WEBVTT 00:00:32.140 --> 00:00:35.780 Thank you worship team and Welcome all of you 00:00:35.780 --> 00:00:39.399 to throwback Sunday with Drew leading worship 00:00:39.399 --> 00:00:42.200 and with me preaching this morning. It's an honor 00:00:42.200 --> 00:00:47.359 and a privilege Some of you know that Thank you 00:00:47.359 --> 00:00:50.520 Some of you know that I grew up in a broken family. 00:00:50.820 --> 00:00:54.679 My father was an alcoholic and my dad broke up 00:00:54.679 --> 00:00:58.179 my parents marriage by committing adultery and 00:00:58.179 --> 00:01:00.700 so there was a period of time in my life where 00:01:00.700 --> 00:01:06.049 my identity was defined by my woundedness and 00:01:06.049 --> 00:01:08.870 my family's dysfunction. In fact, there was even 00:01:08.870 --> 00:01:12.010 a label for those entities, adult children of 00:01:12.010 --> 00:01:15.230 alcoholics and children of divorce, and that's 00:01:15.230 --> 00:01:19.370 who I was. Many years later, in 1994, as some 00:01:19.370 --> 00:01:21.909 of you know, I experienced the greatest failure 00:01:21.909 --> 00:01:25.540 in my life. filing for bankruptcy and then being 00:01:25.540 --> 00:01:28.319 forced to resign my pastorate in California. 00:01:28.420 --> 00:01:31.340 And so there was a period of time where I defined 00:01:31.340 --> 00:01:36.340 my identity by my sin and by my failure. Not 00:01:36.340 --> 00:01:40.859 just that I failed, but that I was a failure. 00:01:41.379 --> 00:01:45.579 That's who I was. How about you? Have you ever 00:01:45.579 --> 00:01:51.480 defined your identity by a sin or by a failure? 00:01:51.760 --> 00:01:55.519 or by your woundedness, or by your brokenness, 00:01:56.079 --> 00:01:59.959 or by how you have been wronged, or by being 00:01:59.959 --> 00:02:03.819 a loser or a victim. Has that ever been your 00:02:03.819 --> 00:02:07.700 identity? My goal for this message is that when 00:02:07.700 --> 00:02:11.169 you leave this place today, You will not define 00:02:11.169 --> 00:02:14.650 yourself by your sin or failure or woundedness 00:02:14.650 --> 00:02:17.930 or victimhood But rather you will define yourself 00:02:17.930 --> 00:02:20.490 according to your relationship with Jesus Christ 00:02:20.490 --> 00:02:24.310 as your sin bearer and your pain bearer Now there 00:02:24.310 --> 00:02:26.949 may be some here this morning who are in a dark 00:02:26.949 --> 00:02:30.409 place right now Maybe you're feeling heavy losses 00:02:30.409 --> 00:02:34.800 or unrelenting pain or ongoing anguish We don't 00:02:34.800 --> 00:02:37.599 always know why a loving God would allow such 00:02:37.599 --> 00:02:39.740 suffering in our lives, but we do know this, 00:02:40.080 --> 00:02:43.479 that God Himself entered into our suffering and 00:02:43.479 --> 00:02:46.400 pain in the person of His Son, Jesus of Nazareth, 00:02:46.699 --> 00:02:50.699 the suffering servant. He Himself experienced 00:02:50.699 --> 00:02:55.699 pain, injustice, rejection, torture, crucifixion, 00:02:56.060 --> 00:02:59.419 death, God forsakenness, while bearing our sins 00:02:59.419 --> 00:03:02.520 and God's wrath in our place. And as we shall 00:03:02.520 --> 00:03:06.400 see in Isaiah 53, Jesus not only suffered his 00:03:06.400 --> 00:03:10.639 own pains in life, he also suffered vicariously 00:03:10.639 --> 00:03:14.280 for us, bearing all of our pains, and all of 00:03:14.280 --> 00:03:17.539 our griefs, and all of our infirmities, and all 00:03:17.539 --> 00:03:21.419 of our sin and guilt. I'm going to ask Alanis 00:03:21.419 --> 00:03:24.039 Goodall to come right now. And she's going to 00:03:24.039 --> 00:03:27.259 read the middle verses of the passage we're looking 00:03:27.259 --> 00:03:30.180 at today. This is really the heart of the message, 00:03:30.259 --> 00:03:32.819 the verses that she's going to be reading from 00:03:32.819 --> 00:03:36.199 Isaiah 53. Would you please stand as we read 00:03:36.199 --> 00:03:44.479 God's word? He was despised and rejected by men, 00:03:44.500 --> 00:03:47.099 a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:51.240 And as one from whom men hide their faces, He 00:03:51.240 --> 00:03:54.819 was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely 00:03:54.819 --> 00:03:58.879 he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. 00:03:59.060 --> 00:04:01.520 Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God 00:04:01.520 --> 00:04:05.759 and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions. 00:04:06.060 --> 00:04:09.800 He was crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was 00:04:09.800 --> 00:04:12.979 the chastisement that brought us peace. And with 00:04:12.979 --> 00:04:18.560 his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have 00:04:18.560 --> 00:04:21.870 gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own 00:04:21.870 --> 00:04:25.250 way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity 00:04:25.250 --> 00:04:31.079 of us all. Father I pray that you will bless 00:04:31.079 --> 00:04:33.600 Elena and I pray that you will use her considerable 00:04:33.600 --> 00:04:36.600 talents and gifts and abilities for your glory 00:04:36.600 --> 00:04:40.579 as she continues to walk in in faith and obedience 00:04:40.579 --> 00:04:43.240 in her relationship with Jesus and I pray now 00:04:43.240 --> 00:04:45.279 that the Holy Spirit will open our hearts and 00:04:45.279 --> 00:04:47.680 minds to the truths of your word that we might 00:04:47.680 --> 00:04:49.720 come to know in deeper way what it means for 00:04:49.720 --> 00:04:52.939 Jesus to be our sin bearer and our pain bearer 00:04:52.939 --> 00:04:56.819 in Jesus name. I pray amen You may be seated 00:05:05.000 --> 00:05:09.019 So there are five stanzas in what's called the 00:05:09.019 --> 00:05:11.480 servant song in Isaiah. This is the fourth and 00:05:11.480 --> 00:05:14.540 final one. The outline is in your sermon notes. 