Jesus Paid the Price for our Sins
March 21, 2021
Have you ever needed a pick me up? What do you do when you’re having a bad day? Do you go to the store and buy that super rich and creamy ice cream? Maybe it’s a cake or donut? Maybe a good Chicago pizza? You can see where I find comfort!
Or maybe you go to the store and buy some electronics or books or clothes and jewelry? There’s lots of options about what we can do when we’re having those not so good, very bad days.
Well, for the past two weeks, we’ve been looking at some not so very good things about our lives. Two weeks ago, we talked about our sin, remember, that little deposit in your refreshing glass of water? Then last week, we talked about the fact that you can’t do enough good deeds to redeem yourself.
Well . . . today and for the next two weeks - - - we’re looking at good news. So, who’s ready for some good news?!
Have you ever won something? You entered a raffle and when they pulled out the winning ticket, it had your name on it. That’s a great feeling, isn’t it? I’m not sure I’ve ever won anything like that.
When something great happens like that, or a job promotion or a new job, or an exciting life change - - - we want to share that with others. We want to shout from the rooftops about our good fortune. That should be what we’re feeling and thinking and experiencing for the next 3 weeks as we lead up to Easter and we recognize, believe and trust that what Jesus did for us was real and life altering.
After learning that God, the Creator and Architect of the universe, also created us for a personal relationship with Him - - that’s great news! We’re created in God’s image. How great is that?
Then we learned that because of our sins, we’re separated from our Creator, God – this led to spiritual and physical death - - and ultimately eternal separation from God.
The bad news continued as we realize we cannot do enough good to wash away our sins. We don’t how much good is enough or how much bad takes away the good in order to purge our sin. That’s where we’ve been, now comes the good news. Now, we’ve ended the past 2 weeks on a good note, but most of the message wasn’t necessarily uplifting.
The great news is the fact that - - Jesus paid the price for our sins.
Our sin separated us and continues to separate us every time we sin. But God made a way for us to connect and reconnect with Him! The Gospel of Jesus Christ is good news. In fact, it’s great news!!
The book of Isaiah has been referred to as the 5th gospel, as Isaiah paints a very vivid picture of Jesus in many different ways. One of them was to help us to see way back around 700 BC that Jesus was going to endure terrible, excruciating pain in order to die in our place.
This latter part of Isaiah is often called the Suffering Servant. That’s what Jesus became for us. As I was writing this message, I honestly really struggled at this point and came to the conclusion to make this message longer than shorter!
The reason is that I’m going to read the entire chapter of Isaiah 53. Now, it’s only 12 verses, but it is so rich with imagery about Jesus, our Suffering Servant, who died on our behalf.
As I read the passage, I want you to listen for the many times Isaiah tells us that Jesus was our substitute. He took the sins of a sinful people upon Himself, suffering and dying in our place. Isaiah proclaimed -
1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 For He grew up before Him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.
4 Surely HE HAS BORNE OUR GRIEFS and CARRIED OUR SORROWS; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But HE WAS PIERCED FOR OUR TRANSGRESSIONS; HE WAS CRUSHED FOR OUR INIQUITEIES; upon Him was the CHASTISEMENT that brought us peace, and with HIS WOUNDS WE ARE HEALED.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned — every one — to his own way; and the LORD has LAID ON HIM THE INIQUITY OF US ALL.
7 He was oppressed, and HE WAS AFFLICTED, yet He opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living, STRICKEN FOR THE TRANSGRESSION of my people?
9 And they made His grave with the wicked and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no violence, and there was no deceit in His mouth.
10 Yet it was the will of the lord to CRUSH HIM; He has put Him to grief, when His soul makes an OFFERING FOR GUILT, He shall see His offspring; He shall prolong His days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.
11 Out of the anguish of His soul He shall see and be satisfied; by His knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and He shall BEAR THEIR INIQUITIES.
12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the many, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because He POURED OUT HIS SOULD TO DEATH and was NUMBERED WITH THE TRANSGRESSORS; yet He BORE THE SIN OF MANY, and makes INTERCESSION FOR THE TRANSGRESSORS. - Isaiah 53
Let’s take a deep breath here! Can you see what Isaiah is talking about? Do you hear the power of who Jesus is for us?! This should get us up and out of our seats . . . wanting to worship and praise the King of kings and Lord of lords. Can I get a collective AMEN?
A price had to be paid for us. On our own, we couldn’t do it. Like I said last week, we could not do enough good to remove the dirt. Have you ever had something that got a stain on it? You do everything you can to remove it from your best shirt and nothing works. All the commercials you’ve watched about what you can use, and you spend money for it all, and nothing!!
That’s how it is with us. Nothing can remove the full impact of our sinfulness other than Jesus.
Jesus shared the heart and mission of God the Father in His conversation with Nicodemus in the most popular Scripture ever memorized or quoted, John 3:16. Jesus told him - -
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. - John 3:16-17
That’s the gospel. God sent Jesus for us, for you and me. To die a terrible, humiliating death for you and me. WHY? So that all who believe in Him would have eternal life. AND - - - AND
The 2nd part is really important for those of us who think we’ve done too many bad things to be forgiven. Sometimes we hold ourselves hostage and condemn ourselves, we don’t forgive ourselves and I really believe that’s why Jesus said those next words to Nicodemus.
Jesus didn’t come into the world to condemn us!! Can I get an AMEN! Maybe a HALLELUJAH!! Seriously, this is amazing! I hope you’re getting this. Maybe we’ll become a little Baptocostal today!
Jesus didn’t come to condemn me and you! He could have! He really could have said you people are worse than pond scum, you’re as bad as what Isaiah called us - - filthy rags. Yet, in spite of that, Jesus came to redeem us – to save us from the effects of our sin.
OK . . . now I want to ask you a crazy question . . . I want to give away this $10 bill. Seriously, someone is going to walk away with $10. Sorry for those at home! You need to give me something in exchange for it.
I want you to search for what you have on you that is the most worthless item you can find. Got it. What is the most worthless possession on you?
I’ll give you 15 seconds to tell me.
OK, folks, anyone have an idea. Anyone want to vote on what you think is the most worthless possession?
To the winner - - - Ok it appears you have the most worthless item in the room. Now, I will give you this $10 bill in exchange for that item. All you have to do is believe me and receive it.
There are no strings attached, you only have to agree to give it to me. This probably seems crazy, that I would give money for something that really is garbage. But check this out what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:21 - - -
21 God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” - 2 Corinthians 5:21
This is such a powerful verse for us to grasp. God sent Jesus, the One who had no sin, to take on our sin. The perfect One became the perfect sacrifice for the imperfect people.
The result of that sacrifice is the fact that we are now viewed by God as righteous. This is super, super important theologically. It means we have something I’ve said before . . . FORENSIC JUSTIFICATION.
That means God has in His court of law declared you and I NOT GUILTY. We have been cleared of eternal separation by God because of what Jesus did for us. And because of what Jesus did for us we now have IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS.
That means God looks at me and you as righteous because of what Jesus did for us. His righteousness is imputed upon us. We are now viewed as righteous, even though we are not righteous, but Jesus’ death created the only path to this connection with God.
So, God offers His righteousness in exchange for our sin. It’s like giving away $1 million for our worthless possession. That’s what God did for us.
When we trust Christ as our Savior, this powerful exchange is made, and Jesus takes away our sin and clothes us in HIS righteousness!
