Redeemed, redeemed by the blood
of the Lamb. What we're going to talk about
this morning, Christ's Assurity, as you can see in the title here,
that Christ in the Godhead, the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit,
before this world was ever created, Christ stood as Assurity. to come in time and to do exactly
what you were talking about, Winston, redeem us by his own
precious blood. And he did, he was faithful to
that promise to the Father. He did come in time and redeem
all of those that the Father give him before time. Came here
and worked out a righteousness, a righteousness that God the
Father requires. We must be righteous before him.
We must have a perfect satisfaction to that holy law and to God's
justice. Well, Christ, our surety, he
came in time. He obeyed the law in every jot
and tittle. Then he went to the cross and
he shed his precious blood, the blood of that everlasting covenant
that I'm gonna talk about this morning. Christ, our surety,
what a blessed, blessed office. that he undertook before time
in our place. As we begin this morning with
the study of Christ, I assure you I hope that some of the words
in our study that some of you might not be familiar with, I
hope that some of them will be explained as we go through this
study. We as believers, we know that Christ is our acceptance,
with God, He's our assurance before God, and He's our security
and grace. The whole of our acceptance with
God is in Christ, our surety. It is the person and the work
of Christ alone which makes us acceptable and accepted with
this thrice holy God that we worship. The whole of our assurance
before God is in Christ. This is a very important point
And that is that our relationship with God does in a great measure
determine what we do in this life. But what we do or don't
do in this life does not in any way or to any degree affect our
relationship with our God. The whole of our security and
grace is in Christ. We are in Christ. We're accepted
because Christ is accepted by the Father. We are secure because
Christ is secure. We are holy because he's holy. We have no sin because he has
no sin. He's put sin away at the cross.
He's paid the debt. He's redeemed by his precious
blood. Therefore, God will not charge
his elect with sin at any time or for any reason. because he's
already charged it to his precious son, and he paid the debt at
the cross. Now, in Romans 4, beginning at
verse 6, even as David, King David, also describes the blessedness
of the man unto whom God imputed righteousness without works,
saying, blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose
sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin, or charge him with their sin. There
are a people that God will not charge with their sin, and the
reason being, he's already charged it to his son, and he paid the
debt. In the scriptures, Christ is
said to hold many offices on our behalf, on the behalf of
God's elect, some of which are our good shepherd, our substitute,
and our great high priest. These are some of the officers.
Christ is our good shepherd. As such, he gave his life for
his sheep. The scripture says, he seeks
his sheep, each one of them and every one of them until he finds
it. When he finds it, he lays it on his shoulders and he carries
it all the way home. The good shepherd knows his sheep,
he calls them by name, he leads them, he feeds them, he protects
them, and preserves them until the end. He gives them eternal
life and he declares, they shall never perish. My heart rejoices
in the knowledge that Christ is my good shepherd and I'm his
sheep. In John 10, beginning at verse
14, Christ says, I am the good shepherd,
and I know my sheep, and am known of mine. The sheep knows him
in time. As the Father knoweth me, even
so know I the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. The
Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is also our substitute. He lived in righteousness, and
he died in shame as a representative of his people. Not only is Christ
our good shepherd, he's our substitute. Substitution is the basis of
hope for fallen man. It's the foundation and essence
of the gospel. The message of God's servants
are sent to declare substitution. It's also the good news for guilty
sinners. In Romans 5, in verse 6, reads,
in due time Christ died for the ungodly. Christ substituted himself
for the ungodly. First Peter 2 verse 24 says,
who his own self bear I send in his own body on the tree. I believe that the doctrines
of substitution, satisfaction, and imputation are the most God
honoring truths in scripture. These doctrines are the very
fabric from which all biblical truth is made. In 2 Corinthians
5, verse 21, reads, For he, or the Father, hath made him, made
Christ the Son, to be sin for us, who knew no sin, Christ who
knew no sin, that we, all those that Christ represented when
he went to the cross, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him, in Christ. Christ stood in the stead of
all of God's elect. He is our substitute. Christ our good shepherd and
our substitute is also our great high priest. Christ is our high
priest, just like in the old covenant, Y'all might be familiar
with this in the Old Covenant. The high priest in the Old Covenant,
which was a picture of Christ, he wore a breastplate that had
those 12 stones, which represented the 12 tribes of the people of
Israel that he represented. He represented them when he went
into the Most Holy with that blood, which was a picture of
Christ, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Now
Christ, our true high priest, has all of those he represented,
God's elect, he has their names engraved upon his heart. They
were given to him by God the Father. He represented and substituted
himself with his own blood. Unlike those priests under that
old covenant, though, Christ entered in once into the holy
place, having obtained eternal redemption for all those he represented. He did not have to go in year
after year with his blood. He went in one time. Now, look
at Hebrews 9, beginning at verse 11. But Christ, being come in
high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect
tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building,
neither of the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood
he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal
redemption for us. It don't look like it's something
left to be done. Seems like Christ did it all,
obtained eternal redemption for us. The Lord Jesus Christ deals
with God on our behalf. He makes intercession with the
Father for us. He who entered into heaven as
our forerunner, he sat down on the right hand of the majesty
on high. That's Christ. our great high
priest. This high priest is God, but
he's also a man, a man touched with our feelings and infirmities.
