1 Peter 1.18-21
Free From Sin’s Tyranny
(10/4/98)
1 Peter 1:18-21
Introduction:
I have a picture on my wall which was hand painted. It is a picture of a barn by waterfall. The ground is covered with snow and the barn is old and neglected.
If I were to try and sell this picture, I would get nothing out of it. It was not painted by a professional. It’s not widely acclaimed as a fabulous work of art. However it’s value is not in its exquisite handiwork. It’s value lies in who painted it.
When I came to school within the first week I met someone who would come to be a great friend. Her name was Marian Barnes and she was the head cook in the cafeteria at Calvary Bible College. Since I had no car I had to settle for a job on campus washing dishes---working for Marian. She was a heavy set, gruff 60 some year old single lady. She was often as course as sandpaper, but if you could see past that, she cared.
Over the course of a few years I got to know Marian a little better and we often talked about how things were going for us. She took up painting and even painted this picture for me.
And then it happened. Marian was diagnosed with cancer. She went back to her family in Minnesota and was in the hospital. She battled with it for some time and then one day, March 12, 1997, Marian Barnes passed away.
When my wife and I found out, we also were in a hospital, for you see it was on that day that my son Benjamin was born. It was a bitter sweet day for us.
The painting on my wall will never bring the amount of money it is worth to me. Marian gave it to me as a gift. A gift of great worth.
This day, there is a gift, a gift of great worth being offered to you. This gift will never bring a great amount of money in this world. As a matter of fact, it can’t be sold.
Big Idea: Freedom from sin is offered through the blood of Christ.
I. Jesus Christ is Your Ransom (vs. 18-20)
II. Jesus Christ Wants You to Respond (vs. 21)
I. Jesus Christ is Your Ransom (vs. 18)
Illustration: We often see people being taken hostage don’t we. When someone wants something anymore, it seems that a hostage is taken. In order for the hostage to be set free, a ransom must be paid. The ransom may take the form of money or airplanes or power, or who knows what else. Whatever the case, a price must be paid, and it’s usually very dear.
A. Born a hostage
All of mankind is held hostage.
And the strange thing about it is that we all were born hostages.
A great ransom has been demanded.
Who is our captor? Our cruel, wicked captor is sin.
If you have lived in a human body for very long, have gone through very many experiences of life, you know of what I speak.
Sin is a cruel taskmaster. It drives some to hate and kill and spend a life-time in jail. It drives others to destroy their lives with a bottle.
Sin destroys families, wrecks marriages, scars for life.
It’s a cruel taskmaster, and it holds the world captive.
Sometimes it’s not quite so overt. It can take on a secret life. Hidden behind closed doors. Holding it’s prisoner with vice-like jaws in some secret sin. It tantalizes, it lures, and in the end, it always enslaves.
It has a tight hold on even the most moral of people, taking the form of self-righteousness and pride. Regardless, it’s dictatorship is just as strong.
And my friend, it matters not who you are today, Christian or non-Christian, you were born a hostage to sin.
Never forget that!
No matter what the world says about you being born a moral “blank slate”, no matter how reformed or good you have become with or without Christ.
You were born a hostage!
A ransom must be paid.
B. The Ransom Price (vs. 18, 19)
1. Redeemed-
a. a price paid for a release
b. The illustration of the disciples on the road to Emmaus
aa. Jesus has been crucified
bb. Two disciples are heading to Emmaus
cc. They are discussing Christ’s death and everything that has happened.
dd. Jesus comes close (having been resurrected) and walks with them.
ee. They do not know it is Him
ff. They express their disappointment
gg. Read Luke 24:21- they hope Christ would deliver them from the Romans.
