Redeemed In the Lord, Rejoice!

There is a problem in our many churches today. More and more people do not find any benefit in belonging to a church. There are many who are rejecting Christ and walking away. Some are once strong Christians, even pastors who are evaluating what they believe and are deconstructing their faith, leading to more and more people rejecting God’s gift of grace. Why is this? If an average person was to walk up to a typical Christian and asked them to tell them about Jesus, they may say things like, “Jesus loves you, He died on the cross for you, He has a plan and a purpose for your life, He wants to change your identity, He brings hope and joy. “All these statements are true but what about someone who is suffering from being physically and emotionally abused their whole life, or someone who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness or has been their answer would be quite different. “Jesus Loves me, then why did He give me a illness that will kill me? He has a plan for me? I hate his plan. He wants to give me hope and joy? Unless he cures me there is no hope for that.

The problem is that many Christians, today, often focus too much on what God can give them in this life, in the here and now. We neglect to see life on the spectrum. This life is just a taste of eternity. The truth is there are children born with terminal illnesses, people die of cancer, there are countless acts of evil and atrocities that are committed every day and undeserving people are caught in the middle. Coming to Christ does not mean that there will be an elimination to problems, pain and suffering in your life but an addition of the Love of God who will never leave you or forsake you when you need him the most. He gives you everything that you need to sustain you in that trial. Jesus never promised us a great life if we come to him. In fact, He has said that as His followers we will be persecuted and despised. The truth is that if Jesus never did another thing for us in this life, He has already done everything. The gospel is not about what Jesus can do for you right now, it is about what He has already done. He has provided the way for us to live eternally with Him in paradise. Today we are going to be looking at Psalm 107. What we see in this psalm is that we are to remember our redemption and rejoice in the promise of eternal life.

READ PSALM 107:1-2

CHESED - COMMITED LOYAL LOVE

This Psalm begins with a command to thank God for His loving kindness and mercy, but what does it mean that God loves us? In our culture our definition of love has been done a dis-service. We say things like we love our spouse, our parents, pizza, shoes, people we idolize and don’t even know. In our culture we have cheapened what it means to love and often, as sinful human beings, we are in relationships to get more out of them then we put in. In fact, relationships break down when one person feels as if they are giving more than they are receiving and they move on to another relationship. Love of God is not the same as human love because it is not sinful.. A Hebrew person reading this psalm would know all about the love of God. In Hebrew this love is called -Chesed, this is a committed and loyal love. This is the love of God. This is the love that he created us with. The book of Genesis describes the care and love in which God created us.

The Bible says that God walked and talked with Adam and Eve and that He wanted nothing more than to be in their presence. We see this with the tabernacle in the wilderness. God created a way through the sacrificial system that allowed Him to remain with His people. One single truth about the bible is that God will never leave you or forsake you, He can’t, because He loves you. There is nowhere that you can escape God’s presence and His love. In fact, God Loves you and I so much and He did everything to make it possible to live with Him forever, that is why Jesus came to this earth to redeem us and reconcile us back to God so that nothing could ever separate us again. He redeemed us from our self-destructive tendencies to get what we think we want and need. The Bible says that the wages of sin are death. A life devoted to the pursuit of our own pleasure and selfish desire results leads us away from God and to our own destruction. We need to be redeemed from the desires of our own flesh, from the influence of our secular society and from the temptation of the Devil. This is what God accomplished through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection for you and I. If you are redeemed in Christ today remember and rejoice what you have been redeemed from.

REDEMPTION

This psalm goes on to give testimony of those who have been redeemed. In verses 4 -31 we can see these examples.

First, we see the wanderers, look with me in verses 4 and 5, “Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in; hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.” There are many people who are wanderers. They go from one thing to the next trying to find that thing that is going to satisfy them. The move from relationship to relationship, they may devote their life to their career, try to find satisfaction in pleasure, they may put their hope in revolution and changing the social order however as they wander from one thing to the next, they are not satisfied. They are placing all their hope in something that will not give them what they are looking for. They are leaning on their own understanding and they running as fast as they can away from God. Without true repentance they are separated from God for eternity. However, through circumstances in life out of their control they admitted their need for God, they submitted their will to God’s will and He delivered them. “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way”.

