We are going to be looking tonight in 1 Peter 2. 1 Peter 2. He bore our sins. Jesus bore our sins. And let me ask the Lord's help again as we look to his word tonight. Oh, our great and heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ and wonderful Holy Spirit, we rejoice in the riches of the salvation that you have designed and accomplished for your glory. And Lord Jesus, we thank you that you yourself bore our sins in your body on the cross. And as we look to your word, may you Indeed, even as Tim prayed earlier, may you stir our hearts afresh and quicken us, God, to see the greatness and the significance of all that you have designed for Jesus to accomplish. We thank you for the time now in your word. We trust that you will work accordingly for our good and for your glory. In the name of Christ, amen. Amen. Well, we're going to look at 1 Peter 2, verses 24 and 25. 1 Peter 2, verses 24 and 25. Hear the word of God. 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. For you were strained like sheep, but have now returned to the shepherd and the overseer of your souls. This is God's word. I don't know how it is for you, but this time of year, Lori and I enjoy having one or two scented candles, usually going somewhere in our house, and typically in the evenings, we enjoy that. And because of this, we live in a two-story house, many of you know, but because of this, whenever we go to bed, we're usually very careful, of course, to make sure that we have blown out whatever candles are lit. Well, one night, a few weeks ago, we went to bed and we simply forgot to blow out the candle that was in our living room downstairs. And in the middle of the night, in God's kind providence, I had to get up for another reason and I had left my cell phone downstairs and so I went downstairs to get my cell phone and of course I was surprised to see this candle still burning some many hours after we had gone to bed. Well of course I blew it out And I went back to bed and was incredibly thankful that nothing else had happened, but it was a sobering reminder that we need to be diligent to do that. And I had just simply forgotten to take care of that. And of course, very thankful that nothing serious had happened. But it was indeed a sobering reminder, and I trust you know that we have not forgotten to blow out a candle since then, because we don't want a fire in our home. And so we haven't forgotten to blow out our candles. All of this really illustrates something that I think is true for every single one of us, namely that it is easy to forget things we should remember. It's easy to forget things that we should remember. And as any of us who are getting a little bit older know, that just seems to become more and more apparent. It's easy to forget things we should remember. Well, as we prepare to share again in the Lord's Supper this evening, it's good to be reminded that this is fundamentally a time of remembrance. And we know that, but we ever need to be reminded of it. God knows that it is easy for us to, for any of us who have come to faith in Jesus, to forget the importance, to forget the significance of all that he has done for us. and to forget or take for granted the life-transforming significance of what Jesus has accomplished for us through his life and through his death and through his resurrection. And so for a few moments tonight, before we share in the bread and the cup, I want to direct our attention to this text that I've read, 1 Peter 2, verses 24 and 25. And this text is really a call. It is a reminder that Jesus Christ lived, died, and rose again to transform our lives. He lived and he died and he rose again to transform our lives. And so what we find in this text are three life-transforming results that Jesus has accomplished for his people, four believers, three life-transforming results that he's accomplished through his life and through his death, through his resurrection. And we'll just look at these for a few moments each as we move along here. The first of these life-transforming realities is that Jesus has satisfied the penalty for our sin. He has satisfied the penalty for our sin. As the hymn says, Jesus paid it all. And we see that in the statement at the beginning of verse 24. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree. Now Peter, as he does frequently throughout this letter, is directly referencing some Old Testament passages. And this, of course, is found in Isaiah chapter 53, part of the passage that Tim read, where we read in verse four, into the beginning of verse five in Isaiah 53, surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. but he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, upon him was the chastisement that has brought us peace." And Peter's making reference to this, and a little bit later in Isaiah chapter 53, in verse 12, he specifically speaks there of the one who bore the sin of many. So Peter is connecting this truth and this reality of Jesus bearing our sins with Old Testament prophecy that was anticipating this very work by Christ. And the statement that he himself bore our sins is emphasizing that Christ himself, Jesus Christ himself, is the one and the