Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
August 18 a.m. 2002
Redemption’s Sweet Song
Ephesians 1.3-7
If you counted the stars on a cloudless night, you could count up to 1,029.
Three hundred years ago Galileo invented the first telescope. Through his telescope you could see 3,310 stars.
Today, astronomers tell us there are over 100 billion stars in our galaxy, the Milky Way. Plus... Plus... There are another 100 billion galaxies similar to ours in the universe.
The nearest star is 24,000 million miles away. Light from this star takes four years to reach earth traveling at 186,000 miles per second.
How big is our universe?... One of the farthermost objects from us is a quasar named 0Q172... It is 17,000 million light years away. By using what is know as the Doppler Effect, scientists tell us that our universe is expanding. Some stars are moving away from us at speeds up to 100 million miles an hour.
Had God not created our universe with age... mature... full grown, the light from most of the stars would not have had time to reach earth... And because our universe is expanding at such a rapid speed, they never would be seen.
Think about this now...
- You are only one of 5 or 6 billion people on this planet...
- Only one of billions and billions who have lived since the beginning of time.
- This planet is one of only nine in our solar system.
- This solar system is only one of millions in our galaxy... the Milky Way.
- There are another 100 billion galaxies.
No wonder David declared... What is man that thou are mindful of him, and the Son of man that thou visited Him?
Struck by our seeming insignificance, we are quickly reminded that God loves us and has redeemed us by His Son, Jesus.... "For God so loved the world." That's us folks. You see, in the vastness of the universe...
- We are the object of God's love...
- His concern...
- His care...
- His redemption.
Here it is church... In the whole universe, WE are number one on God's list of priorities.
REDEMPTION... WHAT IS IT?...
Webster says redemption means...To buy back with a payment.... To purchase with a price. Two Old Testament narratives give us a good insight to what REDEMPTION means:
Gomer was the wife of the prophet Hosea. She became unfaithful to him. Gomer turned to prostitution as a way of life, not because of necessity, but simply because she liked it. She enjoyed that way of life. She ended up at an auction... Being sold for her body and her services. Her own husband, Hosea, bought her back... redeemed her... Paid the redemption price. We, like Gomer, have been estranged from God. This estrangement. This separation has been brought about by our own choice--our own sins.
James 1.14 & 15 tells us that we are drawn away from God by our own lust, by our own evil desires. And when we give in to these evil thoughts, they become our sins and as a result we are separated--estranged from God. And we need a redeemer.
Ruth was a foreigner... A stranger to the Covenant of Promise, because she was not a Jew, but a Moabite. There was nothing she could do. No amount of good works on Ruth's part could make her Jewish. You see, she did not have the resources available to redeem herself. A leper cannot change his spots, but Boaz did. So, Boaz became Ruth's kinsman redeemer. He paid the purchase price... Bought her back. As a result of his redemption, Ruth took her place in the lineage of Jesus by becoming the great grandmother of King David.
Paul put it this way... "While we were yet sinners (Foreigners ... Strangers... Aliens) Christ died for us."
Surely... No one in their right mind would dare contend that we have the power... the resources... to save ourselves outside of Jesus. We need a redeemer.
This brings us to our next point... CHRIST IS OUR REDEEMER.
Church... Listen to these scriptures... "But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die... All have sinned... All have fallen short of God's glory. There is none righteous... No not one. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord... Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death... Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David
Did you notice that...
- One... Sin separates us from God.
- Two... That separation is called death.
- Three... We are all guilty... We are all under the sentence of eternal death in hell.
- Four... God has redeemed us through His son Jesus... He has raised up a horn of salvation.
We need a redeemer!!
Jesus said... I am the way. No man comes to the Father except by Me... through Me
Peter in Acts 4.12 said... Salvation is found in no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.
Indeed!... Jesus is our redeemer... He has set us free
Well... How does this redemption take place?
Throughout the Old Testament... SIN was dealt with through the blood of sacrificed animals. The Hebrews writer says that... Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins... No redemption.. I don't know why God chose blood to...
- Forgive...
- Cover...
- Move...
- Remit...
Our sins... But he did!!
The sins of Adam and Eve were covered with... by blood. Fig leaves did not cover their nakedness, so God clothed them with animal skins. You see, some animal had to die... Shed its blood... To cover their sins.
The blood of bulls and goats moved the sins of Israel forward one year.
Again... In 10.3... The Hebrews writer says... These sins were forgotten until it came time for the annual remembrance.
NOW... This is important... The blood of bulls... goats... animals... could never remit sins... Just temporarily cover... Just move them forward. But the blood of Christ...
- Redeems us...
- Forgives us...
- Absolves our sins...
- Justifies...
- Sanctifies...
- Cleanses us from all sin.