He knows our trials, our temptations and troubles. He knows our weaknesses
and he sympathizes with us. He intercedes for us, he pleading
our cause with the father. Christ is a priest that we can
safely trust because his sacrifice has been accepted in heaven.
by the Father. It says in Hebrews 10-12, but
this man, speaking of Christ after he had offered one sacrifice
for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God. God the
Father was well pleased and satisfied with the sacrifice and offerings
of his dear son. The evidence is that he raised
him from the dead. and is now at the right hand
of God interceding on our behalf. The Son of God is our good shepherd,
he's our substitute, and he's our high priest. The Holy Spirit
not only tells us what Christ has done, what he is doing and
shall yet to do for us, He also uses these descriptive words
that I've been talking about, good shepherd, substitute, and
high priest, and many more, these offices that Christ undertook
in that everlasting covenant of grace. In order for us to
understand, He gives us these words that we can understand
in earthly terms in order for us to understand how that Christ
represents us in these several offices that he undertook, that
he assumed on our behalf. All of this is in order to assure
God's believing people that all is well with us and our God. Among the many descriptions used
in scripture to describe our Savior's glorious work and redemption,
for us, none can be more instructive, consoling, and assuring than
that which is spoken of in our text this morning in Hebrews
7.22, where it says, by so much was Jesus made a surety of a
better testament. Here the Lord Jesus Christ is
described as our surety Let's read verses 19 through 25 in
Hebrews here. For the law made nothing perfect
but the bringing in of a better hope did, by the which we draw
nigh unto God. And inasmuch as not without an
oath he was made priest, For those priests were made without
an oath, but this with an oath, by him that said unto him, the
Lord swear and will not repent, thou art a priest forever after
the order of Melchizedek. This speaking of Christ, by so
much was Jesus Christ made a surety of a better testament. And they
truly were made, were many priests because they were not suffered
to continue by reason of death in the old covenant, they died.
But this man, because he continueth forever, hath an unchangeable
priesthood, wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost
that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession
for them." We will begin now to talk for a few minutes about
Christ's assurity. I want to show you this morning
what assurity is. and how the Lord Jesus Christ
performs the work of assurity on our behalf. And most of you,
sometimes in your life, probably when you were younger, had some
experience maybe with somebody co-signing for you for a loan
or maybe when you didn't have credit or anything to go to the
that a bank would give you that loan. So you had somebody, maybe
your father, to co-sign for you. And in this sort of type of assurity,
and Robert, our brother Robert, well familiar with these things
having to do with co-signing and a guarantor, all it is is
you're still responsible for the debt, okay? You're responsible
for the debt, but you have somebody co-sign for you where if you
don't meet your obligations, that person becomes responsible
for all these obligations. He's a cosigner, okay, he's responsible. But this is not so with Christ. Christ took on all the obligation,
all of it. As we look at assurity, what
is assurity? Let me begin by first giving
you a picture of Assurity and then try to explain Assurity's
work. Most of you are familiar with
the story of Joseph that was sold off in bondage by his brothers
and he was taken up into Egypt where eventually Pharaoh put
him in a high office and eventually there was a famine in the land
that affected not only Egypt, but all around, and affected
even his parents, Jacob. But as we look at Genesis 43,
8, and 9, we're going to be talking about Judah, Joseph's brother,
who became surety for Benjamin. his younger brother, okay, and
that he told Jacob, if you let him go with me, I'll be sure
of it. And let's go ahead and begin
reading here in 43, Genesis 43, beginning in verse eight. And
Judah said unto Israel, or Jacob, his father, send the lad with
me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die.
both we and thou, and also our little ones, because of the famine
that was going on. He says, I will be surety for
him. I'll be surety for Benjamin.
Of my hand shalt thou require it. If I bring him not unto thee,
and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame forever.
The idea is this, that as Judah became surety for Benjamin, his
younger brother, the Lord Jesus Christ became surety for God's
elect. in the everlasting covenant of
grace made before time. In the everlasting covenant of
grace, God the Son coveted with God the Father. And in that covenant,
Christ said, I will be surety for the elect, those that the
Father give him. Of my hand shall thou require
it. If I bring them not unto thee and set them before thee,
then let me bear the blame forever. What a faithful Savior is Christ
our Lord. Now the work of assurity is one
who approaches one person on the behalf of another person.
