Sermon
#1325
Title: SIN LAID UPON
CHRIST
Text: Isaiah 53:6
Subject: Substitutionary Redemption
Date: Friday Evening - September 4, 1998
19th
Annual Sovereign Grace
Bible Conference
INTRODUCTION:
"All we
like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned
every one to his own way;
and the Lord
hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all."
In this passage of Holy
Scripture the prophet Isaiah speaks as the representative of God's elect. And
in this one verse of scripture he plainly states three gospel truths
experienced, believed and confessed by every person who is born again by God's
almighty grace. Here are three doctrines
held in common by all true believers.
Original Sin - "All we like sheep have
gone astray." This is the doctrine of original sin. It is called
original sin, because it was the first sin. We all went astray from God in the
sin and fall of our father, Adam.
Psalm 14:3 - "They are all gone
aside, they are altogether become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no,
not one."
Romans 5:12 - "By one man sin
entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for
that all have sinned."
I
Corinthians 15:21-22 - "By man came death...in Adam all die."
Illustration: "I've seen better
days!"
This
is the doctrine of original sin as it is set forth in the Word of God.
·
Adam was the federal head and representative of all men.
·
Adam's sin was imputed to all men.
·
Adam's depraved nature is imparted to all men by natural generation.
Personal Depravity - In Adam we suffered a great fall and a great
loss. We fell from God's favor into condemnation. We fell from sinlessness into
sinfulness. We lost original righteousness, fellowship with God, access to God,
and all spiritual life. We fell from life into death, from liberty into
bondage, from peace into enmity, and from light into darkness. But that is not
all. We are sinners by imputation, by birth, and by nature (Psa. 51:5; Matt.
15:19). But we are all sinners by personal choice too.
This is the doctrine of
personal depravity. "We have turned everyone to his own way." Because
the heart of man, at birth, “is deceitful
above all things and desperately wicked” (Jer. 17:9; Gen. 6:5), we are all "estranged from the womb" and
go astray as soon as we are born, speaking lies (Psa. 58:3). "We have turned everyone to his own
way."
God's elect are like all other men by nature, ever
going astray from God. Like sheep, foolish and ignorant, we ever stray from the Good
Shepherd and the fold of grace, ever stray from the path of peace and the way
of life. Until we were looked up, sought out, and brought back by the Shepherd,
we would never return. We had neither the will nor the ability to return to our
God. Rather, we "turned everyone to
his own way," the way of his own choosing.
We would never turn to the
good way, but always to the dark, crooked, slippery way. Some turn to this way
of sin, and some to that, but all to his own way. Sometimes it is the way of
profligacy, and sometimes the way of morality, and sometimes the way of
self-righteous religion. It is always "a way that seemeth right unto man, but
the end thereof are the ways of death." Whatever the way is which
you choose, "destruction and
misery" are in your way.
None will ever return from "his own way" until Christ,
the Good Shepherd, the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, by an act of almighty,
efficacious grace causes him to return. Only omnipotent grace will cause a
sinner to turn from "his own
way" to Christ, "the Way,
the Truth, and the Life." May God be pleased to lay hold of some of
his straying ones by his almighty grace, and cause you to turn to Christ.
This is original sin - "All
we like sheep have gone astray." This
is personal depravity - "We have
turned every one to his own way." Yet, there is hope. There is hope
for straying sheep! There is hope for helpless, ignorant sinners. Our text
gives hope to the hopeless, because it reveals the glorious gospel doctrine
of...
Substitutionary Redemption - "And
the Lord hat laid on him the iniquity of us all." Can you grasp this
glorious truth? God the Father, against whom we have sinned, from whom we have
strayed, whose law we have broken, whose justice must be satisfied, has laid
upon the Lord Jesus Christ, his own dear Son, all the sins of all his elect. The
Son of God was made to be sin for us, so that he might be justly punished for
sin in our stead, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (II
Cor. 5:21).
2
Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that
we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
PROPOSITION: Our sins have all been
laid upon Christ, by whose death justice has been satisfied and our sins
forever put away.
Now, I want to show you six
things from this verse of
scripture, for the comfort and edification of all who believe and for the
conversion of you who yet believe not. May God the Holy Spirit speak through
these lips of clay to your hearts by his grace. What do those words teach us: "The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity
of us all"?
