Good evening. Would you open
your Bibles with me to 1 Peter chapter 3. There's several verses in scripture
that I think summarize the gospel in one verse. And tonight I want
us to look at one of these such verses that summarize the gospel
in a few words. And that's here in 1 Peter 3,
verse number 18. But I want to, for context, I
want us to begin reading here in verse number eight. So
1 Peter 3, verse eight. Finally, be you all of one mind,
having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful,
be courteous, not rendering evil for evil or railing for railing,
but contrary wise, blessing. knowing that ye are here unto
called that you should inherit a blessing. For he that will
love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from
evil and his lips that they speak no guile. Let him askew evil
and do good. Let him seek peace and ensue
it. For the eyes of the Lord are
over the righteous and his ears are open unto their prayers.
but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. And who is
he that will harm you if you be followers of that which is
good? But, and after ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy
are ye, and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled.
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. and be ready always
to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the
hope that is in you with meekness and fear, having a good conscience
that whereas they speak evil of you as of evildoers, they
may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
For it is better, if the will of God be so, that you suffer
for well-doing than for evil doing. For Christ also hath once
suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring
us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by
the Spirit. By which also he went and preached
unto the spirits in prison, which sometime were disobedient, when
once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while
the ark was preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls, were
saved by water. The like figure whereunto even
baptism doth also now save us, not the putting away of the filth
of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God
by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven
and is on the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers
being made subject unto him. So, as I said, here in Apostle
Peter is giving instruction to believers. And, you know, in
the midst of this instruction, and in case, you know, we were
to start feeling sorry for ourselves, as we sometimes in this life
do suffer, because we do, the Apostle gives us here verse 18,
the example of Christ. And I'm always hesitant to say
that because he's more than our example. We're not saved by an
example. We're saved by the Lord Jesus
Christ and what he did for us as our substitute, as our mediator,
as our surety. He is our example as well, but
more than that, He's our Savior. And this verse number 18, as
I said, I think has a summary of the gospel, and I want us
to look at that this evening. Beginning with the first few
words, for Christ also hath once, once, once 2,020-something years
ago, the eternal, uncreated Son of God was manifest in the flesh. We know that He is the Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world. This has always been the purpose
of God. But when the fullness of the
time was come, He had to take into union with His deity a body
and soul, so that as the God-Man, He could perform all that was
required for the redemption of his people. This was necessary
for the Lord Jesus Christ to come in the flesh, the creator
of the universe, the one who created the planets and stars,
angels, humans, every living thing, every inanimate thing. It was necessary for him to be
made flesh and dwell among men. Turn with me over here to Philippians
chapter 2. I know that everybody here probably
knows all of these texts, but we're going to turn to several
tonight that you know and read them together. Philippians chapter
2 verse 5 says, Let this mind be in you, which
was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought
it not robbery to be equal with God." Not robbery to be equal
with God because he is God. That's the only way to be equal
with God is to be God. There is none like him, right?
So the only way to be equal with God is to Be God, all-powerful,
all-knowing, all-wise, immutable, who being in the form of God,
thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself. He made himself of no reputation
and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the
likeness of men. He was born in a manger. He didn't
come into this world in a to a rich family of great influence. He made himself of no reputation. He grew up in a town called Nazareth. And if you remember what Nathaniel
said to Philip, when Philip said that they had found the Christ,
Jesus of Nazareth, Nathaniel said, can there any good thing
come out of Nazareth? Apparently this was just a town
of nobodies. He made himself of no reputation. Truly great is the mystery of
godliness that God was manifest in the flesh. We sang that song this morning
that he would leave his place on high. You know, when I think
of him leaving his place on high, in Isaiah chapter six, when Isaiah
saw the Lord and the angels round about him, who did he see? He saw the Lord Jesus Christ
before he came into this world. Can you imagine leaving his throne
and coming here to this earth, at the same time still being
on his throne, because he's God? But coming here, being made flesh,
Great is the mystery of Godless that he would leave his place
on high and come for sinful man to die. So once he came into this earth
and once he walked this earth in the role of Jehovah's servant,
he came to serve. He said so. He said, think not
that I am come to destroy the law of the prophets. I'm not
come to destroy, but to fulfill. He came to serve his father. He came to obey the law of God. And he always did the will of
the father. Never sinned in thought or in
