Part 1: Understanding Redemption

Well, we’re starting a new series called Redemption. And we're going to be studying The Exodus in the Old Testament. We're going to see how it all foreshadows and parallels what Jesus does then later on the cross. Sometimes we tend to think of the Old Testament —at least I always did, especially growing up— as separate from the New, right? It's old. Like why would I read that? Do you ever feel that way? Have you ever had that kind of bias, maybe in your spirit or in your heart? Well the reality is that the Old Testament actually— it totally sets up the New Testament and it points forward to it. And if you know where you’re looking and you understand the Text, you see Jesus himself actually show up multiple times in the Old Testament. Because Jesus didn't just start to exist when he was born, right? That's just what he put on flesh. He's always existed. He's God. He’s eternal. And The Exodus is the defining act of salvation the Old Testament and it points us forward to Jesus’ work on the cross. So with that, let me pray. And then we’re— today is kind of just a big introductory message. So we're going to, we're going to do a big fly-by of handful of different things, and we're going to move fast. Sound good? Alright, let me pray. Father, thanks for Jesus! Thanks, Jesus that you came to live the life that I never could the die the death that I definitely deserve. And forgive me your righteousness.

Lord I pray this morning. That is we look at just a really seminal event in history and in the biblical texts that you would you would guide my words and my thoughts even as I teach and preach that you would guide all of us by your spirit help us understand it more fully. I love you more to give you greater glory and yet at the same time while there is death do it. There's great Simplicity in the gospel. So help us for Aspen understand that as well. Thank you for Jesus. I would pray all of this in his name. Amen.

Let's just do some introduction introduction. The Exodus throwing up, you know, the Exodus was Charlton Heston for me, right? Standing there and I got confused like cuz he was always on NRA commercials to when I was a kid in like so did Moses stand there and raised his gun and part the Red Sea like what exactly happened? But the exit is a lot of people know the story right in Exodus chapter 14 where Moses has free God's people got his free and they get to the Red Sea in Pharaoh's armies chasing them and they seem to be trapped but then got tells Moses razor staffy Parts the waters and I crossed out of the land of Egypt on dry ground Pharaoh's Army comes chasing after and the water and closes them and they never see them again. It's an incredibly powerful story. Incredibly powerful truth because it's not just a story. It's something that literally happened, I believe and put there's more to the Exodus than just the crossing of the Red Sea. When you look at it as a toll from the time that that Moses was called by God, I believe Jesus speaking to him through the burning bush to the time that he goes and speaks to pharaoh and he leads them out and then cross the Red Sea and then he leads them in the wilderness to Mount Sinai and they're on their way to the promised land.

