951. His Vicarious Atonement

Welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. Every school day chapel is a time for the students to gather together around God's word through faithful preaching and teaching the students are challenged and no love and serve God from the sermons preached from the chapel platform today were continuing a study series based on the creed that students recite each day in chapel services, which is a summary of the doctrines of our Christian faith. Today's sermon will be preached by Dr. Dan Oleg or the chairman of the division of Bible in the school of religion will be guiding us through the doctrine of the vicarious atonement of Christ. It is my privilege this morning. Introduce a friend or colleague someone that before even coming to Bob Jones. I've always really enjoyed listening to other 20s, written, or to hear him speak to Dr. Dan Olinger as our speaker this morning is Tahir BJ you since 2000 and before that was a writer and editor and supervisor at the press for 19 years. He chairs our division of Bible and has a PhD and so is incredibly well credentialed to handle the word of God. But in the midst of all of that.

One of the things I love most about him is his passion for truth that comes across in the presentation of that truth.

He is a believer that the teaching of the Word of God ought to be thoroughly vetted that it ought to be strong in truth content, but if we really believe it to be God's truth. It audibly presented in a way that is lively and I've always loved that about him. He has taught Bible courses literally all over the world and China in in several places in Africa in South America in in just different places and his presentation always is greeted with the same response that he brings the word of God to life and I know I'll do the same for us in chapel today and so I'm excited and the doctor.

Dr. Olinger is going to come and bring us the word of God. Check thank you sir morning.

Have you ever felt like you weren't really very good at this whole Christian thing like like your sin is just too much like you just can't stop it, even though you made all those promises. God, I have and a lot more recently than you might think, and I have good news for you this morning. We are continuing in our created series and the phrase the clause we are looking at this morning is that we believe in his vicarious atonement for the sins of mankind by the shedding of his blood on the cross. The key word in that clause is the word vicarious, vicarious, what does it mean well, it means substitutionary. It means that he stood in our place, as we all know our sins stand between a healthy relationship between us and God and we were made to have that relationship. It's what we are designed to do. It's what were for its our whole purpose and yet our sins prevent that from happening and to solve that problem. Jesus paid for those sins in our place by shedding his blood on the cross. I'd like to take some time this morning to dissect that to begin with.

We know that there is this phrase shedding his blood that's fairly gruesome and I'm not the first one to observe have observed that all kinds of enemies of the cross have observed that and a great many recipients of the crosses benefit have observed that as well.

It's not a pretty picture. Why does there need to be shedding of blood. Well, the Bible tells us very clearly what the penalty for sin is. Paul says in Romans six that it's death.

Death penalty for sin. I thought we used the death penalty for only the worst of offenses. Well every sin you've ever committed was committed against God.

It was a violation of his will of his design for us of his design for the whole universe and we know that the intensity of that the offense depends in great measure on against whom it was committed. If I say to one of my students that say he he tells a little joke on me in class and he kind of catches me and sings me, you know like that would ever happen, and I say to him, I know who you are. I know where you live in him and kill you on these days. Nobody would care about that because it's just a student I and Hitler, GA it would be even less.

I know I was a GA for five year. Been there, done that. But if I said to the president of the United States, Republican or Democrat loved or hated. I'm gonna kill you. I'm to get a visit from some guys in dark suits without a sense of humor who talk to their wrists and then I have a bunch of really interesting questions for me. Same offense different recipient different object none present United States is not God.

Although a few of them over the years have been under the misimpression that they were unsure everyone of your sins against God, and there is no penalty sufficient for that sin, death is just the closest we can come to sufficient the Bible tells us that the life of the flesh is in the blood. Leviticus chapter 17 and so that the same law of Moses concludes that without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness there is no remission. There is no dismissal of our sin.

So if our sins are going to be paid for our blood has to be shared.

We have to die in a feeble attempt to pay an infinite price. Well that's not good news. But we all know that there is a substitute, and to that point. I have a question. How can there even be a substitute. What has to happen before there can be a substitute for my sin and my death. Well, the whole idea starts with an object lesson in the Old Testament in the same Jewish law that said without shedding of blood there is no remission for sin.