only one who has completely and totally bore the sins of those who are trusting him. And this is ultimately the doctrine of penal substitution, of penal substitution. In other words, Jesus bore the penalty. That's the implication, that's the significance, that he bore the penalty of God's wrath and justice for our sins, not for his own. He was punished. That's the penal sense, the penalty that he endured. He was punished in the place of sinners. That's the substitutionary sense. And so it's known as penal substitution. He bore the penalty as a substitute for those sinners who would trust him. Penal substitution. He himself bore our sins. A little bit later, over in chapter three of 1 Peter, in verse 18, Peter says, Jesus suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous. Doesn't that absolutely summarize all of it? The righteous for the unrighteous. And Jesus is the one who suffered once for sins. He bore our sins. And he goes on to say, back in chapter two, verse 24, that he did this in his body, in his physical body. And this, of course, is emphasizing Christ's humanity. And in emphasizing Christ's humanity, he's implicitly speaking of Christ's perfection, his sinlessness, his absolutely righteous life in obedience to God and to his word. In other words, Jesus was the perfect and the unblemished Lamb of God in his humanity. Earlier in chapter 1 in verses 18 and 19, Peter makes reference to the precious blood of the unblemished Lamb. And Jesus, we need to remember, died while he was truly God, he was truly man. He was a man in every sense of humanity, in the fullest sense of humanity, tempted as we all are, and yet without sin, and he died as a perfect, unblemished substitute in his body. And Peter, of course, goes on to say that he bore our sins in his body on the tree. And this, of course, is speaking of the cross. And the cross was an object of great shame. It was the most shameful way that a person could die. And it's not only shameful in a general social sense, the shame and the humility that was bound up in death on a cross, But it's referenced in the Old Testament in Deuteronomy chapter 21 and verse 23, the sense that cursed is everyone who dies on a tree. And Paul picks this up, we're getting some music coming in here. Where is that coming from? Okay, but is it coming through the speakers? Okay, all right. Just outside, there we go. one of the hazards of being on the corner that we're on, but that's okay. So it's referenced in Deuteronomy chapter 21 verse 23, cursed is everyone who dies on a tree. And so it was understood as shameful and humiliating not only in a general social sense, but the cross dying on a tree being subject to crucifixion was understood as the fullest expression of God's curse. And that's what Jesus took on himself when he died on the tree. He took God's curse on himself. The Apostle Paul makes reference to that in quoting from Deuteronomy 21. Paul makes reference to that in Galatians 3 verse 13. And so Jesus bore our sin, the sin of all who would trust him, And he bore God's curse as a substitute. And in so doing, he permanently satisfied the penalty for our sin. Jesus paid it all. And so this is the first life-transforming result that we see, that Jesus has satisfied the penalty for our sin. so that we can know God's forgiveness, so that we can know reconciliation and all of the blessings that are ours because of what Christ did for us. He has satisfied the penalty of our sin. Well, second of all, the second life-transforming reality that we see and that Peter speaks of is that Jesus has separated us unto a new life of righteousness. He has separated us unto a new life of righteousness. And this is what we find in the middle there, verse 24. Jesus has done this. Here it is, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. And we understand, and this is what Peter is getting at, that death, of course, is a separation. It is a separation of the spiritual from the physical. And as Peter uses this term, I think that's the point that he's emphasizing, that in the work of Christ on the cross and through the satisfaction of his death, he has done that so that we might die, so that we might be separated from sin to live a new life of righteousness. that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. And this is the purpose for God's substitutionary work in Christ, to separate us from our sin. And think about it this way. He died to separate us from our sin, the very sin that had separated us from God. Through Jesus' death, we have been reconciled to God and now been separated from sin unto a new life of righteousness. Now earlier in the letter in chapter one, in fact, near the very beginning of chapter one in verse three, Peter speaks of the new birth that is ours in the mercy of God and through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, that we've been born again. to a living hope. And near the end of chapter one in verses 22 and verse 23, he also speaks of this new birth. And so this reality of the new birth that is the joyful possession of every believer is permeating his thinking. And so it's in the context of that new birth that we're to understand that through