Please open your copies of the Word of God to 1 Timothy 1. And I'm going to read verse 15. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. I've been asking the question over the last two weeks, what is the gospel? And this is a part of a larger series of sermons I've been preaching on evangelism. And I've said over the last couple weeks that in order for a person to be saved, he must understand something about what the Bible says about God, something about what the Bible says about man, and then about Christ, and then grace. Those four areas are essential to have some sort of knowledge from the Word of God if anyone is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. And so two weeks ago, we looked at some of what the Bible teaches about God. He is the sovereign, holy, and benevolent Creator. We saw that God is the sovereign, omnipotent, self-existent, self-sufficient Creator of all things. He sustains this world. He rules over it. He owns it. and He owns everything in it. It is for His glory. We also saw that the Bible teaches that God is perfectly holy. He is righteous and just in all His ways. And because He is perfectly holy, He cannot ignore evil. He cannot ignore wickedness or sin. And therefore, His wrath and anger against sin is a holy, righteous wrath and anger against sin. But we also saw that God is kind and benevolent and loving. That is demonstrated by the fact that He is patient with sinners and does not judge them immediately for their sin as they deserve. And so we saw two weeks ago that God is a great and glorious God, but there is a problem. And so last week we looked at what the Bible says about man. He is an idolatrous rebel. And we looked at two verses in particular that are essential for us to understand if we're going to be faithful in evangelism and if anyone is going to be saved, they must understand these truths. Romans 3.23, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And Romans 6.23, for the wages of sin is death. And we looked at what it means to fall short of the glory of God, that people fall short of the glory of God that they were created to display. As those who have been created in the image of God, we are to reflect and display the glory of God. But we fall short of doing that because of our sin. And we also fall short of the glory of God in this sense. We fall short of loving God's glory as we should because of our sin. And then we saw that because of our sin, we fall short of doing all things for the glory of God. Indeed, we are to do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10.31 And the essence of sin is that we don't reflect God's glory. We don't love God's glory. and we don't do all things for God's glory. And so Romans 3.23 says, for all have sinned. That is, they missed the mark. That literally means, that word sin there, they missed the mark for which they were created. To display the glory of God, to love the glory of God, and to do all things to the glory of God, and they therefore fall short of the glory of God. We saw that the essence of sin is indeed idolatry. We worship someone or something other than God who alone deserves worship. And so Romans 6.23 says, the wages of sin is death. Wages there has to do with the pay or compensation that our sin deserves. When it comes to sin, it pays wages. And the wages which sin pays is a just and fair compensation. Sin pays the wages that we deserve. And what are the wages of sin? It is death. And what is meant by that? Well, it's multifaceted. We talked about that there's daily death, physical death, spiritual death, and eternal death. By daily death, I mean that present bondage and weight of sin and its guilt that we experience day by day apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. By physical death, we mean that we shall die. Physically, all flesh is like grass. It will perish. It withers. There is spiritual death. A state of spiritual death. Unable to do any spiritual good or anything that can reconcile us with God. And then there is eternal death. That is forever and ever a state of death and condemnation in hell. The wages of sin is death. What is the solution? Having seen what the Bible teaches about God and about man's awful condition, what can save him? Actually, the question is not what can save him, but who can save him? And the answer is found in a very pithy statement in 1 Timothy 1 verse 15. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. The only hope of salvation is the person and work of Jesus Christ. And so, understanding something about God and something about man's sinful condition, we now turn to Jesus Christ. He is the Savior. He is the one who rescues from the wrath of God. He is the one who redeems from sin and delivers from hell. Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And 1 Timothy 1.15 calls this a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. Now, in the early church, Christians did not have copies of the New Testament as we do now. Obviously, it had not yet been completed. There were copies of certain New Testament books, Gospels, and letters circulating. But they didn't have the benefit of having them bound together in a completed canon of Scripture as we do today. And so doctrine and essential truths would often be passed down through short statements. Encapsulating very important doctrine. And that's what we have in 1 Timothy 1.15. