Redemption

Four Big Words:
Redemption

Rom 3:24 “…Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…”

èWhy are we going through all of this detail in studying God’s salvation plan as fully revealed in Romans?

1. It builds up the saints for fighting spiritual warfare in their own minds, families, and lives—when Satan attacks, soft answers and platitudes will do no good.

2. It gets the saints into the meat of the Word so they can grow even more—(Col 3:16) "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom..."

3. It causes the saints to rejoice at the wonder of God’s salvation plan, when we see our sin, our helplessness, and hopelessness, and then see how none of those things were any obstacle to our God, who has delivered us by His mighty Hand.

4. It convicts the lost and shows them God’s way of salvation in terms they cannot get away from.

5. It warns the lost church members, as they see that they do not have these things in their lives.

And today, we look at the doctrine of Redemption, that Christ bought the blind, the sick, the spiritually dead and the lame and set them free to follow Him.

èOh, blessed thought, OH redemption complete—I was a slave to sin, a slave in Satan’s kingdom, lost, undone, without God and without hope in the world.

èThere I was, locked up in a dark dungeon of my own making, helpless and alone, and sure to perish like that

è but My Redeemer, who lives, who is mighty to save, with whom is plenteous redemption, who has never been defeated in any battle, and who never will be defeated
è this Redeemer came to my dungeon, rattling the keys that only He possesses all the way down the long hall to my cell

èHe shined the light of the glorious Gospel into my soul’s prison, my cell filled with the light of His Presence

è He removed the blindness of my eyes, and showed me His certificate of ownership, written in His own blood, that He had sought me and bought me and that He was there to collect His purchase.

èThe door flew open, my chains fell off, and My Lord Jesus Christ lifted me to my feet and said, “follow me, my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

1. Why Do We Need to be Redeemed? “…the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…”

a. We Need To Be Redeemed because we are sinners

(1) Our Sin is Pervasive—we are rotten to the core without Christ—3:23

(a) Ancient Israel received this judgment from God about their sin and rebellion—Isa 1:6 From the sole of the foot even to the head, There is no soundness in it, But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores…” Isa 64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;

(b) Is Anyone “OK?”

(i) Some might say, “well, I have a good heart, I’m a nice person…” Or they might know people that they think are “nice persons.” There are no “nice persons:” without Christ

(ii) Weak “evangelism”

(iii) The Human Heart—Jer 17:9 ""The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?"

(iv) Problems come from inside, not outside—Mat 15:19 "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 20 "These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.""

b. Our Sin is Natural: We are born sinners by nature—Eph 2:3”… we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others."

c. Without Christ, we are sold under sin—(Rom 7:14) " …For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin."

d. Without Christ, we are slaves to sin –

(1) The self-deception of the religious crowd(John 8:33) "They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, 'You will be made free'?" Never a slave? What a joke on them—Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome—even as Roman soldiers oversaw them…

(2) The Truth, According to Jesus—Jn 8:34 “…Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin."

(3) (Rom 6:16-17) "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey…”

(4) If you are without Christ today, you are a slave, bought and paid for by your own sin, willfully committed to an evil master who will gladly drag you into the pit with no hesitation nor any remorse.

(5) If you do not know Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are NOT “OK.”

e. Man Needs To Be Redeemed— You cannot be redeemed unless you are a slave, and unless you realize and admit that you are a slave—to sin—

(1) We are guilty sinners, bound to pay the full price for our sins, and hopelessly enslaved by them as well.

(2) We were not able to pay any part of the bill.

(3) Our only prospect is death and Hell.

f. Man needs a Redeemer

(1) We need someone to redeem us from this situation, to free us from our slavery.

(2) We also need someone to pay the price for our sin and rebellion.

(3) But who would or could pay such a price?

(a) Who would? Why would anyone want to redeem a race of rebels, sinners, cheats, murderers, thieves, adulterers, and what not?

(b) Who could? Who in the universe has the resources to redeem even one soul, let alone those of a multitude no man can number?

2. God’s Plan of Redemption—“…the redemption that is IN Christ Jesus…”

a. Before the World was made God Planned Redemption —(1 Pet 1:18-20) "knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you…"

(1) He is The Lamb—(John 1:29) ".., "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

(2) He is—“…The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world…” Rev 13:8 and 17:8

b. As God unfolded His plan of redemption, He revealed Himself as the redeemer of Israel and of individual OT Saints

(1) —(Psa 19:14) "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer."