Christ's work, we have been separated, we have died to sin so that we might live to righteousness. We have a new birth, and thus we have a new identity as God's people. In chapter 2, in verses 9 through 12, Peter speaks about our new identity. And so because we have new birth, and because we have a new identity, we are to live with a new righteousness. We're to live in a brand new way. And this truth ripples throughout Peter's letter, that those who belong to Christ, to God through Christ, are to live in a distinctly new way. You might think of it this way, this time of the year, as it's football season, particularly in the NFL, whether you follow it or not, you'll get the illustration, I think. It's very common that different players, for different reasons, will be traded from one team to another. And it's very interesting, when a player from one team goes to another team, they change uniforms. Why? Because they're a part of a brand new team. And so when they make a trade like that and a player goes to a new team, they get a brand new they get a brand new identity and thus they wear a new uniform and of course on the new team there are new expectations, there are new responsibilities. They're no longer a part of their former team, they're now on this new team. And they're expected to play accordingly and to follow the leadership of the new team that they're on. That's a weak illustration, I understand, but what can I say, it's football season. But you get the idea. As believers, we have been born of God. We have a brand new identity as the blood-bought people of God. And in that new identity, we now have a new life we are called to live, a life of righteousness. There's a number of places in Peter's letter where he really describes the nature of this life of righteousness. One of those places is over in chapter 3, verses 8 through 12. And here's what he says. Finally, all of you, and he's speaking to believers, verse 8 of chapter 3, all of you have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless. For to this you were called that you may obtain a blessing. For whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil, his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good, and let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. And again, he is quoting from the Old Testament there, from Psalm 34. And so he's describing what the life of righteousness looks like. Well, again, in Christ, one of the life-transforming realities that he's accomplished, flowing from the fact that he has satisfied the penalty for our sin, is that he has now caused us to be separated unto a new life of righteousness. Well, then the third life transforming reality that we see in the text is that Jesus has secured our protection from all harm. He has secured our protection from all harm. And this is what we find at the end of verse 24, and then into and through verse 25. By his wounds you have been healed, for you were strained like sheep, but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls. You have returned to the shepherd and the overseer of your souls. It's interesting and it's significant that the word for wounds in the Greek is actually a singular word. In other words, our English translations typically translate it in the plural as wounds, but in the Greek it is singular. And I think the reason that it's singular, what we're to understand, is that it's emphasizing not primarily the physical wounds that Jesus suffered, though those are a part, of course, of his suffering, but it's not primarily emphasizing the physical wounds, but rather the whole singular expression of God's judgment upon him as a substitute. God's wound, if you will, upon him in our place. By the totality, by the singular comprehensive expression of God's judgment upon Jesus as a substitute, by that wound we have been healed. And again, this is a direct reference to what the prophet Isaiah spoke of in Isaiah 53 at the end of verse five, with his wounds we are healed. And then he goes on in verse six of Isaiah 53, all we like sheep have gone astray, we've turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Now, what is the sense of healing here? Well, you probably know that historically, and even in recent times, there have been many who have falsely taught that this is a promise for immediate physical healing because of the atoning work of Christ. We rejoice and we embrace the absolutely certain hope of eternal healing in that day when we will be in our glorified bodies in the presence of the Lord. But this is not, beloved, a promise for immediate physical healing in this life. Rather, the sense of healing is directly connected with the statement that follows in verse 25. We were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the shepherd and the overseer of our souls. What was broken, what was sick, what had been ruptured that needed to be healed was our relationship with God. Our union with God, that is what has been healed. The broken relationship, our separation from Him that had occurred because of our sin has been healed. We've been restored, we've returned, we've been brought back into relationship with our Creator. And as the