This morning for our Bible study, let's turn in our Bible to Isaiah chapter 53. Isaiah chapter 53. Let's begin reading at verse 1, and we'll read down through verse 6. Isaiah 53. Who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, as a root out of dry ground. He hath no form nor comeliness, and when we shall see him, There is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. We hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised and rejected. He was despised and rejected of men. We esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet did we esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. He was wounded for our transgression. He was bruised for our iniquity. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. We've turned every one to his own way. And the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Now this chapter, along with all Old Testament scripture, tells us of our substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now clearly this chapter sets forth that Christ, our Lord, our Savior, our God, came and died as a sinner's substitute, as a believer's substitute.

Everyone knows what a substitute is. A substitute is one who stands in the place of another. Your child may have sometimes a substitute teacher, a teacher who stands in the place of the regular teacher. The ball team uses a substitute player, a player who takes the place of another on the playing surface.

The Lord Jesus Christ is a sinner's substitute, the believer's substitute. He stands in the place of God's elect. Everywhere in the scriptures, the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ is set forth as a work of a substitute. Substitution is the great foundational doctrine of the Gospel and of the Bible. The man who understands the Gospel doctrine of substitution understands the message of the Bible. The man who has no clear knowledge of substitution is ignorant of the message of the Scripture, ignorant of the message of salvation by the grace of God. This is the gospel doctrine of substitution.

The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, stood in the place of sinners, so that all who trust Him, all that look to Him, all that believe Him, might stand accepted in the Beloved in Christ before God through all eternity. Since I do fully trust my soul upon the merits of Christ and Him alone, resting upon His obedience for my righteousness, We say with Paul that we might win Christ and be found in him, not having our own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faithfulness of Christ. You see, he is the believer's righteousness, resting in his obedience as my righteousness. resting in his blood for my atonement, in whom we have redemption from our sin through his blood, I have good reason to believe that Jesus Christ is my substitute." Now, here are several thoughts I want you to think about. When we think about the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, remember that the Lord Jesus Christ stood as a believer's substitute. Now listen to these thoughts. The Lord Jesus Christ stood as the believer's substitute in eternity past.

He was my surety in the everlasting covenant of grace. He's called that in the book of Hebrews. He's called the surety of a better covenant, a better testimony. Before I'd sinned, Before Adam fell, the Lord Jesus Christ stood as the believer's redemption, the believer's ransom, the believer's payment for sin. Before I ever broke God's law, the Lord Jesus Christ stood as my righteousness.

God gave the Father my soul along with the host of all of his elect into the hands of Christ as a surety of the covenant. before the world began, Christ stood as the believer's substitute. And He gave all His elect, all grace and all salvation in Christ before the foundation of the world. And we read that clearly in Scripture in 2 Timothy 1, 9 and other places. God saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and His own grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. Our Lord said in John 6, 37 and following, All that the Father hath given me will come to me, and those that come to me I will in no wise cast out.

So you see, the first thought on this glorious doctrine of substitution, the Lord Jesus Christ stood as a believer's substitute in eternity past. Secondly, the Lord Jesus Christ stood in my place as my substitute, as my federal head, as my representative man while he lived in this world. In the fullness of time, God sent for his son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem us that were under the law.

The sinless life of Christ was as necessary for my redemption as his death. In his life, the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the holy law of God, establishing perfect righteousness for God's elect, without which I could never be accepted before God. You see, his righteous life, what was he doing here? As the believer's substitute, he was perfecting righteousness, not for himself, he is righteous, but he is perfecting righteousness, honoring God's law, and establishing perfect righteousness for his elect. And this righteousness is freely, sovereignly imputed to those Believers by the grace of God by his perfect life by his obedience. He brought in an everlasting Righteousness for his people now we read this in Scripture.

He is called the Lord our righteousness righteousness in Jeremiah 23 6 in 1st Corinthians 130 we read up the Lord He's made to his people wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption Paul, when he wrote in Romans 5, chapter 5, verse 19, he said, We see by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. You see, in Adam we sinned, in Adam we fell, in Christ we were made righteous.

Now here's my third thought. about Christ the substitute. You see, my friend, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is the gospel of substitution and satisfaction. Here's the third thought. The Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, stood in my place as my substitute at Calvary.

He died under the penalty of God's law, bearing my sin. We read that just a moment ago, the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all, that is, all his elect, all his He said, I lay down my life for the sheep, he bearing my sin in his own body on the tree. He died under the penalty of God's law, bearing my sin, my shame, my guilt, and the wrath due unto me. God made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

We read in Isaiah 53, with his stripes we are healed. We read again in Isaiah 53, it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He put him to grief, when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied by his knowledge, shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquity.

You see, he died as a sinner's substitute. He died in my place, so that I would never bear the wrath of God or the judgment of God. God satisfied his law and justice for me in Christ, my substitute. The just died for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.

Now, you got the first three points. Christ stood as my substitute in eternity. Secondly, Christ stood As my substitute and representative man while he lived in this world in Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ stood in my place as my substitute at Calvary, accomplishing my salvation, my redemption, my righteousness. Now here's my fourth thought. Jesus Christ, the righteous, stands in my place today, right now, as my advocate, as my mediator, as my substitute in heaven."

We read of that in many places. 1 Timothy 2, 5 says there's one God and one mediator between God and men, that is the man, Christ Jesus. We read in 1 John chapter 2, John says, my little children, these things I write unto you that you sin not. But when you do, we have an advocate with the Father, who is Jesus Christ the righteous.

He stands in the sinner's place right now, in the believer's room instead, as my advocate, as my righteousness before God. His precious wounds and the merit of his blood sacrifice secure before me the eternal favor of God. God will not charge me with sin and the law cannot require punishment upon me because the Lord Jesus Christ has paid my debt, redeemed me from the law, from the curse of the law. My substitute today stands as my advocate with the Father." Romans 8, that there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

You see, He is my substitute today, my advocate today, presenting us, the believer before God, without blemish, without blame, holy and spotless. Now here's my last thought. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Not another. The Lord Jesus Christ himself shall stand in my place as my substitute before God in the day of judgment. When God examines me, he will hold no spot or blemish, or he will find no spot or blemish in me because of the Lord Jesus Christ performed and placed and imputed to God's people, all those who believe, perfect righteousness and obedience. thoroughly washing away our sin and satisfying God's justice, putting away our sin by His bloody sacrifice. Trusting Christ as my substitute, I fully expect to hear Him say, Well done, thou good and faithful servant.

You listen to this scripture in closing in Jude 24, Now unto him that is able, to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, through the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty and dominion and power both now and forever. Now, my question to you this morning, is the Lord Jesus Christ your substitute? Do you see your need of a substitute to put away your sin? Do you see your need of a substitute to satisfy God's law and justice for you? Well, I hope you do. And I hope God would give you faith in your heart to look to Christ as the believer's substitute.