Preparing for corporate worship

In Isaiah 9:8 to 10:4, the prophet describes God's discipline of His obstinate people. Yet, Israel refuses to repent of its pride. In that passage, the prophet uses the same words four times to describe God's continued chastisement of His people at their failure to change. In 9:12, 17, 21 and 10:4, Isaiah says, "In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away and His hand is still stretched out." We will gather Sunday because God's anger toward us was poured out on someone else. As sinners, we deserve for His wrath to be poured out on us forever. Yet, another took our place. God the Son acted as our substitute. Though He was perfectly righteous, Jesus took our sin and our punishment upon Himself to glorify the Father and purchase a people. May we come rejoicing this Sunday to worship our great God and to exalt the One who suffered and died in our place.