Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 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. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:4-6).

Where's your sin? Is it in your conscience? Is it in your heart? Luther says, "If we allow sin to remain in our conscience and try to deal with it there, or if we look at sin in our heart, it will be much too strong for us and will live on forever" (LW 42.13). Luther's point is that if we are forgiven our sins, and still despair over our sins, then we refuse Jesus' mercy and instead cling to our works or emotions to overcome the sin. Or, instead of running to absolution for the solution to our sin, we work out our own salvation in this life by either justifying the reasons for our transgression or we attempt to atone for our sins ourselves by self-appointed good works. Either way you slice it, if our sin remains on us, then we bear it for all eternity, If we bear our sin, we bear it forever because we will never be able to make satisfaction for our sins.

Rather than allow sin to remain in our conscience and heart and condemn us forever, Luther asserts saying, "But if we behold it resting on Christ and see it overcome by His resurrection, and then boldly believe this, even it is dead and nullified. Sin cannot remain on Christ, since it is swallowed up by His resurrection. Now you see no wounds, no pain in Him, and no sign of sin. Thus St. Paul declares that 'Christ died for our sins and rose for our justification (Romans 4:25)" (LW 42.13). Sin is no longer located on us, NO. Christ has taken all our sin. He is the Lamb of God that bears the sin of the world. He is the Lamb that went uncomplaining forth to the cross and died in our stead and made satisfaction for our transgressions. ON Jesus was laid all our iniquities and by His stripes we are healed. If we allow sin to remain in our conscience and heart, then we are asserting that Jesus did not take all our sin and make satisfaction for them on the cross. However, it is only through Jesus receiving the chastisement for our sin that we can ever have peace, both in this life and in the one that is to come. Only if Jesus bears our sins and only if our sin is located on Christ the crucified can we have peace in our conscience, joy in our heart, and life forever in heaven.

My friends, may you conscience be at peace this day and may your heart be at ease in the knowledge that Jesus has all your sin and He nullified it on the cross. May the devil not torment you this day, may the world not accuse, and may the Old Adam have nothing to say in the matter, because your sin is now Jesus' sin and His blessedness is yours.  Your sin is put to death and you have new life in the resurrection of your Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.

Peace be with you, May the devil be silenced, the world be hushed, and the Old Adam drowned anew so that you hear only the voice of your Savior, Jesus the Christ, Amen.

Jesus' Sheepdog,

Pastor Hull