If you will, open your Bibles
with me to 2 Corinthians chapter five, again this evening. And
we will begin reading at verse 17. 2 Corinthians chapter five
and verse 17. Therefore, if any man be in Christ,
he's a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold,
all things are become new. 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,
reconciling 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 stead, be you reconciled to God. For he hath made him sin for
us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in him. Make yourself a note if you haven't
already of the words used here, made. When we're told that Christ
was made sin for us, That's a distinct word, altogether different from
the word that's used when we're told that we are made the righteousness
of God in Christ. When the scripture speaks here
of our Lord Jesus being made sin, the word means by one act
together, caused to be or created sin. Paul is telling us that
God the Father, the triune Jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
by one great mysterious act gathered together all the sins of God's
elect throughout the ages of time and caused his darling son
to be sin for us. But the Lord Jesus was not passive. He willingly took the cup of
woe. He took our sins and made them
His own. But when the Spirit of God tells
us that we are made the righteousness of God in Him, another word is
used. Not just a different form of
the same word, another word altogether is here used for made. When it
speaks of His being, of us being made the righteousness of God
in Him, the word made is a present tense passive verb, implying
total passivity on our part. It means continually calls to
become. The Spirit of God is telling
us that those for whom Christ was once and for all with finality
made seen at Calvary. God, the triune God, continually
causes to become the righteousness of God in Christ. And he does
that without us doing anything. He does that with no action on
our part whatsoever. Be sure you understand what the
Spirit of God here teaches us. Christ being made sin for us
was made exactly what we are, sin. He was made sin for us that we
might be made exactly what He is, righteousness, the very righteousness
of God. He was not made less than we
are, and we are not made less than He is. The very sinfulness
that we are, Christ was made before God. And the very righteousness
that He is, we are made before God. That's absolute substitution. Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
took our persons and our condition and stood in our stead before
God. And we in him take his person
and his position and stand in his stead before God. When the
Lord God beholds Christ, what he beholds Christ to be, that
he beholds his members to be, the very righteousness of God. I find it interesting and instructive
that in the scriptures, oftentimes various words are used to speak
of the same thing. Faith in Christ is sometimes
spoken of as coming to Christ, sometimes believing on Christ,
sometimes leaning on Christ, sometimes walking with Christ,
sometimes running with Christ, sometimes soaring with Christ.
All of those various terms refer to faith. Eating Christ's flesh,
drinking his blood, all of those speak of faith. Receiving Christ
speaks of faith. And when Scripture speaks about
us being made the righteousness of God in Him, sometimes the
Scripture speaks of the garments of salvation. the robe of righteousness,
the linen garments with which the saints are clothed. Sometimes
it speaks of a diadem of beauty, a crown, a necklace, earrings. Brother Merle read back in the
office of Ezekiel 16, beauty, renown, fame, all speaking of
righteousness, the very righteousness of God we are made to be in Christ. Now turn to Philippians chapter
three. I'm sorry, chapter two. If we could really learn this
in a practical way, it would forever put an end to all bickering,
strife, and division among God's saints. In Philippians chapter
two, the apostle says, if there be therefore any consolation
in Christ, if any comfort of love, If any fellowship of the
Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill ye my joy that ye be
like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord of
one mind. Let nothing be done through strife
or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other
better than themselves. If we look upon one another as
believers, as sinners saved by the grace of God, as men and
women in union with Christ, one with him, we must never look
upon our brothers and sisters in Christ in the light of what
we see manifest by their actions, by their behavior. but rather
in the light of what they are in Christ, the righteousness
of God. Oh, Don, learn what you're preaching
now. If we could do that by God's
grace, if God the Spirit would teach us this, that would make
us kind and gracious to one another. That would teach us to highly
esteem each other, esteeming each better than ourselves. And
I know something of what I am by nature. I am sin. Nothing but sin. Every thought,
every word, every action corrupted with sin. I know a little bit
about the evil of my own heart, the violence of my thoughts,
the corruption of my motives, the evil that I am. And I know
Brother Tim James, most of you know him, dear friend, pastor
of Sequoia Baptist Church down in Cherokee, North Carolina.
And I know Brother Moose Parks, missionary, labors down in St. Croix in the Virgin Islands.
