Forgiveness and Redemption
Notes
Transcript
6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 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 on us. In all wisdom and insight
1) TO THE PRAISE OF HIS GLORIOUS GRACE
Praise means celebrating God. Undoubtedly you have seen, and probably participated in, celebrations like Fourth of July fireworks displays and Memorial Day parades.
The purpose of such festivities is not simply to set off firecrackers and Roman candles or to watch veterans march down city streets. The events are held to remember and honor the sacrifices of men and women who went before and paid the price for freedom.
As Christians, our lives are living tributes to God’s grace. God selected us as believers so that we might praise him. When others look at our lives, what kinds of “tributes” do they see? Liberated individuals, full of gratitude for all he has done for us? Or embittered people that feel as though we’ve been cheated out of life’s good things? Let your prayer life and worship express your gratitude to God.
2) Redemption:
deliverance, redemption, a ransom, a release
The root of this word means to; loose, destroy, dissolve: refers to an emancipation, a liberation.
releasing by payment.
refers to the act of paying to free a slave
The Bible says that the borrower is a slave to the lender.
School Debt - example.
Isreal as slaves to Egypt - example
3) through his blood Refers to Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross. Paying a price or to buy someones freedom is called ransom.
Value is determined by the price someone is willing to pay
Worth -Do you like watching the Antique's Road Show? On those shows, an expert on antiques looks at a person's prize possession and places a monetary value upon it. The value varies based upon its condition, uniqueness or who owned it. But ultimately, value is determined by the amount someone is willing to pay for an item.
Would you pay $150.00 to have someone pass a football to you? Marc Bonham did. Why? Well, the person throwing the ball was Hall of Famer, Joe Montana. To Bonham, it was worth $150 to catch a pass Montana threw.
Would you pay $500.00 for a baseball or $1500.00 for a jersey? What if the baseball was signed by Mickey Mantle and the Jersey by Michael Jordan? Some people would, others wouldn't. Ultimately, value is determined by the amount someone is willing to pay for an item.
As a business man that owns a retail business I have to set a price on my product based on what people are willing to pay to make it there own.
What is your worth? Your ultimate value is determined by the price the Father was willing to pay to redeem you. Its say’s in verse 7 it was His life that payed the ultimate sacrifice to buy us back from a life of sin and death.
We were so far into in debt to God because of our sin. There was no way we could pay our way out of it. No amount of good works. No amount of asking. The only thing that could buy our freedom was the precious blood of Jesus.
4)Christ has bought us back from the tyranny of sin—literally “ransomed” us. At a terrible price: his life.
He has set us free from those enemies that once owned us—
fear, prejudice, lust, anger, legalism, greed—and made us his own.
Imagine you are a slave and you belong to a horrible master who has no regard for your health, your feelings, or your life in general. One day a benevolent stranger buys you at a staggering price and sets you free—completely free.
How would you respond? Would you show appreciation for your liberator? sing his praises to anyone who would listen? Would you ever willingly go back to your degrading bondage? Our life should reflect gratitude for what Christ has done. Don’t return to your former bondage. Claim your freedom in Christ!
You can count on God. As the Redeemer, he has made you his own, and he will act to deliver.