Eulogy of Praise pt.3
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Who here likes receiving gifts? Who here like giving gifts?
Give a gift and they don’t know how to use it…
My kids often make me gifts, and want to make sure i know why they gave me the gift
sun
desk orginizer
hunting belt
fans
wallets
you give someone a new saw, and you use it as a hammer
In our passage this morning we see God giving us three amazing gifts in Christ verses 7-8
Redemption
Forgiveness
Grace
And then we see in verses 9-10 why he has given us these gifts.
8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight
So first, let us look at what God has given us… and why this should lead us to praise him!
eph 1
Look with me at
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
In Him
Paul first wants to make it clear where these gifts are found.
Where do we find these great gifts of redemption and forgiveness and grace?
In Christ.
It is in christ that we have everything we need in order to be right with God.
in him we have all the spiritual blessings
in him we have been chosen and predestined
in him we are holy and blameless, able to come into the sanctuary of God
in him we have been adopted as sons
In him we have been blessed.
And now, in Christ we are given redemption, forgiveness and grace.
all of these things exist in Christ, the messiah, the king. And for us to receive these things, we must be brought into, king’s kingdom.
Example**
In the united states you have
freedom of speech, freedom of religion,
you have the right to representation, and the right to bear arms, and the right to vote
You have freedom to purchase land, and the freedom to have as many kids as you want.
Now all of these rights and freedoms are yours as a citizen of the united states.
And you get to enjoy these rights and freedoms as long as you are in the United States.
However, if you are not in the united states, you no longer have these same rights and freedoms.
There are many countries where you do not have freedom of speech nor the freedom of religion, you don’t have the right of representation nor the right to vote or bear arms. There are countries where you cannot purchase land nor chose how many kids you’ll have.
These right and freedoms are yours as long as you are in the united states. You do not possess them as if you own them, they are given to you as a citizen.
In the same way, in Christ we have been given every spiritual blessing, which includes redemption, forgiveness, and grace.
being in christ is being apart of the kings people, citizen of the king’s kingdom, and recipients of the kings blessings and gifts.
So the first gift we will look at this morning is the gift of redemption. Look at the first part of verse 7, “in him we have redemption through his blood.
Redemption Through His Blood
Redemption Through His Blood
What is redemption, forgiveness and grace for? To unite all things in him.
Redemption is a mission of the Son - he had to travel to us in order to redeem us.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
language of being united to Christ.
We have redemption through his blood
Now this word redemption is a very interesting word.
When we hear the word redeem or redemption we often think about needing to compensate for some sort of failure.
Example: “I was in staff meeting this week and was not prepared, i was embarrassed and let the team down. I will have to redeem myself next week.”
its the idea of making up for some sort of short coming or deficiency
Another way we think about redeeming is gaining something that had been lost or out of reach.
Gift Card Example
For example, if someone gives you a $100.00 gift card to amazon,
Excited you could buy, books, music, clothes, tools, curtains… really anything
However, your gift card does you no good until you redeem it.
You have to go on the website, find the tab that says, “redeem a gift card”, click the tab, enter the code and then something amazing happens - you are given $100.00 to use on whatever you want.
This is closer to the biblical image of what it means to redeem.
You could view that $100.00 in a prison cell unable to be used until it was redeemed.
And once you plugged in the right code on the website, that $100.00 was freed the jail cell of Amazon and now is in your possession.
It is yours to do what you want with because you are the one who redeemed it.
This is closer to the biblical image of what it means to redeem.
At the heart of the biblical image of redemption is the idea of paying a price to regain something that would otherwise be lost.
The vocabulary of redemption appears around 150 times in our English Bible’s, with all but 20 of the occurrences coming in the OT. (130 out of 150)
Dictionary of Biblical Imagery Redeem, Redemption
The specific vocabulary of redemption and its variants appears approximately 150 times in English translations, with all but 20 of the occurrences coming in the OT. At the heart of the image is the idea of paying a price to regain something that will otherwise be forfeited. Redemption thus carries double connotations
The OT is rich with redemption stories...
The story of Ruth, where Boaz redeems ruth as her kinsmen redeemer.
The story of Hosea, how he buys back his adulterous wife Gomer, which is a symbol of God’s redemption of Israel.
We see the theme of redemption built into the levitical system, the Psalms, and the prophets
However, out of all the OT stories and pictures of redemption, one stands above the rest, and that is the story of the Exodus.
God’s people were enslaved in Egypt. They were in bondage, unable to free themselves.
They were under a cruel task master in Pharoah, and they were forced into slave labor.
Not only that, but they were also spiritually enslaved. Deut tells us that Israel were idol worshippers and lived as pagans as they were in Egypt.
yet, God promised to save them, and for them to be saved they had to be redeemed.
God entered in as the ultimate redeemer, yet he also works through moses who Stephen calls a redeemer in .
