WEBVTT 00:00:00.120 --> 00:00:11.300 Well, good morning, everyone. How lovely to see you. Let me encourage you to have those verses in Isaiah 52 and 53 open in front of you as we journey on this morning, 00:00:11.380 --> 00:00:19.339 because these are what we've just read, some of the most wonderful verses in the entire of the Bible. 00:00:19.480 --> 00:00:26.960 If you're here today and you're asking yourself, perhaps, who is this God that Christians follow? 00:00:26.960 --> 00:00:31.300 Who is this God? What is he like? Which are some great questions to be asking ourselves. 00:00:31.400 --> 00:00:37.939 If those are your questions, let me encourage you to tune in to what this passage is telling us, what God is saying to us in his word, 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:44.519 because these verses will get us right to the heart of who God is and what he is like. 00:00:45.640 --> 00:00:53.859 Now, to get us into this, let me tell you about a little conversation that happened around the Shanks family dinner table this week. 00:00:53.859 --> 00:00:56.780 I came home on Monday and Alex had prepared a lovely roast chicken. 00:00:56.960 --> 00:01:01.840 complete with the trimmings. It was lovely. We were there, the four of us, our two little girls. 00:01:02.000 --> 00:01:11.719 We were tucking into this meal and Chloe, our four-year-old, she turns to us out of the blue and she asks us, 00:01:12.120 --> 00:01:14.900 how did the chicken get on my plate? 00:01:17.780 --> 00:01:20.900 So the two of us slightly panicked. We just say the first thing that comes into our minds. 00:01:20.900 --> 00:01:22.200 We say, well, we got it from Tesco. 00:01:22.200 --> 00:01:27.780 Eating a little bit more. She's not quite having it. 00:01:27.840 --> 00:01:32.140 She asks us again, yeah, but how did the chicken get on my plate? 00:01:33.740 --> 00:01:36.240 And so we think, right, we'll need to take the step one further. 00:01:36.400 --> 00:01:41.520 And we say to her, well, the farmer, he looked after the chicken on the farm with all the other chickens. 00:01:41.579 --> 00:01:44.540 And then he packaged the chicken and he sent it off to Tesco. 00:01:44.540 --> 00:01:46.540 And we bought it from Tesco. Now we're eating it. 00:01:47.900 --> 00:01:50.300 And it seemed to satisfy her for about 30 seconds. 00:01:50.400 --> 00:01:53.620 And once again, she asks once again, yeah, but how? 00:01:54.920 --> 00:01:56.880 How did the chicken get on my plate? 00:01:56.879 --> 00:02:03.519 And we realized, the two of us, that we're just going to have to tell her how the chicken got on her plate. 00:02:04.739 --> 00:02:10.699 Because what was true for the carrot on her plate, and was true for the green bean on her plate, 00:02:11.539 --> 00:02:14.639 and was true for the potato on her plate, was true for the chicken on her plate, 00:02:15.840 --> 00:02:17.379 that the chicken had to die. 00:02:19.460 --> 00:02:21.800 Because if the chicken didn't die, then we couldn't eat. 00:02:21.800 --> 00:02:26.740 And if we don't eat, then we don't live. 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:33.620 So quite simply, the chicken died so that we can live. 00:02:35.980 --> 00:02:39.800 And Isaiah 52 and 53, friends, if you're looking for a theme, 00:02:39.880 --> 00:02:42.640 if you're looking for a big idea that will take you through this passage, 00:02:43.220 --> 00:02:51.060 this glorious truth is that Jesus Christ died so that we can live. 00:02:52.800 --> 00:02:54.420 This is the message of these verses. 00:02:54.640 --> 00:02:57.700 He died so that we can live. 00:02:59.200 --> 00:03:02.260 Now, if you've got them there, verse 13, God thunders in here. 00:03:02.920 --> 00:03:06.100 The last of these servant songs, we've been looking at them over the past few weeks, 00:03:06.200 --> 00:03:09.980 we've reached the last one, probably the thickest one, 00:03:10.520 --> 00:03:15.000 the most theological rich, the one that gets us right to the heart of this servant, 00:03:15.080 --> 00:03:16.080 who he is and what he will do. 00:03:16.140 --> 00:03:18.480 And God says, you see him thunder in verse 13, he says, 00:03:18.479 --> 00:03:19.239 Behold my servant. 00:03:20.659 --> 00:03:21.359 Look at him. 00:03:21.419 --> 00:03:22.780 In other words, have a look at him. 00:03:22.939 --> 00:03:23.979 See who he is. 00:03:25.599 --> 00:03:26.739 Let me tell you about him. 00:03:27.639 --> 00:03:28.879 Let me tell you what he will do. 00:03:28.979 --> 00:03:30.679 Let me tell you what his life will be like. 00:03:31.000 --> 00:03:35.339 And most importantly, let me tell you what it will mean for you. 00:03:35.340 --> 00:03:40.439 Because when you get that, when you understand who this Savior is, 00:03:40.520 --> 00:03:42.520 Jesus Christ, my servant, the one that I will send, 00:03:43.140 --> 00:03:46.319 it will quite simply send you to your knees and it will blow your mind. 00:03:46.319 --> 00:03:52.079 But let me just get us into Isaiah. 00:03:52.180 --> 00:03:53.900 Remember, these are not just isolated words. 00:03:54.019 --> 00:03:55.979 These are words that are written in a specific time, 00:03:56.099 --> 00:03:58.139 written to a specific people, written for all people, 00:03:58.219 --> 00:03:59.699 but written in a specific time. 00:04:00.079 --> 00:04:01.419 They're written in the book of Isaiah. 00:04:02.680 --> 00:04:04.659 And we've been journeying through this little section 00:04:04.659 --> 00:04:09.680 that started at chapter 40 and kind of runs through right to the end of chapter 55 00:04:09.680 --> 00:04:13.439 as God speaks to a generation who will find themselves in exile. 00:04:13.439 --> 00:04:20.360 And the thing about these chapters is that there is a massive tension in the text. 00:04:21.759 --> 00:04:23.480 Go home and check it out for yourselves. 00:04:23.560 --> 00:04:25.800 You may notice it as we've walked through it over the past few weeks. 00:04:25.879 --> 00:04:30.279 There's a tension in the text because God has been making some really, 00:04:30.439 --> 00:04:33.920 really big promises, massive promises. 00:04:35.879 --> 00:04:39.939 Promises about what he will do for his people who will soon find themselves in exile 00:04:39.939 --> 00:04:43.759 and we'll be sitting there thinking the game's up, it's over for us. 00:04:44.480 --> 00:04:45.259 Not going to hope. 00:04:46.079 --> 00:04:47.000 We're finished. 