You see... By taking our place... By dying where we should have died, Christ redeems us when we respond to His blood through Faith, Repentance and New Testament Baptism. The Bible tells us that we have been redeemed... bought... purchased... with a price. The price was His own blood.
Notice now... The implications of redemption.
What does redemption mean to those of us who are in Christ?
First... IN CHRIST... WE HAVE A PROPER SENSE OF SELF-WORTH... self-esteem. Remember church, we are God's number one priority on this planet. We are viewed so valuable by Him that He became flesh and blood, to pay our redemption price.
Self-esteem has become a very misunderstood concept in our culture. We must understand this morning that... We do not have worth because of...
- Our family heritage...
- Our education...
- Our abilities...
- Possessions, etc.
We do not have worth because of who we are, but because of WHOSE we are. We have worth because He redeemed us. He paid a price infinitely greater than the total worth of this corruptible universe.
Listen to I Peter 1.18 & 19... For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
We must stop thinking and saying we are worthless. You see, because God came and died on a cross, we have worth. If the value of an object depends on the price paid for it, we are indeed valuable. Redemption should do wonders for our self-esteem!!
REDEMPTION DEMANDS SUBMISSION AND OBEDIENCE.
Redemption means that He owns us. We have been bought with a price. Church, this should make total commitment easier for each of us. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church saying... Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you. You are not your own... You have been purchased. Therefore glorify God in your body.
No wonder Paul concluded that the love of God should compel us. How can we understand what He has done for us and not fall at His feet in TOTAL SUBMISSION... Asking, Lord what would you have me do?
Listen to Titus 3.4-6... But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared... Not because of righteous things we have done but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and the renewal by the Holy Spirit, who he poured out on us generously -- through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Church... There is a huge difference between...
- Obedience out of duty...
- And obedience out of shear appreciation.
Obedience out of duty is difficult to maintain. You see... Church attendance... Working in the Kingdom... Teaching a Bible class... Giving to the poor... Living a good moral life... Are all difficult, when we do these things out of duty. Why are we here this morning?... Why will we be back to worship Him tonight... OUT OF DUTY OR OUT OF APPRECIATION??? OBEDIENCE is a privilege when we do so out of appreciation for what God has done for us in this matter of redemption... RIGHT?
REDEMPTION GIVES US A SENSE OF FORGIVENESS... FREEDOM FROM GUILT.
Why are many of us are not living the good life that Jesus came to make possible? Because we will not accept the forgiveness that comes with our redemption.
Church... If you are a baptized believer... You have been forgiven. Listen to these scriptures that state this fact.
- Acts 2.38... Repent and be baptized and you'll receive the forgiveness of your sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
- Acts 22.16... Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins.
- Ephesians 1.7 & 8... In Him we have redemption through His blood... Even the forgiveness of our sins in accordance with His grace He has lavished on us.
Why do we want to argue with the Bible?... Just accept His grace and leave your guilt behind!!
But Randall... You need to know that I have sinned since my baptism!... No kidding!!!
If we confess our sins... He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
What other scripture do we need? God has made it so plain... so simple. Don't let this preacher... Any preacher tell you differently.
- Enjoy your Christian life!!...
- Enjoy your forgiveness!!...
- Your salvation...
- Your freedom from guilt...
- Learn to live without the guilt of sin.
Praise God for His redemption.
Finally... REDEMPTION GIVES US A SENSE OF SECURITY.
Because our redemption does not depend upon...
- Our resources...
- Our works...
- Our goodness...
But upon Jesus Christ and what He has done for us, we can be sure of our salvation.
Now... I believe that there is a difference between the idea of once saved always saved... And the Biblical concept of the security of the believer. I believe in the security of the believer because it is taught in the Book. Listen:
My little children... I write this to you so that you will not sin... But if you do sin, we have one who stands beside us ... An advocate... One who speaks to the Father on our behalf -- Jesus Christ, the Righteous One... He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins... And now, dear children, continue in Him, so that when He comes we may be confident and unashamed. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of Him. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so you may know you have eternal life.
That is I John 2.1 & 2. 28, 29 and chapter 5 vs. 13.
You see... God has arranged... manipulated... intervened in human history in order to bring about the birth... death... burial... and resurrection of His only Son, Jesus... for our redemption. God wants us saved. He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
Question...
Have you accepted Jesus as your redeemer? If not, for you His death was for nothing!! Unless we accept His gift of redemption by Faith... Repentance... and New Testament Baptism.... Immersion in water for the remission of sins, the price He paid for our sin is rejected.
Don't do that!!
Some of us just need to appreciate our own redemption more today... And every day... AGREED??
Accept Jesus as your redeemer in every sense of the word, as we stand and sing this invitation song together. Will you come!!
