God's Glorious Purpose in Redemption

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Introduction and Scripture Reading

Scripture Introduction

(Slowly) The more you and I fasten our minds and hearts to God’s glorious purpose in our redemption through Jesus’ blood, the more we will see the trappings of this world fade into the background.

When we slow down and allow ourselves to be amazed at the wonder of God’s grace through redemption, we will increasingly see the turmoil we experience as the means through which God accomplishes his work in your life as he is uniting all things in heaven and on earth in Christ Jesus.

Scriptural Introduction

The Apostle Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ for the church, penned this incredible expression of praise which is so great and glorious that the believing heart (or soul) can only swell in praise to God when rightly understood.

This compounding song of praise layers one glorious reality on top of another, several times over. It’s brimming with one Christ-centered prepositional phrase after another, each of which plot the course for our ability to understand the crucial relationships between the Father, Son, Holy Spirit (our triune God) and believers along with the incredible accomplishments God designed and completed on our behalf which cause us to overflow in worship.

To quote the wonderful hymn our worship team just led us in, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, “...and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.”

This is a comparison, you see. The things of earth do not simply grow dim with time. No, the light of God’s glorious purpose in redemption shines so brightly in the hearts of Christians, that it progressively outshines the visibility of everything temporal.

This is why Paul says of those who are perishing and those who are in Christ in 2 Cor 4:1-12:

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2 Corinthians 4:1–12 ESV

1 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you.

Pray

O Father in Heaven, open our eyes to see your glorious purpose in our redemption through Jesus’ blood so that we would enjoy you fully, living worshipfully every day as your adopted children whom you have brought in, in order to send us out into the world to make known the riches of your glorious grace through Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Scripture reading

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Praise God’s Work in Eternity Past

Ephesians 1:3–6 ESV

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

God’s Glorious Purpose in Redemption (Present)

Ephesians 1:7–10 ESV

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 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Our Future Blessings

Ephesians 1:11–14 ESV

11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

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Proposition

In Christ Jesus, God has purchased our redemption so that our sins are fully forgiven.

Everyone of us has genuinely pressing needs.

If you’re ill, you may believe your greatest need is healing.

If you’re lonely, you may think your greatest need is friendship.

If you’re ensnared by food, wine or other alcohol, drugs, adrenaline, gambling, you may think your greatest need is to be free from your addiction.

If you’re anxious, you may believe your greatest need is to be free from worry or fear.

If you’re bored, you may believe your great need is something exciting.

Kids, if your parents or your siblings are hard to live with, you may think your greatest need is to be in charge.

If you’re a farmer who’s just seeded, you may think your greatest need is (was) rain.

Each of these needs I’ve mentioned are real and genuine. And while all of them are important, none of them is your greatest need.

The greatest need of every person, whether they believe it or not, is redemption.

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I. Redemption is our greatest need.

Last week we saw that God chose us (predestined us, or elected us) to be holy and blameless before him as a display of God’s grace! But every one of us follows the deceitful schemes of the evil one, Satan, believing that persistently satisfying our own cravings will satisfy us when in fact they won’t. We’re simply drinking from bottomless glasses that don’t satisfy our greatest need.

If we could only remember that drinking a strong salt water solution naturally causes our gag reflex to kick in because it is repulsive. But we don’t remember it this way because we love our sin.

Left to ourselves, we will never be holy and blameless

You see, Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers (who we once were) so things which are very deadly are seen as desirable. It’s the ultimate smokescreen, and left to ourselves we will fall for it every time.

When we fix our minds on earthly desires and give in to the temptation that seems so pleasing, we’re sinning against God. And every time we sin against God, we in effect store up wrath for ourselves because God is holy.

Paul asks a very penetrating question in Romans 2:4-5.

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Romans 2:4–5 ESV

4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

An impenitent heart does not feel regret or shame leading to repentance, but instead clings to their own way.

Application

(Gentle tone.)

Husbands, every time we prioritize our own desires over what God has said our wives need (not even what our wives say, but what God says they need), we presume on the riches of God’s kindness and patience and store up wrath on the day of judgment.