00:04:49.019 --> 00:04:50.439 God's making some big promises. 00:04:50.660 --> 00:04:51.980 Let's just pick out a few of these. 00:04:52.079 --> 00:04:55.759 Big promises that he will pardon their iniquity. 00:04:57.379 --> 00:04:58.959 That he will rescue them. 00:05:00.100 --> 00:05:01.379 That he will forgive them. 00:05:01.459 --> 00:05:06.800 And he will somehow make a way that their sins will be remembered no more in his sight. 00:05:06.899 --> 00:05:08.779 He will deal with the sin of his people. 00:05:08.779 --> 00:05:12.219 He will make them guiltless before any accuser. 00:05:13.439 --> 00:05:17.599 That he will glorify them in that he will so radically change them. 00:05:18.359 --> 00:05:23.719 That somehow they will now turn, that their lives will now reflect something of his greatness to the watching world. 00:05:24.119 --> 00:05:27.439 And promises that God is so lovingly committed to 00:05:27.439 --> 00:05:36.299 that he would describe himself as having the names of his people inscribed in the palms of his hands. 00:05:36.299 --> 00:05:38.259 Now think about that imagery for a second. 00:05:38.779 --> 00:05:43.359 The names of his people inscribed on the palms of his hands. 00:05:43.439 --> 00:05:49.159 Of course words that won't just be metaphorical words that will be real with the coming of Jesus Christ. 00:05:49.239 --> 00:05:50.919 You know when you go to Starbucks, what do they do? 00:05:51.000 --> 00:05:51.579 What's your name? 00:05:51.639 --> 00:05:54.979 I've had some tremendous spellings of Graham over the years, let me tell you. 00:05:55.279 --> 00:05:55.879 What do they do? 00:05:55.959 --> 00:05:57.419 They write your name on the side of a cup. 00:05:57.599 --> 00:05:59.219 It's meant to make you feel special, isn't it? 00:05:59.220 --> 00:06:05.800 God is saying to his people, I have got your names on the palms of my hand. 00:06:06.020 --> 00:06:11.680 That is how committed I am to showing you how much I love you, my faithfulness. 00:06:11.740 --> 00:06:12.220 Get that. 00:06:13.920 --> 00:06:19.820 And all these promises, the thing to see is that the people will not bring them about by themselves. 00:06:19.960 --> 00:06:21.300 There's zero chance of that happening. 00:06:21.300 --> 00:06:26.340 God says, I will make salvation spring up from the ground. 00:06:27.460 --> 00:06:29.079 In other words, this is going to be all of grace. 00:06:30.259 --> 00:06:34.180 Grace, just getting something that you don't deserve. 00:06:34.639 --> 00:06:36.500 And God is going to do this for his people. 00:06:36.680 --> 00:06:38.240 Marvelous words, marvelous promises. 00:06:38.379 --> 00:06:42.920 But as well as big promises, God's put his finger on some big, big problems. 00:06:42.920 --> 00:06:45.920 Problems that are true with his people. 00:06:46.699 --> 00:06:48.280 Problems that are true with the people of the world. 00:06:48.439 --> 00:06:50.300 Problems that we know are true in our own lives. 00:06:52.080 --> 00:06:53.340 Our blatant sin. 00:06:53.580 --> 00:06:56.560 The people's blatant sin against a holy God. 00:06:56.680 --> 00:06:58.900 Their refusal to acknowledge him and his ways. 00:06:59.139 --> 00:07:00.759 Their rebellion. 00:07:00.920 --> 00:07:02.560 The fact that they don't want to go God's way. 00:07:02.620 --> 00:07:03.780 They want to go their way. 00:07:04.639 --> 00:07:05.900 And their hypocrisy. 00:07:06.420 --> 00:07:09.920 And the injustice that is rife amongst them as a people. 00:07:09.920 --> 00:07:12.400 They're just disregarding how God has told them to live. 00:07:13.920 --> 00:07:18.140 And that stuff, that sin has provoked God's righteous anger. 00:07:19.319 --> 00:07:20.960 And that needs to be dealt with. 00:07:21.939 --> 00:07:23.140 So think about the tension. 00:07:23.280 --> 00:07:24.460 Both of these things are true. 00:07:24.580 --> 00:07:25.439 You've got promises. 00:07:26.160 --> 00:07:27.620 And you've got problems. 00:07:27.860 --> 00:07:29.939 And God says he will be faithful to both. 00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:30.960 But how can that be? 00:07:32.060 --> 00:07:33.000 You ever thought about that? 00:07:33.200 --> 00:07:34.460 That's the tension in the text. 00:07:35.040 --> 00:07:39.600 How can God be true to his promises and yet deal with the problems? 00:07:41.480 --> 00:07:42.500 Let me put it another way. 00:07:42.500 --> 00:07:43.360 This is a question I remember. 00:07:43.480 --> 00:07:44.379 I asked it myself. 00:07:44.540 --> 00:07:46.319 When I was thinking about the things of Christianity. 00:07:46.540 --> 00:07:47.079 Here it is. 00:07:48.160 --> 00:07:51.879 How can God be perfectly loving? 00:07:53.879 --> 00:07:57.040 And how can he be at the same time perfectly just? 00:07:57.720 --> 00:08:03.579 How can he be both fully without compromising on either? 00:08:03.579 --> 00:08:04.879 How will he do that? 00:08:08.060 --> 00:08:21.139 If you're into your TV dramas, you'll know that the best in the business have got a wonderful way of building the tension in a plot to the point that the viewer is left thinking, how on earth is this one going to resolve itself? 00:08:21.139 --> 00:08:23.319 Have you ever thought that as you've watched the TV drama? 00:08:23.560 --> 00:08:25.159 How is this going to resolve itself? 00:08:25.979 --> 00:08:26.800 What's going to happen? 00:08:28.599 --> 00:08:30.839 And then all of a sudden that moment comes, doesn't it? 00:08:30.839 --> 00:08:32.519 When you see it, you get it. 00:08:32.580 --> 00:08:33.559 Oh, that's how it's happened. 00:08:33.559 --> 00:08:36.059 That's how this tension resolves itself. 00:08:36.639 --> 00:08:41.739 And you're left thinking to yourself, wow, because I would never have saw that coming. 00:08:43.719 --> 00:08:47.919 Well, in these verses, God is saying, here is how I'm going to do it. 00:08:47.919 --> 00:08:55.659 And it centers on his servant who will die so that we can live. 00:08:56.299 --> 00:08:59.879 And this passage takes us straight to the cross of Jesus Christ. 00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:03.219 You might have picked that up from the songs we've been singing earlier. 00:09:03.679 --> 00:09:09.959 This is where this passage takes us, to the cross of Jesus Christ, the symbol of Christianity. 