For our Scripture reading tonight, turn with me to Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53, we want to read the entire chapter. And then also a few verses from 2 Corinthians 5. 2 Corinthians 5, verses 17 through 21. Isaiah 53, the familiar chapter teaching about the suffering of the Messiah to come. As we give our attention to the reading of the Word of God. Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before Him like a tender shoot and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him and afflicted. 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. 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. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away, and who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living, for the transgression of my people he was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him, and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied. By his knowledge, my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death and was numbered with the transgressors. For He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors. In 2 Corinthians 5, beginning at verse 17 through 21. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come. All this is from God who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. Tonight we consider the teaching of the Word of God as it is summarized in the Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 15. Lord's Day 15, if you would turn in the back of the Psalter Hymnal to page 22. Lord's Day 15, questions and answers 37, 38, and 39. As you recall, we are considering the Apostles' Creed. In this portion of the catechism. Lord's Day 15 as we recite the answer together. The answers. Question 37 asks us, What do you understand by the word suffered? That during his whole life on earth, but especially at the end, Christ sustained in body and soul the anger of God against the sin of the whole human race. This he did in order that, by his suffering as the only atoning sacrifice, he might set us free, body and soul, from eternal condemnation and gain for us God's grace, righteousness, and eternal life. Why did he suffer under Pontius Pilate as judge? So that he, though innocent, might be condemned by a civil judge and so free us from the severe judgment of God that was to fall on us. Is it significant that He was crucified instead of dying some other way? Yes, this death convinces me that He shouldered the curse which lay on me since death by crucifixion was accursed by God. The dear people of God, it's no secret, is it, that there's much suffering in the world. I'm sure not one of us would argue with that statement. In fact, no one is exempt from suffering. Boys and girls, that means that no one can truly escape all suffering. And although it's true that some may experience more suffering than others, it affects rich or poor, black or white, short or tall. suffering does not discriminate against its potential objects of suffering. And as well, we know in our experience that there are different kinds or different situations of suffering. There's physical suffering, mental suffering, emotional, financial, moral, spiritual, and even other kinds of suffering. Recently, in our history throughout the world, we might consider the suffering that's taking place between the Palestinians and the Israelis, with the suicide bombings taking place. Some of you, I'm sure, saw the picture on the front page of the North County Times yesterday, the mass grave that was dug to put the dead bodies in. Or we might still consider a little bit closer to home, the suffering that is still being endured by those who had to endure in different ways than we have the effects of September 11. And I'm also sure that each one of us could give a list of many different ways in which we believe that we have suffered. And of course, no one can really relate with me because no one else is me. And that's true. Two of us might suffer the same sort of a circumstance, but we suffer it differently. No one else can truly understand my suffering. Yet it's interesting that when it comes to the suffering of our Savior, many think that they can understand it even in some small way that they can't understand what He went through. Many churches have made it their business to attract people to come into their church buildings by giving a production of the Passion Play complete with a mock crucifixion, hanging a man on the cross. There's imitation blood, there's fake wounds, and even an occasional moan. In some parts of the world, in order to observe Christ's suffering on either Maundy Thursday or Good Friday, there are some who will give themselves to be literally nailed to a real cross. But to see all of these demonstrations, whether pretend or real, are meant to stir the emotions of those who watch so that the spectators might enter into Christ's suffering and understand what He went through and feel sorry for Him. The filthiness of the spitting. The awful sound of the driven spikes as well as the gruesome sight of the spear are to cause us to enter in some way into the suffering of our Lord. The congregation, is that possible? And maybe even a more important question, does our God call us to do that? Can we even begin to understand Christ's suffering? Is there anything, is there more to Christ's suffering than just the spitting and the spikes and the spear? But tonight we continue our consideration of the Savior's path of humiliation as Lord's Day 15 teaches us of His suffering for sin. And as we consider this Word of God, notice first of all the cause of His suffering. Secondly, the character of His suffering. And then finally, the accomplishment of