00:05:15.079 --> 00:05:16.699 And we're going to take a look first of all at 00:05:16.699 --> 00:05:21.740 God's astonishing servants. This servant song 00:05:21.740 --> 00:05:24.660 prophesies the ministry and the sin -bearing 00:05:24.660 --> 00:05:27.540 and the triumph of the servant of the Lord, the 00:05:27.540 --> 00:05:30.600 Messiah, Jesus. And this was written 700 years 00:05:30.600 --> 00:05:36.050 before Christ. Verse 13. Behold, my servant shall 00:05:36.050 --> 00:05:39.170 act wisely. He shall be high and lifted up and 00:05:39.170 --> 00:05:42.589 shall be exalted. So what would you expect after 00:05:42.589 --> 00:05:45.149 an introduction like that? You might expect something 00:05:45.149 --> 00:05:49.769 like Palm Sunday. Nope, instead this. As many 00:05:49.769 --> 00:05:53.250 were astonished at you, his appearance was so 00:05:53.250 --> 00:05:56.470 marred beyond human semblance and his form beyond 00:05:56.470 --> 00:05:59.310 that of the children of mankind. So shall he 00:05:59.310 --> 00:06:02.540 sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their 00:06:02.540 --> 00:06:05.180 mouths because of him for that which has not 00:06:05.180 --> 00:06:07.500 been told them They see and that which they have 00:06:07.500 --> 00:06:10.959 not heard they understand So we see that the 00:06:10.959 --> 00:06:14.560 exaltation is followed by Devastating humiliation 00:06:14.560 --> 00:06:19.100 the highly exalted ruler of verse 13 has a startling 00:06:19.100 --> 00:06:22.980 appearance a face So disfigured so bloodied by 00:06:22.980 --> 00:06:25.860 suffering and mistreatment that he scarcely seems 00:06:25.860 --> 00:06:29.800 human and people are astonished They are appalled 00:06:30.319 --> 00:06:34.779 His grotesquely marred appearance not only raises 00:06:34.779 --> 00:06:39.459 the question this is God's King of Israel But 00:06:39.459 --> 00:06:42.699 it even raises the question. Is he even human? 00:06:44.519 --> 00:06:47.439 The sprinkling of many nations refers to the 00:06:47.439 --> 00:06:49.959 sacrificial death of Jesus being the cleansing 00:06:49.959 --> 00:06:55.000 of sin for many peoples So verse 13 which begins 00:06:55.000 --> 00:06:58.100 the song is ultimately going to be fulfilled 00:06:58.100 --> 00:07:00.959 We'll see later and Jesus resurrection ascension 00:07:00.959 --> 00:07:03.779 and exaltation at the right hand of God in heaven 00:07:03.779 --> 00:07:08.220 But first this the next stanza God's despised 00:07:08.220 --> 00:07:11.879 servant Who has believed what he has heard from 00:07:11.879 --> 00:07:14.439 us and to whom has the armor of the Lord been 00:07:14.439 --> 00:07:17.680 revealed? For he grew up before him like a young 00:07:17.680 --> 00:07:21.379 plant and like a roots out of dry ground He had 00:07:21.379 --> 00:07:23.879 no form or majesty that we should look at Him 00:07:23.879 --> 00:07:26.699 and no beauty that we should desire Him. He was 00:07:26.699 --> 00:07:29.879 despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows 00:07:29.879 --> 00:07:33.300 and acquainted with grief. And as one from whom 00:07:33.300 --> 00:07:37.720 men hide their faces, He was despised and we 00:07:37.720 --> 00:07:42.040 esteemed Him not. God's people did not recognize 00:07:42.040 --> 00:07:45.240 God's saving power in the suffering Messiah because 00:07:45.240 --> 00:07:48.139 Jesus had none of the kingly glory that the Jews 00:07:48.139 --> 00:07:51.000 were expecting of their Messiah. The birth of 00:07:51.000 --> 00:07:55.500 Jesus was humble, unimpressive, unpromising. 00:07:56.139 --> 00:07:59.220 In fact, Jesus had none of the trappings of royalty. 00:07:59.779 --> 00:08:02.060 In fact, there was nothing impressive about his 00:08:02.060 --> 00:08:04.980 appearance as an ordinary man, let alone a king. 00:08:06.220 --> 00:08:10.040 He was not a Joseph or a David, startling, handsome 00:08:10.040 --> 00:08:13.240 in his appearance. Furthermore, he was a man 00:08:13.240 --> 00:08:15.600 of sorrows and one from whom men would actually 00:08:15.600 --> 00:08:19.800 hide their faces. Why? Was he that ugly? Was 00:08:19.800 --> 00:08:21.839 he morose in his temperament? Was he hard to 00:08:21.839 --> 00:08:24.819 get along with? Was he hard to be with? No, he 00:08:24.819 --> 00:08:27.620 lived a joyful life and imparted joy to others. 00:08:28.319 --> 00:08:32.399 But he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with 00:08:32.399 --> 00:08:37.080 grief. And you know, humans experience revulsion 00:08:37.080 --> 00:08:40.740 in the face of extreme suffering often. So this 00:08:40.740 --> 00:08:43.980 Messiah, this servant of Yahweh, was despised. 00:08:44.580 --> 00:08:47.620 He was rejected. He was considered of little 00:08:47.620 --> 00:08:50.620 value by the religious leaders of his day because 00:08:50.620 --> 00:08:54.220 he was seen as somebody who was suffering for 00:08:54.220 --> 00:08:57.100 his own fault, somebody who was suffering because 00:08:57.100 --> 00:09:00.399 God was punishing him. But the next stanza gives 00:09:00.399 --> 00:09:04.120 the truth of the matter, God's pain and sin bearing 00:09:04.120 --> 00:09:07.000 servant. This is the heart of the message of 00:09:07.000 --> 00:09:19.259 this song. But he was pierced for our transgressions. 00:09:19.559 --> 00:09:22.980 He was crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was 00:09:22.980 --> 00:09:25.600 the chastisement that brought us peace, and with 00:09:25.600 --> 00:09:28.799 his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have 00:09:28.799 --> 00:09:31.299 gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own 00:09:31.299 --> 00:09:34.279 way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity 00:09:34.279 --> 00:09:40.200 of us all. Jesus can identify with us when we 00:09:40.200 --> 00:09:43.679 suffer because he himself experienced the breadth 00:09:43.679 --> 00:09:47.309 and depth of human suffering. But as Stephen 00:09:47.309 --> 00:09:49.690 Siemens points out in his book Wounds That Heal, 00:09:49.990 --> 00:09:53.110 not only did Jesus suffer personally on the cross, 00:09:53.590 --> 00:09:57.470 he also suffered vicariously for us, meaning 00:09:57.470 --> 00:10:02.090 that he took our suffering into himself. He experienced 00:10:02.090 --> 00:10:06.669 our suffering in addition to