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.  Isaiah 53:4-5

The cross shows the righteousness of God. In Romans 3:23-25 Paul tells us that God, in his divine forbearance, had passed over former sins by accepting blood sacrifices. But He sent Jesus to be the once-for-all sacrifice so that people might glorify God for his mercy (Romans 15:8-9). 

Jesus died to vindicate the righteousness of God by absorbing the wrath of God which should have fallen fully upon you and me. John Piper says, "God's wrath is just, and it was spent, not withdrawn. We will never stand in awe of being loved by God until we reckon with the seriousness of our sin and the justice of His wrath against us."

What love! Amazing love, how can it be? The God and the King of the universe would die for me?

We did nothing to earn or deserve this love. In fact, all we have done is rebel and treat God as a doormat or as a genie in a bottle to get what we want in life. 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 4:4-5)!

On this Memorial Day, remember the ultimate sacrifice of our military personal but more importantly remember THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE OF JESUS!

• What gospel are you preaching to yourself?
• Are you preaching to yourself or listening to yourself?
• When life seems hard and unfair, what gospel do you preach to you?
• When parenting or your marriage seem difficult and overwhelming, what do you share with you?
• Jesus died a horrible death for your sins. He tore in tow the curtain in the Temple so we can boldly enter to receive mercy and find grace. Will you commune with God and cast your cares on Him?
• Will you revisit the gospel and allow it to wreck you?
• Will you go to those you have hurt or have hurt you and show the grace and mercy that has been shown to you?