In Touch Ministries

Dr. Charles Stanley: Jesus came in obedience to the Father to assume full responsibility for all the sin of all mankind. In the process of doing so, he relieved us of the guilt and the punishment that was due us. Upon one person, God the Father laid all of your sin, all of your guilt, all the penalty, all the judgment, and made it possible for us to live freed of all of that.

Guest (Male): The greatest load anyone carries is guilt from sin. But the good news that you'll hear on today's edition of In Touch, the teaching ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley, is no one needs to continue living under the strain of that stress. We'll hear how to give that weight over to God in part two of Bearing the Greatest Burden.

Dr. Charles Stanley: What is the most important truth in this whole Bible? Here's what it is. Listen carefully: Through the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ, the virgin-born, sinless Son of God, who went to the cross of Calvary, laid down his life, paid our sin debt in absolute fullness, so that every single one who places their faith in him will receive forgiveness of sin and the gift of eternal life.

This is the most important truth man will ever know because there's no hope for a single one of us apart from Christ. People don't like that. They can't stand the fact that you tell them that Jesus is the only way. Here's what he said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me." Listen carefully, this is the most important truth in the Word of God. There's nothing second to it as far as God's relationship to mankind and beyond that, the most important truth of all.

Let's go back to this passage of scripture in Hebrews chapter nine. Look at this, verse 24: "For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, that is when he ascended, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us." When he ascended in the presence of God, presenting himself the ultimate and final sacrifice for sin.

"Nor was it that he would offer himself often like the high priest did, once a year high priest went into the temple to offer sacrifice. Otherwise, he would have needed to suffer often many times since the foundation of the world, but now, once at the consummation of the ages, he has been manifested or revealed to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once, and after this comes the judgment, so Christ also having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin to those who eagerly await him."

Now, what do we mean by his substitutionary death? These verses are very important. Listen carefully. Because of God's love for sinful mankind, he sent Jesus. Sinless, he had to be sinless. Only one sinless person ever walked the face of this earth, and that's Jesus Christ. Because a sinner could not bear the sin of another sinner. It had to be the perfect sacrifice.

He sent Jesus Christ into this world for the purpose of, the ultimate purpose of doing what? Giving himself as a substitute for your sin and mine. For you and for me. Because at the cross, what he did, he placed all of your sin and mine upon Jesus Christ. Look if you will in First Peter for a moment, another verse or two here that says a similar thing.

In First Peter chapter two, notice very specifically what he says in verse 24: "He himself, Jesus, bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sin, that is, turn away from that sinful life, and live to righteousness, for by his wounds you were healed." He's not talking about physical suffering. He's talking about his wounds that you and I may be healed of the awesome disease of sinfulness in our life.

Go back if you will to Hebrews chapter nine for a moment and look again at this passage now. Verse 26 says he would have needed to suffer often, but of course he does not. Once at the consummation of the ages, he has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. That word "put away" means he lifts this burden off of us.

Because when you and I agree that his death is real, that he came as a substitute, God the Father removes the burden of sin and its guilt and its consequences from us. He takes it away. That's what that's all about. He says he lifts it off of us. In verse 28, Christ also having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin to those who eagerly await for him.

Also, go back to that word "put away" for a moment. That word "to put away" means to cancel, to annul. That is, if there were a legal contract, to cancel it means it's no longer in effect. To annul it means it's no longer in effect. When a person has their marriage annulled, it means they're no longer married. It's no longer in effect.

And here's what he's saying: that when Jesus Christ came into this world and he bore your sin and my sin upon himself, the judgment against us because of our sin was canceled. It was annulled in the mind of God, the eyes of God, for the simple reason you and I accepted the truth that the Father placed on Jesus all of our sin. We accepted that as true.

He suffered, he died, and he paid that penalty himself. Jesus is our sin bearer. There is no other way to find forgiveness of sin. The sin bearer is the one whom God has chosen to assume full responsibility for our guilt and our sin. He's the one whom God has chosen to assume full responsibility for our guilt and our sin, and to offer his life as a substitute payment for our sin, therefore freeing us, liberating us from all sin and all guilt.

And so if you think what a sin bearer is, Jesus came in obedience to the Father to assume full responsibility for all the sin of all mankind. In the process of doing so, he relieved us of the guilt and the punishment that was due us. Upon one person, God the Father laid all of your sin, all of your guilt, all the penalty, all the judgment, and made it possible for us to live freed of all of that.

Now here's the issue. That takes care of the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man. Holy God took all of your sin. He knew all you were going to do before you were ever born. And 2,000 years ago or thereabouts, knowing you, he placed all of your sin, all of the judgment, all the punishment of all mankind, back to Adam. He bore it, placed it on him.

You see, the Jews didn't practice crucifixion. They practiced stoning to death. And then if a person had committed some real evil, they'd hang them on a tree, but they'd bury them by the nighttime. Why did the Jews scream out, "Crucify him! Crucify him! Crucify him!"? For this reason: because they knew they would hang him on a tree.