Is a picture of the Gospel? In fact, I am I said already multiple times The Exodus is the defining Act of Salvation in the Old Testament. The one thing that's really helpful and really important for you to understand. What's happening in Exodus. Why are they going to the promised land? You got to kind of understand the backstory. You got to know a little bit of of kind of what's happening in so I'm going to try to give you a quick flyby of History up through Genesis in the beginning and everything was created by him and it was perfect relationships were perfect. Everything was perfect. Put them in a garden in your backyard. It's a garden like a big National Park. Like if you look at the boundaries listed out in scripture, it's something like Yosemite right Yosemite or Yellowstone or whatever. It's a huge Park in the middle of the garden because as soon as you eat of it, you'll surely die. When will well then you get to it goes good for about 2 chapters. And then you get to chapter 3 and I even hanging out by this tree and state and comes to her in the form of a serpent and says did God really say not to eat of that tree. And she goes yeah, if we'd if it will die because you will not die. You know why he doesn't want you to eat from that because if you eat of it, then you'll become like him or the reality is if you look back in Genesis when they were already created in the likeness of God and then give an activity that carry out Satan reverse is it that's his plan all the time to reverse What God Says what he says no do this activity eat from the tree and then you'll have an identity. That's not what God saw them. But but unfortunately, what does he do? She eats the fruit she sends. And before we buy me Yves, right? Where was Adam? Standing right next to her cuz it's she turns and hands him the Apple. So I think there's a good argument to be made. He's just as culpable as if not more culpable than she is because he didn't protect his wife and stop her from eating it and they both need of it and immediately. They know that they're naked immediately for the first time. Think about this the first time ever they feel shame. None of us have any but none of us can even imagine what it's like to never feel shame. Some of us feel it all the time. In an instant for the very first time they felt shame. I knew they were naked they ran they hid from God. But God in his grace. And his grace is Grace shows up right away in the beginning of the text. He makes a promise to them. Now we got comes looking for them says, where are you? And what are you hiding and they they find them and they said well We R Who told you they confess their sin and you would think okay if your Adam and Eve, what are you thinking? I'm about to die. It's over. What is God do? He starts with The Serpent and before he even talks to Adam and Eve. In response to their sin. He makes a promise. It makes a promise just to make sure that it's all on him and not on them. Look at Genesis 3 15. God says I will put enmity between you and the woman strife. Conflict in between your Offspring and her offspring. But we don't have time to unpack all that now, but her Offspring ultimately is looking all the way forward to Jesus. And this is actually called theologically the protoevangelium. It's the first mention of the Gospel in the Bible and it comes in Genesis chapter 3.

Does he shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel all that points the work of Jesus on the cross. Jesus will crush Satan said he will destroy and in the Enemy by his work on the cross. And then cuz I head wound is a lot worse than a heel wound and shook his heel to crucify him. But he's so deceived. He doesn't understand that what he's trying to make happen with these was actually his own destruction.

And that's the first promise of the gospel song comes with me the Gospel of John 3:16 back it up by one and go to the very beginning Genesis 3:15. You've got the first mention of the Gospel in all the Bible and the rest of the Bible then the rest of the story is All About tracing how God is going to keep this promise. Who's he going to send who's The Offspring of the woman? How's it going to crush the enemy? How's it going to fix this mess that we've created in our sin? And that's the entire storyline of the Bible. So you see him wipe everybody out except for Noah and his family and start over writing this as promised God's plan has more fully enfolded tour. Now he's going to work is going to select an entire people for himself and he's going to begin with a family. Beginning with this guy named Abraham. Maybe you sing the song when you were little and Father Abraham had many sons was going to work through his family through this new people. This people that he has chosen and Abram at the time. His name was Phil Abraham. He's incredibly wealthy. He's living in the land of UR, which is right along the Persian Gulf and God shows up and messes with his life because Abram is incredibly wealthy as comfortable as entire family is around.

He's living there for 75 years. He's 75 years old when God called him and it's 75 tells me if you're still breathing God's not done right? That's the 75 from out of his comfort and out of everything. He's known and he calls him on to embark on this long slow Journey that would require incredible patience and trust in the Lord. I got going to do this through Abram. I want to show you love him. And he and he promises to Abraham from your country and your Kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. I don't think that's why he doesn't tell Abram exactly where he's going. He's just said go. Get going and on your way. I'll show you where you're going. Any 75? Riding on a donkey or something, right?

I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing I will bless those who bless you and him who disowned you I will curse and in you all the families of the Earth shall be blessed. The promise to Abraham and that's his call of Abram and he makes three promises to them in that number one. He promises to make his name great. In other words. He says I'm going I'm going to bless you and I'm going to make you a blessing to be a blessing in the entire world.

See you I will bless those who curse you I will curse.

Abram II promise he makes right along with this call is that he's going to make a broom into a great nation. How many kids does he have this point zero? And his his wife is all to let me know. She's about ten years younger than he is. They have no kids. She's Barren and yet God makes us promise to make you into a great nation. You're going to affect your going to have so many to send them to thousand later that once you spell look at the stars. Try to count how many descendants you're going to have.