00:09:11.339 --> 00:09:13.019 People sing about the cross, don't they? 00:09:13.079 --> 00:09:14.159 People write about the cross. 00:09:14.259 --> 00:09:15.099 People wear a cross. 00:09:15.219 --> 00:09:16.480 People get tattoos of the cross. 00:09:16.480 --> 00:09:19.759 I wonder if you've ever asked yourself, what is the big deal about the cross? 00:09:20.700 --> 00:09:22.860 It's the centerpiece of our church logo. 00:09:22.960 --> 00:09:24.259 I wonder if you've ever asked yourself, why? 00:09:25.259 --> 00:09:31.379 Why do people get so hung up about remembering somebody's death that happened 2,000 odd years ago? 00:09:32.779 --> 00:09:36.159 Well, the thing about the why is that these verses answer the why. 00:09:36.560 --> 00:09:37.720 This is why. 00:09:38.480 --> 00:09:40.120 This is not just news. 00:09:40.860 --> 00:09:46.340 If you look back just to chapter 52, verse 7. 00:09:46.480 --> 00:09:51.500 How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. 00:09:52.440 --> 00:09:58.700 In other words, God is saying, what I'm about to tell you in chapter 53 is good news. 00:09:59.980 --> 00:10:00.899 This is good news. 00:10:00.899 --> 00:10:04.639 Now, there's so much we could say about these verses. 00:10:04.779 --> 00:10:09.539 Honestly, I went swimming in them this week thinking I could handle it, and then I realized I was swimming in the Atlantic. 00:10:10.819 --> 00:10:12.399 Tons to see in these verses. 00:10:12.519 --> 00:10:15.459 We are dealing with eternally divine things. 00:10:16.259 --> 00:10:19.620 And we're going to have a shot at doing this in one sermon. 00:10:19.620 --> 00:10:22.720 Some churches are doing this song over five parts over Easter. 00:10:22.899 --> 00:10:25.600 Mercifully, you're getting the 20-minute version this morning, okay? 00:10:26.379 --> 00:10:29.639 We're going to see some wonderful things about how God is going to do this. 00:10:31.039 --> 00:10:41.039 Isaiah has so carefully crafted this final servant song in such a way that our eyes are drawn to a central point that he's making about how God will do this. 00:10:41.039 --> 00:10:43.439 Think of this like a five-layer sandwich. 00:10:44.019 --> 00:10:47.740 There's five sections here, and the meat's in the middle. 00:10:49.480 --> 00:10:50.879 So here it is, okay? 00:10:51.919 --> 00:10:57.579 And the first and the fifth sections of this servant song, God preaches it. 00:10:58.439 --> 00:11:00.319 He says, this is what I'm going to do. 00:11:00.320 --> 00:11:07.260 And then as we move into the second and the fourth sections, we get the world that watched it. 00:11:07.820 --> 00:11:10.780 The world watches it and says, there's what we saw. 00:11:11.960 --> 00:11:13.200 Wow, isn't God great? 00:11:14.780 --> 00:11:19.900 And in the third section, which is the heart of the message, which is the meat, which is where the emphasis lies, 00:11:19.980 --> 00:11:22.520 we're going to hear about the servant who clinched it. 00:11:25.420 --> 00:11:28.280 As God says through Isaiah, here's how I'm going to do it. 00:11:28.279 --> 00:11:30.679 Here's how I'm going to do it. 00:11:32.519 --> 00:11:36.699 So the God who preached it, my servant, do you see verse 13? 00:11:37.639 --> 00:11:38.959 My servant thunders God. 00:11:39.039 --> 00:11:39.659 He will be what? 00:11:39.919 --> 00:11:40.399 Successful. 00:11:40.439 --> 00:11:41.799 In other words, he's getting this job done. 00:11:42.699 --> 00:11:43.980 He's going to do this. 00:11:44.220 --> 00:11:45.579 He will finish this work. 00:11:45.639 --> 00:11:52.879 And when you see my servant, when you see what he will do, and when you get it, it will blow your minds. 00:11:52.879 --> 00:11:58.220 Because in him, and you notice this word here, you will see my wisdom. 00:11:58.279 --> 00:12:01.720 See that word, verse 13. 00:12:02.919 --> 00:12:10.279 So God's servant is going to put on magnificent display to the watching world God's wisdom. 00:12:11.559 --> 00:12:16.039 Wisdom which will leave even kings dumbfounded. 00:12:16.039 --> 00:12:29.759 And say to themselves, not only did we not see that coming, but when we saw it, when we saw him suspended on the cross, when we saw him see the descriptions marred and disfigured, 00:12:29.759 --> 00:12:33.299 in all honesty, it looked like utter foolishness to us. 00:12:34.860 --> 00:12:36.120 I was thinking on it this week. 00:12:36.159 --> 00:12:39.740 If God was to go on Dragon's Den, and think of it like that. 00:12:39.740 --> 00:12:53.240 If God was to go on Dragon's Den, and pitch his salvation plan to the dragons, and tell them about the cross, tell them about how he's going to save sinful men and women to himself, sinful people, 00:12:53.340 --> 00:12:55.980 the dragons would look at that and say, that is utter nonsense. 00:12:57.740 --> 00:12:59.779 That is offensive. 00:13:00.139 --> 00:13:04.879 That is not a chance of you getting my investment in that salvation plan. 00:13:04.879 --> 00:13:09.159 Deborah Meaden and Peter Jones would be aghast, and they'd all be out within seconds. 00:13:11.019 --> 00:13:12.379 But this is God's wisdom. 00:13:14.039 --> 00:13:18.220 And his wisdom, his ways, they're so far above our ways. 00:13:19.840 --> 00:13:23.939 I guess in a way that you'd kind of expect from our creator. 00:13:25.340 --> 00:13:31.779 In actual fact, his wisdom only goes to make foolish the wisdom of the world. 00:13:31.779 --> 00:13:35.259 As God says, here is my wisdom. 00:13:36.459 --> 00:13:38.240 And in his wisdom, he knew 00:13:38.240 --> 00:13:45.419 that what the people of the world, what we needed most, wasn't a strong leader, 00:13:46.639 --> 00:13:48.459 wasn't a skilled teacher, 00:13:49.480 --> 00:13:50.959 wasn't an able negotiator. 00:13:51.059 --> 00:13:53.240 What you and I need most is a saviour. 00:13:54.480 --> 00:13:55.360 It's a saviour. 00:13:55.740 --> 00:13:57.879 Someone who will sprinkle us. 00:13:57.959 --> 00:13:59.439 Do you see that word at verse 15? 00:13:59.440 --> 00:14:03.900 It's an Old Testament priestly word, to sprinkle. 00:14:04.020 --> 00:14:05.900 These people would have known exactly what that meant. 00:14:06.660 --> 00:14:07.920 He's going to sprinkle people. 