If that is you today, if you have been delivered from wandering ways, rejoice in your redemption. Continue to seek God for His wisdom and direction for your life. If you are still struggling trying to find hope and peace in the things of this world turn to Christ today, submit your will to Him and allow Him to lead you and guide and provide for all your needs and rejoice in the hope of verse 9, “For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.”

Second, we see that some were prisoners. In Verse 10 and 11 we read, “Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death prisoners in affliction and in irons, for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High.” There are millions and millions of men and women in our society today who are in prison or have spent time in prison. They ended up in jail because they did what they thought was right in their own eyes. They did not follow the laws of the land and the law of God. I have spoken to many people who have been in prison and the one thing that they say is that prison gives you a lot of time to think about your life. Many people turn their lives over to Jesus Christ in Prison and come out with a new purpose and identity.

There are some who live in a prison of their own making. Prisoners sin without hope. Some of you are caught in prison of addiction, adultery, sexual sin, people pleasing, self-reliance and many other reasons we remain in the prison of sin. If this is, you, I want you to know that there is hope but it will not be found in anything in this world only through faith in Jesus Christ. It says in verses 13 -14, “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death and burst their bonds apart.” Jesus wants you to live in the freedom He has provided through the cross of Calvary. If you have been set free from prison or if you are free from the prison of sin, rejoice in your freedom Christ purchased for you through His blood. If you are here today and you feel that there is no hope, I am here to tell you the good news. There is no sin too great that God cannot forgive. Repent and put your trust in the promise of the freedom that God offers through faith in Jesus Christ.

Third, some were fools in their sinful ways and suffered iniquity. This is sickness that often is associated with a sinful lifestyle. Iniquity is the Hebrew word Avon which means to distort something that is beautiful and good. It is often associated in Hebrew with something that is bent or crooked. This type of twisted behavior includes deceitfulness, broken faith, violence, and other kinds of harm. The results and consequences of Avon is suffering, broken relationships, and cycles of retaliation that come from this behavior. When we are abused and taken advantage of, we are experiencing Avon, iniquity—sin. This behavior begins with our selfish desire to get what is ours. It is an urge to look out for our own interests and ignore God’s purpose, to love God and love others. When we ignore or diminish others to become self-serving, we become bent, crooked, and twisted bringing harm to others and ourselves.

There are many here today caught in iniquity. Many are suffering because of consequences of your own sinful behavior or because of the sinful behavior of someone else. This is the divorce that you did not want, the financial consequences of bad decisions, some of you are abused, neglected and it appears that there is no hope. It says in verses 19-20, “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them and delivered them from their destruction.” Today, if you have been redeemed of your iniquity rejoice in your redemption.

The final example of those who have been redeemed are those who attempt to control and manipulate people and situations to work out for their benefit. We see this example in verse 23 of those who are at the mercy of the sea and the storms that inevitably come. Sea faring people, seasoned sailor who have seen the power of God firsthand. It says in verses 28-30, “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.”

Some of you are not in physical storms on the sea right now but you are in a storm. All control is out of your hands. You are living with a terminal illness, broken relationships, suffering with mental illness, you have prodigal children or grandchildren. When you are in the middle of a storm, when you are captive and have no control of the situation you are truly helpless and at the mercy of the circumstance controlling you. The truth is that everything may feel out of your control, but nothing is out of God’s control. He can heal you of your attempts to control when you turn to him and trust Him the situations in this life. If you are some one here today who has been redeemed because you recognize that God is ultimately in control, and you have submitted to His will for your life then rejoice in your redemption. ‌

REPENTANCE

‌ One common theme we see in these four examples is that each of these individuals recognized their need for God in their life and through repentance and submission to the will of God saved them. In these four examples we see that there is a common phrase repeated four times word Forword. “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.” In every example we discussed today required an honest look at their life. They saw that they were marching towards their destruction and they repented. It is important that we take a few moments to discuss what it means to repent.