Stop for some pretty outlandish promises. And then he also promised him right away. The third thing that was only the first thing that shows up. He promised him a great land and in Genesis 15 expounds on how big that is its modern day is real and I believe a greater part of the region surrounding it as well. So great name blessing great nation and great land and this is all in line with God keeping his promise way back from Genesis 315 now he's added personal promises to Abram on top of it. So we're going to trace this promise Genesis kind of traces This Promise with Abram these promises I should say. Berman and eventually does give him a descendent. He gives his wife surprise Sarah gives birth to Isaac when she's 90 years old. And he's 99 but a hundred.

It was still 25 years after this promise that got actually kept it the first part isn't that crazy? But it's in the New Testament tells us that God credited to Abraham righteousness because he believed God. Credited him righteousness because he believed these promises but Hebron has Isaac and Isaac was his one and only son whom God tells Abraham to test his face that he should sacrifice him. And so he takes Isaac and Isaac is probably a teenager at this point, maybe even a little older and they climb up Mount Moriah which is modern day Jerusalem and they climb up and Isaac is actually symbol of Jesus here. He carries his own wood for the Altar for the sacrifice just like Jesus carries, the only one of his cross and he gets up there. He lays down and Isaac's are Abraham's about to sacrifice Isaac and obedience when it says the angel of the Lord, I believe it's Jesus says

Any stops, this is now I know that you believe me. That's why I took lives. And Isaac has a couple Sons Jacob and Esau they're always at odds with one another always fighting their twins. They come out Jacob actually holding onto Esau's heel. So like from day one. There was no respite from those two going at it. And Jacob his name actually means Deceiver. Father Isaac in order that he could get the blessing of the firstborn and God's promise to Abraham and his promise all the way back from Genesis 315 is going to come through Abraham and then Isaac and then Jacob. and Jacob has 12 sons of his own. And Jacob his family. Do you want to talk about this function? Dory the middle of Genesis. Oh my goodness. Jacobs family is incredibly messed up. He has 12 sons. I wanted what she loves Joseph he sends out to the others who are working in the field and he sends them with some food and Joseph was a good guy, but not maybe always the wisest because we're going to bow down to him and he was going to rule over them and foolishly, he starts telling his brothers this and add Jacob is a doting father showed great favoritism to Joseph and that's what I hated him. That's what he's showing up one day and they decide you know, what there's that dreamer that keeps telling us.

I'm giving the dream and they they schemed The Killing. The tear-off you had a special coat that was better clothes than I was brothers. And they throw him they were going to they were going to kill him but instead they thrown into a well after beating them up and then they sell them into slavery. at the Egypt and Joseph get sold to this man. And then when he gets to Egypt he is a betrayed by this man's wife. Who falsely accuses him of rape he flees flees because she tries to seduce him and then so she falsely accuses him of rape. He's thrown in prison and through God's miraculous intervention. Eventually Joseph doesn't remain bitter through all of this or even become better, but he trusts the Lord he gets through and God does actually raise him up into a position of influence in Egypt has promised continue just saw judah's name on there. Dude is a whole nother mess. We're not going to get into but the promise from 3:15 to Jesus comes through Judah but through Joseph they end up in Egypt. Because he was sold into slavery and at the end of all this it's incredible Joseph godliness. He says in Genesis chapter 50 verse 40 that to his brothers have come to him because of a famine for food and they reveal who he is and you should go read it. It's a good story and don't have time to cover. All right now.

I could try but I don't think you would like me. He says you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. After God's grace, he worked all of these things to wear it now Joseph isn't Egypt now throughout the process. There was some check marks going off up there, right? the god of Abraham Isaac and Jacob God began to make Abraham's name great. There's part 1 of that promise to Abram. When they get to Egypt they end up being there for 400 years. Joseph is a guy who gets in there to Egypt and during this time God's promise of making Abraham's descendants into a great nation is and they multiplied greatly in number and that's what sets up the whole Narrative of Exodus. They're so great number that Pharaoh is in fear of them.

