Good morning, everyone. Good
to see you here this morning. Today is going to be a continuation
of a series that I've begun on the gospel according to the scriptures. Those are the words as it's put
in 1 Corinthians 15, verses 3 and 4. And while the messages, each
of the messages of this series will stand alone, I would encourage
you to get a copy. if you did not hear the first
part of this series, because each one of them will be complementary
to the other ones. And those of you who did hear
that first message will remember that I dealt with how that Christ
died according to the scriptures. And you'll recall we focus not
on just the circumstances of his death, but rather the significance
of his death. When you consider the Apostle
Paul as a prime example of one engaged in a gospel ministry,
and you consider his words that he had written earlier in this
letter to the Corinthians in chapter two, when he said, for
I determined not to know anything among you save except Jesus Christ
and him crucified, well, then you know that a gospel ministry
is always going to focus on that subject, on the cross, of Calvary
on the death of Christ. So, obviously, I've only scratched
the surface of that glorious subject. In fact, I think if
you preached every day for a lifetime, you would have only scratched
the surface of the depth and the majesty and the glory of
the message of Christ and the cross. Well, we can never exhaust
that subject, but in keeping with the text of 1 Corinthians
15, verses 3 and 4, today I want us to specifically consider the
significance of how that Christ was buried according to the scriptures,
and again, as set forth in the overall context of the gospel
according to the scriptures. So look again with me at the
text in 1 Corinthians 15. Paul is describing the gospel
which he had preached to the Corinthians, the gospel that
these to whom he writes believed, as the first verse of chapter
15 declares. And then in verse three, as he
describes the gospel, he wrote, for I delivered unto you, first
of all, that's not first in time, but first in significance. I
delivered unto you, first of all, that which I also received. How? That Christ died for our
sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried. and that
he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. You'll see
once again that as before, I've emphasized the use of that word
how, excuse me, in verse three, and then that phrase according
to the scriptures as it's seen there in verses three and four. And by way of review, I'll remind
you that we began our survey of this gospel according to the
scriptures by looking and considering many of those Old Testament scriptures,
the very same scriptures that were available at the time that
Paul wrote this letter to the church at Corinth. And as I pointed
out previously, today we have the benefits of the progressive
revelation of the New Testament, which we know must be in harmony
with the Old Testament, for collectively it is all God's inspired word
of truth. So the gospel, according to the
scriptures, as it's set forth in the Old Testament, is none
other than the same truth concerning how God saves sinners same specific
gospel message that's set forth in the New Testament. So, you
who heard the message, you may remember that in addressing how
that Christ died according to the scriptures, we considered
some of those very same scriptures that were at their disposal in
the day Paul wrote the letter. Scriptures such as Isaiah 53
Psalm 22 Daniel 9 and others and we reviewed Some very basic
very but very vital and very clear clear evident truths from
those scriptures Specifically we saw that first of all Christ
as first Corinthians 15 tells us Christ died for sins but not
just for sins, but as he was writing to believers there, he
said, Christ died for our sins. That is, Christ died as a representative,
as a surety, as a substitute for his sheep. That is those
that are collectively referred to in Romans 11 as the election
of grace. those that God chose from before time, gave to Christ,
and it's an election of grace, not based on anything he saw
good in them or saw that they would do or how they would respond,
but purely by his sovereign good purpose and will, solely by grace. And you'll recall we considered
three aspects of Christ's substitutionary work. Specifically, we saw how
he was a sinless substitute. You see, that made him a suitable
substitute for the holiness of God required that he be without
sin. He, as the scripture says, offered
himself up without spot. Secondly, we saw that as a substitute,
then he suffered. He was a suffering substitute.