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. It is a trustworthy statement, it says. This is a faithful, it means a reliable statement. Why? Because it is true. Paul is saying you can trust this statement. It deserves full acceptance. deserving their means, worthy of full acceptance. It should be met with faith. That's what Paul is saying. You should believe this statement to be true. It should not just be heard, but it should be received, it should be believed, and it should be acted upon. What statement is trustworthy and worthy of our acceptance? Simply this, he says, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. What a beautiful summation. of the gospel of Jesus Christ. What a beautiful summation of the person and the work of Jesus Christ. And so in understanding something about what the Bible says the solution is, Jesus Christ. Notice first that Jesus came to save. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. The Bible talks about salvation throughout. It talks about the fact that people need to be saved. But that phrase has become rather meaningless, even among Christians. It is thrown around without understanding what it really means to be saved. It's lost its meaning today, and that is because, again, the Church of Jesus Christ, as we've talked about in previous weeks, is not teaching the Gospel as we should. There are many who profess to be Christians, but can't even accurately and specifically tell someone what it means to be saved. You can say, what does it mean to be saved? And you'll get all kinds of answers. Well, to be saved simply from hopelessness. And while the Gospel saves us from hopelessness, that's not what we're saved from ultimately. or to be saved from a futile life and meaningless life and while in Christ we now are doing what we're created to do, giving glory to God. That is not ultimately what it means when it says that we're to be saved or when we talk about what we are saved from. It is not ultimately to be saved from futility. The word save means to rescue. And we're not just rescued from a certain way of life. We are rescued from someone. Specifically, God Himself. To be saved means to be rescued from the wrath of God that our sins deserved. This is language we find throughout the Scriptures. Titus 3.5, He saved us. not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy." Ephesians 2.8, For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. The need to be saved, the need for salvation emphasizes there's a problem. When someone needs to be saved from something, it means there's danger. And so when someone cries out, if you heard someone say, save me, save me, you would understand there's danger, there's imminent peril. R.C. Sproul has written a book simply entitled, Saved From What? because he saw the need to teach the body of Christ. Indeed, what is it that we are saved from? It is from God Himself and specifically the wrath that our sins deserve. Romans 5, verse 9 says, much more than having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. The ultimate danger is the wrath of God that our sins deserve. And so you remember again Romans 6.23, the wages of sin is death. And the wages that sin ultimately pays is an eternal death under the wrath of God in hell for all eternity. The wrath of God is now even upon those who are ungodly and wicked, who suppress the truth and unrighteousness according to Romans 1.18, but it is not in its full measure. There's a sense in which there is the wrath of God in that daily death that those who are in bondage to sin experience. And as Romans 1 talks about God giving them over to their sin so that the bondage of their sin is now less and less restrained. God removing His hand. But, as terrible as the present wrath of God is, it does not compare to the wrath that will be meted out throughout all eternity upon those who are not in the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 2.5 says, But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. I mean, listen to the words of Paul there as he's borne alone by the Spirit of God to pen the very words of God. He said, Because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart. And notice how he is warning them of the peril that is to come. You are storing up wrath. And that word storing up means that it's being heaped into a pile. You are heaping and heaping and heaping up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath in revelation of the righteous judgment of God. Ephesians 5, 6, "...let no one deceive you in empty words." For because of these things, and he just talked about what these things are, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the boastful pride of life, basically is what he talks about in Ephesians chapter 5, the immorality that characterizes the world. It's because of these things, don't be deceived. For because of these things, the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Now, why does God have this wrath? Well, Psalm 7 verse 11 says, God is a righteous judge. It is because He is righteous. Remember, it goes back to He is holy. And as you explain this to people in evangelism, you now have laid the foundation No, it is because God is holy. It is a righteous judgment. He is a righteous judge. That's why there is wrath. It is indeed a part of the very essential nature and character of God to be a God who is righteous and holy and therefore a judge who will mete out indignation and anger and wrath for all eternity upon those who are not in Jesus Christ. Psalm 711, God is a righteous judge and a God who has indignation. every day. Please listen to what the Word of God says in these things. God's wrath is against you. Against you if you are not in Christ. People say God loves the sinner