Now we're turning again to this
text read earlier, 2 Corinthians 5. I want to try to bring this
to study and hit a few high points here from verse 17 down through
verse 21. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 17 down
through verse 21. And I'm entitling the message
from these verses, The Old, Old Story. We sang that just a moment
ago. Tell me the old, old story. I want to tell it to you one
more time. Of God's love, His sovereign love, His sovereign
mercy. You understand that the Gospel of God concerning the
Lord Jesus Christ is as old as God. It is indeed an old, old
story. It's as ancient and as old as
God Himself. As old as eternity. Before there
was a sinner, there was a Savior. Before Adam fell, the Lord Jesus
Christ stood as a surety of that everlasting covenant of grace.
We read in Scripture about the Lord Jesus Christ being the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world. And remember our study
in Hebrews chapter 13, where it talks about the everlasting
covenant, the God of peace that brought again from the dead to
the blood, the great high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ brought
again from the dead. to the blood of the everlasting
covenant. Let me read that to you. I didn't
quote it just exactly like I would like to. Now the God of peace
that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus that great shepherd
of the sheep to the blood of the everlasting covenant. You see what we have in Christ
is eternal salvation, eternal salvation in Him. Many of you
don't know this, but 21 years ago this Sunday, I stood before
you for the first time as your pastor, 21 years ago, February
1994. My message then and my message
today has not changed in the least bit or slightest degree. We still believe and still preach
that salvation is God's business. We still believe and still preach
that salvation is of the Lord. We've repeated this over the
years. Salvation is of the Lord in its origination. He planned
it from all eternity. Him being delivered by the determinant
counsel and foreknowledge of God. Salvations of the Lord in
His execution. It pleased God to carry out this
eternal salvation. Salvations of the Lord in His
application. God makes application to the
heart of a sinner. It's something that God works
in us by His grace. He makes application. Salvations
of the Lord in its sustaining power were kept by the power
of God. and salvations of the Lord in
its ultimate perfection, predestinated to be conformed to the image
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Whom He did predestinate them
He called, whom He called He justified, and whom He justified
He glorified them forever. What predestination is all about?
Being just like the Lord Jesus Christ. These verses here found
in 2 Corinthians 5, If by the Lord's grace we're given wisdom
and understanding of what is being taught here, we'll indeed
be rooted and grounded in the gospel and we'll have at least
these three things. Number one, we'll have an understanding
that cannot be shaken. If God, by His grace, will teach
us from His Word, the power of God the Holy Spirit, we'll have
an understanding that cannot be shaken. We will not be moved
from the gospel. You see, He's given us an understanding
that we may know Him, that is true. Secondly, we'll have a
sure and everlasting hope in Christ that will never fade away. This is an old, old story, but
it's ever new. Christ in you is the hope of
glory. We have a good hope through grace.
If by His grace He will teach us, we'll not only have a sure
hope, we'll not only have understanding that cannot be shaken, but we'll
have the greatest comfort in every heartache and in every
trial, understanding that our God is God. That He does all
things right. that he never makes a mistake,
that he does all things well, that he'll do with whom he will,
when he will, for his own purpose and glory, for all things are
of God. Now, I want to begin in verse
17 in 2 Corinthians 5, and carefully and prayerfully study these verses,
and then ask the Lord to bless us. and ask the Lord to speak
to our heart and to teach us, to teach us. May we come as little
children and sit at his feet, open our ears and our heart to
receive his word and to receive his truth. Therefore, it says
in verse 17, if any man, that includes you, says if any man,
if any sinner be in Christ. Now, a lot of folks are in religion,
They're in the church. There's a lot of folks in religion
and the church are not found in Christ. It says here, if any
sinner be found in Christ, if any man be in Christ, he is. He is a new creation for he is
the creation of God. We are his workmanship created
in Christ Jesus. We are a new creature. And we see that old things have
passed away. Old thoughts have passed away. And behold, we see all things
are become new. A believer sees all things in
a different light and in a different way. Now, let's look at verse
17 for just a moment. If any sinner be found in Christ, Christ he is he is not will be
he is he is a new creature how are we found in Christ how is
any sinner found in Christ well by his electing grace he hath
chosen us from beginning by his electing grace he chose us and
put us in Christ How is any sinner found in Christ? By his electing
love, by his regenerating grace. For it's not of him that willeth,
nor of him that runneth, but it's God that shows mercy. We're
in the Lord Jesus Christ, not only by his electing love, not
only by his regenerating grace, but we're in the Lord Jesus Christ
by saving faith. Let's turn back or turn over
to Galatians for just a moment. Galatians chapter 3. I think I read this last week.