his own. For not 00:10:06.669 --> 00:10:09.789 only does Isaiah 53 say that he was a man of 00:10:09.789 --> 00:10:11.909 sorrows and acquainted with grief, that could 00:10:11.909 --> 00:10:15.440 be true of many people, but also that He has 00:10:15.440 --> 00:10:20.580 borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. What 00:10:20.580 --> 00:10:24.919 a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs 00:10:24.919 --> 00:10:28.120 to bear. Now most of you understand the meaning 00:10:28.120 --> 00:10:31.379 of Jesus bearing our sins so that we can be forgiven 00:10:31.379 --> 00:10:33.940 and cleansed and accepted by God. But have you 00:10:33.940 --> 00:10:37.620 meditated on the meaning of Jesus bearing our 00:10:37.620 --> 00:10:41.659 griefs so that we can find healing for our wounds 00:10:41.659 --> 00:10:46.620 and brokenness? Surely he has borne our griefs 00:10:46.620 --> 00:10:50.960 and carried our sorrows. To bear has the idea 00:10:50.960 --> 00:10:55.980 of taking upon oneself vicariously, taking from 00:10:55.980 --> 00:11:00.559 us into himself. Now, griefs in this passage 00:11:00.559 --> 00:11:03.820 can also be translated as sicknesses or infirmities 00:11:03.820 --> 00:11:07.100 or diseases, and this is how Matthew records 00:11:07.100 --> 00:11:10.429 the fulfillment of it. That evening they brought 00:11:10.429 --> 00:11:13.250 to Jesus many who were oppressed by demons and 00:11:13.250 --> 00:11:16.070 he cast out the spirits with a word and healed 00:11:16.070 --> 00:11:19.509 all who were sick This was to fulfill what was 00:11:19.509 --> 00:11:23.149 spoken by the prophet Isaiah. He took our illnesses 00:11:23.149 --> 00:11:28.110 and bore our diseases He bore our infirmities 00:11:28.110 --> 00:11:31.409 and diseases and he carried our sorrows carried 00:11:31.409 --> 00:11:34.950 in the sense that all of our burdens were loaded 00:11:34.950 --> 00:11:40.029 upon him Sorrows here has the meaning of mental 00:11:40.029 --> 00:11:44.250 and emotional anguish and all different kinds 00:11:44.250 --> 00:11:47.470 of suffering resulting from living in a fallen 00:11:47.470 --> 00:11:51.850 world. Franz Delitz writes, the meaning is not 00:11:51.850 --> 00:11:54.389 merely that the servant of God entered into the 00:11:54.389 --> 00:11:57.269 fellowship of our sufferings, but that he took 00:11:57.269 --> 00:12:00.370 upon himself the sufferings which we had to bear 00:12:00.370 --> 00:12:02.830 and deserve to bear and therefore not only took 00:12:02.830 --> 00:12:07.600 them away, But bore them in his own person that 00:12:07.600 --> 00:12:12.100 he might deliver us from them Peter and his kind 00:12:12.100 --> 00:12:15.679 of commentary on this passage wrote this Jesus 00:12:15.679 --> 00:12:19.179 himself bore our sins in his body on the tree 00:12:19.179 --> 00:12:22.019 that we might die to sin and live to righteousness 00:12:22.019 --> 00:12:26.460 By his wounds you have been healed The healing 00:12:26.460 --> 00:12:29.360 here is primarily a spiritual healing as also 00:12:29.360 --> 00:12:32.659 in Isaiah 53, though the physical healing is 00:12:32.659 --> 00:12:36.299 also included in Isaiah 53 because of the quote 00:12:36.299 --> 00:12:40.340 by Matthew. So not only did Jesus bear our sins 00:12:40.340 --> 00:12:44.419 in his body on the cross, Isaiah 53 reveals he 00:12:44.419 --> 00:12:48.840 also bore our physical infirmities, our sorrows, 00:12:49.059 --> 00:12:53.320 our griefs, our emotional wounds, our rejections, 00:12:53.840 --> 00:12:57.940 our disappointments. our injustices, our loneliness, 00:12:59.019 --> 00:13:04.059 our abuses, our guilt, our shame, our brokenness. 00:13:05.759 --> 00:13:08.539 This is why Jesus was greatly distressed and 00:13:08.539 --> 00:13:10.899 troubled in the Garden of Gethsemane when he 00:13:10.899 --> 00:13:15.580 cried out, My soul is crushed with grief to the 00:13:15.580 --> 00:13:19.120 point of death. Now Jesus' soul was not crushed 00:13:19.120 --> 00:13:21.279 with grief because he was afraid to suffer and 00:13:21.279 --> 00:13:24.860 die. Jesus' soul was crushed with grief. because 00:13:24.860 --> 00:13:28.940 his soul was bearing all the pain and all the 00:13:28.940 --> 00:13:31.980 brokenness and all the sorrows as well as the 00:13:31.980 --> 00:13:36.100 sin and guilt of all of humanity. Think of just 00:13:36.100 --> 00:13:39.960 one event in human history, the Holocaust. Isaiah 00:13:39.960 --> 00:13:45.899 53 means that all of the sins of the Nazis and 00:13:45.899 --> 00:13:50.080 all of the suffering of the Jews, all that was 00:13:50.080 --> 00:13:55.419 loaded onto Jesus on the cross. We need to pause 00:13:55.419 --> 00:14:01.799 here and feel the weight of this truth. If Isaiah 00:14:01.799 --> 00:14:05.779 53 were merely saying that Jesus was acquainted 00:14:05.779 --> 00:14:09.220 with suffering and had suffered similar kinds 00:14:09.220 --> 00:14:12.200 of griefs and sorrows and losses and pains as 00:14:12.200 --> 00:14:16.460 we have, that'd be good news that we have a sympathetic 00:14:16.460 --> 00:14:20.700 high priest who has suffered like us. But Isaiah 00:14:20.700 --> 00:14:23.860 53 is saying much more than that. It's saying 00:14:23.860 --> 00:14:28.240 that Jesus has actually suffered your exact pains 00:14:28.240 --> 00:14:33.379 because he bore your pains and your sorrows and 00:14:33.379 --> 00:14:37.299 your griefs and your shame and your anguish in 00:14:37.299 --> 00:14:42.279 his soul. When I was a junior in high school, 00:14:42.919 --> 00:14:45.620 I was trying to break into a certain circle of 00:14:45.620 --> 00:14:48.639 friends. and they were going to an away basketball 00:14:48.639 --> 00:14:50.600 game on a Friday night, and I asked if I could 00:14:50.600 --> 00:14:52.379 go along with them, and they said, sure, we'll 00:14:52.379 --> 00:14:55.299 pick you up at such and such time. So, Friday 00:14:55.299 --> 00:14:57.840 night, such and such time came, and they didn't 00:14:57.840 --> 00:15:02.399 come, and I waited, and I waited, and I waited, 00:15:02.919 --> 00:15:05.740 and they never came, and they never apologized, 00:15:05.980 --> 00:15:10.139 and they never explained. Some of you know that 00:15:10.139 --> 00:15:14.899 kind of rejection and loneliness. Jesus bore 00:15:14.899 --> 00:15:19.000 the pain of that in his soul. When I was a senior 00:15:19.000 --> 00:15:21.240 in high school, my family moved, which meant 00:15:21.240 --> 00:15:23.600 that I was a newcomer as a senior in high school, 00:15:23.659 --> 00:15:26.659 and that meant I had a lot of lonely lunches. 