lord's only about that high often. I
think they just ratchet up to him, stuck it in. Oh my, he knew
pain. He knew trouble. He knew temptation. He knew what it was for trial.
He knew what it was was weakness. And he knew what it was was death. He tasted death. He died. And he was bone of our bone and
flesh of our flesh. Oh, he was a man subject. God
prepared him a body. Strong cryings and tears, he
called on God. And he was heard for his many
cries. Now, he was God and man. Once
he became God, he's always God. But when he came into time, he
became a man, which he never was before. He's not God humanized. He stands with his hands open
and wants to be led into your heart. He's not standing there
pecking at your heart's door. He's not a beggar. He's not pleading. He's not God humanized. He's
not pleading with you. He's not crying over you. He's
not walking the banisters of heaven. Why won't they let me
save him? Why won't they let me save him?
Why won't they let me save him? He is not God humanized. He's not a baby in a manger.
He's not somebody we worship on Christmas and Easter. He's
not God humanized. And He's not man deified. God, God, God, purely God, eternally
God, essentially God, God and man, purely man. Purely man and
once he became a man he didn't cease to be God But once he entered
into glory and took unto him manhood He is ever forever gonna
be a man sitting at God's right hand. That's a mystery, but I
believe I Need I need somebody at God's right hand who can be
touched with the feelings of my infirmity That's Christ is
a man and I need someone who's got the power to do something
for me when I call on him He's God, He can one like Him, what
a blessed Savior, what a glorious God. Oh man, not more than a
man because of His deity. God, not less than God because
of His humanity. What a sacred union, God and
man united. And of this God in Christ, it
says in our text, it says He knew no sin. He knew no sin.
You mean he is a man and knew no sin? It doesn't say here he
did not sin. It says he knew no sin. He knew of the effects of sin
upon humanity. He knew the consequences of sin
being put upon him by imputation. He knew his father's hatred of
sin. He saw sin in others. But he
did not know sin. He never experienced it. He knew
nothing about it. He is holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sin. And yet it says God made him
to be sin. You know when he experienced
sin? Never experienced sin. You know when he experienced
it? When God made him. He experienced mine, he experienced
yours. He never experienced sin till
he went to the cross. He knew no sin in no way, no
how, and it never, no way, no sin. Oh, what a blessed shame. No shame, no shame. If he had
sin, here's the thing, if he had sin, he could not possibly
be our savior, right? I can't, I can't, you know, because
I'm a sinner, I can't save myself. You know why? Because I know
sin. So I got to have someone who knew no sin and had no sin
to save me. He has to be God, because only
God's got the power, and he has to be a man to identify with
me. You see, God cannot possibly suffer for sin. Man can die for
sin. But man dying for his sin and
dying in his sin cannot satisfy God. So how's God gonna satisfy
himself? To make himself into a man and
come into this world and man can die in the blessed person
of his son and can satisfy him because they're one and the same.
What a mystery. Oh my soul, you just got standing
wondering. And here's the third person in
this. He says, for he made him to be
sin for us. Who's us? What did somebody say
about the other day, unmitigated sinner, useless sinner? That's what us stands for, useless
sinner. That's what somebody said to us. But who is this for
us, the sinner? He's us. He's us. Where is he? Where is he? Just look at you,
just look at yourself, just look within. Would anybody here deny
that they have no sin? Would anybody here deny that
they're not sinners by birth? Davis said I was shaping an iniquity
and sin did my mother conceive me and he said And Job said,
when man's born of a woman, the sparks begin to fly up. And I
was born, and sin was in my bones from my youth. We're sinners
by birth, and we're sinners by nature. We're sinners by nature.
We inherited our nature from our father, Adam. And let me
tell you, there's not a mother or father, grandma or grandpa
in this building or anywhere that would teach their children
to lie, to steal, or to cheat. But why do our children do all
three of those? Why do they do it? By nature.
It's our nature. One of the first things, and
I've said this before, one of the first things a child learns
to say is, no, no. And what do you say? Oh, honey,
please, come on. Listen, you know mommy loves
you. Don't say that to me. No. That's the first thing. And
then they learn how to, you know, they'll go off and get in trouble,
and you catch them in trouble and say, what'd you just do?