God, through Moses, enter into the depths of Egypt, wage war against the pharoah and his sorcerers, he waged war against the gods of Egypt, and through his power redeemed, freed, purchased his people from slavery to Egypt.
The reason the Exodus stories stands as primary example of redemption is because it would serve as the model for the greater redemption that would come in Christ.
So when Paul says that we have redemption through the blood of Christ, these young Christians would have immediately thought back to the Exodus Story.
They would have remembered the blood of the sacrificial lamb that was painted over the door posts of their homes and connected that sacrificial lamb to the ultimate sacrificial lamb who would take away the sins of the world.
they would have thought about the Moses being Israel’s redeemer and seen Jesus as the new a greater Moses.
As moses went into Egypt to save his people, so Jesus came to this earth, he entered our mess, our slavery, and redeemed us.
They would have thought about how they were rescued from the slavery of the Egyptians and how in Christ we are rescued from the slavery of sin
They would have thought about crossing the Red Sea and coming out on the other side as a new people. And they would have connected the Red Sea crossing with baptism, as Paul does in 1 cor. 10
They would have thought about the Spiritual food God gave them in the wilderness and connected it to communion.
Its amazing how much of the biblical story is packed into this single phrase, “redemption through his blood” -
And when Paul writes this phrase, he wants us to think about redemption the way the bible thinks about redemption.
And, as Israel worshiped God as soon as they came to the other side of the Red Sea, so we likewise should worship God for the redemption we have received through his blood!
I mean, when you really think about what we have been freed from, how could we not praise God?
He has redeemed us from not only a lifelong slavery to sin, but an eternity of slavery to sin.
Apart from redemption sin has authority over us,
however, he has saved us from the authority of addiction, perversion, greed, lust, anger - he has freed you from that. Now, as a free person we choose to live in that freedom or not.
Pirate Ship Example
Enslaved on a pirate ship your whole life. The captain made you work till your hand here bloody, he made you do things you did not want to do, he made you be someone you were not created to be.
And one day a ship from the King’s navy comes and wages war on the pirates, they win the battle and take control.
The new captain frees all the slaves and locks up the old evil pirate captain.
You have been brought over to the new ship, and you have been given good food, new clothes, and you have been enlisted in the kings navy. And the King is a good master.
However, the old pirate captain is locked up in the jail cell in the bottom of the ship, and every time you walk by he yells out orders to you.
scrub the deck! Build this wall!
Fight, lie, steal, lust, gossip etc.
The question is, “Do you listen”?
This is what Jesus has done, he has redeemed you from the authority of sin, yet the old taskmaster still yells out demands from his prison cell and now we choose, as free men and women, will we go back and live as slaves again?
And so often we do, we go back into the bondage of slavery, we willingly put on the chains of guilt and shame and put ourselves under the authority of sin.
Yet, we have a great hope, that the blood of Jesus not only offered us redemption, but forgiveness as well.
look back with me at verse 7
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
Forgiveness of Our Trespasses
Forgiveness of Our Trespasses
Not only does Jesus forgive us of all the wicked things we did while we were enslaved to sin, but he also forgives us when we listen to the old captain of sin.
To be forgiven, or to forgive someone, is more than just agreeing to be nice, or kind, or to not be angry.
Most of the biblical images for forgiveness involves getting rid of sin in one form or another.
Sin is a bearer between us and God, and God’s forgiveness is his removal of that bearer
Look at....
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
Here David says that God’s forgiveness looks like him removing our sins as far as the east is from the west.
19 He will again have compassion on us;
he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
You will cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea.
Here God throws our sins in the the depths of the seas
17 Behold, it was for my welfare
that I had great bitterness;
but in love you have delivered my life
from the pit of destruction,
for you have cast all my sins
behind your back.
Here Isaiah says that God cast all his sins behind his back.
Paul says that God set sin aside in Colossians
14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
And how did he accomplish this forgiveness? The way in which he has removed, cast aside, buried your sins was by nailing it to the cross.
Example* BRICK ROOM
I remember watching a mystery show and there was a scene where people discovered a brick room in the basement.
This room had no door, no windows, so they had to brake it down in order see what was inside.
This man was trapped, ensnared by this house which was haunted. He was unable to leave for the house held him in its grip.
The mystery was that the mason built the wall built it around himself
However, the man hated the house and wanted to be free from its power.
So he went down into the basement and began to build a brick wall, and then another and another and another, to where he made for himself a room and as he made this room he was inside.
This room had no door, no windows, no way to escape.
With each brick he laid he was building a cell from which he could not escape.
By the time someone showed up to break through the brick wall it was too late.
For this man to be saved someone had to come and remove the bricks he had laid.
When Christ saved you, you were dead in the prison of your own sin. And he broke through the walls and brought you back to life!
He has called us to live in freedom, to no longer build prisons of of sin, yet we so often we listen to that old master telling us to lay another brick.