deed. And he established a perfect
righteousness. Look over here in Matthew chapter
3 real quick. Matthew chapter three. And verse
13 says, then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John to
be baptized of him. But John forbade him saying,
I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? I love that John said this, and
I can understand why he said it, can't you? I can understand
why he said that. But I'm so thankful that he did,
and part of the reason why he said this has to be so that we
could have the response of our Lord Jesus Christ. And this is
really such a blessing if we can enter into what our Lord
says here in this next verse. John says, I have need to be
baptized of thee, and comest thou to me. Now look at what
our Lord said. And Jesus answering said unto
him, Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfill
all righteousness. Then he suffered them. It becometh
us to fulfill all righteousness. He didn't say for me to fulfill
all righteousness, which of course he did and is true, but he says
it becometh us. Because everything he did, his
people did in him. This matter of being in Christ,
being in Christ and all of the blessings that it encompasses
of being in Christ, is something that we understand by faith only. We read in Hebrews that through
faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word
of God so that the things which are seen were not made of things
which do appear. What that's saying is that doesn't
mean that I understand how God made this universe. I don't understand
that. But I understand that he did,
that he did it. I don't understand, but there
was nothing, and he created everything out of nothing. He said, let
there be light, and light was. That's just so. And I believe
it, and by faith I understand this. And it's the same with
this. He did all the work. The Lord
Jesus Christ, he did all the work. That's true. He did it
all by Himself, for He by Himself purged our sins. He did this
work alone. That's right. And He gets all
of the glory. Right? Absolutely. Amen. He gets
all of the glory. And because I'm in Him, if you're
one of His, because you are in Him, and He is in you, that the
righteousness that He established is my righteousness as well.
it becometh us." Isn't that amazing? He lived a perfect life, one
that God is pleased with. And in him, so did I. The Lord
said, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Is
the father pleased with Christ? Is he? You know he is. You know
he is. And he is pleased with you also
if you are in Christ. That's such a blessing. So once he came into this world,
and once he came in the role of Jehovah's servant, and once
he suffered, once he suffered, you know, our
Lord went about doing good. He went about doing good, performing
miracles, healing all manner of sickness, preaching the gospel,
saving sinners. But while he was here in the
flesh, he suffered. He suffered. He hungered, he
was mocked, he was questioned, ridiculed, and on multiple occasions,
people tried to kill him. We saw this morning, the first
time he preached in Nazareth, they tried to throw him off of
a cliff. And his own disciples often had little faith. And he
was betrayed by one of them. And in his time of need, all
of them scattered and ran away. And we would have done the same
thing. He suffered. Isaiah 53 told us how he would
suffer. He was despised and rejected
of men. A man of sorrows. We sometimes sing that song. Man of Sorrows, what a name. For the Son of God who came.
He was acquainted with grief. And as we hid, as it were, our
faces from him, he was despised and we esteemed him not. He suffered
here in the flesh. But most importantly, he once
suffered, as it says here in our text, for sins. Look at that. For Christ also hath once suffered
for sins. Now, we know that he had no sin
of his own. He never sinned in thought or
deed. So why did he suffer for sins? He suffered in the stead. He suffered in the place for
his people. He suffered for sins because
all the sins of all his people were laid on him. Look at that
and we're here in Peter and Peter chapter 2 verse 21 says, For
even here unto where ye called, because Christ also suffered
for us, leaving us an example that you should follow his steps,
who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth, who when
reviled, reviled not again. When he suffered, he threatened
not, but committed himself to him that judges righteously,
who his own self bear our sins and his own body on the tree.
that we being dead to sins should live unto righteousness by whose
stripes you are healed. He bear our sins in his own body. And again, don't miss that word
once. He once suffered for sins. Normally the first week of the
month, we observe the Lord's table. And we do this in remembrance
of him. He's told us this do in remembrance
of me. We remember his sacrifice. The
bread and wine is not a sacrifice as some would teach. This is
a remembrance. Christ suffered only once for
sins and he suffered the penalty for all the sins of all his people
and it was painful. It was done. The law can demand
no more. There's no more. need for sacrifice. And as they say, this is above
my pay grade, and all of this is above my pay grade. But let's
just for a second try to enter into this. Just try to enter
into this thought. Direct your minds at this, that
the God-man suffered for sins. In Isaiah 53, again, it says,
Yes, there was physical suffering. It was a horrible death. The death on the cross
was a horrible, horrible death. His figure was marred above any
man. But what could make, think about
this, what could make the God-man, what could make the God-man say,
my soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death? He knew what
he was about to go through when God made him to be sin for us,
who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of
God. He suffered for sin. How can the suffering and death
of one person put away the sins of so many? Because of who he is, right?