Nothing. Well, I just saw you do this. Well, I didn't mean
to do it. But that's what we are by nature. We don't have to teach our children
to lie. We don't have to teach our children
to be harsh and mean to one another. We don't have to teach people
how to, children how to be jealous. We don't need to teach children
how that, you know, how to, you know, listen, I want you to share
that. No, that's mine. You don't have
to teach them to be selfish. Don't have to teach them any
of those things. You know why? Because we're ever one that by
nature. Pride? Jealousy? Envy? These are, listen,
you know what you gotta do to sin? Todd and I was talking about,
you know what you gotta do to sin? Absolutely nothing but live. Just live. Don't leave your house. Sit in your easy chair. Spend
a whole day in your easy chair. And see where your mind goes.
See what you watch. See what your eyes see. See what
your mind thinks. See where your heart wanders.
Oh, sinner's bond. And then we practice sin. We
actually practice it. And this is awful about it. And
we were proud to be that way. We'd tell folks how mean we were
and how mean we are. Listen, I've heard people tell
me so many times when I talk to them, said, oh listen, I don't
care if I go to hell, I'll have lots of company down there. One
person won't have it. But it's sinners, sinners like
us, this who Christ became sin for. Us, sinners. Now let's imagine,
go with me if you will. Let's imagine we're in court.
We're in God's court. We're in God's court. God calls
us to court. God calls us up to his bench,
and he's sitting on his throne. And he calls us up to his bar
of justice, because that's all he could ever possibly. And he
calls us before him to try us for life or for death. Now God's
gracious and full of mercy, and if I can say it this way, he
desires to save that man standing before his bar. But yet at the
same time, God is just and must punish him for his sins. The
sinner stands there and he's tried, tried by God, the all-seeing
God, whose eyes run to and fro upon the face of the earth. If
a verdict is brought back, how will God's grace and mercy and
how's God's justice that must punish him, how if the verdict
is brought back, how will these conflicting Attributes work in
God's mind. Now let me tell you something.
He is love. He is love. And wherever love
is, it must be expressed. He wills to express his love
and save that sinner. But he is just. And at the same
time, the full penalty of that man's sin must be brought to
bear upon him. So how then can the justly condemned
sinner How's he going to be? I'm going to tell you. I'm going
to tell you. That's why we stand in awe at
the gospel. That's why we sing grace is so
amazing. The matchless grace of Jesus.
That's why we stand in awe. That's why we stand in wonder
at the gospel. And he shows us here in this
verse of scripture how he can both punish the sinner to the
fullest extent of the law and for all the sins that he's committed
and save the sinner and make him righteous in the same strength. How can He? Huh? How can He?
God made Him to be sin for us. Oh, listen. When God's there,
full of grace, love, and mercy, sees that sinner, love must be
expressed. Grace got the mercy of the soul,
but over here is justice instead of Christ. Wisdom stands up and
says, I found a way. I found a way, and I've got the
power to execute the way to do this. Our Lord Jesus Christ stood
up at the bar of God's justice, and He said, Take me, treat me
like you treat me as the sinner. Treat me as the one that must
die. Punish me for their sin. Inflict death on me for their
sin. And he says, smite me, get out
your sword of justice and smite me as hard as you please. And I'll bear it, I'll bear it.
And if you do me that way, Let these go their way. Then you
can express your love to them. Then you manifest your grace,
because your justice has been satisfied. Your law has been
honored. And then I tell you what you
do. Wisdom said, just do this. Then take my righteousness, take
my obedience, and turn around and treat them just as I was
and as I am, as righteous. And our Lord Jesus Christ did
this, did this entirely. And God said, so I'll send you
into this world by my determinate counsel and foreknowledge. And
you're going into this world. I gave you a people. You're going
to be the shepherd of those people. And you're going to be that good
shepherd that lays down his life. And everyone that you lay down
your life for, all that I give you, I promise you, every single
one of them is going to come to you. Every one of them is
going to come to you. And everyone that comes, there ain't nothing
they can ever do but cast them away. That's how satisfied I
am. Christ stood in our place that
we can now stand in his place. Substitution. What a blessed,
blessed.