His suffering. Now the article of the Apostles' Creed that Lord's Day 15 considers is our confession that He suffered under Pontius Pilate and was crucified. Just that article. That much. It's interesting, though, that in this creed, we move very quickly from His conception by the Holy Spirit and His birth of the Virgin Mary that we considered in Lord's Day 14, and all of a sudden, we move to His suffering under Pontius Pilate. It's as if a whole lifetime, Christ's whole lifetime, was missed. But we need to understand that in this summary confession of faith, the Apostles' Creed, that the word suffered recalls. It calls back to our mind the entire, or it's supposed to, the entire earthly life of Christ. Question 37 asks again, what do you understand by the word suffered? And the first part of the answer, that during His whole life on earth, but especially at the end, Christ sustained in body and soul the anger of God against the sin of the whole human race. Now beloved, we must approach our consideration of the suffering of Christ, understanding a couple of things. First of all, we must know beyond a doubt that we can never plumb the depths of His suffering. We cannot fully understand it, maybe not even to understand it a little bit. And second, this portion of this answer which we've already read ought to make us realize that to try to depict or duplicate Christ's suffering in a passion play or something of that nature is nothing less than an idolatrous portrayal. It is idolatry. Yes, especially at the end of His life, Jesus Christ suffered. But beloved, that was the crown of a lifetime of suffering. And yes, He suffered severely in His body, which is what we seem to be able to identify with even if just a little bit. but He suffered more severely in His soul, which we cannot begin to understand. The suffering of our Lord was not only for the things that we might be able to relate to. In fact, many martyrs who have died for their faith have suffered worse physical torture and pain than Christ in His crucifixion. There are other ways of torture that may even be worse, physically speaking. The character of Christ's suffering is that it was completely unique to Him. But before we consider that character, it's appropriate for us to first consider the cause of His suffering. Christ sustained the anger of God against the sin of the whole human race. Now, it's no surprise, I trust, to any one of us, that the cause of His suffering is sin. We needed to be saved. We needed a Savior because of sin. In fact, our suffering is also because of sin, isn't it? Yet there's a difference. Our suffering is the natural and necessary result of sin. The perfection with which Adam and Eve had been created was removed already before they left the garden. And they were told there already that there would be weeds in the field, that there would be pain in childbirth pointing forward to all kinds of suffering which mankind would have to endure. But Christ suffered for sin and the guilt of sin itself. Not just the results or the effects of it. The result of sin in general and our sin in particular makes us miserable and rightly so, but our sin, beloved, our very sin, not just the results of it, caused His complete suffering. And He paid for every last bit of it. Therefore, you and I as believers will not even begin, will never have to even begin to understand what it means to truly suffer for sin. Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, holy and righteous, was completely sinless. And that's why He was able to suffer for us on our account. Do you remember why He had to be a true and righteous man? Last week we recalled why he had to be true God, but do you remember why he had to be true and righteous man? Answer 16 of Lord's Day 6 says, Because the justice of God requires that the same human nature which has sinned should make satisfaction for sin, and because one who himself is a sinner cannot satisfy for others. In other words, man sinned, therefore man must pay. But a sinful man cannot pay for his own sins, let alone anyone else. That's why He had to be a true and righteous man. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5.21, God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us. And Isaiah 53 verse 5 reminds us that He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities. But then I think a necessary question then is also, what sin caused Christ's suffering? What sin? Well, the Catechism rightly says the sin of the whole human race. The sin of the whole human race. Jesus Christ suffered the wrath of God against all sin of all time, everywhere. We're talking about sin in general. That sin which was an offense to God. But now think about this for a moment. Even if one little sin of yours or mine, let's say a little white lie. We like to speak in those terms. something that's not so bad in our eyes. One little sin of yours or mine is worth eternal punishment in hell. That's how offensive it is to the holiness of God. One little sin. But Jesus had to suffer God's anger and wrath against every last bit of sin, that which offended God. When I was a boy and needed to be punished, and I know that may come as a surprise to some of you that I would need to be punished as a boy, but it's true. my dad would punish me according to whatever I had done. The punishment fit the crime at the time. That is, of course, the crimes that he caught. But if he had saved up all of those punishments I deserved and punished me at one time for all that I had ever done, I would not have been able to handle the punishment. Now, I know that this illustration barely, if it all touches on Christ's suffering, but maybe it gives us