September 11, 2011
Dear friends in Christ.
If you’ll permit me, I’d like to ask you a question this morning. It’s not a difficult question. In fact, it is a question you’ve probably been asked all during this past week as you watched the news, listened to the radio, or simply read the paper, for the question is simply this: “Do you remember where you were 10 years ago, today? Do you remember what you were doing when you heard the news and saw the images of the planes and the destruction they wrought on the twin towers and the pentagon? I have no doubts that most of you sitting here today can clearly remember each and every detail of where you were and what you were doing when you heard the news. I have not doubts that if we went around the room each and every one of you could easily recount the events of that day because they have been so clearly etched and ingrained into our memories. Even though the events of the previous days and many of the following days have faded into obscurity, we can still remember the events of that day 10 years ago, as clearly as if it happened yesterday. But even though we can so clearly remember the events of September 11, 2001, what is it that we need to remember today?
While it can be a benefit for us to look back and remember the events of ten years ago, the thing that is even more important for us as Christians is to look back and remember what our Savior did for us. As we do this, I invite you to open your Bibles to Isaiah 53:4-6 and we will remind ourselves of just what our Savior did for us. Now, the amazing thing about Isaiah 53 is that this chapter, in fact, the entire book was written nearly 700 years before Jesus was born. Throughout the entire book of Isaiah, the Prophet is constantly warning the people that their sins have separated them from God. He is constantly calling on the people to repent and turn to the Lord for forgiveness, and he is constantly warning them that if they continue in their evil ways, they will be taken off into captivity by the nation of Babylon. Yet, even in the midst of all this warning and Law, the Lord blesses his faithful people with messages of Gospel salvation, as we have before us in Isaiah 53 beginning with verse 4: “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten 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 upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 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.” (Isaiah 53:4–6, NIV84)
Now, I don’t know about you, but every time I read these words, I get shivers. I get shivers running up and down my spine as each word hammers home exactly what Jesus did for me. He is the one who took up all of my infirmities, and carried them away. He is the one who loaded up all my sorrows and drove off with them. He is the one who was pierced by whips and scourges, thorns and nails for my transgressions—my sins of willingly crossing the line of God’s Ten Commandments. Jesus was pierced for me, in my place, for my rebellion against the Lord—my transgressions. He was crushed in order to satisfy God’s righteous anger over my iniquities—my guilt at being unequal to God’s righteousness; my sinful nature. Though I was the one who had gone astray; though I was the one who had constantly wandered away, it was the Lord who laid my punishment on his Son so that by his wounds I might be healed!
Could there be anything more important for us to remember today than the fact that it was Jesus who was pierced for our transgressions! After all, this is a very important truth, especially when we consider what the Bible tells us about our natural state! According to Genesis 8:21, the Lord tells us that every inclination of our hearts are evil from childhood. According to Psalm 51, David tells us that we are all sinful from birth, sinful, even from the very moment of our conception. From Romans 3 we learn: “There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” 13 “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.” 14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 ruin and misery mark their ways, 17 and the way of peace they do not know.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes…For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”(Romans 3:10–18, 24, NIV84)
This, too, is a very important truth for each and every one of us to remember today! All of us, each and every one of us have sinned. Each and every one of us have fallen short of God’s Glory. Each and every one of us are guilty of breaking not merely one, but each and every one of God’s commands. Each and every one of us in this church is guilty of pride, of arrogance, of apathy, of jealousy, of anger, hatred, and murder. Each and every one of us is guilty of taking God’s name in vain, dishonoring his word, and failing to honor our parents. Each and every one of us is guilty of adultery, because we have all lusted after another person on at least one occasion. Each one of us is guilty of stealing, of seeking to ruin another’s reputation, of failing to defend another, of failing to go to the person who has wronged you and talk to that person, even of coveting things that our neighbor. Each and every one of us has sinned and fallen short of God’s Glory. Each and every one of us knows, as Isaiah tells us, “Your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. (Isaiah 59:2, NIV84) And as we know all too well, the wages of our sins is paid in eternal death and damnation.
This is why it is so important for us to remember the words of our lesson today! “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten 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 upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 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.” (Isaiah 53:4–6, NIV84)
Though our sins had separated us from our God, it was our God who sent his Son to be our Savior! For it was the Lord’s will to crush Jesus and cause him to suffer! It was the Lord’s will that he be pierced for our transgressions and be crushed and wounded for our iniquities. It was the Lord’s will that Jesus our Savior bear the punishment that our sins deserved so that through him we could live in the peace of forgiveness and salvation! Though our sins were like scarlet, they are now as white as snow. Though they were read as crimson, they are now like wool (see Isaiah 1:18, NIV 84) Though all of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, we have been declared not guilty by his grace through the redemption that came through Christ Jesus, our Savior. Though we have broken all of God’s commandments, Jesus’ blood has washed away the stain of our sins. Though we have been guilty of pride, of arrogance, of apathy, of jealousy, of anger, hatred, and murder, our slate has been wiped clean. Though we have been guilty of taking God’s name in vain, dishonoring his word, and failing to honor our parents, our record has been expunged. Though we have been guilty of adultery, stealing, seeking to ruin another’s reputation, failing to defend another, failing to go to the person who has wronged you and talk to that person, and even coveting things that our neighbor, each and every one of these offences was laid on Jesus our Savior who endured the punishment that brought us peace, and by whose wounds we have been healed.
What greater truth could there be for us to remember today than the truth that Christ our Savior has freed us from our sins! What greater truth could there be than the truth that it was Jesus, your Savior, who freed you from your sins, washed away even the guilt of your sins, and through faith has promised that you have a place with him, forever in heaven, when he shall call you out of this life to the life that is to come. But the question is, has that truth made it from your head to your heart? Are you indeed living in the forgiveness with which Jesus has blessed you? Or are you still harboring grudges, frustrations, hatred, or annoyances against others in this congregation? Are you recognizing each other as forgiven believers in Jesus Christ your Savior, or are you letting satan egg you on from frustration to annoyance, annoyance to anger, anger to hatred, and hatred to grudges?
Though these are difficult questions to ask, these are questions that each and every one of us must ask of ourselves. If we find that we have allowed anger, frustration, malice, and the like to grow in our hearts then we must turn our hearts to God in repentance for forgiveness. When we do, it is the Lord who forgives us and reminds us of that very beautiful truth: “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten 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 upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 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.” (Isaiah 53:4–6, NIV84)
What greater thing could there be for us to remember today than the fact that our Savior has freed us from our sins. Though I’m sure there are many things that we each remember from the events of 10 years ago, the most important thing for us as Christians is the memory of Jesus sour Savior who died in our place so that we might live with him forever.
Amen.
Pastor David M. Shilling
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church--Le Sueur, MN
