We Believe in Substitutionary Atonement

Well it on the Sunday evenings were going through the articles of faith of Calvary church and Russia with a mention to someone that we were going to be doing that.

There response was less enthusiastic and thought is not kind of boring. While it might be all of us to speak sometimes are boring. I suppose Lisa were told.

Thank you for your graciousness and not telling us when we are but none of the subjects really are boring and I would suggest that if you find them boring. It is perhaps because you really haven't understood them and so we're going through. We have 15 articles of faith in our Constitution. We have some new members that have the privilege of introducing a few moments at the end of the service and I say to all of the those in the membership class they must read through the Constitution and the particular read the articles of faith, although even during the membership class I we can get into detail with all of them and I'm grateful for my fellow pastors who covered the first three articles of faith of Calvary church as they dealt with the Annunzio of holy Scripture, the Trinity, and that last week Jesus Christ as the son of God. As of this evening of the great privilege of dealing with the fourth article of faith. I let me read it to you.

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures as a representative in substitutionary sacrifice and that all who believe in him unjustified on the ground of his shed blood. And then the number of Scriptures follow. We see this evening that substitutionary atonement is clearly taught in Scripture and then the providence of God, the subject we were dealing with this morning in the first eight verses of Romans chapter 4 is very active in to the study of substitutionary atonement and let's open our Bibles to Romans chapter 5 and read some scriptures and then we will look at this in the little more detail. Substitutionary atonement I'm saying is clearly taught in the word of God. Romans five were not yet. There were distilling will be explored but will get the Lord willing, in a few weeks. Romans five verse six that effect to this verse this morning for why we were still weak, at the right time Christ. This diet for the ungodly is a substitute, he is our representative and if you consider yourself as ungodly wonderful truth is that Christ died for your Christ died for the ungodly. Verse seven for one will scarcely die for a righteous person, though perhaps what a good person one would dare even to die. But God shows his love for us is a beautiful verse in that while we were yet sinners are still sinners, Christ died for us and the sad expression that we are focusing on this evening that Christ died not just that he died.

He did die, but he died for us not turn with me to first Peter first Peter chapter 2 we do come with your Bible that you if you don't there's one in the pew in front of you. First Peter chapter 2 � 24, first Peter 224 Peter writes he that is our Savior.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree doesn't use the normal word for crossing use of the word for treatment just a piece of wood. He himself notices for our sins in his body on the tree wonderful and then in chapter 3, first Peter three verse 18 for Christ also suffered once for sins. This is the ultimate sacrifice which is going to end all of the sacrifices the supreme sacrifice for Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous.

Some translations say the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh and made alive in the spirit notice.

Peter says that this that the suffering on the tree was once for sins doesn't be repeated in communion where we are not repeating the sacrifice of Christ will remembering the one who died once for all. Christ also suffered once for sin, the righteous for the unrighteous, he dies, the just for the on just these are beautiful to central to the Christian gospel truth which fill our hearts with great wonder in worship and call for a response of faith in the life of surrender to this one loved us and gave himself for us know that out of those who see the clip of the cross of Christ as merely an example of obedience and self-sacrifice are those who deny the truth of substitutionary atonement and they say well Christ, that is an example of how we are to give our lives for others, and it certainly that, but is much more. Another view of the cross sees Christ as a conquering victor defeating the hostile spiritual forces and that also is true, but we believe that the death of Jesus on the cross was more than an example. It was more than demonstrating victory over evil.

Christ's death on the cross was a substitutionary atonement as we consider and prepare our hearts for communion.

Let's look a little closer at the strips on the safest of all, that the sinless Christ. This is so important. The sinlessness of Christ, the sinless Christ bears all of our sins on the cross of Jesus did not die for his own sins.

New Testament is very clear that Jesus is sinless. He is conceived of a virgin number how the angel came to Mary in the chapter 1 and said to Mary in this wonderful statement that the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and their part of the highest will overshadow you therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of you is the son of God. He is sinless.

He enters this world and the union in a unique way conceived of a virgin, even the date the demons themselves during the life of Christ referred to Jesus as the holy one of God. Remembering the gospel, surrounded by his critics.