00:15:26.980 --> 00:15:30.799 But I also began to meet some of my baseball 00:15:30.799 --> 00:15:34.139 teammates because the coach at my former high 00:15:34.139 --> 00:15:36.379 school was good friends with the coach of my 00:15:36.379 --> 00:15:38.830 new high school. And he said some nice things 00:15:38.830 --> 00:15:41.049 about me and said that I was a good clutch -hitter, 00:15:41.049 --> 00:15:43.769 for example, and I kind of lived off of that 00:15:43.769 --> 00:15:46.169 reputation all during the school year until spring 00:15:46.169 --> 00:15:49.289 came and I had to prove it on the field. And 00:15:49.289 --> 00:15:51.850 so, wouldn't you know, one of the earliest games 00:15:51.850 --> 00:15:55.789 that year was against my former team. And the 00:15:55.789 --> 00:15:58.129 coach put me in the clean -up spot, number four, 00:15:58.690 --> 00:16:01.450 and three times that game I came to the plate 00:16:01.450 --> 00:16:04.289 with the bases loaded. Three times, bases loaded. 00:16:04.940 --> 00:16:07.639 Struck out twice and hit weakly back to the pitcher 00:16:07.639 --> 00:16:11.120 the other time Didn't drive in a single run and 00:16:11.120 --> 00:16:15.559 we lost by two runs. I Was devastated and humiliated. 00:16:15.580 --> 00:16:20.179 I even started crying after the game By the way, 00:16:20.179 --> 00:16:23.960 they changed my nickname after that game My nickname 00:16:23.960 --> 00:16:27.440 was Scotty C Scotty clutch after that it was 00:16:27.440 --> 00:16:31.360 Scotty K You baseball fans know what K means 00:16:31.360 --> 00:16:37.240 strikeout That was humiliating. Jesus bore the 00:16:37.240 --> 00:16:41.759 pain of that humiliation in his soul. The year 00:16:41.759 --> 00:16:45.799 2024 had some losses for us as a family. Last 00:16:45.799 --> 00:16:50.440 spring, my son -in -law's sister died. Last June, 00:16:50.620 --> 00:16:53.480 our beloved dog Scout died. And last spring, 00:16:53.659 --> 00:16:57.360 my sister Donna died. Many of you also have experienced 00:16:57.360 --> 00:17:01.940 some losses in your life. The pain of those losses 00:17:01.940 --> 00:17:07.019 and that grief was born by Jesus in his soul. 00:17:08.400 --> 00:17:12.440 That's what this means. He felt all of your losses. 00:17:13.160 --> 00:17:17.220 He felt your feelings of rejection. He felt your 00:17:17.220 --> 00:17:20.240 emotional woundedness. All of your experiences 00:17:20.240 --> 00:17:23.819 of being wronged or hurt or bullied or abused 00:17:23.819 --> 00:17:27.660 by others. He felt all of your shame, insecurity, 00:17:28.240 --> 00:17:33.460 loneliness, humiliation, unworthiness. and mine, 00:17:34.920 --> 00:17:38.140 and everyone else is in this room and in the 00:17:38.140 --> 00:17:45.039 world. Let that sink in. No wonder his soul was 00:17:45.039 --> 00:17:49.940 crushed with grief to the point of death. We 00:17:49.940 --> 00:17:53.400 are all both sinners and sinned against. We're 00:17:53.400 --> 00:17:56.720 both wrongdoers and sufferers, and the good news 00:17:56.720 --> 00:17:59.740 of Jesus Christ is that the cross addresses both 00:17:59.740 --> 00:18:04.039 our sins and our sufferings. In Him we find forgiveness 00:18:04.039 --> 00:18:08.539 for our sins and healing for our hurts. Randy 00:18:08.539 --> 00:18:10.740 and Terry Butler put it this way in their piece 00:18:10.740 --> 00:18:14.559 called At the Cross. I know a place, a wonderful 00:18:14.559 --> 00:18:18.200 place, where accused and condemned find mercy 00:18:18.200 --> 00:18:21.779 and grace. Where the wrongs we have done and 00:18:21.779 --> 00:18:25.000 the wrongs done to us were nailed there with 00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:30.019 Him there on the cross. The wrongs we have done. 00:18:30.299 --> 00:18:34.400 and the wrongs done to us were nailed there with 00:18:34.400 --> 00:18:38.460 Him, there on the cross. There at the cross and 00:18:38.460 --> 00:18:41.720 only at the cross do we find mercy and grace 00:18:41.720 --> 00:18:45.599 to be forgiven of all of our wrongs and to forgive 00:18:45.599 --> 00:18:49.299 those who have wronged us. Jesus is both our 00:18:49.299 --> 00:18:52.980 sin bearer and our pain bearer. You know, many 00:18:52.980 --> 00:18:56.660 of the sins we commit have their origin in unhealed 00:18:56.660 --> 00:19:00.579 wounds due to being sinned against. And the good 00:19:00.579 --> 00:19:03.380 news of the gospel is that our sins are cleansed 00:19:03.380 --> 00:19:07.480 by Jesus' blood, and our wounds are healed by 00:19:07.480 --> 00:19:11.700 Jesus' wounds, both. So we see in the key verse 00:19:11.700 --> 00:19:14.859 here in verse five. But He was pierced for our 00:19:14.859 --> 00:19:17.559 transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. 00:19:17.920 --> 00:19:20.339 Upon Him was the chastisement that brought us 00:19:20.339 --> 00:19:24.900 peace, and with His wounds we are healed. Let 00:19:24.900 --> 00:19:26.640 me give you a quick lesson in Hebrew poetry. 00:19:27.650 --> 00:19:31.890 You'll see it in Psalms, Proverbs, and the Prophets. 00:19:32.269 --> 00:19:34.829 Hebrew poetry does not rhyme with sounds like 00:19:34.829 --> 00:19:37.490 English. It rhymes with meanings, and so there'll 00:19:37.490 --> 00:19:40.630 be two lines that are parallel in or similar 00:19:40.630 --> 00:19:43.089 to or one explains the other in terms of the 00:19:43.089 --> 00:19:45.549 meaning of those two lines. So, for example, 00:19:46.190 --> 00:19:48.390 he was pierced for our transgressions, he was 00:19:48.390 --> 00:19:50.750 crushed for our iniquities. Pierced and crushed, 00:19:51.130 --> 00:19:53.650 similar, transgressions and iniquities, similar. 