You see, for he died for the sins of a people. And we considered
how that suffering was of such value, the blood of the God-man,
that it paid the sin debt for a people that an eternity in
hell could never pay, as evidenced by the eternality of eternal
death, of all who perish without Christ. And we saw in those Old
Testament scriptures that he was a successful substitute As
we read in Isaiah 53, he shall see of the travail of his soul
and shall be satisfied. And you see, only as a successful
substitute can we know him as a Savior. He, as the angel told
Joseph when he said, call his name Jesus, God who saves, for
he shall save his people from their sins. This one, the Lord
of glory, he saved his people from their sins. And from these
simple but very evident truths that we surveyed in the scripture,
we see then how the gospel, according to the scriptures, it sets forth
the merits of what Christ accomplished in his obedience unto death,
that the very merit that's referred to in the scripture as the righteousness
of God. meaning his perfect satisfaction
to God's holy law and justice, both in precept, that is by perfectly
obeying the law, and yet he did it as a substitute for sinners,
and so therefore the penalty of the law had to be satisfied
as well, and it was by his death on the cross. And the gospel
sets forth how that message, that simple message, is the sole
basis of a sinner's acceptance before God. As Romans 1, 16,
and 17 teaches us, the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. So understanding this message
right is very important. It's the power of God unto salvation
to everyone that believes, and he tells us there in verse 17,
because this very righteousness, the righteousness of God is revealed
therein. It's revealed by God-given faith. That's what faith is. It's a
revelation from God. And it's revealed in the hearts
of each and every one of his sheep, his elect. So then to
believe God's gospel, the gospel Paul said, I delivered unto you,
concerning how Christ died and how he was buried and how he
rose again according to the scriptures, is to look exclusively to Christ. and exclusively to him on the
basis of his righteousness for all our salvation. In other words,
God's gospel of grace sets forth how all of the conditions for
each and every sinner for whom he died, each and every sinner
who is saved, was fully met by that sinner's substitute, the
Lord Jesus Christ. And in 2 Corinthians 5 21 teaches
us just as the believing sinners' sins were imputed or charged
to their substitute. He who knew no sin, this sinless
substitute, was made sin for them that he might bear the penalty
due unto those sins before the bar of God's justice. And likewise,
by the very same means, the merits of what he accomplished, his
righteousness, is imputed or charged to their account. the
account of each and every one for whom he lived and died. They
were made the righteousness of God in him, and that is a glorious
truth. Well, as we consider again our
text in 1 Corinthians 15, note that just as Paul described the
content of the gospel message that he had delivered unto us
as how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures,
that in verse 4 he adds, and that he was buried. and that
he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. And so today
I want to draw your attention to the significance of the burial
of Christ, but in the context of the overall gospel. Its significance,
and I'll just remind you that, you know, we preach Christ and
him crucified. And so the significance of his
burial is inseparable from the significance of his death and
his resurrection. That little conjunction there,
and, at the beginning of verse four, makes that very clear to
us. And so in today's session, we're
going to focus on this aspect of the gospel, but within the
context of the overall truth. The truth and significance of
the burial of Christ to believers. So just as he died, and just
as he rose again according to the scriptures, he was buried
according to the scriptures. So let's consider some of the
aspects of how the scriptures speak of the burial of Christ.
First, as with his death, his burial was likewise prophesied
in the Old Testament scriptures that were available when Paul
wrote this letter. To cite just a few, in Psalm
16, we have Christ speaking through the psalmist, and he says there
in verse 9 and 10, therefore my heart is glad, and my glory
rejoiceth. My flesh also shall rest in hope,
for thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer
thine holy one to see corruption." That Hebrew word that's translated
hell there is not describing a place of destination for those
who are lost. It's not describing a place of
eternal death for unbelievers, but rather it's the word sheol,
which simply means the grave. Here Christ, through the psalmist,
he's rejoicing in the truth that he would not be left in the grave
long enough to even experience the corruption of his flesh.