These Pharisees and Sadducees and Herodian's and others who would so long to find fault with them, examined him talked about his words, watch them in his ministry as he performed miracles and plotted his dad desperate to find something wrong to find some flaws. Some defect, some minor issues in the life of Jesus and Jesus. On one occasion, surrounded by his critics at which one of you convicts me of sin, but is not one person here who could say that is not one of us. I could stand surrounded by those who know us and that watch this and say no is anyone here who can convicts me of sin. If I said that my wife is sitting here, she would say yes I live with you for over 40 years and you are not a perfect person. The pastors who work with me would say John yes remember the unkind word, remember that thoughtless act.

Each one of us fall short. We are sinners. Jesus said in John eight verse 29. I always do the things that please the father there anyone here who can say that that you always do the things that please God the father, no we come short, Peter the man of action set of Jesus.

He did no sin, John the apostle of love said of Jesus in him is no sin. Paul, the brilliant intellectual said of Jesus.

He knew no sin from first to last all of his words, his thoughts and actions his deed.

Every single one of them was perfect is without flaw or blemish. He is the unique Christ is the sinless Christ.

Every action he took was perfect. It was beyond improvement. His words were perfect peak, he could never have sent them better.

Every action was Don the perfect blend of love and truth.

The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ and on that wonderful occasion when he was baptized a member at the beginning of his public ministry as John baptizes him of the heavens open and there is a voice from heaven of God the father saying this is my son, my well beloved in him I am well please. What a commendation from an open heaven of the father saying of his son. I am well pleased with you. Yes, the father is perfectly please with the perfect life of his son who obeys the law who fulfills all righteousness. He is the sinless Messiah. He is the perfect Lamb of God. And so when we think of Jesus dying on the cross. This is clear. This is obvious.

This is fundamental is not dying for his own sins, no on the cross, Jesus bears sin, but his own sin. He bears our sins in our study of Romans, we've seen irrefutably that all of us have sinned and have come short of the glory of God that we like sheep have gone astray. The wonder of this truth is that Jesus dies in my place and so when Paul in first Corinthians 15 begins to explain the gospel. He says this is the first importance what this he say how does he define the gospel. God is a wonderful plan for your life. As he begins.

He says this is the first importance that Christ died for our sins. Peter says as we ride. He bears our sins that just for the unjust, the righteous for the unrighteous, perfect for the empathic, the holy form the on holy.

He is our substitute. The just one is dying in the place of the unjust is dying in my place is dying for me and the service within the thing that him we love so much, which says bearing shame and scoffing root in my place condemned, he stood sealed by partnering with his blood. Hallelujah. What a Savior.

He goes into the place of condemnation.

Pastor Hathaway put up the screen this morning. The wonderful text from Romans eight verse one that there is therefore no no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus cannot be possible because we are sinners and we are under the condemnation of God bearing shame and scoffing root in my place condemned the student.

This is a great truth of substitutionary atonement turned to the Galatians Paul will say it another way, as he tells us that all of us have broken the law of God and therefore all of us are under the curse of the law. Galatians chapter 3 Galatians 3 verse 10 for all who rely on works of the law under a curse, but it is written curse should be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law and do them. The law required perfection. Do this and you live but notice verse 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law did he do that. Can we be free from the curse of the law because were under the covers when we would sin by becoming a curse for us.

These two little words for us as it is written curse. It is everyone who hangs on the tree Christ on the cross then pays the ransom to set us free, and Peter tells us that we are redeemed with the precious blood of Christ is a llama spotless lamb a perfect lamb's blood that flows from the sinless Christ redeems us, cleanses us and sets us free.

Everything has been perfectly completed by the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of all of your sins, you think of that is really what communion is about, isn't the wonder that Christ comes to cleanse us to redeem us of all of our sins and the penalty that was due me because of my sin has been paid in full by Jesus Christ. The demands of a holy God have been satisfied in Christ without the other week of propitiation, and no in the wonder of the grace of God.

Forgiveness is offered to you and to be Paul writes Ephesians 17 in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace. The sinless Christ.