It's because of who suffered, the God-man. He suffered once for sin, and
that is enough. That's enough. One of the many
reasons the teaching of universal redemption or co-op salvation
is so terrible is when people teach that Christ did his part,
he died for you, he died for your sins, he died for everybody,
and now you have to make your decision for Christ or you have
to do your part to be saved. One of the many reasons this
is so horrible is it brings up this question, why did Christ
suffer then? Why did he suffer? Did he suffer
in vain? Would God the Father send his
son into this world to suffer? We really can't begin to enter
into this, like I said, but the God-man suffered for sins. Did he send his son into the
world and suffer and then leave salvation up to man? That's blasphemy. Turn over to Hebrews chapter
10. I think, if not every time, but
almost every time I'm given the opportunity to preach, I think
we look at these verses. And it's because it's just so
clear. Hebrews chapter 10, verse 11. As every priest standeth daily,
ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices which can
Never take away sins. All those Old Testament sacrifices,
lamb after lamb, goat, ram, bullock, not one time did any one of those
ever put away one sin. And listen, not one thing that
you could ever do could ever put away one sin. These sacrifices
were ordained by God. They were a picture, but they
never put away one sin. And there is not a thing you
can do to put away one of your sins. Nothing. But this man,
the Lord Jesus Christ, this man, after he had offered one sacrifice
for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God, from henceforth
expecting to his enemies be made his footstool, for by one offering
he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. He once
suffered for sins. All right, turn back to, our
text in chapter 3 verse 18. For Christ also hath once suffered
for sins the just for the unjust. That's the gospel teaching of
substitution in a nutshell. The just, that is the Lord Jesus
Christ, for the unjust. Now, substitution is glorious. It is glorious because God is
just. Remember this, God is just and
he will by no means clear the guilty. No means clear the guilty. That's what he said. And how
could he? he would stop being just if he
glossed over sin and didn't punish sin or pretend like it didn't
happen, that would be beneath his person. That would be beneath
his person. What would you think of a judge
who a case was presented to him, maybe a murderer had killed multiple
people and he was clearly guilty, and then the time for sentencing
came and the judge just let him go? That would be unjust. Turn over to Proverbs chapter
17 for a second. Substitution. Proverbs 17 verse 15 says, he that justifies the wicked
and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination
to the Lord." When God saves a sinner, when God saves a sinner,
he does it in such a way where his justice isn't compromised. His justice is not compromised.
How should a man be just with God is one of the greatest questions
that has ever been asked. How should a man be just with
God? And if you've never considered
that question, I pray that God would impress that on your heart. How can a man be just with God?
And how can God justify Well, God in Christ made a way
to justify the ungodly in such a way that his justice isn't
compromised, and that's important. The gospel message is not one
where God is doing something behind the scenes or something
under the table to save his people. No, no, no. When God saves a
sinner, when God justifies a person, it is right and it is just. And his justice and righteousness
and character is not compromised. That's what's so glorious about
the gospel and about Christ, the wisdom of God, how to justify
the ungodly. God took all the sins of all
his people and transferred all that guilt, all the guilt, all
the sin, all the filthiness to the substitute and punished sin
and in turn took the righteousness of that substitute and transferred
it to his people so that we have the righteousness of God. How
did God transfer all the sins of his people to Christ? Somebody? I don't know. I don't. At that point, all of my sins
were future sins, right? And all of the sins of the Old
Testament saints were past sins. But I know this. When God said,
Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my
fellow, saith the Lord of hosts, smite the shepherd. The only
reason the sword of justice was raised was to smite the shepherd,
was to satisfy divine justice. Christ, our surety, dying in
our stead. Christ, the surety of his people,
dying in our stead. Substitution, the just or the
unjust. Now, maybe somebody here is asking
themselves, Was he my substitute? I wish you were asking yourself
that question. Was he my substitute? That's everything, isn't it? Well, let me ask you a question. Do you fit the description here? It says unjust. Do you fit that
description? Not mostly bad with the potential
for change. Not someone who has something
to offer unto God. No, somebody who is unjust, who
knows that all of their righteousnesses, anything that they could produce
would be mingled with sin, would be full of sin. Unjust and deserving
punishment. God would be right to punish
me. Have does that does that fit
you fit that description? Can you fall into that category?