I. OUR INIQUITY ITSELF WAS LAID UPON CHRIST.
Not only was the Lord of
Glory punished for sin, he was made to be sin. Not only did Christ bear the
wrath and indignation of God against sin, he was made sin. The Son of God was
made to be sin for us because there was no possible way in the world for God's
elect to be discharged of their sins, but for Christ to be made sin.
A.
God's eternal determination
to redeem was a matter of pure, free, sovereign grace.
1. God did not have to redeem
anyone.
2. There was nothing in us to
compel God's favor.
B.
But once God determined to
redeem and save an elect people, he could do it only by the satisfaction of
justice, only by making Christ to be sin for us.
Illustration: Darius' Delimma (Dan.
6:4-17).
Proverbs
17:15 He that justifieth the wicked, and he that
condemneth the just, even they both are abomination
to the LORD.
Be
sure you understand this - God almighty could not justify his
people unless he found a way to make them righteous; and he could not punish
his Son unless he made him to be sin for us that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him.
God the Father looked upon
Christ as the Surety of his elect in the covenant of grace, and said, "Deliver him from going down to the
pit: I have found a ransom" (Job 33:24). And he "Laid on him the iniquity of us all."
All the sins of all the
elect were gathered together as one huge hideous, obnoxious load, and made to
meet upon Christ. He was made to be sin for us and punished as the sinner in
our place (Psa. 40:12; 69:5; Zech. 13:7).
Psalms
40:12 For innumerable evils have compassed me
about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look
up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.
Psalms 69:5 O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my
sins are not hid from thee.
Zechariah
13:7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and
against the man that is my fellow,
saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered:
and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.
By this means "the law
and justice of God had full satisfaction and our recovery from ruin and
destruction is procured" (John Gill).
II.
OUR INIQUITY REALLY BECAME
OUR SUBSTITUTE'S INIQUITY BY DIVINE IMPUTATION.
Speaking as our Substitute,
the Son of God cried, "Mine iniquities
have taken hold upon me...My sins are not hid from thee" (Psa. 40:12;
69:5). Jesus Christ never knew sin. Yet, he died as the greatest sinner who
ever lived, for he was made to bear all the sins of all his elect.
Christ really did bear all
our sin. Just as a Surety is really the debtor, when he willingly puts himself
in the room of another.
Illustration: Grider's Experience.
Christ gave his bond as our Surety in the covenant of grace. God the
Father, having accepted Christ as our Surety, cannot look for payment from us.
If he will have payment for sin, he must have it from him upon whom the debt
has been laid
(II Cor. 5:18-21).
2
Corinthians 5:18-21 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to
himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; (19) To wit, that God was in Christ,
reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them;
and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. (20) Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did
beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled
to God. (21) For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that
we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Payment God cannot twice
demand,
First at my bleeding
Surety's hand,
And then again at mine!
III.
IT IS THE LORD GOD HIMSELF
THAT MADE CHRIST TO BE SIN FOR US.
"The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” The triune God agreed in
covenant love to lay all our sins, all the sins of all his elect, upon the Son.
Sin, the greatest burden in the world, the most loathsome thing in the
universe, the load that must have crushed our souls into hell's eternal misery,
has been laid upon the God-man by God's own hand! Look at verse 10 of Isaiah
53.
Isaiah
53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he
hath put him to grief: when thou
shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his
days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
This great, mighty transfer
of sin, from the sinner to the sinner's Surety was...
·
Sought By Infinite Love.
·
Conceived By Infinite Wisdom
·
Ordained By Infinite Grace.
·
Executed By Infinite Justice.
IV.
NONE BUT GOD COULD DO IT!
Who but God could lay sin
upon God? Who but God could punish God for sin? Who but God could dispose of
sin for the salvation of his people?
Some think we lay our sins
upon Christ! You cannot even lay your hand upon him, much less your sin! If you
imagine that your prayers, tears, mournings, fastings, and confessions can lay
your sins off yourself and on Christ, you are just beating the air!. Your
wisdom is ignorance! And your religion is blasphemy! To lay iniquity upon
Christ is the work of Jehovah alone.
A.
God the Father laid sin upon
Christ for the satisfaction of his own justice (II
Cor. 5:21).
2
Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that
we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
B.
God the Son laid sin upon
himself for the redemption of his people (I Pet. 2:24).
1 Peter
2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own
body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness:
by whose stripes ye were healed.
C.
God the Holy Spirit lays sin
upon Christ in the revelation of the gospel (John 16:8-11).
