The Beauty of Redemtion
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Good morning church!!
It is so good to be able to meet altogether again! I know it may seem strange to be meeting outside but this way we can really do our best to abide by that standard set forth in romans 13 which states we should abide by the laws of government. We can also love one another and keep one another safe by taking these precautions.
Thank you for being patient, I want to talk with you this morning on this subject. The Beauty of Redemption
There are few things in life that can encourage you than to focus on what JEsus did when He saved you. Focusing on how he saved you and that you cannot lose that salvation, you cannot sin your way out of that salvation and that there is a reward and inheritance waiting for you in glory.
That is what Peter is trying to do for these Christians who are going through so much hardship he is saying guys we may be going through alot but God is still for us and He is still with us. But this morning Peter zooms in on Redemption and its beauty, what it means for us and how it can help us see Gods love for us.
For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. He was chosen before the foundation of the world but was revealed at the end of the times for you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
(lets pray)
(WE BUY UGLY HOUSES BILLBOARD)
This man began a business venture to buy old run down houses and fix them up and then sell them to investors or first time homebuyers. GOD HAS BEEN IN THE BUSINESS OF BUYING UGLY HOUSES FOR CENTURIES. THAT IS GODS PLAN, TO BUY BACK YOUR LIFE and BROKEN LIVES and beautify them and bless others through it.
Thomas Watson once wrote
“Great is the work of creation, but greater the work of Redemption; it cost more to redeem us, than to make us; in one there was but the speaking of a word, in the other the shedding of blood. The creation was the work of Gods fingers, redemption is the work of HIs arm.”
Redemption is the only hope we have in this life to be made right with God.
Redemption is where we were bought back out of slavery to sin, and we were purchased by our creator.
(made you and I bought you)
YOU WERE MADE BY GOD AND YOU WERE MADE FOR GOD!
If a person is to be made right with God He has to purchase them back from their condition. Only then can He release them from sins bondage and curse.
Redeemed= “to purchase release by paying a ransom”
This is kind of an old movie but there was a Mel Gibson film from years ago entitled Ransom. Where his son was kidnapped and the entire movie centered around how tha Father would do anything pay anything, sacrifice anything to get his son back safe and sound. Wouldn’t you?
I my child was taken there would be no limits to where I would go, what I would pay, or what I would do to get them home safely. This is the same mindset our Heavenly Father has he sees us in our sins and is willing to stop at nothing to pay the price to set us free.
I find it interesting that this word Redemption was used by the Greeks when speaking about paying money to buy back a prisoner of war.
If you’ll remember in the OT when the Israelites were bound in slavery to the Egyptians a price had to be paid if they wanted to escape the judgementof God they had to find a lamb without spot or blemish and sacrifice it and place the bood on the doorposts.
The lambs life was the price that had to be paid to spare the life of the Israelites family’s firstborn child.
The lamb was a picture of the true Lamb Jesus Christ who would come and shed His blood for the sins of the world.
He was an innocent substitute that redeemed you and me from the bondage to sin!
After this took place God commanded that the Isralites have a feast to remember God delivering them from Egypt.
As miraculous as that Redemption was, it pales in comparison with what God the Father did through Jesus the Son. Peter answers four questions here this morning.
1. What did God redeem us from?
2. What did God redeem us with?
3. By whom did God redeem us?
4. Why did God Redeem us?
What did God redeem us from?
What did God redeem us from?
For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold,
Listen church before Jesus Christ we were all bound in slavery to sin and we were facing the wrath of God!
ONLY THE BLOOD OF JESUS CAN BREAK US FREE FROM THAT!
You cannot shake yourself lose from the chains of sin and death, you cannot shake your self free from the enslaving power of sin only the covering blood of the lamb can set you free!
For we know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that sin’s dominion over the body may be abolished, so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin,
But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were transferred to, and having been liberated from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness.
Peter began last week teaching us that once were saved we are set free from former lusts (14) these are driving passions usually for what is evil.
Now don’t get me wrong Satan will still try to lie to you and tell you that there is no way out of the way of life you have created over the years, but I can assure you based on the finished work of Jesus Christ you are set free!
Prison cell.
Thats how sin works it begins by desire or lust.
Drive for wrong things.
But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.
When someone is unredeemed EVERY SINGLE desire of their heart is toward pleasure and self-seeking sin. However when Christ comes in He begins to change you and my want to’s our desires change.
“Man I just don’t have a desire to do those things anymore”
My desires have changed I dont have the passionate drive to go after those things anymore.
When we do sin as believers since we are bought out of that at the price of the blood of Jesus guilt and shame creep in. This is the enemies plan for your life he seeks to kill your joy, steal your contentment and destroy your walk with God.
So often it is not the sin itself that hinders your relationship with God but the guilt that Satan uses against you to shipwreck you in your faith.
But we have to remember Satan and sin does not have a hold on me anymore because Christ has bought me back!
BUt we have also been set free from ignorance, before we knew Christ we didnt know any better but now that we have the indwelling Holy Spirit it hurts us more when we sin.
The Aposlte Paul described how we used to be prior to knowing Jesus
They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts.
Paul said the same thing was true for him!
one who was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief.
The opening verse of this passage refers to this way of life the unredeemed person lives.
Calling it an empty way of life or futile way of life.
Which means it is vain, useless, and worthless. A life lived not knowing Christ is essentially a wasted life. No matter what they may think every unredeemed man or woman is living a futile life that can never satisfy.
This is why so many who have everything are so depressed.
When it comes to comparing with eternity the accomplishments of men are so small when we consider that everything in this life is only temporary and only what we do for eternity will last.
What will it benefit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life?
It was an empty life I walked away from, I had friends I had relationships, I had some success, but at the end of the day none of those things matter when compared to eternity.
