Let Us Not Forget the Substitute
The sermon emphasizes the importance of the doctrine that justice was executed upon our great Substitute, which is the sum and substance of the whole gospel.
C.H. Spurgeon emphasizes the profound significance of Christ as our Substitute, who bore the weight of sin and divine wrath on behalf of humanity. He vividly describes the agony of Gethsemane and the brutal suffering endured by Jesus, highlighting that His death was necessary for the salvation of His chosen people. Spurgeon asserts that the doctrine of justice being executed upon Christ is central to the Gospel, and any church that dismisses this truth ceases to be a true church of Christ. The sermon serves as a reminder of the depths of Christ's sacrifice and the importance of recognizing Him as our Savior.
Text
Sin with many streams had been flowing down the hills of time and forming by their dread accumulation one vast and fathomless lake. Into this the sinner's substitute must be plunged. He had a baptism to be baptized with and He must endure it, or all His chosen must perish forever. That was a day of vengeance when all the waves and billows of divine wrath went over His innocent head.
Came at length the dreadful night;
Vengeance with its iron rod
Stood, and with collected might
Bruised the harmless Lamb of God.
See, my soul, thy Savior see,
Prostrate in Gethsemane!
From His blessed person there distilled a bloody sweat, for His soul was exceedingly sorrowful even unto death. All through the night with scourgings and buffetings and spittings of cruel men, He was tortured and abused; He was rejected, despised, maltreated, and pierced in His inmost soul by man's scorn and cruelty. Then in the morning He was taken out to be crucified, for nothing could suffice short of His death. The outward sorrows of crucifixion ye know, but the inward griefs ye do not know, for what our Lord endured was beyond what any mortal man could have borne. The infinity of the Godhead aided the manhood, and I doubt not Hart was right in saying that He
Bore all Incarnate God could bear
With strength enough but none to spare.
It was an awful "day of vengeance of our God," for the voice cried aloud, "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts." The doctrine that justice was executed upon our great Substitute is the most important that was ever propounded in the hearing of men; it is the sum and substance of the whole gospel, and I fear that the church which rejects it is no longer a church of Christ.
From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "Proclamation Of Acceptance And Vengeance," delivered August 12, 1877.
Sermon Outline
- I. The Substitute's Baptism
- A. The lake of sin and its accumulation
- B. The Substitute's plunge into the lake
- II. The Substitute's Suffering
- A. The night of vengeance
- B. The torture and abuse
- C. The inward griefs
- III. The Substitute's Strength
- A. The aid of the Godhead
- B. The strength to bear the burden
- IV. The Day of Vengeance
- A. The voice of God
- B. The execution of justice
Key Quotes
“He had a baptism to be baptized with and He must endure it, or all His chosen must perish forever.” — C.H. Spurgeon
“Bore all Incarnate God could bear With strength enough but none to spare.” — C.H. Spurgeon
“The doctrine that justice was executed upon our great Substitute is the most important that was ever propounded in the hearing of men;” — C.H. Spurgeon
Application Points
- We must understand and accept the doctrine of justice being executed on the Substitute as the foundation of the gospel.
- The Substitute's strength and ability to bear our sins is a testament to the power of the Godhead.
- Rejecting this doctrine means rejecting the true church of Christ and the gospel message.