God Laid on HIM the Iniquity of Us All!

Dear Fellow Children of God,

 

In the early 1980’s I remember visiting a friend going through chemo-therapy.  Pastor George Mueller served in the congregation closest to where I served.  He was in his 60’s and had been diagnosed with bladder cancer and was undergoing regular treatment for his illness.  I called to check on George and went to visit a number of times while he was in therapy.  George welcomed my visits and prayers, but I have seldom seen anyone sicker or more miserable. 

 

My understanding of medicine, and I am a pastor not a doctor, is that chemo-therapy today is much improved from previous years.  Today certain areas and cancers can be targeted more specifically than even 35 years ago.  Therapy still causes nausea, aches and pains, loss of hair, and misery, as doctors try to shrink or even kill the cancer.  But, it is my understanding that in previous years treatment could not be as easily directed as it is today.  George told me, “They are trying to get as close to killing me as they can so they can get the cancer.”  That was his understanding.  I know that when I visited George he was truly miserable.

 

You probably understand the idea of killing the cancer so the patient can be healthy.  If a cancer is allowed to grow it will kill the patient.  So doctors seek to remove or kill the tumor so the patient can live and be healthy.  But, even though treatment saves lives, people still dread the treatment.  There are times people do not want to know the doctor’s diagnosis, because they don’t want to face the treatment.

 

How about the ‘cancer’ of sin?  How do we kill the sin in us that will kill us if not removed? 

 

Recently we conducted a demographic study of the area within a 12 mile radius of St. John.  The data used for the study was taken from the 2010 US census and projections from that data.  In some ways the answers are not surprising; Alaskans think independently and are in some ways significantly different from the rest of the country in their faith values, just as Alaskans are often also different in political thinking.  But, some of the statistics made me shake my head and wonder.  Specifically 2 responses seemed to point to the struggle going on within each of us.

 

In one survey question people expressed their dissatisfaction with the moral education of today’s children.  A total of 82% said that “children are not adequately taught good morals.”  That is an overwhelming number.  Yet, when people were asked about the importance of their own faith, only 13.3% said that “their faith was REALLY important to them.”  My observation is this.  If the adults questioned do not consider their faith and its moral teachings important, why are they surprised when children do not receive adequate moral teaching???  Do you see the contradiction? 

 

It is easy to point at other people when we read these demographic statistics, but all of us are part of the community.  All of us struggle with our commitment to our Lord.  All of us see the problems in our lives.  So, how do we deal with this contradiction in our lives?  Like cancer, sometimes denial seems easier than facing treatment.  How can we kill the cancer of sin within us?

 

In Isaiah 53 the prophet tells of God’s Suffering Servant, and the sacrifice of this servant for God’s people.  Isaiah writes, “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.”  (Isaiah 53:6) 

 

Do you hear the diagnosis?  We have all gone astray.  We have all rebelled against our creator.  We have all wandered from loving one another.  We all struggle with sin.

 

But there is a treatment, the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

 

I would not want to administer chemo therapy to myself. I know of no person who has given themselves treatment.  They need a doctor.  The doctor who treats our sin is God’s Suffering Servant, Jesus.  Only, Jesus looks at the sin in our lives, the contradictory thinking, the rebellion, our greed and idolatry, and instead of cutting it out, Jesus takes it on Himself. ”The LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” 

 

There are two lessons I continue to learn personally, and I hope that you see these lessons as well.  First, the sin within us is a cancer that kills.  On our own we are lost.  But second, God looks down on people who cannot care for themselves, and God’s love leads Him to sacrifice His own Son so that we can have life.  We may be wandering sheep, but Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

 

When I visited George I felt sorry for him as I watched him suffer, but I was glad he was receiving treatment.  I could not, however, take that treatment for George.  Thankfully, our Lord loves us so much that He sends His Son who sees the cancer of our sin and takes the treatment Himself.  Jesus pays the price we deserve.  ”The LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” 

 

 

A Child of God, Thankful for God’s Sacrificial, Healing Love,

Pastor Jonathan

 

P.S.  Here is a picture from the baptism last week of Griffin Kopperud in late worship.  Congratulations Peter and Rebecca!  https://plus.google.com/photos/114993745799525883148/albums/6105100932013912881/6125864249614147026?banner=pwa&pid=6125864249614147026&oid=114993745799525883148

 

 

 

 

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