I know both of those men as friends in Christ, as brothers in Christ,
but I don't know them as I used to. You see, I used to know them
when I was a boy. when we were all teenagers and
running the south side streets of Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
I knew them then, but I know them now differently. I knew
them then as they are and were by nature. We were acquainted. I wouldn't say we were friends
then. They're both a little older than I am, but we were acquainted
with one another. We knew one another. I don't
know them now as I knew them then. Now I know them in Christ. I know them the righteousness
of God in Christ. And I am not to know them any
other way. Since Christ died for them and
rose again, I know them no more after the flesh. So that every
time I think of them, every time I speak of them, every time I
have them in my mind's eye, I see or I ought to see Christ and
only Christ. Not what they just said, not
what they just did, no matter whether it's looked upon by me
as good or evil, but only in Christ, the righteousness of
God in Christ. Those dear friends are the very
righteousness of God in His Son. They are one with His Son. When I see them, I see Christ. And I ought to always have that
in mind. They are one with Christ. And if I see them as Christ,
I will learn by the grace of God to teach them, to treat them
as I would treat Christ the Lord. Christ himself is not more righteous
than those two men. Christ himself is not more perfect
than those two men. Christ himself is not more holy
than those two men. They ought then to be treated
by me as I would treat Christ. But that's not the end of the
story. Turn to Romans chapter six. God the Holy Spirit tells me
that I'm to think of myself that way as well. In spite of all
I know about myself. In spite of all, I know myself
to be by nature. Even when the corruptions of
my heart are most vilely manifest, I look upon myself as one with
Christ, completely righteous before God. Yes, with his spotless
garments on, I am as holy as God's own Son. I ask you, do
you trust Christ? Do you believe on the Son of
God? Do you rest your soul upon the merits of His blood, of His
righteousness? Do you rest your soul upon Christ
alone? Is He all your hope before God,
all your confidence before God, all that you have to offer God? Is it Christ Jesus the Lord?
If so, God reckons you the righteousness of God in Him. And God tells
you so to reckon yourself. Look at Romans chapter six. What
shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that
grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we that
are dead to sin live any longer therein? Know ye not that so
many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into
his death? Therefore we are buried with
him by baptism into death. 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. 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
is crucified with him. That the body of sin might be
destroyed. That henceforth we should not
serve sin. For he that is dead is freed
from sin. Now, if we be dead with Christ,
we believe that we shall also 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, but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise,
Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but
alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. God the Holy
Ghost says to Don Fortner, Don Fortner, knowing what you are, knowing the evil of your nature,
knowing something of your depraved heart, knowing your sin, knowing
your inmost corruptions. Reckon yourself dead to sin and
alive to God, righteous, justified, the very righteousness of God
in Christ. And that is the sweet assurance
of God's grace. The Lord God would have all who
are his, always to reckon ourselves in Christ, one with Christ. and
the righteousness of God in Christ. I can't tell you how much I want
you who trust the Son of God to see and live in the sweet
experience of this blessed gospel revelation. Until the Lord God
Almighty finds sin in his darling son, sin for which to crucify
him again, he will not find sin in you. Until the Lord God finds sin
in his darling son, my brother, my sister, sin for which to crucify
his son again, he will not find sin in you. Who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. I'm
here to proclaim this sweet good news to every sinner who will
hear my voice, to every sinner who believes on the Son of God.
If you trust Christ, the God of glory, who made his dear son
sin for you, has made you the very righteousness of God in
him. And he would have you to reckon
it so. Perhaps you think, Brother Don,
I'd give anything to know that what you said is true. But surely
we cannot carry those words, made the righteousness of God
in him that far. Does the word of God really warrant
such full, confident assurance of absolute righteousness before
God? Is that really what the scriptures
teach or is that a vain presumption? I'm glad you asked. Let's look
in the scriptures. I want you to turn to two texts
in the Old Testament. They're very familiar to you,
but I want you to turn to them. Don't read them, just turn there.
Turn to Jeremiah, chapter 23. And when you found Jeremiah,
chapter 23, 5, find chapter 33, Jeremiah 33, in verse 15. I folded
my Bible over like this so I can read both of them together. Jeremiah
23, Jeremiah 33. Now let's look at them and see
what it says. In both of these chapters, Jeremiah
is describing for us the blessed gospel day in which we live,
in which the branch of righteousness has grown up unto David his seed.
That branch is Christ. That David is Christ our King.
Our David is now seated on his throne of glory, having grown
up in righteousness by bringing in everlasting righteousness.
And now he executes judgment and justice throughout the earth.
