By His Wounds We Are Healed

INTRODUCTION:

HE TOOK THE LASHES

Cliff Barrows tells of the time his two young children did something wrong. Although they were gently warned, they repeated the offense and needed to be disciplined. Cliff's tender heart was pained at the thought of having to punish the ones he loved.

So he called Bobby and Bettie into his room, removed his belt, bare his back, and knelt by his bed. He told each child to whip him ten times. Oh, how they cried! But the penalty had to be paid. The children sobbed as they lashed their daddy's back. Then Cliff hugged and kissed them, and they prayed together. "It hurt," he recalls, "but I never had to spank them again." (Source: from a sermon by Dennis Davidson, "Punished for You and Me" 7/14/08, SermonCentral.com)

[1Peter 2:24 NIV] says…

"He himself bore our sins" in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; "by his wounds you have been healed."

Today we are going to study what it means that we are healed by Christ’s wounds, because it is only in understanding this message that we understand the purpose of the cross.

Would you please turn with me to Isaiah chapter fifty three?

BODY:

[Isaiah 53:1-12 NIV] The Suffering Servant

1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. 4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested?

For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. 11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

HE…

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him. (Isaiah 52:14 says… ) He will appall many. He will be disfigured and marred in appearance beyond that of any human. He was despised and rejected by mankind.

[John 1:11 NASB20] He came to His own, and His own people did not accept Him.

He was a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. [Hebrews 2:18 NASB20] For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted. It also says in Hebrews 4:15 that Christ can sympathize with our weaknesses because He was tempted in all way just like us, yet was without sin.

We hid our faces from Him; He was despised by us. We held Him low esteem.

[1Corinthians 1:18 NASB20] 18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

He took up our pain and bore our suffering. We considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions (our rebellion, disobedience, and going beyond the limits). He was crushed for our iniquities (our guilt, fault, unrighteousness, perversity, depravity). He was punished to bring us peace. He was wounded so we could be healed. We went astray. We went our own way. Yet He carried the weight of our guilt and unrighteousness which God laid upon Him. [It was for us]