So though we are free, we often go back into the bondage of sin. We lay bricks and build a wall between us and God.
Which is why we come to him each week to confess our sins together.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
We confess our sins and he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins.
We are unable renew our relationship with God on our own. For us to be in right relationship with God those bricks we have laid must be removed.
And he is the only one who can do it.
And when we confess our sins, he is faithful to remove every single brick, every bearer, every wall, anything that would keep us from fellowshipping with Christ is removed.
They are cast away as far as the east is from the west. They are thrown into the depths of the sea.
They are thrown into the depths of the sea.
So we come to Christ renewed in our relationship because Christ is faithful to forgive us of our trespasses!
The forgiveness given to us in Christ is a true and complete forgiveness.
He is not keeping us at arms length until we prove ourselves sincere.
There is no probation, there is not anger or disappointment, there is no condemnation, there is nothing that is keeping you from your father. For he has done everything, removed everything that would keep you from coming into his presence.
Isn’t that AMAZING!
We are so unworthy of this redemption and his forgiveness.
God does everything there is to do to bring us to himself.
Forgiveness of our trespasses
We do nothing, we offer nothing, we are incapable of anything, so he rolls up his sleeves and does it all for us.
We deserve what our sins gives us, isolation and separation from God, yet in his faithfulness, and his covenantal love for his people he enters into our prison cells and redeems and forgives us!
What is forgiveness?
We have all this according to the riches of his grace
So when we consider what he has done, we see that it is all because of grace.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
what is grace?
Paul describes this work of God as being according to the RICHES of his grace
Riches of His Grace
Riches of His Grace
The riches of his grace refers to the greatness or power or value, of his grace.
The riches of his grace is the quality of his grace
There is nothing lacking, there is nothing more needed, for his grace is powerful enough, rich enough to accomplish the salvation of sinners.
20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
(But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:)
18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
So this grace that is in itself powerful enough, great enough, rich enough to offer forgiveness and redemption even to the the most vile of sinners has not only been offered to us, but has been lavished upon us.
This word for lavished is an active verb, meaning that God has actively lavished upon, poured to excess, overflowed our cups with grace.
I love what Paul says in , “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound!
There is nothing lacking in either the quality of his grace, its richness, nor the quantity of his grace, for it has been lavished upon us.
Now, notice what he says at the end of verse 8
8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight
So God not only lavished grace upon us, but he did so in all wisdom and insight
The word insight is best understood as a frame of mind that gives itself to thoughtful planning.
this tells us that there is plan, there is a strategy, there is a purpose for God redeeming, forgiving and lavishing grace upon us.
The word insight is best understood as a frame of mind that gives itself to thoughtful planning.
There is purpose beyond just the setting us free from sin, there is purpose beyond just removing the wall of sin through forgiveness…
And the awesome thing is that Paul wants us to be in on the plan. He wants us to know what God is doing with this work of grace through Christ.
9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ
So in Christ, having been redeemed and forgiven by grace God wants to make known to us the mystery of his will.
BACK TO INTRODUCTION
like the gift in the introduction, he wants us to know the purpose of his gifts, which are set forth in Christ.
So what is this mystery? what is this purpose? what is his plan for our redemption? what is his plan for our forgiveness? What is his plan for our salvation?
We so often think that our salvation is all about us.
We get to go to heaven when we die
We get to spend eternity with God
We We We, however, the ultimate telos, the ultimate goal of salvation is bigger than you or me.
So what is God’s plan for our salvation?
Look at verse 10
10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
To Unite All Things in Him
To Unite All Things in Him
You see, our redemption is not only about setting is from FROM something, but our redemption is about setting us free too something!
8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight
In Christ, God has set us free from satan, sin and death in order to unite us to Christ.
And its not only about uniting us to christ, but what does Paul say, but that the plan is for the fulness of time, to unite ALL THINGS to Christ - things in heaven and things on earth.
This is was the original mission given to Adam and Eve, to take dominion over all things, and in them doing that all things would then be united to Christ, the king.
You have been redeemed and forgiven so that you might join him in the mission to see all things united to Christ.
You are his hands and his feet in this mission
He has saved you, not so you can go to heaven when you die, but that you would join him in bringing heaven to earth.
His plan was to save you so that you could be his hands and his feet in bring the kingdom of God to the ends of the earth, so that all things would be united to Christ.
Church, what a glorious calling, what a high privilege!
The King of king and the Lord of lords has destroyed your old master, he has canceled your debt and cast your sins in the depths of the sea, He has adopted you into his family, he has placed you in his army, he has given you his spirit, so that you could today, May 19 of 2019, join him in his work to transform the kingdoms of this world into the kingdom of Christ.
May we go forward this week in the freedom of our redemption, in praise of our forgiveness, and in the boldness of God’s grace which he has lavished upon us in Christ, and seek to unite all things to Christ.
Lets pray.