00:19:53.750 --> 00:19:56.950 Similar meaning. Upon him was the chastisement 00:19:56.950 --> 00:19:59.130 that brought us peace, and with his wounds we 00:19:59.130 --> 00:20:02.029 are healed. Chastisement and wounds, similar. 00:20:02.410 --> 00:20:05.269 Peace and healed, similar. Similar meanings. 00:20:05.529 --> 00:20:09.750 One helps to explain the other. The word here 00:20:09.750 --> 00:20:12.650 for peace is shalom, and the word for healed 00:20:12.650 --> 00:20:16.329 is rafa. And the healing here is comprehensive, 00:20:17.210 --> 00:20:20.319 including all of our sicknesses. all of our infirmities 00:20:20.319 --> 00:20:23.440 and weaknesses, all of our disappointments, all 00:20:23.440 --> 00:20:26.440 of our losses and sorrows, all of our willful 00:20:26.440 --> 00:20:29.160 rebellion, all of our brokenness, all of our 00:20:29.160 --> 00:20:31.700 guilt and punishment, all of our sins and all 00:20:31.700 --> 00:20:34.640 the consequences of those sins. You put all of 00:20:34.640 --> 00:20:36.819 that together, what am I describing? What is 00:20:36.819 --> 00:20:40.880 all of that? It's the curse, right? Genesis 3, 00:20:40.980 --> 00:20:43.359 the fall of Adam and Eve into sin. The curse 00:20:43.359 --> 00:20:46.619 is the source of all of our suffering and brokenness. 00:20:47.589 --> 00:20:51.710 One way of looking at shalom is this shalom is 00:20:51.710 --> 00:20:56.289 healing from the effects of the curse With his 00:20:56.289 --> 00:21:00.569 wounds by his stripes We are have been healed 00:21:00.569 --> 00:21:04.950 and that healing leads to the experience of shalom 00:21:04.950 --> 00:21:08.450 So is healing in the atonement in the atoning 00:21:08.450 --> 00:21:13.849 death of Jesus yes physical and emotional and 00:21:13.849 --> 00:21:17.720 spiritual and relational healing And shalom, 00:21:17.880 --> 00:21:21.059 peace with God, deliverance from the curse is 00:21:21.059 --> 00:21:25.259 in the atonement. And so Paul writes, Christ 00:21:25.259 --> 00:21:28.440 redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming 00:21:28.440 --> 00:21:31.240 a curse for us. For it is written, cursed is 00:21:31.240 --> 00:21:34.200 everyone who is hanged on a tree. What was the 00:21:34.200 --> 00:21:39.019 primary curse of the law? Condemnation. But the 00:21:39.019 --> 00:21:42.940 gospel is, there is therefore now no condemnation 00:21:42.940 --> 00:21:46.700 for those who are in Christ Jesus. In Christ 00:21:46.700 --> 00:21:49.640 we are now and forever free from any condemnation 00:21:49.640 --> 00:21:52.400 because of the cross. In Christ we experience 00:21:52.400 --> 00:21:55.900 shalom with God. As we allow Jesus to live his 00:21:55.900 --> 00:21:58.339 life in and through us in the power of the Holy 00:21:58.339 --> 00:22:01.799 Spirit, we grow in his likeness and we experience 00:22:01.799 --> 00:22:04.900 more and more of the healing power of the cross 00:22:04.900 --> 00:22:09.240 to give us shalom. Already, we have peace with 00:22:09.240 --> 00:22:11.740 God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Already, we 00:22:11.740 --> 00:22:14.519 experience the life of Christ within us, changing 00:22:14.519 --> 00:22:17.119 us from within to become more and more like Jesus. 00:22:17.500 --> 00:22:20.140 Already, we experience the healing power of the 00:22:20.140 --> 00:22:23.140 cross to set us free from the controlling power 00:22:23.140 --> 00:22:28.400 of sin and to begin to heal all of our woundedness. 00:22:29.319 --> 00:22:33.259 But not yet do we experience complete shalom, 00:22:33.579 --> 00:22:36.420 complete wholeness, for we still live in mortal 00:22:36.420 --> 00:22:40.180 bodies. in a fallen world, and we still contend 00:22:40.180 --> 00:22:43.440 with the world, the flesh, and the devil. But 00:22:43.440 --> 00:22:47.680 one day, when Jesus returns and makes all things 00:22:47.680 --> 00:22:52.240 new, we see in the end of the Bible, and there 00:22:52.240 --> 00:22:58.200 shall be no more curse." How do we know this 00:22:58.200 --> 00:23:01.920 hope is real and true? Because Jesus bore the 00:23:01.920 --> 00:23:05.369 curse. and all the effects and consequences of 00:23:05.369 --> 00:23:08.990 the curse in His body on the cross. And then 00:23:08.990 --> 00:23:12.009 God raised Jesus from the dead as God's public 00:23:12.009 --> 00:23:16.170 declaration to all of us. It is finished. The 00:23:16.170 --> 00:23:19.650 work of salvation is finished. Everything that 00:23:19.650 --> 00:23:22.849 needs to be done for our eternal salvation and 00:23:22.849 --> 00:23:25.970 for all of creation's deliverance from the curse, 00:23:26.190 --> 00:23:29.250 it's all been done. It's finished. It's accomplished. 00:23:31.160 --> 00:23:34.440 Upon Him was the chastisement that brought us 00:23:34.440 --> 00:23:38.420 shalom. He is our sin bearer, and with His wounds 00:23:38.420 --> 00:23:44.140 we are healed. He is our pain bearer. All we 00:23:44.140 --> 00:23:47.279 like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone 00:23:47.279 --> 00:23:50.140 to his own way, and the Lord Yahweh has laid 00:23:50.140 --> 00:23:54.519 on Him the iniquity of us all. The Lord God has 00:23:54.519 --> 00:23:57.000 laid on Jesus the iniquity, the guilt of all 00:23:57.000 --> 00:24:00.250 of us lost sheep. Think of the worst sin that 00:24:00.250 --> 00:24:03.509 you've ever committed, the one you're most ashamed 00:24:03.509 --> 00:24:07.109 of, the one that sometimes keeps you from drawing 00:24:07.109 --> 00:24:10.970 near to God because you feel so unworthy, the 00:24:10.970 --> 00:24:14.970 one that robs you of peace in your soul. The 00:24:14.970 --> 00:24:18.549 good news of the gospel is that all of your sins, 00:24:18.710 --> 00:24:21.430 including your most shameful, have been laid 00:24:21.430 --> 00:24:25.490 on Jesus, and He bore them all in His body on 00:24:25.490 --> 00:24:29.130 the cross. God no longer counts those sins against 00:24:29.130 --> 00:24:33.170 you because they're no longer yours because Jesus 00:24:33.170 --> 00:24:37.349 took them Jesus took them upon himself as his 00:24:37.349 --> 