Turn again with me to our Bible reading in Isaiah chapter 53. Here we have the Servant's Song written by Isaiah under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost all of those years ago. Some people have called the prophecy of Isaiah the Gospel of Isaiah. So clear is his presentation of the cross work of our own dear Savior. It's as if he was an actual witness there instead of someone who was given prophetical insight into it. In verse four to six, we have a very important section within the song itself. Now, remember Isaiah was proclaiming something that was going to happen some 700 years ahead in the will of God. And he was speaking about the substitutionary death of the Lord Jesus Christ. And here in this section, verse four to six, in all of its glory, is brought to our attention the great doctrine of substitution. Substitution is the very heart and substance of the gospel itself. In the previous verses he's already given to us a very vivid description of Christ's meanness at his birth. What a picture he drew of his appearing in the world. The Jews had expected the Messiah to come in full pomp and glory, but when he came, he was just a root dug out of dry ground. There could have been nothing more uncomely. He was not accepted and applauded, rather he was despised and rejected. And now he starts to unfold the meaning of his coming. And we come to the passion of Christ. And that's a good place for us to be anytime, but it's a good place for us to be at the start of a new year, and especially around the Lord's table this evening. What an eternity of thought, brethren and sisters, is summed up in those opening words of verse four. Surely he hath borne our griefs, uncarried our sorrows." It was the great Martin Luther who said of those words that all of the consolation of the gospel, and in particular he made reference to St. Paul's epistles, he said, flowed out of this text. Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Oftentimes, we come to the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we observe what's going on, and we move on. But I think Isaac Watts, he got it closer to the point when he said, when I survey the wonderous cross, a surveyor is sent in to measure the land. A surveyor is sent in to assess the land or the property. And that's what we're called to do. We're called to not just observe the facts of the cross, but to survey the cross. And it does our hearts good to sit at the foot of the old rugged cross and to consider all of the consolation, all of the consolation of the gospel that comes to us from this opening statement of this section that deals with the nature, the substitutionary nature of the death of Christ. Surely he had borne her griefs and he had carried her sorrows. In what way can we say this evening that we receive consolation from these words? What is the gospel consolation that is contained in these words? Well, the first consolation is the certainty that Christ died for our sins. The tremendous truth is conveyed to us in that opening word, surely. It's a word that is given for emphasis. This was a real, actual event which took place. And the prophet, in looking forward, he said, surely. This is something that is certain. This is something that is sure. This is something that is absolute. He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. So it's an affirmation. It's a confirmation. It's an affirmation and a confirmation. and we receive from it gospel consolation of all who know the burden of their sin. And if you don't know the burden of your sin, dear soul in the gathering tonight, you'll never know the consolation of the gospel. You have to know what a burdened heart is before you know what the heart is when the burden is lifted. It reminds us this statement of Paul's great gospel affirmation in 1 Timothy 1, verse 15. It's a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus come into the world to save sinners. Way back in Carrick Fergus days, there was a big gavel beside the old church building down in Lancasterian Street and hundreds of cars came past that every day. And we decided as a committee, we would put up a big giant gospel text on it. And we put it up in orange. You couldn't have missed it, orange and black. It was so prominent in the time for maybe over a year before it was worn out. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. It's certain, it's certain that he came into the world to die for the sins of the lost because the Bible makes it plain, he had no sins of his own. If Jesus was to die for sin, it had to be for somebody else's sin, because he was sinless. In John's Gospel, chapter 8, verse 46. If you just turn up there for a wee minute or two. John's Gospel, chapter 8, verse 46. What a challenge was laid down in this passage of Scripture. John 8 and verse 46. Jesus said, which of you convinces me of sin? None of them could. None of them could. The Lord Jesus Christ had no conviction of sin because he had no sin. And it's not to say he did not have a sensitive nature. He absolutely did because he was sinless. and he was more sensitive, I think, than any of us could ever possibly imagine because he was sinless. But nobody can convince him of sin because he had no sin. You and I know what conviction of sin is. We do something wrong, and immediately, with a pang of