God himself presented a substitute a lamb sometimes other animals were sacrificed but that the typical sin offering was a lamb. The lamb was not a solution. The lamb could not pay an infinite death any more than you can.

But the lamb.

The Bible said covered our sins and so on top of the ark of the covenant, which is not resting in a government warehouse right now, don't get your theology from the movies on the cover of the ark of the covenant on the top of the ark of the covenant was what the Jews called the covering that Vollrath and it was solid gold and got on it stood a couple of images of cherubim and between those cherubim God said is where I sit, I sit on the covering Or if in on the day of atonement, Yom Kippur Vollrath same word the high priest would go before the Mercy seat sprinkle blood on it and atone for the sins of the people, but they weren't gone they were just covered. That's what the lamb's blood did well other things have to happen before there can be a substitute. Whoever this substitute is has to be able to die because that's the penalty which means he has to be human. He has to be mortal. He must not have sins of his own that he has to die for his death must be available for somebody else. He has to be willing to do it. Jesus said the Son of Man came to give his life a ransom for many. Paul tells Timothy that Christ gave himself a ransom for all he was willing to do it. There are a few people I'd be willing to die for. But the longer I thought about it the less willing the fewer people I'd be willing to die for and I suspect you're in that position to and finally the father has to be willing to accept the whole substitution thing and the Bible tells us that the father laid on him the lamb before the shearers laid on him the iniquity of all of us. Paul tells the Roman church that the father delivered the son up for us all. So the sun is willing and the father's will.

So there can be a substitution there is hope for us. Will that calls out another question why we do well.

The Bible gives at least three reasons. We know that we were created in the image of God were designed to show him to the rest of creation. This is what God is like.

In these ways and our sin has marred that image. We painted horns and a mustache on it. We cracked the mirror, God's not going to let his image live there broken with a mustache and horns on it. He's gonna rescue his image, not because we're all that but because he is God has an eternal plan that is behind the creation of the whole universe and particularly the creation of us and that is to gather from this people who are in his image, a people for his name from every kingdom tribe and tongue and nation to serve him for eternity and to rejoice in his presence and God's plan is not going to be foiled. Paul tells us in Ephesians chapter 5 in verse two, the Christ has loved us, and hath given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God. We talk about the plan and we can talk about the image and those are those are things that make sense to us and we can appreciate but with this third motive, Jesus steps across the threshold into our hearts and he says I'm doing this because I love you how to know if anybody loves you are not okay I love you but not that well some of you have grown up. I suppose believing that nobody loves you and you are probably wrong about that. You probably should pay better attention. But even if you're right if nobody on this earth loves you. If you're like one of the four people you know Hitler, Mao, and all that guy who makes all those phone calls during dinner time and you nobody loves Jesus loves you and I know you been singing that since you were a little kid and that's kid stuff know it's not. It's all the more important to us grown-ups.

He loves us so how far does that substitution go well.

He paid for our sins right Jesus died for my sins. Even saying that since you were to we were over our heads and that billions and billions in debt. It was never going to get paid. It was impossible and he took it all and he just wiped it off the books.

He didn't cover it. He didn't put it in the box with the lid on the top what was inside the ark tables of the law and by implication our violation of all of that and in Jesus death doesn't just cover our sins, it notes them. It eradicates them in vaporizes them and now you're not hopelessly in debt anymore.

You're even a but may I observe that if Jesus wipes out your sin that you still broke your net worth is now zero, which is a lot better than -90 billion but it's still zero Jesus the Scripture says not only died for our sins, he kept the law perfectly, and his righteousness is given to us. He's made us wealthy father made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Jesus stood in our place than by dying for our sins, and by keeping the law for us and giving us his righteousness is there more that there may be.

I'd like to share with you a little theological exercise that we go through in our systematic theology class here in the seminary.