Kids, every time you disobey your parents, argue with them or treat your brother, sister, or kid at school unkindly, God says you are ignoring the fact that he has been really kind to you every day. It’s like sticking your tongue out at God and then expecting him to give you candy forever. But it’ll be like one of those sour candies that makes your cheeks hurt…forever and ever.

Church, every time you gossip, whine or complain (even when you just know you’re right), you sin against God by presuming on his kindness and patience and display hard and unrepentant hearts, in effect storing up judgment for yourselves.

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God says in Rom 2:8

Romans 2:8 ESV

8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.

This is what Paul calls being “dead in our sins following the course of this world, living in the passions of our flesh and carrying out the desires of the body and mind.”

(PAUSE)

Every person is a slave to sin, so redemption is the greatest need we will ever have. And just as election takes place in Christ, so

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II. God (also) provided redemption in Christ, through His blood.

Redemption is the second blessing Paul mentions that believers have in Christ.

Redemption means that a price has been paid for freeing us from imprisonment or captivity (in this case, our own sin).

This word is used 10 times in the NT:

7 times by Paul (cf. Rom. 3:24; 8:23; 1 Cor. 1:30; Eph. 1:14; 4:30; Col. 1:4; cf. also Heb. 9:15; 11:35)

3 times in Ephesians (Eph 1:7, 14; 4:30).

In the OT, it is used to describe

the release of slaves from bondage (Ex. 21:8; Lev. 25:48); and

the deliverance of God’s people from slavery in Egypt (Deut. 7:8; 9:26; 13:5; 1 Chron. 17:21).

In verse 7 Paul specifically indicates that our redemption in Christ is “through his blood”; the means by which redemption is procured is the sacrificial death of Jesus.

Redemption = the forgiveness of our trespasses.

Redemption is the just punishment. Here, Paul uses “trespasses” instead of the more common word “sins,” though the parallel passage in Colossians 1:14 uses “sins.”

The believer’s redemption is presented as the fulfillment of a “new exodus” prophesied in the OT. In other words, the redemption Christians receive is the fulfillment of what was typified when Israel was redeemed from Egypt. And just as Israel’s exodus from Egypt was accompanied by the institution of the Levitical system so that Israel could atone for their sins, so also the believer’s redemption in Christ from sin is accompanied by full and final forgiveness.

God’s work of redemption is designed and carried out fully by his grace so that our only appropriate response is to praise Him.

Paul picks up the topic of grace once more, this time referring to the wealth, abundance, or riches of God’s grace (cf. 1:18; 3:8, 16; cf. Col. 1:27; 2:2–3).

He then expands upon the grace mentioned in v. 7 by indicating that God has “lavished” this grace upon his people.

Paul then adds that the manner in which God bestows his grace is “in all wisdom and insight.” God did not lavish his grace on his people in an ill-conceived or haphazard manner.

Illustration

LOW ON FUNDS — SOLD GENERATION RING — PAWNBROKER GAVE FEW $$ AND TICKET WITH REDEMPTION PRICE

A man one day was low on funds and all he had was one valuable thing to his name—a family ring that had been passed down for generations. He didn’t want to part with the ring that so full of memories, but he needed money to survive. He took his ring off, took it to the pawnshop, and gave it to the pawnbroker. The pawnbroker gave him a few dollars for it accompanied by a ticket. On the back of the ticket, a redemption price and date were listed.

MAN INTENDED TO BUY HIS RING BACK — DIDN’T HAVE $$ BEGGED PAWNBROKER

The gentleman intended to buy his ring back but the date rolled quickly and he still did not have the money. He came and pled with the pawnbroker not to sell his ring in his shop. He begged for more time but the pawnbroker would not budge from the original agreement.

DATE CAME FOR RING TO BE SOLD — REMORSEFUL MAN SAW POLISHED RING AT 5X PRICE

The next day was the day for the ring to be sold. The remorseful seller came by that day only to find his beautiful ring polished and sitting in the shop window. It now cost twenty-five times the price he sold it for.