but hates the sin. The Bible teaches that God hates the sin and He hates the sinner. The confusion is that God is indeed kind and benevolent temporally to those who are not in Christ. Before a person is saved, God is patient. And to those who are not saved, God is being patient right now. He has been good. He has given you breath. He has been good to you in that you are here and that you hear this message of the Gospel. And in that sense, God is being loving and kind and gracious to you. But do not mistake that for the truth that He hates you and your sin. And unless you turn to the Lord Jesus Christ, that wrath and indignation toward sinners will be toward you for all eternity. I've heard people say, well, I'm angry with God. I can think of not many more foolish statements than that. God is holy. He has not sinned. He has not done anything that merits your anger. You have sinned. And apart from being reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ, His wrath will be against you for all eternity in hell. It is called an eternal destruction In 2 Thessalonians 1 verse 9. So unbeliever, if you do not believe that you are an enmity with God, then you cannot be saved. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. You'll say, what sin? Or maybe this sin isn't bad enough to merit the eternal wrath of God. And you cannot be saved. You will die in your sins and for all eternity there will be the knowledge of the truth of your wickedness with no hope of doing anything about it. Luke 12 verse 5, I warn you whom to fear. Jesus said, fear the one who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. You should fear God. If you do not understand your enmity, hostility, and rebellion against God and His just wrath against sinners, then the doctrine of reconciliation, the doctrine of needing to be saved, rescued from the wrath that our sins deserve, and the doctrine of the cross of Christ will be foolishness. It will be meaningless to you. However, understanding and being convicted and convinced of your guilt and the deserved wrath of God against your sin, you will then see a need to be saved and rescued from the wrath of God. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. There's only one who can save you from your sin, Christ Jesus. Acts 17.31 says that God has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a man whom He has appointed. Who is that man? It's Jesus Christ. It says, "...having furnished proof to all men by raising them from the dead." Here's the good news. The one who is the judge is also the one who is the Savior. Again, Romans 5-9, we're saved from the wrath of God through Him, through Christ, the One that God the Father has appointed as the Judge, God the Son, Jesus Christ. He's also the One through Whom there is forgiveness and justification and reconciliation. See, this is the good news, brethren, in our evangelism as we lay the foundation biblically of who God is and who man is. See, then we can say, but here's the good news. There's one who saves from the wrath to come. Jesus Himself said in Luke 19.10, for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. But He came to save sinners, it says. Jesus said in Luke 5.32, I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. Now does that mean that Jesus is saying that there are some who are righteous who don't need repentance? Some who are righteous who don't need salvation? No, Jesus in the context there and in other places in the Gospels He said to those who thought they were righteous, who had a self-righteousness, I've not come to call the righteous. Those who think they're righteous cannot be saved. I've come to call sinners and those who understand they are sinners. I came into the world to save sinners. He said in Matthew 9 verse 12, it is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. So you say, what qualifies me to receive this salvation, this being rescued from the wrath of God? Well, in one sense, obviously we can answer and say nothing qualifies you in that it makes you worthy. But in this sense, when I ask that question, I mean this. What qualifies you to be in the category of one who is in need of salvation that Jesus Christ only supplies? The qualification is, are you a sinner? Christ Jesus came into the world to save, not the righteous, but sinners. He came to save those who are ungodly. What a joy that that is. That's why Paul said in 1 Timothy 1.15, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. See, Paul understood that he qualified to be one. who would be saved. He was a sinner. And he saw his sin in such a way and the magnitude of it against the holy God that he could say, I'm the foremost of all sinners. If anyone would be first in line, it would be me. Put me in the front of sinners. You see, that is what then puts you in a posture before a holy God to receive mercy. God gives grace to the humble. He's opposed to the proud. Do you see your sin and your need of a Savior? If you do, then let me proclaim to you the only one who can save you. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. He is the only one suitable to be the Savior. He alone saves. Sinners must come to Christ alone. It doesn't say Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And here's the other options in case you don't like that option. No, it is only Jesus. That's why He said, Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. That's why He said, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me. So Jesus is the only One who can save sinners. And therefore, I call you to come to Christ I proclaim to you the glories and the excellencies of Christ, the suitability of Christ as the Savior. Because the sinner must see the suitableness of Jesus Christ to meet their need. And so brethren, in proclaiming the Gospel, that's what we do. We don't have to somehow manipulate a person or argue a person into the Kingdom of God. We cannot do it. Here's what we do. We raise up the suitableness of Christ because when a person sees the glory of God and the wickedness of their own hearts, now all you do is lift up Christ. and say, He's the one who's suitable. He's the one who can save you. He's the only one who qualifies as being able to save you. And so all we do is we proclaim who Christ is, what He has done, the Person and the work of Christ. So look at 1 Timothy 1.15. This is a wonderful verse in evangelism to do that. To show them Christ Jesus came into the world. This is a part of what makes Him suitable and qualified to be the Savior. Christ, Christos in Greek, anointed one it literally means, is the New Testament equivalent to the Old Testament concept of Yeshua, of Messiah. Christ is not His last name. It is a designation, a title. Peter said in Matthew 16, 16, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And this title, Christ, Anointed One, emphasizes two aspects of who He is. He is the one who was sent, appointed, and designated for a particular task or mission. And He is the one who was qualified to fulfill that particular task or mission. Jesus had a mission, you might say. He came for a specific purpose, to save sinners. He was anointed by God to accomplish redemption for His people. He was the Anointed One, the Christ. That's what that means. Now, in the Old Testament, you remember that, for example, a king would be anointed. David was anointed with oil. It was symbolic that God was setting him apart and appointing Him and designating Him for a specific purpose, to be King. And that He was qualified to do so. Well, in this sense, by being the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One, it's saying He is the One who was sent by God for a particular purpose to save people from their sins. And He is qualified to do so. That's why In Luke 4, verses 18 to 21, Jesus in the temple stands up and reads the passage of Scripture from the Old Testament. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He anointed me. to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed and proclaim the favorable year of the Lord." And he closed the book, he gave it back to the attendant and sat down and all the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him and he began to say to them, today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. He is the Christ, the one who has been set apart by God to do this work, save sinners. Now, what qualifies Him to be the Christ, the Savior? Well, first of all, it's because He is God. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Jesus is the eternal Word of God, the second person of the triune Godhead. He is God. He's the exact representation of the nature of God the Father, Hebrews 1.3. He is called Emmanuel, God with us, in Isaiah 7.14. He's qualified because He's God. Only God can save sinners. Sinners cannot save themselves, and so only God can do it. He qualifies. He is the One who's been sent and set apart to do so. Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God. He's qualified because then He became a man to save sinners. Christ Jesus, and here's the phrase, came into the world He came into the world. God the Son became a man, came into the world. So much is contained in these words. It's not simply a reference to a change of location as though He were in heaven and He just came down to earth. Jesus was omnipresent, is omnipresent. God is omnipresent. It's not as though He wasn't on the earth. It's not just a change of location that He was in heaven and then He came into the world. It refers to a change of state. the eternal Son of God becomes a man without ceasing to be God. We sang it, God and man. He is 100% God. He becomes man in the incarnation without giving up any of His glory, of His attributes, I should say, of divinity. He doesn't cease to be God to become man. He is God. He takes on humanity Colossians 2.9, for in Him all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form. Again, the Word was with God and the Word was God. But John 1.14 says, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And we saw His glory, glories of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. The light came into the world, the Bible says in John 3.19. and it was necessary for the Savior to be a man. The One who would save men must be a man. There was none righteous and able to save except God. So how can He save man? He must become a man in order to save man. Listen to Hebrews 2, 14-17, Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death he might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. For assuredly he does not give help to angels. There are fallen angels who sinned, but he's not giving help to them. He didn't come to save angels. It says, "...but he gives help to the descendants of Abraham. Therefore, he had to be made like his brethren in all things, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people." Jesus is God. He becomes a man that He might save men. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. So brethren, as you evangelize, you share the Gospel. This is what you share about the Word of Jesus Christ. You simply go to 1 Timothy 1.15 and that verse can explain so much as you expound upon it and explain and teach this is who Jesus Christ is. Let me turn you to another verse that must be a verse that you understand if you're going to be effective in evangelism for the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 21. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 21. The chapter is about being reconciled to God. and the need for reconciliation. Because again, God is holy, and we are sinners, and there's enmity, and we must be reconciled to God, and God to us. And Jesus Christ is the One who does it, and 2 Corinthians 5.21 tells us how that can take place. He, God the Father, made Him, Jesus the Son, who knew no sin, to be sent on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Jesus, yes, is God. He becomes man, but why? That He might be the substitute. And what we have in this verse is the doctrine of substitutionary atonement. God made Jesus to be sin on our behalf. And anytime you read, on our behalf, in our place, for us, you're reading about words of substitution in our place. This is the only way reconciliation can occur. There had to be a substitute who would take the place of sinners and bear upon himself the wrath that they deserve. Who could do that? Only Jesus, He God, made Him Jesus who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf. Now this explains why He became a man. He came to redeem men so He had to be made like them. Why? So that He could be without sin and therefore be a substitute for those who were sinners. He came so that he could perfectly obey God his Father and be the second Adam who would come and not be like the first Adam who disobeyed God and plunged men into ruin, into a fallen state of death. But now the second Adam, it says in Romans 5, comes and He fulfills all righteousness. He, by His obedience, now is qualified to save sinners. And it's stated in this way in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21. Who knew no sin? He was without sin. He was sinless. You see, we need two things if we're to be saved. Righteousness has to be given to us. We don't have it. It has to be imputed to our account. And our sin has to be taken away. It has to be removed. It has to be imputed to someone else's account. And so it says that God made Him, He knew Him who knew no sin, a reference to His life on earth. He obviously knew no sin as the eternal Son of God. But when it says, who knew no sin, it's speaking of in His life, never from birth at any point, any sin whatsoever, any violation of the law of God at all. No word guilty of sin. No action, no thought. He knew no sin. He did the will of His Father fully, completely. You see, the substitute has to be without sin. The Old Testament sacrifices foreshadowed this. The lambs that were sacrificed had to be without blemish to be a picture of the One who would come, that would be the Lamb without blemish, who would lay down His life on behalf of sinners. That's why it says in 1 Peter 1, 18 and 19 that we've been redeemed, how? By blood, the blood of Christ, a Lamb unblemished and spotless. Jesus said in John 8, verse 46, which one of you convicts Me of sin? I mean, think of that. Jesus walked among the people. They saw Him. He taught. He ate with sinners. He knew all these people. They lived among Him. They were looking for things to accuse Him of sin. And He could say to them, which one of you convicts Me of sin? And they're silent. The only accusations they could come up with are false accusations. He was without sin. Hebrews 4.15, for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are. He was tempted with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the boastful pride of life. Matthew 4, Luke 4, he faced Satan face to face and he tempted him in those areas yet without sin. He did not sin in the face of those temptations as a human being. Hebrews 7.26 calls Him holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners. 1 John 3.5, you know that He appeared in order to take away sins and in Him there is no sin. 1 Peter 2.22, "...who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth." 1 Peter 3.18, "...the just for the unjust ones." He is completely righteous and holy. Jesus had to become a man because I need righteousness. I don't have it. The good news is that Jesus Christ provides what I don't have. He is righteous. He knew no sin. And because He is the sinless substitute, God could indeed impute to His account the sin that I have. So 2 Corinthians 5.21 says, He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf. God made Him sin on our behalf. Can you grasp that? That is the Gospel. Now, let me just tell you what that doesn't mean briefly, because you'll hear people, especially some TV preachers that will say this, that on the cross, Jesus became a sinner. That is not what this says. He made Him to be sin on our behalf. His character was not changed on the cross. He was still without any sin. He did not become an actual transgressor or a sinner. What does it mean then? It means Jesus who knew no sin was made sin on our behalf by imputation. That's an important word you have to understand and you have to share with people. They must understand that word imputation as you share the Gospel. It means that God credited our sin to His account. It's imputed to Him as if He had committed all the sins that I had committed. God treated Him as I should have been treated. He became a curse for us, it says in Galatians 3.13, on our behalf. Isaiah 53.6, all of us like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way. That's