He executes judgment and justice throughout the earth in the saving
of his people. Understand this. God saves sinners
by the substitutionary doing and dying and almighty grace
of his son Jesus Christ our Lord to declare his righteousness. Salvation is the declaration
of God's righteousness. The declaration of God's righteousness. Yes, it's the revelation of his
love. Yes, it's the work of his grace. It is the declaration
of God's righteousness. And the Lord God our savior now
exercises judgment and justice. Judgment and justice in saving
such things as we are by his almighty grace. So that he is
a just God and a savior. Look at Jeremiah 23 five. Behold
the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David
a righteous branch, And the king shall reign and prosper, and
shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. Chapter 33, verse
15. In those days and at that time
will I cause the branch of righteousness to grow up unto David, and he
shall exercise judgment and righteousness in the land. Looks like the two
passages are talking about the same thing. Chapter 23, verse
6. Chapter 23, verse six. In his days, that is in the days
of Christ the righteous branch, David the king, Judah shall be
saved and Israel shall dwell safely. And this is the name
whereby he shall be called the Lord our righteousness. Chapter 33, verse 16. In those
days shall Judah be saved and Jerusalem shall dwell in safety.
And this is the name wherewith she shall be called the Lord
our righteousness. Now those translations given
in our English Bibles are exactly accurate. This is what the Lord
God tells us about the work of Christ in this day of grace in
which we live. Judah, the tribe of God's choice
shall be saved. Israel, God's holy nation, his
chosen generation, his royal priesthood, shall dwell safely.
And this is the name whereby Christ, the righteous branch,
our king, shall be called. Jehovah sed kinu, the Lord, our
righteousness. And this is the name whereby
his people, his church, his bride, you and me, shall be called. Jehovah said, kid you, the Lord,
our righteousness. All right, let's go back to 2
Corinthians 5. Verse 21. For he hath made at one time
with finalite him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we
might be made continually caused to become the righteousness of
God in him. The righteousness which the Lord
God makes redeemed sinners become, the righteousness by which we
are accepted with and made worthy of heavenly glory, by which we
are, for which we are rewarded of God is always called the righteousness
of God. It is the work of Christ alone.
It is that righteousness of which all men by nature are utterly
ignorant. And the proof of their ignorance
is the fact that they keep on going about to make themselves
righteous. Any man who seeks to make himself
righteous knows nothing of the righteousness of God. Any man
who seeks to make himself holy knows nothing of the righteousness
of God. Any man who seeks to make himself
pure before God knows nothing of the righteousness of God.
We do not make ourselves holy. We do not make ourselves righteous. We do not make ourselves pure. We are made the righteousness
of God by the work of God Christ our Lord. According to the book
of God, it is the life obedience of Christ that constitutes that
righteousness with which we are clothed and made to become before
God. His death washed away our sins. His death satisfied the justice
and the law of God. His life covers us from head
to foot. His death was the sacrifice to
God. His life is the gift to us by
which God's elect have satisfied the demands of God. Only in this
way is it possible for the law of God to be honored and our
souls accepted with God. Many who appear perfectly clear
about the scripture teaching with regard to the merits of
Christ's death, failed to understand anything about the merits of
his obedience in life. Both are necessary. Our Lord
Jesus, from the moment he broke forth from his mother's womb,
saying, lo, I come to do thy will, O God, until at last he
was on the cross, hanging, suffering the wrath of God in our stead,
and cried, knowing that all things were accomplished, it is finished. He was at work performing a work
of righteousness for us. He became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. While he was on this earth, all
the days he lived on this earth, throughout his earthly life,
he was spinning a fabric of that royal priestly garment in which
we are robed. In his death, he dipped it in
his blood. In his life, he gathered precious
gold. In his death, he hammered it
out and made for us a garment of wrought gold. so that you
and I have every bit as much reason to give thanks to God
our Savior for his obedience in life as for his obedience
in death. as much reason to give thanks
to God for the righteousness He brought in for us as for the
sin He put away for us. Christ is our substitute in this
sense absolutely. So that we who now are in Him
are made the righteousness of God. of Him, are ye in Christ
Jesus, who of God has made unto us wisdom and righteousness and
sanctification and redemption, that according as it is written,
he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. Now, let me answer
one question very briefly, and I will be done with my message.
