Lucia's Blog: 2020-12-20
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Thursday, December 24, 2020

"HE CARRIED MY SORROWS"

"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 iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed."  
Isaiah 53:3-5


The song "He Carried My Sorrows" moves us and speaks to us of how Jesus bore our griefs.  It reminds us that Jesus, our Lord, suffered anguish for us.  The prophecy of Isaiah 53 makes reference to Jesus in Acts 8:32-35.
"Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:  'Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, 33 In his humiliation justice was denied him.  Who can describe his generation?  For his life is taken away from the earth.'  34 And the eunuch said to Philip, 'About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?' 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.'"


Jesus, our Lord, suffered because of our transgressions.  Lawlessness is transgression of the law.  
"Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness."  (1 Jn. 3:4

Because of Jesus' sacrifice and anguish, He was able to make peace.
"For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father."  (Eph. 2:14-18)

Peter reminds us that Christ suffered for sins, the just for the unjust.

"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit."  (1 Pet. 3:18)

Jesus' suffering involved being smitten or struck (Matt. 26:67, 27:30).  His suffering also included being abandoned.  His disciples forsook Him and fled.  

"But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.”  (Matt. 26:56)
 

Jesus offered His body as a sacrifice on the cross for our sins. The “cross” was the altar of the sacrifice.

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed."  (1 Peter 2:24). 


Jesus offered his own body on the cross as an altar, as a sacrifice, an offering to God for our sins. It was the shedding of the blood of the sacrificial animal (Isaiah 53:5). Through the offering of His body on our behalf, we have been reconciled, sanctified once for all.

"And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." (Heb. 10:10


The cross includes all that Jesus did to take away sin. It was not just His death, but the suffering, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension that made possible the offering of His own blood as High Priest in heaven. All those things were necessary for our redemption. Jesus had to ascend to heaven and sit down at the right of the Father to make purification for sins (Heb. 1:3; 9:22-28). The shedding of His blood was necessary for reconciliation to happen, removing our sins (Rom. 11:27; Heb. 10:4, 11). Jesus’ death provided sanctification and purification, taking away our sins. Jesus had to suffer intense pain and distress because of our sins. He “bore” our “iniquities” in that sense. 

Jesus suffered both in soul and body (Matt. 23:37). It does not mean that our sins, guilt, or the punishment for our sins were transferred to Him or imported to Him.  This is a man-made doctrine full of errors. The blood of Christ takes away our sins and cleanses our conscience. It was Jesus’ sacrifice, death, and blood that made the new covenant possible, the New Testament. Christ’s blood can cleanse both disciples (1 John 1:6-9) and alien sinners of all unrighteousness if they repent of their sins and unbelief (Acts 2:38-40).

Jesus’ sacrifice was well-pleasing to God. It was offered on our behalf, opening the door to God’s mercy for us.
"And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." (Eph. 5:2)
"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."  (Isaiah 53:10-11

Jesus always did the things that pleased the Father (John 8:29; Matt. 3:17).  His sacrifice fulfilled the symbolic sprinkling of Jesus’ blood on the mercy seat in heaven before God’s throne. Because of this act, it pleased the Father to extend His mercy to all men. But men must do their part to respond to His mercy.

"Those who are in the flesh cannot please God."  (Rom. 8:8)

"Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you."  (1 Thess. 4:1-9)

"Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God."  (Heb. 13:16)


We are redeemed by His blood.

"Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot."  (1 Peter 1:18-19

We are justified by His blood and reconciled by His death.
"Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation."  (Rom. 5:9-11)

We are sanctified by His blood.
"So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood."  (Hebrews 13:12)

And we are washed from our sins in His precious blood.
"And from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.  To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood."  (Revelation 1:5)


All these things are part of the blood of Christ. When we are redeemed, our sins are forgiven, we are added to the family of God and belong to Him. Redemption is equivalent to the remission of sins.
"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace."  (Eph. 1:7)
"In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."  (Colo. 1:14)

Christ was despised and rejected, for He came to His own, and His own received Him not (Jn. 1:11).  Although He knew no sin (Heb. 4:15), He was crushed or died for us (Rom. 5:8).

  1. Our hearts mourn His chastisement (Isa. 53:5).
  2. Our tears fall as we remember His suffering (Heb. 5:7-8).


Jesus died and was willing to suffer this shameful treatment to redeem us from our sins.

"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures."  (1 Cor. 15:3)


Our God is the Justifier of those who continue in the faith of Christ, grounded and settled, and not moved away from the hope of the Gospel. 

"For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.  21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister."  (Col. 1:19-23


Thanks be to God for Jesus who died to make redemption, the forgiveness of sins possible for all people!


May we always abide in Him and His Truth, keeping His commands, confessing our sins, and clinging to God’s perfect love. May we walk in the Light, in perfect fellowship with Him, reconciled, justified, and right with God. 

We sing a lovely song that carries the Message of Isaiah 53. It is entitled, “He Carried My Sorrows.”  By Jesus' stripes, we are healed.  Through His blood, we can kneel.  Because of His oppression, we must be compelled to worship our King of kings and Lord of lords.  Since I have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ,  I must remember every day of my life that “He Carried My Sorrows.”

I hope this beautiful song stirs your soul the way it does mine.

He carried my sorrows, He bore my griefs,
Was pierced for transgressions, afflicted for peace.

He suffered in anguish, He writhed in pain,
Was smitten, forsaken, abandoned and slain.

Despised and rejected, He knew no sin,
Was crushed for His people, no violence within.

My heart mourns His chastening, my tears still fall,
My sin is the reason He gave me His all.

Chorus:

He knew by His stripes I am healed,
Through His blood I can kneel,
For by His oppression, I worship my King (my Savior, my King).


Luci