In Him "We Have"

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In Christ we have redemption, the forgiveness of sin, freedom from guilt and shame, a promise sealed by the Holy Spirit.

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God’s Love Poured Out

Introduction:
At the close of our Wednesday night KIDS program this past week, one of the students asked the question of why a lamb was slain and the blood was spread over the door post. It gave us an opportunity to talk about the how a lamb was slain and its’ blood was placed on the door frame of every Hebrew home so that when the angel of death passed through Egypt that night, those homes were spared from the death of their first born.

I. In Him we have Redemption

Ephesians 1:7–8 NIV
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,
Redemption - meaning to have been set free by the payment of a ransom. Or Liberated from bondage or imprisonment.
In the O.T. the people of Israel where set free from the bondage of slavery in Egypt. It was on the night the angel of death passed through Egypt. Wherever the blood of a yearling lamb, without blemish had been sacrificed, and the blood was shed, covering the door post of the home, the angel of death did not strike the first born. Everyone under the blood was saved. Not so for those who were not covered by the blood.
A New means of Redemption has taken place through Jesus Christ.
In the N.T. Jesus Christ gave his life as a Ransom for many.
Matthew 20:28 NIV
just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
It was through the blood of Jesus, that the price for our sin was paid. Because Jesus was willing to die for our sins, God turned away from his anger towards his creation and has given us the gift of eternal life, which comes to us by faith () .
Ephesians 2:8–9 NIV
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
What are people in bondage of today? Sin, guilt, and shame. What has God come to set us free from? The sin that so easily entangles us.
pride (over indulgence of self), greed (hoarding, theft, or robbery), lust (pornography, fornication, adultery) , envy (coveting), gluttony (overindulgence of anything) , wrath (anger, rage, hatred) and sloth (Laziness, Avoidance of serving)
God loves us with a pure and boundless love that he ‘Lavished’ upon us… a grace that gives us freedom and hope because of what Jesus has done for us and what we have in Him.
We are overcomers in Christ Jesus because he paid the price for our sins; he has rescued us from all these things...
In
Colossians 1:13–14 NIV
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
We no longer have to walk in darkness, uncertainty. We can walk in assurance and hope because “We Have” already received redemption through the blood of Jesus.
Linked to redemption is ‘Forgiveness.’ It is a fact that we have all sinned.
Romans 3:23 NIV
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
And, if by lack of virtue we think we have no sin, listen to
1 John 1:8 NIV
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
It is important to know that by God’s Grace, through the Blood of Jesus Christ you have been forgiven. If you do not believe this, then you have not put your faith in Jesus Christ. Because when Jesus says, you are forgiven, you are forgiven.
I would also like to say, that since God has forgiven you, you need to learn to forgive yourself.
We have all sinned; we have all done deeds that are not pleasing to God or good for other people or ourselves. But when we receive Jesus; when we say, Yes to Jesus, with a repentant heart, stating that we are genuinely sorry for our sins, ‘We Have’ forgiveness.
Therefore we need to forgive ourselves. There is no sin so great that God cannot forgive.
; ) Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit - Defiant irreverence towards the Holy Spirit.
It does not matter what you have done, he can and will forgive you and you can and should forgive yourself.
When I was younger, I had this great fear of dying. I remember my parents taking me to see my pastor. He shared one of the first verses that I remember memorizing.
1 John 1:9 NIV
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
He assumed I had this great sin that i felt God would not or could not forgive. I believe he was trying to help me see, that when we say yes to Jesus and repent of our sins, God is faithful and will forgive us our sins, so we no longer have to live in fear, guilt, or shame. Rather we can live in assurance of His love.
Over the years, there have been times when I have had to come back to the fact, that when and where I have sinned, God calls me to repentance and I can know that God has forgiven me. My problem is that i can easily live in the past, feel regret for something i’ve said or done; harm or hurt that i may have caused someone. It pains me and I can easily fall into discouragement and even depression, because I have not forgiven myself… and unfortunately, others may make me feel that i’m not forgiven.
I cam across a statement by George Whitfield that I had written on a 3x5 card in 1992. English evangelist George Whitefield (1714-1770) learned it was more important to please God than to please men. Knowing that he was doing what was honoring to the Lord kept him from discouragement when he was falsely accused by his enemies. Once Whitefield received a vicious letter accusing him of wrongdoing. His reply was brief and courteous: “I thank you heartily for your letter. As for what you and my other enemies are saying against me, I know worse things about myself than you will ever say about me. With love in Christ, George Whitefield.” He didn’t try to defend himself. He was much more concerned about pleasing the Lord. (Daily Bread, August 18, 1992).
However, i am reminded by something I came across once again written One by Chuck Swindoll and another by George Whitefield… something I had written on a card back in I had written on a 3x5 card in 1992.
English evangelist George Whitefield (1714-1770) learned it was more important to please God than to please men. Knowing that he was doing what was honoring to the Lord kept him from discouragement when he was falsely accused by his enemies. Once Whitefield received a vicious letter accusing him of wrongdoing. His reply was brief and courteous: “I thank you heartily for your letter. As for what you and my other enemies are saying against me, I know worse things about myself than you will ever say about me. With love in Christ, George Whitefield.” He didn’t try to defend himself. He was much more concerned about pleasing the Lord. (Daily Bread, August 18, 1992).