Galatians chapter 3 verse 26 for you're all children of God
by faith in Christ By faith, that's how it's demonstrated
that we're in Christ by faith in He is the object of saving
faith. So we're in Christ by his electing
love. We're in Christ by regenerating
grace We're in Christ by saving faith saving faith lays hold
of the Lord Jesus Christ. That being true, it says that
old things are passed away. The old way of low thoughts of
God have passed away. The old way of high thoughts
of man have passed away. We've been taught now to think
rightly of God and to think low of ourselves. The old way of
legal self-righteousness, no longer going about to establish
a righteousness of our own. The old foolish thoughts of someone
might say, well, sinner, do the best you can and everything will
be all right. Those old thoughts and the old
ways of self-glory, self-righteousness, they have passed away. For He has taken them away by
His power and by His grace. And then it says, all things
have become new. New. We have in Christ Everything
new. Everything in Christ is new.
It's ever new. It's forever lasting new. We
have a new and living way, the Lord Jesus Christ. His blood
is the covenant of the New Testament. The blood of the New Testament.
We have a new living way through Christ in the Lord Jesus Christ. We have a new name. We have a
new nature, a divine nature. We're partakers of a divine nature.
We have a new family. and we sing a new song. He's
put that song in our heart unto Him who loved us and washed us
from our sin in His own blood. And we've been given by His grace
a new spiritual nature that was not there before. Created in
righteousness, created in true holiness. We are partakers of
a divine nature. That's what happens in regeneration. And that's what He's talking
about here. This is a good description of what happens when God saves
a sinner. Regeneration. This is the work
of God. This is the work of God's grace.
Now, look what it says in verse 18. And all things are of God. In salvation, in regeneration,
in sanctification, in redemption, in reconciliation, In the gospel,
all things are of God. You can't take that too far.
All things are of God who reconciled us. He reconciled us to himself
by Jesus Christ. and has given to us the ministry
of reconciliation." Now, you understand what reconciliation
is. It's a big word, but the meaning of it is very simple.
Let me illustrate it this way. The opposite of reconciliation
is separation. It says in Isaiah 59, 2 that
our sin has separated us from God. That's what happened in
the garden. That's what happened when Adam
sinned. We had separation. Our sin separated us from God. Well, what happened at Calvary?
Reconciliation. He redeemed us by His blood. He put away our sin. He took
our sin from us, separated it. Now we're separated from our
sin. as far as the East is from the West. Therefore, because
of His sacrifice, because of His atonement, the fruit of that
is reconciliation. We have all things are of God
in creation and in providence and all things are of God in
this business of reconciliation. It's reconciliation by the atonement
of Christ, by the at-one-month of Christ. Now let's see if we
can see that in scripture. It's only reconciliation found
in Hebrews chapter 2. It's only reconciliation by the
work of Christ by the blood atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ Hebrews
2 verse 17 Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like
unto his brethren that he might be a merciful and faithful high
priest and think pertaining to God to make reconciliation for
the sins of the people Now as I told you when we studied this
in Hebrews 2, that word reconciliation is also rendered atonement and
propitiation. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
reason His death, the shedding of His blood, is the reason that
we have sin remitted. He obtained for us eternal redemption
with His own blood. He is our propitiation. Turn over here. He is our reconciliation. 1 John chapter 4. 1 John chapter
4, verse 10. Here in His love, 1 John 4, 10. Not that we love God, but that
He loved us and He sent His Son to be the propitiation. the reconciler, the atoning victim,
the reason of our sin being put away. Now if you look back to
Hebrews chapter 1 again, turn back to Hebrews chapter 1 this
time, I should have had you turn here earlier when we were right
here, and this is something that He did Himself, by Himself, with
Himself, with His own blood, He obtained for us eternal redemption. Hebrews 1 verse 3, who being
in the brightness, who being the brightness of his glory,
the express image of his person upholding all things by the word
