GRACE FOR TODAY Radio Message #508

I NEED A SUBSTITUTE

Pastor Don Fortner

Grace Baptist Church of Danville

2734 Old Stanford Road

Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438

Everyone knows what a substitute is. A substitute is one who stands in the place of another. Your child has a substitute teacher, a teacher who stands in the place of the regular teacher. The ball team uses a substitute player, a player who fills the place of another player who is absent. The Lord Jesus Christ is the sinner's Substitute. He stands in the place of God's elect. Everywhere in the Scriptures, the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ is set forth as the work of a Substitute. Substitution is the great foundation doctrine of the Bible. The man who understands the gospel doctrine of substitution understands the message of the Bible. The man who has no clear knowledge of substitution is ignorant of Divine Revelation.

This is the gospel doctrine of substitution - The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, stood in the place of sinners, so that all who trust in him might stand accepted before God for all eternity. Since I do fully trust my soul upon the merits of Christ and him alone, resting upon his obedience for my righteousness and his blood for my atonement, I have good reason to believe that he is my Substitute.

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST STOOD AS MY SUBSTITUTE IN ETERNITY PAST. He was my Surety in the everlasting covenant of grace (Heb. 7:22). Before I sinned, he stood as my ransom. Before I broke God's law, he stood as my Righteousness. God the Father gave my soul, along with all the hosts of his elect, into the hands of Christ, as the Surety of the covenant, before the world began (John 6:39). And he gave all of his elect all grace and salvation in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:3; II Tim. 1:9).

CHRIST STOOD IN MY PLACE, AS MY SUBSTITUTE, AS MY FEDERAL HEAD AND REPRESENTATIVE WHILE HE LIVED IN THIS WORLD. The sinless life of Christ was as necessary for my redemption as his death. In his life the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the holy law of God, establishing perfect righteousness for me, without which I could never be accepted before God. By his perfect life of obedience he brought in an everlasting righteousness for his people. His name is THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. (Jer. 23.6).

THE SON OF GOD STOOD IN MY PLACE, AS MY SUBSTITUTE, AT CALVARY. He died under the penalty of God's law, bearing my sin, my shame, my guilt, and the wrath due unto me. He died in my place, so that I would never be required to die. God satisfied his law and justice for me, and for all who believe, in his Son, our Substitute (Gal. 3:13; II Cor. 5:21).

JESUS CHRIST THE RIGHTEOUS STANDS IN MY PLACE TODAY, AS MY ADVOCATE AND SUBSTITUTE IN HEAVEN (John 2:1-2). His five precious wounds, the merits of his blood effectually secure my present and eternal welfare. God will not charge me with sin, and the law cannot require punishment upon me because Christ, the risen Lord, my Substitute, stands today as my Advocate with the Father.

AND THE LORD JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF SHALL STAND IN MY PLACE AS MY SUBSTITUTE BEFORE GOD IN THE JUDGMENT (Heb. 2:13). When God himself examines me, he will behold no spot or blemish in me, because his own Son performed in my place perfect righteousness and obedience and thoroughly washed away my sins in his own blood. Trusting Christ as my Substitute, I fully expect to hear him say, "Well done!" AMEN.