And then God after 400 years keeping this promise making Abraham's descendants into a great nation. He's going to start fulfilling this third part of his promise to give them a great land. That's when you get to Exodus 1. That sets up Exodus for you in the whole story of The Exodus is about God keeping that third part of his promise to Abram of giving him and his Descendants the land of Israel. And so they're going to leave and make their way Moses is going to leave them out and they're going to make their way to Israel to receive the land that God had promised because God keeps all of his promises now, I've told you that all of this is about Jesus and all points forward to Jesus that's like our first core value right? It's all about who Jesus and in The Exodus anything in the Old Testament is about Jesus The Exodus event is

I'm going to want you to see here. So we set up kind of the storyline. I want to set up some of the theme of Exodus for you because the theme of Exodus is redemption. And it all points forward to Jesus and Friends. Jesus is our Redemption. He's Our Redeemer. Redeems us what is redemption or Redemption is the means by which God delivers us from sin and frees us from its effects. He pays our Ransom and our penalty for sin. He renews that restores God's original intention for humankind and it's all accomplished through Jesus. So what kind of 3 themes are three three pieces of redemption you might think of it as like the three sides of a door frame.

What shows up in Exodus as well? But the first side of the door frame is this Deliverance did Jesus is our Redemption. He delivers us Deliverance is about movement From Slavery to Freedom. from bondage to sin to life in Jesus Christ And The Exodus is all about that right? It's about free in God's people as slaves and giving them freedom. Jesus work on the cross is all about delivering us a freeing us from our bondage to sin and giving us life the way it's meant to be life. That's abundant.

It's synonymous Redemption is with being liberated free to rescued from bondage of Slavery to a person or things. He he delivers us from slavery. Play for the definition of being a slave from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary to be a slave is to be completely subservient or overcome by a dominating influence.

Peter writes he says they false Idols promised freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption for whatever overcomes a person to that. He's enslaved and all of us begin as slaves of sin will begin Our Lives corrupt like our great great great great great great great great grandparents. We send first John tells us that we know that we're from God in the whole world lies in the power of the evil one, but Ephesians really sums it up in Chapter 2. You were dead in the trespasses and sins and what you want. That's who you were. Jesus delivers Us From Slavery From Slavery license points is formerly when you did not know God you were enslaved to those that are by Nature not gods. What are read to you from a book by a guy named Mike Wilkerson free from Jesus from free by Jesus from the idols We Carry in the wound. I don't do worship in ones we carry. He says if you've been abused be speaking of the Deliverance aspect of redemption. You may relate to the metaphor of slavery being overcome by evil taken captive against her will plunged into a world of pain confusion and fear. The wounds of abuse can be dominating influence is complicating relationships of people sometimes resulting in difficulty trusting other preoccupation with others approval feeling alone in the world. They can also result in a seemingly irresistible urge to grow bitter or seek revenge. If you've been similarly, if you've been addicted, you may also relate to the slavery metaphor. Your life has been out of control dominated by the influence of addiction. Perhaps despite your desire to be free you've gone back again and again to the addiction of money paying relationships and it's left you in misery beneath the load of guilt and shame this is slavery. Get it slavery. We've chosen, isn't it? It's voluntary slavery. Jesus frees us from that friend. Jesus frees us from it the opening chapters of Exodus God's people are in slavery. We give no indication that they bear responsibility for their Condition. It's just happened and sometimes things like this just happened to us other times. We choose them. But in any case they've been overcome by evil and his name is pharaoh. And God hears the cries of his people he remembers them and he's going to deliver them and that's what happens next for this. So Jesus is our Redemption. He delivers Us From Slavery to Freedom. Freedom to do whatever you want the freedom to do and be who God wants you to be freedom from sin freedom from that past self.

freedom from addiction freedom from fill in the blank good news gospel means good news. And Jesus is the one who frees. We don't do anything till he he doesn't he frees us. That's the gospel.