of his power, when he by himself purged our sin by the sacrifice
of himself. Now find Romans chapter 5. Romans
chapter 5. He reconciled us. All things
are of God. Who hath reconciled us. It's already done. He has reconciled
us. Now look at this here carefully
in Romans chapter 5. Verse 6. Romans 5 verse 6. For when we were yet without
strength and due time, Christ died for the ungodly. were scarcely
for a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure for a good
man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward
us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Much more than being now justified
by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if
when we were enemies We were reconciled to God by the death
of his son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. Not only so, but we also joy
in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received
the atonement, now note, look at the marginal word, reconciliation. Now how is reconciliation made? There can be no doubt in your
mind if you're reading the Word of God that reconciliation is
accomplished by Christ. He redeemed us. He reconciled
us. We read a moment ago in Colossians
1 verse 20, having made peace through the blood of his cross
by him to reconcile all things to himself, and you that were
sometimes alienated, enemies in your mind by wicked works,
yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through
death to present you holy, unblameable, unreprovable in his sight. That's
being reconciled. in Him." What a blessed, glorious
truth we have in this ministry of reconciliation. All things
are of God. Look back at the text. Who hath
reconciled us to Himself by Himself, by Jesus Christ. And then He
has given to us this ministry, He has given to us this message,
how sinners are reconciled to God. We're not reconciled by
anything we do, for I cannot put away my sin. Sin has to be
dealt with before I can be reconciled. I can't do anything about my
sin. Sin is very hard to put away. All the blood that flowed
on Jewish altars, the blood of bulls and goats, cannot take
away sin. But the blood of Christ did. And because he put away sin by
the sacrifice of himself, I'm gonna rejoice in that reconciliation. I'm reconciled to God. God who
is holy, I have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Isn't that good news? That's good news. He reconciled
us because he redeemed us with his own blood. He made us righteous
in his sight, holy, unblameable, unreprovable. He justified us
in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only just God and Savior
and He's given to us this ministry of reconciliation, atonement,
sin put away by the blood sacrifice of Christ. Now verse 19 gives
us some more information to wit That means namely, or we could
say it how. Here's how this reconciliation
took place. God was in Christ. God was in Christ. Who is the Lord Jesus Christ?
He's God. I make no mistake about it. He is God. The Word was made
flesh and dwelt among us. This is what gives such power
and weight to what He said and to what He did. The Lord Jesus
Christ is no amateur rookie. He's the One, the Eternal One,
the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, and in the fullness
of time He came, born of a woman, made under the law to redeem
them. And having redeemed them, He
reconciled them. The enmity is gone. We have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. How that God was in Christ. The Word made flesh and dwelt
among us. Reconciling, now watch this.
Now for whom did He stand? For whom did He come? These people
for whom He stands, they're reconciled. Now make no question about that. They're reconciled. He hath reconciled
us. God was in Christ reconciling
the world unto Himself. Now, preacher, surely that means
that He reconciled all men everywhere that ever lived. That cannot mean that. That cannot
mean that. The word world in Scripture often
means the world of the ungodly. It often means the world of unbelievers. And here it's talking about the
world of God's chosen. Because it says right below that
their sins have not been imputed to them. I want to be in that
world, don't you? I want to be in that group of
sinners, not having my sin charged to me. See what it says there?
This world that he's talking about here has to be the world
of His elect, the world for whom He loves, the church for whom
He loves. He did not impute them. He did
not charge their sin to them. Not imputing. Not imputing. Okay, if He didn't charge my
sin to me, sin has to be paid for. Who did
He charge it to? That's the question, isn't it?