Sometimes I say and do things that are not pleasing to God; sometimes not pleasing to other people… some intentional some unintentional. I have learned that whatever the case me be, when my conscience - through the Holy Spirit - convicts me, which leads to repentance, I not only need to forgive myself, I can forgive myself because I know God has forgiven me.
Sometimes you may feel that you are the scum of the earth… the yucky guck on the bottom of a lake and you are worth nothing; no one wants you and those who do, really only want you for what they can get out of you for themselves. Not true with God… he wants you for who you are, where our are, regardless of what you’ve done. he was willing to prove that by sending Jesus. So believe in what he says.
The second thing I want to say about forgiveness is simply this, as you have been forgiven, which is a blessing for us all, no matter what someone has said or done, we are called upon by God to forgive others. Is it easy? perhaps not, but un-forgiveness keeps only you in bondage and you miss out on many, many blessings that you could have if you would forgive as God has forgiven you.
In Jesus, we have Redemption and Forgiveness, all by the riches of God’s grace which… listen carefully, “He lavished on us all...” The word lavish means… ‘to provide in abundance! There is no end to God’s grace in your life.
First the Riches of God’s grace… Paul writes in
Romans 2:4 NIV
Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
Forbearance means - Ability to take a great deal of punishment from evil people or circumstances without losing one’s temper, without becoming irritated and angry, or without taking vengeance. It means being capable of bearing pain and trials without complaint.
All that God has done for you is to lead you to do the same for others.
Grace is God’s way of confronting our human indifferences and rebellion with an inexhaustible capacity to forgive and too bless. Grace is receiving a love that we do not deserve; a forgiveness that we cannot earn or deserve. But because he is love, he pours out grace in abundance to make it known to you that you are loved and special to him.
“In Him” we have Redemption… He paid the price for our sins… he bought us with his own blood. He did so to set us from from sin, it guilt and shame.
II. In Him we have Revelation
Ephesians 1:9–10 NIV
he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
The mystery is that which was not known before but which has been revealed to you now. It is the counsel of God’s guidance to you in regard to his love and destiny for you. His plan for you to have eternal life and to know you have eternal life.
He gives us wisdom and understanding… the capacity to comprehend what he is saying through the power and sealing of the Holy Spirit.
Even though many people suffer today, God is making it clear to us that his plan is to return someday and to ‘unite’ us under the headship of Jesus.
God’s plan centers on Jesus. Paradise was lost when Adam and Eve sinned. Our relationship with God was broken. But in Christ Jesus, it will be fully restored someday. It begins now when you put your faith in Jesus and seek him with your heart, minds, soul, and strength.
III. In Him we have the Seal of the Holy Spirit
Ephesians 1:13–14 NIV
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
He gives us wisdom and understanding… the capacity to comprehend what he is saying through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance.
To say “In Him we have...” is to speak of the future that is ‘Sure’ to happen.
In
1 Peter 1:3–4 NIV
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,
Last week we talked about having been chosen… we are Adopted into God’s family. This week, he speaks about the inheritance that we have as adopted children and the guarantee behind that inheritance.
In Christ Jesus, there is no second class citizen. There is no “Others” All that God has created is worthy of his love, grace, adoption. We are to treat each other as such!
The Seal is that of the Holy Spirit… It is the mark of authenticity and ownership. God puts his mark of ownership within us… we receive his strength in the inner man through the Holy Spirit, which testifies that we are ‘God’s Children.’
Romans 8:16 NIV
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
The Holy Spirit is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance. The first and initial payment, so that right now we can begin to experience what it means to have an eternal future with God. So God is not just telling us about something in the future, He is bringing the future into the present so that we may taste what the future is like.
All this is to the praise of His glory. All that is left for us to do is join other believers in worship and praise to God. To declare that God is worthy of our praise. He gives peace, satisfaction, hope, all because He lavished his love on us.
What does this mean for you and me?
My first thought is this… Take hold of God and what he has promised! (21 pages) The Life Promises Bible by Kenneth Boa.
Take hold of your inheritance and be wise with what He has given you. Take hold of what you have and live in the presence, power, and peace of our God who is our great provider and protector.
Don’t let the evil of this world bring distance between you and God. Don’t let an unforgiving heart for yourself or for others, create a barrier between you, God, and others. Don’t let your sins stand in the way of receiving God’s power love to you.
Receive it; claim it, and follow the Word - Jesus!
Don’t let the past haunt you. Don’t let un-forgiveness put you in bondage. Don’t let pride stand in the way of having great and healthy relationships, just because you think someone owes you an apology.
In Christ, “In Him” you have redemption, revelation, Sealed by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
If you had the power to fix what is causing a loved one pain or sorrow, would you do it? If you new someone had the cure for cancer, would you ignore it? NO. You would take hold of it and accept it, claiming it because you know of its healing power. That is what we all have in Christ Jesus.
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