So in stating that he would not be left there, it's clear that
he must reside there for some time. That he indeed would be
placed in Sheol. That word means a subterranean
place or a grave. Some of you may have visited
those old places in Italy and elsewhere where they have the
catacombs, and they actually have like almost a cave opening
going down into the ground, and then they carve out of the stone,
into stone, a stone area, and they carve out of the stone these
tombs or sepulchers. And such, we know from the testimony
of the New Testament, was the nature of the tomb in which our
Lord was laid. But as this scripture tells us,
it would not be left there. And then in Isaiah 53, you who
were here and heard the first message of this series, you know
we spent a lot of time there. It's a great passage on the substitutionary
work of Christ as it's foretold by the prophet. And we read there,
I can't recall if we exactly looked at this verse or not,
but we see in Isaiah 53 in verse eight, in the latter part of
it, these words. It said, for he was cut off out
of the land of the living, at the end of verse eight there.
In other words, he was killed, he was crucified. And notice
the next phrase, for the transgression of my people was he stricken. Now, I really picked this passage
because I want to direct your attention to the next verse,
but I couldn't help but use this occasion to once again highlight
this truth. And you'll hear me highlighting
this fact in each of the messages of this series, that all that
Christ did, his obedience unto death, his burial, his resurrection,
it was all for a people as a substitute. It was a vicarious work. In other
words, it was done. All that he did, he did as a
substitute. And that is such a vital truth of the gospel.
You know, the era that so many of us hail in our darkness, in
our blind, lost conditions, when we, like so many, believe that
Jesus Christ lived and died for all, that's all taken care of
if you rightly understand that what Jesus did was really an
accomplishment of something. and that he did it in the room
instead of others. For we know the scriptures say
many perish. And so we know if many perish, he could not have
died for all. Well, we see that truth again
here at the end of verse eight in Isaiah 53. It was for the
transgression of my people. He says he was stricken. And then in verse nine, he continues
and he said, and he made his grave with the wicked and with
the rich in his death. Because he had done no violence,
neither was any deceit in his mouth." Now, the words of verse
9 are understood by most gospel commentators as a reference to
what is revealed in the New Testament to precisely have taken place
later on in history. That is that Christ, who died
with wicked men, being hung on the cross between two thieves
as if he himself was one, was buried in a place of honor, in
a rich man's grave. In other words, it's understood
here that God the Father made his grave, God the Son's grave,
with the wicked and with the rich in his death. So I think
we understand this more rightly if we consider that in that sense. He's speaking of that which took
place in his death and in his burial. for he died between two
thieves. And a rich man, a man called
Joseph of Arimathea, begged for the body of Jesus. You can read
that for yourselves in the gospel accounts. And then Joseph, along
with another rich man, Nicodemus, they prepared the body of Jesus. And then they wrapped it in linen,
in grave clothes. They bound up the body and put
it in a tomb. They put it in Joseph's own sepulcher,
his own tomb that was located in a garden, the scripture tells
us, and it was hewn out of rock for himself. And the scriptures
reveal to us that no other man had ever laid in this tomb. It
was called a new tomb. And apparently in that day it
was very common for multiple bodies to be placed in the same
sepulcher or tomb. And yet, not in this case, it
was a new tomb. And as a result, it cannot be
argued that it was some other body that had left that tomb,
but rather Jesus himself had arose from the grave. And this
burial in a new tomb of a rich man, I believe is being cited
here as the appropriate honor due unto him because of the work
that was finished. It says there at the end of verse
9, because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his
mouth. In other words, I think it's
reflecting the truth that in reality he was not guilty as
accused. Unlike the thieves who hung beside
him, no false doctrine or deceit was delivered by him. He was
not, as he had been accused, seditious to the Roman government.