John
16:8-11 And when he is come, he will reprove the
world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: (9) Of sin, because they believe not on me; (10) Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no
more; (11) Of judgment, because the
prince of this world is judged.
We do not lay our sins upon
Christ by faith. We see our sins laid on him, punished in him, and removed by
him by faith; but faith does not lay anything on Christ.
V.
I want you to see that THIS
IS THE MOST SOUL COMFORTING TRUTH IN ALL THE WORLD. - "The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity
of us all."
Blessed are those people who
have this gospel published to them. Blessed are those who have ears to hear
this good news. The transfer of sin
from you to Christ is not something that must be done. It is something already
done. The text does not say, “The Lord shall lay the iniquities of us
all upon Christ if we will meet certain conditions and terms." It says, "The Lord hath laid on him the
iniquity of us all!" (Read Rom. 10:6-8!).
Romans 10:6-8 But the righteousness which is of faith
speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven?
(that is, to bring Christ down from
above:) (7) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up
Christ again from the dead.) (8) But
what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even
in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we
preach;
The Lord has done it! There
is nothing for you to do! Faith simply receives, believes and rejoices in what
the Lord has done. It adds nothing to it.
Illustration: A Prisoner Receiving
Pardon.
When did the Lord do this?
It is true, God applies the pardon of sin at conversion. But our sins were laid
upon Christ and put away by him long before we believe.
A.
God the Father laid our sins
upon his dear Son, our Surety, in his eternal decree (Rev.
13:8; I Pet. 1:18-21).
Revelation
13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall
worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world.
1 Peter
1:18-21 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not
redeemed with corruptible things, as silver
and gold, from your vain conversation received
by tradition from your fathers; (19) But
with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without
spot: (20) Who verily was
foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last
times for you, (21) Who by him do
believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your
faith and hope might be in God.
B.
God executed his decree, laying
sin upon his Son when he hung upon the cursed tree.
C.
God will never make another transfer
of sin!
Psalms
32:1-2
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. (2) Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose
spirit there is no guile.
Romans 4:8 Blessed is
the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
There is not a moment in
time, or a condition possible, in which God will transfer sin back from Christ
to his people. Sin, once laid upon the scapegoat, is carried away into the land
of forgetfulness, never to be seen, or brought back, again!
"Nothing, either great
or small, Nothing, sinner, no;
Jesus did it, did it all,
Long, long ago.
Weary, working, plodding
one, Why toil you so?
Cease your doing; all was
done Long, long ago.
Till to Jesus' work you
cling By a simple faith,
"Doing" is a
deadly thing, "Doing" ends in death.
Cast your deadly
"doing" down, Down at Jesus' feet,
Stand in Him, in Him alone,
Gloriously complete!"
VI.
CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD, THE
ONE UPON WHOM SIN HAS BEEN LAID, IS MIGHTY TO SAVE.
Read the text once more,
laying all the weight and emphasis of the text on one word. "The
Lord hath laid on HIM the iniquity of us all." This is of
infinite importance. That One upon whom sin has been laid must have a back
strong enough and shoulders broad enough to carry the horrible load of
iniquity, without sinking beneath it. Were it possible for our Surety to fail
we would be utterly without hope. The comfort and hope of the gospel depends
entirely upon the ability of Christ to bear our sins, satisfy justice and
execute his gracious will. Therefore, it is written, "The Lord hath laid on HIM
the iniquity of us all."
Psalm 89:19 - Then spakest thou in
vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I
have exalted one chosen out of the people.
And of this mighty One it is
written, "He shall not fail, nor be
discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth" (Isa. 42:4).
Who is this great
"HIM" upon whom iniquity has been laid? He is...
·
Jehovah's
Servant
(52:13).
Isaiah 52:13
Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and
extolled, and be very high.
·
The
Root Out of Dry Ground (v. 2).
Isaiah 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender
plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and
when we shall see him, there is no
beauty that we should desire him.
·
The
Despised and Rejected Man of Sorrows (v. 3).
Isaiah 53:3 He is
despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and
we hid as it were our faces from him;
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
·
The
Innocent, Holy Substitute (vv. 8-9).
Isaiah 53:8-9 He
was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation?
for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my
people was he stricken. (9) And he
made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had
done no violence, neither was any deceit
in his mouth.
·
The
Successful Savior (vv. 10-11).
Isaiah 53:10-11 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he
hath put him to grief: when thou
shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his
days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. (11) He shall see of the travail of his
soul, and shall be satisfied: by his
knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their
iniquities.
