I want you to turn in your Bibles,
if you will, to the book of Isaiah chapter 53. Isaiah chapter 53. I would like to read verse 8. Verse
8. He was taken from prison and
from judgment, and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the
land of the living. For the transgression of my people
was he stricken. For the transgression of my people
was he, Jesus Christ, stricken. God's mercy is known throughout
this nation this morning. God is marvelously blessed in
many, many places. Certainly, He's blessed us here.
And we probably, most all of you have heard about the miners
in Pennsylvania. How merciful God was to spare
them, to enable them to be brought out last night. It was marvelous. Marvelous, the goodness and mercy
of God. I hope they all will repent and
turn to the Lord and glory in the great God of Providence.
I want to read a companion text to my verse that I read out of
the 53rd chapter of the book of Isaiah. I want to read verse
6 of that same chapter. If you would please look at verse
6. All we like sheep have gone astray,
we have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord hath laid
on him the iniquity of us all. Now there are two questions that
I would like to ask this morning and attempt to answer by the
grace of God in the time that is allotted me. The first question
would be, for whom was Christ made to be sin? For whom was
iniquity that the Bible says the Lord hath laid on him the
iniquity of us all Well, who is this all that is mentioned
here in verse 6? And then in the last part of
verse 8 the transgression of my people was he stricken and
I want to try to answer the question for whom Was the Lord Jesus Christ
stricken? And whose sin was it that was
laid upon Him? And the second question would
be, why was sin laid upon the Lord Jesus Christ? So let us
attempt to answer these questions. For whom was Christ made to be
sin? We know that the words for us
do not refer to all men in general, and the reason we know that is
because some men yet bear their own sins and will be punished
forever in the lake of fire. We hold steadfastly to the truth
that God will not once demand the payment of sin at our bleeding
surety's hand and then again at ours. We believe that the
Lord Jesus Christ paid the sin debt of his people and they will
never have to face the judgment on account of the fact that he
was condemned in their room instead in their place. For us refers,
I believe, to a specific people. for whom Christ was made sin,
whose sins were effectually born and put away by Him. Isaiah tells
us exactly who they are. Christ was made to be sin for
us who believe the gospel in verse 1. For us to whom the arm
of the Lord has been revealed also in verse 1. And then by
those who are healed by his stripes, in verse 5. And those who are
his generation, in verse 8. And those who are his people,
also in verse 8. Who are his seed, in verse 9. Who give satisfaction to his
soul's travail, verse 11. Who are justified by the knowledge
of him, verse 11. For whom he makes intercession,
in verse 12. In other words, The Lord Jesus
Christ was made to be sin for God's elect. Those who are saved
by His almighty grace through the merits of His atonement and
His being made sin for us has effectually secured our eternal
inheritance for us. for the transgression of my people
Isaiah 53 verse 8 says without question these words teach us
that the Lord Jesus Christ died for and redeemed a particular
people now I'm not being mean and I'm not going to apologize
for what I believe and what I believe the word of God teaches I am
jealous for the honor jealous for the glory of my God in Jesus
Christ. And I want to say that while
we're not trying to be mean, and I don't want you to hold
anyone else responsible for what I'm preaching to you this morning,
it gives me no particular pleasure to tell people that there are
some people who have lived in this world and have passed out
of this world, and there are some people who are living now
and are going to die, as sure as we're here this morning, for
whom Jesus Christ did not die. But I must, my friend, insist
upon this. If I told you that Christ died
for all men alike in an effort to redeem all men, the implication
of my doctrine would be that salvation is determined not by
what Christ has done for men, but what men do themselves. And this is contrary to the Word
of God. Romans 9 and verse 16 says, So then, it is not of him
that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth
mercy. It does not give great pleasure
to tell sinners that Christ Jesus, it does give me great pleasure
to tell sinners that Christ Jesus died. for poor, perishing, hell-deserving
sinners, and of all those for whom He died will be saved by
the merit of His sin-atoning sacrifice." That's a pleasure
and that's a joy to be able to make that statement that the
Lord Jesus did indeed die for sinners, that He did suffer the
wrath and the judgment of God because He was numbered with
the transgressors, because He did stand in the room instead
of sinners, and that everyone for whom He died, they most surely,
by the effectual call of God's amazing grace, will be brought
to everlasting salvation in the Lord. The Word of God plainly
teaches that our Lord Jesus Christ died as a substitute in the place
of some of Adam's fallen race, but not all. You can read clearly
in John chapter 10 where the Lord Jesus Christ said that he
laid down his life for the sheep. He laid down his life for the
sheep. And then he looked over at some and spoke to them and
said, you're not of my sheep. You believe not because he are
not of my sheep. Now Christ died to make satisfaction
for our sins. He died to satisfy the justice
of God on the behalf of our sins. for the sins of his people so
that God might be just and the justifier of all who believe. Romans 3 verse 24 through 26. Because God is just, we know
that he cannot punish sin twice. Once in the sinner's substitute,
and then in the sinner himself. God cannot do that and be just.