text alludes to, and as Isaiah 53 speaks of, we had been going astray like wandering sheep. We had been turning to our own ways, but now we have been brought back. We have been healed. We have been restored to a right relationship with God through Jesus, the shepherd and the overseer of our souls. And these two terms are so rich and so significant. Jesus as our shepherd. It's a term that was frequently used. You're very familiar with it. But it was often used of kings. A shepherd was a king. He was one who owned and had authority over his subjects. And so the sense of shepherd here is that Jesus is our owner. He is our master. And then the parallel term overseer complements that reality, but it speaks of the fact that he is also as our shepherd, he's our overseer, in that he's the provider and he's the keeper of our souls. And so it's a comprehensive picture that is given to us with these two terms, that he is the shepherd and overseer. He's the owner, the master, the provider, the keeper of our souls. And so that's why what Peter is emphasizing here is this truth, this life-transforming reality that Jesus has secured our protection from all harm if we have been brought back to God in and through him. Now, of course, this does not mean that Christians are removed from the experience of suffering, and not only the experience of suffering, but the experience of injustice that often goes with suffering. We're not removed from the experience of suffering and injustice, but what we are to take confidence in and to be assured of is that in Christ and through Christ we are protected and we are provided for and we are kept by the shepherd and the overseer of our souls. And you probably know that Peter is writing to Christians who are undergoing fiery trials of persecution. They're suffering intensely, and he wants them to be encouraged. And so Christians are not kept or removed from the experience of suffering and injustice, but we are kept and we are protected by God, even in the midst of such suffering and injustice that he might ordain. And we know from other things that Peter speaks about in the letter that Christians will indeed face suffering and injustice in a sinful and a fallen world. We'll experience that from unjust governments, as he speaks about in verses 13 to 17 of chapter two. We'll experience that from unjust masters, which I think by way of reasonable application, we can think of even in terms of employment situations. He speaks of that in verses 18 to 23 of chapter chapter 2. We can experience injustice and suffering from unjust spouses as he speaks about husbands and wives in chapter 3 verses 1 to 7, and then of course just unjust and wicked people in general in the world as he speaks of in chapter 3 verses 8 and 9. through 17, part of the portion of the passage that I read earlier. There is injustice, there is suffering in this world. We will not be kept from it in this world, but we will be kept by our shepherd and overseer through it. And so whatever suffering and injustice God may ordain for any of us, he calls and he provides for us to live in the secure living hope of the salvation that Jesus has accomplished for us. And we do this by submitting to the Father's will and by trusting the Father's care. This is exactly what Peter says in chapter 4, verse 19. He says, And then over in chapter five, verses six and seven, he says, humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. suffer according to God's will, and entrust our soul to God's faithful care. And so friends, these are three life-transforming results that Jesus has accomplished for we who believe through his life and his death and his resurrection. He satisfied the penalty for our sin, he has separated us into a new life of righteousness, and he has secured our protection from all harm. As I close this out, we can think it would indeed be a tragic thing for a house to burn down because of negligence in forgetting to blow out a burning candle. That would indeed be tragic. But how much more tragic and spiritually devastating to forget the significance of what Jesus has accomplished for us, again, through his life, through his death, and through his resurrection. And so to that end, that we would remember and that we would rejoice and that we would renew our devotion to trust and obey God in the living hope that he has given us in Jesus, he calls us again to share in this time of remembrance with the bread and the cup. So let me lead us in prayer. Our Father, we thank you for the wonderful, marvelous design of yours in this redemption that you have brought about through the Lord Jesus Christ. And Lord Jesus, we thank you for your obedience and submission to the Father in accomplishing this redemption. And we thank you, Holy Spirit, for your work in revealing all of this to us through the word of God and of bringing these truths to bear in so many of our own lives and causing us to be born again. We thank you for the greatness of these life-transforming realities, and we pray that you would help us to live faithfully in light of them, even as we would be quick to remember them. So thank you for this time now in the name of Christ, amen and amen.