conscience about it, we know we cut in there in front of somebody, or we didn't speak to someone, or we didn't tell the whole truth as it was. We know what it is, there's just a pang of conviction comes immediately. But when this challenge was laid down to the Saviour, none of them could find anything that would stick. They couldn't convince him of sin because he was sinless. Now they charged him with all types of accusations. They said he was a traitor. They said he was a deceiver. They said he was a glutton, they said he was a drunkard, they said he was a man who was filled with demonic forces, but try hard as they could, they couldn't find anything that would convict him of sin, because he was sinless. It's interesting that God would not allow the Lord Jesus Christ to be condemned until Pilate had acquitted him. And on the Roman law books it is stated very clearly, I find no fault in him. Even by Roman law. The state law of that day, it is stated on the statute books for all eternity. The very judge who tried him said, I find no fault in this man, and yet he condemned him to die. Oh, it's certain that he died for sin, but he didn't die for sins that were his own because he had none. It's certain that he died for sins which were not his own because this is the very substance of revelation about the death of Christ. It's the summary of all truth. It's a truth that is affirmed by an oath of God. It's a truth that's verified by Christ and his apostles and the church in all ages. This is the creed of the church, the very life breath of the church. We read of that testimony in Acts 13, 27 to 30. For they that dwell at Jerusalem and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him. And though they find no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain. And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a sepulcher. But God raised him from the dead. And he was seen of many people. Many days which were with him from Galilee to Jerusalem who are witnesses unto the people. There is no truth so verified and testified as concerning the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. We think of some of the great world religions, for example, Islam. Islam denies that Jesus died on a cross. Did you know that? Islam says that Jesus is a prophet, a lesser prophet than Muhammad, but he did not die on a cross. And I've spoken to Muslim people over the years, and they get to that point very quickly indeed, and of all types of convoluted theories as to why he did not die on the cross. But the Bible says something totally different. He died, surely he died. And he died for sins which were not his own. There are many, and I think it's because they do not want to seem presumptuous, they lack the confidence in claiming the consolation of this text for their own souls. Surely he hath borne my griefs and carried my sorrows. If he bore the griefs of others, they feel it is presumptuous to say, ah, he bore my griefs, he bore my sorrows. I'm glad I can say it tonight that the Lord Jesus Christ, he came into the world like Paul to save sinners of whom I am chief. If he died for the chiefest of sinners, he died for me. And that's the certainty. That is this consolation of the gospel as we come to this table tonight and as we partake of these elements that remind us that he did die, surely he died. He died for me. If you can't say that tonight, you can come to the table, you can observe what others do at the table, but don't partake at the table. This is the assurance of faith. He died for me, the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Oh, the assurance of the consolation of the gospel, that he died for sinners. But to say with sincerity, he died for my sin. He died for me. There's another point of consolation which we draw from the text. Surely it borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. This word borne tells us that Christ bore the guilt of our sins. So the prophet depicts this aspect of the work of Christ under the imagery of Christ carrying the burden, carrying the burden of our guilt. on what a burden that was. The word bore, B-O-R-E, just simply means to take away. He took them away. It's the thought of a servant lifting the burden. The master telling the servant, carry it away, bear it away. And that's what Christ did. He bore away the sins of his people. And that thought is fully outworked for us in the death and in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember how it is foreshadowed, first of all, in the Old Testament, sacrifices and ceremonies. Remember on the Day of Atonement, for example. The sacrifice is said to bear the sins of the people. Remember the two goats? There was the slain goat and the scapegoat and both of those animals typified Christ in his death and in his resurrection. The one who died and the one who bore the guilt away. We read in Leviticus chapter 16, 21, Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all of the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all of their transgressions, and all of their sins, and putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness. He bore them away. What a blessed privilege. The typical offering, of course, found its fulfillment in the death of Christ. And the New Testament is just replete in references to the death of Christ. Surely he died. You might think I'm stating the obvious, but the obvious is so obvious that it does need to be stated time and time again. 