(2) Job understood the Truth about the Redeemer, before Abraham came along. Job’s Prophecy—(Job 19:25) "For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth;"

(3) The Redeemer of Israel was and is Jehovah God

(a) (Isa 41:14) ""Fear not, you worm Jacob, You men of Israel! I will help you," says the LORD And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel."

(b) (Isa 43:14) "Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel…”

(c) (Isa 44:6) ""Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: 'I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God."

(d) (Isa 44:24) "Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb: "I am the LORD, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself;"

(e) (Isa 49:26) "… I, the LORD, am your Savior, And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.""

c. God’s plan was to redeem us through the blood of Christ— Eph 1: 7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;"

d. Our Redemption Is therefore In Christ Alone

(1) He frees us from Satan’s kingdom and plants us in the Kingdom of God — (Col 1:13-14) "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."

(2) Our Redeemer is the Mediator of the New Covenant—(Heb 9:15) "And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance."

(3) As the redeemed of the Lord, we are to glorify Him in our lives—(1 Cor 6:20) "For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."

3. What Right Does Christ Have to Redeem Us?

a. Our Redeemer Must Be God and Man--

(1) Why was is necessary for the Redeemer to be the God-Man? Why is the doctrine of the two natures of Christ so important? The answers lie in God's law of the goel, or Kinsman-Redeemer, (Lev 25) illustrated beautifully by the historical story of Ruth.

(2) The Law of redemption: The Redeemer must be a kinsman — (Lev 25:47-49) "'Now if a sojourner or stranger close to you becomes rich, and one of your brethren who dwells by him becomes poor, and sells himself to the stranger or sojourner close to you, or to a member of the stranger's family, 48 'after he is sold he may be redeemed again. One of his brothers may redeem him; 49 'or his uncle or his uncle's son may redeem him; or anyone who is near of kin to him in his family may redeem him; or if he is able he may redeem himself."

(3) The example of Ruth—She had to have a kinsman who was able and willing to redeem the heritage.

(4) Boaz was able and willing—4:7-8

(5) Boaz paid the whole price for the whole property, to redeem Ruth—4:9-11

b. Christ is our Kinsman-Redeemer

(1) He is personally qualified to redeem because He is of our flesh, He is our kinsman— (Heb 2:14-17) "Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil… 17 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people."

(2) He is morally qualified to redeem because of His sinlessness—

(Heb 4:15) "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin….”

(2 Cor 5:21) “… 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

(Heb 9:14) "how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"

(1 Pet 1:19) "… a lamb without blemish and without spot."

(1 Pet 2:22) ""Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth";"

(3) He is able to redeem because as God there are no limits to His power, His riches, and His ability—He is “King of Kings, and Lord of Lords


(4) The Redeemer must be willing to redeem—(John 10:11-15) "…The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep… 15 I lay down My life for the sheep."

(5) The Redeemer Must Redeem—the goel (Kinsman-Redeemer) pays the just demand in full—(John 19:30) "So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit."


c. In God’s plan of redemption, Christ is everything to us—(1 Cor 1:30) "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God; and righteousness and sanctification and redemption;"

4. Connecting the Dots of Salvation

a. The way of salvation is through the righteousness of God, obtained by faith—(Rom 3:21-24)

b. We are justified— “…24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…"

c. This is a free gift of Grace— “…24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…"

d. And the entire price is paid by our Savior—whose blood sacrifice paid the price we could not pay… “…24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…"

Redeemed, how I Love to Proclaim it

Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;Redeemed through His infinite mercy,His child and forever I am.
Refrain
Redeemed, redeemed,Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;Redeemed, redeemed,His child and forever I am.
Redeemed, and so happy in Jesus,No language my rapture can tell;I know that the light of His presenceWith me doth continually dwell.
Refrain
I think of my blessèd Redeemer,I think of Him all the day long:I sing, for I cannot be silent;His love is the theme of my song.
Refrain
I know there’s a crown that is waiting,In yonder bright mansion for me,And soon, with the spirits made perfect,At home with the Lord I shall be.
Refrain