He is a representative man who lays himself under obligation
to another person for the one he represents. In this sense,
Christ is assurity. He drew near to the Father on
the behalf of all of God's elect. He laid himself under obligation
to God for us. Look at Psalm 40, verse 7 and
8. Then said I, lo, I come in the
volume of the book it is written of me. I delight to do thy will,
O my God. Yea, thy law is within my heart. A surety is one who strikes hand
with another in solemn agreement. Surety ship is, to a man of honor,
a voluntary bondage. that he places himself in. Proverbs
6, 1 and 2 reads, My son, if thou be surety for a friend,
if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, thou art snared
with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words
of thy mouth. When Christ became our surety,
he voluntarily placed himself in the bondage to his father
until his service was performed. Let's look at a couple of scriptures
that says this in Isaiah 50, beginning at verse 5. The Lord
God hath opened mine ear. God the Father has given the
Son instructions here. And I was not rebellious, neither
turned away back. I gave my back to the smiters
and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I hid not my face
from shame and spitting, for the Lord God will help me. Therefore,
shall I not be confounded? Therefore, have I set my face
like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. And also
John 10, beginning at verse 16, where Christ says, and other
sheep I have, speaking of other sheep, not just of the Jewish
foal, but also of the Gentiles. Other sheep that I have, which
are not of this foal, them also I must bring, and they shall
hear my voice, and there shall be one foal and one shepherd.
Therefore doth my father love me, because I lay down my life,
that I may take it again. No man take it from me, but I
lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down,
and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received
from my Father. This was the commandment of the
Father, an agreement by the Son to be surety of God's elect.
This is what the Lord Jesus Christ did as our surety in the covenant
of grace before this world was ever created. Well, how did Christ
become our surety? Well, he drew near to God on
our behalf, on the behalf of his elect. He also promised to
faithfully perform all that God required for the salvation of
his people. And he struck hands with the
Father in solemn agreement and that he promised. He promised
to fulfill all the obligations that were set before him. God
the Father entrusted his elect people into the hands of his
son as I surety. And the matter of our salvation
was then in there settled forever. If you doubt this, then you must
doubt, indeed, doubt God Himself. Let's look at a couple of verses
that speak of God the Father's trust and faith in God the Son. Ephesians 1, verse 12, that we
should be to the praise of His glory who first trusted in Christ. This speaks of the Father who
first trusted God the Son. And then 2 Timothy 1, 9 and 10,
who have saved us, speaking of Christ, and called us with a
holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his
own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ before
the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of
our Savior, Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death and hath
brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
With me an assurity, as I said before, is a mere guarantor or
cosigner who is jointly responsible with the principal debtor for
the payment of a debt. Not so with Christ. Our Lord
Jesus Christ did not merely agree to meet our obligations to God's
law if we, by some circumstance or condition, became incapable
of meeting our own obligation, our blessed Savior, as our surety,
took the whole of our obligation before the law of God upon himself. Also, with men, a surety may
be legally forced into suretyship. For instance, a father is legally
responsible for the debts and legal liabilities of his minor
children. He's just responsible for them
by law. But Christ voluntarily, cheerfully
placed himself in servitude to God's law and will as a surety
of his own elect. From that instance, from that
instance, he became surety for his people. He became servant
to his father. Isaiah 42.1 reads, Behold my
servant, speaking of Christ, whom I uphold, mine elect, in
whom my soul delighteth. Also Isaiah 49, 3. And said unto
me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
Also John 10, 17 and 18. Therefore doth my Father love
me, this is Christ speaking, because I lay down my life that
I might take it again. No man take it from me, but I
lay it down on myself. I have power to lay it down,
and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received
of my Father." When Christ became our surety, Christ took on the
whole of our debt on Himself. He became responsible for our
obligations. As soon as He was accepted as
our surety by God the Father, God's elect were released from
all of their debts and obligations to God's holy law. Look at Romans
4.8. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin or charge or reckon with their sin. Look
at Job 33.24. Concerning Christ's assurity
in ransom for sins, Then he is gracious unto him and saith,
deliver him from going down to the pit. I have found a ransom,
speaking of Christ. When Christ became surety for
us, our sins were imputed to his account. It was charged to
his account when he became surety for us. A picture of imputation
is illustrated in what happened with the story in the book of
Philemon, chapter one in verse 18. Most of you are familiar with
this story also is concerning Philemon and Onesima. He was
a servant of Philemon. And he had ran off and seemed