1 Peter 2, 24, it says, concerning Christ, who his own self bear our sins in his own body on the tree. He bore them in his body on the tree, and by bearing them, he carried them away. You don't have to bear the guilt because Christ bore it for you. What a wonderful truth. There's so many people tonight and they acknowledge themselves to be Christians and they're bowed down, but you don't have to be bowed down because Christ was bowed down and broken for your sin and my sin. He bore them away. Don't allow the devil to put on you something that Christ has lifted from you. And that's the assurance of this table. He has borne them away. They're not mine anymore, they're all away. What a blessed truth is the gospel of redeeming grace. How far did he take them? Well, he removed them. The Bible says, the psalmist said in Psalm 103, that great psalm that we sing so often, as far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Now, theoretically, that is an immeasurable distance to man. and thus far has God removed our guilt, our condemnation. And that's the consolation of the child of God. He not only bore them away, but they're in the wilderness. They'll never be brought back into the camp again. They're taken an immeasurable distance from us. That's where our sins are this evening. And Christ on the cross of Calvary, he took that sin of yours and mine, and he bore them away. and they're not gonna be coming back. The Bible teaches us that Christ bore our sins in order that he might exchange something with us. It's a great biblical truth. Calvary is all really about exchange. In 2 Corinthians chapter five and verse 21, for example, 2 Corinthians five and 21, The Bible says, for he hath made him to be sin for us. I believe that as a reference to being a sin offering. He made him to be a sin offering for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. So here's the exchange that took place. He took our sins. We receive his righteousness. In the covenant of grace, everything is done by way of exchange. He took our sins. He bore them away. We see that live goatman taken into the wilderness. We see that immeasurable distance between east and west so far as he removed them from us. But he didn't leave us naked. He clothed us and we're clothed in his righteousness, the son of God. He became the son of man that the sons of men might become the sons of God. He took our misery so that we might have his glory. He took our sin and he clothed us with his righteousness. The devil is very good at coming and telling us who we are and what we are. And like the hymn we can say concerning our sins, we know them all and thousands more, but stop there. Jehovah findeth none. And when God looks in upon us, he sees righteousness. the imputed righteousness of his own dear son. All the curses, all the condemnations of the law that were against us because of our sin, the Bible tells us Christ has removed them. This is the greatest removal ever in history. How? By nailing them down, by nailing them down in his own body on the cross. And he bore them all in his own body. I said to all who are in the meeting, and if you know not the Lord Jesus as your own and personal saviour, be you young or old, I want to encourage you this evening, this is a truth if grasped and understood and believed and received, will change your year, will change your destiny. There's a third point of consolation. And it is that the Lord Jesus Christ not only took our sickness, but also our sorrows. Our sorrows. The word griefs actually means sicknesses. Surely he hath borne our griefs, Isaiah 53 in verse four, and carried our sorrows. So that word griefs, it means sicknesses. Matthew, in his gospel, he quotes this prophecy in relationship to Christ's healing ministry connected with bodily diseases in Matthew 8 and verse 17. But I believe it was in a figurative sense that Matthew used the prophecy. It was a representation of his great love, Christ's great love in taking away our sins because sicknesses are the effects of sin, at least in measure. And thus the action of Christ in taking away the disease was a type of his taking away the sin. Now there are some in evangelical circles who teach that when Jesus died on the cross, it was for our physical sicknesses in this life. And that there is physical healing in the atonement. Well, I do believe that because of the atonement one day at the glorious resurrection, our glorified body will be perfect and free from all sin, free from all sickness for all of God's great eternity. But though we're saved, the Bible tells us from the damning power of sin, we live in a body, we live in a body, we live in a world and where the consequences of sin is all too evident. And not even God's people are exempted from physical trial and physical sickness. And as we all get older, sickness can and does come. And we all know, sadly, it is not just for the old, it can be for the young as well. We know the Lord grants healing. I believe that all healing comes from the Lord. Whether it comes directly or indirectly, through the gifted hands of medical experts, it all comes from the Lord. But one day, some sickness is going to take us out into God's eternity, barring