Yesterday, while studying for my message this coming Sunday, I came across ancient words from the prophet Isaiah concerning the Messiah, Jesus Christ. I have always loved these words because they capture the depth of our sin and the richness of His sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sin. Take a moment to be reminded about the cost of your sin as well as the forgiveness purchased by Jesus Christ through His suffering and death on your behalf.

Isaiah 53
 4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
      it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
   And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
      a punishment for his own sins!
 5 But he was pierced for our rebellion,
      crushed for our sins.
   He was beaten so we could be whole.
      He was whipped so we could be healed.
 6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
      We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
   Yet the Lord laid on him
      the sins of us all.
 7 He was oppressed and treated harshly,
      yet he never said a word.
   He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
      And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
      he did not open his mouth.
 8 Unjustly condemned,
      he was led away.
   No one cared that he died without descendants,
      that his life was cut short in midstream.
   But he was struck down
      for the rebellion of my people.
 9 He had done no wrong
      and had never deceived anyone.
   But he was buried like a criminal;
      he was put in a rich man’s grave.
 10 But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
      and cause him grief.
   Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
      he will have many descendants.
   He will enjoy a long life,
      and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.

These words change everything. They give hope to the hopeless and forgiveness to the sinner. Embrace the reality of these words today.