It is bears all of our sins on the cross. He is the substitution for us the day. I think you deserve is borne by Christ. So Paul can say in Galatians 2, verse 20, the son of God who loved me and gave himself for the punishment that Paul deserves the punishment for John deserve the punishment that you desire has been borne by the sinless Christ. He loved me and he delivered himself up for me. So Christ takes all of our sin we receive all of his righteousness to Corinthians 5 verse 21 verse that we love it best to be on the line the near Bible feathers averse to be underlined.

Unit is two Corinthians 521 four. Our say that wonderful for your sake, for my sake he made him to be said in our sin offering. Who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. When Jesus died on the cross every single sin. As I said this morning that I would never commit past, present and future was put throughout a kind he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree on the cross he is made a sin offering is the wonder of the gospel, but look back to Isaiah 53 to see how the Old Testament prophet anticipates this and that describes this so wonderfully and movingly and that great chapter Isaiah 53 and I want to read from verse four as I 53 verse four Isaiah's writing about the promised Messiah, the suffering servant. Notice what he says.

Surely he has Borden.

Our griefs is not magnificent. He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray with turned everyone to his own way and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all substitutionary atonement is, it is no other way for ungodly people like you would need to be saved.

Notice what Isaiah says in verse five he was wounded for our transgressions. Some translations say he was pierced the new American Standard version says he was pierced through part of transgressions. This is the deliberate assault of man, the sinner on the innocent Christ. They pierced him they wounded him. Furthermore, says Isaiah. He was crushed for our iniquities here in the metropolitan areas that are sins that are so heavy. Not only is the Messiah, pierced the deliberate assault as he is crucified. Not only does that happen, but he is crushed. Think of the weight of the sin of the world and the sinless Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He is crushed by our iniquities is wounded is crushed. It is also Jason's.

That is the father's work and notice at the end of verse six and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all think of Jesus as a victim. This is God's plan of salvation from all of eternity. The father, and great love plans to send his son and yes-man is held responsible for the death of Christ and that way it was a murder within the greater purposes of God. Notice what Isaiah says the Lord has laid on him the father has laid on the sun. The iniquity of us all. He is my substitute. So in this wonder of the gospel, God doesn't conference our sins and their trespasses against us, the said this morning. The ones on the debit side but no, they are counted against Christ the output to his account.

Does God simply pretend that we never send of course not, you know better than that God can't ignore sin. He's wholly unjust know the record of debt that was set against us has been set aside Paul says in Colossians it has been nailed to his cross.

The death of her sin is being nailed taken care of through the wonder of the death of Christ.

All of my sin has gone Piccadilly totally forgiven. So John can say in first John one verse seven. The blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from what sin all all you glad the chart says all of her sin not just the worst of it, but just the sins we remember.

But this sacrifice is so efficacious in this blog is so powerful. As we were singing about, but it cleanses us from all sin, the burden, the guilt, shame of our sin have all gone. We sometimes sing wounded for me wounded for me that on the cross he was wounded for me gone my transgressions.

I know I'm free all because Jesus was wounded for me.

He takes all of her sin doesn't it doesn't take and we receive his righteousness, his holiness, his perfection is put to our accounts that we might become the righteousness of God in him is that come about what we know from Scripture that unlike every single person who had walked on this earth.

Jesus, the sinless Christ, the Messiah, the holy one of God perfectly fulfilled the law in every aspect of your considered why Jesus didn't just come to is a full-grown man went over the space of a we can be put to death Bennington rise again think of that. Why was it necessary for him to live these years. These over 13 years, 33, 34 years I was not to demonstrate his perfection to meet with imperfect demands of the law so that the writer of Hebrews say that our Savior yes is these manlike costs but with this noted exception is without sin, tempted as we are yet without sin.

And so Paul says in Romans five by one man's obedience region to his father, obedient to the law. The many will be made righteous.

Romans five verse 19.

So not only out our sins credited to Christ as we saw this morning. He transfers the perfection the grace and the beauty of our Lord Jesus Christ. So this is imputed righteousness is the sole ground of our justification by faith. So the verdict is not just not guilty is more wonderful than that God pronounces us not just not guilty.

He pronounces us righteous in this wonderful declaration that we call justification.