In short, he was not guilty of any manner of sin. He really
was a sinless substitute, and yet he died for sin. And that
is a glorious truth. And as we observed previously,
as a sinless substitute, then I believe it's speaking of the
fact that he was then so honored in his burial through the actions
of Joseph of Arimathea. And if you, I'll let you kind
of digest that because I think there's some really glorious
truth there if we draw the analogy between those circumstances and
the fact that here was one who died, died like a sinner should
die. In other words, there was real
guilt placed upon him, but he knew no sin, you see? And yet he accomplished something
so glorious. and we know that his exaltation
goes far beyond just being placed in a honorable grave. Well, as
we consider the circumstances of his burial, we cannot ignore
how it was not only prophesied, but it was also typified in the
Old Testament, most notably in the story of Jonah. Christ, we
know that's an apt type because Christ said it was. He said as
much in Matthew chapter 12. You may remember the scribes
and the Pharisees, they had come to him, they were having a discourse
with Christ, and they said, well, show us a sign to validate your
claims. And he says, well, there will
be no sign given other than the sign of the prophet Jonas, or
Jonah. And in verse 40 there, he said,
for as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly,
so shall the son of man be three days and three nights in the
heart of the earth, referring here to his time in the grave.
So we see in the circumstances of his burial that Jesus Christ
was indeed the Messiah that the Old Testament scriptures had
pointed to. However, as when we discussed
his death, know that one can concur with the reality of the
history, the facts, that this man who was God God became incarnate. He lived, walked on this earth,
died on the cross, was buried and miraculously arose from the
grave, and yet still not believe God's gospel according to the
scriptures. You see, such would be the case.
The demons believe those facts. They believe the truth of that.
They believe there is a God, for example. But such would be
the case if one fails to see the significance of what was
accomplished thereby. again according to this word
of truth, the scriptures. So let's move to that and consider
now the significance of the burial of Christ to all believers, all
who come to believe the gospel of God's grace. First consider
that a burial shows the truth or reality of death. There are
many ways that one might prove that Jesus Christ died, maybe
none more convincing than this, and that was he was taken down
from the cross and he was buried not by enemies, but by friends,
friends who would have never wrapped him in that linen and
bound him up and put him in the grave had he been alive, nor
would Pilate have delivered the body to them that they asked
for until he was certified by the centurion to have truly been
dead. His death was real and we know
that from his burial. Secondly, consider that by his
burial it showed that the curse of the cross was at an end. In other words, it shows us there
was a finality to what he came to accomplish. The curse due
unto him for the sins that he bore for which he died was entirely
abolished. And so, his burial, and much
like his resurrection, even perhaps greater in his resurrection,
but it too shows us that by his sacrificial death, he had made
full satisfaction. He had completed the work. When
he died on the cross and said it was finished, his burial shows
us it was indeed finished. As we saw previously in the prophecy
of Daniel 922, it puts it this way, he made an end of sins. You may remember how Christ and
Moses and Elijah were gathered together or seen on the Mount
of Transfiguration and they were having a discussion and in Luke
9 we read about that, how they spoke of his decease, his death,
which he should accomplish in Jerusalem. Well, his burial shows
the finality of his decease, and so thereby shows the finality
of his accomplishment, the full, complete success of what he came
to do. Thirdly, for believers, his burial
should remove the dread of the grave for us. You know, we're
dying. We look in the mirror and we
don't look as young as we did last year, and it's evidence
to us that we're going to leave this world. But for believers,
there should be no dread based upon the grave, the burial. For Christ, you see, is our representative
and our forerunner. He pursued death. Now think of
death. The Bible says that what we as
sinners, and it says we're all sinners, all have sinned and
come short of the glory of God. And what we as sinners can earn,
the wages of sin, is death. So it is the just desert of sinners. I often wonder how many people
really believe that. Well, I know how many. All who
are brought in God-given faith to look to Christ alone believe
it. But apart from this, I don't think many can really believe
they deserve hell. You know, we'll admit we are
sinners, but do you really believe and understand that before this
holy God, there's a perfection that must be rendered that only