like he had owed Philemon in some way. And he had met Paul,
met up with Paul, and he had became a believer, Onesima's
had. And so this is Paul writing back
to Philemon. in Philemon 1.18, and he says
this. This is Apostle Paul. If he hath
wronged thee, speaking of Onesimus, or Oeth Dealt, put that on mine
account. I, Paul, have written it with
my own hand. I will repay it. That's a picture
of not only surety but imputation. This is a picture of suretyship
and of imputation where something owed by one person is imputed
or charged or transferred over to another's account. One person's
dead is charged over to another person. By divine imputation,
our sins were placed to the account of God the Son. He became responsible
for them. Christ was made sin for us when
he hung upon the cursed tree. He was made sin for us when he
hung on the cursed tree. But he became responsible and
accountable for sin when he became my surety, and the sins of God's
elect were charged and imputed to God the Son at that moment,
which was before time. 2 Corinthians 5.21, again, says,
For he, or God the Father, hath made him to be sin for us, who
knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God
in him. In Isaiah 53.6, All we, like sheep, have gone
astray. We have turned every one to his
own way, and the Lord have laid on him, laid on Christ, the iniquity
of us all. That's all that he represented
in that covenant of grace. When Christ became my surety,
we were then and there relieved from all liability, from punishment,
due to our sin debt. We owed a sin debt because of
Adam, our father, that failed. That sin debt that we owed, though,
was charged to Christ. It was charged to our surety,
our substitute. Christ took on that liability
as he became the surety for that debt that we owed but could not
pay. We cannot work out a righteousness.
before God that he's going to be satisfied with because God
requires perfection in everything to every degree. And so Christ
had to substitute himself in our place. He had to become surety
for that debt. Now, as I said, when Christ became
our surety, we were then and there relieved from liability
and punishment for that debt. Christ took on that liability
as he became the surety for that debt that we owed but couldn't
pay, and our sins actually and really, really became his by
imputation. It became his responsibility.
God charged them to his account. God's forbearance, patience,
and long-suffering with this world is due to the surety ship
engagements of Christ. God's eye has always been on
the blood. even from eternity. It is the
blood of Christ, our surety, that held back the hand of God's
judgment when Adam sinned. The Old Testament saints were
pardoned, justified, and forgiven upon the basis of Christ's obedience
unto death as our surety, though he had not yet actually rendered
that obedience. Now let's look at some scriptures
that tells us this. Isaiah 43, 25 It says, I, even I, I, even I,
am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not
remember thy sins. Isaiah 45, 24 says, surely shall
one say in the Lord, have I righteousness and strength? Even to him shall
men come, and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. In the Lord shall all the seed
of Israel be justified and shall glory." And then also in Hebrews
11, 13, where it speaks of all those men of
faith, that big long list, says, these all died in the faith,
not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off
and were persuaded of them and embraced them and confessed that
they were strangers and pilgrims on this earth. Those blessed
saints of old, And there's a long list of them in this passage
of Hebrews 11, some of which are Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham,
Isaac, you can go on and on. They all had knowledge of and
faith in Christ as their surety. They actually possess the fruit
and effect of what Christ would accomplish for them when he would
come in time and complete the work of righteousness on their
behalf. They actually possess faith and
repentance, fruit and effect of what Christ accomplished at
the cross. Now the Lord Jesus Christ, our
surety, became responsible to bring God's elect safely home.
If I bring them not unto thee and set them before thee, then
let me bear the blame forever. This is the words of assurity.
Look at Hebrews 2.13 again. And again, I will put my trust
in him. And again, behold, I and the
children which God hath given me, those that the father give
the son in the everlasting covenant of grace. What did Christ our
surety accomplish? Well, he reconciled us to God
in his sin-atoning death. He also entered into heaven as
our covenant head and claimed our eternal inheritance. In our
name is our surety. And he will, in the last day,
present all of his elect faultless before the Father's glory with
exceeding great joy. In that day, he will appear without
sin Also, those that are in him will also appear without sin.
His Father will say again, well done. Let's look once again at
Hebrews 7.22. And 7.22 reads, by so much was Jesus made
a surety of a better testament. Friends, Christ, our surety,
is all of our righteousness and all of our justification before
God. Christ is all my salvation. He
is my comfort. He is my assurance. He is my
motivation to obey God. And He is my hope of eternal
life forevermore. And as we think about Christ
as our surety, We think about the faithfulness, the faithfulness
of God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit to
in time bring all these things about, especially that redemption
that Christ accomplished at the cross wherein he paid the sin
debt, that sin debt that we owed but could not pay. Christ alone
suffered, bled, and died. All those for whom he died shall
Be saved eternally. Amen.