SOME OF US HAVE PAWNED OUR LIVES FOR A PITTANCE — OUR SOULS AND DON’T HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO REDEEM IT

2,000 YRS AGO, GOD SENT JESUS CHRIST TO PICK UP THE TAB FOR WHAT WE HAVE PAWNED

JESUS IS THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN AFFORD TO PAY THE PRICE

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John Flavel said:

Christ is so in love with holiness, that at the price of his own blood he will buy it for us.

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III. In His Kindness, God has shown us His mysterious will

God has a plan, a will, and He has the ability to carry it out

Many Scriptures affirm this evident truth. For example:

After much lengthy discussion with his friends and the Lord, Job agrees with God and humbly confesses:

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Job 42:2 ESV

2 “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

The Psalm declares in

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Psalm 103:19 ESV

19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.

In Psalm 46, he says,

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Isaiah 46:9–10 ESV

9 remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’

In Daniel 4:34–35, the humbled Nebuchadnezzar blesses, praises, and honors the Most High, who lives forever,

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Daniel 4:34–35 ESV

34 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; 35 all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”

Or, as Paul comprehensively says in Ephesians 1:11, we have “been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.”

Friends, some deny that God is sovereign over all that happens, because they think that it would make Him the author of evil. Or at the very least because they have questions they aren’t able to easily or immediately answer if we confess that the Lord is sovereign over ALL things.

But, the Bible is clear that God decreed beforehand what will happen in history, including such evil events as the crucifixion of Christ (Acts 2:23; 4:27–28) and the rise of the Antichrist (2 Thess. 2:8–10; Rev. 13).

Yet, at the same time, God is not the author of evil or responsible for it (1 John 1:5 - God is light and in him is no darkness at all). God declares (Isa. 45:7) that He is

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Isaiah 45:7 ESV

7 I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things.

Or, Amos 3:6 asks rhetorically,

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Amos 3:6 ESV

6 Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it?

In Habakkuk, God declares to the prophet Habakkuk that He is raising up the evil Chaldeans to discipline His people Israel. In that context, the prophet rightly declares of God (Hab. 1:13),

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Habakkuk 1:13 ESV

13 You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?

God is sovereign even over evil, yet He is not the author of evil and is not responsible for it. The Bible is clear that He has a plan and He can and will carry it out.

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IV. Everything will be summed up in Christ.

After talking about our enslavement to sin, Paul writes to the church at Galatia:

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Galatians 4:4–5 ESV

4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

When we understand God’s eternal purpose, it will lead us to submit to Jesus Christ as Lord of all. This includes our:

thought life (Rom 12:1-2; Ph 4:8-9)

priorities and values (Mt 6:33)

schedules

relationships (Col 3:12-14 )

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Colossians 3:12–14 ESV

12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Conclusion

Friends, none of this “just happens.” If you have been redeemed, because you’ve been made aware of your greatest need (forgiveness from your sin), you will find your heart increasingly (though not without diversions) drawn to understanding God’s glorious purpose in our redemption through Jesus’ blood, and you will see the trappings of this world fade into the background. You will begin to see the turmoil you experience as the means through which God accomplishes his work in your life as he is uniting all things in heaven and on earth in Christ Jesus.

Don’t deny your need for redemption and the ongoing effort required for, according to Philippians 2:12-13, working “...out your faith with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work (for what?) for his good pleasure.”

Applications

This morning do you need to confess that you’re relying on the world’s system for answers, or will you surrender to Christ, tell him of your need for salvation and become his child today?

Or do you need to recognize the great motivator of God’s grace. Don’t live in guilt, brothers and sisters. Guilt is from the Enemy who desires to steal your joy…don’t let him. Redemption has everlasting implications in your life. Nothing you do will pull you from God’s grip, if you’re his child.

Maybe you need to move from excusing your licentious living and cast off all restraints to pursue holiness out of a pure desire to live for the praise of God as you see God’s glorious purpose in redemption more clearly.

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Recap

I. Redemption is our greatest need.

II. God provided redemption in Christ, through His blood.

III. In his kindness, God has shown us his mysterious will.

IV. Everything will be summed up in Christ.

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Proposition

In Christ Jesus, God has purchased our redemption so that our sins are fully forgiven.

Transition to Communion

Closing Prayer

Communion