Our sin was charged to the Lord Jesus Christ. It says in verse
21, God made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we
might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Every sinner for
whom He redeemed and reconciled cannot, cannot be lost. Now they're lost for a while,
because we're born lost, but He finds His sheep, and He calls
them out, and He makes them new creatures in Christ Jesus. Because
He reconciled us, He regenerates us. He crosses our path with
the gospel, and He does a work of grace in our heart. He makes
us new creatures. He makes us love the things by
nature that we don't love. Thy people shall be willing in
the day of His power. The Lord Jesus Christ put away
the sin of His people. We call that particular redemption. We call that a definite atonement. This idea that the Lord Jesus
Christ died for all the sins of all men is just not so. It's just not so. It's not according
to this book. For the transgression of my people
was not stricken. The good shepherd lays down his
life for the sheep. All men are not his sheep. Those
for whom he died, they cannot be damned, because the Lord put
away their sin. There's nobody in hell for whom
the Lord Jesus Christ died. We preach and believe a particular,
definite, and effectual atonement. That's the only thing this book
knows anything about. People often say, well, God loves
everybody and Christ died for everybody. If that's so, and
all men aren't saved eternally, then His love is meaningless
and His death is useless. Useless. If He loves everybody
and doesn't save them, what kind of love is that? If Christ died
for everybody and didn't redeem them, what kind of redemption
is that? It's a failed love and a failed
redemption. You see, that makes Him a failure.
This book knows nothing of a failed Savior. It knows everything of
a victorious Savior. Now that's what we preach. That's
what we believe. That's because that's what this
book teaches. Not imputing their trespasses to them. They were
laid upon the substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ. And since
He paid their debt, do they owe it? Do they owe a debt? If you
went down to the mortgage company and some neighbor of yours thought
that he'd be generous to you and found that you had a mortgage
on your property, and he went down there and paid it in full,
and then you showed up one day to make your mortgage payment,
and the banker said, what are you doing in here? You don't
owe anything. Huh? Someone paid it in full. Now, the banker's not going to
charge you, is he? If your neighbor paid it, paid
your mortgage 100%, he's not going to turn around and charge
you again, is he? What kind of banker would he
be? He'd be in jail, wouldn't he? He'd be crooked. You see,
you see the point I'm trying to make? The Lord Jesus Christ
paid the debt of His covenant people and we don't owe it. We
don't owe it. Not imputing their trespasses
unto them. Turn to Romans chapter 4. Romans
chapter 4. Look at verse 6. This is what we call the non-imputation
of sin. That's what we call reconciliation.
Look at Romans 4 verse 6. Even as David also describeth
the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth, imputeth,
Righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose
iniquities are forgiven, whose sins are covered. This is the
blessed man. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. Now, if he can't charge Christ
with my sin, and then turn around and charge me again, can he?
That would make him unjust. That's what happened at Calvary,
my friend. He bear our sin in His own body
on the tree and thank God by His blood He put them all away. Original sin, actual sin. Sin of past, present and future
sin. The blood of Lord Jesus Christ
cleanses us from all our sin. This is what the gospel is all
about. The Lord doing. The Lord's redeeming. The Lord Reconciling. The Lord regenerating. Now then,
look at verse 20. Now then. Okay, what then? What next? Now then. We have this ministry of reconciliation
that's been committed unto us. Now then. We are His ambassadors. We carry this message of a successful
atonement. We carry this message of complete
redemption, reconciliation. We are ambassadors for Christ. As though God did beseech you
by us, we beg you in Christ's stead, now be you reconciled. Be ye reconciled. Be ye reconciled. God's reconciled. Now, lay down
your enmity. We are His messengers. We are
His ambassadors. We speak of Christ and His gospel. Turn back one page, 2 Corinthians
4, verse 5, for we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the
Lord, and ourselves your servant for His sake. Turn one more page,
2 Corinthians 2, verse 17. For we are not as many which
corrupt the word of God, mix, confuse the word of God, but
as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, speak we
of Christ. We're preaching Christ. We're
preaching salvation by Christ, regeneration by Christ. His will,
His way, His word. as though God did beseech you
by us. Now, knowing the terror of the
Lord, we persuade men, bow to Christ. We beg you in Christ's
dead now, put away your hatred, put away your enmity, submit
unto Him. Submit, be ye reconciled. Be
ye reconciled unto God through the one Mediator. between God