00:14:08.060 --> 00:14:10.740 So this servant is going to be the ultimate priest 00:14:10.740 --> 00:14:15.680 in that he will make people right with God. 00:14:17.140 --> 00:14:17.980 And verse 11, 00:14:19.040 --> 00:14:22.580 he will be the one who will justify them. 00:14:22.580 --> 00:14:27.300 One of those great biblical words, justified. 00:14:27.700 --> 00:14:29.700 It's a courtroom word. 00:14:31.480 --> 00:14:35.540 It means that the irrevocable verdict has been passed, 00:14:36.120 --> 00:14:39.540 that we are declared right before our creator God. 00:14:40.560 --> 00:14:41.160 Hear this, 00:14:41.259 --> 00:14:43.580 treated just as if we'd never sinned, 00:14:44.420 --> 00:14:47.520 and treated just as if we'd always obeyed. 00:14:48.360 --> 00:14:50.080 Be of sin the double cure. 00:14:50.180 --> 00:14:51.200 Hear it is right here. 00:14:51.200 --> 00:14:52.900 Justified debts paid, 00:14:53.180 --> 00:14:53.940 charges dropped, 00:14:54.259 --> 00:14:55.780 relationship restored. 00:14:57.700 --> 00:15:02.480 Remember studying the Declaration of Independence at university? 00:15:03.580 --> 00:15:04.700 Not the American one. 00:15:05.060 --> 00:15:05.740 That would have been fun. 00:15:06.720 --> 00:15:07.600 The Scottish one. 00:15:09.860 --> 00:15:10.700 1320, 00:15:10.840 --> 00:15:13.379 the Declaration of Arbroath. 00:15:14.379 --> 00:15:18.020 This moment when the people in Scotland, 00:15:18.220 --> 00:15:19.200 this line in the sand, 00:15:19.200 --> 00:15:20.860 this moment in history where people said, 00:15:21.920 --> 00:15:22.100 no, 00:15:22.180 --> 00:15:24.440 these are the things that are now true for us as a people. 00:15:26.420 --> 00:15:27.340 And on these truths, 00:15:27.400 --> 00:15:29.100 we're going to stand and build our lives. 00:15:31.360 --> 00:15:32.920 And it's this kind of declaration 00:15:32.920 --> 00:15:35.780 that God is talking about here. 00:15:36.140 --> 00:15:39.200 This line in the sand declaration that is true for all those 00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:41.980 who have put their trust in Jesus Christ 00:15:41.980 --> 00:15:44.580 is that we are justified. 00:15:44.580 --> 00:15:44.879 It's this kind of thing that is true for all those who have been in the sand. 00:15:44.879 --> 00:15:45.879 It's this kind of thing that is true for all those who have been in the sand. 00:15:45.879 --> 00:15:46.779 Line in the sand, 00:15:46.779 --> 00:15:48.500 moment in history, 00:15:48.740 --> 00:15:50.939 Jesus has justified us before a holy God. 00:15:51.019 --> 00:15:52.259 We are right with him. 00:15:54.519 --> 00:15:54.939 And because, 00:15:55.059 --> 00:15:55.559 verse 12, 00:15:55.679 --> 00:15:56.019 do you see, 00:15:56.879 --> 00:15:59.799 because this servant was willing to pour out his soul to death, 00:15:59.799 --> 00:16:01.120 God will vindicate him. 00:16:02.579 --> 00:16:03.399 So in other words, 00:16:03.539 --> 00:16:05.459 death may be the road for him, 00:16:06.219 --> 00:16:08.439 but death will not be the end for him. 00:16:09.240 --> 00:16:11.000 And there will be life for him. 00:16:11.519 --> 00:16:15.959 And God will make sure that just as the world publicly saw his humiliation, 00:16:15.960 --> 00:16:20.400 the world will publicly see his exaltation. 00:16:21.620 --> 00:16:22.360 As God said, 00:16:22.720 --> 00:16:23.240 God says, 00:16:23.440 --> 00:16:25.259 that is my servant. 00:16:25.620 --> 00:16:26.560 There is my son. 00:16:26.800 --> 00:16:28.080 There is my king. 00:16:28.960 --> 00:16:31.220 And the world will not touch him. 00:16:32.600 --> 00:16:37.740 And his people will share in the spoils of his victory. 00:16:39.840 --> 00:16:43.400 So God preaches this news to this generation living in exile. 00:16:43.399 --> 00:16:47.000 That's the God who preached it. 00:16:47.539 --> 00:16:48.919 Here's the world that watched it. 00:16:49.019 --> 00:16:53.959 Here are the stories that the onlookers who watched the life and death of Jesus 00:16:53.959 --> 00:16:58.879 and have now come to understand what was really going on and what it meant. 00:16:59.819 --> 00:17:02.600 And I want you to hear what they're telling you this morning. 00:17:02.720 --> 00:17:05.119 Hear what they're saying to you from verse one. 00:17:05.259 --> 00:17:05.960 What do they say? 00:17:06.039 --> 00:17:06.339 Man, 00:17:07.819 --> 00:17:09.000 who would have believed this? 00:17:11.200 --> 00:17:13.299 Who would have believed this? 00:17:14.400 --> 00:17:18.300 That what we saw was the strong arm of the Lord. 00:17:18.380 --> 00:17:19.259 You see that in the text? 00:17:19.340 --> 00:17:20.640 This is God's power. 00:17:20.800 --> 00:17:22.600 This is God's mighty saving power. 00:17:23.000 --> 00:17:25.740 And it looked to us like utter foolishness. 00:17:27.019 --> 00:17:31.660 That God would demonstrate his saving power in the life and the death of Jesus of Nazareth. 00:17:31.660 --> 00:17:36.480 Surely that can't be true. 00:17:38.120 --> 00:17:38.840 We thought. 00:17:40.040 --> 00:17:41.519 But praise God it is true. 00:17:41.640 --> 00:17:43.240 Hear them tell you what they are saying. 00:17:43.380 --> 00:17:44.019 Feel the imagery. 00:17:44.140 --> 00:17:45.640 He was like a young plant. 00:17:46.500 --> 00:17:46.740 Right? 00:17:46.800 --> 00:17:48.040 We went to the botanics yesterday. 00:17:48.180 --> 00:17:49.820 We saw lots of young plants. 00:17:51.380 --> 00:17:51.779 Unimpressive. 00:17:51.980 --> 00:17:52.800 Fighting for life. 00:17:52.920 --> 00:17:53.600 Trying to get air. 00:17:53.720 --> 00:17:54.380 Trying to get light. 00:17:55.060 --> 00:17:56.000 Just walked on past. 00:17:56.060 --> 00:17:56.900 Didn't even notice them. 00:17:57.880 --> 00:18:00.120 He was like a root out of dry ground. 00:18:00.200 --> 00:18:02.080 You ever dug out a root from your garden? 00:18:02.540 --> 00:18:02.740 Yeah? 00:18:03.660 --> 00:18:04.360 Dug out a root. 00:18:04.420 --> 00:18:05.280 What do you do with it? 00:18:06.140 --> 00:18:07.640 You just chuck it in the compost heap. 00:18:07.720 --> 00:18:08.580 You chuck it in the bin. 00:18:08.880 --> 00:18:09.180 Why? 00:18:09.280 --> 00:18:10.440 Because you look at it and you think, 00:18:10.500 --> 00:18:11.560 well, there's nothing happening here. 00:18:12.620 --> 00:18:13.600 Nothing I know here. 00:18:13.740 --> 00:18:15.920 There's nothing worth my investment, 00:18:16.100 --> 00:18:16.980 my working for. 00:18:17.060 --> 00:18:18.040 So you just chuck it away. 00:18:18.039 --> 00:18:19.759 This is what they thought about this sermon. 