If God punished my sin in the Lord Jesus, He cannot punish
sin in me too. That would not be just, that
would not be equitable. A belief in God's justice and
righteousness will not allow us to accept the notion that
Christ died for any who will ultimately perish under the wrath
and judgment of God. That would be a travesty of justice. There would be a holiday in hell
and Satan and the demons would rejoice and mock the Son of God
forever if it should ever come to pass that one for whom Christ
died and for whom he tried to save perished in spite of all
of his effort in his redemptive work. Well, my friends, Satan
and the demons of hell shall never have such a holiday. Hallelujah! Glory to God! Give Him praise
for every soul for whom the Lord Jesus Christ was stricken will
be with Him in eternal heaven. He will see to it. The Bible
says he shall not fail nor be discouraged. The Word of God
nowhere suggests, as men blasphemingly assert, that Christ died trying
to save those who finally perish and go to hell. The axe must
be laid to the root of the tree. There are seven charges that
I lay against the doctrine of universal redemption and against
all who preach that doctrine. Number one, universal redemption
would make the blood of Christ of none effect. It says that
the blood of Christ did not actually accomplish and secure anything
but only made certain things possible if the will of man be
joined to it. We do not believe any such doctrine
as that here. We believe that the blood of
Jesus Christ, that we preach and accomplish salvation. We
believe that the blood of Jesus Christ bought a specific people,
that he bought that people and he most surely will have them. They're called in the Bible his
sheep. They're called the elect in the Bible and He most surely
bought them and He will have them regardless of whether man
is willing or whether he isn't. God will make His people willing
in the day of His power. Now secondly, universal redemption
would destroy the love of God. You say, I believe in the love
of God. God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should
not perish. but have everlasting life. People
make much of the love of God. But the love of universal redemption
makes the love of God meaningless and changeable. Does God at one
time love a man enough to slay his own son on his behalf and
another time hate that man to the point where he would send
him to hell? I don't think so. Never, never,
never. I believe that if God loves a
man, that man is mighty well off. He is mighty well-off. If God loves you, God commendeth
His love toward you that while you was a sinner, Christ died
for the ungodly. He died for the ungodly. He died
for you, and He's not about. Somebody said, I think God loved
me a day before yesterday, but then yesterday I don't think
He loves me anymore. Well, my friend, you're not dealing
with a man when you're dealing with God. The Bible says that
His love is everlasting, that it's from old time, and that
if God ever loved you, He loves you today. You cannot cause God
to love you, and you cannot cause Him not to love you. He loved
you for reasons known only to Himself. Quit looking for a cause. Quit looking in yourself for
a cause for the love of God. Now then, we don't want to make
the love of God meaningless and changeable because God is immutable
and God will remain the same. Praise His name. Number three,
universal redemption would destroy the justice of God. Where is
the justice of God if he can punish the same offense twice? Once in Christ and again in the
soul for whom he died. Where is the justice of God?
Number four, universal redemption would destroy the wisdom of God.
What wisdom can there be in God devising a plan to save every
person in the world when he knew that in the end that plan would
fail? Where would the wisdom of God
be in that? We're representing an all-wise God. The Bible pictures
to us an omniscient God, a God who is all-wise. And certainly
he would not be the author of a plan that would embrace the
whole universe and that his wish would be that all of them would
be saved and then at the last he would end up losing them because
his plan failed. We don't represent that kind
of a God. The God of the Bible is all wise. and he cannot err. He's too wise to err, too holy
not to do right. Universal redemption number five
would rob God of His glory in saving sinners. If after all
it is my faith rather than Christ's blood that redeems my soul, why
should I give Him praise? Why should I give Him glory?