the Lord of glory could and did deliver? And you know, when you
find that out, you're up the creek without a paddle. You need
a substitute. Well, I didn't mean to get off
track there, but he, I was speaking of the grave and how death being
what we deserve as sinners, he pursued that. That's our enemy. Death is the enemy. And he pursued
that enemy all the way to the grave. and he arose victorious
over it. So believers, we'll consider
later in another message the rest of, or more of, 1 Corinthians
15, but if you look on down toward verse 55, you'll see the words
that believers might likewise sing in heaven's glory, might
rightly sing, is saying, O death, where is thy sting? O grave,
where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin and
the strength of sin is law. In other words, he's saying sin
is powerful to condemn us because God's law, God's holiness, His
justice demands it. Romans 5, 21 is sin, sin hath
reigned unto death. But look at verse 57, but thanks
be to God which giveth us the victory. through our Lord Jesus
Christ. Just as sin reigned unto death,
even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life,
who's by Jesus Christ our Lord. He satisfied the law, that's
what that righteousness is, for his people, and he put away their
sin, and thereby he overcame death and he overcame the grave
for them. As the prior verse there that I skipped puts it
at the end of verse 54, I love that. Death is swallowed up in
victory. And then last but not least,
I want you to see how that in Christ's burial, all the sins
of his people can be said to have been buried with him. Turn
with me to Romans chapter six. As you turn, consider that this
truth, that there's a sense in which by Christ's death he abolished
sin for a people. He put it away that we can say
that our sins are buried with him, and that truth is typified
and exhibited in the ordinance of water baptism that all believers
are commanded to take part in. We have there the submersion
under the water, and then the rising back up out of the water,
testifying of the union of the believer in the death and burial
and resurrection of Christ. It's a profession and a testimony,
see, that that's the sole ground of my salvation. It's testifying
of my sole reliance on that salvation He accomplished for me as a substitute
in His death and burial and resurrection. Well, in Romans 6, we read in
verse 1, it says, What shall we say then? Shall we continue
in sin that grace may abound? You know, that's the natural
response of almost all of us. It was me when I first heard
the gospel of God's sovereign grace. The verse I just quoted,
Romans 5, 21, grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life.
And when that's explained to someone for the first time, their
natural reaction is, well, wait, if what you say is true, You're
saying he just died for, if he died as a substitute for people,
then he couldn't have died for everyone, because I know the
scripture's clear, most people perish. So if what you say is
true, there's nothing I can do to save myself. And one who understands
the gospel will say, yeah, that's right. You really do need mercy,
see. And you'll say, well, if I believe
like that, I'd just sin all I wanted to. I'd just live like the devil.
And it's an expression of the fact that in our lost condition,
we can't perceive of any other valid motive why we ought to
obey. If I'm not gonna get something
for it, why should I do it, we think. And you know, most who
say that, they know that the scripture tells us to walk worthy
of our calling. It exhorts us to good works and
to good behavior. So they know that's not true.
What they're really saying is, I don't believe you, because
I can't figure out how it'd be true. Well, look what, remember
Paul's writing to believers here. And he says, shall we continue
in sin that grace may abate? He says, God forbid. How shall
we, who are these people, the we that are dead to sin, that
is to the penalty of death, live any longer therein? Know you
not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were
baptized into his death. Now that's not speaking of the
ordinance of water baptism that just typifies those things, but
rather it's referring here to the believers' union, his oneness
with Christ. So in this sense, to be baptized
into Jesus Christ means to have been placed into him, to be,
as the next verse will show us, planted together with him, so
that it can be said, when he died, I died. What are you talking
about? You weren't there personally.
No, but I truly died in my representative, you see, and substitute because
what he did, he did for a people. And if you don't believe that
representation and that imputation is real, consider the fact that
the Lord of Glory, who said, you can't take my life, I give
my life willingly. They couldn't have killed him.
He died, he gave himself for imputed sin. Now that's how real
that representation and the imputation of sin to him and righteousness
to those whose sins were imputed to him, that's how real it is.
There's no play-like involved there. This is God's justice.