Another thing that is true to someone who is unredeemed is that they many times are steeped in religious tradition or ideas.
For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold,
The Pharisees were religious people but they were not redeemed and liived with worthless tradition. Which prompted Jesus to rebuke them because they focused on having the appearance of righteousness but really they did not know righteousness.
“THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS BUT THEIR HEARTS ARE FAR FROM ME”
RELIGION CAN ONLY MAKE YOU FEEL GUILTY FOR NOT LIVING UP TO ITS STANDARD, BUT RELATIONSHIP THROUGH JESUS CHRIST CAN TAKE YOUR IMPERFECTIONS AND MOLD YOU INTO A NEW CREATION FOR THE GLORY OF HIS NAME!
That is what Jesus does HE buys old houses and turns them into something beutiful and valuable and profitable.
He redeemed you from destruction and a wasted life now you can llive with purpose and meaning amen!
WHAT DID GOD REDEEM US WITH?
WHAT DID GOD REDEEM US WITH?
For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.
Truly no man can ransom another,
or give to God the price of his life,
for the ransom of their life is costly
and can never suffice,
THERE IS NOTHING WE COULD PAY TO MAKE US RIGHT WITH GOD
So there are dear friends of mine who base their entire Christian life on whether or not they can be good enough! WE NEED TO STOP!!
Even on your best day even the best you can bring is filthy rags, if that is the sole focus on how you are trying to get right with God it will never be enough!
So what did it cost?
God didnt roll up with money bags to purchase us, He sent His only begotten son to pay the price we never could.
“He paid a debt He did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay”
WE WERE BOUHGT WITH PRECIOUS BLOOD!
This blood wasn’t just any blood because it belonged to a lamb unblemished and spotless.
You know I want to paint a picture for you about what this looked like. The owner who raised this lamb, fed him, kept him safe. WOuld take this lamb and the lamb laying docile would then be sacrificed, not much stirring from the lamb just submission to His master.
This is the picture of our Lord and Savior who willingly laid His life down for the payment of your sin and mine.
He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
We need to understand that this is the only way to be washed clean, baptism does not wash your sins away the blood of Jesus Christ applied to your heart through faith washes you clean from sin!
The blood of Jesus is the most precious of all because He was the only perfect person who ever lived.
But the Messiah has appeared, high priest of the good things that have come. In the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands (that is, not of this creation ), He entered the most holy place once for all, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow, sprinkling those who are defiled, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of the Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve the living God?
Therefore, He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance, because a death has taken place for redemption from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
I want you to know if your listening today that God loved you and I so much that He watched His Son die for you.
It is Fathers day
There is nothing in this life I would willingly give my sons life for I would do anything to keep my children safe.
But God knew that the only way He could have you is to give up His only Son. WHAT KIND OF LOVE IS THAT?
THATS HOW MUCH YOU ARE WORTH TO GOD!
No matter how you see yourself no matter how you feel God loves you and He proved it!
He was chosen before the foundation of the world but was revealed at the end of the times for you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
Jesus was chosen before the foundation of the World
and We were chosen in Him before the creation of everything!
HE has been revealed to you, you did not find God Godd found you! God has raised Him up from the dead so that you can have life and have it more abudnantly!
For this reason God highly exalted Him
and gave Him the name
that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow —
of those who are in heaven and on earth
and under the earth —
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
There is no name under HEaven and Earth by which men can be saved only JEsus.
Jesus Jesus Jesus, theres just something about that name Master Savior Jesus like the fragrance after the rain..... Jesus Jesus Jesus let all Heaven and Earth proclaim Kings and Kingdoms will all pass away but theres something about that name.
THERE IS NOTHING YOU ARE GOING THROUGH THAT THE NAME AND AUTHORITY OF JESUS CANNOT FIX.
Why DID JESUS REDEEM US?
Why DID JESUS REDEEM US?
Isn’t this the question that comes into your mind?
Why would Jesus redeem me?
He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
My faith and hope are not found in my governement, my faith and hope are not found in my posessions because they can be taken away, my faith and hope is not grounded in my relationships because they can fail, my faith and hope is not rooted in what people think of me because there will be those who hate me, and not understand me.
My faith and hope is not in my president because he is a man who can fail and does.
MY faith and hope are found in God and what He is doing and how good He has been to me.
GOD BANKRUPTED HEAVEN TO BUY YOU!
THERE IS NOT HIEGHT NOR DEPTH NOR PRINCIPALITY NOR DARKNESS NOR SWORD THAT CAN SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD!
Now that we know that love and have a hope that does not dissapoint something should develop in our hearts
SUPERNATURAL LOVE
By obedience to the truth, having purified yourselves for sincere love of the brothers, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again —not of perishable seed but of imperishable—through the living and enduring word of God. For
All flesh is like grass,
and all its glory like a flower of the grass.
The grass withers, and the flower falls,
but the word of the Lord endures forever.
And this is the word that was preached as the gospel to you.
The answer to the problems of this world is the love of JEsus Christ, we have to have love one for another. We cannot hold grudges we cannot seek to undermine one another, we cannot seek our own interest but the interest of others, we have to love if we are to be obedient to the truth we gotta love.
LOVE IS THE REMEDY
LOVE DOES TRIUMPH
How are you loving today?
How is that love defining your life?
Are you angry?
Can I assure you that will never do anything but hurt you, love the same kind of relentless love that redeemed you is the only hope to start over witha fresh heart.
I preach this alot but there are people you need to get right with.
I wanna pray and have a time of invitation.
If there is anyone here that does not know Christ I want you to know that God displayed His love for you that while you are sitting there in your sins that you are embarrased of Christ died for you!
HE can change your life if you will come He will pour his love into your heart and give you a heart of flesh and remove that hate filled anger filled heart.