"Being Thankful for II Cor. 5:21"

I also like you to our program, you know the tremendous honor God is to be on stations all around the nation bringing the truths of God's word as it is uncompromising and straightforward and I'm so glad you tuned in to listen and be part of that. Thanks again for your support and your generosity that keeps us on the radio and now let's get to the word of God. Now I don't know about you but I would bet like I gave thanks to God for some things this weekend.

Maybe some of us.

Thank God for our jobs, or for our families are for Holmes or for hell. Or maybe we thank God for our children and our grandchildren or for our friends are for our parents. Maybe many of us. Thank God for America for the men and women in uniform that are out there right now defending our nation.

You know I thank God for all those, but I thank God for something else this week to was a verse from the Bible.

Second Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21 and the reason I thank God for this verse is because if you weren't for the truth of second Corinthians 521.

None of us would have our sins forgiven today. If it weren't for the truth of second Corinthians 521. None of us would have eternal life today.

If it weren't for the truth of second Corinthians 521. None of us would be on our way to heaven. When we left this earth.

And so I want to talk to us today about second Corinthians 521 because I believe is one of the greatest verses in all, the word of God as a matter fact I believe it's so great that it ought to be hung in every NFL end zone at the stadium right next to John 316. Say wow must be great verse. It is, and here's what it says let me read the whole verse to second Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21 says God made him who knew no sin to become sin on our behalf that we might become righteous in God's sight through him now. This verse is made up of four separate phrases and what I want us to do is look at each one of these phrases individually and squeeze out of them all of the spiritual truth.

God put in them and then we'll put the verse back together and I'm telling you it's going to rejoice our hearts when we see with this is really say. So are you ready I go phrases number one God made him who knew no sin to him. Here is obviously the Lord Jesus Christ and the Bible tells us that he knew no sin that the Lord Jesus was a sinless being who live a sinless life in this truth is of monumental importance theologically cause to be John 129. The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world he the Passover lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ had to be Exodus 12 five tells us blemish list perfect without defect or fault or sin in any way, but this problem the problem is that the Bible also tells us that every human being born from the union of sperm and egg has the sin nature, listen first John chapter 1 verse eight says if we have no sin nature we say we have no sin nature. We are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. And David was referring to this very thing when he said in Psalm 51 verse five in sin did my mother conceive me. Now what David is talking about here is not that his mother conceived him as the result of some kind of sexual sin.

That's not what he's talking about. He is referring to the fact that when he was conceived up in his mother's womb righteously and beautifully by his father and his mother.

He inherited this sin nature that Adam and Eve's disobedience to God brought on the entire human race is what the apostle Paul is talking about Romans 519 when he says to the disobedience of one man, Adam, all of us were made sinners. This is a problem because if the Lord Jesus Christ had possessed the sin nature, then he wouldn't have been a sinless being and he wouldn't have live a sinless life, which means he couldn't have been the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and my friends. As many of you know this is what the virgin birth is all about. It made sure that the body of Jesus was not the result of human sperm and human egg meeting which means that Jesus's body did not have a sin nature, which means Hebrews 415 that Jesus was tempted in all things as we are yet without sin, which means that Jesus was able to meet the criteria and meet the conditions that the Passover Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world had to meet Jesus new no sin brace to God made him who knew no sin to become sin on our behalf. And where did this happen friends it happen on the cross in a divine transaction that you and I will never understand the Bible says that as the Lord Jesus Christ hung on that cross that God laid upon him all the sins of the world listen. Isaiah 53 verse six all of us like she have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way and the Lord has laid on him the Messiah, Lord Jesus Christ, sins of the soul. The apostle Paul reverberates the same truth in the New Testament.

He said Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us on the cross is a long-awaited. How did God do this. I mean, what was the precise mechanism that God did transfer all the sin of the world on the Jesus as he hung on the cross will print how in the world, though I don't know but I say what I do know when we say what I do know what I do know is that the Bible says that this transfer did take place and what I do know is that the Bible says that we don't need to understand it and we don't need to explain it and we don't need to be able to decline it. All we need to do. The Bible says, is to believe that and to embrace it and to appropriate it for our own lives and take advantage of it. That's what I know God made him who knew no sin to become sin for us on the cross brace number three that we might become righteous in God's sight. Folks, this is the great news of the Bible that because of what Jesus did for you and me on the cross, shedding his blood to pay for our sin. You and I as on holy as we are can become righteous in God's sight. There is there is.