Repentance is translated from the Greek word, μετάνοια (metanoia), which means to change your mind. It means that what you thought was right, what you thought was going to make you happy and content is not working. You need to change your mind, the way you act and think. That is repentance. You were walking in one direction, and you turned around and went in the complete opposite direction. This takes giving up your desire, your will, your plan or agenda and you receive the gift of the life that God created for you. Everyone here today that can hear my voice has a plan and a purpose for your life. That plan is to glorify God with everything that he has given you. He has given you a free will to live your life anyway you chose. You can live for Him or you can live for yourself. You can use everything that He has given you for your glory, to make a great name for yourself and to make sure that you can try and get as much as you can from other people and what the world offers.

Through repentance we receive redemption. In repentance we admit our wrong, our guilt, that we have not loved God with all our heart, mind and strength. We admit that we have not loved our neighbor as ourselves. We receive forgiveness for our sin because God loves us so much that He wants to spend eternity with us. God wants to forgive you. He wants to restore you. He wants to bless you, He wants you to walk in the newness of life offered in the Holy Spirit. God is not up in heaven waiting for you to mess up so he can smite you. He is not disappointed in you, he is not angry with you, He wants what is best for you.

It says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come.” When you come to Christ, he will not leave you where you are at. He will heal you of your disbelief, your sin and iniquity. He will provide for all your needs as you struggle in this life. He will protect you, keep you and bless you. But He can only do this if you willingly lay down your will and pick up what He has secured for you in Christ’s blood. It is not easy; it is not always fun, but it is the only way to be redeemed and to truly experience the love of God. Jesus tells us in John 16:33, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” The truth is that submitting your life to the care and control of Christ does not mean that you will be more comfortable and have the benefit of a life of ease. In fact, it is just the opposite. Jesus says in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” The reason so many remain on the wide road that leads to destruction is because they have not been willing to give up finding hope and satisfaction in this world. They are still wandering trying to figure things out. The remain prisoners to their own desires, they live in the sickness of their iniquity because they don’t realize that there is another option. They continue to try to control the people and circumstances around them. All these options lead to destruction and away from God.

CONCLUSION

‌ I want to encourage you today that there is hope for your life. If you are tired of trying to control everyone and everything around you, if you feel empty because you have received everything that you have ever wanted and it is still not enough, there is good news. God loves you; He has a plan for you, He wants to redeem you, restore you, and regenerate you to a new life. This does not mean that your life here is going to be perfect and easy, but it will have meaning and purpose. The truth is that you can reject everything that I said today and go on to live your life anyway that you chose. That is a gift of your own free will that God has given you. However, this is the best eternity is going to be for you. Rejection of God’s gift of redemption will lead to eternal separation, where you will experience the full measure of the wrath of God.

However, if you have been convicted to turn your life over to the care and control of Jesus Christ know that this life is the worst eternity will ever be. In fact, God promises us that the life to come is far better than anything that we have experienced on earth. Perfect love, joy, peace and community. Committing your life to Christ means you will have trouble, trials and turbulation in this life but you never have to experience them alone. God’s presence will be with you when you need him the most. He will strengthen you, sustain you and ultimately take you to be with Him.

If you are here today and you know that you have been redeemed, then rejoice in your redemption. Rest in the completed work of Christ. If Christ did nothing else for you, what He did is more than enough. Christ plus nothing is everything. Tell everyone about the hope that is in you. Give your testimony to the goodness of God. Encourage one another, pray for each other and remind each other of the Gospel. Continue to seek God in all circumstances. Continue to trust that He who began a good work in you will be faithful to completing that work through Christ. Encourage each other in the hope of heaven. Encourage each other in the steadfast love of the Lord. In closing I want to leave you with the concluding verse of Psalm 107, verse 43, "Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.”