00:18:19.859 --> 00:18:21.299 This is what they thought about Jesus. 00:18:22.799 --> 00:18:25.839 Perhaps if his life was one of pomp and grandeur, 00:18:26.099 --> 00:18:28.200 then maybe we would have clicked, they say. 00:18:28.539 --> 00:18:31.319 But we watched him and there was no fireworks to his life. 00:18:31.399 --> 00:18:32.839 There was no show to his life. 00:18:32.920 --> 00:18:33.899 There was no fanfare. 00:18:33.980 --> 00:18:34.920 He wasn't impressive. 00:18:35.379 --> 00:18:36.259 He was on the contrary. 00:18:36.339 --> 00:18:37.139 He was unimpressive. 00:18:39.159 --> 00:18:40.779 And he was despised. 00:18:41.099 --> 00:18:42.759 Do you see that word used twice there? 00:18:43.579 --> 00:18:44.619 He was despised. 00:18:44.619 --> 00:18:47.059 He was rejected. 00:18:47.919 --> 00:18:49.059 And he knew suffering. 00:18:49.739 --> 00:18:51.759 And people wanted nothing to do with him. 00:18:53.000 --> 00:18:54.539 And get your head around this one. 00:18:56.459 --> 00:18:58.179 He was the man of sorrows. 00:18:59.519 --> 00:19:00.619 Just think on that. 00:19:02.799 --> 00:19:03.699 Think on that. 00:19:06.959 --> 00:19:09.039 It's true, isn't it, sometimes that in our world 00:19:09.039 --> 00:19:13.079 that we look at people and we think up little nicknames for them. 00:19:14.619 --> 00:19:16.139 As we see how they live their lives, 00:19:16.219 --> 00:19:17.459 as we see what they do with their days, 00:19:17.559 --> 00:19:18.419 we look at them and we say, 00:19:18.679 --> 00:19:20.439 such and such, she is a lady of leisure. 00:19:21.039 --> 00:19:21.419 Don't we? 00:19:22.759 --> 00:19:24.779 Such and such, she is a man about town. 00:19:25.739 --> 00:19:27.459 Try and get to the heart of who they are. 00:19:29.539 --> 00:19:30.500 Well, praise God 00:19:30.500 --> 00:19:33.639 for this incredible thought 00:19:33.639 --> 00:19:36.419 that God the Son 00:19:36.419 --> 00:19:39.339 would step down into our mess, 00:19:40.539 --> 00:19:41.619 left heaven's glory, 00:19:41.619 --> 00:19:43.359 and people looked at him 00:19:43.359 --> 00:19:45.979 and how he lived his life 00:19:45.979 --> 00:19:48.539 and the nickname that they came up with 00:19:48.539 --> 00:19:52.159 was that he was the man of sorrows. 00:19:54.039 --> 00:19:55.559 What utter condescension. 00:19:57.159 --> 00:19:59.479 He could not have gone lower. 00:20:00.839 --> 00:20:02.059 And what this means, friends, 00:20:02.119 --> 00:20:03.399 is that if you are here today 00:20:03.399 --> 00:20:05.839 and you are struggling with your sorrows 00:20:05.839 --> 00:20:08.500 and if you are at the lowest point, 00:20:09.679 --> 00:20:12.079 then can I encourage you to lift your eyes 00:20:12.079 --> 00:20:14.720 and come running to the man of sorrows. 00:20:15.319 --> 00:20:16.439 If you are sitting there 00:20:16.439 --> 00:20:17.599 and you are thinking to yourself, 00:20:17.720 --> 00:20:19.439 nobody knows and nobody cares, 00:20:21.299 --> 00:20:22.939 then run to the man of sorrows 00:20:22.939 --> 00:20:24.279 because nobody knows 00:20:24.279 --> 00:20:26.740 and nobody cares 00:20:26.740 --> 00:20:29.079 and nobody loves you 00:20:29.079 --> 00:20:31.640 quite like he does. 00:20:35.859 --> 00:20:37.579 But as far as the people were concerned, 00:20:37.940 --> 00:20:39.620 no way could he be God's promised king. 00:20:40.460 --> 00:20:41.120 He couldn't be. 00:20:41.200 --> 00:20:42.059 Surely, verse 7, 00:20:42.099 --> 00:20:43.180 he didn't even put up a fight. 00:20:44.480 --> 00:20:45.460 He didn't say anything. 00:20:46.519 --> 00:20:48.079 And even though everyone knew he was innocent, 00:20:49.079 --> 00:20:50.519 he didn't say anything. 00:20:50.599 --> 00:20:52.359 What kind of way out is that to go? 00:20:52.920 --> 00:20:54.759 Never did we think for a moment 00:20:54.759 --> 00:20:56.400 that there was something bigger going on here 00:20:56.400 --> 00:20:57.279 that involved us. 00:20:59.460 --> 00:21:00.900 See, the world watched this moment 00:21:00.900 --> 00:21:03.059 in utter horror, 00:21:03.579 --> 00:21:04.539 in utter shock, 00:21:05.240 --> 00:21:06.700 thinking, surely not. 00:21:08.359 --> 00:21:11.339 But let's finally see 00:21:11.339 --> 00:21:13.079 the saviour who clinched it. 00:21:13.500 --> 00:21:14.619 Verses 4 to 6. 00:21:14.700 --> 00:21:16.339 This is the meat of the song. 00:21:16.460 --> 00:21:17.759 This is the heart of the message. 00:21:18.079 --> 00:21:19.299 And there's a rhythm to it. 00:21:19.940 --> 00:21:21.500 There's a rhythm to this section. 00:21:21.619 --> 00:21:22.259 And really simply, 00:21:22.379 --> 00:21:23.240 it goes like this. 00:21:23.579 --> 00:21:23.759 Okay? 00:21:23.759 --> 00:21:25.400 Him for us. 00:21:26.940 --> 00:21:28.960 Him for us. 00:21:29.779 --> 00:21:30.400 Him for us. 00:21:30.440 --> 00:21:31.779 There's seven couplets here. 00:21:31.900 --> 00:21:32.799 Look at these with me. 00:21:33.980 --> 00:21:35.680 Just making this point 00:21:35.680 --> 00:21:37.339 about what's going on on the cross. 00:21:37.460 --> 00:21:38.180 Look at with me. 00:21:38.259 --> 00:21:39.000 Verse 4. 00:21:39.559 --> 00:21:42.119 Surely he took our infirmities. 00:21:42.220 --> 00:21:42.700 Do you see it? 00:21:44.200 --> 00:21:46.680 He carried our sorrows. 00:21:48.119 --> 00:21:48.900 Verse 5. 00:21:49.279 --> 00:21:52.160 He was pierced for our transgressions. 00:21:52.359 --> 00:21:53.220 Our iniquities, rather. 00:21:53.220 --> 00:21:53.539 No, sorry. 00:21:54.259 --> 00:21:56.700 The punishment that brought us peace 00:21:56.700 --> 00:21:58.200 was on him. 00:21:59.299 --> 00:22:01.059 And by his wounds, 00:22:01.539 --> 00:22:02.519 we are healed. 00:22:03.220 --> 00:22:04.400 And lastly, verse 6. 00:22:04.400 --> 00:22:06.299 The Lord has laid on him 00:22:06.299 --> 00:22:09.759 the iniquity of us all. 00:22:09.960 --> 00:22:10.860 Seven times. 00:22:10.960 --> 00:22:11.440 Do you see it? 00:22:11.539 --> 00:22:12.440 Him for us. 00:22:12.640 --> 00:22:13.680 Him for us. 00:22:13.900 --> 00:22:15.180 Him for us. 00:22:15.180 --> 00:22:16.500 And what this is telling us 00:22:16.500 --> 00:22:17.680 is that Jesus Christ 00:22:17.680 --> 00:22:19.160 is the great substitute 00:22:19.160 --> 00:22:19.960 for his people. 