00:24:40.049 own and suffered the punishment you deserved 00:24:40.049 --> 00:24:43.089 and Once you accept the sacrifice that Jesus 00:24:43.089 --> 00:24:46.470 made for you on the cross God will never hold 00:24:46.470 --> 00:24:50.589 those sins against you never He will not punish 00:24:50.589 --> 00:24:53.769 you for sins that have already been punished 00:24:53.769 --> 00:24:57.640 at the cross This is the gospel. This is the 00:24:57.640 --> 00:25:00.960 essence of Christianity Jesus was punished that 00:25:00.960 --> 00:25:03.480 you might be forgiven Jesus was wounded that 00:25:03.480 --> 00:25:06.440 you might be healed Jesus was made sin with your 00:25:06.440 --> 00:25:08.960 sinfulness so that you might become righteous 00:25:08.960 --> 00:25:15.880 with his righteousness 2nd Corinthians 5 20 For 00:25:15.880 --> 00:25:20.380 our sake God made Jesus to be sin who knew no 00:25:20.380 --> 00:25:23.619 sin So that in him we might become the righteousness 00:25:23.619 --> 00:25:29.250 of God Jesus had never sinned, but on the cross 00:25:29.250 --> 00:25:32.250 he experienced what it feels like to be a sinner 00:25:32.250 --> 00:25:35.450 separated from God. And that's why he cried out 00:25:35.450 --> 00:25:38.869 in anguish, my God, my God, why have you forsaken 00:25:38.869 --> 00:25:44.069 me? As he was bearing our sins in his body. When 00:25:44.069 --> 00:25:47.789 the Bible says that God laid on Jesus all of 00:25:47.789 --> 00:25:50.930 our iniquity, all of our sin and guilt, to the 00:25:50.930 --> 00:25:56.990 point that God made Jesus to be thin. I don't 00:25:56.990 --> 00:26:00.089 take that to mean merely that this was some kind 00:26:00.089 --> 00:26:02.690 of an accounting transaction that took place 00:26:02.690 --> 00:26:07.250 external to Jesus' own soul. I take it to mean 00:26:07.250 --> 00:26:10.809 that for the very first time Jesus experienced 00:26:10.809 --> 00:26:14.269 what it feels like to be a sinner, along with 00:26:14.269 --> 00:26:17.349 all the guilt and shame and alienation from God 00:26:17.349 --> 00:26:21.259 that goes with it. The Lord laid on him the iniquity 00:26:21.259 --> 00:26:24.359 of us all Jesus died our death so that we could 00:26:24.359 --> 00:26:27.099 share his life He bore our shame that we might 00:26:27.099 --> 00:26:29.880 share his glory He endured our rejection that 00:26:29.880 --> 00:26:32.619 we might have his acceptance as beloved children 00:26:32.619 --> 00:26:35.700 of God He became a curse for us so that we might 00:26:35.700 --> 00:26:40.740 have all the blessings of salvation. I Pray that 00:26:40.740 --> 00:26:43.680 if you've not already done so today you would 00:26:43.680 --> 00:26:46.849 trust Jesus as your Savior so that you can receive 00:26:46.849 --> 00:26:50.809 all the blessings of salvation. The next stanza, 00:26:50.910 --> 00:26:55.390 we look at God's self -sacrificing servant. He 00:26:55.390 --> 00:26:58.930 was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened 00:26:58.930 --> 00:27:02.069 not his mouth, like a lamb that has led to the 00:27:02.069 --> 00:27:04.210 slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers 00:27:04.210 --> 00:27:08.130 is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression 00:27:08.130 --> 00:27:11.490 and judgment he was taken away. And as for his 00:27:11.490 --> 00:27:13.750 generation, who considered that he was cut off 00:27:13.750 --> 00:27:16.230 out of the land of the living, stricken for the 00:27:16.230 --> 00:27:20.109 transgression of my people? These verses were 00:27:20.109 --> 00:27:24.410 fulfilled in the arrest, imprisonment, mockery 00:27:24.410 --> 00:27:27.710 of a trial, and unjust sentencing leading to 00:27:27.710 --> 00:27:31.369 the execution of Jesus of Nazareth, 700 years 00:27:31.369 --> 00:27:35.589 after Isaiah wrote these words. Jesus knew the 00:27:35.589 --> 00:27:38.130 meaning of injustice from personal experience. 00:27:38.690 --> 00:27:42.230 And how did he deal with that injustice? He didn't 00:27:42.230 --> 00:27:44.910 open his mouth. He didn't offer any resistance 00:27:44.910 --> 00:27:48.509 because he willingly chose to die at the hands 00:27:48.509 --> 00:27:51.890 of wicked men. He went to the cross in obedience 00:27:51.890 --> 00:27:55.069 to the will of the Father, yes, but also willingly 00:27:55.069 --> 00:27:57.869 of his own accord. No one took his life from 00:27:57.869 --> 00:28:00.869 him. He laid down his life of his own accord 00:28:00.869 --> 00:28:03.390 because of his great love for you and for me. 00:28:05.230 --> 00:28:08.799 In his book written in blood, Robert Coleman 00:28:08.799 --> 00:28:12.000 tells the story of a little boy whose sister 00:28:12.000 --> 00:28:16.539 needed a blood transfusion. The doctor had explained 00:28:16.539 --> 00:28:20.240 that she had the same disease that the boy had 00:28:20.240 --> 00:28:23.279 recovered from two years earlier. And the doctor 00:28:23.279 --> 00:28:26.319 explained that her only chance for recovery was 00:28:26.319 --> 00:28:28.759 a transfusion from someone who had previously 00:28:28.759 --> 00:28:32.160 recovered from that disease. And since the two 00:28:32.160 --> 00:28:35.099 siblings had the same rare blood type, the boy 00:28:35.099 --> 00:28:39.259 was the ideal donor. Would you give your blood 00:28:39.259 --> 00:28:42.640 to your sister Mary the doctor asked? Johnny 00:28:42.640 --> 00:28:47.460 hesitated his lower lip started to tremble Then 00:28:47.460 --> 00:28:51.519 he smiled and said sure for my sister The two 00:28:51.519 --> 00:28:54.079 children were wheeled into the hospital room 00:28:54.079 --> 00:28:58.359 Mary pale and thin Johnny robust and healthy 00:28:58.359 --> 00:29:01.079 neither spoke, but when their eyes met Johnny 00:29:01.079 --> 00:29:05.039 smiled and As the nurse inserted the needle into 00:29:05.039 --> 00:29:09.420 his arm Johnny's smile faded as he watched the 00:29:09.420 --> 00:29:13.160 blood flow through the tube. And with the ordeal 00:29:13.160 --> 00:29:17.880 almost over, his voice slightly shaky, Johnny 00:29:17.880 --> 00:29:22.759 broke the silence and