This is so important that we see this. If after all it can
be proved that it was my decision for Christ that made the difference. If after all it can be proven
it was my little faith, and certainly we here do not believe that it's
our faith that saves us. We believe that it's the faith
of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. We believe it's that which is
a gift of God. The Bible says, for by grace
ye are saved through faith. That not of yourselves, that
not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest
any man should boast. Don't let anybody stand and boast.
saying that they believed God, they trusted in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Well, my friend, behind all of
that believing and trusting stands the God of truth, the God of
revelation, and the God of wisdom, and the God of faith. And He
gives the gift of faith to those who He has chosen and has given
to His Son. So my friend, we need to glory
in this God and give Him all the glory and the salvation of
a sinner. He bought the sinner with His blood and He drew the
sinner by the effectual working of His Holy Spirit. He brought
conviction upon them, He revealed the truth to them, and He brought
them out of their sin to acknowledge Jesus Christ. This is the work
of God and we give Him glory and we give Him praise. Not unto
us, not unto us the psalmist said, but into His name give
glory. So we give glory for what He's
done. Number six, universal redemption would make the death of Christ
a vain thing. A vain thing. If one soul perishes
for whom Christ died to that extent, he died in vain. He died
in vain. Would anybody here believe that
he would have died in vain? Certainly we do not believe that.
The Son of God shed his blood. The Son of God hung on Calvary's
cross. The Son of God was made to be
sinned. The Son of God purposely was
forsaken of the Father. God forsaking God on the cross. Would that death, would that
forsaking be in vain? Absolutely not. We believe here
that Jesus Christ died triumphantly. He died as a substitute and that
he died indeed to rescue and to save everyone that God the
Father had given to him in the everlasting covenant. Number
seven, universal redemption would provide a sinner with no motive
to love and to serve Christ. Listen to me carefully if he
loved me no more than he loved Judas. Did he love you more than
he did Judas? Well, my friend, the Bible says
that Judas went out and hung himself and Judas went to his
own place. I believe Judas died and went
to hell. And I believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has not appointed
me to wrath, you to wrath if you're a believer this morning
on the Lord Jesus, but to obtain salvation through Christ. He's
appointed you to that end. And I do not believe that the
Lord Jesus Christ would die in vain. I do not believe it. If
He loved me more than He loved Judas, if He loved me more than
He loved Judas, I'll give Him glory, I'll give Him praise.
Why should I love Him any more than Judas did if He did not
love me more than He loved Judas? Now, beloved, when we see a soul
saved, when we see somebody brought out of their sin, when we see
somebody reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ, we know
that God loves that individual. We know that God loves them,
and God has made a difference in their life. Who hath made
you to differ? Who's made you to differ? You
all know people around you, you that are believers here, know
people around you that are yet in their sin. And Jesus said
to those Pharisees in his day, if you believe not that I am
he, you will die in your sins. And it appears that these people
are going to die everlastingly, to die, to die, to die, never
to have the salvation of the Lord. Now, beloved, if that be
the case, then we must conclude that God has made a difference
in the lives of those that save, a difference between them and
those that die. And the difference is God truly
does love them. He truly does love those that
are saved. And when we find out that He
first loved us, that He loved us before we ever loved Him.
