The Weight of Our Sin

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:24

 Props: backpack, heavy objects (rocks, weights, etc.)

             Jesus knew that He would not only be hurt in his body, but that He would have to carry our sin.  Jesus had never sinned in his life, so he did not know what it felt like.  When you do something wrong, it is like a heavy weight wrapped around you.  (Put on backpack).  You know the feeling: you tell a lie and then you have to think about it for days.  “Oh, boy.  I shouldn’t have said that.  I feel so bad.  I wonder if anyone is going to find out.  Then they’re going to think I’m a liar.”  Or maybe you’ve hurt someone’s feelings before and you think, “He really looks upset.  I really need to watch what I say.”  It feels terrible to know that you’ve done something wrong.  It’s like carrying a heavy weight around until you make it right. 

Now think of all the guilt you’ve ever felt in your life.  Imagine having to carry around the guilt of every person in the whole world.  That’s what Jesus did when He went to the cross.  He knew He was going to carry that weight for everyone.  And He had never felt that guilt before; it was a crushing feeling.  That’s part of the reason He was in such agony in the garden when He prayed.  His obedience to God’s plan wasn’t easy.  He suffered more than we’ll ever know.  But He did it because He loves God and He loves us.

(Remove backpack).  When Jesus took our punishment, He took all the guilt we feel for doing something wrong.  He carried that guilt for us, so that we wouldn’t have to.  

His obedience brought us blessings.  Obedience isn’t always easy, but it does always bring blessings.  Choose to obey God like Jesus did, no matter what it costs you.  It’s always worth it.