asked, Doctor, when do 00:29:22.759 --> 00:29:28.700 I die? Only then did the doctor realize why Johnny 00:29:28.700 --> 00:29:32.519 had hesitated, why his lip had trembled when 00:29:32.519 --> 00:29:36.410 he agreed to donate his blood. Because Johnny 00:29:36.410 --> 00:29:40.869 thought that giving his blood to his sister meant 00:29:40.869 --> 00:29:44.869 giving up his life. And in that moment, Johnny 00:29:44.869 --> 00:29:48.009 made the great decision to sacrifice his life 00:29:48.009 --> 00:29:51.450 for his sister. Now as it turns out, Johnny didn't 00:29:51.450 --> 00:29:54.410 die. He didn't have to die to give his blood 00:29:54.410 --> 00:29:57.930 to save his sister. But each of us has a condition 00:29:57.930 --> 00:30:01.329 far more serious than Mary's. And it did require 00:30:01.329 --> 00:30:04.269 Jesus to give not just his blood, but his very 00:30:04.269 --> 00:30:08.140 life. and he sacrificed that life voluntarily 00:30:08.140 --> 00:30:11.619 and willingly because he loves you and wants 00:30:11.619 --> 00:30:15.319 you to live forever with him. And then look at 00:30:15.319 --> 00:30:36.500 verse 9. hanging on a cross between two criminals. 00:30:37.640 --> 00:30:40.640 And then after his death, a rich man by the name 00:30:40.640 --> 00:30:42.960 of Joseph of Arimathea would ask Pilate for his 00:30:42.960 --> 00:30:47.440 body and bury Jesus in his own tomb. And then 00:30:47.440 --> 00:30:52.880 the final stanza, God's victorious servant. Yet 00:30:52.880 --> 00:30:55.900 it was the will of the Lord Yahweh to crush him. 00:30:56.500 --> 00:30:59.740 He has put him to grief. When his soul makes 00:30:59.740 --> 00:31:02.059 an offering for guilt he shall see his offspring 00:31:02.059 --> 00:31:04.880 He shall prolong his days and the will of the 00:31:04.880 --> 00:31:08.500 Lord shall prosper in his hand Out of the anguish 00:31:08.500 --> 00:31:12.599 of his soul. He shall see and be satisfied By 00:31:12.599 --> 00:31:14.799 his knowledge shall the righteous one my servant 00:31:14.799 --> 00:31:18.220 make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall 00:31:18.220 --> 00:31:22.259 bear their iniquities Who was responsible for 00:31:22.259 --> 00:31:25.220 the death of the servant the Messiah the Romans 00:31:25.220 --> 00:31:28.450 yes? The Jewish leaders, yes, all of us sinners, 00:31:28.549 --> 00:31:32.950 yes, but ultimately the Lord God. It was the 00:31:32.950 --> 00:31:38.410 will of Yahweh to crush His Son. And He accomplished 00:31:38.410 --> 00:31:41.829 His saving purpose through the actions of wicked 00:31:41.829 --> 00:31:46.250 men who unjustly executed Jesus. The will of 00:31:46.250 --> 00:31:50.329 God for Jesus was to suffer and die, not because 00:31:50.329 --> 00:31:53.269 the Father didn't love His Son, but because the 00:31:53.269 --> 00:31:57.190 Father loved us and the world. He gave his only 00:31:57.190 --> 00:31:59.690 son so that whoever believes in him should not 00:31:59.690 --> 00:32:03.869 perish but have eternal life The servants willing 00:32:03.869 --> 00:32:07.049 submission to the will of God Would result in 00:32:07.049 --> 00:32:10.589 making many to be accounted righteous as he would 00:32:10.589 --> 00:32:14.549 bear their iniquities That's the gospel by means 00:32:14.549 --> 00:32:17.890 of his sacrifice on the cross Jesus bore all 00:32:17.890 --> 00:32:20.549 of our sin and guilt so that we could be forgiven 00:32:20.549 --> 00:32:25.690 and Jesus, the righteous one, provides his righteousness 00:32:25.690 --> 00:32:30.130 to make believers acceptable to God. This good 00:32:30.130 --> 00:32:32.450 news is far better than a presidential pardon. 00:32:33.950 --> 00:32:36.789 You see, a presidential pardon conveys the idea 00:32:36.789 --> 00:32:41.930 that the pardoned person is guilty as sin, but 00:32:41.930 --> 00:32:43.990 will not suffer the punishment for the wrongdoing. 00:32:45.190 --> 00:32:47.009 Is that how the Father looks at us who believe 00:32:47.009 --> 00:32:51.380 in Jesus? Does he think? This person is as guilty 00:32:51.380 --> 00:32:54.519 as sin, but I guess I have to let him or her 00:32:54.519 --> 00:32:57.319 into heaven because my son suffered the punishment 00:32:57.319 --> 00:33:02.500 for their filthy sins. He shall make many to 00:33:02.500 --> 00:33:06.859 be accounted righteous. Those who trust in Jesus 00:33:06.859 --> 00:33:10.440 for salvation do not enter the kingdom of heaven 00:33:10.440 --> 00:33:14.720 as pardoned criminals. We are welcomed by God 00:33:14.720 --> 00:33:18.589 as righteous in His sight. righteous with the 00:33:18.589 --> 00:33:22.349 righteousness of Christ. When we accept Jesus 00:33:22.349 --> 00:33:25.950 as our Savior, the Father welcomes us into his 00:33:25.950 --> 00:33:28.970 family with these words, you are totally accepted, 00:33:29.309 --> 00:33:32.430 fully pleasing, deeply loved, completely forgiven, 00:33:32.750 --> 00:33:35.529 and empowered to live a new life in Christ because 00:33:35.529 --> 00:33:39.529 of the cross and resurrection of Jesus. How can 00:33:39.529 --> 00:33:42.289 we know that the cross has that kind of saving 00:33:42.289 --> 00:33:46.279 power? Because God proved the saving power of 00:33:46.279 --> 00:33:49.019 the servants death by raising Jesus the Messiah 00:33:49.019 --> 00:33:53.119 from the grave Therefore I will divide him a 00:33:53.119 --> 00:33:55.559 portion with the many and he shall divide the 00:33:55.559 --> 00:33:58.099 spoil with the strong Because he poured out his 00:33:58.099 --> 00:34:01.400 soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors 00:34:01.400 --> 00:34:04.559 Yet he bore the sin of many and makes intercession 00:34:04.559 --> 00:34:08.380 for the transgressors By his rejection suffering 00:34:08.380 --> 00:34:11.500 and death Jesus became the champion over death 00:34:11.500 --> 00:34:14.380 over Satan and over all the hosts of heaven earth 00:34:14.380 --> 00:34:18.139 and hell The servant song thus ends the way it 00:34:18.139 --> 00:34:21.639 began Declaring the total supremacy of the servant 00:34:21.639 --> 00:34:24.260 of the Lord the Messiah Jesus