2. The need for redemption- where it all got started
a. Genesis 2:16, 17- The command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
b. Genesis 3:6- The first sin by mankind
Now you may say, that wasn’t all that much. It’s not like they murdered someone. It wasn’t that big a deal. Think again.
c. Romans 5:12- the result of Adam’s sin
aa. sin entered the picture
bb. death came as a result
d. 1 Peter 1:18- our captor
aa. vain conversation: an empty life. A life that is meaningless. That which lacks substance. It’s pointless. Nothing to live for. Hollow. Do you ever feel like that. What’s the point of life?
bb. “received by tradition from your fathers”: maybe your way of living and way of thinking comes as a result of the way you were raised. Maybe you are thinking and living just the way your parents thought and lived. Maybe you are reacting against they way they raised you.
3. The cost of our ransom is the blood of Jesus (vs. 19)
a. Usually when we think of a ransom being paid we think of money exchanging hands. But Peter says, “not with silver and gold.”
b. His blood is precious blood- that is, it’s expensive, it’s valuable.
c. His is the blood of The Sacrificial Lamb
aa. It is without blemish
bb. It is without spot- (Ex 12:5 , Ex 29:1)
cc. It’s significance- In order for sin to be forgiven, there had to be a sacrifice made. Something had to die. In the old Testament it was bulls, and goats and lambs. It was their shedding of blood that covered the sin.
dd. In order to be acceptable, the animal had to have no defect. No blemish, no spot.
ee. Christ’s blood was the sacrifice of all sacrifices. His blood finished the need for sacrifices.
ff. His blood was the expensive cost of our ransom. It could take nothing less than the blood of the son of God.
C. The Ransom Strategy (vs. 20)
1. It was planned before the world existed
a. it’s true (“verily”)- it was planned out long ago that Christ would pay the ransom to buy mankind from sin. When Jesus was killed He was not taken by surprise
b. It was planned with you in mind
aa. manifest- revealed
bb. in these last times- when He walked on the earth
cc. “For You!”
When Jesus marched into time and this world and our lives, He did so heading for a Roman cross. And when the hammer pounded the nails into His wrists, it was as if that same hammer (by the power of Christ’s blood) began pounding away at the chains of sin which hold all of mankind. As Jesus became imprisoned to that cross, He was providing an avenue of freedom for us. A ransom for all eternity.
And as His precious blood dripped down the cross He saw you, He saw me, He knew us. He knew we would be held hostage to sin.
He walked into time for you!
Don’t miss it!!! Don’t reject it, whatever your reasoning!
So Jesus Christ is your Ransom. He’s your ticket out of captivity.
This leads us to our second point.
II. Jesus Christ Wants you to Respond (vs. 21)
It’s so sad that while this ransom is available to everyone, not all accept it.
A. Jesus wants you to believe in Him
1. simple trust that His ransom is adequate
2. Christ was risen from the dead. Conquered death
B. Jesus wants to give you hope
1. It only comes by faith, knowing that you are enslaved to sin.
2. Knowing that Christ did it all.
#446- I’d Rather Have Jesus
I’d rather have Jesus than silver of gold,
I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or land, I’d rather be led by His nailpierced hand: Than to be the king of a vast domain.
Or be held in sin’s dread sway!
I’d rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today.”
Is that your desire today?
Over 200 years ago, the parliament of Upper Canada passed a law which stated that no slaves could be brought into that province. The law also provided that if a child had a slave for a mother, he was to be a slave until the age of 25.
A slave until the age 25. Imagine how those people must have looked forward to that day.
Have you been waiting for the day when you could be rid of the sin that holds you captive?
I now proclaim to you that this can be the day of your emancipation. The day the chains of sin fall from your soul.
The blood of Jesus has the power to make your chains seem like thread as it snaps.
Are you ready to get rid of it?
It is entirely possible that someone walked through those doors this morning wearing shackles.
Nothing visible. Just the unseen shackles of sin. They’re heavy aren’t they? A ball and chain. Something you alone will never be rid of no matter how hard you try.
They sap you of energy.
Are you ready right now to shed the shackles? You need to place your trust in Jesus, and let Christ declare this to be your day of emancipation from sin.
Invitation:
As we conclude this service I am going to give you an opportunity to
accept the freedom from sin which Christ offers.
As we sing this song I will head to the back as usual. If you want to place your faith in Christ, meet me in the back.