00:22:21.880 --> 00:22:23.460 You often hear people in sport 00:22:23.460 --> 00:22:25.880 talk about how the substitution 00:22:25.880 --> 00:22:27.000 changed the game. 00:22:27.600 --> 00:22:28.019 Don't you? 00:22:29.460 --> 00:22:31.539 All that things were heading one way. 00:22:31.700 --> 00:22:32.140 All of a sudden, 00:22:32.220 --> 00:22:33.560 the substitute came on 00:22:33.560 --> 00:22:35.600 and impacted the game so much 00:22:35.600 --> 00:22:36.480 that things are now headed 00:22:36.480 --> 00:22:38.279 in the completely opposite direction. 00:22:38.279 --> 00:22:39.359 If you're a Watford fan, 00:22:39.440 --> 00:22:40.359 you know that'll happen to you 00:22:40.359 --> 00:22:41.579 in the FA Cup last weekend. 00:22:41.680 --> 00:22:43.019 The substitute changed it all. 00:22:45.019 --> 00:22:46.079 What's going on here 00:22:46.079 --> 00:22:48.079 is that God is telling us 00:22:48.079 --> 00:22:49.099 that his servant, 00:22:49.299 --> 00:22:50.200 Jesus Christ, 00:22:50.379 --> 00:22:51.440 is the great 00:22:51.440 --> 00:22:52.680 and loving 00:22:52.680 --> 00:22:53.279 substitute 00:22:53.819 --> 00:22:56.599 for all those 00:22:56.599 --> 00:22:57.359 who trust 00:22:57.359 --> 00:22:58.279 in him. 00:22:58.279 --> 00:23:00.279 And this is maybe 00:23:00.279 --> 00:23:01.240 the point to ask you 00:23:01.240 --> 00:23:02.019 to think about 00:23:02.019 --> 00:23:03.420 as we head towards a close, 00:23:03.519 --> 00:23:03.680 friends, 00:23:03.720 --> 00:23:04.839 is he your substitute? 00:23:06.279 --> 00:23:07.660 Is he your substitute? 00:23:08.599 --> 00:23:09.720 Because the truth is 00:23:09.720 --> 00:23:10.379 with our sin, 00:23:10.440 --> 00:23:11.480 we can only do two things. 00:23:11.539 --> 00:23:13.099 We can trust and know 00:23:13.099 --> 00:23:14.599 that Jesus Christ 00:23:14.599 --> 00:23:15.740 paid it for us. 00:23:16.980 --> 00:23:17.559 Or friends, 00:23:17.579 --> 00:23:18.279 we're going to have to pay 00:23:18.279 --> 00:23:19.000 for it ourselves. 00:23:21.500 --> 00:23:22.160 Praise God 00:23:22.160 --> 00:23:23.019 that he's provided us 00:23:23.019 --> 00:23:23.799 with a substitute. 00:23:24.539 --> 00:23:25.500 A substitute 00:23:25.500 --> 00:23:27.000 that did what we didn't 00:23:27.000 --> 00:23:27.660 ask him to do. 00:23:27.660 --> 00:23:29.060 A substitute that died for us 00:23:29.060 --> 00:23:29.880 where we were still 00:23:29.880 --> 00:23:30.640 God's enemies 00:23:30.640 --> 00:23:31.140 and says, 00:23:31.240 --> 00:23:31.920 come to me. 00:23:32.240 --> 00:23:33.420 Let me just really quickly 00:23:33.420 --> 00:23:34.860 point out two things 00:23:34.860 --> 00:23:35.380 about this 00:23:35.380 --> 00:23:36.380 as we get us to think 00:23:36.380 --> 00:23:37.360 about what's going on here, 00:23:37.440 --> 00:23:38.440 particularly as we run up 00:23:38.440 --> 00:23:38.940 to Easter. 00:23:40.300 --> 00:23:41.160 Two things 00:23:41.160 --> 00:23:42.840 to consider. 00:23:43.320 --> 00:23:43.720 Firstly, 00:23:43.920 --> 00:23:45.120 what he bore 00:23:45.120 --> 00:23:49.600 was nothing less 00:23:49.600 --> 00:23:51.600 than God's just 00:23:51.600 --> 00:23:53.240 and righteous anger 00:23:53.240 --> 00:23:54.700 against our sin 00:23:54.700 --> 00:23:57.519 that was rightly due 00:23:57.519 --> 00:23:58.259 for us. 00:23:58.259 --> 00:24:00.579 And he took it 00:24:00.579 --> 00:24:01.639 upon himself 00:24:01.639 --> 00:24:03.160 the spotless lamb 00:24:03.160 --> 00:24:04.819 as he endured 00:24:04.819 --> 00:24:05.920 the agony 00:24:05.920 --> 00:24:06.920 of the cross. 00:24:07.579 --> 00:24:08.740 As he says, 00:24:08.879 --> 00:24:09.359 if you like, 00:24:09.500 --> 00:24:09.879 Father, 00:24:10.379 --> 00:24:11.099 me for them. 00:24:12.160 --> 00:24:13.059 Me for them. 00:24:15.900 --> 00:24:16.619 And verse 4, 00:24:16.779 --> 00:24:17.660 they watched it 00:24:17.660 --> 00:24:18.180 and they thought 00:24:18.180 --> 00:24:19.019 he was being cursed 00:24:19.019 --> 00:24:19.559 by God, 00:24:19.639 --> 00:24:20.460 which in one sense 00:24:20.460 --> 00:24:21.420 is bang on the money. 00:24:22.920 --> 00:24:23.819 He was being 00:24:23.819 --> 00:24:24.779 a curse 00:24:24.779 --> 00:24:25.779 as we sung about, 00:24:25.879 --> 00:24:26.519 but not the curse 00:24:26.519 --> 00:24:28.279 that he deserved. 00:24:29.200 --> 00:24:29.899 He was bearing 00:24:29.899 --> 00:24:30.319 the curse 00:24:30.319 --> 00:24:31.639 that we deserved. 00:24:32.639 --> 00:24:33.119 Do you feel 00:24:33.119 --> 00:24:33.660 the force 00:24:33.660 --> 00:24:35.059 of these personal words 00:24:35.059 --> 00:24:36.099 and invite you 00:24:36.099 --> 00:24:36.859 to put your name 00:24:36.859 --> 00:24:37.339 in here? 00:24:37.720 --> 00:24:38.720 What did he die for? 00:24:38.819 --> 00:24:39.619 Our griefs, 00:24:39.639 --> 00:24:40.500 this is what he bore. 00:24:40.859 --> 00:24:42.279 Our transgressions, 00:24:42.339 --> 00:24:42.700 that word, 00:24:42.740 --> 00:24:43.099 it just means 00:24:43.099 --> 00:24:44.480 overstepping the mark. 00:24:45.299 --> 00:24:46.720 Our inequities, 00:24:47.720 --> 00:24:49.339 for them he was crushed, 00:24:49.460 --> 00:24:50.539 for them he was wounded, 00:24:50.539 --> 00:24:53.000 for them he was cut off. 00:24:56.099 --> 00:24:56.899 Some of you might know 00:24:56.899 --> 00:24:58.200 that Rembrandt 00:24:58.200 --> 00:25:00.139 years ago famously 00:25:00.139 --> 00:25:01.980 painted the crucifixion scene. 00:25:03.379 --> 00:25:04.319 What's fascinating 00:25:04.319 --> 00:25:05.079 about it, 00:25:05.099 --> 00:25:06.119 if you Google it afterwards 00:25:06.119 --> 00:25:06.799 you'll see it, 00:25:06.839 --> 00:25:07.899 is that Rembrandt 00:25:07.899 --> 00:25:09.000 has painted himself 00:25:09.000 --> 00:25:10.079 into the picture. 00:25:11.299 --> 00:25:13.019 And he's painted himself, 00:25:13.379 --> 00:25:14.200 his face, 00:25:14.980 --> 00:25:15.879 as one of the men 00:25:15.879 --> 00:25:17.480 who is crucifying Jesus. 00:25:17.480 --> 00:25:19.920 As if to say 00:25:19.920 --> 00:25:20.559 in one sense, 00:25:20.640 --> 00:25:21.059 do you know what, 00:25:21.099 --> 00:25:22.259 I wasn't there that day. 00:25:22.480 --> 00:25:23.259 I wasn't there that day, 00:25:23.279 --> 00:25:24.000 I wasn't even born. 00:25:25.420 --> 00:25:26.620 But in another sense, 00:25:26.720 --> 00:25:27.599 and in a much more 00:25:27.599 --> 00:25:28.339 real sense, 00:25:28.420 --> 00:25:30.299 I absolutely was. 00:25:31.299 --> 00:25:32.700 It was my sin 00:25:32.700 --> 00:25:33.519 that put him there. 