man. But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. God treated Him, this is the Gospel, God treated Him as if He were a sinner. And poured out His wrath upon Him on the cross. You see this in the accounts of the crucifixion. In Mark 15 25 it says it was the third hour. It was 9 a.m. That was the third hour when they crucified him. And it says now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour according to Matthew 27 verse 45. So at a time in which there would not have normally been darkness from noon until 3 p.m., the first hour began at 6 a.m. for the Jews. So when it says the sixth to the ninth hour, it was noon to 3 p.m., there was darkness. It says that the sun was obscured in Luke 23, verse 45. Was this an eclipse? No, Passover was only celebrated during the full moon and eclipse occurs only during new moons. This was a supernatural event. to show what was taking place. Darkness in the Bible is an indication of judgment. And what was taking place on the cross is that God was treating Jesus, the sinless One, as if He had committed all the sins of His people. So that Jesus would cry out, My God, My God, Why have you forsaken Me? Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried. Yet we ourselves have seemed Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, and He was crushed for our iniquities. The chastening of our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging, we are healed. I mean, just think a minute. If you're a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you said, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? The sin you have committed was laid on Him even before you committed it. The sin you have yet to commit, Christ bore it. All of it. And don't just think about it in some sort of philosophical terms. Your sin, the sin you're committing even now possibly, was laid on Him. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf. Why? It says in 2 Corinthians 5.21, "...so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Here's the other side of it. Our sin placed upon Him. Why? So that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. That we might be righteous and become the righteousness of God? In what sense? That we're actually righteous? No. Just as Christ wasn't actually a sinner, God treated Him as if He had committed all my sin so that He could treat me as though I had all the righteousness of Christ. In the same way that Jesus became sin for us by imputation, the righteousness of Christ is imputed to our account. This is justification. This is what it means to be declared righteous. Not because I have any merits of my own or any righteousness of my own, but because the righteousness of Christ is imputed to my account. And I'm treated as if I am the righteousness that comes from God. This is what many have called the great exchange. My sin for His righteousness. We are unjust. He is completely just. We are unrighteous. He is righteous. We are sinners. He is sinless. And God treated Him as if He were a sinner that we might be treated as if we were righteous and indeed declared to be so. You see the suitableness of Jesus as the only Savior? The One who came into the world to save sinners? The One who bore in His body the wrath that we deserved so that His righteousness might be granted to us? Did it work? Was it efficacious? The resurrection is the declaration that yes, indeed, that sacrifice was accepted in the sight of God. Romans 1-4, Jesus was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead. And it says in Hebrews 7, verse 25, because again of the resurrection and that He lives forever ascended into heaven at the right hand of God, it says He is able to save forever those who draw near to Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. This is Jesus Christ. This is the gospel. And Jesus, listen, it's not over yet, Jesus is Lord. He is Lord. At the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, every tongue should confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is how we can be saved and rescued. And so I call upon you, believe on the Lord Jesus right now. Trust Him now. Turn to Him now. Turn from your sin and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Forsake all self-righteousness. Turn away from pride or arrogance or anything else and humble yourself to say, Christ, Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I qualify. I'm a sinner. Jesus, save me, please, by Your grace. I trust in You alone. That is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let's pray together. What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Precious is the flow that made me white as snow. No other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus. Father, we confess, those of us who have placed our faith in the Lord Jesus, that no one saves but Christ alone, and that He is the only one suitable to save. The eternal Son of God who became a man, who was sinless, who perfectly kept your law on every point, knew no sin, That you made Him to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Resurrected from the dead. Ascended into heaven. Seated as a Lord who will return as Judge. And also for those who are found in Him as Savior. Spirit of the Living God. Would you be pleased to grant faith and repentance to draw men and women and boys and girls to yourself by your grace? And may we, by your grace, be faithful to share this Good News of Jesus Christ with those who do not know it. In Jesus' name, Amen. Let's take our hymnals and turn to Hymn 185. We sing it to the other team though. 401. You play 401.