And he says in verse four, therefore, look at this, we are buried with
him. We're buried with him by that
same baptism into death. So that means those whom he represented,
every one of them have all the fruits of his death, all the
benefits of what he accomplished thereby. that like as Christ
was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even
so we also should walk in newness of life. He lives, he arose from
the grave, and so all those who were planted together in him,
those he represented, they shall live. They shall live as it is
expressed here in that they shall walk in the newness of spiritual
life. They shall be born again. Why? Because they were planted together
in him. And likewise, they shall arise at the last day unto everlasting
life in heaven's glory. We read Christ said as much in
John chapter 6 when he said, he said, all that you've given
will come to me. And then I think it's verse 39.
He says, and those that you've given, I'll lose none of them,
but I'll raise them up at the last day. If we have, verse 5, for if we
have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we
shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection. Knowing
this, that our old man, that is all that we are as sinners,
by virtue of our representation in Adam in the fall, it's crucified
with him. That the body of sin might be
destroyed, that means rendered powerless. that henceforth we
should not serve sin. That is, we're no longer in bondage
to it. As we read later on in Romans
6, he says, you were servants of sin, but now, having believed
that form of doctrine that was delivered unto you, you're servants
of righteousness. For he that is dead, verse 7,
is freed from sin. You see, your Bible may have
that same note mine does. The word freed there means justified,
declared righteous, not guilty, me a sinner, not guilty before
the law. How? Well, it's obvious it can't
be based upon anything done by me, in me, or through me. It's
not based on my own righteousness. No. It's got to be based on my
oneness with Him. It's because I'm planted together
with Him. It's the merits of His perfect obedience unto death
in full satisfaction to all that God requires, the perfect obedience
under the law. The penalty of infinite value
paid for the debt that was owed, that made mine, put to my account,
imputed to me as an object of God's pure, unadulterated grace. It's a good thing. to die with
him, to be buried with him, and to rise again with him. Now,
if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we also shall live
with him, knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dieth
no more. Death hath no more dominion over
him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once. He got it
all done. No more sacrifices to be made.
But in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. So likewise reckon
ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin. but alive unto
God through Jesus Christ our Lord." Now there's some consolation
to know that I, though still a sinner, that I am dead to the
guilt of sin, I'm dead to its condemning power, and in Christ
I'm totally victorious over it, in Him. So much so that someday
I'll leave this body of death, as Paul called it. Sin's presence
will actually be removed. Colossians 2 addresses those
who have been quickened with him, that means given spiritual
life. And it describes them in verse
12 as buried with him in baptism, again speaking of this union
with Christ, the baptism of his death. Buried with him in baptism,
wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the
operation of God who hath raised him from the dead. Now, what
this teaches us, this with Romans 6, is that all who possess spiritual
life, all who are given life, and how is that evidence? That's
evidence by our belief in God's gospel, this message according
to the scriptures that shows us the significance of what was
accomplished in his death, burial, and resurrection, not a counterfeit.