How? How are sinners made to become
the righteousness of God in Christ? In answering the question, I
appeal only to this book. Only to this book. Believing
God, believing God's son, Rex, I believe this book. I believe
what God says in his words. As God, the Holy Spirit, gives
me grace, I bow all science that men call science, and all history
that men write in history, and all experience, yours and mine,
to this book. I bow all reason, yours and mine,
to this book. We bow to the Word of God. Whether
I can explain it or not is irrelevant. Whether I understand it or not
is irrelevant. I bow to the book of God. And if you're God, you do too.
We bow to the word. Sometimes, bowing to the word,
God gives us understanding. And we understand what's written.
Sometimes, we stand back and say, that's just so. How do you know? Because God
said it. That makes it so. All right,
how is it then that we are made the righteousness of God in Him? How is it that God, without us
doing anything, continually causes us, who are His, to become righteous,
the very righteousness of God? I repeat, without doing anything, without praying, without working,
without deciding. It's all together without our
contribution. Number one, he does it eternally. Our great, all wise, eternally
gracious God made us righteous in Christ before the world began. Made us righteous in him who
is the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. His sovereign eternal
purpose of grace. We're told in Romans chapter
8 that we were justified in, by, and with Christ from eternity. Justified before ever we committed
any sin. Justified before Adam fell in
the garden. Justified in the mind and purpose
and decree of God in his son, the Lamb slain from the foundation
of the world. And all that I said, I don't
have any idea how that works. I don't pretend to. I'm just
telling you. God reveals that he looks upon
his son as the lamb slain from eternity, accepted from eternity,
the sacrifice he accepted from eternity for a people whom he
justified from eternity in his son. and having justified us
by the sacrifice of his son, having accepted us in his son,
we were blessed of God with all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in Christ. Accepted in him. Who were saved
from eternity. Saved by the purpose of God. Saved before the world began.
How is that? bless us, and accept us, and
save us, before the world began, only as righteous. Only as righteous. No other way. God will not bless the unrighteous. God will not accept the unrighteous. But he accepts and blesses us
from everlasting in Christ, who is made of God and to us righteousness. Preacher, the way you talk salvation's
work was done before the world was. Well, I talked very clear.
That's just what I wanted you to hear. We were saved from eternity. Second Timothy chapter 1 verse
9 says so as plain as the nose on your face. But that's not
sufficient. We were also made the righteousness
of God judicially, in a legal sense. When Christ Our substitute
died under the wrath of God, satisfying the justice of God
in our stead. When he put away our sin by the
sacrifice of himself, our Lord Jesus obtained eternal redemption
for us, and we were made to become the righteousness of God in him
in free justification. He was delivered to death for
our offenses. And he was raised again for our
justification. And now, being justified by faith,
we have peace with God. By one man's disobedience, the
whole human race was made sinners. By the sin and fall of our father
Adam, the whole human race was made sin. By the obedience of
another man. One man, the last Adam, the second
Adam, our Lord Jesus Christ, all of God's elect were made
righteous, so that the whole of our standing before God is
in one of these two men, either in Adam, in his sin, death, and
condemnation, or in Christ, in his obedience, life, and righteousness. God's elect stand before God
righteous. The very righteousness of God
in Christ because Christ Jesus died in our stead and rose again,
having fully met the demands of God's holy justice in his
death. Thirdly, we are made the righteousness
of God in him eternally and judicially at Calvary. but the matter of
being made the righteousness of God in Christ. Father, there's
something in which we have no involvement. It is not merely
a matter of law, any more than Christ being made sin was just
a matter of law. It is not something that takes
place altogether outside of ourselves, any more than Christ being made
sin, something that took place altogether outside himself, but
rather, We are made the righteousness of God in him experimentally. Sinners are made the righteousness
of God in the experience of the new birth. When we're made, as
Peter puts it, partakers of the divine nature. That holy thing
that's in us that is born of God, that holy thing that John
says cannot sin, Is Christ in you the hope of glory? The Lord
God comes to chosen, redeemed sinners in His grace. And He, in the time of love,
pours out His Spirit upon the dead sinner, and the Spirit causes
the sinner to live. He puts Christ in you and causes
you to live. The good Samaritan pours in the
oil and wine of his grace and calls the poor sinner to live. And when he gives you life, he
gives you faith in Christ. And by the Spirit of God, sprinkles
your conscience, sprinkles your heart, cleanses you within with
the blood of his darling son. And this is what it says, not
guilty. Righteous. Not guilty. Righteous. Don Fortner, you no longer have
reason to fear God. You no longer have reason to
dread judgment. Judgment is over! Justice is
satisfied! Righteousness is yours! God declares
you righteous. And thereby, consciously, God
the Holy Ghost, by the gospel, by faith in Christ, imputes righteousness
to us. Not in a legal sense, in the
sense of experience. God, says Don. God says to Don, all your sin is gone. The blood of my darling son has
put it away. And you are made the righteousness
of God. That's called righteousness,
righteousness. We experience this blessed thing,
being made the righteousness of God in Christ, in the inmost
depths of our souls, in the constant assurance of access to, and acceptance
with, and forgiveness of sins by our God. My little children, John said,
these things write I unto you that you sin not. But if you sin, you've got to
make up for it. Mind you, that's the language
of religion that doesn't know God. But if you sin, God's gonna
get you. That's the language of religion
outside this book. It doesn't say, but if you sin.