He's delivered us Colossians. 1 says from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son in whom we have Redemption the Forgiveness of sins. He delivers us is the Redemption delivers us and he also he ransoms us here and Sons us this here's our Redemption is costly Ransom is the high-priced that the Jesus Paid to purchase. Our freedom is the second part of the door frame Ransom. framing up Redemption Jesus death on the cross is the high pay high price got paid for our Redemption. There's high prices paid in The Exodus itself to redeem God's people The Ransom paint. What's really curious is that The Bible never really tells us who that Ransom is paid to. Taco Bell on the time that the ransom is paid to God and all this and that but the Bible never really mentioned who the ransom is paid to just that Jesus Paid our Ransom. He ransomed us to be laid out. You're a simple Jesus Paid a high price for our Redemption. It was costly infect Paul writes that right.

He says you were bought with a price. So do not become Bond Servants of man. Your bought with a price friends.

He delivers us do this is our Redemption delivers US the ransoms US. And the third door frame part of the door frame is that he renews us? He renews that Redemption is in effect the renewing of creation. God restoring everything back to the way it originally designed back before Genesis 3 in the fall will Jesus coming and being our Redemption is securing the way and end and basically beginning the process of making everything and he'll complete the process of making everything the way it was originally meant to be renewing us. He delivers us. He frees us your ransoms us who pays the price is the penalty for arson and end in OU's IC makes us new. 2nd Corinthians 5:17 that if you are in Christ, you are what kind of appreciation

what's the new? Does old addictions those old things that you've done or chosen or that have happened to you? The redeemed you're made new.

So why you might look at it and maybe you still even feel a sense of Shame for it as you look back. You can go. Yeah, that's true. And yeah, that was true.

This is what store now. Jesus is my Redemption. He's delivered me. He's Ransom to me and he's renewing me. We live in this already not yet to wear God's kingdom has come but we haven't totally that we have not yet been fully renewed with the renewal process, but not yet fully and there's a little chart on the bottom of your notes there that you can look at and I'm not going to take the time to explain all that right now.

The friends here's what I want you to see as we study the book of Exodus. We're going to look at it through this door frame or this lens of redemption of of Deliverance of Ransom of renewal. So if you want to read ahead just want to read the first few chapters of Exodus this we go for it and and look for those themes as you read their all about Redemption.

And at the same time we're always going to be looking forward to Jesus work on the cross because Jesus is our Redemption. He's the one alternative delivers us and ransoms us and renews US you've never trusted Jesus Christ. You never become a Christian.

And it's so simple. Jesus loves you with a love that you cannot imagine. You are more deeply loved than you would ever even. Hope or dream that your love. So much so that he lived a perfect life. He died a criminal's death your death in my death on the cross and the Bible says that whoever would believe in him. Believe in your heart confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. They will be saved. Because you you are you and I work where more wicked and evil than we ever feared, but we're more Love by Jesus than we ever dreamed.

If you would simply believe and trust him you'd be saved. He would be your Redemption. And then we're going to close. I'm going to pray we're going to sing that song Simple gospel again about that truth, and then we'll call it a morning. Let's pray. Father thank you for Jesus. Thank you that he is our Redemption. Jesus thank you that you've delivered us has delivered us from the power of sin. You delivered us from from Death. You've given us eternal life. Has anyone Jesus who would simply believe? Thank you, Jesus that you paid our Ransom you paid the price that we could never pay in full with your life with your death in your burial in your Resurrection.

Order me. Thank you that you're renewing us. The by your spirit you're making us knew that the old has gone the old but maybe true Jesus your loves Concord at your work on the cross has put an end to it. And that even while maybe we still sin and we still struggle there's coming a day when that renewal. It's already here, but not yet fully and it will be here fully.

Turn the friggin for those who never trust you that they might even today. Thank you for Jesus and the gospel in Jesus name we pray. a map