just a little bit of an idea of what it means that He suffered the wrath of God against the sin of the whole human race. And now, I quickly add that this doesn't mean that Christ made satisfaction that He paid for the sin for every last sin of every last person in the human race. He didn't. The Bible says that He didn't. You recall that His atonement is limited. It was sufficient for all. If God had chosen to save every last person, Christ would not have shed one more drop of blood. But it was efficient, effective only for the elect. You see, He saves the human race but not all the members of the human race. But the sinful cause of His suffering, beloved, also then points to the character of His suffering which we've already mentioned a little bit. Jesus Christ bore the wrath of God against the anger of God against the sin of the whole human race in body and soul during his whole life on earth, but especially at the end. That's the character. In body and soul during his whole life on earth, but especially at the end. Again, most often I think we consider the last week of his life on earth, especially his physical crucifixion, we think of that as being his suffering. But beloved, he began to suffer the anger and wrath of God the moment He emptied Himself and took on the form of a servant, the human flesh and blood of Mary. His suffering which led to the tomb began in the womb of Mary. He suffered by becoming human with flesh and blood that for all men, including all of us here, that same flesh and blood which inches second by second closer to physical death. With His body. He suffered, especially at the end of His life with beatings, whippings, spitting, stripes, thorns, blood, tears, and finally the cross. But the moment He entered this world of sin, our Savior began to suffer in His soul. He breathed in, as it were, a sinful atmosphere. He who knew no sin had continual contact with sin, and as Paul says, became sin for us. Each step that He took was a step on a ground laced with the thorns of sin. He came with a heart filled with love, but everywhere He met rejection, as even His own received Him not. He fed with bread, but was slandered by the very same mouths that received that bread. And even among His closest friends, one betrayed Him, another denied Him, and the rest scattered when Jesus was arrested. He came to bless the world, but the world despised, mocked, unappreciated, and rejected Him. The communion form reminds us that His agony of soul was demonstrated in His body as the wrath of God pressed out of Him the bloody sweat in the garden. Yet through all of this congregation, His concern was always for others. His focus was always outside of Himself to His task and those for whom He came. Isaiah 53, verse 4 says, Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows. Jesus Christ suffered for the spiritual needs of others because of our indifference, because of our unbelief, and because of our worldliness. He wept because Jerusalem refused to repent. They refused to repent and believe in the One whose teaching would convert sinners, Whose miracles would undo Satan. He suffered because of the sin committed against his Father. We're often so upset about even one small offense done against us. But we don't give offenses against God a second thought. But he suffered the rejection by God on account of our rejection of God. And he suffered it to the lowest depths when he cried, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And the path to his being completely forsaken by God included Pontius Pilate and the cross. Pontius Pilate was an instrument of God's wrath. He was an instrument in the hand of God. On the one hand, Pilate points to the historical fact of Christ's crucifixion. You see, the history books, recording history, especially of 2,000 years ago, testify to the reality of Pilate and this Jesus and they testify to the fact of Pilate's judgment against him. But as an instrument of God, Pilate was the earthly authority needed to sentence Jesus to death. You remember that Rome ruled the known world at that time and an execution, capital punishment could only take place by the judgment of a Roman ruler. But as Pilate gave Jesus the earthly death penalty, at the very same time, the supreme ruler God above sentenced him to the spiritual death penalty. Yet Jesus suffered in his trial under Pontius Pilate because he was innocent. Pilate said, I find no fault in him. The perfect sinlessness of Jesus and the false charges brought against Him were exposed, were brought into the light through Pilate's declaration of His guiltlessness. This earthly judge makes the declaration, beloved, that proves that Jesus suffered not for His own sin, but for the sin of others. I find no fault in Him. Isaiah 53, verse 5 says, The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him. Answer 38 explains Pilate's place this way. Why did he suffer under Pontius Pilate as judge? So that he, though innocent, might be condemned by a civil judge and so free us from the severe judgment of God that was to fall on him. As Pilate hands down the official sentence on one he says was an innocent man, God, again at the very same time, announces His wrath against the Son he saw as a mediator who took our guilt and became sin for us. As Pilate announced Christ's death sentence, God announced the freedom unto life for you and me who believe. Boys and girls, you remember that character called Barabbas? Barabbas was the one that the people asked for to be set free instead of Jesus. Luke, in his Gospel, describes Barabbas as a murderer and a rebeller. But you see, Barabbas was not the only one to go free that day. God's people, though guilty of the same things as Barabbas, though guilty of rebelling against God and killing their soul, our soul, because of sin, were eternally set free. While Jesus, though innocent, was condemned. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 19, that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. The psalmist says in Psalm 103, He has not dealt with us according to our sins or according to the measure of our iniquity. We know that He has dealt with us according to what Jesus Christ has done. But not only did God announce to the world His wrath against His Son through Pilate. But God also demonstrated to the world His wrath against His Son on the cross. Question and answer 39 once again. Is it significant that He was crucified instead of dying some other way? Yes. This death convinces me that He shouldered the curse which lay on me since death by crucifixion was a curse by God. Congregation, that cross of Jesus Christ which we are called to glory in according to Galatians 6 verse 14 and which must be preached according to 1 Corinthians 2 verse 2. That cross is an emblem of suffering and shame. The crucifixion is a sign of being under the curse of God. Yes, death by crucifixion was a painful death, but it was also despised. Accursed of God, the one who was hung on a tree, was rejected by God. The Romans reserved crucifixion for the worst and most despicable of offenders. But God's people knew what it meant to God. Paul says in Galatians 3, verse 13, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, and he goes back to Deuteronomy 21, verse 23, Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. Israel carried out capital punishment by stoning to death. And then the bodies of the most hideous of offenders were hung on a tree. You see, the cross signifies a place of abandonment and forsakenness and of excommunication from God's favor and blessing. And the one who hung on a cross suspended between heaven and earth was a castaway with no place to go. This was a judgment that there was no place for that one on earth among men and no room for that one in heaven with God. And it was on the cross where Jesus suffered the most intense fierceness of God's anger and wrath against the sin of the whole human race as he took on himself the curse that was upon his people. And he was completely forsaken by God. Again, as that question asked, is there anything significant about Christ's crucifixion? For example, as opposed to suffering a heart attack or being burned at the stake or having a car accident or dying from cancer, you better believe that there is. His crucifixion proves, it's a visible demonstration, that Jesus Christ indeed took God's curse from me and shouldered God's curse, the curse of God for me. And that means especially, beloved, that my suffering in this life is not God's curse against me. God does not punish His people for their sin, not any bit of it, because Jesus Christ took it all. Does He discipline His sons and daughters? You bet He does. For our good. Instead, my suffering becomes a blessing as God uses it to draw me into closer fellowship with Him. He turns my suffering to my good. People of God, do you understand why it is a mockery of Christ's cross to try to display the crucifixion or to even claim to enter into the experience of Christ's suffering or to do as some do, and that is to go through the emotions of kissing the cross. Why would we do that? You see, it's a place of abandonment, Forsakenness and excommunication from God's favor and blessing. The cross is a sign of God's curse. What is the character of His suffering? It was complete, continuous, one-of-a-kind, total suffering that we should never want to experience. And by the grace of God, those who belong to this suffering Savior will never have to experience it. We experience joy in the midst of sorrow knowing that our suffering is only temporary. The psalmist says weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning. And beloved, our suffering is relieved with the hope for a speedy end. But Christ's suffering was a life sentence which increased as His cross drew nearer. The weight of God's anger and wrath pressed down upon His body and soul every moment of His life. You see, His whole life was lived. in the shadow of the cross. Our Lord suffered the anger of God against the sin of the whole human race as He suffered the torment of hell which is more than even unbelievers will suffer as they will suffer the torment of hell for their own sin. But they will not suffer for the sin of others. Beloved, taking up our cross and following Jesus does not mean that we will share in and experience His suffering. That's simply not possible. Jesus Christ did not walk a mile in my shoes. He walked in my place. And I will never have to suffer the rejection of God because He did for me. He alone is truly the man of sorrows. And only He could then affect the accomplishment of His suffering. The catechism answer says in the second part of answer 37 that He bore all of this in order that by His suffering as the only atoning sacrifice, He might set us free, body and soul, from eternal condemnation and gain for us God's grace, righteousness, and eternal life. You see, His suffering was necessary to accomplish salvation. And He suffered in body and soul that we might be saved, body and soul. The cross is a most glorious sign of both the justice and the love or mercy of God. It was there, beloved, that Christ was excommunicated from God's favor in order that those who belonged to Him might be re-communicated, re-admitted into God's favor. And it could only be accomplished by Him. He was the only atoning sacrifice, the only one