Look at 2 Corinthians 5 and I'm going to show you something, 2 Corinthians 5, the Bible
reads in verse number 21, for he hath made him, talking about Jesus Christ, 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.
See, this is a two-way street, okay, God says I'm willing to become sin, now do you think
that Jesus Christ wanted to become sin, I mean do you think that was comfortable for
him to become sin, flip over if you would, keep your finger there in 2 Corinthians but
we're going to be back there in a second, but flip back to John chapter 3 and then look
at what the Bible reads, look at John chapter 3, John chapter 3, look at verse number 14
of John chapter 3, the Bible reads, and as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
even so must the son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish but have eternal life, 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, but look
what it says in verse 14, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so
must the son of man be lifted up, remember in the Old Testament in the book of Numbers
when they lifted up the brazen serpent, God told Moses to create a serpent made out of
brass and to put it up on a pole and lift it up, and the Bible says that every single
person who was dying from the poisonous snake bites, if they would look up, all they had
to do was just look at the brazen serpent and they would be healed immediately, they
would live, they would not die.
Now, did you ever wonder why a serpent would represent Jesus Christ?
I mean, what do you think of when you think of the serpent all throughout the Bible?
The devil, right?
That old serpent which is the devil and Satan, why would a serpent represent Jesus Christ?
Because obviously that serpent lifted up on the pole was Jesus, he looked to Jesus for
salvation, and here in John 3 16 Jesus tells us that was a picture of salvation, but I'll
tell you why, because when Jesus Christ was on the cross he made him to become sin for
us, and that's why when they looked at that brazen serpent, they were looking into the
future of Jesus Christ on the cross, they were looking and seeing sin, I mean they were
seeing ungodliness, I mean can you imagine what Jesus Christ went through on the cross
when he all of a sudden had to be guilty of every sin that you've ever done, and every
sin I've ever done, and people that are far worse than anybody in this room, I mean can
you imagine the moment that the sins of the world were placed on Jesus Christ, and all
of a sudden it was like he was the mass murderer, all of a sudden he was Jeffrey Dahmer, all
of a sudden it was like he had committed the sins of Adolf Hitler, all of a sudden it was
like he had committed the sins of Joseph Stalin, all of a sudden it was like he had committed
every abortion that's ever been committed, I mean all of a sudden it was like every filthy
cuss word that came out of somebody's mouth, it was like he had spoken it, I mean it was
like he killed every murder, every filthy perverted sick act in the world, he took the
sins of the whole world upon him, and he became sin for us, I mean can you imagine what it
would be like to have the sins of the whole world on you, like as if you had done it,
and then a holy God the Father says now I'm going to punish you for every sin that's ever
been done, how would you like to face the punishment, how would you like to stand before
God and it was like your record of life and Adolf Hitler's record were switched and it's
like you're going to pay for Adolf Hitler's sins, how would you like that, I mean how
would you like to face a God that has so much lack and so much anger that he created a place
called hell, the Bible says that the destruction in hell comes from the presence of the Lord,
his fiery wrath and indignation is what kindles the fires of hell, can you imagine facing
that God with the sins of the whole world, every sin that's ever been done, and being
punished by God for the sins of the world, I mean Jesus Christ became sin for us, that's
what you have to understand about him being on the cross, but the Bible says that there's
a reason why he became sin for us, he became sin for us who knew no sin, that we might
be made the righteousness of God in him, he says if I can become sin, if I can become
guilty of every filthy perverted sin that's ever been done, every murder, every violation,
if I can become sin for you, can you the sinner become righteous for me, I mean can you become
a soul winner, I mean can you become right with God, I mean can you become a clean and
decent person, and I'm not asking you to take the sins of the world on your back, I'm not
asking you to become something bad, I'm not asking you to become something evil like I
had to take on the sins of the world, he says I did that and all I'm asking you to
do is become a good Christian, hey is it so hard for you to become another man, is it
so hard for you to become a soul winner, is it so hard for you to step out of your shell
and your comfort zone a little bit and do something that you're not comfortable with,
hey is it so hard for you to become a godly Christian that dresses the way that the Bible
says you should dress, is it that hard, is it anything like what Jesus did, I mean could
it even be compared to what Jesus became for us, what he's asking you to become, I
mean he's asking you to become something that's going to make you happier, that's going to
make you a better person, that's going to make you respect yourself more, that's going
to make you rejoicing all throughout eternity, hey can you become what God wants you to become,
can you quit saying that's not how I am, that's just not my personality and just become the
person that God wants you to become, can you just change.
Giving no offense in anything, that's what we're talking about, becoming all things to
all men, being what people need you to be, being what your wife needs you to be, being
what your kids need you to be, being what your church needs you to be, he says giving
no offense in anything that the ministry be not blamed, but in all things approving ourselves
as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,
in stripes, in imprisonment, in tumult, in labors, in watchings, in fastings, by pureness,
did you hear that, he said not only did we labor and suffer and sweat and toil, but he
said we also, because we didn't want to offend anybody, he said we lived a pure life by pureness,
by knowledge, he said we studied the Bible, we knew what we were talking about, we knew
our doctrine, we didn't say things that didn't line up with the Bible because we knew what
we were talking about, by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfailing,
by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness, on the right
hand and on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report, as deceivers
and yet true, as unknown and yet well known, as dying and behold we live, as chastened
and not killed, as sorrowful and always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich and having nothing
and yet possessing all things, he said I became all things to all men that by all means save
some, he said I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound, everywhere in all
things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer
and eat, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
you