Verse: 1 Peter 2:24 “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.”
Message: Would you die for someone? We would like to think that we’d take a bullet for a friend. We would hope that if someone had to die and it was between us or one of our loved ones, then we would take the fall. Indeed, many brave people have done this for others and have been considered to be heroes…and they are. This desire to preserve and protect the life of someone we love is a God given gift. It is the gift of grace and love that God instilled into us because we were made in His image. He is a loving and gracious God who would sacrifice Himself for His children. And He did do this through Jesus by being our substitution.
The truth is that Jesus took our place. He took the punishment that was meant for us to receive. Because of our sin and because God is both holy and just, a payment had to be made. There was no way of getting around it. If we are to be spared everlasting death and separation from Him, then someone is going to have to pay the price. Since it was our sin, then it is our price to pay. The only form of payment that any of us could make for sin was that of death and eternity in hell. That is it! That is all we can offer and that is the most we could give. Seems like a dead end situation for us…well yes it is. This is the part where God shows His amazing love and justice for His creation. He sends His one and only perfect son Jesus to the earth to make the substitutionary payment for us. Jesus was the only one who could take our place because He is God and He is holy. It seems odd that the punishment of death would fall on the head of someone perfect. But only perfection was what would satisfy the wrath and justice of God. We could not offer perfection, but Jesus could. And in His great love and grace for us, He took our place to suffer and atone for our sins.
What is your response to this amazing love? Does this lead you to worship Jesus? Does it heighten your sense of gratitude towards Him? Do you take it for granted? Do you have a melancholy attitude towards His substitution? Is Jesus your hero? What exactly is your response? Jesus paid the ultimate price for you and me. God certainly didn’t have to send Jesus to earth to make this payment on our behalf, but He did. Jesus became our substitute because it was the will of God, His Father. Jesus did the will of God from the moment He was born in a manger till the moment He died on a cross. It is the will of God that He took our place. What an amazing love!
Prayer: “God, I pause to tell you how grateful and thankful I am that You sent Your one and only Son to earth to bare the burden of my sin. Jesus, I am thankful to You for choosing to follow the will of Your Father to satisfy His wrath because of my sin. Jesus, help me to give back to You what You gave to me…this life. I surrender to Your will for my life and ask for Your help to do exactly as you did…to follow the will of God the Father. I admit that I can’t follow your will on my own God, so I ask for You to fill me with the power of Your Holy Spirit. Graciously fill me God, so that I may walk today in the path you have set before me. Help me to know Your will and walk in Your ways.”
Going Deeper: Romans 3:21-26, 1 Peter 2:21-25, and Isaiah 53:3-12
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