Well, if you fit into that description, let me ask you another question.
Are you trusting in Christ? Because that's what are you trusting
in Christ, because if you are believing on the Lord Jesus Christ,
If you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, He's able to save you
to the other most. And He's able to save all that
come unto God by Him. If you are trusting in Him, He
is your substitute. If you're trusting in Him. Well, back in our text. For Christ
also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that
he might bring us to God. What were the results of Christ's
suffering that he might bring us to God? That's why he did
it, that he might bring us to God. Turn with me to Colossians
real quick. Colossians chapter one. beginning in verse 12, you know,
because we couldn't be brought to God in all our filth and be
accepted. He brings us to God in such a
way that God can accept us. And here's, there's four things
that we'll look at. I'm just mostly going to read
through these, but beginning in verse 12, giving thanks unto
the father, which hath made us meet. That's fit. It made us
meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light who had
delivered us from the power of darkness and have translated
us into the kingdom of his dear son and whom we have redemption
through His blood. There's the first thing I want
us to see. Redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness
of sins. We had to be redeemed. We had
to be bought. And we were bought with the price,
the precious blood of our Savior. And our sins have been forgiven. We're brought to God because
we've been redeemed. We're brought to God because
our sins have been forgiven. And then from verses 15 down
to 19, we kind of, the apostle here talks about how it is that
Christ could do this work. And it's, we'll read through
this, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn
of every creature. For by him were all things created
that are in heaven, that are in earth, visible and invisible,
whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers.
All things were created by him and for him. And he is before
all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of
the body, the church. who is the beginning, the firstborn
from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence.
For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell.
And here's the second thing, and having made peace through
the blood of his cross. We are brought to God because
we have peace with God. There's no reason for us not
to have peace. Our sins have been removed as
far as the east is from the west. we have peace with God. And you that were sometime alienated
and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled,
we've been reconciled to God in the body of his flesh through
death to present you, here it is, holy and unblameable and
unreprovable in his sight. He brought, when he brings us
to God, when it says that he might bring us to God, how is
it that we are brought to God? We are brought holy, unblameable,
and unreprovable in his sight. And that's how we can be with
him because Christ has made us this way. Unblameable in his
sight. That's what matters, right? People,
you know, are always trying to justify themselves in front of
other people and you could, convince me, convince somebody else, but
to be unblameable in the sight of God. That's what Christ has
done for us. Unblameable in his sight. And
in closing, let's go back to our text. The last point. For
Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust,
that he might bring us to God being put to death in the flesh,
but quickened by the spirit. What did our Lord say? He said,
destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. Therefore
does my father love me because I lay down my life that I might
take it again. No man take it from me, but I
lay it down of myself. I have the power to lay it down
and I have the power to take it again. This commandment have
I received of my Father, being put to death in the flesh, but
quickened by the Spirit." When he came forth from the grave
on that third day, just like he said he would, we saw that
this morning. Everything that God said he would
do or says he's going to do takes place. You can count on it. His
word. He said, In three days, I will raise it up." And when
he came out of that grave on the third day, God testified
that everything he said was true. Everything he had come to accomplish,
he did. Sin had been atoned for, everlasting
righteousness was brought in, and he is now seated at the Father's
right hand in glory. And because he is there, We too
have confidence, as he is our head and we are the body, as
he is our husband and we are the bride, that we too will be
there. We have that confidence. And
that's what testified when he came out of the grave. In fact,
the scriptures say that we're already seated with him in heavenly
places. We're already there. Now, we'll
get to experience it. but we're there already in Christ. I pray that the Lord would bless
this to you. And this verse, like I said,
it's the gospel, right? It's summarized right there.
May the Lord bless His word. Let's turn to that hymn.