He takes our sin we receive his perfect righteousness he paid what we all and which we could never pay ourselves and freely gives us what he has and what we could never earn is a couple of examples of substitution atonement in the Old Testament I think are instructive for us to enter the first week of the Bible Genesis. Genesis chapter 2 when Adam and Eve sinned. What happens the penalty of death was pronounced. Genesis 2 verse 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat for the day that you eat of it you shall surely die at the eight ball is going to say in Romans five verse 12 the Bible that one man sin, death, sin entered into the world and so death by sin, but that over the chapter. Chapters 3 chapter 3 verse 21 the sins remember the try to get away from God and themselves pretty foolish thing to do isn't it runaway like joint attorney away from the Lord and they did something else very foolish which they tried to cover up a few fig leaves so the covering that God wanted. Was it Genesis 3 verse 21 then the Lord God made for Adam and his wife garments of skins, and clothed them.

Who's making the covering whose clothing them. Adam and Eve, not tall is God is God who is going to close them is God who is going to cover them.

How did that happen.

He provided a way for their sin and their guilt to be covered with the skins of an innocent substitute. A sinless creature which had not participated in their sin was paying the penalty of death. So there close by God in animal skins covered up which anticipates a far greater in the far more glorious covering as we know know another wonderful example of substitution atonement in the Old Testament is find on the day of atonement in Leviticus 16. I love this picture and you say, what with her due to fact that before. Absolutely not going to refer to again until you understand the Leviticus 16 they've atonement once a year. It would be instructive to go through the whole chapter but just � 21. Here it is in there and he's a high priest shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions all their sins and you shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness but is verse 22 the goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness get the picture here is a live goat the high priest lays both hands on the head of this live goat indicating that the sins of the nation know are going to be transferred to the goats. Verse 22.

The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to remote area.

It is a substitute is the scapegoat and Israel sin then is removed by having the goat the scapegoat carry them away into the wilderness. Beautiful pictures in the of a greater sacrifice of a greater substitute of Lord Jesus Christ. The goat bar and carried away in picture form Israel sin for another year, but Old Testament prophet Isaiah's red Messiah 53 is saying that God doesn't place our sins upon the goats, but upon the shoulders of the suffering servant of the Lord Jesus Christ out of the anguish of his soul, he shall see and be satisfied by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous and he shall bear their iniquities. Isaiah 53 verse 11 and then Isaiah 53 verse 12 yet he bore the sin of many substitutionary atonement knows we conclude Nasca. Who or what are you trusting for the forgiveness of your sin. Trust is the Savior, sinless Savior on the cross. God treated Christ as if he lived our life, he bore my sins so that God can treat us as if we lived Christ's perfect life.

Christ righteousness becomes ours and this he did in love. The watchword of the reformers was the Lord our righteousness in the old King James Jehovah said can you said can you greet the Hebrew word for the righteousness the Lord our righteousness was the watchword of the reformers, and one of my heroes of the faith. Robert Murray McShane writes a beautiful point about Jehovah said can you. The Lord of righteousness.

I want to read to see versus as we close Robert Murray McShane dies when he's 29 and he writes I once was a stranger to grace unto God. I do not my danger and felt not my Lords girlfriend spoken rapture of Christ on the tree, Jehovah said can you. The Lord of righteousness was nothing to me when free grace to walk made by light from on high, then legal fear shook me. I trembled to die. No refuge, no safety and South could I see Jehovah said can you, my Savior must be my tellers all vanished before the sweet name, my guilty fears banished with boldness.

I came to drink at the Farmington life-giving and free. Jehovah said can you is all things to me, my dear friend. That's her only place of refuge. Your only place of safety is to look to Christ, who bore your sin so that you can say with us and rejoice in this, that there is now therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

He takes our sin we receive his righteousness, and yes, I called the church. We believe in substitutionary atonement. Father, we thank you for the Savior, the spotless Christ, we try to look at the Scriptures to understand in a fresh way of encouraging way of convicting where trust the wonder of such love that he loved me and gave himself for me. May each person know the fullness of this forgiveness which is finding Christ in his precious name we pray.

Amen