And the Bible says in Deuteronomy chapter 21, "Cursed is the one who hangs upon the tree." For them, it was a double thing. They got rid of him, they crucified him, hanging him on a cross meant that in the eyes of those around him, he was a cursed criminal. That's who he was. This cursed criminal was bearing the sin, your sin and my sin, every single sin we've ever committed and will commit.

Somebody says, "How can you still be saved and commit sin?" Because he took it. That's why we ought to be bowing down and worshipping him and praising him all the days of our life because no matter what you and I do, he has atoned for our sin. Does that mean we're going to get away with it? No indeed. You know why God doesn't let you get away with sin? The same reason you as a godly parent didn't let your kids disobey you and you just ignored it.

And parents who ignore the sin and the wicked acts of their children pay the consequences. Their kids pay the consequences, they pay the consequences. Why is God a God of justice? Because he loves us too much to let us get by with sin. And the fact that he laid down his life, he took it all. And all of this separation, this bondage, this wrath, this eternal death that faces the life of every single person out there without Christ.

Is God just going to ignore that? No. He's the sin bearer. He took it all. When he went to the cross, he knew why he was going. He said, "I lay down my life." Why did he come? He came as the sin bearer. Remember what John said down by the river? He says, "Behold the Son of God, who takes away the sin, not just of Jews, Gentiles, of the world."

How else can a person be made acceptable in the eyes of God? Well, here's the dilemma. Think about it. If Jesus Christ doesn't bear your sin, and you don't turn to him for the forgiveness of your sin, then how do you deal with sin in your life? You've got to have an answer. How do you deal with sin in your life if you refuse to come to Christ and accept the fact that he paid for it? How do you deal with it?

Somebody says, "Don't tell me that." You know why you say that? Because you're trying to ignore it. Because you're trying to rationalize it. Because you try to explain it away. Because you want to blame it on somebody else. And the real truth is you're trying to escape reality. Reality is there's life, death, and judgment. That's reality.

We believe a truth that sets people on edge, makes them grind their teeth against us. They don't like it. They don't like the truth. They don't want the truth because they want sin without consequences. That's what the whole issue is. But resting upon mankind is the bondage to sin, separation from God in this life, the wrath of God abiding upon them, and the eternal judgment of God awaiting out there.

Is God just waiting to judge people? No. Does it break his heart? Yes. If somebody says, "I don't believe in the Jesus who's so narrow-minded," think. A God who is so narrow-minded that because he loves every single person. Is there anything narrow-minded about that? No. That he sent the only person who ever lived a sinless life to take upon himself, he said he placed it upon Jesus, your sins and my sins, the sins of the whole world.

He didn't say this nation, that nation, this color, that color, this culture, that culture, the nations of the earth, everyone on the face of this earth. All of our sin on him. And then God the Father crucified him. God killed him as a sacrifice for your sins and mine. He made the payment. Now how can you judge that kind of God? That's how much he loves us.

You and I have a responsibility to get the truth out. And I'm here to tell you people are listening to the truth by the millions because there is a hunger. And the worse condition this world gets in, the more people who are going to begin to turn to God. The more people who are going to begin to turn to Christ.

If you were in a religion, for example, that taught fear and you could be wiped out any day because of what you believe, and you kill all the folks who don't believe what you believe, and then you hear about a God of love and goodness and mercy who loved you so much he sent his only begotten Son to take your sin upon himself so that he could suffer your sin as your substitute. The most important word in the whole Word of God about salvation is the word substitute. He took your place. You won't have to suffer, you won't have to go to eternal death because he took your place, suffered in your place so that you and I could be free.

The God who sent his only begotten Son to the cross, nailed him there, and took all of my sin and my guilt and placed it on him, and he suffered in my place. Because this God loves me enough to have already died and taken my place, there must be something about this God that must be true. Love and kindness and gentleness and peace and forgiveness and eternal life sounds like what everybody on the face of this earth desires.

But millions are afraid to believe it. It's our responsibility to tell them. We can't make them believe what we want them to believe, but we can offer it. And here's the big question: If you do not allow Jesus to take your sin debt, who's going to pay it? There is only one condition. It's simple, it's clear. God did not make it complex. He made it simple so that a child can understand this.

That you have sinned against God, your sin separates you from the Father. But if you will ask Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins and to come into your life and receive him as your personal Savior, you can have the gift of eternal life forever and ever and ever. And I want to challenge you this morning: if you have never received Jesus as your Savior, you cannot bear your sin without being lost eternally. Nobody can bear your sin for you. They've got their own problem.

Jesus is the only sin bearer. He came to assume full responsibility for your sin and mine and our judgment, and to give of himself on the cross to pay that penalty in full so that you and I can say debt paid in full. Judgment canceled. Judgment annulled. Now you're free to live a godly life. There are only two choices: Jesus or eternal death. And I pray you'll be wise enough to make the right choice.

Father, how grateful we are that you make it so simple and so plain. You didn't mean for it to be difficult to understand. What's so awesome about it is that you love us that much. And I pray today that whoever may be seated here without Christ will understand they've just heard the truth. Not somebody's opinion, just the truth. And it's a love truth, of your love for us to give of yourself to us and pay our sin debt in full. So that when you look on our account, applied to our account is the death of Jesus. And on our account it says, "Sin debt canceled. Therefore, free." And on our account it says we love you for that, in Jesus' name, amen.