When we find that out, then, beloved, we cannot help but serve
Him. We cannot help but serve Him. We cannot help but live
for His glory and His honor. He loved us unto salvation and
loved us out of the pit and loved us unto everlasting life. We
love Him because He first loved us. He first loved us. Now, in
1 John 3 and 16, It says, Hereby perceive we the love of God,
because he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down
our lives for the brethren. We perceive the love of God because
he laid down his life for us. He laid it down. He laid it down
for us. And we see his love in that. We see his love in that. And
can a man for whom he did not die, can he see the love of God? Absolutely not. He will never
see the love of God. He'll perish. and he will perish
forever. And so, beloved, it says that
we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren, if he
laid down his life for us. Now then, we've tried to ask
and answer the question, for whom was the Lord Jesus Christ
slain? For whom? For whose sin Was He
crucified? For whose sin did He pay for? And we've told you that it was
for His people. For the transgressions of His
people was He stricken. And then I would like to ask,
at the close here this morning, why? Why did He do this? Why did He die on the behalf
and the stead of His people? I cannot answer this question
fully. Because I believe we will be spending eternity trying to
discover the answer to this question. But there are some things about
the question which I think we do know. Why did he lay down
his life for his people? Why did he do that? There are
some things that we do know. In order to attain this understanding,
there are seven great goals I believe that God had in His heart whenever
He made His Son to be sin on our behalf. First of all, it
is that He, God, might be satisfied. You got anything against God
being satisfied? I believe that God deserves to
be satisfied on behalf of our sin. God could not rest. His purpose of grace could not
be satisfied until sin was completely removed from the chosen objects
of His eternal love and His justice could not be satisfied for the
removal of their sins except as they were laid on the God-man,
the Lord Jesus Christ. And so God was satisfied when
His Son became sin for us. He knew no sin, but He became
sin. He was made to be sin for us. And this was God's satisfaction
that His people were purged forever by the blood of His Son Christ. And so God is satisfied, well
satisfied, on behalf of all of His people. Secondly, that He
might show the world the exceeding horrid loathsomeness of sin. Now sin is so obnoxious and abhorrent
to a holy God that when He found sin upon His own dear Son, He
withheld not His wrath. Now we just said that according
to 2 Corinthians 5 and 21 that He was made to be sin for us. Now, beloved, when you look at
the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, you see what God thinks of sin. You see how horrid it is. You
see how obnoxious unto God that sin is when you look at Calvary. Because we know that the Lord
Jesus Christ was suffering there on that cross, not because he
had sin. He was suffering there because
we were sinners. He was suffering there in our
room. He was suffering there because
the Father had made Him to be sin for us. And so God dotted
his eyes and crossed his teeth at Calvary and exacted from the
Lord Jesus Christ full payment for our sin and showed us that
sinners that die without Christ will suffer eternal vengeance
in the lake of fire. If you die and go to hell, your
sin yet being on you, my friend, you will suffer For all eternity
in hell, Jesus suffered on the cross on behalf of his people.
That's the only way we're spared. The only way we're gonna miss
hell is that Christ died and suffered the vengeance of a holy
God on our behalf. And that's how we're gonna miss
hell, friend. The payment was made by the Lord
Jesus Christ. But do you see how exceeding
horror and obnoxious to God that sin is, that He would punish
His own Son when He found sin had been laid upon Him. Now then,
the third reason why is that He might commend to us His infinite
love toward His elect. Now, beloved, the love of God
is seen in a thousand places, and the Bible says God is love,
but we know the measure of His love only by the sacrifice of
His Son in the place of His people. And we quoted John 3.16 a while
ago, and we also quoted 1 John 3.16, and in 1 John 4, verse
9, it says, Herein is love, not that we love God, not that we
love God, but that God loved us and gave His Son to be a satisfaction
for their sins. So the Lord Jesus Christ, His
love is seen in the Lord Jesus laying down His life on their
behalf. And then Romans 5, 8, the verse
we've quoted a couple times already this morning that says that God
has commended His love toward us in that Christ died for the
ungodly. So it is that He might commend
to us His infinite love toward His elect. and then fourthly
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him now God was determined
to have a people as pure and holy and as clean as himself
in whom to show forth the glory of his grace Ephesians 1 verse
3 through 14 if you would take your time sometime work your
way through those verses you'd see exactly what we're saying
there or what we're seeing in those verses we see this that
according to those scriptures in the fourth verse of Ephesians
1 according as he has chosen us in him according as he has
chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be
holy and without blame before him in love God's people are
holy without blame before him and it's because of the love
of God that we are so because it was through Christ being made
sin for us that we've been made the righteousness of God in Him.
And I would also point out that we're not talking about here
a righteousness that is inferior to God Himself. We're talking
about a righteousness that is of God. We're talking about God's
righteousness who is a person and that person Now then, do
you know this person? If you truly know this person
in regenerating grace, then you are as righteous as God himself. Through faith, you have believed
unto righteousness, and you are righteous before God. Righteousness
could not be imputed to us until our sins were imputed to Christ. Once they were imputed to Christ,
that's a bookkeeping term, accredited. Once they were accredited to
Christ's account, then righteousness could be credited to our account. Number five, and I'm hurrying
here, I hope you can see that, that believing sinners might
have a strong consolation in this world. Why did God lay sin
on Christ? Why did He? And that is because
when a believing sinner believes, that truth of imputed sin to
Christ and imputed righteousness to the sinner, that individual
in the midst of the trials and the temptations, the inward corruption
and the outward sins, my soul under God, how afflicted are
the people of God in this life, still with a corrupt nature,
still with a nature that is sinful, And we know that the Word of
God teaches that if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.