But rather he says, and if any man sin, we have an advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he is the
propitiation for our sins. So that as I confess my sin to
God, as you confess your sin to God, we bring God his son. and he is the propitiation for
our sin. His righteousness is our propitiation. So that now, we who are gods
have been made the righteousness of God in Christ by experience. Fourthly, hang on to your seat. Believing on the Lord Jesus,
every sinner who trusts him is made to become the righteousness
of God in him, absolutely. Absolutely righteous. Nothing
lacking, nothing missing, nothing to make up. Absolutely righteous. If any man be in Christ, he's
a new creature. Old things are passed away. And
behold, all things are become new. Turn over to Colossians
chapter 1. Colossians chapter 1. Verse 12. Give thanks unto the Father,
which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in life. Yonder said to Rex Bartlett, I don't know anything on this
earth bad to say about Rex. I don't know, I've never seen
Rex behave as he ought not behave. And I've never talked to anybody
who said anything bad about him. I suspect, I'm not certain, I
suspect that if she wanted to, the lady sitting beside him could
possibly tell us something about Rex he would rather us not know.
I suspect, I suspect. She's lived with him a while.
That's Rex Bartley. as you are right now with your
chin in your hand, meet to be partaker of the inheritance of
the saints in light. That means worthy of heaven right
now. Fit for heaven right now. What do you suppose God's got
to do to make you fit for heaven? What's lacking? What will he
do for you tomorrow? You have not already had by the
hand of his grace. Christ is made of God unto us. Righteousness, absolutely. So that now, right now, we are
fit for God's acceptance. That means discerning the Lord's
body. knowing our need of our substitute, knowing the substitute
himself, trusting his finished work, trusting him, sinners like
you and me are worthy to enter his church, to confess his name
in believers baptism, to take the bread and wine of the Lord's
supper, to call on his name in prayer, worthy to enter into
and possess his glory forever. For anybody who hears this message, I hope you understand, I could
not imagine saying what I just said. I could not imagine thinking
what I just stated if it weren't written right here in Colossians
chapter 1 and verse 12. meet to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in light. Fifthly, how is it that we are
continually caused to become righteousness, the very righteousness
of God? Eternally, eternally. Judicially, by the death of God's
son, by the decree of God, the death of his son. Experimentally,
by the experience of the new birth in the gift of faith. Absolutely,
in the fullest sense possible. You cannot state the word too
plainly. And fifthly, everlastingly. We shall be made to become the
righteousness of God everlastingly in the last day in resurrection
glory. God will raise us up and these
bodies sown in corruption shall be raised in incorruption. These
bodies sown in mortality shall be raised in immortality. These
bodies sown a natural body shall be raised spiritual bodies in
the glory of Christ himself. Something like what Peter, James,
and John saw on the Mount of Transfiguration. when the Son
of God was transfigured before them. Raised in immortality,
in righteousness forever. What a wonder it shall be. What
a wonder it shall be. Oh, what a wonder it shall be
to be at last with finality, everlastingly calls to be righteous
in body, in soul, and in spirit. Then sin shall be no more, and
sorrow shall be no more, and darkness shall be no more, and
pain shall be no more. We shall be everlastingly righteous,
the very righteousness of God, made exactly in the image of
Christ the firstborn, as God from everlasting predestined
we should be. And being made exactly in his
image, while each individual person stands individually, just
as we do now. A multitude no man can number,
10,000 times 10,000, yet each one and all one with God the
Son, the Lord our righteousness. And this is the name by which
we shall be called. Jehovah's Akinnu, the Lord, our
righteousness. Amen.