·
The
Sovereign Lord (v. 12).
Isaiah
53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall
divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto
death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Here is the most wonderful,
astounding, amazing thing ever performed by our great God. "The Lord hath laid on HIM
the iniquity of us all." Sin is the most hateful thing in the
world to God. It is the only thing in the world God abhors. It is horrible,
abominable, hideous in God sight. Yet, God made his lovely Son to be sin for
us! I am amazed to think that God made his Son to be a man, to be a poor man,
to be a suffering man, to be crucified man. But when I read that "he
hath made HIM to be sin for us, who knew no sin," I am
altogether astonished! This is too wonderful, too sublime, too mysterious, too
divine for our puny brains to apprehend.
Surely, such extraordinary work as this is designed to accomplish extraordinary
things. What are they? Why is it that "the
Lord hath laid on HIM the iniquity of us all”?
I cannot begin to answer
such a question. We will, I am sure, spend eternity discovering the answers to
this great question. But there are a few answers plainly revealed for our
comfort, encouragement, faith, and hope. God made his Son to be sin for us...
A.
That
He Might Be Satisfied!
·
To Satisfy His Purpose Of Grace
·
To Satisfy His Inflexible Justice
B.
That He Might Show The
World The Exceeding Horrid Loathsomeness Of Sin!
C.
That
He Might Commend To Us His Infinite Love!
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life.
Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in
that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
1 John 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life
for us: and we ought to lay down our lives
for the brethren.
1 John
4:9-10 In this was manifested the love of God toward
us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might
live through him. (10) Herein is
love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
D.
That
We Might Be Made The Righteousness Of God In Him!
God was determined to have a
people as pure, holy, clear, and righteous as himself, in whom to show forth
the glory of his grace (Eph. 1:3-14; 2:7).
Ephesians
2:7 That in the ages to come he might show the
exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness
toward us through Christ Jesus.
E.
That Believing Sinners
Might Have A Strong Consolation In This World!
·
In The Midst Of Trial.
·
In The Midst Of Temptation.
·
In The Midst Of Sin.
·
In The Prospect Of Eternity.
F.
That
His Elect Might Be Freed From All Fear Of Condemnation! (Rom.
8:1, 32-39).
Romans 8:1 There
is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who
walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Romans
8:32-39 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered
him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? (33) Who shall lay any thing to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that
justifieth. (34) Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that
is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh
intercession for us. (35) Who shall
separate us from the love of Christ? shall
tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or
peril, or sword? (36) As it is
written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep
for the slaughter. (37) Nay, in all
these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. (38) For I am persuaded, that neither
death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come, (39) Nor
height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from
the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
G.
That At The Appointed Time
Christ And His People Might Eternally Enjoy The Purchased Possession Of
Heavenly Glory And Bliss!
There is no possession laid
up for God's saints in glory, but by the laying of our iniquity upon Christ.
·
Not By Our Works!
·
Not By Our Faithfulness!
·
Not Even By Our Faith!
Tobias Crisp wrote: "No unclean
thing can enter into the kingdom of heaven. When we attain to the height of
sanctification, we remain yet unclean, for there is pollution in the best of
it. When we die, suppose we are more holy in life than any that went before us;
yet, there is not so much holiness of life in us, but that there remains still
some uncleanness, and unmortification of life in thoughts and practice, some
deadness and indisposition in our hearts and affections to holiness. And with
this unholiness, we lie down in the dust, if all our uncleanness were not laid
upon Christ, that so we might enter into rest, as perfect and complete in
him."
Revelation
21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any
thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh
abomination, or maketh a lie: but
they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Colossians
2:9-10 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the
Godhead bodily. (10) And ye are
complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
VII. THIS GREAT TRANSACTION OF WISDOM, JUSTICE, AND GRACE
WAS MADE FOR A SPECIFIC PEOPLE HERE CALLED “US
ALL”!
I must stop, though I have
not yet begun to declare the depths of our text. "The Lord hath laid on him
the iniquity of us all."
·
“Us all,” for whom the Son of God
obtained eternal redemption.
·
"Us all,” to whom it is revealed.
·
"Us all,” who were chosen by grace.
·
"Us all,” who are called by the
Spirit.
·
"Us all,” who believe.
·
"Us all,” who are now made free from
sin and death.
·
“Us all,” whom he calls “MY
PEOPLE”.
“The
Lord hath laid on
him the iniquity of us
all."
AMEN.