Guest (Male): As you heard in Dr. Stanley's message, a pardon from sin's penalty is given to anyone who acknowledges Christ's sacrifice and receives his gift of forgiveness. Trust in him today and be relieved of your burden of guilt. To listen again, click on "Today on Radio" at intouch.org and look around our website to find out more about what it means to be a Christian. If you'd like to order a copy of Dr. Stanley's complete message, open our online bookstore. The title is Bearing the Greatest Burden, or order his teaching set, How to Release Your Burdens. Again, that's intouch.org. To call or text, it's 1-800-INTOUCH. You can write to us at In Touch, Post Office Box 7900, Atlanta, Georgia 30357.

Guest (Male): Most believers want to avoid God's breaking process, but it's enormously beneficial when you respond correctly. Learn about that in today's Moment with Charles Stanley. It's just ahead.

Dr. Charles Stanley: Let your time and your schedule and everything about you revolve around this: that you and I are to develop and continue to develop this ongoing, intimate, wonderful, exciting, satisfying, indescribable, wonderful, incomparable relationship with a personal God.

Guest (Female): Dr. Stanley devoted his entire life to helping us get closer to Jesus, as we all want to do. You can learn how at charlesstanleyinstitute.org.

Dr. Charles Stanley: The peace of God is tranquility and quietness of the soul. It is the assurance that no matter what's going on around us, everything is secure. Peace is not determined by circumstance, neither is it a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice.

Guest (Male): In a world filled with noise and uncertainty, you can discover peace that cannot be shaken. Get your new free booklet, Peaceful and Still: A Guide to Experiencing God's Rest in an Anxious Age. Visit intouch.org/peaceful.

Guest (Male): You're listening to In Touch. A believer who surrendered to Christ is one who knows who's really in charge. Here's a Moment with Charles Stanley.

Dr. Charles Stanley: The breaking process is God's method of dealing with the self-life. You say, "Well, what's the self-life?" The self-life is that desire to act independently of God. Somebody says, "Well, but what's the purpose of all that?" He has two awesome purposes for it. Number one, your spiritual maturity. To grow us up and to help us to become like his Son, to see things the way Jesus sees them and to walk as he walked.

A second purpose is for ministry. You say, "Well, what's that got to do with my life?" Well, when you trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, he intends to use you. And if you will look in the scriptures and begin to look at the life of Joseph, of Moses, of Peter, and of Paul, here's what you'll find: each of these went through a period of brokenness in their life before God began to use them in the awesome way in which he used them.

You say, "Well, does God still work the same way?" Yes, he does. You can talk to people today who are being mightily used of God, or you can talk to people who are being used of God very effectively but not so much publicly, but being used very effectively, having an impact on the people around them. And they will tell you about some circumstance, some situation, some period in their life when God brought them to the end of themselves and they began to realize they just absolutely have to depend upon God.

You see, here's what he does. God targets the area of your life and mine that stands between being what he wants us to be and doing our own thing. He knows exactly where that is. And when I think about things in my own life that he's just targeted, I could see it happening. And what is he asking? Lay it down. Put it aside. Walk away from that. Submit to my will, yield to me. He will arrange the circumstances, and sometimes those circumstances can be very painful. That's why we call it brokenness.

And the interesting thing he does that we don't like is this: usually, we don't like the tools he uses to bring about brokenness in our life. Do you know that sometimes he'll use your enemy to bring about brokenness? Or sometimes it may be that he'll use a person who loves you very much. Or some circumstance, something about your job, something about your finances, something about your relationships. He knows exactly how to deal with us.

And somebody says, "Well, but that could just destroy me." No, he controls the pressure. And when I think about the fact that when God allows pressure to come upon us, and yet he is determining exactly how much pressure we need. He knows us absolutely and perfectly. He knows the breaking point in your life and mine. And so it's not his purpose to break our spirit, but to break our will until we're willing to say, "Yes, I submit to your will."

You see, what he's looking for is submission. That takes time sometimes because we don't want to submit, we don't want to yield. And not only does it take time, but oftentimes it takes the intensity of God's pressure and the pain and the hurt and the suffering. You say, "Well, how could a loving God do all that?" Do you realize that God's desire to bring you into oneness with him, into an intimate relationship with him, that is genuine love? And my prayer for you is that you will submit to him, yield to him, and let God show you what an awesome thing he can do in your life if you'll just let him do it his way in his time.

Guest (Male): Find motivation to surrender your will to the Lord's will with the resources on our website, intouch.org. If today's program encouraged you to invest more deeply in your relationship with Christ, we'd love to hear from you. Tomorrow on In Touch, the way you think impacts the way you live. Find out how that connects to handling difficulty as our series on How to Release Your Burdens continues next time on In Touch, the teaching ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley. This program is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia, and remains on this station through the grace of God and your faithful prayers and gifts.