00:25:35.620 --> 00:25:36.599 The old poem, 00:25:36.720 --> 00:25:37.700 T'was I that shed 00:25:37.700 --> 00:25:38.700 the sacred blood, 00:25:38.819 --> 00:25:40.220 I nailed him to the tree, 00:25:40.360 --> 00:25:41.099 I crucified 00:25:41.099 --> 00:25:42.460 the Christ of God, 00:25:42.539 --> 00:25:43.860 I joined the mockery. 00:25:44.339 --> 00:25:44.640 You see, 00:25:44.700 --> 00:25:45.339 it's at the cross 00:25:45.339 --> 00:25:45.900 where we see 00:25:45.900 --> 00:25:47.240 the truth about our sin. 00:25:47.480 --> 00:25:50.579 It's ugly to God. 00:25:51.079 --> 00:25:52.220 It's offensive to him. 00:25:52.319 --> 00:25:53.519 And our real sin, 00:25:53.740 --> 00:25:53.980 friends, 00:25:54.019 --> 00:25:54.680 think about this, 00:25:54.740 --> 00:25:55.579 our real sin 00:25:55.579 --> 00:25:56.579 put a real man 00:25:56.579 --> 00:25:57.940 on a real cross 00:25:57.940 --> 00:25:59.500 and he paid for it. 00:26:00.039 --> 00:26:01.460 He paid for it all. 00:26:02.319 --> 00:26:02.960 So we're going to finish 00:26:02.960 --> 00:26:03.880 our service by singing 00:26:03.880 --> 00:26:05.059 he paid for it all. 00:26:05.360 --> 00:26:06.180 That's what Alex and I do 00:26:06.180 --> 00:26:07.000 when we get a bill in 00:26:07.000 --> 00:26:09.740 from an electricity company 00:26:09.740 --> 00:26:10.680 or the bar, 00:26:10.759 --> 00:26:11.200 something like that, 00:26:11.220 --> 00:26:11.660 what we do is 00:26:11.660 --> 00:26:12.380 when we've settled it, 00:26:12.420 --> 00:26:13.279 we just write paid 00:26:13.279 --> 00:26:14.160 in capital letters, 00:26:14.279 --> 00:26:14.819 big circle, 00:26:14.920 --> 00:26:15.500 and file it. 00:26:15.539 --> 00:26:16.099 It's done. 00:26:17.480 --> 00:26:19.599 That's what he bore. 00:26:20.860 --> 00:26:21.660 And secondly, 00:26:21.819 --> 00:26:22.259 really quickly, 00:26:22.360 --> 00:26:23.220 see how we benefit. 00:26:23.920 --> 00:26:24.980 See how we benefit. 00:26:25.079 --> 00:26:25.700 On the cross, 00:26:25.799 --> 00:26:26.380 do you see Jesus' 00:26:26.559 --> 00:26:27.380 last words weren't, 00:26:27.460 --> 00:26:28.000 I'm finished. 00:26:28.900 --> 00:26:29.759 I'm finished. 00:26:31.059 --> 00:26:31.460 They were, 00:26:31.539 --> 00:26:32.279 it is finished. 00:26:33.220 --> 00:26:34.200 One word in the Greek, 00:26:34.319 --> 00:26:35.160 tetalestai, 00:26:35.220 --> 00:26:35.819 it is done, 00:26:35.940 --> 00:26:37.259 it is fully paid for. 00:26:37.259 --> 00:26:39.180 And our sin, 00:26:39.379 --> 00:26:40.640 if our trust is in him, 00:26:40.680 --> 00:26:42.160 has been buried with Christ. 00:26:42.240 --> 00:26:43.619 It went to the grave with him. 00:26:44.660 --> 00:26:46.000 And it's such an important truth 00:26:46.000 --> 00:26:46.480 to remember, 00:26:46.579 --> 00:26:46.779 isn't it, 00:26:46.779 --> 00:26:47.660 for our Christian lives, 00:26:47.720 --> 00:26:48.259 because I don't know about 00:26:48.259 --> 00:26:49.500 how this works out in your life, 00:26:49.539 --> 00:26:50.740 but I know in my life 00:26:50.740 --> 00:26:52.039 that the devil loves 00:26:52.039 --> 00:26:53.220 nothing more than 00:26:53.220 --> 00:26:54.200 to go grave digging. 00:26:56.140 --> 00:26:57.480 And reminds me of the ways 00:26:57.480 --> 00:26:58.740 of my past that I have fallen. 00:26:59.140 --> 00:27:00.160 And reminds me of how 00:27:00.160 --> 00:27:01.039 I fell yesterday. 00:27:01.180 --> 00:27:02.059 And reminds me of how 00:27:02.059 --> 00:27:02.960 I've fallen today. 00:27:03.180 --> 00:27:03.779 And says, 00:27:03.879 --> 00:27:04.819 what have you got to say 00:27:04.819 --> 00:27:05.480 for that? 00:27:08.960 --> 00:27:09.500 Well friends, 00:27:09.519 --> 00:27:10.399 these verses tell us 00:27:10.399 --> 00:27:11.279 that Jesus Christ, 00:27:11.359 --> 00:27:12.559 the one interceding for me 00:27:12.559 --> 00:27:13.659 at the right hand of the Father, 00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:15.539 and for you 00:27:15.539 --> 00:27:16.419 at the right hand of the Father, 00:27:16.500 --> 00:27:17.859 do you see that glorious thought 00:27:17.859 --> 00:27:18.720 in verse 12? 00:27:20.639 --> 00:27:21.879 Would roar back 00:27:21.879 --> 00:27:24.159 and say to the devil, 00:27:24.299 --> 00:27:25.099 see Graham Shanks, 00:27:25.460 --> 00:27:27.319 he is a mess. 00:27:28.059 --> 00:27:28.819 But do you know what? 00:27:29.220 --> 00:27:30.339 He's my mess. 00:27:31.759 --> 00:27:33.299 And I have paid for him. 00:27:33.299 --> 00:27:35.000 And hands off him 00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:36.259 because he is mine. 00:27:36.599 --> 00:27:38.220 I paid for all his sin. 00:27:38.460 --> 00:27:39.799 I didn't just pay for parts of it. 00:27:39.879 --> 00:27:41.220 I didn't just pay for the stuff 00:27:41.220 --> 00:27:43.440 that's coming in the last 10 years. 00:27:43.480 --> 00:27:44.279 I paid for it all. 00:27:44.740 --> 00:27:45.720 Past, present and future. 00:27:45.799 --> 00:27:46.619 He's mine. 00:27:47.740 --> 00:27:48.960 Because I paid for him. 00:27:50.980 --> 00:27:52.099 And I once heard of someone 00:27:52.099 --> 00:27:53.579 who when they first became a Christian 00:27:53.579 --> 00:27:54.419 was so moved 00:27:54.419 --> 00:27:55.480 when they read the truth 00:27:55.480 --> 00:27:57.599 of Romans 8 chapter 1. 00:27:58.720 --> 00:28:00.579 That there is now no condemnation 00:28:00.579 --> 00:28:02.119 for those who are in Christ Jesus. 00:28:02.119 --> 00:28:04.259 So excited did they get by that truth 00:28:04.259 --> 00:28:05.179 that they took their pen 00:28:05.179 --> 00:28:06.299 and they underlined it. 00:28:06.739 --> 00:28:08.079 And they underlined it. 00:28:08.239 --> 00:28:09.500 And they underlined it. 00:28:10.379 --> 00:28:11.799 And they went straight through the Bible. 00:28:12.939 --> 00:28:13.819 Pages of the Bible. 00:28:14.399 --> 00:28:15.699 And they commented to themselves, 00:28:15.819 --> 00:28:16.879 my Bible was ruined. 00:28:17.359 --> 00:28:18.699 But my soul was refreshed. 