possible. True and righteous man and true God. Paul says, the wages of sin is death. And the Catechism describes that death as eternal condemnation. The older version of the Catechism says, everlasting damnation, condemnation, or damnation, is unspeakable suffering. The only way I can think to explain it is that it is always being at the point of death, but never dying. never being relieved of that misery. With this life, when death is near for one, the family members of that one are comforted because it will soon be over. Some of you have experienced that. Especially in families of believers. Family members at the end pray that that one will be delivered from their misery. But eternal damnation is deathly agony that will never be over. Jesus Christ, because He is true God, was able as the true and righteous man to endure that eternal condemnation in time on the cross. And He did it for His people. Do you understand just how costly your sin and my sin was? Yet our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ paid that price for us so that as His people, we have been redeemed, purchased from eternal death. and He has gained for us eternal life. He's taken away from us that which is the most hideous and given to us that which is the most glorious. Once again, beloved, what a great exchange. Our gain for Jesus' sake is that in God's favor, He opens our eyes to the preciousness of the Savior and He receives us into His favor. In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul speaks of God reconciling us to Himself through Christ. And our gain is also that Jesus Christ earned for us acquittal with God. Boys and girls, that means that the charges have been dropped. When someone is charged with a crime like murder or robbery, then they are acquitted. That means they are let go. The charges against them are dropped. The charges have been dropped against us. Our guilt and punishment because of sin are taken by Christ and instead we are clothed with His righteousness by grace which we receive by faith. Believers are new creatures in Christ as Paul says. He became sin on our behalf that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. And beloved, our gain in Christ is also eternal security. God crowns Christ's work by crowning us as believers with eternal life so that the psalmist can say, enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Because Jesus Christ was completely forsaken by God, His people are completely reunited with God. And therefore, what is our attitude to be toward the suffering that we are called upon to endure? Paul says in Romans 8, verse 18, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. And in another place, Paul says, for our light affliction which is but for a moment is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. And beloved, that's because Jesus paid it all. There's nothing left for His people to pay. So why do we often try? You see, beloved, we are called by God. He calls us to render unto Him thankful obedience. Jesus suffered completely, totally, and eternally because of our sin, that we might be saved completely, totally, and eternally. But for those who do not believe in this suffering Savior, for those who reject Him, for those who do not receive His Word with humility, their suffering and affliction will be made the heavier as the anger and wrath of God is poured out against them for their sin in eternal damnation. You see, this warning is very real. But so is the hope that we may bring today that those who repent of their sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, this suffering Savior, they shall be saved. Congregation, we are not to mourn and try to enter into Christ's suffering because that dishonors Him. As Dr. Horton said in his introduction on Good Friday evening a few weeks back, we are here tonight to celebrate the crucifixion of our Lord. As odd as that may sound, we are here to celebrate His crucifixion. Why? Because of our gain. And we don't celebrate that in darkness. We celebrate that in the light of God's love. He didn't suffer for our pity. but He suffered for the joy that was set before Him as Hebrews 12 says He suffered for the gladness that is to fill our hearts He suffered that we might see His glory in the glory of His Father His suffering and His taking of our curse ought to move us in the grace of the Holy Spirit to rejoice it is to make us happy and thankful Christians those who desire to serve Him in all that we do it is to make us desire to worship our God as He deserved, as He commanded us to worship Him. And it is to make us desire to be obedient and to be humbled at the mighty God we serve by grace through faith. Beloved, our response to our Lord's suffering is to be and can only be. Hallelujah. What a Savior. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, as we come before You again in this evening hour, we have been reminded once again of what our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has done for us. And in so many ways, this is so hard for us to comprehend. Because we will not ever be called upon by Your grace to have to suffer even a little bit like that. We will never have to suffer. You will never punish Your people for our sin. Because Jesus Christ has paid it all. Father, we pray that in times of suffering that we go through, that You would lift our eyes to the Lord Jesus Christ. That You would give to us joy in the midst of pain. That You would lift up our hearts in the midst of sorrow. And that in all things You would be glorified and honored and praised. We thank you and praise you, O Lord, that you are the one who hears our prayers for Jesus' sake and in his name. Amen.