And the truth is not in us. The Word of God says that if
we go out and declare that we're without sin, that the truth of
the Word of God is not in us. We do not know His Word. We do
not know His truth. And so it's a great consolation
to know that we stand righteous before God and that we have indeed
been accepted of God by and through the Lord Jesus Christ and that
we're never, never to be rejected. Never, ever to be rejected. Now, most of us here at one time
or other was rejected by somebody in this life. But it's wonderful
to know that once we've been accepted by God in Christ Jesus,
that we will never, ever be rejected again. because our righteousness
is the righteousness of the God-man, the righteous one himself, our
advocate, the Lord Jesus Christ. So we have a strong consolation
in this world. Now the sixth thing, the sixth
reason is that his elect might be freed from all the fear of
condemnation. Since Christ has been made sin
for us, sin shall never be able to bring us into condemnation. We read in John chapter 5 verse
24, Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word,
and believeth on me, on him that sent me, shall never perish,
they shall never come into condemnation, but they have passed from death
unto life. They shall not come into condemnation. Romans 8.1 says, There is therefore
now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. No condemnation. So he's elect or freed from all
fear of condemnation. Do you really believe you're
justified? Do you really believe that? Do you really believe it? God said through this man, Jesus
Christ, that we have been justified from all things from which we
could not have been justified by the law of Moses. Do you believe
that you're justified this morning from all things? Justified, clear,
Absolved, no longer standing guilty before God, that you've
been completely released and you're free in the Lord Jesus
Christ. If the Son shall make you free,
you'll be free indeed. Do you believe that? Justified,
just as if you'd never committed a sin. That's the standing you
have before God. That's why God laid sin on Christ.
So that we would be free from the fear of condemnation. We don't have to ever believe
that will be condemned. Hallelujah! And you could read
verses 32 through 39 of Romans chapter 8 and you'd be blessed
if you would read those verses. It says in those verses, who
shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that
justifies. It is God that justifies. No
one can lay anything to their charge. Praise the Lord. Well, the last thing is that
we might inherit the glory and the bliss of eternal life in
heaven. Well, is that a small blessing? Absolutely not. Hallelujah that
we're going to inherit the glory and the bliss of eternal life.
Christ was made to be sin and died under the penalty of sin
so that his people might receive as a, listen to me, lawful, purchased,
possession, eternal life. Now let me just back up just
a little bit. Now we might receive it not as
a reward for our lifelong obedience. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
no. The verses was read out of Titus
3 this morning that says, not by works of righteousness which
we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us by the
washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, the
renewal brought about by the Holy Ghost. And so it's not by
works. 2 Timothy 1 and 9 says that who
has saved us and called us, not according to our works, but according
to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ
Jesus before the world began. I'm talking about a lawful purchased
possession. Who bought it? I'm telling you
we didn't buy it. Possession cannot be purchased
by us. This possession was purchased
by the God-man. It was purchased by the Lord
Jesus Christ. He bought it and He paid for
it. It is our possession, eternal
life, but He bought it and paid for it. And so we can give glory
and we can give praise unto Him. We've tried to ask and answer
two questions. For whom was sin laid on Christ? and why was it laid? And I hope
this morning that those of you that know the Lord will rejoice
and be glad because your sin was laid on Him and God had a
purpose in doing it. And praise His name, He's satisfied
and if you're right in your heart and mind this morning you'll
be satisfied too and you'll glory in the God of your salvation.
Those of you here this morning that this seems to be a very
strange Doctrine to a strange teaching I tell you what you
need to do soberly read the Word of God Read and meditate ask
God to lead you into truth Be willing to follow the truth when
he leads you into it the Bible says if any man Will do my will
he will know the doctrine whether or not it be of God or whether
or not it be of man I hope this morning that God has been honored
and And if God has been honored, and if Jesus Christ has been
in our midst, we had a good service regardless of whatever else happened.
May the Lord be glorified, may He be honored. Let's stand to
our feet.