He Bore Our Sins
Notes
Transcript
One of the traditional things we say when celebrating the Lord’s Supper is, “as often as you do this, you do this in remembrance of me”. But what is it, exactly, that we are remembering? Is it just that Jesus shared a meal with His disciples before His death? Is it the breaking of the bread or the sharing of the cup? What did Jesus want them, and us, to remember?
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
He bore our sins
He bore our sins
This is the basic reason why Jesus was born, becoming one of us and one with us. The Father sent His Son into the world to take our place in paying the price for sin.
He endured our guilt
He experienced God’s wrath/separation
He paid the penalty – death
We remember that He was the One who never sinned, never disobeyed, never broke His fellowship with His Father. He alone lived a perfect life.
In doing so He was able to satisfy both the demands of justice and of mercy.
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
The reason this was necessary was that we were like sheep going astray – often when we go astray we don’t even realize that we are off course
Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
We have been healed
We have been healed
The verb’s past tense indicates completed action, the “healing” is an accomplished fact. The reference is to salvation. Our relation with God which had been broken by our sin has been restored, we have been reconciled to God.
By his wounds – refers to His scourging, the marks left by the whip.
Not just providing forgiveness but power to live new lives
Return to Jesus
Return to Jesus
We receive this healing, this forgiveness, when we turn to Jesus in faith.
Shepherd and Overseer - the One who provides for and protects
Die to sins
Die to sins
But Jesus didn’t bear our sins just so we could be forgiven. He did it so that we can live new lives, first by dying to sin.
Imagine that someone you love loses a lot of money by gambling. Because you love them you pay their debt and give them enough so they don’t have to gamble in order to pay the bills. Now suppose that a month later they go back and lose it all again. How would you feel? How does God feel when we continue to sin after Jesus gave His life to pay the debt of our sin?
As we remember what Jesus has done for us we also are called to remember what it means for the way we are called to live. Turning to Jesus involves turning away from sin.
In dying to sin we receive freedom from it - Deliverance from its power and dominion; to die to sin therefore is to be free from its power, including the desire to perform it.
Romans 6:2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
It would be like our child coming home after a long day of hard labor. They’re all sweaty, their clothes are dirty and smelly. You take the clothes, provide a shower for the to get clean, and lay out fresh clothes for the to put on. What would you think if, after getting washed, they pulled the dirty clothes out of the laundry and put them back on?
Live for righteousness
Live for righteousness
On the positive side we are called to live for righteousness.
Freedom for - Live in accord with God’s will. This requires obedience to God.
Peter has been presenting Jesus as an example for disciples to follow, even in His suffering for doing what was right. Just as Jesus submitted to being beaten and crucified, so His followers are called to submit to God.