Our Sin Bearing Shepherd

1 Peter 2:24–25 ESV

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 straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Back a few years ago when we were still in FL we had a Christian family counselor come to Church to teach a parenting seminar. I don’t remember his name, but I remember him having eight children and talking about how each one of them were different and took a different amount of discipline to get them to obey.

I also remember him telling us, they best we could tell from a study of the OT times, the rod of discipline was similar to the size and shape of a curtain rod and this is what they used as their tool for discipline. The reason this is relevant to this morning lesson is because he told us he had one child that they could not seem to get the point of obedience. They whipped, restricted, and tried everything they could think of to get this child to submit.

Finally, one night the child had disrespected his mother and he took him out to the barn and told him he did not know what else to do since none of their methods of discipline were working. So he took his shirt off and told his son he was going to take his punishment for him and made his son whip him across the back with that rod. The dad said that both of them were broken after the incident the fathers willingness to bear the sins and punishment for the son finally broke the son and from then on he said his son’s demeanor and obedience changed.

I. The Result of Jesus’ Suffering

1 Peter 2:24 ESV

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.

1 Peter

Peter begins by explain what happened as a result of Jesus’ sinless suffering. The first phrase of verse 24 explains,

A. Jesus Bore Our Sins

Verse 24a reads, He himself bore our sins

In other words, Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God carried our sin, bore them, took them on himself.

God in is Grace and mercy told his people this was coming. He through the mouth of His prophet Isaiah promised to send one who would finally be able to be the once for all sacrifice. He told us how he would save those who would trust in this coming Savior.

Isaiah 53:4 ESV

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

Isaiah

The God-man who knew no sin became sin for us.

The Perfect Priest provided the Sacrifice for us.

The Lamb of God lifted the burden of sin for us.

Isaiah look forward to this Sin Bearer, and the author of Hebrews looks back to this Sin Bearer then points us to His return,

Hebrews 9:28 ESV

so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

That is good news, that is why Christ vicarious sacrifice is such a wonderful truth. Because it is through His suffering, His sin bearing, and His rising from the dead our sins are dealt with.

Notice how he bore our sins, in His body

This is one of the reasons the humanity of Jesus is so important and vital to our salvation, our faith, and the truth of the gospel.

Jesus was not just a nice story, a good example, one who taught his people well. Jesus Christ is the Messiah the one sent by God to save His people from their sins. Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. He is divine, truly God, but He is also truly, 100% man who had a real physical body, experienced real physical pain, went through real temptation, in order that He might bear our sins in His body!

Why would this be necessary?

Why would Christ the perfect One have to bear ous sins in His body?

John Owens explains,

Works of John Owen: Volume 10 Chapter XI: The Arguments of Socinus against Punitory Justice Weighed

God is bound to exercise mercy to none, but that he cannot but exercise his justice towards sinners (provided he be inclined to be just), if he would preserve his natural right and dominion over his creatures, and the holiness and purity of his nature uninjured and entire; for disobedience would take away all dependence of the creature on God, unless a compensation were made to him by a vicarious punishment. But, according to the sacred Scriptures, we maintain that God exercised both the one and the other, both justice and mercy, in justly punishing Christ, in mercifully pardoning sins, which he laid upon him, to us, who deserved everlasting punishment;

Works of John Owen: Volume 10 Chapter XI: The Arguments of Socinus against Punitory Justice Weighed

according to the sacred Scriptures, we maintain that God exercised both the one and the other, both justice and mercy, in justly punishing Christ, in mercifully pardoning sins, which he laid upon him, to us, who deserved everlasting punishment;

Jesus Christ bearing our sins in His body is the salvific work of God which upholds God’s justice, mercy, and righteousness. It is God’s demonstration of His covenant love to His people. It is God’s fulfillment of His own promises and character for the good of His people and the glory of His name.

Next, notice where Jesus bore our sins, in His body, on the tree. Jesus the one who committed no sin, and who had no deceit found in His mouth carried our sins we committed in the body, mind, and heart, took on, carried, and bore them for us. The One who deserved not punishment became sin for us, taking on the full weight of humanities sin and the full wrath of God on the cruel human cross.

On the most humiliating, excruciating death you can imagine Jesus became our sin bearing Savior. He hung on this cross, bleeding, bruised, and beaten before a cheering crowd calling out crucify him, crucify Him!

Psalm 22:12–18 ESV

Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.