00:28:19.739 --> 00:28:21.379 This is what God is saying here. 00:28:21.839 --> 00:28:23.799 Jesus paid it all. 00:28:23.919 --> 00:28:25.199 Friends, oh how we benefit. 00:28:25.359 --> 00:28:27.359 Behold the man upon a cross. 00:28:27.359 --> 00:28:30.119 My sin upon his shoulders. 00:28:31.379 --> 00:28:33.559 Ashamed I hear my mocking voice 00:28:33.559 --> 00:28:35.379 call out among the scoffers. 00:28:36.439 --> 00:28:38.579 It was my sin that held him there. 00:28:40.039 --> 00:28:41.899 Until it was accomplished. 00:28:42.639 --> 00:28:46.859 His dying breath has brought me life. 00:28:46.859 --> 00:28:51.359 I know that it is finished. 00:28:52.699 --> 00:28:54.719 And all of a sudden we begin to understand 00:28:54.719 --> 00:28:57.939 why so many songs have been written 00:28:57.939 --> 00:28:58.859 about the cross. 00:28:59.639 --> 00:29:02.319 Because it is the power of God 00:29:02.319 --> 00:29:04.979 unto salvation. 00:29:06.439 --> 00:29:07.819 And so just as we close, 00:29:07.899 --> 00:29:09.979 let me take you back to the tension in the text. 00:29:11.319 --> 00:29:12.199 Remember this tension? 00:29:12.319 --> 00:29:12.779 Remember the tension? 00:29:12.879 --> 00:29:14.199 I genuinely asked that in my own life. 00:29:14.240 --> 00:29:14.959 How can this be true? 00:29:14.960 --> 00:29:17.039 How can God be faithful to the promises 00:29:17.039 --> 00:29:18.779 and yet deal with the problems? 00:29:19.140 --> 00:29:20.960 How can God be perfectly loving, 00:29:22.000 --> 00:29:22.920 fully loving, 00:29:23.100 --> 00:29:24.640 and yet at the same time 00:29:24.640 --> 00:29:26.259 perfectly just 00:29:26.259 --> 00:29:27.799 in that he won't just sweep sin 00:29:27.799 --> 00:29:28.400 under the carpet. 00:29:28.519 --> 00:29:29.140 He will deal with it. 00:29:29.340 --> 00:29:30.779 How can both of those things be true? 00:29:31.039 --> 00:29:32.360 How can both of them be true 00:29:32.360 --> 00:29:34.960 without compromising on either one? 00:29:37.880 --> 00:29:39.220 And the answer is 00:29:39.220 --> 00:29:41.819 God's manifest wisdom to the world. 00:29:41.819 --> 00:29:43.819 God's manifest wisdom to the world. 00:29:43.819 --> 00:29:45.259 It is the cross of Jesus Christ. 00:29:45.839 --> 00:29:47.019 Friends, as we close, 00:29:47.339 --> 00:29:49.859 if you want to see how ugly and serious 00:29:49.859 --> 00:29:52.960 your sin is in the eyes of our Holy Creator God, 00:29:53.039 --> 00:29:54.299 then look to the cross. 00:29:55.980 --> 00:29:59.179 And if you want to see how outrageously 00:29:59.179 --> 00:30:00.859 loved you are 00:30:00.859 --> 00:30:04.519 by your Holy Creator God, 00:30:04.519 --> 00:30:07.819 the lengths he was willing to go to 00:30:07.819 --> 00:30:09.900 to buy you back for himself, 00:30:10.240 --> 00:30:12.059 then look to the cross. 00:30:14.539 --> 00:30:16.680 And so we're invited to come today 00:30:16.680 --> 00:30:18.059 and sit at its foot 00:30:18.059 --> 00:30:20.900 and say in wonder, 00:30:21.059 --> 00:30:24.079 in the words of Puritan Frederick Leahy, 00:30:24.160 --> 00:30:25.379 who simply wrote, 00:30:25.380 --> 00:30:27.820 how dreadful 00:30:27.820 --> 00:30:32.380 and yet how marvelous is this place? 00:30:34.380 --> 00:30:35.380 He died 00:30:35.380 --> 00:30:37.600 so that we can live. 00:30:37.660 --> 00:30:39.200 That was the discussion 00:30:39.200 --> 00:30:41.380 around our dinner table on Monday night. 00:30:42.900 --> 00:30:43.440 And of course, 00:30:43.500 --> 00:30:45.440 we read about another dinner table discussion 00:30:45.440 --> 00:30:46.700 in Matthew 26, 00:30:46.960 --> 00:30:48.300 where in the eve of his death, 00:30:48.380 --> 00:30:49.800 Jesus eating with his disciples, 00:30:49.920 --> 00:30:51.100 he took bread and he said, 00:30:51.200 --> 00:30:52.060 this is my body, 00:30:52.520 --> 00:30:53.360 broken for you. 00:30:53.359 --> 00:30:55.719 And he took wine 00:30:55.719 --> 00:30:56.059 and he said, 00:30:56.139 --> 00:30:57.979 this is my blood poured out for you. 00:30:58.119 --> 00:31:01.439 And in those three marvelous words, 00:31:02.399 --> 00:31:03.959 where we will finish, 00:31:05.000 --> 00:31:06.679 and that are the invitation 00:31:06.679 --> 00:31:09.119 to every single one of us today, 00:31:10.119 --> 00:31:14.379 is to take and eat. 00:31:15.899 --> 00:31:18.579 Come and receive forgiveness 00:31:18.579 --> 00:31:20.379 and new life 00:31:20.379 --> 00:31:21.519 because I died 00:31:21.519 --> 00:31:23.680 so that you can live. 00:31:23.759 --> 00:31:24.440 This is love, 00:31:24.519 --> 00:31:25.700 not that we loved God, 00:31:27.200 --> 00:31:28.480 but that he loved us 00:31:28.480 --> 00:31:31.619 and sent his son 00:31:31.619 --> 00:31:34.700 as an atoning sacrifice 00:31:34.700 --> 00:31:36.420 for our sins. 00:31:38.440 --> 00:31:39.440 And it's just in the quiet 00:31:39.440 --> 00:31:40.319 and just before I pray, 00:31:40.420 --> 00:31:40.819 let me just, 00:31:41.279 --> 00:31:42.619 let's just have a time of silence 00:31:42.619 --> 00:31:43.579 and let's be quiet 00:31:43.579 --> 00:31:44.559 before our creator 00:31:44.559 --> 00:31:46.619 and then we'll close. 00:31:54.679 --> 00:31:55.559 Amazing love, 00:31:55.679 --> 00:31:56.940 oh what sacrifice, 00:31:57.519 --> 00:31:59.119 the son of God 00:31:59.119 --> 00:31:59.980 given for me, 00:32:01.119 --> 00:32:02.460 my debt he pays 00:32:02.460 --> 00:32:04.579 and my death he dies, 00:32:05.119 --> 00:32:06.700 that I might live, 00:32:07.619 --> 00:32:08.700 that I might live. 00:32:08.700 --> 00:32:11.960 Heavenly Father, 00:32:12.279 --> 00:32:14.600 we just thank you 00:32:14.600 --> 00:32:17.700 for sending Jesus for us 00:32:17.700 --> 00:32:21.340 and our prayer really simply 00:32:21.340 --> 00:32:23.259 is that you would help us 00:32:23.259 --> 00:32:25.000 this week of all weeks, 00:32:25.160 --> 00:32:26.580 but every day of our lives, 00:32:26.620 --> 00:32:27.380 every moment, 00:32:28.140 --> 00:32:29.039 to grasp 00:32:29.039 --> 00:32:31.180 the length 00:32:31.180 --> 00:32:32.200 and the width 00:32:32.200 --> 00:32:33.120 and the height 00:32:33.120 --> 00:32:35.900 of your love for us 00:32:35.900 --> 00:32:36.700 in Christ Jesus. 00:32:36.700 --> 00:32:39.059 thank you that he died 00:32:39.059 --> 00:32:41.080 so that we can live. 00:32:42.039 --> 00:32:42.460 Amen.