the son of God 00:34:24.260 --> 00:34:27.179 who was exalted to the position of highest honor 00:34:27.179 --> 00:34:29.800 and authority in the universe the right hand 00:34:29.800 --> 00:34:32.699 of God far above all rule and authority and power 00:34:32.699 --> 00:34:36.489 and dominion by virtue of his willingness to 00:34:36.489 --> 00:34:39.829 suffer the most humiliating and degrading of 00:34:39.829 --> 00:34:44.090 deaths. Yes, the suffering was worth it. And 00:34:44.090 --> 00:34:47.010 then the song ends with these words, He bore 00:34:47.010 --> 00:34:50.150 the sin of many and makes intercession for the 00:34:50.150 --> 00:34:54.610 transgressors. This intercession is a very specific 00:34:54.610 --> 00:34:58.510 kind of pleading, one based on Jesus' punishment 00:34:58.510 --> 00:35:03.110 in our place for our sin and guilt. We have sung 00:35:03.110 --> 00:35:05.690 before the worship song that includes the line. 00:35:06.070 --> 00:35:08.130 I plead the blood so if you remember that one 00:35:08.130 --> 00:35:12.289 I plead the blood What the end of Isaiah 53 is 00:35:12.289 --> 00:35:15.550 saying is that the blood of Jesus pleads for 00:35:15.550 --> 00:35:20.670 us? Whenever we sin intentionally or unintentionally 00:35:20.670 --> 00:35:24.230 knowingly or unknowingly whenever we sin the 00:35:24.230 --> 00:35:29.170 blood of Jesus pleads for us pleads for our forgiveness 00:35:29.170 --> 00:35:32.519 and cleansing and acceptance as righteous before 00:35:32.519 --> 00:35:37.340 the Father. How about you? Do you need some healing 00:35:37.340 --> 00:35:42.800 today? By His wounds, our woundedness is healed. 00:35:44.019 --> 00:35:47.239 On the cross, the arms of Jesus are outstretched, 00:35:47.860 --> 00:35:51.980 vulnerable, open to absorbing all the pain and 00:35:51.980 --> 00:35:56.019 suffering of humanity. And just as Jesus invites 00:35:56.019 --> 00:35:58.820 us to bring our sins to the cross in order to 00:35:58.820 --> 00:36:01.920 find forgiveness, He also invites us to bring 00:36:01.920 --> 00:36:05.099 our hurts to the cross in order to find healing. 00:36:06.280 --> 00:36:09.920 And that healing occurs when our wounds and the 00:36:09.920 --> 00:36:13.380 wounds of Christ are brought together, when His 00:36:13.380 --> 00:36:17.239 wounds touch our wounds with His healing love. 00:36:18.199 --> 00:36:23.699 By His wounds, we are healed. In a moment, we're 00:36:23.699 --> 00:36:27.059 going to sing our closing song, Abandoned, and 00:36:27.059 --> 00:36:31.369 includes the phrase, I surrender all. And we're 00:36:31.369 --> 00:36:33.170 going to have an altar call. We're going to encourage 00:36:33.170 --> 00:36:36.349 children, youth, adults of all ages to come here 00:36:36.349 --> 00:36:40.230 to the altar, to come as an act of surrender 00:36:40.230 --> 00:36:43.969 in response to the Gospel. I'm going to encourage 00:36:43.969 --> 00:36:47.969 you to bring your sin and guilt and shame and 00:36:47.969 --> 00:36:51.190 leave them at the altar knowing that Jesus has 00:36:51.190 --> 00:36:54.230 already taken them from you when He bore your 00:36:54.230 --> 00:36:57.710 sins and His body on the cross. And I'm going 00:36:57.710 --> 00:37:01.769 to encourage you to bring your pain wounds and 00:37:01.769 --> 00:37:06.329 brokenness and sorrows and griefs and infirmities, 00:37:07.050 --> 00:37:10.590 bring them and leave them at the altar knowing 00:37:10.590 --> 00:37:14.190 that Jesus has already taken them from you into 00:37:14.190 --> 00:37:17.769 Himself when He bore your griefs and carried 00:37:17.769 --> 00:37:22.730 your sorrows at the cross." And then for some 00:37:22.730 --> 00:37:28.690 of you, one more act of surrender. Abandon any 00:37:28.690 --> 00:37:32.730 false identity. Come to the altar, abandon any 00:37:32.730 --> 00:37:37.610 false identity. Any false identity based on your 00:37:37.610 --> 00:37:42.130 sin or failure or woundedness or victim mentality, 00:37:42.550 --> 00:37:47.469 leave it and receive and embrace instead a new 00:37:47.469 --> 00:37:51.570 identity based on who you are in Christ. I am 00:37:51.570 --> 00:37:55.010 totally accepted, fully pleasing, deeply loved, 00:37:55.550 --> 00:37:57.730 completely forgiven. and empowered to live a 00:37:57.730 --> 00:38:01.550 new life in Christ because of the cross and resurrection 00:38:01.550 --> 00:38:09.710 of Jesus. Let's pray. Father, I pray that the 00:38:09.710 --> 00:38:11.630 Holy Spirit will do what only the Holy Spirit 00:38:11.630 --> 00:38:15.690 can do, and that is to draw people to Jesus, 00:38:15.789 --> 00:38:18.670 draw people to come to Christ, draw people to 00:38:18.670 --> 00:38:23.150 come to the cross, bringing their sin and shame 00:38:23.150 --> 00:38:26.920 and guilt and leaving it at the cross. and arising 00:38:26.920 --> 00:38:29.579 knowing that they are forgiven and cleansed and 00:38:29.579 --> 00:38:34.300 accepted by you, bringing their pains, their 00:38:34.300 --> 00:38:38.239 sorrows, their griefs, their woundedness, their 00:38:38.239 --> 00:38:41.559 brokenness, bringing all that to the cross and 00:38:41.559 --> 00:38:46.179 leaving it there, knowing that Jesus bore those 00:38:46.179 --> 00:38:49.900 griefs and carried those sorrows into Himself 00:38:49.900 --> 00:38:54.320 on the cross. And I pray that the Holy Spirit 00:38:54.320 --> 00:38:58.030 would then Do a work of healing in each of those 00:38:58.030 --> 00:39:01.269 who comes forward. A work of healing all of their 00:39:01.269 --> 00:39:05.449 wounds and a work of forgiving all of their sins. 00:39:08.329 --> 00:39:10.789 We ask Holy Spirit that you'll be very active 00:39:10.789 --> 00:39:15.150 in causing people to respond and then in producing 00:39:15.150 --> 00:39:19.329 change within them. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. 00:39:20.570 --> 00:39:22.670 So as we sing this last song we invite you to 00:39:22.670 --> 00:39:26.750 come forward and and to bring your sins and to 00:39:26.750 --> 00:39:29.710 bring your hurts and to receive forgiveness and 00:39:29.710 --> 00:39:31.650 healing. Let's stand as we sing our last song.