It's a theological exercise is mildly speculative. The points I have made here. So far today are points that I would go to the go to bat for I would go to war for the Bible teaches them their true there's no doubt this is a little speculative and I just lay it out there for you to consider. Turn to Matthew chapter 3 Matthew chapter 3 is one of the gospel accounts of the baptism of Jesus Christ. You know the story John is baptizing at the Jordan, and in the first couple or three paragraphs attitude first couple paragraphs of this chapter we read an account of his work there. Many are coming to him. He is free to hear him preach and he is preaching repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand and people are coming in hearing his preaching and they are repenting they are confessing their sins. And he is baptizing them unto repentance. Verse 11, he says. Indeed, I am baptizing you with water unto repentance, but he that comes after me is mightier than I. I'm not worthy to untie his sandals and he's going to baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire, and in verse 13 Jesus walks into that scene he comes all the way from Galilee. John's near the southern end of the nearer the southern end of the Jordan River and John sees Jesus and his jaw dropped and he says what you even doing here with what you doing. This is a baptism of repentance. You don't have anything repent of what you doing and Jesus says to him, I want you to.

I want you to go along with me here follow my queue. I know what I'm doing.

This is necessary to fulfill all righteousness.

I was at me in what way is the baptism of Jesus fulfilling all righteousness.

Could we maybe take a cue from the principal that were looking at today. The fact that Jesus is our substitute. As Jesus stands with John in the Jordan, he knows that he has come the whole reason he has come is to die in our place and he knows that during his life he is keeping the law perfectly in our place.

Is it possible that by being baptized unto repentance. Jesus is fulfilling all righteousness. In some sense in our place.

He is repenting for us but would it mean what well how is your repentance gone.

He repented most of you claim to have repented and yours. Sorry.

And you said I'll never do that again and you and you have prayed repeatedly since God if you'll forgive me. Just this one time never do it again and you did and you didn't do it. Dig nor did I we can even repent right is it possible the Jesus, the perfect son of God has offered the father of repentance that is worthy of his name on our behalf. Is it possible that the father accepts from his perfect son the repentance that we want to give them but can't were just too weak to carry it through. Is it possible that Jesus even repented for us in our place. I don't know that's a theological speculation but we do know this Jesus, the perfect son of God has done all that we need. He has done it perfectly, and as we are in him. We stand perfect before the father. I have a picture in my mind when I confess my sins, I find it helpful. I know it's not true, but I still find it helpful. I imagine myself standing before the throne of God's righteousness. He is high and lifted up, and his train fills the temple and the house is filled with smoke. The glory of his presence and the seraphim are exalting him as thrice holy and I'm confessing my sin before him yet again and he sits there with a look of puzzlement on his face and uses. I'm sorry I don't know what you're talking about unceasing now I know that picture is not accurate. God knows all he knows better than I do in my sin has hurt him in ways that I can never imagine you don't forget something like that. He knows, but he has obliterated that sin and he will not he can but he will not think on it. He sees me.

Through Christ colored glasses. You stand before God guilty of Adam's sin, but Christ the second Adam stands in your place, your guilty of your own sin every day of your life. From the very earliest days, but Christ stands in your place for the rest of your life however many days. God graciously and patiently gives you to live, you will continue to sin.

That is the unanimous experience of Christians around the world and throughout history but Christ stands in your place.

Every good deed you have ever done has been tainted by your own selfishness and desire for approval and applause, but Christ stands in your place. Even your repentance has been lived out badly, but Christ stands in your place.

God sees you through Christ colored glasses.

Hallelujah. What a Savior. Let's bring father. What can we say in response to your great mercy to your great love your great grace your great plan. Knowing that we would turn against you. You created us anyway. You created us in your image and you set us on a course that would commit the very Godhead to become permanently united with mere creatures, and you have done it willingly and lovingly father, may we rest in those moments of doubt and frustration and year and re-may we rest in the knowledge that Christ stands in our place. And may we rejoice in living for him in him, through him for all the days that you give us. We pray in Jesus name, amen. You've been listening to a sermon preached by Dan Olinger, a professor in the Bob Jones University school of religion. Join us again tomorrow as we continue the series summarizing the doctrines of our Christian faith here on The Daily Platform