Stephen Charnock noted, “He received our evils to bestow his good, and submitted to our curse to impart to us his blessing; sustained the extremity of that wrath we had deserved, to confer upon us the grace he had purchased. The sin in us, which he was free from, was by divine estimation transferred upon him, as if he were guilty, that the righteousness he has which we were destitute of, might be transferred upon us, as if we were innocent. He was made sin, as if he had sinned all the sins of men, and we are made righteousness as if we had not sinned at all.”

This is the result of Jesus himself bearing our sin in his body on the tree.

Not only did Jesus bear our sins,

B. Jesus Brought Us to Life

Look at verse 23 again,

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.

Before Jesus bore our sins we were dead in our sins. We were unable to come to faith, to have eternal life, to break free from the wage we owed for our sin.

Ephesians 2:1 ESV

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins

Romans 5:12 ESV

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—

We were physically alive, but spiritually dead.

We were living but dying.

We were breathing but facing a brutal death.

We were made alive in birth, but born into death because of Adam our Seminal and Federal head.

Romans 6:23 ESV

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans

This free gift was made possible because of the Sin bearing Sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Paul told the Romans although you have earned death God has made a way for you to receive eternal life. Even though sin entered the world and death spread to all men, Jesus offers life to all those who would repent and believe.

We were living but dying.

We were breathing but facing a brutal death.

Why and how would God do this?

Ephesians 2:4 ESV

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,

Ephesians 2:4–5 ESV

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

Ephesians

We were made alive in birth, but born into death because of Adam our Seminal and Federal head.

Being saved through Christ vicarious sacrifice we are made alive. We are finally able to live for Him, we are finally able to repent of sin, to mortify sin, to be sanctified through obedience to the truth! What a wonderful truth!

For all of those who call Holy living legalism I would exhort them to meditate on this verse, to ponder on this truth to heed these words of Peter.

Jesus Christ has made you die to sin.

Jesus Christ has made you live to righteousness.

So should we sin that grace may abound? By no means!

Jesus has born our sins.

Jesus has brought us to life.

Third, notice

C. Jesus Healed Our Disease

By His wounds you have been healed.

Consider his wounds for a moment.

His bloody brow.

His beaten back. (Skin ripped open but the cat of nine tails.)

His nail pierced hands and feet.

His side with the sword stuck deep into His body.

Why was he wounded in this way? Why did the Sinless Son of God have to suffer this way?

Isaiah 53:5 ESV

But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

He was pierced for our transgressions.

He was crushed for our iniquities.

He was chastised for our sins.

John Owen affirms,

Works of John Owen: Volume 12 Chapter XXV: A Digression Concerning the 53d Chapter of Isaiah, and the Vindication of It from the Perverse Interpretation of Hugo Grotius

“He was wounded for our sins, crimine nostro,” “by our crime;” that is, it was our fault, not his, that he was so evilly dealt with.

Here we see the doctrine of penal substitution.

Not from every ailment, disease, or infirmity in this life. But from the

The Westminster Confession of Faith states, Christ, by His obedience and death, did fully discharge the debt of all those that are thus justified, and did make a proper, real, and full satisfaction of His Father’s justice in their behalf. Yet inasmuch as He was given by the Father for them, and His obedience and satisfaction accepted in their stead, and both freely, not for any thing in them, their justification is only of free grace, that both the exact justice and rich grace of God might be glorified in the justification of sinners. Sproul, R. C. (Ed.). (2015). The Reformation Study Bible:

Sproul, R. C. (Ed.). (2015). The Reformation Study Bible:

Jesus paid the penalty for the crime of the elect. For those who had rebelled against God and broken His law. He was wounded and crucified that we might be saved by His payment for our sins. Through this work God remains just and justifier. He suffered in our place. And has healed us from the eternal death caused by the evil which were born into and committed.

Sproul, R. C. (Ed.). (2015). The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (p. 2440). Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust.

We have been healed from experiencing the second death! We will still face sickness in this life but will be supernaturally healed in the next. If you are in Christ, and covered by the blood of His substitutionary sacrifice you are guaranteed a complete healing at the consummation of His Kingdom.

Don’t let some false teacher weaken this doctrine of being healed by the wounds of Christ by trying to convince you that we are healed from temporal disease in this life. This healing is from our eternal disease of evil which we will receive full pardon and healing from in the next!

Wayne Grudem writes,

1 Peter: An Introduction and Commentary 2. For Christ Suffered for You, Trusting God (2:21–25)

By his wounds you have been healed is drawn from Isaiah 53:5. Peter here applies the words morally: by Christ’s wounds we have been ‘healed’ from sin. Here again is the idea of the punishment of a substitute: the punishment deserved by us Christ took on himself and thus made us (spiritually and morally) well.