and men, the man Christ Jesus. You see, before we were made
new creatures in Christ, there is that natural enmity against
God. The carnal mind is enmity against
God. There is that love for darkness
and there is that hatred for truth. The natural man receiveth
not the things of the Spirit of God. Our message To the rebel
is surrender. Unconditional surrender. Preacher, what should I do? Give
up. Lay down. Believe the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Lay down your shotgun. Submit
and be reconciled. Be reconciled. It reminds me
of this verse. Find Psalm 2. Psalm 2. Kiss the son, you remember that
statement? Psalm number two, verse 11, says, serve the Lord
with fear, Psalm 211, rejoice with trembling, kiss the son,
lest he be angry and you perish from the way when his wrath is
kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put
their trust in him. Now be you reconciled. Believe
the gospel. He that believeth on the Son
hath everlasting life. He that believeth not the Son
shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. Bow to Christ. Submit unto the
Lord Jesus Christ. For this reason, verse 21, and here's the gospel, the whole
gospel message condensed to one verse. For God made him, he, him and
us. You see that? God made him who
knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. Now, this verse speaks volumes. Volumes. Because He hath reconciled
us, this is the only ground of reconciliation. This is one of
the clearest statements in all Scripture that declares unto
us the Gospel of God concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. God made Him, the Lord Jesus
Christ. God laid on Him. God charged to Him the sin of
God's people. Called His name Jesus, He shall
save His people from their sin. God laid on Christ, charged to
His account all the sin of His elect, made Him accountable and
guilty for their sin. That's substitution, isn't it?
Made Him to be sin for us. Substitution. He's my substitute. Christ once suffered for our
sins, for the unjust, that He might bring us unto God. That's
substitution. He is a substitute that satisfied
God. If I have a substitute, he must
be one sent of God, one that is recognized of God, appointed
of God, and approved of by God. And that is the Lord Jesus Christ.
It pleased the Lord to bruise Him in our room and in our stead,
to just suffer for the unjust that He might bring us unto God. Now it says here, God made him
sin for us. Made him the one that holy, how
can he be holy, unblameable, and unreprovable? How can he
be such a great high priest became us, who was holy, harmless, separate
from sin? He had no sin, he knew no sin,
it says here, he did no sin, yet it says he was made sin for
us. This is one of the great mysteries
of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. How our sin by God was
made to meet on Him. He's the one that did no sin. Had no sin. He's the spotless
Lamb of God. He personally, as a man, never
committed one sin. He fully obeyed the law of God
for us and magnified it for us. And yet it says here, he was
made sin for us, in order that we might be made the righteousness
of God. Now, I must have not only redemption,
that is the putting away of my sin, I must have that. I must
not only have reconciliation, I must not only have regeneration,
but you know what else I must have? Righteousness. Do you have righteousness? This
is talking about the righteousness of God. This righteousness is
of God. We're no longer going about to
establish a righteousness of our own. What we read just a
moment ago, blessed is the man whom the Lord imputeth righteousness
without works. We have a justifying righteousness
charged to our account. And you know who it is? It's
just not a thing, it's a person. He is the Lord, our righteousness. But of him are you in Christ,
who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
and redemption. We have the righteousness of
God. Now listen to me, only that which
God provides will God accept. You mean He won't accept my morality? My morality is not my righteousness. My morality is filthy rags in
God's sight. My righteousness before God is
Christ Himself. You see that? Christ Himself. May the righteousness of God
in Him. Last week we had Philippians
3 verse 9. or that we might win Christ and
be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is of
the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ." Aren't
you glad for this? We are reconciled. He hath redeemed
us. And yes, by His grace, He's made
us new creatures. We have submitted and bowed and
surrendered. Or here I am, take me, I'm yours. And He's made us, He's charged
our account righteousness. I have a justifying righteousness
before God. Not by the deeds of the law now.
By the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in His
sight. But I have a justifying righteousness before God and
it's Christ Himself. You see that? The Lord Jesus
Christ Himself. This is the ministry of reconciliation
that we have. Now I pray the Lord will bless. Take these verses here, 17, 18,
19, 20, 21, and look at them. I mean look at them all week
long. I've been looking at these verses
for 30 years or longer. And I never, I never weary of
hearing how He reconciled me unto Him, how He made me a new
creature in Christ.