Now, all who believe God's gospel, if you believe God's gospel,
it's because You've been given the faculties of life that you
might see, hear, and love with a heart, embrace it. It means
you're alive. And so we see this connection
that can't be broken. If that's true of you, then you
can know that your sins were truly buried with him, totally
put away. Hey, isn't that some good news? the very righteousness that he
established. Just grasp the glory of having
what the God-man did, made yours. And it's made each and every
one for whom he lived and died just as surely as he raised him
from the grave, an undeniable truth. The scripture says he
was raised for or because of their justification. So it's
an important truth, as I've already said and will continue to say,
a truth of the gospel according to the scriptures, that in his
death, burial, and resurrection and all that he did, he didn't
do it for himself, but he did it as a substitute for a people,
acting in their place, in their room, in their stead, and listen,
Even now, he acts in that capacity in his mediatorial glory. As
the scripture says, he sits at the right hand of the Father,
ever making intercession for his people, always pleading their
case as their advocate before the Father, and based on what? On what he accomplished. And
we know God accepts because he raised him from the dead. What
he accomplished for them and God imputes to their account,
charges to them. So then, do you see, it's impossible
that any who were baptized are planted in Christ Jesus, whose
sins then were, as we read, rendered powerless by Him. It's impossible
they could still suffer in hell for sins that have been rendered
powerless, destroyed. And it's also just as impossible
that any single one of them will fail to come to Him in the newness
of spiritual life. You see how in Isaiah 53 there,
we see that, I mean, excuse me, Romans 6, we see that those things
are interconnected and can't be broken. It can only be true
if he failed, if God failed. You know, after Christ had risen,
all they found left in the tomb were his grave clothes, the clothes
which Joseph and Nicodemus had bound him in. And in his resurrection,
they were left there behind, and I think this typifies how
the sins of his people are said to be put behind his back. I
like the way Hebrews 8, 12 puts it, saying, they'll be remembered
no more, never more. You might not can forgive yourself
of something you've done, but based upon the perfect righteousness
of the substitute, God does. And so likewise, those whose
sins were buried with him, the grave clothes that they bring
into this world. And there's a sense in which
we can say that's what we do because the Bible says, you hath
he quickened, made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sin,
spiritually dead. So you come with some grave clothes,
so to speak, and listen, that's our sins that would otherwise
condemn us. And that includes our false,
natural false notions, even when we become interested in religion,
about how God saves sinners. It includes, as Proverbs said,
that way that seemeth right to a man, but it's the way that
ends in death. And those are left behind. Not
all of that sin, we know the sin's presence remains with us,
but that's left behind in the newness of spiritual life, much
like those grave clothes were left in the tomb You see, it's
the grave clothes of our self-righteousness, our self-love, our religious
pride. And it was those sins, and it
was for that, for all sin, that he died the sins of his people
so as to put them away completely. So they are loose from the bondage
of those clothes. And to use the metaphor of Scripture,
the rapt are clothed in the robe of his righteousness. made fit
for his presence. So much so, the scripture says,
it calls believers, it says they're unreprovable, holy, unreprovable,
unblameable. Sinners? Yeah, because they're
accepted in the beloved. The body of sin was destroyed,
it was rendered powerless, so not one for whom he lived and
died shall possibly perish or else he would have, he, a God-man,
would have failed to accomplish. what he came to do. Today I recognize
that most religious people, including the majority who consider themselves
of the Christian faith, have not yet seen or embraced the
necessity of possessing, by God's grace, what Christ accomplished
on the cross, his righteousness. And I pray that someone you who
hears this message, that you will flee to Having been convinced
by God's spirit, see, that you too must be found not having
a righteousness of your own, not seeking salvation because
God saved me because I believe, or God saved me because I said
a prayer and I'm in it, or because I walked some aisle and made
a profession, or I got in a baptismal pool, but no, being convinced
of sin and of righteousness, that you'd be persuaded that
you must have the merits of Christ's work, that that alone will do.
Your sins need to be buried with him, for he's holy, and sin cannot
enter into his presence, and that there's no hope, see, otherwise,
no hope apart from the grace of God in Christ. And what a
blessing if you're among those to whom God has been pleased
to reveal himself. You see, that describes those
who were planted together with him in his death. in his burial,
who were buried with him, and in his resurrection. For you
see, it's by that very same resurrection power that God grants them this
newness of life, spiritual life. And to those of you who've been
so blessed, I say let's rejoice in Christ Jesus. Praise him in
the knowledge that such a revelation of God-given faith is evidence
of spiritual life. And so it is evidence that all
your sins, past, present, and future, were all buried with
him. Sin's presence is going to plague
us throughout this life, but the debt due unto those sins
before a holy God, a debt that none of us could pay, none of
us could even contribute toward paying, has been paid in full
for us. That sin was buried with him.
You see, all who died with Him, they were buried with Him. And
all who were buried with Him, they shall live with Him. And
that forevermore.