Stephen Charnock explains, “There is a cleansing from guilt, and a cleansing from filth, both are the fruits of this blood; the guilt is removed by remission and the filth by purification. Christ did both; he cleanseth us from our guilt as he is our righteousness, from our spot as he is our sanctification for he is both to us, , the one up on the account of his merit: the other by his efficacy, which he exerts by his Spirit.”

Jesus Christ does not fail in completing His work on the cross. He does not just saves us from the wrath of God and the penalty of sin then leave us to remain under the power of sin, in the bondage of sin, and lifeless in sin. Instead when he bears our sin on the cross as the sinless sacrifice appeasing the wrath of God, He also liberates us from the bondage of sin freeing us to a Holy Spirit empowered sanctification. We are washed clean positionally, but also set on a path of progressive cleansing where we are constantly recognizing our sin and repenting of our sin that we might live to righteousness following the example of our sin bearing Savior!

We see the result of Jesus suffering in verse 24,

He bore our sin.

He brought us to life.

He healed our disease.

Now Peter provides,

II. The Reason Jesus Suffered.

The first reason is,

A. We Were Straying Like Sheep

, For you were straying like sheep

Peter explains, Christ accomplished these things for you, because you were straying like sheep. You and I have left the fold.

We have run off into sure danger,

We were out amongst the wolves,

We were out where there was no food,

We had left the living water,

We were destined to die in the wilderness.

We had forgotten,

Psalm 23:1–3 ESV

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Psalm 23

We didn’t understand

Isaiah 40:11 ESV

He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

John Calvin explains,

Commentaries on the Catholic Epistles Chapter 2

The meaning then is, that we are all going astray from the way of salvation, and proceeding in the way of ruin, until Christ brings us back from this wandering.

There is nothing like being back among those whom we used to stray with to remind us of our wandering. We may remember the ways we strayed from the way of salvation. We may remember how our lives were headed for ruin, how we were headed for destruction.

But do you remember how Christ brought you back from the wandering? What did Christ do by His Spirit to show you your lostness, to show you you were headed for ruin?

B. We Needed to Return to the Good Shepherd.

Not that we had been with the Good Shepherd and then returned, but that we are leaving our sin behind and running to our Savior and Creator. The one who has always had ultimate authority over our life and our souls.

The New Bible Commentary 2:11–3:12 Showing Others the Example of Jesus

The reference to the purpose of Jesus’ sufferings (quoting Is. 53:12 and 5) gives the motive for ours. Our response to the sin-bearing saviour must be to return to him as our shepherd in order to die to sins and live for righteousness.

When we consider the way Jesus suffered and the result of his suffering it will cause a born again believer to run to Him. To recognize the love He has for His elect, the love He demonstrated in that He died for us while we were still sinners.

Think about that for a moment.

Christ bore our sins before you and I were born to commit our first sin.

Christ bore our sins which we were committing while we were dead in them, the sins for which he died.

Christ bore our sins which we commit after we are born again.

The more we understand this, the more we will return to Him, run to Him, and the more He will be our refuge.

1 Peter 3:18 ESV

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,

How then can we continue to remain in the sin for which He died?

How much more should our sins drive us to repentance?

How much more should we rejoice in the forgiveness we receive each time we cry out for mercy?

Consider also, that Christ is the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. He is the one who feeds us, leads us, and protects us from the wolves and the ways of the world. He is the on who protect us from our own proclivity to sin and self destruction. He send His Spirit to point us to His suffering sacrifice to grant us the gift of repentance and bring us back to the flock each time we wander from His fold.

That’s why we sing,

Jesus Sought me Like a Stranger

Wandring from the fold of God

He, to rescue me from danger

Interposed His precious blood.

The song continues,

Oh, to grace how great a debtor

Daily I’m constrained to be

Let thy goodness like a fetter

Bind my wandering heart to thee

Prone to wander Lord I feel it.

Prone to leave the God I love.

Here’s my heart Lord take and seal it

Seal for thy courts above.

Consider Peter’s exhortation to elders in

English Standard Version Chapter 5

5 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

The Chief Shepherd to whom we return is going to return Himself. He is coming in all His splendor and we will gather his flock. He will sort the sheep from the goats who continued to go astray. At that time he will reward the faithful and executed judgement on all who refuse to repent and return to Him. Does this not cause a zeal for obedience to burn within our hearts?