the second advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's going to be the glorious day. That's our day of glorification. That's the day when there'll be no more sickness, no more pain, no more sorrow. All the sorrows are dealt with, not to lame. Our greatest sickness is something that man can't cure. It's sin. It's sin. I believe, and it's good that there should be such an emphasis on health and well-being. I see no nothing wrong with that, even for the Christian. There's nothing wrong with that. But the one sickness no man can cure is sin. Only Jesus can do that. He's the great physician. It's on that center cross of Calvary that he himself bore our griefs or our sicknesses, our sin sicknesses. The word sorrows then, it means the punishment for sin. This was how the word was first used in the Bible. Always trace the first mention of it in Genesis 3, 16 and 17. The Lord Jesus Christ not only came to bear our sin, but also to endure the sorrows, the curse of the wrath of the law of God for sin. And we cannot even begin to understand, I think, what the punishment was of the law of God until we look at the sufferings of Christ. Come to conclusion tonight, just look at what he did suffer. He suffered the attack of hell. If it were possible to take away the darkness of Calvary, under that darkness you would see the legions of the pit of hell. all aimed against the Lord Jesus Christ. There was a battle there that is likened to no other battle and that battle still ensues. There's a spiritual battle going all round about us. He suffered the attack of hail. The devil saw how the burden bore him down on the cross, and I believe that he was desirous to take advantage of him, and he made a full attack upon him. And just the same way, God gave leave for the devil to touch Job, but not to kill him. So the powers of darkness were given leave to attack the Son of God. He suffered, he suffered inwardly. He felt in his soul the wrath of God bearing down upon him for sin, more than anything else. Now sometimes children They don't fear the spoon. They don't fear the physical punishment, but they do fear the lick. They do fear that they have annoyed their parents. They do fear that they've upset those that love them the most. Jesus said, my soul, it's not wonderful. The Lord Jesus Christ, the God man, he had a soul and he said, my soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. I'll not even try to pretend that we can comprehend the meaning in those words, but the soul of Christ was sorrowful, even unto death. Look not only at what he suffered, but look at how he suffered. Look, 22, 24 tells us, even before the passion of Christ in earnest had started, It had already commenced in the garden, and in the garden of Gethsemane, he shed great sweat drops of blood. The word that is used there, I was very interested to find out, it implies clots. Clots of blood. When mere mortal men are under pressure, they sweat. We all do that. But this was no mere mortal man. This was the God-man, and thus he shed thick clots of blood. How he suffered. Why he suffered. He suffered to free us from the wrath that was our just desert. I'm glad Paul, he wrote to the Thessalonians and he described it very well. 1 Thessalonians 1 and 10, he said, Jesus has delivered us from wrath to come. He delivered us from the wrath to come. Why did he suffer? To deliver us from the wrath to come. He satisfied the divine justice of God by absorbing that justice. in his own body on Calvary's tree. And God would not pardon sin without satisfaction for sin, and that satisfaction was met in our surety, the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank God for the one who suffered. What a mercy. What a mercy tonight that he stood in our stead. What would we have suffered if Christ had not have stood in our stead? We would be looking out into a yawning eternity of everlasting punishment and suffering. But we have an eternity of bliss, dear child of God, because Jesus suffered in our stead. He delivered us from it. And that's why when we come to this table, from our hearts, we thank him. We thank him for delivering us, delivering us from the wrath of God, which is to come. And if you come to this table tonight, come with a glad heart, come with a thankful heart. Thank you, Lord, for deliverance. Delivering me from the wrath of God, which is to come. We couldn't bear that wrath, not for one second. but Christ bore it in its entirety for us. A whole eternity, Martin Luther said, of consolation is wrapped up in that opening phrase of Isaiah 53 in verse four. Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. And yet the last part of it shows the rejection of the gospel. And yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. How do you esteem the Lord Jesus Christ tonight? If you're here and you're not saved, you're in the latter part of verse four. Just as one stricken, smitten, and afflicted. Ah, but for those whose eyes have been opened by grace, we see something different. We see one stricken, spittin' and afflicted, but for us, that we might be delivered. We thank God for Calvary. We thank God for the opportunity to remember it at this table. We thank God for the opportunity from our hearts and from our souls to be able to say, thank you, Lord, for saving my soul. Thank you, Lord, for