That's what the whole Bible is about in and listen. Romans 10 verse four. Jesus Christ is the end of the law for what for righteousness to everyone who believes man do I love that to everyone friends you will have to clean yourself up you have to dress yourself up. You don't have to wash yourself up you have to fix yourself up. All you got to do is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and to everyone on that matter what you God. Where you been what you said none of that matters to everyone they become righteous in God's sight. Chapter 5 of Romans verse one.

Therefore Paul writes, having been declared. What righteous in God's sight by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. God buries the hatchet with us because of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And finally, Romans 519. For just as through the disobedience of one man, Adam. Many were made sinners, so through the obedience of one man, the Lord Jesus Christ. Many will be made. What what righteous yes say, but long when not really righteous. I mean even after we trust Christ as our Savior were still sinners through and through is not correct, totally correct, disabled, and I don't get how in the world. I don't see how did God see me as righteous when I'm not righteous. My friends, that is a profound theological question found an answer, except were not an answer with a profound answer because I'm not a profound person actually I don't claim to be a profound person. I hate profundity because I came understand people talking about. I'm not an intellectual. I'm not a pseudo-intellectual I'm a simple guy and I like things simple about you you like things simple. Yeah so let me answer your question with a simple but correct answer. How can God see us as righteous were really not well, friends. It's a lot like Superman.

To be honest with you, you member Superman had all these great powers. Remember in one of these great powers that he had was what x-ray vision that okay, but there was one thing Superman could not see through what was it let kryptonite. No kryptonite is what killed them. No, no, no, go read Superman no. It was led led. He couldn't see through right so if you were hiding behind a lead screen. Even with all of his power. Superman could not see. You could all he could see was that lead screen, not friends. This is exactly the way the blood of Jesus Christ were God's Superman's judgment is his x-ray vision and the blood of Jesus Christ is that lead screen and when you and I are behind it. God doesn't see us. He sees the blood of Christ and the righteousness of Christ and that's where it stops. We hide behind the blood of Christ as our one and only payment for sin that blood is that lead screen that hides our sin from God's judgment and you know this is exactly the way the Passover lamb work if you remember 3500 years ago in Egypt.

God said to the Israelites.

I want you to take the blood of the Passover lamb put it on the doorpost you house and get inside your house and high behind that blood. Exodus 1212 for I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn and I will execute judgment for I am the Lord, and the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are for when I see the blood, I will pass over you know plague will touch you when I strike Egypt folks remember any Israelite out in the streets that night and not behind a bloodstained door lost his firstborn son, and any Egyptian we don't know that there weren't even any Egyptian who might've been behind a bloodstained Israelite door had his firstborn spared. Why, because the issue that night was not nationality. It was not religion.

It was not fame or fortune or power. It was the blood who was hiding behind the blood friends. This is still the issue today, when we hide behind the blood of Jesus Christ. The way these Israelites hid behind the blood of the Passover lamb. God agrees to Passover us in judgment, just like he passed over them.

3500 years ago and why does God do this because God no longer sees us in our unrighteousness. He only sees the Lord Jesus Christ and I and and his blood as our Passover lamb, shielding our citizens from view behind his perfect righteousness.

Now you understand that you get that Superman is God x-ray vision is God's judgment. The blood of Christ is the lead screen and people behind it are say you get that you see that RI will we need to say, praise the Lord, or thank God or something for that, a man and let me just say I just shared with you the greatest theological truth in the history of all mankind, and it deserves more than can we give it an appropriate round of applause that you cooking gas now were good now but there's 1/4 phrase, we can leave it out. You go God made him who knew no sin Lord Jesus to become sin on our behalf on the cross, that we might become righteous in God's sight because of his blood. It comes phrase number four that we might become righteous in God's sight through him. This is the grandest transaction in the history of the human race but friends. This transaction only takes place at one location in the universe and that is through the Lord Jesus Christ and what he did for us on the cross, which is why Jesus declared John 14 six I am the way the truth and the life here comes the operative word. You ready. Nobody that your operative word. Nobody gets into heaven unless they get there by way of me, don't you.

Anybody tell you that all roads lead to God, and it doesn't matter which road you take were all going to end up at the same place that's not true that's not true. That is a lie of the devil, and you follow that and you will end up in hell. My friends is just as simple. That's not what Jesus said.

Jesus said nobody gets into heaven except through me. And don't you let anybody tell you that Jesus himself never claimed to be the only way to get into heaven and get to God, but that his followers made that up later. That is not true.

That is a lie of the devil and that will land you in hell. Also, Jesus claim that he was the only way to get into heaven over and over and over again. If you're going to reject Jesus's lease rejecting for what is really saying I hope you won't hope you accept them for what is really saying that it's only through him. This is what Peter said acts chapter 4 verse 12 he said, salvation can be found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven, not Buda, not Mohammed.

Not Confucius, not Joseph Smith not Mary Baker Eddy. Not L Ron Hubbard not Rabbi anybody there is no other name under heaven, by whom we can be saved but the name of Jesus Christ. There is only one location in the universe, where God's judgment is blocked and doesn't see through to us and that is in Jesus Christ..! A man so let's repeat our verse God made him who knew no sin Lord Jesus Christ to become sin on our behalf on the cross, that we might become righteous in God's sight through you and as followers of Christ. This is what we celebrate we celebrate communion, we celebrate the fact that we stand righteous in the sight of a holy God because of the blood covering the sinless Messiah provided for us on friends one of greatest verses in the Bible it sums up the entire gospel one verse, and it should hang not only in every end zone in every stadium in the NFL.

Friends, this verse should hang in our hearts. No Thanksgiving weekend my wife and I drove down to see my youngest son John who is working at Duke Hospital and as you know, I went to Chapel Hill so I tried to talk him into working for UNC but it didn't work so I walked in. We walked into his home to visit him and his family here on the floor is Duke sweatshirt and I was like what are you serious you can be serious. It is likely that I needed a sweater to get cold down here to do tried to Chapel Hill 8 miles away. I'll pay you for the gas doing what you doing well anyway, it was painful really was, but on Thanksgiving day. John said he did. How would you like to drive over to Chapel Hill and just, show us a few of you know those special places you remember I said I really like that John and so we drove over. I didn't want you to Chapel Hill 25 years because well and I don't know is just a lot of painful memories.

There was no reason particularly to go there so we drove over and one of the places I show them was the very spot on Franklin Street, downtown Chapel Hill where I first met Bob Eckardt the man to share Christ with these. I remember the exact square of concrete on the sidewalk where he was standing right at the post office and then I showed him right where Bob Eckardt was standing when he gave me my very first Bible to read which happened to be right on the very same square of concrete and then I show them where it was when I first told Bob Eckardt that I'd asked Jesus Christ in the my life actually was the same square. Bob always went to the same square of concrete as we stood there, where I actually did stand there as we rode by their I you know I wasn't sure how I was going to react but I got very emotional which surprised me a little bit but you know, I just remembered myself as a 22-year-old college student lost as a shaper having no idea where I was going where I came from, what is going to do with my life was being so self-destructive it was unlikely I'd even last out of my 30s and meeting this man talk to me about the power of cross, you know, folks are never recovered from the power of the cross and I hope that you know the power of the cross in your life. I really do. I hope you can remember a block of concrete or a piece of grass or a church pew or whatever, where the power of the cross suddenly became yours because if you can. You've never gotten over the that's what we celebrate your every week, not religion power.

The cross, thank God, power of the cross.

Heavenly father, thank you so much for summing up in this one verse. The entire message of the Bible and I pray heavenly father that we would embrace this truth and make it ours. We would avail ourselves of what Jesus did for us on the cross and that it would hang in our hearts is a mighty banner summarizing everything we believe everything we are and everything we stand summarizing our entire hope so Lord speak to us deeply from this verse today we pray these things in Jesus name God's people said been listening to send letter to Dr. Lon Solomon said, when is an outreach of Lon Solomon ministry to listen to today's message more.

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